MotoGP News | Le Mans – Pre Race Report
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It’s RACE time folks and we are at the legendary Le Mans racing circuit in France. The track was originally built in 1965, Racing was stopped at the track due to the tragic accident involving Spanish rider Alberto Puig in 1995.
We only started racing at Le Mans again in 2000, 5 years later! The track is a demanding track with demanding first gear corners that will test the riders late braking and acceleration, so grip will be a role player in this weekend’s event ! The current MotoGP lap record is held by Dani Pedrosa set at 1’32.647 in 2008.
Let’s talk MotoGP, well we all agree that the shock this week was the announcement from Stoner that he will end his MotoGP career at the end of this current 2012 season. Stoner dismissed all rumours before but it was made official during the press conference yesterday (you can read more about this on our FaceBook Fan Page). Very shortly after Stoners announcement, the 33 year old, Valentino Rossi confirmed that he will certainly be around for at least another 2 years!
Looking at the racing this weekend we can be sure that the Stoner will be working hard for a WIN. He will be challenged by the likes of Lorenzo that is only ONE point behind Stoner in second and Pedrosa with a 14 point difference in third.
The Ducati team stated this week that they hope for a dry race at Le Mans, weird….we know Rossi likes the rain as he has a better chance. Rossi will be pushing for a good result to try and push his point standings, currently the two Ducati riders are in 9th and 8th.
Chris Vermeulen will be making a welcomed return to GP racing covering for the injured Colin Edwards who is still recovering from his broken collarbone.
 Looking at Moto2, well guys what more can we ask for, the class is booming with talent and no two races are the same and never boring. There were some confirmed chassis switches this week, Gino Rea, Ratthapark Wilairot and Angel Rodriguez will be hitting the start line at the Le Mans race with NEW bikes. Marc Marquez will push his hardest to extend his 9 point lead in the 2012 Championship. We can’t help to think that the young Spanish rider Marquez will do his best to claim the empty spot that the MotoGP Honda team will have in 2013 with Stoner leaving. The man in second place and making his presence felt in every round at Pol Espargaro, we know that he will be pushing hard for the win to close the lead that Marquez has built up.
Scott Redding and Andrea Iannone both HOT prospects in the beginning of the 2012 season will definitely also push for podium finishes. Redding has been running top 4 in the start of about every race this year but just misses out on the podium every time.
The new Moto3, 250 single cylinder 4 stroke bikes have not disappointed us. Championship leader Sandro Cortese was on form during all practice sessions, but we know that his rival Maverick Vinales will be looking at taking the WIN, a win from Vinales will take him to the TOP spot in the Championship. RW Racing rider Luis Salóm will also feel confident as he has been on the podium twice this season. Local South African star Brad Binder currently top 20 in the championship will look to even better his results at this weekends round at Le Mans.
I really hope we see good clean racing this weekend…ENJOY, till next time.
Words by Donovan Denoon
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Circuit infoLength: 4.180 m. / 2,597 miles Width: 13m Left corners: 4 Right corners: 9 Longest straight: 674 m. / 0,419 miles Constructed: 1966 Modified: 2008 |
Event Time Schedule |
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FRIDAY
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SATURDAY
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SUNDAY
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Moto3 FP1
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09:15 - 09:55
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Moto3FP3
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09:15 - 09:55
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Moto3 WUP
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08:40 - 09:00 |
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MotoGP FP1
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10:10 - 10:55
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MotoGPFP3
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10:10 - 10:55
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Moto2 WUP
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09:10 - 09:30
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Moto2 FP1
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11:10 - 11:55
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Moto2FP3
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11:10 - 11:55
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MotoGP WUP
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09:40 - 10:00
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Moto3 FP2
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13:15 - 13:55
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Moto3QP
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13:00 - 13:40
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Moto3 RAC
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11:00
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MotoGP FP2
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14:10 - 14:55
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MotoGPQP
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13:55 - 14:55
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Moto2 RAC
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12:20
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Moto2 FP2
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15:10 - 15:55
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Moto2QP
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15:10 - 15:55
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MotoGP RAC
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14:00
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MotoGP Standings |
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| Pos. | Rider | Bike | Nation | Points |
| 1 | Casey STONER | Honda | AUS | 66 |
| 2 | Jorge LORENZO | Yamaha | SPA | 65 |
| 3 | Dani PEDROSA | Honda | SPA | 52 |
| 4 | Cal CRUTCHLOW | Yamaha | GBR | 37 |
| 5 | Andrea DOVIZIOSO | Yamaha | ITA | 35 |
Moto2 Standings |
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| Pos. | Points | Num. | Rider | Nation | Team | Bike | Km/h | Time/Gap |
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| 1 | 25 | 93 | Marc MARQUEZ | SPA | Team CatalunyaCaixa Repsol | Suter | 148.0 | 44’04.086 |
| 2 | 20 | 40 | Pol ESPARGARO | SPA | Pons 40 HP Tuenti | Kalex | 147.9 | +1.987 |
| 3 | 16 | 12 | Thomas LUTHI | SWI | Interwetten-Paddock | Suter | 147.9 | +2.071 |
