Round ten of the MotoGP World Championship is the first of two appearances by the series in the United States. This first race is at Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey, California for the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix.
This race has been one of the major ones on the world motorcycle racing calendar for many years, hosting all the champions of the sport. This is the 14th running of the MotoGP championship on the Monterey peninsula. It starts the second half of the MotoGP season.
There have been a lot of crashes. Ben Spies did well in qualifying and crashed. He broke some bones in his heel, but he should be OK. In the morning warmup, Nicky Hayden and Alvaro Bautista both crashed. Jorge Lorenzo will start on pole. Many of the big names have deals with their contracts coming up for next year. Nicky Hayden stays with Ducati. Ben Spies' plans are uncertain right now. Colin Edwards will be back, but needs to figure out what his overall plans will be.
In qualifying, Jorge Lorenzo stole pole from Casey Stoner by a tenth of a second. It's his third pole of the year and his fourth straight at Laguna Seca. Ben Spies had a big high side, banging his head and his heel in qualifying. He'll need to be careful. Nicky Hayden has signed a new contract with Ducati for next year as mentioned. Valentino Rossi is also a question mark. Will he continue with Ducati? Ducati has been taken over by Audi.
The bikes are on their warmup lap. They come to the grid.
At the start, Jorge Lorenzo is leading into the Andretti hairpin in this 33 lap race. A bike goes down. Not sure who it is. Andrea Dovizioso and Cal Crutchlow are fifth and sixth. Michele Pirro went down as the bikes go into The corkscrew and through Wayne Rainey corner. Stoner wants by Dani Pedrosa. Ben Spies is fourth. He's trying to find a pace he can run at while Lorenzo still leads. Pedrosa and Stoner on the Repsol Honda's are following Lorenzo. Stoner wants to win since he'll retire. He doesn't really care what Pedrosa does.
Toni Elias falls down. He's filling in for Hector Barbera who is hurt. Stoner passes Pedrosa and is going after Lorenzo now. Stefan Bradl runs seventh. Bradl ran his bike down Lombard Street in San Francisco during the race weekend. When Michele Pirro went down at the start, Toni Elias and Randy de Puniet were also involved. The bikes drop down through The Corkscrew. Dani Pedrosa is trying to make up ground while Stoner battles Lorenzo. Jorge Lorenzo sets a new lap record in the 1:21 bracket. Three time world champion Wayne Rainey lives in Monterey, California.
Josh Herrin (AMA Superbike rider) is watching the race with three champion Wayne Rainey. Steve Rapp was supposed to be in this race with a Kawasaki. But, he might make it to the next U.S. round at Indianapolis. He missed the field for Laguna Seca. Jorge Lorenzo still leads Casey Stoner with Dani Pedrosa also right there on the brand new RC213V Honda. Stoner likes the new engine on the bike, but not necessarily the chassis. Ben Spies is running fourth even though he's injured. Andrea Dovizioso and Cal Crutchlow on the Tech 3 Yamaha's still follow Spies. The Tech 3 riders are not signed for next year. Bradley Smith from Moto 2 will move up to Tech 3 on one bike.
Valentino Rossi is not sure where he'll go for next year. Will Rossi be at Yamaha like he was years ago? Time will tell. Jorge Lorenzo is still holding off the Repsol bikes on lap twelve. In 1993, John Kocinski won over Alex Barros in the old 500cc class on a Cagiva bike. The fast laps are in the 1:21.7 and 1:21.8 range while other riders run in the 1:22 slot. Wayne Rainey won three consecutive U.S. Grand Prix races at Laguna Seca in 1989, '90, and '91. Rider Mattia Passini on the ART Rimini bike is out of the race. Spies holds down fourth, closing up on Stefan Bradl.
Valentino Rossi on the Ducati has said that a new development for the bike won't come yet. Well, they struggle because they don't build as many bikes as Yamaha and Honda do. It is clear that the Audi management will change how Ducati builds their racing bikes and their street bikes. Rossi is a legend. He's got nine titles and 105 wins. He's one of the greats. Danilo Petrucci retires his bike as James Ellison crashes and Casey Stoner retakes the lead. He slides by Lorenzo early before the first turn. Stoner is five to six kilometers quicker than Jorge Lorenzo.
Ben Spies has crashed at the bottom of the corkscrew! This has been a dreadful weekend for Ben Spies. He didn't high side the bike. But, he still had a big wreck as he slides across the top of the bike. He'll have to take a shot at Indianapolis coming up. The tire strategies seem to be working well as the leader catch the CRT bikes such as Colin Edwards. Just nine laps remain in the race. It's gone by fast. Alexei Espargaro is the quickest CRT bike. Alvaro Bautista runs ninth ahead of Espargaro with Rossi in eighth. Andrea Dovizioso and Cal Crutchlow fight for fourth. Stefan Bradl is sixth.
In 2005, Nicky Hayden won the U.S. Grand Prix. He also won in 2006 when he was also World Champion. This is the 20th race for MotoGP in the U.S. They've been held at Laguna Seca, Indianapolis, and, Daytona International Speedway (which hosted the races in 1964 and '65). Just four laps remain at Laguna Seca. Stefan Bradl continues to battle Hayden over sixth. Nicky Hayden goes inside and passes Bradl who runs wide.
Dovizioso and Crutchlow still shadow each other. Something has to happen. Both these guys need a ride for 2013. These bikes are satellite bikes and not the factory equipment. The last time a British rider was on a MotoGP podium was Jeremy McWilliams in 2000. Now,. Valentino Rossi has spilled his bike at The Corkscrew! He's had a ton of crashes this year and those continue. He has a savage high side and that motorcycle is severely compromised. It's the final lap. Casey Stoner needs a good result after not doing well at Mugello and having to struggle at Laguna Seca. He'll win this race!
#1 Casey Stoner AUS Honda
Jorge Lorenzo is not happy with second place. Dovizioso beats Crutchlow to the line. Nicky Hayden gets sixth. Once again, the next race on the schedule for MotoGP will also be in the United States. It will be the fifth appearance for MotoGP at the legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway ("The Brickyard"). That race will take place in less than three weeks.
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Monday, July 30, 2012
AMA Pro Racing round 8: Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix at Laguna Seca
As part of a big weekend of motorcycle racing at Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey, California, Josh Hayes took his eighth consecutive win in AMA National Guard Superbike competition which sets a new all-time record for most consecutive race wins in a season. There seems to be no stopping Hayes' momentum. Could he be on the way to the world stage in World Superbike or MotoGP soon? Time will tell.
#1 Josh Hayes Yamaha R1
Meanwhile, in Daytona Sportbike, #6 Cameron Beaubier also won the feature event. He has been on a charge in that division as of late, too.
#6 Cameron Beaubier Yamaha YZF R6
Also, AMA Supersport was in action at Laguna Seca with James Rispoli winning that event on his Suzuki GSX-R 600
#1 James Rispoli Suzuki GSX-R- 600
More motorcycle racing highlights to come from Laguna Seca tomorrow as the highlights of the MotoGP race will be published. Stay tuned. The next race for the AMA will be The Devil's Showdown at New Jersey Motorsports Park in Millville, New Jersey. That race is slated to happen in three weeks.
#1 Josh Hayes Yamaha R1
Meanwhile, in Daytona Sportbike, #6 Cameron Beaubier also won the feature event. He has been on a charge in that division as of late, too.
#6 Cameron Beaubier Yamaha YZF R6
Also, AMA Supersport was in action at Laguna Seca with James Rispoli winning that event on his Suzuki GSX-R 600
#1 James Rispoli Suzuki GSX-R- 600
More motorcycle racing highlights to come from Laguna Seca tomorrow as the highlights of the MotoGP race will be published. Stay tuned. The next race for the AMA will be The Devil's Showdown at New Jersey Motorsports Park in Millville, New Jersey. That race is slated to happen in three weeks.
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
3 wheelin' (sidecar racing)
There is another type of motorcycle racing out there, folks. Sidecar racing. I have seen this on TV a few times and it's pretty intense as there is a rider and a passenger involved. Usually, the passenger, riding in the sidecar has to hold on for dear life as these high tech 3 wheelers make their way around the racecourse, powered by large displacement conventional motorcycle racing engines. They are extraordinary to watch and the Federation International de Motorcyclisme (FIM), does have a championship dedicated to them. It's the Sidecar World Championship and used to be known as Superside.
Here's a link to a Wikipedia page explaining what sidecar racing is all about, and there are videos on the internet that highlight it, too. It's scary to watch sometimes, because the rider in the sidecar really has to be careful so he doesn't slide out of it being left behind by the driver. But, it's very, very cool, still.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sidecar_World_Championship
Here's a link to a Wikipedia page explaining what sidecar racing is all about, and there are videos on the internet that highlight it, too. It's scary to watch sometimes, because the rider in the sidecar really has to be careful so he doesn't slide out of it being left behind by the driver. But, it's very, very cool, still.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sidecar_World_Championship
Sunday, July 22, 2012
FIM World Superbike round 9: Czech Republic
Round eight of the FIM World Superbike is at the Brno circuit in the Czech Republic. There was a lot of rain in the morning, but it is sunny now. A lot of the circuit is damp. The formation lap is going to be key, and the bikes are still needing wet tires right now. It won't rain, but, it's windy. This is officially declared as a wet race and it will go the whole distance. Sylvain Guintoli is out of the championship. He has been sacked by the team. He's looking to get another chance. But, he's not in this race. BMW will not have a factory team in World Superbike next year. Instead, BMW Italia will be the official team. That's kind of a shock.
On pole, it's Tom Sykes. With the wet and drying track, the first laps will be interesting. Here we go.
At the start, Leon Haslam gets a jump and so does Max Biaggi. Tom Sykes runs wide onto the dry line and he gets the lead, opening a gap. Marco Melandri is second and Davide Giugliano passes Leon Haslam. Johnny Rea is up there. Lawrence Baz is up there, too, as are Jakub Smrz and Maxime Berger. Davide Giugliano is up to second and Berger is making his way through, too. Max Biaggi is taking it easy as the track dries out. Tom Sykes has a good cushion. This race is 20 laps. Sykes still leads and Marco Melandri is also moving up. No one has fallen yet.
Baz tries to get by Berger. Baz rode in the B'ol D'or 24 hour motorcycle race at Magny Cours earlier in the year. Alex Pileda (a guest rider) also is doing well. Pardon if the name is misspelled. He's a guest rider. Giugliano is going for the lead over Sykes. He shoots out around Sykes and gets the lead. It's not known what front tire he is using. Giugliano might have an intermediate level front tire. Sykes passes again, but Giugliano won't give up. But look, Maxime Berger gets seconjd and then, goes to the lead. Wow! He's riding a Czech bike.
Lawrence Baz takes over from Carlos Checa and Jakub Smrz is coming, too. Berger resets fast lap at 2:13.9, but Leon Haslam is sixth tenths quicker at 2:13.3 down the order in the back of the top ten. Loris Baz is Sykes' Kawasaki team mate. Baz passes Sykes on lap three. Davide Giugliano goes down! He was going so well. He lost thr dront wheel and went down. Leon Haslam sets fast lap. Cannot see the time. The TV graphics are printed small. Johnny Rea, Tom Sykes and Carlos Checa are all doing well. Berger runs a 2:10.5. He's flying! It's lap four. Johnny Rea has a new, more powerful motor for his Honda.
Marco Melandri is riding well, but Davide Giugliano, is out of race one. Sykes is reeling in Berger. Sykes runs a 2:05.2 and is a second quicker than Berger. Michele Fabrizio runs fast lap at 2:05 flat. Fabrizio will be all over Max Biaggi like a rash. Lawrence Baz holds off Johnny Rea. Sykes passes Berger again. He runs a 2:04.5. Johnny Rea is now hounding Loris Baz. Eugene Laverty is now in the top ten, too, on the second Aprilia. Fabrizio gets fast lap at 2:03.6.
Johnny Rea wants by Maxime Berger. Rea may do that, as the privateer Ducati is slower than the Honda. It's now Sykes vs. Rea. Carlos Checa runs a 2:02.6. Max Biaggi is in the house. He's coming, fast! This is lap eleven, so, the race is half over. Loris Baz is getting better with each race. Michele Fabrizio runs behind Baz. Mearco Melandri runs really wide and loses spots. He's run wide twice. Moving back in the pack, Leon Camier and Hiroshi Aoyama battle. Berger is falling back as the track dries. Max Biaggi and Michele Fabrizio battle. Leon Haslam passes Berger. Biaggi hounds Jakub Smrz.
Aoyama crashes and so does Leandro Mercado who gets hung up on a rivals bike and has a long, painful slide! Ouch! Max Biaggi got squeezed. There are yellow flags. Tom Sykes still leads over Johnny Rea with Loris Baz third. Marco Melandri passes on Leon Haslam. The two BMW team mates are tussling. Tom Sykes is still ahead. Nine laps left. Biaggi passes Berger and is working on Michele Fabrizio as Eugene Laverty is running fastest at 2:01.5. John Hopkins passes David Salom on the Pedercini Kawasaki.
Johnny Rea has taken the lead. Cosworth is building Honda's SBK motors. This is some race! Wow! Marco Melandri gets around Eugene Laverty. Checa passes Loris Baz. He's coming as well. Five laps left. Max Biaggi passes Leon Haslam. He's seventh. Eugene Laverty and Marco Melandri scrap. This will come down to tire conditions as Melandri slides by Baz on the inside. Johnny Rea catches right up to Tom Sykes.
