MotoGP is coming to Assen

Alice TT Assen racing numbers

Wednesday, 24 June 2009 - motogp.com

A selection of Grand Prix statistics ahead of the World Championship’s visit to The Netherlands.

156 – Following the Gran Premi Cinzano de Catalunya, Valentino Rossi has made 156 Grand Prix starts in the premier-class, the same as Jack Findlay whose career spanned from 1958 to 1978. Only five riders have started more races in the premier-class: Alex Barros (245 premier-class starts), Carlos Checa (192), Loris Capirossi (177), Kenny Roberts Jnr (167) and Sete Gibernau (158).

106 – Three riders currently share the MotoGP championship lead with 106 points each. Never before has there been a three way tie at the top of the championship table after six races. Since the current point scoring system was introduced in 1993, the closest previous title race in the premier-class after six races was in 1998 when the top three riders were separated by just 8 points; Criville – 103, Biaggi – 98 and Checa – 95, with eventual Championship winner Doohan trailing in 4th place on 90 points.

61 – This will be the 61st World Championship Grand Prix event to be held at Assen, which is the only venue that has hosted a Grand Prix event every year since the motorcycle World Championship Grand Prix series started back in 1949.

50 – Casey Stoner’s 3rd place finish at Barcelona was the 50th time he has stood on a Grand Prix podium. This makes him the 31st rider to reach the milestone of 50 Grand Prix podium finishes.

49 – Jorge Lorenzo’s second place finish in Catalunya was the 49th time he has stood on a Grand Prix podium.

45 years – Race day at Assen will be the 45th anniversary of Jim Redman (Honda) winning the 125cc, 250cc and 350cc races at the 1964 Dutch TT – the first rider to have won three GP races on the same day. The total combined distance for these three races was 392 km covered in a time of 2hrs 48 minutes.

28 – The rider with most Grand Prix appearances at Assen is Phil Read, who started a total of 28 races across the various classes at the Dutch TT, winning five times and appearing on the podium on 18 occasions.

0.095 seconds – Valentino Rossi’s winning margin at the Catalunya race was the smallest in the MotoGP class since Casey Stoner beat Rossi at the same circuit in 2007 by just 0.069 seconds.

10 – Colin Edwards’ 3rd place finish last year at Assen was the 10th time he stood on a podium. New Zealand rider Graeme Crosby is the only other rider to score 10 podium finishes in the premier-class without having stood on the top step.

Rossi and Lorenzo planning rematch in Assen

Valentino Rossi - “A special track”
“Assen is a very special track for all riders and it is a wonderful place to ride a MotoGP bike, even if it was better before they changed the layout. Last year I had my worst point of the season there so I want to make up for that with a good performance, because the fans are very passionate and they deserve a good show. After Barcelona we know how strong we are but also our rivals are strong too so we can’t afford to relax, we have to keep pushing. Montmeló was fantastic, one of my best wins ever, but the championship is very close between the three of us and so we have to try to win again to take the lead. There is still a long way to go but we have to remain consistent.”

Jorge Lorenzo - “My favourite track”
“I could never have imagined after the crash in Jerez that I would have the opportunity to become leader again so quickly, but here we are at the front with Casey and Valentino! The last three races have been fantastic and almost unbelievable, and now for the three of us it’s almost like we’re starting the championship all over again. Assen is my favourite track and I am going there feeling very confident in my bike and my Bridgestone tyres and with all the team feeling very motivated. Last year I was sixth so the most important thing is to improve on that, but of course I am aiming for another podium, because consistency is the way to remain close to the top of the standings. We had a positive test in Barcelona and now I will hope to show our improvements with an even better performance in Holland.”

Stoner: Old is best at Assen

“I really enjoyed the old circuit, the same opinion as I think all the riders,” said Stoner, who starts the 2009 event tied at the top of the world championship standings with Yamaha riders Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo.

“The last [old] part of the circuit is still a lot of fun, it flows really well and has some of the banked turns,” he continued. “The main disappointment is that all the new corners they put in have no banking, there is no flow with the land. They are very flat.

“That makes it a little dull and there is not a lot of overtaking on the first part of the track either, it is all done on the [old] part of the track.”

Stoner won last year's race by over eleven seconds for Ducati, but is taking nothing for granted.

“We had a fantastic race last year, the bike was working well, but we have a new bike this year so we'll have to wait and see on Thursday,” he said.

Pedrosa plans to ride without painkillers

By Matt Beer

Monday, June 22nd 2009, 11:48 GMT

Dani Pedrosa says he plans to try riding without painkilling injections in this weekend's Dutch TT after encouraging progress in his recovery from hip and leg injuries.

The Spaniard struggled throughout the Catalunya weekend after damaging his hip in the previous race at Mugello, and exacerbating the pain with crashes in the Italian race and in qualifying in Spain.

He sat out the post-race Catalunya test and says he now feels ready to compete at Assen.

"Since the race in Barcelona I've basically been resting, trying to give my hip as much chance to improve as possible," said Pedrosa.

"Obviously there hasn't been a lot of time - just over one week - but I certainly feel a lot better now than immediately after the last race when I was totally exhausted."

The Honda rider feels he will be better off trying to compete without the painkillers he used at Mugello and Barcelona.

"I'm feeling positive about the weekend and we'll just have to see how it goes when riding starts on Thursday," Pedrosa said.

"My intention would be to ride without receiving any painkilling injections because gradually they lose their effectiveness and they are not something I want to rely on - we'll see how the feeling is when I start to ride."

Prior to the latest injury Pedrosa was a title contender, as despite having not yet won in 2009 and having been hampered by constant physical problems for almost a year, he was within nine points of the championship lead four rounds into the season.

But the hip drama has been a major blow to his title hopes as he has now slipped to fifth in the standings, behind his Honda team-mate Andrea Dovizioso, and 39 points away from the leaders.

autosport.com

Melandri to clear up fitness doubts on Thursday

Wednesday, 24 June 2009

Hayate Racing rider Marco Melandri will test the condition of his right hand in The Netherlands on Thursday in free practice, following his Barcelona test crash.

Currently placed seventh in the general standings after six races, Marco Melandri will be in the hunt for more good points at the Alice TT Assen, arriving in the paddock on Wednesday not overly concerned by the knocks he took at the Catalunya circuit at the beginning of last week – but stating he will need to test the condition of his right hand in free practice.

The Italian star crashed his Hayate Racing Kawasaki machine right at the end of the day in the Monday post-race Barcelona test, sustaining wrist and ankle blows, but other than some bruising and swelling the injuries were not serious and he is close to full fitness for round seven.

Speaking to motogp.com, Melandri commented, “I’m quite good actually. The crash was pretty bad, pretty tough, but the ankle was bad because of an old injury and after three or four days it was good again. The hand is not too bad, but until I ride I’m not sure because I have some pain there, it is my right hand and there are a lot of right hand corners at this track. It is going to be tough, but we will do some work with Clinica Mobile and I feel confident.”

