Alex Asigno

In a day of dramatic racing, Yamaha came away with both their rider and manufacturer championship still hopes alive. Haga came third and fourth in today's races with Corser finishing in fifth in the second race after a DNF in race one. Race one had a spectacular start as Corser lost the front and crashed out on the first lap while Haga almost crashed but managed to move into third in front of Toseland. He then proceeded to take the fastest lap three times to catch Bayliss and Biaggi who were battling for first. Having caught Bayliss, Haga tousled and swapped places with him many times before Bayliss made it stick on lap 17. The battle up front had given Toseland the chance to catch up and challenge Haga for third position; a challenge which he eventually won. Race two was equally exciting with the usual suspects of Bayliss, Biaggi, Haga, Toseland and Corser up front and challenging for position. Bayliss took an early lead but Haga was quick to chase, along with Biaggi. Corser, in fifth, fought to get past Toseland until Toseland crashed allowing Corser to get on with catching the front runners up. The fight for first place turned into a three-way battle between Bayliss, Haga and Biaggi until Biaggi squeezed past the Yamaha rider for second place on lap 13. From there on the positions remained the same until the chequered flag. Shinichi Nakatomi had one of the best rides of his WSB career today, taking a pair of ninth place finishes. He made a good start in race one to move up to ninth, where he finished. Race two's start wasn't as good as he went down to 15th but he focused on the job in hand and managed to claim ninth by the end of the race. The outcome of today's races is that Haga now lies third in the championship, 4 points behind Biaggi and 33 points behind Toseland. With 50 points still up for grabs at the final round next weekend all three riders will be looking for the all-important win. Yamaha lies second in the manufacturer championship but only 3 points adrift of Honda. Both championships will be decided next weekend at Magny-Course. Click here to view the news

Camel Yamaha Team riders Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards began key set-up work on their Yamaha YZR-M1 machines for the Grand Prix of Qatar in relatively mild temperatures of 27ºC today. After excelling at this track in pre-season tests the riders were keen to gauge the bike's performance against the other main contenders in the MotoGP class and after two intense free practice sessions they ended the day in optimistic moods about their chances for Saturday's race. Following on from a disappointing first race of the season in Jerez two weeks ago, where both Rossi and Edwards suffered from vibration problems when cornering, the Italian and the American confirmed that the issue was not as severe at this circuit. Edwards spent much of the afternoon session at the top of the time sheets as he set an impressive and consistent pace before eventually dropping to fourth place - two places ahead of Rossi. The fastest lap of the day was recorded by Kenny Roberts Junior (Honda KR) in a time of 1'56.905, just ahead of Casey Stoner and Marco Melandri (both Honda). Colin Edwards (4th, 1'57.024, 28 laps) "Everything is much better today and I've been able to do some good laps, so it's certainly a better start than we made in Jerez! Although it's much less, the vibration hasn't completely gone and we have a couple of other issues that we need to work on in order to be completely ready to push at the limit. I was able to set a decent pace and knock out some consistent laps with the current setting on the bike but we definitely still have a few things to work out. I've gone well at this track since the first day I came here and it really helps to have tested here recently, but we need to take this extra step before I can be truly confident about my chances on Saturday." Valentino Rossi (6th, 1'57.141, 41 laps) "We knew from the tests that the bike worked much better at this track and that was the case today. The vibration is not so much and only in a couple of corners, but we can control it. Now we can work more normally, concentrating on setting-up the bike in order to go faster, rather than thinking all the time about the vibration. We still have all day tomorrow to make some small improvements and I think we can be fast in the race on Saturday, as we were last year. There are some very fast riders at the front and we are all very close together. It seems the other guys were ready to push hard from the very beginning and they are full of motivation so it will be a hard battle. Jerez was also a hard battle for me but I hope Saturday will be a different kind!" Davide Brivio - Camel Yamaha Team Director "It is still quite early but at the moment it looks like we might have a normal weekend! Both riders have a good pace and between them they completed many laps today, gathering some important information to work on the setting of the bike tomorrow. We still have to improve though and it will be important to keep up with the steps made by our competitors. Things appear better than they were at Jerez but we'll wait until tomorrow to get a better idea." Rounding up the first day with riders in 11th and 17th position, Tech3 Yamaha Team is trying to work towards better results for the race weekend. With Carlos Checa suffering from physical problems during free practice session and James Ellison making positive progression with the set up of his bike, both riders have spend significant time on testing different sets of new tyres. Although lap times where less fast compared to the Qatar pre-season test, team director Herve Poncharal remains positive. Carlos Checa (11th, 1'57.992) "Since my crash in Jerez I have been suffering from some pain in my left arm and I have lost some feeling. Some days it's better than others; yesterday it hurt a lot but today it's a little bit better. Unfortunately though it's affecting my ability to ride and I can't get into the corners properly. I am being treated by a physiotherapist and I hope that it will get better quickly. "We've tested five or six tyres today and we've found one that we think can be good for the race, so we're quite pleased. We've found a good base setting for the bike and today we've done some good work on the set-up, so in this department things are looking quite positive. The main factor is the pain in my arm so I hope that this will get better again tomorrow." James Ellison (17th. 1'59.620) "We've made a better start than in Jerez and we've found a good direction with the tyres. We tried a new profile and it's working really well so that's good. We left it on for the afternoon and I did some good, consistent laps so I am quite pleased. I did a run of 12 laps and the last one was the fastest, which bodes well for the longevity of the tyre. The bike feels good and I don't have any chatter. We've made some changes to the set-up and especially the position of the seat, so it 'fits' me better now and this is making a difference. I know I am still near to the bottom but I am feeling good here so I hope we can make some steps forward tomorrow." Herve Poncharal - Tech3 Yamaha Team Director "Today we have mixed feelings because we expected a lot from here after such a good test. Carlos is suffering from some pain in his arm, maybe a trapped nerve, and so he is lacking power and feeling. This afternoon was better so hopefully tomorrow once again it will improve. We're slower than we were at the tests so this is not good, but hopefully we can get back on track tomorrow. James I am really happy about, he is much closer and I think he is feeling better all round. He spent some time at our workshop after Jerez and I hope that this has helped him to be better prepared for this second race." Round: 2 - 2006 MotoGP Qatar Circuit: Losail Circuit Circuit Length: 5380 Lap Record: 1' 57.903 (Nicky Hayden, 2005) Fastest Lap Ever: 1' 56.917 (Loris Capirossi, 2005) Date: 6 April 2006 Temp: 27ºC Free Practice : Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Free Practice 1 K. Roberts Team Roberts KR USA 1' 56.905 2 C. Stoner Honda AUS 1' 56.911 3 M. Melandri Honda ITA 1' 57.010 4 C. Edwards Yamaha USA 1' 57.024 5 L. Capirossi Ducati ITA 1' 57.031 6 V. Rossi Yamaha ITA 1' 57.141 7 D. Pedrosa Honda ESP 1' 57.360 8 T. Elias Honda ESP 1' 57.392 9 N. Hayden Honda USA 1' 57.452 10 S. Gibernau Ducati ESP 1' 57.569 11 C. Checa Yamaha ESP 1' 57.992 12 C. Vermeulen Suzuki AUS 1' 58.783 13 S. Nakano Kawasaki JPN 1' 58.786 14 J. Hopkins Suzuki USA 1' 58.892 15 A. Hofmann Ducati GER 1' 59.245 16 M. Tamada Honda JPN 1' 59.609 17 J. Ellison Yamaha GBR 1' 59.620 Click here to view the news

The Camel Yamaha Team move on to the Middle East next weekend with the objective of making up for lost points and pride following a disappointing start to the season in the opening round at Jerez. The Grand Prix of Qatar represents the ideal opportunity of a reprieve, with Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards having performed well in pre-season testing at the Losail International Circuit in February. A further day of testing following the Jerez race provided the team with another opportunity to work on the vibration problems that hampered the riders in Jerez, and the day produced some positive results. Such problems were at a minimum when the team tested at Qatar in February, so Yamaha is hopeful of starting out positively for the second race of the season. Based on the outskirts of the capital city of Doha, Losail hosted the MotoGP World Championship for the first time in 2004 after an incredible round-the-clock project that took a little over a year to complete, with an investment of around $58 million USD and 1,000 full-time workers. During its short history the event has brought famous results for both Camel Yamaha Team riders, with Edwards storming to second place in the inaugural race and Rossi clinching victory after an exciting battle with Marco Melandri last year. Having been held in October for the past two seasons, it was expected that this year's spring race would see slightly cooler conditions but, with early weather forecasts predicting ambient temperatures of around 30ºC, it promises to be an equally gruelling weekend for the riders. As usual the Grand Prix will be held on Saturday as opposed to Sunday and the MotoGP race will start one hour later than normal at 1500h local time, in order to coincide with its regular CET slot of 1400h. Valentino Rossi: Getting back on track Valentino Rossi can't wait to get back to action this weekend after the anti-climax of his worst ever premier-class finish at Jerez. After being brought down by another rider at the first corner, Rossi was denied the chance to defend a record of five consecutive first round wins in the MotoGP class, but knows that the best way to make up for it is to bounce back with a good result in Qatar. "After a bad start to the season, I am looking forward to going to Qatar and erasing the bad memories!" said Rossi. "Our bike worked really well when we went to Qatar for pre-season testing, so we hope that this will be the case again. It's true that we also had a tiny bit of vibration there, but it was only in a couple of places and it was quite manageable. Anyway our bike was very fast in Qatar from the first day, so this is a good sign. "Last year my victory in Qatar was probably the most exciting race of the season for me, the whole race was at ridden at the maximum and I had a great, great battle with Melandri. I hope that we can have another good race this year, and of course I hope that I can win again and get our championship defence 'back on track!' Qatar is a hard race and very tiring because of the heat, but it's a great track and I enjoy riding there." Colin Edwards: Onwards and upwards Colin Edwards also has plenty of reasons to look forward to Qatar after riding himself into a spin with the set-up problems at Jerez. The Texan Tornado is keen to get back to a track where the YZR-M1 excelled during pre-season tests and says he expects to return to the personal form that saw him drive away with a new car after setting the fastest time at the Official Tests in Barcelona in early March. "To be honest I couldn't wait to get out of Jerez on Monday evening, it was a nightmare weekend for us really," said Edwards, who has finished in the points at every race since that second place at Qatar in 2004 - a run of 21 consecutive top fifteen finishes. "Things didn't work from the start and our luck couldn't have been worse in the race but it's time to turn the page now. I've got belief in the bike and the team and I know we can turn it around in Qatar. I only have to look across the garage at Valentino to know it is not my riding that is at fault so personally my confidence is still at a premium and I feel ready to ride to the best of my ability. "Losail is a very smooth circuit, with slight camber changes, where you have to keep a good line and a nice flow to your riding. The grip has obviously got better over the past couple of years but you still have to be careful about getting off line when overtaking because of the sand that blows onto the track. It's a pretty nice circuit considering it's in the middle of the desert!" Davide Brivio: We will bounce back Camel Yamaha Team Director Davide Brivio says the team's morale has not been dented by events at Jerez last week and stresses that their only focus now is on turning their fortunes around in Qatar. The extra day of testing in Spain provided a welcome chance to gather extra data that Brivio believes will provide vital set-up alternatives when the track action gets underway on Thursday morning. "The test on Monday was very useful," says Brivio. "We made a slight improvement to the set-up but more than that we were able to gather information that will be useful for us to start with in Qatar. We go there with a couple of different options. One is to use the base setting we found in the pre-season tests, although we missed many of the other teams then so it will be interesting to compare the performance of our competitors on Friday morning. The other is to try the different settings we found at Jerez as a solution to the chatter. "We know it will be another tough weekend for the team but the morale is still very good. Of course it was a shame to lose so many points in the first race but we are not feeling sad about that now, only focused on the job we have to do. We are keeping our heads down and working hard, studying the data until we find a solution and we will continue to do that every weekend until we are back on top. The mood is optimistic and we are confident that when this problem is solved we can fight to be at the top of the points standings." Technically speaking: Matteo Flamigni on Qatar Following the recent problems at Jerez, data gathered at pre-season tests and during last year's race in Qatar will be even more crucial than usual this weekend. The 5.4 kilometre track features sixteen corners, ten to the right and six to the left, with a series of fast sweeping sections and several hard braking areas which are unique to any other circuit in the world. "Qatar is a difficult track because you have some very slow corners which come immediately after a change of direction," explains Matteo Flamigni, Valentino Rossi's Data Engineer. "At most circuits the hard braking follows a long straight but at Qatar this happens only once. For example, turn six is a tight hairpin that comes with a quick right-left change under braking, so the bike needs to be very stable but also very agile for a good performance in that section. "The most important section for set-up is probably the three fast rights at the end. You need good stability at maximum lean angle so that the rider feels confident enough to open the throttle, because this is where he can make up the most time. At Jerez the final two fast rights before the last hairpin are very similar and I could see on the data that Valentino did not have the confidence to open the throttle there in the way he had done the previous season. At Qatar we will have to find this compromise between stability on the brakes and stability at maximum lean angle so that our riders can perform to their full potential." Valentino Rossi: Information Age: 27 Lives: London, UK Bike: Yamaha YZR-M1 GP victories: 81 (42 x MotoGP, 13 x 500cc, 14 x 250cc, 12 x 125cc) First GP victory: Czech Republic, 1996 (125cc) First GP: Malaysia, 1996 (125cc) GP starts: 158 (66 x MotoGP, 32 x 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: 50 x MotoGP World Championships - 2 World Superbike Qatar Lap Record: Nicky Hayden (Honda) 2005 - 1'57.903 Qatar Best Lap: Loris Capirossi (Ducati) 2005 - 1'56.917 2005 Results: 1. Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 43.33.759 2. Marco Melandri (Honda) +1.670 3. Nicky Hayden (Honda) +5.336 4. Colin Edwards (Yamaha) +14.737 Click here to view the news

