Alex Asigno

On January 9, 2006 Altadis abruptly announced that it had initiated arbitration proceedings against Yamaha arising out of an alleged breach by Yamaha of the two companies' sponsorship agreement for Yamaha's factory racing team. Yamaha would like to clarify several points in light of Altadis' wrongful statements. First, Yamaha no longer has any sponsorship agreement with Altadis, as the previous sponsorship agreement was terminated in all respects for the 2006 season. Second, Yamaha strongly denies that it has ever breached its previous sponsorship agreement with Altadis. Third, in the absence of any agreement in force between Altadis and Yamaha, there exists no legal obligation preventing Yamaha from contracting with a tobacco sponsor or any other sponsor for the 2006 season. Yamaha deplores the fact that Altadis' unreasonable actions have frustrated Yamaha's good-faith efforts to resolve this matter in an amicable fashion, and has seen fit to make its unmerited allegations in a public forum. To date, Yamaha has not been notified of any Request for Arbitration from Altadis. In any event, Yamaha will defend its rights vigorously, and reserves the rights to claim both pecuniary damages and declaratory relief with respect to the wrong and disparaging statements made by Altadis and the harm wilfully caused by its frivolous conduct, for the sake of Yamaha and all of its fans and supporters worldwide who continue to support and sustain the MotoGP sport and Yamaha's MotoGP factory racing team. Click here to view the news

Day 7 - Friday 6 January 2006 Zouérat - Atâr (Mauritania) Connection 10 km, Special 499 km, Connection 12 km, Total 521 km A big dose of courage was needed to cover this special. Technically difficult as well as providing a tough test of navigation, the day's riding consisted of large dunes alternating with fast flat portions on treacherous ground - proving to be one of the toughest stages of the rally. Starting in reverse order, David managed setting sixth time on CP1 (checkpoint). Fellow Frenchman Gilles Algay, (Yamaha WR450F) surprised by setting the quickest time at CP1. After refilling the obligatory water and fuel at CP1, a high-speed crash at about 130 km/h ended David's ambitions of a top five ranking. Despite the shock and a severely damaged bike, he refused to activate the emergency flare and instead took off again, clocking the eighth time after the 499 km special. Frétigné arrived in Atâr leaving significant work for the mechanics and his physiotherapist. Considering the damage to the bike, eighth position overall could be considered a good result. Day 8 - Saturday 7 January 2005 Atâr - Nouakchott Connection 34 km, Special 508 km, Connection 26 km, Total 568 km The last stage before the much desired rest day was even more difficult in terms of navigation then the previous one. Bothered by physical discomforts of two serious crashes from a day earlier, Frétigné took off for the 568 km of the eighth stage. In search of a waypoint masque Frétigné lost one and a half hours on the top five riders. After finally reaching CP2 for the necessary refilling, David clocked a 33rd time, ending in 12th position for the night. Day 9 - Sunday 8 January 2006 Rest day at bivouac Nouakchott Several bikers have been given 2-hour time penalties today for missing out on a way point (WPM) during day 8. Among the top riders who missed the GPS point was Frétigné who lost 4 positions in the overall standings because of that, now 16th. Day 10 - Monday 9 January 2005 Nouakchott - Kiffa Connection 30 km, Special 599 km, Connection 245 km, Total 874 km Day 10 of the Dakar saw the longest stage set within Mauritania and a harsh environment displayed by the tragic death of KTM rider Andy Caldecott. Frétigné set a 17th time on CP2 but had a serious crash at kilometre 200. This crash damaged the front end of his bike, breaking off the support brackets of his navigation instruments. Therefore the remaining 600 km of stage could only be driven at a 30 km/h pace. David had to stop many times for temporary repairs to the bike. This resulted in a disappointing 45th place for the day, setting him back to 19th position in overall standings. Portuguese Yamaha pilot Hélder Rodrigues had a better day setting a third place for the day and improving his standing on the leader board to ninth position. Overall standings after day 10/stage 9 1. 002 COMA (ESP) KTM en 38h49:15 2. 001 DESPRES (FRA) KTM +22:47 3. 006 SALA (ITA) KTM +53:04 4. 005 ULLEVALSETER (NOR) KTM +1h27:42 5. 004 DE GAVARDO (CHI) KTM +1h35:15 19. 012 FRETIGNE (FRA) YAMAHA+8:06:54 Click here to view the news

Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. announces the start of a new partnership with JT International (JTI), a subsidiary of Japan Tobacco Inc., whose brand CAMEL will become the new title sponsor of Yamaha's Factory MotoGP Team for 2006. The Yamaha Factory MotoGP Team, consisting of reigning-World Champion Valentino Rossi and his team-mate Colin Edwards, will be known as the "Camel Yamaha Team" in 2006. Managing Director of Yamaha Motor Racing Lin Jarvis commented "Yamaha is very excited to enter into this new partnership with JTI. JTI has been involved in motorsport at the highest level for many years and has been an active sponsor at the top level in the MotoGP class for the past three seasons. We look forward to working with JTI to enhance the respective images of our brands and to challenge together for victory, as Yamaha enters its "next 50 years" and aims to retain its MotoGP titles in 2006." "A new chapter in the history of Camel in motorsport is just beginning", commented Roberto Zanni, JTI's Regional President for Europe, "After three years of great satisfaction in the premier class of the World Road Racing Championship, we are today launching a new challenge for the title. Our new partnership with Yamaha, the historic, championship-winning Japanese manufacturer, will be highly motivating for us and it will be an honour to be by their side throughout the 2006 season. We share the same passion and desire for victory and, I am sure, success will not be long in coming." The Camel Yamaha Team will begin its 2006 campaign in Sepang, Malaysia with a three-day test on 23rd, 24th and 25th January. Click here to view the news

Day 4 - Tuesday 3 January 2006 Er Rachida - Quarzazate (Morocco). Connection 56 km, Special 386 km, Connection 197 km, Total 639 km. Stage four of the Dakar 2006 event, from Er Rachidia to Quarzazate in Marocco, was to be another day covered in dust. Starting from 10th position, David Frétigné (Fra) needed all his physical strength and experience to overtake his opponents along the 86 km special stage. While the leaders set out first to navigate the route, the competitors that followed were able to make up ground with less navigation efforts, despite the dusty conditions. This second stage in Morocco was less technical than the previous one and was dominated by straights and sandy plates, not the ideal battle ground for David against the leading competitors with their bigger displacement bikes which have a higher top speed. Taking full advantage of the WR450F, Frétigné managed to end the day in 7th position, equalling his position on the provisional leader board. Day 5 - Wednesday 4 January 2005 Quarzazate - Tan Tan (Morocco). Connection 187 km, Special 350 km, Connection 282 km, Total 819 km A more technical stage from Quarzazate to Tan Tan (Morocco) was set out on the fifth day covering an impressive 819km in an ideal terrain to test the durability of the Yamaha WR450F Kit Afrique. It took Frétigné exactly 4 hours to cover the 350 km special, 13 minutes behind the day's fastest competitor Despres (Fra) before arriving in the bivouac in Tan Tan. The effort to keep up with the race leaders needed 100% dedication, especially because David suffered from a knee injury due to a fall earlier on in the stage. This led to difficulties with operating the rear break and standing on the foot pegs during technical parts of the stage. Not being able to ride as he wanted, Frétigné was taking calculated risks to keep up with the race leaders and still ended 10th fastest for the day. With 7th place overall after the third day in Africa, David prepared for a short night having to leave the bivouac at 02:00 at night for stage six. Day 6 - Thursday 5 January 2006 Tan Tan - Zouérat (Mauritania). Connection 336 km, Special 444 km, Connection 12 km, Total 792 km Hampered by the injury of his knee, David Frétigné left the last Moroccan bivouac as 10th rider for a 792 km long stage. Entering Mauritania the landscape changed from fast tracks to the preferential setting for the light and manoeuvrable Yamaha WR450F; dunes and camel grass. David Frétigné confirmed the positive expectations by improving his position on the leader board to a 6th position overall. David Frétigné (Yamaha WR450F Kit Afrique - Yamaha Motor France Ipone): "I slept only for three hours last night and today's stage was very long. The first 220 km didn't feel that good. On CP1 (Check Point) I clocked the 14th time, 7 minutes behind race leader Pujol (Spa) and Coma (Spa). After that it got very interesting with the appearance of the first real dunes and camel grass. I rode quite fast and navigation wasn't really a problem so I didn't follow the tracks of the leaders. I chose a different route and that worked out well. I made up three to four minutes by doing that and ended up in eight place for the day. My knee injury improved during the day. Alex, my physiotherapist, had a busy night yesterday. I did a good deal of stretching and he worked on the ligaments. Thanks to his work and a good bondage I had a good day without too much pain. The bike functioned perfectly all throughout the stage. Tomorrow the start will be inversed and it should be a positive day as well, leaving together with the race leaders. Knowing that Casteu and Despres had problems today, one can say the race is now really on! We'll be having some sleepless nights and more surprises will occur during the next three days. I have to remain vigilant and concentrated, but I don't really worry since I prepared myself well." Overall standings after day 6 1. 2 COMA (ESP) KTM en 18h15:45 2. 1 DESPRES (FRA) KTM +3:43 3. 3 ESTEVE PUJOL (ESP) KTM +4:25 4. 4 DE GAVARDO (CHI) KTM +5:57 5. 10 CALDECOTT (AUS) KTM +27:43 6. 12 FRETIGNE (FRA) YAMAHA +34:28 Click here to view the news

