Moto GP

[Rev004]

Well what a start to the season was it me or was Rossi Body language saying it all at the press conference after the race. I thought Stoner ran a good race and couldn't help but laugh as someome did to Rossi what he is so good at doing to everyone else get in front and when they thinking they are catching he pulls out those vital couple of tenths just to keep you at arms lenght.

Great to see Vermeulen finish in the top 10 that Suzuki really needs some top end speed maybe they need to take some notes from the Busa and get that thing moving .

Anyway here is some more gos from the paddicks...and can't wait for a for next weekend this round will be very interesting to see how it all pulls together and will certainly give us a very good indication of what we will be in for this year.



De Puniet frustrated with tenth place
Wednesday, 15 April 2009

At the start of his second season with the LCR Honda team Randy de Puniet was disappointed to finish in tenth place in Qatar having qualified seventh.


The Commercialbank Grand Prix of Qatarâ€s delayed conclusion on Monday brought frustration for Randy de Puniet who came home in tenth place, complaining of front end problems on his satellite Honda RC212V.

Returning to riding with Bridgestone tyres this season he perhaps needs to further acquaint himself with the new single tyre supplier era material but there were nonetheless some positives for the 28 year-old to take from round one in the desert.

De Punietâ€s seventh place in qualifying was a good start and the race result was just the second time he has gone the full course at Qatar, after his ninth place in 2008, having crashed out on the first lap of the MotoGP race in 2006 and on lap eight in 2007.

Indeed one of De Punietâ€s main objectives this season is simply to keep his bike upright and get regular point-scoring results for the LCR Honda team, following his costly and crash-filled 2008 campaign, so his manager Lucio Cecchinello will probably be relatively satisfied with the top ten finish in Mondayâ€s re-scheduled race.

But for the rider himself the Losail International Circuit visit left him obviously disheartened having finished behind the likes of fellow Honda satellite rider Alex de Angelis (San Carlo Honda Gresini) and Ducati rookie Mika Kallio (Pramac Racing), both of whom started lower down the grid than the feisty Frenchman.

Looking back over the 22-lap contest De Puniet stated, “I am a bit disappointed because I expected a better result after my performances in the practice sessions. I made a good start and after that I thought that the race would be easy. But I started to suffer grip problems on my front tyre. It was a bit dangerous and did my best to manage the race like that.”

He continued, “It was strange because I didnâ€t have that sensation at all during the whole of the rest of weekend and it was like riding on a soft tyre. My target was the top ten but I could have got a better result in different conditions. Anyway we will analyse the data to be more competitive in Japan.”


Kallio impresses team on premier class debut
Wednesday, 15 April 2009

Rookie Mika Kallioâ€s eighth place at round one of the 2009 season in his first MotoGP appearance was well received by the Pramac Racing team.


A solid debut performance for Pramac Racingâ€s Mika Kallio which earned him eighth place in the re-scheduled Monday night race at the Commercialbank Grand Prix of Qatar gives him a sound platform to build on in his rookie MotoGP campaign.

The signs were good for the satellite Ducati man at the Official MotoGP Test in Jerez as he made his final preparations, two weeks before his first race, by finishing the BMW M Award showdown in sixth place as a demonstration of his abilities - and having qualified tenth in Qatar it was game on for the calm and collected Finn.

In the race itself Kallio lost two positions early on, meaning that he had to battle his way back up to eighth from twelfth during the course of the race and he even appeared to be catching Rizla Suzukiâ€s Chris Vermeulen for seventh in the latter stages.

Pramac Racingâ€s Technical Director Fabiano Sterlacchini praised the 26 year-old afterwards, commenting, “We are really happy with Mika, because as well as finishing in eighth place, the riders that were in front of him didnâ€t have a much faster rhythm. Unfortunately he didn't start that well so over the first few laps he lost some time, otherwise he might have finished in an even better position. But we are pleased because the pace he maintained throughout the race was excellent for his debut.”

Meanwhile, Kallio himself stated, “Before coming here I thought if I could finish in the top ten I would be satisfied, so eighth position is therefore a really good result. I didnâ€t start the race brilliantly, but I managed to maintain a good pace once we got going. I tried to catch the group in front of me, but after a few laps I just thought Iâ€d keep my rhythm and the strategy paid off.”

Kallio went on to add, “In the last few laps I could see that I was getting closer and closer to Vermeulen and I think if Iâ€d had a couple of more laps I could have passed him. Anyway in general we had a positive weekend and we will try to continue in this direction in Japan.”


Gibernau happy to go the distance on MotoGP return
Wednesday, 15 April 2009

In his first race for more than two and a half years Sete Gibernau battled against the pain in Qatar to bring his Ducati satellite machine home in 13th place despite his shoulder injury.


Having been unsure whether he would even be able to complete the full 22 laps of Mondayâ€s re-scheduled MotoGP race, at the Commercialbank Grand Prix of Qatar, Sete Gibernau was delighted afterwards to have achieved a point-scoring result on his return to premier class competition.

The 36 year-old former World Championship runner-up suffered a setback earlier this year when he aggravated an old injury in his left shoulder in a private training session as he prepared for his MotoGP comeback, meaning that he missed the Qatar night test at the beginning of March and he was riding in some pain at round one.

Having qualified in 15th place on the grid the rider from Barcelona got away solidly at the start and maintained a decent pace to eventually bring his new satellite Ducati bike across the finishing line in 13th position. It was Gibernauâ€s first race since the Portuguese GP of 2006, at which he crashed out and injured his shoulder, causing him to announce his retirement from the sport.

Riding for the newly formed Grupo Francisco Hernando team in his 2009 return, Gibernau said of his Qatar experience, “It was a hard race for us. We didnâ€t know if we could go the whole distance so I want to thank the team, as they did a great job and they really helped me a lot. Iâ€m satisfied because beforehand I didnâ€t think I would be able to finish the race and we even got some points so I couldnâ€t ask for more!”

He continued, “I canâ€t say I was really comfortable on the bike as I was really struggling with the pain but Iâ€m really happy to have got a result that was much better than expected. Now, before the next race in Japan, I want to be at home and train a little bit, perhaps on one of my bikes, so that my physical condition improves further.”

On racing with the Desmosedici GP9 for the first time and his pre-race nerves Gibernau also stated, “There is no point assessing the performance of the Ducati yet because I just wasnâ€t in the right shape to push at 100%. Obviously I was a bit tense before the start of the race but once we got started I took things calmly because I just wanted to make sure I finished.”


Elías upbeat despite dissatisfaction with position
Wednesday, 15 April 2009

On his return to the San Carlo Honda Gresini team Toni Elías finished ninth at Losail on Monday, but the Spanish rider is looking for better results.


Outperformed by his new team-mate Alex de Angelis at the Losail International Circuit on Monday, Toni Elías is looking for better than ninth placed finishes this season on a factory RC212V but after struggling with the set-up of his Honda machine all weekend in Qatar the Spaniard was not too downbeat about the result.

De Angelis†good run to sixth place in the desert will have caught Elías†eye as he crossed the line just inside the top ten and at the next round in Japan he will be determined to beat the man whom he has joined in the pitbox this year, as he returns to the San Carlo Honda Gresini team.

Elías new team-mate has a satellite Honda, but team manager Fausto Gresini has negotiated factory support for the 26 year-old in 2009, which means he may get help from HRC before next weekâ€s Polini Grand Prix of Japan – although of course the pressure is on the rider himself to deliver results.

“Taking into account where we started from and the problems we had this weekend, this is a decent result for us and Iâ€m satisfied,” said Elías as he took the positives from Mondayâ€s re-arranged race, which he started 12th on the grid. “In terms of points it probably would have been better for us if the race was cancelled here because we knew it would be tough for us but the truth is that if you had offered me ninth place on Friday, I probably would have taken it!”

“Iâ€m always better in races than in practice and that was also the case in Qatar as I made up three places from the start,” he added. “It is still not the kind of result we want, but given the situation we took some important points.”

Attempting to explain what had restricted him at the Arabian track Elías stated, “Weâ€ve got some big problems with the chassis and the suspension in general, which means we are making the tryes do a lot of work. That is the main problem at the moment. With the team and hopefully a bit of help from Honda weâ€ll see if we can prepare ourselves a bit better for Japan.”


Takahashi completes first step of learning process
Wednesday, 15 April 2009

Scot Racing Teamâ€s Yuki Takahashi picked up his first MotoGP point on his debut in Qatar.


The 2009 season will be a matter of learning as quickly as possible for Yuki Takahashi in MotoGP, the Scot Racing Team rider who has moved up into the premier class from the 250cc category this year.

The 24 year-old found the going tough at the Commercialbank Grand Prix of Qatar, qualifying down in 17th position as he continues to acquire the art of 800cc riding. He nonetheless rode a steady race on Monday night, concentrating on avoiding errors, gaining experience from the competitors around him and ultimately picking his first – albeit solitary – MotoGP point in the process.

On his run to 15th place at the Losail International Circuit, in his first MotoGP appearance, the Japanese rider commented, “The best came at the end, when I had a chance to follow Marco Melandri for a long while. I studied him, and I got a lot of information about how to deal with the front tyre and about braking points. Obviously this was just my first race in the class. Not only that, but Iâ€d never done a long run before.”

Reviewing his maiden Grand Prix amongst the big boys overall, the former 250cc race-winner added, “I'm satisfied. My target was learning the bike and how to compete against the best riders in the world. How to deal in the heat of the first laps, and strategies, and tactics. At the beginning of the race I lost a little time, but I didnâ€t want to make any silly mistakes. And at the end I was able to keep the same pace of the riders who were in the first groups. Now I can prepare for my home race, in just over a week, in Japan.”


Canepa remains confident after difficult debut
Thursday, 16 April 2009

Pramac Racingâ€s talented young MotoGP rookie Niccolò Canepa is already enthusiastically looking forward to Japan after his tough debut in Qatar.


With no previous Grand Prix racing experience Monday nightâ€s delayed MotoGP opener was a baptism of fire for Niccolò Canepa at the Commercialbank Grand Prix of Qatar, as he never got on the pace and crossed the line out of the points in 17th place.

Simply picking up experience and completing his first ever race justified the visit to the Losail International Circuit for the satellite Ducati rider who started last on the grid. A tricky test visit at the beginning of March had already given Canepa a taste of things to come, but he refuses to be too dispirited by his round one Qatar experience.

Assessing the situation calmly but pragmatically he told motogp.com this week, “Things did not go too well for us. But in the test here we were missing something to put us up in the top ten and given the race pace that was again confirmed by the times on Monday. We came here relaxed and confident, but things just didnâ€t work out how we wanted.”

He continued, “We canâ€t blame things on the bike, because that is only half of the problem and we need to work hard to get the right feeling with the machine. Once we find the right base setting for ourselves we wonâ€t need to make any drastic changes for the rest of the season, thatâ€s something I have seen from the other riders. We studied all our data at the end of the race to see what had gone well and what hadnâ€t so now we can focus on not repeating mistakes, but obviously I need to concentrate on simply riding, not worrying too much about the set-up of the bike.”

The 20 year-old Italian who comes into MotoGP on the back of his experience as a Ducati test rider, had not participated in a competitive race for around a year before last weekend, so simply racing again got the adrenaline flowing.

“Iâ€ve really missed racing so it was exciting to be in there,” said Canepa, who has previously competed in Supersport 1000 and Supersport 600 races. “I enjoyed it a lot, especially the last ten laps, because I followed James Toseland and I learned loads. I wanted to try to overtake him at the end but it wasnâ€t possible. The important thing was to not just ride around alone, because that wouldnâ€t have taught me much.”

Looking ahead to Japan and round two Canepa added, “Firstly I need to learn the track when we get there. I know it will be tough because I already knew the Losail track before the GP, but at Motegi I have to get acquainted as quickly as I can and then just go for it.”


Vermeulen assesses Losail performance
Thursday, 16 April 2009

At a track where Suzuki do not have a great record Chris Vermeulen equaled his best ever Qatar result of seventh at round one, but the Australian was hoping to be in the top five.


Some significant close season improvements on the GSV-R and some decent preseason test results saw Rizla Suzuki head to the championship-opening Commercialbank Grand Prix of Qatar in good spirits, but things did not go according to plan.

A DNF following a high speed crash for Loris Capirossi and seventh place for Chris Vermeulen meant the race itself was something of an anti-climax for the team and they will be hoping for a much better showing next time out in Japan.

Although the result equaled Vermeulenâ€s best ever finish at Qatar from three previous visits (and was a vast improvement on his nightmare 17th place start to last season), a lack of rear grip late in the race was a major concern afterwards, given that it is a problem the Suzuki riders were also hampered by at several races in 2008.

The Australian rider made a decent start from eighth on the grid (his best ever qualifying result at the Losail International Circuit) and stayed with the pace early on. He held his ground in battles with various opponents in the middle of the race but late on was in danger of being caught by Ducati satellite rider Mika Kallio on his MotoGP debut, as the tyre problem took its toll.

Nonetheless Vermeulen managed to avoid any late mistakes and was happy to have scored some decent points for the team.

Assessing the first GP of the year the 26 year-old from Brisbane noted, “The track conditions on Monday night were a bit different to what it had been all weekend and it was very different to the test which was how I had the bike set-up, and to be honest I really struggled for front-end feeling.”

“Towards the end of the race the rear tyre performance dropped off as well so thatâ€s something weâ€ve really got to work on. Itâ€s hard though with the lack of testing in race conditions and also on race weekends with the sessions being shorter and there being less of them, it makes it very difficult to put race distance on the tyres and to iron out any other problems.”

Vermeulen is already in much better shape than this time last year having had a poor start to the 2008 season, with eighth place in Portugal being his best result in the first four races.

He now hopes to pick up the pace at round two in Japan on the 24th-26th April weekend, stating, “Qatar was not the result we wanted because we were hoping to be in the top-five. We have got quite a bit of work to do to catch up to the podium so we need to put our thinking caps on and go to Motegi and have a better performance!”


Stoner gives detailed tour of Qatar track
Thursday, 16 April 2009

No-one knows how to go fast at the Losail International Circuit better than hat-trick Qatar winner Casey Stoner and he took motogp.com on an in-depth tour of the desert circuit.


Last weekend at the Commercialbank Grand Prix of Qatar Casey Stoner completed a brilliant season-opening hat-trick win at the Losail International Circuit, but as the accompanying video shows he still had time to take motogp.com live commentator Gavin Emmett on a detailed 20-minute tour of the spectacular floodlit Arabian desert track.

[Rev004]

Another weekend draws near with the next round at Motegi in Japan and what will the next event bring, yet another Ducati run away win or will the other find the pace to keep up. Who knows this weekend will be an entirely different race one would think especially with it being the 700th premier class grand prix. I'm still putting my money on Stoner to take the race out with Rossi making in the top 3 as you would expect.

Anyway enough of my dribble here's some more gos from the paddicks.

Rossi nominated for Laureus World Sportsman of the Year award
Friday, 17 April 2009

Fiat Yamahaâ€s World Champion on shortlist of six for prestigious prize.


Reigning MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossiâ€s achievements in 2008 have been recognised with a nomination for the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year award, an honour that will be decided at the tenth edition of the Laureus World Sports Awards.

Rossi was one of six sportsmen to be entered onto the final shortlist, following a ballot open to the worldâ€s media in a record 112 countries. His rivals for the prize are Olympic gold medal winners Usain Bolt & Michael Phelps, plus Formula 1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton, ATP tennis world number one Rafael Nadal and footballer Cristiano Ronaldo.

It is not the first time that Rossi has been acknowledged by the selection panel; In 2006 he was named as the winner of the Laureus Spirit of Sport Award for his contribution to motorcyclcing.

Previous winners of the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year award are Roger Federer, Michael Schumacher, Lance Armstrong and Tiger Woods.


Ducati reveal details of carbon fibre frame
Friday, 17 April 2009

Italian factory release information on key Desmosedici GP9 change.


Courtesy of Ducati Press

The most significant innovation of the DUCATI DESMOSEDICI GP9 is the monocoque frame in carbon fibre composite.

The technical selection of this type of frame is the next step in the advancement of the bike that has undergone previous major developments in its GP3 and GP7 versions.

The concept of the engine casing has been the guideline of the DESMOSEDICI project. The objective is to create a chassis set-up in which each element carries out a specific function, to obtain the desired rigidity with as little weight as possible, thus attaining maximum efficiency.

The engine, the main frame, the rear sub-frame, the rear suspension system (comprising swing-arm and linkage) and the front suspension system are the main components of the bike.

The basic idea is to abandon the classic concept of the chassis as the element that connects all other elements, in favour of a design in which the engine is the central element to which the main frame, rear sub-frame and rear suspension system are individually connected.

The GP3 was unique in having a rear swing-arm that was attached solely to the engine. In particular both the swing-arm pivot and the suspension linkages were connected directly to the engine without any attachment to the main frame.

The GP7 featured a main frame that was totally detached from the rear sub-frame. Basically the engine was the central element of the bike. The main frame was used as link between the engine and the steering head. The rear sub-frame linked the engine to the seat and to the footpegs and controls. The two frames, main and rear sub-frame, that were still linked to each other on the GP3, were now only attached to the engine on the GP7, meaning that they were smaller and lighter.

