Marco Melandri #33

Marco Melandri #33

Personal opinion: a nice guy and a good rider, had a very though year last year, he had a lot of problems with the Ducati, lets hope this year will be better for him even due I expect this year not to be to easy with a new bike and a new team without the full support of the factory.

MCN Sport: Melandri

reveals thoughts on

2009 season

Marco melandri drift

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Nationality Flag of Italy Italian
Date of birth August 7, 1982 (1982-08-07) (age 26)
Place of birth Ravenna, Italy
Website marcomelandri.co.uk
MotoGP Record
Current team Hayate Racing Team
Bike number 33
World Championships 250cc - 2002
Race starts 173
Race Wins 22
Podium finishes 61
Pole positions 9
Fastest laps 16
Championship Points 1885
2008 Championship position 17th (51 pts)

Marco Melandri (born August 7, 1982 in Ravenna Italy) is a MotoGP road racer currently racing for the factory Kawasaki Team. Melandri is also a former 250cc World Champion in 2002. Melandri currently lives 2 miles away from the famous race track, Donington Park, Leicestershire, England.


Early days

Marco Melandri was born in Ravenna. He was introduced to racing by a former rider Loris Reggiani at the age of six. He came through the ranks from minibikes, motocross and then the Italian and European 125cc championship.

In 1997, Melandri won the Italian 125cc championship, also finishing 4th in European 125cc championship. In addition to his European success, he made his debut in 125cc world championship at Brno, Czech Republic as a wild card rider.

125cc (1998-1999)

After impressing in Italian and European championship in 1997, Melandri finally got his chance to compete in 1998 125cc world championship as a regular. He rode Honda 125cc bike under Benetton Honda Team. He went on to impress many as he earned his first podium in the fourth race of the season, where he finished second in his home Grand Prix at Mugello, Italy. His brilliant debut season continued when he won his first grand prix at Assen TT, Netherlands. He won this race at the age of 15 years and 324 days which made him the youngest ever Grand Prix winner, at the time. Since then, Scott Redding has become the youngest winner, having won the 2008 British motorcycle Grand Prix. Overall, he won two Grand Prix in his debut season and therefore he finished the season at 3rd position in overall standings behind champion Kazuto Sakata and runner-up Tomomi Manako.

He remained on the same bike and team in 1999, where he bid to win the 125cc world championship. He went on to win 5 Grand Prix but failed to win the championship, finishing second behind Emilio Alzamora with just a single point difference. Failure in securing his first world championship did not stop his rise to 250cc world championship in 2000.

250cc (2000-2002)

Melandri was signed by Aprilia in 2000 to replace another Italian Valentino Rossi who left the team and 250cc class for 500cc class. He was highly expected to take over Rossi's shoes and to win the 250cc world championship. However, his debut season did not start as well as the expectation. He struggled to adapt to bigger bike and higher competition. He failed to win any Grand Prix in 2000, managing only 4 podiums, all came late in the season. Despite these problems, he still finishes the season at 5th position overall.

In 2001, his performances were improving. He managed to win his first 250cc Grand Prix at Sachsenring, Germany. However, it was his only win in 2001. Despite managing to appear on the podium on 9 occasions, he never really challenged for the championship. He finished the season in 3rd position behind champion Daijiro Kato and runner-up Tetsuya Harada.

2002 proved to be Melandri's chance to shine. With 2001 champion and runner-up, Kato and Harada moved to MotoGP class, he became the strongest contender for the championship. He dominated the season by collecting 9 wins and 3 additional podiums. After challenging for world championship for years, he finally won the 250cc world title. He became the youngest 250cc world champion at the age of 20 years and 74 days until Dani Pedrosa broke his record in 2004.

MotoGP (2003-present)

After securing the 250cc world title in 2002, Melandri moved up to MotoGP class to spearhead Yamaha factory team alongside Carlos Checa in 2003. Unfortunately he had with the Yamaha a worse Bike than Honda and Ducati, and struggled to succeed for the season. He finished the season in 5th position without collecting any wins and only two third Places.

He joined Yamaha satellite team, Tech 3 in 2004 alongside Carlos Checa again. This season, he again struggled to get top results. However, he managed to collect 2 consecutive podiums, but a series of crashes and retirements kept him out of top 10 in overall standings. He finished the season in 12th position.

Released from his Yamaha contract after the 2004 season, Melandri was the surprise choice of boss Fausto Gresini to join Sete Gibernau in the Movistar Honda team for the 2005 MotoGP campaign. Melandri was remarkably successful with Movistar Honda in 2005, with a consistent run of podium finishes early in the season, ultimately taking his first two wins in the final two races of 2005 to clinch second place in the championship. In doing so, he was the first Honda rider to win back-to-back races for nearly two years, winning round 16 of the MotoGP Championship at Istanbul, Turkey, as well as the 17th and final race at Valencia. Although he never really challenged his best friend Valentino Rossi for the title, he finished the season strongly as runner-up, with a total of 2 wins and 5 additional podiums.

Melandri rode for Gresini's Fortuna Honda team alongside Toni Elías in the 2006 season. With Rossi struggling to find consistency, he was a major challenger, along with Ducati's Loris Capirossi and Honda riders Nicky Hayden and Dani Pedrosa. He again won at Istanbul, despite starting from 14th on the grid. He managed further wins at Le Mans, France and Phillip Island, Australia. He finished the season in 4th position, just 1 point behind Capirossi.

In 2007, Melandri and Elias remained in the Honda Gresini team, now sponsored by Hannspree. Honda's 800cc machine was not competitive. As of the race at Laguna Seca in which he finished third, Marco lies sixth overall, with an additional podium at Le Mans . After these 10 races, works rider Dani Pedrosa is the only Honda ahead of him in the standings - he and Pedrosa the only Honda riders with multiple podiums.

Immediately after Melandri's 3rd place finish in the 2007 USA's MotoGP round, Ducati announced that he will join its factory team alongside Casey Stoner for 2008 and 2009 . But 2008 proved disastrous, with a run of uncompetitive runs often leaving him behind the semi-works Alice Team bikes of Toni Elías and Sylvain Guintoli. At Assen he qualified last and ran there throughout. Due to the poor running in the season, speculation persisted with Melandri tipped to move to Kawasaki after the summer break in 2008 to form a three bike team alongside John Hopkins and Anthony West, while his current seat was said to be taken over by Sete Gibernau for the second half of the 2008 season. However, on July 27th Ducati Marlboro team boss Livio Suppo confirmed that Marco Melandri would race at Brno, the first race after the 2008 summer break. On 19 August, however, Melandri confirmed he will be joining Kawasaki Racing Team for the 2009 MotoGP season to ride alongside his new teammate John Hopkins. He then ended the season in a lackluster 17th position.
The factory’s decision to scale down their MotoGP operation left the Italian in limbo over the winter. An agreement was eventually found, with the Hayate Racing team now running Melandri in a single-rider effort for the 2009 campaign.

