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.

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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.

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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.

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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).

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.

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

Valentino Rossi # 46- part 2

Valentino Rossi's Nick Names
Valentino Rossi has had numerous nicknames during his racing career. His first prominent nickname was "Rossifumi". Rossi explained the etymology of this nickname as a reference and tribute to fellow rider Norifumi Abe. His next nickname appeared some time around his days racing in the 250cc World Championship. The nickname "Valentinik" was a reference to the Italian Donald Duck superhero, "Paperinik". Since his dominance in 500cc and MotoGP, Rossi has used the nickname "The Doctor". This has been attributed to his "cold and clinical dismantling of his opponents" as well as his cool and calm composure in racing compared to his frenetic days in 125cc and 250cc where his performance was erratic and dangerous, resulting in numerous crashes.

There are two theories as to why Rossi is entitled "The Doctor", one is Rossi adopted the nickname upon having earned a degree, which in Italy entitles one to use the title "Doctor". Another, as spoken by Graziano himself, "The Doctor" because, I dont think there is a particular reason, but it's beautiful, and is important, The Doctor. And in Italy, The Doctor is a name you give to someone for respect, it's very important, The Doctor... important". These days Rossi rarely crashes and in fact holds the record for the longest streak of consecutive podiums. From September 8 2002 to April 18 2004, he stood on the podium at the end of all 23 races including every race in 2003.

He is famous for using the number 46 only, the racing number of his father, Graziano. Typically, a World Championship winner (and also runner-up and third place) is awarded the #1 sticker for the next season. However in an homage to Barry Sheene (who was the first rider of the modern era to keep the same number), Rossi has stayed with the now-famous #46 throughout his career. He traditionally also incorporates his favorite color (fluorescent yellow) into his leather designs. Rossi wears the #1 reserved for the reigning World Champion on the shoulder of his racing outfit.

Intense rivalries
Earlier in his career Max Biaggi was, for all intents and purposes, considered Rossi's arch-nemesis. At one time his website didn't even have Max's name; instead a glaring "XXX XXXXXX" was placed wherever his name should have appeared. Although they hadn't even raced against each other until 2000, the rivalry between the two had been growing since the mid-'90s. Rossi has always considered himself a better rider than Max Biaggi and the Roman has always considered himself far superior to the clown prince. The rivalry has started to die down over recent years due to Vale's consecutive World Championships and Biaggi's struggle to find support and a consistent rhythm with his races. Biaggi looked to improve on recent results with a ride with Honda's factory team in 2005. However, he was off the team and unemployed once the 2006 season rolled around.

Rossi's main rival in the 2004/2005 seasons was Sete Gibernau, riding with Team Gresini's Movistar Honda team on a satellite RC211V in 2004 and then on an all but in name factory RC211V, which Gibernau helped to develop, in 2005. Initially they were quite friendly in the paddock and off - Gibernau partied on occasions with Rossi at the Italian's Ibiza villa - but a souring in their relationship began in the 2004 season and culminated in the "Qatar Incident" that same season when Rossi's team was penalized for "cleaning" his grid position to aid in traction, along with Honda Pons'Max Biaggi, and both riders were subsequently forced to start from the back of the grid. A number of teams, including Gibernau's Team Gresini and the official Respol Honda factory team, appealed successfully to race direction for Rossi to be sanctioned. Rossi and his chief mechanic, Jeremy Burgess, insisted that they were doing nothing more than what many others had done before when faced with a dirty track and Rossi accused Gibernau of being behind the move to appeal for a sanction, something the Spaniard categorically denied. Since then the two have not spoken and Rossi seemed to resolve to use the incident to apply psychological pressure on Gibernau. He is said to have sworn that after the Qatar race, which Gibernau won while Rossi crashed out after rising to 6th position , he would do everything to make sure that Gibernau never stand on the highest step of the podium again. This determination on the part of Rossi might go some way towards explaining his harsh inside passing manouever on Gibernau in the final corner of the first round race of the 2005 MotoGP World Championship at Jerez, which resulted in a Rossi win and Sete claiming second after they both touched and Gibernau was forced into the gravel. The Movistar Honda rider was visibly displeased, with clearly unhappy body language during post-race celebrations and a terse response in the post-race press conference. Rossi offered a handshake to Sete which he accepted. Rossi said in the post-race press conference that he understood that Sete was angry but that at the end of the day, "these are the races." Gibernau remained visibly angry, but sportingly said that he simply wanted to move on to the next race and not get caught up in the feud. As a comparison, a very similar incident occurred at the Qatar GP of 2004 when Rossi collided with Alex Barros when Rossi attempted to outbrake the Brazilian into the first corner, after colliding with Barros he instantly raised his hand in apology.

