Valencia MotoGP: Dani Pedrosa secures pole with record lap time

Valencia MotoGP

• Venue: Circuito de la Comunitat Valenciana, Valencia
• Sunday 11 November: Moto2 & 3 races, Red Button/online 09:50-12:00; MotoGP race BBC2 & BBC HD 12:30-14:00 and on BBC Sport website. MotoGP Extra, 1400-1430, Red Button/online

Local favourite Dani Pedrosa broke the Valencia circuit record in Saturday's qualifying on his way to pole position for the season-ending MotoGP race.

The Honda rider powered round in one minute 30.844 secs in a dry qualifying session at the Cheste circuit.
Pedrosa's time beat the previous pole record of 1:31.002, set by Valentino Rossi back in 2006.

Newly-crowned world champion Jorge Lorenzo was second and Casey Stoner was third, ahead of his last ever MotoGP.

Britain's Cal Crutchlow, Germany's Stefan Bradl and Italian Andrea Dovizioso will start from the second row on the grid.
Pedrosa said: "We are happy with the pole and the record. Maybe it will rain tomorrow, so I will try to do my best and have a good race."
Spain's Lorenzo was was 0.361 sec behind Pedrosa and Stoner was a third of a second behind on his Honda in his last outing before retirement.
The 27-year-old Stoner looked set to secure a dream pole in his last race as he topped the timesheets heading into the final moments of the qualifying session.
But Pedrosa's record time and a decent final effort from Lorenzo secured a Spanish one-two, relegating the Australian to third.
Stoner said: "We had hoped to do a little better than we did. The bike has more potential than it showed today."

MotoGP: Dani Pedrosa wins in Valencia as Jorge Lorenzo crashes

That left Pedrosa clear to win his seventh race of the season, while British rider Cal Crutchlow, who had been set for a best-ever finish of second, crashed out late on to give Nakasuga a place on the podium.
In the day's earlier races, Danny Kent took victory in the Moto3 class before Marc Marquez produced a remarkable ride to win the Moto2 race.
World champion Marquez started from 33rd and last on the grid but managed to scythe through to 11th by the end of the first lap.
The 19-year-old - who will replace Stoner in MotoGP next year - eventually worked his way through to win the 26th grand prix of his young career.
"My eyes were the size of dinner plates the whole race. With a couple of laps to go I decided to go for it and it's a fantastic way to end it. I want to thank all my supporters down the years."
With riders starting on different tyres, the first few laps were chaotic as Aleix Espargaro took a shock lead to become the first CRT rider to lead a MotoGP race.
Within a few laps it was clear that the slick tyres were quicker, and as riders came into the pits to change bikes Lorenzo was able to stay out and take the lead.
Lorenzo and Pedrosa, who lined up on wets before changing his mind on the warm-up lap and coming in to change tyres and start the race from the pit lane, pulled clear before Lorenzo's huge crash.
The Spaniard was trying to lap British rider James Ellison when he got off line, weaved several times before being catapulted into the air and landed on his head before coming to a stop.

That allowed Pedrosa to win, with Katsuyuki Nakasuga second and Casey Stoner, in his last MotoGP race, third.

Lorenzo, who was not injured in his spill despite landing on his head and sliding into the gravel trap, picked up his world title at an awards ceremony later on Sunday.
Stoner, who won the championship in 2007 and 2011, produced a late spurt to finish on the podium in his final race after retiring from the sport at the age of just 27.
The Australian told BBC Sport: "I took the easy way out by starting on wet tyres and to be honest, I was scared of crashing.
"I didn't want to injure my foot any more than I have already, especially in my last race. You can see there were a lot of crashes today.

Dani Pedrosa ended the MotoGP season with a win in Valencia after newly-crowned world champion Jorge Lorenzo spectacularly crashed out.

The Spaniard, who won the title last month, opted to start on slick tyres on a wet track and took the lead as other riders changed from wet tyres.
However, he was catapulted off while attempting to lap a backmarker.

Marc Marquez has the talent to become MotoGP champion

The sport will miss him. There is no doubt about that.
But we didn't have to look too far on Sunday to see where the sport's new star is coming from.
Moto2 world champion Marc Marquez started in 33rd place on the grid in Sunday's Moto2 race after he was penalised for an incident in practice on Friday.
He stormed through into 11th by the end of lap one with some amazing riding. And then went on to win.