In the first days of the 2006 Dakar David Frétigné positioned himself amongst the favorites for winning the grueling Rally event. 233 bikes started from Lissabon to Portimão for the first day. With the starting order inversed, meaning that the highest starting number would depart first, Frétigné carrying number 12 was one of the last riders to depart. He finished the day in sixth position being hampered by rainy conditions and some slower competitors ahead of him. Day two of the event introduced the longest special stage in Europe ever with a length of 115 Km, entering Spain over mountainous terrain to finish in the port of Malaga from where the caravan would make the cross over to Africa. Frétigné did not make the mistake to answer to the challenges of the local heroes from Portugal and Spain, who made an extra effort for home glory. Instead he rode a calculated and defensive race, bracing himself for treacherous African conditions, knowing that only there the race will be decided. He ended the day ninth overall. The third stage in 2006 Dakar from Nador to Er Rachidia introduced the first African terrain; stony tracks and Moroccan cliffs. The same route has appeared on the maps already three times earlier in the Dakar history but every time the course is laid out different. This meant there was little advantage for those who rode the rally previously, since the 'old' GPS navigation technique is replaced by a sole source of navigation; the road book. 237 km of liaison prior to the 314 km special stage followed again by a final 121 km of liaison completed the total of 672 km of the 3rd day. Leaving the first African bivouac at 5:30, David Frétigné (Yamaha WR450F Kit Afrique - Yamaha Team France Ipone), could not foresee the upcoming problems with the power supply of his road book. 100 km within the special, the power supply failed and the rider had to rely on his navigation skills. Focussing on the main objective of keeping in touch with the current leaders, the Yamaha pilot finished in 12th position, improving to 7th position overall on the provisional leader board. David Frétigné (Yamaha WR450F Kit Afrique - Yamaha Motor France Ipone): "Again a good day of riding and I wasn't intimidated by the fast pace of Caldecott (Aus). I started today's special at 9:20 and before CP1 (Check Point), problems occurred with the electrical supply for the road book. I tried to operate it by hand but it was too dangerous. I was glad that I could stay on the stage and the follow the route. The lack of a GPS system made it very difficult, but I quickly rediscovered my navigation skills. I was accompanying Cyril Despres. Later on, when we passed a group of riders, Despres drove away from me and I was pretty much alone. After CP2, visibility was poor due to the dust. Caldecott is a contender that knows how to navigate in poor visual conditions. In 2004 I was still impressed by his speed in the Australian Safari but in this years Dakar event I'm not. Physically I'm fit and the WR450F is fast. The work that been done in the Shamrock rally-raid on suspension gives me a lot of confidence. While focussing on problems with my road book, I had a 'moment' every now and then, but the bike reacted very well. Six minutes behind after day three in general standing is not really a problem. I take every day as it comes and I am not going to worry too much about the time I'm behind the leaders. I have to concentrate on each individual stage. There will be good and bad better days, but that's Dakar. Standings after day 3 1. 1 DESPRES (FRA) KTM - 6h03:12 2. 2 COMA (ESP) KTM + 1:16 3. 179 PELLICER (ESP) KTM +1:39 4. 10 CALDECOTT (AUS) KTM +3:41 5. 4 DE GAVARDO (CHI) KTM +3:41 7. 12 FRETIGNE (FRA) YAMAHA 5:49 Yamaha Racing Communications Hoogte Kadijk 61 HS / 1018 BE Amsterdam / The Netherlands Tel. +31 (0) 20 330 2709 / Fax +31 (0) 20 420 9470 Click here to view the news

The World superbike paddock sets down in Portimao this week for the first of the European rounds of the 2010 season. This will be the third outing for Superbikes at the Portuguese circuit, and the first race there for the Yamaha team since they secured the 2009 World Superbike Championship title at the end of last season with rider Ben Spies. The track also has a special significance for Cal Crutchlow as it was here at the end of the season last year that he crossed the line to take the World Supersport Championship title for Yamaha on his R6. The team also enjoyed a very positive test here in January, wrapping up with Cal Crutchlow fourth fastest and James Toseland sixth, both delivering fast, consistent and competitive lap times. After solving unexpected chatter problems in the race weekend during the first round, the team then also found difficulties in the electronics area in combination with the increased power found during the winter and low grip levels at the Phillip Island circuit. The team have continued to work hard to further develop the 2010 R1 including a short test at the Misano circuit in San Marino last week. Riders James Toseland and Cal Crutchlow are now keen to get straight onto the track and close the points deficit to current championship leader Leon Haslam. Round one at Phillip Island saw both riders fall in the first race, regrouping for race two with Crutchlow scoring a ninth place finish and Toseland right behind in tenth. The month break following has given Toseland's hand injury, sustained in Phillip Island, a chance to recover ahead of Friday's first sessions on track. "I'm really keen to get to Portugal and get back on the bike," said Cal Crutchlow. "Last time I raced here I won the world title in Supersport so I have good feelings for the track. I'm going to put 100% into my efforts this weekend as always and we'll see what happens with the progress the guys have made over the last couple of weeks." "I'm really looking forward to it," said James Toseland. "We had a tough time in Australia but I believe the team has been working really hard in the meantime and the test went well in Misano. My hand is nearly back to normal although there's still a bit of pain. I'm basically looking forward to getting out on track and seeing what progress we've made to catch up." Portimao technically speaking according to Frankie Carchedi, James Toseland's Crew Chief "Portimao is a very challenging circuit to set-up for. It requires good handling in the middle section, but also a very good stable and braking bike in the first sector. From a chassis point of view, we are very close to where we need to be. The biggest area the team have been working on is the electronics and smoothening the power delivery to make it more user friendly for James. This will also help the tyre life for the latter part of the race. The team have worked hard since Philip Island to find solutions for the areas that needed improving. Hopefully we can be challenging for the podium positions." Portimao technically speaking according to Marcus Eschenbacher, Cal Crutchlow's Crew Chief "Portimao is a track with three distinct characters, the long straight with hard braking, the mid-part with enormous altitude changes and the last part, especially the last corner with a long sweeping radius. So the key point for us with Cal is to find the right balance of setup to suit major areas of the circuit. We will start with one bike on the setup from the test that worked well and one with some new ideas to match it better with Cal's needs. The main concentration is on the electronic side to improve ride ability and also endurance of the tyres. As with all races it depends on the weekend conditions how much we will be able to do. We will work hard to challenge the podium!" Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team Manager "It hasn't been a perfect start to the season for us, but as always with new bike developments it can take some testing to get the best results. During the Portimao circuit test in January we did not have the problems that haunted us in Phlillip Island. The team has worked incredibly hard this month and we have achieved positive results in our Misano test. We go to Portimao confident that we can achieve good results with both riders. I'm happy that James's hand is much better so he can concentrate on riding without pain." Click here to view the news

The Fiat Yamaha Team riders concluded their pre-season preparation this evening with another strong performance in the humid Qatar night, Valentino Rossi finishing second and Jorge Lorenzo sixth. This was the last time the riders will be on track before the first race, back at the same circuit in three weeks time. Rossi concentrated largely on finalising his race preparation today, also finding time to try a new tyre compound for Bridgestone. The Italian completed 20 laps in a long run late in the evening with the aim of gathering more information for the race, which will help the team during the practice sessions when they return here. He set his best time of the day earlier in the evening, slightly slower than his time from yesterday, and finally had to settle for second behind Casey Stoner. The Italian has been fastest on five out of six test days this year however and he and his crew are now looking forward with confidence to the first race. Lorenzo continued to make progress and to push as hard as his injured hand would allow, the Spaniard managing to test some new electronic settings amongst other things and improve on his time from yesterday. He still felt some pain in the hard braking areas and needed to take a painkilling pill, but he was happy to finish sixth in the circumstances and is confident that he will be back to full strength in time for the race. The first race of the 2010 MotoGP season takes place at Losail, Qatar on 9th, 10th and 11th April. Valentino Rossi - Position: 2nd Time: 1'55.860 Laps: 57 "This has been another good day. We've concentrated mostly on the race preparation and it feels like we're now ready for the first race. We did a long run at the end of the session and we got some good information, which will help us in the race. Now that testing is over I am very excited about the season. We've been strong throughout the six days of practice and it feels good to have been fast here also, where we have struggled in the past. We have only tested at two tracks so we need to wait for another different one to fully understand the new bike, but we're in good shape. My M1 feels great and I'm looking forward to racing!" Jorge Lorenzo - Position: 6th Time: 1'56.504 Laps: 44 "Today my hand felt okay, maybe a bit worse than yesterday. Of course it's not as good as before the accident but this is to be expected! It's hard for me in the braking areas and I can't push any harder than I have been today at the moment, but I hope it will have improved a lot by the time of the first race. Our bike is great, Yamaha have done a fantastic job and you can see this from the strong performance of all the Yamaha riders. We've done a lot of work and tried many things, so I hope that these will help us when we come back here in three weeks. I will keep working to strengthen my hand and I hope to be in much better condition by then." Davide Brivio - Team Manager We're really happy about this final test. Although we were fast in Sepang we didn't know what to expect here but we found that we were quick here as well - more than a second faster than last year in fact and this is encouraging! We've done some more work on the setting during this test and then today concentrated on race preparation, including doing a long run and trying some different combinations of bike and tyres. The waiting is nearly over now and we're ready!" Wilco Zeelenberg - Team Manager "We have been happy here to see that Jorge feels better than expected, even if his thumb is still not perfect. To be able to finish in the top six when he's not in the best shape is a great achievement. We know there is improvement to make but considering the situation we can be happy with this test. Jorge feels good on the bike and we have made some good steps forward in these two days; he can feel the difference already. At the moment these tiny steps are very important. Now we have almost three weeks until the race and this gives Jorge time to improve further, so hopefully we will be in good shape when we return." Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team end 2010 preparations in Qatar The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team end its pre-season preparations for the 2010 MotoGP world championship in high spirits on a hot and humid night at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar. With humid conditions reducing grip levels from the opening night, both Colin Edwards and Ben Spies were unable to improve their times tonight. The Texan pair were still able to carry out some valuable testing on the set-up of their Yamaha YZR-M1 machines and also assess a range of soft and hard compound front and rear Bridgestone tyres ahead of the first race under Qatar's spectacular floodlights on April 11. Edwards ended tonight's six-h our session with the eighth fastest time, a best lap of 1.56.722 less than 0.5s away from the top five. Spies was just two places further back in 10th with a best lap of 1.56.780. That was less than 0.1s away from Edwards' pace. Spies' best lap of 1.55.954 from the opening night was still good enough to secure him a top five place on the overall timesheets and boost his confidence ahead of his much-anticipated debut for the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team next month. Both Edwards and Spies escaped injury in identical crashes at Turn Two tonight. Colin Edwards - Position: 8th Time: 1'56.722 Laps: 48 “It wasn't the ending to testing I was looking for but it wasn't too bad. I just didn't really have a great feeling with the bike tonight and we need to have a think about things before we come back for the race next month. We've got some work to do because I just didn't feel as comfortable on the bike as I did last year, mainly with the front-end. And I know I go good at this track because I had a good race last year and finished fourth. I'm not sure what happened with the crash but I did exactly the same as Ben. I was on the soft front tyre that I'd not really run that much on the first night. But I was on my sixth lap on the tyre, so it should have been ready to push. But I was down before I knew it and it is a fast crash, even if you're only in second gear. I'm just glad I didn't get hurt so close to the first race because that was a fast crash. I'm really excited about going racing now. It seems like a long time since Valencia and I'm sure we can have another great year with the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team." Ben Spies - Position: 10th Time: 1'56.780 Laps: 44 “I didn't have a great night really but that can happen. Everything that could go wrong went wrong tonight. But I've have had a great winter and this was the first session where it didn't go the way we wanted it to. I'd had some small issues early on and went into Turn Two again and just lost the front. I wasn't really sure what happened but then four people crashed in the next 30 minutes so it must have got really humid really quick because something wasn't right with that many people going down in the same place. I did a few more laps to clear my head and got down to some decent times and I'm happy I did that. But it was still a successful test and I leave confident that I'll be competitive for the race next month. I want to thank my guys at Monster Yamaha Tech 3 for all their effort in the winter. We've done a good job and I feel we're in a position to have a competitive start to the season.” Test Times 1. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati Marlboro Team 1'55.353 2. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Fiat Yamaha Team 1'55.860 3. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) Repsol Honda Team 1'55.879 4. Nicky Hayden (USA) Ducati Marlboro Team 1'56.115 5. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 1'56.195 6. Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) Fiat Yamaha Team 1'56.504 7. Randy de Puniet (FRA) LCR Honda MotoGP 1'56.504 8. Colin Edwards (USA) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1'56.722 9. Mika Kallio (FIN) Pramac Green Team 1'56.767 10. Ben Spies (USA) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1'56.779 11. Aleix Espargaro (SPA) Pramac Green Team 1'56.897 12. Alvaro Bautista (SPA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 1'56.898 13. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team 1'56.935 14. Marco Melandri (ITA) San Carlo Honda Gresini 1'57.222 15. Hector Barbera (SPA) Aspar Team 1'57.223 16. Hiroshi Aoyama (JAP) Interwetten-Honda MotoGP 1'57.251 17. Marco Simoncelli (ITA) San Carlo Honda Gresini 1'57.379 Losail: Record Lap C. Stoner (Ducati) 2008, 1'55.153 Losail: Best Lap J. Lorenzo (Yamaha) 2008, 1'53.927 Click here to view the news

