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Sunday, 20 June 2010 00:00 |
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Jorge Lorenzo ran away with the British Grand Prix at Silverstone this afternoon, storming home to win by 6.743 seconds to take his first UK win in the Premier Class. The Fiat Yamaha Team's sole representative in the absence of the injured Valentino Rossi, Lorenzo led from the first lap to come home ahead of Andrea Dovizioso and Tech 3 Yamaha rider Ben Spies, who took his maiden podium in MotoGP.
The Mallorcan got a strong start from pole position and led out of turn one but it was not all plain sailing as he became embroiled in a feisty first-lap battle with Dani Pedrosa. The pair traded the lead several times but it was Lorenzo who eventually led over the line and he was unchallenged from there on in, gradually extending his lead lap-by-lap and leaving his rivals trailing in the wake of his blue and white M1. With two laps remaining the gap to Dovizioso stood at more than eight seconds but Lorenzo slowed down on the final two laps to ensure he came home safely, which he duly did to the delight of the 70,000 British fans who are quickly adopting the spirited Spaniard as one of their own.
His third win of the season and another 25-point haul extends Lorenzo's lead to 37 points over Dovizioso in second, with Pedrosa now third. The absent Rossi falls to fourth in the championship but Lorenzo's consistency ensures that the Fiat Yamaha Team still leads the Teams' standings and Yamaha the Manufacturers'. The MotoGP paddock now faces a quick turnaround in order to get to Assen in time for next weekend's Dutch TT, which is as always a Saturday race.
Jorge Lorenzo - 1st, 41'34.083
"This was an important day for me and an important win, because I felt so strong and I enjoyed riding my Yamaha so much. I had a different feeling today; I felt that it was going to be a good race. It was quite hard to be fast at the start and the first lap with Dani was difficult, but once I got past him I felt very relaxed and comfortable. I thought he would follow me for a bit longer but he didn't and then I was on my own, so I just had to focus on myself; I didn't even know who was behind me! I never dreamt of taking three wins from five races but here we are and I am feeling very strong mentally at this moment. I want to thank my team, Yamaha and Bridgestone for this victory. The Beatles celebration was something fun for the fans, I love their music and I thought it was nice to make a homage to them, since we're in England!"
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Wilco Zeelenberg - Team Manager Jorge Lorenzo
"This was a great performance by Jorge. The start was a little bit interesting, with us on the hard Bridgestone and some of the others on the softer one, but Jorge rode so well, kept his head and brought it home safely. Our bike is working very well and it was great to see Spies taking a podium on the Yamaha too, well done to him. It is impressive to have a 37-point gap at this stage but now we have four more races in very close succession so we can't relax. Well done to Jorge and to everyone for today."
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Spies storms to maiden Silverstone podium
Ben Spies stormed to a stunning debut MotoGP podium for the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team this afternoon after a thrilling battle at the spectacular Silverstone circuit.Competing in only his ninth MotoGP race, Spies was locked in an early battle with fellow rookie Marco Simoncelli for sixth place before he became embroiled in an epic fight for second place.
Spies passed Dani Pedrosa on lap nine and then launched a brilliant pursuit of the group in front dicing for second that included Andrea Dovizioso, Randy de Puniet and fellow American Nicky Hayden. The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rider stalked the trio befo re he began a breathtaking late attack, firstly overtaking de Puniet for fourth place on lap 17. That clinical pass left Spies hounding Hayden's Ducati and the 25-year-old timed his crucial attack to perfection, the Texan ignoring the discomfort of a small fracture in his left ankle that he aggravated in a big qualifying crash yesterday.
Spies produced a daring overtake on Hayden at the fast Abbey Corner on the final lap and then defended supremely under immense pressure to claim third and his first premier class rostrum. The result moved Spies into seventh place in the overall world championship standings with 36-points and helped the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team close the gap on fourth place in the all-important Team World Championship classification.
Texan team-mate Colin Edwards rode a determined 20-lap race after a difficult w eekend where he never found the optimum setting with his YZR-M1 machine. He also encountered a repeat of the arm pump issue that hindered him at the last round in Mugello, but he was satisfied having rode to a creditable ninth position to maintain his record of scoring points in every race so far in 2010.