Having ridden a Lorenzo Pasolini 1968 Benelli replica at the MotorDreamEvenTT at the TT Museum next to the Assen circuit, Melandri stated, “It was nice because I have only seen this type of bike in pictures or old films. It thought it would be more difficult but it was ok! This was a good experience and it will be nice to put up the pictures of the event on the wall in my house! motogp.com

Rizla Suzuki ready for an Assen attack

The MotoGP ‘Cathedral' of Assen in the Netherlands awaits Rizla Suzuki this coming Saturday, as the MotoGP field descends upon the famous circuit for the Dutch TT.

Chris Vermeulen heads to the land of his ancestors determined to return a good result at the 4,555m Assen circuit.

He has had some promising performances at the Dutch track - including pole position in 2007 - but has yet to break into the top-six in a MotoGP race. Vermeulen had a successful post-Catalunya test and will be using many of the improvements he took from there as he prepares his assault for glory.

"I really look forward to going to Assen. Holland is where my family came from so there are always people around that remember my Grandfather and tell me how they are related to me - so I feel like a bit of me is coming home!”, he said. “We had a good test after the Catalunya race and if we can translate that into the forthcoming weekend then I am sure we can be competitive. I enjoy riding at Assen and I have won there in World Superbikes, but I have never quite got the results I think I've deserved - or certainly wanted - in MotoGP. I hope this will be the weekend when that all changes!"

Loris Capirossi will be planning to build upon the form that has seen him take successive fifth places at the last two events. Capirossi is eager to get back on track and carry on from where he left off at Catalunya, believing that a lot of the data collected at the Spanish track will stand him in good stead at Assen. Capirossi will also be determined to extinguish the memory of the crash he suffered at last year's Dutch TT that kept him out of the race and forced him to miss the next MotoGP event.

"I am still very happy from my performance in Catalunya, but this is a whole new race and we have to begin again. We used the new engine specification in Spain and then did a lot of testing with new parts on the Monday so we have a lot of data to use for this weekend”, he said.“We hope we'll use the new spec engine again at Assen but it is still being developed and Suzuki needs to check everything, so we will just have to wait and see. I really want to carry on with the good progress we are making, especially at Assen because I didn't get the chance to race there last year. I also want to do well for Rizla - they deserve a good result at what is really their 'home' racetrack."

Assen is one of the most famous circuits in Grand Prix racing, and although the venue has altered considerably from the original road track, it is the only location on the current calendar that has staged Grand Prix races since the inception of the championship in 1949. Although numerous changes were made to the present circuit layout in 2007 for safety reasons, it still retains its magic and most riders look forward to racing there.

Rizla Suzuki takes to the track for the first free practice session on Thursday afternoon, followed by the second - and final - free session on Friday morning. Vermeulen and Capirossi will be out in the Friday afternoon qualifying session to challenge for the best grid positions for Saturday's race. moto-live.com

Gresini Team looking for improvements

Zoom Alex de Angelis For more than a decade the final Saturday in June has meant only one thing for the San Carlo Honda Gresini Team – the Dutch TT at the legendary Assen circuit. Known in Europe as ‘The Cathedral' of motorcycle racing, Assen is the only circuit on the MotoGP calendar that has hosted a round of the World Championship since its inception back in 1949. This weekend's Grand Prix is the first of four in just five weekends for the MotoGP class, with races at Laguna Seca, Sachsenring and Donington Park set to follow before a well-earned summer break. It promises to be a crucial period for the San Carlo Honda Gresini Team riders Alex De Angelis and Toni Elias, who have the opportunity to make up ground on their rivals after a crucial day of testing following the last race in Barcelona. Both riders have been troubled all season by a lack of rear grip and currently lie 13th and 14th respectively in the championship standings, but they are optimistic of climbing the table thanks to progress made with the set-up of their machines in the one-day session. " I love Assen because it's so fast, as is Laguna Seca, so I'm looking forward to the next two races with optimism. I know the results this season are not as good as the same stage one year ago but the races are much closer and I truly believe that with some small steps forward with the setting of the bike we can make up a lot of positions on the guys in front of us”, said De Angelis. “It is vital that we keep this in mind, stay positive and continue to work because if you drop your guard in this series you can suddenly find yourself behind. I have a great record at Assen in the 250cc class but I crashed out of my first MotoGP race here last year on the opening lap so I want to make up for that with a solid performance this time around." “Assen has always been my favorite circuit because it is technical, fast and flowing, although it hasn't always been kind to me”, said Elias. “I missed the race completely in 2005 because of injury and then the year after that I crashed after just two laps of free practice and broke and dislocated my left shoulder.Then in 2007 I crashed again in free practice and broke my leg! Last year was the first time I had raced on the modified circuit and I finished twelfth, so hopefully that ended the jinx and we can look forward to a much better result this time around. We have been struggling for rear grip this season but we made some progress in the test at Barcelona after the race. It will be very interesting to see how these improvements transfer to Assen because I really feel like we deserve a top result after all the hard work the whole team is putting in.” “Our results so far this season have not been good enough but the positive thing is that the whole team has shown their resilience and desire to continue working hard, as was evident in the test at Barcelona”, commented Team Manager Fausto Gresini. “We are working within our means and that is all I can ask of my staff. The goal for the rest of the season is to build and improve so that is all I am looking for in Holland. This is a legendary event and we have some great memories of this circuit, so hopefully a little bit of the magic can rub off on us again this weekend.” Over the years since the first running of the Dutch TT, which began much earlier than the World Championship, in 1925, the original road circuit was gradually altered, initially reduced some 59 years ago from 16km to 7.7km. In 1984 it was reduced further, to a little over 6km, before more alterations in 2006 saw it adapted to its current configuration, with the removal of the North Loop bringing the total length down to just 4.5km. moto-live.com Ducati will keep working to help Hayden By Matt Beer Monday, June 22nd 2009, 09:31 GMT Ducati says it will continue working to get Nicky Hayden up to speed on the GP9 in addition to pushing forward with developments to help Casey Stoner's title challenge. Stoner is now tied for the points lead with the two Yamaha riders, but team boss Livio Suppo said Ducati had no intention of devoting all its resources to the Australian's title bid at the expense of its efforts to help Hayden acclimatise. "We need to continue to give our maximum both to Casey, who is fighting in one of the closest championship battles for years, and to Nicky, who has shown that he has the ability to adapt to the characteristics of our bike, which is more difficult for him than it is for other riders because he had spent so many years on the same machine before this," said Suppo. Hayden, who has struggling to adapt to the Desmosedici after joining from Honda, was hugely encouraged to set the sixth fastest time in Catalunya practice, although he slipped back down the order in qualifying and was only able to finish 10th. Nevertheless, he believes the Spanish event was the start of a resurgence. "We know we have a lot of work to do but myself and the team are hoping that the Catalunya race was the start of a major turnaround that we can continue to build on until the end of the season," said the former world champion. Suppo believes Ducati took a big step forward with both riders at Catalunya, but that the bike's progress was masked by the illness that hampered Stoner all weekend. He finished third, but could not keep pace with Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo's incredible lead battle. "The weekend in Barcelona was really important for us," said Suppo. "We started to see the fruit of all the hard work being done by [technical director] Filippo [Preziosi] and his guys, as well as [test rider] Vitto [Guareschi], and it looks like the development route we're taking with the GP9 promises to make it even more competitive." autosport.com Takahashi to ride Assen race despite finger fracture Tuesday, 23 June 2009 Japanese rider also relaxed about having missed testing time. Yuki Takahashi has confirmed a return to action at the Alice TT Assen, despite having had to skip the post-race test in Barcelona with a hand injury. The Scot Racing rider was unable to participate in one of just two permitted days of mid-season testing following a first lap crash on race day, although the Japanese star needed no operation on his injured digit. The micro-fracture to his finger may cause difficulties for Takahashi this week, although he is relaxed about missing the track time at the Spanish circuit last time out. “It is not going to affect my performance,” says the Honda satellite man. “We brought forward the testing of some potential solutions to Saturday in Spain, so I still had the chance to express my opinions to Emanuele (Ventura, Scot Racing Technical Director). We know what we want.” The Assen track has not been an especially successful one for Takahashi, with a best result of sixth in the 250cc class back in 2006. MotoGP is a different cylinder class, however, and the change to 800cc machinery could see him more at ease with the legendary circuit. “I never liked Assen too much when I was a 250cc rider. I didn’t like Barcelona either though. But I have to say that with a MotoGP bike things are different, and I have begun to also feel good on layouts like these.” Scot Racing will undertake their second Grand Prix as a two-rider team this weekend, after Gabor Talmacsi signed up for the team in a permanent capacity just moments before practice for the Barcelona round. Added intrigue for the team comes in the form of the changeable conditions typical of the Assen circuit, which customarily brings at least a token amount of rainfall to make the riders’ lives difficult. The team have just two bikes in their garage to split between Takahashi and Talmacsi, and have yet to confirm either a game plan for a flag-to-flag race nor the progression of their request to Honda for an additional pair of RC212V machines. motogp.com Simoncelli’s MotoGP entry for 2010 confirmed Wednesday, 24 June 2009 San Carlo Honda Gresini confirm Italian as part of 2010 project, as renewed deal with title sponsor is announced simultaneously. Reigning 250cc World Champion Marco Simoncelli will make his MotoGP debut next season with the San Carlo Honda Gresini team in 2010, the satellite outfit announced on Wednesday in the Assen paddock. The team have also announced that San Carlo are to remain as their principle sponsor next year. The deal will see the quarter-litre category star replace one of either Toni Elías or Alex de Angelis in the team. Simoncelli had rejected offers of a MotoGP move for the current season in order to defend his title, but will finally make the switch after the present campaign. Team owner and manager Fausto Gresini commented: “We're extremely happy to be able to make this important announcement: renewing our agreement with San Carlo, who have shown great belief in us and continue to support our targets for next year, and the agreement with Marco Simoncelli to race with us in MotoGP.” motogp.com “Marco has shown over the past couple of years that he has the ability to be a major force in the premier class, as well as being a great communicator. We have established a good feeling with him already and that facilitated negotiations over a contract that we have signed for 2010. Also, Honda rate Simoncelli highly and believe he is a rider with great potential for the future, so Honda is very pleased that we are welcoming him aboard next season.” Simoncelli himself added, “Next year I will be a member of the Honda Gresini team and I am very happy because it is an Italian team. I think they are a very strong team. I am very happy to be with Honda and with Fausto. As many people know I am friends with Valentino Rossi and we sometimes go motocross training together, but I would like to be fighting against him next year because that will mean I am doing very well.”