On the GP9 the main frame is formed to connect the engine to the steering head. The main frame now also incorporates the air-box in one single construction. This monocoque construction allows the air-box to function efficiently within the main frame.

Choosing to utilise the carbon fibre composite technology to create the frame means that, on the one hand, one can mould the piece into the desired form without incurring enormous equipment costs and, on the other hand, varying levels of rigidity and torsional characteristics can be attained simply by altering the type, the number and the directional orientation of the carbon fibres, using the same equipment.

In testing carried out up until now the GP9 guarantees greater precision and stability in breaking and on entering corners. We maintain, however, that only by using it to race on the various world circuits will we be able to properly evaluate the potential of this technical solution. Employing the said technical solution in competition at the maximum level is the only way to effectively assess it in all its aspects


Bridgestone content with Qatar tyre performance
Friday, 17 April 2009

Japanese manufacturer reflect on first single-tyre race weekend.


The first ever single-tyre MotoGP race was a far-from straightforward affair for rubber supplier Bridgestone, with temperatures different to those of the previous yearâ€s race and recent test in Qatar. The addition of an extra twenty minutes on track and a sandy surface left many riders with adjustments to be made, but Bridgestoneâ€s Race Tyre Development Manager Tohru Ubukata was happy with the companyâ€s adaptation to the delayed desert race.

“The Qatar night race was one of our most difficult tracks last year because of the cold night-time temperatures and the abrasive nature of the sandy track, so we came here this year knowing it would be challenging for our tyres again,” said Ubukata. “However I am happy with the way our soft and medium compound slicks worked this weekend and I believe the wider operating range of each tyre offered a more consistent level of performance this time. Also I was encouraged that our tyres coped well on this week's sandy conditions.

“All the riders favoured the medium compound. Our soft compound suffered graining on the sandy track with the heat and abrasion, but the medium compound worked better in these difficult conditions. Even with the medium compound tyre we had no problems with warm-up performance which was our main problem last year, so it shows the work we have done on widening the operating range of this yearâ€s tyres.”

Bridgestone did not provide any extra rubber for the re-organised Monday race, and Ubukata was impressed by the durability of the existing tyres for overtime work.

“I believe we made the correct selection of two compounds for this first race, and I believe that these options also were ok for the teams. With just 20 tyres per rider, every team had sufficient to complete the race weekend, even though it was extended by one day, so I think new regulation is working ok. All teams were able to complete Mondayâ€s warm-up and race using their original allocation of 20 tyres per rider. The warm-up was run twice as all riders completed it on Sunday as well, so this caused some extra mileage and I think some riders would have liked to have had more front tyres, especially of the medium compound, but tyre strategy is a decision for the teams. This is also a very unusual circumstance, but it shows there is sufficient flexibility in the new single tyre regulations,” concluded the Japanese manager.


MotoGP moves to Motegi for Polini Grand Prix of Japan
Monday, 20 April 2009

Second round of World Championship marks 700th premier class race.


Seven months on from the previous visit, the MotoGP World Championship makes its annual journey to Motegi for the Polini Grand Prix of Japan. The scene of the past two title victories in the premier class, the circuit has been a crucial location for the series in recent years and, although the World Champion will not be confirmed on April 26th, the race still has the potential to have a big say in the final standings for the season.

The first race of the 2009 campaign may have been unpredictable in circumstances –delayed until Monday evening due to atypical desert rain- but the end result went almost according to the script. Casey Stonerâ€s runaway victory left the Australian with a third consecutive win at Qatarâ€s Losail International Circuit, and sitting pretty at the head of the premier class standings. The Ducati Marlboro rider had spent over a year off the top spot, but has a strong case for his regaining the title he previously won in 2007; on only two occasions in the four-stroke era has the winner of the opening race failed to clinch the World Championship.

Stoner has yet to win a MotoGP race at Motegi, although his second place at the track from 2008 was his best result in Japan to date.

Reigning World Champion Valentino Rossi returns to the circuit at which he won the 2008 title, trailing Stoner in the standings after being powerless to stop his rival in Qatar. Rossi has a huge following in Japan, and Motegi is a home race for his Fiat Yamaha team. Teammate Jorge Lorenzo completed the podium at round one, but expressed dissatisfaction at the distance between himself and Stoner during the race.

Motegi was built as a Honda test track, and the factoryâ€s riders have added motivation for a strong performance on the 50th anniversary of the manufacturerâ€s entry in the World Championship. Repsol Hondaâ€s Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso lead the Japanese brandâ€s lineup, despite the former still riding injured from a preseason crash, whilst home representation comes in the form of Scot Racingâ€s Yuki Takahashi.

Another rider who can be expected to feature heavily in proceedings in Japan is Rizla Suzuki man Loris Capirossi, unbeatable at Motegi from 2005 through 2007.

The Polini Grand Prix of Japan will be the 700th premier class race. Practice begins on Friday April 24th, with the race itself on Sunday April 26th.


Ezpeleta reflects on unique circumstances for Qatar opener
Monday, 20 April 2009

Dorna CEO explains process involved in Monday MotoGP move


Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta was one of those present for discussions to move Commercialbank Grand Prix of Qatar MotoGP race to Monday night –an unprecedented move for the World Championship- and upon reflection this week the powerful MotoGP head reiterated that the right decision had been made.

“It can rain anywhere in the world, but it is very strange for it to do so in Qatar, above all in the way that it did last Sunday,” Mr. Ezpeleta told motogp.com on Friday. “The kind of rain that we saw for the 125cc race was fairly normal, as that was a shower that stopped soon after, but what happened just before the MotoGP race was not. We already knew that a wet night race was not an option, and the proposal from the Qatari organization to postpone the race opened up possibilities that we will look at for races like Qatar, although it isnâ€t an option for other (daytime) Grands Prix.

“We were there to race, so in the end we were able to find a solution that best suited the majority of teams. It was a decision that was not against any regulation, but there was no precedent for it.”

Mr. Ezpeleta went on to explain that the options had been carefully analysed, saying that; “It was unviable to have a day race, as the tyres available were designed for night temperatures, and we had to have some kind of assurance that we would not experience the same conditions on Monday that we had on Sunday. There was also the need to see if the decision was convenient for the race to be shown on television.

“There had never been a night race until last year, and there has never been a wet night race. So we were applying extraordinary measures that will have to be legislated for the future.”

The problems posed by uncharacteristic rainfall will not lead to a kneejerk reaction affecting the only night race on the MotoGP calendar. The Dorna CEO did, however, refute the idea of another nocturnal event featuring in 2010.

“Qatar will definitely be the only night race. I donâ€t even think that we will plan other night events for the future, because I canâ€t see any circuit at which the conditions would be viable –even in Qatar we didnâ€t have that completely this past weekend.”

Besides the weather, another problem cited by the riders from the season-opener was the reduction of allotted practice time. Mr. Ezpeleta pronounced that he was receptive to their concerns, even saying that “I think that they are right. We wanted to use the engines less, and our first solution was to reduce practice sessions. We later realised that there are other ways of doing it, and the most recent suggestion that the MSMA have received for 2010 –or for this year if it is viable- is to keep one-hour sessions on Friday afternoon, Saturday morning and Saturday afternoon, but with a lap limit to keep engine use down.”


Pedrosa claims “ten degrees more movement” for Japan date
Monday, 20 April 2009

Spanish rider explains knee progress and reveals lingering elbow pain.


Dani Pedrosaâ€s road to recovery may have suffered a minor diversion when he collided with Alex de Angelis in Qatar, but the Spaniard believes that his fitness is steadily improving in the run-up to the Polini Grand Prix of Japan.

The injured star suffered a knock to his elbow when hit by the San Carlo Honda Gresini man in the opening race of the year, but Pedrosa is claiming improvement in the condition of his recently-operated knee.

“Iâ€m looking forward to this weekend in Japan. My leg is improving all the time and the knee is gaining a little bit more mobility every day. I donâ€t have the full range of movement yet, but I think that by the time we get to Motegi Iâ€ll have about ten degrees more of movement than in Qatar, which should make quite a big difference,” says the Repsol Honda rider as he previews the second race of the 2009 season.

“My elbow is also getting better after the hit De Angelis gave me in Qatar - thereâ€s still some pain and stiffness but I hope it wonâ€t be a problem in Japan. My priority is still to reach full fitness so that I can ride at 100 per cent, and then we must focus on the machine because I missed out on quite a lot of winter testing and weâ€re still not at the level weâ€d like to be. Itâ€s a case of taking things one step at time - first to get full fitness and then improve the bike step-by-step.”

Pedrosa finished eleventh in the Commercialbank Grand Prix of Qatar, his lowest placing since the 2008 Czech Republic round.


700th Premier Class race milestone to be celebrated in Japan.
Monday, 20 April 2009

A look back over some memorable landmarks in the premier class since its inception in 1949.


This weekendâ€s Polini Grand Prix of Japan marks the 700th premier class Grand Prix in the history of the World Championship. Since the first round, many changes in cylinder class, tyre regulations and even starting times have been used, some of which are documented in a milestone review of the 699 races to date.

June 1949, Race #1: Great Britain IOM TT
The first 500cc GP is won by Harold Daniell riding a factory Norton.

September 1952, Race no.27, Monza
Les Graham gives MV Agusta the first race win in the premier-class.

October 1953, Race no.36, Montjuich
Fergus Anderson (Moto Guzzi) at 44 years old is the oldest rider to win in the premier class.

June 1957, Race no.60, Great Britain IOM TT
The longest ever GP of 301.84 miles, held over 8 laps of the Mountain circuit in the Isle of Man, won by Bob McIntyre (Gilera)

August 1962, Race no.100, Sachsenring
Mike Hailwood (MV Agusta) wins the 100th race in the premier-class.

May 1966, Race no.131, Hockenheim
Jim Redman gives Honda their first ever 500cc GP victory, this also being the first 500c win by a Japanese manufacturer.

September 1969, Race no.171, Yugoslavia
Godfrey Nash riding a Norton becomes the last rider to win a 500cc GP riding a single-cylinder machine.

August 1971, Race no.191, Ulster
Jack Findlay (Suzuki) takes the first win in the premier-class riding a two-stroke machine.

June 1972, Race no.200, Dutch TT Assen
Giacomo Agostini wins the 200th race riding a MV Agusta.

May 1973, Race no.207
France Paul Ricard Jarno Saarinen (Yamaha) scores the first win in the premier-class by a four-cylinder two-stroke machine.

August 1976, Race no.247
Nurburgring Giacomo Agostini scores the last of his 68 victories which is also the last victory by MV Agusta and the last for a four-stroke 500cc machine.

July 1977, Race no.254, Belgium
The fastest ever GP race was won by Barry Sheene riding a Suzuki at an average speed of 217.37 km/hr (135.067mph).

August 1981, Race no.298, Silverstone
Jack Middleburg (Suzuki) becomes the last rider to win in the premier-class riding a true ‘privateer†machine.

August 1981, Race no.300, Sweden
Barry Sheene wins the 300th GP riding a Yamaha, this is also the last premier-class win by a British rider.

July 1982, Race no.307, Belgium
Freddie Spencer takes the first victory for the three-cylinder two-stroke Honda at the age of 20, the youngest ever winner in the premier-class.

July 1989, Race no.400, France
Eddie Lawson riding a Honda wins the 400th GP in the premier-class.

March 1994, Race no.462, Eastern Creek
John Kocinski wins riding a Cagiva, this being the last time a non-Japanese 500cc two-stroke machine won in the premier-class.

September 1996, Race no.500, Imola.
Mick Doohan (Honda) takes the victory in a race cut short due to a rain shower.

April 2002, Race no. 581, Suzuka.
Valentino Rossi (Honda) takes the first win under the new MotoGP rules allowing 990cc four-strokes to compete alongside 500cc two-stroke machines.

October 2002, Race no.593, Motegi
Loris Capirossiâ€s (Honda) 3rd place finish is the last ever podium by a two-stroke machine in the premier-class

May 2003, Race no.600, France.
Sete Gibernau (Honda) wins after a great battle with Valentino Rossi in a shortened race stopped due to rain.

June 2003, Race no.602, Catalonia
Loris Capirossi gives Ducati their first ever premier-class Grand Prix victory.

April 2004, Race no.613, South Africa
After wining the final race of 2003 at Valencia riding a Honda, Valentino Rossi wins the first race of 2004 on a Yamaha.

October 2006, Race no.662, Valencia
Riding as a replacement for the injured Sete Gibernau, Troy Bayliss (Ducati) wins the final race of the 990cc era.

March 2007, Race no.663, Qatar
Casey Stoner (Ducati) wins the first race under the revised rules limiting machines to 800cc.

March 2008, Race no.681, Qatar
For the first time ever a Grand Prix is held at night under floodlights.

September 2008, Race no.694, Indianapolis
A Grand Prix event is held at the famous Indianapolis circuit for the first time and Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) takes his 69th premier class win -making him the most successful of all-time.

April 2009, Race no.699, Qatar
In the first race since the introduction of a single-tyre rule, Casey Stoner (Ducati) wins the opening race of the season in Qatar for the third successive year.


Rossi expects Stoner speed in Motegi
Tuesday, 21 April 2009

World Champion paints rival as favourite for Japanese victory.


Reigning MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi is back at the scene of his 2008 title celebrations this weekend, riding at Motegi for the the first time since clinching a sixth MotoGP World Championship at the track. The Fiat Yamaha man already knows who will be one of his chief rivals in his quest for crown number seven, and expects current series leader Casey Stoner to be equally as potent as he was at the opening race of the year in Qatar.

”I expect that Stoner will be strong again, so we just need to reduce the gap to him so that we can put up more of a fight,” says Rossi, playing down his chances and portraying the Australian as the favourite for victory. “In the past Motegi hasnâ€t been a great track for me and Iâ€ve had some bad races there, but I think last year cancelled that all out so I hope it can be successful for us once again this year.”

Rossi won last yearâ€s Japanese round to put the exclamation point on his title triumph, and will be favoured to pick up from where he left off. He is experienced enough to know, however, that past form counts for little when raceday comes around.

”My memories of last year at Motegi are incredible, because it was such a special victory after two yearâ€s without the championship. This year of course will be very different, itâ€s only the second race and it will be quite strange going there so early in the championship,” he explains.

”In Qatar we had one or two small areas that could have been better, so we will be trying hard to improve our setting during the practice time so that weâ€re able to run at the front on Sunday.”


Capirossi looks to reward Suzuki with Japanese win
Tuesday, 21 April 2009

Three-time MotoGP racewinner at Motegi wants first triumph for Japanese factory.


Rizla Suzukiâ€s Loris Capirossi will be starting his 20th season of Grand Prix racing afresh this weekend in Motegi, putting an early crash in Qatar behind him as he chases his first points of the year. The return to the land of the rising sun is a favourable move for the Italian veteran, who enjoyed three consecutive wins at the track from 2005-2008.

"After what happened in Qatar, we now go to a track that I know well and have had lots of good times at. I was very disappointed at Losail but that race has gone now and we have had time to see what happened,” says a determined Capirossi, whose team have strong links with Japan.

“I hope I can have a very good result in Japan for the Suzuki guys that have put in all the hard work in the winter to give us a bike that we can now be competitive on. I have won here before and want to do it again, so I will be making sure we get everything right for race-day to give us the best possible chance of achieving that!"

If Capirossi can place on the podium on Sunday he will have rostrum finishes to show for each of the past seventeen seasons.


Confident Stoner taking nothing for granted
Tuesday, 21 April 2009

Australian refuses to rule out non-Rossi rivals in title chase.


A victory in Qatar and confidence in the setup of the Ducati Desmosedici GP9 have made for a happy Casey Stoner heading to round two in Motegi, but the former MotoGP World Champion has reiterated that he is taking nothing for granted.

Stoner has set his sights on a stronger start to his 2009 season to that made in 2008, and thus far things appear to be going according to plan. Motegi represents something of an unknown for the new ‘big red bikeâ€, however, and the Australian is assured but cautious in his approach to the Polini Grand Prix of Japan.

“We havenâ€t tested here in preseason whereas we had in Qatar, so weâ€ll see how we get on starting from zero, with less practice time available. Iâ€m fairly confident, the set-up we found in testing has worked well at different kinds of circuits so we should have a decent base setting to work from at Motegi,” states Stoner. “In any case, we wonâ€t take anything for granted - weâ€ll keep working hard together and stay focused.”

Early signs show that reigning titlist Valentino Rossi will be the key man for Stoner to beat in 2009, although there has been no ruling out of any rider yet by the Ducati Marlboro man.

“At this stage Valentino has been the hardest rival in testing and we know that Valentino will always be there, but people should always expect the unexpected,” he warns. “You donâ€t know what other riders are capable of, so we will see how the beginning of the season goes during the first few races and understand who is going to be competitive and who is not, and then focus on the toughest challenger.”

Stonerâ€s second place at last yearâ€s Japanese round was his first podium in the premier class at Twin Ring Motegi.

[Rev004]

Well the 2nd round of MotoGp is here with the 1st round of free practise kicking off this arvo so who is everyone putting there money on this weekend.

I'm still putting my money on Stoner but I don't think he is going to have it all his own way this weekend so l'm just going to sit back and see how things unfold over the weekend..

Until then here's some more gos from the MotoGp Arena...

