Alex Asigno

Camel Yamaha Team rider Valentino Rossi reaches another special milestone in his illustrious career this weekend as he contests his 100th consecutive premier-class race in the Grand Prix of Turkey. The Italian and his team-mate Colin Edwards travel to the Istanbul Park circuit, located 300 kilometres north west of the capital city of Ankara, looking to build on tentative first impressions of the track from last year, when they finished second and seventh respectively in a race won by Marco Melandri. The third round of the current season will also be Rossi's 160th appearance in all classes since making his 125cc debut in Malaysia in 1996. So far he has amassed an incredible tally of 80 victories, his latest coming just over two weeks ago in the Grand Prix of Qatar; a triumph that also moved the 27-year-old level with Mick Doohan on 54 premier-class wins, leaving him second only to the legendary Giacomo Agostini, on 68. The Istanbul Park circuit was designed by famed German architect Hermann Tilke, the man behind the Sepang, Bahrain and Shanghai circuits, and was used for the first time by the MotoGP World Championship last October. The spectacular 5.378 kilometre track features fourteen turns - eight lefts and six rights - and like Phillip Island it has the unusual characteristic of running anti-clockwise. Like the Losail circuit in Qatar, several of the Istanbul track's corners are based on famous bends at other circuits, such as the 'Senna Esses' at Sao Paolo, the 'Spoon Curve' at Suzuka and the 'Eau Rouge' at Spa. Spectators have ideal facilities to enjoy the action, with seating capacity for around 130,000 fans and an impressive main grandstand which can hold up to 25,000. Sunday's schedule will start one hour later than usual, with the red lights due to go out for the MotoGP race at 1500h local time (CET +1). Valentino Rossi: Record Breaker As well as taking him level with Mick Doohan in terms of career wins, Valentino Rossi's victory at Qatar also pulled him to within striking distance of the all-time record Grand Prix points total, currently held by Max Biaggi. Having now scored a total of 2886 points in all classes Rossi will move ahead of Biaggi simply by finishing in ninth place or above this Sunday. However, as always, his only target is victory at one of only two circuits on the current calendar where he has yet to climb onto the top step of the podium in at least one of the three classes. "Qatar was like the start of my championship but we're already behind in the points and we need to do our best to catch up," said Rossi. "My rivals are very strong and we need to be able to fight for the win again in Turkey. Istanbul isn't one of my favourite tracks and we had a really hard time there last year - we had already won the championship and it was difficult to stay 100% focused at that stage of the season, plus we had some set-up problems with the bike. This time we go there feeling fully motivated. "We don't know how the new bike will react at this circuit; I hope that it will go well and that we won't have any vibration problems. There are some fantastic fast corners so if the bike is working well it could be great fun to ride there. We tested again after Qatar and we made some improvements, and although we still haven't completely solved our problems hopefully even if they do reappear at some stage, we're going to be able to cope with them better now." Colin Edwards: Hard work will pay off Colin Edwards is keen to get to Turkey this weekend as he aims to convert the fast and consistent pace he has shown during pre-season testing and Grand Prix practice sessions into a solid race result. Eleventh and ninth place finishes from the first two rounds have not been a true reflection of the Texan's efforts this year and he is keen to turn things around at a circuit he admits he struggled to get to grips with last season. "I have to say I wasn't too enamoured with the track when we rode it last October but I was busy trying to adapt to a new riding style at the time and it didn't make life easier," says Edwards. "This time my riding style is sorted out but we still have a few problems with the bike so we'll have to see how it goes. I was very disappointed with the way things went in Qatar but it has been nice to have an extra weekend off over Easter to mull things over and I can't wait to get out and put it right on the track. "So far this season we've been strong in practice - if anything just struggling a little bit to make the step up on a qualifying tyre but in general the pace on race tyres has been good. We were unlucky at Jerez and I was really confident of a good result in Qatar but we came up against a few problems in the race that hadn't bothered us in practice. The day of tests after the race gave us some good data to work from and hopefully things run smoothly from day one in Turkey." Davide Brivio: An interesting challenge Camel Yamaha Team Director Davide Brivio sees this weekend's race as the ideal opportunity to measure early development of the 2006 version YZR-M1 machine at another challenging and demanding venue. After overcoming initial problems in Qatar to end the weekend with a victory for Valentino, the Italian is hoping for more of the same from his team in Turkey and expects the timing of this year's race to favour a more fruitful outcome than last October's event at the same circuit. "Last year Istanbul Park was one of the circuits where we had the most difficulties but that Grand Prix was the penultimate of the season, when everything was already won," explains Brivio. "It will be interesting to see how we go this time around, with the race at the beginning of the year and coming at a time when we really need to get some points for both riders. "It will be a challenging weekend because we still have to fix the problems that we have had with the 2006 version of the YZR-M1. We will test again on Monday in Istanbul after the race, in order to further try to improve the bike. Despite these issues, we showed in Qatar that we can already be competitive and now we have to take that to Turkey. Valentino's win has given the whole team and the engineers a real boost and the motivation is definitely there to try to win again in Turkey." Technically speaking: Anrea Zugna on Istanbul Like all Herman Tilke tracks, Istanbul Park possesses a wide variety of corners and the challenge is further enhanced by plenty of gradients, with the track built on four different ground levels. However, by far the most exciting feature of the layout is turn eleven - a fifth gear bend that is taken at speeds approaching 270km/h, making it easily the fastest corner in the MotoGP World Championship. Combined with some of the tightest chicanes on the calendar, the key to set-up at Istanbul Park is about making compromises. "Istanbul is a tricky circuit because it has some of the fastest corners in the world combined with some of the slowest," explains Andrea Zugna, Colin Edwards' Data Engineer. "In turn eleven you need good stability at high speed to give the rider the confidence he needs to attack the corner, but from turn twelve to the end of the lap you have three very slow chicanes which require good agility; so you have to find a balanced set-up between those two characteristics. "This track is also unique because of the changes of elevation. For example turn one dips downhill before going immediately up again, creating a lot of compression on the front forks. The rider's skill is also very important because there is only really one racing line and they must find it - especially through the three consecutive lefts in the middle of the lap, where it is also very bumpy. It is important that they have confidence in the front through here. Last year Colin struggled a little because it was the first time he used his new riding style but his pace in practice was good and his fastest lap came towards the end of the race so we know the data is good. Hopefully it will make life a little easier this weekend!" Valentino Rossi: Information Age: 27 Lives: London, UK Bike: Yamaha YZR-M1 GP victories: 80 (54 x MotoGP/500cc, 14 x 250cc, 12 x 125cc) First GP victory: Czech Republic, 1996 (125cc) First GP: Malaysia, 1996 (125cc) GP starts: 159 (99 x MotoGP/500cc, 30 x 250cc, 30 x 125cc) Pole positions: 40 World Championships - 7 Grand Prix (1 x 125cc, 1 x 250cc, 1 x 500cc, 4 x MotoGP) Colin Edwards: Information Age: 32 Lives: Conroe, Texas Bike: Yamaha YZR-M1 First GP: Japan, 2003 (MotoGP) GP starts: 51 x MotoGP World Championships - 2 World Superbike Istanbul Lap Record: Marco Melandri (Honda) 2005 - 1'53.111 Istanbul Best Lap: Sete Gibernau (Honda) 2005 - 1'52.334 2005 Results: 1. Marco Melandri (Honda) 41'44.139 2. Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) +1.513 3. Nicky Hayden (Honda) +6.873 7. Colin Edwards (Yamaha) +29.255 Click here to view the news

Yamaha Intur Sports Motocross Team rider Stefan Everts steered his YZ450FM to a sixth consecutive victory and the third this season today at a warm Grand Prix of Portugal and the Agueda circulated populated by 15,500 spectators. It was the 90th career success for the reigning number one and came after a gripping first moto tussle with Sebastien Tortelli (KTM). The third round of fifteen in the 2006 FIM MX1 World Championship took place in good weather conditions with sunshine and decent temperatures bathing the fifth and sixth motos of the season. Only 24 hours early the climate had been quite different. Hard rain throughout Friday night and some more showers Saturday forced the FIM to shrink the Saturday practice timetable to conserve the sodden track. With only one free practice before the 30 minute qualification 33-year-old Everts sealed the third fastest lap time. The track was dry and rough for the opening moto and the various ruts provided a nice technical contrast to the faster sections of the course. The first outing of the day was a classic and one of the best performances by Everts in several years. The Belgian fought all race long with Sebastien Tortelli and produced what has to be considered as a contender for the 'over-taking move of the season' by leaping past the Frenchman cresting a jump-on-the-turn to regain the lead early in lap ten. Tortelli kept applying pressure but Everts was faultless and needed to be. Eventually the Frenchman made a mistake on the final circulation and crashed giving the reigning number one an easy passage to the chequered flag. In the second race Everts was fourth going around the second corner but attacked aggressively and passed leader Tortelli in the same bend as earlier in the day. The Frenchman crashed shortly afterwards and dislocated his hip. The severity of the injury is unknown but if he is forced to miss the next Grand Prix then it will leave Everts in a strong position in terms of the Championship. Alone at the front he controlled the moto by a relatively comfortable margin over Jonathan Barragan (KTM). Cedric Melotte continues to find his speed after a pre-season wrist injury but the friendly Belgian suffered with two bad starts and a second moto crash today. The 27-year-old had to dispel a lot of energy to come back from a lowly position in the first moto to ninth and then fell on the tight second corner of the second race and was far behind the field before deciding to retire after another spill. Stefan now heads Tanel Leok (Kawasaki) by 27 points in the world championship standings. After two consecutive rounds within the Iberian Peninsula the fourth test of the series will take place in a fortnight at the Teutschenthal circuit for the Karcher Grand Prix of Germany. Stefan Everts: "It has been a hard day for me, especially with that first moto. I was in the lead but Sebastien was there the whole race and pushing me. I had to ride defensively because I know he is very aggressive and could try anything. The moment he passed me I got him back going up the hill and I think that was an important move that decided the rest of the race. In the second moto I was very aggressive on the first lap and could pass Sebastien in the same place. I tried to pull away but the moment I saw him on the ground I lost my concentration and couldn't really find my rhythm or pace. Jonathan followed me hard and I know he is very fit. It was another tough race but I am happy with this double victory." Cedric Melotte: "I don't know what happened today but it was not a good weekend for me. My jumps were not bad out of the gate but everybody closed me off on the first turn and that happened twice. I had two bad starts and the track was not good for passing. I tried to come back in the first race and ended up ninth; I know I can do better than that but I was feeling a bit lost out there. In the second heat I crashed on the second corner with Brian and took a long time to get going again. I tried hard to come back but lost the front wheel. It was hard to restart again and finally I decided to stop. It was a weekend without any luck and I just want to focus on the next GP now." Carlo Rinaldi: "It was a very good day on Stefan's side as once again he proved that he wants to beat everybody, even if it means riding defensively like he did in the first moto. It looked like Tortelli had a bit more than him but he rode with a good strategy and in a smart way. In the second moto he was quickly in the lead and tried to manage the gap with Barragan but was not riding so well or as smooth as he usually is. It was a bad day for Cedric and I feel very sorry for him because he needs some good results. It was very difficult to come back on this track." NB: In the last few years the manufacturer standings were calculated by FIM based upon the total GP result (combined overall standings after two motos), with 25 points for the manufacturer winning the overall GP. This was remarkable as riders can win 25 points per heat, and therefore a maximum of 50 points per GP. As per 2006 the manufacturer standings of FIM are based upon the same calculations as for the riders championship: for each heat manufacturer points are to be gained, regardless of the overall GP position. Race classification MX1 Round: 3 - 2006 GP of Agueda, Portugal Circuit: Agueda Race: 21 Laps Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time 1 S. Everts Yamaha BEL 40' 11.933 2 S. Tortelli KTM FRA +20.727 3 K. De Dycker Honda BEL +33.544 4 K. Strijbos Suzuki BEL +40.260 5 J. Barragan KTM ESP +44.074 6 T. Leok Kawasaki EST +49.921 7 S. Ramon Suzuki BEL +54.458 8 J. Noble Honda GBR +1' 19.327 9 C. Melotte Yamaha BEL +1' 25.116 10 S. Sword Kawasaki GBR +1' 28.637 11 J. Garcia Vico Honda ESP +1' 30.252 12 G. Crockard Honda GBR +1' 30.862 13 M. Priem Yamaha BEL +1' 33.701 14 B. Jorgensen Honda DNK +1' 36.929 15 P. Leuret Honda FRA +1' 42.669 16 M. Van Daele Honda BEL +1' 50.107 17 J. Bill Yamaha GBR +1' 52.142 18 A. Pyrhonen TM FIN +2' 5.337 19 C. Federici Kawasaki ITA +1 lap(s) 20 L. Freibergs Suzuki LVA +1 lap(s) Race 2: 21 Laps Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time 1 S. Everts Yamaha BEL 39' 23.754 2 J. Barragan KTM ESP +5.746 3 K. Strijbos Suzuki BEL +11.695 4 T. Leok Kawasaki EST +18.728 5 K. De Dycker Honda BEL +22.443 6 M. Priem Yamaha BEL +29.741 7 J. Bill Yamaha GBR +50.317 8 P. Leuret Honda FRA +1' 1.967 9 W. Avis KTM RSA +1' 9.310 10 A. Pyrhonen TM FIN +1' 15.542 11 J. Garcia Vico Honda ESP +1' 18.807 12 L. Freibergs Suzuki LVA +1' 21.424 13 G. Crockard Honda GBR +1' 30.916 14 D. Theybers Suzuki BEL +1' 34.707 15 A. Salvini Suzuki ITA +1' 37.602 16 J. Lindhe KTM SWE +1' 38.460 17 M. Van Daele Honda BEL +1' 39.379 18 S. Sword Kawasaki GBR +1' 40.329 19 K. Salaets Yamaha BEL +1' 40.598 20 B. Jorgensen Honda DNK +1' 48.115 Championship standings MX1 Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Points 1 Stefan Everts Yamaha BEL 142 2 Tanel Leok Kawasaki EST 115 3 Sebastien Tortelli KTM FRA 99 4 Kevin Strijbos Suzuki BEL 98 5 Ken De Dycker Honda BEL 97 6 Jonathan Barragan KTM ESP 97 7 Steve Ramon Suzuki BEL 83 8 Cedric Melotte Yamaha BEL 66 9 Pascal Leuret Honda FRA 65 10 Manuel Priem Yamaha BEL 53 11 Stephen Sword Kawasaki GBR 51 12 Javier Garcia Vico Honda ESP 44 13 James Noble Honda GBR 42 14 Antti Pyrhonen TM FIN 41 15 Julien Bill Yamaha GBR 39 16 Marvin Van Daele Honda BEL 30 17 Brian Jorgensen Honda DNK 27 18 Danny Theybers Suzuki BEL 25 19 Wyatt Avis KTM RSA 18 20 Gordon Crockard Honda GBR 16 Manufacturers standings MX1 Pos. Manufacturer Points 1 Yamaha 142 2 KTM 125 3 Suzuki 121 4 Kawasaki 115 5 Honda 97 6 TM 41 MX2 : Cairoli takes first podium of the season Round: 3 - 2006 GP of Agueda, Portugal Circuit: Agueda Date: 23 April 2006 Crowd: 15500 Temp: 20ºC Weather: Changeable MX2 World Champion Antonio Cairoli was third overall today at Agueda for the Portuguese Grand Prix. The De Carli Yamaha representative made the perfect start in the first moto and defended a slender margin ahead of Kawasaki's Christophe Pourcel for the entire race distance. It was his second consecutive moto win after success in Spain last week, but, like the meeting at Bellpuig, the Italian was luckless in the other half of the Grand Prix and was the victim of a collision entering the first turn that caused him to crash and restart last. The world champion showed considerable skill on a layout that was difficult to pass on, rising to 10th - good enough to take his first top three result of the year. The track was very rough and dry after sunny spells on Saturday and clear blue skies throughout race day. The Grand Prix had begun under a dark cloud - literally - as heavy rain battered the circuit through Friday night and forced the MX2 qualification heats to be scrapped in favour of a 30 minute timed practice period. Thankfully the weather did not play further havoc and 15,500 spectators attended encouraged by a decent forecast. Kenneth Gunderson had taken his first podium since 2002 at Zolder and proceeded to notch a moto victory at Bellpuig last week for the first time in three years. The Norwegian was in no condition to play the role of protagonist on this occasion however after feeling sick all weekend. He started well in moto1 and was briefly as high as third but faded back to 12th and had to be assisted into the medical centre for a saline drip. In moto two he tried to gather some points but had to pull out after eight laps. Bike it Dixon Yamaha's Billy Mackenzie was sixth overall. The 22-year-old Scot had marked his first career Grand Prix podium at the same venue for the 2005 Grand Prix of Portugal and was the second Yamaha home in moto one after just being beaten to a possible fifth position by the KTMs of Carl Nunn and David Philippaerts; the trio crossed the line only three seconds apart. In the second moto he was slightly off the pace and had to fend off British championship rival Tommy Searle for sixth. Former three times world champion Alessio Chiodi was the second best Yamaha rider with fifth overall. The veteran was pass the chequered flag in eighth after finally managing to get the better of Rui Goncalves and Searle. The Italian was not assisted by a poor jump from the gate that placed him mid-pack on the opening lap. Later in the day he made a better launch from the line and rode safely to third. Davide Guarneri was again unfortunate after a crash caused him to retire in moto one. He was 15th in moto two. Cairoli is now fourth in the series standings and 39 points behind Tyla Rattray who won for the third consecutive GP. Chiodi is fifth and Mackenzie is tied in seventh. The world championship will reconvene after a one week break at Teutschenthal for the Karcher Grand Prix of Germany on May 7th. Antonio Cairoli, De Carli Yamaha: "The first race was good for me but I am not happy about the second because of the crash at the start. I pushed so hard to close the gap to the other riders and take positions but this track was not an easy one for overtaking. I finished tenth which was OK but it was not a good day for me. Race after race we are getting better and faster. I want to fight with Tyla and he is a very fast rider. We need to be stronger at the start because I showed that I have the speed." Kenneth Gunderson, Ricci Racing: "I don't know what the problem is now but I know I am sick. I need to see a doctor on Tuesday and find out what's wrong. I think it must be a virus or something because I could push for two laps and then after that I was completely finished. I tried in the first moto to get some points but in the second it was impossible." Alessio Chiodi, Ricci Racing: "The first moto was all about a bad start and the track made it difficult to pass. The other riders were fast and it was difficult to catch them. Finishing 8th was not so good and I understood where I needed to improve. In the second moto I was riding with more confidence. My rhythm was fast and I could take third. The track was difficult because in some places you had grip and in others not and it was very rough. I am about 80 per cent satisfied with the result today." Race classification MX2 Round: 3 - 2006 GP of Agueda, Portugal Circuit: Agueda Race: 22 Laps Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time 1 A. Cairoli Yamaha ITA 40' 13.833 2 C. Pourcel Kawasaki FRA +0.890 3 T. Rattray KTM RSA +19.172 4 M. De Reuver KTM NED +33.150 5 C. Nunn KTM GBR +47.112 6 D. Philippaerts KTM ITA +48.536 7 B. MacKenzie Yamaha GBR +50.388 8 A. Chiodi Yamaha ITA +54.435 9 R. Goncalves KTM POR +1' 5.476 10 T. Searle Kawasaki GBR +1' 8.568 11 G. Swanepoel Kawasaki RSA +1' 12.363 12 K. Gundersen Yamaha SWE +1' 26.011 13 M. Seistola Honda FIN +1' 28.273 14 A. Boissière Yamaha FRA +1' 29.044 15 P A. Renet Honda FRA +1' 50.163 16 N. Aubin Kawasaki FRA +1' 31.498 17 M. Monni KTM ITA +1 lap(s) 18 M. Schiffer KTM GER +1 lap(s) 19 J. Wing KTM SWE +1 lap(s) 20 X. Hernandez Yamaha ESP +1 lap(s) Race 2: 21 Laps Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time 1 T. Rattray KTM RSA 39' 11.834 2 C. Pourcel Kawasaki FRA +8.857 3 A. Chiodi Yamaha ITA +17.681 4 P. Caps Honda BEL +22.236 5 M. De Reuver KTM NED +25.641 6 B. MacKenzie Yamaha GBR +27.180 7 T. Searle Kawasaki GBR +30.227 8 C. Nunn KTM GBR +32.700 9 G. Swanepoel Kawasaki RSA +35.124 10 A. Cairoli Yamaha ITA +45.236 11 L. Seguy Yamaha FRA +50.739 12 A. Boissière Yamaha FRA +58.974 13 S. Pourcel Kawasaki FRA +1' 4.029 14 M. Nagl KTM GER +1' 5.196 15 D. Guarneri Yamaha ITA +1' 16.064 16 M. Seistola Honda FIN +1' 18.555 17 N. Aubin Kawasaki FRA +1' 19.248 18 M. Monni KTM ITA +1' 39.370 19 X. Hernandez Yamaha ESP +1' 45.106 20 P A. Renet Honda FRA +1' 59.068 Championship standings MX2 Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Points 1 Tyla Rattray KTM RSA 128 2 Marc De Reuver KTM NED 108 3 Christophe Pourcel Kawasaki FRA 108 4 Antonio Cairoli Yamaha ITA 89 5 Alessio Chiodi Yamaha ITA 81 6 Carl Nunn KTM GBR 76 7 David Philippaerts KTM ITA 74 8 Billy MacKenzie Yamaha GBR 74 9 Kenneth Gundersen Yamaha SWE 73 10 Tommy Searle Kawasaki GBR 57 11 Rui Goncalves KTM POR 54 12 Sébastien Pourcel Kawasaki FRA 52 13 Patrick Caps Honda BEL 46 14 Luigi Seguy Yamaha FRA 42 15 Davide Guarneri Yamaha ITA 38 16 Gareth Swanepoel Kawasaki RSA 37 17 Antoine Meo Honda FRA 27 18 Matti Seistola Honda FIN 26 19 Anthony Boissière Yamaha FRA 24 20 Pierre-Alexandre Renet Honda FRA 20 24 Aigar Leok Yamaha EST 13 28 Xavier Hernandez Yamaha ESP 5 Manufacturers standings MX2 Pos. Manufacturer Points 1 Yamaha 139 2 KTM 137 3 Kawasaki 110 4 Honda 68 Click here to view the news