amazing race in Catalunya "Mama Mia"

As promised- a full race report
I think any MotoGP fan must watch this race, this race is going down in the history books.


After waiting since 2006 for a last lap victory pass in MotoGP, Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo exchanged positions four times during a heart-stopping final lap in Catalunya, which ended with Rossi diving inside Lorenzo for victory at the very final turn.

It was a massive win for Rossi over his young rival and means that Rossi, Lorenzo and Casey Stoner have all won two races each this season - and are now all tied on 106 points at the top of 2009 MotoGP World Championship.

The Fiat Yamaha team-mates fought from the first turn to the last turn, Lorenzo converting his pole position into an early lead, while Rossi slotted his M1 into second.

Stoner was the only rider capable of sticking with the pair on Sunday, but the Ducati star began to drop away from lap 9 of 25.

Rossi took the lead from Lorenzo for the first time on lap 4, but was unable to escape and Lorenzo burst back past on the brakes into turn one at the midway point. Lorenzo had the better race pace on paper, but Rossi clung to the #99 before attempting to settle the race early by overtaking Lorenzo into turn one with three laps to go.

Both factory M1s were using the same hard front, extra hard rear tyres, but Lorenzo seemed to have a little more rubber left and - with Rossi's rear wheel beginning to step-out under power - was certain to retaliate.

Lorenzo sliced across the front of Rossi along the home straight, but Rossi released the brakes, pulled his inside leg in and rode across the outside kerb to stay ahead.

With Spanish pride on the line, Lorenzo made an even firmer pass into turn one at the start of the final lap, gently trapping Rossi on the outside to ensure he couldn't slip back past.

Rossi responded by throwing his M1 inside Lorenzo at Turn Four, only for Lorenzo to cut back underneath on the exit, and when the Spaniard took a defensive line into the left hander at the end of the back straight Rossi looked to have run out of options.

But the Italian's body language made clear he wasn't giving up and, after closing up to Lorenzo's rear wheel, made a seemingly impossible pass by diving inside Lorenzo on the entry to the fast final turn.

It was thought to be the only pass at that turn in any of the three classes on Sunday, but worked perfectly. Lorenzo couldn't use his superior corner speed and almost ran into the back of Rossi's machine at the apex, before crossing the finish line just 0.095sec behind the Italian legend.

“It was to the last breath” said an elated Rossi after his 99th grand prix victory, which he dedicated to his crew chief Jerry Burgess, who mother passed away yesterday.

Meanwhile Lorenzo masked his disappointment and confessed that Rossi “had been braver than him” at the final turn.

Both riders left the pit lane to soak up the applause of the fans before climbing the podium. They deserved it, after providing easily the best race of the 800cc era.

Joining them on the rostrum was an exhausted Stoner, who later revealed he had been getting steadily sicker all weekend. The Ducati star finished 8.8sec behind Rossi but held off Repsol Honda's Andrea Dovizioso by just 0.052sec for his fourth podium of the year.

Dovizioso had been trapped behind fast starting team-mate Dani Pedrosa for the first six laps, then struggled to gain ground of Stoner once released and has now finish fourth in the last three races.

Honda's last MotoGP victory came at the hands of Pedrosa at Catalunya last year, but the Repsol Honda rider needed pain killing injections just to ride this weekend after cracking a thigh bone at Mugello.

After losing out to Dovizioso, the home hero battled Suzuki's Loris Capirossi before eventually finishing 2.3sec behind the GSV-R rider.

Colin Edwards had to recover from another bad start on his way to seventh for Monster Yamaha Tech 3, whilst Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda), Mika Kallio (Pramac Ducati) and Nicky Hayden (Ducati Marlboro) completed the top ten. It was Hayden's best race result of the season, but far lower than he would have hoped for after sixth on Friday.

