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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
MotoGP News | Less pre-race setup might just grant better MotoGP racing !
Words by Donovan Denoon
MotoGP News | Capirossi appointed BMW M MotoGP™ Expert
SOURCE: www.motogp.com (BMW M press release)
MotoGp News | Jerez Testing comes with some Surprises!
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With testing concluded at Jerez, the MotoGP paddock has just two short weeks before the opening round at the Losail International Circuit is underway. Heading into Qatar, there are few surprises from last season though, as the Honda of Casey Stoner continues to dominate the time sheets, while teammate Dani Pedrosa and top-Yamaha man Jorge Lorenzo trail closely behind. Yamaha’s package looks very refined and balanced, and appears to have gained a step on the Honda machines. This should make for more interesting racing moments, where the more balanced Yamaha YZR-M1 will excel at certain tracks, while the more powerful Honda RC213V will shine at others. Also coming more into play will be the strengths and weaknesses of Honda and Yamaha’s top riders, whose particular track preferences could be the x-factor at some of the races. |
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| Still at best, MotoGP is shaping up to be a three-man show, with maybe Ben Spies and some other riders occasionally mixing the order of things up. This statement is of course a direct reflection on the progress of Ducati Corse, which despite having made improvements to the Ducati Desmosedici GP12, is not really any closer to making up the difference to the front of the pack. Now using a completely revised aluminum frame, the team still seems to be struggling to find a starting point from which to build from, and in the process they have killed enough spare parts to start a pick-and-pull MotoGP junkyard.
Meanwhile the CRT riders continue to be off the pace, sans one Randy de Puniet. Apparently no one told the Frenchman that his Aprilia ART was not supposed to be competitive, as the Power Electronics Aspar rider has been nipping on the heels of the slower satellite riders throughout the testing week. A thinnly disguised Aprilia RSV4 World Superbike, the Aprilia ART is the CRT of choice in the paddock, despite being one of the newer models to hit the track. NGM Forward’s BMW/Suter machine has perhaps been in the limelight the longest, though the team and Colin Edwards have not been able to make the bike be competitive. In what may be Edwards’s last season in MotoGP, this certainly is not the way he wanted to start the long goodbye. BMW is reported to be helping the team to some degree now (as is Aprilia with the ART), and Suter seems committed to making the package work. Though like Ducati Corse, NGM Forward is talking more about future potential and opportunities, as opposed to good expectations at Qatar. |
| 1 Casey Stoner Repsol Honda Honda 1:38.780
2 Jorge Lorenzo Factory Yamaha Yamaha 1:38.953 0.173 3 Dani Pedrosa Repsol Honda Honda 1:39.157 0.377 4 Ben Spies Factory Yamaha Yamaha 1:39.495 0.715 5 Cal Crutchlow Monster Tech 3 Yamaha 1:39.585 0.805 6 Valentino Rossi Ducati Factory Ducati 1:39.733 0.953 7 Andrea Dovizioso Monster Tech 3 Yamaha 1:39.868 1.088 8 Nicky Hayden Ducati Factory Ducati 1:39.919 1.139 9 Alvaro Bautista San Carlo Gresini Honda 1:40.017 1.237 10 Stefan Bradl LCR Honda Honda 1:40.098 1.318 11 Hector Barbera Pramac Ducati 1:40.287 1.507 12 Karel Abraham Cardion AB Ducati 1:40.579 1.799 13 Randy de Puniet Power Electronics Aspar Aprilia ART 1:40.601 1.821 14 Aleix Espargaro Power Electronics Aspar Aprilia ART 1:41.645 2.865 15 Danilo Petrucci IODA Racing IODA Aprilia 1:41.926 3.146 16 Franco Battaini Ducati Test Team Ducati 1:42.057 3.277 17 Colin Edwards NGM Mobile Forward Suter BMW 1:42.073 3.293 18 Mattia Pasini Speed Master Aprilia ART 1:42.184 3.404 19 Michele Pirro San Carlo Gresini FTR Honda 1:42.212 3.432 20 James Ellison PBM UK Aprilia ART 1:42.437 3.657 21 Ivan Silva Avintia Racing FTR Kawasaki 1:42.446 3.666 22 Yonny Hernandez Avintia Racing FTR Kawasaki 1:42.906 4.126 |
Source: MCSA
MotoGP News | Ducati Desmosedici GP12 MotoGP exclusive Launch
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| The long awaited new Ducati Desmosedici GP12 MotoGP bike was launched recently. The first phenomenal element was that 96,000 people were viewing the launch online. Rossi and Hayden joined with Ducati President Gabriele del Torchio and Technical Director Filippo Preziosi for the presentation that took place at the company headquarters in Borgo Panigale, Bologna, Italy.