Yamaha's world superbike riders overcame a lack of traction to bring home a good haul of points at round three of the series in Valencia today. Norick Abe was the leading Yamaha rider, ending the day with a pair of fourth places and only narrowly missing out on a podium finish in his second outing. The Japanese star was in superb form all weekend after his Yamaha Motor France squad brought along a new specification engine for the race. The team, which uses and is responsible for development of Yamaha's YEC kit parts, worked hard after below par performances in Qatar and Phillip Island. In both races Abe made good starts and worked hard to battle with fellow Yamaha rider Noriyuki Haga. In the afternoon's second race the two-time 500cc Grand Prix winner looked like coming home third for what would have been his first ever superbike podium, only to be passed by Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati) on the final lap. Despite a little disappointment at missing out on third, Abe was delighted with the performance of his R1 and at being back running with the leaders. Yamaha Motor Italia riders Haga and Andrew Pitt had a tough day struggling with set-up problems. For Haga, the two races were virtually carbon copies of each other, holding third for much of the race but succumbing to Lanzi and Abe in the final few laps. The Japanese rider suffered electrical problems in both outings, affecting his machine's quick shift system and the power delivery of the engine. Despite the first race problems, Haga was able to bring his R1 home in fifth place. Set-up changes and the replacement of various electrical components brought hope of a better result in race two and, after a good start, Haga was challenging eventual winner Troy Bayliss (Ducati) in the battle for second. Unfortunately for Haga the problem reemerged and his lap times dropped off, drawing him into the clutches of Abe and Lanzi. Despite his disappointment at not battling for the podium, Haga had the consolation of moving up two places in the championship, leaving Valencia in fourth place. Pitt also had two similar races, unable to fix the front end grip problems he faced all weekend. The Australian came home tenth in the first race following a bad start and finished ninth in race two, at the back of a three-way battle for seventh with Kawasaki riders Chris Walker and Regis Laconi. Yamaha Motor France's improved fortunes allowed Shinichi Nakatomi to show his true colours. The Japanese newcomer grabbed two 12th places in a wonderful display of aggressive riding on his R1. After a somewhat lonely race one, the second outing saw Nakatomi was involved in an intense four-way battle for tenth that included no less than multiple Grand Prix winner Alex Barros (Honda) and former superbike world champion James Toseland (Honda). In the end Nakatomi finished just a tenth of a second behind Toseland, but claimed Barros as a scalp. Both Valencia races were won by Bayliss, with defending world champion Troy Corser (Suzuki) second both times. In the championship, Bayliss extends his lead to 22 points over second placed Corser with Toseland third and Haga fourth. Pitt slips back one place to sixth, with Abe's 26 points taking him up to eighth place overall. The next round takes place at Yamaha Motor Italia's local Monza circuit in two weeks' time. Norick Abe (Yamaha Motor France) "Two good results today, so I am very happy with that. In the second race compared to the first I had a better feeling but in the beginning the top two were gone and in a different world. I caught up with Lanzi then tried so hard to catch Haga. When I passed him I tried to make a gap but by that stage the tyres were spinning a lot. I think the Ducati has good traction in that condition, because Lanzi was very fast at the end. So I am a little disappointed to miss the podium but the whole day was a big improvement over the first rounds, so I am very happy." Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) "After qualifying we knew that this was going to be a tough race but the problems we had today made it impossible to fight for the podium. In the first race the traction was not so good but I thought I could take third until the engine lost power. For the second race the feeling with the bike was better but the problem came back and there was nothing I could do when Abe and Lanzi came past." Andrew Pitt (Yamaha Motor Italia) "In the first race we also tried something different on the start and it didn't work, which gave me a lot of work to do. We made some improvements to the bike after qualifying and between the races but I was still struggling for front end grip. The bike was actually quite good for the first ten laps but when it went off I couldn't push as hard as I wanted to. I was able to run with guys like Toseland and Laconi but the confidence in the front end wasn't there and I couldn't make a pass." Shinichi Nakatomi (Yamaha Motor France) "I'm pleased to have two good races and score some championship points. The main difference this weekend was that the team has made the bike a lot better than at the first two races, so I could go fast and have some good battles in the second race. We had three days of testing here as well so that also makes a difference." Martial Garcia (Team Manager - Yamaha Motor France) "We found the correct settings today and adapted well to the tyres. We made tests all winter with the old tyres but are now racing with the new ones, which are much better but they do increase chattering and sometimes that means we are lost in the set-up. In the Misano test we recovered confidence and we can see the results now." Massimo Meregalli (Team Coordinator - Yamaha Motor Italia) "It has been a difficult weekend for us. Noriyuki's bike developed an electrical problem which caused some problems with the engine power. We replaced the sensors between the races but it did not fix the problem. Andrew had problems with front end grip but rode well to get some good points. To be honest, we know that Valencia is not one of our best circuits but we are an ambitious team with a goal of winning the championship so even though we came here knowing it would be difficult we are never satisfied with fifth places. On the positive side, Noriyuki has moved up the championship table to fourth and when you consider that he was seventh in the championship this time last year we are clearly going in the right direction." Race classification WSB Round: 3 - Spain Circuit: Valencia Circuit Length: 4005 Lap Record: 1' 35.007 (Neil Hodgson, 2003) Fastest Lap Ever: 1' 34.633 (Neil Hodgson, 2003) Race: 23 Laps Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time 1 T. Bayliss Ducati AUS 37' 4.634 2 T. Corser Suzuki AUS +2.765 3 L. Lanzi Ducati ITA +14.225 4 N. Abe Yamaha JPN +17.126 5 N. Haga Yamaha JPN +18.225 6 Y. Kagayama Suzuki JPN +18.495 7 R. Xaus Ducati ESP +22.693 8 R. Laconi Kawasaki FRA +24.233 9 J. Toseland Honda GBR +28.799 10 A. Pitt Yamaha AUS +28.946 11 A. Barros Honda BRA +34.558 12 S. Nakatomi Yamaha JPN +37.151 13 M. Fabrizio Honda ITA +43.368 14 D. De Gea Honda ESP +45.753 15 F. Foret Suzuki FRA +46.586 Race 2: 23 Laps Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time 1 T. Bayliss Ducati AUS 37' 6.508 2 T. Corser Suzuki AUS +0.790 3 L. Lanzi Ducati ITA +15.133 4 N. Abe Yamaha JPN +16.004 5 N. Haga Yamaha JPN +16.929 6 F. Nieto Kawasaki ESP +17.056 7 C. Walker Kawasaki GBR +19.967 8 R. Laconi Kawasaki FRA +21.395 9 A. Pitt Yamaha AUS +21.801 10 M. Fabrizio Honda ITA +32.166 11 J. Toseland Honda GBR +32.259 12 S. Nakatomi Yamaha JPN +32.355 13 F. Foret Suzuki FRA +32.648 14 A. Barros Honda BRA +33.875 15 S. Martin Petronas AUS +38.052 Fastest Race Lap: Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time 1 T. Corser Suzuki AUS 1' 35.374 Championship standings WSB Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Points 1 Troy Bayliss Ducati AUS 125 2 Troy Corser Suzuki AUS 103 3 James Toseland Honda GBR 86 4 Noriyuki Haga Yamaha JPN 64 5 Alex Barros Honda BRA 62 6 Andrew Pitt Yamaha AUS 58 7 Lorenzo Lanzi Ducati ITA 47 8 Norick Abe Yamaha JPN 40 9 Michel Fabrizio Honda ITA 34 10 Ruben Xaus Ducati ESP 33 11 Roberto Rolfo Ducati ITA 32 12 Fonsi Nieto Kawasaki ESP 29 13 Yukio Kagayama Suzuki JPN 24 14 Regis Laconi Kawasaki FRA 22 15 Chris Walker Kawasaki GBR 21 20 Shinichi Nakatomi Yamaha JPN 8 23 Sebastien Gimbert Yamaha FRA 3 Manufacturers standings WSB Pos. Manufacturer Points 1 Ducati 126 2 Suzuki 113 3 Honda 91 4 Yamaha 84 5 Kawasaki 40 6 Petronas 4 WSS : Curtain completes Yamaha's century of supersport podiums Round: 3 - Spain Circuit: Valencia Date: 23 April 2006 Crowd: 42000 Temp: 21ºC Weather: Sunny Yamaha scored its 100th podium finish in the Supersport World Championship with a second place for Yamaha Motor Germany's Kevin Curtain in Valencia today. Curtain's podium makes Yamaha the first manufacturer to reach that milestone in a class in which it has consistently been strong. Massimo Meregalli's win at Misano in 1997 was the manufacturer's first podium finish in the class and since then Yamaha has gone on to win three manufacturer and a rider's world title with Yamaha Motor Germany's Jörg Teuchert in 2000. Australian rider Curtain made a poor start in today's race, ending the first lap in fourth place but fighting his way through to second at the flag. After moving into second on lap four Curtain had something of a lonely race, six seconds behind race winner Sebastien Charpentier (Honda) but three ahead of third placed Katsuaki Fujiwara (Honda). In a good day for Yamaha Motor Germany, Broc Parkes came home fourth in what is only the third race for the latest model YZF-R6. With showers throughout the weekend limiting the amount of dry practice time both Yamaha's Australian riders failed to find a perfect set-up for what turned out to be a dry race. Having worked hard to move through the pack, Curtain found his rear tyre was unable to provide the grip needed to close down Charpentier and was forced to settle for what was his third second place of the season. Parkes meanwhile had a problem of brake fluid leaking onto his footpegs after the top of the rear brake cylinder was displaced by the rider's boot. Despite not affecting the performance of his machine, Parkes understandably rode cautiously as he was unaware of the source of the fluid. Yamaha's third-generation YZF-R6 was well represented in the race, with six machines in the top ten and several young riders catching the eye. Nineteen-year-old wild-card Jordi Torres equaled his fine qualifying position with fifth in the race, while fellow Spaniard Xavi Fores, 20, ran second in the early laps but faded to eighth at the flag. Yamaha Team Italia riders Massimo Roccoli and Gianluca Vizziello finished just behind Fores, ending the day ninth and tenth respectively. The race was led from lights to flag by world champion Charpentier to extend his lead over Curtain to 15 points in the championship. Parkes moves up to fourth in the points with three of the 13 races completed with Fores and Roccoli sharing fifth place alongside Yoann Tiberio (Honda). Kevin Curtain (Yamaha Motor Germany) "I didn't get the best of starts and by the time I made it through to second Sebastien had got away. I tried hard to catch him but I'd worked my rear tyre too hard and didn't have enough grip. I'm happy enough with the result though. Our bike is still developing and we lost a lot of set-up time here due to the rain. Fair play to Sebastien though, he was the best rider today and deserved to win. Hopefully we'll have a new specification engine at Monza, if not then by Silverstone, and Pirelli will be supplying a new front tyre which we have tested and works much better with our bike." Broc Parkes (Yamaha Motor Germany) "I suppose I got some points today but I'm not that happy. I realised in the middle of the race that there was some fluid leaking onto the bike and I thought it was maybe oil from the rear shock. It turned out it was the cap that had come off the rear brake master cylinder, but it was always in the back of my mind that something could maybe go on the tyre, so I had to hold back a bit." Jordi Torres (Speed Moto) "I was very nervous at the start of the race and in the first corner a lot of riders passed me. I regained my concentration and started to pass a few other riders. At the end of the race my tyre was pretty much finished but I tried to control the situation I was in and scored fifth place. I am very pleased about that because this is my first race in this championship, which is run at a very high level." Massimo Roccoli (Yamaha Team Italia) "I rode quite nervously in the opening laps but by lap five I had settled down and was able to make up some positions. With about five laps to go the bike seemed to be straining a bit and although I was still able to have a good battle with Fores I could not quite pass him. We definitely improved our set-up from yesterday and I am quite happy with the result, although I know we must still work harder." Gianluca Vizziello (Yamaha Team Italia) "I was having a good race in front of Massimo until close to the end, when I lost some grip at the front. I had a lot of front end slides and twice saved a crash on my knee. Massimo was able to pass on one of these moments and when I looked behind and saw no-one close I backed off and took a safe finish." Race classification WSS Round: 3 - Spain Circuit: Valencia Circuit Length: 4005 Lap Record: 1' 38.664 (Sebastien Charpentier, 2006) Fastest Lap Ever: 1' 38.664 (Sebastien Charpentier, 2006) Race: 23 Laps Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time 1 S. Charpentier Honda FRA 38' 12.713 2 K. Curtain Yamaha AUS +6.537 3 K. Fujiwara Honda JPN +9.454 4 B. Parkes Yamaha AUS +11.750 5 J. Torres Yamaha ESP +15.964 6 R. Harms Honda DNK +17.007 7 Y. Tibero Honda FRA +19.548 8 X. Fores Yamaha ESP +22.400 9 M. Roccoli Yamaha ITA +22.513 10 G. Vizziello Yamaha ITA +24.708 11 B. Veneman Suzuki NED +25.317 12 J. Brookes Ducati AUS +27.194 13 W. De Angelis Honda ITA +31.740 14 T. Lauslehto Honda FIN +37.082 15 S. Le Grelle Honda BEL +41.951 Fastest Race Lap: Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time 1 S. Charpentier Honda FRA 1' 38.664 Championship standings WSS Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Points 1 Sebastien Charpentier Honda FRA 75 2 Kevin Curtain Yamaha AUS 60 3 Robbin Harms Honda DNK 31 4 Broc Parkes Yamaha AUS 29 5 Massimo Roccoli Yamaha ITA 22 6 Xavi Fores Yamaha ESP 22 7 Yoann Tibero Honda FRA 22 8 Johan Stigefelt Honda SWE 20 9 Joshua Brookes Ducati AUS 20 10 Kenan Sofuoglu Honda TUR 16 11 Katsuaki Fujiwara Honda JPN 16 12 Gianluca Vizziello Yamaha ITA 16 13 Christian Zaiser Ducati AUT 15 14 Jordi Torres Yamaha ESP 11 15 Sebastien Le Grelle Honda BEL 11 21 Didier Van Keymeulen Yamaha BEL 2 Manufacturers standings WSS Pos. Manufacturer Points 1 Honda 75 2 Yamaha 60 3 Ducati 22 4 Kawasaki 8 5 Suzuki 5 FIM Superstock 1000 Cup: Corti eighth on Superstock 1000 debut Round: 1 - Spain Circuit: Valencia Date: 22 April 2006 Crowd: 42000 Temp: 20ºC Weather: Sunny European Superstock 600 champion Claudio Corti gave a good display on his first race in the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup, finishing eighth on his Yamaha Team Italia YZF-R1 SP. Starting 12th on a circuit dampened by overnight rain, the 18-year-old Italian steadily worked his way through a field of more experienced riders, pipping local rider Alex Martinez (Kawasaki) across the line and almost catching South African superbike champion Sheridan Morais (Suzuki) and the battle for sixth place. After a thrilling race-long battle for the lead, it was Italian Alessandro Polita (Suzuki) who stood on the top step of the podium after a sometimes frantic battle with Spanish wild-card Ivan Silva (Kawasaki). Ayrton Badovini (MV Agusta) was third with Spaniard Enrique Rocamora the leading Yamaha rider, finishing fourth on his YZF-R1 SP. Claudio Corti (Yamaha Team Italia) "This has been a difficult race for me as we have found it difficult to get traction all weekend and I could not ride as well as I would like. When I consider this is my first time racing the R1 then this is not so bad, but I am still disappointed with the result. The next race is at Monza, which is my local track, and I am sure that if the team can make some progress then I can go for the win there." Race classification FIM Superstock 1000 Cup Round: 1 - Spain Circuit: Valencia Circuit Length: 4005 Lap Record: 1' 39.034 (Massimo Roccoli, 2005) Fastest Lap Ever: 1' 39.034 (Massimo Roccoli, 2005) Race: 13 Laps Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time 1 A. Polita Suzuki ITA 22' 4.712 2 I. Silva Kawasaki ESP +0.303 3 A. Badovini MV Agusta ITA +3.751 4 E. Rocamora Yamaha ESP +5.418 5 L. Scassa MV Agusta ITA +5.729 6 D. Sacchetti Kawasaki ITA +9.290 7 S. Morais Suzuki RSA +9.409 8 C. Corti Yamaha ITA +10.143 9 A. Martinez Mas Kawasaki ESP +10.149 10 S. Saltarelli Kawasaki ITA +13.128 11 M. Baiocco Yamaha ITA +18.002 12 R. Cooper Honda GBR +25.076 13 D. Dell'omo Suzuki ITA +27.910 14 R. Chiarello Kawasaki ITA +29.890 15 I. Dionisi Yamaha ITA +29.983 Fastest Race Lap: Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time 1 A. Polita Suzuki ITA 1' 39.789 FIM Superstock 1000 Cup championship standings Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Points 1 Alessandro Polita Suzuki ITA 25 2 Ivan Silva Kawasaki ESP 20 3 Ayrton Badovini MV Agusta ITA 16 4 Enrique Rocamora Yamaha ESP 13 5 Luca Scassa MV Agusta ITA 11 6 Denis Sacchetti Kawasaki ITA 10 7 Sheridan Morais Suzuki RSA 9 8 Claudio Corti Yamaha ITA 8 9 Alex Martinez Mas Kawasaki ESP 7 10 Simone Saltarelli Kawasaki ITA 6 11 Matteo Baiocco Yamaha ITA 5 12 Richard Cooper Honda GBR 4 13 Danilo Dell'omo Suzuki ITA 3 14 Riccardo Chiarello Kawasaki ITA 2 15 Ilario Dionisi Yamaha ITA Click here to view the news

