Thread: MOTOGP

^ a friend went and said he didn't rate it so much as a spectator, as the riders set off at intervals you have little idea of who is actually winning when they go past, but as far as a holiday and having a good time thought it was worthwhile.

Motegi was delayed from early in the year due to the Iceland volcano stopping flights; now to be held on 3 October.

Circuit Info:
Pole Position: Left
Length: 4 801 m / 2.983 miles
Width: 12-15 m
Right corners: 8
Left corners: 6
Longest straight: 762 m / 0.473 miles

Circuit records:
MotoGP 1’47.091, C. Stoner ’08, Ducati
250cc 1’51.412, A. Bautista ’08, Aprilia
125cc 1’57.666, M. Kallio ’06, KTM

2009 winners:
MotoGP J. Lorenzo (SPA), Yamaha
250cc A. Bautista (SPA), Aprilia
125cc A. Iannone (ITA), Aprilia

Indy Cars raced there last Sunday, but using the oval circuit - give me the bike racing any day.

Ducati expects Jerry Burgess to sign 2011 deal


Ducati boss Filippo Preziosi has told MCN he expects all of Valentino Rossi’s crew to follow the Italian when he joins the Bologna factory for the 2011 MotoGP world championship.
Yamaha has confirmed that Burgess and the rest of Rossi’s loyal crew will quit at the end of the current campaign after the Italian signed a Ducati deal in early July.
Burgess and Rossi’s crew, who have worked with the 31-year-old throughout his MotoGP career, have remained tight-lipped on their future plans.
But Yamaha gave the squad a Misano deadline in early September to outline their 2011 plans and it was confirmed during last weekend’s Motorland Aragon race that all were leaving.
The news was first reported by MCN on Saturday night via twitter.com/birtymotogp Yamaha’s declaration that Burgess and the crew will quit makes it inevitable that they will be in tandem with Rossi again next season when he tries to win a tenth world crown for Ducati.
Preziosi though says no deal has been signed with Rossi’s crew, but he expected negotiations to reach a successful and imminent conclusion.
Preziosi told MCN: “I think there is a very strong human relationship between Jeremy and Valentino and the other guys, so for me it is completely understandable that the rider would like to have that crew. For me from a company side we know that crew is very good.”


Asked if Burgess and the crew will be at Ducati, he added: “I think it could happen.”
The arrival of Burgess and Rossi’s staff also confirms that several of Casey Stoner’s crew will move with the Australian to Honda’s official factory team for next season.
The Australian’s crew chief Cristian Gabbarini will move and Preziosi said:
“We have the same strong relationship with Cristian, Casey and the other guys. Even if we offer a good opportunity for them to stay in Ducati, we understand that they have good reason and might want to go with Casey. That is life. We know we will lose some knowledge but we have to accept it.”

http://www.motorcyclenews.com/

Valentino Rossi to set up Moto2 team in 2011


Valentino Rossi has launched a bid to become a team owner in the 2011 Moto2 world championship.
MCN understands Rossi will help fund the project with lifelong friend Uccio Salucci installed as boss of the Italian legend’s new Grand Prix venture.
MCN sources claimed Rossi was in negotiations with Eskil Suter at the Motorland Aragon race last weekend about a chassis deal as the reigning world MotoGP champion looks to finalise his plans.
Any new team wishing to enter Moto2 must have submitted an official application to the International Race Teams Association by September 28.
One rider will be Italian Andrea Iannone, who won Sunday’s Moto2 race for his third win of the campaign.
It is the second big career change for Rossi in the space of two months after he completed a shock move from Yamaha to Ducati in a two-year deal announced at Brno in mid-August.
A prominent source told MCN: “It looks like one very high profile MotoGP rider will have his own Moto2 team next season. Iannone will be one rider. He has interest from just about every team, but it looks like he will end up with Valentino.”
Provisional acceptance for the 2011 Moto2 series will be made on October 8 at the Sepang Grand Prix in Malaysia.
Those teams granted an entry will then need to a pay 20,000 Euro security deposit per rider by October 29 in Estoril.
The idea is then to unveil a list of accepted entries during the final round of the season in Valencia in early November.

