Stoner dominates Dutch TT to take Bridgestone’s maiden Assen win

Continuing where he left off in Donington last weekend, Ducati Corse rider Casey Stoner took a dominant win in this afternoon’s Dutch TT to secure his, Ducati’s and Bridgestone’s maiden win at the Assen circuit. It is Stoner’s third win of the season, and second consecutively, cementing his third place in the world championship with a reduced gap of 29 points to new championship leader, Honda rider Dani Pedrosa, who finished second today. Yamaha rider Colin Edwards completed the podium.

"We have had a good pace all weekend, but it is a bit nerve-wracking when coming to race day, when you know the only thing that can go wrong is you. I really didn’t want to make any mistakes today, especially with how uncertain the weather was looking. Apart from a few spots, the rain stayed away today, so I was happy about that. I have really got to take my hat off to the team, they have been doing such a good job these last few races to get us back on the pace and competitive again. Bridgestone has also worked well this weekend with the race tyres and also with the improvements they have made with the qualifying rubber.”

MotoGP » Gibernau 'very fast', but will he race?

Sete Gibernau concludes second 'comeback' test for Ducati by setting very impressive lap times at Mugello, but what happens now?

Sete Gibernau seems to have convinced Ducati that he still has what it takes to be a competitive MotoGP rider after crowning his second three-day 'comeback' test for the Italian factory with a best lap less than half-a-second slower than world champion Casey Stoner's official lap record.Gibernau, who retired from MotoGP at the end of 2006 after losing his Ducati seat to Stoner, clocked up around 800kms during the second test. The Spaniard initially worked with the next year's carbon-fibre framed GP9, then the current GP8, before finishing with a final exit on the GP9 for a 'back to back' comparison.The 35-year-old former double MotoGP World Championship runner-up made repeated runs of 4 or 5 laps and proved he had lost none of his fitness by lapping consistently in the low 1min 51secs range, despite air temperatures of over 30°C and track temperatures exceeding 50°C.

Indianapolis next circuit in motogp

Indianapolis all set for first MotoGP test

The newly laid out track at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the venue for this September´s inaugural Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix, is ready to host its first MotoGP test sessions.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) is set to host its first MotoGP test today, with all five of the current manufacturers participating in the premier class represented by nominated test riders in the American visit.
The sessions will primarily give the new track a test ahead of its debut on the MotoGP calendar in the inaugural Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix on the 12th-14th September weekend, and to allow tyre manufacturers Bridgestone and Michelin to gather data at the new World Championship venue.

Rossi`s Assen post-morten : `I made a mistake`

Rossi´s Assen post-mortem: `I made a mistake´
Saturday, 28 June 2008

Valentino Rossi was left bitterly disappointed after a first lap crash in the A-Style TT Assen.

Valentino Rossi, for all his undoubted talents, has never been the best of starters in MotoGP races. Identifying this as an area for improvement, and with the prospect of Assen poleman Casey Stoner making a breakaway at the head of the race, the Fiat Yamaha rider was going all-out in the Netherlands.
Unfortunately for the five-time World Champion, the gamble didn´t quite pay off, as on the opening lap he came unstuck due to a combination of over-exuberance a cold tyre and the tricky first left hander of the race.
`Unfortunately I made a mistake on the first lap, on the first left corner,´ admitted Rossi frankly after the A-Style TT Assen. `I went in too fast with a cold tyre and lost the rear.´
The Italian remounted his M1 and fought his way back to eleventh place after overtaking Marco Melandri and Toni Elias, but the rider taken out in his first lap fall was unable to do so. Rossi extended his apologies to LCR Honda´s Randy de Puniet, holding up his hand for the collision between the two.

Toni Elias's Accident at Assen

Toni Elias' Accident at Assen by Ally Wahlberg

Last Thursday was a bleak day for Honda the producer of Honda catalytic converter when one of its riders Toni Elias of Spain fractured his femur in a crash during practice for the Dutch Grand Prix at Assen. Tony Elias is currently on the 10th rank in the MotoGP standings with 49 points. And last Thursday he slid off the track and caught his left leg under his body as rolled into a gravel trap. The injured Elias was taken to Assen hospital for surgery and doctors said that he would likely miss upcoming races in the United States and Germany but he could be back just in time for the Aug. 19 racing event in Brno, Czech Republic, according to a statement on the official MotoGP Web site. Last Thursday accident was not the first for Elias in Assen. It can be remembered that he also crashed on the first day of practice last year where he sustained shoulder injury and which has prevented him from racing. And that's not all in the year 2005 also in Assen where he was injured and also missed the race. Casey Stoner MotoGP leader was the quickest driver in practice last Thursday. He was able to qualify for the ninth race of the MotoGP season on Friday and also for the race on Saturday. Stoner rides a Ducati is looking forward for his sixth win of the season and was 0.212 seconds faster that his nearest rival, the Kawasaki rider Randy de Puniet of France. Meanwhile Nicky Hayden, the winner in Assen last year had the third best time and Valentino Rossi was fourth. About Toni Elias Toni Elias was born in March 26, 1983. He is a professional motorcycle racer. He is also the third member of the Elias family to compete in motorcycle racing. He was born in Manresa, Spain. Toni started his racing career in the 125cc World Championship in 2000 at the age of 17 but it was in the year 2001 where he was able to finished 3rd and after that he joined the Dutch TT at the prestigious Assen circuit. He went to 250s for 2002 where he was able to finished 4th that year and then 3rd a year later and then 4th again by 2004. It was in the year 2005 when Elias entered MotoGP for Fortuna Yamaha, and last year he takes Fortuna backing Fausto Gresini's Honda squad.