Hayden expecting full fitness for Japanese trek
Tuesday, 21 April 2009

American to have stitches in chest removed on Thursday.


Left sore by a huge qualifying highside in Qatar, Nicky Hayden expects to be able to ride a more comfortable race when the World Championship arrives in Motegi. The Ducati rider will be competing in his first Japanese round since leaving Honda, and is keen to make a better impression on the final results than he did at round one of the 2009 season.

Some big bruising to his back has all-but-completely gone down, and ‘The Kentucky Kid†expects to have the only lasting momento of his tumble taken away before the opening practice session for the Polini Grand Prix of Japan.

“Physically Iâ€m okay – no doubt the race (in Qatar) was tough because I was pretty beaten up but Iâ€ve recovered well and I donâ€t expect to have any problems in Japan. Iâ€ll probably go to the Clinica on Thursday to have the stitches removed and that will be the end of the matter,” said the gritty American, who also acknowledged that even before his crash things were far from perfect.

“My first GP with Ducati didnâ€t exactly go as Iâ€d hoped but we took some positives out of it – I lapped quicker in the second half of the race than I had done all weekend and above all I felt comfortable on the bike. Hopefully this will help us work out what it is exactly that I need to improve my feeling with the bike because being so far off the pace in practice wasnâ€t cool!

“Iâ€m really keen to do well in this race and even though Iâ€ve always had a kind of love-hate relationship with Motegi – with some good results and some bad ones – it is always a special Grand Prix.”

Hayden –who celebrated 100 Grand Prix appearances at the Qatar race- earned his very first podium at the 2003 edition of the Japanese round.


Japan ‘make or brake†race for Elías
Wednesday, 22 April 2009

Spaniard seeks braking improvement for Honda home GP


Toni Elías is back representing Honda at their home race, following a year on Italian Ducati machinery. The Spaniard has a factory-spec RC212V at his disposal for the Polini Grand Prix of Japan, making him one of the chief focal points for his manufacturer this weekend. Unfortunately for the San Carlo Gresini Honda man, one of his strong points has been tempered during preseason, and he is keen to solve the problem before Sundayâ€s race.

”Motegi is a circuit with lots of heavy braking and I have always been good on the brakes, which I think is why my record is so good there, but this is an area weâ€re struggling with at the moment. So it is fundamental we fix that particular problem because braking is a weapon we really need here,” emphasises the 2007 podium finisher at the track, who is keen to gain another good result for two distinct reasons.

“I have always loved Motegi and to race there for HRC gives you an extra motivation to do a good job. We have to be realistic and keep our feet on the ground in terms of our expectations because the situation weâ€re in at the moment demands it, but hopefully we can get a little bit of help and with it being a track I like so much we can improve on the performance from Qatar – this is the principal objective.”

Elías finished sixteenth –not high enough to collect World Championship points- in the 2008 Japanese race.


Rizla Suzuki pledge support for Australian bushfire auction
Wednesday, 22 April 2009

MotoGP team donate items to aid victims of 2008 disaster, including signed leathers from Chris Vermeulen.


As their stars prepare for the Polini Grand Prix of Japan, Rizla Suzuki have nonetheless had time to indulge in some philanthropic activity to support a worthy cause. The MotoGP team have put a selection of exclusive memorabilia up for grabs as part of the Suzuki Victorian Bushfire Charity Auction, set up to help victims of last yearâ€s natural disaster in Southern Australia.

Three ‘Rizla Suzuki MotoGP experiences†are being offered, in which the winners will spend time with riders Chris Vermeulen and Loris Capirossi. Suzuki's Australian star Vermeulen has also donated a pair of signed leathers that he used in preseason testing to the auction, whilst Suzuki Germany have donated a fairing panel from a GSX-R1000 MotoGP replica signed by both stars.

Bidding opens at 20.00hrs local time (10.00hrsGMT) on Thursday 23rd April, with five-minute intervals scheduled between each listing to make it easy for enthusiasts who want to bid on more than one item.The first item will close 10 days later, at 20.00hrs Australian time (10.00hrsGMT) on Sunday 3rd May, with the final item and auction scheduled to end at 22.15hrs Australian time (10.15hrsGMT).

"It was such an awful event that the least I can do is to put my support behind Suzuki Australia's auction to raise money for the Bushfire Appeal,” says Vermeulen of the auction.

“There were many terrible stories that we heard about the fires and if we can help in any way then we will. I think this is a great idea by the people at Suzuki Australia and they have put a lot of work into making this happen. I have donated some items to the auction and Rizla Suzuki MotoGP has also put its weight behind the auction by supplying some amazing items for anyone to bid on. I hope it raises a lot of money to help those affected by the fires - I will certainly be keeping an eye on how much everything goes for!"


Canepa goes in cold to Motegi weekend
Wednesday, 22 April 2009

Pramac Racing rider suffers minor setback in quest to learn Japanese circuit.


Niccoló Canepa is the only entrant in the premier class race at Motegi with no prior experience of the track, and has already suffered from incompatibility of sorts in the lead-up to the Polini Grand Prix of Japan.

Luckily for the Italian, the irreconcilable difference is not between his Ducati Desmosedici GP9 satellite machine and the far eastern circuit, but rather in his planned preparation for the event.

”The Japanese weekend hasnâ€t started too well; I brought my Playstation to learn the Motegi circuit on the MotoGP game, but unluckily my system is different compared to here and I am not able to play. Therefore I will have to learn all the secrets of the track on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning's free sessions,” reveals the Pramac Racing rookie, who rides at an untested track for the first time in 2009.

”Itâ€s a pity. Anyway, from what I have seen on television it doesn't seem like a technical circuit and this can help a new rider like me. To start from zero is never easy but I will try to do much better compared to my debut in Qatar, where I didn't perform too well."

Canepa made his MotoGP debut at the opening round of the season last Monday, but was left dissatisfied after finishing seventeenth in the postponed night race.


Repsol Honda pair call in at HRC
Thursday, 23 April 2009

Using their trip to Japan to maximum advantage Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso have visited HRC, ahead of this weekendâ€s Motegi action.


Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso were both in attendance at HRC meetings on Wednesday as they visited factory engineers in Japan to discuss further improvements to their Honda RC212V machine.

On Wednesday afternoon both riders met HRC staff at the Honda R&D offices in Asaka-Saitama, an hourâ€s drive from the Japanese capital, before they headed to Motegi for this weekendâ€s Polini Grand Prix of Japan.

At the start of Hondaâ€s 50th season in the World Championship, Pedrosa and Dovizioso were given a warm welcome by R&D employees who gathered en masse during their lunchtime break to see the riders mount their RC212V machines and pose for photographs.

Later focusing on the serious business of improving the bike in meetings with dedicated engineers at the Honda facility and looking ahead to round two of the season, Pedrosa commented afterwards, “The important thing for me this weekend in Japan is to ride as much as I can, because I couldnâ€t test too much in preseason due to my injuries.”

“I need to get on the bike and improve my feeling with it. The information we have given in our meetings is clear, so now we just need to make the improvements.”

Dovizioso, meanwhile, added, “It is so important for us to keep developing the bike as much as possible, because we have some problems we need to resolve. To have the opportunity to speak directly to the engineers is crucial, so I am very happy to have had these meetings.


Rossi and Lorenzo pay Tokyo a visit
Thursday, 23 April 2009

Fiat Yamaha riders Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo have both been busy in Tokyo this week.


World Champion Valentino Rossi and his team-mate Jorge Lorenzo both visited Tokyo this week ahead of the Polini Grand Prix of Japan, meeting enthusiastic Japanese crowds in the countryâ€s colossal capital city.

On Tuesday Lorenzo was accompanied by his crew chief Ramon Forcada, Team Manager Daniele Romagnoli and additional Fiat Yamaha team members as he visited the Fiat Cafà in Tokyo city centre, where he hosted a press conference with Japanese media and participated in a photo session.

The gathering was also attended by Fiat management representatives, senior Yamaha management figures and the Italian Ambassador to Japan.

Speaking to motogp.com at the event, Lorenzo stated, “It has been good to come here and visit the Fiat CafÃ, to speak to the Japanese press and see so many Japanese people who are fans of our sport. Itâ€s important to help promote MotoGP around the world and this is a great place to do it.”

The exciting young Spanish rider was joined by his illustrious teammate Rossi on Wednesday evening at the Westin Hotel, also in Tokyo, as Yamaha launched a new Yamaha R1 street bike and hosted a dinner for 200 guests.

Returning to the country where he clinched the MotoGP title in 2008, Rossi commented, “There are great memories for me here in Japan because last year I got the championship back here and it was a huge victory after a fantastic race.

“Always when I come here to Japan it is hectic because I have a lot to do with Yamaha and that is very important. I will be busy right up to first practice on Friday and then we will start working on the bike.”


Racing numbers for Polini Grand Prix of Japan
Thursday, 23 April 2009

Facts, figures and trivia for the Polini Grand Prix of Japan, the second race of the 2009 MotoGP World Championship season.


18 years 328 days – The longest Grand Prix career between the first podium finish and the last which was achieved by Angel Nieto. The next time that Loris Capirossi finishes on the podium he will take this record from Nieto.

17 – Casey Stonerâ€s victory in Qatar was his 17th in the premier-class. One more victory will take him equal in premier-class wins to fellow Australian and 1987 world champion Wayne Gardner.

10 years – The qualifying day for the Japanese Grand Prix will be the tenth anniversary to the day of the very first GP to be held at the Motegi circuit.

150 – Roberto Locatelliâ€s 9th place finish in Qatar was his 150th point scoring ride in Grand Prix racing. He is only the 8th rider to reach the milestone of 150 point scoring rides, the others who have achieved this are: Loris Capirossi, Alex Barros, Valentino Rossi, Max Biaggi, Giacomo Agostini, Carlos Checa and Angel Nieto.

100 – Joan Olive, who made his GP debut in Japan in 2001, is scheduled to make his 100th GP start in the 125cc class at Motegi.

100 – Having missed the opening race of the year in Qatar, Marco Simoncelli will make his 100th GP start two weeks later than planned at the Japanese GP.

23 years – Prior to the Qatar race it was 23 years since the last time two French riders appeared together on a 250cc GP podium; at the Yugoslavian GP in 1986 at Rijeka when Jean-Francois Baldà was 2nd and Dominique Sarron 3rd.

20 years 182 days – Jules Cluzel is the youngest ever French rider to finish on the podium in a 250cc Grand Prix taking the record from Sylvain Guintoli who had celebrated his 21st birthday just four days before finishing third in the 250cc race at the Dutch TT in 2003.

8 minutes 37.245 seconds – The four lap 125cc race in Qatar is the shortest ever Grand Prix in terms of elapsed time. However at 21.52 km it does not take the record for shortest distance, which is still held by the five lap 125cc French GP last year at just 20.925 km in length.


Big guns gather to preview Motegi action
Thursday, 23 April 2009

World Champion Valentino Rossi, Qatar race winner Casey Stoner and Repsol Hondaâ€s Dani Pedrosa were amongst the group of riders in Thursdayâ€s pre-event press conference in Japan.


Looking forward to the second round of the season in the pre-event press conference at Motegi on Thursday the 2007 World Champion Casey Stoner spoke of the trackâ€s unknown quantities as he previewed the weekendâ€s action.

The Polini Grand Prix of Japan pre-event press briefing was attended by Stoner, Valentino Rossi (Fiat Yamaha), Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda), Loris Capirossi (Rizla Suzuki) and MotoGP newcomer Yuki Takahashi (Scot Racing) at 5pm local time as the riders faced local and international media.

Unlike Qatar -the venue for round one- and Jerez -the scene of the third race of the year- there has been no winter testing at Motegi, meaning the riders will have to quickly reacquaint themselves with the Twin Ring circuit on their 2009 Bridgestone tyres, as Stoner pointed out.

“We havenâ€t tested our new tyres here so we have to see how things will work out,” commented the Ducati Marlboro man. “I think Bridgestone will have done their homework. We have been pretty happy with the way our bike is working this year but now we have to make sure it is suited to the characteristics of this circuit on these new tyres. This is like the real start to the season where any small mistakes will show out.”

Having wrapped up the 2008 title at Motegi last year, Rossi stated, “Coming here brings back a lot of great memories for me and my team after our last visit just a few months ago. It was so good last time, not just for the championship but also it was a great race after I had struggled in practice and then went very, very fast on the Sunday. We will work from Friday to understand the track, because the temperatures could be different to our last visit and it could rain this weekend too.”

Pedrosa, meanwhile, won at Motegi as a 250cc rider in 2004 and was on the podium last year behind Rossi and Stoner, although he is still battling back from preseason knee and arm injuries. He remarked; “This is a track where I normally go quite well and I will try to go as fast as I can”

He continued; “We know we will have to work hard on the setting because the weather conditions could be quite mixed. Of course I would like to be on the podium again but we just have to wait and see.”


Hayden expects to be unaffected by Qatar crash
Thursday, 23 April 2009

American keeps stitches in chest, but claims near-100% fitness.


Nicky Hayden had been expecting to start Fridayâ€s practice session for the Polini Grand Prix of Japan fully recovered from his Qatar highside. The American revealed on Thursday, however, that he would have to wait just a little bit longer to put the incident behind him.

“I got checked out again at home; no disrespect to the hospital in Qatar, but itâ€s always good to get your own doctor and people you trust to look you over,” said Hayden. “I went today to get the two stitches in my chest taken out, but the doctors said that it wasnâ€t ready yet so weâ€ll keep those in. They donâ€t bother me at all, apart from itching sometimes.”

Whilst the qualifying hit undoubtedly affected his performance at Losail, the Ducati Marlboro rider believes that he is starting in near-perfect condition this weekend, aided by the location of his back bruising.

“Iâ€m not at 100% for some things, but the motorcycle position is no problem for me. My sleep wasnâ€t affected, and being in my own bed certainly helped. It just shows how much things like back braces, helmets and boots have progressed that I can take a crash like that and be OK.”

[Rev004]

Here is the results from the 1st round of free practice with Rossi just nudging Stoner out with only minutes left in the session. Lorenzo made up the the top 3 position closely followed by Aussie Chris Vermeulen which is a great result for Chris and once again he is starting to show up constantly in the top five go Chris..

Rossi fights back to head Friday practice standings
Friday, 24 April 2009

Fiat Yamaha rider quickest in first MotoGP session at Motegi.


Valentino Rossi was quicker than Casey Stoner on Friday in Japan. That was the result that everyone was awaiting after the latterâ€s dominance in Qatar, but the Italianâ€s fightback doesnâ€t tell the whole story of the first free practice session for the Polini Grand Prix of Japan.

Reigning World Champion and 2008 racewinner Rossi left his final push to the last possible moment, cutting more than half a second off his previous best time in the session to edge out the current series leader. The Italian stopped the clock at 1â€48.545 to bring an end to Stonerâ€s perfect record in practice, qualifying and warmup sessions in 2009.

Ducati Marlboro man Stoner threw himself into the challenge with an early 1â€48.601 lap of the Twin Ring Motegi circuit, but elected to return to the garage instead of returning fire once Rossi had taken the advantage.

Rossiâ€s Fiat Yamaha teammate Jorge Lorenzo had expressed his desire to record times closer to those of Stoner in the run-up to Japan and, like Rossi, his ultimate lap was also his most effective. The Spaniard was the final rider to go round in under 1â€49.

Chris Vermeulen and Loris Capirossi showed that Rizla Suzukiâ€s efforts to improve the GSV-R over the winter had been something of a success, both in the top six at a track that did not go well for the duo in 2008. They sandwiched satellite Yamaha rider Colin Edwards on the timesheet, whilst the top ten also included fastest Honda rider Andrea Dovizioso, Hayate Racing surprise Marco Melandri, 2007 podium finisher Toni Elías and Monster Tech3 Yamahaâ€s James Toseland.

Home rider Yuki Takahashi ran off track in the session, whilst fellow rookie Mika Kallio had a spectacular highside –from which he returned to action during the 45-minute run.


MotoGP Free Practice Nr. 1 Classification
Pos. Num. Rider Nation Team Motorcycle Lap time Km/h Gap
1 46 Valentino ROSSI ITA Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 1'48.545 286.472
2 27 Casey STONER AUS Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati 1'48.601 284.885 0.056
3 99 Jorge LORENZO SPA Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 1'48.965 294.117 0.420
4 7 Chris VERMEULEN AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 1'49.382 291.813 0.837
5 5 Colin EDWARDS USA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 1'49.697 289.466 1.152
6 65 Loris CAPIROSSI ITA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 1'49.980 288.615 1.435
7 4 Andrea DOVIZIOSO ITA Repsol Honda Team Honda 1'50.030 278.350 1.485
8 33 Marco MELANDRI ITA Hayate Racing Team Kawasaki 1'50.123 287.769 1.578
9 24 Toni ELIAS SPA San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 1'50.209 293.000 1.664
10 52 James TOSELAND GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 1'50.342 289.621 1.797
11 3 Dani PEDROSA SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 1'50.391 283.315 1.846
12 69 Nicky HAYDEN USA Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati 1'50.393 287.081 1.848
13 72 Yuki TAKAHASHI JPN Scot Racing Team MotoGP Honda 1'50.404 286.548 1.859
14 59 Sete GIBERNAU SPA Grupo Francisco Hernando Ducati 1'50.538 284.510 1.993
15 15 Alex DE ANGELIS RSM San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 1'50.601 282.648 2.056
16 14 Randy DE PUNIET FRA LCR Honda MotoGP Honda 1'50.669 285.487 2.124
17 36 Mika KALLIO FIN Pramac Racing Ducati 1'51.643 290.010 3.098
18 88 Niccolo CANEPA ITA Pramac Racing Ducati 1'51.929 273.141 3.384

[Rev004]

It's Saturday and the track is wet with the Aussies not showing there normal finiese in the wet but still both were good enough to finish in the top 5.