Motorcycle News UK | Motorbikes | MCN

Danger is part of the attraction, says Casey Stoner


Casey Stoner reckons fear and danger are two of the major reasons why riders love bike racing so much.
The Australian gave a heartfelt answer when asked his feelings on the recent Misano crash that claimed the life of Japanese rider Shoya Tomizawa.
The factory Ducati rider said: “To be honest it is something that every rider should know that this is the risk involved. Unfortunately it is not the first time it has happened and this is not a completely safe sport. I think it is something that we live with and it is bad to say but it is part of what gives you the adrenaline rush and it’s why guys love to do it.
"It gets your heart racing and your blood pumping and that slight bit of fear is what keeps you going. Unfortunately when it happens it’s not what we want but if there was no fear involved then there would be no real want or need to race and there wouldn’t be the passion that you see in young riders to try and pursue their dreams. I think that’s what keeps us all here to be honest.”
The 24-year said while huge strides had been taken with safety in MotoGP, it was impossible to eradicate the risks involved in racing.
He added: “I remember speaking to Jim Redman at Goodwood a few years ago and he was saying you didn’t know if your friend on the grid next to you was going to finish the championship. Those days were a lot harder than now. But it is something that they had to accept. They had to console wives and girlfriends and things were a lot worse in those days.
"But at the same time they continued to do it because it is what they loved and it made their blood pump. You can leave doing something that you love and you’ve dreamed about your whole life. In some ways that is a nice way to go in you’re doing something that you love rather than doing something you dislike.”

http://www.motorcyclenews.com/

Intense MotoGP run-in begins with Motegi


A run of three back-to-back races commences in Japan as the 2010 MotoGP World Championship enters its final stage with Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa continuing their battle.


Just over five months on from its original scheduled date the Grand Prix of Japan will take place this weekend having been postponed back in April due to the Icelandic volcano eruption. Dani Pedrosa will be aiming to mount his own disruptive course as the 2010 campaign enters an intense run-in of the final five rounds, and he is now the only rider who can stop Jorge Lorenzo claiming a debut premier class title.
Lorenzo enters the weekend 56 points ahead of Pedrosa and with the experience of victory at Motegi last year, but the Repsol Honda rider is proving to be a stern obstacle in the fight for the 2010 title. Last time out at Aragón was the first time Lorenzo had not featured on the podium this season, and whilst fourth position in the race was by no means a poor result the recuperation of 17 points on the leader by Pedrosa over the last three rounds has signalled that this year’s Championship is far from decided.
Pedrosa has featured on the third step of the podium at the Japanese track for the previous two years and is on a hot current run of form as he and his factory RC212V remain consistent in their production of results. Both he and Lorenzo have 12 premier class career victories to their names now, another added competitive edge to what has recently developed into an intriguing pitting of wits against one another.
Casey Stoner’s first win of the season at Aragón was the culmination of a dominant weekend for the Australian on board his Ducati, and with that victory duck now broken expectations will be high for a strong last sector of the season. He has only stepped onto the podium once at Motegi in the premier class, a second-placed finish in 2008, but confidence will be in plentiful supply now.
Separated by just a single point in fourth and fifth in the Championship standings are Valentino Rossi and Andrea Dovizioso. For the reigning World Champion Motegi is another site that has proven to be one of many fruitful hunting grounds having placed second last season and with a win the year before. Rossi, who continues to struggle against an injured shoulder, will be aiming to step back onto the podium again as will Dovizioso whose DNF at Aragón saw him deposed from third in the overall standings.
Ben Spies (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) remains continual in his progress with fellow American Nicky Hayden (Ducati Team) another confident rider after his first podium of the year came at Aragón. Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda) will be determined to right the wrong of his DNF in the previous round, with San Carlo Honda Gresini team-mates Marco Melandri and Marco Simoncelli level on points with one another behind the Frenchman.
Loris Capirossi’s (Rizla Suzuki) recovery from finger surgery which forced him to miss Aragón is expected to be complete, thus allowing the Italian to make his return to the site of his last MotoGP win in 2007.