Melandri slides by Checa. Nope. Hold on. He's going for it past Checa. Rea and Melandri can both go for it. But, can Sykes hold them off? Rea and Melandri are all over each other and Carlos Checa flies, too. This is a real slice and dice with three laps left in race one and don't forget our buddy, Loris Baz. Rea runs wide and loses a spot to Checa. Marco Melandri slides right up inside Sykes on the brakes! Wow! BMW is shrinking for next year. But, they can't give up. Johnny Rea has a bad crash, falling right down! Rea made contact with Sykes. Two bikes on one line doesn't work, and, smash! Rea went down. It's the last lap of race one now.
Marco Melandri has the lead. Loris Baz is on the podium. Biaggi is now sixth. On one hand, BMW is doomed becaused of the loss of factory support. But, on the other, they'll be able to savor a win in this race. This will be Melandri's most important win of 2012. Marco Melandri does it!
#33 Marco Melandri ITA BMW S1000RR
Loris Baz gets his first podium of the year. Race two is on deck.
Sykes is on pole for race two. Will Loris Baz do well in this race? We'll see. The bikes are off on their formation lap.
At the start, Sykes slides across Checa at the start of another 20 lap shootout. Sykes is ahead with max Biaggi coming, fast. Here comes Laverty as he beats Sykes to the corner and has to settle for second. Chaz Davies might be coming up. Carlos Checa looks to come through. Sykes is pulling out a lead. Sykes, Laverty, Haslam are the top three. No jumped starts. Sykes runs a 1:24.7 and Jakub Smrz is languishing. Leon Haslam had a good start. Marco Melandri almost loses it and passes Leon Haslam. Davide Giugliano and Max Biaggi are also coming.
Biaggi flies past Haslam and Giugliano. Melandri passes Eugene Laverty. Carlos Checa passes on the inside. This is lap eight. He goes past Laverty. The Ducati has good cornering speed. Sykes does a 1:59.8, Melandri, a 1:59.7. Hiroshi Aoyama has a problem, pulling his Honda off course. Game over. Leon Haslam has to recover as Laverty and Biaggi (two Aprilia's) battle. Laverty goes wide allowing Biaggi to get by. This on lap five. The gap is shrinking. Biaggi dives up inside one of the Ducati's.
Less than a second separate Sykes and Melandri with six laps now done. Fourteen to go. Tom Sykes is coming back in the championship against Melandri and Biaggi. Kawasaki has not won a race at Brno since 1993 with Scott Russell riding for them. Leon Haslam passes Davide Giugliano. Melandri remains four tenths quicker than Sykes. Sykes, Melandri and Checa all run identical lap times. Chaz Davies runs eighth now and could finish in the top five, coming to halfway.
Marco Melandri is precisely pursuing Tom Sykes. He knows how he wants the bike to perform and steer. Sykes is missing apexes meaning the grip level on the tires is going down, or he's losing mechanical grip. It's the halfway point in race two. Sykes runs a 2:00.5. Melandri is on top of Sykes as Sykes is late on the brakes. Right now, it's a two bike race. Marco Melandri takes the lead but no. Sykes sweeps back on the outside. Just seven laps remain.
Loris Baz is also doing well, as is Chaz Davies. Max Biaggi will have to hurry. Laverty, Haslam and Baz are right on top of him. But, it's the lead battle to pay attention to with six laps left in the second race. Marco Melandri is closing, running a wider line into the corner, but he can really close up. Here, Melandri takes the lead. Sykes comes back but just can't do it. Can he get back on the inside through turn five? This will be a fight to the finish between these two.
This is it. Sykes is still pressuring Marco Melandri. He's got to stay with the BMW. Melandri wiggled though, running wide, and Sykes passes for the lead. The gap is 7/10 between Sykes and Melandri while the battles happen further down the order. Sykes and Melandri are the only riders in the two minute flat bracket and it'll come down to a last lap dash. Carlos Checa will be third. Sykes slides again but keeps the bike on the road.
Just two laps remain now. Melandri passes and then Tom Sykes comes right back! Melandri is throwing everything at Sykes, trying to break him. Melandri tried to dive up the inside of Sykes! Melandri gets inside of Sykes. There's nothing in it. Sykes can't get by Melandri. The Kawasaki is better in the second half of the speedway. Sykes will need to do a banzai move. Double wins by one rider are common at Brno. Here comes Sykes. No. Melandri does the double!
#33 Marco Melandri ITA BMW S1000RR
Phew! Another barn burner of a World Superbike race! The next race is in England once more at Silverstone, in two weeks.
On pole, it's Tom Sykes. With the wet and drying track, the first laps will be interesting. Here we go.
At the start, Leon Haslam gets a jump and so does Max Biaggi. Tom Sykes runs wide onto the dry line and he gets the lead, opening a gap. Marco Melandri is second and Davide Giugliano passes Leon Haslam. Johnny Rea is up there. Lawrence Baz is up there, too, as are Jakub Smrz and Maxime Berger. Davide Giugliano is up to second and Berger is making his way through, too. Max Biaggi is taking it easy as the track dries out. Tom Sykes has a good cushion. This race is 20 laps. Sykes still leads and Marco Melandri is also moving up. No one has fallen yet.
Baz tries to get by Berger. Baz rode in the B'ol D'or 24 hour motorcycle race at Magny Cours earlier in the year. Alex Pileda (a guest rider) also is doing well. Pardon if the name is misspelled. He's a guest rider. Giugliano is going for the lead over Sykes. He shoots out around Sykes and gets the lead. It's not known what front tire he is using. Giugliano might have an intermediate level front tire. Sykes passes again, but Giugliano won't give up. But look, Maxime Berger gets seconjd and then, goes to the lead. Wow! He's riding a Czech bike.
Lawrence Baz takes over from Carlos Checa and Jakub Smrz is coming, too. Berger resets fast lap at 2:13.9, but Leon Haslam is sixth tenths quicker at 2:13.3 down the order in the back of the top ten. Loris Baz is Sykes' Kawasaki team mate. Baz passes Sykes on lap three. Davide Giugliano goes down! He was going so well. He lost thr dront wheel and went down. Leon Haslam sets fast lap. Cannot see the time. The TV graphics are printed small. Johnny Rea, Tom Sykes and Carlos Checa are all doing well. Berger runs a 2:10.5. He's flying! It's lap four. Johnny Rea has a new, more powerful motor for his Honda.
Marco Melandri is riding well, but Davide Giugliano, is out of race one. Sykes is reeling in Berger. Sykes runs a 2:05.2 and is a second quicker than Berger. Michele Fabrizio runs fast lap at 2:05 flat. Fabrizio will be all over Max Biaggi like a rash. Lawrence Baz holds off Johnny Rea. Sykes passes Berger again. He runs a 2:04.5. Johnny Rea is now hounding Loris Baz. Eugene Laverty is now in the top ten, too, on the second Aprilia. Fabrizio gets fast lap at 2:03.6.
Johnny Rea wants by Maxime Berger. Rea may do that, as the privateer Ducati is slower than the Honda. It's now Sykes vs. Rea. Carlos Checa runs a 2:02.6. Max Biaggi is in the house. He's coming, fast! This is lap eleven, so, the race is half over. Loris Baz is getting better with each race. Michele Fabrizio runs behind Baz. Mearco Melandri runs really wide and loses spots. He's run wide twice. Moving back in the pack, Leon Camier and Hiroshi Aoyama battle. Berger is falling back as the track dries. Max Biaggi and Michele Fabrizio battle. Leon Haslam passes Berger. Biaggi hounds Jakub Smrz.
Aoyama crashes and so does Leandro Mercado who gets hung up on a rivals bike and has a long, painful slide! Ouch! Max Biaggi got squeezed. There are yellow flags. Tom Sykes still leads over Johnny Rea with Loris Baz third. Marco Melandri passes on Leon Haslam. The two BMW team mates are tussling. Tom Sykes is still ahead. Nine laps left. Biaggi passes Berger and is working on Michele Fabrizio as Eugene Laverty is running fastest at 2:01.5. John Hopkins passes David Salom on the Pedercini Kawasaki.
Johnny Rea has taken the lead. Cosworth is building Honda's SBK motors. This is some race! Wow! Marco Melandri gets around Eugene Laverty. Checa passes Loris Baz. He's coming as well. Five laps left. Max Biaggi passes Leon Haslam. He's seventh. Eugene Laverty and Marco Melandri scrap. This will come down to tire conditions as Melandri slides by Baz on the inside. Johnny Rea catches right up to Tom Sykes.
Melandri slides by Checa. Nope. Hold on. He's going for it past Checa. Rea and Melandri can both go for it. But, can Sykes hold them off? Rea and Melandri are all over each other and Carlos Checa flies, too. This is a real slice and dice with three laps left in race one and don't forget our buddy, Loris Baz. Rea runs wide and loses a spot to Checa. Marco Melandri slides right up inside Sykes on the brakes! Wow! BMW is shrinking for next year. But, they can't give up. Johnny Rea has a bad crash, falling right down! Rea made contact with Sykes. Two bikes on one line doesn't work, and, smash! Rea went down. It's the last lap of race one now.
Marco Melandri has the lead. Loris Baz is on the podium. Biaggi is now sixth. On one hand, BMW is doomed becaused of the loss of factory support. But, on the other, they'll be able to savor a win in this race. This will be Melandri's most important win of 2012. Marco Melandri does it!
#33 Marco Melandri ITA BMW S1000RR
Loris Baz gets his first podium of the year. Race two is on deck.
Sykes is on pole for race two. Will Loris Baz do well in this race? We'll see. The bikes are off on their formation lap.
At the start, Sykes slides across Checa at the start of another 20 lap shootout. Sykes is ahead with max Biaggi coming, fast. Here comes Laverty as he beats Sykes to the corner and has to settle for second. Chaz Davies might be coming up. Carlos Checa looks to come through. Sykes is pulling out a lead. Sykes, Laverty, Haslam are the top three. No jumped starts. Sykes runs a 1:24.7 and Jakub Smrz is languishing. Leon Haslam had a good start. Marco Melandri almost loses it and passes Leon Haslam. Davide Giugliano and Max Biaggi are also coming.
Biaggi flies past Haslam and Giugliano. Melandri passes Eugene Laverty. Carlos Checa passes on the inside. This is lap eight. He goes past Laverty. The Ducati has good cornering speed. Sykes does a 1:59.8, Melandri, a 1:59.7. Hiroshi Aoyama has a problem, pulling his Honda off course. Game over. Leon Haslam has to recover as Laverty and Biaggi (two Aprilia's) battle. Laverty goes wide allowing Biaggi to get by. This on lap five. The gap is shrinking. Biaggi dives up inside one of the Ducati's.
Less than a second separate Sykes and Melandri with six laps now done. Fourteen to go. Tom Sykes is coming back in the championship against Melandri and Biaggi. Kawasaki has not won a race at Brno since 1993 with Scott Russell riding for them. Leon Haslam passes Davide Giugliano. Melandri remains four tenths quicker than Sykes. Sykes, Melandri and Checa all run identical lap times. Chaz Davies runs eighth now and could finish in the top five, coming to halfway.
Marco Melandri is precisely pursuing Tom Sykes. He knows how he wants the bike to perform and steer. Sykes is missing apexes meaning the grip level on the tires is going down, or he's losing mechanical grip. It's the halfway point in race two. Sykes runs a 2:00.5. Melandri is on top of Sykes as Sykes is late on the brakes. Right now, it's a two bike race. Marco Melandri takes the lead but no. Sykes sweeps back on the outside. Just seven laps remain.
Loris Baz is also doing well, as is Chaz Davies. Max Biaggi will have to hurry. Laverty, Haslam and Baz are right on top of him. But, it's the lead battle to pay attention to with six laps left in the second race. Marco Melandri is closing, running a wider line into the corner, but he can really close up. Here, Melandri takes the lead. Sykes comes back but just can't do it. Can he get back on the inside through turn five? This will be a fight to the finish between these two.
This is it. Sykes is still pressuring Marco Melandri. He's got to stay with the BMW. Melandri wiggled though, running wide, and Sykes passes for the lead. The gap is 7/10 between Sykes and Melandri while the battles happen further down the order. Sykes and Melandri are the only riders in the two minute flat bracket and it'll come down to a last lap dash. Carlos Checa will be third. Sykes slides again but keeps the bike on the road.
Just two laps remain now. Melandri passes and then Tom Sykes comes right back! Melandri is throwing everything at Sykes, trying to break him. Melandri tried to dive up the inside of Sykes! Melandri gets inside of Sykes. There's nothing in it. Sykes can't get by Melandri. The Kawasaki is better in the second half of the speedway. Sykes will need to do a banzai move. Double wins by one rider are common at Brno. Here comes Sykes. No. Melandri does the double!
#33 Marco Melandri ITA BMW S1000RR
Phew! Another barn burner of a World Superbike race! The next race is in England once more at Silverstone, in two weeks.
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Moto 3: Italy
This is the halfway point in the season. Moto 3 will not appear at the next round at
Laguna Seca in Monterey, California, U.S.A. though.
The race at Mugello will be 20 laps. Maverick Vinales has pole position. The bikes set off on their warmup lap. Vinales and Sandro Cortese are leading the
points.
At the start, Cortese, Danny Kent and Alex Rins all get good
starts. Kent on the outside. Zhulfammi Khairuddin takes the lead. Sandro Cortese is now behind Danny Kent. Cortese lost five spots into Casanova corner
towards Scarperia . Efren Vasquez passes
Zhulfammi Khairuddin. Khairuddin retakes
the lead. The slipstream will decide the
race as they can slingshot down to front straight coming into San Donato. Louis Rossi falls off his bike on lap
two. Khairuddin and Vasquez are
1-2. Danny Kent and Jakub Kornfeil are
further down the order into Arrabiata.