Here some more gos followed by this mornings free practice results. We will have to wait and see what happens with qualifying as it has been delayed due to the wet conditions so once I see something I will post it up.

Lorenzo feeling good after speedy start in Japan
Friday, 24 April 2009

Fiat Yamaha rider third quickest in opening practice session for Polini Grand Prix of Japan.

Jorge Lorenzo was disappointed with his third place form in Qatar, but had no complaints about his first encounter with the Twin Ring Motegi circuit. The Spaniard was third quickest in Friday free practice, and even looked on the positive side of predicted Saturday rainfall in Japan.

Jorge Lorenzo – 3rd
”Iâ€m so happy with this practice session because we often struggle a bit at the start of the weekend but today this wasnâ€t the case at all and I felt great from the start. My M1 felt good when braking, under acceleration and in the corners so I think we are in good shape and now I hope we can continue like this tomorrow even if it rains, in fact I am quite curious to see what happens in the rain and how the lap time is.”


Cold conditions not to De Punietâ€s liking
Friday, 24 April 2009

Honda RC212V “hard to ride” for Frenchman on Friday.


The earlier-than-normal visit to Motegi for the MotoGP World Championship has meant colder conditions for the Polini Grand Prix of Japan, something that has not gone down well with LCR Hondaâ€s Randy de Puniet. He placed sixteenth on Fridayâ€s opening practice session on a cool track.

Randy de Puniet – 16th
“Todayâ€s conditions were not very good and the track surface was too cold. I started on a harder front tyre but after some laps my feeling was strange and I decided to change it. After that I felt more comfortable but the bike was “hard” to ride and could not lap as I would like. At the end I made a mistake because I thought it was my last lap so I missed one lap losing several places. However I think that the lap time is not so bad considering the track conditions. We must improve the suspension set-up but we are not very far from the right setting. I am a bit worried about the weather conditions for the rest of the weekend”.


Top ten start for improved Toseland
Friday, 24 April 2009

Attempting to bounce back from his Qatar disappointment this weekend in Japan, James Toseland was pleased to start the weekend in the top ten at Motegi.


After a difficult winter testing campaign and a frustrating first race in Qatar Monster Yamaha Tech3â€s James Toseland showed that his determination remains as strong as ever on Friday in Japan, as he featured in the top six for the majority of the first free practice session.

Fine-tuning a new front fork set-up to help with braking stability, Toseland finally ended up tenth but was pleased with his progress.

James Toseland - 10th
“That was a bit more like it. Right to the end I was looking good to be around the top six but I caught (Yuki) Takahashi on my last lap when the tyre was working pretty good, so I'm sure I could have got into the 1.49s. My guys have done a great job because I had a slightly different setting on the front fork today to get a bit more control under braking. This place is all about hard braking and that is an area I've needed to work on. I've got a bit more control on initial braking so it doesn't upset the bike as much when I'm turning in. I ran most of the session on the hard tyre with the weather not looking too good for tomorrow, but I did try the softer one at the end just to check on it. I doubt we'd be able to run it in the race, even if the temperature is quite low. So if it rains tomorrow and it's dry for the race, at least I know I'll run the harder tyre. It was a difficult first race but we're not losing motivation and my team have all stuck together. Rain or shine I'm determined to get a good result for them and Yamaha in their home race.”


Edwards takes Bridgestone advice for hard tyre choice
Friday, 24 April 2009

American runs harder compound in practice preparation for colder temperatures.


Colin Edwards is well-respected by his collaborators for taking their advice onboard, despite on occasions falling foul of some unsuccessful choices. The American was playing guinea pig for Bridgestone on Friday at Motegi, running what the Japanese tyre manufacturer believe will be their best compound choice for Sundayâ€s race.

Edwards used only the hard option for the entire 45-minute session that opened the Polini Grand Prix of Japan, with the result being a fastest lap of 1â€49.697 and fifth on the Friday timesheet.

”I'm sure that if I had run the softer compounds I could have gone quicker, but Bridgestone think that the hard front and rear will be what I'll need for the race,” said Monster Yamaha Tech3â€s veteran rider, undertaking his first campaign with Bridgestone rubber.

”It feels to me like the left side of the tyre is a little bit too hard and I've got to make sure I get it warmed up. The right side feels really good, but you can't take too much risk in the beginning on the left, but once it comes to temperature it works fine.

”Today was all about gathering information. My thinking even yesterday was to start with the hard tyre because we knew it was going to be cold and the forecasts were showing rain for tomorrow, so I needed to get some information in the dry before the race.”

Edwards used both of his Yamaha M1 bikes during the session, although his crew set up the bike with the same tyres to allow him to further experiment with his race setup.


Weekend starts positively for Suzuki colleagues
Friday, 24 April 2009

After the anti-climax of Qatar the Polini Grand Prix of Japan weekend has started well for Rizla Suzuki team-mates Chris Vermeulen and Loris Capirossi.


Keen to cash in on the winter improvements made to their GSV-R bike by Suzuki in Japan, Chris Vermeulen and Loris Capirossi are on the hunt for big points this weekend at Motegi.

Vermeulenâ€s seventh place in Qatar and Capirossiâ€s DNF after he crashed out in the desert were not the results either rider was looking for, but having started the Polini Grand Prix of Japan weekend both inside the first free practice top six things are looking better for the Rizla Suzuki team-mates.

Having finished fourth on the timesheets, albeit 0.837s down on pace-setter Valentino Rossi at a track where Suzuki have not enjoyed great results in recent times, Vermeulen told motogp.com, “It wasnâ€t too bad, we are a lot closer to the pace than we have been here in the past. The forecast for Saturday is rain so it was very important to try and get as much done and be as quick as we could in the first session, because this might be our only dry session.”

“Suzuki have done some good things with the bike. The important thing with Motegi is accelerating off the corners onto those long straights and the bike seems to be a bit better at that so things are looking better than they have done before.”

The Australianâ€s experience Italian team-mate was not far behind in sixth place on Friday, but he knows there is still plenty of work to do given his 1.435s gap to Rossi. Capirossi stated afterwards, “We need more time to get the bike just right. It is working quite well but we still have a bit of work to do on the setting. The conditions didnâ€t help today because it was very cold and we couldnâ€t get the tyres up to temperature. We used one set of tyres for the whole session and the left side still looks like new!”

“We will see how things turn out tomorrow, but there is a forecast of rain and then it might be fine for the race, so we will just have to see what happens.”


Tyres top of the agenda for Melandri
Friday, 24 April 2009

Hard left side poses problems for Italian star.


Placing eighth as he continues to regain confidence and learn the Hayate Racing Kawasaki bike, Marco Melandri had another impressive showing in Japan on Friday. He was working for the majority of the session with his second machine, after a minor electrical problem with his main bike.

Despite his progress, the Italian admitted to being less than fully comfortable with the tyre choice available to him for the weekend.

“It took us nearly all the session to understand that we need to use the softer tyre with the second bike, because the weather is a little cold,” said Melandri after the run.

“The big problem for us is that Bridgestone brought a harder left side to their tyres, which are difficult to warm up in the first three laps. With the session being so short, long runs are difficult to make.

“The medium tyres are a little too hard for me. The soft ones look a bit too hard on the left but the right seems ok. I know that (Mika) Kallio had a crash when the tyre was cold, because you go a long time without riding on the left at this track. However, thereâ€s such a difference between the two tyres that there is really only one choice for the race.”

Melandriâ€s quickest time stopped the clock at 1â€50.123


Kallio fall hits Pramac preparations
Friday, 24 April 2009

Duo prop up Friday timesheet in Motegi.


Pramac Racing riders Mika Kallio and Niccolò Canepa were the two slowest riders in the first practice session in Japan, albeit for different reasons. Kallio took a nasty crash in the session, whilst Canepa was riding at the track for the first time in his career.

Mika Kallio -17th
"Looking at the classification today, it went really bad. I don't know what happened when I fell; I lost control of the rear without even accelerating. This has complicated our work today and we will have almost to start from zero tomorrow morning. I hit really hard my left ankle, but for the moment it seems like nothing too serious."
Niccolò Canepa -18th
"I really like the track. I have used this session to learn the best lines to follow. It will be difficult to reach the other riders with only two forty-five minute free sessions, but I will do my best. I found the circuit very slippery, most of all where Mika has fallen. During this session I have used only one rear tyre and having registered my fastest lap time after 20 laps give me some hope for the rest of the weekend."


Dovizioso planning evening of work to improve setting
Friday, 24 April 2009

Getting ready for his first Motegi race as a factory Honda MotoGP rider Andrea Dovizioso was the fastest HRC representative on Friday, but still a second and a half off the pace.


With work to do on Friday evening at the Twin Ring Motegi circuit to improve the handling of his RC212V, in order to move up the timesheets on Saturday at the Polini Grand Prix of Japan, Andrea Dovizioso and his Repsol Honda crew were preparing for a late shift in their pit-box at the end of the day.

Facing added responsibility as a factory representative in Hondaâ€s home race, at the second round of the Japanese manufacturing giantâ€s 50th season in the World Championship, Dovizioso finished in seventh place in FP1 – a 1.485s gap behind pace man Valentino Rossi.

The young Italian stated, “It was a strange practice because the conditions were really cold and it was difficult to get temperature into the tyres, so that was the big problem.”

Referring to the switch in dates for the Motegi visit, from late summer to early Spring he added, “These are the conditions, but normally we donâ€t ride here in these temperatures.”

Looking for solutions to his setting problems Dovizioso went on to say, “We also need to adapt the electronics system because the bike was too aggressive, so that was why we didnâ€t go so fast. I really hope that tomorrow weâ€ll have two dry sessions to work with, though itâ€s not looking too likely.”


Elias and de Angelis not enjoying Motegi cold
Friday, 24 April 2009

Cool conditions hinder San Carlo Honda Gresini progression.


It may have been drier in Motegi on Friday than it had been at the postponed opening round in Qatar, but cold conditions created more problems in Japan for San Carlo Gresini Honda. Toni Elias was the second fastest Honda on track, although both he and teammate Alex de Angelis were displeased with their practice results.

Toni Elias -9th
“The conditions were probably even more difficult today than they were in Qatar because the cold was incredible. The problem weâ€ve been having all preseason getting heat into the tyres is exacerbated by the low track temperatures but Honda have brought us some new chassis parts here that have helped. We are still too far from where we need to be but I was the second fastest Honda today, only a tenth off the fastest one, and even though I am not satisfied with the position the important thing is weâ€re closing the gap.”
Alex De Angelis -15th
“The change in temperature from the heat we had here yesterday to the cold today certainly changed the cards on the table and for us it meant that when we rolled the bike out we ran into the same kind of problems we had in the Qatar test, when it was similarly cold. We have rear grip issues and even though the guys made some changes during the session that seemed to work, by moving the balance to the rear I had problems keeping the front end down in the hard acceleration zones and I had to close the throttle, which obviously loses time, so we need to look at the data tonight and try to find a better compromise.”


Pedrosa reflects on a disappointing first day at Motegi
Friday, 24 April 2009

Low temperatures were on everybody`s mind during the first free practice session at Motegi as the riders prepare for the Japanese GP, a race that will be held this weekend at the Circuit of Motegi.


There was little grip for the bikes and this combined with the cold weather and cold tarmac meant that Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa was not tempted to take any risks on the first day of practice.

Dani Pedrosa, who has gone to the Japanese GP in a much better condition after the injury and operation on his left leg, did not have a good start to the weekend. The lack of a good set up on his motorbike prevented him from reaching the level needed to be competitive in this first free practice, and he finished in a disappointing eleventh position.

Dani Pedrosa
“Itâ€s exciting to be back at Motegi for Hondaâ€s home race, though we didnâ€t get as far forward today as we would have liked. We went in the wrong direction with our set-up for this practice, which meant that we couldnâ€t get as far forward on the timesheets as we should be. It looks like itâ€s going to be raining tomorrow so perhaps we wonâ€t so much more set-up time if the race is dry, but still, weâ€ll continue to work on the settings and see how things pan out tomorrow.”


Recovering Hayden assesses day one
Friday, 24 April 2009

Although Nicky Hayden himself claimed he was close to full fitness before the Polini Grand Prix of Japan the American rider was not on the pace on Friday at Motegi.


The hard-working Nicky Hayden has plenty to do on Saturday at Motegi as he looks to bounce back from his injuries and tough first race weekend with Ducati in Qatar. He was outside the top ten on the first day of practice in Japan.

Nicky Hayden – 13th
“The track was quite slippery when we first went out and the air felt so cold, with the humidity, it felt like it could rain any second. We certainly had to be careful getting some heat into the left side of the rear and into the front. We tried a few things out with the set-up – I ran both bikes and worked in the direction weâ€d found in Qatar, where the balance of the bike had felt much better in the later laps, with less fuel on board. Obviously the lap time isnâ€t great but we improved with every run and pretty much every lap, we got a good number laps in just in case it does rain tomorrow and we worked out a basic direction we need to take for the race, so Iâ€m satisfied.”


Rossi reflects on good start in Japan
Friday, 24 April 2009

Italian fastest in first practice session for Polini Grand Prix of Japan.


A late lap at Twin Ring Motegi meant two important things to reigning MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi; firstly it put him at the top of the timesheet at the end of day one in Japan. More importantly, it ended chief rival Casey Stonerâ€s domination of free practice sessions since the start of the 2009 season.

Rossi had not previously tried out the new M1 at the Japanese track, having not tested there following his title triumph. The Italian was pleasantly surprised with his first outing, in which he clocked a quickest lap of 1'48.545, although he has one eye on the weather conditions that could bring about a sharp turnaround in fortunes for the MotoGP riders.

”This is a very good start because weâ€re at the top and this is very important,” emphasised the six-time MotoGP champion. The conditions today were hard and it was difficult to reach the limit and work to the maximum with the bike and tyres, but it looks like we have a good potential here so I am happy. Itâ€s important to be in front, even though itâ€s only Friday, because in Qatar we were second, second, second in every session and really we donâ€t like second so much; for sure first is much better!”

Rossi had expressed concern about the predicted Saturday rain when questioned in the pre-practice press conference, but put a positive spin on the forecasts following the Friday run.

Tomorrow it seems it may rain but we havenâ€t had the chance to try the new Bridgestone rain tyres yet so I think that this could be an important chance for us to understand how they are. It will be interesting and I hope they are good! It looks like we need to improve our performance a little bit

“In 2008 we had two wet races; I won one and came second in the other. So I think that, even in the rain, we donâ€t have too much to worry about.”


Wet conditions for Saturday morning practices
Saturday, 25 April 2009

There was rain at the Twin Ring Motegi Circuit on Saturday morning as the second day of action at the Polini Grand Prix of Japan commenced.


The wet weather which caused inconvenience for MotoGP in Qatar caught up with the World Championship again in Japan on Saturday, as forecast, meaning the morning practices started on a wet track.

With cool temperatures and more April showers predicted during the afternoon it is likely that the riders across all three World Championship categories will be riding on wet tyres for most of the day.

That will give the MotoGP stars a chance to test the new generation 2009 Bridgestone wets in Grand Prix conditions for the first time on home territory for the Japanese firm – and could make for a highly interesting premier class qualifying practice at 2.05pm local time.

Whatever the weather Fridayâ€s front runners Valentino Rossi (Fiat Yamaha), Casey Stoner (Ducati Marlboro), Jorge Lorenzo (Fiat Yamaha) and Chris Vermeulen (Rizla Suzuki) will strive to stay at the top of the pile, whilst Honda factory riders Andrea Dovizioso and Dani Pedrosa will be playing catch up after their modest starts yesterday


Scot Racing Team RC212V presented by Yutaka Hirano
Saturday, 25 April 2009

The Chief Mechanic of Yuki Takahashi, Yutaka Hirano, talks about the strengths and weaknesses of the satellite specification Honda RC212V.


The No.72 Honda which Yuki Takahashi rides in his MotoGP debut campaign is presented by his Chief Mechanic Yutaka Hirano. The bike is all new compared to the 2008 prototype with a new engine and chassis that increases the front end stability of the machine.


Edwards takes advantage in Japanese rain
Saturday, 25 April 2009

Monster Yamaha Tech 3â€s experienced American Colin Edwards went to the top of the timesheets in the rain at Motegi, early on day two in Japan.


Instead of rising sun at Motegi on Saturday morning it was a case of discovering the land of the falling rain for Colin Edwards at the Polini Grand Prix of Japan, as he held off his rivals to finish on top by a 0.052s margin from former colleague Valentino Rossi.

The Texas Tornado mastered the tricky weather conditions to take the psychological advantage ahead of afternoon qualifying at the Twin Ring track, which is likely to be run in very similar conditions as heavy rain continues to fall. Edwards†best time of 2â€01.841 on his satellite Yamaha M1 came on the penultimate of his 18 laps .