Sixth on the grid Toni Elias still hasn't finished a MotoGP race at Catalunya after crashing from eleventh place on lap ten, while countryman Sete Gibernau, whose last Catalunya MotoGP race ended with a fractured collarbone in 2006, finished 15th on his comeback from another collarbone break.

Gabor Talmacsi's surprise promotion meant the former 125cc world champion became the first Hungarian rider to race in a premier-class grand prix since Janos Drapal at the Czech GP in 1976.

Talmacsi, riding alongside Yuki Takahashi at Scot Honda, began the race 19th and last and finished 17th thanks to the retirements of Elias and Takahashi, who crashed on the first lap.


Now lets hear from the boys
2009 MotoGP - Catalunya 14/06/2009

1 Valentino Rossi Yamaha ITA 43'11.897
"As we say in Italy, "Mamma Mia!" I think I can honestly say that this was one of the best and hardest wins of my career. Maybe Laguna last year was more important but this was a great, great victory because it went to the very last corner and it's a long time since that has happened. I have dreamed about that move for the last two weeks and today it worked and I am so happy to have this 99th win. We did a perfect job all weekend and my M1 and Bridgestone tyres were brilliant, but we knew that Lorenzo was in the same situation and for sure he was very strong today. I had to be very brave and take it right to the limit in order to beat him. This victory today is more important than the 25 points and anyway now we all have the same, what a championship this is! As well as thanking my team, I especially want to dedicate this win to my Crew Chief Jeremy Burgess because his mother sadly died yesterday. I have to say thank you to her and to him because without him, for sure, I would never have arrived at 99 wins. Now I am going to go to sleep for quite a long time because I need to recover from this excitement!" (yamaha-racing.com)

2 Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha ESP 0'00.095
"This was an incredible battle today and a brilliant show for everyone, I am happy to have been a part of it. Of course I am sad to have lost because I put my heart on my bike and in my career I am more used to winning these last-lap fights, but today Valentino was maybe a little bit cleverer or a little bit braver than me at the very end and he was able to beat me. In fact during that last lap, after I passed him, I expected him to pass me back on the brakes much earlier but he didn't come, and then I just didn't close the line enough on the final corner and that was it. I am proud however because I am young and I still have a lot to learn in this class. My team have worked so well all weekend so thanks to them, if we can continue as strongly as this all season then who knows what can happen?" (yamaha-racing.com)
3 Casey Stoner Ducati AUS 0'08.884

“I’m not sure how I did it because half way through the race I nearly gave up. I was very close to pulling into the pits and nothing felt right,” Stoner stated. “The bike was working really well but I just wasn’t able to keep the pace, I just couldn’t brake properly as I was nearly falling onto the front of the bike.”

He continued, “My legs and my stomach were cramping and so I decided to just relax for a few laps to see if we could finish in the top ten or something similar. The bike was so good that I was able to just keep doing consistent lap times to hold Andrea behind me, and I ended up on the podium which is really important for the championship.” (motogp.com)

4 Andrea Dovizioso Honda ITA 0'09.936
“We had a great race today and we finished only nine seconds behind the winner - this is a very important point because we are getting closer every time,” said Dovi. “We only missed the podium by 52 thousandths of a second, which is a pity because I really like this racetrack and we were fast for the whole weekend, so the podium was the target and it was within the reach.

“I didn't have a good start and it took me some time to overtake Randy and then Dani which meant I had a gap to close before I could reach Stoner. Maybe I should have tried to attack Casey with six laps to go, when he slowed down, because later I didn't have any other chance,” he confessed.

“Andrea fought very hard to close the gap to third place and was very close to taking the position,” said team manager Kazuhiko Yamano. “His pace was very impressive today and with this kind of form he should get the podium finish he deserves soon.”(crash.net)
5 Loris Capirossi Suzuki ITA 0'19.831
"This was the same position as Mugello, but this is a different one because we have worked so hard to get this and it is a great result. All the team - especially Stuart - have worked so hard to get us where we are today”, he said. “After qualifying I didn't feel that the bike was quite right and Stuart worked with the guys until late to find a solution. He told me that he was going to make big changes for the race and we tried it during this morning's warm-up and the bike felt really good. During the race I kept my rhythm after a good start and when I got close to Pedrosa I lost some time off the front guys because his bike was so fast in some places I couldn't get past, and he held me up a bit. If I hadn't got stuck for a few laps I think I could have stayed with the next group and got a better result. I want to say a big thank-you to Suzuki because they have brought a new engine here and it was an improvement on the old one - I think if I'd had that engine in Mugello I'd have been on the podium! Most of all I want to thank all my guys individually Stuart, Ian, Gary, Jeff, George, Tex and Jez all did a great job and without them I wouldn't have got that result today!" (moto-live.com)