Cortese was passed by another rider. Hector Faubel is running well, but it’s Arthur
Sissis setting fastest race lap so far as Alex Rins is battling with Zulfammi
Khairuddin for the lead. Maverick
Vinales passes Alex Rins for second spot as Romano Fenati is coming. Vinales is behind him. There’s some tape hanging off of Fenati’s
bike but it’s not a concern. Fenati is
flying as Sissis sets another fast lap but there’s a crash, too. Luis Salom was taken out by Roberto
Moncayo. As Fenati leads, the fans show
their approval with the air horns. Fenati
wants another win after winning Jerez earlier in the year.
Danny Kent is back in contention, passing Khairuddin. This race is showing shades of round one of
the year in Qatar. Danny Kent passes
Miguel Oliviera. Half a dozen riders
battle for the lead. Efrin Vazquez and
Danny Kent both set fast laps as Arthur Sissis has crashed out. Kent sets fast lap at 1:59.242 on lap
five. Nicolo Antonelli now sets fast lap
and is coming quick. But, Maverick
Vinales retakes the lead as Miguel Oliveira crashes between two corners. Fenati is dropping back slightly now. Oliviera might get back into the race, but
won’t be in contention.
Sandro Cortese needs to keep up with Maverick Vinales to the
enjd of the race while Alex Rins runs wide.
Romano Fenati and Sandro Cortese battle.
Fenati goes too far to the inside in the middle of the corner. Antonelli is coming up through the field
right now. Just twelve laps left to run
in this race. Vinales and Cortese have
dropped back. Fenati continues to
lead. Adrian Martin passes Alexis AMsbou
as another rider falls. Not sure who it
is. Vinales and Cortese try to get away
from the riders lower down in the pack, joining the front.
Just ten laps left to run now. Two Italians lead their home Grand Prix. But, let’s not get carried away. This is Moto 3, the junior formula. Alex Rins slipstreams behind Danny Kent back
into San Donato again. Kent goes after
Antonelli and makes the move. Could Kent
win this? Kent might be coming up on
Fenati while Khairuddin, Kornfeil, and Faubel, battle for the eighth spot. Danny Kent gets around Romano Fenati, taking
the lead. Alex Rins goes well in the
slipstream. But, Danny kent, at age
eighteen is one of the older riders in the field.
Cortese tried getting through with Maverick Vinales, but
neither could make it stick. Fenati almost
took the lead back from Kent, but hit the brakes too hard. Rins passes Fenati through the Arabiatta
corner. Efrin Vazquez passes Alex
Rins. Miguel Oliveira pits and he is a
retirement from this race. Meanwhile, Fenati
sets fastest lap in the 1:57 range. The
bikes run liner stern coming to the Casanova esses. Romano Fenati is fifth, but he’s got nothing
to lose. All he wants to do is win his
home race, closing up into Scarperia.
Fenati wants to make a move like Jorge Lorenzo in MotoGP, but can’t quite get down the inside. Sandro Cortese is still the obstacle for him to get around and Vinales continues in the race lead. Like Lorenzo, Vinales knows what he wants in a racing motorcycle. Five laps left in the race. Now, actually four. Fenati passes Cortese. It’s a three way battle for the win. Jakub Kornfeil, Zhulfhammi Khairuddin and Hector Faubel all battle, but not in that order. Faubel is ahead of Khairuddin, and Kornfeil is ahead of both of them.
Fenati wants by Vinales.
Can he do it? He’s just testing
him, seeing where his weak spots are.
Niccolo Antonelli is still in fourth.
Vinales is still in the lead. Just
a lap and a half left to run. Can
Vinales pull away? It’s Vinales, Fenati,
and Cortese 1, 2, 3. Cortese wants to be
in this scrap. Cortese sets a new fast
lap coming into San Donato. Cortese runs
a 1:58.6 but the three bikes are really battling. Vinales wants through on the inside of
Fenati. Can’t do it. Fenati takes the lead into Casanova, but
no. Vinales takes the lead. Into Scarperia and Pelaggio, Vinales runs
wide, Fenati can’t quite get there. Cortese slides and can’t get there.
Fenati wants to lead at Peccine. Cortese gets second. Can he pass Vinales now? Here comes Fenati. Does he win?
No! Vinales wins! Five hundredths of a second separates the
podium finishers!
#25 Maverick Vinales
ESP FTR Honda
Vinales gets his fifth win in Moto 3 in 2012. Moto 3 will not run at Laguna Seca in the
U.S. as mentioned. Their next event will
likely be at the second U.S. round at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in mid August.
Monday, July 16, 2012
AMA Pro Racing round 7: Mid Ohio (Buckeye Superbike Weekend presented by Dunlop Tire)
In Daytona Sportbike race one, Jake Gagne crashed in a nine rider pileup. Jason DiSalvo lost the brakes. It came down to a battle between Martin Cardenas and Dane Westby. Westby wins his first race of 2012. Jake Gagne will do better this season and has finished in the top ten when he has finished. Jason DiSalvo's crash in yesterday's race was a mechanical problem and not rider error. This race will be 21 laps. The start is coming up, real soon.
Jason DiSalvo is on pole. At the start, Jason DiSalvo and Martin Cardenas battle as the field shuffles. Cameron Beaubier, J.D. Beach, Jake Gagne and others battle. Here comes Cardenas and he passes DiSalvo for the lead with Dane Westby in third. Jake Zemke and Bobby Fong had a battle yesterday and they've resumed it. Huntley Nash is up in the running order, too. The bikes go four wide! Cameron Beaubier and Dane Westby shuffle Cardenas back to fourth as Jason DiSalvo takes the lead. But, Westby gets him! DiSalvo is shuffled. Fong and Jake Zemke are right in this fight, too.
Jason DiSalvo is out of the race. He can no longer contend for the championship. He had a master cylinder/braking problem yesterday. It is an L bracket that's the culprit as Dane Westby leads. Maybe the fuel tank on DiSalvo's Triumph is punctured. That could be real trouble. Westby won yesterday's race. Can he do it again? It's Suzuki vs. Yamaha as Cameron Beaubier takes over the lead on lap four. Jake Zemke runs fastest lap at 1:29.1. Bobby Fong on another Yamaha now is fourth. He will go after Cardenas. Jason DiSalvo is back on track. Dane Westby will try reeling in Cameron Beaubier. Beaubier runs a 1:28.8 maintaining his lead.
Cameron Beaubier has got an issue. What's happening? He was cutting really quick lap times. It's drizzling now. The race will be red flagged. Actually, half a dozen riders have thrown their hands in the air, concerned about weather. It's a short red flag. The race will restart. Riders could work on the bikes and put fuel in them, but they couldn't change tires. On the restart, Bobby Fong sweeps into the lead. He's opening a gap on the Yamaha. Cardenas passes Fong for the lead. Tommy Hayden and Jake Zemke are also in this battle.
Seven laps are complete. Beaubier and Fong go after Cardenas as Jake Zemke passes Tommy Hayden. Huntley Nash is right behind Zemke. Down the hill, the 600cc bikes really wind up. Cardenas is back in the lead and Bobby Fong gets sideways a little bit. Jake Zemke is going all over the place. Zemke is looking to pass Dane Westby and can't do it. Bobby Fong passes Cardenas, slides, and then goes wide and he slots back into third, but gets passed by Westby. From first to fourth in one fell swoop. Dane Westby is hugging the corner, not squaring it.
Ten laps have been run, so, it's essentially the halfway point in the race. Westby runs wide and Fong is right behind him. Zemke on the V twin Ducati has issues with maneuvering the bike. It's heavier than the four cylinder bikes. Cardenas still leads over Westby, Beauvier and Fong. Fong wants by Beauvier and nails the spot. Benny Solis crashes and is out. He slides down into the gravel trap. Dane Westby passes Cameron Beaubier for the lead. Eight laps left to run. Dane Westby takes the lead from Cameron Beaubier. Bobby Fong is still going for it. Beaubier retakes the lead from Westby.
Fong steps out the rear end but stays in it. These 600cc bikes on a street tire, work very well. But, the Superbikes are a lot more demanding to ride as they are bigger. Bobby Fong must get through to the top two in order to have a shot as the bikes run through a section of the track called Thunder Valley. Cameron Beaubier sets a new lap record at Mid Ohio with a 1:28.3. Jake Zemke is out of the race. It's a mechanical problem. Six laps left now. Bobby Fong runs a 1:28.1, lowering the track record another time! Throw caution to the wind, and fly! Fong must stay in touch with Westby and Beaubier to have a shot here.
Only three laps left to run. Cameron Beaubier has the lead. Beaubier has a gap, running a 1:28.4. Westby and Fong MUST push to get by Beaubier. Bobby Fong doesn't have the horsepower to catch Westby. Meanwhile, Beaubier has a handling advantage on the Yamaha. Fong tries drafting by Westby but can't pass. Two laps left. This is the last lap. Beaubier will win this race. But, can Fong get by Westby. Fong moves out to pass but cannot get by Westby. Does he have one more shot? Can Fong make the move? Nope. Beaubier wins with Westby second, and Fong, third. In sixth spot, Cory West will beat Huntley Nash to the line.
#6 Cameron Beaubier Yamaha YZF R6
Superbike race number two is on deck as are highlights of race one.
In race one, Josh Hayes was on pole. At the start, it was the battle between Young and Hayes. Josh Herrin was second, shifted wrong, and crashed. It was Blake Young vs. Roger Hayden. But, Josh Hayes held on for the win.
#1 Josh Hayes Yamaha R1
Larry Pegram is having a wheel issue. It's hopping badly and the tire is out of round.
At the start, Josh Hayes looks to get the jump. Josh Herrin tried the outside and ran wide. The same thing happened in race one. Blake Young got swamped. Hayes and Herrin lead into turn six. Roger Hayden and Geoff May battle, as does Steve Rapp. Geoff May goes wide and Steve Rapp on the Kawasaki, passes. The fuel loads need to burn off. This race will be 21 laps. Josh Herrin challenges Josh Hayes for the lead and he successfully passes him! Wow!
Roger Hayden is also coming quickly. Don't panic shift the bike. Roger Hayden slides sideways. Blake Young runs seventh, way down in the pack. Danny Eslick battles EBR team mate Geoff May. Josh Herrin still leads and most of these guys are running in the 1:25 to 1:26 range. Young ran a 1:25.7. Can Herrin hold pace to the end of the race? That's the question. Steve Rapp leads Ben Bostrom. Blake Young is also in this scrap, trying to get on the podium.
Herrin still leads over Hayes and Hayden. Roger Hayden is doing well after heat cycling the new tires. In the old days, the tires were heat cycled and scrubbed by the riders. Blake Young passes Steve Rapp. Rapp is a former Daytona 200 winner. Herrin may have touched Josh Hayes. Can Herrin keep going? Don't get flustered. It was very close between the two Monster Energy Yamaha's. Herrin wnats to pass Hayes but can't. He could not slow up into turn six. You cannot give Hayes a break. Blake Young is right up on Herrin now.
Blake Young needs to get confidence back. Maybe Hayes is scaring his competition. Roger Hayden sets fast lap of the race at 1:25.360. The race is going to be half over soon. Roger Hayden sets another fast lap at 1:25.2. Blake Young has crashed! He's second in points. How did he crash? He just slid off the bike as the front end washed out 3/4 of the way through the Keyhole. Young is a retirement. Can Roger Hayden win a Superbike race? He's never done it before. Josh Hayes retakes the lead over Roger Hayden. The race is half over.
Hayden should not force the issue unless there is an absolute weakness for Hayes. Blake Young is back on the bike. He's still racing, but out of contention. Ten laps to go. David Anthony on the #25 Suzuki crashes in the keyhole. The keyhole is calamity corner on this track, in this race. Roger Hayden is gaining on Hayes, but struggles through the keyhole. Larry Pegram on the BMW is running well with a fresh rear tire. Pegram runs a 1:26.8. Nine laps left to run. Hayes and Hayden continue to run 1-2. Different bikes have different electronics systems. Both bikes have good systems. Yamaha uses Magnetti Marelli and the Jordan Suzuki uses a Pizazz system.
Hayden's team mate Ben Bostrom is being harried by Steve Rapp on the Kawasaki. Steve Rapp is going for it. He's got the horsepower. The laps are winding down. Roger Hayden slides past Josh Hayes. He wants to lead and to win. Six laps left now. Hayes slides back into the lead and Hayden will have to redo his work. Roger Hayden still might have something. Blake Young will be lapped in fourteenth place. He cordially moves over for the leaders. Just four laps left. Roger Hayden harries Josh Hayes even more. But, the race is winding down. So, it will come down to who is the craftiest rider. Josh Herrin may get a podium place.
Hayden stays glued to Hayes' rear tire. Ben Bostrom on the sister Jordan Suzuki is slowing, and will not finish. Steve Rapp inherits fourth place. Hayden can close on the brakes. But, can he make a move that sticks. Hayes wants a seventh consecutive win. It's the last lap. Can Hayden do it? This is it. The last lap. Into the keyhole, Roger Hayden gets a run. Hayden took over for a minute but then Hayes passed again. This is it. Hayes is going to win another race more than likely. Hayden runs wide again. He can hold it, but Hayes is going to win it.
#1 Josh Hayes Yamaha R1
Dustin Dominguez and Brian Kerr battled in Supersport with Dustin Dominguez winning on his Triumph. In race two, James Rispoli led as Dustin Dominguez made a move and ended up winning this race. In XR1200, Michael Barnes started from pole, but Tyler O'Hara took the race win.
The next race on the schedule is the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix with Superbike as a support race for MotoGP. That race will be run in two weeks.
Jason DiSalvo is on pole. At the start, Jason DiSalvo and Martin Cardenas battle as the field shuffles. Cameron Beaubier, J.D. Beach, Jake Gagne and others battle. Here comes Cardenas and he passes DiSalvo for the lead with Dane Westby in third. Jake Zemke and Bobby Fong had a battle yesterday and they've resumed it. Huntley Nash is up in the running order, too. The bikes go four wide! Cameron Beaubier and Dane Westby shuffle Cardenas back to fourth as Jason DiSalvo takes the lead. But, Westby gets him! DiSalvo is shuffled. Fong and Jake Zemke are right in this fight, too.