Rossi ready for tough test on body at Motegi

Wednesday, 29 September 2010
The reigning World Champion knows that the demands of the circuit will push his physical condition to its limit during the Grand Prix of Japan this weekend, but is prepared for the challenge.


Valentino Rossi is steeling himself for another hard weekend on his body as he prepares for the Grand Prix of Japan, where the right-handed Motegi circuit will place added demands on his recovering shoulder. The Fiat Yamaha rider explained that the leg he broke in June is now the lesser of his problems, with his shoulder the main factor in his ability to push hard.
“The leg is now almost back to normal again – I have even started running – but the shoulder is a problem and we know now that this is not going to change until we have time to treat it properly,” said Rossi, who has fond recollections of the Japanese circuit.
“I have some great memories from Motegi, especially winning the Championship in 2008, but I am expecting this weekend to be quite difficult on my body,” continued Rossi, who is also looking forward to the rounds in Malaysia and Australia which follow on consecutive weekends. “We have a hard three weeks ahead but after this race two of my best tracks are coming up, and I am hoping for some good results. We will do our best and see what happens!"
Rossi’s Team Manager Davide Brivio returns to the paddock this weekend having missed the previous round at Aragón – where Rossi placed sixth – due to a back problem, and he hopes that the previous good showing of the M1 at Motegi (Rossi won in 2008 and team-mate Jorge Lorenzo won last year) bodes well for his rider.
He said: "Valentino is understandably disappointed that he isn't in as good physical shape as he had hoped, and this is a pity for him because the leg is really quite good now! Aragón was hard on him but generally our bike goes well at Motegi so we hope it will be better, even if the nature of the track will still be hard on him.”
“This run of races is tough on everyone but we will be working as hard as ever and hoping for some good results as we head towards the final races,” concluded Brivio.

Ducati aiming to build on Aragón success in Japan

Wednesday, 29 September 2010
Casey Stoner and Nicky Hayden are both eager to underline the impressive progress made in the previous round with another strong showing at Motegi this weekend.


The Ducati Team arrive in Japan this week high in confidence after a first win of the season for Casey Stoner and a maiden 2010 podium for Nicky Hayden at Aragón, and the focus is now on maintaining the excellent progress made in the previous round.
After modifications to their respective Desmosedici GP10 machines yielded superb results in Spain the pair are hopeful that their prototypes are well suited to the characteristics of the Motegi circuit, and if this is the case Stoner believes another solid result is achievable.
“Motegi is a circuit with a lot of stop and go sections, not much of it flows together and it's not one of my favourite layouts. On the positive side the surface is smooth, with not too many bumps, which have really made us suffer at a lot of tracks this year,” said the 24 year-old Australian. “You need a bike that is stable under braking and efficient under acceleration so I am hopeful that the setting we found at Aragón can be useful here again.”
“In Spain we finally managed to improve the stability and found a bit more grip and if we can do that again this weekend we will have the chance to fight for a good result once more.”
Hayden is equally optimistic and is hopeful that the improvements continue beyond Japan and into the quick to follow rounds in Malaysia and Australia.
“As always this Grand Prix has a little extra flavour because it's the home round for the big Japanese factories,” said the American rider. “I actually scored my first ever MotoGP podium at Motegi but I've not had much out of it since then other than a couple of front row starts and a few results I'd rather not remember.”
Hayden continued: “It is the first of three races in a row in three different countries with very different climates. It is not an easy grind but I always enjoy it. We have to try and build on the good form we showed at Aragón and stay at the same level if we can. It won't be easy but that has to be our objective.”
MotoGP | The Official MotoGP Website

rossi and ducati going to be a great combo

Provisional 2011 MotoGP calendar announced by FIM

Thursday, 30 September 2010
A provisional calendar for the 2011 FIM MotoGP World Championship has been released today.