Gautier Paulin The official 2010 photoshoot for the factory Yamaha Monster Energy Motocross Team, Yamaha Monster Energy Ricci MX Team and the Yamaha Monster Energy Gariboldi Team took place recently at the Mantova circuit in Italy. The host venue for the second round of the 2010 MX-GP FIM World Championship - that starts on April 3rd-4th in Bulgaria - saw David Philippaerts and Ken De Dycker flick the ’10 YZ450F across the sandy jumps while the new YZ250F was handled to dazzling effect by Gautier Paulin while other MX2-GP riders Loic Larrieu, Alessandro Lupino, Christophe Charlier and Harri Kullas also demonstrated their skills. To see a gallery of the Yamaha Monster Energy collective and download some impressive photographs please click on this link: http://www.yamaha-racing.com/Racing/mx1/photo/ Click here to view the news

Valentino Rossi Reigning World Champion Valentino Rossi continued his domination of the pre-season testing programme in Qatar today, finishing the opening day of the final test 0.3 seconds ahead of Casey Stoner. His team-mate Jorge Lorenzo made a welcome return from injury to finish the day a creditable seventh and with Ben Spies third and Colin Edwards fourth, it was four Yamahas in the top seven. Testing began at 6pm under the floodlights at the desert track and Rossi was in command from the word go, finding yet more improvement in the 2010 M1 at what is not generally one of his best tracks. A break for dinner saw both Stoner and Spies better his time but the Italian was determined to finish the day on top and improved again on his last run to regain first place. Lorenzo missed the last test after breaking his hand and he was unsure how much strength he would have today, but the 23-year-old Spaniard was happy to find himself in better shape than expected and he steadily improved all night. He found the hard braking areas the most difficult but he was able to ride well enough to continue with his interrupted testing regime, and he is hopeful of further improvement tomorrow. Valentino Rossi - Position: 1st Time: 1'55.402 Laps: 64 "I am so happy today because this isn't one of our best tracks and to come here and be fastest shows what a great job Yamaha has done with this new M1. To start with the track was quite slippery but anyway we were still fast, and as the track started to improve I felt better and better. We are quite competitive and this gives me a good feeling, and I was happy to make this quick lap right at the end. We still have to decide the right tyre and the best setting for it, and we will keep working on the electronics but the most important thing is that we're faster than last year! Tomorrow we will continue with our work and try to finalise everything before the race." Jorge Lorenzo Jorge Lorenzo - Position: 7th Time: 1'56.838 Laps: 45 "It's really good to be back on my bike and actually when I went out on track the first time today my hand felt better than I had expected. The pain has decreased a lot in the last few days and I've been doing a lot of physio to make sure I'm in the best possible shape for this test. I was able to do quite a lot of laps today and my time is not so bad in the end, it's definitely interesting and important to be here and see our level after missing the last test. Dainese have made me a bigger glove and I have some protection on the hand; changing direction is okay, it's just the hard braking areas where I have some problems. I need more practice but I think we have made a good start." Ben Spies and Colin Edwards light up Qatar night test Monster Yamaha Tech 3 duo Ben Spies and Colin Edwards produced dazzling performances under the Losail International Circuit floodlights in Qatar tonight. Spies was in sparkling form to post a best time of 1.55.954 that secured him a stunning third place on the timesheets. Earlier on a balmy night in Doha, Spies had topped the timesheets for a brief period in the six-hour session that ran from 6pm to midnight. What made the reigning World Superbike champion's performance even more remarkable was he'd never ridden under the floodlights at the Losail International Circuit before. Yet Spies finished just over 0.2s behind circuit specialist and triple Qatar race winner C asey Stoner with Valentino Rossi once again quickest on his factory Yamaha YZR-M1 machine. The 25-year-old was forced to finish early after a crash at the second corner in the final hour while using a hard compound Bridgestone front tyre. But he declared himself delighted with progress in his 44-lap stint. Fellow Texan Colin Edwards was equally impressive in fourth position after he posted a best time of 1.57.541 in a 59-lap stint. Edwards continued to fine-tune the race-set-up of his YZR-M1 machine, working on Yamaha's new swingarm and Bridgestone's new hard compound front tyre. Ben Spies Ben Spies - Position: 3rd Time: 1'55.954 Laps: 44 “I know this track from last year but riding under the floodlights is definitely a bit different and nothing I've experienced before. The perception of speed is much faster with it being at night but I'm having a lot of fun. It's really well lit up but there are a couple of darker spots on the track that you have to get used to but I've not done too bad in adjusting to the lights. I know the track but any track I go to on a MotoGP bike makes it definitely different because of the lines you take. Some of the lines I'd take on the superbike just don't work but I felt like it was coming together good and following a couple of people it felt like I was doing more of the right things than I was in Malaysia. Obviously it is great for me to be high up the timesheets but I'm still taking baby steps to improve and not getting carried away. The crash was nothing too serious. I was running the hard front and I wasn't getting a good feeling from it. We changed the pressure to try and help for my second run but I just lost the front at the second corner. But to be third is fantastic for my guys at Monster Yamaha Tech 3. They have been giving me great support.” Colin Edwards Colin Edwards - Position: 4th Time: 1'56.541 Laps: 59 “It was a good night. It didn't start off too great and it took me a while to get into the groove. We played around with the set-up using some of the new parts I'd liked in Sepang and also running some of last year's pieces to get some good information. The lap time was about the same so around this track the new parts aren't making the difference like they did in Malaysia. I did a long run on the hard front and I like it. I did race distance on it and it felt really good. I ended up doing 27-laps on it, which is five more than race distance, and it still felt really good. I'm getting the feedback I need at full lean angle and it holds the turn much better." Test Times 1. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Fiat Yamaha Team 1'55.402 2. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati Marlboro Team 1'55.717 3. Ben Spies (USA) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1'55.954 4. Colin Edwards (USA) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1'56.540 5. Randy de Puniet (FRA) LCR Honda MotoGP 1'56.588 6. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) Repsol Honda Team 1'56.811 7. Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) Fiat Yamaha Team 1'56.838 8. Nicky Hayden (USA) Ducati Marlboro Team 1'56.855 9. Mika Kallio (FIN) Pramac Green Team 1'56.923 10. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team 1'57.047 11. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 1'57.099 12. Marco Melandri (ITA) San Carlo Honda Gresini 1'57.605 13. Hector Barbera (SPA) Aspar Team 1'57.822 14. Hiroshi Aoyama (JAP) Interwetten-Honda MotoGP 1'57.888 15. Marco Simoncelli (ITA) San Carlo Honda Gresini 1'57.891 16. Aleix Espargaro (SPA) Pramac Green Team 1'57.898 17. Alvaro Bautista (SPA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 1'57.960 Losail: Record Lap C. Stoner (Ducati) 2008, 1'55.153 Losail: Best Lap J. Lorenzo (Yamaha) 2008, 1'53.927 Click here to view the news

Loic Larrieu Talented French teenager Loic Larrieu will miss the first Grand Prix of the year at Sevlievo in Bulgaria on April 3rd-4th. The 19 year old suffered a fall at Malpensa for the third round of the Italian Championship last weekend that left the Yamaha Monster Energy Ricci MX rider with a fractured left collarbone. Luckless Larrieu was coming back to speed and fitness after his shoulder injury during the winter but his accident, while attempting a downhill double at the steep circuit close to the Italian airport in Milan, means that he now needs further recovery time and will sit out the 2010 FIM MX2-GP World Championship opener on Easter weekend. Larrieu, who scored an impressive podium finish at the 2009 French GP in what was his first world championship campaign, had also been carrying a small fracture to his right big toe after a blameless spill the previous week at Sommières for the first round of the French national series. Before this latest setback Larrieu had been steadily developing the 2010 YZ250F for the Italian team whose MX2-GP efforts he will spearhead this term for his second season as a Yamaha rider. Click here to view the news