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Thursday, 17 June 2010 01:40 |
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The Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team completed a two-day test this afternoon at the San Marino circuit ahead of next week’s eighth round of the World Championship in Misano. At the close of the test riders Cal Crutchlow and James Toseland were the fastest riders on the board. The team spent the two days testing some different linkages on the bikes along with various electronic settings and also a new radiator design to aid cooling.
The first day started well with both riders posting competitive times, James Toseland in particular ending the morning session second fastest with a 1”36.7 and team mate Cal Crutchlow not far behind in fourth with a 1”36.8. The afternoon saw rainfall which disrupted the test and made the track conditions slower this morning. The day gave very hot temperatures for most of the session, but cooled towards the end allowing the riders to post their fastest times.
Cal Crutchlow, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team (1st, 1”36.2 90 laps)
“It’s been a pretty good test for us, the weather’s been difficult, either really hot or wet which has been challenging. Still, we managed to get down to the fastest time here and I did that on a used tyre which should stand us in good stead for next week’s races. I’m looking forward to getting stuck into it again.”
James Toseland, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team (2nd, 1”36.3, 90 laps)
“We tried a lot with the electronics, all in all it’s been a good test for Yamaha. I’m putting a lot of time into the bike to try and find some extra time in the second half of the race and be more consistent. Everyone is doing a great job but we’re busy trying to catch up with the Aprilia.”
Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team Manager
“I am satisfied as the riders made their best times with used tyres. If the race was tomorrow we are ready. I’m looking forward to the race weekend, it has been a very productive test and we are optimistic that we can build on this and produce some good results.” |
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Monday, 14 June 2010 23:15 |
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On the 26th of June the legendary Assen circuit will witness the 80th edition of the famous TT race. To celebrate the event in style the Yamaha Classic Racing Team will be present and will be displaying iconic Yamaha race bikes from across the decades of the manufacturer’s racing history. The Team will be joined by living legend Giacomo Agostini who will ride the circuit on a classic Yamaha racer.
Racing fans visiting the TT paddock area will be able to get up close and personal with historical GP machines raced to glory from 1964 to 1985 including: 125cc 1 cylinder, 350cc 3 cylinder, 750cc 4 cylinder and all two stroke machines. Added to the line up this year is the 1965 125cc V4 (RA31A) machine that delivered a 1, 2 world championship victory to riders Bill Ivy and Phil Read and the manufacturer’s title to Yamaha in 1965. Another new iconic bike present will be the 350cc twin (OW16) that Agostini raced to world championship victory with in 1974 in the 350cc class.
In homage to the Assen TT Agostini will ride his celebrated 1975 YZR500 OW23 racebike on the circuit. This is the original machine that he rode to his last ever world title victory in 1975 and has special significance as it was also the machine he rode to victory on at the Assen TT in that year. This rare and historically important racebike is being flown over by Yamaha from Japan for this occasion, and is a rare opportunity to see and hear it being ridden by Agostini on track as he did 35 years ago. For more information on Agostini’s victories with Yamaha and the build up to the 80th Assen TT please click the following link to enjoy the Yamaha video: video |
“I am very happy to see that the interest for our classic racing activities is growing and growing,” said Yamaha Classic Racing Team Manager, Ferry Brouwer. “One thing that the public generally appreciates is that the historical machines as well as the racing legends can be approached quite easily, although depending a bit on the venue that we're at. I'm very proud that Giacomo Agostini is participating on the major events this year and we are very grateful that the Yamaha headquarters in Japan have given Ago the opportunity again to ride on his original and legendary machine that he steered to his final word title in 1975.”
The Yamaha Classic Racing Team will return to Assen later this year for a second iconic event, the Centennial Classic TT on the 18th and 19th September. Agostini will again ride for the team at this event and will be joined by other iconic riders from the golden years of racing including: Rodney Gould (1970 250cc world champion with Yamaha), Dieter Braun (1973 250cc world champion with Yamaha), Chas Mortimer (1973 125cc vice champion with Yamaha), Bruno Kneubühler (1974 125cc vice champion with Yamaha) and Steve Baker (1977 500cc vice champion with Yamaha).