Date Grand Prix (Circuit)

March 20th Qatar* (Losail)
April 3rd Spain (Jerez)
April 24th Japan (Motegi)
May 1st Portugal (Estoril)
May 15th France (Le Mans)
June 5th Catalunya (Catalunya)
June 12th Great Britain (Silverstone)
June 25th Netherlands** (Assen)
July 3rd Italy (Mugello)
July 17th Germany (Sachsenring)
July 24th United States*** (Laguna Seca)
August 14th Czech Republic (Brno)
August 28th Indianapolis (Indianapolis)
September 4th San Marino & Riviera di Rimini (Misano)
September 18th Aragón (MotorLand)
October 16th Australia (Phillip Island)
October 23rd Malaysia (Sepang)
November 6th Valencia (Ricardo Tormo – Valencia)

* Evening Race
** Saturday Race
*** Only MotoGP class

Jorge Lorenzo hoping for new engine boost


By Matthew Birt -

30 September 2010 11:09

Jorge Lorenzo is hoping an updated factory Yamaha YZR-M1 motor will help catapult him close to the 2010 MotoGP world championship crown in Japan this weekend.
The 23-year-old holds a commanding 56-point lead over Spanish rival Dani Pedrosa but hasn’t won since the Brno race in the Czech Republic back in mid-August.
And the Fiat Yamaha rider was livid earlier this month when he surrendered his 100 per cent podium record at the new Motorland Aragon circuit in Spain.
Lorenzo was upset about a lack of top speed and acceleration from his YZR-M1 machine.
But Yamaha will roll out an upgraded in-line four-cylinder motor for this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix at the Twin Ring Motegi.
The double 250GP world champion, who won in Japan last season, said: “I am not able to relax but I am in a great position, although we are not in the best shape technically because we have a small power disadvantage.
"Yamaha are working on this and here we have a new evolution of engine that should help me. But I think even with the same condition we've had in the last two races I can make a better result than Aragon.
"If everything is normal we can be fighting for the podium or a victory."
This weekend’s Japanese clash is the first of a flyaway triple-header with Sepang in Malaysia and Phillip Island in Australia coming in quick succession.
Lorenzo denied that he would need to be more cautious to protect his advantage with Pedrosa enjoying a brilliant run of form that has seen him finish in the top two at the previous four races.
Lorenzo added: “Obviously you think a little bit about the championship because the important thing this year is the championship and the points are important.
"In this situation I must keep going fast but also you must be prudent and calculating with less risk. I will try to be as fast as I can but also not doing any crazy things."

the provisional calendar . . . see they've gone back to having Japan early in the series. Obviously it's 'money no object' when it comes to travel expenses - Spain-Japan-Portugal and Germany-US-Czech-US there's not much logic in that. I'd hoped for the Motegi-Sepang to be a week apart again.
We leave on Monday, staying in Klang s-w of KL then to Sepang on Sunday 10th. I hope to be able to contribute more to 'Girls of Moto GP' thread.

^ good one mate you and mrs g.have a good trip keen to see the photos.

Dani Pedrosa diagnosed with broken collarbone



Dani Pedrosa's 2010 MotoGP title chances end at Motegi

The 2010 MotoGP title fight has effectively ended after Dani Pedrosa, the only rider still capable of beating Jorge Lorenzo, suffered a "3-fragment fracture to the left collarbone" after crashing just six minutes into Friday practice at Motegi.

Pedrosa is already 56 points behind Fiat Yamaha rider Lorenzo with five rounds (125 points) to go.

The Repsol Honda rider's injury means he will almost certainly miss the next three races, which take place in three successive weekends starting this Sunday.

reminder on points

Points

284 Lorenzo
228 Pedrosa
155 Stoner
140 Rossi
139 Dovizioso
131 Spies
125 Hayden

If Pedrosa does miss three races and a potential 75 points, there'll be a real 'race' for 2nd and 3rd - presuming Lorenzo keeps up with top 5 finishes.

PIC: Dani Pedrosa's Motegi crash

Dani Pedrosa's Motegi crash caught on camera
This looks to be the moment that Dani Pedrosa and Honda lost the 2010 MotoGP World Championship.