DP19 David Philippaerts and Gautier Paulin offer their thoughts on the off-season and the rapidly-approaching 2010 FIM MX-GP World Championship... David Philippaerts’ record in the premier MX1-GP category is enviable. The 25 year old Italian has won Grand Prix in each of his three seasons and finished 6th, 1st and 4th in that time. A mix of steely determination, acute fitness, a tidy but occasionally explosive riding style and a hint of Latin temperament create a formidable rider and one of the very best competitors in the division. Philippaerts will be aiming to regain his crown in 2010 while also refine the new YZ450F. You are the only MX1-GP rider for the team in 2010. Will this be an inconvenience? No, I don’t think so. Having a team-mate in MX2-GP instead of MX1-GP is not much different for me to be honest. We have different goals. The new bike means we have had more work to do for the set-up but overall I am very happy with how things are and how they look for 2010. How do you feel now that the pressure of being defending champion has gone? The sense of pressure is the same because I will continue to do my best, like I did in 2009, and again there are many riders that can do well in this championship. It was an up-and-down season last year. I pushed a lot in the winter-time and maybe this caused some of the physical problems that begun during the early GPs. I had a virus which meant that my body’s performance was not consistent. This was the big problem and then little things like the broken finger in Portugal did not help. I stayed at home a little bit more this winter, instead of training and working away and in Belgium, and did not go into the mountains for ski training until the New Year. Philippaerts The new 2010 YZ450F has proven a worthy machine so far... Yes, the bike has been kept quite close to the standard bike because it is already a strong machine. We have worked a lot to make the YZ450F personal and special for me and every time I ride or test I feel happy. The fuel injection makes it more responsive and feels very different to the carburettor; I like it. Ohlins suspension was a new feature for all of us but they work very hard and we will get some good data on this and other areas of the bike in the races we have ahead. The real test will be at the first GP. It is a new bike so we still have some things to learn when we compete at the highest level. The second Grand Prix is the first of two home races in 2010, at Mantova then Fermo... The track at Fermo is very natural and I know they have been working on the facility to make it ready for the GP but I think the layout will be different when we arrive. Fermo will be a new track for everyone, even the Italians! With the Starcross and Grand Prix we will have Mantova twice and then onto Fermo for the last round. The last time we ended a season in Italy was in 2008 and if we could have the same situation as we did (he was crowned champion at Faenza) then this is very good for me! What will be the key to another championship? I have to keep taking points and keep getting near the front in the races, cutting down the mistakes by not making small crashes and keeping pressure on the other riders. I will be doing my very best this year. I will have to push more than I did in 2008 because the level of the competition is higher with both the riders and the technology. I know I will have to win heats if I want the title. Gautier Paulin Soon-to-be 20 year old Frenchman and former BMX star Gautier Paulin brings his remarkable talents to the Yamaha Monster Energy MX Team and the 2010 YZ250F for his third attempt at the MX2-GP series. The likeable and professional youngster took a step into exploration of the AMA-SX championship with three appearances at the beginning of the year and a sustained period of training and preparation in the US. Paulin will be the first MX2-GP representative for the team since Cedric Melotte in 2005. Your first outings on a Yamaha were in an AMA SX arena. How was that for you? It was a really good experience and I had some great races. I was a bit tired after the first round in Anaheim because I had been training and recovering from my injury after the Motocross of Nations but I did OK in Phoenix and then again in Anaheim II. I had a good sensation about what I could do there and it was a boost to my confidence. I knew the level of the speed and competition would be very high, the tracks would be difficult and they all want to win, so I wasn’t surprised. I learnt where I was gaining and losing my time. If I can go back then I know what I have to do to be at the front. Supercross benefits from being inside a stadium and that helps with the image presentation but I think it says a lot about the world championship that our sport is very close for the organisation and overall good impression. So you trained and spent most of the winter in America? Yes, I was there more than two months and I felt my fitness improving and it is better than ever now; which is really cool. I have never felt in as good as shape as I currently am. When I got back from America and went running for the first time at home I killed my personal best time; all of this helps mentally. No. 21 How is it working with the Yamaha Monster Energy MX Team? To join a team like this is a great opportunity. I will be in a lot in Italy. I only live about 500km from the workshop, so it is not too far. They really are a ‘Team’; all the people are close, like brothers, and all totally have the same goal which is to provide the best for the rider. I like the image of the team and they have won and achieved so much. Last winter when I was deciding what to do for 2010 I asked to test the new bike and the next day I signed the contract because my mind was made-up. My dream is to go and race in America but with a team like this, when I see the organisation, the motivation and work that is done on the bikes, then I can stay in Europe. I have never had team treating me like this. What are your thoughts on the 2010 YZ250F... I was riding a lot on the Yamaha before I left and then did a lot of Supercross and motocross in California. The chassis on the production bike was the first really good point for me - it is crazy - it feels like a bicycle. The standard engine had a very strong bottom end which was also a big positive. We are now fine-tuning the race-bike. We have been working with Ohlins on the suspension. I don’t think that this team has to prove that they know what they are doing with the preparation of the bikes. It must have been tempting to switch to MX1-GP, especially after your win at the ’09 Nations... For sure I am fast on a 450 and many people like to tell me! They also say I am too big for MX2, but I had one eye on Supercross with the 250 and I knew that a full season on a 450 would very different; we have to be careful with the extra power and 15 GPs is different to just one race. I am young, still 19, and my goal is to get that MX2-GP title this season and think directly about MX1-GP. I had a strict diet over the winter and have made sacrifices to keep my weight down and keep fit and I have never taken these steps before. I really want to be at the front this season and will do whatever it takes. What will be the key to championship success? To be really fit, try not to be nervous and use some experience in the races. I know I am fast and I know I can have the best bike possible. I know I have the physical condition to race two motos at 100% so when I am on the bike I just need to pay attention to my technique and think about my riding. Click here to view the news

DP Yamaha Monster Energy Motocross Team’s David Philippaerts and Gautier Paulin again sampled victory upon their works YZ450FM and YZ250FM machines, this time in the sand of Holland as the Italian and Frenchman won the MX1 and MX2 classes respectively in the first meeting of the national series at Mill. After triumphant runs in the first two rounds of the Italian Championship both riders transferred their attentions to northern Europe and the sand as they continue to dial-in their new motorcycles ahead of the FIM World Championship on April 3rd/4th. Mill represented the last pre-season outing for the team. Philippaerts was ruthless through the soft and rutted terrain to obtain two race wins and easily claim the overall. He charged from third to first in the opening moto in as many laps, defeating world championship rivals like Marc de Reuver, Kevin Strijbos and Yamaha Monster Energy Ricci MX Team’s Ken De Dycker. In the second moto he was masterful and pulled away to take the flag from sand-specialist De Reuver by more than five seconds. “I am happy with this race and especially to beat riders like De Reuver and De Dycker here,” said Philippaerts. “We made some tests in the sand to find a good set-up during the week and everything worked well, so that is very good. The sand was not too deep and pretty hard underneath but it was still bumpy and rutty. I was pushing quite a bit to win as De Dycker kept close in the first moto and De Reuver was chasing me in the second. Overall this was a good way to end the pre-season and now we will think only about Bulgaria.” After taking 2nd to Philippaerts in the first race, DeDycker did not finish the second as the stomach virus he had been suffering in the days leading up to the event finally took its toll and he pulled out. Paulin Paulin was less than a second behind Joel Roelants on his first competitive race with the YZ250FM in the sand but improved his runner-up slot by one position in the second Heat. The 19 year old set the fastest lap and escaped to win by 24 seconds. “Yes, I am quite pleased although my start was not great in the first moto and I wasn’t so happy by the fact that I could take the lead but Roelants could keep attacking,” said the overall MX2 winner. “I improved my performance for the second race and it was good to end the day in this way.” The first three Grands Prix of the season will take place in Bulgaria (hard-pack), Italy (sand) and Holland (sand) throughout the month of April. Philippaerts and De Dycker will give the 2010 YZ450F its MX1-GP World Championship debut at Sevlievo on Easter weekend. Meanwhile in Italy, Yamaha Monster Energy Gariboldi’s Christophe Charlier won the third round of the MX2 Italian Championship at Gallarate and now leads the contest by 16 points with one race remaining. Click here to view the news

Fiat Yamaha Team rider Jorge Lorenzo will take part in this week's MotoGP test in Qatar, four weeks after breaking a bone in his right thumb during a training incident. The 22-year-old has spent the time recuperating at home in Barcelona and he has now been given the all-clear by his doctor to get back on his bike. The recovery has gone well and the hand is no longer swollen, but he needs to continue with physiotherapy in order to keep repairing the muscle around the break. His doctor has confirmed that there is no risk to the broken bone from riding, but he will need to wait until testing starts in order to ascertain if he will be able to ride and use the brake at full strength. This week's test takes place on Thursday 18th and Friday 19th of March under the Qatar floodlights, the last test before the season starts in April. Jorge Lorenzo "Today we are leaving for Qatar for the last Winter test. I think that it is important that we are there. The fracture happened less than five weeks ago, but we could not have missed this last test because it would have been negative for our preparation; we are not far from the first race of the season! The doctor has made a special carbon fibre protection and Dainese have modified my glove, in order to further protect the fracture, so we will see how we get on." Wilco Zeelenberg "We are happy that Jorge will be back for this last pre-season test at Qatar! Of course we have had to miss a whole test but we are confident that we can make up for lost time because the 2010 bike has proved to be very competitive from the first time we have used it. We will have to wait to see how Jorge's hand feels when he starts riding, but we do not take anything for granted. The doctors have prepared a special brace for the thumb, Dainese have prepared special gloves and also a modified handlebar grip has been produced. Yamaha will give him all the support and time he needs to return to full strength." Click here to view the news

Valentino Rossi Fiat Yamaha Riders Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo yesterday rounded off a successful three-day visit to Indonesia, one of the most important markets for Yamaha. Rossi came straight from testing in Malaysia last week, whilst Lorenzo flew out from Spain, where he has been recuperating at home from an injured hand. Valentino Rossi Rossi visited Medan first, Indonesia's third largest city, where he took part in a press conference alongside Yamaha Motor Indonesia top management. The press conference officially launched the ‘Semakin di Depan' sponsorship, which will see Yamaha Motor Indonesia's ‘One Step Ahead' logo carried on the YZR-M1 and the riders' leathers this season. Rossi then visited ‘PT.Alfa Scorpii', Indonesia's second largest Yamaha Main Dealer, for the opening ceremony of its new show room along with over 400 customers and media. After his trip to Medan the World Champion moved on to Indonesia's second largest city Surabaya, where he visited PT. Surya Timur Sakti Jatim, Indonesia's largest Yamaha Main Dealer, to continue to spread the ‘Semakin di Depan' word. Finally he visited the DBL Arena to meet around 4,000 Yamaha customers. Jorge Lorenzo Lorenzo meanwhile headed to Indonesia's ‘Flower City' Bandung, where he too took part in an important press conference to launch the ‘Semakin di Depan' sponsorship. As well as the press conference he enjoyed a warm welcome at an exclusive fan meet and greet where he signed hundreds of autographs and met many local media. After the Spaniard had visited Bandung, he moved on to Jogjakarta, the city where the traditional Indonesian art of batik is practised, to meet more Yamaha customers there and take part in some outdoor activities at one of the biggest malls in Jogjakarta. Jorge Lorenzo Both riders will return home now for two weeks before the final pre-season test in Qatar, when Lorenzo hopes to be fully recovered from his injury and Rossi will look to continue his dominant start to the pre-season. Click here to view the news