Fastest on Friday, 2008 race winner Rossi also registered his best time right at the end of the run, to keep himself ahead of championship rival Casey Stoner.

Ducati Marlboroâ€s 2007 MotoGP title winner Stoner was the only non-Yamaha rider in the top four which also featured Fiat Yamahaâ€s podium hopeful Jorge Lorenzo. The top five was rounded off by Rizla Suzukiâ€s Chris Vermeulen.

Like Vermeulen, Stonerâ€s Ducati colleague Nicky Hayden surged up the timesheets late in the session to finish up sixth, despite both riders running off track at one stage.

Alex de Angelis (San Carlo Honda Gresini) was well placed again in seventh, despite an inconsequential crash 20 minutes in, as he seeks to build on his solid start to the season in Qatar. Sete Gibernau (Grupo Francisco Hernando) and Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda) were eighth and ninth respectively.

Dani Pedrosa rounded off the top ten, just ahead of new Repsol Honda team-mate Andrea Dovizioso, as the fastest factory Honda rider in the session.

In addition to Vermeulen and Hayden, Yuki Takahashi (Scot Racing) and Toni Elías (San Carlo Honda Gresini) also made brief off-track excursions but were soon back on the asphalt.

POLINI GRAND PRIX OF JAPAN
MotoGP Free Practice Nr. 2 Classification
Pos. Num. Rider Nation Team Motorcycle Lap time Km/h Gap
1 5 Colin EDWARDS USA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 2'01.841 252.042
2 46 Valentino ROSSI ITA Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 2'01.893 256.653 0.052
3 27 Casey STONER AUS Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati 2'02.497 250.580 0.656
4 99 Jorge LORENZO SPA Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 2'03.007 247.876 1.166
5 7 Chris VERMEULEN AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 2'03.427 258.064 1.586
6 69 Nicky HAYDEN USA Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati 2'03.723 256.288 1.882
7 15 Alex DE ANGELIS RSM San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 2'04.136 253.223 2.295
8 59 Sete GIBERNAU SPA Grupo Francisco Hernando Ducati 2'04.454 262.518 2.613
9 14 Randy DE PUNIET FRA LCR Honda MotoGP Honda 2'04.469 258.992 2.628
10 3 Dani PEDROSA SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 2'04.489 242.478 2.648
11 4 Andrea DOVIZIOSO ITA Repsol Honda Team Honda 2'04.536 259.179 2.695
12 72 Yuki TAKAHASHI JPN Scot Racing Team MotoGP Honda 2'04.619 269.326 2.778
13 65 Loris CAPIROSSI ITA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 2'04.651 258.558 2.810
14 36 Mika KALLIO FIN Pramac Racing Ducati 2'04.807 270.608 2.966
15 24 Toni ELIAS SPA San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 2'04.994 264.835 3.153
16 88 Niccolo CANEPA ITA Pramac Racing Ducati 2'05.327 248.676 3.486
17 33 Marco MELANDRI ITA Hayate Racing Team Kawasaki 2'06.553 226.083 4.712
18 52 James TOSELAND GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 2'06.734 246.013 4.893

[Rev004]

What the hell is going on 2 GP's and both events rain affected.

Qatar we had the premier class GP rescheduled to the Monday due to a down pour making conditions to dangerous and this weekend what has happened qualifying is cancelled due to rain so the results of free practice posted on Friday will he how they start.

Hey this means that we have 2 Aussies on the 2 front rows of the starting grid and 2 Suzukis also starting up on the 2nd row as well.

So bring on Motegi and we will have to wait and see what tommorrow will bring.....

go the

Qualifying cancellation leaves Rossi on Motegi pole
Saturday, 25 April 2009

MotoGP qualifying called off due to rain at Japanese track.


Heavy lunchtime rain at the Twin Ring Motegi circuit led to the cancellation of all qualifying sessions for the Polini Grand Prix of Japan, leaving grid positions in all three World Championship categories to be decided according to Free Practice positions.

Valentino Rossi will thus start from pole position at Motegi for the first time in his career, courtesy of his late time on Friday afternoon. All MotoGP times were faster in the first free practice session, the only dry run that the riders have had in preparation for the 2009 race.

Rossi will line up alongside series leader Casey Stoner and Fiat Yamaha teammate Jorge Lorenzo on Sunday, the same three riders making up the front row as at the first race of the year in Qatar. The 2008 World Champion is in a prime position to avoid a breakaway by Stoner, the rider who took victory so comprehensively less than two weeks ago.

Rizla Suzuki rider Chris Vermeulen is joined by Monster Tech3 Yamahaâ€s Colin Edwards –the fastest rider in the wet FP2 session- and three-time Motegi racewinner Loris Capirossi on the second line, whilst the highest placing Honda comes on the third row. Andrea Dovizioso leads the Japanese companyâ€s charge in his first race for the Repsol Honda factory squad, with Hayate Racing man Marco Melandri and San Carlo Honda Gresiniâ€s Toni Elias by his side.


MotoGP Free Practice Nr. 1 Classification
Pos. Num. Rider Nation Team Motorcycle Lap time Km/h Gap
1 46 Valentino ROSSI ITA Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 1'48.545 286.472
2 27 Casey STONER AUS Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati 1'48.601 284.885 0.056
3 99 Jorge LORENZO SPA Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 1'48.965 294.117 0.420
4 7 Chris VERMEULEN AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 1'49.382 291.813 0.837
5 5 Colin EDWARDS USA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 1'49.697 289.466 1.152
6 65 Loris CAPIROSSI ITA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 1'49.980 288.615 1.435
7 4 Andrea DOVIZIOSO ITA Repsol Honda Team Honda 1'50.030 278.350 1.485
8 33 Marco MELANDRI ITA Hayate Racing Team Kawasaki 1'50.123 287.769 1.578
9 24 Toni ELIAS SPA San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 1'50.209 293.000 1.664
10 52 James TOSELAND GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 1'50.342 289.621 1.797
11 3 Dani PEDROSA SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 1'50.391 283.315 1.846
12 69 Nicky HAYDEN USA Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati 1'50.393 287.081 1.848
13 72 Yuki TAKAHASHI JPN Scot Racing Team MotoGP Honda 1'50.404 286.548 1.859
14 59 Sete GIBERNAU SPA Grupo Francisco Hernando Ducati 1'50.538 284.510 1.993
15 15 Alex DE ANGELIS RSM San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 1'50.601 282.648 2.056
16 14 Randy DE PUNIET FRA LCR Honda MotoGP Honda 1'50.669 285.487 2.124
17 36 Mika KALLIO FIN Pramac Racing Ducati 1'51.643 290.010 3.098
18 88 Niccolo CANEPA ITA Pramac Racing Ducati 1'51.929 273.141 3.384

[Rev004]

Well another round of MotoGp is about to kick off in approx 1hr it looks like it's 1HD live.

Stoner was quickest in the this morning rain soaked warm up session with Rossi featuring outside the top ten so who know what todays race will bring. For some more light reading and results from the warm up please read on.

My money is on Stoner.

Front row start “all good” for Stoner
Saturday, 25 April 2009

Australian content with second on Motegi grid.


Just pipped to pole position in what he had expected to be a regular Friday practice session, Casey Stoner was nonetheless positive about his front row start for the Polini Grand Prix of Japan. The Ducati Marlboro rider will take off from second on the grid, and thinks that a lack of track time will not make too much difference to his chances of fighting at the front of the race.

“Weâ€ve been running reasonably competitive in both wet and dry,” noted the Australian after Saturday qualifying was cancelled. “We could have done with a little bit more time; we werenâ€t going for the quickest lap time on Friday, more just preparing for the race. Weâ€re on the front row, so itâ€s all good.”

He also revealed that the downpour experienced at Motegi had been useful, if not ideal for his set-up decisions.

I think that before today Iâ€d done a maximum of about three laps in the wet with this bike, so weâ€re still learning. The team has done a good job. Weâ€ve still got a few things to try and work out tomorrow, but wet or dry we should be in the right direction.”

Stoner will have an extended opportunity to fine-tune his Desmosedici GP9 on Sunday morning in warmup, in preparation for the second race of the 2009 season.


Poncharal backs Rossi for Motegi victory
Saturday, 25 April 2009

Contrast your Fantasy MotoGP predictions for the Polini Grand Prix of Japan with those of Monster Yamaha Tech 3 manager Herve Poncharal.


The second race of the MotoGP season on Sunday in Japan of course provides the second opportunity of the year to play the Fantasy MotoGP 2009 game.

Players can submit their predictions now on the Fantasy MotoGP 2009 section of this website, though first you might want to check your bets against those of IRTA President and Monster Yamaha Tech 3 boss Herve Poncharal.

Speaking to motogp.com on Saturday after the Friday free practice times were taken to produce the grid for Sundayâ€s Motegi race due to the cancellation of qualifying, Poncharal was playing it safe with his predictions as he followed form closely.

“If you want me to say my top six I would go for Valentino (Rossi), Casey (Stoner), Jorge (Lorenzo), Colin (Edwards), Loris (Capirossi) and Chris (Vermeulen),” said the Frenchman.

Poncharal is backing his rider Edwards to come home in fourth again, which would be a repeat of his Qatar result and would bring in another good points haul for the Tech 3 squad.

Talking up Edwards†chances of another good result Poncharal stated, “We had a strong first practice in the dry on Friday and we were fastest in the wet on Saturday morning, so we are confident in both conditions.”

Poleman Rossi happy with top spot gift
Saturday, 25 April 2009

Fiat Yamaha rider sees potential in wet and dry M1 performance.


Valentino Rossi was the main beneficiary of the wet weather in Motegi, receiving the pole position spot for the Polini Grand Prix of Japan as a result of his fastest time in Fridayâ€s practice session. The Italian admitted as much when speaking on Saturday afternoon, but also revealed that he was ready for whatever the meteorology might throw at him on Sunday.

“Iâ€m lucky, because I had the fastest time from the Friday practice session. Iâ€m also happy that we are fast in the wet, because I was second behind Colin (Edwards) this morning. We are quite ready for the two conditions, and we just have to wait to see which one we have,” said the reigning MotoGP World Champion, who starts on pole at Motegi for the first time in his career.

“With just 45 minutes in each set of circumstances we are not at the limit yet. I think that this is the same for all the other riders too. Iâ€m happy to start on pole, because this is important for the race.”

The last time that a MotoGP qualifying session was cancelled was the 2006 Malaysian Grand Prix. Rossi was given pole on that occasion as well, and romped to victory in a dry Sunday race.


Stoner fastest in rain-lashed MotoGP warm-up
Sunday, 26 April 2009

The fastest rider in a specially extended 40 minute MotoGP warm-up at Motegi was Ducati Marlboroâ€s Casey Stoner.


The rain which caused the cancellation of qualifying at the Polini Grand Prix of Japan returned on Sunday morning at the Twin Ring Motegi circuit, affecting the lap times in the specially lengthened 40 minute MotoGP warm-up, but not preventing the hardy premier class riders from taking to the track. Despite completing just five laps Casey Stoner headed his rivals by more than two seconds with a best time of 2â€05.903.

Shortly before the session commenced at 9.55am the clouds opened and heavy rain began to fall again, meaning that several riders stayed in the shelter of their pitboxes until late in the practice - rather than take any risks ahead of this afternoonâ€s second race of the season.

Behind Ducati man Stoner there were four Honda riders in the top five. Toni Elias (San Carlo Honda Gresini) was the only rider to get into double figures on the lap counter with 12 turns of the track, and he finished second fastest ahead of home rider Yuki Takahashi (Scot Racing), Alex de Angelis (San Carlo Honda Gresini) and Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda).

Sete Gibernau (Grupo Francisco Hernando), Marco Melandri (Hayate Racing), Mika Kallio (Pramac Racing), Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda) and Jorge Lorenzo (Fiat Yamaha) completed the top ten.

Taking things steadily and completing just four laps, World Champion and poleman Valentino Rossi found himself in the unusual territory of 13th place on the final timesheet.

The 24 lap MotoGP race at the 4.8km Motegi track takes place at 3pm on Sunday afternoon.


POLINI GRAND PRIX OF JAPAN
MotoGP Warm Up Classification
Pos. Num. Rider Nation Team Motorcycle Lap time Km/h Gap
1 27 Casey STONER AUS Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati 2'05.903 235.653
2 24 Toni ELIAS SPA San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 2'07.945 246.857 2.042
3 72 Yuki TAKAHASHI JPN Scot Racing Team MotoGP Honda 2'08.224 249.942 2.321
4 15 Alex DE ANGELIS RSM San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 2'08.572 247.422 2.669
5 3 Dani PEDROSA SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 2'08.720 229.153 2.817
6 59 Sete GIBERNAU SPA Grupo Francisco Hernando Ducati 2'09.169 240.106 3.266
7 33 Marco MELANDRI ITA Hayate Racing Team Kawasaki 2'09.866 222.726 3.963
8 36 Mika KALLIO FIN Pramac Racing Ducati 2'10.275 249.422 4.372
9 4 Andrea DOVIZIOSO ITA Repsol Honda Team Honda 2'10.350 250.057 4.447
10 99 Jorge LORENZO SPA Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 2'10.718 230.473 4.815
11 69 Nicky HAYDEN USA Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati 2'10.983 250.754 5.080
12 14 Randy DE PUNIET FRA LCR Honda MotoGP Honda 2'11.315 247.592 5.412
13 46 Valentino ROSSI ITA Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 2'11.472 235.345 5.569
14 7 Chris VERMEULEN AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 2'11.588 244.122 5.685
15 88 Niccolo CANEPA ITA Pramac Racing Ducati 2'12.703 225.328 6.800
16 5 Colin EDWARDS USA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 2'13.169 224.625 7.266
17 52 James TOSELAND GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 2'19.224 215.913 13.321
18 65 Loris CAPIROSSI ITA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 2'23.058 216.693 17.155

[Rev004]

If you haven't seen the race Please don't read on any further.















Lorenzo storms to victory in Motegi showdown
Sunday, 26 April 2009

Spaniard takes stunning win from Rossi and Pedrosa.


Jorge Lorenzo emerged victorious from a thrilling Polini Grand Prix of Japan at Twin Ring Motegi, the second win of his MotoGP career and a result that retained his 100% podium record in the 2009 season.

The Fiat Yamaha rider took little time in taking the reigns of the race, having started from the front row and showed no fear when faced with the likes of Dani Pedrosa and Valentino Rossi in front of him. However, despite a relatively comfortable advantage, Lorenzo was never quite able to say a definitive ‘sayonara†to his rivals as the action heated up. He held on to cross the line with a gap of less than two seconds between him and second placed teammate Rossi.

Lorenzo moves up into first place in the overall classification, for the second time in his MotoGP career. The battle for second place in the race was MotoGP at its finest, as Repsol Honda man Pedrosa exchanged overtaking moves in the middle third of the 24 laps. Pedrosa took third from out of nowhere, having had a storming start from the fourth row of the grid.

Ducati Marlboro rider Casey Stoner was unable to break away as he had done in Qatar, finishing fourth and keeping up the pressure in the general standings. Andrea Dovizioso completed a fine day for Repsol Honda in fifth, ahead of Marco Melandri, Loris Capirossi, Mika Kallio, James Toseland and Chris Vermeulen.

Home rider Yuki Takahashi crashed out of the race in a collision with Nicky Hayden on the second lap.


POLINI GRAND PRIX OF JAPAN
MotoGP Race Classification
Pos. Points Num. Rider Nation Team Motorcycle Total time Km/h Gap
1 25 99 Jorge LORENZO SPA Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 43'47.238 157.886
2 20 46 Valentino ROSSI ITA Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 43'48.542 157.808 1.304
3 16 3 Dani PEDROSA SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 43'51.001 157.661 3.763
4 13 27 Casey STONER AUS Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati 43'52.929 157.545 5.691
5 11 4 Andrea DOVIZIOSO ITA Repsol Honda Team Honda 43'56.445 157.335 9.207
6 10 33 Marco MELANDRI ITA Hayate Racing Team Kawasaki 44'17.793 156.071 30.555
7 9 65 Loris CAPIROSSI ITA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 44'19.994 155.942 32.756
8 8 36 Mika KALLIO FIN Pramac Racing Ducati 44'26.654 155.553 39.416
9 7 52 James TOSELAND GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 44'30.344 155.338 43.106
10 6 7 Chris VERMEULEN AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 44'30.483 155.330 43.245
11 5 14 Randy DE PUNIET FRA LCR Honda MotoGP Honda 44'32.072 155.237 44.834
12 4 5 Colin EDWARDS USA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 44'33.778 155.138 46.540
13 3 15 Alex DE ANGELIS RSM San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 44'40.763 154.734 53.525
14 2 88 Niccolo CANEPA ITA Pramac Racing Ducati 45'09.042 153.119 1'21.804
15 1 24 Toni ELIAS SPA San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 44'25.681 149.126 1 Lap
Not classified
59 Sete GIBERNAU SPA Grupo Francisco Hernando Ducati 41'40.115 7 Lap


World Championship

MotoGP
Pos. Rider Nation Team Points
1 Jorge LORENZO SPA Fiat Yamaha Team 41
2 Valentino ROSSI ITA Fiat Yamaha Team 40
3 Casey STONER AUS Ducati Marlboro Team 38
4 Andrea DOVIZIOSO ITA Repsol Honda Team 22
5 Dani PEDROSA SPA Repsol Honda Team 21
6 Colin EDWARDS USA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 17
7 Mika KALLIO FIN Pramac Racing 16
8 Chris VERMEULEN AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 15
9 Alex DE ANGELIS RSM San Carlo Honda Gresini 13
10 Marco MELANDRI ITA Hayate Racing Team 12
11 Randy DE PUNIET FRA LCR Honda MotoGP 11
12 Loris CAPIROSSI ITA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 9
13 Toni ELIAS SPA San Carlo Honda Gresini 8
14 James TOSELAND GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 7
15 Nicky HAYDEN USA Ducati Marlboro Team 4
16 Sete GIBERNAU SPA Grupo Francisco Hernando 3
17 Niccolo CANEPA ITA Pramac Racing 2
18 Yuki TAKAHASHI JPN Scot Racing Team MotoGP 1

[Rev004]

Rossi convinced by Lorenzo victory
Sunday, 26 April 2009

Reigning titlist singles out four challengers for 2009 MotoGP World Championship.