Jason DiSalvo is out of the race. He can no longer contend for the championship. He had a master cylinder/braking problem yesterday. It is an L bracket that's the culprit as Dane Westby leads. Maybe the fuel tank on DiSalvo's Triumph is punctured. That could be real trouble. Westby won yesterday's race. Can he do it again? It's Suzuki vs. Yamaha as Cameron Beaubier takes over the lead on lap four. Jake Zemke runs fastest lap at 1:29.1. Bobby Fong on another Yamaha now is fourth. He will go after Cardenas. Jason DiSalvo is back on track. Dane Westby will try reeling in Cameron Beaubier. Beaubier runs a 1:28.8 maintaining his lead.
Cameron Beaubier has got an issue. What's happening? He was cutting really quick lap times. It's drizzling now. The race will be red flagged. Actually, half a dozen riders have thrown their hands in the air, concerned about weather. It's a short red flag. The race will restart. Riders could work on the bikes and put fuel in them, but they couldn't change tires. On the restart, Bobby Fong sweeps into the lead. He's opening a gap on the Yamaha. Cardenas passes Fong for the lead. Tommy Hayden and Jake Zemke are also in this battle.
Seven laps are complete. Beaubier and Fong go after Cardenas as Jake Zemke passes Tommy Hayden. Huntley Nash is right behind Zemke. Down the hill, the 600cc bikes really wind up. Cardenas is back in the lead and Bobby Fong gets sideways a little bit. Jake Zemke is going all over the place. Zemke is looking to pass Dane Westby and can't do it. Bobby Fong passes Cardenas, slides, and then goes wide and he slots back into third, but gets passed by Westby. From first to fourth in one fell swoop. Dane Westby is hugging the corner, not squaring it.
Ten laps have been run, so, it's essentially the halfway point in the race. Westby runs wide and Fong is right behind him. Zemke on the V twin Ducati has issues with maneuvering the bike. It's heavier than the four cylinder bikes. Cardenas still leads over Westby, Beauvier and Fong. Fong wants by Beauvier and nails the spot. Benny Solis crashes and is out. He slides down into the gravel trap. Dane Westby passes Cameron Beaubier for the lead. Eight laps left to run. Dane Westby takes the lead from Cameron Beaubier. Bobby Fong is still going for it. Beaubier retakes the lead from Westby.
Fong steps out the rear end but stays in it. These 600cc bikes on a street tire, work very well. But, the Superbikes are a lot more demanding to ride as they are bigger. Bobby Fong must get through to the top two in order to have a shot as the bikes run through a section of the track called Thunder Valley. Cameron Beaubier sets a new lap record at Mid Ohio with a 1:28.3. Jake Zemke is out of the race. It's a mechanical problem. Six laps left now. Bobby Fong runs a 1:28.1, lowering the track record another time! Throw caution to the wind, and fly! Fong must stay in touch with Westby and Beaubier to have a shot here.
Only three laps left to run. Cameron Beaubier has the lead. Beaubier has a gap, running a 1:28.4. Westby and Fong MUST push to get by Beaubier. Bobby Fong doesn't have the horsepower to catch Westby. Meanwhile, Beaubier has a handling advantage on the Yamaha. Fong tries drafting by Westby but can't pass. Two laps left. This is the last lap. Beaubier will win this race. But, can Fong get by Westby. Fong moves out to pass but cannot get by Westby. Does he have one more shot? Can Fong make the move? Nope. Beaubier wins with Westby second, and Fong, third. In sixth spot, Cory West will beat Huntley Nash to the line.
#6 Cameron Beaubier Yamaha YZF R6
Superbike race number two is on deck as are highlights of race one.
In race one, Josh Hayes was on pole. At the start, it was the battle between Young and Hayes. Josh Herrin was second, shifted wrong, and crashed. It was Blake Young vs. Roger Hayden. But, Josh Hayes held on for the win.
#1 Josh Hayes Yamaha R1
Larry Pegram is having a wheel issue. It's hopping badly and the tire is out of round.
At the start, Josh Hayes looks to get the jump. Josh Herrin tried the outside and ran wide. The same thing happened in race one. Blake Young got swamped. Hayes and Herrin lead into turn six. Roger Hayden and Geoff May battle, as does Steve Rapp. Geoff May goes wide and Steve Rapp on the Kawasaki, passes. The fuel loads need to burn off. This race will be 21 laps. Josh Herrin challenges Josh Hayes for the lead and he successfully passes him! Wow!
Roger Hayden is also coming quickly. Don't panic shift the bike. Roger Hayden slides sideways. Blake Young runs seventh, way down in the pack. Danny Eslick battles EBR team mate Geoff May. Josh Herrin still leads and most of these guys are running in the 1:25 to 1:26 range. Young ran a 1:25.7. Can Herrin hold pace to the end of the race? That's the question. Steve Rapp leads Ben Bostrom. Blake Young is also in this scrap, trying to get on the podium.
Herrin still leads over Hayes and Hayden. Roger Hayden is doing well after heat cycling the new tires. In the old days, the tires were heat cycled and scrubbed by the riders. Blake Young passes Steve Rapp. Rapp is a former Daytona 200 winner. Herrin may have touched Josh Hayes. Can Herrin keep going? Don't get flustered. It was very close between the two Monster Energy Yamaha's. Herrin wnats to pass Hayes but can't. He could not slow up into turn six. You cannot give Hayes a break. Blake Young is right up on Herrin now.
Blake Young needs to get confidence back. Maybe Hayes is scaring his competition. Roger Hayden sets fast lap of the race at 1:25.360. The race is going to be half over soon. Roger Hayden sets another fast lap at 1:25.2. Blake Young has crashed! He's second in points. How did he crash? He just slid off the bike as the front end washed out 3/4 of the way through the Keyhole. Young is a retirement. Can Roger Hayden win a Superbike race? He's never done it before. Josh Hayes retakes the lead over Roger Hayden. The race is half over.
Hayden should not force the issue unless there is an absolute weakness for Hayes. Blake Young is back on the bike. He's still racing, but out of contention. Ten laps to go. David Anthony on the #25 Suzuki crashes in the keyhole. The keyhole is calamity corner on this track, in this race. Roger Hayden is gaining on Hayes, but struggles through the keyhole. Larry Pegram on the BMW is running well with a fresh rear tire. Pegram runs a 1:26.8. Nine laps left to run. Hayes and Hayden continue to run 1-2. Different bikes have different electronics systems. Both bikes have good systems. Yamaha uses Magnetti Marelli and the Jordan Suzuki uses a Pizazz system.
Hayden's team mate Ben Bostrom is being harried by Steve Rapp on the Kawasaki. Steve Rapp is going for it. He's got the horsepower. The laps are winding down. Roger Hayden slides past Josh Hayes. He wants to lead and to win. Six laps left now. Hayes slides back into the lead and Hayden will have to redo his work. Roger Hayden still might have something. Blake Young will be lapped in fourteenth place. He cordially moves over for the leaders. Just four laps left. Roger Hayden harries Josh Hayes even more. But, the race is winding down. So, it will come down to who is the craftiest rider. Josh Herrin may get a podium place.
Hayden stays glued to Hayes' rear tire. Ben Bostrom on the sister Jordan Suzuki is slowing, and will not finish. Steve Rapp inherits fourth place. Hayden can close on the brakes. But, can he make a move that sticks. Hayes wants a seventh consecutive win. It's the last lap. Can Hayden do it? This is it. The last lap. Into the keyhole, Roger Hayden gets a run. Hayden took over for a minute but then Hayes passed again. This is it. Hayes is going to win another race more than likely. Hayden runs wide again. He can hold it, but Hayes is going to win it.
#1 Josh Hayes Yamaha R1
Dustin Dominguez and Brian Kerr battled in Supersport with Dustin Dominguez winning on his Triumph. In race two, James Rispoli led as Dustin Dominguez made a move and ended up winning this race. In XR1200, Michael Barnes started from pole, but Tyler O'Hara took the race win.
The next race on the schedule is the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix with Superbike as a support race for MotoGP. That race will be run in two weeks.
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Moto 2: Italy
Here are the highlights of the Moto 2 race from Mugello in Italy.
Joan Zarco and Pol Espargaro had a huge crash in qualifying. Fortunately, they are both OK. Pol Espargaro does have pole position for this race. Andrea Ianonne, Marc Marques, Pol Espargaro are on the front row. Third, second and first. Espargaro is on pole. The race will be 21 laps. This is the beginning of the second half of the season.
At the start, Marc Marquez, Tom Luthi and Bradley Smith get good starts into San Donato. Brad Smith gets fourth with Tom Luthi and Bradley Smith behind. Claudio Corti runs wide into the gravel. Dominik Aegerter is running well. Marquez leads over Espargaro as the riders are sizing each other up. Takaaki Nakagami battles Dominik Aegerter. Pol Espargaro runs wide, getting passed by Andrea Ianonne. Pol Espargaro barely hangs onto third place.
Claudio Corti gets into the gravel trap in Poggio Secco (turn three). Esteve Rabat blocks Scott Redding as lap two is in the books. Max Neukirchner had a crash this morning and also went down just now. He rejoins but he's way back along with another Japanese rider, Yuki Takahashi There's a chain of ten bikes running nose to tail. Toni Elias is fifteenth. He's run fast lap. Tom Luthi passes for the lead. Marc Marques is holding back right now coming to to the third lap. Yuki Takahashi was forced off the road. Dominique Aegerter passes Scott Redding.
Nakagami goes to third. The bikes are still single fle for the most part as Ianonne goes by Nakagami. Marc Marquez gets passed by Takaaki Nakagami. He's flying as the bikes come to Casanova and Savelli corners. Nakagami takes the lead into Arrabiatta. Nakagami barely keeps the lead as Luthi and Ianonne challenge. Mika Kallio is twelfth. Mike Di Meglio slides into the gravel and, crunch! He hits the tire barrier. Nakagami still holds the lead. There's a big wreck. Have to see who is in it. Axel Pons and Belgian rider Xavier Simeon. Nakagami follows Luthi and Marc Marquez is also there.
Luthi sets a new fast lap and Nakagami won't really challenge as the bikes come back into San Donato. Pol Espargaro is coming up now, too. ,Massimo Roccoli dumps his bike. Tito Rebat blocked and he fell down. Both of the Pons bikes of Rabat and Axel Pons have gone down. Eleven laps are left. Anthony West is in the pits, out of the race. The race is now half over. Pol Espargaro wants to pass Takaaki Nakagami. Pol Espargaro manages to pass Nakagaami and is now second.
Bradley Smith could get on the podium. Andrea Ianonne passes Marc Marques with ten laps to go. Marquez passes Andrea Ianonne. Bradley Smith runs fastest lap at 1:52.9. Simone Corsi is out of the race from twelfth spot. Scott Redding is now seventh. Joan Zarco is coming up and is eleventh, pulling away from Randy Krummenacher. Pol Espargaro has taken the lead, but no. Luthi ran deep and then, Marquez did likewise. Brad Smith and Scott Redding are moving up. This will be a good finish. Tom Luthi and Andrea Ianonne will be charging. Ditto for Scott Redding, setting his personal best lap time.
Marquez slides and drops drastically. Pol Espargaro might gain in the championship. Bradley Smith pressures Andrea Ianonne. Toni Elias has crashed out. There's an oil flag on the circuit now, too. Tom Luthi is now second. Scott Redding runs another fast lap, right behind Takaaki Nakagami. Pol Espargaro leads. Marquez passes Smith. Smith blocks as Ianonne and Marquez both set personal best lap times. Four laps remain. Bradley Smith runs behind Tom Luthi. Bradley Smith passes Tom Luthi into Bucine (turn fourteen). Andrea Ianonnes sets new fast lap and is just 3/4 of a second behind Espargaro.
Emilio Alzamora (Marquez's team manager) knows this might not be the day the team wants. Alexei Espargaro is cheering on his brother. The championship is very close. Tom Luthi sets fast lap. Three laps to go. Nakagami holds up Scott Redding. Neukirchner and Kallio are also there. Pol Espargaro continues holding off Iannone. Smith is losing ground. Luthi runs really wide into San Donato but recovers. A lap and a half left. It's Pol Espargaro vs. Andrea Ianonne. Scott Redding passes Taki Nakagami. Bradley Smith wants a podium. Can he get by Luthi?
Into Biondetti and Baccini, the battle intensifies. Luthi goes well through turn one. One lap left. Ianonne gets the lead. Can he win this race? Can he light up the Italian crowd? Ianonne won in 2010. Pol Espargaro still has a chance. Espargaro wiggles into Arrabiata. Half a lap left. Andrea Ianonne runs wide and still holds it. Can Espargaro pass? He takes a wide line. Can he get it? No. Ianonne wins it!
#29 Andrea Ianonne ITA Speed Up Vasto
The next race in Moto 2 (to be completely clear), will not be the next round of the MotoGP championship at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California. But, rather, it will be the second race in the United States at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Joan Zarco and Pol Espargaro had a huge crash in qualifying. Fortunately, they are both OK. Pol Espargaro does have pole position for this race. Andrea Ianonne, Marc Marques, Pol Espargaro are on the front row. Third, second and first. Espargaro is on pole. The race will be 21 laps. This is the beginning of the second half of the season.
At the start, Marc Marquez, Tom Luthi and Bradley Smith get good starts into San Donato. Brad Smith gets fourth with Tom Luthi and Bradley Smith behind. Claudio Corti runs wide into the gravel. Dominik Aegerter is running well. Marquez leads over Espargaro as the riders are sizing each other up. Takaaki Nakagami battles Dominik Aegerter. Pol Espargaro runs wide, getting passed by Andrea Ianonne. Pol Espargaro barely hangs onto third place.