Gibernau retired from Grand Prix racing after an unsuccessful, injury blighted 2006 season with Ducati and he never won another race after Qatar, prompting some in the Spanish and Italian motorcycle racing media to explain this fact by way of reference to the "Qatar curse".

Now that Gibernau is coming back to MotoGP, is Rossi going to continue the mind games with him or will he ignore him, and the big question is what will through Sete more off balance.
Rossi vs Gibernau The Greatest Duel 2005

Valentino Rossi interview after the race 2005 jerez


In 2006, Rossi had some problems, and Nicky Hayden managed to take the title from him on the last race of the season.

In 2007 the problems didn’t stop, and an unexpected rival appeared- Casey Stoner, that only the year before competed with Randy De Puniet for who can crash the most, got a new Bick and started running a head of the group.

In 2008, he had a slow start for the season, took him time to adept to the Bridgestone’s, and 3 other riders where contending for the title- Dani Padrosa, Casey Stoner, and his team mate Jorge Lorenzo. By Laguna Seca Rossi was back to his old self, Started with the off track mind games with Casey stoner, which led to the most amazing race of the year.

(and yes I know I posted this clip before- but I just cant get enough of it).


Helmets

Valentino Rossi # 46- part 1

Valentino Rossi #46

Because lets face it- there is so much to say about him that I couldn’t possibly put it all in just one blog-post.

Personal opinion: the 2008 world champion (and a few times before- well 8 but who’s counting- 6 times in the MotoGP, once in the 250 class and one in the 125 class). It is obvious he is a serious contender for the championship, but a lot of riders on the grid have marked him as the man to bit this year (and every year). One thing is for sure, that as long as vale aka Rossifumi aka Valentinik aka THE DOCTOR is on the track the crowd in the stands and at home are going to get a good show. (I will explain the nicknames in the next post- I promise).

about Vale

Valentino Rossi Bowling

After GP Win Spain

Valentino Rossi to the toilet

so lets start with the Biography- from http://www.rossifumi.nl/
Valentino Rossi is the youngest rider ever to win the world title in all three classes. At the age of 22 years old, Valentino Rossi became the last true worldchampion of the 500cc and reached his goal of winning in the 125cc, 250cc and 500cc class. In 2002 Valentino Rossi was the first rider ever, at the young age of 23 years, to win the MotoGP class.

Valentino loves everything that goes fast, off-road, rally or road racing; he's a genius on wheels. As a kid Valentino spends lots of time into the paddock as his father, Graziano Rossi was a works rider. Valentino Rossi started his career on a minibike at the coastal resorts near his home, Tavullia. He switched to 125 Sport Production to win the Italian national title in his second attempt in 1994. In 1995 he was the youngest ever Italian 125cc champion, and third in the European championship. He moved to the GP's in 1996.

Valentino Rossi won his first grand prix at the grand prix of the Czech Republic in his debut-season. His second year in the 125cc was very successful. With 12 grand prix victories and only missing out on the podium twice all year Valentino Rossi became worldchampion for the first time. Valentino Rossi amassed a huge amount of fans because of the way he celebrates his victories, his style and sense of humor.

After his 125cc world title Valentino Rossi moved up to the 250cc class on a factory Aprillia and by the end of the year he seemed to have achieved dominance, with four grand prix victories in a row and a second overall standing in the championship. The season of '99 started slowly, but after two races Valentino Rossi caught fire and dominated the rest of the year. With nine victories he became worldchampion in the 250cc.