Norick Abe had his best qualifying performance of the season, ending the day as the top Yamaha rider after setting the eighth fastest time in superpole. The former MotoGP star is reveling in a new specification engine provided by his Yamaha Motor France squad and has been up with the top riders all weekend. Fourth place in the pre-superpole practice session suggests that Abe should be at the sharp end in tomorrow's races. Yamaha Motor Italia riders Noriyuki Haga and Andrew Pitt will start from the third row in tomorrow's two 23-lap races in Valencia after setting the 10th and 11th fastest time in superpole. Both riders are finding grip levels at a premium on the Spanish track, which is not offering riders the same amount of traction they had at the official FGSport test at the venue several weeks ago. Despite running consistently strongly in race trim, Haga was unable to exploit the potential of his YZF-R1 in the one-lap superpole, struggling for rear end grip in a error-strewn lap. The Japanese star was unable to fully utilise the grip of his soft qualifying tyre and suffered a number of time sapping slides on his flying lap. While Haga lost five places from his position after the two one-hour sessions, Pitt dug deep to gain four places despite not completely eradicating the front-end handling problems that blighted him during Friday's session. The Australian rider survived a minor scare when he lost the front end in the preceding practice session, narrowly avoiding a crash by holding the bike up with his elbow. Yamaha Motor France's Shinichi Nakatomi found himself in the unfortunate situation of being one of the few riders to improve his time in the Saturday morning session but being shuffled back from his provisional grid position. The superbike rookie took over a tenth of a second from his best Friday lap time, but found himself dropped four places to 21st on the final grid as riders below him in the overnight standings found greater improvements. Lorenzo Alfonsi, standing in for the absent Sebastien Gimbert on the other Yamaha Motor France bike, will start from the back of the grid in his first race for the team. The former European superstock rider is not only having his first outing for the team, it is also his first race since suffering a serious injury at the end of last year. Pole position for tomorrow's races goes to world champion Troy Corser (Suzuki) with Troy Bayliss (Ducati), Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati) and Steve Martin (Petronas) completing the front row. Norick Abe (Yamaha Motor France) "The whole team is very motivated this weekend. For this race I have a new engine and it feels good, which is creating a good feeling in the team. There was more grip in the afternoon practice than in the superpole and it made the bike slide more easily on my time attack lap. I am happy with eighth. I am making very consistent laps and I hope that I can go and fight at the front tomorrow." Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) "Of course, I am very disappointed to be starting 10th. After having a good test here earlier this month we are having traction problems this weekend. The superpole lap was not good. I made one mistake but also the rear traction was not as good as I had when I tried the qualifying tyre in the practice. The races will be very, very difficult for us but we will try to improve the bike overnight and work to get the best result possible." Andrew Pitt (Yamaha Motor Italia) "I don't know if it's the rain we've been having or what it is but we just can't seem to get any grip this weekend. I'm lacking confidence in the front end. During the afternoon practice I had a big slide and ended up saving it on my elbow: the bike just went down and my elbow dug in and held me up. We made a lot of changes overnight but nothing seems to be making an improvement. Nori and I both seem to have the same problems and it's going to be a tough race for us tomorrow. The one thing we have on our side is that at least we are able to do consistent lap times over a race distance. Tonight though we will have a look to see what else we can try to make things better for the races." Shinichi Nakatomi (Yamaha Motor France) "It was a shame we had the wet conditions in the morning as this meant I was unable to improve my time from yesterday. Tomorrow I will aim for a good start and try to get some points. I understand the Valencia track quite well now and I am pleased that we are all finding improvements with our bikes this weekend." Massimo Meregalli (Team Coordinator - Yamaha Motor Italia) "After two tests in Valencia and Misano we felt that we had made a good step forward, only to come here and find that we are fighting for grip. We came to Valencia using the same settings we had at the test, although now Noriyuki cannot make the same lap times. Our bike seems to be very sensitive to changes in the conditions and tonight we will sit down to try and further understand the problems, although with the surface here in Valencia we might arrive tomorrow morning and find it has changed again." Martial Garcia (Team Manager - Yamaha Motor France) "Second row and top Yamaha is a good result for us. Norick is always very strong here and I am confident he can do some good races tomorrow. Shinichi is improving too but we must also remember that he is working as a development rider for Soqi suspension and this means that sometimes he is a little bit up and down in the sessions. Despite this he is a very consistent racer and I think that we can target some points for him tomorrow." Round: 3 - Spain Circuit: Valencia Circuit Length: 4005 Lap Record: 1' 35.007 (Neil Hodgson, 2003) Fastest Lap Ever: 1' 34.633 (Neil Hodgson, 2003) Date: 22 April 2006 Temp: 24ºC Session 2 : Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. 1st Qualifying 2nd Qualifying Superpole 1 T. Corser Suzuki AUS 1' 34.920 1' 36.640 1' 34.992 2 T. Bayliss Ducati AUS 1' 34.963 1' 35.260 1' 35.175 3 L. Lanzi Ducati ITA 1' 35.999 1' 35.926 1' 35.203 4 S. Martin Petronas AUS 1' 35.653 1' 36.811 1' 35.255 5 F. Nieto Kawasaki ESP 1' 36.004 1' 36.211 1' 35.351 6 R. Laconi Kawasaki FRA 1' 36.161 1' 37.668 1' 35.410 7 C. Walker Kawasaki GBR 1' 36.428 1' 35.522 1' 35.452 8 N. Abe Yamaha JPN 1' 35.974 1' 37.257 1' 35.701 9 J. Toseland Honda GBR 1' 36.116 1' 36.571 1' 35.784 10 N. Haga Yamaha JPN 1' 35.658 1' 37.227 1' 36.115 11 A. Pitt Yamaha AUS 1' 36.262 1' 37.281 1' 36.214 12 Y. Kagayama Suzuki JPN 1' 35.670 1' 37.559 N/A 13 R. Xaus Ducati ESP 1' 35.721 N/A 1' 36.362 14 F. Foret Suzuki FRA 1' 36.026 1' 36.986 1' 36.502 15 R. Rolfo Ducati ITA 1' 36.848 1' 36.348 1' 36.786 16 A. Barros Honda BRA 1' 36.130 1' 37.040 1' 36.887 21 S. Nakatomi Yamaha JPN 1' 36.794 1' 36.659 WSS : Front row for Yamaha Motor Germany pair Round: 3 - Spain WSS Circuit: Valencia Date: 22 April 2006 Temp: 21ºC Weather: Sunny Yamaha Motor Germany riders Kevin Curtain and Broc Parkes sped their YZF-R6s to the front row of tomorrow's world supersport race in Valencia. Curtain took advantage of the unexpectedly sunny conditions at the Spanish circuit to improve his time from Friday by almost one second to bag second place on the grid, behind world champion and current points leader Sebastien Charpentier (Honda). The Yamaha Motor Germany squad worked hard overnight to change the set-up of the rapidly improving R6, giving Curtain confidence going into tomorrow's 23-lap race. The Australian has already taken second place finishes in each of the first two rounds and would dearly love to add to his three career wins in the class in tomorrow's race. Team-mate and fellow Australian Broc Parkes will start from fourth position, even though he was unable to better his Friday time in today's 45 minute final session. Like Curtain, he worked on finding a good race set-up and is happy with the way his machine is performing. Joining Charpentier, Curtain and Parkes on the front row is Japanese rider Katsuaki Fujiwara (Honda). Two other R6 riders made it to the top 10 in qualifying. Javi Fores and Jordi Torres, two privately entered Spanish riders, ended the day in fifth and 10th places respectively. Round: 3 - Spain WSS Circuit: Valencia Circuit Length: 4005 Lap Record: 1' 38.874 (Alessio Corradi, 2003) Fastest Lap Ever: 1' 37.331 (Chris Vermeulen, 2003) Date: 22 April 2006 Temp: 21ºC Session 1 : Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. 1st Qualifying 2nd Qualifying 1 S. Charpentier Honda FRA 1' 36.913 1' 37.565 2 K. Curtain Yamaha AUS 1' 38.646 1' 37.698 3 K. Fujiwara Honda JPN 1' 38.141 1' 37.750 4 B. Parkes Yamaha AUS 1' 37.942 1' 38.201 5 X. Fores Yamaha ESP 1' 39.534 1' 38.385 6 R. Harms Honda DNK 1' 38.403 1' 38.672 7 B. Veneman Suzuki NED 1' 38.960 1' 38.448 8 K. Sofuoglu Honda TUR 1' 38.489 1' 39.240 9 Y. Tibero Honda FRA 1' 38.643 1' 39.122 10 J. Torres Yamaha ESP 1' 38.724 1' 38.716 11 K. Andersen Suzuki NOR 1' 39.216 1' 38.772 12 M. Roccoli Yamaha ITA 1' 39.672 1' 38.836 13 J. Stigefelt Honda SWE 1' 39.266 1' 38.971 14 C. Zaiser Ducati AUT 1' 39.003 1' 38.980 15 G. Vizziello Yamaha ITA 1' 39.137 N/A 16 W. De Angelis Honda ITA 1' 39.794 1' 39.216 18 K. Noyes Yamaha USA 1' 39.415 1' 39.412 Click here to view the news

Noriyuki Haga was in fine form during qualifying for Sunday's third round of the Superbike World Championship, ending the day fourth on the timesheets. Having enjoyed successful tests at Valencia and Misano prior to this event, the Japanese star was able to take advantage of the Yamaha Motor Italia team's continuing development work to put his YZF-R1 to the head of the timesheets for much of the session, only to be displaced in the closing stages. Despite his provisional front row starting position, Haga and his team will work on improving rear tyre grip and endurance ahead of Sunday's two races. Haga's team-mate Andrew Pitt had a difficult first day in Valencia, struggling with set-up problems that saw him slide off at slow speed during the session. The Australian started the day with the settings used successfully during the recent Misano test, only to revert back to the tried and Valencia set-up with limited success. The former supersport world champion was perplexed by the lack of front end feeling offered by his machine and will work with his team on rectifying the situation ahead of tomorrow's final qualifying and superpole sessions. Despite his problems Pitt still ended the day in 14th position. Yamaha Motor France's Norick Abe had one of his best qualifying performances as a superbike rider. The Japanese star, who fought for a podium placing in Valencia last year, was using a new specification engine for the first time and topped the timesheets during the session, ending the day seventh. Team-mate Shinichi Nakatomi was another giving his best showing of the year, finishing the day in 17th. Provisional pole position was today taken by world champion Troy Corser (Suzuki), with championship leader Troy Bayliss (Ducati) and Steve Martin (Petronas) making it a trio of Australians at the head of the leaderboard. With weather forecasts predicting a high chance of rain, today's positions could determine the qualifying positions for tomorrow's top 16 superpole session. Noriyuki Haga "Compared to the test here a few weeks ago the grip levels are very low. Our times are not so bad but we must work on making the rear tyre work better, so tonight we will sit with the team and plan some big changes for tomorrow. This is one of my favourite tracks so I hope that we can find the changes to allow us to fight for the lead over the race distance." Andrew Pitt "I've got a problem with the front end and that caused me to crash. We started today with the settings we used at the Misano test, but they just didn't work here. We went back to what we used at the test here last month but I was just losing the front end everywhere. It was bouncing up and down and I just couldn't push at all. We're going to have to sort it out tonight but I'm not getting down about it. We're not far off the pace and if we can sort this problem out then we should be right up there." Norick Abe "My team has worked very hard to improve the engine performance for this race. In the first two races our performances were not so good and at the two tests we had I tried out six or seven engine specifications that did not seem much different. For this race we have another new engine and it is a big improvement. On my time attack lap I came across many slow riders and I was not able to make a faster lap time. I am feeling very confident for the weekend and hope to continue our improvements tomorrow." Shinichi Nakatomi "It's my best qualifying so far and I am happy with the progress we have made. The times are very close and I will be doing my best to make the superpole tomorrow." Massimo Meregalli "It seems that there is some kind of problem on Andrew's bike because we used the settings from when we rode here earlier this month and it is just not right. We are looking at the problem now and will have it fixed for tomorrow. Noriyuki did a good job but we are still not satisfied, we need to work on improving the set-up and will try some different things for tomorrow." Martial Garcia "We have made some good improvements to the bike following the Misano test and our riders have responded with some good performances. I am also very pleased with the performance of our other regular rider Sebastien Gimbert. He is not here this weekend as he is competing at Le Mans with Yamaha GMT94 and has put them on pole position." Parkes second in supersport practice Broc Parkes ended today's first qualifying session for Sunday's third round of the Supersport World Championship in second position. On a circuit that offered little grip following heavy overnight rain the 24-year-old Australian's best lap of 1:37.942 was headed only by world champion Sebastien Charpentier (Honda). Parkes and his Yamaha Motor Germany team-mate Kevin Curtain arrived at the circuit using the settings found at their successful Valencia test earlier this month, only to find that they didn't work as well on the slippery circuit. Despite this the team worked to adapt the bike to the conditions, allowing Parkes to go over half a second quicker than his test time. Curtain ended the day seventh fastest with a lap time of 1:38.646 with 18-year-old Spanish wild-card Jordi Torres eighth on another YZF-R6. Final qualifying takes place tomorrow afternoon. Click here to view the news

The Spanish round of the Superbike World Championship takes place at the Ricardo Tormo circuit on the outskirts of Valencia. The modern venue is well known to all the superbike riders, as it is a favourite location for winter testing and the host of the first official FG Sport test, held between round two at Phillip Island and this weekend's third round of the championship. Valencia is a tight and twisty circuit built with spectators in mind. Surrounded by grandstands, fans can see almost the entire circuit from their seat. The favourable winter weather conditions and modern facilities, including sprinkler systems to simulate wet conditions, mean that the circuit is in use throughout the year by everything from trucks to Formula One cars, MotoGP to national championship riders. Perhaps because of this, grip levels can be unpredictable, causing conditions to change by the hour and requiring constant adjustments to the set-up of the bike. Yamaha Motor Italia has been busy since the opening rounds of the series at Qatar and Australia, attending official tests at Valencia and Misano. Valencia was the venue for the first of those tests, ensuring that the Yamaha Motor Italia squad goes into this weekend's race with good settings for their YZF-R1 machines. Haga ended that test sixth overall, testing a whole range of chassis, suspension and electronics parts for his bike. Currently lying sixth in the championship, the Japanese ace was in sensational form in Qatar - finishing third in race two after crashing out of the opener while challenging for the lead on the last lap. Valencia is a favourite of Haga, who has won there in 2000 and 2004, and he is looking forward to this weekend's races. Team-mate Andrew Pitt is currently fifth in the championship. Finishing third in Qatar's opening race, Pitt has been the epitome of consistency with two fifth places also to his credit. The 2001 supersport world champion ended the Valencia test just a few places behind his team-mate, setting the eighth fastest time at the end of the three days. Like Haga, the Australian completed a comprehensive test programme and is confident he has found a good set-up for the weekend's race. With the first two rounds taking place seven weeks earlier, many people see the Valencia round as the 'real' start of the season. Having worked out of flight cases at the fly-away rounds in Qatar and Australia, the teams will have the added advantage of having their full accompaniment of trucks and hospitality units to help them settle in for the main European season. This year sees the championship take in a total of 13 rounds of two races each. Valencia marks the start of 10 European races, with the series due to end with a final flyaway round to South Africa, most likely at the Kyalami circuit, in October. Valencia also plays host to round three of the Supersport World Championship and the opening round of the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup. In supersport, Australian Kevin Curtain lies second in the championship having finished in that position in the opening two races of the season. In superstock, last year's 600cc champion Claudio Corti makes his debut in the 1000cc class as Yamaha looks to make it a hat-trick in the championship. The third-generation YZF-R1 has won the series every year since the bike was introduced for the 2004 season. Click here to view the news