Career summary

* 1996: 13th in 125cc Honda Trophy with Honda
* 1997: 1st in 125cc Italian Championship with Honda, 1st in 125cc Honda Trophy with Honda, 4th in European 125cc Championship with Honda
* 1998: 3rd in 125cc World Championship with Benetton Playlife (Honda)
* 1999: 2nd in 125cc World Championship with Benetton Playlife (Honda)
* 2000: 5th in 250cc World Championship with Blu Aprilia Team (Aprilia)
* 2001: 3rd in 250cc World Championship with MS Aprilia Racing (Aprilia)
* 2002: 1st in 250cc World Championship with MS Aprilia Racing (Aprilia)
* 2003: 15th in MotoGP World Championship with Fortuna Yamaha Team (Yamaha)
* 2004: 12th in MotoGP World Championship with Fortuna Gauloises Tech 3 (Yamaha)
* 2005: 2nd in MotoGP World Championship with MoviStar Honda MotoGP (Honda)
* 2006: 4th in MotoGP World Championship with Fortuna Honda (Honda)
* 2007: 5th in MotoGP World Championship with Honda Gresini (Honda)
* 2008: 17th in MotoGP World Championship with Ducati Marlboro Team (Ducati)
* 2009: MotoGP World Championship with Hayate Racing Team (Kawasaki)

Get to know the grid: WSBK- Leon Haslam #91

Leon Haslam #91

Personal opinion: a nice looking guy, did a full season in WSBK in 2004, for Renegade alongside Noriyuki Haga. He was 8th overall with a best of 3rd, but it would be unfair not to mention his impressive victory in a British Superbike race at Brands Hatch on one of the team's 3 ventures into the series. In torrential rain, this was the only Ducati win in the series all year, even though this was the title-winning bike in both 2003 (Shane "Shakey" Byrne) and 2005 (Gregorio Lavilla). And a very impressive career BSB, he already has 1 podium this year, came 3rd in race 2 – Philip Island- Australia.

LEON HASLAM - RD 1 PHILLIP ISLAND

Leon Haslam - Portimao Test 2009

History- from:http://www.leonhaslam.com

NAME: Leon Haslam

DOB: 31 May 1983

PLACE OF BIRTH: England

HOME TOWN: Smalley, Derbyshire

HEIGHT: 5'7"

WEIGHT: 67 kg

MARITAL STATUS: Girlfriend, Oli

HAIR COLOUR: Brown

EYE COLOUR: Green

NICKNAMES: Pocket Rocket or Unibrow

FAVORITE FOOD: Fajita's or Pizza

FAVORITE DRINK: Banana Milkshake

OWN CAR: Ford-Ranger Thunder

OWN MOTORCYCLE: 999 Ducati

FIRST ROAD RACE: Brands Hatch 1997

FIRST WIN: Silverstone 1998

FAVORITE UK CIRCUIT: Cadwell Park

FAVORITE WORLD CIRCUIT: Phillip Island, Australia

MOST SUCCESFUL SEASON: BSB 2006

BEST MOMENTS: Five BSB wins from seven races at the end of 2008

FAVORITE RACE IN YOUR CAREER: Win and last lap challenge at croft wet race 2006 and BSB 2005- Oulton Park, when I had to start from pit lane

AMBITIONS: To be MotoGP Champion

FAVORITE ALL TIME RIDERS: Valentino Rossi, Ron Haslam, Freddie Spencer

MOST RESPECTED RIVAL: Jeremy McWilliams

SPORTS HERO FROM ANOTHER SPORT: Eric Cantona

LIKES: Rambo films and honest people

DISLIKES: Broccoli and people who lie and are two faced

HOBBIES: Golf, Football, Motocross, Snowboarding, Snooker, Pool, Diving, Darts, Watching films, Cinema.

LEATHERS: Spidi

GLOVES: Spidi

BOOTS: Xpd

HELMET: Arai

AIMS FOR 2009: To establish myself and team as WSB front runners

THOUGHTS ON WORLD SUPERBIKES: "We've got a tough year ahead but Stiggy has assembled a very good team and very good machinery."

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:

1995: National Young Motocross Champion
1997: Scooter Championship at age 14
1998: Young Rider of the Year Award - MCN
1999: Winner Under 23 British Championship
2001: Youngest ever rider to compete in 500cc World Championship
2002:7th in Portugal in debut season in 250cc GP class
2003: 12th in British Superbike Championship
2004: Winner of BSB race at Brands Hatch and named 'Rookie of the Year '
2005:4th in British Superbike Championship
2006: 2nd in British Superbike Championship
Man of the Year 2006
Rider's Rider of the Year 2006
2007: 3rd in British Superbike Championship
2008: 2nd in British Superbike Championship

Riders assess Bridgestone material after first ‘competitive’ session

Monday, 30 March 2009- from: motogp.com

Sunday saw the first ‘competitive’ session since the switch to single tyre supply by Bridgestone for 2009, the experience provoking varied but mainly positive reactions from the MotoGP field.

One of the big changes in MotoGP over the ’08-’09 off-season has been the move onto new generation Bridgestone tyres, following the rule change to a single supplier arrangement at the end of last year.

Qualifying sessions in particular will be different this year, with the Japanese company no longer producing ‘qualifying’ tyres as such and with the Official Practices which dictate grid positions having been reduced to 45 minutes, as part of the ongoing cost reduction process in the World Championship.

With the first preseason in the single tyre supplier era now complete - and with Sunday’s BMW M Award session giving an insight into what qualifying may be like in 2009 – a number of MotoGP riders have given positive impressions on the new rules.

Instead of fitting qualifiers in search of hot laps this season riders have the option of putting on a new ‘soft’ tyre from their Bridgestone compound allocation, with all riders receiving exactly the same material in the name of fairness.

The most experienced rider on the premier class grid, Rizla Suzuki’s Loris Capirossi played a big role in helping Bridgestone to establish themselves in MotoGP during his time with Ducati and he is a fan on the updated regulations.

The veteran Italian, who has been riding well over the winter on an updated Suzuki prototype and was third in Sunday’s showdown session, commented, “Now it is easier compared to the past because everyone has the same material. We have the choice of softer and harder tyres and maybe some riders will even race on the softer ones because they are not qualifying tyres.”

He added, “We will have these 45-minute sessions and everyone will try hard. Last year we saw instances where someone was tenth or eleventh, they put on a qualifier and suddenly they were second. We won’t see that anymore.”