The Yamaha Classic Racing Team calendar for 2010 includes the following dates:
26 June - Assen, Netherlands
24,25 July - Imatra, Finland
14,15 Aug - Schotten, Germany
22 Aug - Eext, Netherlands
18,19 Sept - Assen, Netherlands
2,3 Oct - Imola, Italy |
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Friday, 11 June 2010 00:00 |
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1. Vale, first question: how are you and are you still in pain?
"The positive thing is that the worst is past and that the two operations went well, so everything is okay. Now I am expecting a difficult period, in which I have to be aware of the risk of infection and in which I must remain with the leg constantly elevated. Then there will come a second key period, when I will be able to start my rehabilitation and, with support on the leg, will be able to start to walk around with crutches."
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2. Dr. Buzzi talked about a rehabilitation period of about five or six months, what do you think?
"It's to be expected that Dr. Buzzi has been very cautious in his prognosis. I want to heal the injury; that is the only thing I'm interested in. If I miss four races or six races, it doesn't make any difference. The right time to return could be Brno, but it won't necessarily be like this."
3. Do you remember the accident?
"I remember everything perfectly. I didn't hit my head, I didn't hit anything else. The airbag in my leathers worked very well and my helmet was just slightly scratched. I don't have a single bruise! The problem was that I landed on my leg, and it was stuck under my body. If I had landed on my back it would have been different. I had a new tyre and I'd done two laps, then I slowed down because I had Barbera behind me. When I came back onto the racing line Pedrosa arrived and I didn't want to cause a problem for him so I moved again but then when I reopened the gas, it happened suddenly and unexpectedly. Seven seconds were enough to make the tyre drop temperature dramatically. The error was mine."
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4. Who would you like to thank?
"First of all I want to thank Professor Buzzi of the CTO Careggi in Florence and all of his staff, because they were brilliant.
Fortunately, doing it at Mugello meant I wasn't far from the Careggi and this was very lucky. I also want to thank everybody else at the Careggi and all the nurses because they treated me so well, then the staff at the Clinica Mobile and the marshals and officers at the Mugello circuit. Finally, a big hello and particular thanks to all the fans because never, not even for a second, have they let me forget their affection and support. The messages I saw on Sunday on television from the circuit were beautiful."?
5. At any time since the accident has there been a moment when you have said "stop racing motorcycles"?
"Sincerely, I haven't felt any fear. I was a bit horrified when I saw the leg, yes...but the thing I dislike the most is to miss so many races! I will take all the time I need and be sure not to do anything stupid because I want to return quickly, but only if my condition allows it. I know I have a bike for next year and I don't need to rush my return to demonstrate anything. I could miss just four races but I still wouldn't come back to win the championship. It's better to be careful, finish the rehabilitation in the best way and come back to race for many more years. I've heard of many other sportsmen, a lot in fact, who have had the same problem as me. One example for everyone: Mark Webber called me and he has had an exposed fracture of the right leg. He told me to be very patient and that I would have some moments of discomfort, but that in the end recovery was guaranteed."
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6. Now you have some time at home to rest and to think...
"Yes, now I have a lot of time at home to rest, to recover and to think. Firstly, I want to use this time to improve some things. I want to improve my English, learn something new, read a lot. Basically, I want to improve and learn. This I will do for sure. If your question instead is referring to 2011, this incident will not influence my choices for next year in any way. Last Saturday hasn't changed anything. I just have one broken leg extra! The result of 2010, therefore, has never been relevant to my decisions for the future."
7. During your enforced rest, will you also be working on your injured shoulder?
"Definitely, yes. This is one of the few positive things about this incident; finally I can work on the rehabilitation of the shoulder, in no hurry, without operations and without races. From tomorrow I will restart the exercises, lying on my bed, and I am certain that when I return the shoulder will be completely recovered. When I come back I will be in perfect shape, although it won't mean that I can win straight away. When you return after an enforced break you not only have to think about the body, but also the mind. I won't be able to come back and win immediately.
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