MotoGP: Racing Season Officially Begins

Jeff Buchanan
03/17/2011

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MotoGP Season Preview

A few weeks ago in Australia the World Superbike Championship series made its debut for 2011 with Spaniard Carlos Checa taking a double win aboard his Althea Ducati.

Last week welcomed the official start of the AMA Pro Road Racing series at the traditional opening round at Daytona. The results were amazing (albeit controversial).

And now, as I write this, the 125cc and Moto2 riders have taken to the track in Qatar for the opening round of MotoGP. And in a few minutes the premiere class riders take to the asphalt to officially start the season.

For a race junkie like myself nothing quite eases the mind like the racing season getting underway. As an armchair racer, following the winter months with only scattered reports, rumors, banter and bullx&%#, I can escape into the magical world of racing, rooting for my favorite riders while speculating about various teams, bikes, changes, rules, tracks, etc. etc. etc. It's wonderful. It spirits me away from my daily concerns in life.

While certainly the AMA superbike series and the WSBK series possess major excitement, nothing quite gets the blood going like MotoGP, the premiere motorcycle racing series in the world.

This season, perhaps more so than any in recent memory, contains enough dramatic elements to stir things up like never before. Already in pre-season testing there has been some shuffling in the stakes and the betting wars.

Casey Stoner, Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Doizioso have reflected Repsol Honda's fierce determination to regain the kind of dominance they once had over the grid.

Obviously the biggest questions have been generated by what is happening in the Ducati garage. After all the hype and drama last year following the much anticipated move by the 7-time World Champion, Valentino Rossi, to Team Ducati, have come the realities of struggles of adapting to the Italian machine-reflected in the time sheets.

Normally one could draw relative conclusions from the test timings, however, we're talking Vale here. In other words; this means nothing. The affable Italian hero has pulled more rabbits out his hat than any other rider in history. Although Valentino is hampered by a nagging shoulder injury while still coming to terms with the red bike, you simply can't count him out-even in the first round.

Sneaking up through the time sheets in pre-season, American Ben Spies has been consistently hovering around the front runners as he comes to grips with the new factory Yamaha ride. Personally, I believe-provide "Elbows" stays healthy-will challenge for the podium all season and, dare I go out on a limb here, earn his first race win within the first half of the season.
The other rider showing marked improvement is Italian Marco Simoncelli.

Perhaps the best candidate as heir to Valentino's charismatic persona in the pit, Simoncelli is showing comfort in the premiere class and has shaken off any hesitation of mixing it up with the gods of MotoGP.

American Colin Edwards-in potentially his last year of racing MotoGP-is showing exceptional speed and comfort aboard the Tech3 Yamaha. The third American in the series, Nicky Hayden, though hampered by adjusting to changes in the Ducati, is showing a renewed confidence and desire, reflecting the thirst he had when he first made the trip across the pond.

All said, this is racing we're talking about. All bets are off. The reason we dig this stuff is specifically because of the unknown, the surprises in store.

But the important thing is that MotoGP has begun for 2011. It's anybody's guess how the coming months are going to unfold. Now you'll have to excuse me, live timing is coming in from Qatar.

Ladies Track Day 2

Dear Ladies,

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lets track day.......

Josh Waters confirms his return to World Superbike with Yoshimura Suzuki at Miller Motorsports Park

• By Jacob Black
• March 14, 2011 10:44AM

Impressive ... Mildura's Josh Waters has earned a second WSBK berth. Source: Supplied

After scoring the first points for Yoshimura Suzuki in 2011, Josh Waters will return to the iconic Japanese tuner for the fifth WSBK round at Miller Motorsports Park in the USA on May 30.

Waters was released from the opening round of the Australian Superbike championship to make his world debut at Phillip Island, and he may miss the June 5 race in Queensland.

"Suzuki Australia have been fantastic, they’ve been great," Waters said.

"I think they’re happy that I’m on a Suzuki, and especially because it’s Yoshimura. They’ve been such great supporters of our sport and of Suzuki."

Despite an impressive performance at Phillip Island, Waters said he wasn't expecting a second call up for the team.

"Not really no, I was being real about it," he explained.

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"I kind of thought they used me because they wanted an Australian in Australia, so they’ll want an American in America,  and someone from England in England, so it’s good  that I get to go over and show the world guys what I can do again."

Yoshimura spokesperson Keiko Oshimi was impressed by Waters' performance at the season opening round of the World Superbike championship.

"At Phillip Island Josh did a great job in his first ride on the Yoshimura GSX-R1000, his first race on Pirelli tires, and his first race on the world stage," she said. 

"He finished 18th in race one because of a puncture, but was 13th in race two and earned 3 points.

"Although we were happy with our result, we always want to do better and we have found some areas to work and improve on before we go to Miller Motorsports Park in May," Oshimi explained.

MOTOGP: Preseason Finale Under The Lights

The final preseason test before next weekend's MotoGP opener will take place this weekend at Losail.