Pedrosa, already 56 points behind Jorge Lorenzo heading into this weekend's Japanese Grand Prix, crashed on his third lap of Friday practice at Motegi, breaking his left collarbone in three places.

Circuit cameras only provided on-board footage of the incident, but this picture shows the full ferocity of the crash.

The Repsol Honda rider will now return to Spain for surgery and, with three races in three weeks and only five remaining before the end of the season, his slim title hopes have all but evaporated.

Dovizioso powers to Japan MotoGP pole
Published: 2/10/2010 at 02:58 PM
Online news: Sports

Honda rider Andrea Dovizioso (pictured) on Saturday grabbed his first ever pole position in qualifying for the Japanese Moto Grand Prix at Motegi.

Honda rider Andrea Dovizioso on Saturday grabbed his first ever pole position in qualifying for the Japanese Moto Grand Prix at Motegi.

The Italian clocked a fastest lap of 1min 47.001sec at Motegi Twin Ring, edging his compatriot and reigning champion Valentino Rossi on a Yamaha by 0.054sec and Ducati rider Casey Stoner by 0.104sec.

It came after Dovizioso marked the second fastest lap times during the practice sessions Friday afternoon and Saturday morning, trailing Rossi and championship leader Jorge Lorenzo in the respective sessions.

Meanwhile point leader Lorenzo took fourth place ahead of fellow Yamaha rider Colin Edwards.

"I am so happy and surprised about this practice," Dovizioso said, referring the qualifying practice round in Saturday afternoon.

"We started very well from yesterday. We have improved a lot. Normally, my style is not to go too fast in practice," Dovizioso said.

"We can make a good race" at the Grand Prix on Sunday, he said.

Stoner seals second straight win with Motegi victory

Sunday, 03 October 2010
The Ducati Team rider scored back-to-back victories with first place in the Grand Prix of Japan on Sunday. Pole man Andrea Dovizioso finished second whilst Valentino Rossi beat Championship leader Jorge Lorenzo to the final podium spot after an epic battle with his team-mate.


Casey Stoner followed up his first win of the season at Aragón with a second victory of 2010 in the Grand Prix of Japan on Sunday, with pole man Andrea Dovizioso second and Valentino Rossi third. It was another strong win from Ducati rider Stoner as he slowly pulled away from Dovizioso throughout the 24-lap race, but the real excitement was drawn from team-mates Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo’s intense battle for the final spot on the podium.
As he did last time out at Aragón Stoner got a fast start and took the lead on the opening lap, and as he settled into his rhythm and consistently posted fast laps Dovizioso – starting from pole for the first time in the premier class – stuck with him for the early stages. Lorenzo hinted at what was to come as he passed Rossi to assume third, and that was just the start of the duo’s enthralling contest.
Ben Spies (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) and Nicky Hayden (Ducati Team) ran off at turn five together on only the second lap as they dropped down the order, whilst rookie Marco Simoncelli (San Carlo Honda Gresini) and Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) pitted their wits against one another in the push for fifth.
Stoner began to open up a slender lead over Dovizioso which grew to a second with seven laps remaining, while further down the order Loris Capirossi (Rizla Suzuki) was forced to retire when his bike stalled as he ran wide alongside team-mate Álvaro Bautista in the chase for seventh place.
With Stoner now assured of victory and Dovizioso a return to the podium after an eight-race stint without a top-three finish, Rossi and Lorenzo locked horns. Repeatedly pushing one another the pair touched bikes with two laps to go as they fought side by side in a rousing finale to the race.
Victory for Stoner came by a margin of 3.868s and Dovizioso’s fifth podium of the season – his first since Silverstone – was also confirmed. Rossi managed to hold his own in third place and score a seventh rostrum result of 2010, and in the process ensure that Lorenzo finished outside the top three for the second successive race.
Edwards posted a season’s best result of fifth, with Simoncelli sixth and Bautista seventh. Spies Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda) and Hiroshi Aoyama (Interwetten Honda MotoGP) completed the top ten.
In the absence of the injured Dani Pedrosa, Lorenzo’s lead at the top of the Championship was extended to 69 points. Stoner remains in third, with Dovizioso leapfrogging Rossi into fourth.