Watch the clip of that opening lap from the overhead camera at the top of this page. It is extraordinary to see his speed, confidence and aggression.

He made everyone else look like club racers. He has to go on and be a world champion in MotoGP.
A lot of people see him as a bit of a lunatic but he has got Casey Stoner talent. He has got so much raw speed.

Valencia MotoGP: Valentino Rossi says last Ducati ride a great pity

Valentino Rossi labelled his final ride for Ducati, a dreary ride to 10th that included being lapped and finishing behind three CRT bikes, a 'great pity'. The Italian's two-year spell on the Desmosedici has brought just three podiums for a rider who had previously never failed to win at least once during a season.
For a while at Valencia he did at least enjoy running in the top three, staying out longer than the majority of the field in the hope that forecasted rain would fall and play into his decision to start on wets.
Rossi said the fact the race stayed dry contributed to what was an inglorious end to a once dream marriage with the Italian outfit.
"It was a very bad race," Rossi conceded.
"It was a pity we finished like this because this morning in the warm-up I had a very good feeling, so we were hoping a lot for the rain, the worst conditions.
"We waited and waited for water but it didn't arrive and unfortunately the conditions were half and half [and] very difficult, with just a narrow dry line.
"I was very slow because I was not able to put the bike where I want and the dry line was very narrow.
"I just tried to arrive at the end: I was already very far from the guys in front. It was a pity because in the rain we could maybe do a good race so we waited but it didn't arrive."
Rossi admitted it would be hard to say goodbye to some within the Ducati camp, but said he was at the same time excited about joining Yamaha for the first post-season test in just two days time.
"I would have liked to finish these two years with Ducati better," he explained.
"They were two difficult seasons, but I nonetheless leave behind many people that I enjoyed working with, and with whom it was nice to go racing.
"It's a great pity but we are here to try and get the best results so it's better like this. This adventure is finished after two difficult seasons and now we move forward.
"It will be very important if we are able to do one or two dry days in [the] test to understand our potential, but I am happy [to join Yamaha]."

Espargaro leads a MotoGP race, takes CRT crown

Aleix Espargaro made a small piece of history by becoming the first CRT rider to lead a MotoGP race at Valencia on Sunday, en route to securing the top 2012 privateer title.

Granted it was in special circumstances, due to the drying track, but the prototype riders Espargaro overtook on the opening lap were also using wet tyres.

The home star remained at the front of the MotoGP field - ahead of Andrea Dovizioso, Casey Stoner, Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo (slicks) - until lap 3 when he began dropping back and, like the other wet tyre starters, was forced to pit for his dry bike.

Espargaro went onto finish eleventh, one place ahead of Aspar Aprilia team-mate Randy de Puniet, who was the only rider that could have beaten him to top CRT in the final 2012 standings.

“I am very happy, because finally we were able to claim the prize for best CRT riders of the year,” said Espargaro, who finished twelve points ahead of de Puniet and twelfth out of 27 riders in the overall MotoGP Riders' Championship.

“The race was very strange, as on the grid I was a little nervous about the tyre choice. I knew that I could go faster with the slicks, but it was very risky so I used the wets.

“Once the race began, I focused on going as hard as I could until the tyre went off, then I changed bikes. I concentrated on catching Randy [who started on slicks] and when I passed him I relaxed a bit to enjoy the race and finish as high up as possible.

“I think that we have had a formidable season and that this has been reflected with the best CRT prize.

“The most important thing is that the team has supported me, which I value a lot. Jorge gave me a lot of confidence from the start and I want to thank him and enjoy having reached our goal.”

The CRT ('Claiming Rule Team') category was introduced for MotoGP this season, without which there would have only been twelve factory-built bikes on the grid.

The nine CRTs used modified superbike engines in a prototype chassis and were given fuel and engine change concessions relative to the 'full' manufacturer prototypes from Honda, Yamaha and Ducati.

The Aprilia ART comfortably won the CRT Constructors' title, scoring 100 points relative to 43 for FTR.

Rossi heads back to Yamaha for 2013 on two-year contract

Friday, 10 August 2012

Yamaha Motor Racing has confirmed the signing of Valentino Rossi to ride for the Yamaha Factory Racing MotoGP Team for 2013 and 2014.