DP at Cast.Del Lago The second round of the 2010 Italian championship at Castiglione Del Lago has fallen to the works YZ450FM and YZ250FMs of David Philippaerts and Gautier Paulin as the Yamaha Monster Energy MX Team dominated both MX1 and MX2 classes at the former GP venue last Sunday. Across grippy and reasonably soft track conditions, Philippaerts was particularly impressive as he twice defeated MX1-GP world champion and fellow countryman Antonio Cairoli; the first time the Sicilian has been beaten in three race appearance so far in 2010. 25 year old Philippaerts – fresh from the official team photoshoot and further tests at the Mantova circuit during the week – further refined his 2010 race-bike with now just four weeks until the first Grand Prix of fifteen in Bulgaria. ‘I am happy with this win,’ he said. ‘It proves that we are continuing to work well and that I feel better and faster all the time. It was good to race and beat Antonio and we have collected some more information before moving to Belgium.’ The 2008 MX1-GP World Champion now has a perfect set of results in the four motos run so far and a healthy lead of 23 points over Davide Guarneri although he won’t be contesting the full series. Paulin wins MX2 Mirroring his new team-mate’s classification on the day and in the campaign so far was Gautier Paulin. The Frenchman rode practically unchallenged for his third and fourth victories on Italian soil and beat European Champion and Yamaha Monster Energy Gariboldi racing’s Christophe Charlier into second place on both occasions. ‘Again this was a good result for us,’ he said. ‘My starts were pretty good and Charlier came with me for pace at some stages. We have done some good work in Italy in the last couple of weeks and now we will go to Belgium and see what we can get done on the sand.’ Other results of note included Ken De Dycker’s first podium for his Italian Yamaha Monster Energy Ricci MX Team in the national championship with 3rd overall behind Philippaerts and Cairoli. The Belgian went 3-5 for his result. Team-mate, but in the MX2 category, Alessandro Lupino, was a decent 4th after having recovered from a sore wrist. In the UK the first round of eight in the British Championship took place at Little Silver in southwest England. Bike It Cosworth Yamaha UK’s Zach Osborne – winner of the 2009 MX2-GP Turkish Grand Prix – took his new YZ250F to the top of the podium in his first competitive showing of the season. The American was 4th, 1st and 1st in the three motos. ‘This weekend was really good for me,’ he reflected. ‘I still have a lot of work to do before the first Grand Prix but this win is definitely something to build on. I’m happy with the team and the way things are going. I am really enjoying myself right now and I think it shows. I want to say a big thanks to the team and all the people who are supporting me behind the scenes.’ Philippaerts and Paulin will now head to northern Europe this week to begin a period of training and riding in the Belgian sand. The team will test in the terrain the following week before again switching their attentions to Italy and some hard-pack tracks similar to the surface that will be found at Sevlievo in Bulgaria on Easter weekend. Click here to view the news

Hill in Toronto San Manuel LandM Yamaha's Josh Hill maintained his 100% record of top ten finishes by taking 6th position at the Rogers Centre in Toronto for the tenth round of seventeen in the AMA Supercross/FIM Supercross World Championship. The 20 year old is now just one of two riders to have appeared in the top ten of every single round during an eventful campaign to-date. The highest YZ450F runner in Canada was Valli Motorsports Ivan Tedesco, who shook off the effects of a finger injury to collect 4th place. 42, 083 spectators crowded the venue and the dry dirt the formulated the layout with a lap-time of roughly a minute meant that the course was slick and hard in places. Hill showed moments of pace but could not penetrate the top five of the pack and was the last rider not to be lapped. Ahead of him was Tedesco, bravely battling the terrain and sections with his injured right hand. The veteran circulated for most of the distance in fifth spot but was promoted after Davi Millsaps crashed ahead of him. Tedesco takes 4th "It just goes to show that if I can get a start, I can run with those guys up front. Once I get those figured out consistently then I should be up there every week," he said. Regarding his index finger he commented: "It definitely isn't comfortable, but it's not impossible to ride with, so I just need to keep my head on what I'm doing; that's the hard part when you're dealing with pain like this." "It's actually at times when you're beat up and you can't seem to do anything right that you're the most thankful for the support you have," said Hill alluding to the ongoing effects of his crash two rounds ago in Atlanta. "My San Manuel Yamaha team is amazing, and they support me when things are good, and when they're not. Things will get better soon, I just have to heal up a little bit," he added. Joe Gibbs Racing's Justin Brayton was 9th and the third YZ450F-rider in the top ten. Grant Langston did not compete after a heavy crash at the beginning of the previous round in Daytona forced the former AMA Motocross Champion to undergo knee surgery. Reigning champion James Stewart is still recovering from the right wrist he broke in January and a date for his competitive return has not yet been confirmed. Hill is currently 3rd in the championship standings and keeps in touch for the title with a deficit of 37 points to leader Ryan Dungey. Brayton is 6th and Tedesco 7th. Round eleven sees the series return to the USA and head south to Texas and the Cowboys Stadium in Dallas. Circuit Length: NA Crowd: 42,083 Weather: Dry Last Years Winner: James Stewart 2010 AMA-SX Toronto, Canada 15/03/2010 Race 1 - 20 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Ryan Villopoto Kawasaki USA 19'46.788 2 Ryan Dungey Suzuki USA 0'04.300 3 Trey Canard Honda USA 0'31.168 4 Ivan Tedesco Yamaha USA 0'44.633 5 Kevin Windham Honda USA 0'59.804 6 Josh Hill Yamaha USA 1'06.583 7 Nicholas Wey Kawasaki USA -1Laps 8 Thomas Hahn Suzuki USA -1Laps 9 Justin Brayton Yamaha USA -1Laps 10 Matt Boni Honda USA -1Laps 11 Kyle Chisholm Yamaha USA -1Laps 12 Michael Byrne Yamaha AUS -1Laps 13 Chris Blose Honda USA -1Laps 14 Jason Thomas Suzuki USA -1Laps 15 Weston Peick Yamaha USA -1Laps Rider Standings 06/03/2010 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Ryan Dungey Suzuki USA 192 2. Ryan Villopoto Kawasaki USA 172 3. Josh Hill Yamaha USA 162 4. David D Millsaps Honda USA 150 5. Kevin Windham Honda USA 131 6. Justin Brayton Yamaha USA 124 7. Ivan Tedesco Yamaha USA 117 8. Nicholas Wey Kawasaki USA 99 9. Kyle Chisholm Yamaha USA 82 10. Michael Byrne Yamaha AUS 80 11. Thomas Hahn Yamaha USA 76 12. Andrew Short Honda USA 69 13. Grant Langston Yamaha RSA 67 14. Chris Blose Honda USA 64 15. James Stewart Yamaha USA 51 19. Jason Lawrence Yamaha USA 28 21. Dan Reardon Yamaha USA 25 30. Weston Peick Yamaha USA 7 36. Josh Grant Yamaha USA 1 Manufacturer Standings 06/03/2010 Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. Suzuki 192 2. Yamaha 184 3. Honda 181 4. Kawasaki 181 5. KTM 3 Click here to view the news

Kyle Chisholm A lengthy and challenging layout within the Daytona International Speedway saw Yamaha San Manuel LandM's Josh Hill take 9th position for the ninth round of seventeen in the AMA Supercross/FIM World Championship. The 20 year old started brightly in the first of two visits to the Floridian state but could not maintain the pace of his pursuers. Hill was actually headed by Kyle Chisholm who took 8th place on the 2010 YZ450F and was the highest Yamaha runner on the East Coast. Hill, from Oregon, racked-up five consecutive podiums in the opening phase of the championship but has now missed the rostrum in the last three events and suffered a crash while in practice for round eight in Atlanta last week. Hill in Daytona "I don't know what's going on," he admitted. "I know I have the speed, but I'm just lacking the intensity in the first few laps. I think maybe I have to just go out and race and forget about points and everything else, because when I did that in the beginning of the year, things went really good." Valli Motorsports Ivan Tedesco did not finish the main event after swerving into Michael Byrne and injuring his right index finger. At the moment it is not clear whether the veteran and MX of Nations winner will be able to compete next week. Joe Gibbs Racing's Justin Brayton sadly ended his streak of consistent results as he also DNF-ed in the wake of a crash that left him with a sore wrist. Hill is now third in the standings and 30 points from leader Ryan Dungey. Brayton is the next highest Yamaha rider in sixth. Next Saturday will see the series head outside the USA for the only time in the 2010 schedule with the visit to Toronto in Canada representing round ten. Circuit Length: n/a Crowd: NA Weather: Dry Lap Record: 0'52.126 (James Stewart, 01/01/2006) Last Years Winner: Chad Reed 2010 AMA-SX Daytona Beach, Fl. 07/03/2010 Race 1 - 20 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Ryan Villopoto Kawasaki USA 21'36.585 2 Ryan Dungey Suzuki USA 0'04.445 3 Trey Canard Honda USA 0'37.178 4 Kevin Windham Honda USA 0'53.466 5 David D Millsaps Honda USA 0'57.110 6 Thomas Hahn Yamaha USA 1'01.946 7 Nicholas Wey Kawasaki USA 1'03.586 8 Kyle Chisholm Yamaha USA 1'06.620 9 Josh Hill Yamaha USA -1Laps 10 Ryan Morais Suzuki USA -1Laps 11 Jarred Jet Browne Kawasaki USA -1Laps 12 Michael Byrne Yamaha AUS -1Laps 13 Matt Boni Honda USA -1Laps 14 Jason Thomas Suzuki USA -1Laps 15 Manuel Gomes Rivas Kawasaki ESP -1Laps 18 Justin Brayton Yamaha USA -14Laps 19 Ivan Tedesco Yamaha USA -19Laps 20 Grant Langston Yamaha RSA -20Laps  Rider Standings 06/03/2010 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Ryan Dungey Suzuki USA 192 2. Ryan Villopoto Kawasaki USA 172 3. Josh Hill Yamaha USA 162 4. David D Millsaps Honda USA 150 5. Kevin Windham Honda USA 131 6. Justin Brayton Yamaha USA 124 7. Ivan Tedesco Yamaha USA 117 8. Nicholas Wey Kawasaki USA 99 9. Kyle Chisholm Yamaha USA 82 10. Michael Byrne Yamaha AUS 80 11. Thomas Hahn Yamaha USA 76 12. Andrew Short Honda USA 69 13. Grant Langston Yamaha RSA 67 14. Chris Blose Honda USA 64 15. James Stewart Yamaha USA 51 19. Jason Lawrence Yamaha USA 28 21. Dan Reardon Yamaha USA 25 30. Weston Peick Yamaha USA 7 36. Josh Grant Yamaha USA 1  Manufacturer Standings 06/03/2010 Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. Suzuki 192 2. Yamaha 184 3. Honda 181 4. Kawasaki 181 5. KTM 3 Click here to view the news