Another vastly experienced MotoGP rider, Colin Edwards spent years riding with Michelin until the end of last season, but he too is in favour of the new system, despite finishing tenth on Sunday. He stated, “I think the single tyre supplier rule is working out really well as we are now all in the same boat. So instead of trying to find a tyre that works for your bike you have to adjust your bike to work with the tyre.”

The Texan continued, “With our bike it is a little bit different to last year, but we have had the same bike for five years so that maybe gives me an advantage. I know what to do with the bike, or my crew chief especially knows what to do with the bike so we can just adjust it. I think the rule is excellent, you look at other championships that are also going to one tyre and it seems to be working.”

A successful qualifier last year, Jorge Lorenzo remarkably took pole position for his first three MotoGP races and was on pole four times in total last season. He has had to adapt to riding with Bridgestones ahead of his second year in the premier class and he believes that he is at a slight disadvantage now, even though he was the fastest of the 2008 Michelin riders on Sunday.

The Spanish youngster said, “I think that the qualifying this year is going to be quite hard without the special tyres, which always suited my riding style quite well. I was quite a specialist with the qualifying tyres and now I don’t have that advantage, so I have to learn to adapt. My riding style is better with the harder Bridgestone tyre and so it will be quite difficult for me to be as good in the qualifying sessions this year I think.”

Lorenzo’s big rival Andrea Dovizioso, meanwhile, has also been adapting to Bridgestones over the winter but he remains upbeat about the situation, despite going slower than Lorenzo over the weekend at Jerez. The Repsol Honda rider focused on racing rather than qualifying when asked about tyres, saying, “We need to wait until the weekend of the first race to really see, but I don’t think it will be a big problem because you can do many laps with the same tyre. Also we don’t have too many tyres in terms of quantity, I think we have enough for each weekend.”

The last word on the matter goes to Valentino Rossi, the legendary Italian who made headlines last season by regaining the MotoGP title after a dramatic move onto Bridgestone rubber at the beginning of 2008. He stated, “We have to wait and see what it will be like at the first Grand Prix. The situation looks ok and it is possible to push and make quite good lap times, but these tyres are not like qualifiers. There is not the same grip, but you can still enjoy it, push hard and go faster for just one lap. I feel that I still have to improve in this area a bit.”

James Toseland #52

Personal opinion: Had a pretty good year last year, considering he didn’t know most of the tracks, the winter training didn’t go as well, since his fight with his team mate Collins Edwards he had a lot of bad luck, a very bad crash in the test in Sapang, that left him a bite shaken, and now had another bad crash in Jerez, I hope he will sort the problems he has with Edwards and his luck changes. Or maybe if he strips less (not that I mind so much if he does…) and plays the piano less he will win more.

James Toseland Vs Tiff Needell

James Toseland on BBC Sports Personality Of The Year 2007

In Short - from: http://www.jamestoseland.com

James Toseland is Britain’s only MotoGP contender in the 2008 series and is already being hailed as the next Barry Sheene. The 27-year-old became the youngest-ever World Superbike Champion at just 23 years old and claimed the title again in 2007 before making the step into motorcycle racing’s premier class.

James Toseland Biography

James Toseland, World Superbike Champion at just 23 years old, has rocketed into a league of biking legends, following in the footsteps of Carl Fogarty, Troy Bayliss and Neil Hodgson.

Despite his relative youth, the Doncaster-born rider has more racing experience under his leathers than some of the series' other veterans. Early competition in trials and motocross awarded him an impressive haul of trophies and ultimately laid the foundations of a promising career in road racing.

James quickly worked his way up through the ranks of 125cc racing and into British Supersport and shone in the European Championship. However, it was in 1998, at the tender age of 17, when he was given his big break and was chosen by Castrol Honda to ride the CBR600 in the World Supersport series.

Never one to turn down a challenge, over the next two seasons, James finished 18th and 11th overall before returning to Britain to ride in the 2000 British Superbike Championship.

Despite missing almost half the season through injury, the Yorkshireman finished 12th and was quickly snapped-up by GSE Racing for its World Superbike campaign. An impressive 13th place in the 2001 series, including sixth at Brands Hatch, was enough to confirm the rider as a clear World Superbike contender.

Since then, James has emerged as a world-class rider. In only his second year in the World Superbike series in 2002, he made his name as a regular top-six finisher and scored his first-ever podium finish at Assen. In 2003, he ended fellow Brit Hodgson's winning streak with an impressive win at Oschersleben and earned his first pole position in the final round at Magny-Cours.

An extraordinary 2004 season with Ducati followed, with James making the history books as the youngest-ever World Superbike Champion. Despite a relatively tough 2005 season with the Ducati team - when he finished fourth overall - James bounced back in 2006 to take second position overall with Winston Ten Kate Honda.

2007 heralded his seventh consecutive, and final year as a permanent fixture on the Superbike grid - this time with HANNspree Ten Kate Honda. After a thrilling season of racing, James once again lifted the World Superbike crown, with a winning margin of just two points over Noriyuki Haga. The win ensured James left the World Superbike stage in the best possible manner.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

2008

Toseland was again linked with the Pramac d'Antin MotoGP team, although rumours had also abounded of a ride with a Honda outfit, and even of Ten Kate Racing making the step up to the premier class and taking Toseland with them. But eventually Toseland confirmed a move to MotoGP for 2008 on 1 August 2007 when he announced that he had signed a one-year contract with factory supported Yamaha team Tech 3. For 2008 Tech 3 switched from Dunlop to Michelin tyres it was also confirmed that Toseland's teammate would be Colin Edwards. Toseland has signed a deal with British leather company BKS to supply him with suits whilst competing in the 2008 MotoGP world championship.

Facing eight unknown tracks, Toseland had reason to expect a tough season, but he was immediately more competitive than expected. He qualified in second place and finished sixth in the opening race in Qatar on the 9th March 2008.

He then qualified in 8th place and finished sixth in Jerez on the 30th March despite suffering from bronchitis.

Toseland has shrugged off criticism from fellow MotoGP riders about his aggressive riding style. Chris Vermeulen,Andrea Dovizioso and world champion Casey Stoner have both been vocal in their displeasure of Toseland's aggressive overtaking moves. James has downplayed the talk and stated that his moves are "hard but fair", and that it is his job to overtake his rivals when he has the chance to do so.

Before the British MotoGP round at Donington Park, Toseland said that if he was to be the first Briton to win in 27 years at the top level that he would strip naked on the ride back to the pits. However, he crashed in the first corner of the race, but picked his bike up to finish in 17th place, his worst finish of the season to that point, over a lap behind the winner Casey Stoner.