Valentino Rossi first joined Yamaha in 2004 and achieved four MotoGP World Champion titles with the Yamaha YZR-M1 in 2004 & 2005 and again in 2008 & 2009. He won 46 Grand Prix races with Yamaha over a 7-year period before leaving at the end of the 2010 MotoGP season.
Rossi, who is presently 8th in the Championship standings, will partner Jorge Lorenzo who currently leads the 2012 MotoGP World Championship by 23 points, having taken five victories from the first ten completed races of the 18 race series.
Lin Jarvis, Managing Director, Yamaha Motor Racing

"This announcement is once again excellent news for Yamaha. In June we were able to sign Jorge Lorenzo for the 2013-14 campaign and now we are able to confirm Valentino Rossi for the next two years. In doing so we have been able to put together the strongest possible team to challenge for victories and to promote the Yamaha brand.

We have run this ‘super team’ together in 2008, 2009 and 2010 and during that time we achieved the ‘triple crown’ titles with Rider, Manufacturer and Team World Championship victories for three consecutive years.

The target for the future is obvious and we will do our utmost to achieve our goals.

I have no doubt that with the experience, knowledge, skills and speed of these two great champion riders we will be able to challenge for many race wins and for the 2013 & 2014 World Championship titles.

The signing of Valentino completes our future planning for the Yamaha Factory Racing MotoGP Team. Now that this is done we will put our 100% efforts into completing the job at hand and to supporting Ben Spies and Jorge Lorenzo in their search for race victories and for Jorge’s 2012 World Championship title challenge."

Stoner says goodbye to MotoGP as V8s loom

Life after MotoGP for Casey Stoner will involve driving a V8 Supercar.
It's just a question of when.
Stoner pulled down the shutters on his celebrated bike racing career with third place in the season-ending Valencia Grand Prix in Spain on Sunday, finishing third in the world championship following an injury-hit season.
The 27-year-old can now adjourn to his NSW farm or his home in Switzerland to spend the time he craves with wife Adriana and baby daughter Alessandra after tiring of MotoGP circuit life.
When he returns to the track on four wheels remains unclear.
Stoner looks certain to link with Jamie Whincup and Craig Lowndes at Triple Eight Racing when he does step into a V8, having tested successfully for the team in the past.
Stoner could make his racing debut - which would be in the second-tier V8 development series - as soon as February on the undercard of Adelaide's Clipsal 500.
But he could also opt to pick and choose his races throughout 2013 and start a fulltime V8 career in 2014.
The development series is likely to have seven races next year.
Stoner could drive in any or all of those, as well as test himself in the V8 Supercars top tier as a co-driver in the Sandown and Bathurst endurance races.
Walking away from MotoGP a dual world champion and inducted as the sport's 20th official legend after Sunday's race, Stoner admitted he lacked confidence on his Honda in miserable weather conditions at Valencia.
The Australian is still carrying an ankle injury following surgery after a crash in August.
"I took the easy way out today by starting on wet tyres and to be honest, I was scared of crashing in these conditions," Stoner said.
"There were a lot of crashes today and it was difficult.
"I put on slick tyres but my eyes were dinner plates as I didn't want to take my bike off the dry patch.
"I didn't want to take any risks out there."
But Stoner was happy with the final chapter of a career that ended on a high late last month with his sixth successive Australian MotoGP win.
Spaniard Dani Pedrosa, who started from pole, won in Valencia after world champion Jorge Lorenzo crashed out.
Lorenzo had wrapped up the world championship at Phillip Island in the previous race and finished the year with 350 points to Pedrosa's 332.

VALENCIA: Dani Pedrosa won an incident-packed Valencia MotoGP yesterday, the closing grand prix of the season and the last race of Casey Stoner's career. Read more: MOTOGP: Pedrosa wins in Valencia, Lorenzo crashes out - Racing - New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/sports/racing/motogp-pedrosa-wins-in-valencia-lorenzo-crashes-out

Pedrosa, who started from pole on his Honda, was followed across the line by Yamaha's Katsuyuki Nakasuga with Stoner, Australia's 2011 world champion, competing for the final time before retirement, in third.
Jorge Lorenzo, who clinched the world title last month in Australia, crashed out with 17 laps of the race remaining.
In tricky conditions with the track drying after early rain, tyre selection was essential, with some of the riders starting on slicks and others on wet.
Pedrosa managed to avoid any mishaps to clinch his seventh win of the season to end up with 332 points in the riders standings, in second behind Lorenzo on 350, with Stoner bowing out in third place on 254 points.
Pedrosa told the BBC: "I'm really happy because it was so difficult out there with the track drying up.