Yamaha Intur Sports Motocross Team rider and reigning MX1 World Champion Stefan Everts left the opening round of the 2006 series having increased his record-career total of GP victories to 88 and proved his rhetoric concerning the new aluminium frame YZ450FM was completely founded. 16,000 spectators flocked to the Zolder circuit in Belgium for the Karcher Grand Prix of Flanders, the first race of fifteen in this season's campaign. Teammate Cedric Melotte managed tenth position overall. Rainfall in the days leading up to the event meant that the fine Belgian dirt at the former Formula one circuit was soft and sodden, and throughout practice churned into a demanding and difficult prospect. Following through on his excellent pre-season form Stefan Everts did not put a foot wrong on Saturday to clinch his first pole position since the 2005 Grand Prix of South Africa. 33-year-old Everts began the opening moto behind former rival Sebastien Tortelli and although he tried to pressurise the Frenchman, drawing close on several occasions, he was unable to seize the lead and lost any chance of victory in the last third of the heat when he was held up by backmarkers. The pair surprisingly lapped everybody up to fifth position. Melotte, who is still coming back to full fitness after a wrist problem limited his pre-season preparation, finished in ninth. The 27 year old, who was an overall winner at the first ever MX1 GP - also at Zolder - in 2004, made a mistake two laps from the chequered flag which cost him sixth place. Spanish sponsors Intur Sports were announced as the new backers for the Rinaldi team in an entertaining function on Saturday evening and they must have been pleased as Moto2 saw a dominant performance from Everts as he broke away from Sebastien Tortelli in a role-reversal of the first sprint. The Belgian has been raving about the handling and performance of the new YZ450FM and gave a large section of his fans an ample demonstration of his synergy with the Rinaldi-fettled machine. He would win by almost 40 seconds and his 2-1 scorecard gave him a familiar top step of the podium. Cedric Melotte had a problem with his goggles that affected his eyesight and he was close to crashing on several occasions but was able to steer his Yamaha past the chequered flag in eighth spot for tenth in the final classification. The second round of the series will take place in two weeks time, on Easter Sunday, at the Bellpuig circuit in Catalonia, Spain. The Grand Prix of Portugal will occur just one week on from the trip to the Iberian Peninsula. Stefan Everts, Yamaha Intur Sports Motocross team: "I was making a lot of mistakes in the first race and was not riding smooth enough to really catch Sebastien. After that though the ice was broken and I knew I had one more moto to make things better. I changed my position on the start line and got into the first corner ahead. I pushed really hard in those first few laps and Sebastien was with me for a while but I focussed on my own riding and it worked. I was happy with the bike. We changed a few little things with suspension but the performance was great today and I felt comfortable. It is very early for the Championship. Sebastien is right there but Pichon missed a lot of points today, Josh is out and I expected the Suzuki boys to be closer, but there is still a long way to go." Cedric Melotte, Yamaha Intur Sports Motocross team: "I was struggling over the weekend with my wrist and my condition. Everything is improving but to come here and do 40 minutes with a weak wrist was unbelievable. The track was so difficult. If I had not crashed in the first race I would have been fifth and this was OK. After a few minutes of the second moto I got some dirt in my goggles and I could not see or concentrate on my lines. I am happy enough with the result because at least twice I thought that 'I should stop otherwise I will crash' because I could not see. The ruts were really deep and to come away with a top ten in the conditions is satisfying." Race classification MX1 Round: 1 - 2006 GP of Flanders, Belgium Circuit: Zolder Race: 21 Laps Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time 1 S. Tortelli KTM FRA 39' 22.213 2 S. Everts Yamaha BEL +11.063 3 T. Leok Kawasaki EST +1' 5.994 4 S. Ramon Suzuki BEL +1' 33.493 5 K. De Dycker Honda BEL +1' 54.790 6 J. Barragan KTM ESP +1 lap(s) 7 P. Leuret Honda FRA +1 lap(s) 8 K. Strijbos Suzuki BEL +1 lap(s) 9 C. Melotte Yamaha BEL +1 lap(s) 10 S. Sword Kawasaki GBR +1 lap(s) 11 J. Garcia Vico Honda ESP +1 lap(s) 12 B. Verhoeven Kawasaki NED +1 lap(s) 13 A. Pyrhonen TM FIN +1 lap(s) 14 W. Avis KTM RSA +1 lap(s) 15 D. Theybers Suzuki BEL +1 lap(s) 16 M. Van Daele Honda BEL +1 lap(s) 17 J. Noble Honda GBR +1 lap(s) 18 M. Hucklebridge Kawasaki GBR +1 lap(s) 19 C. Federici Kawasaki ITA +1 lap(s) 20 E. Eggens Kawasaki NED +1 lap(s) Race 2: 22 Laps Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time 1 S. Everts Yamaha BEL 40' 9.339 2 S. Tortelli KTM FRA +38.639 3 K. Strijbos Suzuki BEL +1' 15.573 4 T. Leok Kawasaki EST +1' 23.799 5 S. Ramon Suzuki BEL +1' 30.347 6 S. Sword Kawasaki GBR +1' 39.574 7 K. De Dycker Honda BEL +1 lap(s) 8 C. Melotte Yamaha BEL +1 lap(s) 9 J. Barragan KTM ESP +1 lap(s) 10 P. Leuret Honda FRA +1 lap(s) 11 J. Noble Honda GBR +1 lap(s) 12 M. Priem Yamaha BEL +1 lap(s) 13 B. Jorgensen Honda DNK +1 lap(s) 14 M. Van Daele Honda BEL +1 lap(s) 15 A. Pyrhonen TM FIN +1 lap(s) 16 B. Verhoeven Kawasaki NED +1 lap(s) 17 J. Dobes Suzuki CZE +1 lap(s) 18 L. Freibergs Suzuki LVA +1 lap(s) 19 M. Hucklebridge Kawasaki GBR +1 lap(s) 20 M. Norlen Suzuki SWE +1 lap(s) Championship standings MX1 Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Points 1 Stefan Everts Yamaha BEL 47 2 Sebastien Tortelli KTM FRA 47 3 Tanel Leok Kawasaki EST 38 4 Steve Ramon Suzuki BEL 34 5 Kevin Strijbos Suzuki BEL 33 6 Ken De Dycker Honda BEL 30 7 Jonathan Barragan KTM ESP 27 8 Stephen Sword Kawasaki GBR 26 9 Cedric Melotte Yamaha BEL 25 10 Pascal Leuret Honda FRA 25 11 Bas Verhoeven Kawasaki NED 14 12 James Noble Honda GBR 14 13 Antti Pyrhonen TM FRA 14 14 Marvin Van Daele Honda BEL 12 15 Javier Garcia Vico Honda ESP 10 16 Manuel Priem Yamaha BEL 9 17 Brian Jorgensen Honda DNK 8 18 Wyatt Avis KTM RSA 7 19 Danny Theybers Suzuki BEL 6 20 Mark Hucklebridge Kawasaki GBR 5 Manufacturers standings MX1 Pos. Manufacturer Points 1 Yamaha 25 2 KTM 22 3 Kawasaki 20 4 Suzuki 18 5 Honda 15 6 TM 2 MX2 : Gundersen marks Yamaha debut with podium result Round: 1 - 2006 GP of Flanders, Belgium Circuit: Zolder Date: 2 April 2006 Crowd: 16000 Temp: 11ºC Weather: Overcast Ricci Racing's Kenneth Gundersen scored an emotional podium in his debut for the team and on the formidable YZ250F at Zolder, Belgium today for the first round of fifteen in the 2006 FIM World Championship. The Karcher Grand Prix of Flanders occurred in front of a decent 16,000 attendance considering the cold and wintery conditions. Gundersen notched results of second and sixth to place third overall in his first top three appearance for over two years and his first in the MX2 class since 2001. The Norwegian has battled back from multiple knee and cartilage operations in the last 18 months. The 25 year old showed promising form despite some less than perfect starts on the wet and rough Belgian terrain. He had to ditch his goggles early in the first moto but was still able to pass the KTMs of Rattray and De Reuver. In the second race he ensured his fresh silverware as the highest placed Yamaha rider. World Champion Antonio Cairoli, who dislikes the Belgian circuit, fell on the first lap of the first moto and with the track at its wettest throughout the weekend he rode well to break into the top fifteen and collect six points. The Italian crashed on Saturday and received a blow to his left leg but was able to show his true colours in the second moto as passed he title rival Marc de Reuver and crossed the finish line with the runner-up position behind eventual overall winner Tyla Rattray. The De Carli rider's mishap earlier in the day meant that he placed seventh overall. Alessio Chiodi showed decent speed and all the experience of a three times World Champion to take sixth spot in the first moto in the soggy conditions. The Italian was however fighting the debilitating effects of an illness and after slipping down the order and out of the points in the second race retired to the pits. Billy Mackenzie, who is 22 years old next week, wasn't able to get the set-up on his YZ250F correctly dialled for the conditions and it cost the Scot in the first race as he registered a disappointing twenty-fourth position. Adjusting several aspects of the machine for the second moto he managed a more creditable ninth after passing British Championship rival Carl Nunn on the last lap. Kenneth Gundersen, Ricci Racing: "This feels unbelievable. I have been out for so long. Last year I did some GPs but my leg was not good enough to ride. I trained a lot this winter and the way that this team have supported me is incredible. Yamaha and so many people have helped me and this came out today. In the first moto I felt like I could have won if I didn't have to throw away my goggles on the first lap; second place was good though. It took me a little while to get going in the second race and finally I ran out of time to take any more positions." Antonio Cairoli, De Carli Yamaha: "The first heat was not so good because I crashed on the first lap and I lost a lot of time and positions to get going again. I was totally last and had a lot of work to do. I finished 15th and it was OK for training because I do not like this track so much! In the second race I started well but in the first corner someone touched me and it cost me a few places. I caught and passed many riders like De Reuver and Pourcel. Tyla is always very good at this track. My leg was OK and is only stiff when I am resting." Alessio Chiodi, Ricci Racing: "The first part of the first moto was pretty good but after about 25 minutes I started to feel bad and my stomach was really bothering me. I finished the race but I could feel that a fever was coming. I was in the gate before the second moto and I thought that I would try to see what I could do but the bumps on the track just made it worse. When I saw I was down in 27th I thought it was better to stop." Race classification MX2 Round: 1 - 2006 GP of Flanders, Belgium Circuit: Zolder Race: 21 Laps Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time 1 D. Philippaerts KTM ITA 40' 20.154 2 K. Gundersen Yamaha SWE +8.667 3 T. Rattray KTM RSA +10.029 4 M. De Reuver KTM NED +14.091 5 S. Pourcel Kawasaki FRA +26.399 6 A. Chiodi Yamaha ITA +35.053 7 C. Pourcel Kawasaki FRA +43.876 8 C. Nunn KTM GBR +50.949 9 T. Searle Kawasaki GBR +1' 6.716 10 A. Meo Honda FRA Click here to view the news

Yamaha signed a new partnership agreement with Spanish tourism company Intur Sports which will see the Japanese manufacturer's factory motocross team known as Yamaha Intur Sports Motocross Team. INTUR SPORTS is a newly formed branch of the world renowned Intur Group, a family owned enterprise dedicated to the tourist industry in Spain. Today, the group owns six hotels in Spain, three of which are in the Benicasim area approximately 280 km south of Barcelona. The Intur Group network also includes restaurants, water parks, discos, etc. Belgian motocross legend Stefan Everts, who has won five consecutive world titles since joining Yamaha for the 2001 season, has used Intur Sports' facilities for his winter training programme for the past eight years and hosts his father Harry Everts' annual training schools in the area. The new look squad, which was unveiled to the media ahead of this weekend's opening Grand Prix in Zolder, Belgium, will feature both the Intur Sports and Benicasim logos on the team's YZ450FM machines. Copyright-free images for editorial use of the riders and bikes in their new livery can be found in the photo gallery section of www.yamaha-racing.com/mx1 Laurens Klein Koerkamp - Yamaha Motor Europe, Racing Division "It is always a pleasure to announce a new partner, especially one which is as passionate about motorsport as Intur Sports. We can offer them the exposure to grow their new business that mixes their existing strengths in facilities and accommodations with people involved in motorsports requiring such structures. I hope that we can enjoy a successful season together. The 2006 championship may mark Stefan's last campaign as a rider but it is also the start of a relationship with a new partner for the future." Juan Jose Gimeno - Intur Sports "Our close relationship with Stefan Everts and our passion for motorsports facilitated our decision to sponsor both Stefan personally and the team. Stefan has spent the last eight years training at our facilities and makes the place his home during the winter months. We strongly believe that this new partnership will benefit our company as well as Stefan and the Yamaha team. It is our intention to continue our association to motocross, and subsequently the Yamaha team, for many years to come. Intur Sports' mission is to create a different reason for tourists to come to Benicasim, by adding more value to our hotels, especially during wintertime. For sport groups we will offer the necessary facilities and accommodation. Intur Sports is located in an area of many opportunities, where the main temperature is around 20 degrees throughout the year, it's a great place to visit and state of the art when it comes to sport facilities. We therefore hope to welcome all involved in motocross in one of our hotels". Click here to view the news

Noriyuki Haga set the fastest Yamaha lap at a three-day official SBK practice session in Valencia, finishing sixth overall on his Yamaha Motor Italia R1, with a time of 1'35.259. He worked his way through a full testing programme and undertook an extensive evaluation of new parts and modified machine settings, in preparation for the forthcoming Valencia race on 23 April. Troy Bayliss (Ducati) set a new Superbike track best in the morning session of the final day, with a 1'33.758. Haga, unlike most of his 27 rivals at Valencia, set his best time in the final session, held in hotter and winder conditions than the more favoured mornings, and he put it down to the incremental improvements in set-up he and his team had made from the first session on. Haga's team-mate, Andrew Pitt, took his Yamaha Motor Italia R1 to a more than respectable eighth overall, in what is arguably the most competitive field in World Superbike's relatively short history. Norick Abe, from the Yamaha Motor France Ipone squad, ended his test somewhat prematurely, as he had started to run a temperature, after contracting a 'flu virus. He was to post a time good enough for 19th place, as he concentrated on trying out new engine specifications and front suspension components. Japanese World Superbike rookie Shinichi Nakatomi improved on his testing times from previous Valencia winter outings, and in the absence of team regular Sebastien Gimbert, Lorenzo Alfonsi, the 2004 European Superstock Champion, substituted on the team's third bike. Nakatomi would finish the three days 23rd, with Alfonsi 24th. Noriyuki Haga - Yamaha Motor Italia "We are quite happy with the test and both bikes are working very well. The newer gas fork seems very good. Generally our settings are quite good already but to go full race distance is another thing. We tried to do a full race simulation, but we could not manage it this time. We also did not get so many laps in on qualifying tyres, but at this moment we are in good condition on race tyres. We were not that affected by the wind that builds up in the afternoon, and it was just a gradual improvement in the settings that allowed me to go faster in the final afternoon session." Andrew Pitt - Yamaha Motor Italia "This is the first time we've really had the grip here that we wanted, at previous tests the grip has always been a problem, and that makes it a lot easier to open the throttle sooner. That's a really big thing. We made some improvements to the existing machine and we played around with the engine settings, taking out a bit of power here and a putting it back in there. Just trying to soften the curve a bit, and it seems to be working. I put a soft tyre in this morning and made a reasonable lap but we mostly worked on race tyre consistency, and also tried a lot of front tyres, to work out which one is going to go the distance when we come here to race." Norick Abe - Yamaha Motor France "I tried new suspension on the front today and it was a real improvement. The new forks are definitely much better. We tried many different engine specs but they gave us basically the same result. Despite my machine being the slowest of the three bikes in the team, I made my best lap time, 1'35.9 on the last day. I'm happy for that and we did a lot of laps. Unfortunately I now have a fever of 38 degrees, so I decided to finish early and go home to rest." Shinichi Nakatomi - Yamaha Motor France "I was riding to be ready for full race distance, and we made a quite good lap time compared to my previous best, which was a 1'37.4. Now I have set a 1'36.7, in race conditions. Things are much better compared to the first test, especially the chassis condition. I have more confidence on the bike now as well." Lorenzo Alfonsi - Yamaha Motor France "I could have gone faster near the end, but when I wanted to use my qualifying tyre something hit my front wheel and my brake calliper, damaging both. I think everything will be OK for the race." Massimo Meregalli - Yamaha Motor Italia Team Director "I think we had a good test because we came here with a plan, to test four or five different pieces, and we got through everything. We found something to help the increased durability of the tyre, and maybe that was also down to the track conditions. We have been making progress race-by-race, and test-by-test in terms of the engine characteristic. Every time we have new mapping which works well on the development dyno it works well on the bike when we get to the track. I think Andrew and Nori, and all the team, worked very well on all three days." Circuit: Valencia Circuit Length: 4005km Lap Record: 1' 35.007 (Neil Hodgson, 2003) Fastest Lap Ever: 1' 33.758 (Troy Bayliss, 2006) Date: 27-29 March 2006 Temp: 24ºC Classification: 1 Bayliss T. Ducati AUS 1'33.758 2 Xaus R. Ducati SPA F05 1'34.659 3 Lanzi L. Ducati ITA 1'34.848 4 Corser T. Suzuki AUS 1'34.933 5 Martin S. Petronas AUS 1'35.178 6 Haga N. Yamaha JPN 1'35.295 7 Nieto F. Kawasaki SPA 1'35.377 8 Pitt A. Yamaha AUS 1'35.423 9 Fabrizio M. Honda ITA 1'35.437 10 Kagayama Y. Suzuki JPN 1'35.538 11 Barros A. Honda BRA 1'35.663 12 Walker C. Kawasaki GBR 1'35.758 13 Foret F. Suzuki FRA 1'35.771 14 Borciani M. Ducati ITA 1'35.834 15 Iannuzzo V. Suzuki ITA 1'35.873 19 Abe N. Yamaha JPN 1'35.967 23 Nakatomi S. Yamaha JPN 1'36.737 24 Alfonsi L. Yamaha ITA 1'36.900 Curtain and Parkes in the vanguard again Curtain and Parkes in the vanguard again Valencia, Spain 29/3/2006 Yamaha Motor Germany riders Broc Parkes and Kevin Curtain spent three fruitful days on track at Valencia, in what was a well-attended official SBK test. Of the 29 riders present, Curtain set the second best time, with Parkes's 1'38.443 putting him fourth overall. Quickest rider was Sebastien Charpentier (Honda). The Yamaha Motor Germany squad had one new front and one new rear control tyre to test on their new-for-2006 R6s, and an updated specification of engine management settings, each of which was deemed to be a real improvement. The team will receive another new batch of tyres for the forthcoming Misano official test, on 12 and 13 April. Massimo Roccoli finished the three days fifth fastest, with Gianluca Vizziello 11th. Reigning FIM Superstock 1000 champion Didier van Keymeulen was 17th on his R6. Kevin Curtain - Yamaha Motor Germany "I'm glad we managed to squeeze in those last five minutes, because we had just to make one more small test to decide what tyres we should have for the Valencia race. We have to work on a few little things, because I am still scraping the fairing sides at full lean, especially on the right hand side. I'm even touching the engine down sometimes. I'm sure we can sort something out, and otherwise we're pretty happy. Testing is always a never-ending struggle to get everything just right, but we're getting there." Broc Parkes - Yamaha Motor Germany "We made this a worthwhile test. We tried a lot of things, and in the afternoon session we found something better with the set-up. The bike is so new and we're finding that there is still a fine line to walk to find a good set-up. Maybe later in the year we can predict how the bike is going to react from track to track, but at the moment we started this Valencia test with the settings from Phillip Island and had to change them quite a lot." Official Valencia Test WSS Circuit: Valencia Circuit Length: 4005km Lap Record: 1' 38.874 (Alessio Corradi, 2003) Fastest Lap Ever: 1' 34.1 (Sebastien Charpentier, 2006) Date: 27 - 29 March 2006 Temp: 26ºC Classification: 1 Charpentier S. Honda FRA 1'37.437 2 Curtain K. Yamaha AUS 1'37.897 3 Sofuoglu K. Honda TUR 1'37.989 4 Parkes B. Yamaha AUS 1'38.443 5 Roccoli M. Yamaha ITA 1'38.572 6 Zaiser C. Ducati AUT 1'38.756 7 Harms R. Honda DNK 1'38.916 8 De Angelis W. Honda ITA 1'38.970 9 Veneman B. Suzuki NED 1'39.137 10 Tiberio Y. Honda FRA 1'39.144 11 Vizziello G. Yamaha ITA 1'39.264 12 Andersen K. Suzuki NOR 1'39.277 13 Stigefelt J. Honda SWE 1'39.354 14 Tunstall T. Honda GBR 1'39.524 15 Fores J. Yamaha SPA 1'39.628 17 Van Keymeulen D. Yamaha BEL 1'39.716 20 Peris C. Yamaha CAN 1'40.584 22 Enjolras J. Yamaha FRA 1'40.738 24 Velini A. Yamaha ITA 1'40.780 26 Forner Garcia D. Yamaha SPA 1'41.261 27 Ivanov V. Yamaha RUS 1'41.461 29 Berta A. Yamaha ITA 1'42.026 Click here to view the news

