Here are the highlights of the Moto 3 race from Brno in the Czech Republic.
It's going to be a wet race at Brno. On the pole will be Maverick Vinales. Mahindra will collaborate with Suter for a Moto 3 bike beginning next year. This race will be 19 laps.
At the start, Sandro Cortese and Zulfahmi Khairuddin both get the jump. Take it easy around the track as it's still drying out. Alex Rins and Jonas Folger are running well as Vinales passes Cortese with Folger following. Although, Khairuddin has the race lead right now. Jakub Kornfeil is also running well as is wildcard rider John McPhee. Efrin Vazquez takes over the lead. Vazquez has a wet rear tire. Rider Danny Webb has joined the commentary team for this race. He's not out on track, but is in the booth. Webb's bike is being ridden by someone else. Khairuddin and Folger are quick on wet tires.
Riding on wet tires on a dry track is horrendous because the bike is moving around and the tires have no grip and are really sticky. Sandro Cortese is tracking Maverick Vinales with Luis Salom also up there. Salom was the surprise winner at Indianapolis in Moto 3 of course. John McPhee is running well. McPhee and another wildcard rider, Miroslav Popow are battling. McPhee is on slicks. Popow runs in Italian Moto 3. Efrin Vazquez has led three laps. But Jonas Folger is coming quickly, too.
Riding on wet tires when the track is dry, they'll just disintegrate and break up. Vazquez is battling Folger, hoping for more rain. Jonas Folger won in 2011 at Silverstone in the wet. Miroslav Popow is third. He's running consistent laps, too. Zulfahmi Khairuddin is also consistent. Stay on the track and stay at the sharp end of the battles. Jakub Kornfeil follows Popow. Cortese, Vinales, Salom, Miguel Oliviera and Alex Rins are the top five right now. Khairuddin battles McPhee. Vinales has to be glued to Cortese in the points table. Moto 3 just has one race remaining in it's season. McPhee runs wide into the stadium section but is still running well.
There could be two Czech riders on the podium and the fans are going crazy with their air horns! Jakub Kornfeil could be on the podium along with Miroslav Popow. Just twelve laps to go. John McPhee is still running and his problems seemed to have cleared up. Jonas Folger is also being cheered for by his fans from Germany. Folger is ahead by ten seconds. He wants his second Moto 3 win. Khairuddin passes Vazquez. Zulfahmi Khairuddin is running quicker than Popow right now. Maverick Vinales sets fast lap at 2:13.4. McPhee gains another spot, but Vazquez is having a lackluster race.
Tony Finsterbusch is having issues. It was thought he'd retire, but, he may be back out in the race on his bike, shortly. Vinales sets fast lap again in eighth spot. He's close behind Sandro Cortese. Cortese wants to pass John McPhee. Ten laps remain. Luis Salom lunges his bike and McPhee passes. Zulfahmi Khairuddin wants his first podium. But he'll have to pass Miroslav Popow first. Cortese is opening a gap over Vinales. Can Sandro Cortese catch Jakub Kornfeil? He might. Vinales needs to do something if he wants to keep himself in the championship hunt.
Kornfeil is running well, but Cortese is getting closer. Jonas Folger has a twelve second gap over everyone else. He's checking out. Folger really wants another win and in his first ride for a new team, he got third at Indy. Maverick Vinales runs fastest lap. 2:10.693. Kornfeil leads Cortese by five and a half seconds. He'll have to catch up for second place. Alex Rins and Khairuddin battle. McPhee and Popow started well, but they're falling behind down to twelfth and thirteenth respectively. Danny Kent follows Miguel Oliveira. Jonas Folger looks to be the one to win this race if he can hold onto the bike for another six laps.
Cortese won't want Vinales to finish ahead of him. Fans continue to urge Jakub Kornfeil on as Vinales runs another fast lap. Alex Rins and Luis Salom battle which will allow Danny Kent to get closer as he fends off a challenge from Miguel Oliviera. As the track dries, things are changing. Vinales and Cortese battle into the Kevin Schwantz corner. Zulfahmi Khairuddin has crashed. He won't finish. As the pace quickens, a rider is more prone to making mistakes. Luis Salom wants to pounce. Popow has fallen down right on the front straight. He's out of the race. Fortunately, the marshals picked up the bike. Popow tried to save the bike after clipping Alexi Masbou.
He was able to get away from the bike. Zulfahmi Khairuddin is out. Three laps remaining. Danny Kent sets fast lap at 2:09.888. Jonas Folger is sure to win. But, who else gets podium spots? Kornfeil resets fast lap. Folger has a nine second lead. Sandro Cortese and Maverick Vinales both want by Jakub Kornfeil. Luis Salom also wants another win after taking one at Indianapolis last time out. Kornfeil might be able to block Vinales. Kornfeil shuts the door on Vinales. It's the last lap. Luis Salom has passed both Kornfeil and Vinales! Can he catch Cortese?
It's a three way race for second. Kornfeil won't get the podium. Kornfeil is fifth. Jonas Folger will win. Alberto Moncayo is not racing. He's been dropped from his team. But, Jonas Folger will indeed win this race. For second, Cortese and Salom battle. Salom gets second with Cortese third and Vinales fourth. Jonas Folger is the winner!
#94 Jonas Folger GER Kalex KTM
The next Moto 3 race is at San Marino in Italy at the Misano World Circuit in a shade over two weeks time.