Media Release  |  Posted March 11, 2011   Losail (QAT)

(Photo: motogp.com)

The MotoGP class will complete its 2011 preseason preparations in Qatar this Sunday and Monday, as the final Test before the opening race of the campaign takes place.

Riding under the floodlights of the Losail International Circuit the premier class will define and perfect their 800cc machines in readiness for the race at the same venue, which kicks off the 2011 season six days later.

Attention in pre-season so far has been largely drawn to the performance of the Honda, notably the two factory machines of Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa, whose team-mate Andrea Dovizioso has also been at the sharp end of the timesheets. The dominance of the RC212V at the two previous Sepang meetings will now be put to the test at Qatar, including the progress of the San Carlo Honda Gresini rider Marco Simoncelli whose groundwork for his second premier class season has been nothing short of impressive.

Yamaha Factory racing pair Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies will be eager to take their respective M1 prototypes on a level, the current World Champion keen to be in the best possible shape to start the defense of his title and his American team-mate eyeing a strong start to his tenure in the factory set-up.

Of course a great deal of intrigue and interest will once again center around Valentino Rossi too. The Italian lost a valuable day of riding at the previous Test in Malaysia due to illness, and combined with his adaptation to the Ducati Desmosedici thus far and recovering shoulder will be desperate to take a significant step forward having been almost two seconds off the pace at Sepang just over two weeks ago.

Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech 3), Álvaro Bautista (Rizla Suzuki) and Hiroshi Aoyama (San Carlo Honda Gresini) all had encouraging outings at Sepang and will seek to continue their progress in Qatar, whilst Nicky Hayden (Ducati Team), Héctor Barberá (Mapfre Aspar Team) and Pramac Racing pair Loris Capirossi and Randy de Puniet will all be determinedly focused as they set up their individual GP11 machines for the first round.

Toni Elías and his LCR Honda team will push hard to take advantage of the final opportunity to fine-tune the Spaniard’s RC212V, whilst for rookies Cal Crutchlow (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) and Karel Abraham (Cardion AB Motoracing) the Test previews each rider’s first race in the premier class of the World Championship.

WSBK: Yosh Suzuki Set For MMP

Yoshimura Suzuki will field Josh Waters in the American round of the Superbike World Championship.

Media Release  |  Posted March 10, 2011   Toole Valley, UT

(Photo: Suzuki Racing)

Yoshimura Suzuki is preparing for its second World Superbike Championship race on May 30th at the Miller Motorsports Park fifth round in America.

Following on from its inaugural WSBK points-scoring ride with Australian Josh Waters at the Australian series opener at Phillip Island last month, Yoshimura is currently evaluating all data gathered and further-developing the team's GSX-R1000 ahead of the US race, in which 22-year-old Waters will compete in only his second-ever World Championship event.

At Phillip Island, the team tested several new Yoshimura factory parts, including an all-new R-11R racing exhaust, which will be further developed by R&D testing in America and also at the Suzuka 8-Hour in Japan at the end of July.

Said Yoshimura's Keiko Oshimi: "At Phillip Island Josh did a great job in his first ride on the Yoshimura GSX-R1000, his first race on Pirelli tires; and his first race on the world stage. He finished 18th in race one because of a puncture, but was 13th in race two and earned 3 points.

"Although we were happy with our result, we always want to do better and we have found some areas to work and improve on before we go to Miller Motorsports Park in May."

WSBK Crash Update: Rea Fit for Donington

Sam Sims
03/07/2011

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2011 World Superbike

The first round of the 2011 World Superbike Championship was almost a no go for Castrol Honda's Jonathan Rea.

The Northern Irishman had to jump from his CBR1000RR during the final pre-season test at the Australian track, dislocating his left ring finger and experiencing much pain in his left wrist.

Rea then went down during Superpole, but managed the pain and raced at Phillip Island, finishing 12th in Race 1, and fourth in Race 2. Although Rea raced, it was still unknown if he would need any further medical attention from his injuries.

On Monday, Rea was further examined by a specialist doctor, and was reported to have not sustained any other "fractures or other significant injury." The doctors reported Rea will compete at Round 2 in Donington on March 27, and should be close to full fitness.

Jonathan Rea (Castrol Honda Superbike) says: "I have just been to see my specialist in Manchester and he has given me the all clear and confirmed that there is no further damage to my repaired ligament in my left wrist. I only have some soft tissue damage to the right wrist. That's really good news and all I have to do now is work hard in rehab to regain full function.

"It was really hard in Australia; it drained me of everything. When I got home it hit me two or three days later. Traveling home was a big effort and I also got sick at the end of last week, which knocked me out for a day. I think it was a mix of jet-lag and illness, but now I have got a spring in my step again.

"I should be close to full fitness in time for Donington, so I should have no pain like before. My dislocated left ring finger still does not have a full range of motion, but that is a minor detail."