Toseland struggled through the middle part of the season for top 10 finishes, achieving two 9th places (Holland and the United States). One of James's better showings was at Brno where he finished 13th, ahead of his team mate Colin Edwards. Amidst Bridgestone dominance he was the third-highest finisher on Michelin tires, the first being Andrea Dovizioso placed in 9th. At Phillip Island he ran 3rd for a while but ultimately faded to 6th after frantic battles with the works Yamahas of Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo, plus Dovizioso and Shinya Nakano.

Overall Toseland had a very mixed first year in the Moto GP class, finishing 11th overall in the championship with 105 points. Inconsistency was one of the main problems, with Toseland unable to record regular top 10 results despite having only 2 DNF's.

2009

It was confirmed that Toseland would stay on for 2009 with the Tech 3 Yamaha team, racing alongside Colin Edwards as he did in 2008, after the team extended Toseland's current deal 2 races into the 2008 season. Yamaha have also decided to continue their relationship with the Tech 3 brand through to 2010.

In pre-season testing Toseland suffered a major accident and was diagnosed with concussion.

Get to know the grid: WSBK- John Hopkins #121

John Hopkins #121

Personal opinion: not a bad rider, but not as good as his ego, was a protégée racer when he was young, many thought he has amazing potanciel, but so far we haven’t really seen it on the track, maybe the move down to WSBK will be good for him, but he will find it hard to be a real contender for the championship, because of the races he missed already and also I am not sure he will be able to be faster the Ben “elbows” spies and Haga. But for some reason he does seam to have a lot of fans in the stats- any way- I hope he has a better year then the last few…

Trading Places:

John Hopkins

vs. Vitantonio Liuzzi

john hopkins highside

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

John Hopkins
Nationality	American
Date of birth	May 22, 1983 (1983-05-22) (age 25)
Place of birth	Ramona, California
Website	hopperracing.com
SBK Record
Current team	Stiggy Racing Honda
Bike number	21
World Championships	0
Race starts
Race Wins	0
Podium finishes
Pole positions
Fastest laps

John "Hopper" Hopkins(pronounced /ˈdʒɒn ˈhɒpkɪnz/) (born May 22, 1983) is an American motorcycle racer in Superbike World Championship as well as previously in motoGP. He first raced in MotoGP in 2002 for the Red Bull Yamaha WCM team on a two-stroke 500 cc bike, and joined the factory Suzuki squad a year later, for a five-year spell. He raced for the Kawasaki MotoGP team in 2008, but they dropped him for 2009 due to the global economic crisis and the company's uncompetitive showings.

He was born in Ramona, California to English parents. His race number is 21.

Biography

MotoGP career

2002

The 2002 season saw Hopkins join the WCM RedBull Yamaha team alongside multiple race winner Garry McCoy. The team was using Yamaha YZR500 motorcycles on lease from Yamaha. Overall the YZR500 was considered to be uncompetitive that year, due to a change in the regulations allowing 990 cc four-stroke motorcycles to race against 500 cc two-stroke motorcycles. Although the two-strokes held (on average) a 10 kg weight advantage over the four-strokes, they had between 30 and 50 less hp depending on the engine configuration used for the racetrack. Hopkins finished the season ranked 15th, with 58 points, which put him 25 points clear of his teammate McCoy.

2003

In 2003 Hopkins joined the Suzuki factory racing team. This year he would ride a 990 cc V4 four-stroke. In 2003 John was teamed with 2000 500cc world champion Kenny Roberts, Jr.. Although he was racing a four-stroke this year, the results didn't seem to come as one would have expected. There are many theories for this, including the Suzuki's lack of power and its tendency to wear out tires faster than other bikes. This year also saw Hopkins involved in a turn 1 crash at the Japanese Grand Prix at Motegi, he was accused of causing this crash, and was suspended for one race. This suspension resulted in a DNS (did not start) at the Malaysian Grand Prix. Also noteworthy for the 2003 season was the crash in Italy where Kenny Roberts, Jr.'s GSV-R Suzuki suffered an engine management failure and the bike launched into Hopkins, putting both GSV-R's out of the race. At the end of the season, Hopkins finished in 17th place with 29 points. This finish put him 2 places and 7 points ahead of his teammate Kenny Roberts, Jr.

2004

The technology and technical advancement of the GSV-R was further developed in 2004. Most of the refinements took place in the engine management package, making the bike easier to ride. Towards the end of the year, the GSV-R was showing clear improvements, allowing Hopkins to move up the standings. Unfortunately it also saw several mechanical failures, which effectively undid the hard work to develop the motorcycle. Having qualified on the front row at Motegi, he was eliminated in a first-corner crash. Of note is that John was crashed into by Loris Capirossi, one of the same riders he himself had hit at the very same turn 1 at Motegi in 2003. Overall he finished 16th.

2005

John continued with Suzuki in 2005, as the team showed promising signs after the arrival of Paul Denning as team boss following Denning's success with Suzuki's British Superbike team. John briefly lead at Donington, but his best result was a 5th place at Motegi, and he was 14th overall. Qualifying results were often better than race results, largely due to Bridgestone tyres being better suited to short runs.

2006

Remains at Suzuki, now backed by Rizla, where he is joined by new team-mate Chris Vermeulen. Enjoys his best season yet. Hopkins finished the 2006 season in 10th place overall with 116 points. Hopkins has had one pole position this season, at Assen. His best finishes were in China and in Catalunya, where he finished fourth.

2007

Continuing with Rizla Suzuki, Hopkins set near-lap-record times aboard the new 800 cc motorcycle, and was labeled the dark horse by Colin Edwards. On 15 February 2007 he fractured his wrist after falling while testing at the Jerez circuit in Spain, but returned for the start of the season.

Hopkins completed his long-overdue first MotoGP podium finish at the Shanghai circuit in China, finishing in 3rd place - 3.6 seconds behind Valentino Rossi but 7.6 seconds ahead of 2006 event winner Dani Pedrosa. He finished as 4th overall in the 2007 season, two places ahead of Vermeulen and one behind Rossi.

2008

For 2008 he joins Kawasaki Racing Team. Explaining the decision, Rizla Suzuki boss Paul Denning suggested that "There are reasons for that other than performance". He crashed heavily at Assen, fracturing his ankle.

Prior to 2009 season, Kawasaki made the decision to halt Motogp racing activities because of the global economic crisis, meaning that John Hopkins will not have a ride for the 2009 season.

2009

After the Kawasaki pulling out of motoGP, Hopkins secured a ride on SBK's team Stiggy Racing Honda.