If he had any doubts beforehand, the Polini Grand Prix of Japan left Valentino Rossi certain that Fiat Yamaha teammate Jorge Lorenzo has the potential to challenge for the MotoGP title in 2009. The Italian had a thrilling fight with his Spanish rival at Twin Ring Motegi, before having to make do with second place as Lorenzoâ€s pace proved just too strong.

“I think that this championship will be very interesting, because we have four riders capable of trying to win the title,” said Rossi after the race, referring to himself, Lorenzo, Dani Pedrosa and Casey Stoner. “Next week in Jerez is our return to Europe, and I hope for great weather and a good show.

“Iâ€m happy, because it was a great race,” added the reigning World Champion, one of the biggest critics of the runaway wins seen frequently in 2008. “We had four riders fighting for the victory, a lot of overtaking, and I think that everyone enjoyed the race –especially me!”

Rossi appeared to have a problem that prevented him from catching back up with Lorenzo, and admitted later that he had experienced difficulties on which Pedrosa attempted to capitalize.

“I didnâ€t feel confident with the bike at one point. It didnâ€t ride very well and I lost time with Lorenzo and Pedrosa. Fortunately in the last part of the race I could improve my pace and lines to take second.”


Pedrosa: “Unexpected podium will motivate Honda”
Sunday, 26 April 2009

Spaniard delighted with fitness improvement and shock Motegi rostrum finish.


One of the more surprising placings at the Polini Grand Prix of Japan, Dani Pedrosaâ€s third place kept the Spaniard within touching distance of the MotoGP World Championship leaders. It was an important result for Pedrosa, but also gave Honda an important top three finish at their home circuit –a result that the factory rider feels will push on development of the RC212V.

“Itâ€s a great result. I donâ€t think that anybody expected it. I think I could have even taken second, but when I passed Rossi he seemed to wake up and see that he had to go faster!” said Pedrosa after the Japanese showdown.

“Third isnâ€t the best place -we obviously still need to work hard. Hopefully with the situation we are in now this result will create a good feeling, and I think that the motivation within Honda to make progress will increase.”

Additional progress also appears to have been made with the Repsol Honda manâ€s knee, as he steadily regains fitness as the weeks go by. He hailed the work done by not just himself, but also the doctors in charge of getting him in fighting shape.

“After six months of problems with my knee –surgery, being scared to push things, no testing- I took a podium and Iâ€m very happy with this. I only have to thank the doctors for getting me fit to be here.”

Pedrosa is now fifth in the general classification, one point behind teammate Andrea Dovizioso.


Stoner upbeat after coming home fourth
Sunday, 26 April 2009

Unable to repeat his Qatar dominance in Japan, Casey Stoner was nonetheless positive about his fourth place at round two.


Having started in second position at the Twin Ring Motegi circuit on Sunday in the second MotoGP race of 2009, Casey Stoner was looking for more than his eventual fourth place at the Japanese venue, especially given his good form in free practice on Friday and Saturday.

The Australian 2007 World Champion looked good in all conditions throughout the weekend but he lost ground on the opening lap and was never fully able to recover having dropped to seventh place on lap two.

Stoner fought back and passed the likes of compatriot Chris Vermeulen (Rizla Suzuki), former team-mate Marco Melandri (Hayate Racing) and ex-125cc rival Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda) to make it up to fourth, eventually crossing the line just two seconds behind podium finisher Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda).

Giving his assessment of round two, Stoner remarked, “The race in general I am quite happy with, as I think I rode quite well. The team did the best job they could this weekend, with the short time that we had, and everybody else is in the same situation.”

Explaining his slow start Stoner revealed, “We were running lap times which would have made me capable of racing at the front if we hadnâ€t lost so much time at the beginning of the race. On my warm-up lap we found we had a problem with my front brake which was causing a lot of chattering and this was the case for the first six or seven laps so I had no confidence on the brakes.”

Remaining optimistic the Ducati Marlboro man summarised by stating, “Todayâ€s result looks worse than it could have been. I think if things go a bit better in Jerez and I can stick it out more at the beginning of the race we can hopefully be up there for the fight.”

Next weekendâ€s third GP of the year sees Stoner return to the scene of his BMW M Award triumph in the Official MotoGP Test in southern Spain.


Lorenzo delighted after Far Eastern triumph
Sunday, 26 April 2009

Jorge Lorenzo was ecstatic about his performance in Japan but still playing down his championship chances following his second MotoGP win.


Fiat Yamahaâ€s Spanish star Jorge Lorenzo took a superb win at the Polini Grand Prix of Japan on Sunday, but despite taking the standings lead after two races so far this year he still believes some of his rivals are stronger than him.

The former double 250cc World Champion stated during his preparations for his second MotoGP campaign over the winter that his target is a top three standings finish at the end of 2009 and his still playing up the strengths of some more establish premier class stars, after his Qatar podium and his brilliant Motegi performance.

“I am the leader in the championship but I still think that (Casey) Stoner, Valentino (Rossi) and (Dani) Pedrosa are stronger than us,” Lorenzo told motogp.com after the Twin Ring race. “They are more experienced with the Bridgestone tyres but we are still learning about them and improving.”

“Today I had a great opportunity to win,” continued the man from Mallorca, “I knew that with a hard rear tyre I had good pace, so I saw the chance and I attacked.”

Moving back to his native Spain for the first of a series of European races as the top man in MotoGP Lorenzo anticipated the huge support he will receive next week at round three saying, “Jerez is unbelievable -as we all know. All the people there have warm hearts and they are very passionate about the Spanish riders. I think if there is one track where you should take a risk to win it is there.”

[steventh]

Hi Folks,

My recorder screwed up and I hear it was a great race. If anyone can help with a DVD or the race please PM me.

Cheers

Steven

[Rev004]

The Jerez Round has kicked the 3rd round off with Rossi Setting the pace and Stoner a little slower than normal considering how quick he was here in testing but it's only early days I spose.

So here some gos and the results from the 1st round of free practice from Friday.

Rossi starts Jerez weekend on front foot
Friday, 01 May 2009

World Champion Valentino Rossi was MotoGPâ€s best performer in southern Spain on Friday.


The MotoGP action at the Gran Premio bwin.com de España got underway on Friday afternoon at the Jerez de la Frontera circuit with Fiat Yamahaâ€s Valentino Rossi setting the pace ahead of his premier class rivals.

In pleasant riding conditions The Doctor started the Spanish visit with a best effort of 1â€39.647 on the 16th of the 21 laps which he squeezed into the 45-minute first free practice session, continuing the good pace he demonstrated in the Official MotoGP Test at the same track in March.

Three other riders who also performed well in the final preseason test, Rizla Suzukiâ€s Loris Capirossi (1â€40.011), Ducati Marlboroâ€s Casey Stoner (1â€40.268) and Fiat Yamahaâ€s Jorge Lorenzo (1â€40.441) lapped second to fourth quickest respectively, whilst Repsol Hondaâ€s Andrea Dovizioso was around a second off Rossiâ€s pace - completing a top five which featured four different manufacturers.

The likes of Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech 3), Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda), Chris Vermeulen (Rizla Suzuki), Marco Melandri (Hayate Racing) and Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) all registered top ten times, Pedrosa lapping a second and a half off the pace.

After an incident free session, the likes of 11th placed James Toseland (Monster Yamaha Tech 3), 12th placed Sete Gibernau (Grupo Francisco Hernando) and Nicky Hayden (Ducati Marlboro) will hope for better results on Saturday in the continued dry conditions which are forecast for day two of the third race weekend of 2009.


De Puniet ok despite bee sting to face
Friday, 01 May 2009

Seventh on the timesheet was a decent way to begin the weekend in Spain for LCR Hondaâ€s Randy de Puniet, despite some unwelcome attentions from a bee during FP1.


French Randy de Puniet summarises the first day of action at the Gran Premio bwin.com de España from an LCR Honda perspective, after clocking the seventh best time at the Jerez de la Frontera circuit in MotoGP free practice 1.

Randy de Puniet – 7th
“One bike was set up as we tested it during pre season official test and the other one was set up as we raced in Japan but we fixed several issues. I compared both bikes and my pace was pretty fast from the beginning of the session. I was happy with my package and at the end I lapped on a hard set of tyres which will be our race tyre if the track temperature remains the same. Unfortunately on the last lap a bee stung just below my left eye, but I am OK. Our to-do list for tomorrow includes engine mapping and chassis set up, but basically we have already had a very positive start.”


Top six placing for Edwards as round three commences
Friday, 01 May 2009

The thoughts of Tech 3 riders Colin Edwards and James Toseland, at the end of day one at the Gran Premio bwin.com de España.


Colin Edwards made a flying start to the Jerez weekend on Friday, the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rider clocking the sixth best time in opening free practice.

James Toseland, meanwhile, looks to build on his first top ten result of the season in Japan last weekend. A best lap of 1.41.461 pushed the British rider into the top ten in the closing stages, but the 28-year-old eventually dropped down to 11th.

Colin Edwards - 6th
“That was a good solid start and I'm happy with the bike. Yamaha has done a great job because we seem to go from track to track and be right up with the leaders from the start. There are a couple of things with the electronics and chassis set-up that we can definitely find at least another half-a-second to go consistently quicker around the 40.3 area. That's not going to trouble Valentino (Rossi) but that would be a big step for us and put us in contention. With the electronics we just need to get the anti-wheelie working a bit better. Yamaha did a great job with that in the winter and we needed that improvement on a track like this where you accelerate hard out of a lot of slow hairpins. I'm losing a little bit of time on acceleration and we can still make it better, but my guys at Tech 3 know what they are doing and I know we'll make a big step for tomorrow. I'm doing those lap times and I'm not 100 per cent comfortable, so that bodes well for the weekend knowing we've got a lot of room for improvement.”
James Toseland - 11th
“We went for a harder setting on the front fork to help with some of the heavy braking points but it didn't really work as we'd liked. We also changed the rear a bit from Japan and the balance wasn't really there. We didn't really have time to go back to plan B but even with a couple of small issues I'm not too displeased with my time and I know my potential is much higher. I think what is going to be crucial is to conserve the tyre here over race distance and that's something I'll work out with my team. I ran the harder rear today because of the hot conditions and even that was sliding around a little after about eight laps. I could see a few other people were having the same problems, so a decent race set-up will be critical. A bit more time would have put me in the top eight and it wouldn't have been a bad afternoon, but we know where we can improve on the setting and be much stronger tomorrow.”


Lorenzo disappointed with Free Practice fourth
Friday, 01 May 2009

MotoGP series leader wants more speed for Sunday race.


Struggling with unforeseen acceleration problems at his home circuit, MotoGP World Championship leader Jorge Lorenzo was left deflated despite the Spanish sunshine in Jerez. The Fiat Yamaha rider placed fourth on the timing screen at 3/4 of a second slower than teammate Valentino Rossi, and looks to make up ground on Saturday.

Jorge Lorenzo -4th
“Itâ€s nice to be back in Spain and in the sunshine, but I am a bit disappointed about the day. I had a problem at the start with my helmet and we were delayed to go out on track. Once I got started I felt good with the soft Bridgestone tyre, but when we tried the hard one later we had a few problems and the bike didnâ€t feel completely stable. Tomorrow we need to come back to a different setting and I hope things will be better.”


Capirossi in search of further improvements
Friday, 01 May 2009

Although he was second fastest on Friday in Jerez, Loris Capirossi is still not 100% comfortable with his set-up at the Spanish track.


Loris Capirossi is aiming for a strong result this weekend at the Gran Premio bwin.com de España, having looked good in preseason testing at Jerez and having started with a good lap time on Friday.

With the first day of practice in southern Spain held in warm and sunny conditions - air temperatures at 23ºC and the track surface rising to 48ºC - Capirossi enjoyed the sunshine, but explained that he does not have his GSV-R set-up correctly yet to make the most of the tyre options available at a venue which has a new layer of asphalt since last yearâ€s race.

“It is really the first time that we have had very good weather for testing things here and we hope to have two more dry sessions tomorrow because we still need to work things out on the bike,” commented the veteran Italian. “Friday was good but we still donâ€t have a perfect setting. We have a few ideas about what to do on Saturday on the bike but anyway, Iâ€m quite happy.”

He continued, “It is really easy to select tyres this year as there are only two compounds, but the soft one is too soft for us here and the harder one is still a bit too soft for us. Everyone has the same problems though. We will have to adjust the bike a bit so that we use a bit less tyre. Anyway, I feel very good on the bike and I know that when we fix the problems we will go quicker.”

Paul Denning, the Rizla Suzuki Team Manager added, “Itâ€s difficult to assess the real potential from this short single session today. Obviously itâ€s good to have Loris right up there in second place, but we have a lot of work still to do in these warmer conditions to try and find a good step in rear grip with the harder compound tyre, which looks like it will be the only option open to us for the race.”

“We need to get the bike set up to increase the durability of the tyres, but a least we've had a solid Friday afternoon, and we've managed to gather a lot of information as we look to get a good result here in Jerez.”


The Repsol Honda Team take up their places in Jerez
Friday, 01 May 2009

Andrea Dovizioso, fifth best time, and Dani Pedrosa, tenth, held back by some electronic problems.


The MotoGP World Championship has returned to Europe today after its transoceanic wanderings with events in Qatar and Japan. Today, the top category, after offering a virtuoso demonstration last weekend in Motegi –the first five riders to classify came in with less than ten seconds between them-, has kicked off in Jerez, the scenario of highly intense moments over the last few years. With the Spanish Grand Prix arrive the sun, the heat, a huge audience, excitement and the incredible atmosphere experienced every year in the grandstands at the Jerez circuit.

Out on the circuit, today the two Repsol Honda Team riders have made initial contact. Andrea Dovizioso, fifth at the end of the first 45 minutes of the practice sessions, got into what should be his natural position in the first free practice on his new official Honda: within one second of the best time, and gradually improving every time he went out on the track. Andrea, who has tested some new parts today, developed to eliminate the problems that the two Repsol Honda Team riders are having with the front wheel of their bikes when braking, said that he is very satisfied with the results of the first tests and of the first free practice session.

For Dani Pedrosa, todayâ€s position –tenth-, is obviously not the position he should occupy, in spite of not having completely recovered from the injury to his knee, and his lack of physical form, which he will recover little by little. However, the third on the podium in the Japanese Grand Prix has had several set up problems on both of his bikes today, as well as an electronic problem on one of them, which forced him to go back into the garage and come back out on the track on the second. In the end, Pedrosa finished tenth, a second and a half off the best time, clocked up by the Italian Valentino Rossi.

Dani Pedrosa, 1â€41.208 secs
“Itâ€s a good feeling to be back in Europe and especially to be riding at Jerez again. Itâ€s only Friday but there are already a lot of fans out on the banking so I know itâ€s going to be another special weekend for the Spanish riders. The first session didnâ€t go quite according to plan for us though and I think we can go faster than this tomorrow. We had an issue with one of my bikes and our general machine set-up still needs some work. The Bridgestone tyres seem to be working pretty well though, so set-up will be the main issue for us tomorrow.”
Andrea Dovizioso, 1â€40.601 secs
“Today the conditions of the track and the weather were perfect and I was able to ride fast from the beginning of the session. For part of the practice I was trying some new parts and I was impressed with the laptimes I could do without a lot of set-up time. Time is very limited with only 45 minutes per session but weâ€ve found some potential. We need to do quite a lot of work to maximise this potential, but Iâ€m satisfied of this first test session for Spainish Grand Prix.”


Stoner starts Spanish sojourn on slower pace than at test
Friday, 01 May 2009

Australian experiences lack of confidence with front end slippage.


The standout rider of the Official Test at Jerez, Casey Stoner encountered some early difficulties as the 2009 race weekend began at the track. The first practice session, in which the Australian finished third with a time of 1â€40.268, was dedicated to finding a solution to a front end problem, although he remains self-assured of a better run on Saturday.

“We found that we were running too much pressure on the front tyre, and kept losing the front end,” analysed Stoner after his re-acquaintance with the Spanish track. “Unfortunately we had a problem with the engine on the second bike, and were unable to use it. We tried a few different things with the bike that we had, and I lost a little bit of confidence.