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Monday, August 27, 2012
FIM World Superbike round 11: Moscow
Round eleven of the FIM World Superbike Championship is to be run in Moscow, Russia at the Moscow Raceway. This is the first ever SBK race in Russia. Herman Tilke designed this track. He's a legendary racetrack designer. Max Biaggi still has the championship lead over Marco Melandri. BMW leads the manufacturers cup right now. This new track is going to be small, but interesting. It'll add to excitement, according to Carlos Checa. It's rained again at this race. So, there might be another rainy race for World Superbike. There are very few overtaking zones. Just one in the last corner is the most prominent spot.
The track is indeed wet. John Hopkins is starting to improve again in these races. Carlos Checa and Marco Melandri will start on the dry line. That's good for them as they go into the first corner, while other riders start on the wet line. Dave McFadden from South Africa will also start this event. He's a wildcard. The track is real smooth, but there are bumps into one of the s curves. The ability to pass might be compromised. The Ducati's are 3/10ths slower than the four cylinder bikes. The gear ratios have been changed quite a bit for this new track.
At the start of race one, Tom Sykes gets the hole shot as Leon Haslam and Carlos Checa both move up. The bikes are set up on slick tires. Eugene Laverty has third. The three Brits are well used to these conditions. Davide Giugliano is trying to pass Max Biaggi. Loris Baz and Niccolo Canepa also run well. These bikes are flying and Sykes stretches his advantage over Leon Haslam. Sylvain Guintoli loses grip as Laverty passes Haslam, holding the spot. Giugliano is seventh. Guintoli, eleventh. Carlos Checa is going for it as the track begins to dry. This race will be 25 laps.
Davide Giugliano moves up. Haslam is battling Laverty. The Aprilia is slightly faster than the BMW. It's VERY quick in a straight line. Checa's down! The world champ got clipped! No red flag. But, he's probably seen his championship totally busted. Johnny Rea slams into Checa on the dry line. Handlebar to handlebar contact. So, Checa's out. Davide Giugliano is really going after Leon Haslam and he can't quite make the move work. Eugene Laverty has more opportunities now. Chaz Davies is sixth. He's carving his way into the top of the field. Laverty is now third with Giugliano following. Tom Sykes is checking out with a 3.3 second lead. He's got a real feel for the Kawasaki.
Leon Haslam runs wide, losing three spots. Behind Jonny Rea, is Chaz Davies who won the FIM World Super Sport championship. Melandri and Biaggi run seventh and eighth. Johnny Rea runs fast lap at 1:38.3. Johnny Rea and Chaz Davies pass Davide Giugliano. Davies runs a 1:38 flat. He's fastest of all right now. Tom Sykes is pushing very hard though. Carlos Checa is out of this race and probably out of contention for the championship, too. Sykes is flying! Rea scraps with Laverty. But, his Honda is not as quick as the Aprilia. This race is really starting to sizzle now.
The Pirelli slick tires are working well. But, Leon Camier has issues and is being lapped. He's on full wet tires. The Aprilia is the quickest bike of all on the straightaway. Johnny Rea gets passed by Davide Giugliano. Rea tries to pass Laverty, but tries a bit too hard. Rea passes the Ducati of Giugliano. There's a lot of action. But this race is so long. The riders will just need to be patient. Tom Sykes might get a good deal of points after race one. Chaz Davies sets a lap record. Not sure of the time. Marco Melandri is catching this bunch.
Rea crashes! A low side into the dirt. His front end washes out. He's fine, but out of the race. He hits the brakes and the front end washes out. He's right ahead of Davies. Eugene Laverty is now running 3/10ths quicker than Sykes. Leon Haslam passes Giugliano. Tom Sykes might have some issues with tire wear. The Kawasaki with Sykes on it is as fast as a speeding bullet. But, will the tires hold up? Davide Giugliano crashes! He low sides it into turn eleven. He pushes into the off camber corner that turns around on itself. Not good.
Chaz Davies is looking to get second. It's Davies vs. Laverty. These guys are going for it. Laverty's rear tire is sliding a lot. No changes in the gap. Niccolo Canepa is also moving up nicely. Melandri is right on top of Leon Haslam. He'll fight his team mate for sure. Just don't take each other out, boys. This track has a big requirement for concentration. Physically, it's not too bad. But, you need to be a disciplined rider. Haslam and Melandri pass Laverty. He got swamped! Chaz Davies also passed. Two BMW's and two Aprilia's.
Chaz Davies from Wales has a good pass. It depends on how tall or short you are as a rider for the aerodynamic advantage. Davies is slightly quicker than Sykes. Haslam has crashed! Chaz Davies is involved. There was a gap he shouldn't have gone for. Haslam got the worst of it, smashing into the gravel! Biaggi goes to fifth place. We could have a new points leader at the end of this race. Three top riders have ditched their bikes. Michele Fabrizio battles Niccolo Canepa. John Hopkins has made his way to tenth spot. Tom Sykes has a near four second lead over Marco Melandri.
Chaz Davies passes Eugene Laverty. Laverty is losing grip. He's got no tires left and maybe chose the wrong compound. Two laps to go in race one. But, Chaz Davies dumps his bike after hitting a wet patch. He had a transmission issue where it went to neutral between gears. Tom Sykes is flying! Max Biaggi has caught Eugene Laverty. It's a battle between two Aprilia's. But, on the last lap, Sykes has a six second lead. Davies could have continued. But, he chose not to. This will be Tom Sykes' first official win of the 2012 season.
He's dominated on this new track. Tom Sykes wins race one!