During the bad wreck at Phillip Island, Rea crashed his Castrol Honda CBR1000RR at Turn 3 just oments after posting the third overall quickest time at the final pre-season World Superbike test .

The Ten Kate Honda team's report states oil leaked onto the superbike's rear tire from the motor, which caused a fire on the Honda. Due to the fire, Rea was forced to jump from his Honda Superbike at about 130 mph, and subsequently dislocated his left ring finger and experience pain in his left wrist.

Ducati’s absence from the World Superbike Championship may be temporary as Troy Bayliss is helping the company develop its next racebike

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Bayliss, a three-time WSBK Champion, has confirmed with Italian website Motoblog.it he will be testing the successor to the Ducati 1198 Superbike. The next Ducati superbike is expected to enter the 2012 or 2013 WSBK championship.
“It’s my job to follow the testing phases of the new model,” Bayliss told Motoblog.it. “I can’t reveal anything, but we are working hard to create a competitive bike that can win the championship again.”

Troy Bayliss, shown here with his special edition Ducati 1098R, is helping develop Ducati's next superbike.

Ducati is not entering a factory team for the 2011 WSBK season despite its long winning tradition in the series. A new superbike doesn’t necessarily mean Ducati will bring back a full factory team, Bayliss’ participation suggests Ducati is investing significant resources into the project.

Kicking off the 2011 bike racing season: World Superbikes at Donington Park.

By Paul Hood on March 9, 2011 10:03 PM in BSB race news

Race fans... the wait for the start of the 2011 BSB Championship is almost over....

Meanwhile, the 2011 World Superbike Championship got off to an exciting start at Philip Island in Australia last month with British star and 2010 runner-up Leon Haslam securing his first podium of the season.

Now WSBK is coming to Europe - Donington Park race ciruit will host round 2 on 25th - 27th March.

This year sees a strong contingent of British riders lining up alongside Haslam. Jonathan Rea - who placed fourth in the championship last year despite missing the last two rounds - joins the title fight for Castrol Honda. The ever-popular James Toseland returns with a new BMW team, while Leon Camier, Tom Sykes and new boy Eugene Laverty are all hoping to make an impact on the standings.

The revamped Leicestershire circuit makes a welcome return to the calendar after a year-long break and £1m worth of investment in the track and facilities. Donington Park promises improved spectator areas for 2011, with a new infield section allowing views from the famous Redgate corner right up to McLeans.

With the six Brits on the grid and everything still to play for, it's the perfect opportunity to see homegrown racing talent in action.

Tickets are sale on sale now - with paddock and pitwalk passes also up for grabs if you fancy meeting the race stars.

Yamaha WR250X Motard

--  $2000 off Yamaha WR250X Motard

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Yamaha's fuel injected roadster was designed from the ground up to combine scintillating performance while not requiring the same high service requirements demanded by race spec motorcycles.

Customers are sure to be impressed with the long service intervals - for example 40,000 between valve adjustments - and two year warranty.

The 250cc four-valve meets the strictest emission laws and is slotted into a sweet hybrid steel/aluminium chassis that can carve the corners with ease.

Large titanium intake valves and high lift cams offer high performance whereas WPC treatment and plated cylinder provide the sort of reliability that allows long service intervals

The liquid-cooled 4-stroke DOHC 4-valve engine has been built to deliver outstanding acceleration and instant response that exceeds anything ever offered in the 250cc single-cylinder street-legal category. It features the same big 77.0 mm bore and short 53.6mm stroke as Yamaha's Grand Prix winning YZ250F motocrosser and WR250F enduro bikes.

The short-stroke engine features a specially designed 4 - valve cylinder head with a compact pent-roof combustion chamber which helps the WR250R deliver instant throttle response and remarkably strong performance right through the rev range to its maximum power output at 10,000 rpm.

Where the 'R' model enduro model receives long travel suspension, the 'X' model gets similar units that are specially tuned for street riding. A massive 298mm front disc brake brings the fun to a stop in an instant and the whole package is ideal for newcomers to two wheels.

The super low pricing is available on 2009 models at participating dealers while stocks last, conditions apply.

Rossi expresses World Superbike interest

Mon, 07 Mar 07:40:51 2011

Valentino Rossi has hinted that he might switch to World Superbikes at the end of his MotoGP career.

The Italian superstar, who is about to start the first year of a two-year contract with Ducati, has previously been linked to F1 or WRC whenever he finally quits grand prix - but now seems to be considering something more familiar.

"In a few years, when I'm older, I could even race in Superbikes with Ducati," Reuters quotes the seven time MotoGP champion as saying.

Rossi has track-tested both Yamaha and Ducati (pictured) Superbikes in the past year, to help gauge his fitness after leg and shoulder injuries.

No rider has yet won both the World Superbike and MotoGP World Championships.

Ben Spies, the 2009 WSBK title winner who has replaced Rossi at Yamaha for 2011, is the only person that could potentially achieve that milestone this season.

Ladies Trackday Special

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