6 Daniel Pedrosa Honda ESP 0'22.182
"It’s been a very hard weekend and I finished the race exhausted and in a lot of pain, but I don’t regret being here this weekend trying to do my best. I didn’t want to miss my home race and even though sixth position is not the best result in front of my fans, I’m happy with it. I could feel their enormous support during the whole weekend and it helped me a lot to race. It also wouldn’t have been possible without the doctors’ help: they kept me in the best possible condition to bear the pain. The injections I’ve had on each day worked, but obviously to do 25 laps it’s been very hard. The doctors told me that this fracture needs time to heal so I’m going to rest as much as possible and see what the progress is for Assen. The Team asked me not test tomorrow to give me the best chance to recover and it’s a sensible decision. I didn’t have a great start today, but I could manage to stay in the second group in the race. I tried to stay with Capirossi, but I couldn’t, so I choose to maintain the sixth position. I’m really tired now, but it was a worthwhile race."(motogp.com)
7 Colin Edwards Yamaha USA 0'23.547
"It was a hard race physically because it was so hot out there but I felt I couldn't ride how I want because of the front-end issue again. But I lost a few places off the line and I'm struggling to get this year's bike to start. I'm good on the clutch but with the wheelbase shorter on the Yamaha this year I struggle to keep the front-end down as I'm accelerating. I felt good this morning in the warm-up when I was third. It was a bit cooler and I could get the bike to turn, but as soon as it gets hot and slippy I can't get the bike to turn at all. If I tried to push it would just push the front wide and lose time. I want to push and I could see (Loris) Capirossi and (Dani) Pedrosa in front of me, but the more I push the more mistakes I'd make. As many problems as I've had this weekend with the crash yesterday and the lack of feel with the front, I can't really be upset with seventh. I'm not happy with it, but it was a bit of damage limitation this weekend. My guys at Mon ster Yamaha Tech 3 have worked really hard and we're going to sort this out and be back fighting closer to the front in Assen, which is a circuit I love." (yamaha-racing.com)
8 Randy De Puniet Honda FRA 0'25.265
“I am very happy because I think we had a great weekend. It has been a hard race for everybody but I took a perfect start from the third row ending the first lap in 4th place. After that I set my rhythm but some guys (Pedrosa, Dovizioso and Capirossi) overtook me on the straight in the following laps. I am not surprised about that and we have to accept it. Edwards was a bit faster than me but I push to keep his slipstream for the last 10 laps. I could not do better than this and we deserve this 8th place behind the factory bikes. We are 9th in the provisional world standing and we need to continue in this way for the future races. I want to thank my squad for their efforts.”(motogp.com)
9 Mika Kallio Ducati FIN 0'31.797
10 Nicky Hayden Ducati USA 0'33.593
“I was hoping for a little more than this but realistically at the moment it was the best I could manage. I started from near the back but kept passing people and made progress throughout the race. I got close to Kallio and tried my best to pass him but made a couple of mistakes and he beat me. All in all it’s not a spectacular result but it is definitely a step forward. I’ve been close to the front guys all weekend, we’ve worked well and we’ve learnt a lot about the bike. I’m already looking forward to getting back on the bike for the test tomorrow and continuing to work down this path, which we think is the right one.”(motogp.com)
11 Chris Vermeulen Suzuki AUS 0'36.683
"It was a difficult race and although I got a good start I got a bit boxed in and found myself at the wrong end of the field”, he said. “We made a change to the front-end of the bike for the race and that was a bit better and it gave me the confidence to push a bit harder. We did score some points today, but it is not where we want to be. We now to some tracks that have been good for us in recent seasons so I hope we get a bit of luck there and put together some good results."
(moto-live.com)
12 Alex De Angelis Honda SMR 0'36.874
“The position is clearly not what we want and I don't think it's a true reflection of my potential, which I showed last season is in the top six. This year we're having a few more problems and we haven't managed to resolve them as quickly as we would have liked”, he said. “The only positive thing is that in the opening race in Qatar I was fifty seconds behind the winner and now we have reduced that gap to thirty seconds so we're obviously doing something right. What we need now is to find more grip at full lean because when the bike is at a higher angle the traction is good and we get a glimpse of the potential of the bike. When I can improve my corner speed, which is one of my strengths as a rider, we can make bigger steps forward and this is the target for the test tomorrow and the next race at Assen.” (moto-live.com)
13 James Toseland Yamaha GBR 0'39.433
"I'm really disappointed because I went into the race with high expectations after my best qualifying of the year. But I made a bad mistake off the line and gave myself a mountain to climb. The engine just bogged and I lost a load of time and had no chance of getting it back because everybody is doing similar times ahead of me. I also had a few set-up issues in the race and I'm not happy with that. I didn't have a lot of rear grip and we've got to work on the setting to find some rear grip when the tyre is starting to wear. After about eight or ten laps I was having a few issues with rear grip, but the bad start was what really cost me and that was my fault. It's frustrating because we've been going in the right direction and it had looked like we might have had a decent weekend. But I'll pick myself up and be ready to give it my all again for the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team in Assen." (yamaha-racing.com)
14 Marco Melandri Kawasaki ITA 0'44.788
“Not bad. Less tired than after some 125 races,” he said. “After four laps, in which I tried to keep the pace of the others, I understood that that was not my rhythm, so I decided not to risk. This is learning time for me. I had a lot of fun and I understood a few things, for example, that I want a wider handlebars.”(crash.net)
15 Sete Gibernau Ducati ESP 0'46.754

DNF- Toni Elias
“I was riding on the limit today to try and finish tenth and that tells you everything about our situation. I didn't make any mistakes when I crashed – I wasn't going any faster and I didn't brake any harder than I had done on the previous laps, the bike just let go and that was it”, he said. “It's disappointing but racing can be like this sometimes. We have to keep thinking positive and look ahead to the test tomorrow, when hopefully we can make some progress. We've shown we can do a fast lap but we need to improve our race pace so that is the objective for the test, even though we have no new parts to try. Tomorrow is another day!” (moto-live.com)
Gresini: Elias is giving it everything

By Matt Beer from autosport.com

Monday, June 15th 2009, 10:03 GMT

Fausto Gresini says his rider Toni Elias's crash in yesterday's Catalunya Grand Prix happened because the Spaniard was having to put everything on the line just to stay in touch with the top ten.

Gresini Honda has had a very difficult season so far, but Elias provided some relief with an excellent fifth on the grid for his home race.

However he soon fell back in the grand prix, and was running 11th when he fell at the end of the backstraight after ten laps.

"We're trying to help our riders as much as we can to improve and I think you can see from Toni's crash that he is giving everything he has too," said Gresini.

"We've taken a small step forward from Mugello but the situation is still difficult."

Elias said there was no obvious reason for the accident.

"I was riding on the limit today to try and finish tenth and that tells you everything about our situation," he said.

"I didn't make any mistakes when I crashed - I wasn't going any faster and I didn't brake any harder than I had done on the previous laps, the bike just let go and that was it."

The Spaniard, who races a works specification bike, had earlier voiced his frustration about a lack of updates arriving from the factory. Although there are no upgrades immediately on the horizon, Elias said he hoped he could at least improve his race settings in today's test session.

"We've shown we can do a fast lap but we need to improve our race pace so that is the objective for the test, even though we have no new parts to try."

Mugello race

Excellent win for Stoner in tricky Italian contest

Sunday, 31 May 2009

Casey Stoner wrapped up the Gran Premio d’Italia Alice action in style with victory in another wet-dry MotoGP race.

In the second flag-to-flag race in two rounds Casey Stoner ended Valentino Rossi’s Mugello winning streak with a polished performance to give Ducati their first ever victory at the circuit.

Much of the race came down to tactics again in front of the 80,000-strong Italian crowd as the riders once more started on a wet surface and completed the 23 lap contest on slicks, with Stoner this time judging things to perfection.

The Australian retook the championship lead as he crossed the line a second in front of former leader Jorge Lorenzo, who also rode well after the scare of crashing on the sighting lap.

Lorenzo’s Fiat Yamaha colleague Valentino Rossi completed the podium in third place as his seven-year wining run at his beloved home track came to an end, the Italian hero crossing the line two seconds behind Stoner and less than one tenth in front of Repsol Honda’s Andrea Dovizioso.

It was a shame for Dovizioso to miss out on the rostrum on the last lap once again, having held the race lead early on, on wet tyres. Likewise, his compatriot Loris Capirossi (Rizla Suzuki) was leading at one stage – later in the race – but he fell away in the final laps to finish fifth.

James Toseland made a brave decision to come in first and change bikes when running towards the back of the field and he just missed out on equaling his best MotoGP result of sixth as he was outdone by his Monster Yamaha Tech 3 team-mate Colin Edwards on the last lap, having also dueled with LCR Honda’s Randy de Puniet who was eventually eighth.

Niccolò Canepa (Pramac Racing) will be delighted to have achieved his best result to date as the second highest Ducati rider in ninth at his home race, with Chris Vermeulen (Rizla Suzuki) completing the top ten behind the young Italian.

Dani Pedrosa hit the deck and crashed out on lap 14 having already damaged his hip earlier in the weekend, the Spaniard stretchered away from trackside. He will face an anxious wait to see if he is fit for his own home race at Barcelona in two weeks. Honda satellite rider Yuki Takahashi also crashed out with 13 laps to go.

What the riders have to say:

1 Casey Stoner Ducati AUS 45'41.894

“At the beginning we started off really well and I had a good feeling with the bike, it was working well, but as soon as the dry patches started appearing our tyres started destroying themselves and there was no grip. I just tried to maintain the gap to the other riders until I could get onto the slicks and then I knew I wouldn’t have such a disadvantage.”