#66 Tom Sykes GBR Kawasaki ZX10R
Race two is up next.
The weather for race two will be dry and warm. Carlos Checa will make the start for race two, after his crash in the first one.
At the start. Sykes gets a huge jump! Checa falls. Eugene Laverty has a good spot with Leon Haslam and Johnny Rea are also up there. There's a big wreck. It's Michele Fabrizio falling. Max Biaggi languishes down in eighth. The BMW is trying to stay with the Aprilia of Biaggi. Davide Giugliano runs wide but there's a crash and a bike running wide. Not sure who wrecked. McFaddenand possibly, Loris Baz may have crashed.
Melandri pulls out of the slipstream trying to pass Haslam, but no. There are yellow flags. No overtaking. Laverty passes. Laverty is still trying, absolutely on the limit. Fabrizio, Baz, and Hiroshi Aoyama are all out. Hiroshi Aoyama is on a Honda. Melandri gets by Leon Haslam. The bikes run through the compression dip in one of the corners. Aoyama is at the hospital for a checkup. He'll be fine. Sykes and Biaggi run in the 1:36 range. 1:36.1 for Biaggi and 1:36.2 for Sykes. Biaggi, Melandri, and Sykes are the title combatants. Rea passes Davide Giugliano.
Marco Melandri makes a successful pass on Eugene Laverty. Haslam and Laverty go three wide around Melandri! Leon Haslam makes a good pass. It's the BMW and Aprilia show! Melandri picks up a spot with Biaggi and Checa also getting there. Melandri and Haslam run together. John Hopkins and Lorenzo Zanetti run 14th and 15th. Checa and Giugliano on the Ducati's run seventh and eighth. Laverty gets by Haslam and Melandri. But, Marco Melandri is on it, too. But, with these three guys tussling, Sykes grows his lead.
Ducati tried to use the A compound soft tire. But, it's hurting performance more than helping. Marco Melandri runs a new lap record at 1:35.8! Wow! Biaggi ran wide and was passed by Johnny Rea. Max Biaggi passes Johnny Rea but then, he ditches the bike and rakes Leon Haslam out! What on earth was that?! Rea comes across on Biaggi, off line, and then, slams Biaggi who runs into Leon Haslam! Naughty, naughty. Biaggi hit the brakes too late. He'll be fine.
Melandri is flying, all over Sykes. No double for Sykes today. Rea holds off Laverty and Checa. Max Biaggi has had his first real crash of the year. Melandri takes the lead away from Sykes. He's motoring! But, Sykes still has something. ...And yet, Sykes is falling behind Melandri. But, the Kawasaki is the quickest bike in a straight line. It ran 335 kilometers an hour at the Monza race. That's 209 miles an hour! Wow!
Melandri still leads over Sykes by 7/10ths of a second. Eugene Laverty and Chaz Davies battle. Customer Aprilia vs. factory Aprilia. Chaz Davies misses a shift and runs wide. Something went wrong. Davies is now back on track. Melandri's rear tire is starting to wear out. Melandri runs a quick lap at 1:36.4 as does Tom Sykes. The top three all run identical lap times. Johnny Rea wants to make a pass. Five laps to go. He wants to push Melandri. There are just three rounds (six races) remaining in the 2012 championship for World Superbike. Melandri runs a 1:36.6.
Laverty pushes and passes Rea. Just two laps to go. Melandri has this one signed, sealed, and delivered. With a win, Melandri can take over the championship lead as Laverty tries passing Tom Sykes but it won't work. Johnny Rea passes Laverty, or tries to, and can't get by late on the brakes. It's the last lap at Moscow Raceway. Who will win? Who will get points? Johnny Rea swoops past Eugene Laverty and he wants by Sykes. But Laverty isn't done yet either. Rea and Laverty crash! Checa barely comes through it. Melandri wins it!
#33 Marco Melandri ITA BMW S1000RR
Now, Melandri takes the points lead. Just three races to run in the 2012 FIM World Superbike season. The next one is at the Nurburgring in Germany (the new circuit, of course). It takes place in two weeks.
The track is indeed wet. John Hopkins is starting to improve again in these races. Carlos Checa and Marco Melandri will start on the dry line. That's good for them as they go into the first corner, while other riders start on the wet line. Dave McFadden from South Africa will also start this event. He's a wildcard. The track is real smooth, but there are bumps into one of the s curves. The ability to pass might be compromised. The Ducati's are 3/10ths slower than the four cylinder bikes. The gear ratios have been changed quite a bit for this new track.
At the start of race one, Tom Sykes gets the hole shot as Leon Haslam and Carlos Checa both move up. The bikes are set up on slick tires. Eugene Laverty has third. The three Brits are well used to these conditions. Davide Giugliano is trying to pass Max Biaggi. Loris Baz and Niccolo Canepa also run well. These bikes are flying and Sykes stretches his advantage over Leon Haslam. Sylvain Guintoli loses grip as Laverty passes Haslam, holding the spot. Giugliano is seventh. Guintoli, eleventh. Carlos Checa is going for it as the track begins to dry. This race will be 25 laps.
Davide Giugliano moves up. Haslam is battling Laverty. The Aprilia is slightly faster than the BMW. It's VERY quick in a straight line. Checa's down! The world champ got clipped! No red flag. But, he's probably seen his championship totally busted. Johnny Rea slams into Checa on the dry line. Handlebar to handlebar contact. So, Checa's out. Davide Giugliano is really going after Leon Haslam and he can't quite make the move work. Eugene Laverty has more opportunities now. Chaz Davies is sixth. He's carving his way into the top of the field. Laverty is now third with Giugliano following. Tom Sykes is checking out with a 3.3 second lead. He's got a real feel for the Kawasaki.
