|
Monday, 10 May 2010 00:00 |
|
With just four hundredths of a second between them, James Toseland and Cal Crutchlow shot out of the legendary Parabolica curve on the final lap of race one today in second and third respectively to deliver Yamaha Sterilgarda's first double podium of the year. Crutchlow, having qualified second, had initially got off the line in fifth with Toseland two places behind in seventh. They worked their way up as a pair, passing Fabrizio and Corser to take third and fourth by lap three. Toseland then passed his team mate for third on lap four at the end of the high speed start-finish straight, then closed down on Haslam and Biaggi at the front. A brief fight with Haslam with some heart stopping passes saw Toseland take second where he stayed tucked up behind race leader Biaggi. Team mate Crutchlow took second from him briefly on lap 14 having caught up again after a missed chicane dropped him to fourth. Toseland was quick to recover position however and got as far as a look up the inside of Biaggi coming out of Parabolica before settling for second less than three tenths from the front at the chequered flag.
Race two was brought short for both riders. Another rider collided with Toseland going into the first chicane on the opening lap, causing a big crash leaving him with light concussion. He was awake following the incident but taken to hospital for a check up to assess if there was further injury. Team mate Crutchlow made a good start and was chasing Biaggi in second place just 0.1 seconds behind the leader. On lap 11 stones from Biaggi's rear wheel were flicked up, peppering Crutchlow's helmet, with one piercing his oil cooler. This caused him to low side going into the first chicane on lap 12. He was uninjured in the fall but unable to continue.
After the Monza round Toseland remains in fifth position in the championship on 106 points, now just four points away from Rea in third. Crutchlow remains in tenth position on 65 points, just seven behind Sylvain Guintoli in eighth.
|
James Toseland, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team, (2nd, DNF)
" The first race was a good strong race, I just want to congratulate the team, it's their home race and to get two of us on the podium is great. Max Biaggi rode a great race, he had a strong bike here and we expected him to go well, he didn't put a foot wrong. I was hoping on the last lap he was going to make a slight mistake, just enough for me to get alongside but he didn't so fair play to him. We're getting better with each race, moving in the right direction and it's getting frustrating finishing in second and third now!"
|
|
|
 |
Cal Crutchlow, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team, (3rd, DNF)
"I felt like I put together a really solid first race, we didn't get the best of starts but made up for it and got stuck in. All credit to Yamaha, they've done a good job to give James and I a competitive package so it was great for us both to deliver them the podiums here for their home round. It was a strong result and we rode well so I was looking forward to the second race. I started really well and didn't take long to get tucked in behind Max, I knew exactly what I was doing and had my strategy sorted to pass him on the last lap. Incredibly some stones flew up off his back wheel, I was so close behind I felt some hit my helmet and unfortunately a big one made a hole in my oil cooler. I made it through another lap, but coming into the first chicane it must have reached my back tyre and I went straight down."
Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team Manager
"This has been a really mixed race weekend for us. From Valencia we have been stronger and stronger, it's clear by the podiums the riders have been delivering and the pace of both of them, especially this weekend and in Assen that we have a very competitive, strong bike. The first race was fantastic for us; to take two hard fought podiums at our home round is very special. The second race was incredibly frustrating; to have both riders out for reasons that were completely out of our control is disappointing when we have been the strongest team here. Following James's crash and concussion he was taken to hospital for scans as he complained of a pain in his neck. The first scan revealed no injuries, we are waiting for a second for confirmation. We expect to head to South Africa to fight for more podiums."
|
|
Read more...
|
|
Tuesday, 04 May 2010 08:24 |
|
Motoconcepts Yamaha's Kyle Chisholm was the first YZ450F rider across the line at a boggy, slippery and treacherous Rice Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City for the penultimate round of the 2010 AMA Supercross/FIM World Championship. The 22 year old finished 5th in a rain-hit event for a personal best result; leading Michael Byrne and Justin Brayton across the line in 6th and 7th respectively.
Floridian Chisholm weathered arguably the most technical terrain the riders have experienced in the sixteen events held so far this year to seal his top five finish by over seven seconds from Australian Byrne. The SX class main event actually had to be shortened due to showers (even snow!) and was run over 15 laps instead of the usual 20 in front of a sodden 38,882 attendance.
|
|
 |
In the sixth main event to take place in the Utah metropolis, conditions were so tough that new champion and fourth-place finisher Ryan Dungey was actually lapped. Brayton was holding third at one stage but then faded back after his rear brake failed and Chisholm was able to run in the top three before being relegated to fifth.