The official colours that the Ducati GP12 will carry were shown today during the online launch, and as always, the bike also looks great in the Italian colours. Apart from the increased engine displacement from 800 cc to 1,000cc in line with the new regulations, Ducati has changed a lot more on the GP12, starting with the frame. While previously the Italian firm was contesting of employing a frameless design with engine as the stressed member that idea has been eliminated and replaced with an aluminium twin spar chassis. Thank you Ducati for that! |
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| This was mainly due to the engine use restrictions, as the twin spar frame offers more options to re-position the same engine for varying setups unlike the frameless design, where relocating the motor for better results means every time employing a new engine.
Resent results from the Sepang tests have shown fair improvement in Rossi and Hayden’s times compared to last year, but it’s still remains to be seen if the all-new GP12 can challenge the blisteringly fast Honda of Casey Stoner and equally quick Yamaha of Jorge Lorenzo. Both riders, Rossi and Hayden appeared excited with their new machines that they will now take to Jerez for testing with the MotoGP season set start on 8th April in Qatar. |
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| Images supplied by RACE!
Words by Donovan Denoon |
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MotoGP News | Jorge Lorenzo Tests GP2 Car at Valencia
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The 2012 MotoGP World Champion, Jorge Lorenzo was invited to Ricardo Tormo circuit in Valencia for the testing the GP2 Series racer of the Barwa Addax Team on Wednesday.
The team owner, Alejandro Agag an acquaintance of Lorenzo’s manager, Mark Hirsch, Invited Lorenzo to experience driving the Formula 1 precursor at the high speed circuit. Throughout Lorenzo’s career he has taken part in a variety of four wheeled competitions although this has been the biggest challenge yet. A first generation GP2 car (raced in the world championship series between 2005 – 2007 and in the Asia series from 2008 to 2010). |
| Members of the Spanish team were warned by a Miura -fighting bull, with a Dallara chassis, Renault V8 engine capable of 600hp at 10,000 rpm, perfectly comparable to Formula 1 cars of the time, but with the challenge of not one electronic driving aid. With advice provided by the experienced race car driver Javi Villa, the Mallorcan met the challenge excellently, ending the day running within a few seconds of the lap times set by Villa earlier in the day.
“It’s a unique experience, very different to what I’m used to,” said Lorenzo. “It was impressive and although with the bike I go 310 km/h at this circuit, in the car I went about 280 km/h. But to drive so close the ground, it seems like you go much faster so it was very impressive. The braking is amazing, you can brake very, very late- almost inside the corner.” “I’m happy with the result, although the last few seconds are the hardest to lower and because I’m already leaving, it’s going to stall further progress,” added the Spaniard, although in later sessions after the lunch break and with a new set of tires, Lorenzo continued chipping away at his times and surprising the members of the Barwa Addax Team. “For the first time out, I’m satisfied because I started to find the limits of the car. Although the racing for me is MotoGP for a lot longer, I hope.” After speaking to motogp.com about the day’s activities, Lorenzo also commented on the statements made yesterday by Lin Jarvis, Managing Director of Yamaha Motor Racing, arguing that to secure the title, any team would ideally want to have Jorge Lorenzo or Casey Stoner as their rider. “At the moment, Casey and I are the favorites right now, but things can change overnight. But it’s true that we are the favorites: We’re still both very young, and are the two who finished first and second last year. It’s logical that the factories want to bet first on those who finished first and second,” said Lorenzo, who ends his contract in 2012 as do the other factory riders. “But Pedrosa is close and is very fast, and regarding Rossi, what can I say? He has nine titles, more than 100 victories…and then there’s Hayden, Dovizioso and Spies. There are quite a few who could win the Championship.” |
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| SOURCE: www.motogp.com |
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