Moto GP

[Rev004]

Hey Fellers it must be at least a week since someone posted anything so here is some more info..

Haven't seen anything official yet but apparently Stoner's wrist recovery isn't come on as planned and is struggling so I spose we will have to wait and see.



Vermeulen: “Winter improvements demonstrate Suzuki focus”
Wednesday, 18 February 2009

Rizla Suzukiâ€s Chris Vermeulen says his teamâ€s positive test at Sepang proves significant improvements are being made with the GSV-R, but insists there is still a long way to go before the season starts.


Following an inconsistent season for Chris Vermeulen and Loris Capirossi in 2008 the Rizla Suzuki team hope to hit the ground running this year and the initial signs from the first MotoGP test of the preseason at Sepang, earlier this month, were certainly positive.

Vermeulen registered best laps in the top six on the timesheet on all three days of the South East Asian exercise and his colleague Capirossi was the top man on day one.

The two riders gave the Japanese factory a clear list of development targets over the winter and progress has apparently been significant. Vermeulen told motogp.com, “We had a very good test in Sepang, thanks to the Suzuki factory and how hard they were working in the two months we had off. They brought a lot of new parts. The strong area with our bike is still corner entry, on the chassis side it works quite well and they took a good step with the electronics on the bike. I guess the area we still need to work on is engine performance and how the bike puts the power on the ground.”

The Australianâ€s viewpoint is that whilst the clear improvements are a good step, one test is not enough to get over-excited about and the hard work must continue.

“We have definitely closed the gap to the front guys,” remarked the Queenslander. “But Sepang has been a reasonable circuit for Suzuki in the past so we are hoping that when we get to other places like Qatar, which hasnâ€t been so good for us, we take good steps there too.”

“The improvements show how hard the company are working,” he continued. “I know financially times are tough for all the manufacturers, but it goes to show that Suzuki are still focused on what they want to do and that is to win races at MotoGP level and hopefully a championship.”

When asked about the good form of some of MotoGPâ€s more experienced riders in Sepang, including Valentino Rossi, Colin Edwards and his own team-mate Capirossi, who is about to undertake his 20th season of Grand Prix racing Vermeulen replied playfully, “Loris started in GPs just after Noah finished building his ark!”

But the 26 year-old was 100% serious about the attributes that his veteran Italian friend brings to the table, as he stated, “The experience of all those guys helps their teams without a doubt and it is great working with someone like Loris. He has ridden so many different types of bikes, he knows when circuits are good, when they are slippery and so on. Iâ€m definitely learning from his experience. With new things happening like the tyre rule the experience helps and I guess that is why we, as a team, same team as last year, same mechanics, same riders, got straight out of the box and went quick.”

Giving an indication of how he had spent his spare time in the winter break, which coincides with summer in his native Brisbane, Vermeulen concluded, “I have added my 1933 Ford Coupe to my collection here in Australia as I had that in the UK, so now I have five old cars here and we have been busy playing with them all, driving them around. Other than that we have been spending time on the water, I have a nice sailing boat here. I have been sailing when I can, spending time at the beach, catching up with friends and riding motorcross bikes as well. Itâ€s a tough life, but somebody has got to do it!”



Toseland-Edwards rift good news for Tech 3 says Poncharal
Tuesday, 17 February 2009

Tech 3 Yamaha boss Herve Poncharal has admitted his riders Colin Edwards and James Toseland are not best friends at present, due to their crew chief swap at the end of 2008, but the Frenchman says the rift will motivate his riders.


Following the arrival of James Toseland on the MotoGP scene last year he immediately hit it off with his new team-mate Colin Edwards as the two riders joined the Tech 3 Yamaha team and began work with their new crew chiefs.

Edwards, working with his crew chief Garry Reinders, was more than happy to provide the rookie Toseland, who was working with Guy Coulon, with a helping hand along the way as the Englishman learned the ropes in MotoGP.

However, at the end of the season, with Edwards finishing seventh in the standings and Toselandâ€s form dipping in the second half of the year as he eventually finished eleventh, Tech 3 Yamaha manager Herve Poncharal received a request from Toseland to work with Reinders in his sophomore campaign.

Poncharal considered all options and spoke to all parties concerned before agreeing to the switch, which angered Edwards, prompting a number of outspoken comments from the American rider in recent weeks.

Having outperformed Toseland at the first test of the year in Sepang Edwards admitted that he was not talking to his team-mate and pointed out the significant difference in their lap times, with Toseland apparently slowed down by a first day crash.

As Poncharal explains, “Colin was not so happy because he thought he could have been more involved in the decision making process, but he accepted it. Since then Colin has had a dream start, as he had a great time in testing both in Jerez in November and then in Sepang with the new bike. He is very, very happy now.”

Explaining the logic behind the switch in the first instance Poncharal added, “I understood James†point of view because Garry lives in England close to James, and he speaks better English than Guy. James and Garry spent a lot of time together last year traveling to and from England and James likes to talk to his crew chief in between races.”

Noting Edwards recent statements and what it means for the team Poncharal maintained a typically positive take on things, stating, “I canâ€t say too much about what Colin has said because those are his own views, but you always know that the first person a rider wants to beat is his own team-mate. James improved a lot last year, we think he has shown last year that he could be a podium contender in his second year with Tech 3, so they will try to beat each other and this is fun.”

Poncharal concluded, “If it gives extra motivation to James†department and to Colinâ€s department I am absolutely happy. We will never see two riders going on holiday together because this is an individual sport. They respect each other still, ok they donâ€t talk anymore, but who cares? I wanted to give both of them the best support I could and that is what I have done.”