"This is a good way to finish the season."
Stoner's team marked the end of their rider's career with a sign hanging over the track wall saying: "Going fishing".
The Australian, reflecting on his last ever race, said: "It's fantastic to end (my career) this way, a big thanks to everyone, to my supporters all these years, there are a lot worse ways to go out."
For Lorenzo his hopes of celebrating his second world title were undone by a spectacular spill.
The Spaniard, who set off on the front row in second on the grid, had slipped down the pack in the early laps before moving up through the field to lead after a flurry of pit stops to change to slick tyres.
Pedrosa, who crashed out in the last race in Australia to hand the title to Lorenzo, was racing in second, around four seconds behind, but the pole sitter soon regained the advantage.
Pedrosa was left with a commanding 26sec cushion over Yamaha's British rider Cal Crutchlow, who was robbed of the chance of a podium place when he parted company with his bike with only seven laps remaining. AFP

Dani Pedrosa Minta Maaf

Liputanmotogp.com – MotoGP di Australia menutup peluang Dani Pedrosa untuk meraih gelar juara dunia Motogp musim ini. Pedrosa harus kehilangan poin karena mengalami kecelakaan dalam balapan kali ini.

Dalam balapan yang berlangsung di Sirkuit Philip Island kemarin, Pedrosa sebenarnya berhasil meraih posisi terdepan usai menyusul Jorge Lorenzo dan Casey Stoner. Sayang, pada tingkungan pertama lap kedua, dirinya terjatuh dan tak bisa melanjutkan balapan.

“Mungkin, saya terlalu cepat untuk menikung. Saya terlalu melebar di sudut tersebut hingga kehilangan (kendali) pada bagian depan motor,” ujar Pedrosa.

Sebenarrnya, kans pembalap Repsol Honda tersebut untuk menyabet gelar juara dunia pertamanya cukup lah besar. Selama musim 2012 ini, Pedrosa terus membayangi Lorenzo di posisi kedua klasemen sementara.

Dengan adanya insiden ini, membuat peluang juara pun tertutup. Pasalnya, Pedrosa tak mungkin menyusul raihan 350 poin milik Lorenzo dengan menyisakan balapan satu seri lagi pada musim ini.

Posisi runner-up yang didapatkan Pedrosa pada musim ini pun menjadi yang ketiga, setelah sebelumnya pada tahun 2007 dan 2010. Pembalap berusia 27 tahun itu pun meminta maaf kepada smua pihak, walau ia bangga dengan torehannya di musim ini.

“Saya bangga dengan cara saya bersaing (di musim ini),” kata Pedrosa. “Saya merasa berasalah, kepada orang-orang yang mendukung saya, keluarga dan fans. Namun, saya telah memberikan semua kemampuan saya di tahun ini,” tutup Pedrosa.

Seluruh Kru Stoner Ikut Marc Marquez

Liputanmotogp.com – Rider Repsol Honda musim depan Marc Marquez punya modal bagus jelang terjun ke ajang MotoGP musim depan. Seluruh kru milik Casey Stoner di Repsol Honda akan ikut dengan Marquez.

Kepastian ini diungkapkan oleh bos Honda Repsol Company (HRC) Livio Luppo. Sebelumnya, sempat terbetik kabar bahwa seluruh kru Stoner akan diboyong Ducati untuk mendukung Andrea Dovizioso.

Namun, kru kepala Stoner, Cristian Gabbarini yang menjadi otak di balik dua gelar juara dunia Stoner di Ducati dan Repsol Honda ternyata dipertahankan. Begitu juga dengan beberapa kru teknis Stoner lainnya.

Menariknya, Repsol Honda telah mengizinkan kru kepala milik Marquez saat ini, Santi Hernandez ikut ke tim raksasa tersebut. Repsol juga memberi lampu hijau kepada Marquez untuk membawa seorang mekanik lagi dari krunya saat ini.

“Motor MotoGP begitu rumit sehingga tak mungkin ditangani oleh kepala teknisi yang tidak punya pengalaman di ajang ini sebelumnya,” kata Suppo seperti dikutip oleh Motorcycle News.

“Jadi Cristian tetap akan jadi kepala mekanik yang didukung oleh beberapa kru kepala lainnya. Penting bagi pembalap muda untuk dikelilingi oleh orang-orang yang punya segudang pengalaman di MotoGP,” kata Suppo.

“Saya yakin kru Casey akan sangat banyak menolongnya,” kata Suppo.