Claudio Corti gets into the gravel trap in Poggio Secco (turn three). Esteve Rabat blocks Scott Redding as lap two is in the books. Max Neukirchner had a crash this morning and also went down just now. He rejoins but he's way back along with another Japanese rider, Yuki Takahashi There's a chain of ten bikes running nose to tail. Toni Elias is fifteenth. He's run fast lap. Tom Luthi passes for the lead. Marc Marques is holding back right now coming to to the third lap. Yuki Takahashi was forced off the road. Dominique Aegerter passes Scott Redding.
Nakagami goes to third. The bikes are still single fle for the most part as Ianonne goes by Nakagami. Marc Marquez gets passed by Takaaki Nakagami. He's flying as the bikes come to Casanova and Savelli corners. Nakagami takes the lead into Arrabiatta. Nakagami barely keeps the lead as Luthi and Ianonne challenge. Mika Kallio is twelfth. Mike Di Meglio slides into the gravel and, crunch! He hits the tire barrier. Nakagami still holds the lead. There's a big wreck. Have to see who is in it. Axel Pons and Belgian rider Xavier Simeon. Nakagami follows Luthi and Marc Marquez is also there.
Luthi sets a new fast lap and Nakagami won't really challenge as the bikes come back into San Donato. Pol Espargaro is coming up now, too. ,Massimo Roccoli dumps his bike. Tito Rebat blocked and he fell down. Both of the Pons bikes of Rabat and Axel Pons have gone down. Eleven laps are left. Anthony West is in the pits, out of the race. The race is now half over. Pol Espargaro wants to pass Takaaki Nakagami. Pol Espargaro manages to pass Nakagaami and is now second.
Bradley Smith could get on the podium. Andrea Ianonne passes Marc Marques with ten laps to go. Marquez passes Andrea Ianonne. Bradley Smith runs fastest lap at 1:52.9. Simone Corsi is out of the race from twelfth spot. Scott Redding is now seventh. Joan Zarco is coming up and is eleventh, pulling away from Randy Krummenacher. Pol Espargaro has taken the lead, but no. Luthi ran deep and then, Marquez did likewise. Brad Smith and Scott Redding are moving up. This will be a good finish. Tom Luthi and Andrea Ianonne will be charging. Ditto for Scott Redding, setting his personal best lap time.
Marquez slides and drops drastically. Pol Espargaro might gain in the championship. Bradley Smith pressures Andrea Ianonne. Toni Elias has crashed out. There's an oil flag on the circuit now, too. Tom Luthi is now second. Scott Redding runs another fast lap, right behind Takaaki Nakagami. Pol Espargaro leads. Marquez passes Smith. Smith blocks as Ianonne and Marquez both set personal best lap times. Four laps remain. Bradley Smith runs behind Tom Luthi. Bradley Smith passes Tom Luthi into Bucine (turn fourteen). Andrea Ianonnes sets new fast lap and is just 3/4 of a second behind Espargaro.
Emilio Alzamora (Marquez's team manager) knows this might not be the day the team wants. Alexei Espargaro is cheering on his brother. The championship is very close. Tom Luthi sets fast lap. Three laps to go. Nakagami holds up Scott Redding. Neukirchner and Kallio are also there. Pol Espargaro continues holding off Iannone. Smith is losing ground. Luthi runs really wide into San Donato but recovers. A lap and a half left. It's Pol Espargaro vs. Andrea Ianonne. Scott Redding passes Taki Nakagami. Bradley Smith wants a podium. Can he get by Luthi?
Into Biondetti and Baccini, the battle intensifies. Luthi goes well through turn one. One lap left. Ianonne gets the lead. Can he win this race? Can he light up the Italian crowd? Ianonne won in 2010. Pol Espargaro still has a chance. Espargaro wiggles into Arrabiata. Half a lap left. Andrea Ianonne runs wide and still holds it. Can Espargaro pass? He takes a wide line. Can he get it? No. Ianonne wins it!
#29 Andrea Ianonne ITA Speed Up Vasto
The next race in Moto 2 (to be completely clear), will not be the next round of the MotoGP championship at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California. But, rather, it will be the second race in the United States at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Indiana.
MotoGP Round 9: Italy
Round nine for MotoGP is the Italian Grand Prix taking place at the Autodromo Nazionale del Mugello in Mugello, Italy, located near Florence.
Dani Pedrosa is the new challenger as the second half of the season starts. This time, it's the Grand Prix of Italy. This track is located in Tuscany, near Florence. The next two races will be back-to-back races in the United States. More info on that at the end of this blog entry. The fans at Mugello are primarily Ducati fans.
In qualifying, Dani Pedrosa took pole from Jorge Lorenzo. He has a new two year contract at Repsol Honda. Moto 2 star, Marc Marques will be his team mate, next year. Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden also start on front row along with Hector Barbera. Actually, Hayden is fourth, on row two. Karel Abraham is not racing as his hand is not healed yet. He'll likely run again at Laguna Seca. The warmup lap is underway for round nine (the halfway mark of the season).
Mugello is a long, 3.2 mile track with a 7/10 mile straight and high speeds. The tires are going to be stressed in a big way over this 23 lap race. Here we go.
At the start, Nicky Hayden gets the jump and Casey Stoner flies by. But, Jorge Lorenzo slides around Dani Pedrosa immediately as the bikes go into San Donato. Alexei Espargaro moves up as Hector Barbera is sliding down the order. Stefan Bradl is into fifth. He runs wide into Borgo San Lorenzo and back into turn one as the riders actually complete lap one. Michele Pirro is out of the race already.; Andrea Dovizioso is battling Jorge Lorenzo who is currently leading. The bikes and riders run into Buccine, back onto the front straight. Into San Donato, Nicky Hayden in fourth is the quickest rider of all right now.
Bradl passes Hayden. The lap times are in the 1:47 to 1:48 bracket. Ivan Silva runs wide into turn one into the gravel trap, but continues. Michele Pirro is actually back in the race. But, he's a long way down the order. Ben Spies fends off Valentino Rossi who also passes Cal Crutchlow. Pirro has been black flagged and must pit. Lorenzo is gapping the others. Dani Pedrosa passes Andrea Dovizioso. But, Michele Pirro just has more issues. His race is getting worse. Lorenzo and Pedrosa are leading the field.
Five laps have been run. Valentino Rossi passes Hector Barbera and Cal Crutchlow also passes. Andrea Dovizioso is running well and he's matching Pedrosa in terms of lap times. Ben Spies is running slower, running a 1:56 compared to Lorenzo's 1:48. Spies runs just ahead of Randy de Puniet. He's got some tire troubles. Another lap begins into San Donato. Jorge Lorenzo sets a new lap record at Mugello. But, not sure what the time is. This race is full of action as MotoGP events always are. Spies' tire issues are worsening.
He's slowing down. Meanwhile, Stefan Bradl is running well. But, Casey Stoner is fastest of all except Jorge Lorenzo, running a 1:48.1. This race is flying by. It's half over as Dani Pedrosa closes on Jorge Lorenzo while Casey Stoner passes Nicky Hayden on the inside into fifth place. But, into Correntaio, Stoner nearly loses control. He stays on the bike, thankfully. Bacj through the same corner, it's going better for Lorenzo and Pedrosa, but, Lorenzo seems to have Pedrosa covered with eleven laps now left to run.
Colin Edwards is now out of the race, having gone through pit lane one time. Three CRT bikes are now out of the race. Colin Edwards has to now test a few more CRT bikes or it could be, his team has to test other riders. Casey Stoner closes on Alvaro Bautista. Jorge Lorenzo has won at this track on 250cc bikes earlier in his career. Lorenzo was really quick in practice with a 1:47.584 lap time. Nicky Hayden is fifth, still fending off Valentino Rossi and Cal Crutchlow. Stefan Bradl pulls away from Andrea Dovizioso. Ben Spies continues to backpedal.
It looks like Jorge Lorenzo will consolidate his points lead. If he does go on to win, it will be his fifth win of 2012 and his second Mugello win. Dani Pedrosa is losing ground on track. Right now, Nicky Hayden is the top American rider. Ben Spies runs behind Randy de Puniet on another of the CRT bikes. Just eight laps left as Stoner closes up on Alvaro Bautista for ninth place. He's having a fraught race, another one. Valentino Rossi outruns Crutchlow into San Donato. Crutchlow continues battling Rossi. Stoner tries Rossi into Scarperia (turn ten). He can't make the move work.
The bikes fly down the straightaway at 215 miles an hour! Wow! Talk about fast! Stoner ran wide and he nearly clobbered Alvaro Bautista. Jorge Lorenzo is checking out. He's having a much better race than he has in the last few. Dovizioso is quicker than Bradl. Nicky Hayden is under attack from a couple of these riders for the last spot on the podium. Five laps remain as Bradl and Dovizioso scrap. Ditto for Nicky Hayden. Rossi is the fastest bike of all for the whole race.
This is probably the fastest track on the MotoGP calendar. 349 kilometers per hour! That's 218.1 miles an hour, folks! Bradl runs deep into Scarperia. He's trying hard to keep Bautista behind him. Cal Crutchlow is strong through the esses but he's still losing time to Rossi. Andrea Dovizioso outbrakes Bradl. Rossi is catching Hayden. Bradl runs deep into Correntaio (turn 12). He takes a tight line into the next corner (Buccine). Hector Barbera tries hanging onto Casey Stoner. Just a lap and a half to go. Nicky Hayden may be running out of time to catch Jorge Lorenzo.
Bradl and Hayden close on Dovizioso. It's going to be the last lap. Lorenzo can cruise to victory. It's going to be a battle between Bradl, Hayden and Dovizioso for the final podium spot. Hayden slides by Bradl into fourth. But Bradl pushes. Rossi flies by! Hayden won't get the podium now! Jorge Lorenzo is going to win his fifth race win this year. Cal Crutchlow wants to pass Nicky Hayden. Can Bradl pass Dovizioso? No. Jorge Lorenzo wins it! Dani Pedrosa gets second. Dovizioso gets his third podium in a row.
#99 Jorge Lorenzo ESP Yamaha
The next race is going to be the first of two in the United States. It will be the U.S. Grand Prix at Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey, California, coming up in two weeks. After that, there will be the Indianapolis Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, too. So, all MotoGP fans in the U.S., stay tuned and check out the races. They'll be very exciting.
Dani Pedrosa is the new challenger as the second half of the season starts. This time, it's the Grand Prix of Italy. This track is located in Tuscany, near Florence. The next two races will be back-to-back races in the United States. More info on that at the end of this blog entry. The fans at Mugello are primarily Ducati fans.
In qualifying, Dani Pedrosa took pole from Jorge Lorenzo. He has a new two year contract at Repsol Honda. Moto 2 star, Marc Marques will be his team mate, next year. Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden also start on front row along with Hector Barbera. Actually, Hayden is fourth, on row two. Karel Abraham is not racing as his hand is not healed yet. He'll likely run again at Laguna Seca. The warmup lap is underway for round nine (the halfway mark of the season).
Mugello is a long, 3.2 mile track with a 7/10 mile straight and high speeds. The tires are going to be stressed in a big way over this 23 lap race. Here we go.
At the start, Nicky Hayden gets the jump and Casey Stoner flies by. But, Jorge Lorenzo slides around Dani Pedrosa immediately as the bikes go into San Donato. Alexei Espargaro moves up as Hector Barbera is sliding down the order. Stefan Bradl is into fifth. He runs wide into Borgo San Lorenzo and back into turn one as the riders actually complete lap one. Michele Pirro is out of the race already.; Andrea Dovizioso is battling Jorge Lorenzo who is currently leading. The bikes and riders run into Buccine, back onto the front straight. Into San Donato, Nicky Hayden in fourth is the quickest rider of all right now.
Bradl passes Hayden. The lap times are in the 1:47 to 1:48 bracket. Ivan Silva runs wide into turn one into the gravel trap, but continues. Michele Pirro is actually back in the race. But, he's a long way down the order. Ben Spies fends off Valentino Rossi who also passes Cal Crutchlow. Pirro has been black flagged and must pit. Lorenzo is gapping the others. Dani Pedrosa passes Andrea Dovizioso. But, Michele Pirro just has more issues. His race is getting worse. Lorenzo and Pedrosa are leading the field.
Five laps have been run. Valentino Rossi passes Hector Barbera and Cal Crutchlow also passes. Andrea Dovizioso is running well and he's matching Pedrosa in terms of lap times. Ben Spies is running slower, running a 1:56 compared to Lorenzo's 1:48. Spies runs just ahead of Randy de Puniet. He's got some tire troubles. Another lap begins into San Donato. Jorge Lorenzo sets a new lap record at Mugello. But, not sure what the time is. This race is full of action as MotoGP events always are. Spies' tire issues are worsening.
He's slowing down. Meanwhile, Stefan Bradl is running well. But, Casey Stoner is fastest of all except Jorge Lorenzo, running a 1:48.1. This race is flying by. It's half over as Dani Pedrosa closes on Jorge Lorenzo while Casey Stoner passes Nicky Hayden on the inside into fifth place. But, into Correntaio, Stoner nearly loses control. He stays on the bike, thankfully. Bacj through the same corner, it's going better for Lorenzo and Pedrosa, but, Lorenzo seems to have Pedrosa covered with eleven laps now left to run.
Colin Edwards is now out of the race, having gone through pit lane one time. Three CRT bikes are now out of the race. Colin Edwards has to now test a few more CRT bikes or it could be, his team has to test other riders. Casey Stoner closes on Alvaro Bautista. Jorge Lorenzo has won at this track on 250cc bikes earlier in his career. Lorenzo was really quick in practice with a 1:47.584 lap time. Nicky Hayden is fifth, still fending off Valentino Rossi and Cal Crutchlow. Stefan Bradl pulls away from Andrea Dovizioso. Ben Spies continues to backpedal.