Noriyuki Haga was once more the fastest Yamaha qualifier at an official SBK test, and had he not found another rider in his path when running qualifying rubber in the final afternoon session, he may even have had the chance to improve his 1'33.870 best. Troy Bayliss (Ducati) was once more the rider leaving a test session with the fastest time, a new track record 1'33.317. Haga, who had tested new triple clamps and rear suspension linkages on his R1, decided not to continue in the very last moments of the two day test, thanks to the residue left on the track surface after an oil spill at the first corner. He thus had to rely on his best time from the morning session, rather than the final one. Haga's team-mate Andrew Pitt was a top ten rider on his R1, working steadily through revised engine mapping and also losing out on a final chance to set a faster time than his 1'34.469. Times in general were tight, with 14 riders covered by just over a single second, from second to 15th place. A strong ride in the final session from Sebastien Gimbert, on his Yamaha Motor France Ipone R1, put him 11th fastest, a particularly fine performance from a rider who had not ridden at Misano for 11 years. Norick Abe continued to find Misano a difficult challenge on his Yamaha Motor France Ipone R1, with his efforts to go faster often met by stubborn resistance on the tight and twist Misano layout. World Superbike rookie Shinichi Nakatomi was 20th out of 27 riders at Misano, during his first visit to the Italian circuit, which forms the venue for round six of the championships on 25 June. Noriyuki Haga - Yamaha Motor Italia "The balance of the bike was good today and I decided to test a soft tyre. I found Kagayama in front of me but without that happening I think I could have set a lap time closer to Bayliss. When the circuit got covered in oil and then cement dust we decided to stop, so I could not use a soft tyre in the afternoon session." Andrew Pitt - Yamaha Motor Italia "It would have been nice to be further up the list but I just didn't put it together on a qualifying tyre. On race tyres the bike was good and we improved it a lot. The bike is much the same as Valencia, which is a good thing. We don't need to change it much now, which is what we've been looking for for a while. We tuned in the electronics a bit more, to make it even easier to open the throttle earlier. It was all pretty good." Sebastien Gimbert - Yamaha Motor France "All the team worked very hard and the bike was very good compared to the races in Qatar and Australia. For me it was not so hard to get the bike working well here and set some fast times around the circuit. I am very content with the progress and the good work we have all made." Norick Abe - Yamaha Motor France "We tried out many things. Last year I raced here and it was the first time for me. It was the worst race of the year, and this time it still felt no good. So maybe I don't like this track. Step-by-step we did better than before, but compared to most other riders it was not so good. Despite that, I think we are two seconds better than last year. The tyres are much better than last year as well. But I would like to forget this Misano test and just get to Valencia." Shinichi Nakatomi - Yamaha Motor France "I have never been here before so it was important to test and make a race set-up for when we come back in June. It is a very different track, with three fast left hand corners onto the back straight. We worked a lot, and I did 162 laps to learn the circuit better." Massimo Meregalli - Team Coordinator Yamaha Motor Italia "We had a plan and we got all out work done, the only thing we could not do was to go out at the end on soft tyres, because of the dust on the track. But the test was good. The only question mark we have now is the temperature of the track when we return for the race in June. We hope that for the race the bike's performance, which was very good here, is the same." OFFICIAL SBK TESTS WSB: Circuit: Misano Adriatico Circuit Length: 4.060km Temp: 16ºC Weather: Sunny Lap Record: 1' 34.913 (Troy Bayliss, 2002) Fastest Lap Ever: 1' 33.317 (Troy Bayliss, 2006) Date: 12-13 April 2006 Classification: Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. 1st Qualifying 1 T. Bayliss Ducati AUS 1' 33.317 2 T. Corser Suzuki AUS 1' 33.824 3 N. Haga Yamaha JPN 1' 33.870 4 L. Lanzi Ducati ITA 1' 33.933 5 C. Walker Kawasaki GBR 1' 33.984 6 R. Laconi Kawasaki ITA 1' 34.085 7 F. Nieto Kawasaki ESP 1' 34.181 8 Y. Kagayama Suzuki JPN 1' 34.266 9 R. Xaus Ducati ESP 1' 34.315 10 A. Pitt Yamaha AUS 1' 34.469 11 S. Gimbert Yamaha FRA 1' 34.618 12 F. Foret Suzuki FRA 1' 34.660 13 A. Barros Honda BRA 1' 34.683 14 M. Fabrizio Honda ITA 1' 34.852 15 S. Martin Petronas AUS 1' 34.862 19 N. Abe Yamaha JPN 1' 35.574 20 S. Nakatomi Yamaha JPN 1' 35.684 Parkes quickest ever at Misano Misano Adriatico, Italy 13/4/2006 Yamaha Motor Germany rider Broc Parkes finished the second official test of the 2006 WSS season at the top of the timing sheets, with a new Supersport circuit record of 1'36.411 to his credit. His team-mate Kevin Curtain was fourth quickest, having set his fastest lap on the first day of testing, concentrating most of his efforts on machine set-up in preparation for the Misano WSS race in June. In addition to the regular set-up work on the all-new R6 machine carried out by the team, new and existing specifications of Pirelli control tyres were worked through by both Yamaha Motor Germany riders, with Parkes pleased to see the return of his favourite front tyre at this test. Yamaha Team Italia rider Gianluca Vizziello was an impressive third fastest overall, his best of 1'36.892 set in the very last of four Supersport sessions. He was one of three riders under the previous circuit best of former Yamaha rider Simone Sanna during the last session of the Misano test. Christian Zaiser (Ducati) was second fastest, with Vizziello's team-mate, Massimo Roccoli, sixth. Broc Parkes - Yamaha Motor Germany "On top today and happy. The bike was awesome. The main difference for me today was the front tyre, that and getting to know the bike a lot better. At the end of last year we had a particular front tyre that I really liked but for some reason it was not in the allocation for the first races, but for me, as soon as I get it, I can go. This is also a pretty enjoyable track to ride around." Kevin Curtain - Yamaha Motor Germany "This was a very good test for us, and we made the bike a lot better than it was last time we rode. We worked through heaps of stuff on the bike and a whole lot of front and rear tyres. There are no prizes for pole position at a test so I am not bothered about setting the fastest time. The main thing was improving the whole package, and we did that." Gianluca Vizziello - Yamaha Team Italia "Today's performance was the result of some very good development work. At the first two races of the year we had not had the bikes for very long, so most of the engine work was done just before the Valencia tests. Then is Spain we must have tried about ten different settings on the suspension, to find the best. We have put all the best parts together now and the bike was great at this test. I like Misano very much and the whole team did a very good job." Official Misano Test WSS Circuit: Misano Adriatico Circuit Length: 4.060km Lap Record: 1' 37.924 (Katsuaki Fujiwara, 2003) Fastest Lap Ever: 1' 36.411 (Broc Parkes, 2006) Date: 12 - 13 April 2006 Temp: 16ºC Classification: Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Best Time 1 B. Parkes Yamaha AUS 1' 36.411 2 C. Zaiser Ducati AUT 1' 36'507 3 G. Vizziello Yamaha ITA 1' 36.892 4 K. Curtain Yamaha AUS 1' 36.927 5 K. Fujiwara Honda JPN 1'37.339 6 M. Roccoli Yamaha ITA 1' 37.372 7 G. Nannelli Ducati ITA 1' 37'483 8 Y. Tibero Honda FRA 1' 37.682 9 D. Checa Yamaha FRA 1'37.745 10 A. Aldrovandi Honda ITA 1'38.238 11 M. Sanchini Yamaha ITA 1' 38.433 12 G. Leblanc Honda FRA 1'38.553 13 S. Chambon Kawasaki FRA 1'38.719 14 J. Brookes Ducati AUS 1'38.756 15 T. Tunstall Hoinda GBR 1'38.775 16 M. Berger Kawasaki FRA 1' 39.214 17 M. Praia Honda POR 1'39.385 18 L. Nedog Ducati SLO 1'39.585 Click here to view the news

The Grand Prix of Spain at Bellpuig has turned out to another positive meeting for the Yamaha Intur Sports Motocross team and the YZ450FM motorcycle. Stefan Everts won the second MX1 moto to claim his 89th career victory and also seize control of the current World Championship standings while Cedric Melotte produced a hard-earned seventh position overall without having too much luck. After a cold and blustery opening Grand Prix of the season two weeks ago at Zolder in Belgium the hot Spanish sunshine was a welcome sight for the teams and riders as they rolled into the paddock for the second round of fifteen in the 2006 MX1 World Championship. The good weather - combined with the Easter holidays - also drew out the fans as 26, 200 defied the plumes of dust that emanated from the dry, hard and rough terrain. Stefan Everts was denied his second pole position by just a tenth of a second on Saturday afternoon by Tanel Leok, and over the course of the two Grand Prix motos of 35 minutes and two laps today the Kawasaki rider again plagued the World Champion. Everts led for eight of the 21 circulations before a mistake coming out of the old whoops section at slow speed saw the Belgian drop to fifth place and give the race to Leok and his pursuer Kevin Strijbos who would prove superior to the flag. Everts composed himself to fight back to fourth, but committed several mistakes in his challenge to Jonathan Barragan and could only secure third place with less than two laps to go. Cedric Melotte rode a good race to tenth after getting stuck in the gate and entering the first corner in last position. The Belgian had a difficult time clawing his way through the field on a course that was not easy for overtaking. He moved past Antti Pyrhonen for tenth, three laps before the chequered flag. Everts blasted back in convincing fashion in the second moto. The 33 year old, wearing his distinctive blue Acerbis livery, led from the first lap until the last and withstood brief pressure from Leok to complete a vintage performance. Stefan has won 50% of the races so far this campaign and now heads the Championship standings by ten points from his Kawasaki-mounted rival. Melotte was fourth over the line in a truer showing of his abilities later in the afternoon. He had been holding third on the YZ450FM, but the energy expelled during his first come-back race began to tell and Steve Ramon was able to relegate him to fourth. The team now face a relatively short trip east across Spain and down to Agueda, some 100km south of Porto, for the Grand Prix of Portugal next weekend. Stefan Everts: "Every time I wear my white kit in the first moto I am riding tense! I felt more relaxed before the race than I did in Zolder and then had a good start so it seemed to be going well but I found that I wasn't comfortable out there. I made a stupid mistake but could then come back to third after a hard fight with Barragan; it was hard to pass him because there were not many lines on the track. Third was good because I knew it gave me more chance of taking the overall. The second moto was much better and the Yamaha worked really well this weekend. I was very satisfied with our performance and we didn't change anything apart from altering the gearing in practice. We tried another tyre also but I ended up using the same model." Cedric Melotte: "The weekend did not start well because I could not get a good lap-time yesterday. I was very disappointed with 22nd but I focussed on making a decent race today. I hit the gate at the start of the first moto and I don't know if it was my fault or the mechanism. Anyway I pushed and came back from last to tenth. In the second race I started better and was third for about half the race but then I slowed down as I got a little bit tired; the first heat was hard. Ramon came through but I kept my rhythm and it was not a bad moto." Carlo Rinaldi, Team Manager: "It is another win for us but as usual it is never that easy! Stefan struggled in the first moto and looked tense. Leok was putting on the pressure and Stefan made a silly crash. He came back well but was still making some mistakes. He eventually could pass Barragan for a very important third position and we were satisfied because his main rivals had been so-so. The second race was typical of Stefan. A good start and he made his own rhythm; nobody could catch him and it was perfect. Cedric was very unlucky with the gate. We asked to see the TV replay and it is hard to tell if the gate did not work or it was his mistake so we could not make a protest. Anyway he came back with a lot of determination to tenth. That was good for him because he needs to be in competition with the other guys and return to his true level. His speed was good in the last moto and he showed that he can run at the front. It is understandable that he faded a little because of the effort from the first heat." Race classification MX1 Round: 2 - 2006 GP of Bellpuig, Spain Circuit: Bellpuig Race 1: 21 Laps Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time 1 K. Strijbos Suzuki BEL 39' 17.220 2 T. Leok Kawasaki EST +9.438 3 S. Everts Yamaha BEL +12.955 4 J. Barragan KTM ESP +16.056 5 K. De Dycker Honda BEL +20.073 6 S. Ramon Suzuki BEL +23.507 7 S. Tortelli KTM FRA +51.134 8 J. Bill Yamaha GBR +53.844 9 J. Noble Honda GBR +1' 5.714 10 C. Melotte Yamaha BEL +1' 12.991 11 P. Leuret Honda FRA +1' 14.711 12 A. Pyrhonen TM FIN +1' 16.824 13 M. Priem Yamaha BEL +1' 20.718 14 D. Theybers Suzuki BEL +1' 22.823 15 J. Lindhe KTM SWE +1' 28.458 16 J. Garcia Vico Honda ESP +1' 29.712 17 A. Salvini Suzuki ITA +1' 32.892 18 M. Hucklebridge Kawasaki GBR +1' 34.596 19 M. Van Daele Honda BEL +1' 47.099 20 A. Lozano KTM ESP +1 lap(s) Race 2: 22 Laps Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time 1 S. Everts Yamaha BEL 40' 30.007 2 T. Leok Kawasaki EST +17.460 3 S. Ramon Suzuki BEL +22.900 4 C. Melotte Yamaha BEL +39.465 5 S. Tortelli KTM FRA +46.185 6 K. De Dycker Honda BEL +55.033 7 J. Barragan KTM ESP +1' 0.680 8 M. Priem Yamaha BEL +1' 4.048 9 P. Leuret Honda FRA +1' 9.278 10 B. Jorgensen Honda DNK +1' 12.796 11 J. Garcia Vico Honda ESP +1' 28.469 12 J. Bill Yamaha GBR +1' 31.381 13 M. Van Daele Honda BEL +1' 33.111 14 A. Bobkovs Honda LVA +1' 35.481 15 D. Theybers Suzuki BEL +1' 36.685 16 A. Pyrhonen TM FIN +1' 37.850 17 M. Hucklebridge Kawasaki GBR +1' 39.607 18 J. Noble Honda GBR +1' 52.646 19 K. Strijbos Suzuki BEL +1 lap(s) 20 A. Lozano KTM ESP +1 lap(s) Championship standings MX1 Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Points 1 Stefan Everts Yamaha BEL 92 2 Tanel Leok Kawasaki EST 82 3 Sebastien Tortelli KTM FRA 77 4 Steve Ramon Suzuki BEL 69 5 Ken De Dycker Honda BEL 61 6 Kevin Strijbos Suzuki BEL 60 7 Jonathan Barragan KTM ESP 59 8 Cedric Melotte Yamaha BEL 54 9 Pascal Leuret Honda FRA 47 10 Manuel Priem Yamaha BEL 30 11 James Noble Honda GBR 29 12 Antti Pyrhonen TM FIN 28 13 Stephen Sword Kawasaki GBR 26 14 Javier Garcia Vico Honda ESP 25 15 Marvin Van Daele Honda BEL 22 16 Julien Bill Yamaha GBR 22 17 Danny Theybers Suzuki BEL 19 18 Brian Jorgensen Honda DNK 19 19 Bas Verhoeven Kawasaki NED 14 20 Mark Hucklebridge Kawasaki GBR 12 Manufacturers standings MX1 Pos. Manufacturer Points 1 Yamaha 50 2 Kawasaki 42 3 KTM 40 4 Suzuki 38 5 Honda 31 6 TM 9 MX2 : Mackenzie walks the podium in Spain after dramatic Grand Prix Round: 2 - 2006 GP of Bellpuig, Spain Circuit: Bellpuig Date: 16 April 2006 Crowd: 26200 Temp: 22ºC Weather: Sunny Bike it Yamaha Dixon Racing's Billy Mackenzie gained his first podium of the season this afternoon at a warm and sun-kissed Bellpuig circuit in Cataluyna. The steep inclines of the hard and short track that despite constant watering proved to be dry, dusty and very rough with the formation of unforgiving ruts and numerous braking bumps. It was not easy to overtake. Excessive watering to help the terrain cope with all four motos meant that the initial race of the day, MX2 moto1, was a particularly slimy affair. The two MX2 motos of 35 minutes and 2 laps duration threw up two different sets of results. Yamaha managed to own the chequered flag in both races thanks to the resurgent Kenneth Gundersen and a flying Antonio Cairoli respectively but it was Mackenzie with an eighth place and a third position in the second sprint that got to spray the champagne and walk the rostrum. Ricci Racing's Gundersen was again a proactive force in the MX2 field after scoring an emotional top-three finish at Zolder two weeks ago in the wake of more than a year with injury problems. The Norwegian started in third place and soon moved past his team-mate Alessio Chiodi for his first moto victory since 2002, claiming the chequered flag by three seconds from 'Chicco'. Defending World Champion Cairoli was on impressive form during the first qualification heat yesterday as he holeshotted and escaped from the pursuing pack; earning Pole Position. The young Italian hoped for more of the same in the first race but a crash on a slow tight left hander and problems getting re-started meant he fell out of the top twenty and one lap behind the leaders. Mackenzie set his best time on the penultimate lap after earlier making a strong move on Luigi Seguy to take eighth position, however the Scot, who won his debut GP moto here in 2005, was too far behind Carl Nunn in seventh to scale the classification further. The 13 points he bagged would later prove vital in an exciting climax to the day's racing. Gundersen was immediately ruled out of the possibility of a double race win when he fell on the first lap of Moto2. De Carli Yamaha representative Cairoli had already taken the holeshot and proceeded to re-enact his Saturday performance, fuelled by the frustration of his opening race faux pas. Eventual winner Tyla Rattray gave chase but was not able to get within touching distance. Mackenzie meanwhile had held onto the back of the leaders after a better jump from the gate but soon had his hands full deflecting the attentions of Rui Goncalves. The 22 year old needed third place to confirm his podium while also requiring JK Racing's Luigi Seguy to keep Chiodi away from ninth position, which the Frenchman managed to accomplish. The outcome of the top three went down to a nail-biting last lap with both duels extremely close. Finally the race order did not change and Mackenzie was again able to celebrate in front of Spanish on-lookers thanks to his better race position although he was tied on points with Chiodi. Gundersen spent the entire race trying to catch the riders ahead and squeezed into 19th spot. He remains Yamaha's top rider in the young World Championship standings, holding third place, 19 points behind Rattray. Cairoli, Chiodi and Mackenzie are also in the top ten. His team-mate Davide Guarneri was 8th after having earlier retired after a crash. Cairoli's team-mate Mateo Bonini was unable to compete after breaking his right wrist in a Belgian Championship meeting last weekend. The Italian underwent surgery this week and the team will have a better idea in terms of his racing return once the cast is removed in a fortnight and his rehab begins. Billy Mackenzie, Bike it Dixon Yamaha: "To be honest I was expecting a little bit more from myself this weekend. I have been feeling comfortable riding but I know I am still not close to how fast I can go. The guys at the front are quick but there is a lot more to come and I will keep on improving. We have had a few problems at the start of the year but we must build from here. This is the start of the podiums and I want to try to get on the podium steps as much as I can for the rest of the season." Antonio Cairoli, De Carli Yamaha: "I crashed after five laps and I could not start again quickly because the bike was caught in the green fence and I lost one lap there and also many points. I was faster than De Reuver and Rattray but stopped after the crash because I was so far behind. For the second heat I really wanted to win and started very well. The battle between Tyla and I was nice and it was good to come back and win. I am happy with my condition and the speed." Alessio Chiodi, Ricci Racing: "I made a mistake at the start of the second moto and touched Philippaerts out of the gate. I think I was around 15th on the first lap but it was so difficult to pass and it wasn't a good race for me. I tried my best but there was only one line and it was hard to get Seguy at the end. The result is better than Zolder for sure because I was sick there. The first moto today was good because my riding, my condition and the bike were all working well." Kenneth Gundersen, Ricci Racing: "The first race was perfect. I had a good start, passed Chiodi and controlled it the whole way. It was a great feeling to finish first again. In the second race De Reuver cut my line at the start and I was down somewhere between 15th and 20th but then I crashed on the first lap and twisted my knee. After that I rode just to try and get as many points as I can. It is the same knee that I injured last year but it is not a big problem." Claudio De Carli, Team Manager De Carli Racing: "Matteo (Bonini) has been really unlucky. He was injured in the Italian Championship and went to Zolder just to get back on the bike and to start to find his speed again. After Zolder we decided to also compete at Neeroeteren because he was getting better and needed more race time. At the start of the third moto a rider crashed in front of him and he had nowhere to go. He hit the fallen bike very hard and broke his right wrist. He had an operation the day after and now is in a cast that has to remain there for two weeks. He will then have to start a period of rehabilitation to be back as soon as possible." Race classification MX2 Round: 2 - 2006 GP of Bellpuig, Spain Circuit: Bellpuig Race 1: 20 Laps Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time 1 K. Gundersen Yamaha SWE 39' 37.723 2 A. Chiodi Yamaha ITA +2.922 3 M. De Reuver KTM NED +4.024 4 C. Pourcel Kawasaki FRA +4.921 5 T. Rattray KTM RSA +27.297 6 S. Pourcel Kawasaki FRA +40.304 7 C. Nunn KTM GBR +44.649 8 B. MacKenzie Yamaha GBR +48.882 9 L. Seguy Yamaha FRA +50.174 10 D. Philippaerts KTM ITA +53.063 11 T. Searle Kawasaki GBR +1' 10.497 12 M. Seistola Honda FIN +1' 12.233 13 P. Caps Honda BEL +1' 14.934 14 M. Schiffer KTM GER +1' 17.817 15 J. Dougan Honda GBR +1' 20.836 16 A. Boissière Yamaha FRA +1' 21.367 17 X. Boog Yamaha FRA +1' 37.420 18 M. Monni KTM ITA +1' 38.361 19 A. Meo Honda FRA +1' 42.706 20 X. Hernandez Yamaha ESP +2' 4.111 Race 2: 21 Laps Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time 1 A. Cairoli Yamaha ITA 39' 3.713 2 T. Rattray KTM RSA +2.722 3 B. MacKenzie Yamaha GBR +31.055 4 R. Goncalves KTM POR +31.665 5 M. De Reuver KTM NED +46.951 6 D. Philippaerts KTM ITA +50.148 7 C. Pourcel Kawasaki FRA +51.227 8 D. Guarneri Yamaha ITA +1' 0.608 9 L. Seguy Yamaha FRA +1' 1.271 10 A. Chiodi Yamaha ITA +1' 3.247 11 G. Swanepoel Kawasaki RSA +1' 9.648 12 C. Nunn KTM GBR +1' 16.081 13 P. Caps Honda BEL +1' 24.348 14 P A. Renet Honda FRA +1' 32.019 15 N. Aubin Kawasaki FRA +1' 47.976 16 M. Monni KTM ITA +1' 55.744 17 X. Boog Yamaha FRA +2' 0.651 18 A. Boissière Yamaha FRA +1 lap(s) 19 K. Gundersen Yamaha SWE +1 lap(s) 20 X. Hernandez Yamaha ESP +1 lap(s) Championship standings MX2 Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Points 1 Tyla Rattray KTM RSA 83 2 Marc De Reuver KTM NED 74 3 Christophe Pourcel Kawasaki FRA 64 4 Kenneth Gundersen Yamaha SWE 64 5 David Philippaerts KTM ITA 59 6 Antonio Cairoli Yamaha ITA 53 7 Alessio Chiodi Yamaha ITA 48 8 Carl Nunn KTM GBR 47 9 Billy MacKenzie Yamaha GBR 45 10 Sébastien Pourcel Kawasaki FRA 44 11 Rui Goncalves KTM POR 42 12 Davide Guarneri Yamaha ITA 32 13 Luigi Seguy Yamaha FRA 32 14 Tommy Searle Kawasaki GBR 32 15 Patrick Caps Honda BEL 28 16 Antoine Meo Honda FRA 27 17 Gareth Swanepoel Kawasaki RSA 15 18 Pierre-Alexandre Renet Honda FRA 14 19 Aigar Leok Yamaha EST 13 20 Matti Seistola Honda FIN 13 23 Anthony Boissière Yamaha FRA 8 28 Xavier Hernandez Yamaha ESP 2 Manufacturers standings MX2 Pos. Manufacturer Points 1 KTM 50 2 Yamaha 40 3 Kawasaki 32 4 Honda 22 Click here to view the news