Valentino Rossi moves to the 500cc to achieve his goal; become worldchampion in all three classes. Valentino Rossi swaps from an Aprillia factory bike to a Honda factory bike. He rides for pretty much the same team that took Mick Doohan to his world titles. Just like the previous classes Valentino Rossi needs one year to learn and one year to win the world championship.

In the year 2000 Valentino Rossi gets ten podium places and even two grand prix victories. With his second place in the championship Valentino Rossi becomes Rookie of the year. In the year 2001 'The Doctor' completes the trilogy with winning the championship at the age of 22 years. With taking this championship, Valentino Rossi is the last true 2-stroke worldchampion as in the year 2002 the 4-strokes will enter the MotoGP.

With the new class entering the grand prix in 2002, a new goal was set for Valentino: winning the MotoGP Class. Valentino started off the season with winning the first GP in a new area. The Honda 4-stroke of Valentino Rossi has been dominating all season, only finishing 2nd once in South Africa and crashing in the Czech Republic . In Brazil he wrapped up the championship after 10 victories this season.

In 2003 Valentino Rossi completely dominates the MotoGP class and adds another MotoGP world title to his name. But Valentino Rossi isn’t satisfied; the worldchampion is up for a new challenge. To every one’s disbelief he signs up with the less competitive Yamaha team. Valentino Rossi proves in his first ever race on the Yamaha M1 that the rider on the bike does matter by winning the grand prix of South Africa. Honda does everything to stop Valentino Rossi, but the doctor is simply unstoppable. Valentino Rossi writes history by winning the MotoGP world title on the Yamaha.

Although the MotoGP class is getting more and more competitive every year, so far there is no rider that can threaten the dominance that Valentino Rossi displays again in 2005. The fairytale simply continues. In 2005 Valentino Rossi wraps up his 7 th world title.

In 2006 the Doctor was the favorite to take the title down, but the season didn't go the way it was expected. Rossi finished 14th in Jerez after Toni Elias pushed him in the first corner and he finished 11th in Assen after he broke his wrist during the training session. Valentino Rossi had a couple of DNF's in Shanghai and Le Mans. But the 2005 world champion showed determination and despite all the bad luck he had in the first half of the season he worked his way back up into the top spot. With one race to go he was 8 points ahead of Nicky Hayden. In Valencia he crashed early in the race and Nicky Hayden grabbed the world title in 2006.

2007 was another hard year, with the changes in regulation, Yamaha didn't seam to be able to provide Rossi with a Bick that can catch up with Casey Stoners Ducati with the Bridgestone tires, in 2008 he moved to Bridgestone’s as well, caused a lot of problems in the Yamaha garage where they had to put a wall between his side and team meat Jorge Lorenzo, but the choice paid off in the end, despite a difficult start to the 2008 season he managed to find his grip with the new tires and win the title back.

Valentino Rossi has got an incredible style that is eye-catching and with his sense of humor and ways to celebrate his victories he amassed a huge group of fans.

Day 2 of practice in Qatar- Summaries

The big changes to the Ducati Desmosedici GP9 already brought in during the early stages of preseason, the relatively minor details are being refined in the final tests before the season curtain-raiser in Qatar. For this week’s night test in Losail the latest item on the agenda is a new swingarm, used by the factory riders under the night sky.

Timesheet topper Casey Stoner was able to run the rear suspension fork on Monday night, in a brief ride on his last stint out of the garage. Ducati MotoGP Project Manager Livio Suppo commented on the findings, indicating no big worries with the part’s introduction.

After the rain upset the first night of testing on Sunday, Fiat Yamaha riders Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo were finally able to make a proper start on their testing programme in Qatar on Monday.

Running under floodlights in preparation for the season-opener in a month’s time, the talented pair were able to put in a good night’s work despite a late-evening break when the track was red-flagged after two riders crashed.

With cool temperatures and a dirty track surface after high winds earlier, lap times were well off record pace but Rossi was able to put in some consistent times and finished the night second behind Casey Stoner. Lorenzo is still looking to find his confidence in the new Bridgestone tyres but he improved gradually throughout the evening to finish in seventh.