It looks like Jorge Lorenzo will consolidate his points lead. If he does go on to win, it will be his fifth win of 2012 and his second Mugello win. Dani Pedrosa is losing ground on track. Right now, Nicky Hayden is the top American rider. Ben Spies runs behind Randy de Puniet on another of the CRT bikes. Just eight laps left as Stoner closes up on Alvaro Bautista for ninth place. He's having a fraught race, another one. Valentino Rossi outruns Crutchlow into San Donato. Crutchlow continues battling Rossi. Stoner tries Rossi into Scarperia (turn ten). He can't make the move work.
The bikes fly down the straightaway at 215 miles an hour! Wow! Talk about fast! Stoner ran wide and he nearly clobbered Alvaro Bautista. Jorge Lorenzo is checking out. He's having a much better race than he has in the last few. Dovizioso is quicker than Bradl. Nicky Hayden is under attack from a couple of these riders for the last spot on the podium. Five laps remain as Bradl and Dovizioso scrap. Ditto for Nicky Hayden. Rossi is the fastest bike of all for the whole race.
This is probably the fastest track on the MotoGP calendar. 349 kilometers per hour! That's 218.1 miles an hour, folks! Bradl runs deep into Scarperia. He's trying hard to keep Bautista behind him. Cal Crutchlow is strong through the esses but he's still losing time to Rossi. Andrea Dovizioso outbrakes Bradl. Rossi is catching Hayden. Bradl runs deep into Correntaio (turn 12). He takes a tight line into the next corner (Buccine). Hector Barbera tries hanging onto Casey Stoner. Just a lap and a half to go. Nicky Hayden may be running out of time to catch Jorge Lorenzo.
Bradl and Hayden close on Dovizioso. It's going to be the last lap. Lorenzo can cruise to victory. It's going to be a battle between Bradl, Hayden and Dovizioso for the final podium spot. Hayden slides by Bradl into fourth. But Bradl pushes. Rossi flies by! Hayden won't get the podium now! Jorge Lorenzo is going to win his fifth race win this year. Cal Crutchlow wants to pass Nicky Hayden. Can Bradl pass Dovizioso? No. Jorge Lorenzo wins it! Dani Pedrosa gets second. Dovizioso gets his third podium in a row.
#99 Jorge Lorenzo ESP Yamaha
The next race is going to be the first of two in the United States. It will be the U.S. Grand Prix at Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey, California, coming up in two weeks. After that, there will be the Indianapolis Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, too. So, all MotoGP fans in the U.S., stay tuned and check out the races. They'll be very exciting.
Monday, July 9, 2012
Moto 3: Germany
It is wet at the Sachsenring for the Moto 3 race. The wind has really picked up and the start has been delayed. The turn twelve grandstand at the Sachsenring is completely obscured. There are discussions about these bad conditions. MotoGP and Moto 2 have been completed. But, will the Moto 3 event run as planned? Yes. It will. Sandro Cortesi starts from pole. Luigi Morciano is starting from pit lane because he's exceeded his allocation of usable engines for the season already.
The bikes are on their formation lap. The race is late, but will get underway. Danny Kent is also up on the front row. Maverick Vinales starts down the order. The race will be 27 laps. But, Hector Faubel stalls his bike. At the start, Jack Miller flies off the starting blocks but Danny Kent will take the lead. Adrian Martin will lead this race with others coming. Louis Rossi, Danny Kent and others file through the first few corners as the bikes come through to the Stemquell. No one is sure of the grip levels in the wet. Tony Finsterbusch and Jakub Kornfeil are moving up.
Jonas Folger, Luis Salom and Brad Binder are up at the sharp end. Adrian Martin is in the race lead as the bikes go through turn eleven and twelve as Jack Miller goes for the lead and makes it work. The bikes go through the Sachsen curve and the Queckenberg curve. Maverick Vinales turns into the first corner (the Coca Cola curve). Sandro Cortese is also moving up well. The rain has now stopped and there are blue skies beginning to appear. There might be a dry racing line starting to form, too. Brad Binder is quickest at a 1:43.4 lap time.
Zhulfammi Khairuddin is moving up having passed Sandro Cortese. Maverick Vinales continues to languish. He's passed Marcel Schrotter. It could be Schrotter's last race at least temporarily as his Mahindra bike isn't performing. Khairuddin passes Jakub Kornfeil for seventh place. Hector Faubel sets fast lap at a 1:42.7. Louis Rossi is closing up on Jack Miller. With 20 laps left, Miller slides into corner number one (the Coca Cola curve). Maverick Vinales has to go quicker. Alex Rins is ahead of Vinales. Danny Webb, Simon Grotzkyj and others are hounding Vinales and Rins.
Brad Binder passed Adrian Martin. Luis Salom runs wide into turn one allowing Binder and Martin to pass. The track continues to dry as Schrotter wants to pass Vinales. Vinales is making sure he can stay in the race but is running slower. Danny Kent is coming. Alexis Masbou resets fast lap at 1:41.2. Brad Binder is quick right now. Alexis Masbou is running fast as he's three seconds quicker than Louis Rossi and is six seconds behind the leaders. Masbou is on intermediate tires, not full wets. The track is really beginning to dry now. Masbou sets another fast lap time. Jack Miller remains in the lead.
Romano Fenati is passed. He won in Spain, but has not had a good season since. Alexis Masbou passes Sandro Cortese. The race isn't even half over yet. Alan Techer passes Maverick Vinales. The track still has puddles and the pavement is steaming in turn nine. It's a battle between Jack Miller and Louis Rossi. Masbou is two seconds quicker than the leaders. Luis Salom is side by side with Jack Miller. Salom will take the lead. Can he win this race?
Twelve laps remain. Louis Rossi slides wide and Alexis Masbou goes by. Danny Kent has retired his KTM. There could be a radiator issue. Masbou can push, but he cannot wear down his tires. Sandro Cortese rides into third. He's a German, but keep in mind, his name sounds Italian. Hector Faubel has come into the points, running just ahead of Arthur Sissis. Cortese takes the lead in front of his home crowd. Can he win? Masbou runs ride and there's a backmarker in the way, Giulian Pedone of Switzerland. Jonas Folger seems to be coming into the picture.
The track is drying, but riders need to find water to keep the tires cool. Ten laps left. Adrian Martin tries passing Luis Salom, but no. ...And Jonas Folger crashes. He's got no luck and will be out of this race. Salom and Martin scrap for the lead. Cortese fends off the challenge from Masbou. No German has won a race at the Sachsenring since MotoGP came back to the Sachsenring back in 1998. Efrin Vazquez is running well. Luis Salom could be making a charge at the end. Continue looking for water with the wet weather tires still on the bike.
Alexis Masbou has taken the lead from Cortese with just six laps remaining. The Sachsenring is very abrasive and that could cause these tires to fade fast. Brad Binder or one of the other riders is slowing, allowing Maverick Vinales to come into the points. Masbou remains in the race lead. Masbou and Salom have not won races yet in their careers. So, there could be a first time winner at the end of this one. Masbou wants it bad. He's run 95 125cc races and has run eight races in Moto 3. Danny Kent is out of the race.
Cortese wants to win, but, Louis Rossi and Jack Miller might have something to say. Zhulfami Khairuddin is seventh and has five bikes trying to swamp him for position. Sandro Cortese retakes the lead. Three laps left. Jack Miller sets fast lap of the race. This could be a five way battle for the win after all. Hmmm. Maverick Vinales will score one point in this race. He's 15th now. Jack Miller sets fast lap at 1:37.718. Spaniard Alberto Moncayo stops his bike on the front straight with mechanical issues. Luis Salom battles Sandro Cortese as well as Alexis Masbou.
Marcel Schrotter has dumped his bike and is out. Two laps remain. Louis Rossi does likewise, crashing out. It's Cortese vs. Masbou. Cortese runs the fastest lap of the race. Jack Miller closes up, too. Maverick Vinales is back in the points, passing another rider. Sandro Cortese is going to win this race! He blocks the line and will be the first German to win at the Sachsenring in 1998 and also takes the Moto 3 points lead!
#11 Sandro Cortese GER KTM
The next round of the Moto 3 championship is the halfway mark in the season. It's going to be the Italian Grand Prix at the Mugello circuit, next weekend.
The bikes are on their formation lap. The race is late, but will get underway. Danny Kent is also up on the front row. Maverick Vinales starts down the order. The race will be 27 laps. But, Hector Faubel stalls his bike. At the start, Jack Miller flies off the starting blocks but Danny Kent will take the lead. Adrian Martin will lead this race with others coming. Louis Rossi, Danny Kent and others file through the first few corners as the bikes come through to the Stemquell. No one is sure of the grip levels in the wet. Tony Finsterbusch and Jakub Kornfeil are moving up.
Jonas Folger, Luis Salom and Brad Binder are up at the sharp end. Adrian Martin is in the race lead as the bikes go through turn eleven and twelve as Jack Miller goes for the lead and makes it work. The bikes go through the Sachsen curve and the Queckenberg curve. Maverick Vinales turns into the first corner (the Coca Cola curve). Sandro Cortese is also moving up well. The rain has now stopped and there are blue skies beginning to appear. There might be a dry racing line starting to form, too. Brad Binder is quickest at a 1:43.4 lap time.
Zhulfammi Khairuddin is moving up having passed Sandro Cortese. Maverick Vinales continues to languish. He's passed Marcel Schrotter. It could be Schrotter's last race at least temporarily as his Mahindra bike isn't performing. Khairuddin passes Jakub Kornfeil for seventh place. Hector Faubel sets fast lap at a 1:42.7. Louis Rossi is closing up on Jack Miller. With 20 laps left, Miller slides into corner number one (the Coca Cola curve). Maverick Vinales has to go quicker. Alex Rins is ahead of Vinales. Danny Webb, Simon Grotzkyj and others are hounding Vinales and Rins.
Brad Binder passed Adrian Martin. Luis Salom runs wide into turn one allowing Binder and Martin to pass. The track continues to dry as Schrotter wants to pass Vinales. Vinales is making sure he can stay in the race but is running slower. Danny Kent is coming. Alexis Masbou resets fast lap at 1:41.2. Brad Binder is quick right now. Alexis Masbou is running fast as he's three seconds quicker than Louis Rossi and is six seconds behind the leaders. Masbou is on intermediate tires, not full wets. The track is really beginning to dry now. Masbou sets another fast lap time. Jack Miller remains in the lead.
Romano Fenati is passed. He won in Spain, but has not had a good season since. Alexis Masbou passes Sandro Cortese. The race isn't even half over yet. Alan Techer passes Maverick Vinales. The track still has puddles and the pavement is steaming in turn nine. It's a battle between Jack Miller and Louis Rossi. Masbou is two seconds quicker than the leaders. Luis Salom is side by side with Jack Miller. Salom will take the lead. Can he win this race?
Twelve laps remain. Louis Rossi slides wide and Alexis Masbou goes by. Danny Kent has retired his KTM. There could be a radiator issue. Masbou can push, but he cannot wear down his tires. Sandro Cortese rides into third. He's a German, but keep in mind, his name sounds Italian. Hector Faubel has come into the points, running just ahead of Arthur Sissis. Cortese takes the lead in front of his home crowd. Can he win? Masbou runs ride and there's a backmarker in the way, Giulian Pedone of Switzerland. Jonas Folger seems to be coming into the picture.
The track is drying, but riders need to find water to keep the tires cool. Ten laps left. Adrian Martin tries passing Luis Salom, but no. ...And Jonas Folger crashes. He's got no luck and will be out of this race. Salom and Martin scrap for the lead. Cortese fends off the challenge from Masbou. No German has won a race at the Sachsenring since MotoGP came back to the Sachsenring back in 1998. Efrin Vazquez is running well. Luis Salom could be making a charge at the end. Continue looking for water with the wet weather tires still on the bike.
Alexis Masbou has taken the lead from Cortese with just six laps remaining. The Sachsenring is very abrasive and that could cause these tires to fade fast. Brad Binder or one of the other riders is slowing, allowing Maverick Vinales to come into the points. Masbou remains in the race lead. Masbou and Salom have not won races yet in their careers. So, there could be a first time winner at the end of this one. Masbou wants it bad. He's run 95 125cc races and has run eight races in Moto 3. Danny Kent is out of the race.
Cortese wants to win, but, Louis Rossi and Jack Miller might have something to say. Zhulfami Khairuddin is seventh and has five bikes trying to swamp him for position. Sandro Cortese retakes the lead. Three laps left. Jack Miller sets fast lap of the race. This could be a five way battle for the win after all. Hmmm. Maverick Vinales will score one point in this race. He's 15th now. Jack Miller sets fast lap at 1:37.718. Spaniard Alberto Moncayo stops his bike on the front straight with mechanical issues. Luis Salom battles Sandro Cortese as well as Alexis Masbou.
Marcel Schrotter has dumped his bike and is out. Two laps remain. Louis Rossi does likewise, crashing out. It's Cortese vs. Masbou. Cortese runs the fastest lap of the race. Jack Miller closes up, too. Maverick Vinales is back in the points, passing another rider. Sandro Cortese is going to win this race! He blocks the line and will be the first German to win at the Sachsenring in 1998 and also takes the Moto 3 points lead!
#11 Sandro Cortese GER KTM
The next round of the Moto 3 championship is the halfway mark in the season. It's going to be the Italian Grand Prix at the Mugello circuit, next weekend.