Following Valentino Rossi's hard-fought victory in yesterday's Grand Prix of Qatar, the Italian was back out on track today alongside his Camel Yamaha team-mate Colin Edwards for a one-day test today. Despite Rossi's win, the team still saw remnants of their vibration problem arise during the weekend and today's test was aimed once again at working to understand and finally eliminate this problem from the 2006 YZR-M1. As at the last one-day test in Jerez, Valentino Rossi completed a few laps on the 2005 M1 in order to compare its performance with the current bike and gather more information. Besides this Rossi and Edwards, who completed 58 and 66 laps respectively, spent the day trying out various different settings and both riders made some encouraging improvements with some consistently fast lap times. Just a small group of MotoGP riders stayed on to test alongside the Yamaha riders and the fastest unofficial lap was set by Marco Melandri (Honda) in a time of 1'55.95. Rossi was second quickest with a lap of 1'56.25 and Edwards third in a time of 1'56.35. The MotoGP paddock now has a two and a half week break before the third Grand Prix of the season in Istanbul commences on April 28th. Davide Brivio - Camel Yamaha Team Director "It's always quite hard to get up early and go testing the morning after a victory, but today was really important for us and the riders; the whole team has worked hard all day and made the most of the time we had available. In truth we still haven't completely solved our problem, but we've been able to gather a lot more important information and now we have to use this in the best possible way between now and Istanbul. We've definitely made some big improvements today, for both riders. We've tried many different settings which have made the problem much less critical, allowing the riders to ride the bike at a better level. Valentino was obviously able to win yesterday and in the race the problems virtually disappeared, but we knew that they were still there and today we managed to make some good steps forward. Colin had a difficult race and this test has been really important for him; he's finished the day in a much better situation. "Valentino once again tested the 2005 bike so we could make some comparisons. We know that with this bike the situation is different and we don't have vibration, but we also know that the 2006 bike is better in most other ways and has more potential. We also tested a qualifying tyre today as this was when the problem was at its worst during the race weekend, so this was interesting also. Overall it's been a good day for us and hopefully Yamaha can use all this information to our advantage so that we are ready to fight with both riders at the front in Turkey." Unofficial Lap Times: 1. Marco Melandri (ITA) Fortuna Honda, 1'55.95 2. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Camel Yamaha Team, 1'56.25 3. Colin Edwards (USA) Camel Yamaha Team, 1'56.35 4. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda Team, 1'56.36 5. Sete Gibernau (SPA) Ducati Marlboro Team, 1'56.61 6. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati Marlboro Team,1'56.77 7. Toni Elias (SPA) Fortuna Honda, 1'56.86 Click here to view the news

Camel Yamaha Team rider Valentino Rossi returned to the top step of the podium after a stunning ride in today's Grand Prix of Qatar. Rossi's 54th career MotoGP victory was sealed with a perfectly timed run in the second half of the race, passing early leader Casey Stoner (Honda) on lap 10 of 22 and holding off a late attack from Nicky Hayden (Honda) and Loris Capirossi (Ducati), who completed the podium. The win brings Rossi's premier-class tally level with that of Mick Doohan, with only the legendary Giacomo Agostini now ahead of him on 68 victories. Colin Edwards endured a difficult afternoon after front-end problems that appeared throughout the weekend returned to haunt him in the race. The American started from eighth on the grid and made a good start, moving up to sixth place by lap five, but he was unable to maintain the fast and consistent pace he showed in practice and he eventually dropped to ninth. Rossi's victory moves him up to fourth in the championship, fourteen points behind early leader Capirossi after two rounds of seventeen. Valentino Rossi - 1st; 43'22.229 "That was a great race - it was hard but that is what made it such fun. My M1 worked really well today - as the race went on the grip went down and the vibration completely disappeared, so I was able to go fast at the end. Also I set the fastest lap of the race on lap three, so this shows how well my M1 was working. This win is important for the championship but even more so from a mental point of view for me and the team. It was windy but the grip was good and I was able to chase Stoner, who was very fast at the start. When his tyres went down I was able to pass him and I thought I could escape but Nicky stayed with me. Then I looked back and saw Loris was coming too so I began to get worried about the last few laps. Anyway, I pushed hard and managed to hold on. It is great to be level with Mick Doohan, now only Giacomo Agostini is ahead of me. Records are not the most important thing but they are always nice! This feels like the start of the championship for me. Jerez was a nightmare but here we woke up! Big thanks to Jeremy and all the guys because they stayed focused during a difficult time and this is their reward." Colin Edwards - 9th; 43'45.149 (+22.920) "I made a good start and over the first five laps I felt fine - the bike was good and I was able to ride aggressively. I thought: 'okay, let's go for it.' Then on lap six I lost the front three times in a row and I almost crashed on each one of them. I thought it was a bit early in the race for that to happen so I pushed on and got going again but the front kept going and I had to ride slower and slower. In the practice simulation I ran a 1'57.2 on my last lap but in the race it was three seconds slower so clearly something is not right. Thankfully we have a test tomorrow to find out what it was and make sure that we are in better shape for Turkey." Davide Brivio - Camel Yamaha Team Director "This is a great day for us because we have been going through a difficult patch so to come out of it with a win is fantastic. It is a credit to the team because they have remained determined throughout the problems and never lost their focus. On Colin's side we have to keep this focus because he had some problems today and we want to bring both Yamahas to the top. We have work to do but we made up some important points in the championship today and this victory gives us even more motivation to continue in the same way at Istanbul." Improved performance brings smiles to Tech 3 Yamaha Team The improvement of the Tech 3 Yamaha Team continued at a wind-swept Losail International Circuit in Qatar today, with an encouraging performance from both riders the exact tonic needed to boost confidence in the team for the long season ahead. Battling very challenging and treacherous riding conditions, with gales sweeping off the surrounding desert, Tech 3 team-mates Carlos Checa and James Ellison finished 12th and 13th respectively. Ellison gained an added bonus as he claimed his first championship points of the year, while Checa fought a hard race despite still suffering the effects of injuries suffered in crashes during the opening Grand Prix in Spain two weeks ago. Results could have been even better for the Tech 3 Yamaha Team except for a first lap incident when both riders were baulked after Randy De Puniet (Kawasaki) crashed in front of them. The incident forced them to the rear of the field, but hard riding for the entire 22 laps saw them fight their way through a number of opponents. Team Director Herve Poncharal was delighted with the results, considering the conditions and the first lap incident that hampered progress in the race, which was won by fellow Yamaha rider Valentino Rossi. Carlos Checa - 12th; 44'11.474 (+49.245) "I am very happy with the performance of the Yamaha and the Dunlop tyres today. That is very encouraging for myself and the team but at the moment I am not fit enough to ride the bike and the tyres to the level that I would like. My shoulder is a little better today but in two weeks I will be so much fitter. The severe wind also made it harder to ride than I had anticipated. The team continues to improve everything about the bike and I am confident that after rest and physiotherapy I will be in much better shape to battle the way I desire in the races ahead." James Ellison - 13th; 44'23.698 (+1'01.469) "I am very, very happy. We both got held up on the first lap when another rider crashed in front of us and without this I think the result could have been even better. I am feeling really comfortable on the bike now and pushed very hard throughout the race. I made up two seconds in one lap but then I got stuck behind Tamada and couldn't get past him for quite a while. The tyres held up perfectly for the 22 laps and were exactly the same at the finish as at the start and that is very encouraging. We got some points to start the season with and if I keep progressing like I am doing there will be even better results coming in the near future." Herve Poncharal - Tech3 Yamaha Team Director "Altogether we had a good weekend. The entire package - the bike and tyres - worked really well, going the whole distance. I think considering the severe winds and the problems that Carlos is having we had very encouraging results. Carlos fully-fit will deliver the promise he showed in winter testing while James is getting better every time he rides the bike. After De Puniet crashed it made it difficult for the results we wanted, but both James and Carlos fought through to the end like the determined and courageous riders they are. I'm very satisfied with the results and how much everything has improved since our test here in February. We will be testing here tomorrow with James only as Carlos will return home to make a full recovery and be fit for the next Grand Prix in Turkey in three weeks." Race classification MotoGP Round: 2 - 2006 MotoGP Qatar Circuit: Losail Circuit Circuit Length: 5380 Lap Record: 1' 57.305 (Valentino Rossi, 2006) Fastest Lap Ever: 1' 57.305 (Valentino Rossi, 2006) Race: 22 Laps Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time 1 V. Rossi Yamaha ITA 43' 22.229 2 N. Hayden Honda USA +0.900 3 L. Capirossi Ducati ITA +1.494 4 S. Gibernau Ducati ESP +4.638 5 C. Stoner Honda AUS +7.575 6 D. Pedrosa Honda ESP +10.820 7 M. Melandri Honda ITA +11.784 8 T. Elias Honda ESP +19.481 9 C. Edwards Yamaha USA +22.920 10 K. Roberts Team Roberts KR USA +34.286 11 S. Nakano Kawasaki JPN +35.316 12 C. Checa Yamaha ESP +49.245 13 J. Ellison Yamaha GBR +1' 1.469 14 M. Tamada Honda JPN +1' 10.778 15 A. Hofmann Ducati GER +1' 22.051 16 J. Cardoso Ducati ESP +1' 33.818 Fastest Race Lap: Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time 1 V. Rossi Yamaha ITA 1' 57.305 Championship standings MotoGP Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Points 1 Loris Capirossi Ducati ITA 41 2 Nicky Hayden Honda USA 36 3 Daniel Pedrosa Honda ESP 30 4 Valentino Rossi Yamaha ITA 27 5 Casey Stoner Honda AUS 21 6 Toni Elias Honda ESP 21 7 Marco Melandri Honda ITA 20 8 Shinya Nakano Kawasaki JPN 14 9 Kenny Roberts Team Roberts KR USA 14 10 Sete Gibernau Ducati ESP 13 11 Colin Edwards Yamaha USA 12 12 Makato Tamada Honda JPN 8 13 Carlos Checa Yamaha ESP 7 14 John Hopkins Suzuki USA 7 15 Chris Vermeulen Suzuki AUS 4 16 James Ellison Yamaha GBR 3 Manufacturers standings MotoGP Pos. Manufacturer Points 1 Ducati 41 2 Honda 40 3 Yamaha 30 4 Team Roberts KR 14 4 Kawasaki 14 5 Suzuki 7 Team standings MotoGP Pos. Team Points 1 Repsol Honda Team 66 2 Ducati Marlboro Team 54 3 Fortuna Honda Team 41 4 Camel Yamaha Team 39 5 Honda LCR 21 6 Team Roberts KR 14 7 Kawasaki Racing Team 14 8 Rizla Suzuki 11 9 Tech3 Yamaha 10 10 Konica Minolta Honda 8 11 Pramac D'Antin 2 Race classification GP250 Round: 2 - 2006 Qatar GP250 Circuit: Losail Circuit Circuit Length: 5380 Lap Record: 2' 3.015 (Alex de Angelis, 2004) Fastest Lap Ever: 2' 2.154 (Jorge Lorenzo, 2005) Race: 20 Laps Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time 1 J. Lorenzo Aprilia ESP 41' 29.946 2 A. Dovizioso Honda ITA +0.077 3 R. Locatelli Aprilia ITA +19.364 4 H. Barbera Aprilia ESP +19.398 5 H. Aoyama KTM JPN +24.051 6 S. Guintoli Aprilia FRA +28.695 7 S. Porto Honda ARG +33.255 8 M. Simoncelli Gilera ITA +34.214 9 Y. Takahashi Honda JPN +34.406 10 J. Smrz Aprilia CZE +34.419 11 M. Cardenas Honda COL +49.121 12 A. Ballerini Aprilia ITA +1' 0.069 13 S. Aoyama Honda JPN +1' 0.633 14 M. Poggiali KTM SMR +1' 4.619 15 D. Heidolf Aprilia GER +1' 12.332 16 A. Vincent Honda FRA +1' 13.128 17 C. Davies Aprilia GBR +1' 44.684 18 L. Morelli Aprilia ITA +1' 59.950 19 M. Danese Aprilia ITA +1 lap(s) 20 A. Palumbo Aprilia ITA +1 lap(s) Fastest Race Lap: Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time 1 A. Dovizioso Honda ITA 2' 3.246 Championship standings GP250 Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Points 1 Jorge Lorenzo Aprilia ESP 50 2 Andrea Dovizioso Honda ITA 36 3 Roberto Locatelli Aprilia ITA 25 4 Hector Barbera Aprilia ESP 24 5 Hiroshi Aoyama KTM JPN 21 6 Alex de Angelis Aprilia SMR 20 7 Yuki Takahashi Honda JPN 20 8 Sylvain Guintoli Aprilia FRA 17 9 Martin Cardenas Honda COL 13 10 Sebastian Porto Honda ARG 9 11 Marco Simoncelli Gilera ITA 8 12 Manuel Poggiali KTM SMR 7 13 Jakub Smrz Aprilia CZE 6 14 Arnaud Vincent Honda FRA 6 15 Arturo Tizon Honda ESP 4 Manufacturers standings GP250 Pos. Manufacturer Points 1 Aprilia 50 2 Honda 36 3 KTM 21 Click here to view the news