| 4 | 13 | 5 | Johann ZARCO | FRA | JIR Moto2 | Motobi | 147.5 | +9.227 |
| 5 | 11 | 29 | Andrea IANNONE | ITA | Speed Master | Speed Up | 147.5 | +10.481 |
Moto3 Standings |
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| Pos. | Points | Num. | Rider | Nation | Team | Bike | Km/h | Time/Gap |
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| 1 | 25 | 11 | Sandro CORTESE | GER | Red Bull KTM Ajo | KTM | 138.8 | 41’34.536 |
| 2 | 20 | 25 | Maverick VIÑALES | SPA | Blusens Avintia | FTR Honda | 138.8 | +0.055 |
| 3 | 16 | 39 | Luis SALOM | SPA | RW Racing GP | Kalex KTM | 138.2 | +11.038 |
| 4 | 13 | 63 | Zulfahmi KHAIRUDDIN | MAL | AirAsia-Sic-Ajo | KTM | 138.1 | +12.195 |
| 5 | 11 | 7 | Efren VAZQUEZ | SPA | JHK T-Shirt Laglisse | FTR Honda | 137.7 | +20.934 |
WSBK News | Donington Park – Pre Race Report
| Off to racing again ! This week end we have World Super bike Racing from Donington Park circuit in the UK. The first race at Donington Park was held in 1988 and boy its always been a good track for WSBK racing, its been 301 rounds of unforgettable racing. Last week was a bit of a complex round with Race one cancled, this leaving the points standings virtually unchanged. Italian Aprilia rider Max Biaggi in 1st and world champion Carlos Checa on his Althea Racing Ducati. The youngster to WSBK racing Tom Sykes on his Kawasaki will push for yet another good result as he is most definitely in a good running for the championship and only 6 points from the top. Early days and a long season to go but Tom Sykes does look good on that very fast Kawasaki !! We hope to see some good racing from the 600 Supersport brigade, I really hope the South African riders will bounce back from the very tough Monza round. |
2012 Standings Riders – FIM Superbike World Championship |
2012 Standings Riders – FIM Supersport World Championship |
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| MAX BIAGGI |
APRILIA
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97,5
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KENAN SOFUOGLU
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KAWASAKI
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61
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| CARLOS CHECA |
DUCATI
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95,5
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SAM LOWES |
HONDA
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51
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| TOM SYKES |
KAWASAKI
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91,5
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FABIEN FORET |
KAWASAKI
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49
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| MARCO MELANDRI |
BMW
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72,5 | JULES CLUZEL |
HONDA
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48
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| JONATHAN REA |
HONDA
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70
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ALEX BALDOLINI |
TRIUMPH
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34
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MotoGP News | Less pre-race setup might just grant better MotoGP racing !
Words by Donovan Denoon
Bikefin Honda Racing News | 5 days to lift off in Port Elizabeth
5 days to lift off in Port Elizabeth
Just five days to go to the next round of the South African Supersport Championship in Port Elizabeth. The BikeFin Honda riders always look forward to Aldo Scribante. The circuit flows nicely and offers very good grip. It sound crazy, but the Cape Town disaster came as a bit of a relief. The perfect start we had at Zwartkops was always going to be a hard act to follow and hopefully our share of drama came sooner rather than later. The riders realise it is a long season, and have to be a bit more circumspect. Although some of the other teams have made some good progress, Bikefin Honda is still the team to beat. The technicians have been working flat out to make sure our bikes are at their best. We have a really good base after the pre-season test at Scribante. Clint and Lance will once again be setting the pace, but Brent and Cam have shown they are keen to get involved. Both of the youngsters are impressing more and more. It’s anybody’s game.
MotoGP News | Capirossi appointed BMW M MotoGP™ Expert
SOURCE: www.motogp.com (BMW M press release)
SATURDAY – UNLUCKY WEEKEND FOR THE BIKEFIN HONDA BOYS!
| Cape Town: Round 2 – SA Supersport Championship
A high dose of mixed fortune for the BikeFin Honda Team during the second round of the South African Supersport Championship. Free Practice Friday: The team dominated each of the three sessions, the first being wet with rain spells threatening the third. Yet again, Clint Seller was overall quickest in the dry practice sessions with Cam fastest in the wet. Lance Isaacs and Brent Harran were each session in the top 4. Another perfect qualifier for Clint Seller in pole position with local hero Lance Isaacs in P2 for both heats. Front row P4 Cam Peterson followed by Brent on P5! It was clear that the winning strike was in the air again for the first race. |
| Race 1 saw local home town hero Sir Lance Isaacs take the victory, followed by Clint Seller and Cam Petersen in P3 and Brent Harran in P5. It took the entire race of 10 laps of severe fighting to decide the winner of race 1 and a very happy home crowd saw Lance crossing the line within .03 of a second. Clint was not happy as he was shown 2 laps to go by the time keepers start finish line signal but they were officially a lap behind the starter who brought out the chequered flag on lap 10 – giving the win to Lance while Clint thought he still had a lap to go!
Disaster struck in Race 2 which got off to a flying start with Clint and Lance taking the lead by more than one second per lap. However, lap 5 saw a dramatic turn of events as Clint lost the front in turn 1 when he got stuck with a false neutral and ran off the track into a sand trap. He managed to salvage the situation by getting back on the track. Lap 5 didn’t prove any better as Lance Isaacs and Brent Harran both fell in oil on turn two. Lance couldn’t finish the race and retired to the pits. Brent, however, picked up and came from the back to gain valuable points. Cam Peterson held the BikeFin Honda team’s name high as he finished in a solid 2nd overall for the day. Again the day did not end that bad with the BikeFin Honda boys filling the overall podium! Overall results: 1. Ivan Torlage – Kawasaki ZX6RR 2. Cam Petersen – BikeFin Honda CBR600RR 3. Clint Seller – BikeFin Honda CBR600RR 4. Brent Harran – BikeFin Honda CBR600RR All the riders are healthy and uninjured after their falls. Next race PE – 30 April. |
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