The Camel Yamaha Team remained in Jerez yesterday for an intense afternoon of testing in an effort to find some answers to the problems they faced over the course of the season's opening weekend. Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards completed 72 and 76 laps respectively and made some positive steps towards understanding the cause of the vibration that kept their lap times down during the weekend's practice sessions and forced them to start from the fourth row of the grid for sunday's race. Rossi, who was brought down by another rider at the first corner of the race after a lightening start, also completed one run yesterday on the 2005-specification YZR-M1, in order to compare its performance with the 2006 bike and gather more data to help the engineers find a final solution ahead of the next race. The Camel Yamaha Team now have a week's rest before they travel to Qatar early next week for the second MotoGP race of the season. Davide Brivio - Camel Yamaha Team Director "After such a disappointing opening weekend to the season, it was important for us to have the chance to test yesterday. It was a very useful and interesting day for us and we were able to collect a lot of important information which we believe will help us. It was good to be able to go back to some of the settings that we tried over the weekend and to evaluate them in a more relaxed atmosphere, without the time pressure of a race weekend. "In addition we decided to have Valentino ride the 2005 M1 for a few laps so we could compare its performance at this track with that of the new bike. It was interesting to see the difference - a few things about the '05 bike are better at the moment, but overall it seems the '06 bike is still a more improved package and Valentino's fastest times yesterday were on the 2006-spec M1. Anyway the data from this comparison should help us a lot as we continue to develop the new bike. Valentino was able to make some good improvements to the performance of the '06 bike so this is encouraging for Qatar. Colin's test wasn't quite as positive but after yesterday we now have a better idea of what to do in order to bring him back to the level he was at in Barcelona. It's been an important day for us and now the Yamaha engineers will work hard to evaluate the data gathered so that we can come to Qatar and fight at the front with both riders where they belong." Times: 1. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda Team, 1'39.910 2. Sete Gibernau (SPA) Ducati Marlboro Team, 1'40.504 3. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati Marlboro Team,1'40.798 4. Casey Stoner (AUS) Team LCR, 1'40.821 5. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team, 1'40.845 6. Carlos Checa (SPA) Yamaha Tech 3, 1'40.932 7. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Camel Yamaha Team, 1'40.966 8. John Hopkins (AUS) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP, 1'41.096 9. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Kawasaki Racing Team, 1'41.178 10. Toni Elias (SPA) Fortuna Honda, 1'41.193 11. Makoto Tamada (JPN) Konica Minolta Honda, 1'41.234 12. Marco Melandri (ITA) Fortuna Honda, 1'41.400 13. Colin Edwards (USA) Camel Yamaha Team, 1'41.442 14. Chris Vermuelen (AUS) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP, 1'41.554 15. Kenny Roberts (USA) Team KR, 1'41.861 16. James Ellison (GBR) Yamaha Tech 3, 1'42.924 17. T. Okada (JPN) 1'43.265 Click here to view the news

An eventful weekend at Jerez ended in disappointing fashion today as both Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards got caught in a first corner melee that ended their hopes of glory in the opening round of the 2006 MotoGP World Championship. The Camel Yamaha Team pair made good starts from ninth and tenth on the grid respectively but a collision between Rossi and Toni Elías (Honda) on the inside of turn one saw the Italian knocked from his YZR-M1 and sent Edwards wide into the gravel trap. Despite some damage to his bike, Rossi showed the character of a true World Champion as he returned to the track, battling his way back into the field and picking off several riders to secure two championship points in fourteenth place. Edwards, meanwhile, fought from second last to eleventh by the end of the 27-lap encounter. Victory went to pole setter Loris Capirossi (Ducati) in a race time of 45'57.733, but he was pushed hard by second-placed Dani Pedrosa (Honda) on his debut in the MotoGP class. Nicky Hayden (Honda) completed the podium. Colin Edwards (11th; + 37.930) "I probably made the best race start of my whole life, Valentino got away well too and we went together into the first bend. Elias came up on the inside and I actually saw everything happen but to be honest I thought Vale would be able to stay on the bike so I kept my corner speed and tried to just run it around the outside. Unfortunately he went down and I had nowhere to go but the gravel. It really capped the weekend off for us but the truth is that we weren't fast enough to challenge today. This track has been a real pain for us and I can't wait to get away. We've got a test tomorrow but I'll be happy when we get to Qatar, where the bike worked really well in testing." Valentino Rossi (14th; + 1'05.766) "We knew this was going to be a difficult race but maybe not so difficult! I saw Toni come up on the inside and he hit me; this is racing and these things happen. I have known Toni for many years and he is a good rider. He apologised to me after the race so I told him not to worry - only to remember to brake next time and if it is too late then to hit another bike instead of me! Anyway I came back on the track and had a nice battle with Alex Hofmann. I am disappointed because I wanted to win the first race of the season but there is nothing we can do now. Only work hard to make sure we don't have these problems again and look forward to the next race in Qatar." Davide Brivio - Camel Yamaha Team Director "It seems that everything that could go wrong did go wrong for us this weekend. On Friday morning when we needed the time to test it rained and things have gone continually against us since then. We obviously still have a lot of work to do and for some reason our bike clearly doesn't work at this circuit so we are keen to find out why, if we can, in tomorrow's test. The engineers have a lot of data and everyone is working at 100% to find a solution. We were fast at Sepang, Qatar and Catalunya so there is no need to panic and we can look forward to the next race. On a positive note I thought both riders showed character to fight back after the first corner incident and hopefully they will have better luck next time." Race classification MotoGP Round: 1 - 2006 MotoGP Jerez Circuit: Jerez Circuit Length: 4423 Lap Record: 1' 40.596 (Valentino Rossi, 2005) Fastest Lap Ever: 1' 39.064 (Loris Capirossi, 2006) Race: 27 Laps Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time 1 L. Capirossi Ducati ITA 45' 57.733 2 D. Pedrosa Honda ESP +4.375 3 N. Hayden Honda USA +9.996 4 T. Elias Honda ESP +10.135 5 M. Melandri Honda ITA +19.547 6 C. Stoner Honda AUS +21.237 7 S. Nakano Kawasaki JPN +21.372 8 K. Roberts Team Roberts KR USA +32.414 9 J. Hopkins Suzuki USA +32.659 10 M. Tamada Honda JPN +35.983 11 C. Edwards Yamaha USA +37.930 12 C. Vermeulen Suzuki AUS +39.514 13 C. Checa Yamaha ESP +42.829 14 V. Rossi Yamaha ITA +1' 5.766 15 A. Hofmann Ducati GER +1' 23.300 16 J. Ellison Yamaha GBR +1 lap(s) Fastest Race Lap: Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time 1 L. Capirossi Ducati ITA 1' 41.248 Championship standings MotoGP Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Points 1 Loris Capirossi Ducati ITA 25 2 Daniel Pedrosa Honda ESP 20 3 Nicky Hayden Honda USA 16 4 Toni Elias Honda ESP 13 5 Marco Melandri Honda ITA 11 6 Casey Stoner Honda AUS 10 7 Shinya Nakano Kawasaki JPN 9 8 Kenny Roberts Team Roberts KR USA 8 9 John Hopkins Suzuki USA 7 10 Makato Tamada Honda JPN 6 11 Colin Edwards Yamaha USA 5 12 Chris Vermeulen Suzuki AUS 4 13 Carlos Checa Yamaha ESP 3 14 Valentino Rossi Yamaha ITA 2 15 Alex Hofmann Ducati GER 1 Manufacturers standings MotoGP Pos. Manufacturer Points 1 Ducati 25 2 Honda 20 3 Kawasaki 9 4 Team Roberts KR 8 5 Suzuki 7 6 Yamaha 5 Team standings MotoGP Pos. Team Points 1 Repsol Honda Team 40 2 Ducati Marlboro Team 25 3 Fortuna Honda Team 24 4 Rizla Suzuki 11 5 Honda LCR 10 6 Kawasaki Racing Team 9 7 Team Roberts KR 8 8 Camel Yamaha Team 7 9 Konica Minolta Honda 6 10 Tech3 Yamaha 3 11 Pramac D'Antin 1 Click here to view the news

The fifth round of seventeen in the 2009 AMA Supercross Championship (also an FIM World series) in San Francisco was owned by LandM San Manuel rider James Stewart with his YZ450F for the fourth time this season and for the fourth meeting in a row. The 23 year old has soared up the standings since his unlucky DNF at the opening event and now lies a clear second and just six points behind Chad Reed.  Stewart - who had previously won in Los Angeles, Houston and Phoenix - rode the perfect race after acing the holeshot around the first corner of the open-air AtandT Park stadium. He was able to pull away and beat Reed by almost five seconds by the chequered flag. The main event was the seventh to be held in the picturesque city and was the third victory for Yamaha.  "I'm starting to feel like my old self and I've just been training as hard as I can. Right now it's showing, and we'll see what happens. It has definitely been better the last couple of weeks than in weeks past, so we'll see what happens," said Stewart who increased his career win haul to 29. "We're going to Anaheim soon and we're just going to have to try to keep it going. We're still six points back and there's still a long way to go."  Joe Gibbs Racing's Josh Grant maintained his 100% record of top five positions in each event. The 2009 rookie is having an impressive campaign to-date and added 4th place in San Francisco to his tally of 1st, 3rd, 5th and 5th. Grant is third in the table, seven points behind his brand-mate.  Stewart will be looking to gain further points over Reed and possibly seize control of the championship for the first time this year at Anaheim (for the third and final visit) in Los Angeles next weekend.   Race 1 - 20 Laps                Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time  1, James Stewart, Yamaha, USA, 16'46.443 2, Chad Reed, Suzuki, AUS, 0'4.528 3, Ryan Villopoto, Kawasaki, USA, 0'7.561 4, Josh Grant, Yamaha, USA, 0'15.112 5, Andrew Short, Honda, USA, 0'17.309 6, Kevin Windham, Honda, USA, 0'20.361 7, Josh Hill, Yamaha, USA, 0'25.242 8, David D Millsaps, Honda, USA, 0'27.586 9, Mike Alessi, Suzuki, USA, 0'31.450 10, Ivan Tedesco, Honda, USA, 0'43.354 11, Heath Voss, Honda, USA, -1 Laps 12, Benjamin Coisy, Honda, FRA, -1 Laps 13, Cole Siebler, Honda, USA, -1 Laps 14, Kyle Chisholm, Yamaha, USA, -1 Laps 15, Daniel McCoy, Honda, USA, -1 Laps 16, Tyler Bowers, Honda, USA, -1 Laps 17, Josh Hansen, Honda, USA, -1 Laps 18, Troy Adams, Honda, USA, -2 Laps 19, Paul Carpenter, Kawasaki, USA, -11 Laps 20, Steve Boniface, Honda, FRA, -14 Laps   Rider Standings 31/01/2009  Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Chad Reed, Suzuki, AUS, 108 2, James Stewart, Yamaha, USA, 102 3, Josh Grant, Yamaha, USA, 95 4, Ryan Villopoto, Kawasaki, USA, 88 5, Andrew Short, Honda, USA, 87 6, Ivan Tedesco, Honda, USA, 73 7, Kevin Windham, Honda, USA, 68 8, Mike Alessi, Suzuki, USA, 58 9, Tim Ferry, Kawasaki, USA, 56 10, David D Millsaps, Honda, USA, 55 11, Josh Hill, Yamaha, USA, 51 12, Heath Voss, Honda, USA, 40 13, Paul Carpenter, Kawasaki, USA, 39 14, Benjamin Coisy, Honda, FRA, 31 15, Nicholas Wey, Yamaha, USA, 26    Manufacturer Standings 31/01/2009  Pos., Manufacturer, Points  1, Yamaha, 125 2, Suzuki, 108 3, Honda, 94 4, Kawasaki, 90 5, KTM, 13 Click here to view the news