Camel Yamaha Team riders Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards improved the setting of their Yamaha M1 machines for tomorrow's Grand Prix of Qatar despite struggling for a fast single lap in this afternoon's qualifying practice. Whilst both riders again demonstrated encouraging pace on race rubber, the improved rear grip offered by the qualifying tyre at the end of the session exaggerated the remaining traces of vibration problems and prevented them from mounting a serious challenge for a front row start. Rossi was the quickest of the pair, clocking the sixth fastest time to seal a slot on the second row of the grid. Edwards, meanwhile, was just over a tenth of a second outside the time set by his team-mate and will start from two places behind him in tomorrow's 22-lap race, which starts at 15h local time (14h CET). Leading the way from pole position will be Australian youngster Casey Stoner (Honda), who produced a record lap of 1'55.683 to surprise the rest of the field in only his second MotoGP appearance. Loris Capirossi (Ducati) and Toni Elias (Honda) complete the front row. Valentino Rossi (6th, 1'56.076, 25 laps) "The problem is that when the grip comes up we push more and the vibration comes back, so today we couldn't use the full potential of the qualifying tyre and I am only sixth. Anyway my race rhythm is not so bad and there are many riders close together, so I think it will be a good battle tomorrow. I am very surprised by Stoner and I would like to give him my sincere congratulations. He has been very fast all weekend and he used the qualifying tyre to 100%, even better than Loris, who has a lot of experience. Loris is in good shape again but I think the guys to beat are the young riders - Stoner, Elias and Pedrosa. Tomorrow we will see, but it should be interesting!" Colin Edwards (8th, 1'56.230, 22 laps) "We've definitely made the bike better since yesterday and even from this morning. We're still struggling with a little bit of vibration but the problem is continually reducing and I think we're on to something with the setting. We'll make a few small changes in the morning but it's a fine line between what could work and what definitely doesn't work so we have to be careful not to go backwards. My race pace is okay but I'm not going to lie - it was hard work. If the other guys were doing 1'57s I'd be delighted but I think we'll have hold it in the 1'56 mark during the race to come out with a top result. It's going to be tough but if we can make a small step in the morning we'll be ready." Davide Brivio - Camel Yamaha team Director "We have had fewer problems here than we had in Jerez but the situation is still not perfect. The qualifying session did not go so well for us but both riders have a decent race pace and I think they are in good shape for tomorrow. It will be hard because no doubt the young riders will push hard from the start. It will be a close battle at the front but I think we can be a part of it." Positive progression for Tech 3 Yamaha Team Good progress continued today for the Tech 3 Yamaha Team at the tight and physically demanding Losail International Circuit in Qatar. Riders Carlos Checa and James Ellison improved their race setup and this was reflected in the lap times as the gap to the leading teams was lessened considerably. Both riders completed the one hour qualifying session on the ever-improving Dunlop race tyres; the team decided against using qualifying tyres as they looked to gain an improved race setup and increase their confidence ahead of a long and demanding race tomorrow. Checa is still feeling the effects of two crashes at Jerez less than a fortnight ago and was unable to ride at his full potential, qualifying in 14th position, whilst Ellison will start from 17th tomorrow. However Team Director Herve Poncharal was happy with the improved performance and hopes for a positive race for both riders. Carlos Checa (14th, 1'57.299, 22 laps) "We've made some good improvements with the bike and tyres and I have found a race setup that is pretty close to what I desire, but I am still not strong enough with my left arm and that is very important at a track like this. I know in myself that I would be a lot further up the field if I did not have this limitation. It is especially hard on my left side when I am cornering and trying to move around on the bike; I am not as strong as I should be. I don't like riding like this as I am a fighter and want to be at the front, as we showed we can be in winter testing. Anyway we will do our best tomorrow and hopefully we can run a good race despite my problems." James Ellison (17th. 1'58.591, 20 laps) "We're improving all the time and that is the main thing; to move forward every time I get on the bike. I am a lot closer to Carlos and truthfully this is the best session I have had on the bike. I am very happy. We didn't use qualifiers today as we were concentrating on the race set-up and we have found a good tyre that we think will last. We did some consistent times so I am confident that we can finish well, as today I could stick with the other riders I was following. This is the first weekend that we have made big changes to the bike and we've made some good ones. We have moved the handlebars and adjusted my seating for the first time. Moving the 'bars has made a big improvement when exiting the corners, because now I can get over the front of the bike more and feel that I have more control of it." Herve Poncharal - Tech 3 Yamaha Team Director "It has been a positive result for us today. I am happy with the results; it was a choice not to use qualifying tyres as this can give false hope. My main concern is obviously for Carlos and his shoulder. He hasn't recovered from the two big crashes he had at Jerez and is lacking a lot of strength in his left side to be able to control the bike, especially in the many changes of direction around this track. James is improving every time he rides the bike and I can't ask for more than that. This year the target is to provide as much feedback to develop the Dunlop tyres and at every race get closer to the front and we hope we can take another step tomorrow." Round: 2 - 2006 MotoGP Qatar Circuit: Losail Circuit Circuit Length: 5380 Lap Record: 1' 57.903 (Nicky Hayden, 2005) Fastest Lap Ever: 1' 55.683 (Casey Stoner, 2006) Date: 7 April 2006 Temp: 32ºC Session 1 : Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. 1st Qualifying 1 C. Stoner Honda AUS 1' 55.638 2 L. Capirossi Ducati ITA 1' 55.721 3 T. Elias Honda ESP 1' 55.735 4 N. Hayden Honda USA 1' 55.793 5 D. Pedrosa Honda ESP 1' 56.008 6 V. Rossi Yamaha ITA 1' 56.076 7 S. Gibernau Ducati ESP 1' 56.177 8 C. Edwards Yamaha USA 1' 56.230 9 S. Nakano Kawasaki JPN 1' 56.237 10 K. Roberts Team Roberts KR USA 1' 56.272 11 C. Vermeulen Suzuki AUS 1' 56.356 12 M. Melandri Honda ITA 1' 56.822 13 J. Hopkins Suzuki USA 1' 56.981 14 C. Checa Yamaha ESP 1' 57.299 15 R. De Puniet Kawasaki FRA 1' 57.822 16 M. Tamada Honda JPN 1' 57.891 17 J. Ellison Yamaha GBR 1' 58.674 Click here to view the news

The Yamaha Monster Motocross Team will be hoping to strike extra fear into their FIM Motocross World Championship rivals in 2008 thanks to a new alliance with Monster Energy drinks. The factory-backed Grand Prix squad – now entitled ‘Yamaha Monster Motocross Team’ thanks to the title sponsorship - will benefit from a high-profile three year joint programme with one of the new powerful movers in motorcycle racing for their attempt on the MX1-GP title. Monster Energy, a product of California-based subsidiary Monster Beverage Co. part of the Hansen Beverage Company, have also lent their backing to the AMA Supercross series (an FIM World Championship) and have now extended their reach into the motocross Grand Prix paddock with the team responsible for winning three of the four titles since the MX1 class was born in 2004. “It's fantastic to have Monster Energy on board with us,” said Yamaha Motor Europe’s Racing Division Manager Laurens Klein Koerkamp. “Our results with the team over a long period have shown that we can offer Monster - as a partner - the top level successful image that they are looking for in Europe. During the discussions it was clear we were speaking to a company dedicated to supporting us in getting the best results and above all passion for off-road sport. Monster is a young and fresh brand, relatively new to Europe. It will be also exciting from a marketing point of view to work with them and raise their awareness on this side of the world.” The works YZ450FMs of Joshua Coppins and David Philippaerts will run a new design and livery for 2008 that will be unveiled in a special presentation on Friday evening prior to the first Grand Prix in Holland on April 6th. The team rightfully fill a position of prominence in world championship motocross racing having won the MX1-GP crown three times in succession with the potent YZ machinery from 2004 to 2006. Prior to the inauguration of the MX1-GP class they were also responsible for three 500cc titles in 1999, 2001 and 2002. They dominated races in the short-lived MXGP competition (a forerunner to MX1-GP) in the 2003 season when Stefan Everts also made history by winning three motos on a Yamaha in three different categories on the same day at the Grand Prix of France. In 2006 they helped the Belgian to record ten world championships and 101 career victories before his retirement. The crew were desperately close to a fourth crown in 2007 until Coppins sustained an untimely injury deep into the second half of the campaign while leading by a mammoth 107 points. With five overall triumphs and nine moto wins the New Zealander was still an outstanding performer of last year’s championship with more trophies than anyone else. Monster Energy is emerging to become one of the premier energy drink brands on the planet. Popular in the United States, the drink first appeared on the market in 2002 and has expanded both in terms of its distribution, profile and range of flavours and products on offer. They are currently birthing and evolving their network in Europe and the association with Yamaha as one of the most successful motorcycle brands in off-road sport and one of the most prolific teams within the last ten years of motocross, is sure to assist in their blossoming project. “We view the partnership between Monster Energy, Yamaha and the Rinaldi brothers as a European version of Monster Energy’s relationship with Mitch and Pro Circuit,” said Monster Energy spokesman Scott Sepkovic. “The Rinaldi Yamahas enjoy great racing heritage on the GP circuit, dating back to championships won by Donny Schmit and Bobby Moore. Monster Energy is looking forward to teaming up with this fine racing tradition as we continue to expand the Monster Energy brand globally. Here’s to a strong and healthy season for Josh Coppins and David Philippaerts the best of luck to both racers at their quest for the MX1 class championship. We’re pumped to have Yamaha Motor Europe and their team on board with Monster Energy.” Click here to view the news

Following Camel’s recent announcement, Yamaha Factory Racing would like to express its thanks to Camel and Japan Tobacco International for their partnership and support over the 2006 MotoGP season. Our thanks go out to all those involved in the project; they have formed an important part of our team over the past year. It has been a great honour for Yamaha to work with such an experienced sponsor and Camel’s enthusiasm throughout the season has been greatly appreciated by the entire Yamaha Factory Racing Team and the Yamaha Motor Group. Click here to view the news

Yamaha Factory Racing commenced the latest stage of their pre-season testing schedule today, joining the rest of their MotoGP counterparts on track at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar. This third test of the season is arguably the most important so far, as Losail will play host to the first race of the season in just over three week’s time. After two successive tests in Malaysia, the change of venue offers Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards the chance to gauge the performance of their 800cc Yamahas in different conditions, as well as to measure themselves alongside a full line-up of their rivals. Once again the new 800cc bikes were proven to be just as fast as their 990 predecessors, with five riders lapping under the current lap record, set by Rossi on route to victory here last year. Edwards and Rossi were out in front of the field, with the American posting the fastest lap of the day in a time of 1’56 774. Rossi was just over a tenth of a second behind him with a best time of 1’56.891, followed by Casey Stoner (Ducati) with a time of 1’56.960. Colin Edwards Position: 1st Time: 1’56.774 Laps: 67 “We’re coming here off the back of a fantastic test in Sepang and we’ve started on pretty good form again today. Things aren’t totally perfect; the first-choice front tyre that we found in Malaysia and which I was super-happy with isn’t available here at the moment and I felt I was lacking a bit of feeling in the morning, but we changed a few things on the setting and at the end of the day everything made sense. Despite the good time we’ve definitely got room for improvement, which we hope will come with a couple of different tyres tomorrow and some new things we want to try on the setting. Anyway, the really encouraging thing is that we’ve come to a new track and the bike has worked well straight out of the box; let’s hope that’s the case everywhere this year! We did a lot of work on the braking in Sepang and we don’t have any problems with that here, so it looks like we fixed those problems. It’s been a very productive first day in every aspect.” Valentino Rossi Position: 2nd Time: 1’56.891 Laps: 59 “This is a very important test because the first race is here in just a few weeks, so we’re working really hard in order to have the bike ready for that! Today was quite good and I am happy with the work we’ve done as a team; we were fast straight away and it’s good to see that our bike works well at a different track. We continued to develop some things with the setting and we also worked on tyres with Michelin. This is a hard track for them so it’s important we are ready with the tyres for the first race. The bike felt very good from the start and you can ride it well; we don’t have any chatter, or any particular problems at all, so we’re in a better position than last year. I am also happy because Colin is fast; in fact, he’s a little bit faster than me! This is a good sign though, because it shows how good our bike is. Of course we still have areas to improve and so we will continue to work hard for the next two days.” Davide Brivio - Team Director “It was a good start to the test for us, because both riders are fast and the bike seems to work well here. For sure everybody else will also improve in the coming days, so we can’t afford to be complacent, but we will continue to work as hard as we can and hopefully we can keep going like this.” Unofficial Lap Times 1. Colin Edwards (USA) Yamaha 1'56.774 2. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Yamaha 1'56.891 3. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati 1'56.960 4. Kenny Roberts (USA) Team KR 1'57.064 5. Nicky Hayden (USA) Honda 1'57.070 6. John Hopkins (USA) Suzuki 1'57.350 7. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati 1'57.360 8. Carlos Checa (SPA) Honda 1'57.370 9. Alex Barros (BRA) Ducati 1'57.690 10. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Honda 1'57.700 11. Randy de Puniet (FRA) Kawasaki 1'57.730 12. Marco Melandri (ITA) Honda 1'57.760 13. Alex Hoffman (GER) Ducati 1'57.800 14. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Honda 1'57.850 15. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Suzuki 1'57.900 16. Makoto Tamada (JPN) Yamaha 1'58.408 17. Olivier Jacque (FRA) Kawasaki 1'58.740 18. Toni Elias (SPA) Honda 1'59.400 19. Sylvain Guintoli (FRA) Yamaha 1'59.700 20. Shinichi Ito (JPN) Bridgestone Test 1'59.966 21. Andrew Pitt (AUS) Ilmor 2'01.667 22. Jeremy McWilliams (IRE) 2'10.341 Qatar Lap Record (990cc) Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 2006 - 1’57.305 Qatar Best Lap (990cc) Casey Stoner (Honda) 2006 - 1’55.683 Click here to view the news

Yamaha’s Factory MotoGP Team will take part in the Official MotoGP Test in Jerez this weekend sporting a special blue Yamaha livery. The livery reflects the familiar blue colours used in other Yamaha racing disciplines and also makes a direct connection with the blue colours and the famous Yamaha speedblock stripe used on the high-performance Yamaha R1 and R6 machines throughout the world. The one-off livery will be used by Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards over the three days of the test, including during the traditional televised timed ‘qualifying’ session on Sunday. Davide Brivio, Team Director “We’ve chosen this important pre-season event to run in full Yamaha livery and it’s a nice chance to thank everyone in the company who has worked so hard over the winter. This could be the only opportunity to see Yamaha MotoGP bikes in this special blue livery as the design and colour will change again for the first MotoGP race in Qatar. I hope our fans and the all Yamaha network will appreciate and enjoy this special event!” Click here to view the news