San Manuel Yamaha's Josh Hill had another poor meeting and his 19th spot means that he is virtually resigned to 5th place in the championship after having been in contention for the title thanks to five podiums from the first six events. Despite his misfortune with a rib injury the 20 year old is still Yamaha's highest placed rider in the standings, although Brayton in 6th needs just 4 more points to overtake.
"Everything was going good at the beginning of the season," he said. "I got a whole bunch of podiums in a row and I left the western swing of the series tied for the points lead but Indianapolis went horribly. I just didn't ride a good main event there. I was ready to do better in Atlanta, but then I 'endo-ed' in the same rhythm section where Villopoto fell in the main event and broke three ribs. Ever since then I haven't been able to breathe at all after a few laps in the main event. Then, just when my ribs were starting to feel better [before St. Louis], I crashed again and re-broke them. I mean, I can't sleep, much less ride 20 laps in a main event. I'm still fast and every week I feel like I can get on the podium at least, but after a few laps in the main event, I can't breathe."
Team-mate and 2009 champion James Stewart has been out of action since round three with a broken scaphoid. The San Manuel rider is allegedly considering some appearances in the AMA Motocross Nationals with a view towards the 2010 Motocross of Nations in Colorado on September 26th.
Seattle West Coast Lites event winner Broc Tickle was 6th in Utah, after a bad start, and ends the season with 4th in the championship ranking on the YZ250F.
The final round of the Supercross campaign will take place at the Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas next Saturday.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
Tuesday, 04 May 2010 08:17 |
|
|
 |
Jorge Lorenzo produced one of the rides of his life to take a superb win in Spain today, the grandeur of a full-to-bursting Jerez providing a fitting amphitheatre for his first MotoGP win on home soil. Valentino Rossi finished third, making it a sixteenth double podium for the Fiat Yamaha pair since 2008.
Lorenzo got a bad start and had dropped from second to fifth by the second lap, as he struggled to find a rhythm with a full fuel tank. On lap five he was able to pass Casey Stoner and then, five laps on, Nicky Hayden but he looked destined to stay in third as he languished 1.5 seconds adrift of Rossi, who was in turn the same distance from Pedrosa. With a third of the race to go however the Spaniard picked up pace, suddenly the fastest man on track as he stormed up on his team-mate. On lap 22 he despatched the Italian but with only five laps left and a two second gap a victory still looked unlikely. The tenacious youngster was not giving up however in pursuit of a sixth premier-class win and he rapidly gained on his fellow Spaniard to bring himself within striking distance on his penultimate lap. His first attempt to pass resulted in a dramatic moment as they both momentarily looked like running off track and in the end he had to leave it to the last lap to make the definitive move, passing Pedrosa on the brakes at the end of the back straight and crossing the line 0.543 seconds ahead. Lorenzo, who turns 23 on Tuesday, celebrated in hilarious style by leaping into the lake in the middle of the circuit, much to the rapture of the home fans who were already celebrating Spanish wins in the 125cc and Moto2 classes earlier in the day.
Rossi was happy to make the podium, having struggled all weekend to overcome his injured shoulder and set-up problems with his M1. The World Champion got a great start from the second row and was second behind Pedrosa for most of the race. He stayed in touch in the early stages but began to drop back as his bike started to slide, eventually giving best to his charging team-mate and settling for the final podium spot and a valuable 16 points, 0.4 seconds behind Pedrosa.
The Championship is now led by Lorenzo with 45 points, while Rossi is four points off him in second. The riders now have a three-week break before the French round at Le Mans on 23rd May.
Jorge Lorenzo - Position: 1stTime: 45'17.538
"It has always been one of my dreams to win a MotoGP race in Spain and this was like a movie, everything that could possibly happen did! It was a very hard race because I made such a bad start and then found it very difficult in the first laps - I gave myself a tough job to do. After that I started to feel better and rode like a demon to get to the front. Once I passed Valentino I knew that I couldn't take it easy, I had to try everything to win and it was all I could think about. I had a great fight with Dani and in one moment we nearly crashed so I had to try again, on the very last lap! I know it's better to win races calmly, from the front, but lately that hasn't been the way for us and I have had to fight on every lap. I saw the lake on Thursday and thought it would be funny to jump in and I think the fans liked it, but I didn't really think about how heavy I'd be with wet leathers and for a minute I thought I wasn't going to get out! This has been an amazing day, I can't believe I've achieved this dream of mine, in front of all the Spanish fans at this magical place."