Valentino Rossi reached another milestone in his career today, joining an elite group of riders who have stood on the premier class podium 100 times today after riding his Fiat Yamaha M1 to second place in Jerez. The seven-time world champion formed part of a podium double for the Fiat Yamaha Team as his team-mate Jorge Lorenzo finished third, claiming his second consecutive podium in his rookie season. Starting from fifth, Rossi did not get the best of starts and finished the first lap in sixth, but he soon settled into a good rhythm and was stalking Lorenzo, then in second, by lap three. On the next lap he passed his team-mate and set off after Dani Pedrosa, who had led from the start. The Spaniard was too quick today however and Rossi was unable to catch him, lapping comfortably in second until crossing the line at the end of the penultimate lap, when he mistakenly thought the race had finished and slowed down as he crossed the line. He quickly realised his error however and luckily had enough of a cushion from Lorenzo to hang on to second, eventually finishing 2.883 seconds behind Pedrosa. Rossi moves into third place in the championship, whilst Lorenzo holds onto second and the Fiat Yamaha Team leads the team's championship. Valentino Rossi 2nd - Time: +2.883 "I'm really happy with this podium because, even though it hasn't been so many races since the last one, it's been quite a lot of months! I am also very happy to have reached 100 podiums in MotoGP; now I am wondering if I can get to 200! It's a pity we couldn't win today and maybe I was a little bit too cautious at the start because I wanted to take care of my tyres, but in the end they worked very well from start to finish and so this is great for the future. It's always better to win but after the poor result in Qatar this is a very important second place to us, also because it's my first podium with Bridgestone. Thanks to my team, to Yamaha and to Bridgestone because we've made a lot of progress this weekend, continuing right up to making some small but important adjustments after warm-up this morning. My bike and tyres are working very well, we're third in the championship with a very long way to go and I'm feeling quite confident." Davide Brivio Team Manager "We are very satisfied with today's result, especially because this second place arrives after Qatar, where we learnt a lot. The Team, all the engineers and the technicians made a great job and used the information we got in Qatar in the best way to make a big step forward. Now we want to look at this race in Jerez as the start of our championship. Of course we still have a lot to learn about the Bridgestone/Yamaha combination, but I think both parties did an excellent job here and Valentino rode a great race and kept a very consistent rhythm. Tomorrow we will have one day of testing and we will do our best in order to be in good shape for Estoril. This is Valentino's 100th podium and also the first one with Bridgestone, so it's a special day, but we hope that there will be many others! Today I would really like to say "Bravi a tutti!" Fiat Yamaha Team new-recruit Jorge Lorenzo proved his Qatar podium was no fluke by taking third marking a great day for the team in front of over 130,000 Spanish fans and King Juan Carlos of Spain. Lorenzo started from pole for the second race running but was unable to keep pace with his countryman Dani Pedrosa, who led over the line for the first time. Meanwhile Rossi had moved to within striking distance of his team-mate by the third lap, making his move on the next lap and passing the Mallorcan to take second. Lorenzo rode strongly in third for the remainder of the race but was unable to get close enough to Rossi to mount a challenge, crossing the line 1.456 seconds adrift of the Italian. Jorge Lorenzo 3rd - Time: +4.339 "Of course I'm a little bit disappointed today because we thought that we might be able to make more of a challenge, but I can't complain because it's only my second race and I've had two podiums and two pole positions, so it's still a great result! To race today in front of so many Spanish fans and also The King was something incredible and I have really enjoyed myself a lot here. Dani was a fair winner today, his pace was very strong and I couldn't stay with him, but I am learning all the time and I will be stronger again at the next race. It's a very long championship and this is an important result for us. Thanks to my team and to Yamaha and Michelin, everyone worked very hard and I think we've done a very good job so far. To be second in the championship at this point is still far more than I expected and now I am just looking forward to the next race." Daniel Romagnoli _ Team Manager "Today's result is a great one! This was just the second race of Jorge's MotoGP career and he got his second consecutive podium! He rode the race of an "old" MotoGP rider today, in a very clever way. He concentrated on taking home the best result he could, without making any mistakes or wasting the great pole position he started from. The Team did an excellent job and, together with Michelin, we were able to find a good package for this track. Now of course motivation is running high and we will use today's result and data in order to improve things further and to go to Estoril in the best shape possible." Masahiko Nakajima - Team Director "Today I am very happy because we were able to get back onto the podium with Valentino and Jorge! This year is not easy because we don't have experience between the Bridgestone tyres and our M1, but after Qatar we investigated the problem with our set-up in order to make the tyres work better and improve our performance. This weekend we tested many solutions and finally we reached a very good set-up. As I said, I am very happy for Valentino because he can now fight again at his maximum level. In tomorrow's test we will work again to fine tune the set-up of his M1 with the Bridgestone tyres; we now want Valentino back on the highest step of the podium!" "Jorge's performance today was quite impressive. During the race it seems that he lost a little bit of the feeling with the bike that he had yesterday and on Friday, but anyway it is clear that he is ready to win a race, already! One of the team's tasks is to maintain a good atmosphere around Jorge and to make him feel relaxed and concentrated, and so far it seems that this is the case. As far as tomorrow's test is concerned, we will keep on working on the electronic setting and on testing more tyres with Michelin, as we look to continue to improve our package ahead of the next race." Heroic performance of James Toseland Tech 3 Yamaha's James Toseland produced a heroic performance in a sun drenched Spanish GP today, the British rider fighting illness to claim a deserved top six finish. In what proved to be a mentally and physically draining 27-lap race for Toseland, the rookie showed great strength of character to become the first British rider since 1990 to score successive top six premier class finishes. Weakened by a serious chest and throat infection all weekend, Toseland slipped down to 10th from eighth on the grid in a frantic opening, but then he produced a series of brilliantly executed overtaking moves to move into fifth by the penultimate lap. Toseland's never-say-die attitude saw him delight a 131,563-strong crowd with passes on Chris Vermeulen, Andrea Dovizioso and Loris Capirossi in quick succession at the Curva Sito Pons. Fifth going into the last corner, he had to settle for sixth after losing a place in a chaotic finale. Capirossi was the chief benefactor from a tangle between Dovizioso and Toseland as he snatched fifth from the 27-yearold. Having claimed his second consecutive front row start yesterday, Colin Edwards had a disappointing afternoon, crashing out of sixth on lap five at the Curva Sito Pons. He remounted but retired on lap six. Toseland's result leaves him sixth in the world championship standings, while Tech 3 Yamaha remain fourth in the team championship points. Toseland and Edwards are now looking forward to their first appearance on Yamaha's improved pneumatic valve engine at the next round in Estoril, Portugal. James Toseland 6th - Time: +27.808 "I really had to dig deep in that race. There are two groups of people that kept it together this weekend and they are the Tech 3 team and the Clinica Mobile people. I want to thank them for helping me get out there. At one point it looked like I might not be able to ride so to finish sixth is a great result. What I was worried about was if I couldn't breath properly then that might have made me dizzy in the race but luckily I was fine. The bike felt great and the front Michelin tyre worked great. That's why I was able to pass all the guys at the same place coming onto the back straight. I couldn't pass anybody down the straight and the only place I could pass was where I did. I was getting good drive off the corner but I still couldn't get side by side on the straights to line them up for a pass on the brakes. It would have been do-or-die on the brakes, but because my front tyre was so good it really hooked well mid-corner round turn five onto the back straight and my corner speed carried me underneath Vermeulen, Dovizioso and Capirossi. I was disappointed not to keep fifth, especially after I'd battled so hard for it. The last corner was a bit manic and I don't know how Andrea stayed on the track because he was in there so hot. I got a bit pushed out and Loris came up the inside. To finish sixth like in Qatar and back that result up on a track I've never raced at in my condition is really good for me. This bike and this team are capable of being in the top six, even with a touch of bronchitis. I'm looking forward to getting the new engine now. We are one of the few that can actually look forward to getting something new for the next race and I can't wait for the new engine." Colin Edwards DNF I'm disappointed. I didn't get a good start and compared to every start I've done this weekend it was a lot slower and I got caught up and tangled with Nicky and Stoner right off the start. I got in behind them and I just couldn't do anything. It's just what we are lacking in the motor. We can run the pace on our own but as soon as we get in traffic to where we can't carry the momentum round the corner, then we have a problem. We are just waiting for the new engine at the next race and that is going to make a big difference because now it is hard at the moment with the deficit we have got. I can get off the corner but when you have got somebody road blocking you midway through the corner it is hard to carry the momentum that we have to carry. You can't out-brake any of these guys from five bike lengths back. It is just not going to happen, so I was kind of stuck for a little bit and Capirossi motored by me into turn one. Then I was pretty angry because I didn't want to get stuck behind him. But I'd come off the corner and he'd just pull away. I was pushing trying get up there with the guys in front and I made a mistake. I lost the front coming onto the back straight but that's racing I guess. Before yesterday I hadn't had any moments on the front tyre. We had that big moment yesterday and today I was a bit unlucky. We've looked at the data and I was actually slower than the lap before but I must have hit a little but I'm not sure what happened. It didn't look like I should have crashed but I did. I felt really confident and thanks to my guys because they worked hard all weekend and it's a shame it turned out how it did." Herve Poncharal - Team Manager "I am speechless about James today. He has been in a really bad condition and we were really doubtful about whether he would ride this weekend. For the race distance on this physical track we had a big question mark, but what he did today shows the mark of a true champion. He was fighting very hard at a pace he was never at in practice because of his physical condition. He never gave up and was very strong throughout the whole race. He was almost fifth but the last corner is always a difficult place here. Dovizioso tried a bit too hard to pass but I'm still happy. James is improving all the time and for sure with the new engine and feeling fit in Estoril he will be even better. It was a very eventful weekend for Colin. Of course we are a bit frustrated and disappointed about Colin because he was so good all weekend. We had the memory of his podium from last year so we were hoping he could repeat it. We have to take the positive out of it and he has been fast all weekend and I think the good thing is that we will have the new engine from Estoril and it will be easier to race." Race 1 - 27 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Daniel Pedrosa, Honda, ESP, 45'35.121 2, Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, ITA, 0'2.883 3, Jorge Lorenzo, Yamaha, ESP, 0'4.339 4, Nicky Hayden, Honda, USA, 0'10.142 5, Loris Capirossi, Suzuki, ITA, 0'27.524 6, James Toseland, Yamaha, GBR, 0'27.808 7, John Hopkins, Kawasaki, USA, 0'28.296 8, Andrea Dovizioso, Honda, ITA, 0'28.449 9, Shinya Nakano, Honda, JPN, 0'32.569 10, Chris Vermeulen, Suzuki, AUS, 0'35.091 11, Casey Stoner, Ducati, AUS, 0'42.223 12, Marco Melandri, Ducati, ITA, 0'44.498 13, Anthony West, Kawasaki, AUS, 0'45.807 14, Alex De Angelis, Honda, SMR, 0'45.871 15, Toni Elias, Ducati, ESP, 1'9.558 Rider Standings 30/03/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Daniel Pedrosa, Honda, ESP, 41 2, Jorge Lorenzo, Yamaha, ESP, 36 3, Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, ITA, 31 4, Casey Stoner, Ducati, AUS, 30 5, Andrea Dovizioso, Honda, ITA, 21 6, James Toseland, Yamaha, GBR, 20 7, Nicky Hayden, Honda, USA, 19 8, Loris Capirossi, Suzuki, ITA, 19 9, John Hopkins, Kawasaki, USA, 13 10, Shinya Nakano, Honda, JPN, 10 11, Marco Melandri, Ducati, ITA, 9 12, Colin Edwards, Yamaha, USA, 9 13, Randy De Puniet, Honda, FRA, 7 14, Chris Vermeulen, Suzuki, AUS, 6 15, Toni Elias, Ducati, ESP, 3 Team Standings 30/03/2008 Pos., Team, Points 1, FIAT Yamaha Team, 67 2, Repsol Honda Team, 60 3, Ducati Marlboro Team, 39 4, Tech3 Yamaha, 29 5, Rizla Suzuki MotoGP, 25 6, JIR Scot Team, 21 7, Kawasaki Racing Team, 16 8, Honda Gresini, 12 9, Honda LCR, 7 10, Team Alice, 4 Manufacturer Standings 30/03/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, Honda, 41 2, Yamaha, 40 3, Ducati, 30 4, Suzuki, 19 5, Kawasaki, 13 Click here to view the news

Stewart This weekend the sensational show that is the AMA Supercross/FIM Supercross World Championship gets underway at its spiritual home of the Angel Stadium, Anaheim in Los Angeles for its 37th edition. The first visit of three to the venue in the 17-race 2010 schedule will see defending champion James Stewart of the L and M Team wield the new Yamaha YZ450F into its maiden major international campaign. Stewart will be backed by new team-mate and Yamaha mainstay Josh Hill while also being supported by brand-mates Josh Grant and Bercy SX winner Justin Brayton as members of the Joe Gibbs Racing squad. Yamaha clinched the AMA/FIM title in 2008 and 2009 and with Stewart’s undoubted status as the fastest rider of the Indoor discipline they will be aiming for a hat-trick come the final round in May in Las Vegas. The Floridian missed the podium only twice from seventeen occasions in 2009 and collected 11 wins setting a new record in Blue colours. The story of last season was the current-24 year old’s duel with Chad Reed, and the arch-rivals are set to clash again on Saturday as the series then heads from West to East coasts with a visit to Toronto, Canada also part of the calendar. With a total of 36, Stewart is presently third in the all-time winner’s list, needing two more victories than Reed for further promotion and has to accumulate thirteen triumphs to hit the number one spot ahead of Ricky Carmichael. Yamaha has a long standing association with Supercross as Pierre Karsmakers won the inaugural championship on a DT250 in 1974, Jeremy McGrath ruled the class for three years in succession from ‘98 to ’00 and Doug Henry famously took the YZ400F to four podiums in 1998 introducing the wave of four-stroke technology that dominates the sport today. A pacy track awaits the riders in Los Angeles and the priority for Stewart surely has to be to improve on his 2009 result in which he tangled with another rider and crashed out of the Main Event. Josh Grant was the surprise victor twelve months ago and the 23 year old followed up his achievement with some decent speed and a rack of top-five finishes. The opening round of the championship will also witness the first competitive outing for Yamaha Monster Energy Motocross Team’s new rider Gautier Paulin. The French teenager – who finished 3rd in the 2009 FIM Motocross MX2-GP world championship – plans to contest the initial three meetings of the West Coast Lites series for further experience in the sport. Click here to view the news

Sterilgarda Yamaha world Superbike riders Cal Crutchlow and James Toseland settled in for their second test with their new 2010 team today at the Ricardo Tormo circuit in Valencia. The British pairing spent the day working through various electronic settings on the bike, including the anti wheelie control and the traction control to find a smoother feeling on the throttle of the championship winning R1. Crutchlow also spent some time working with the team to perfect his positioning on the R1, a larger bike than his championship winning R6. James Toseland James Toseland, Sterilgarda Yamaha World Superbike Team (1’34.8) “It’s nice being on a track I know so I could really concentrate on the bike, unlike Portimao in the last test where I was learning the circuit as well. I think we’ve been really competitive today, the times I’ve been doing have been really comfortable, so a sign for me that the bike and team is working well. We’ve been mainly working on the electronic side of things today. It’s such a new bike, there were a lot of things the team wanted to try out during the 2009 season but didn’t have time to do, so the team are taking the opportunity to try some new things with a new rider to see if there’s an improvement.” Cal Crutchlow Cal Crutchlow, Sterilgarda Yamaha World Superbike Team (1’35.0) “We worked through some stuff today, mostly positioning on the bike, it felt a bit different from Portugal so it’s been harder to get comfy today. I didn’t use any good tyres in today’s sessions so I think I got some decent times which I’m pleased with, the times were consistent 35’s over the day. We’ve got some more stuff to try tomorrow and we’ll keep working hard methodically through everything.” Massimo Meregalli, Sterilgarda Yamaha World Superbike Team Manager “I think the first day of the test went well, we got some good information from both riders. On Cal’s side we tried to fit him better on the bike as he’s very small. So we’ve made some changes to suit him. We’ve also bought along some new parts which we will continue to test. James is getting more confident with the bike and performing well so we’re looking forward to continuing tomorrow.” Click here to view the news

Ohlins and YZ450F The Yamaha Monster Energy Motocross Team will be able to count on the technical expertise of renowned Swedish suspension specialists Ohlins for the 2010 FIM MX1 and MX2-GP World Championship after an alliance between the two parties was recently confirmed after successful initial tests. The new YZ450FM of David Philippaerts and 2010 revised YZ250F of fresh recruit Gautier Paulin will embrace the technology of the firm established in 1976. Testing will continue extensively with a view towards achieving optimum set-up for the beginning of the pre-season campaign in February and then the first Grand Prix of fifteen in Bulgaria on April 4th. For the Rinaldi Group a union with Ohlins will signify a return to earlier glory days in which Michele Rinaldi – then as Team Manager – grasped the first world titles for the squad and Yamaha in the early 1990s (1994, 125cc with Bob Moore, and 1992, 250cc with Donny Schmit). Ohlin and Rinaldi “I have pleasant memories of working with Ohlins and of course their reputation in the motorcycle sport world is very highly regarded,” commented Team Principal and Owner Michele Rinaldi. “We have two new motorcycles with the latest generation of the YZ450F and the 2010 YZ250F and we are confident that the support and knowledge of Ohlins will help us achieve our goals both on and off the track.” “This new co-operation is very exciting for us. We have a completely new damping system ready for the team along with our high level of technical service and support - we believe that a forceful combination has been created,” said Ohlins Racing Manager Mats Larsson. “The factory team has a fantastic racing history and we look forward to similar success in the future. We are also very much looking forward to being part of the competitive development for the new YZ450F and YZ250F.” Created by Kenth Ohlin in the mid-1970s, Ohlins won their first world championship in motocross in 1978; it would be the first of 200 titles gained across many disciplines of motorsport. Today the firm has three hubs, in Stockholm, Sweden, North Carolina and in Germany and employees more than 230 people. They have more than 30 employees dedicated to high-end racing support and service. Click here to view the news