Yamaha Factory Team riders Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards begin their assault on the 2007 MotoGP World Championship next weekend as the most eagerly anticipated season in recent history finally fires up in Qatar. Saturday's race is the first of eighteen mouth-watering events across thirteen countries and four continents that will decide the destiny of the most coveted prize in motorcycle racing. For the first time since the turn of the millennium, Rossi starts out as a challenger to the throne. After finally conceding his title to Nicky Hayden (Honda) in a dramatic last chapter to the 2006 campaign at Valencia in November, the ever-popular Italian has worked tirelessly alongside his engineers on development of Yamaha's all-new YZR-M1, which features an 800cc capacity engine in accordance with new technical regulations. The revised rulebook also stipulates a reduced fuel capacity of 21 litres and a maximum of 31 tyres (14 front and 17 rear) per rider during a race weekend, piling extra pressure on the teams and adding even more intrigue for the fans as the season gets underway. Rossi's hopes of a winning start are substantiated by two victories from three previous visits to the Losail International Circuit since its inauguration in 2004. His confidence has been further boosted by an outstanding performance in the final pre-season test at Jerez, where he set the fastest lap in a televised 40-minute 'qualifying' session and capped an excellent winter of development work that has taken in seventeen days of hard graft at circuits in Spain, Malaysia and Qatar. The equally diligent work of Rossi's dependable team-mate Colin Edwards, who was close behind Rossi in third during last week's 'qualifying' session, has contributed greatly to the swift evolution of the 800cc version YZR-M1 and the pair are now bursting to go racing. The 'Texan Tornado' is promising to whip up a storm in the desert and maintain a strong front throughout the year, as he looks to capitalise on a pre-season that has seen him side-by-side with Rossi at the top end of the time sheets at virtually every circuit they have visited. Bike set-up at the Losail International Circuit is complicated by a host of slow corners that are preceded by fast changes of direction. The tight hairpin at turn six, for example, comes with a quick right-left change under braking, calling for a delicate balance between stability and agility. The most important section is the three fast rights at the end of the lap because this is where the rider can make up the most time, making stability at maximum lean angle an absolute must so that he has confidence to open the throttle with the bike still on its side. Valentino Rossi - "Fast and fun" The sight of Rossi and his new M1 in high-speed harmony during that final pre-season test at Jerez will have mesmerised his fans and demoralised his rivals, sending out a clear warning that the most successful motorcycle racer in recent history wants his title back. The 28-year-old has had just one thought in his mind since shaking hands with Nicky Hayden on the warm-down lap at Valencia and he is convinced that this season's ambitions will not be hampered by the misfortunes that ultimately denied him tenure of the number 1 plate for a sixth straight year. "After the great test in Jerez we're going to the first race feeling confident and happy," says Rossi. "Last year we had some problems at the final test that left us feeling worried going to the first race but more than anything Jerez proved that we're in a very different situation to last year and confirmed the great job we've done with the new M1 over the winter. Now it's finally time for the first race and it's time to see if all our hard work pays off. Everyone is very excited and very motivated after what happened last year and our aim is very simple - to win!" "I like Qatar a lot, it's fast and fun to ride and I have won there twice. Of course it's quite hot and dusty so tyre choice will be very important, especially with the new rules. The other key factor is going to be the fuel consumption - I think it is something everybody is worried about this season but we are all in the same boat. We know the bike should work well at the first two races but the championship is very long. Dani Pedrosa has looked the most consistent in testing but I think Nicky Hayden, Loris Capirossi and my own team-mate Colin Edwards will be in the fight for the title." Colin Edwards - "A level playing field" After stating earlier in the pre-season that the YZR-M1 is the best 800cc bike in the field, Colin Edwards has seen nothing to change his mind over the past two tests and the 33-year-old is now on the brink of what he hopes can be his best season since joining MotoGP in 2003. The former double World Superbike Champion has scored six podiums in that time, one of them coming at Losail in 2004, and he is confident of adding significantly to that tally this year - starting on Saturday at a circuit he feels provides a level playing field between him and more seasoned Grand Prix riders. "Qatar is a great track, I love it and I always feel that it's a level playing field because we've only been there a few times as opposed to some of the European circuits where other riders have basically grown up," observes Edwards. "I'm feeling really confident going back there for the first race, especially after our last test there when I was pretty fast every day, and the progress we made at Jerez last week. The track suits my style and I felt really comfortable there during the test, so hopefully we can translate that to the race conditions." "We had some problems in the race last year but I am feeling completely different now because this bike is a whole new ballgame. After working really well on smooth tracks like Sepang and Qatar we managed to adopt it to the bumps at Jerez with a completely different setting so I'm really confident that we have a great package for the whole season. I've said throughout pre-season that the target this season is to win races, so I'm looking forward to getting started." Davide Brivio - "Let's go racing!" Yamaha Factory Racing Team Director Davide Brivio echoes the confidence of his riders after watching them lap in record pace at all three of the circuits the team have visited during their exhaustive winter testing programme. Last Sunday's success in the competitive timed session provided an extra injection of excitement and motivation to the team's mood, as the Italian reports, the riders are not the only members of staff who are counting down the days to the new season's opening showdown. "Finally we're going racing!" smiles Brivio. "I think this season will be very interesting because it is the first time in several years that Valentino isn't starting as the defending champion and there are many young riders who are now ready to fight for the title. We have had a good winter of testing and we feel that we have made a good job of preparing for the new season. Now we're excited to go racing and see exactly how prepared we really are." "Qatar will be the first time everybody shows their cards for real and we are all very curious to see what level we are at compared to our rivals. The mood in the team is optimistic because both Colin and Valentino have been amongst the top riders all through the winter so providing everything goes OK then we can expect to be competitive. Let's go racing!" Valentino Rossi : Information Age: 28 Lives: London, UK Bike: Yamaha YZR-M1 GP victories: 84 (57 x MotoGP/500cc, 14 x 250cc, 12 x 125cc) First GP victory: Czech Republic, 1996 (125cc) First GP: Malaysia, 1996 (125cc) GP starts: 174 (114 x MotoGP/500cc, 30 x 250cc, 30 x 125cc) Pole positions: 45 World Championships: 7 Grand Prix (1 x 125cc, 1 x 250cc, 1 x 500cc, 4 x MotoGP) Colin Edwards: Information Age: 33 Lives: Conroe, Texas Bike: Yamaha YZR-M1 First GP: Japan, 2003 (MotoGP) GP starts: 66 x MotoGP World Championships: 2 World Superbike Qatar Lap Record (990cc) Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 2006, 1'57.305 Qatar Best Lap (800cc) Casey Stoner (Honda) 2006, 1'55.683 2006 Qatar Grand Prix Results 1. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Yamaha 43'22.229 2. Nicky Hayden (USA) Honda +0.900 3. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati +1.494 9. Colin Edwards (USA) Yamaha +22.920 Click here to view the news

The Grand Prix of the Netherlands at the Eurocircuit in Valkenswaard, close to the city of Eindhoven, opens the 2008 FIM Motocross World Championship this weekend and Yamaha’s strong arm faculty equipped with potent YZ machinery will go to the start-gate in earnest for the first time this year. The first round of fifteen in an ’08 series that visits thirteen countries and two continents will see Yamaha once more fit the role of protagonists in the MX1-GP (premier class with 450cc four-stroke motorcycles) and MX2-GP (250cc four-stroke motorcycles) categories. The Yamaha Monster Motocross Team bring their freshly painted YZ450FMs to Holland hoping to re-capture the title they narrowly missed out on in 2007 and add to their splendid tally of three championships from four years since the MX1-GP classification was established. Josh Coppins and new recruit David Philippaerts have had an excellent pre-season with four wins through events in Italy and France. Coppins, who won five Grand Prix, took nine podiums and led more laps than any other rider in his first season with Yamaha last year, has been recovering from two broken toes on his right foot after a freak accident while training two weeks ago. “Things are coming along well, it should be OK to race although the weekend will be more about damage-limitation for the championship instead of setting myself any specific targets,” said the recently turned 31 year old who won In Valkenswaard to mark a memorable Yamaha debut twelve months ago. “At first I thought I had broken my foot and my championship was ruined again but I’m happy with the rate of recovery. The bones have been healing well it is just the wound and the skin tissue that is causing discomfort. I have no idea what it will be like until I get to the track though and start practice. Let’s just see what we can get from this weekend and then move on. It can only get better.” For Philippaerts Valkenswaard will not only kick-off his second season in the premier class (after taking 6 wins in 2 terms as a factory-supported racer in MX2-GP) but his first with his new bike. “I like Valkenswaard, it is a difficult track but I had a good race there in 2004 when I finished sixth, which was my best result up to that point,” said the 24 year old Italian who won the 2007 German MX1-GP Grand Prix. “They changed the direction of the circuit last year and it worked well even if I did not have the best GP!” he adds remembering his fall through the sandy waves section that ended with a spot of fire-fighting to his stricken motorcycle.“At the start of the season in the past I have said that I want to go for a win or a podium and it has not turned out that way, so this time I will simply say that I want to do my best. I am confident with the bike and very happy with the team and we will see on Saturday how fast we are.” The Yamaha Monster Motocross Team will be unveiled to the media on Friday evening. Adding to Yamaha’s presence in MX1-GP will be UTag Yamaha.com’s Kenneth Gundersen. The Norwegian is a former Grand Prix winner in the old 125 and 250cc divisions and climbs aboard the YZ450F after two years in MX2-GP. The British squad have a representative in the class for the first time since 2005. Dutch set-up Yamaha Van Beers will again count on the services of promising youngster Aigar Leok for the second season in succession. The Estonian is hoping to shake-off his injury woes of 2007 and supersede his highest race finish of 10th taken at Teutschenthal for the Grand Prix of Germany last May. Yamaha’s excellent track record in the MX2-GP class with two Rider’s world championships and three manufacturer’s titles with the YZ250F in the last four years has been largely thanks to the talents of Antonio Cairoli, and the Sicilian is aiming for his third crown this season onboard his Red Bull De Carli-tuned equipment. ‘Tony’ decimated the 2007 competition with a phenomenal tally of numbers including 10 wins from 14 events and 21 motos victories from 28, overall making the podium 13 times, not forgetting of course his triumphant debut in the MX1-GP class at Donington Park. The Italian – who will glide into the paddock this weekend with a new motorhome purchased recently from MotoGP racer and friend Marco Melandri – has been turning heads on the YZ450F in the Italian championship but will get back to serious business on his 250 through the sand of Valkenswaard this weekend – a GP in which he owned both motos at a canter last season. “It has not been a bad pre-season period for me and we have been working with both the 250 and the 450,” he said. “I did not regain the championship in 2006 after winning in 2005 and I won’t be making the same mistakes that I did back then. I expect the competition to be harder this year and people like Tommy Searle and Nicolas Aubin will be quick. It will be interesting to see what the younger riders can do as well,” commented the 22 year old. Team-mate Matteo Bonini will miss the Grand Prix this weekend after undergoing an operation on his dislocated left shoulder several weeks ago in Italy. The luckless racer is expected to give an estimated time for return to the track shortly. Yamaha’s MX2-GP rider roster is largely unchanged. The third member of the Red Bull De Carli team, Alessandro Lupino, starts his second year with the Italian crew and within the world championship paddock. The teenager, who is currently lying third in the MX2 Italian series, will be optimistic of continuing his race education at the highest level. Great hopes are expected from the Yamaha Ricci Racing duo of Nicolas Aubin and David Guarneri both of whom have been collecting chequered flags in France and Italy respectively over the pre-season period with YZ250FMs. Aubin had a decent first season with the Italian team in 2007 where he scored his first ever GP win in the Czech Republic and took a career-best sixth in the world championship. He is now arguably France’s fastest rider in the category. Guarneri recovered from a broken ankle in the first months of ‘07 to rapidly gain pace and results, culminating in his maiden success at Namur in Belgium. Both will have special YRRD GP engine parts. Utag Yamaha.com’s Martin Barr – who has been flying high with personal best finishes in the Maxxis British Championship (2nd position overall two weeks ago) – again stands alongside former Spanish Champion Carlos Campano for the UK squad. The 20 year old’s speed and form has come-on leaps and bounds over the last twelve months and he could be one of the wide young select in the class to keep an eye on for 2008. Campano should travel to Valkenswaard fully fit and raring to go after two difficult seasons with injury niggles. Yamaha Van Beers welcomes two new signings to their fold with Russian champion Evgeny Bobryshev embarking on his first MX2-GP campaign and double FIM Women’s World Cup champion Katherine Prumm wears the number one plate on her blue machine for the inaugural Women’s World Championship; the first round of five getting underway at the Grand Prix of Bulgaria next month. 3C Racing complete the YZ250F pack with Italian championship leader and recent MX3 Grand Prix winner Manuel Monni looking strong and David Philippaerts’ younger brother, Deny, starting a second GP term making an all-Italian effort for 2008. 3C Racing, Van Beers and UTag Yamaha’s personnel will steer YZs with customer YRRD Racing part kits. The Eurocircuit will host the championship ‘curtain-raiser’ for the second year in succession and is the first of two visits to the Netherlands in 2008. The track was shortened and reversed for the 2007 Grand Prix and the radical changes – with a relocated start-gate – were well received by the riding fraternity. The terrain itself can get extremely rough and technical as the two 35 minute and 2 lap motos for each class wear on. Although the Dutch sand is not as notoriously deep and energy-sapping as other venues in the area, Valkenswaard is still a very tough physical and mental first test for the world championship aspirants. 2007 saw an excellent day for Yamaha with victories in both classes. Varying weather conditions are predicted for the weekend ahead. Click here to view the news

The Yamaha Gariboldi Racing Team will be making a credible push for the 2009 European Motocross Championship and therefore helping to strengthen the future of Yamaha’s off-road racing programme.  With the age limit of 23 years coming into force for the 2010 FIM MX2-GP Motocross World Championship, a shrewd view to the new generation of competitive talent has become a even higher priority for Yamaha and their aim in continuing a distinguished line of success at the top of the motocross ladder. The Italian Gariboldi set-up will be fielding a multi-national roster of four riders, all supported with YZ250F YRRD (Yamaha Rinaldi Research and Development, a partnership between Yamaha Motor Europe and the Rinaldi Group) kitted machinery and taking the advice and tutelage of Yamaha’s 2007 MX3 World Champion Yves Demaria.  Slovenian Klemen Gercar (18 years old and European Junior Champion in 2007) won a moto and finished second in two races during the 2008 campaign while Spaniard Jose Antonio Butron (17 years old and Spanish Junior champion in 2007) also took notable results by winning the Spanish round and taking a further four top three moto finishes. The duo will be joined by two new French riders for 2009 with Christophe Charlier (17, 2007 French Supercross champion) who was 8th overall in the ’08 European championship, racing alongside national junior champion Mathias Bellino (17 years old).  Charlier and Butron both qualified for world championship events in 2008 while Gercar actually scored an impressive 6 points for 15th position at Faenza in Italy for the final meeting of the series.  “We are delighted to have these 4 youngsters for 2009, we have big hopes for them and we believe they are quite special,” remarked Team Manager Giacomo Gariboldi. “They have been selected together with the co-operation of Yamaha Motor Europe and the Rinaldi group and for us it's really great to launch this new program with them and try to shape new champions starting from the European Championship, which is becoming more and more like a MX2-GP feeder class. The top six riders can easily take points in a GP; signifying how competitive it is right now.”  “With the age restriction coming into place it's very important to nurture young riders and have them ready in time to compete at top level in the world championship and this is the goal for the team,” he added. Click here to view the news

After having contested in the World Supersport Championship for the last two years, the Yamaha GMT94 team will move up to the World Superbike Championship in 2008. In addition to this and following on from their Bol d’Or win in 2007, Yamaha GMT94 will continue to enter the world’s two most demanding Endurance races – the Le Mans 24 Hours and the Bol d’Or 24 Hours. The Guyot Motorcycling Team was founded in 1992 by Christophe Guyot - himself a former rider and passionate sportsman - with the aim of making motorcycle racing more accessible to the young people of France. In 2003, the team linked up with Yamaha Motor France to become a more professional concern and has since gone from strength to strength, including becoming Endurance World Champion in 2004. Now known as the Yamaha GMT94 team, the squad operates a strategy focused on two very different road race classes – sprint racing and endurance racing. For 2008, the team is moving into the World Superbike Championship, although they are continuing with the current team line up of David Checa and Sébastien Gimbert. 2004 Endurance World Champion David Checa, aged 27, has raced in World Supersport with the Yamaha GMT team for the past two seasons. The younger brother of Carlos Checa, David’s racing pedigree includes 250GP and European Supersport before he moved into Endurance racing in 2003. In addition, that same year he was Pirelli’s WSB control tyre tester and participated in a handful of WSB races. This WSB experience will stand him in good stead for 2008 as he re-enters the WSB fray once more. Sébastien Gimbert is also a long-time member of the Yamaha GMT94 Team, having first joined the team’s Endurance effort in 2004 and becoming world champion in the same year. Like many Frenchmen the 30 year-old has specialised in the Endurance scene, having won the Bol d’Or with Checa and the GMT94 team in 2007 as well winning the Le Mans 24 Hours in 2005. But to date he also has 45 WSB races under his belt. Gimbert achieved his best WSB result in 2004 when he scored two fourth position finishes at Magny-Cours. This success was enough to gain him a full-time WSB ride with Yamaha Motor France the following year, although a broken leg during the season prevented him from showing his full potential. As well as contesting the WSB Championship, David Checa and Sébastien Gimbert will contest the Le Mans and Bol d’Or races once again in 2008, this time with British rider Steve Plater. In 2007 the Yamaha GMT94 Team won the Bol d’Or for the first time in style with a five lap lead, after having already won as a team twice the Le Mans 24hrs and numerous other Endurance events. Yamaha GMT94 will receive some support from Yamaha Motor Europe who recognise the importance of Endurance racing in France and the dream of team owner Guyot to grow steadily to become a future top contender in World Superbikes. David Checa Profile Date of Birth: 20/04/1980 Nationality: Spanish Residence: Barcelona, Spain Career Highlights 2007: 12th, World Supersport Championship, 1st Bol d’Or 24 Hours 2006: 11th, World Supersport Championship and 3rd, Le Mans 24 Hours 2005: 1st, Le Mans 24 Hours and 2nd, Bol d’Or 24 Hours 2004: World Champion Endurance and 1st, Oschersleben 24 Hours and Zhuhaï 6 Hours rounds 2003: 3rd, World Champion Endurance Sébastien Gimbert Date of Birth: 09/09/1977 Nationality: French Residence: Puy de Velay, France Career Highlights 2007: 20th, World Supersport Championship, 1st Bol d’Or 24 Hours 2006: 3rd, Le Mans 24 Hours and 19th, World Superbike Championship 2005: 1st, Le Mans 24 Hours 2004: World Champion Endurance 2003: 2nd, French Super-production Championship and 1st, Bol d'Or and Spa 24-hour races Click here to view the news

French-run Team Yamaha GMT94 took the chequered flag in the famous but also grueling Bol D’Or 24hrs Endurance race this weekend, completing 801 laps on their YZF-R1 machine and beating second place by five laps. The race took place at the circuit of Magny-Cours (France) in front of almost 100,000 spectators; it started at 15.00 hrs on Saturday and ran through the night to finish at 15.00 hrs on Sunday afternoon. The three riders were Sébastien Gimbert, David Checa, who both also ride for Team Yamaha GMT94 in World Supersport, and Olivier Four. From the start Team Yamaha GMT94 were in the thick of the action but held their nerve to take the lead with a tight margin of 30 seconds back to second place. But, with only four hours to go the second placed Suzuki team crashed out, giving Team Yamaha GMT94 a ten lap lead. Keen to avoid anything that could lose them the lead, the team maintained their focus to take the win. This win is made all the sweeter as this is their first win at the Magny-Cours race. Permanent World Endurance Championship entry Yamaha Phase One Endurance team finished fourth (with riders Warwich Nowland, Glen Richards and Pedro Valcaneras Flores) with Yamaha teams Acrapolis Moto Expert fifth and Endurance Moto 38 finishing seventh. Currently 4 Yamaha teams are in the top 7 of the Endurance World Championship standings. Team Yamaha GMT94, run by former rider and passionate sportsman Christophe Guyot, operate on a strategy focused on two different race programs. They are permanent entries in the World Supersport Championship with riders David Checa and Sébastien Gimbert mounted on Yamaha R6 machinery. In addition, they enter the two most demanding Endurance races in the world on the Yamaha R1, both run in France - the Le Mans 24hrs and the Bol d’Or 24hrs. David Checa (Team Yamaha GMT94) This race has been excellent; the bike and the tyres worked perfectly together and the team has just worked as one to get on the top of the podium. The last four hours were the easiest, after the Suzuki team crashed; it was just about keeping the pace up and not making any silly mistakes. I’d like to thank Yamaha and Team GMT94 for all their support and efforts.” Sébastien Gimbert (Team Yamaha GMT94) “What can I say? To win feels very satisfying! Everything came together well and the race was perfect for us.” Olivier Four (Team Yamaha GMT94) “The bike was set-up well and Sébastien, David and I all worked well together. It feels great to win here! I’d like to thank the team for getting us here.” Christophe Guyot (Team Manager, Team Yamaha GMT94) “I’d like to thank everyone for all their hard work. I’m so happy with the result; it’s just fantastic to win here this weekend! It was a big fight from the beginning of the race and, although we got the lap record we were only leading by 30 seconds at 10.30am on Sunday morning. Then, the Suzuki which was in second place crashed, meaning we were in the lead by ten laps. From then on it was down to the riders to just ride carefully and not risk any crashes. This result is a great proof of the power and reliability of the Yamaha R1.” Click here to view the news