“We couldnâ€t understand if the back was pushing too much or not. We think that itâ€s just the front, so hopefully tomorrow will be a different situation.”

Stonerâ€s result in the Gran Premio bwin.com de España will come under close scrutiny following his disastrous 2008 race at the circuit, and also his not placing on the podium last time out in Japan. The former MotoGP World Champion however, has little respect for previous form as he aims to regain the title.

“Weâ€re struggling a bit more than we were in the test here, although the bike does seem to be turning really well. We need a bit of time before race day, but weâ€re confident.”


Rossi cites Jerez temperatures as big test for tyres
Friday, 01 May 2009

Fastest in MotoGP Free Practice 1, Valentino Rossi predicts a tough race for the premier class field if temperatures stay high in Spain.


A hot day in Jerez provided Valentino Rossi with the chance to shine in the opening practice for the Gran Premio bwin.com de España, as he set a scorching lap time that made him the only rider to breach the 1â€40 mark on Friday.

Fiat Yamahaâ€s reigning MotoGP World Champion was at his stunning best as he opened the first European leg of the 2009 season, recording the fastest time of the day –a 1â€39.647- on his second bike. More than anything, though, the day served as a chance for Rossi to get a step up on preparation for an all-important Sunday race and show that Casey Stoner hadnâ€t had the last word at Jerez during last monthâ€s BMW M Award session.

“There was no car this time, but it was still a very important session for us. We modified something with our setting and tried to fix some of the problems from the first few races,” said the Italian after the 45-minute run.

“We worked through everything from the soft to the hard tyre very quickly, and we can see that for sure it will be a tough race for the tyres if the temperatures are like this.”

Rossi also revealed that the initial difficulty with his main Yamaha M1 hadnâ€t caused too much of a setback, adding that; “We had a little problem at the beginning of the session with the first bike, so we went out on the second bike. But the second one was ready; we needed to modify the schedule of the practice a bit, but it was ok.”

MotoGP practice continues on Saturday from 10.05am local time.



MotoGP Free Practice

Pos. Num. Rider Nation Team Motorcycle Lap time Km/h Gap
1 46 Valentino ROSSI ITA Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 1'39.647 273.556
2 65 Loris CAPIROSSI ITA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 1'40.011 275.299 0.364
3 27 Casey STONER AUS Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati 1'40.268 269.932 0.621
4 99 Jorge LORENZO SPA Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 1'40.441 275.299 0.794
5 4 Andrea DOVIZIOSO ITA Repsol Honda Team Honda 1'40.601 272.796 0.954
6 5 Colin EDWARDS USA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 1'40.703 276.923 1.056
7 14 Randy DE PUNIET FRA LCR Honda MotoGP Honda 1'40.866 270.880 1.219
8 7 Chris VERMEULEN AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 1'41.063 274.599 1.416
9 33 Marco MELANDRI ITA Hayate Racing Team Kawasaki 1'41.182 274.809 1.535
10 3 Dani PEDROSA SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 1'41.208 272.796 1.561
11 52 James TOSELAND GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 1'41.461 273.279 1.814
12 59 Sete GIBERNAU SPA Grupo Francisco Hernando Ducati 1'41.531 272.865 1.884
13 15 Alex DE ANGELIS RSM San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 1'41.557 265.030 1.910
14 36 Mika KALLIO FIN Pramac Racing Ducati 1'41.584 274.390 1.937
15 24 Toni ELIAS SPA San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 1'41.736 276.356 2.089
16 72 Yuki TAKAHASHI JPN Scot Racing Team MotoGP Honda 1'41.898 268.723 2.251
17 69 Nicky HAYDEN USA Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati 1'41.916 276.994 2.269
18 88 Niccolo CANEPA ITA Pramac Racing Ducati 1'42.063 267.857 2.416

[Rev004]

Pedrosa steps up a level in early run
Saturday, 02 May 2009

Spaniards Dani Pedrosa and Jorge Lorenzo were the fastest two MotoGP riders on Saturday morning at the Gran Premio bwin.com de España.


Following his modest start to the Jerez weekend on Friday, when he lapped down in tenth position and was more than 1.5s off the pace, Repsol Hondaâ€s Dani Pedrosa stepped up his rhythm at the southern Spanish track on Saturday morning - to lap fastest in the MotoGP free practice 2 run.

The surprise Motegi podium finisher demonstrated his competitiveness and his improving fitness with a best time of 1â€39.422, which was almost two seconds better than his Friday pace.

Fractionally behind his compatriot and rival on the timesheet, Fiat Yamahaâ€s championship leading youngster Jorge Lorenzo trailed Pedrosa by just 0.054s, with things shaping up nicely for the home fans ahead of afternoon qualifying at 2.05pm – which should take place in similarly good weather conditions to the morning outing.

Also in the Saturday morning top five were Casey Stoner (Ducati Marlboro), Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda) and Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda).

Behind former team-mate Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech 3), Whorld Champion Valentino Rossi (Fiat Yamaha) lapped discreetly in seventh place, unable to match his own best time from Friday.

Eighth fastest participant Loris Capirossi (Rizla Suzuki) was also unable to repeat his Friday pace, whilst compatriot Marco Melandri (Hayate Racing) and a much improved Nicky Hayden (Ducati Marlboro) rounded out the top ten.


MotoGP Free Practice

Pos. Num. Rider Nation Team Motorcycle Lap time Km/h Gap
1 3 Dani PEDROSA SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 1'39.422 271.834
2 99 Jorge LORENZO SPA Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 1'39.476 274.111 0.054
3 27 Casey STONER AUS Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati 1'39.542 271.084 0.120
4 14 Randy DE PUNIET FRA LCR Honda MotoGP Honda 1'39.759 273.003 0.337
5 4 Andrea DOVIZIOSO ITA Repsol Honda Team Honda 1'39.962 275.510 0.540
6 5 Colin EDWARDS USA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 1'40.134 276.003 0.712
7 46 Valentino ROSSI ITA Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 1'40.244 271.356 0.822
8 65 Loris CAPIROSSI ITA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 1'40.304 273.903 0.882
9 33 Marco MELANDRI ITA Hayate Racing Team Kawasaki 1'40.520 273.141 1.098
10 69 Nicky HAYDEN USA Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati 1'40.593 276.994 1.171
11 15 Alex DE ANGELIS RSM San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 1'40.601 266.666 1.179
12 24 Toni ELIAS SPA San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 1'40.762 275.369 1.340
13 7 Chris VERMEULEN AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 1'40.829 276.781 1.407
14 59 Sete GIBERNAU SPA Grupo Francisco Hernando Ducati 1'40.878 276.144 1.456
15 52 James TOSELAND GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 1'41.042 272.796 1.620
16 72 Yuki TAKAHASHI JPN Scot Racing Team MotoGP Honda 1'41.203 273.003 1.781
17 36 Mika KALLIO FIN Pramac Racing Ducati 1'41.339 264.058 1.917
18 88 Niccolo CANEPA ITA Pramac Racing Ducati 1'42.167 269.797 2.745


Lorenzo on top form in Jerez qualifying run
Saturday, 02 May 2009

An exciting MotoGP qualifying session at the Gran Premio bwin.com de España concluded with Motegi racewinner and series leader Jorge Lorenzo on pole in Jerez.

An exciting MotoGP qualifying session at the Gran Premio bwin.com de España concluded with Motegi racewinner and series leader Jorge Lorenzo on pole in Jerez.

The man of the moment in MotoGP Jorge Lorenzo delighted the home crowd at the Jerez de la Frontera circuit in beautiful conditions on Saturday afternoon, as he repeated his 2008 pole for the Gran Premio bwin.com de España.

In stark contrast to the appalling weather at Motegi a week ago which saw qualifying cancelled, the growing Spanish crowd at the Andalusian track were bathed in some typical Iberian sunshine as the MotoGP riders put on a great show on their 800cc prototypes.

Lorenzo and his big Spanish rival Dani Pedrosa did battle for pole position during the 45 minute session, with the Fiat Yamaha rider eventually emerging on top with a 1â€38.933 hot lap on the 18th of his 21 turns of the track.

Saturday morningâ€s fastest rider Pedrosa again demonstrated his improving form and fitness on his Repsol Honda RC212V machine, lapping just 0.051s behind his young compatriot.

Ducati Marlboroâ€s Casey Stoner, who won the BMW M Award at Jerez in Marchâ€s Official MotoGP Test, was around half a second behind Lorenzo with his best effort putting him third on the grid at one of his least favoured tracks.

Fridayâ€s top man, World Champion Valentino Rossi could not match his championship rivals and after a modest Saturday morning free practice outing the Italian qualified off the front row for the first time this year in fourth place.

A good effort from Randy de Puniet saw him as the top satellite equipped qualifier in fifth place for the LCR Honda team, whilst the second line of the grid was rounded off by Rizla Suzukiâ€s Loris Capirossi - who made sure four different manufacturers are represented on the front two rows.

The third row, meanwhile, features Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech 3), Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda) and Toni Elias (San Carlo Honda Gresini), who will all be in the hunt for good points on Sunday.

Chris Vermeulen (Rizla Suzuki) was tenth fastest, with Sete Gibernau (Grupo Francisco Hernando) twelfth and 2006 World Champion Nicky Hayden (Ducati Marlboro) down in 16th.

San Carlo Honda Gresiniâ€s Alex de Angelis crashed at the end of the session and qualified in 15th place, but was not reported to be injured.


MotoGP Qualifying Practice Classification

Pos. Num. Rider Nation Team Motorcycle Lap time Km/h Gap
1 99 Jorge LORENZO SPA Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 1'38.933 275.721
2 3 Dani PEDROSA SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 1'38.984 275.650 0.051
3 27 Casey STONER AUS Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati 1'39.415 272.796 0.482
4 46 Valentino ROSSI ITA Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 1'39.642 269.865 0.709
5 14 Randy DE PUNIET FRA LCR Honda MotoGP Honda 1'39.806 272.658 0.873
6 65 Loris CAPIROSSI ITA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 1'39.862 276.568 0.929
7 5 Colin EDWARDS USA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 1'39.926 275.721 0.993
8 4 Andrea DOVIZIOSO ITA Repsol Honda Team Honda 1'39.966 268.857 1.033
9 24 Toni ELIAS SPA San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 1'40.112 276.003 1.179
10 7 Chris VERMEULEN AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 1'40.185 276.356 1.252
11 33 Marco MELANDRI ITA Hayate Racing Team Kawasaki 1'40.381 273.625 1.448
12 59 Sete GIBERNAU SPA Grupo Francisco Hernando Ducati 1'40.440 270.541 1.507
13 72 Yuki TAKAHASHI JPN Scot Racing Team MotoGP Honda 1'40.599 271.766 1.666
14 52 James TOSELAND GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 1'40.670 269.932 1.737
15 15 Alex DE ANGELIS RSM San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 1'40.796 267.657 1.863
16 69 Nicky HAYDEN USA Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati 1'40.953 273.764 2.020
17 36 Mika KALLIO FIN Pramac Racing Ducati 1'41.238 271.220 2.305
18 88 Niccolo CANEPA ITA Pramac Racing Ducati 1'41.253 266.535 2.320


Rossi uncomfortable with windy Jerez conditions
Saturday, 02 May 2009

Valentino Rossi believes gusts of wind were slowing him down at the Gran Premio bwin.com de España on Saturday.


Valentino Rossi looked like the man to beat on Friday at Jerez but he was unable to replicate a similar pace on Saturday, struggling to find the same feeling in windy conditions.

The reigning World Champion put in his best lap at the end of the QP session but was unable to knock Casey Stoner off the outside of the front row and had to settle for starting at the head of the second row for Sundayâ€s third race of the season.

Valentino Rossi - fourth
“Iâ€m a bit unhappy because we had a few problems and it actually hasnâ€t been such a good day, it was also very windy which made it more difficult. Yesterday we were very fast from the start and we hoped to keep going like this today but we have lost some feeling and now I canâ€t ride and push how I want to. At the moment I am not happy with the setting for the race and we need to work hard to understand the situation and try to improve it because we must be stronger tomorrow. Now we will make a long meeting and try to find some solution to try for the warm-up tomorrow.”
Team Manager Davide Brivio
“Missing out on the first row means that tomorrowâ€s race will be a bit more difficult in the early stages. Our race pace and rhythm are not so bad but we still need to make some adjustments because our potential is a lot better than this. We have to make Valentino more comfortable so that he can ride how he wants to, so now our engineers will study the data and look to come up with something to improve the setting.”


De Puniet feeling good on Spanish visit
Saturday, 02 May 2009

Randy de Puniet is happy to be fifth on the grid at Jerez and will be happy with a top ten result at round three.


Following his frustrating 2008 season, which resulted in several crashes for the LCR Honda team, Randy de Puniet wants to ride steadily at the Gran Premio bwin.com de España and register another top ten result - after his solid start to the year so far.

Recording his best qualifying result since Australia last season, De Puniet as put himself fifth on the grid at Jerez, as the only satellite rider on the front two rows.

Having lapped 0.873s behind poleman Jorge Lorenzo on his Playboy sponsored RC212V in the Spanish sunshine, he commented, “The practices started very well for us yesterday. Immediately I had a good feeling with the bike and we have been improving things during the weekend so far. I know our set-up is almost perfect because Iâ€m just behind the factory riders on the grid.”

“I have also been fast on race tyres so I am very confident for tomorrow. I expect a very good race and to start on the second row at this track is very important.”

Stating his straightforward hopes for Sundayâ€s MotoGP contest, he added, “If I can finish around seventh, eighth or ninth I will be happy because my target from the beginning of the year has been to consistently finish in the top ten in the first three or four races.”

De Puniet has thus far finished 10th and 11th respectively in Qatar and Japan and will go in search of more points tomorrow as he aims to move up the general standings from his current 11th place overall.


Capirossi hoping for good tyre durability
Saturday, 02 May 2009

Rizla Suzukiâ€s Loris Capirossi will start his 285th Grand Prix from the second row of the grid at Jerez on Sunday.


Loris Capirossi rode his Rizla Suzuki GSV-R to sixth place during a windy Gran Premio bwin.com de España qualifying session on Saturday, recording his fastest time of 1â€39.862 from his 20 laps of the Jerez circuit, less than a second off poleman Jorge Lorenzo.

Chris Vermeulen will start from 10th place on the grid as he recorded a best time of 1â€40.185 from his 22 laps.

Loris Capirossi - sixth
“Even though we were second yesterday and we were sixth this afternoon, it has been a much better day for us today. We did a great job this morning on the bike's setting and we improved a lot. We tried three different settings and found the best one to preserve the life in the tyre - this is a good step for us. The condition this afternoon was very difficult because it was so windy; this is the third race where we have not had perfect conditions. The sun was beautiful, but the wind was very strong and it made it difficult out there. Overall I am happy with where we are and we are ready for the race. We will be on the second row for the third time this year, but we were so close to being on the front row. I will be fighting hard right from the start and try to understand how the tyres will behave and make them last the distance!”
Chris Vermeulen - tenth
“It was not the position we wanted so I am a bit disappointed with that. We made some good steps with the bike and I am now a lot more comfortable on it. It has given me confidence to push a bit more and my speed was definitely up in that session, but we still need to make another step to get totally competitive. In this morning's session I concentrated on using a race-tyre and doing a lot of laps to give us an idea of what it would be like at the end of the race. Tomorrow it will be important to get a good start and move up through the field in the first couple of laps and try to do whatever I can. Hopefully with a good race we can get a top-five position, which is going to be tough from the fourth row, but it's certainly our target!”


Pramac pair on disappointing QP result
Saturday, 02 May 2009

Mika Kallio and Niccolò Canepa start Sundayâ€s Jerez race at the back of the grid.


It was not the best qualifying practice ever for the Pramac Racing team at the Gran Premio bwin.com de España on Saturday, as Mika Kallio and Niccolò Canepa respectively concluded 17th and 18th at Jerez.

Mika Kallio – 17th
“Several things didnâ€t go in the right direction today. We modified the bike many times without any luck. The only thing to do at the moment is analyze the data to understand in which direction we have to go. The track conditions were different compared to March, but we didnâ€t expect to be so far behind. Tomorrow it will need to be another comeback race for us.”
Niccolò Canepa -18th
“It went a bit better today even if with the race tyres I still need some more confidence. We have got closer to the other riders and this gives us a morale boost for the race. My learning period is going well and with patience we improve practice after practice. I want to thank my team for the great work they are doing for me.”


Lorenzo and Pedrosa prepare for a ‘Clasicoâ€
Saturday, 02 May 2009

Spanish rivals start alongside one another on the front row at Jerez.


Spanish sports fans were always going to be split down the middle this weekend, on the occasion of the latest edition of ‘El Clasico†–the football derby between Barcelona and Real Madrid that customarily dominates the attentions of the national press.

The biggest all-Spanish clash on Sunday, however, is expected to take place at the front of the MotoGP race. Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa will line up alongside one another at the head of the grid and in front of the passionate Spanish fans, and are hot contenders for the victory at the track where they both placed on the podium in 2008.

The duo were famously coerced into a handshake by the Spanish King at last yearâ€s event, but their rivalry remains. A chink of the cava bottles on the Motegi rostrum last weekend showed their mutual respect, but poleman Lorenzo appears convinced that he could not only leave Jerez with trophies and points –there is also the affections of the fans at stake.