A year of hard work finally came to an end for the Fiat Yamaha Team today with the last day of testing in Valencia. Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi finished the day first and third, signing off for the winter in strong form. Both riders continued to work on the new evolution YZR-M1, as well as doing some laps on their 2009 bikes in order to compare the new updates. Lorenzo set his best lap towards the end of the day's work and was 0.256 seconds faster than Casey Stoner, with Rossi 0.333 seconds behind the Australian. Having swept the board of trophies this season, the team will now enjoy a hard-earned break before reconvening at Sepang, Malaysia in early February for the next test. Jorge Lorenzo - Position: 1st Time: 1'31.939 Laps: 62 "I am happy that we are so competitive here with this new version of the bike. I was able to do some very fast laps and it feels good to be the fastest on the last day of the season. There is a long time now until the next text and it is good for me mentally to know that I was fast today. We have worked on some electronics and the suspension, and we have compared the new chassis to the old one and taken a lot of important information for our engineers. I am so happy about my season, I've won three races, taken many podiums and finished second in the championship. I think this is a great achievement by us and now I would like to wish everyone a good holiday to recover so we all come back in February at the maximum ready to work again!" Valentino Rossi - Position: 3rd Time: 1'32.528 Laps: 55 "I am happy about what we have so far with the new evolution of the bike, because it's already faster and already feels better than the old one. The throttle is easier to open and I think that Yamaha has done a good job so far. We were quite fast today and I'm happy about the work we have done over these two days. I think that we have given our engineers plenty to work on over the winter and I am looking forward to the next updates in February. It's good to finally finish work and now we have some months to relax and recharge the batteries ahead of next year, which for sure is going to be a big, big fight!" Test Times 1. Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) Fiat Yamaha Team 1'31.939 2. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati Marlboro Team 1'32.195 3. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Fiat Yamaha Team 1'32.528 4. Ben Spies (USA) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1'32.942 5. Nicky Hayden (USA) Ducati Marlboro Team 1'32.981 6. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda 1'33.025 7. Randy De Puniet (FRA) LCR Honda MotoGP 1'33.111 8. Mika Kallio (FIN) Pramac Racing 1'33.125 9. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 1'33.211 10. Marco Melandri (ITA) San Carlo Honda Gresini 1'33.326 11. Alex Espagaro (SPA) Pramac Racing 1'33.345 12. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) Repsol Honda 1'33.456 13. Hector Barbera (SPA) Aspar Team 1'34.206 14. Marco Simoncelli (ITA) San Carlo Honda Gresini 1'34.230 15. Alvaro Bautista (SPA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 1'34.540 16. Hiroshi Aoyama (JPN) Scot Racing Team 1'35.261 Comunitat Valenciana: Record Lap C. Stoner (Ducati) 2008, 1'32.582 Comunitat Valenciana: Best Lap V. Rossi (Yamaha) 2006, 1'31.002 Click here to view the news

"It gives me the greatest pleasure to announce that, for the second consecutive year, Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. has achieved its ultimate goal in MotoGP competition by winning the Triple Crown of rider, team and manufacturer championship titles. "We owe this great achievement today to the spirited support of the many Yamaha fans and our sponsors, and I would like to take this opportunity to extend to all of you my heartfelt appreciation. "We at Yamaha Motor believe that our participation in MotoGP and our challenge to win titles makes it possible to share the excitement and deep satisfaction we call Kando with people all over the world, while also contributing to the marketing of our motorcycles. "In these efforts, I ask for your ongoing support of our company and our teams." Click here to view the news

Double podium sees Fiat Yamaha seal triple crown in Valencia as Edwards scores fourth and Spies seventh place. Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo finished second and third in the season-ending Grand Prix of Valencia this afternoon, the ninth time the pair have shared the podium this season. It ensured that Yamaha won the Triple Crown for the second year running after Rossi took the Riders' title, Fiat Yamaha the Teams' and Yamaha the Constructors'. Today's result also sealed Lorenzo the runner-up spot in the Championship in just his second year in MotoGP. Between them the Italian and the Spaniard have taken ten wins and a further seventeen podiums, Yamaha's most successful year ever in MotoGP. With pole-man Casey Stoner crashing on the warm-up lap the first corner shuffle saw Dani Pedrosa take the lead followed by Toni Elias, Rossi and Lorenzo, who quickly passed Rossi to re-take third. The first few laps were a mini battle between the Yamaha team-mates as Lorenzo fought to hold off Rossi and look for a way past Elias at the same time. He passed his fellow Spaniard in the last sector of lap three and Rossi followed quickly in his footsteps, overtaking Elias on the brakes into turn one on the fourth lap. A huge slide by Lorenzo soon after however left the 22-year-old unbalanced and shaken up and Rossi went through, leaving Lorenzo to take a bit of time to find his rhythm again. The World Champion set off after Pedrosa and for a little while looked like he was gaining but Valencia is a notoriously tricky track to make up ground on and in the end he was content to chase home the Spaniard for second place, his best result at Valencia since 2004. Lorenzo finished just three tenths off Rossi but was delighted to seal second in the championship in front of his home fans. As well as Yamaha sealing the Triple Crown and filling the first two spots in the championship, a brilliant performance from Tech 3 rider Colin Edwards today saw him take fourth and ensure fifth place in the championship, the top non-factory rider. Yamaha wild-card Ben Spies finished a brilliant seventh in his first MotoGP race on the M1 and James Toseland finished 12th in his farewell race for the team. Quote from Lin Jarvis, Managing Director, Yamaha Motor Racing "It gives me a great personal satisfaction for Yamaha and the Fiat Yamaha Team to have achieved "back to back" titles for 2008 and 2009. Our strong performances throughout this year's MotoGP championship are the result of a good cocktail of essential ingredients all being blended together in the right way. The performances of our riders have been incredible. Vale has won his 9th World Championship, making it 4 titles with Yamaha in his 6 seasons with us. Jorge has again surprised and thrilled us all year and made fantastic progress to claim the runner's-up position in only his second MotoGP season. Our engineers have used every single input from our riders' feedback over the past years and throughout this season to develop the YZR-M1 bike into the "bike of reference" in the MotoGP paddock. Our Team staff have worked tirelessly at every test and every Grand Prix to provide the optimum circumstances for our riders to be ready to win. Our corporate staff in Japan and Italy have also provided the essential "base camp" support to provide the back-up for all of the "troops" in the front line. Last but not least, Fiat Auto and our official sponsors and suppliers have also provided the essential support to enable us to go racing in the best possible way. I would like to personally thank everybody for the great team work that has allowed us to achieve all our targets." Valentino Rossi - Position: 2ndTime: +2.630 "I'm really happy about this result because it was fantastic to be able to ride well at Valencia and it's my best finish here since 2004. Of course it would have been better to win but I lost some time at the start battling with Elias and Lorenzo and by that time Pedrosa had gone and at this track it's almost impossible to make up a two second gap. It's not one of our best tracks but after the problems we had all weekend we can be very pleased, we made a great modification in warm-up so thanks to all my guys for this. We've ended the championship on the podium and it's been a great season, another world title and the triple crown for Yamaha, I am very proud. Thank you to Yamaha, all my team, Bridgestone and everyone else, now we will have a little party before we start work on the 2010 bike tomorrow!" Jorge Lorenzo - Position: 3rdTime: +2.913 "I had some good fights at the start and I was feeling quite strong but then I made a big mistake in the slow corner and I was lucky not to crash, so Valentino got by. I was in a bit of pain and I took some time to recover,\ and by then the gap was a bit too big to catch him. Anyway I'm happy to get another podium in Spain and I am so proud to have finished second in the championship; I want to thank everyone, Yamaha, Bridgestone and all my team, because we have worked so hard and this is a great achievement in just our second season. Now I can't wait to start testing the new bike and I look forward to being even stronger next year." Davide Brivio - Team Manager "After two days of struggling with the setting this was a very good race for us. I think the team and the engineers did a very good job to change the bike completely and find a way that worked for Valentino and we're happy to finish second here in Valencia, which has never been one of our best results. Now if we arrive here next year needing a good result, we'll be a bit more confident! It's been a great season, a historic one for Yamaha because we won everything we could and our riders won the most races and the triple crown, it's a season to remember. Now we're looking forward to the next one, which starts tomorrow for us, and we will try to repeat the result!" Daniele Romagnoli - Team Manager "This was a good end to the championship for us and a good way to celebrate a wonderful season with Jorge and the fantastic job the whole Yamaha team have done this year to win the triple crown. We've shown all season how strong Yamaha is and the job everyone has done has been fantastic. This is my last race with Yamaha so I want to take the chance to thank everyone here, it's been a great eight years and I wish Jorge and all the team all the best for the future." Jubilant Edwards claims fantastic fifth overall Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team rider Colin Edwards produced a stunning final race in Valencia today to clinch a dramatic fifth place in the final 2009 MotoGP world championship standings. Starting from fifth on the grid in front of 94,177 vocal Spanish fans, all eyes were on the Texan and his fight for fifth in the points-standings with Andrea Dovizioso. In sunny but blustery conditions, the Texas Tornado held fifth place until lap seven when he passed Toni Elias to move into fourth. At the time, Dovizioso was back in 11th. Edwards maintained an impressive pace to sit comfortably in fourth position and remain on course for fifth overall. But Dovizoso then produced a dazzling charge through the field to move into seventh position on lap 16. That meant fifth place would go to Dovizioso with no further position changes. But there was one final dramatic twist in arguably Edwards' best ever MotoGP campaign, thanks to new Monster Yamaha Yamaha Tech 3 rider Ben Spies. The Texan's brilliant Yamaha debut ended with him passing Dovizioso on lap 25, a move that secured Edwards his hard earned but thoroughly deserved fifth place in the final points tally. British rider James Toseland produced a gallant ride in his final appearance for the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team that saw him in contention for a top ten finish throughout the 30-lap encounter. A stunning start and skilled overtaking on the first lap saw him climb into 11th position and he was lock ed in a thrilling dice with Spies, Dovizioso, Mika Kallio, Alex de Angelis and Marco Melandri in the first half of the race. But a small rear tyre issue prevented Toseland from maintaining his fast and consistent pace and he slipped back to finish 12th. Colin Edwards - Position: 4thTime: +32.515 "Things really fell my way today but over the course of the season I feel like I really deserve fifth place in the championship. At best I was thinking I could finish fifth in the race but then I saw Casey wasn't on the grid and immediately I thought 'well, there's some more points up for grabs.' I got a great start and the bike was working awesome but those three out front were untouchable. I don't know how they do it, what they've got or what they eat for breakfast, but I couldn't run their pace. In the middle of the race I couldn't carry the corner speed I wanted to so I tried to smooth myself out and just rode out of my skin. I was doing the best I could but wasn't sure where Dovizioso was. It turns out Ben got by him and that point proved crucial. I gave him a big bug after the race and anything he wants me to buy him, he can have it. I'm glad he adapted so quickly to the Yamaha because him riding so well is what got me that fifth overall and I'm really looking forward to working with him. To finish fifth in the championship is a great feeling when you look at the talent in front of me. I was consistent all season and feel like I rode some of my best races to get this final position. I'm happy for myself and for my guys at Monster Yamaha Tech 3. We are a really close unit and they always give me 100 per cent, so hopefully they can take a lot of satisfaction out of this result as well. I wish James all the best for the future too and am convinced he can carry on Yamaha's success in World Superbikes." James Toseland - Position: 12thTime: +50.226 "I really enjoyed my last race. I wanted to give my team everything I had and I'm proud to say I did that. I had a good first few laps and took a few risks with not a lot of temperature in the tyres and got myself into a good position. But unfortunately on about lap 15 the rear tyre turned on the rim and I wasn't able to keep the pace and stay in the bunch that were battling for seventh place. I'd like to congratulate Colin for fifth in the championship because he has done a brilliant job. I'd like to thank everybody working with the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team for all the effort and support they have given me. I've had an absolutely fantastic time with them and I'll take a lot of interest in how they perform in the future. I've made a lot of friends in MotoGP and at Tech 3 and the team will always hold a special place in my heart. Now I've got to look to the futu re and I do so relishing a new challenge with Yamaha." Herve Poncharal - Team Manager "I can't congratulate Colin enough for the amazing job he has done this season. To finish behind those four guys is an incredible feat and one that gives the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team a lot of pride to have been involved in helping achieving fifth position in the championship for him. He has been consistent all year long and hardly ever outside the top six, and I would say this has been his best ever season. I'm so happy he is still with us next year because he brings so much to the team. Not just in terms of his results but his personality has been a great asset to the team, Yamaha and MotoGP. The sport needs more people like Colin and I can't wait for next season when we have the full Texan team. I am really excited about the prospect of working with Ben. What he did this weekend w as amazing. By passing Dovizioso as well he did a great favour to Colin and a great job for our team. I also want pass on my heartfelt thanks to James for all his hard work since he joined us at the end of 2007. We've had some up and downs but he brought a lot to the team. He is a true gentleman and he has been one of the hardest working and highly motivated riders ever to be at Tech 3. He has plenty to proud of in MotoGP. He is staying in the Yamaha family and I would like to wish him all the best in 2010. I'm sure he will keep Yamaha on top in World Superbikes." Spies takes well earned seventh in Valencia GP Ben Spies made a good job of silencing any critics he may have today as he set about putting his mark on the GP field ahead of his racing year in 2010. Starting from ninth on the grid he had a good start to hold his position until Marco Melandri passed him towards the end of the first lap. As he got used to his race tires and settled into his pace he dropped further until lap eight where he held 12th behind Andrea Dovizioso. As lap 11 got under way the American wildcard tucked in and got down to business, taking Melandri for 11th and beginning to chase down Mika Kallio. He caught him on lap 17 to take 10th then swiftly dispatched De Angelis on the next lap for ninth. By lap 19 Spies was turning in a 1'34.1 second lap, quick enough to be running with Colin Edwards in fourth. The speed enabled him to catch Randy De Puniet by lap 21 for eighth and close in on Dovizioso in seventh. With six laps to go, he capitalized on a mistake as the Repsol Honda rider ran wide, passing on the inside to take seventh and hold it to the line, claiming his first top ten MotoGP race finish for Yamaha. Ben Spies Sterilgarda Yamaha Team - Position: 7thTime: +37.706 "It was a good day. We got a good start which something I didn't think was going to happen. For the first six or seven laps I wasn't really on it, I wasn't used to the way the tires come in so I was halfway taking it easy and halfway getting pushed around because I didn't want to do anything silly. Once we got into a rhythm I got to follow some people and it was ok, then I slowly started to pass some people and got my eyes set on the guys in front. Once I got passed Dovizioso I could see Nicky Hayden and Tony Elias up ahead. I knew I wasn't going to catch them but I tried to keep my pace going and was able to keep it steady. It's been a dream first weekend for us, to get seventh on a track I don't particularly favour is pretty cool, the feeling is the same as winning a superbike race. I'm happy we've kept the bike off the ground and made solid progress all weekend which was our number one goal. I just want to thank Yamaha for giving me this opportunity, and all the sponsors that helped put this together for the weekend, especially Sterilgarda, BM Group, Fimer, Parts Europe and everybody else who made it possible to get this thing going, I think we did a good job for them." Massimo Meregalli, Sterilgarda Yamaha Team Manager "Another impressive weekend from Ben. He improved steadily in all the sessions, we knew this morning that he would finish the race higher than he started. I think soon he'll pick up full confidence in the bike and tires and in time will reach his full potential on the track. I'm pretty sure that next week he'll improve some more and get closer to the pace. I know he's a very clever rider and he's going to achieve his goals in MotoGP. I too want to thank all the sponsors who made it possible for us to come and race here this weekend, Sterilgarda, BM Group, Fimer, Parts Europe and everyone else have been brilliant." Click here to view the news

Yamaha conquered an eventful weekend of Supercross at Bercy, Paris to stand atop the podium for the second year in succession. San Manuel Yamaha rider James Stewart had won Friday and Saturday evenings of the three night affair in the French capital but withdrew from Sunday’s final showdown after complaining of sickness and dizzy spells. The overall crown was therefore won by American and Joe Gibbs Racing’s Justin Brayton who had played second fiddle to AMA and FIM World Supercross champion all weekend. After winning the US Open in Las Vegas last month 23 year old Stewart was peerless on the new YZ450F on Friday and Saturday, only a small slip in the first heat on Saturday prevented the Floridian from extending his 100% record. Surprisingly, after winning the first two outings on Sunday, he was not able to complete the final sprint and Iowan Brayton (who won the last AMA Motocross National moto of 2009 and participated in one Supercross round this year) was able to scoop the prestigious ‘King of Bercy’ title by finishing 5th. In another interesting development for Yamaha, new San Manuel rider Josh Hill was able to take the chequered flag in the very last heat of the evening, the one in which Stewart was absent. Prior to his visit to the medical centre on Sunday evening Stewart was in electric form and clearly enjoying his second visit to Paris and the event that he dominated in 2008. "It's always great to come to Bercy, the crowd is awesome and they treat me so well over here,” he said. “Last year I just changed to Yamaha and I wanted to prove for myself the Yamaha was the right pick, I was still getting used to the bike and it was more a matter of having fun and enjoying the show. This year there is no pressure for this race, I even started too relaxed in the practice. After I got back to business and it went a lot better from then on.” “The new Yamaha is awesome, it is very different but I had a good feeling since the first day and we have already found some comfortable base settings for the bike,” he added. “I'm working to get ready for Anaheim 1 in January now; we still have a long way to go but we will be ready." The 17 round 2010 AMA Supercross series (also and FIM World Championship) starts on January 9th at the Angel Stadium, Anaheim in Los Angeles. Click here to view the news