“Once I got onto the slicks I found a good feeling immediately and I was able to get to the front quite quickly, but then I started having a problem with the clutch,” Stoner continued, “The RPM was going up to the limiter and there was no forward momentum. I just tried adjusting it and I managed to get it hooked up again, but it was still difficult on the corners.”

The young Australian went on to add, “It was a really hard race and I just wanted to finish it. I just tried to stay smooth and keep the same lap times even if I couldn’t ride the way I wanted to. On the last lap I pushed in areas where I hadn’t done so all through the race, and I made a mistake so I was lucky to hold onto the victory. But I think the team did a great job and we are very grateful for this win.” (motogp.com)

2 Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha ESP 0'01.001

"Honestly, this is as good as a win for me and I can't really believe the race today, it was like a movie! This morning in warm-up I was quite worried because I was slow in the rain, then on the sighting lap I slid off into the gravel pit. All I could think about was making it back to the pits as quickly as possible in case there was still a chance to make the grid and luckily I made it just in time. My team had the second bike ready and I was able to still start from the pole position. On the grid I tried not to think about the crash, I just tried to focus. But then I had a big slide off the line and the first part of the race wasn't so good for me. I have to say the biggest thank you to my guys today for getting the damaged bike ready in such a short time; it was a brilliant job and after I swapped bikes everything changed. From then on I had a great rhythm and I was able to stay on fighting to the end and take this second place. It's a really amazing result because things could have been much worse today, so thank you again to everyone for making it possible. I'm really happy with this result." (yamaha-racing.com)

3 Valentino Rossi Yamaha ITA 0'02.076

"Of course I am disappointed not to win again in Mugello but seven times in a row is not so bad and the important thing is that I made it onto the podium. It's a very special moment in Mugello, with all the fans below, and I would have been very sad to have missed that! It was a very hard race today and once again the weather was a problem for us, we're very unlucky in these half-and-half races and I think this is my first podium in one. In the wet we were very fast because we had found a great setting, but then when we changed bikes we made a mistake and chose a front tyre that was too hard, so it took me a long time to be able to put enough temperature on it and I lost a lot of time. At the end I was able to ride better and I knew that I had to make it onto the podium, so I am happy for this. Of course after Le Mans this is a big improvement and these points are important because it's very close between the three of us." (yamaha-racing.com)


4 Andrea Dovizioso Honda ITA 0'02.129

Although he came close to reclaiming third from Valentino Rossi, Dovizioso said the result showed that he is not right up with the frontrunners in normal conditions yet.

"We are getting closer, but still not close enough to win," he said.

"We need to keep on working because we are still not as competitive as the fastest riders, especially in dry conditions. We'll use this result to give us an extra boost of motivation."

While admitting that he still needs to make further progress, Dovizioso said he was delighted with how competitive he had been at Mugello.

"The sensation of leading the race in front of my home crowd was incredible and I think overall we had a good race, he said.

"I'm satisfied. I fought like hell to take third and we were so close - only 53 thousandths from the podium! I think our race strategy was good, we changed the bike at the right moment and I pushed as hard as possible to maintain my position.

"With three laps to go I tried to keep in contact with the others and when Rossi overtook me, I managed to stay with him. Then I tried to slipstream him out of the last corner but I couldn't make it. Anyway, all in all it was an exciting race and a positive result." (autosport.com)

5 Loris Capirossi Suzuki ITA 0'03.274

“I tried to do my best but the conditions were a bit strange and I think I made the right decision about when to change onto slick tyres,” Capirossi said at the end of another wet-dry contest. “Then my pace was really good and the rhythm was constant. I tried to stay in contact with Casey (Stoner) and although the bike was good in general we were losing out because of top speed, so we look forward to getting the new engine in Barcelona.”

Asked whether he thought the new engine would make an immediate impact on results at Catalunya, Denning replied, “We only have the data and I don’t want to say too much until the thing is plugged into the chassis, because we just don’t know until then.” (motogp.com)

6 Colin Edwards Yamaha USA 0'24.451

“It was a rerun of Le Mans. We’ve got some issues that we need to figure out; I’ve always been a front end guy, and I’ve got no confidence in the front –I’ve always been a good rain rider too! I just don’t have any confidence,” explained the Monster Yamaha Tech3 rider. “We’ll adjust, we’ll do some work, but as soon as we came in I just put my head down and saw the guys coming back to me. I think that I rode a pretty good race after that.”

Edwards finished sixth after a late pass on teammate James Toseland, once again pipping the Briton on the final laps. Had it have stayed dry for the entire day, the American would have been disappointed with anything outside the top handful of riders.

“We were looking like finishing top five easily in the dry, all weekend we were thereabouts on average times. We would have been a little better in a completely dry race, but that beginning is what gets me.

“As far as the weather goes, we just have to look at it like this: If it rains in Qatar, then we’re screwed for the rest of the year! It’s kind of what’s happened now, with it raining nearly every race,” he joked. (motogp.com)

7 James Toseland Yamaha GBR 0'25.621

"That's my best result of the season and I'm happy with that because I feel I should be fighting around the top six on a regular basis. I started the race with quite a hard spring in the rear shock and in the first few laps I was in trouble. I hadn't planned on coming into the pits so early for my dry bike but I had no choice. I was losing a lot of time so it was definitely a gamble worth taking. The first couple of laps on slicks were eventful while I was trying to get the hard tyres to temperature, but once I'd got a rhythm going I felt pretty confident and I was pleased I'd decided to come in early. The section of track with the new tarmac was a bit scary because that never dried through the whole race, but you could ride the rest of the track pretty much flat-out and coming in when I did definitely helped gain me a lot of places once I'd picked up my pace. I had a really good dice with Randy and there were a few good overtakes. It's the first race I've enjoyed for a while because for most of it I was fighting for the top six. That's where I was a few times last season and that's where this bike and team deserve to be. Hopefully I can push on in Catalunya." (yamaha-racing.com)


8 Randy De Puniet Honda FRA 0'26.046

“Unfortunately the conditions were the same of Le Mans race but today's result is a bit better. I took a very good start but after some laps in the wet I did not feel pretty confident and was slower compared to the others; probably I have been too cautious”, he explained.
Click here to find out more!
“I changed my bike at the right moment but, for two laps, I struggled to set my rhythm especially on the damp parts of the track. Anyway I had fun battling with Toseland and tried many times to leave him behind but it was impossible. At two laps to go Edwards caught us and I pushed to end 6th but was too late. Eighth position is not so bad in these conditions but we could get that sixth place in the pocket. Thanks to my Team once again for their good work”.

9 Niccolo Canepa Ducati ITA 0'31.815
10 Chris Vermeulen Suzuki AUS 0'34.814
11 Marco Melandri Kawasaki ITA 0'35.090
12 Nicky Hayden Ducati USA 0'39.122
13 Mika Kallio Ducati FIN 0'52.462
14 Toni Elias Honda ESP 0'52.478
15 Alex De Angelis Honda SMR -1Laps

Pedrosa to undergo further hip test after Mugello crash

Sunday, 31 May 2009 (motogp.com)

Manager Alberto Puig reveals that crash impact will need further examination.