Dani Pedrosa and Uk motorcycle circuit

Honda with Dani Pedrosa to Donington by Ally Wahlberg

Dani Pedrosa, Honda's most well known racer in MotoGP, has driven to four podiums so far this season. However, a win has so far escaped the Repsol Honda RC212V driver who is in the third place overall in the World Championship points standings. Alteration could take place at Donington Park.
Last year, Pedrosa won from Rossi (Yamaha). And now, the 21-year-old Spanish driver, after his rough ride to third two weeks ago in Catlunya, is showing all the signs of getting his title challenge back on the track.
He has his work cut out in order to roll in series leader Stoner on 140 points and Rossi in second on 128. However, Dani's 98 point tally so far is enough for him to give a serious challenge with 11 races in this 18-round series still to extend. He was unfortunate to score in Turkey and his rivals will also suffer at some stage this season.
Nonetheless, analysts say that the volatile Spaniard will not be intimidated to the flattering of his rivals. As well as last season's win, he has also attained victor at Donington Park on a 250 in 2004. Furthremore, the curves and dips of this much-loved track are his natural arena.
The park usually offers an action packed race, whether in the dry or in the 'British' weather conditions (last year's contest was dripping-wet, yet enthralling race). Resurfaced in 2004, the track now has a pit complex that makes the facilities a match for this excellent racetrack.
Just like Dani, many riders have a great deal of affection for Donington Park. This is for the reason that it compensates, in the form of win, the contestants who desire fast, open, reaching turns. The track has a slightly stiff Melbourne Loop section that spoils the rhythm and flow, yet it still provides performance as riders struggle to surpass three bouts of heavy braking towards the end of a lap.
The high point of a Donington lap is the thespian downhill fifth-gear Craner Curves. Bravery and inch-perfect commitment to a line are the requirements to be able to survive in this section of the track. And if a rider struggles to come to encounter these turns, a fast lap is but a distant hope.
The track demands two main machine characteristics that are hard to provide at the same time. These are the stability on the brakes and quick turn-in for the Esses and Melbourne Loop sections. And for the rest of this 4.023km track, perfect high-speed manner are needed.
Riders prefer different strategies. Some opt for stability knowing that a speed over the flowing first three-quarters of the track will dictate a fast lap time, while some choose to have a bike set up so that it will perform well under braking where places can be won and lost in the final three turns. Also a vital requirement is good acceleration. Top speed is slightly less needed at Donington than at other tracks.
According to Pedrosa, last year he had a very good time at Donington Park so this time around he is anticipating for the same fun and performance as last year. He said that they attained a positive test result in Barcelona after the last race. There they learned new things that could help them like the tires they tested for Michelin. The result gave them more confidence for the upcoming races.

Uk Motorcycle Racing - A Look at British Riders in MotoGP Racing by The Biker Place

The motorcycle GP racing season is well underway but as a British racing fan what are our interests in the 2008 season?
The obvious one is James Toseland, two time (and current) World Superbike champion, Toseland has made the step up to MotoGP with the satellite Tech 3 Yamaha team. Early season indications have been positive for Toseland as he learns the new bike and a lot of new tracks. What about the support classes?
If we were looking at Spanish or Italian riders we would have dozens to discuss here, however for the 2008 season there are 4 British riders in the entry lists for the 250cc and 125cc GP championships.
Eugene Laverty
Laverty, from Northern Ireland, will be competing in his second season in the 250cc championship in 2008. Laverty ended the 2007 season in 25th place with 6 points to his name on the LCR Honda, ran by former racer Lucio Cecchinello.
For the 2008 season he has moved to the much more competitive Blusens Aprilia team, and will be hoping for much better results.
Eugene Laverty showcased his talents early on in the British Supersport Championship in 2006, prior to moving to the 250cc GP championship. Alongside Cal Crutchlow and Tom Sykes (both of whom will be competing for the British Superbikes championship in 2008), his team mate that year in the Red Bull Honda team was Hannspree Ten Kate rider Jonathan Rea.
Bradley Smith
Bradley Smith is a young and extremely talented racer from Oxfordshire, who finished 10th last season in the 125cc championship for the Repsol Honda team.
The 2007 season saw Bradley Smith become the youngest ever British rider to finish on a motorcycle grand prix podium when he finished third in the French 125cc Grand Prix at Le Mans. Next year Bradley will ride for the Spanish based Polaris World Aprilia team that won four grands prix in the 2007 season.
Early on in the 2008 season Bradley has shown his talent and pace by picking up a number of pole position's in qualifying, unfortunately however he has been able to convert those into race wins as technical problems and crashes have ended his races early.
Daniel Webb
2007 saw Daniel Webb end the season in 26th place with 3 points to his name. For 2008 Daniel will be racing on an Aprilia for the Dutch based Arie Molenaar Racing team where he will be joined by Stevie Bonsey and Hugo Van Den Bergh.
The move to Aprilia should, hopefully give Webb a more competitive bike and allow him to improve on his 2007 finish.
Scott Redding
Fourteen-year-old Gloucestershire schoolboy Scott Redding clinched a three-year deal with the Spanish-based BQR Blusens Aprilia world championship team, and will begin his MotoGP career in 2008.
Scott will become the team's number one rider in the 2008 and 2009 MotoGP 125cc World Championship and has an option on the third year to progress to the MotoGP 250 class.