Register Now with the Yamaha Owners Club, view the benefits below you will have with your new membership. Benefits for joining the Yamaha Owners Club Free Member £0 YamahaClub Sponsor £5 Professional Member £10 Corporate Member £50 Access our free forum areas. Learn, share and participate in lively discussions. Personal avatar image in the forums  Send private mail to another member  Access to our classifieds section, where you find many good parts to buy and friendly, quality minded members interested in buying your bike or parts  Personal signature image in the forums  Receive a special Membership status located beside your user name in the community  Access to to special offers and discounts   Access to the Garage, where you can showcase your pride and joy   Your own image Gallery to upload and manage your images and create your own public and private albums.   Upload and store images in forums   Show personal gallery images in forums   Access to Members only forums   Membership valid for 12 months   Post corporote advertisements in the classifieds    Post corporote discounts in the offers forums    Click here to Register Now Click here to view the news

Camel Yamaha Team rider Valentino Rossi kicked off his preparations for the Italian Grand Prix in positive fashion today as he set the fastest lap time in both of the opening free practice sessions of the weekend. After a dry morning practice, when the Italian topped the time sheets with a lap of 1'51.238, a heavy rain shower just before the afternoon session played havoc with the team's work programme, hindering Colin Edwards' adaptation to the new chassis and preventing either rider from improving their best times despite drying track conditions towards the end.It meant that Edwards was forced to settle for tenth place on the provisional time sheets but a more pressing issue for the Texan is the remaining set-up work to be done before Sunday's eagerly anticipated 23-lap race. The most likely scenario is that he will revert to the original chassis, used to excellent effect at Le Mans two weeks ago, before continuing development on the modified version with a view to the next race in Catalunya. Rossi only completed eight laps in the afternoon but it was enough to fend off the close attentions of fellow local Loris Capirossi (Ducati), who was second fastest. Valentino Rossi (1st - 1'51.238; 25 laps) "We have had a good start to the weekend, especially this morning. Unfortunately the rain in the afternoon meant that we only got four good laps in but even in that short time we were able to see that the base setting of the bike is good. It is basically the same as the bike we had at Le Mans so I'm pleased to see it working well at such a different circuit. We still need to make some improvements to the setting but we are working in the right way and that is the most positive thing about today. We definitely need to work hard tomorrow but hopefully we can continue to improve. Now I just hope it doesn't rain, this is a very special race for all the Italians, both the riders and the people who come to watch, and we need the weather to be on our side!" Colin Edwards (10th - 1'52.513; 34 laps) "We've been playing around a little bit with the new chassis but I need more time in the dry to set it up before we can start to work with it properly. We didn't get enough of a chance at the Le Mans test because of the weather and it seems to have chased us over here. I don't want to have to start all over again in the morning so I think the best thing for us is to go back to what we know for tomorrow. It worked well for us in France and it seems ok here too so there is no point wasting time trying to use the new chassis here just for the sake of it. Hopefully the weather will hold out for us tomorrow so we can get through the set-up work we missed out on today and get ready for what promises to be a really tough but exciting race on Sunday." Davide Brivio - Camel Yamaha Team Director "Today was not so bad, even though we had only one session in the dry, and Valentino was able to confirm that the bike he used so well in Le Mans is also working here. Unfortunately we haven't had enough time in the dry for Colin to make the adequate comparisons so it seems that the situation for tomorrow will be that our riders will be working in different directions. Anyway this is not such a problem because we know Colin is comfortable on the original chassis and worked well with it in France, so it is just a case of him concentrating on getting a good result here and waiting a little longer for his opportunity. Despite the weather it has been a good day, we've done a good job and in general we have made a promising start to what is an important weekend for us." Round: 6 - 2006 MotoGP Mugello Circuit: Mugello Circuit Length: 5245 Lap Record: 1' 50.117 (Max Biaggi, 2005) Fastest Lap Ever: 1' 49.223 (Valentino Rossi, 2005) Date: 2 June 2006 Temp: 16ºC Session 1 : Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. 1st Qualifying 1 V. Rossi Yamaha ITA 1' 51.732 2 L. Capirossi Ducati ITA 1' 51.756 3 S. Gibernau Ducati ESP 1' 52.012 4 J. Hopkins Suzuki USA 1' 52.082 5 C. Stoner Honda AUS 1' 52.101 6 N. Hayden Honda USA 1' 52.177 7 M. Melandri Honda ITA 1' 52.339 8 K. Roberts Team Roberts KR USA 1' 52.350 9 M. Tamada Honda JPN 1' 52.466 10 S. Nakano Kawasaki JPN 1' 52.667 11 T. Elias Honda ESP 1' 52.789 12 D. Pedrosa Honda ESP 1' 52.819 13 C. Edwards Yamaha USA 1' 52.830 14 R. De Puniet Kawasaki FRA 1' 53.129 15 C. Checa Yamaha ESP 1' 53.453 16 A. Hofmann Ducati GER 1' 54.103 18 J. Ellison Yamaha GBR 1' 55.354 Click here to view the news

Yamaha Motor Co. Ltd is delighted to announce that Valentino Rossi will remain with the Japanese factory in 2007, racing for a fourth year with Yamaha's Factory Team in the MotoGP World Championship. Rossi will continue to spearhead Yamaha's Grand Prix challenge and bike development, as MotoGP enters a new era of 800cc racing in 2007. Rossi has enjoyed huge success with Yamaha since he joined the factory just over two years ago and every one of his races has captured the true spirit of 'Kando', the Japanese word for the sensation of intense excitement that we experience when we encounter something of supreme quality. The Italian won the championship with the YZR-M1 on his first try in 2004 and again in 2005, when Yamaha took a clean-sweep of Riders', Team and Manufacturers' Championships in the year of it's 50th Anniversary. 2006 has proved more difficult for the World Champion, with just one win so far this season after a series of unfortunate occurrences, but Yamaha has every faith that Rossi will recover his winning-form, starting at his home Grand Prix in Mugello this weekend. Speaking from Mugello today, Yamaha Motor Racing Managing Director Lin Jarvis commented, "We are firstly delighted that Valentino has chosen to stay in MotoGP. He is a great ambassador for motorcycle racing in general and extremely important to the global image of this sport. He is the most talented and the fastest rider on the grid and the benchmark to which others aspire. "We are extremely happy that Valentino has chosen to continue his illustrious MotoGP career with Yamaha in 2007. Yamaha and Valentino have an excellent relationship and we have enjoyed great success together since our partnership was born in 2004. It's exciting news for Yamaha's fans; Valentino's worldwide appeal unites them under one banner and brings more and more people daily into the Yamaha 'family'. "Of course it's of key importance to us that Valentino will now be in a position to lead the development of Yamaha's new 800cc project for 2007. His input will be invaluable and we believe we will be able to challenge to win the title next year with the new bike. Both Valentino and Yamaha relish the new challenge ahead. "In the meantime our short term goal is to provide him with the means to defend his MotoGP title this year. We are confident that Valentino can recover from an unlucky start to his title defence, starting at our Factory Team's home race in Mugello this weekend." "I'm very pleased to be staying with Yamaha next year", announced the 27-year-old from Tavullia, "These past two years with Yamaha have been two of the best of my career and I am extremely happy to stay with them and with my team. I believe I have made the right choice and I am very excited about the challenge of a new class of racing with Yamaha next year." Click here to view the news

The Camel Yamaha Team heads into its home Grand Prix this weekend looking to turn a stuttering start to the season into a consistent challenge for MotoGP World Championship honours. The fast and flowing Mugello circuit in Italy presents an entirely different challenge to the tight complexities of recent tracks such as Le Mans and Shanghai and both Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards hope it can also deliver a similar contrast in the fortunes that have followed them around the world during a dramatic opening five rounds of the campaign. Rossi, in particular, is keen to get his fifth title defence back on track in front of his adoring Italian public. The Tavullia-born superstar, who was last week honoured with the 'Spirit of Sport' award at the prestigious Laureus Sports Awards, is aiming to add another prize to his trophy cabinet by claiming his fifth consecutive victory at the Mugello circuit. Edwards is equally focused on the top step of the podium after again demonstrating winning potential at the last round in France. The American was forced into the gravel in the first turn but he battled through from last place to take sixth overall and finish just eleven seconds down on the race winner. Like Rossi, he knows that if things play in his favour this weekend it can be a glorious return home for the Monza-based team. Valentino Rossi: Eleven wins should do it! After failing to score points at the last two rounds because of freak tyre and engine problems, Rossi now trails series leader Nicky Hayden (Honda) by 43 points and lies eighth in the championship - his worst ever start to a World Championship season in any class. However, with a typical air of optimism based on confidence in his unrivalled ability, the Italian refuses to consider defeat at this early stage of the season and says this weekend is the ideal time to turn things around. "Mugello has been very good to me over the past few years - it is a very special race and this season it is even more important than ever," admits Rossi. "I have had some incredible emotions there over the years and it is always a very busy weekend for me, but it is crucial that we maintain our focus on the job because we have to be at 100% if we want to win again. The new chassis worked well at Le Mans and we have some good data from the test to improve it at Mugello so I have reason to be confident." If Rossi did go on to win the title this year he would be the first rider ever to do so having had only one podium finish in the first five races of the year. It is the kind of challenge he relishes. "We have had a lot of bad luck but I don't think 43 points is such a big gap when there are still twelve races left," he says. "It will be difficult to win them all but I will settle for taking eleven wins and one second place! When you look at what has happened to us this season, mostly things out of our control, I probably lost 25 points in France, 16 in China and 14 in Jerez so if it wasn't for all that I would be in a much better situation in the championship now. I think we showed our true potential last weekend and it is just a matter of our luck changing now. Mugello would be the perfect place for that." Colin Edwards: A family affair Colin Edwards has more than one reason to look forward to Mugello, both on and off the track. During a gruelling run of races visiting all corners of the globe over the last two months the Texan has not had much chance to see his young son Hayes, but the baby, who was born in December, will be making his first visit to Europe this week and staying on the road with the whole family during the upcoming run of races on the continent. The proud father hopes family life on the road can provide the foundation to a series of positive results. "Hayes will be coming over with my daughter Gracie and my wife Alyssia so obviously I'm really looking forward to that," admits Edwards. "I love being with the family and living out of the motorhome instead of travelling all over the place staying in hotels. I find it helps me to focus on my performance on the track and hopefully it can give me an extra edge this weekend. That is the most important thing and at this stage of the season, with the way things have gone recently, we need every advantage we can get." Another plus point for Edwards this week will be the delivery of a new chassis for his YZR-M1 machine, used by Rossi with positive results at the last round in Le Mans. "My bike has been the same since Turkey and whilst I have got comfortable with it now I think we have reached the limit in some areas. I did thirty laps with the new chassis at the Le Mans test and I could clearly see the extra potential. Now I'll have one from the start at Mugello and so that's something for us to get our teeth into from the first session and see how far we can go." Davide Brivio: Excitement at home! Whilst recognising that recent results have not lived up to expectations, Camel Yamaha Team Director Davide Brivio remains upbeat that his riders are still on course to meet their objectives for the season. The Italian has been encouraged by recent progress made by Yamaha's engineers and says a simple turn in fortune is now all that is required for both Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards to be challenging at the sharp end of the field. "In the last race at Le Mans we had a lot of bad luck but it was a very important and encouraging weekend for us to confirm the general progress we are making with the bike," says Brivio. "Valentino was riding steadily in the lead and probably would have won quite comfortably, whilst Colin also had an excellent race to come through from last place and finish sixth so we know we have something to build on and we want to continue with this progression. "We have twelve races left to get points back and the first stage of the recovery is this weekend at Mugello. All we can do is try to gather as many points from race to race and that means taking victory on Sunday. It is a home race for Valentino and for half of the team so it will be important for us to have the support of the big Italian crowd to help us do this. This has been an unpredictable championship so far but something we can be certain of at Mugello is that it will be very hot and very exciting!" Technically speaking: Mugello according to Daniele Romagnoli At 5.245km the Mugello circuit is one of the longer contemporary MotoGP circuits, in no small part due to the fact that it has retained its original length and layout. Running across two sides of an impossibly scenic Tuscan valley, Mugello differs from other fast circuits in its frequent changes of gradient and the speed of its chicanes. There is a mix of slower and high-speed corners, although even the slowest corners are wide, allowing several 'ideal' lines and putting the emphasis on rider skill as well as chassis set-up precision. "Mugello is a very technical track," explains Daniele Romagnoli, Colin Edwards' Italian Chief Mechanic. "Chassis set-up is perhaps the most important thing but you also need a good engine for the straight because there is around 950m with the throttle fully open. The gearing is also important at this point - you need small gaps between fourth, fifth and sixth gear to get the most out of the engine. "Generally it is a very complex track and the rider can make the difference. It has a very hard braking into turn one, where the riders go from around 330km/h to just 85km/h. Then there is a sequence of 'esses' where it is important to have a bike that has good turning capabilities and agility. There are some quick changes in direction, with uphill and downhill turns, so you need a good compromise with the set-up to make it turn well in both types of corner." Romagnoli adds that the delivery of a new chassis for Edwards at this round could not have come at a better time. "The new chassis has improved the performance of the front end of the bike, particularly in terms of turning and stability on corner entry. It has also improved the chatter problems that we have experienced and this will be crucial at Mugello because there are some very fast corners and a lot of lateral load on the bike." 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: 162 (102 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: 53 x MotoGP World Championships - 2 World Superbike Mugello Lap Record: Max Biaggi (Honda) 2005 - 1'50.117 Mugello Best Lap: Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 2005 - 1'49.223 2005 Results 1. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Yamaha, 42'42.994 2. Max Biaggi (ITA) Honda, +0.359 3. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati, +3.874 Click here to view the news