Jerez testing+2009 BMW M Award

First practice- Sunday

Stoner shapes up sharpest for timed Sunday session

Sunday, 29 March 2009 - from motogp.com

Australian quickest rider in morning run ahead of BMW M Award.

Last year’s BMW M Award winner and a man focusing exclusively on the adaptation of the Ducati Desmosedici GP9 to the Jerez circuit, Casey Stoner was Sunday morning’s hot rider at the MotoGP Official Test. The Australian will attempt to increase his car collection in the 2.05pm timed shootout - broadcast live on motogp.com - by becoming the fastest one-lap rider at the circuit for the second preseason in a row.

A 1’39.804 morning lap less than a tenth of a second slower than Jorge Lorenzo’s quickest time from Saturday gave Stoner an early psychological advantage, placing him at the top of the Free Practice 2 standings. Lorenzo made his own late charge with five minutes to go in the Sunday run, but was unable to break back into the 1’39 range.

The last dry weather winner of the BMW M Award, Valentino Rossi was the final rider within half a second of Stoner’s time. The 2008 World Champion appeared on track at 11.25am - slightly later than some of his rivals - but quickly racked up over thirty laps as he sped through his Sunday workload.

Also going fast as they target the prestigious ‘qualifying’ award were Rizla Suzuki’s Loris Capirossi and Chris Vermeulen, sandwiching Repsol Honda man Andrea Dovizioso in the session’s top six.

=====================================

BMW Awards

Stoner takes 2009 BMW M Award with hot lap at Jerez

Sunday, 29 March 2009 - from motogp.com

Ducati Marlboro’s Casey Stoner was the winner of a special edition BMW 135i in Sunday’s showdown session at the MotoGP Official Test.

The 2007 World Champion Casey Stoner was untouchable in Sunday afternoon’s BMW M Award at the southern Spanish circuit of Jerez, dominating the session onboard his formidable Desmosedici GP9 machine.

Stoner registered a superb 1’38.646s lap in the final ten minutes of the session even finding time to give a wave to his Ducati Marlboro team in their pit-box as he flew down the main straight at the end of the lap. Shortly after, the session was brought to a premature close by rainfall, with just over three minutes remaining on the clock.

The winner of last year’s BMW M Award in the rain at Jerez, Stoner’s repeat trick earned him another car to add to his collection, picking up a 135i ‘BMW Sauber F1 Team Edition’, of which only 135 have been made.

The reigning World Champion and winner of the 2007 BMW M Award Valentino Rossi got closest to Stoner with a 1’39.365s time, which put him second on the timesheet, 0.719s behind the Australian. Like Stoner, the Fiat Yamaha man is enjoying a good preseason and the pair look like they will push each other hard for the title in 2009.

Behind the front two it was Rizla Suzuki’s Loris Capirossi and Chris Vermeulen who sandwiched fourth placed Fiat Yamaha rider Jorge Lorenzo in the top five.

Causing a surprise in sixth place was Mika Kallio who impressed his Pramac Racing crew with his pace, despite running off track at one point.

In the continued absence of injured team-mate Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda’s Andrea Dovizioso was the fastest HRC representative. A good performance from returning Ducati rider Sete Gibernau, meanwhile, saw him lap eighth quickest on his Grupo Francisco Hernando satellite bike.

The top ten was rounded off by San Carlo Honda Gresini’s Toni Elias and the winner of the 2006 BMW M Award, Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Colin Edwards.

With around 15 minutes remaining Edwards’ team-mate James Toseland suffered a nasty highside crash and was stretchered away, as his problematic preseason continued. The session was briefly red flagged as the English rider was given medical attention at the side of the track, with early reports from Clinica Mobile later indicating that he was heavily bruised but not seriously injured.

James Toseland Jerez crash

The 2009 MotoGP preseason concludes on Sunday afternoon after a final 3.15pm – 6.00pm free practice session, with the riders reconvening at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar for the first race of the year on the 10th-12th April weekend.

=================================

Final prectice seasion

Rainy final session brings MotoGP preseason to a close

Sunday, 29 March 2009 - from motogp.com

Only half the MotoGP field returned to the track in Jerez on Sunday afternoon, following heavy rainfall.

Rainfall at the Circuito de Jerez meant that the MotoGP Official Test came to a progressive end rather than a sudden stop, and left Casey Stoner’s BMW M Award-winning lap as the fastest time recorded over the final weekend of preseason.

=====================================

Carter: Stoner looks awesome

Eurosport - Mon, 30 Mar 15:48:00 2009

British Eurosport presenter Tony Carter believes Casey Stoner could be ready to reclaim his MotoGP championship crown.

There's no getting away from it - those few laps by Casey Stoner were stunningly good.

In fact, the level of skill and acceptance of Stoner whilst the bike bucks, weaves and looks on the verge of a crash at almost every turn is bordering on the unnatural.

How does he do it? The new Ducati is stiffer than the white cliffs of Dover, but the smiley Aussie - who weighs about the same as a wet Nike trainer with the laces taken out - manages to grab it by the scruff of the neck and make the 800cc missile look like it's got a hinge in the middle.

Watching him on the British Eurosport coverage, I was left in awe at Stoner's prep for this year. Clearly Ducati has built a bike that works. Even if it only appears to once again work for Stoner.

Ducati test rider Vitto Guareschi was conspicuously in shot whenever Casey got off the bike, and so he should be. His huge workload and amount of time spent fine-tuning the Ducati has paid dividends.

But what on earth was going on with poor Nicky Hayden? The former world champ would have been so very keen to give a good account of himself in the first competitive group outing, so to see him shoot off the track at 130mph, then skip his prototype across the top of the gravel trap before eventually settling on the 11th fastest time was really disappointing.

I bet Nicky is seething at his best time. He's better than that and thankfully for him he, and the rest of us who love MotoGP, know that fact. But Nicky is not the number one in the team, so until he takes over the top spot in the all-red set-up, he will have to ride a bike designed to Mr Stoner's tastes.

Which would ultimately mean a change in riding style to the Honda-esque, smooth style that we normally associate with Hayden. Oh my, I hope we see him up there on the Ducati soon.

Elsewhere we also saw James Toseland adding to his air miles tally this year with a monstrous high-side off the Tech 3 Yamaha.

Turn three at Jerez is a fast left-hander, slightly downhill and quick so if the bike lets go there then you are going to travel a long way. Thankfully, despite the huge tumble and being knocked out for a short while in the tumble through the gravel trap, James was discharged from hospital last night and should be ready for the first round of the series in Qatar.

In this instance it certainly didn't look like the punishment fitted the crime, but thankfully our lad isn't too badly beaten up.

Tough game, this racing lark.