Leon Haslam runs wide, losing three spots. Behind Jonny Rea, is Chaz Davies who won the FIM World Super Sport championship. Melandri and Biaggi run seventh and eighth. Johnny Rea runs fast lap at 1:38.3. Johnny Rea and Chaz Davies pass Davide Giugliano. Davies runs a 1:38 flat. He's fastest of all right now. Tom Sykes is pushing very hard though. Carlos Checa is out of this race and probably out of contention for the championship, too. Sykes is flying! Rea scraps with Laverty. But, his Honda is not as quick as the Aprilia. This race is really starting to sizzle now.
The Pirelli slick tires are working well. But, Leon Camier has issues and is being lapped. He's on full wet tires. The Aprilia is the quickest bike of all on the straightaway. Johnny Rea gets passed by Davide Giugliano. Rea tries to pass Laverty, but tries a bit too hard. Rea passes the Ducati of Giugliano. There's a lot of action. But this race is so long. The riders will just need to be patient. Tom Sykes might get a good deal of points after race one. Chaz Davies sets a lap record. Not sure of the time. Marco Melandri is catching this bunch.
Rea crashes! A low side into the dirt. His front end washes out. He's fine, but out of the race. He hits the brakes and the front end washes out. He's right ahead of Davies. Eugene Laverty is now running 3/10ths quicker than Sykes. Leon Haslam passes Giugliano. Tom Sykes might have some issues with tire wear. The Kawasaki with Sykes on it is as fast as a speeding bullet. But, will the tires hold up? Davide Giugliano crashes! He low sides it into turn eleven. He pushes into the off camber corner that turns around on itself. Not good.
Chaz Davies is looking to get second. It's Davies vs. Laverty. These guys are going for it. Laverty's rear tire is sliding a lot. No changes in the gap. Niccolo Canepa is also moving up nicely. Melandri is right on top of Leon Haslam. He'll fight his team mate for sure. Just don't take each other out, boys. This track has a big requirement for concentration. Physically, it's not too bad. But, you need to be a disciplined rider. Haslam and Melandri pass Laverty. He got swamped! Chaz Davies also passed. Two BMW's and two Aprilia's.
Chaz Davies from Wales has a good pass. It depends on how tall or short you are as a rider for the aerodynamic advantage. Davies is slightly quicker than Sykes. Haslam has crashed! Chaz Davies is involved. There was a gap he shouldn't have gone for. Haslam got the worst of it, smashing into the gravel! Biaggi goes to fifth place. We could have a new points leader at the end of this race. Three top riders have ditched their bikes. Michele Fabrizio battles Niccolo Canepa. John Hopkins has made his way to tenth spot. Tom Sykes has a near four second lead over Marco Melandri.
Chaz Davies passes Eugene Laverty. Laverty is losing grip. He's got no tires left and maybe chose the wrong compound. Two laps to go in race one. But, Chaz Davies dumps his bike after hitting a wet patch. He had a transmission issue where it went to neutral between gears. Tom Sykes is flying! Max Biaggi has caught Eugene Laverty. It's a battle between two Aprilia's. But, on the last lap, Sykes has a six second lead. Davies could have continued. But, he chose not to. This will be Tom Sykes' first official win of the 2012 season.
He's dominated on this new track. Tom Sykes wins race one!
#66 Tom Sykes GBR Kawasaki ZX10R
Race two is up next.
The weather for race two will be dry and warm. Carlos Checa will make the start for race two, after his crash in the first one.
At the start. Sykes gets a huge jump! Checa falls. Eugene Laverty has a good spot with Leon Haslam and Johnny Rea are also up there. There's a big wreck. It's Michele Fabrizio falling. Max Biaggi languishes down in eighth. The BMW is trying to stay with the Aprilia of Biaggi. Davide Giugliano runs wide but there's a crash and a bike running wide. Not sure who wrecked. McFaddenand possibly, Loris Baz may have crashed.
Melandri pulls out of the slipstream trying to pass Haslam, but no. There are yellow flags. No overtaking. Laverty passes. Laverty is still trying, absolutely on the limit. Fabrizio, Baz, and Hiroshi Aoyama are all out. Hiroshi Aoyama is on a Honda. Melandri gets by Leon Haslam. The bikes run through the compression dip in one of the corners. Aoyama is at the hospital for a checkup. He'll be fine. Sykes and Biaggi run in the 1:36 range. 1:36.1 for Biaggi and 1:36.2 for Sykes. Biaggi, Melandri, and Sykes are the title combatants. Rea passes Davide Giugliano.
Marco Melandri makes a successful pass on Eugene Laverty. Haslam and Laverty go three wide around Melandri! Leon Haslam makes a good pass. It's the BMW and Aprilia show! Melandri picks up a spot with Biaggi and Checa also getting there. Melandri and Haslam run together. John Hopkins and Lorenzo Zanetti run 14th and 15th. Checa and Giugliano on the Ducati's run seventh and eighth. Laverty gets by Haslam and Melandri. But, Marco Melandri is on it, too. But, with these three guys tussling, Sykes grows his lead.