Stoner seals second straight win with Motegi victory | The Official MotoGP Website

Stoner thrilled with milestone win

Sunday, 03 October 2010
The Ducati Team rider took his second win of 2010 at Motegi, his 22nd of his premier class career, and was delighted with the efforts of his crew in realising the achievement.


Casey Stoner followed up his first win of the season at Aragón with a second in succession in the Grand Prix of Japan on Sunday, and with his 22nd career victory in the premier class moved level with MotoGP greats Geoff Duke, Kenny Roberts senior and John Surtees.
“This win feels great. I could have never imagined when I began my first season in Grand Prix at 16 years of age that I would reach this level and all I can say is that it is an honour to be alongside such great names,” said the 24 year-old. “I have taken all my MotoGP wins with Ducati and it is down to their fantastic support, hard work and above all their belief in me that this has been possible.”
Stoner’s success at Motegi came after a weekend of intense hard work, having initially struggled to find the right balance on his Desmosedici GP10.
“With this track being so heavy on the front we were trying to make the bike a lot more stable. We had a lot of problems with the brakes and the bike doing wheelies, and every time we improved that we made the rear worse so we were having a bit of a disaster weekend!” he explained.
“We just couldn’t get any grip on the bike so we went a little closer to more traction rather than stability on the brakes, and it paid off for us. We found that time that we were missing. We tried something else but it didn’t really work in warm up this morning and we didn’t feel that comfortable. We went more or less back to what we had in qualifying with another step in another direction, a little bit of a lucky dip, but it worked!”
Under pressure from Andrea Dovizioso for most of the 24-lap race Stoner eventually crossed the finish line 3.868s ahead of the Italian, but said the margin of victory made the win appear more comfortable than it had been.
“After the first couple of laps and when I saw the times I was able to do I thought we were in with a chance of winning this one, but it wasn’t without a fight,” said Stoner. “Andrea was there the whole way, pushing me, and every time I thought I had a small gap to take a breather he came back again. I had to keep pushing the whole race and it wasn’t until the last lap that I really got to relax. It was a big victory for us, especially at this circuit, and it means a lot to us.”


Stoner thrilled with milestone win | The Official MotoGP Website

08 - 10 October 2010
Moto Grand Prix of Malaysia
Sepang International Circuit, Sepang

Pedrosa leaves hospital following operation


Monday, 04 October 2010
The Repsol Honda rider left the Clínica Dexeus in Barcelona this morning (Monday October 4th) following his successful collarbone operation on Saturday.


Dani Pedrosa was discharged from the USP Dexeus in Barcelona this morning at 10am, two days after he had a successful operation to insert a titanium plate in his left collarbone which he fractured in a crash during the opening practice session of the Grand Prix of Japan last Friday.
Head of the Hand Surgery Unit, Dr. Xavier Mir, was happy with the start of Pedrosa's recovery and deemed the 25 year-old Spaniard ready to leave the hospital. On Sunday Pedrosa began passive monitoring of his left shoulder and will today commence an 'active-passive' rehabilitation under the supervision of his physiotherapist. On Wednesday he will return to the clinic to visit Dr. Mir for necessary follow-up treatment and to assess the progress of the injury following the operation.
Dr. Mir said: “48 hours after operating on Dani Pedrosa’s fractured left collarbone, which we fixed using a titanium plate, the post-operation process is correct and yesterday he started to make small passive movements of his shoulder and elbow."
"We have discharged him and today he will start active-passive rehabilitation with his trusted physiotherapist. We will meet again next Wednesday to treat him again and check how the injury is evolving.”
Pedrosa was admitted to the A&E department of the USP Dexeus in Barcelona at 10am on Saturday morning as soon as he landed from Japan, and at lunchtime underwent surgery on the fragmented fracture of his left collarbone in which he received a fixation with a titanium plate with eight holes, made especially for the collarbone, and a fixation of the intermediate fragments with two compression screws.

Pedrosa leaves hospital following operation | The Official MotoGP Website