The Ducati Marlboro man was one of the vast majority of riders concluding work after the 45-minute timed session, with little chance of improving lap times or gathering useful data on a wet track. His 1’38.646 lap made him the only rider to go round in under the 1’39 mark, with even reigning World Champion Valentino Rossi some three-tenths of a second from breaking the barrier.

The fastest laps of the weekend came during the showpiece session, with the riders pulling out all the stops in search of the quickest time. Only nine regular riders returned for the third outing on track, namely Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda), Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda), Nicky Hayden (Ducati Marlboro), Niccolo Canepa & Mika Kallio (Pramac Racing), Loris Capirossi and Chris Vermeulen (Rizla Suzuki), Marco Melandri (Hayate Racing) and Yuki Takahashi (Scot Racing).

Colin Edwards #5

Personal opinion: a very good rider and a very nice guy, hope that the trouble he had with his team meat Tosland- will burn a fire under his wheels and help him win more races.

BEST SAVE EVER

video colin edwards vs hayden

video colin edwards vs hayden
Uploaded by i-love-motogp

Ask Colin Edwards: The responses

(from: http://www.colinedwards.info/)
Colin Edwards Jr. born on February 27th, 1974 in Houston, Texas is an outstanding American motorcycle road racer. Nicknamed as "Texas Tornado", Edwards Jr. won two World Superbike Championships in 2000 and 2002.

Mounting his first bike at the age of three, little Edwards quickly mastered the art of racing and won Motocross trophies the very next year. His father Colin Edwards Sr. an Australian by birth was himself a great motorcycle racer, who wielded tremendous influence over him and shaped his racing career during his growing years. Over the next ten years, Edwards Jr. won several races in 50cc to 80cc categories in local, regional and national events.

In 1992 eighteen-year-old Colin Edwards Jr. entered the AMA 250cc National Series; and racing for South West Motorsports he won the national title incredibly winning five of the nine races. He beat Kenny Roberts Jr. For the next two years riding for Vance and Hines on a Yamaha in the AMA Superbike series, Edwards Jr. finished 6th in 1993 and slightly bettering his performance he finished 5th in 1994. His 1995 season with Yamaha was a disappointing one as he struggled to find his touch in the World Superbike series.

Colin Edwards Jr. greatly improvising on his racing abilities finished the 1996 World Superbike series in 6th position. That very year Colin teamed up with Noriyuki Haga to take his first international victory in the Suzuka 8 Hours endurance race and repeated the feat twice - with Valentino Rossi in 2001 and with late Daijiro Kato in 2002.

In 1998 switching over to Honda, Edwards Jr. finished the season in 5th position and greatly improving he finished second in 1999. Maintaining his great performance Colin Edwards Jr. won the World Superbike Championship title in 2000. Having failed to retain his title the following year, Edwards Jr. displayed his fighting spirit and recaptured his crown in 2002.

Racing for Aprilia team, Edwards Jr. entered the MotoGP season in 2003 on high hopes and finished in 13th position. The following year he greatly improved his performance. Riding for Honda team Edwards Jr. achieved two podium positions and finished 5th in championship positions. Colin later joined World Champion Rossi for the 2005 season riding for the Gauloises Yamaha Team.

Colin Edwards Jr. is currently riding a Yamaha 2007 spec YZR-M1 motorcycle in the 2007 MotoGP season. He is yet to realize his dream of winning the world championship title.

Colin Edwards Jr. is married to Alyssia and has a daughter named Gracie Kayte.

Career Highlights (from: http://www.yamaha-racing.com/Racing/motogp/rider_team/edwards.jsp#)

2009:	Tech 3 Yamaha, MotoGP World Championship
2008:	7th, MotoGP World Championship
2007:	9th, MotoGP World Championship
2006:	7th, MotoGP World Championship
2005:	4th, MotoGP World Championship
2004:	5th, MotoGP World Championship
2003:	13th, MotoGP World Championship
2002:	SUPERBIKE WORLD CHAMPION
2001:	2nd, Superbike World Championship
2000:	SUPERBIKE WORLD CHAMPION
1999:	2nd, Superbike World Championship
1998:	5th, Superbike World Championship
1997:	12th, Superbike World Championship
1996:	5th, Superbike World Championship
1995:	11th, Superbike World Championship
1994:	6th, AMA Superbike Championship
1993:	6th, AMA Superbike Championship
1992:	National 250cc Champion
1991:	Amateur racing in 600cc, 750cc and 250cc classes

Get to know the grid: WSBK- Yukio Kagayama #71

Date of birth: 7th May 1974
Place of birth: Yokohama
Residence: Yokohama and Liège
Marital status: Married to Kyomi, with two daughters – Sakura and Nana
Height: 1.68m
Weight: 67kg
Hobbies: golf, go-karting
Website: http://www.kagayama.com/

Team 2009: Suzuki Alstare BRUX
Bike 2009: Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9

Yukio Kagayama wins in Brno

Yukio Kagayama wins in Lausitz

from: http://www.alstare.net/index.php/eng/Riders/Yukio-Kagayama

• 2008
  11th - World Superbike Championship
• 2007
  13th - World Superbike Championship
• 2006
  7th - World Superbike Championship (3 wins)
• 2005
  5th - World Superbike Championship (1 win)
• 2004
  3rd - British Superbike Championship (3 wins) // Ran two races in MotoGP for the Suzuki squad
• 2003
  British Superbike Championship (3 wins)
• 2002
  3 wins in the All Japan Superbike Championship with a prototype Suzuki GSV-R
• 2001
  4th - All Japan Superbike Championship
• 2000
  7th - All Japan Superbike Championship
• 1999
  7th - All Japan Superbike Championship
• 1998
  6th - Japanese 250 GP // 6th - Malaysian 500 GP
• 1997
  3rd - All Japan Championship // 6th - Japanese 250 GP // 7th - Australian 500 GP
• 1996
  11th - All Japan 250cc Championship
• 1995
  11th - All Japan Championship
• 1993
  Suzuki test rider (500 GP)
• 1990
  First race

Yukio was born on the 7th of May in Yokohama, Japan and it is still his hometown today - apart from his European base in Belgium during the race season. His family live there and Yukio is happy to spend his life there when he’s not racing.

His passion for motorcycle racing started when he was in elementary school and he watched GPs on TV. His passion soon turned into an addiction and, at about eight years old, he ‘stole’ his mother’s scooter and went out for a ride! As he grew up, he spent more and more time with his older brother because he found his peers a bit immature. It was his older brother who got Yukio more and more involved with motorcyles, and it wasn’t too long before Yukio went on the track for the first time - age 15 - on a 50 cc roadbike.