Ducati tried to use the A compound soft tire. But, it's hurting performance more than helping. Marco Melandri runs a new lap record at 1:35.8! Wow! Biaggi ran wide and was passed by Johnny Rea. Max Biaggi passes Johnny Rea but then, he ditches the bike and rakes Leon Haslam out! What on earth was that?! Rea comes across on Biaggi, off line, and then, slams Biaggi who runs into Leon Haslam! Naughty, naughty. Biaggi hit the brakes too late. He'll be fine.
Melandri is flying, all over Sykes. No double for Sykes today. Rea holds off Laverty and Checa. Max Biaggi has had his first real crash of the year. Melandri takes the lead away from Sykes. He's motoring! But, Sykes still has something. ...And yet, Sykes is falling behind Melandri. But, the Kawasaki is the quickest bike in a straight line. It ran 335 kilometers an hour at the Monza race. That's 209 miles an hour! Wow!
Melandri still leads over Sykes by 7/10ths of a second. Eugene Laverty and Chaz Davies battle. Customer Aprilia vs. factory Aprilia. Chaz Davies misses a shift and runs wide. Something went wrong. Davies is now back on track. Melandri's rear tire is starting to wear out. Melandri runs a quick lap at 1:36.4 as does Tom Sykes. The top three all run identical lap times. Johnny Rea wants to make a pass. Five laps to go. He wants to push Melandri. There are just three rounds (six races) remaining in the 2012 championship for World Superbike. Melandri runs a 1:36.6.
Laverty pushes and passes Rea. Just two laps to go. Melandri has this one signed, sealed, and delivered. With a win, Melandri can take over the championship lead as Laverty tries passing Tom Sykes but it won't work. Johnny Rea passes Laverty, or tries to, and can't get by late on the brakes. It's the last lap at Moscow Raceway. Who will win? Who will get points? Johnny Rea swoops past Eugene Laverty and he wants by Sykes. But Laverty isn't done yet either. Rea and Laverty crash! Checa barely comes through it. Melandri wins it!
#33 Marco Melandri ITA BMW S1000RR
Now, Melandri takes the points lead. Just three races to run in the 2012 FIM World Superbike season. The next one is at the Nurburgring in Germany (the new circuit, of course). It takes place in two weeks.
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Moto 2: Czech Republic
Here are the highlights of the Moto 2 race from Brno.
Dark clouds are hovering around. Brno (apart from Assen, Holland) has staged more MotoGP World Championship races than any other track. This will be a 20 lap feature race for Moto 2. Pol Espargaro has pole for the race. No pun intended. Now, there are black clouds around the track. But, there may or may not be rain involved.
At the start, Pol Espargaro and Tom Luthi both get good starts into the first corner. Luthi leads over Pol Espargaro. Marc Marquez is up there, too, passing Andrea Ianonne. But, Scott Redding crashes in turn three! He's out of it! Luthi, Espargaro and others follow each other around Brno, lining up on the straightaway to complete another lap. Tom Luthi will not let Pol Espargaro by. Marc Marques will have an idea and he passes Espargaro. Marques dominated at Indianapolis last time out. Will he do so here at Brno?
Dominik Aegerter has been passed as Andrea Ianonne sets fastest lap. Luthi isn't getting away. Ianonne passes Simone Corsi. Alex de Angelis is quick in eleventh spot. Luthi is running slower laps than would be expected from him with five laps complete. Marques goes beside Luthi but thinks better of making a move. Bradley Smith has set fast lap of the race. Pol Espargaro will have to watch Marques and Ianonne. Size your competitors up. Plan your moves. The Pons Team may lose points for an incident earlier in the year. But, the issue will be left alone by the FIM more than likely.
Marques blocks Ianonne and this allows Tom Luthi to grow a gap. But, Marques still has a lead. Pol Espargaro is slowing or something. He has a BIG wiggle and fortunately keeps the bike on two wheels. Marc Marques runs fast lap at 2:03.341. Alex de Angelis battles Mika Kallio and Nico Terol. Marques could try to pass Ianonne again. Actually, he's going after Tom Luthi now, through the Kevin Schwantz corner. Espargaro resets fast lap at 2:03.325. These are slower times for the Moto 2 bikes than they were in opening practice on Friday. It's a lot cooler, and that's slowing the bikes for some reason or other.
Johann Zarco is having a good race today. This one is coming to it's conclusion. Adam West and Gino Rea might have had a confrontation just at the start of this race. Gino Rea is out of the race. But, the battle is at the front, clearly. It's a four way fight for the win. Luthi, Marquez, Espargaro, and Ianonne. Xavier Simeon had a low side crash. He's OK, but out of the event. Another rider is out of this race now, too. Not sure who it is. Ianonne tries making a move. Mika Kallio and Alex de Angelis battle for the fifth spot. Tom Luthi sets his personal best race lap with seven left to run.
Ianonne can't really keep up with the top three. Pol Espargaro is going to get penalized for passing under a yellow flag or something. He'll have to drop behind Andrea Ianonne. Espargaro will be penalized clearly after passing under a local yellow flag. Ianonne is behind but gaining. This is getting ugly. OK. Ianonne takes a spot from Espargaro. He will not get a black flag. Three laps left. Marc Marquez sits up a little bit, which means he's comfortable. Marquez takes the lead, but he runs wide and here comes Luthi. Luthi gets the lead. Andrea Ianonne is fourth. Marquz and Luthi will battle for the win.