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Moto 2: Germany
In Moto 2 at the Sachsenring (watching the final laps now), the battle was on between Brad Smith and Andrea Ianonne as well as Simone Corsi and Pol Espargaro. Scott Redding was the big loser in the race, crashing out early without even completing a lap. Andrea Ianonne will not score points in this race. Axel Pons had his bike rebuilt before the race started and has steering issues going into the final stages. With ten laps left, Marques was building a gap over Alex de Angelis. Mika Kallio was also up at the sharp end, but towards the end of the event, the lap times started to drop. Yuki Takahashi retired from the race after being in the points for most of the race. A lot of riders wanted to see rain in this race. But, it will not appear.
When the race started, Marques gapped everyone including Pol Espargaro and others. Redding crashed on lap one. Right now there's just eight laps left to run. Marques leads over Alex De Angelis, Mika Kalio, Pol Espargaro and Tom Luthi with seven laps left. Alex de Angelis, Mika Kalio and others are running in the 1:25.8 time range coming over the hill to the front side of the track. This track has a few named corners, but not many. Alex de Angelis could be having some issues that are slowing him down. The tires won't keep heat in them properly.
Marc Marquez has basically led this whole race. He wants a spot in MotoGP next year and could be on his way to having some opportunity to make that happen. Mika Kallio is having a good race, but cannot challenge for the win. Pol Espargaro could get by Mika Kallio. Andrea Ianonne is no longer in contention. Ditto for Max Neukirchner, Gino Rea and others. Kallio passes de Angelis. Alex de Angelis and Mika Kalio might get podiums. Both of them ran in MotoGP but couldn't find success there, so, they moved back down to Moto 2. Andrea Ianonne did in fact crash out of this race.
Just one lap to go. These two battle (Kalio and De Angelis). Don't throw it away. Marc Marques has sewn up the win, basically. Pol Espargaro could be losing his tires as Tom Luthi is just 6/10 of a second behind. de Angelis tries to get by Kallio in turn nine. Can he get a run into the last corner in turn thirteen and fourteen. Marc Marquez wins! De Angelis gets third, Kallio, second. Espargaro and Luthi round out the top five.
#93 Marc Marquez ESP Suter
The next race for Moto 2 is the Italian Grand Prix at the Mugello circuit, next weekend.
When the race started, Marques gapped everyone including Pol Espargaro and others. Redding crashed on lap one. Right now there's just eight laps left to run. Marques leads over Alex De Angelis, Mika Kalio, Pol Espargaro and Tom Luthi with seven laps left. Alex de Angelis, Mika Kalio and others are running in the 1:25.8 time range coming over the hill to the front side of the track. This track has a few named corners, but not many. Alex de Angelis could be having some issues that are slowing him down. The tires won't keep heat in them properly.
Marc Marquez has basically led this whole race. He wants a spot in MotoGP next year and could be on his way to having some opportunity to make that happen. Mika Kallio is having a good race, but cannot challenge for the win. Pol Espargaro could get by Mika Kallio. Andrea Ianonne is no longer in contention. Ditto for Max Neukirchner, Gino Rea and others. Kallio passes de Angelis. Alex de Angelis and Mika Kalio might get podiums. Both of them ran in MotoGP but couldn't find success there, so, they moved back down to Moto 2. Andrea Ianonne did in fact crash out of this race.
Just one lap to go. These two battle (Kalio and De Angelis). Don't throw it away. Marc Marques has sewn up the win, basically. Pol Espargaro could be losing his tires as Tom Luthi is just 6/10 of a second behind. de Angelis tries to get by Kallio in turn nine. Can he get a run into the last corner in turn thirteen and fourteen. Marc Marquez wins! De Angelis gets third, Kallio, second. Espargaro and Luthi round out the top five.
#93 Marc Marquez ESP Suter
The next race for Moto 2 is the Italian Grand Prix at the Mugello circuit, next weekend.
MotoGP round 8: Germany
Round eight of the MotoGP World Championship is the German Grand Prix at the Sachsenring in Hohenstein, Germany. The championship is dead even now. Can Jorge Lorenzo reclaim his points lead? This race at the Sachsenring is in Oberlungwitz, Germany. MotoGP CEO Carmelo Ezpeletta has made some announcements. Only four bikes can be run per team and there are new ideas about CRT bikes. The schedule is still being ironed out.
The qualifying session was wet. In fifteen seconds, there were four polesitters! Nicky Hayden set fast laps but he was only able to manage seventh. Casey Stoner has pole even though Stefan Bradl, Dani Pedrosa and Ben Spies were also up there. Spies starts in second. Alvaro Bautista was penalized for crashing out Jorge Lorenzo in Holland. Colin Edwards is also running well. Stoner has his fourth pole of the year. This is Stefan Bradl's home race. Michele Pirro and Franco Battaini are two other riders to watch. Battaini is the test rider for Ducati, filling in for the injured Karel Abraham.
The bikes are on their warmup lap right now. This track is short and counterclockwise. It's the shortest track on the schedule, with thirteen turns. Turn 11 (the waterfall) is one of the best corners on the track. 30 laps is the race distance. Let's go get it!
At the start, Ben Spies gets the jump, but Dani Pedrosa is into the lead with Stoner passing Spies. Stefan Bradl is up to fifth. Jorge Lorenzo also has a good start. Cal Crutchlow loses three places into the Coca Cola Curve as the bikes go into the turn 9, 10, 11 complex, going to the final corner (the Sachsen Curve), to complete lap one. Lorenzo wants by Spies but cannot get there. This is a long race.
Lorenzo is trying to pass Spies while Bradl battles Cal Crutchlow. Alvaro Bautista is up to fourteenth, as the bikes come towards turn seven, into Stemquell. Casey Stoner flies by Pedrosa for the lead. Barbera passes Bradl and there's a battle between Valentino Rossi and Cal Crutchlow, too. Crutchlow holds off Bradl, chasing his team mate, Andrea Dovizioso. Jorge Lorenzo goes back through turn eight another time. Dani Pedrosa is a three-time winner at the Sachsenring. Dovizioso closes on Lorenzo.
Casey Stoner turns a 1:22.6 lap time which is slower than Pedrosa's record last year. Pedrosa ran 1:22.3 in Friday morning practice. Michele Pirro is out of the race. Stoner runs fast lap at 1:22.624. Can Pedrosa win this race? His last win was in the Japan round in 2011. Pedrosa sets fast lap and is a tenth up on Stoner on lap four. Alvaro Bautista has come to twelfth spot, knocking on the door of the top ten. Lorenzo passes Ben Spiesx. Bautista passes Randy de Puniet and is past all the CRT bikes.
Cal Crutchlow battles Andrea Dovizioso. Crutchlow continues battling his fractured ankle. Nicky Hayden wants to get by Stefan Bradl. He thought so through turn twelve but couldn't do it as there's a huge battl;e between Dovizioso and Spies. Dovizioso takes fourth spot away. Crutchlow is running Spies down too. Crutchlow (in a bold move) passes Spies. Jorge Lorenzo is no quicker than the two leaders by a tenth (1:23 flat to 1:23.1). Jorge Lorenzo has not won at the Sachsenring yet.
Some dark clouds are gathering. There might be some rain. But, it's not certain yet. Crutchlow wants to pass Dovizioso. But, can he do it? For next year, Crutchlow might land on a factory Ducati while Andrea Dovizioso is looking to go to the factory Yamaha squad. The two riders are running for the Tech 3 Yamaha satellite team right now. Seventeen laps left in the race. Spies is dropping off the pace of the two Tech 3 Yamaha's. Dovizioso can run into the turns better. Dani Pedrosa sets fast lap. Not sure of the time, though.
Stoner is pushing Pedrosa, just like the Crutchlow/Dovizioso scrap. The race is now half over. Fifteen laps down. Fifteen to go as the bikes come through turn seven again, (the Stemquell). In the downhill section, Pedrosa is nearly right behind Stoner, but, he's going to have to make a move if he wants the lead. Stoner sets a 1:23.1. He may be slowing just a bit. Dani Pedrosa has now taken the lead. He can get more points since Lorenzo is out and Lorenzo is technically tied with Jorge Lorenzo for the points lead. Lorenzo is out of it.
Stoner is booking it with ten laps left. He just set his fastest lap. Nicky Hayden and Valentino Rossi pass Hector Barbera. Stoner is closing on Pedrosa. He's really getting off the corners well. Can Stoner drive around Pedrosa? Not this time. Three Yamaha's battle for fourth. It's Crutchlow, Dovizioso and Spies. Hauden, Barbera and Rossi scrap too, with Hector Faubel knocking on the door. Pedrosa is a tenth up on Stoner. The Ducati team was thinking about getting the spare bikes but changed their minds. Rain could come before the end.
Seven laps left now. Jorge Lorenzo will lose his championship lead to Stoner after this race. The Dovizioso, Crutchlow and Spies scrap intensifies. Spies tried to putting the move on the two Monster Yamaha's, but couldn't quite do it. Cal Crutchlow goes too deep into turn one, and slides into the gravel trap. That is the Coca Cola curve. Crutchlow recovers, but loses tons of time. Four laps to go. Stoner wants by Pedrosa into turn twelve but can't get there. Andrea Dovizioso and Ben Spies battle and Stefan Bradl is now sixth with two laps to go. Can Stoner make a move? Not quite. Stoner slides. Can Stoner get around the outside? Stoner closes the line up.
Coming to turn one, Stoner will not give up as the two bikes passed a lapped rider. They climb the hill into turns four through six. This is the Stemquell. Rossi passes Hayden and Stefan Bradl hangs on. Bradl fends off Rossi. Final lap. It's Pedrosa vs. Stoner. Bradl is going to pass Rossi and Crutchlow passes Barbera and Bautista. Dani Pedrosa sets fastest lap! Pedrosa has to push like you know what. Who's going to do it? Pedrosa wiggles and Stoner falls! That's the race. Pedrosa wins it!
#26 Dani Pedrosa ESP Honda
The rain began falling. Dovizioso and Spies get the positions after Stoner's wipeout. The next round of the championship will be the Italian Grand Prix taking place next weekend at the Mugello circuit.
The qualifying session was wet. In fifteen seconds, there were four polesitters! Nicky Hayden set fast laps but he was only able to manage seventh. Casey Stoner has pole even though Stefan Bradl, Dani Pedrosa and Ben Spies were also up there. Spies starts in second. Alvaro Bautista was penalized for crashing out Jorge Lorenzo in Holland. Colin Edwards is also running well. Stoner has his fourth pole of the year. This is Stefan Bradl's home race. Michele Pirro and Franco Battaini are two other riders to watch. Battaini is the test rider for Ducati, filling in for the injured Karel Abraham.
The bikes are on their warmup lap right now. This track is short and counterclockwise. It's the shortest track on the schedule, with thirteen turns. Turn 11 (the waterfall) is one of the best corners on the track. 30 laps is the race distance. Let's go get it!
At the start, Ben Spies gets the jump, but Dani Pedrosa is into the lead with Stoner passing Spies. Stefan Bradl is up to fifth. Jorge Lorenzo also has a good start. Cal Crutchlow loses three places into the Coca Cola Curve as the bikes go into the turn 9, 10, 11 complex, going to the final corner (the Sachsen Curve), to complete lap one. Lorenzo wants by Spies but cannot get there. This is a long race.
Lorenzo is trying to pass Spies while Bradl battles Cal Crutchlow. Alvaro Bautista is up to fourteenth, as the bikes come towards turn seven, into Stemquell. Casey Stoner flies by Pedrosa for the lead. Barbera passes Bradl and there's a battle between Valentino Rossi and Cal Crutchlow, too. Crutchlow holds off Bradl, chasing his team mate, Andrea Dovizioso. Jorge Lorenzo goes back through turn eight another time. Dani Pedrosa is a three-time winner at the Sachsenring. Dovizioso closes on Lorenzo.
Casey Stoner turns a 1:22.6 lap time which is slower than Pedrosa's record last year. Pedrosa ran 1:22.3 in Friday morning practice. Michele Pirro is out of the race. Stoner runs fast lap at 1:22.624. Can Pedrosa win this race? His last win was in the Japan round in 2011. Pedrosa sets fast lap and is a tenth up on Stoner on lap four. Alvaro Bautista has come to twelfth spot, knocking on the door of the top ten. Lorenzo passes Ben Spiesx. Bautista passes Randy de Puniet and is past all the CRT bikes.
Cal Crutchlow battles Andrea Dovizioso. Crutchlow continues battling his fractured ankle. Nicky Hayden wants to get by Stefan Bradl. He thought so through turn twelve but couldn't do it as there's a huge battl;e between Dovizioso and Spies. Dovizioso takes fourth spot away. Crutchlow is running Spies down too. Crutchlow (in a bold move) passes Spies. Jorge Lorenzo is no quicker than the two leaders by a tenth (1:23 flat to 1:23.1). Jorge Lorenzo has not won at the Sachsenring yet.
Some dark clouds are gathering. There might be some rain. But, it's not certain yet. Crutchlow wants to pass Dovizioso. But, can he do it? For next year, Crutchlow might land on a factory Ducati while Andrea Dovizioso is looking to go to the factory Yamaha squad. The two riders are running for the Tech 3 Yamaha satellite team right now. Seventeen laps left in the race. Spies is dropping off the pace of the two Tech 3 Yamaha's. Dovizioso can run into the turns better. Dani Pedrosa sets fast lap. Not sure of the time, though.
Stoner is pushing Pedrosa, just like the Crutchlow/Dovizioso scrap. The race is now half over. Fifteen laps down. Fifteen to go as the bikes come through turn seven again, (the Stemquell). In the downhill section, Pedrosa is nearly right behind Stoner, but, he's going to have to make a move if he wants the lead. Stoner sets a 1:23.1. He may be slowing just a bit. Dani Pedrosa has now taken the lead. He can get more points since Lorenzo is out and Lorenzo is technically tied with Jorge Lorenzo for the points lead. Lorenzo is out of it.