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Moto2 News

Márquez takes stunning Czech GP win

Sunday, 26 August 2012

It was Team CatalunyaCaixa Repsol’s Marc Márquez who took a stunning win in a close-fought Moto2™ race at the bwin Grand Prix České republiky in front of Tom Lüthi and Pol Espargaró.

The track had dried out sufficiently to be declared a dry race, with Interwetten-Paddock’s Lüthi making the best of the conditions at the start taking the lead early on ahead of Pons 40 HP Tuenti’s Espargaró and Márquez. Marc VDS Racing Team’s Scott Redding’s race was unfortunately ended very early, as the Brit crashed out after three turns.
It was Márquez who made his intentions known early on as he fought past his compatriot into second. Speed Master’s Andrea Iannone, not wishing the leading trio to pull away, overtook Came IodaRacing Project’s Simone Corsi with 17 laps to go, pushing past Espargaró shortly after. The group at the front stayed tightly bunched for a number of laps and it wasn’t until there were 13 laps remaining that Iannone battled his way past Márquez into second.
This only lasted for a lap as the Spaniard fought straight back, as Espargaró had a moment sticking with the group in fourth. With track conditions still not ideal after the wet track before, riders were tentative to make rash moves, leading to uncharacteristically cautions racing. Eight laps before the end however Espargaró sized up Iannone and took him on the inside, as further down the grid Tech 3 Racing’s Xavier Siméon and Federal Oil Gresini Moto2’s Gino Rea both crashed out.
As Márquez looked for a way past Lüthi, Espargaró went past him into second, although was taken straight back. He was subsequently ordered to drop a place, after being sighted for passing under a yellow flag. He did however not see the pit board instantly, yet Iannone helped him by passing him with four laps remaining. This ignited an entertaining battle between the pair, as Lüthi lost the lead to Márquez. The dice for fifth place was also gaining momentum a few laps before the end with JiR Moto2’s Johann Zarco and NGM Mobile Forward Racing’s Alex de Angelis swapping positions frequently.
The final lap was a thrilling affair with Lüthi and Espargaró desperate for the lead, with Iannone mixing it up as well. The Swiss rider looked to be lining up a move in the final turn, yet did not have enough drive on to the straight, meaning it was Márquez who took the chequered flag, with Lüthi and Espargaró completing the rostrum. Márquez now holds a 48-point lead at top of the championship standings in front of Espargaró. Fourth spot went to Iannone, followed by Corsi, De Angelis, Zarco, Tech 3’s Bradley Smith, Redding’s teammate Mika Kallio and Pons’ Esteve Rabat.
http://www.motogp.com

 

 

MotoGP News

Monday, 3 September 2012

Yamaha Factory Racing, the Repsol Honda Team and LCR Honda MotoGP will head to Aragón tomorrow for a two-day private test, which will also see them evaluate newly developed Bridgestone tyres.

 http://www.motogp.com

Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa will head out on track with one aim being to get the right set-up for the track when the MotoGP™ grid heads there at the end of September. In addition, it will be the second time WSBK Ten Kate Honda rider Jonathan Rea will take to a circuit on Casey Stoner’s RC213V, as he looks to get to grips with the powerful machine. Whilst the team has not given official confirmation, it has said that Rea is set to substitute for the injured Stoner for the next two rounds in Misano and Aragón. On his first outing with the Australian’s machine, Rea dropped his lap times from over five seconds to within three seconds off the top pace. The rider from Northern Ireland will be hoping to close that gap even further as he continues his work with the bike and the Bridgestone tyres.
Yamaha, which last time out in Brno had Jorge Lorenzo testing one of their 2013 prototypes, will continue to drive forward with their development program, as they look to get the upper hand over their Japanese rivals for the second half of the season. One of Honda’s satellite outfits in the form of LCR Honda MotoGP will give German rookie Stefan Bradl a run out on track, as he not only seeks the correct set-up for the track, but continues to search for a solution to the rear-grip issues he has been experiencing.
Another very significant aspect of the test will be Bridgestone’s presence with newly developed tyres, which could not be evaluated clearly at the Brno test last week. The tyre is a hard compound rubber, which is closer to the composition of the medium compound than the current hard specification, and was developed to deliver a more consistent gap between the different compound options. In Brno some of the riders that tested it sighted an improvement in warm-up performance compared to the existing hard compound, but in order to test the new compound correctly, the new spec will be taken to Aragón, where Bridgestone is hoping for more relevant conditions.
On both days the sessions will run from 9am to 1pm and from 2pm to 6pm. The circuit will open Grandstand 3 for fans to watch the test action, with tickets on both days being free.