It wasn't an easy start for Cal Crutchlow and James Toseland today at the season opening race in Phillip Island Australia. Race one saw both riders crash out, Crutchlow losing the front having run wide on onto a dirty section of track on lap two and Toseland highsiding on the fifth lap. Race two saw a fiercely contested battle for points with both riders fighting off riders including Biaggi, Corser and others to stay within the top ten. Combined with a less than perfect set up on both bikes and struggling for grip the riders put in an incredible ride to bring their bikes home in the points, Crutchlow in ninth and Toseland tenth. Crutchlow moves on to round two in Portimao in 12th position in the championship on seven points, team-mate Toseland sits just behind in 13th with six points. Cal Crutchlow Cal Crutchlow, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team (DNF, 9th) "Race one was unfortunate, I felt we had good pace and were running up in the top five quite comfortably, I just made a little mistake. I was a bit better than Rea into the hairpin so had to run wide to avoid him and lost the front on the dirt. The second race was hard, I felt like I had no grip from the start and still some chattering. If we had better grip we could have pulled more out of it. We need to go back to the drawing board and work some stuff out." James Toseland James Toseland, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team (DNF, 10th) "I really needed to finish the second race after the crash in the first. To only finish 14 seconds from the front with the issues we've had this weekend is not so bad. I was really disappointed with the first race, with my injury on Friday I wanted to have two good finishes today. Full credit to the team they've tried so hard but unfortunately we haven't had the software here to solve the issue. We know what the problem is and I've given enough feedback and input to give the guys a direction to go in. We've got a lot of work to do, no doubt, but even with all the problems we're not actually that far away. The package, the power, the balance and the suspension have come on leaps and bounds. On to Portimao now, it's a long season so we can do it." Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team Manager "It was definitely a really tough weekend for us. We solved some problems, and some we still have to work on. As we spent the two day test and the first day of the race weekend resolving the chatter issue, qualifying and race day was our first opportunity to really test the 2010 bike set up. We've seen that we have the potential to do well so we will go home and start working on the solutions to be ready to fight for the Portimao races. The team have worked really hard over the last few days to try and solve the issues and both Cal and James have given 100% to meet the challenges." Circuit Length: 4.445 Weather: Windy Lap Record: 1'32.402 (Troy Bayliss, 01/01/2006) Fastest Lap Ever: 1'31.069 (Ben Spies, 01/03/2009) Last Years Winner: Ben Spies 2010 WSB Australia - Phillip Island 28/02/2010 Race 1 - 22 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Leon Haslam Suzuki GBR 34'13.435 2 Michel Fabrizio Ducati ITA 0'00.004 3 Noriyuki Haga Ducati JPN 0'00.769 4 Jonathan Rea Honda GBR 0'10.201 5 Max Biaggi Aprilia ITA 0'10.782 6 Sylvain Guintoli Suzuki FRA 0'11.079 7 Carlos Checa Ducati ESP 0'11.208 8 Jakub Smrz Ducati CZE 0'16.522 9 Troy Corser BMW AUS 0'20.291 10 Lorenzo Lanzi Ducati ITA 0'26.352 11 Leon Camier Aprilia GBR 0'29.775 12 Max Neukirchner Honda GER 0'30.155 13 Tom Sykes Kawasaki GBR 0'31.951 14 Shane Byrne Ducati GBR 0'31.957 15 Andrew Pitt BMW AUS 0'55.082 Race 2 - 22 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Carlos Checa Ducati ESP 34'16.428 2 Leon Haslam Suzuki GBR 0'00.307 3 Michel Fabrizio Ducati ITA 0'00.434 4 Sylvain Guintoli Suzuki FRA 0'00.837 5 Noriyuki Haga Ducati JPN 0'03.453 6 Jonathan Rea Honda GBR 0'11.530 7 Troy Corser BMW AUS 0'12.026 8 Max Biaggi Aprilia ITA 0'13.068 9 Cal Crutchlow Yamaha GBR 0'14.401 10 James Toseland Yamaha GBR 0'14.707 11 Leon Camier Aprilia GBR 0'14.743 12 Shane Byrne Ducati GBR 0'14.851 13 Lorenzo Lanzi Ducati ITA 0'15.143 14 Joshua Brookes Honda AUS 0'30.947 15 Andrew Pitt BMW AUS 0'41.855 Best Lap Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time Leon Haslam Suzuki GBR 1'32.193 Â Rider Standings 28/02/2010 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Leon Haslam Suzuki GBR 45 2. Michel Fabrizio Ducati ITA 36 3. Carlos Checa Ducati ESP 34 4. Noriyuki Haga Ducati JPN 27 5. Sylvain Guintoli Suzuki FRA 23 6. Jonathan Rea Honda GBR 23 7. Max Biaggi Aprilia ITA 19 8. Troy Corser BMW AUS 16 9. Leon Camier Aprilia GBR 10 10. Lorenzo Lanzi Ducati ITA 9 11. Jakub Smrz Ducati CZE 8 12. Cal Crutchlow Yamaha GBR 7 13. James Toseland Yamaha GBR 6 14. Shane Byrne Ducati GBR 6 15. Max Neukirchner Honda GER 4 Â Manufacturer Standings 28/02/2010 Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. Ducati 45 2. Suzuki 45 3. Honda 23 4. Aprilia 19 5. BMW 16 6. Yamaha 7 7. Kawasaki 3 Click here to view the news

Cal Crutchlow British riders Cal Crutchlow and James Toseland demonstrated the big steps forward in bike set up on the 2010 R1 today, challenging through all three Superpole sessions to take first and second row starts respectively. Both riders had used their qualifier tyres by the end of the second session, using race rubber for their final heat. In an amazing turn of speed Crutchlow put in an incredible 1'31.642 to secure third whilst team-mate Toseland put his head down to secure eighth a row behind. The qualifying session earlier in the day saw again more improvement from the Yamaha team. Without any of the chatter problems from the test to be seen the increased power on the new bike was evident. Crutchlow ended the second qualifying heat in third, just over two tenths of pole whilst Toseland defied the pain in his hand from yesterday's highside to secure fifth, again less than three tenths off pole. These impressive performances by both riders gave an overall qualifying position of fourth for Crutchlow and sixth for Toseland prior to Superpole. Cal Crutchlow, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team (3rd, 1.31.642) "This morning wasn't too bad for me, I'm pleased enough with the race pace. I think we're struggling for the podium but that's what I'm aiming for as always. If we can be somewhere near I'll be happy! We managed to get a good lap out at the end of Superpole and I was pleased with that. Going into the weekend we weren't even in the points, Yamaha has done a really good job this week and we've worked some stuff out. Hopefully we can keep the cooler conditions as they'll help us tomorrow. Let's see what we can do." James Toseland James Toseland, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team (8th, 1'32.019) "I was annoyed with myself for the highside yesterday, we had some issues with the electronics which caught me out so today was damage limitation for that. The balance and the bike itself has improved a lot over the weekend but the electronics now need to catch up a bit. I hurt my hand in the fall which is quite painful, especially as this is a really physical circuit and you need your strength to get round it. I made a mistake on my first tyre in Superpole this afternoon which forced me to use the qualifier in the first session, so I had to use a race tyre for the last session. I knew if I could get into the last eight then I'd be happy with the second row. We've got quite a lot more to do with the bike, but to see where we were before the weekend and to now be Cal on the first row and me on the second just shows you what a good job the team has done. They've put us in a position where we can have a go." Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team Manager "We have made a really good improvement over the last few days. In the beginning we were struggling but we've found a way to solve everything. Slowly we've been improving the performance with both bikes. To achieve the first two rows for the first race of the season with new riders, especially Cal coming from Supersport, is a great result. Tomorrow we'll have to see the weather forecast and decide which tyres we want to use for the race. We are satisfied for today!" Circuit Length: 4445 Weather: Overcast Lap Record: 1'32.402 (Troy Bayliss, 01/01/2006) Fastest Lap Ever: 1'31.069 (Ben Spies, 01/03/2009) Last Years Winner: Ben Spies 2010 WSB Australia - Phillip Island 27/02/2010 Superpole Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Leon Haslam Suzuki GBR 1'31.229 2 Michel Fabrizio Ducati ITA 1'31.245 3 Cal Crutchlow Yamaha GBR 1'31.642 4 Carlos Checa Ducati ESP 1'31.671 5 Sylvain Guintoli Suzuki FRA 1'31.696 6 Jakub Smrz Ducati CZE 1'31.757 7 Jonathan Rea Honda GBR 1'31.912 8 James Toseland Yamaha GBR 1'32.019 9 Lorenzo Lanzi Ducati ITA 1'32.205 10 Noriyuki Haga Ducati JPN 1'32.229 11 Max Biaggi Aprilia ITA 1'32.293 12 Tom Sykes Kawasaki GBR 1'32.398 13 Troy Corser BMW AUS 1'32.430 14 Chris Vermeulen Kawasaki AUS 1'32.561 15 Ruben Xaus BMW ESP 1'32.842 Qualifying 2 Pos. Rider Nat. QUAL I QUAL II 1 Carlos Checa ESP 1'32.155 1'32.227 2 Michel Fabrizio ITA 1'32.162 1'33.099 3 Leon Haslam GBR 1'32.373 1'32.436 4 Cal Crutchlow GBR 1'33.038 1'32.446 5 Sylvain Guintoli FRA 1'32.902 1'32.448 6 James Toseland GBR 1'33.422 1'32.455 7 Jonathan Rea GBR 1'32.884 1'32.460 8 Chris Vermeulen AUS 1'33.389 1'32.500 9 Leon Camier GBR 1'33.296 1'32.548 10 Jakub Smrz CZE 1'32.905 1'32.571 11 Lorenzo Lanzi ITA 1'33.454 1'32.620 12 Shane Byrne GBR 1'32.635 1'33.695 13 Troy Corser AUS 1'33.512 1'32.684 14 Noriyuki Haga JPN 1'32.703 1'32.751 15 Tom Sykes GBR 1'33.492 1'32.806 Click here to view the news