A big crash after changing to slick tyres proved to be a miserable finale to a bad weekend for Dani Pedrosa, as the Spaniard not only failed to earn points on a day in which his three title rivals took to the podium, but also took a further hit to his injured hip.

The Repsol Honda rider had incurred what was identified as a tendon injury to his hip during practice, and suffered the misfortune of hitting the Mugello gravel in exactly the same place when thrown from his 800cc bike. Manager and mentor Alberto Puig was unable to give a medical opinion on his colleague, but did reiterate the tough nature of the fall.

“Everyone saw the crash. Dani hit the same place that was already in a bad way when he crashed, and we will have to wait until tomorrow to see what the seriousness of the situation is. There is just one more test to do, and I suppose that tomorrow we will be able to do it. I’m not a doctor, so I couldn’t say when he’d return to action or anything like that,” said the former rider.

“Dani had this hip problem on Friday, and from then on things got worse. Now we just want to make sure that the pain that he has now is from the original incident, and that today’s crash didn’t cause any more damage.”

Pedrosa will hope for a return in time for his home race, the Gran Premi Cinzano de Catalunya, in two weeks time.

and an Amazing saves from the 250 race/QF i just had to share

Raffaele de Rosa - Outrageous save at Mugello QF!

Marco Simoncelli e Álvaro Bautista 250

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)

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.

Get to know the grid: MotoGP- Jorge LORENZO #99

Jorge LORENZO

Personal opinion: a definite contender to the championship, if he doesn’t crash again. Had an amazing year last year, if not for the crashes.

Lets hope next year will be better.

Valentino Rossi Vs Jorge Lorenzo

2009 ( english subtitles)

- very funny

(from motogp.com)

	99
	Place of birth: Palma de Mallorca
	Date of birth: 04/May/1987
	Weight: 55Kg.
	Height: 170cm.

The 2008 Rookie of the Year, Jorge Lorenzo made an immediate impact on the MotoGP World Championship with a stunning first five races. The Fiat Yamaha rider took pole for his first ever premier class race –becoming the first man to do so since Max Biaggi ten years previously- and finished second on his debut in an astounding performance. He followed up the feat with pole at the next two races, becoming the first rider to go `three from three´ in his rookie season and turning both top spots into podium finishes.

The third race of the year at Estoril was one at which Lorenzo had the perfect weekend. Starting from pole, the Spaniard took his first victory to achieve one of his longstanding ambitions as a rider.

Unfortunately the 2008 season was also one marked by crashes, leaving the debutant out of action for his home race in Catalunya and suffering from a combination of injuries and lack of confidence. He picked up the pace in the latter part of the season, and is a serious contender for the World Championship in 2009.

Chutte lorenzo fp1 chine 2008
Uploaded by fazgaz

Lorenzo Crash in China GP FP1
Uploaded by Motion_Blur

The route to his two consecutive 250cc World Championships (won in the two years prior to his MotoGP move) was one built on breaking records, and began with a first encounter with minicross competitions at age three. Lorenzo competed in this form, in addition to trial, minimoto and motorcross junior, in his native Majorca over the next few years, following up on a 50cc Copa Aprilia title by entering the Spanish Championship with special permission, aged just thirteen.

Setting a record unlikely to ever be broken, Lorenzo became the youngest ever rider to enter a World Championship race. Turning fifteen –the minimum age for Grand Prix participation- on the second day of practice for the 2002 Spanish race at Jerez, he made his debut onboard a Derbi at a track where he would have much success over the next few years.

The following season he took his first victory in 125cc, at Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. In 2004 he took a further three triumphs, before making the move up to the 250cc category in which he would enjoy such success. Lorenzo did so with Fortuna Honda, and took four poles and six podiums in his maiden season.

2006 was to be the coming-of-age year for the Majorcan, who switched to Aprilia machinery and immediately became the favourite for the World Championship. He justified the hype with eight victories and an equalling of the ten pole positions record, lifting the title in an emotional final race of the year at Valencia.

Another dominating year in 2007 saw Lorenzo retaining the quarter litre title, with all nine of his victories coming from pole. At just twenty years old, he was a two-time 250cc World Champion. Lorenzo partners Valentino Rossi for a second season in the Fiat Yamaha factory team in 2009.

Rossi criticises 'elitist' MotoGP+ other news

Yesterday was supposed to be the last part about Rossi.
But I just found this article in autosport.com and just had to share.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/73666

Rossi criticises 'elitist' MotoGP

By Michele Lostia and Matt Beer

Wednesday, March 11th 2009, 09:45 GMT

Valentino Rossi has called on MotoGP and its manufacturers to supply more bikes to privateer teams to increase the grid size and stop the factory teams dominating.

None of the satellite or privateer teams have won a MotoGP race since Toni Elias's victory for Gresini Honda at Estoril in 2006, and Rossi is concerned that the gap between the factory and private teams has now become too great.

"Our bikes are so sophisticated that only a few manufacturers can do them," the reigning champion told Motosprint. "So the riders are few as well, and there are no privateers anymore.

"Until 2006 a privateer like (Marco) Melandri could fight for the title, but since 2007, with the 800cc bikes, the gap between works teams and privateers has become huge. MotoGP has become too elitist and that's not good."

He urged the manufacturers to make more ex-works bikes available to other teams.

"Why do my bikes get crushed under the presser at the end of the year, instead of being sold to a privateer team that would then be able to field two more riders?" said Rossi.

"We've reached such a high level that Yamaha doesn't want others to see how it makes its bikes, so it would rather crush them. But this way it's difficult to get a nice grid, which in my opinion should have at least 24 riders."

The Italian believes this problem must be addressed as part of the programme of radical cost-cutting that is being planned for 2010 and beyond.

"We must spend less, and make the bikes go slower," Rossi said.

"The situation with the economy is very ugly, the bikes aren't being sold anymore, and we can't pretend nothing is happening."

Well, this is what Rossi wants, and the question is, Will Rossi get what he wants?
Let's hope so

2009 Hungarian Grand Prix officially cancelled

Following consultation with the FIM, the scheduled 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix has been removed from the MotoGP World Championship calendar. The request to postpone the inaugural race at the Balatonring circuit until 2010, owing to the delay in construction of the track, was accepted by the FIM.

There are no plans to replace the race with another Grand Prix event, reducing the calendar for the year to seventeen rounds.

2009 MotoGP Calendar

April 12th Qatar Losail
April 26th Japan Motegi
May 3rd Spain Jerez
May 17th France Le Mans
May 31st Italy Mugello
June 14th Catalunya Catalunya
June 27th Netherlands Assen
July 5th United States Laguna Seca
July 19th Germany Sachsenring
July 26th Great Britain Donington Park
August 16th Czech Republic Brno
August 30th Indianapolis Indianapolis
September 6th San Marino & Riviera di Rimini Misano
October 4th Portugal Estoril
October 18th Australia Phillip Island
October 25th Malaysia Sepang
November 8th Valencia Ricardo Tormo - Valencia

Valentino Rossi # 46- part 3

Fun & Facts


Did you know that the Japanese rider 'Norifumi' Abe inspired Valentino Rossi to the nickname Rossifumi?