Yamaha Motor Italia enjoyed its best day of the season at Silverstone today, with Noriyuki Haga racing to two second places and Andrew Pitt fighting through from 11th on the grid to take fourth and fifth place finishes. Haga raced into the lead in both outings, only to be caught by championship leader Troy Bayliss (Ducati). The pair had a fantastic battle each time, with the Ducati rider just managing to pull a slight gap on the charging Haga in both races. Having had only limited dry weather practice, the ever-popular Japanese star made a few minor suspension changes to his YZF-R1 for the second race, allowing him to run closer to Bayliss than in the first but unable to quite make a decisive move on the dominant Australian. For Pitt the Silverstone races were made difficult after qualifying on the third row in Saturday's wet conditions, although the Australian was able to show his true pace in the dry races. In both races Pitt made a good start and lapped faster than the leaders as he scythed through the field to challenge James Toseland (Honda) for the third step on the podium. However, the Yamaha rider used up too much of his front tyre and was unable to close the gap on the Brit, using his head to bring his YZF-R1 home for 24 points over the two races. Race one had been delayed following two huge crashes on the first lap. Thankfully no riders were injured but the incidents brought the red flags out and a delay while marshals cleared up the carnage. Both races followed a similar pattern with local favourite Toseland winning the battle for third. In the championship Bayliss extends his lead to 76 points over second placed Troy Corser (Suzuki). Haga moves up two places to third in the championship, just 16 points behind Corser, with Pitt maintaining his sixth place in the points standings. Yamaha Motor France's Norick Abe retained his ninth place in the championship, finishing 10th and 11th in the races. It was a difficult weekend for the Japanese star, who was troubled by the wrist injury he sustained in Monza. Team-mate Shinichi Nakatomi did not race after crashing on a wet patch in the morning warm-up. The Japanese rider has broken the radius bone in his right arm but hopes to be fit to race in Misano in four weeks time. Sebastien Gimbert retired from both races with electrical problems on another Yamaha Motor France bike. Twenty-one-year-old wild-card Tommy Hill, who grabbed the headlines by setting pole position in Saturday's wet superpole rode sensibly to take a pair of 12th place finishes on his Virgin Mobile Yamaha. Round six of the series takes place at Misano on 25 June. Copyright-free photography (for editorial use) and further information on Yamaha's racing activities, including a regular column by Noriyuki Haga, can be found at www.yamaha-racing.com. Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) "I enjoyed the battles with Troy today and all weekend I had a good feeling with the bike in both the wet and dry. It's a shame that we weren't able to test much in the dry. I had to make some suspension changes between the races and it improved the bike but still I did not have enough traction in the last laps. But I am happy with the results and to move up the championship. We have some more testing planned before the race in Misano. We have already had a good test at Misano so I am looking forward to a good race there as well." Andrew Pitt (Yamaha Motor Italia) "I'm fairly happy with that. I felt I was in with a good shot at the podium but I just couldn't keep the lap times going at the end. I was using the softest front tyre, which I think the other guys had too, but my style pushes the front quite hard and I had to ride very aggressively in the opening laps. At the end the front was moving around a fair bit and it was getting hard to hang on to Toseland. What I've got to do now is make sure that I get the Saturdays right so that I don't give myself as much to do on the race day because I have proved that the bike is working well and I am capable of getting up on the podium." Norick Abe (Yamaha Motor France) "I did my very best and our settings were not so bad, considering we had so little set-up time in dry conditions. We changed the settings between the two races and the lap times were better, even if the position went down. I would not normally be happy with 10th or 11th places, but today we did our best. A very hard track, and a very physical race considering my wrist is still not 100 percent." Tommy Hill (Virgin Mobile Yamaha) "I was very nervous on the grid, until remembered that I was on pole because I won superpole, which calmed me down a bit. We finished pretty much were we expected to finish, but I couldn't believe the speed of the world superbike guys from the very first lap. Normally in a British championship race people build up to speed but here everyone races at 110 percent from the very first lap." Sebastien Gimbert (Yamaha Motor France) "Three big crashes were not what I needed this weekend. My bike misfired with an electrical problem in both races. The problem seems to be some wires damaged in the practice crashes but it is disappointing because it is now three races and no results." Shinichi Nakatomi (Yamaha Motor France) "I crashed on a slippery part of the track and my arm is broken. I will miss the tests we have planned but I am hoping to be back for the races in Misano." Massimo Meregalli (Team Coordinator - Yamaha Motor Italia) "Both our riders did an excellent job today and we have reached our goals for the weekend. Our target was to take points from Corser and leave with Nori third in the championship, which we have achieved. Andrew also rode very well from the third row, especially in the second race when he was so close to a podium finish. Again we made some small steps forward with the bike. They are small steps but it is encouraging that they are working and we are going in the right direction. We now have a test at Brno with all the other Pirelli development teams before Misano, where I am confident of a good performance." Martial Garcia (Team Manager - Yamaha Motor France) "A very difficult weekend for us and a bad day for Nakatomi, who broke his right radius bone. A simple break but a break all the same. Gimbert had three crashes and we saw the result of that today. The wiring loom had been damaged, but we did not realise at the time and in each race he had a misfire, which caused him to retire. Only Abe saved our honour, with two hard rides after a lack of practice time - although he is not so happy because he expected more." Race classification WSB Round: 5 - United Kingdom Circuit: Silverstone Circuit Length: 3619 Lap Record: 1' 26.299 (Troy Bayliss, 2006) Fastest Lap Ever: 1' 26.299 (Troy Bayliss, 2006) Race: 28 Laps Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time 1 T. Bayliss Ducati AUS 40' 49.894 2 N. Haga Yamaha JPN +0.890 3 J. Toseland Honda GBR +1.705 4 R. Xaus Ducati ESP +8.285 5 A. Pitt Yamaha AUS +12.303 6 C. Walker Kawasaki GBR +23.716 7 R. Laconi Kawasaki FRA +25.483 8 K. Muggeridge Honda AUS +26.049 9 A. Barros Honda BRA +29.650 10 N. Abe Yamaha JPN +32.208 11 F. Nieto Kawasaki ESP +39.607 12 T. Hill Yamaha GBR +41.550 13 L. Lanzi Ducati ITA +41.935 14 Y. Kagayama Suzuki JPN +50.385 15 G. Nannelli Honda ITA +52.726 Race 2: 28 Laps Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time 1 T. Bayliss Ducati AUS 40' 42.003 2 N. Haga Yamaha JPN +1.585 3 J. Toseland Honda GBR +12.058 4 A. Pitt Yamaha AUS +14.561 5 A. Barros Honda BRA +16.826 6 T. Corser Suzuki AUS +21.230 7 R. Xaus Ducati ESP +22.056 8 C. Walker Kawasaki GBR +22.549 9 K. Muggeridge Honda AUS +22.708 10 F. Nieto Kawasaki ESP +34.025 11 N. Abe Yamaha JPN +34.739 12 T. Hill Yamaha GBR +35.112 13 Y. Kagayama Suzuki JPN +35.518 14 R. Laconi Kawasaki FRA +36.322 15 M. Fabrizio Honda ITA +47.850 Fastest Race Lap: Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time 1 T. Bayliss Ducati AUS 1' 26.299 Championship standings WSB Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Points 1 Troy Bayliss Ducati AUS 225 2 Troy Corser Suzuki AUS 149 3 Noriyuki Haga Yamaha JPN 133 4 James Toseland Honda GBR 129 5 Alex Barros Honda BRA 113 6 Andrew Pitt Yamaha AUS 103 7 Lorenzo Lanzi Ducati ITA 62 8 Ruben Xaus Ducati ESP 56 9 Norick Abe Yamaha JPN 51 10 Chris Walker Kawasaki GBR 51 11 Fonsi Nieto Kawasaki ESP 48 12 Roberto Rolfo Ducati ITA 46 13 Karl Muggeridge Honda AUS 45 14 Regis Laconi Kawasaki FRA 42 15 Michel Fabrizio Honda ITA 37 17 Shinichi Nakatomi Yamaha JPN 18 23 Sebastien Gimbert Yamaha FRA 7 Manufacturers standings WSB Pos. Manufacturer Points 1 Ducati 226 2 Suzuki 161 3 Honda 156 4 Yamaha 153 5 Kawasaki 75 6 Petronas 4 WSS : Silverstone brings double podium for Yamaha Motor Germany Round: 5 - United Kingdom Circuit: Silverstone Date: 28 May 2006 Crowd: 71000 Temp: 15ºC Weather: Dry Yamaha Motor Germany riders Broc Parkes and Kevin Curtain took advantages of development work on their Yamaha YZF-R6s to finish second and third in a sunny fifth round of the Supersport World Championship at Silverstone today. Having brought a new development of the YZF-R6 engine with more mid-range power to Silverstone, the Australians pushed defending world champion Sebastien Charpentier (Honda) hard over the opening laps. Parkes set the fastest lap of the race on lap four, however a lack of dry-weather set-up time, brought on by two day's of wet practice, meant that the Yamaha riders dropped off the pace slightly as the rear end grid decreased from around half distance. The team-mates then engaged their own personal duel before Parkes was able to pull out a slight advantage on his more senior colleague and take second at the flag. Yamaha Team Italia rider Massimo Roccoli had a good race at Silverstone, ending the day in sixth place after a thrilling race-long battle with Yamaha privateer Xavi Fores and Honda riders Robbin Harms, Mattieu Lagrive and Johan Stigefelt. Harms just finished at the front of the train, with Fores ending the day in seventh. Yamaha GMT94's David Checa came from dead last at the end of the first lap to finish 11th. The result sees Curtain consolidate his second place in the championship, 40 points behind Charpentier after five of the 12 championship rounds. Parkes moves up to fourth place with Roccoli sixth. The sixth round of the championship takes place at Misano in Italy in one month's time. Broc Parkes (Yamaha Motor Germany) "The bike is working really well at the moment but we didn't have a lot of time to set it up this weekend. But on Sunday afternoon I found something that was working pretty well. I felt a lot better at quarter distance into the race, but at that time I really didn't get the chance to get past Sebastien. But things are good for me, getting better and better, but it hasn't been easy for me this year, after some good qualifying performances but problems in the races. So I'm happy to score this and I'm looking forward to getting better and better." Kevin Curtain (Yamaha Motor Germany) "Things were going ok until I ran out of rear grip. I changed to my second bike this morning, after the free practice of warm-up. In general we did not have a lot of dry time for set-up because it has been raining so much this weekend. But it was important to get a good haul of points after losing a whole bunch in Monza." Massimo Roccoli (Yamaha Team Italia) "A difficult race because Silverstone is a physically demanding circuit and we had very little time in the dry. I couldn't hold Harms off in the end but I'm pleased with sixth and getting some more good championship points." Terrell Thien (Team Manager - Yamaha Motor Germany) "We are really happy with the results today, especially with all the new parts we've brought this weekend. Seeing both riders on the podium is good for the team spirit, especially after the DNF in Monza. We are looking forward to the three day test in Brno. This is a track that really suits the Yamaha. We should be able to make some improvements to the suspension because the bike is so new and we are learning about it with every lap we do." Race classification WSS Round: 5 - United Kingdom Circuit: Silverstone Circuit Length: 3619 Lap Record: 1' 29.027 (Sebastien Charpentier, 2005) Fastest Lap Ever: 1' 28.750 (Sebastien Charpentier, 2005) Race: 28 Laps Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time 1 S. Charpentier Honda FRA 41' 54.640 2 B. Parkes Yamaha AUS +2.802 3 K. Curtain Yamaha AUS +6.767 4 P. Riba Kawasaki ESP +17.116 5 R. Harms Honda DNK +26.102 6 M. Roccoli Yamaha ITA +27.097 7 X. Fores Yamaha ESP +27.492 8 M. Lagrive Honda FRA +27.492 9 J. Stigefelt Honda SWE +29.073 10 K. Fujiwara Honda JPN +41.265 11 D. Checa Yamaha ESP +41.615 12 M. Berger Kawasaki FRA +43.602 13 K. Andersen Suzuki NOR +44.079 14 Y. Tibero Honda FRA +47.538 15 S. Easton Ducati GBR +49.619 Championship standings WSS Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Points 1 Sebastien Charpentier Honda FRA 116 2 Kevin Curtain Yamaha AUS 76 3 Robbin Harms Honda DNK 63 4 Broc Parkes Yamaha AUS 58 5 Yoann Tibero Honda FRA 50 6 Massimo Roccoli Yamaha ITA 46 7 Xavi Fores Yamaha ESP 39 8 Johan Stigefelt Honda SWE 35 9 Kenan Sofuoglu Honda TUR 27 10 Katsuaki Fujiwara Honda JPN 22 11 Joshua Brookes Ducati AUS 21 12 Gianluca Vizziello Yamaha ITA 17 13 Christian Zaiser Ducati AUT 15 14 Pere Riba Kawasaki ESP 13 15 Sebastien Le Grelle Honda BEL 12 19 David Checa Yamaha ESP 8 Manufacturers standings WSS Pos. Manufacturer Points 1 Honda 125 2 Yamaha 93 3 Ducati 34 4 Kawasaki 27 5 Suzuki 10 FIM Superstock 1000 Cup : Corti takes first win on R1 at Silverstone Round: 3 - United Kingdom Circuit: Silverstone Date: 28 May 2006 Crowd: 71000 Temp: 19ºC Weather: Dry Yamaha Team Italia rider Claudio Corti took his first win in the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup at Silverstone today. Starting from pole position the Italian protégé battled intensely with championship leader Alessandro Polita (Suzuki) in the opening laps, before pulling away to take a comfortable win at the end of the 15-lap race. Polita held off Ayrton Badovini (MV Agusta) for second. Emilio Rocamora took fifth place on his YZF-R1SP with Ilario Dionsi making it three Yamahas in the top six. In the championship Polita remains in the lead, with a 22 point advantage over second placed Badovini. Corti moves up to third in the standings, 31 points behind the leader. Claudio Corti (Yamaha Team Italia) "It was a hard race because Alessandro was very fast, especially on the first half of the track. We were able to have a good battle and eventually I was able to build a small gap. I'm really happy to have taken my first world championship win on the R1 and I'm hoping to close the gap in the championship in Misano." Race classification FIM Superstock 1000 Cup Round: 3 - United Kingdom Circuit: Silverstone Circuit Length: 3619 Lap Record: 1' 29.615 (Massimo Roccoli, 2005) Fastest Lap Ever: 1' 29.392 (Massimo Roccoli, 2005) Race: 15 Laps Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time 1 C. Corti Yamaha ITA 22' 38.681 2 A. Polita Suzuki ITA +1.251 3 A. Badovini MV Agusta ITA +2.118 4 L. Scassa MV Agusta ITA +2.266 5 E. Rocamora Yamaha ESP +11.713 6 I. Dionisi Yamaha ITA +12.548 7 S. Morais Suzuki RSA +12.682 8 D. Sacchetti Kawasaki ITA +15.355 9 M. Baiocco Yamaha ITA +17.405 10 L. Napoleone Suzuki FRA +18.546 11 R. Chiarello Kawasaki ITA +20.826 12 A. Martinez Mas Kawasaki ESP +21.952 13 R. Cooper Honda GBR +23.090 14 M. Smrz Honda CZE +24.975 15 C. Tangre Suzuki FRA +26.119 Fastest Race Lap: Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time 1 C. Corti Yamaha ITA 1' 29.661 Championship standings FIM Superstock 1000 Cup Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Points 1 Alessandro Polita Suzuki ITA 70 2 Ayrton Badovini MV Agusta ITA 48 3 Claudio Corti Yamaha ITA 39 4 Luca Scassa MV Agusta ITA 35 5 Enrique Rocamora Yamaha ESP 29 6 Denis Sacchetti Kawasaki ITA 27 7 Riccardo Chiarello Kawasaki ITA 27 8 Alex Martinez Mas Kawasaki ESP 24 9 Ivan Silva Kawasaki ESP 20 10 Matteo Baiocco Yamaha ITA 19 11 Ilario Dionisi Yamaha ITA 19 12 Sheridan Morais Suzuki RSA 18 13 Danilo Dell'omo Suzuki ITA 13 14 Loic Napoleone Suzuki FRA 10 15 Simone Saltarelli Kawasaki ITA 9 Click here to view the news