Stoner is booking it with ten laps left. He just set his fastest lap. Nicky Hayden and Valentino Rossi pass Hector Barbera. Stoner is closing on Pedrosa. He's really getting off the corners well. Can Stoner drive around Pedrosa? Not this time. Three Yamaha's battle for fourth. It's Crutchlow, Dovizioso and Spies. Hauden, Barbera and Rossi scrap too, with Hector Faubel knocking on the door. Pedrosa is a tenth up on Stoner. The Ducati team was thinking about getting the spare bikes but changed their minds. Rain could come before the end.
Seven laps left now. Jorge Lorenzo will lose his championship lead to Stoner after this race. The Dovizioso, Crutchlow and Spies scrap intensifies. Spies tried to putting the move on the two Monster Yamaha's, but couldn't quite do it. Cal Crutchlow goes too deep into turn one, and slides into the gravel trap. That is the Coca Cola curve. Crutchlow recovers, but loses tons of time. Four laps to go. Stoner wants by Pedrosa into turn twelve but can't get there. Andrea Dovizioso and Ben Spies battle and Stefan Bradl is now sixth with two laps to go. Can Stoner make a move? Not quite. Stoner slides. Can Stoner get around the outside? Stoner closes the line up.
Coming to turn one, Stoner will not give up as the two bikes passed a lapped rider. They climb the hill into turns four through six. This is the Stemquell. Rossi passes Hayden and Stefan Bradl hangs on. Bradl fends off Rossi. Final lap. It's Pedrosa vs. Stoner. Bradl is going to pass Rossi and Crutchlow passes Barbera and Bautista. Dani Pedrosa sets fastest lap! Pedrosa has to push like you know what. Who's going to do it? Pedrosa wiggles and Stoner falls! That's the race. Pedrosa wins it!
#26 Dani Pedrosa ESP Honda
The rain began falling. Dovizioso and Spies get the positions after Stoner's wipeout. The next round of the championship will be the Italian Grand Prix taking place next weekend at the Mugello circuit.
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
FIM World Superbike round 8: Aragon, Spain Race 2
Here are the highlights from race two of round eight for the FIM World Superbike Championship at Aragon in Spain.
At the start of race two, Max Biaggi takes the lead headed into the first corner. Meanwhile, Marco Melandri on the BMW is on a charge, getting around Eugene Laverty on the #58 Aprilia Racing Team factory RSV4 bike. It's Biaggi vs. Laverty. These two are team mates. Meanwhile, Melandri tries his best to go around both of them. Then, Biaggi gets revenge so to speak as he passes Laverty again. But, wait. Laverty isn't done just yet.
This is now a four way scrap. Chaz Davies on another Aprilia wants to mix it up with these three. Melandri flies around Davies. He runs wide and gives Davies a chance to come back. After recovering though, he's right onto Biaggi, trying to make a pass down the inside. Melandri makes that pass stick, and goes on to win race two at Motorland Aragon
#33 Marco Melandri ITA. BMW S1000RR
The next race on the schedule for World Superbike will be in seventeen days at the Brno circuit located in Brno, Czech Republic.
At the start of race two, Max Biaggi takes the lead headed into the first corner. Meanwhile, Marco Melandri on the BMW is on a charge, getting around Eugene Laverty on the #58 Aprilia Racing Team factory RSV4 bike. It's Biaggi vs. Laverty. These two are team mates. Meanwhile, Melandri tries his best to go around both of them. Then, Biaggi gets revenge so to speak as he passes Laverty again. But, wait. Laverty isn't done just yet.
This is now a four way scrap. Chaz Davies on another Aprilia wants to mix it up with these three. Melandri flies around Davies. He runs wide and gives Davies a chance to come back. After recovering though, he's right onto Biaggi, trying to make a pass down the inside. Melandri makes that pass stick, and goes on to win race two at Motorland Aragon
#33 Marco Melandri ITA. BMW S1000RR
The next race on the schedule for World Superbike will be in seventeen days at the Brno circuit located in Brno, Czech Republic.
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Moto 2: Holland
In the Moto 2 race at the Dutch TT, Marc Marques on his #93 Suter bike won another race beating Andrea Ianonne and Scott Redding to the line. In fourth was Esteve Rabat with Alex de Angelis in fifth spot. Tom Luthi and Pol Espargaro were among the unclassified riders and it looks as if Tom Luthi didn't even take the start of the race, having completed zero laps. Again, the next race for all three series (MotoGP, Moto 2 and Moto 3), is going to be at the Sachsenring in Germany.
Moto 3: Holland
In the Moto 3 race at the Dutch TT, Maverick Vinales on his FTR Honda took the race win with several of the top riders getting top ten finishes and throughout the field. There were some notables who did not get classified. Jack Miller was disqualified for something. Danny Webb and Marcel Schrotter on the Mahindra team bikes were two notable retirements from the race. The next event for Moto 3 will be the German Grand Prix at the Sachsenring. All the MotoGP riders will be running there as the next round of the championship of course. Stay tuned for updates from Moto 2 and the update on race two of World Superbike from Aragon in Spain.
Sunday, July 1, 2012
FIM World Superbike round 8: Aragon, Spain Race 1
Aragon is a principality of Spain. This is race one. Race two will not be shown today. But, rather, it will be on Tuesday. So, look for the update on that race coming up in a few days.
The conditions are very cool and Johnny Rea has had issues with that throughout the weekend. This is the beginning of the second half of the season for the World Superbike Championship.
Carlos Checa is on the second row in seventh and this track has a corner named after him.
At the start, Max Biaggi gets the jump and then Tom Sykes gets the hole shot. Laurence Baz is back on track and another bike went down. Eugene Laverty, Davide Giugliano, Leon Haslam and others get good starts. Marco Melandri is going well but Jakub Smrz falls. Johnny Rea also crashes out. This race will be 20 laps. Eugene Laverty leads a race for the first time in a long time. Laverty is the one who has been shot from a cannon this time. Chaz Davies follows Carlos Checa.
Marco Melandri follows Max Biaggi. Checa tries passing Giugliano and makes it stick as the two Ducati's battle each other. Chaz Davies got loose into a corner. Max Biaggi passes Tom Sykes as Ayrton Badovini is now eighth and he sets the fast lap at a 1:58.9 second lap. It's an Aprilia 1-2. Ayrton Badovini is quickest bike on track right now and Leon Haslam might also be in this fight very soon. Marco Melandri tries passing Tom Sykes, but Melandri passed. He's third now. It's a battle between the Aprilia's. Biaggi gets the best of Laverty.
Eight laps are complete. Melandri slides around Eugene Laverty but then Laverty comes back. Tom Sykes is on the outside. Melandri goes by Laverty and Sykes goes with him. BMW vs. Aprilia vs. Kawasaki. Biaggi runs a 1:58.5 and these guys battling are going to have to catch up to the factory Aprilia. The Ducati seems to be down on power. Four laps complete. Another new lap record by Biaggi is a 1:58.4. Melandri equals it. Melandri stays with Biaggi running a 1:58.2. Ayrton Badovini is coming quickly in the lower half of the top ten.
Leon Haslam battles Lorenzo Zanetti for tenth. Michele Fabrizio and Niccollo Canepa are down further in the other. Marco Melandri is reeling in Max Biaggi now. John Hopkins begins to battle with Canepa and Fabrizio. Leon Camier also runs mid pack. It is interesting to observe both Biaggi and Melandri, because they both started their motorcycle careers in MotoGP on 250cc bikes and those skills translate to these big 1000cc machines in World Superbike. Bigger bike, same riding skills.
The race is half over. Ten laps to go. Biaggi and Melandri are still INCREDIBLY close. Tom Sykes passes Eugene Laverty and Ayrton Badovini is also moving up. Leon Haslam is falling back as Davide Giugliano and Michele Fabrizio have both passed. Leandro Mercado crashed. But, he's OK. Max Biaggi slides wide and now Marco Melandri is right on it. Marco Melandri passes Biaggi. Melandri was thinking, "OK, Biaggi is on the limit. So, if he makes a mistake, I can pounce." Melandri runs wide, Biaggi goes through.
Biaggi begins to gap Marco Melandri. The bikes tires should be OK to the end of the race. Biaggi's tires are beginning to wear down slightly. It's a two man race right now. Tom Sykes, Ayrton Badovini and Carlos Checa follow. Marco Melandri goes by Max Biaggi as he did a block pass. Can Biaggi do the same? Five laps remaining. Tom Sykes will get on the podium or so it appears. Biaggi still wants by Melandri.
There's a specific corner on the track where he has an advantage. Biaggi gets the advantage, slips and then allows Melandri to pass. Four laps left in the race now. These two are side by side at 200 miles an hour down the Aragon straight. Tom Sykes and Ayrton Badovini also have a battle royale going on for third. Leon Haslam has recovered. He's way behind Eugene Laverty but will still get a good finish. Melandri's late braking seems to be an advantage. But, he slides wide.
Melandri is now blocking Biaggi. So, Biaggi has to go on the offensive. Two laps to go now. Biaggi passes and then, Melnadri tries but can;t quite get there. Now Biaggi has the advantage and Melandri slides. He stays in it but loses time. Melandri has nothing to lose. But Biaggi has to hold on or he loses the points lead. Ayrton Badovini and Tom Sykes have both crashed. Biaggi makes a mistake. Who will it be? Max Biaggi wins it! OK. It was Melandri making a mistake. Carlos Checa gets third.
#3 Max Biaggi ITA Aprilia RSV4 Factory
Race two will take place next and be seen on Tuesday. Look for the highlights then.
The conditions are very cool and Johnny Rea has had issues with that throughout the weekend. This is the beginning of the second half of the season for the World Superbike Championship.
Carlos Checa is on the second row in seventh and this track has a corner named after him.
At the start, Max Biaggi gets the jump and then Tom Sykes gets the hole shot. Laurence Baz is back on track and another bike went down. Eugene Laverty, Davide Giugliano, Leon Haslam and others get good starts. Marco Melandri is going well but Jakub Smrz falls. Johnny Rea also crashes out. This race will be 20 laps. Eugene Laverty leads a race for the first time in a long time. Laverty is the one who has been shot from a cannon this time. Chaz Davies follows Carlos Checa.
Marco Melandri follows Max Biaggi. Checa tries passing Giugliano and makes it stick as the two Ducati's battle each other. Chaz Davies got loose into a corner. Max Biaggi passes Tom Sykes as Ayrton Badovini is now eighth and he sets the fast lap at a 1:58.9 second lap. It's an Aprilia 1-2. Ayrton Badovini is quickest bike on track right now and Leon Haslam might also be in this fight very soon. Marco Melandri tries passing Tom Sykes, but Melandri passed. He's third now. It's a battle between the Aprilia's. Biaggi gets the best of Laverty.
Eight laps are complete. Melandri slides around Eugene Laverty but then Laverty comes back. Tom Sykes is on the outside. Melandri goes by Laverty and Sykes goes with him. BMW vs. Aprilia vs. Kawasaki. Biaggi runs a 1:58.5 and these guys battling are going to have to catch up to the factory Aprilia. The Ducati seems to be down on power. Four laps complete. Another new lap record by Biaggi is a 1:58.4. Melandri equals it. Melandri stays with Biaggi running a 1:58.2. Ayrton Badovini is coming quickly in the lower half of the top ten.
Leon Haslam battles Lorenzo Zanetti for tenth. Michele Fabrizio and Niccollo Canepa are down further in the other. Marco Melandri is reeling in Max Biaggi now. John Hopkins begins to battle with Canepa and Fabrizio. Leon Camier also runs mid pack. It is interesting to observe both Biaggi and Melandri, because they both started their motorcycle careers in MotoGP on 250cc bikes and those skills translate to these big 1000cc machines in World Superbike. Bigger bike, same riding skills.
The race is half over. Ten laps to go. Biaggi and Melandri are still INCREDIBLY close. Tom Sykes passes Eugene Laverty and Ayrton Badovini is also moving up. Leon Haslam is falling back as Davide Giugliano and Michele Fabrizio have both passed. Leandro Mercado crashed. But, he's OK. Max Biaggi slides wide and now Marco Melandri is right on it. Marco Melandri passes Biaggi. Melandri was thinking, "OK, Biaggi is on the limit. So, if he makes a mistake, I can pounce." Melandri runs wide, Biaggi goes through.
Biaggi begins to gap Marco Melandri. The bikes tires should be OK to the end of the race. Biaggi's tires are beginning to wear down slightly. It's a two man race right now. Tom Sykes, Ayrton Badovini and Carlos Checa follow. Marco Melandri goes by Max Biaggi as he did a block pass. Can Biaggi do the same? Five laps remaining. Tom Sykes will get on the podium or so it appears. Biaggi still wants by Melandri.
There's a specific corner on the track where he has an advantage. Biaggi gets the advantage, slips and then allows Melandri to pass. Four laps left in the race now. These two are side by side at 200 miles an hour down the Aragon straight. Tom Sykes and Ayrton Badovini also have a battle royale going on for third. Leon Haslam has recovered. He's way behind Eugene Laverty but will still get a good finish. Melandri's late braking seems to be an advantage. But, he slides wide.
Melandri is now blocking Biaggi. So, Biaggi has to go on the offensive. Two laps to go now. Biaggi passes and then, Melnadri tries but can;t quite get there. Now Biaggi has the advantage and Melandri slides. He stays in it but loses time. Melandri has nothing to lose. But Biaggi has to hold on or he loses the points lead. Ayrton Badovini and Tom Sykes have both crashed. Biaggi makes a mistake. Who will it be? Max Biaggi wins it! OK. It was Melandri making a mistake. Carlos Checa gets third.
#3 Max Biaggi ITA Aprilia RSV4 Factory
Race two will take place next and be seen on Tuesday. Look for the highlights then.
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