The nickname Valentinik is based on a Donald Duck story, where Donald became a superhero and was called papperinik. Valentinik is short for SUPER VALE..

As you probably have heard Valentinik had to go and save the world, so Valentino Rossi has chosen another nickname... Now he's: THE DOCTOR!

Valentino lives in London (Knightsbridge) where he has an apartment. Part of the year he will spent his time in Tavullia and Ibiza.

The people in Tavullia are so happy with Valentino that they decorated his hometown. Many buildings have murals in his honor. Also his fanclub, that his childhood friends are running, is based here.

The number 46 is special for Vale. This was the number that his father - Graziano Rossi - had when he was a GP winner.

There are plenty of Valentino Rossi websites on the internet, but there is only one official site. It is the site of his official fanclub. The address: www.fanclubvalentinorossi.com All the other sites are unofficial, or unauthorized. Same thing with the mailing groups or clubs online. There is no official group or club except for the Official Fanclub in Tavullia.




Quotes by Valentino


"I'm Valentino Rossi. And I want to be a person, not an icon. "

"I would have probably stolen cars - it would have given me the same adrenaline rush as racing."

"For me the tracks are not as important as the psychology"

"When I made the decision to move to Yamaha many people thought it was a stupid thing to do, even my father and Jeremy Burgess. But I was already committed and have never looked back since."

"I don't like Formula 1 very much. If you take away Schumacher, then maybe Jacques Villeneuve and Juan Pablo Montoya, they're all the same. The cars have so much technology the drivers don't have to do anything. Even if I win many races , I still have to fight and we have overtaking and excitment"

"I said to Max: 'What are you doing idiot?' And then there was some pushing and shoving. Then a security guard grabbed me and someone took Max"

"I try to have a different relationship with the bike. I don't give it a name, but I always speak with it. I don't know if the other riders do the same. This is not only a piece of metal - there is a soul. The bike talks back too. But not with a voice, with the components"

" All Honda are bastards "

"For sure there are good points, but there are very much worse points. When you go to dance in a nightclub, when you go with your friends to have a snack at McDonalds, people want to speak to you, take pictures. At first, I was very much friendly - too much. No I have learned to be a shit. To say no!"

"When I looked at my best lap time I thought it was like a symphony of violins - perfect, so I decided that if I won I would do this celebration across the finish line!"

"It's nice to have on or two girls chasing you, but when there's one thousand, it's not good!"

"125 racing was more like a game. 250 started to become serious and this is more serious, because this bike is dangerous...it's necessary every time to be quiet and respectful with the bike. Very respectful."

(About his turtle tattoo) "Because I like the animal a lot. I had it as a mascot from when I was very young."

"The Doc Rossi is born a night together with Drudi (designer author of the Rossi helmets), because in Italy there are thousands of Dr. Rossi. He is a crazy scientist that take the place of Valentinik that has worldwide troubles. He (Valentinik) is always busy op peace-keeping in the Universe he has a lot to do and he cannot come to the races no more..."

"Fear? Every time I crash. Very much. When crashing, every time - it's not a good sensation. Every time, the track is more hard. It hurts more."

"I had to become a motorcross rider at 220km/h and I can guarantee you that's not a nice experience on a 500. Then I went passed him and gave him a little wave - I was just nervous, it's the race you know?"

"I never liked him. Even as a kid seeing him on television, he never appealed to me. A good rider but not a good guy. We never talk and I don't understand why he started to put me down in the Italian press. He even said I became famous by speaking ill of him."

"I've had enough with this old story rider-bike. Honda is strong in breaking, me too. On breaking I pass them everywhere"

"Passing Biaggi on the last lap was like the best orgasm"

"To be Valentino Rossi - that is, Valentino Rossi the famous personality - means many positive things, many advantages, and also many privileges. But it also means paying a very high price for that same popularity."

"Riding a race bike is an art - a thing that you do because you feel something inside."

"I also own a Yamaha motorbike but always respect the speed limit!"

I become racing Valentino from Friday morning. I try to stay my normal character - with jokes and laughter if possible - but in a race weekend I work always at 100% and try to use every minute to arrive stronger in the race. But I try not to become too serious."

"Anyone who spies on another is not a son of Mother Mary"

"Before I like Schwantz very much. He's my favourite rider of all time. Also Doriano Romboni. But mainly Kevin (and) ofcourse Mick. And also Wayne Rainey and Wayne Gardner. The true riders of 500"

Quotes About Valentino


"In my opinion Rossi is fantastic for MotoGP. The fans and motorcycle enthusiasts appreciate his skill and his outgoing personality has lifted the profile of the sport" - Mick Doohan

"Rossi is mentally strong and he never gives up" - Mick Doohan

" He is a magician. He's mesmerizing. ... he's the fastest man on two wheels. It's speed but it's also balance. ... Rossi has a sort of innate sense of balance that's beyond mortal man." - Brad Pitt

"It is always a great emotion to watch Valentino ride in that way." - Davide Brivio

"It seems Valentino can ride pretty much anything." - Colin Edwards

"He pulled out something like his 700th miracle and you can only take your hat off to a great champion." - Colin Edwards

"We are not talking about Valentino because he is on another planet after what he has done today." - Carlos Checa

" Valentino breaks other people's spirits by dominating practise and qualifying" - Randy Mamola

"To tell you the truth I think he's just been playing with the other guys, he's got them beaten even before they go out on the track" - Wayne Rainey

"I think there are other riders out there with the ability to compete with him but every time they come out of their shells he just beats them back in again" - Wayne Rainey

"Valentino is the kind of talent that comes along to any sport only once in a generation" - Giacomo Agostini

"I think the motivation Valentino has shown this year is a demonstration of his love for the sport" - Giacomo Agostini

"The quality of the opposition is strong but Valentino has something extra. Every race is a new adventure to him and he is excited to meet each challenge" - Giacomo Agostini

"He hasn't had terrible motorcycles to ride but everything he rides he wins on... everything. His PR, promotion and merchandising is head and shoulders above anything I would ever dreamt of having, plus he's Italian!" - Kenny Roberts Sr.

"This year Valentino has had everything covered, he hardly ever makes a mistake. In fact, throughout his career I've barely seen him make a mistake, certainly not off the track, and that helps him to stay focused on it" - Kenny Roberts Sr.

" Rossi is a natural born motorcycle racer, like Tiger Woods is a natural born golfer - Kenny Roberts Sr.

"From what I have seen this year Valentino is simply in another league to the other riders, he is very impressive" - Eddie Lawson

"The young riders all want to be the new Valentino, but Valentino is unique and nobody can be the same." - Frankie Chili

"Valentino Rossi... He's the guy who's setting the pace. He's the guy who's setting the standard." - Nicky Hayden

"I am not thinking about the championship. I'm expecting that to be between Valentino and Rossi." - Marco Melandri

"He is the show, he is MotoGP at the moment." - Shane Byrne

And as requested Rossi Vs Biaggi