Wednesday, 29 August 2012

Valentino Rossi today finished a two-day test at Misano, completing an intense period of work along with the Ducati Team technicians.

The Italian turned 80 laps while working with the chassis updates that he had first tried during the post-race test at Mugello on July 15. Among the updates were a new frame and a new swingarm, which will be available in time for the next race, at Misano.
Meanwhile, Nicky Hayden checked in from the United States, reporting that his recovery is proceeding according to plan for an anticipated return at the San Marino Grand Prix.
Valentino Rossi

“We carried out a series of tests with the chassis, and the results were interesting, though they still have to be checked against the other riders. We also worked on the bike’s setup, with the goal of trying to limit the drop in performance that we usually suffer after some laps, as the tyres wear. We had some promising signs there as well, and we’ll check them again in a race context.”
Nicky Hayden

“It was pretty tough to be home while my rivals were racing, and testing is also something that I hated missing, as we had some parts that we could possibly use this year. Everything else is good news though. Bones don’t heal in ten days, but the swelling is down in my hand, and the feeling is much better with both that and my head. Everything’s right on schedule, and I’m really looking forward to getting back on the bike.”
Filippo Preziosi

“Over these two days with Valentino, we focused on chassis testing. Based on the feedback he provided, we’ll bring a new frame and a new swingarm to the next race. In the meantime, the Corse department will continue working according to the development plan that was established following the June test at Aragon. Over the remainder of the season, the Test Team and the factory riders will have the opportunity to try further chassis evolutions, which are currently being produced.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvKT_9nud1c

Monday, 27 August 2012

The Repsol Honda Team were back on track in Brno today after Dani Pedrosa's fantastic win in yesterday's Grand Prix of the Czech Republic.

Pedrosa spent the day completing a busy testing programme covering many areas, including chatter issues and also a new rear shock. Also on track for Repsol Honda was Jonathan Rea, replacing the injured Casey Stoner. Rea used this first test to familiarise himself with the 1000cc machine and adapt to the Bridgestone tyres.
The team will resume their test schedule in Aragón on the 4th and 5th of September.
Dani Pedrosa
"Today, we've done a general test looking to improve the feelings we had in yesterday's race. We tried some ideas to reduce the chatter, but this is something very difficult to fix, so we've been basically working on the electronics and the suspension trying to find more edge grip and in the exit of the corner. I tried a new Öhlins shock which gave me some positive feelings and now we have some new ideas to try in Aragón next week."
Jonathan Rea
"It's an opportunity of a lifetime for me and I'm thankful to Honda for asking me to be here, although I'm gutted for the guys in the team and obviously for Casey as he is the guy that should be here and I wish him a fast recovery. My first impressions are that the bike isn't that difficult, it's the tyres and the way they work that I'm finding hard. I'm struggling to finish off the corner, which is definitely a confidence issue as I just need to load the front and find that confidence but it's my first day and I don't want to find that limit, or risk overstepping it just yet. It's great to be able to see Dani's data and learn where to go fast, that's a big help. I don't underestimate how tough a job it is, I just need some time and I don't feel pressure to perform, it's a learning process with the team and people around me. It's been a great day, one of the best days of my life. I've been a Honda rider all my career and now to ride the best Honda machine in the World has been a dream come true."
http://www.motogp.com 

Tuesday, 4 September 2012

Riders for Health are offering you the chance to walk away with a Yamaha R1 motorcycle, exclusive signed MotoGP™ memorabilia or a once-in-a-lifetime motorsport experiences in their biggest ever online auction, taking place from 3rd to 9th September.