The World Superbike Championship goes to Assen this weekend and with Queen’s Day falling on the Monday after the race the Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team will be celebrating this Dutch national holiday by wearing special team clothing over the weekend. Queen’s Day, or Koninginnedag as it is called in Dutch, is a day of celebration of the Dutch monarchy. Queen Juliana started the festival on the date of her birthday (30th April) and when Queen Beatrix succeeded the throne in 1980 she kept the same celebration date as the weather on her own birthday in January often prohibited outdoor festivities. The team shirts are orange and feature the Dutch coat of arms and will be worn by all team personnel in the Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team. These shirts have been provided by team sponsor and clothing manufacturer DayGas Krum.Hero. “Race day at Assen is the day before Queen’s Day, when most of the Dutch population will be wearing orange. I’m sure that the Dutch crowd in Assen will appreciate the team for wearing a very appropriate uniform on this special occasion!” said Leon Oosterhof, Racing Communications Manager at Yamaha Motor Europe’s Racing Division. In preparation for the weekend celebrations, staff and riders from the World Superbike and Supersport teams visited the Yamaha Motor Europe’s head offices this week. During their two hour visit, Troy Corser and Noriyuki Haga from the Superbike team along with Broc Parkes from the Supersport team answered questions from staff at Yamaha Motor Europe as well as signing shirts and memorabilia, prior to traveling to Assen for the fifth round of the World Superbike Championship. In addition, all employees were given one of the limited edition team shirts to proudly wear this weekend at the races. Talking about the visit, Leon said, “There are many Yamaha Motor Europe employees that follow Yamaha’s teams and riders in the World Superbike and World Supersport Championships. Many are passionate about racing and this was the perfect opportunity for them to meet the riders and teams in person and ask them questions. It was also nice for the teams to visit Yamaha's European headquarters and get an impression of all the activities and the atmosphere.” Click here to view the news

Yamaha has today confirmed that Troy Corser and Noriyuki Haga will remain with the Yamaha Motor Italia World Superbike Team in 2008. A flamboyant and much-loved character, Haga has worked with Yamaha for many years and his WSB career highlights include second in 2000 and third title position in 2004, 2005 and 2006. Currently Haga is fighting for the 2007 title with only 41 points separating him in second place from front man Toseland, having caught up 25 points at the last round in Lausitz. With only two rounds remaining on 30th September (Vallelunga, Italy) and 7th October (Magny Cours, France) Haga is taking the fight for WSB crown all the way to the wire. So far this season he has already won four races, including taking the double win at the team’s home circuit of Monza. This year has been Corser’s first season with the Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team but it has been a fruitful one, with him gaining eight podium positions so far this season. Corser has also had a good and close working relationship with Haga, with the two riders working together to help develop a championship winning machine in the YZF-R1. The two-times World Superbike Champion has 13 years of experience in the class, including 40 pole positions and an impressive 114 podium positions, 33 of which have been race wins. Click here to view the news

The final day of MotoGP testing in Qatar today saw the times tumble yet again, as several riders opted to try qualifying tyres and three of them, Yamaha rider Valentino Rossi included, dipped under the 1’55 mark. As usual on the final day of a test, both Rossi and team-mate Colin Edwards tried their 800cc Yamaha’s on a long-run, enabling them to gather crucial information about tyre performance and fuel consumption ahead of the first race here in three week’s time. Edwards’ was in fact forced to do two extended sessions after his initial long-run, started towards the end of the morning, was red-flagged when Suzuki rider John Hopkins crashed, breaking a bone in his foot. After topping the time sheets for the last two days, the Yamaha pair slipped down the order a little today, Rossi coming in third behind Dani Pedrosa (Honda, 1’55.471) and Hopkins (1’55.825) with a time of 1’55.954, set in the morning session using a Michelin qualifying tyre. After running into a few small problems with the qualifying tyre, Edwards was unable to better his time from yesterday and finished the day fifth with a best lap of 1’56.371. The Yamaha Factory Racing Team will now head to European shores for the first time since December for the Official MotoGP Test on 23rd, 24th and 25th February, at Jerez de la Frontera in southern Spain. This will be the final pre-season test before the Grand Prix paddock reconvenes in Qatar for the first race of the season on 10th March. Valentino Rossi (3rd, 1’55.954, 62 Laps) “It’s been a good test overall, despite running into a few problems. Like I said yesterday, it’s better to find the problems now so we have the chance to fix them! As I expected, the other riders have improved a lot over these three days and Colin and I weren’t able to stay at the top today. Still, we’re quite fast and our bike is quite good, so we’re happy. The long run was okay, the situation with the rear tyre wasn’t perfect but we knew it wasn’t going to be and nothing happened that we didn’t expect. Anyway, we’re not worried about it and we know how to go from here. I was still able to do 1’56.5s okay, so I think if the race was tomorrow then we would be in a position to fight for the victory, as would Colin. We still have one more test in Jerez so we’ve got the chance to do some more good work and try to make our bike perfect for the first race. We’re still working on the suspension and stability, we’ve talked a lot with our engineers and we’ve got some good ideas to try next week. We’ve been sharing a lot of information in our garage between Colin and I; he’s tried my settings and I’ve tried his which has been very helpful. Now I’m looking forward to seeing how the bike will go in Jerez next week.” Colin Edwards (5th, 1’56.371, 61 Laps) “We were a little bit unlucky today; we wanted to finish up early so we started our long-run in the morning and it was all going well when the red flags came out after about 14 laps. I was doing pretty good times in that and was happy with how things were going, so it was pity I had to stop. Anyway, our engineers needed me to have another go this afternoon as we really needed to get some information about the fuel consumption. Unfortunately we couldn’t have the same tyre again and we had to use something a bit older, so the second long run wasn’t so great, but we got all the information we needed. We tried a qualifier this morning and actually we had a tiny bit of movement with that which was a surprise after how fantastic it was in Sepang. I couldn’t quite better my time from yesterday, when I was on race tyres. Valentino had a go later and I think he fixed the issue, so we’re not panicking about that. It’s been a really good test and I think we’ve got a lot of options with this bike. Now it’s on to something different again in Jerez so we’ll see how things go there, hopefully we can continue the good work.” Davide Brivio - Team Director “It’s been a very interesting and important test for us and both riders have shown that they’re in a position to fight at the top. We’ve got a few areas which we need to work on, but overall we’re happy. It’s nice to see both riders being consistently fast and having fun riding the bike and it’s great to see such good teamwork, with both crews working closely together and sharing all their information. This really helps us in the task of developing the bike. Now we go to Jerez for the final test and it’s going to be another very important three days for us all; our rivals are strong and we need to be in the best possible shape when we come back here for the first race. Unofficial Lap Times: 1. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Honda 1’55.471 2. John Hopkins (USA) Suzuki 1’55.825 3. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Yamaha 1’55.954 4. Alex Hofmann (GER) Ducati 1’56.315 5. Colin Edwards (USA) Yamaha 1’56.371 6. Randy de Puniet (FRA) Kawasaki 1’56.753 7. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati 1’56.807 8. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati 1’56.834 9. Alex Barros (BRA) Ducati 1’56.950 10. Marco Melandri (ITA) Honda 1’56.980 11. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Honda 1’56.980 12. Makoto Tamada (JPN) Yamaha 1’57.232 13. Toni Elias (SPA) Honda 1’57.246 14. Nicky Hayden (USA) Honda 1’57.269 15. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Suzuki 1’57.365 16. Kenny Roberts (USA) Team KR 1’57.408 17. Carlos Checa (SPA) Honda 1’57.497 18. Sylvain Guintoli (FRA) Yamaha 1’58.379 19. Shinichi Ito (JPN) Bridgestone Test 1’58.974 20. Andrew Pitt (AUS) Ilmor 2’00.455 21. Olivier Jacque (FRA) Kawasaki 2’02.081 22. Jeremy McWilliams (IRE) Ilmor 2’02.612 Click here to view the news

Yamaha have had a good day in the first qualifying session today at the fifth round of the World Superbike Championship in Assen. In sunny, warm and dry weather Haga took provisional second qualifying place and Corser finished in fifth with both riders promising more progress tomorrow. Noriyuki Haga started the afternoon qualifying session in fourth place but went on to top the board in front of Xaus and Toseland with only five minutes to go. Unfortunately, in the dying minutes of the session Toseland came back to take the top slot, pushing Haga down to second. Troy Corser started the afternoon qualifying session in second where he remained for most of the session until Toseland knocked him down into third. Muggeridge and Bayliss also posted faster times putting him in a comfortable fifth slot for tomorrow's second qualifying. Team Yamaha YZF rider Shinichi Nakatomi also had a good day, much preferring Assen's dry conditions to the wet weather experienced at Valencia two weeks ago. Concentrating on getting a good set-up, the young Japanese rider put in 20 laps, doing the second fastest speed of over 285kph and finishing the day in 14th. Toseland currently tops the provisional qualifying grid at his team's home track with Haga only 0.147 seconds behind in second and Xaus in third. Haga currently holds the Superpole record at Assen with a 1'39.009 which he claimed last year. He will be looking to equal this in tomorrow's qualifying and Superpole sessions, especially as this weekend will be his 137th race start with Yamaha. This will equal Fabrizio Pirovano's record with Yamaha. Noriyuki Haga (2nd - 1'39.750 - Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) "I used a soft tyre for this afternoon's session but I know I won't be able to use it for the race because it will be too warm for it to last the race distance. I have already made a tyre choice for tomorrow, though, and we will make some more minor modifications tomorrow to try and get pole position. Second place is okay today but I want to go for pole position tomorrow." Troy Corser (5th - 1'39.938 - Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) "Today has been good for my first day on this bike at this track. We now have a good idea of the direction we need to go in tomorrow. This afternoon we made some changes and found some positive results as well as some negative ones. I also rode both bikes to get as much data as possible, but we didn't have enough time to really try out all the changes we made. Tomorrow will be about finding a good race setting and to continue testing the changes we have made to the gearbox and suspension. I'm feeling good about how it's going, though. We're really close." Massimo Meregalli (Team Coordinator - Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) "I am quite confident after today's practice and qualifying sessions. We've had a problem free start to the weekend and tomorrow we will focus on deciding which tyres to use for the race. We already have an idea which we will confirm tomorrow." Shinichi Nakatomi - 14th - 1'41.032 - Team Yamaha YZF) "I have had a good day today and so far this weekend everything feels much better than at Valencia. I am very positive for this weekend's result and I am working hard on finding a good set-up. I am certain that tomorrow we will find it." Circuit Length: 4555 Temp: 25 Weather: Sunny 2007 WSB Assen 27/04/2007 Qualifying 1 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 James Toseland Honda GBR 1'39.603 2 Noriyuki Haga Yamaha JPN 1'39.750 3 Ruben Xaus Ducati ESP 1'39.765 4 Troy Bayliss Ducati AUS 1'39.806 5 Troy Corser Yamaha AUS 1'39.938 6 Karl Muggeridge Honda AUS 1'40.092 7 Fonsi Nieto Kawasaki ESP 1'40.201 8 Jakub Smrz Ducati CZE 1'40.355 9 Lorenzo Lanzi Ducati ITA 1'40.445 10 Joshua Brookes Honda AUS 1'40.480 11 Max Neukirchner Suzuki GER 1'40.537 12 Max Biaggi Suzuki ITA 1'40.804 13 Michel Fabrizio Honda ITA 1'40.844 14 Shinichi Nakatomi Yamaha JPN 1'41.032 15 Roberto Rolfo Honda ITA 1'41.109 QUALIFYING 1 REPORT 27/04/2007 Parkes takes second in day one qualifying at Assen Parkes showed that he is back on the pace today by taking second place in qualifying following his accident at Donington only a month ago when he broke his right collar bone. And with Steve Martin settling into Curtain's seat while he recovers from the leg injuries he sustained at Valencia, the team is confident of good results this weekend. Parkes started the morning's free practice session focusing on ensuring he was happy with the set-up and trying out several tyre options for the race. In the qualifying session Parkes proceeded to take second place on a flying lap before being knocked down to fourth by Sofuoglu and Charpentier. The session was then red flagged but as soon as it was re-started Parkes went out and re-took second place where he ended up only 0.017 seconds off pole position man Charpentier. Time ran out before the Australian could push any further for first place. Today was Steve Martin's first opportunity to ride the R6 since stepping into Curtain's boots. Martin started the morning's free practice session using Parkes settings which he adapted to suit his riding style. Martin hasn't ridden in the supersport class since 2000 but that didn't stop the highly experienced World Superbike rider taking to the R6 within the first few laps. Yamaha Team Italia rider Massimo Roccoli comes to Assen confident after a win in the national Italian championship last weekend at Mugello. His new-found confidence showed today in both sessions with him finishing in eighth. Broc Parkes (2nd - 1'42.191 - Yamaha World Supersport Team) "Today's sessions felt good. We tried two bikes which were set-up quite differently and have found a good direction for this weekend. Tomorrow we will concentrate on riding race distance to see if we can find the right tyre before the second qualifying session in the afternoon. But at the moment everything is going the right way for a good result this weekend. My collar bone is still sore and I'm finding it a bit hard to change direction in some of the fast-change corners but it certainly feels a lot better than it did at Valencia." Steve Martin (13th - 1'43.297 - Yamaha World Supersport Team) "I'm happy with what I've achieved today considering I have only been on the bike for less than two hours. The bike is great to ride and I feel I am making solid progress. I didn't manage to get a good run on the tyres today due to the oil flag during the session, but I am confident we will go faster tomorrow. I just need to get to know the bike more and understand what it can and can't do." Massimo Roccoli (8th - 1'43.010 - Yamaha Team Italia) "Last weekend's win for me was a great boost to my confidence and the bike is very fast here. Those two things combined make me very happy and confident this weekend. It is thanks to my race engineer that the bike is so good. I am happy with my position and will look to improve on it tomorrow." Circuit Length: 4555 Temp: 25 Weather: Sunny 2007 WSS Assen 27/04/2007 Qualifying 1 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Sebastien Charpentier Honda FRA 1'42.174 2 Broc Parkes Yamaha AUS 1'42.191 3 Kenan Sofuoglu Honda TUR 1'42.482 4 Fabien Foret Kawasaki FRA 1'42.755 5 Vesa Kallio Suzuki FIN 1'42.773 6 Barry Veneman Suzuki NED 1'42.875 7 David Salom Yamaha ESP 1'43.000 8 Massimo Roccoli Yamaha ITA 1'43.010 9 Andrew Pitt Honda AUS 1'43.040 10 Katsuaki Fujiwara Honda JPN 1'43.167 11 David Checa Yamaha ESP 1'43.241 12 Gianluca Nannelli Ducati ITA 1'43.245 13 Steve Martin Yamaha AUS 1'43.297 14 Davide Giugliano Kawasaki ITA 1'43.369 15 Craig Jones Honda GBR 1'43.414 19 Sebastien Gimbert Yamaha FRA 1'43.601 25 Gianluca Vizziello Yamaha ITA 1'44.227 Click here to view the news

With a stage-win, a second place and six other top 15 finishes Yamaha WR450F rider Helder Rodrigues (POR) is the current leader of the category up to 450cc. Helder is closely chased by Frenchman Michel Marchini, also riding a Yamaha WR450F. With nine of the 15 riding days and already 5000 km absolved, the riders are now less then a week away from the finish of the grueling 2007 edition of the Dakar rally. Top Yamaha man David Frétigné held the 450cc class lead up to stage seven, but then misfortune hit him hard and he was forced to retire. David crashed heavily in the dunes on the seventh leg from Zouérat to Atâr, the last stage before the rest day. David explained; "After the fuel stop around 350 km's in the stage my bike did not run well and I crashed when the engine stopped when I was descending a dune. I went over the handle bars and the bike landed on top of me and the foot peg hit me in my right side, injuring my ribs." Despite the aggravation David remounted straight away and carried on with his crash damaged bike in order not to loose too much time on the leaders. "The fuelling problems continued and David lost a further one and a half hours doing the necessary repairs. David arrived very tired and frustrated at the finish line; "To make things worse, just on the day when I have a problem the stage was made ten km longer due to poor visibility!" After the finish it became clear that David's condition was pretty bad with two fractured and one broken rib; 'I did not sleep at all and it felt like somebody was poking a knife in my right side". The next morning David decided to retire from the race; I'm not able to restart in this condition and be competitive, I would have to take unnecessary risks just for making up the numbers. I came here to finish each of the stages in the top six, close to the podium overall and win the 450cc class, that is now impossible, so it is better to quit." With Frétigné out, Yamaha's hopes are now on Helder Rodrigues who had one of his toughest days on the Sunday stage. This 589 km special stage was the longest and possibly the hardest day of the rally; very difficult to navigate and with a very rocky surface. Rodrigues was one of the riders to get lost early on, costing him a detour of 15 km, yet he recovered strongly to finish 12th overall. Yesterday, Monday 15 January,Rodrigues further improved his position in the overall standings with a seventh position finish, Marchini came in eight minutes later to trail Rodrigues on 40 minutes in the overall standings and second in the 450 class. The leaders overall (bikes over 450cc capacity) are the factory supported Coma (Spa), followed by Despres (Fra) and Casteu (Fra). Yamaha rider Josef Machacek (CZE) is on top of the Quads leaderboard. Click here to view the news