That was the start of a life in racing and although Yukio experienced the usual financial problems, he showed his skill and determination right from the start. After progressing through the ranks of national racing, Yukio decided that his future lay outside of his homeland and so he moved to England to race in the highly-competitive and well regarded British Superbike Championship with Suzuki. In 2003, a crash at Cadwell Park nearly took his life, but Yukio returned to action in less than a year and finished third in the series - despite being very much injured. The highlight of the year was winning at Cadwell and doing a burn-out in front of the crash barrier where he had suffered his near-fatal crash!

Yukio joined the Alstare team in 2005 and tasted WSBK success in the first round in Qatar, before going on to finish fifth in his debut year. Off the track, Yukio is one of the most light-hearted and popular guys in the paddock and has built up a huge fan-base worldwide. For him racing is not just a job, it is a passion!

MotoGP Official Test for premier class riders- Day 1

Rain in Spain hits MotoGP morning again

Saturday, 28 March 2009 (from: motogp.com)

Wet track greets opening day of MotoGP Official Test for premier class riders.

The first day of MotoGP testing at Jerez opened with less-than-ideal conditions for the premier class riders, with heavy early rainfall leaving the track wet. The skies had held out for the previous three days of 125cc/250cc action at the Spanish circuit.

Two days of 800cc riding conclude the visit to Jerez, commencing at 10am on Saturday and ending on Sunday afternoon, and present a final opportunity for teams and riders to fine-tune their bikes before the season-opening race in Qatar on April 12th. Sunday also sees the first head-to-head clash of the year, the annual BMW M Award, from 2.05pm.

Teams will also be unveiling their new liveries and garages throughout Saturday, with pictures available soon on motogp.com

Lorenzo fastest ahead of Sunday’s live BMW M Award session

Saturday, 28 March 2009 (from: motogp.com)

Preparing well for Sunday’s BMW M Award session – which will be broadcast live on motogp.com – Fiat Yamaha’s Jorge Lorenzo was the fastest rider on the first day of the Official MotoGP Test at Jerez.z.

Saturday’s action concluded in southern Spain with a Spaniard at the top of the timesheet, Jorge Lorenzo leading the way with a 1’39.791s hot lap to put him 0.070s ahead of his team-mate Valentino Rossi, who was the second fastest participant in the session.

At a circuit where he started in pole position in just his second MotoGP race last year, Lorenzo registered his best time on the 97th turn of a marathon 99 lap workout, setting himself up nicely for Sunday’s BMW M Award session, in which he is sure to face stiff competition from Rossi and Ducati Marlboro’s Casey Stoner.

Behind the factory Yamaha pair at the top of the timesheets, Stoner was third fastest on Saturday, the Australian lapping within 0.115s of Lorenzo. Stoner’s compatriot Chris Vermeulen was fourth, the Rizla Suzuki man continuing his good preseason form with a best effort 0.781s down on Lorenzo’s pace.

The experienced pair of Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) and Loris Capirossi (Rizla Suzuki) ended up fifth and sixth respectively, both within a second of topping the timesheet.

Completing the top ten were Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda), Alex de Angelis (San Carlo Honda Gresini), Nicky Hayden (Ducati Marlboro) and Toni Elias (San Carlo Honda Gresini). De Angelis suffered a crash in the afternoon, despite conditions improving as the day proceeded after a wet start, but he was unhurt.

James Toseland was eleventh fastest, the Englishman looking much more comfortable on the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 M1 machine after a nightmare preseason so far.

Hayate Racing’s Marco Melandri will be pleased to have lapped twelfth fastest, even though he was 1.369s down on Lorenzo’s best time. The Italian was not lapping in podium pace but will still be satisfied to have discovered a relatively competitive rhythm.

Meanwhile, although returning veteran Sete Gibernau was 16th overall and nearly two seconds off the pace, he was positive at the end of the day having managed to complete 39 laps despite his ongoing shoulder problem.

Some MotoGP News

LCR Honda welcome Playboy onboard

Friday, 27 March 2009

At the Official MotoGP Test this weekend Randy de Puniet’s LCR Honda RC212V machine will display the famous Playboy bunny logo thanks so a new sponsorship agreement.

I guess the Rizla Suzuki grid cop girls will have a competition for the sexiest grid girls.

Monster Yamaha Tech3 unveil new livery

Friday, 27 March 2009

Yamaha satellite team riders Colin Edwards and James Toseland open day with presentation in Jerez.

Monster Yamaha Tech3 were up early on Friday morning, opening their garage at the Circuito de Jerez for the unveiling of their 2009 livery. Riders James Toseland and Colin Edwards pulled the covers off their respective M1 bikes to reveal a black and yellow colour scheme.

Lorenzo’s Land comic to hit the shelves

Wednesday, 25 March 2009

The 2008 MotoGP Rookie of the Year Jorge Lorenzo and Panini will next week release a comic book entitled ‘Lorenzo’s Land’.

A hero to millions of fans across the globe in real life, Fiat Yamaha’s Jorge Lorenzo is set to enter the world of fiction as a superhero, courtesy of a forthcoming publication to be released by Panini Comics.

Gibernau returning to action after Qatar absence

Tuesday, 24 March 2009

Veteran rider Sete Gibernau will resume his preseason preparations in Jerez this weekend having missed the night test in Qatar earlier this month due to a shoulder injury.

When Sete Gibernau suffered a small setback to his recovery from a winter shoulder operation during a training session in February it significantly affected his 2009 MotoGP comeback programme, as he aggravated an old shoulder ligament problem and missed the Official MotoGP Night Test in Qatar.

Having never ridden under the floodlights at the Losail International Circuit that was a missed opportunity to prepare for the 2009 season opener on 12th April at the Arabian desert track, but Gibernau will be raring to go at this weekend’s Official MotoGP test in Jerez, with the Grupo Francisco Hernando Ducati satellite team.

Akiyoshi to test for Repsol Honda at Jerez

Monday, 23 March 2009

Former Suzuki test rider Kousuke Akiyoshi will ride for Repsol Honda at the Official MotoGP Test in Jerez this weekend.

In the absence of regular rider Dani Pedrosa at this weekend’s forthcoming Official MotoGP Test at Jerez de la Frontera, the Repsol Honda ranks will be boosted by Kousuke Akiyoshi, who steps in to help with testing.

The 34 year-old rider, who has performed test duties for Suzuki in the past and made wildcard appearances for them in MotoGP, joined Honda over the winter and will ride for the (Honda) F.C.C. TSR team in several Japanese National Championship races this year. He will also represent Honda later this year in the Suzuka 8 Hours event alongside Shinichi Itoh.

Pedrosa faces a race to be fit for the start of the season at Qatar on 12th April due to knee and hand injuries picked up in testing at the Losail International Circuit at the beginning of March, so in the mean time Akiyoshi will stand in for him at Jerez.