Yamaha-riding British wild-card Tommy Hill, who normally competes in his national championship, had a sensational world championship debut, taking pole position on his Virgin Mobile Yamaha YZF-R1 at Silverstone today. For the first time this year superpole was run under wet weather regulations, giving each rider 50 minutes and 12 laps in which to set their qualifying time, rather than the usual one flying lap in dry conditions. The 21-year-old former British R6 Cup champion did all his laps in one stint, riding spectacularly to head the times for much of the superpole session. Hill slid off on his final lap while try to improve his pole position time of 1:38.001. Despite the slip-up, no other rider could knock the Virgin Mobile Yamaha rider from the top of the time sheets and he will start his first ever world superbike races from the front of the grid tomorrow. Yamaha Motor Italia rider Noriyuki Haga grabbed a front row start at Silverstone, powering his YZF-R1 to the fourth fastest time at the British circuit. The Japanese star has been consistently strong in both the wet and dry, although he was forced to use his spare machine for the superpole after his number one machine developed a a vibration in the preceding free practice session. Haga used all his experience to stay upright in the slippery conditions and get a valuable front row start at a circuit where he has excelled in the past. With the rain stopping and the sun making its first appearance of the day the track prior to the session, the Yamaha Motor Italia duo stayed in the pits until 20 minutes into the session in the hope that the conditions would improve. With heavy rain falling throughout the day, the riders have been unable to work on improving the settings for what are expected to be dry conditions for tomorrow's races. Haga's team-mate Andrew Pitt was a disappointed 11th after superpole. The Australian rode strongly in the dry conditions, going into superpole as the sixth fastest rider, but the rider and his team could not find an ideal wet weather setting and Pitt struggled for grip in the wet superpole session. Yamaha Motor France riders Sebastien Gimbert and Norick Abe completed the five YZF-R1 riders competing in superpole. Gimbert crashed on his first lap in superpole, his third tumble of the weekend, but came back to 12th on his spare machine. Abe, no fan of the wet conditions, finished 15th after superpole - improving his position from regular qualifying by one position. Shinichi Nakatomi will start the race from 20th position after failing to make the top 16 in yesterday's opening qualifying session. The Japanese newcomer is making his first visit to the historic British circuit and is looking to score some more championship points despite having completed only one session in dry conditions. Tommy Hill (Virgin Mobile Yamaha) "I can't believe that I'll be starting my first world superbike races ahead of the guys that I am used to watching on television! I'm not sure what to expect from the races and I think that it'll only really sink in when I'm sitting on the grid tomorrow. It was probably just as well that I crashed as we are so far down the pit lane that I couldn't read my lap board properly. I was feeling really comfortable and I would probably have stayed out even longer if I hadn't come off and been penalized for doing too many laps! It's great to be here and riding on the same tyres as everyone else. I like the wet but it'll be nice for the fans if it's dry tomorrow as we have had so many wet races in the British championship this year. In the dry I'd love to get a top eight but for now I'm just enjoying what we've achieved today." Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) "This circuit has no grip and is very scary in the rain. We waited a while to see if the track would dry but it was still very slippery out there. I almost crashed many times so I am really happy to be on the front row. We have a good setting for wet or dry, so I think I can make a good race tomorrow. I hope for sunshine but this is England and no-one ever knows what the weather will do here!" Andrew Pitt (Yamaha Motor Italia) "We are struggling for rear grip in the wet and it didn't matter what we did we couldn't improve the situation. We've got a good set-up for the dry so I'm hoping that there's no rain tomorrow. It will be tough from the third row of the grid though." Sebastien Gimbert (Yamaha Motor France) "Not so bad but I was not feeling 100 percent after the crash in superpole. I have had quite a few crashes this weekend and need to rest up and get ready for the race." Norick Abe (Yamaha Motor France) "I am still trying to find a good feeling with the superbike and the Pirelli tyres in rain conditions, so I was not pleased that qualifying was wet today. The forecast for tomorrow is dry so I am hoping that we can have some good races." Shinichi Nakatomi (Yamaha Motor France) "I'd have liked at least one more hour in dry conditions today as it has been difficult trying to learn the circuit in these conditions. I have never ridden at Silverstone before and it was difficult to find out about the circuit while I am still learning the characteristics of this bike and the wet-weather Pirelli tyres." Massimo Meregalli (Team Coordinator - Yamaha Motor Italia) "Nori is running strongly in both conditions and is ready to fight at the front tomorrow. His bike developed an unusual vibration before the superpole so we decided not to risk anything and switch to the spare bike. The set-ups are almost identical so this was not such a problem. Andrew had some problems with the back of the bike coming around when he backed off the throttle and this has dropped him back a little. Tonight we will follow the weather forecast. It looks like being dry but we will prepare a wet weather bike and a dry weather bike for each rider. In case of a dry race we already know which front tyre to use and will have the 20 minute warm-up to make our final decision on the rear." Round: 5 - United Kingdom Circuit: Silverstone Circuit Length: 3619 Lap Record: 1' 27.130 (Regis Laconi, 2005) Fastest Lap Ever: 1' 26.679 (Yukio Kagayama, 2005) Date: 27 May 2006 Temp: 11ºC Session 2 : Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. 1st Qualifying 2nd Qualifying Superpole 1 T. Hill Yamaha GBR 1' 27.807 N/A 1' 38.001 2 T. Bayliss Ducati AUS 1' 27.011 N/A 1' 38.254 3 C. Walker Kawasaki GBR 1' 27.656 1' 58.930 1' 38.265 4 N. Haga Yamaha JPN 1' 27.364 1' 46.090 1' 38.546 5 M. Fabrizio Honda ITA 1' 28.078 1' 52.640 1' 38.899 6 A. Barros Honda BRA 1' 27.940 1' 45.802 1' 39.082 7 R. Xaus Ducati ESP 1' 27.810 N/A 1' 39.388 8 K. Muggeridge Honda AUS 1' 27.648 N/A 1' 40.023 9 R. Laconi Kawasaki FRA 1' 27.721 1' 51.550 1' 40.042 10 T. Corser Suzuki AUS 1' 27.068 1' 45.726 1' 40.181 11 A. Pitt Yamaha AUS 1' 27.539 1' 51.876 1' 40.552 12 S. Gimbert Yamaha FRA 1' 27.730 N/A 1' 40.574 13 F. Nieto Kawasaki ESP 1' 27.205 1' 46.955 1' 40.729 14 J. Toseland Honda GBR 1' 27.418 N/A 1' 41.004 15 N. Abe Yamaha JPN 1' 28.246 1' 51.269 1' 42.069 16 Y. Kagayama Suzuki JPN 1' 27.599 1' 48.928 1' 42.262 20 S. Nakatomi Yamaha JPN 1' 28.503 1' 53.912 WSS : Rain means no improvements for supersport riders Round: 5 - United Kingdom WSS Circuit: Silverstone Date: 27 May 2006 Temp: 14ºC Weather: Wet Heavy rain throughout the day meant that the grid positions for tomorrow's world supersport round at Silverstone were decided by the times from Friday's damp session. No riders improved their times in the soaking conditions, although Yamaha Motor Germany riders Broc Parkes and Kevin Curtain both took to the circuit for a handful of laps to test some components and their wet weather settings. Sebastien Charpentier (Honda) will start from pole position, with Curtain and Parkes alongside him in second and third place respectively. Yamaha Team Italia rider Massimo Roccoli heads the second row, in fifth, with Xavi Fores seventh on his privately-entered YZF-R6. Dry conditions are predicted for tomorrow's race, with the supersport competitors having had no practice in completely dry conditions. Round: 5 - United Kingdom WSS Circuit: Silverstone Circuit Length: 3619 Lap Record: 1' 29.027 (Sebastien Charpentier, 2005) Fastest Lap Ever: 1' 28.750 (Sebastien Charpentier, 2005) Date: 27 May 2006 Temp: 14ºC Session 1 : Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. 1st Qualifying 2nd Qualifying 1 S. Charpentier Honda FRA 1' 30.516 N/A 2 K. Curtain Yamaha AUS 1' 30.711 1' 55.269 3 B. Parkes Yamaha AUS 1' 31.001 1' 46.493 4 P. Riba Kawasaki ESP 1' 31.492 N/A 5 M. Roccoli Yamaha ITA 1' 31.657 1' 46.085 6 M. Lagrive Honda FRA 1' 31.692 1' 56.255 7 X. Fores Yamaha ESP 1' 31.963 1' 58.969 8 J. Stigefelt Honda SWE 1' 32.136 1' 48.307 9 K. Fujiwara Honda JPN 1' 32.320 1' 51.224 10 Y. Tibero Honda FRA 1' 32.450 N/A 11 M. Sanchini Yamaha ITA 1' 32.533 1' 49.784 12 K. Andersen Suzuki NOR 1' 32.595 1' 46.573 13 D. Checa Yamaha ESP 1' 32.649 1' 45.873 14 B. Veneman Suzuki NED 1' 32.732 1' 47.055 15 G. Vizziello Yamaha ITA 1' 32.755 1' 47.946 16 M. Berger Kawasaki FRA 1' 32.920 1' 48.332 17 J. Enjolras Yamaha FRA 1' 32.995 1' 46.427 27 A. Corradi Yamaha ITA 1' 34.645 N/A 29 V. Ivanov Yamaha RUS 1' 35.041 1' 58.005 30 B. Martinez Yamaha ESP 1' 35.154 1' 53.001 Click here to view the news

Yamaha Motor Italia rider Noriyuki Haga shone in first qualifying at a damp and windy Silverstone today, ending the day in fourth place with team-mate Andrew Pitt an equally strong sixth. Morning practice took place in wet conditions and although the track was mostly dry for the one-hour afternoon qualifying, the tricky conditions caught out many big name riders and led to two stoppages caused by riders crashing. Haga, who gave the Yamaha YZF-R1 its first world superbike podium finish at Silverstone 12 months ago, looked comfortable in both the wet and dry conditions, setting the third fastest time in the rainy morning session. The Japanese rider declared himself happy with the basic set-up of his Yamaha but will work overnight with his team to further improve the machine ahead of Sunday's two 28-lap races. Pitt made a big improvement in the closing stages of the session to end as the day's sixth fastest rider at one of his least favourite circuits. Having spent the session experimenting with the set-up of his YZF-R1, the Australian effectively switched back to his base settings to jump up the grid. With quarter of an hour to go Yamaha Motor France's Sebastien Gimbert topped the leader board. The Frenchman had suffered a spectacular crash in the morning practice, when he slid off his R1 going down the start-finish straight. The accident wrecked his machine and left him with abrasions on his back. Despite the handicap he finished the day 11th. Yamaha Motor France's Japanese duo had tougher days, with Norick Abe 16th and Shinichi Nakatomi 20th on his first visit to the circuit. Local wild-card Tommy Hill was 12th on another YZF-R1. Grid positions will be decided in tomorrow's superpole session for the top 16 riders from qualifying. With rain a strong possibility tomorrow morning, the superpole participants could well be decided on today's times. Fastest rider today was championship leader Troy Bayliss (Ducati), ahead of world champion Troy Corser (Suzuki) and Fonsi Nieto (Kawasaki). Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) "Not so bad although I am a little bit angry not to get pole as I had a small problem on what should have been my fastest lap. The feeling with the bike is already good in both the wet and dry but we will work more tomorrow to try and make it better for the races." Andrew Pitt (Yamaha Motor Italia) "The track was a bit patchy: you'd go in on the dry but then hit a wet bit, but it went ok for us and I'm quite happy. We started the session off well but got a bit lost with the changes we made, before going back to basics to get the lap time. We've still got a bit of a problem with the bike wheelying too much but that's the only point where I think I'm losing some time." Sebastien Gimbert (Yamaha Motor France) "I am happy with how things have gone today. The times are very close with just 0.7 second between me and the pole. It was good to be at the top of the timesheets but at the end I went out to test the race tyre rather than going for an improved time. Norick Abe (Yamaha Motor France) "This morning the feeling with the bike was not so good, but then I have never been able to feel comfortable with the superbike in wet conditions. The afternoon was not so bad but the conditions were quite strange, with many riders going down at one corner. Every lap I would see someone else go down there and as a result I was not able to fully attack that corner until the very end. I am still having some problems with the right hand I injured in Monza. This might cause me some problems in the race, as there is a lot of hard braking at this circuit. I am happy to be in the top 16 as I will be in superpole if it rains tomorrow morning, although I hope it is dry and I can show my best." Shinichi Nakatomi (Yamaha Motor France) "I had a crash at the same corner as all the other riders and this meant I could not be as high as I like. I went out on a different tyre option and it caught me out but I am not injured and hope we can have some dry conditions tomorrow." Massimo Meregalli (Team Coordinator - Yamaha Motor Italia) "A good day. Nori's lap times are very consistent and he seem to be as fast as anyone, while Andrew made just a few changes to the set-up we have used at Monza and Mugello, suggesting that he has found a base setting that really works for him. He started out by following Toseland for a few laps but found that he could pass and go faster on his own. Compared with last year he is looking very strong and I'm pleased because both the riders are happy with their set-ups and seem to have good tyre life around this circuit." Round: 5 - United Kingdom Circuit: Silverstone Circuit Length: 3619 Lap Record: 1' 27.130 (Regis Laconi, 2005) Fastest Lap Ever: 1' 26.679 (Yukio Kagayama, 2005) Date: 26 May 2006 Temp: 17ºC Session 1 : Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. 1st Qualifying 1 T. Bayliss Ducati AUS 1' 27.011 2 T. Corser Suzuki AUS 1' 27.068 3 F. Nieto Kawasaki ESP 1' 27.205 4 N. Haga Yamaha JPN 1' 27.364 5 J. Toseland Honda GBR 1' 27.418 6 A. Pitt Yamaha AUS 1' 27.539 7 Y. Kagayama Suzuki JPN 1' 27.599 8 K. Muggeridge Honda AUS 1' 27.648 9 C. Walker Kawasaki GBR 1' 27.656 10 R. Laconi Kawasaki FRA 1' 27.721 11 S. Gimbert Yamaha FRA 1' 27.730 12 T. Hill Yamaha GBR 1' 27.807 13 R. Xaus Ducati ESP 1' 27.810 14 A. Barros Honda BRA 1' 27.940 15 M. Fabrizio Honda ITA 1' 28.078 16 N. Abe Yamaha JPN 1' 28.246 20 S. Nakatomi Yamaha JPN 1' 28.503 WSS : Curtain and Parkes shine in Silverstone gloom Round: 5 - United Kingdom WSS Circuit: Silverstone Date: 26 May 2006 Temp: 17ºC Weather: Cloudy Yamaha Motor Germany riders Kevin Curtain and Broc Parkes gave a good showing on the opening day of supersport action in Silverstone, ending a damp day second and third on the overnight grid. After a morning of rain, supersport qualifying started in damp conditions. Running dry weather tyres the fastest men lapped around two seconds off lap record pace in the difficult conditions. Despite a clear dry line having formed around the circuit, the riders were faced with standing water streaming across the circuit at several points and the mental problem of a light drizzle being blown into onto their visors. Fastest in the session was championship leader Sebastien Charpentier (Honda), who set a best lap of 1:30.516 - one-and-a-half seconds off his own lap record. Curtain set a best of 1:30.711 in the closing stages of the session, with Parkes a further three-tenths behind on 1:31.001. Both YZF-R6 riders declared themselves happy with their day's work, believing that they would have set quicker times had a red flag not stopped the session prematurely. Wild-card Pere Riba (Kawasaki) completes the provisional front row with Yamaha Team Italia rider Massimo Roccoli leading the second row. Spaniard David Checa was 13th fastest on the Yamaha GMT94 YZF-R6 with Gianluca Vizziello 15th on the other Yamaha Team Italia machine. Round: 5 - United Kingdom WSS Circuit: Silverstone Circuit Length: 3619 Lap Record: 1' 29.027 (Sebastien Charpentier, 2005) Fastest Lap Ever: 1' 28.750 (Sebastien Charpentier, 2005) Date: 26 May 2006 Temp: 17ºC Session 1 : Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. 1st Qualifying 1 S. Charpentier Honda FRA 1' 30.516 2 K. Curtain Yamaha AUS 1' 30.711 3 B. Parkes Yamaha AUS 1' 31.001 4 P. Riba Kawasaki ESP 1' 31.492 5 M. Roccoli Yamaha ITA 1' 31.657 6 M. Lagrive Honda FRA 1' 31.692 7 X. Fores Yamaha ESP 1' 31.963 8 J. Stigefelt Honda SWE 1' 32.136 9 K. Fujiwara Honda JPN 1' 32.320 10 Y. Tibero Honda FRA 1' 32.450 11 M. Sanchini Yamaha ITA 1' 32.533 12 K. Andersen Suzuki NOR 1' 32.595 13 D. Checa Yamaha ESP 1' 32.649 14 B. Veneman Suzuki NED 1' 32.732 15 G. Vizziello Yamaha ITA 1' 32.755 16 M. Berger Kawasaki FRA 1' 32.920 17 J. Enjolras Yamaha FRA 1' 32.995 27 A. Corradi Yamaha ITA 1' 34.645 29 V. Ivanov Yamaha RUS 1' 35.041 30 B. Martinez Yamaha ESP 1' 35.154 Click here to view the news

Britain's Silverstone circuit is the venue for this weekend's fifth round of the 2006 Superbike World Championship. So far the season has been a case of so near but so far for the Yamaha Motor Italia squad. In the eight races run so far this year, Noriyuki Haga has twice finished on the third step of the podium and never finished lower than fifth place. One DNF (crashing on the final lap while contesting the lead at the first race in Qatar) puts Haga fifth in the championship, although the Japanese star knows he now needs to start winning races if he is to stop the so far dominant Troy Bayliss (Ducati) from running away with the championship. Silverstone has proved a successful track for Haga in the past. He took a first and second position there in 2004 and gave the still-developing Yamaha YZF-R1 its first ever world superbike podium finish at last year's race. With the R1 now developed into a consistent front runner, the Yamaha Motor Italia squad sees Silverstone as a great opportunity to make their presence felt in the championship. "I have done well at Silverstone in the past so I am looking forward to racing there again this weekend," says Haga. "The last round at Monza was not so bad. I don't normally get on the podium there so to finish third in race two was a good result for me and the team. Silverstone is a track that we know suits me and the R1. We got our first podium there last year and we should be able to fight with the fastest riders again this year." Team-mate Andrew Pitt lies one place behind Haga in the championship standings. The Australian has also been very consistent this season and is looking to forget a nightmare outing at the British track last year. Pitt struggled to come to terms with the shorter International layout used for the first time last year and picked up a nasty leg injury during practice. Despite this, Pitt insists a top three finish is not out of the question this year, commenting: "I was a little disappointed not to be on the podium at Monza, because the improvements we've made to the bike means that this is a realistic target for us at every circuit. Silverstone wasn't the happiest of races for me last year and I'm not a big fan of the shorter circuit we use now. But at the end of the day it's just another race and you go there with the same target as always, which means getting on the podium." Yamaha Motor France rider Norick Abe arrives in Silverstone in the championship's top ten, despite failing to score in Monza. The Japanese star had a tough weekend in Italy, missing Saturday's practice session and bravely riding but failing to score in the races. Rapidly improving team-mate Shinichi Nakatomi had his best result in Monza with a tenth in race one and will be looking to continue his superbike education at the short and technical British circuit. In the Supersport World Championship Yamaha Motor Germany's Kevin Curtain will look to get his season back on track after the heartache of retiring through mechanical problems in Monza. The Australian remains second overall in the championship, 31 points behind defending world champion Sebastien Charpentier (Honda). Click here to view the news