Josh Hill in Atlanta Yamaha LandM San Manuel's Josh Hill finished 6th at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta for round eight of seventeen in the AMA Supercross/FIM World SX Championship and keeps within 20 points of the 2010 title chase. The 20 year old was one of three YZ450F riders in the top six of the 32nd Main Event to be run in the Georgian capital. The highest finisher Saturday night in front of more than 69,000 spectators was Valli Motorsports Ivan Tedesco; the veteran taking his second best result of the year with 4th spot. The day started in a tough way for Hill who suffered a crash in which he bent his handlebars with his chest in the final timed period and negotiated the 20 lap Main Event in some discomfort. 'That was the hardest race I've ever had,' he said. 'I wasn't even going to race until about 6:30, and I started feeling a little better. But 20 laps out there in my condition, that was so hard. At least I'm still there in the points, but I'm just going to go home and try to heal-up for next week in Daytona." Justin Brayton 20 seconds in front of the youngster was Joe Gibbs Racing's Justin Brayton, who was hunting a way past Tedesco but ultimately had to settle for 5th in what is becoming a very solid campaign for the 2009 Bercy SX winner. Tedesco was the first of six 2010 YZ450Fs on the leader-board that filled positions down to 9th place. After Hill followed Michael Byrne, Jason Lawrence and Grant Langston. Hill is now back to second place in the championship behind Ryan Dungey as the winner of the last two rounds, Ryan Villopoto, could only cross the line in 19th in Atlanta after a mistake caused a crash and necessitated a visit to the pits. Brayton's excellent consistency, which has seen three top five finishes in the last four events, means he is 5th and 13 points away from moving up another spot. Round nine takes place next Saturday as the series move to Daytona on the east coast. Crowd: 69, 182 Weather: Dry Lap Record: 0'52.919 (Ricky Carmichael , 01/01/2006) Last Years Winner: James Stewart 2010 AMA-SX Atlanta, GA 28/02/2010 Race 1 - 20 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Ryan Dungey Suzuki USA 18'38.901 2 Trey Canard Honda USA 0'10.976 3 David D Millsaps Honda USA 0'13.239 4 Ivan Tedesco Yamaha USA 0'16.672 5 Justin Brayton Yamaha USA 0'17.157 6 Josh Hill Yamaha USA 0'37.668 7 Michael Byrne Yamaha AUS 0'41.606 8 Jason Lawrence Yamaha USA 0'45.254 9 Grant Langston Yamaha RSA 0'47.817 10 Nicholas Wey Kawasaki USA 0'49.766 11 Chris Blose Honda USA -1Laps 12 Kyle Chisholm Yamaha USA -1Laps 13 Matt Boni Honda USA -1Laps 14 Kevin Windham Honda USA -1Laps 15 Jason Thomas Suzuki USA -1Laps 17 Weston Peick Yamaha USA -1Laps 18 Dan Reardon Yamaha USA -1Laps  Rider Standings 27/02/2010 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Ryan Dungey Suzuki USA 170 2. Josh Hill Yamaha USA 150 3. Ryan Villopoto Kawasaki USA 147 4. David D Millsaps Honda USA 134 5. Justin Brayton Yamaha USA 121 6. Ivan Tedesco Yamaha USA 115 7. Kevin Windham Honda USA 113 8. Nicholas Wey Kawasaki USA 85 9. Michael Byrne Yamaha AUS 71 10. Kyle Chisholm Yamaha USA 69 11. Andrew Short Honda USA 69 12. Grant Langston Yamaha RSA 66 13. Thomas Hahn Yamaha USA 61 14. Chris Blose Honda USA 60 15. James Stewart Yamaha USA 51 18. Jason Lawrence Yamaha USA 28 19. Dan Reardon Yamaha USA 25 28. Weston Peick Yamaha USA 7 35. Josh Grant Yamaha USA 1  Manufacturer Standings 27/02/2010 Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. Suzuki 170 2. Yamaha 169 3. Honda 161 4. Kawasaki 156 5. KTM 3 Click here to view the news

Cal Crutchlow Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike riders Cal Crutchlow and James Toseland made a purposeful start to the first race weekend of the season today at the Phillip Island circuit. The riders faced a day of serious heat with track temperatures hitting 45°C. Having now solved the chatter issues that dominated the test last week, both Crutchlow and Toseland spent both the practice and qualifying sessions exploring the limits of the 2010 bike. With significant power increases across the rev range through off-season engine development, this was the first real opportunity for the riders to experience the changes and work on the set up of their bikes in advance of race day. The high track temperatures drastically reduced grip on the track surface, causing Toseland to lose the back end of his R1 in turn 11, becoming one of seven riders to fall in the session. He was unhurt and came back out on his second bike. One of the developments of the bike for 2010 include a lighter carbon fuel tank, this was changed to the heavier 2009 tank for today's sessions, seeming to help eliminate the chatter issue. Cal Crutchlow, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team (10th 1'33.038) "I think we've worked hard and got rid of the chatter problem. The 2009 parts that we've used seem to have helped us in that way. The tank and the seat unit seemed to have stopped the chatter now. If you look at our times, although we're not initially fastest straight away we've got consistency across the sessions. We've got some more areas to work on and I'm looking forward to making the bike even better tomorrow. We've got a good direction to work in, it was just a little unfortunate that the track temperature was so hot today. Even so we were still doing the same times as Ben's race pace from last year. Hopefully it will cool off over the next couple of days and work better for us." James Toseland James Toseland, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team (13th 1'33.422) "Unfortunately had a big crash today coming out of the penultimate corner which didn't help things. I did go back out on the other bike but had a pain in my hand so came in as I wanted to make sure it was ok. We're definitely making improvements, we've just had a lot to do in one day to work through the package. We're only a bit over a second off pole now so we'll focus down and keep moving forward tomorrow." Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team Manager "Today we rode two practice sessions without chattering which is a very good improvement, so now the riders have to find the limits of the 2010 bike. Last weekend they couldn't as the chatter held them back. Looking at this as the first day I think we've improved quite a lot. Unfortunately James crashed but he is fine, so we will see what they can both do tomorrow." Circuit Length: 4445 Weather: Hot Lap Record: 1'32.402 (Troy Bayliss, 01/01/2006) Fastest Lap Ever: 1'31.069 (Ben Spies, 01/03/2009) Last Years Winner: Ben Spies 2010 WSB Australia - Phillip Island 26/02/2010 Qualifying 1 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Carlos Checa Ducati ESP 1'32.155 2 Michel Fabrizio Ducati ITA 1'32.162 3 Leon Haslam Suzuki GBR 1'32.373 4 Shane Byrne Ducati GBR 1'32.635 5 Noriyuki Haga Ducati JPN 1'32.703 6 Max Biaggi Aprilia ITA 1'32.850 7 Jonathan Rea Honda GBR 1'32.884 8 Sylvain Guintoli Suzuki FRA 1'32.902 9 Jakub Smrz Ducati CZE 1'32.905 10 Cal Crutchlow Yamaha GBR 1'33.038 11 Leon Camier Aprilia GBR 1'33.296 12 Chris Vermeulen Kawasaki AUS 1'33.389 13 James Toseland Yamaha GBR 1'33.422 14 Lorenzo Lanzi Ducati ITA 1'33.454 15 Tom Sykes Kawasaki GBR 1'33.492 Click here to view the news

Valentino Rossi Valentino Rossi continued from where he left off at the last test in Malaysia today, setting the fastest time once again on the first day of the second pre-season outing at Sepang. His Fiat Yamaha team-mate Jorge Lorenzo is not in action at this test as he is currently recovering at home in Spain from a hand injury. It was a dry day in Sepang with temperatures reaching 37 degrees and 31-year-old Rossi made the most of it, completing 47 laps. He and his crew continued to work on the development of the 2010 YZR-M1 prototype, checking different settings and trying some new electronic maps. The Italian’s best time of the day was 2’01.068, just a fraction off his best time at the last test and 0.151 ahead of Casey Stoner in second place. Valentino Rossi - Position: 1st Time: 2'01.068 Laps: 47 “We started well today and we’re already very fast, so we’re quite happy about this. We’ve confirmed that the work we did at the last test was good and it’s clear we’re in good shape at this track. We worked on two or three different settings and today we’ve more or less made a decision about the right way to go with balance, suspension etc so this is good progress. We also tried some new electronic maps, to try to improve acceleration, but we need to do more work on this again tomorrow. It’s good to be fast at this stage and now we’re really just waiting to go to another track, to see how this new M1 will perform there. Tomorrow we will do a long run, maybe not race distance but just quite a few laps together, which will be the final part of our work at this track.” Spies and Edwards storm top six in Sepang Ben Spies and Colin Edwards continued their 2010 MotoGP preparations in impressive fashion in Malaysia today, the American duo both occupying a place in the top six on the timesheets. In typically hot and humid conditions at the 5.548km Sepang circuit, Spies was one of the fastest and most consistent performers on track, the Texan clocking a best time of 2.01.843 to finish fifth overall. The ideal track conditions presented Spies with the perfect opportunity to continue learning more about his Monster Yamaha Tech 3 YZR-M1 machine. The 25-year-old spent time working on revised geometry settings to improve rear grip and he managed to shave close to 0.4s off his best time when he made an impressive debut at the technical Sepang circuit just three weeks ago. Just one place and 0.054s further back was Edwards, who clocked a best time of 2.01.897 despite a minor technical issue this morning costing him precious track time. Edwards still had a positive day, making big strides with a new YZR-M1 swingarm while also evaluating new electronics as Yamaha works tirelessly to ensure it remains the dominant brand in MotoGP this season. The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team has one more day of testing tomorrow in Sepang before the reduced pre-season schedule concludes in Qatar next month. Ben Spies Ben Spies - Position: 5th Time: 2'01.843 Laps: 42 “It was hot out there today but I'm happy with how I performed and I feel I've accomplished a fair bit. I automatically picked up where I left off here because my fourth lap today was only three-tenths slower than my best time at the first test. I'm close to half-a-second faster than the last test and I'm more consistent. My fastest laps were all on tyres that had done race distance and that makes me happier than anything else. It's not so much that I got under the 2.02 barrier but I did it on worn tyres and I think that will be one of my big strong points this season. I feel like I'm getting closer to finding the limit of the Bridgestone tyres and I'm getting more comfortable on them, but we still need to do more work. Today we played around with the bike a bit more than previously just to understand a few things but it was nothing major. Some changes were good and some were bad and I feel we made some important progress and I definitely had more grip. Everyday I'm trying to learn something and go a little bit quicker and that's what I achieved.” Colin Edwards Colin Edwards - Position: 6th Time: 2'01.897 Laps: 35 “After the small problem I had this morning I had to play catch up pretty quick to the rest of the guys but I managed to do some good laps and I'm happy with my pace. It was a productive day and I feel like we've learned a few things. Everybody is testing electronics and Yamaha have done another good job because what I tried definitely has some good points and they are moving in the right direction. Yamaha might have dominated last year but they definitely haven't just taken the easy option and sat back. They've worked really hard on improving what was already a great bike, and some of the improvements have really helped me. I did more work on the new swingarm and I like it. It seems to help the front and the rear of the bike and it gives me a lot more confidence. And it helps a lot with my front feeling, which I had an issue with a bit last year.” 1. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Fiat Yamaha Team 2'01.068 2. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati Marlboro Team 2’01.219 3. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) Repsol Honda Team 2’01.631 4. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 2’01.687 5. Ben Spies (USA) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 2’01.843 6. Colin Edwards (USA) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 2’01.897 7. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team 2’02.036 8. Mika Kallio (FIN) Pramac Racing Team 2’02.038 9. Alvaro Bautista (SPA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 2’02.078 10. Marco Melandri (ITA) San Carlo Honda Gresini 2’02.086 11. Nicky Hayden (USA) Ducati Marlboro Team 2’02.22 12. Hiroshi Aoyama (JPN) Interwetten-Honda MotoGP 2’02.419 13. Aleix Espargaro (SPA) Pramac Racing Team 2’02.447 14. Hector Barbera (SPA) Aspar Team 2’02.485 15. Randy De Puniet (FRA) LCR Honda MotoGP 2’02.535 16. Marco Simoncelli (ITA) San Carlo Honda Gresini 2’03.254 Click here to view the news