Pol Espargaro needs to make a move, now, if he wants to get a decent finish. Tom Luthi runs his personal best lap. Marquez keeps the lead. Espargaro sets fast lap at 2:03 flat. 2:03.061 is the time. There's a whole gaggle of riders battling for fourth on back with Mika Kallio, Simone Corsi, Johann Zarco, Bradley Smith, and others. This will be a three way race with a lap and a half left. Marquez leads. Can Luthi get by? Pol Espargaro is not done yet either. Luthi is right on Marquez, trying to attack. He can't pass. One lap left.
Luthi tries but can't do anything. Espargaro wants to get by Luthi, but can't. Luthi cannot pass Marquez. Espargaro is going to fade. He passes Ianonne. He'll stay in third, but he's just not strong enough. Luthi wants to get by Marquez. He's got home fans from Switzerland who come to watch the race at Brno. It's now or never for Luthi. Marquez is going to win!
#93 Marc Marquez ESP Suter
Next race: San Marino
Dark clouds are hovering around. Brno (apart from Assen, Holland) has staged more MotoGP World Championship races than any other track. This will be a 20 lap feature race for Moto 2. Pol Espargaro has pole for the race. No pun intended. Now, there are black clouds around the track. But, there may or may not be rain involved.
At the start, Pol Espargaro and Tom Luthi both get good starts into the first corner. Luthi leads over Pol Espargaro. Marc Marquez is up there, too, passing Andrea Ianonne. But, Scott Redding crashes in turn three! He's out of it! Luthi, Espargaro and others follow each other around Brno, lining up on the straightaway to complete another lap. Tom Luthi will not let Pol Espargaro by. Marc Marques will have an idea and he passes Espargaro. Marques dominated at Indianapolis last time out. Will he do so here at Brno?
Dominik Aegerter has been passed as Andrea Ianonne sets fastest lap. Luthi isn't getting away. Ianonne passes Simone Corsi. Alex de Angelis is quick in eleventh spot. Luthi is running slower laps than would be expected from him with five laps complete. Marques goes beside Luthi but thinks better of making a move. Bradley Smith has set fast lap of the race. Pol Espargaro will have to watch Marques and Ianonne. Size your competitors up. Plan your moves. The Pons Team may lose points for an incident earlier in the year. But, the issue will be left alone by the FIM more than likely.
Marques blocks Ianonne and this allows Tom Luthi to grow a gap. But, Marques still has a lead. Pol Espargaro is slowing or something. He has a BIG wiggle and fortunately keeps the bike on two wheels. Marc Marques runs fast lap at 2:03.341. Alex de Angelis battles Mika Kallio and Nico Terol. Marques could try to pass Ianonne again. Actually, he's going after Tom Luthi now, through the Kevin Schwantz corner. Espargaro resets fast lap at 2:03.325. These are slower times for the Moto 2 bikes than they were in opening practice on Friday. It's a lot cooler, and that's slowing the bikes for some reason or other.
Johann Zarco is having a good race today. This one is coming to it's conclusion. Adam West and Gino Rea might have had a confrontation just at the start of this race. Gino Rea is out of the race. But, the battle is at the front, clearly. It's a four way fight for the win. Luthi, Marquez, Espargaro, and Ianonne. Xavier Simeon had a low side crash. He's OK, but out of the event. Another rider is out of this race now, too. Not sure who it is. Ianonne tries making a move. Mika Kallio and Alex de Angelis battle for the fifth spot. Tom Luthi sets his personal best race lap with seven left to run.
Ianonne can't really keep up with the top three. Pol Espargaro is going to get penalized for passing under a yellow flag or something. He'll have to drop behind Andrea Ianonne. Espargaro will be penalized clearly after passing under a local yellow flag. Ianonne is behind but gaining. This is getting ugly. OK. Ianonne takes a spot from Espargaro. He will not get a black flag. Three laps left. Marc Marquez sits up a little bit, which means he's comfortable. Marquez takes the lead, but he runs wide and here comes Luthi. Luthi gets the lead. Andrea Ianonne is fourth. Marquz and Luthi will battle for the win.
Pol Espargaro needs to make a move, now, if he wants to get a decent finish. Tom Luthi runs his personal best lap. Marquez keeps the lead. Espargaro sets fast lap at 2:03 flat. 2:03.061 is the time. There's a whole gaggle of riders battling for fourth on back with Mika Kallio, Simone Corsi, Johann Zarco, Bradley Smith, and others. This will be a three way race with a lap and a half left. Marquez leads. Can Luthi get by? Pol Espargaro is not done yet either. Luthi is right on Marquez, trying to attack. He can't pass. One lap left.
Luthi tries but can't do anything. Espargaro wants to get by Luthi, but can't. Luthi cannot pass Marquez. Espargaro is going to fade. He passes Ianonne. He'll stay in third, but he's just not strong enough. Luthi wants to get by Marquez. He's got home fans from Switzerland who come to watch the race at Brno. It's now or never for Luthi. Marquez is going to win!
#93 Marc Marquez ESP Suter
Next race: San Marino
MotoGP round 12: Czech Republic
Round twelve on the MotoGP World Championship sees the series return to Europe after two races in the United States. This time, they are in Brno, Czech Republic at the Masaryk circuit in Brno after two consecutive races in the United States. Actually, the name of the track used to be Masarykuv Okruh).
Jorge Lorenzo and Dany Pedrosa are the two championship combatants after Casey Stoner's wreck at Indianapolis last weekend. The winner of the Brno race, more than likely might go on to win the championship. Casey Stoner will not start. He has to have an operation on his injured ankle. He needs surgery ASAP so he can recover and race to the end of the year, before he retires. Stoner will not be able to for the title. But, he'll be back at some point, probably before the Australian round at Philip Island.