|
|
 |
Valentino Rossi - Position: 3rdTime: +0.890
"This just wasn't our race this year. We have struggled all weekend, first with my shoulder and then with the bike, and in the race today I couldn't do any more than third. I got a great start and was fast with the new tyre, I tried to go with Dani but then I started to slide a lot and I just had to play it safe. I made no mistakes and I'm happy about my race in the circumstances, these 16 points are very important. At the end I had a front-row seat to the Spanish party and I admit I was sorry not to be involved, Jorge did a great job today and I think it was very exciting for all the fans. I want to say thank you to Dr. Costa and all the staff at the Clinica Mobile, plus everyone back in Italy who has worked on my shoulder to allow me to be able to race this weekend. I will hopefully be back to full strength in Le Mans so I'm looking forward to that."
Wilco Zeelenberg - Team Manager
"It's fantastic to win this race in this way. The race itself was amazing, especially the last ten laps; a fight on the edge. Before the race started our target was just to be on the podium again and we managed the highest step, so we could not ask for more! Jorge was so fast at the end of the race, really amazing. We have wondered why he seems to get much stronger at the end of races; I think it's a combination of his riding style and confidence, because from a technical point of view there doesn't seem to be anything wrong. Apart from a less than perfect start, he controlled the bike very well during and kept a very good pace. He was able to keep the pace at the beginning and never gave up; he just got better. The target for the season remains the same, to keep aiming for the podium every weekend. We all know there are a lot of great riders out there and they all want to win, so it won't be easy. We have always been confident about our potential and now we are even more so. Well done to Jorge and all the team."
Davide Brivio - Team Manager
"Considering his recent injury we can see this as a very good result. The shoulder was okay and in fact the setting was the bigger problem, but the team did a great job to improve it as much as they could and we are happy that we made it onto the podium. Valentino got a fantastic start and was fast in the early stages but later on he couldn't keep pace with Lorenzo and Pedrosa so 16 points is good for us today. We have some work to do for Le Mans, when we hope Valentino will be back to full fitness. Well done to Jorge and all his side of the garage, he did a great race today."
|
|
Read more...
|
|
Thursday, 29 April 2010 00:00 |
|
The Yamaha Sterilgarda world Superbike Team wrapped up a successful two day test in Misano this afternoon, fresh from James Toseland’s two podiums in Assen. Riders Cal Crutchlow and James Toseland spent the two days testing further changes to their 2010 R1 race-bikes as they prepare for the next round of the championship at the legendary Monza circuit next week. Toseland spent the first day focussing on the electronics, and ended the day second fastest on unofficial timing (no transponders) with a 1’36.0, only 0.1 behind the fastest time having completed 69 laps. Team mate Crutchlow was working on a general bike set-up, putting in 87 laps on the first day and ending it just behind Toseland, third fastest with an unofficial time of 1’36.3.
Day two saw Crutchlow working through a different set up to the previous day, finding advantages with each. He finished the second day of testing in third having put in a 1’35.7 lap on race tyres. Team mate Toseland spent the day working on race pace and durability, using a qualifier towards the end to put in a 1’35.6 and take the second fastest slot of the day yet again.
James Toseland, Yamaha Sterilgarda world Superbike Team
“We’ve achieved a lot, and ended up second today. Fabrizio did a really good low 35 second lap on a qualifier but I think on race tyres there were definitely consistent 35s to be had for us as well. The fastest race time last year was a 37 so it shows how much everyone has improved, we’re 1.3 seconds under the lap record. Misano is definitely suited to the Ducati, it’s their strongest track I think, however I did ten laps in the low 36s which is great for race pace and the important thing is we’ve moved forward on durability for race pace which is key.”
Cal Crutchlow, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team
“It’s been quite a progressive two days, we’ve worked through two completely different set ups and found pros and cons to both. I think we’ve found a clear direction to work in which we now need to fine tune. I was pleased with the pace we had, we were consistently in the top three without using a qualifier tyre, so we’re good with race tyres which is important. I have to keep working and hopefully it has put us in a good set for Monza.”
Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha Sterilgarda world Superbike Team Manager
“We’ve had a really good test here at Misano. We tried some different things in both electronics and bike set up with both riders and in the end we learnt some valuable information and we made improvements. We will use these steps to bring upgrades in both electronics and chassis set up. Misano has been invaluable in finally providing us with some structured testing time to really develop a solid base for the rest of the season. Whilst we have made steps at each round including the new linkage for James in Assen, this has been our first real opportunity to make the next step. We now head forward with a more competitive package for the season and are confident this will benefit us from the next race in Monza” |
|
|