Valentino Rossi Fiat Yamaha rider Valentino Rossi signed off the second pre-season test of the year on top once again in Malaysia today, meaning he has been fastest at all four days of testing so far this year. The Italian smashed his own pole record by almost three tenths of a second, proving that he and the new YZR-M1 are on track for the season's start in a month's time. Rossi spent the final day of the test trying electronic packages, a new tyre for Bridgestone and just double-checking all the work done so far. He also had time to do a few laps on the Japanese test team's bike, providing them with important feedback for the future development of the M1. The 31-year-old set his best lap of 2'00.271 on his 12th of 39 laps, with Casey Stoner second once again in a time of 2'00.512. It was a good day for Yamaha, with Tech 3 riders Colin Edwards and Ben Spies fourth and fifth respectively. The next and final pre-season test comes at Qatar on 18th and 19th March, by which time Rossi's injured team-mate Jorge Lorenzo hopes to have made a full recovery and to be back in action. Rossi pit box Valentino Rossi - Position: 1st Time: 2'00.271 Laps: 39 "I'm really happy to have beaten my pole record, it's a good feeling to be this fast in testing. I did this with an old tyre but we also got the chance to try a very good new tyre from Bridgestone today, which I hope we will use from the first race. Our bike is in great shape; we need to do a bit more work on the electronics but in general everything is better, especially the rear grip and the engine. Yamaha have been very clever to develop this new bike whilst keeping the best parts of the old one, I'm very happy about it. It was good to get the chance to try the Japanese test bike, hopefully the feedback I gave them will help us in the future. Now we go to Qatar and then we will see our level because it is not one of mine or Yamaha's best tracks! But we're in great shape and this is very important at this stage of the season. I'm really looking forward to it." Edwards and Spies shine in Sepang sauna The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team concluded the second of three 2010 pre-season tests in Sepang today in confident mood after Colin Edwards and Ben Spies both finished in the top five on the timesheets. In searing hot temperatures that peaked at an exhausting 37 degrees, Edwards rode his 2010 YZR-M1 machine to the fourth fastest time, the experienced American finishing with a best lap of 2.00.988. After completing 35-laps, Edwards declared himself delighted with his performance after he made significant progress in improving electronics and handling with his YZR-M1 machine. He was also happy with the performance of a new Bridgestone rear tyre he evaluated this afternoon to finish just under 0.3s away from a top three finish. Spies once again proved what a phenomenally fast learner he is after posting a series of consistently competitive lap times on only his second visit to the long and technical Sepang circuit. A best lap of 2.01.014 was just 0.026s slower than Edwards and the reigning World Superbike champion was able to significantly reduce the gap between himself and the best time clocked by Valentino Rossi to just over 0.7s. Spies was also able to showcase his prowess on worn race tyres when he completed a long distance run today, the 25-year-old reeling off consistent and fast laps in the 2.01 bracket. Colin Edwards Colin Edwards - Position: 4th Time: 2'00.988 Laps: 35 “It felt really hot out there today and I don't think anybody was going to do a lot of laps in those conditions. I did 35 laps and all of them were productive and I'm leaving this test really happy. I worked on the electronics and a bit of suspension work today and I was happy with the new Bridgestone rear tyre. We did full race distance on it in the middle of the day when it was really hot and I was still doing 2.02s on the last lap. So it really keeps a good level of grip for a long time. I feel ready to race right now. We've got the bike sorted out and the last test in Qatar should be another positive test to set us up nicely for the first race. We're ready to go because Yamaha has done a fantastic job. Everything they have done has improved the bike and that's a great achievement. I want to thank my guys at Monster Yamaha Tech 3 again for all their hard work and congratulate Ben too. This is a tough track to learn but he's doing a great job and he is impressing a lot of people. We're working really closely together and that is going to be great to help the team have another great year.” Ben Spies Ben Spies - Position: 5th Time: 2'01.014 Laps: 44 “It has been a positive test for me again because I have been able to improve my lap time by quite a bit. I'm 0.8s quicker than yesterday so that is a good step in the right direction. I did a race simulation and all my laps were in the 2.01s. I've always felt good at the end of races and I think that is what my strong point has been in the past. In Valencia when I raced the Yamaha for the first time I came on strong at the end. When the tyres go off I feel a little bit better. I didn't quite get to improve on my overall position but I'm convinced I had the speed to get into the high 2s, but I was only able to use one of the softer Bridgestone tyres. But all in all it has been a positive day and the gap to the front has become smaller again.” Test Times 1. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Fiat Yamaha Team 2'00.271 2. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati Marlboro Team 2'00.512 3. Nicky Hayden (USA) Ducati Marlboro Team 2'00.703 4. Colin Edwards (USA) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 2'00.988 5. Ben Spies (USA) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 2'01.014 6. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 2'01.320 7. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) Repsol Honda Team 2'01.439 8. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team 2'01.478 9. Hiroshi Aoyama (JAP) Interwetten-Honda MotoGP 2'01.692 10. Alvaro Bautista (SPA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 2'01.732 11. Randy de Puniet (FRA) LCR Honda MotoGP 2'01.980 12. Marco Melandri (ITA) San Carlo Honda Gresini 2'02.078 13. Hector Barbera (SPA) Aspar Team 2'02.080 14. Mika Kallio (FIN) Pramac Green Team 2'02.082 15. Aleix Espargaro (SPA) Pramac Green Team 2'02.367 16. Marco Simoncelli (ITA) San Carlo Honda Gresini 2'03.689 Sepang: Record Lap C. Stoner (Ducati) 2007, 2'02.108 Sepang: Best Lap V. Rossi (Yamaha) 2009, 2'00.518 Click here to view the news

Philippaerts Yamaha Monster Energy Motocross Team’s David Philippaerts took a perfect 1-1 set of results at a cold and dark Montevarchi circuit for the first round of four in the Italian MX1 Championship. Completing a decent day of competition for the team Gautier Paulin enjoyed a successful debut on the 2010 YZ250F and in Monster Energy colours by also claiming two victories in the MX2 category. Ken De Dycker meanwhile triumphed at Lommel in Belgium. Philippaerts beat former Yamaha GP rider Davide Guarneri in both motos for an encouraging scorecard in what was just his second outing on the new fuel-injected rear slanting YZ450F. The Italian took to the tight, twisty and hard-pack track in order to gather more data and learn more about the settings of the machine under race conditions. It was a useful day as the wet terrain as slick and bumpy and far from easy. ‘I am happy with today, we had two good results and the races were not so easy,’ the 2008 MX1-GP World Champion said. ‘We worked a little bit on suspension and I am pleased with how everything is going. Even though there were not too many Grand Prix riders here the pace was still pretty good.’ Paulin In MX2 Paulin, who only returned from the USA and his brief outing in the AMA West Coast Lites SX series last week, was unstoppable in an emphatic opening statement for the team. He took the holeshot in both motos and won the first sprint by almost half a lap, going on to celebrate another victory later in the afternoon. ‘Two good starts and a positive way to begin the year with the team,’ he remarked. ‘I am pleased with what we did here and now we head to Valence and will continue to work and get ready for the season ahead.’ In second place behind Paulin was 2009 European Champion and Yamaha Monster Energy Gariboldi Racing’s Christophe Charlier. The French teenager will enter his first world championship term in 2010 and begin his racing activities this year with 3rd and 2nd positions. Team-mate Harri Kullas was an encouraging 4th overall. Further north in Belgium Ken De Dycker showed his customary precision in Belgian sand by taking the 2010 YZ450F to first place overall at a snowy and icy Lommel. The Belgian took a 3rd and 1st and celebrated his first garland with Yamaha by virtue of his second moto classification. Both Yamaha Monster Energy teams will line-up again this coming weekend, this time just south of Lyon for the Valence International. Click here to view the news

James Toseland Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike riders James Toseland and Cal Crutchlow have wrapped up the final day of the two day test in Phillip Island. Both British riders spent the two days working on the chassis set-up of the new 2010 Yamaha YZF-R1 in what was its first outing of the year. The riders now take a few days of rest before heading back out onto the Australian circuit for the first race of the 2010 season this weekend. James Toseland, Yamaha Sterilgarda World superbike Team (11th, 1’32.7) “It’s been a solid two days of testing working on the new bike. I still have some chatter problems as does Cal. The guys are going to go through the data and see what they can come up with for us over the next couple of days.” Cal Crutchlow Cal Crutchlow, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team (14th, 1’32.8) “We worked through a lot of stuff, unfortunately it’s not all worked yet. If we can get going in the right direction over the next couple of days for both of us then we can move forward. I’m looking forward to race weekend as always and will do the best job I can.” Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha Sterilgarda world Superbike Team Manager “We have had a problem with chatter so we will spend the next few days before the race weekend studying the data to find a solution. We are confident that we will find the right one and give both James and Cal the best possible bike to race with.” Click here to view the news