“Iâ€m absolutely happy with todayâ€s result; starting a weekend with pole position is always a great way to begin but, as I always say, the most important thing is the victory,” said the current MotoGP World Championship leader after snatching the qualifying top spot with a 1â€38.933 lap.

“We hope to do the same as today, which is to have fun and do the best that we can. Itâ€s definitely important for the fans, because in Spain there is a division (in fan preferences) between Pedrosa and me. If we are fighting for the win then the race will be very interesting,” smiled the 21 year-old.

Pedrosa was more coy in his own comments, not referring to his rival directly. “Iâ€m happy with the front row, because we really didnâ€t have a good day in practice yesterday. There are still a few things to work on, but I am confident of a great race.”

[Rev004]

Jerez MotoGp later tonight poses to be a great race between the 4 top riders so who's everyone putting there Money on, I reckon Rossi, Stoner and then Lorenzo with pedrosa rounding out the top 4..

Hey Simmo are you tied up in the tipping this year or have you given it a miss if you have I don't blame you it won't be an easy season to pick.

Here the Warmup results.

Rossi back on top in Jerez warm-up
Sunday, 03 May 2009

After his mixed weekend so far at Jerez, Valentino Rossi stated his Sunday intentions with the fastest time in the MotoGP warm-up.


Enjoying the Spanish sunshine on Sunday morning at the Jerez de la Frontera circuit, and with yesterdayâ€s wind having died down, Valentino Rossi looked comfortable once more in the premier class warm-up at the Gran Premio bwin.com de España.

The Italian star has qualified in fourth place but he almost matched his qualifying pace in the warm-up session as he led the way with a best time of 1â€39.778, ahead of Fiat Yamaha team-mate and poleman Jorge Lorenzo by a 0.039s margin.

As MotoGP top riders flexed their muscles ahead of the third race of the year, Lorenzoâ€s compatriot Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) and Casey Stoner (Ducati Marlboro) were also lapping quickly in third and fourth place, whilst Loris Capirossi (Rizla Suzuki) completed the top five.


MotoGP Warm Up Classification

Pos. Num. Rider Nation Team Motorcycle Lap time Km/h Gap
1 46 Valentino ROSSI ITA Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 1'39.778 271.698
2 99 Jorge LORENZO SPA Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 1'39.817 272.796 0.039
3 3 Dani PEDROSA SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 1'39.946 271.698 0.168
4 27 Casey STONER AUS Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati 1'40.196 272.108 0.418
5 65 Loris CAPIROSSI ITA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 1'40.200 272.177 0.422
6 24 Toni ELIAS SPA San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 1'40.331 277.349 0.553
7 14 Randy DE PUNIET FRA LCR Honda MotoGP Honda 1'40.368 269.125 0.590
8 7 Chris VERMEULEN AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 1'40.496 271.288 0.718
9 4 Andrea DOVIZIOSO ITA Repsol Honda Team Honda 1'40.537 270.473 0.759
10 59 Sete GIBERNAU SPA Grupo Francisco Hernando Ducati 1'40.590 273.003 0.812
11 33 Marco MELANDRI ITA Hayate Racing Team Kawasaki 1'40.598 269.662 0.820
12 5 Colin EDWARDS USA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 1'40.691 272.934 0.913
13 72 Yuki TAKAHASHI JPN Scot Racing Team MotoGP Honda 1'41.059 269.058 1.281
14 52 James TOSELAND GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 1'41.166 271.220 1.388
15 69 Nicky HAYDEN USA Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati 1'41.166 276.710 1.388
16 15 Alex DE ANGELIS RSM San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 1'41.204 262.135 1.426
17 88 Niccolo CANEPA ITA Pramac Racing Ducati 1'41.373 267.657 1.595
18 36 Mika KALLIO FIN Pramac Racing Ducati 1'41.481 264.900 1.703

[busakid08]

Faaaaark me - 250 race one of the best ever I rekon and a nipponeese wins woohoo

[Rev004]

Well I would have to agree with Busakid08 that 250 race was bloody awesome and would have to be one of the best races I've seen in a long time..

So here is the results and reports from the main race...

Rossi takes first win of the year
Sunday, 03 May 2009

A crowd of more than 120,000 fans at the Jerez de la Frontera circuit witnessed a victory for Valentino Rossi in the first European race of 2009.


Valentino Rossi took his first win of the season at the Gran Premio bwin.com de España on Sunday, beating Dani Pedrosa to the line by a 2.7s margin in front of a huge Spanish crowd in Andalusia.

Pedrosa led for the first half of the race having made one of his trademark strong starts from second on the grid, but Rossi took the lead with ten laps to go and did not look back there and his triumph gives him an 11 point lead in the general standings.

The rostrum was completed by Casey Stoner, who trailed Rossi by 10 seconds, the Ducati Marlboro rider moving into second place in the championship. It was the Australianâ€s first podium appearance at the southern Spanish track.

As was the case in the 250cc and 125cc races the Spanish rider who got underway in pole position crashed out when Fiat Yamahaâ€s Jorge Lorenzo lost control riding in fourth place with three laps to go, losing ground in the championship race.

An excellent performance from Randy de Puniet, meanwhile, saw the Frenchman bring his LCR Honda satellite machine home in fourth place, having qualified in fifth, to give himself a confidence boost ahead of his home GP in two weeks time at Le Mans.

Another excellent run from Marco Melandri gave the Italian another good points haul in fifth, the former Ducati and Honda rider improving on his good result from last weekend in Japan for the Kawasaki-equipped Hayate Racing team.

Rizla Suzukiâ€s Loris Capirossi rode steadily from sixth on the grid, to come home in the same position, meaning five different manufacturers were represented in the top six.

Monster Tech Yamahaâ€s Colin Edwards crossed the line seventh, whilst Andrea Dovizioso did well to finish eighth in his third ride for the factory Repsol Honda team having left the track at one stage. Toni Elías was the second best Spaniard in ninth for the San Carlo Honda Gresini team, with the top ten completed by Suzukiâ€s Chris Vermeulen.

Sete Gibernau on his return to Jerez could only manage 11th for the Grupo Francisco Hernando team, whilst 2006 World Champion Nicky Hayden crossed the line 15th.

The MotoGP stars return to action at the Grand Prix de France in a fortnightâ€s time.


MotoGP Race Classification

Pos. Points Num. Rider Nation Team Motorcycle Total time Km/h Gap
1 25 46 Valentino ROSSI ITA Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 45'18.557 158.141
2 20 3 Dani PEDROSA SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 45'21.257 157.984 2.700
3 16 27 Casey STONER AUS Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati 45'29.064 157.532 10.507
4 13 14 Randy DE PUNIET FRA LCR Honda MotoGP Honda 45'50.450 156.307 31.893
5 11 33 Marco MELANDRI ITA Hayate Racing Team Kawasaki 45'51.685 156.237 33.128
6 10 65 Loris CAPIROSSI ITA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 45'52.685 156.180 34.128
7 9 5 Colin EDWARDS USA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 45'52.978 156.163 34.421
8 8 4 Andrea DOVIZIOSO ITA Repsol Honda Team Honda 45'53.182 156.152 34.625
9 7 24 Toni ELIAS SPA San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 46'01.246 155.696 42.689
10 6 7 Chris VERMEULEN AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 46'03.740 155.555 45.183
11 5 59 Sete GIBERNAU SPA Grupo Francisco Hernando Ducati 46'06.749 155.386 48.192
12 4 72 Yuki TAKAHASHI JPN Scot Racing Team MotoGP Honda 46'10.432 155.179 51.875
13 3 52 James TOSELAND GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 46'12.240 155.078 53.683
14 2 15 Alex DE ANGELIS RSM San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 46'12.498 155.064 53.941
15 1 69 Nicky HAYDEN USA Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati 46'19.794 154.657 1'01.237
16 88 Niccolo CANEPA ITA Pramac Racing Ducati 46'29.453 154.121 1'10.896

Not classified
99 Jorge LORENZO SPA Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 38'40.226 4 Lap
36 Mika KALLIO FIN Pramac Racing Ducati 20'38.937 15 Lap


Sunday breakthrough pleases victorious Rossi
Sunday, 03 May 2009

Fastest on Friday at Jerez but struggling on Saturday, Valentino Rossiâ€s team made overnight changes before the warm-up which helped him to victory in Spain.


Having made a big step forward on Sunday at the Gran Premio bwin.com de España Valentino Rossi thanked his Fiat Yamaha crew for the changes they made to his bike, after qualifying, which helped him to his first win of 2009.

The MotoGP World Champion built on his two second places at Qatar and Japan with his Spanish success, to give himself an 11 point lead at the head of the standings after three races of his title-defence.

Rossiâ€s first appearance on the top step of the podium since winning at Malaysia in the penultimate round of 2008 came courtesy of some setting changes to his Yamaha M1 machine made by Crew Chief Jeremy Burgess and his staff – after Rossi complained of being uncomfortable with the wind at Jerez on Saturday as he qualified in fourth place.

The Italian star stated his intentions with the fastest time in the Sunday morning warm-up and he made the most of his set-up improvements once the race got underway as he hunted down early leader Dani Pedrosa for another classic victory.

Afterwards, he stated, “The situation changed quite a lot from yesterday for us because I wasnâ€t confident with the bike on Saturday. So we modified the setting and we tried to recreate the feeling which I like on the corners and it worked well so I have to thank my team.”

“To win here at Jerez is fantastic because it is a great place and a great Grand Prix. I am so happy because I am top of the championship but I know I am fighting against some very strong rivals who are very difficult riders to beat.”

When pressed as to what changes had been made Rossi kept his cards close to his chest, but did admit that they were significant alterations and have made a big difference to him as he rides – perhaps an ominous sign for his rivals as MotoGP approaches races at Le Mans, Mugello, Barcelona and Assen.

“Well we have changed quite a lot on the bike and it looks like things are a lot better,” Rossi commented. “I had this problem at the first two races and now we are much more competitive so I think we will continue like this.”


Pedrosa surprised by his own competitiveness
Sunday, 03 May 2009

Still fighting back from injury and improving the Honda RC212V steadily, Dani Pedrosa was surprised by his own strong performance at Jerez.


Recording his second podium in a week at the Gran Premio bwin.com de España on Sunday was a big surprise for Dani Pedrosa even after he qualified in second position for the third race of the year.

The 23 year-old from Barcelona is making great progress with his knee and arm injuries having had surgery due to a preseason crash shortly before the start of the 2009 World Championship.

Having caused a surprise with his great podium for Honda at their home race in Japan last week he looked like he had a good chance of a win on Sunday in Spain as he led the race for the first 17 laps.

His lack of time on the Repsol Honda RC212V over the winter means the Spanish rider is still waiting for the bike to be brought up to the development level he has recently demanded from HRC, but Pedrosa was highly competitive in Andalusia on Sunday, beating third placed rider Casey Stoner by seven seconds.

“It is quite amazing because I didnâ€t expect to be on the podium,” Pedrosa claimed. “I knew that the Yamaha riders would be very, very strong here, and we are not even really ready to get these results yet so thatâ€s why Iâ€m surprised and my team are also surprised. We are all very happy.”

“Last week was just unbelievable, but this result also, because of being on the podium here in front of my fans. I had the opportunity to win. In Motegi it was different but here I was leading the race so Iâ€m very pleased,” he added.

Commenting on his ability to fight for the championship, having moved up to joint third place in the standings, Pedrosa concluded, “We know that we have some problems and some issues that we would like to improve on, but after the difficult winter we had we have to be calm and move forward slowly.”


Perfect weekend revs De Puniet up for home round
Sunday, 03 May 2009

Fourth place at Jerez left French rider Randy de Puniet delighted on Sunday afternoon.


Randy de Puniet followed up his best grid position of the season so far with his best result of 2009 at Jerez. LCR Hondaâ€s French star was at his mercurial best in the Gran Premio bwin.com de España, taking off from fifth on the grid and holding off the challenge of some fierce rivals for fourth place. For a man who has targeted simply consistent finishes in the current campaign, the placing was a joyous moment.

“It was a perfect weekend for me and the team. When I enjoy the bike I can go really fast and people can see that today,” said a vindicated De Puniet, who also made sure that his team and factory shared the plaudits for the job done.

“This was the best bike that I have had since I have been riding with Lucio Cecchinelloâ€s team. It was very easy to ride and I had fun. I made a good start and when Dovizioso overtook me I remain concentrated trying to keep my position, and after few laps he made a mistake and I came back to fifth place. Then, at the end, the final result of the race gave me the fourth place overall. I am very satisfied about the work we made during this week end as we struggled a bit here during the pre season test.”

Testing will have little bearing on proceedings at the upcoming French round of the World Championship, De Punietâ€s home race and held at a track where no MotoGP rider has ridden in 2009. The Jerez result, if nothing else, serves as a big motivation.

“Honestly I think that if we keep this pace for the rest of the season we can be very competitive. However, we will keep our feet on the ground as we must restart from zero in Le Mans. I absolutely want to end all the races to get as many points as possible. A big thank you to my team because they did a great job!”


Stoner breaks Jerez podium drought
Sunday, 03 May 2009

Ducatiâ€s Casey Stoner worked hard to get his first ever Jerez podium result on Sunday.


Not normally happy with third place finishes Ducati Marlboroâ€s Casey Stoner was a relieved man after the Gran Premio bwin.com de España concluded on Sunday, as he stepped onto the rostrum at the Spanish venue for the first time.

Stoner finished 11th at Jerez last year after he qualified seventh and ran off track during the race, but he made a breakthrough at the MotoGP Official Test this winter at the Andalusian circuit with his Desmosedici GP9 and he cashed in at round three to stay in the championship chase.

“It has been a long, long time coming,” Stoner said afterwards. “We have had some difficult races here but fortunately this wasnâ€t one of them. It was still a very hard race but for us to be in with a shot at the podium was better than we expected beforehand.”

Stoner ran in third for most of the race after getting away well from third on the grid to spend the early laps in second place, before being overtaken by racewinner Valentino Rossi on his charge to victory. Explaining his tactics, Stoner commented, “We knew Jorge (Lorenzo) and Dani (Pedrosa) had a good pace and we knew from the warm-up that Valentino (Rossi) had a good pace so we just tried to stay in there for as long as we could.”

Admitting that he had not been 100% comfortable during the final stages of the race, which was watched by more than 120,000 fans at trackside, Stoner also remarked, “Jorge started to catch me so I thought I would dig in and try a bit harder for those last few laps and we managed to keep the gap the same. I think Jorge tried a little bit harder to catch me and he went down, so it was a difficult race for all of us. I lost the front end myself a few times but I was lucky enough to save them, so hopefully in future races I wonâ€t be pushing quite as hard as that!”


Melandri notes determination after Jerez success
Sunday, 03 May 2009

Italian on a roll after second stunning overachievement in Spain.


Japan could have been an anomaly –the result of equal track time for all riders in preparation. Jerez left no doubt. Marco Melandri took a stunning fifth at the Gran Premi bwin.com de España, showing that the Hayate Racing bike and the Italian himself are ready to exceed expectations in 2009.

Melandri was one of the most energetic riders of the day, engaging in pass after pass in an entertaining tussle towards the business end of the race. Once again, he was hugely satisfied with his final placing.

“It was such a nice race for us. We werenâ€t as good in practice, but we worked really hard for the race. We changed the setup a lot, and we had grip problems like everyone else,” he analysed.

“I had a nice fight with Colin (Edwards) and Loris (Capirossi), with plenty of clean passes. We tried to catch Randy de Puniet, but I donâ€t think that he made a single mistake out there.”

If his motivation was questioned during his year with Ducati, the Marco Melandri v2.0 seen in 2009 is a different beast altogether. The attitude is shared amongst his threadbare team as well.

“Determination is definitely our secret weapon. There is determination from all sides; the mechanics, the engineers, from me. Everyone is working towards the same goal. If we carry on like this, we might even start to get some good luck!” concluded the former MotoGP World Championship runner-up.


Lorenzo explains risk-taking and crash
Sunday, 03 May 2009

Fiat Yamaha man blames lack of confidence and grip in tyres for late Jerez crash.


Arriving at the Gran Premio bwin.com de España as the World Championship leader, Jorge Lorenzo had looked to extend his advantage with his first home victory in the premier class. He started from pole and did everything possible to chase a podium finish once Valentino Rossi and Dani Pedrosa had broken free, but in the end the Spaniard paid a heavy price for taking too many risks.

Lorenzo crashed his Fiat Yamaha M1 when desperately trying to chase down Casey Stoner, his rival for third place. It was a do-or-die ride for the Spaniard, who explained that the odds were against him from well before the beginning of the race.

“The start was good for me, as I only lost two places, so that wasnâ€t the problem with me not having the pace. I knew from the warmup that something was just not quite perfect; the rear and front both didnâ€t give me any confidence, and when this happens it is hard to ride smoothly,” explained the sophomore rider, who turns 22 on Monday.

“To counteract the problem you ride too aggressively, and thatâ€s when you have to change and brake when you shouldnâ€t. I lost the gap between myself and the leaders, and whenever I got near Casey he improved his lap times. That was difficult to fight against, and I had to take risks to keep with him. In the end my front tyre called it a day and I fell.”

Lorenzo now has to wait two weeks to rectify the effects of the error, at the upcoming French round of the series.