An already difficult preseason for Spanish Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa took a turn for the worse on Monday at the MotoGP Official Night Test, as he crashed heavily on turn ten of the Losail International Circuit, sustaining blows to his already injured left knee and the left hand which he hurt at Sachsenring last season.

Dovizioso made encouraging progress on his factory RC212V and set the fourth fastest lap of the day while he and his team focused on electronic settings. Though a strong wind blowing sand across the track meant that the MotoGP riders’ lap times were not as fast as in the race here in 2008, Dovizioso completed 60 laps and set the fourth fastest time of the day, a 1m 57.879s lap, which was 0.740s off Casey Stoner’s best. Dovizioso will return to Losail tomorrow for the final session of this three-day test.

Yamaha’s Tech 3 satellite team Duel had mixed results on Day 2 of practice, while Colin Edwards Had a pretty good practice and had remarkable results, James Toseland seams to be struggling at the back of the pack with the slowest time recorded. I guess that the tension between the two has blown wind under the Taxes tornado wings wail slowing the young British rider.

Always a bluntly realistic rider, Marco Melandri has warned that he will need time to get fully acquainted with the Hayate Racing bike that has salvaged his participation in the 2009 season. The second fastest man on track on Sunday night in Qatar, in a session that saw reduced activity as a result of rainfall, Melandri put in the most laps of any rider -35- as he searched for comfort on the Ninja ZX-RR.

Breaching the 2’01 barrier with his quickest lap as one of only two riders to do so, the former MotoGP World Championship runner-up played down any overly positive conclusions from the Sunday action.

“I need so much more time. I did only a few laps and the times were pretty slow because of the dirty track,” he explained after the session.

“The bike is also completely different to the ’08 that I used in November; I need a few more hours to understand it but the first impression was quite good.”

Melandri was at least familiar with the Qatar track after a recent scouting operation, when he competed at the circuit as part of the Speedcar Series. In between the announcement of his reincorporation into MotoGP and his Sunday test appearance, the Italian also had time to participate in the latest round of the series at Dubai this past weekend –where he finished tenth and eighth.

Preparing for their debut on the biggest stage, the MotoGP debutants are busy learning their lines for opening night in Qatar. That is the case for newcomer Yuki Takahashi, who chose an appropriate rider to whom to play understudy on the second night at Losail.

The Scot Racing rider´s former 250cc teammate and predecessor in the satellite squad, Andrea Dovizioso made an impressive debut to finish fourth at last years Grand Prix in Qatar. The Italian found time on Monday night to show the ropes to Takahashi, leaving the Japanese newcomer grateful for his help.

Session 2 - 02/03/09

Pos	Rider	Country	Fastest lap	Prev. Gap	Lead. Gap	Laps
1	Casey Stoner	AUS	1:57.139	-	-	37
2	Valentino Rossi	ITA	1:57.747	+0.608	+0.608	51
3	Colin Edwards	USA	1:57.817	+0.070	+0.678	41
4	Andrea Dovizioso	ITA	1:57.879	+0.062	+0.740	60
5	Chris Vermeulen	AUS	1:58.018	+0.139	+0.879	24
6	Loris Capirossi	ITA	1:58.264	+0.246	+1.125	42
7	Jorge Lorenzo	SPA	1:58.400	+0.136	+1.261	63
8	Alex De Angelis	RSM	1:58.441	+0.041	+1.302	53
9	Nicky Hayden	USA	1:58.577	+0.136	+1.438	54
10	Dani Pedrosa	SPA	1:58.619	+0.042	+1.480	28
11	Randy De Puniet	FRA	1:58.936	+0.317	+1.797	55
12	Toni Elias	SPA	1:59.036	+0.100	+1.897	56
13	Yuki Takahashi	JPN	1:59.153	+0.117	+2.014	65
14	Marco Melandri	ITA	1:59.195	+0.042	+2.056	63
15	Niccolo Canepa	ITA	1:59.266	+0.071	+2.127	36
16	Mika Kallio	FIN	1:59.764	+0.498	+2.625	48
17	James Toseland	GBR	2:00.234	+0.470	+3.095	51