On the pole will be Jorge Lorenzo. Karel Abraham is running his home race. His family owns the Brno Autodrome. Nicky Hayden will not start this race either after his injury at Indianapolis. The bikes are on their warmup lap. Brno has been around since 1987 and is 3.3 miles long.
At the start, on this totally green racetrack, Cal Crutchlow gets bogged down as Lorenzo leads while Valentino Rossi gets to fifth. This is a 22 lap race. Dovizioso is fourth. Ben Spies might have more mechanical issues. He's had some dreadful times lately. Alvaro Bautista and Stefan Bradl are doing well, but Ben Spies horrible luck continues. Dani Pedrosa cannot let Jorge Lorenzo get away. Valentino Rossi is having a good race. The Tech 3 Yamaha's are third and fourth. Rossi has smoke coming out of his Ducati on downshifts.
Ben Spies is now thirteenth. Randy de Puniet is the top CRT bike right now. Cal Crutchlow has signed up to race for Tech 3 Yamaha again in 2013. Pedrosa sets fast lap at 1:56.8. Andrea Dovizioso, though, just signed a contract to replace Valentino Rossi at Ducati. Alvaro Bautista is doing well. Karel Abraham is passed by Ben Spies. Spies may be back on the pace. Yonny Hernandez and Toni Elias are also in this fight. Lorenzo runs quicker at 2:06.6. Cal Crutchlow is doing well in this race even though he's just lost a spot to Pedrosa.
Stefan Bradl and Alvaro Bautista are in this scrap, too. They're much more on form and in contention than the were last Sunday at Indianapolis. Lorenzo is still leading. Ben Spies is now ninth. This track in undulating, hilly, and full of grip in the track surface. Ben Spies passes Randy de Puniet. The riders love this circuit. Stefan Bradl is slightly behind Rossi, but he's getting better. Johnny Rea will race Casey Stoner's bike more than likely, as long as there's no conflict with World Superbike. Will Bradl get factory software for his bike? That will be interesting.
Pedrosa brings fast lap down to 1:56.3. Eight laps complete as Jorge Lorenzo sets fast lap and Dani Pedrosa sets a personal best. Rossi and Bradl battle and it looks like Tech 3 is in their won battle. Valentino Rossi tries passing Stefan Bradl, but it didn't work. Crutchlow and Pedrosa crashed in qualifying, so, they'll have some extra caution in this race. Stefan Bradl's dad also won at this track back in 1991. Now, Ben Spies crashes again. He's out. His bad luck continues with his third consecutive crash. Pedorsa might make a move. He can't quite do it.
There's a big rumor that Ben Spies might leave MotoGP. He could stay here and ride a Honda. But, he could also go back to AMA Superbike. So, he's at least got options. Dani Pedrosa will be OK. Now, he can charge after Lorenzo with just eleven laps to run. Dani Pedrosa takes the lead. Lorenzo is going to be glued to Dani Pedrosa until the finish. Lorenzo wants to see where Pedrosa's weak spots are. Crutchlow drops his pace further. Cal Crutchlow runs wide. Crutchlow has another year with Tech 3 Yamaha. He wants to be a factory rider. He will be, someday, maybe.
Pedrosa runs a 1:56.4 and Lorenzo, a 1:56.6. Dani Pedrosa runs wide and Lorenzo is right on top of him now with seven laps to go. They're both running in the 1:56 bracket. Andrea Dovizioso is also running good lap times in the low 1:57s. Pedrosa can take a defensive line, while Lorenzo needs to run a shade wider. He's got a style that suits riding wide lines into corners. Dovizioso is looking for his first MotoGP podium. Dovizioso will have Bradley Smith as his team mate next year. Now, Casey Stoner is out of the championship. It will be a battle between Pedrosa and Lorenzo. Pedrosa hangs on, but Lorenzo will not give up.
Three laps to go now. Colin Edwards is thirteenth. He's the lone American rider left in this race. Cal Crutchlow is some nine seconds behind the top two, but he will get his first MotoGP podium. Just three laps remain. Lorenzo has to pass Pedrosa and block him like crazy to get the win. Crutchlow will become the first British rider to finish on a MotoGP podium in twelve years, since Jeremy McWilliams did it back in 2000. After the end of this race, just six races remain in 2012. Lorenzo still can't get by Pedrosa. It's the last lap now. 3 and 1/3 miles to victory for Pedrosa, maybe.
Will Lorenzo get Pedrosa? Pedrosa pushes it to the limit. Lorenzo tries to be smooth. Into a double apex right hander. Pedrosa blocks but Lorenzo passes for the lead. Can he find the momentum to pass again? Through Schwantz corner, can Lorenzo hold on? This is drama! Who gets it? Pedrosa tries to pass and almost does it, Lorenzo goes back in front. He runs too deep. Pedrosa wins his second consecutive race!
#26 Dani Pedrosa ESP Honda
The next race in MotoGP is the San Marino Grand Prix at the Misano Adriatico circuit, set to take place in three weeks.
Jorge Lorenzo and Dany Pedrosa are the two championship combatants after Casey Stoner's wreck at Indianapolis last weekend. The winner of the Brno race, more than likely might go on to win the championship. Casey Stoner will not start. He has to have an operation on his injured ankle. He needs surgery ASAP so he can recover and race to the end of the year, before he retires. Stoner will not be able to for the title. But, he'll be back at some point, probably before the Australian round at Philip Island.