Meanwhile, Ducati’s regular test rider Vittoriano Guareschi will also be in attendance at the Jerez test.

BMW M Award returns to spice up the Official MotoGP Test at Jerez

Monday, 23 March 2009

The opening laps of the world’s most exciting motorsport kicks off this weekend at Jerez in Spain with the BMW M Award as the curtain raiser to the 2009 MotoGP season being ushered in with the MotoGP Official Test and the best riders on the planet all battling for a chance to win a brand new BMW.

A televised 45 minute ‘qualifying’ session on Sunday afternoon will see the entire MotoGP entry vie for the fastest lap around the 4.4 km Jerez track that in May will host the third round in the seventeen race title chase.

As a MotoGP partner for the past 10 years, BMW is once more providing the ultimate prize with a limited edition BMW 135i ‘BMW Sauber F1 Team Edition’ ready to be driven away from the test by the fastest rider. Only 135 of these cars have been made in respect of the 135 points that BMW Sauber F1 Team scored last year in Formula 1.

The BMW Award is the ultimate springboard for all MotoGP riders and teams as they lock horns for the first time after the long winter of development back in their workshops and factories during their quest for every hundredth of a second in the racing season. The opening race of the year is once more under the stunning floodlights of the Losail circuit in Qatar where last year the very first night time Grand Prix took place, two weeks after the Jerez test.

On every Grand Prix grid this year will once more be a fleet of BMW Safety Cars, but a new addition will be at Jerez this weekend and on each MotoGP grid in the shape of BMW’s brand new S 1000 RR superbike; a truly staggering motorbike that has taken the world’s motorcycle shows by storm with it’s looks and technology.

Elsewhere at MotoGP events this year will be a further fleet of up to 25 other BMWs for the VIP Village and MotoGP Paddock guests for swift and serene movement around the circuit.

Keep an eye out this weekend and see who which MotoGP rider has got the jump on the other with the curtain raiser for the 2009 season. Will it be the reigning champion Valentino Rossi, or an outsider? In years past Loris Capirossi gave a BMW 330 CD to his mechanics, Casey Stoner took a Z4 M Roadster last year, while Rossi has taken two Z4s back to Italy too. Indeed, many wives and girlfriends of riders will bee cheering their man on in an effort to win what could be a new, and very fast, car!

As since 2003, there will be the BMW Best Qualifier Award that gives riders points for their qualifying position for each race. At the end of the season a BMW M3 Sedan is available for the winner – a mouthwatering car in even the eyes of some of the superstar 310kph riders!

Get to know the grid: WSBK- Max Neukirchner #76

Max Neukirchner #76
Personal pinion: was 5th last year, and is already 3rd this year, he has improved his positions almost every year of his career, I hope this year he will be able to improve last years, I am not sure he will be bale to bet Haga and Spies but he will defiantly be able to be in the top 5 if not top 3.

World Superbikes from Valencia

Born: 20/04/1983 Stollberg
Team 2009: Suzuki Alstare BRUX
Bike 2009: Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9

Note:
2007: 9' World SBK
2006: 18' World SBK
2005: 12' World SBK

Max

from: http://www.max-neukirchner.de

• PROFILE

• Name: Max Neukirchner
• Date of Birth: 20th of April 1983
• Place of Birth: Stollberg
• Residence: Stollberg
• Height / Weight: 1.79 m / 72 kg
• Eyecolor: Blue
• Haircolor: Brown

LIKES & DISLIKES

Hobbies:

Go-Kart, Snowboarding, Swimming

Favorite Food:

Filetsteak, Mussels, Fish, Seafood, Pizza ,Chinese Food

Favorite Drinks:

Wine, Cocktails

Favorite Music:

Rock, Alternative, Metal, Hip Hop, Blues, Jazz

Max' Dislikes:

Drugs, to be lied

Own Bike:

Suzuki Burgman 650

Own Car:

Suzuki Vitara

Favorite Circuits:

Phillip Island, Brünn

First Race:

at the age of 14 at the ADAC Juniorcup on Aprillia 125ccm

Best Moments:

2008 1. & 2. Place Monza, 1. Place Misano

Previous Career:

• 1997:
  Begin of his racing career in ADAC Juniorcup on Aprilia 125ccm
• 1999:
  4th place Deutsche Straßenmeisterschaft Brno
• 2000:
  10th place German Championship 250ccm
• 2001:
  5th place German Championship 250ccm
• 2002:
  2nd place German Championship 250ccm
  10th place European Championship 250ccm
• 2003:
  3rd place European Championship 250ccm
• 2004:
  9th place World championship Supersport 600 Team Klaffi Honda
• 2005:
  12th place World Superbike Team Klaffi
• 2006:
  18th place World Superbike Team Pedercini Ducati
• 2007:
  9th place 1000 ccm Superbike World Championship
• 2008:
  5th Place 1000ccm Superbike World Championship

World Supersport and Superbike

In 2004 he competed in the Supersport World Championship riding for Klaffi Honda, finishing the season ranked 9th with 63 points.

For 2005, Neukirchner, along with the Klaffi Honda team, moved to the Superbike World Championship. He got a 3rd place podium finish at Phillip Island (but broke his hand at the next round in Valencia ) and finished the season 12th with 123 points.

He looked set to remain with Klaffi Honda in 2006 but the ride eventually went to Alex Barros. Klaffi wasn't able to find the money to run a second bike for Neukirchner and he was left without a ride. He joined Pedercini Ducati but after a poor first half of the season Neukirchner and Pedercini announced their spilt. Neukirchner went on to replace Fabien Foret at Alstare Eng. Corona Extra. He finished the season 18th with 28 points.

For 2007 Neukirchner rode for Suzuki Germany and finished the season ranked ninth overall. The team used the 2006-spec works Suzuki GSX-R1000 K6.

For 2008 he rides a 2007-spec Suzuki GSX-R1000 motorcycle for Team Alstare Suzuki. At Valencia he took his first career pole, and lead until the final corner, where he was hit by Carlos Checa, Neukirchner breaking his collarbone. On 27 April 2008 at Assen he achieved his second world superbike podium finish, finishing behind Troy Bayliss and Checa in the first race .

Neukirchner took his maiden victory (and the first for a German rider) in the first race at Monza, his 70th race in SBK. He won by just 0.058 seconds from Noriyuki Haga. In race 2, he achieved another podium, finishing 2nd to Haga, missing out on victory by 0.009 seconds in a three-way blanket finish. At Miller Motorsport Park he was helped to learn the fastest line through the early part of the track by video of Suzuki's AMA Superbike champion Ben Spies .

He will remain with the team for 2009 and 2010.