Riders for Health is supported by motorcyclists all over the world and is the official charity of MotoGP™ and the FIM. And for their latest appeal, the motorsport community has donated some incredible items to raise money for the organisation’s lifesaving work in Africa.
To bid on any of the amazing items up for grabs, visit myworld.ebay.co.uk/riders-for-health from Monday 3rd of September at 8pm.
What’s more, all of the money raised from the online auction will be matched, pound for pound, by the UK Government helping to improve vital access to health care for thousands more people across rural Africa.
Top of the bill is a 2010 Yamaha YZF-R1, generously donated by Bennetts bike insurers. The popular sports bike has previously been ridden by Bennetts-backed riders Cal Crutchlow, Scott Redding and James Toseland. What’s more, the bike carries a customized paint scheme and comes taxed until June 2013*.
Thanks to MotoGP, Riders for Health are also offering several exclusive lots signed by top MotoGP riders, including a unique painting of Valentino Rossi signed by the charismatic Italian rider.
Other lots include shirts, caps, photographs, an American flag and a knee slider signed by current MotoGP stars Jorge Lorenzo, Dani Pedrosa, Colin Edwards, Nicky Hayden, Ben Spies, Andrea Dovizioso, Cal Crutchlow, James Ellison, and young British riders Bradley Smith, Scott Redding, Danny Webb and Danny Kent.
There are two chances to tour the Sky Sports studios in London and watch a race live from the broadcast studio. Whether you bid to watch either an IndyCar or a Speedway race, you and a friend will meet the studio team, enjoy Sky Sports hospitality and take away signed memorabilia from the visit.
Riders for Health provide health workers in Africa with reliable motorcycles and four-wheel vehicles so that they can reach rural communities with lifesaving health care. They train them to ride and drive safely and carry out daily checks on their vehicle so that it never breaks down. Until September 12th the UK Government is matching all donations made by British citizens to Riders for Health. To make a donation with twice the impact, visit www.riders.org or call +44 (0)1604 889570.
*The Yamaha YZF-R1 has completed 3,185 miles and is taxed until June 2013. A customized paint scheme and tank protector is the only modifications. For more information contact rfh@riders.org.

 

Tuesday, 4 September 2012

It was Repsol Honda Team’s Dani Pedrosa who was the pace setter on day one of the unofficial test at Aragón ahead of Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies.

In the private test held at the Aragón circuit, with only the Repsol Honda Team, Factory Yamaha Racing and LCR Honda MotoGP present, riders set to work on their busy two-day schedule, in a bid to gain the upper hand at the forthcoming rounds. Pedrosa’s main aim was to set the bike up for the race at the circuit at the end of the month, working in particular on suspension settings and the electronics. After setting the fastest time of 1.47’983, he stated: "We tried to improve the rear grip and something with the mapping. The suspension today was not the best, so the test is not clear for me today, so tomorrow we’ll re-test the same things again just to get an idea what we can use in the following races."
Jonathan Rea, substituting for the injured Casey Stoner, was lapping the Spanish circuit in a bid to familiarise himself with it on the Repsol machine, without touching the bike’s set up. He set a quickest time just under three seconds off Pedrosa with a 1.50’679, already improving from his last outing in Brno. He said: "Today I was just getting a good feeling between me and the machine because it still feels very strange. I had to work a lot on my brake style today; normally in Superbike I don't use so much rear brake but here it seems that I have to learn to use it in every corner! Just concentrating on this and getting a better setting on the brakes and trying to do longer runs on the tyres because for me it's very different at the end. I feel comfortable on the bike, the riding position is good, but I just need to understand how the traction control is working, what happens when the tyres drop down and be more comfortable with the setup.”
Yamaha’s Lorenzo continued where he left off after the Brno test by heading out on track with the 2013 chassis, setting a 1.48’471, with more new parts to follow tomorrow. He said: "We tried the new chassis. So far we haven’t found a positive or a negative thing. We have to keep trying and do more laps to see. Tomorrow we are going to try the new engine. Maybe this will give us a little bit more power on the straight. This is our weaker point – we are loosing almost 5kmh to Dani. Dani is also very light, but for sure his engine is a little bit faster. But in general we are quite happy because we improved our lap time by half a second compared to the previous one a few months ago."
His teammate Ben Spies, who clocked a 1.48’647, focussed on improving both the set-up of his machine, focussing both on tyre-life over race distance and qualifying-lap settings. The American commented: "We have a lot of different settings with the bike. Mainly with the front-end, with the forks, to get me a little bit more comfortable with the hard braking. We’ve equalled our fastest lap time over here this morning quite easily. We have some more test parts for tomorrow."
With much speculation about his next step in 2013, Spies revealed that people wouldn’t have to wait much longer for some news: "Everybody will know something this week."
LCR Honda’s Stefan Bradl was given the opportunity to test a factory spec Honda RC213V for the day, as the German may be using the machine in the following season with his satellite outfit. He finished the day in fourth with a 1.49’570, just over a second and a half off Pedrosa’s time

 

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