On the pole will be Jorge Lorenzo. Karel Abraham is running his home race. His family owns the Brno Autodrome. Nicky Hayden will not start this race either after his injury at Indianapolis. The bikes are on their warmup lap. Brno has been around since 1987 and is 3.3 miles long.
At the start, on this totally green racetrack, Cal Crutchlow gets bogged down as Lorenzo leads while Valentino Rossi gets to fifth. This is a 22 lap race. Dovizioso is fourth. Ben Spies might have more mechanical issues. He's had some dreadful times lately. Alvaro Bautista and Stefan Bradl are doing well, but Ben Spies horrible luck continues. Dani Pedrosa cannot let Jorge Lorenzo get away. Valentino Rossi is having a good race. The Tech 3 Yamaha's are third and fourth. Rossi has smoke coming out of his Ducati on downshifts.
Ben Spies is now thirteenth. Randy de Puniet is the top CRT bike right now. Cal Crutchlow has signed up to race for Tech 3 Yamaha again in 2013. Pedrosa sets fast lap at 1:56.8. Andrea Dovizioso, though, just signed a contract to replace Valentino Rossi at Ducati. Alvaro Bautista is doing well. Karel Abraham is passed by Ben Spies. Spies may be back on the pace. Yonny Hernandez and Toni Elias are also in this fight. Lorenzo runs quicker at 2:06.6. Cal Crutchlow is doing well in this race even though he's just lost a spot to Pedrosa.
Stefan Bradl and Alvaro Bautista are in this scrap, too. They're much more on form and in contention than the were last Sunday at Indianapolis. Lorenzo is still leading. Ben Spies is now ninth. This track in undulating, hilly, and full of grip in the track surface. Ben Spies passes Randy de Puniet. The riders love this circuit. Stefan Bradl is slightly behind Rossi, but he's getting better. Johnny Rea will race Casey Stoner's bike more than likely, as long as there's no conflict with World Superbike. Will Bradl get factory software for his bike? That will be interesting.
Pedrosa brings fast lap down to 1:56.3. Eight laps complete as Jorge Lorenzo sets fast lap and Dani Pedrosa sets a personal best. Rossi and Bradl battle and it looks like Tech 3 is in their won battle. Valentino Rossi tries passing Stefan Bradl, but it didn't work. Crutchlow and Pedrosa crashed in qualifying, so, they'll have some extra caution in this race. Stefan Bradl's dad also won at this track back in 1991. Now, Ben Spies crashes again. He's out. His bad luck continues with his third consecutive crash. Pedorsa might make a move. He can't quite do it.
There's a big rumor that Ben Spies might leave MotoGP. He could stay here and ride a Honda. But, he could also go back to AMA Superbike. So, he's at least got options. Dani Pedrosa will be OK. Now, he can charge after Lorenzo with just eleven laps to run. Dani Pedrosa takes the lead. Lorenzo is going to be glued to Dani Pedrosa until the finish. Lorenzo wants to see where Pedrosa's weak spots are. Crutchlow drops his pace further. Cal Crutchlow runs wide. Crutchlow has another year with Tech 3 Yamaha. He wants to be a factory rider. He will be, someday, maybe.
Pedrosa runs a 1:56.4 and Lorenzo, a 1:56.6. Dani Pedrosa runs wide and Lorenzo is right on top of him now with seven laps to go. They're both running in the 1:56 bracket. Andrea Dovizioso is also running good lap times in the low 1:57s. Pedrosa can take a defensive line, while Lorenzo needs to run a shade wider. He's got a style that suits riding wide lines into corners. Dovizioso is looking for his first MotoGP podium. Dovizioso will have Bradley Smith as his team mate next year. Now, Casey Stoner is out of the championship. It will be a battle between Pedrosa and Lorenzo. Pedrosa hangs on, but Lorenzo will not give up.
Three laps to go now. Colin Edwards is thirteenth. He's the lone American rider left in this race. Cal Crutchlow is some nine seconds behind the top two, but he will get his first MotoGP podium. Just three laps remain. Lorenzo has to pass Pedrosa and block him like crazy to get the win. Crutchlow will become the first British rider to finish on a MotoGP podium in twelve years, since Jeremy McWilliams did it back in 2000. After the end of this race, just six races remain in 2012. Lorenzo still can't get by Pedrosa. It's the last lap now. 3 and 1/3 miles to victory for Pedrosa, maybe.
Will Lorenzo get Pedrosa? Pedrosa pushes it to the limit. Lorenzo tries to be smooth. Into a double apex right hander. Pedrosa blocks but Lorenzo passes for the lead. Can he find the momentum to pass again? Through Schwantz corner, can Lorenzo hold on? This is drama! Who gets it? Pedrosa tries to pass and almost does it, Lorenzo goes back in front. He runs too deep. Pedrosa wins his second consecutive race!
#26 Dani Pedrosa ESP Honda
The next race in MotoGP is the San Marino Grand Prix at the Misano Adriatico circuit, set to take place in three weeks.
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Bike Road Racing Series: North West 200
Round number two of the Bike Road Racing Series is the North West 200. Here are the highlights of that race as it happened. This is Ireland's largest motorsports event and Northern Ireland's largest sporting event.
Rider Stuart Easton was injured in a crash at the race last year in a big way. He does not remember the crash. He had a lot of injuries and considered retiring from racing, but, he watched some motorcycle races on TV and said, "I can't give this up." This track is nine miles in length and is near the sea. Some of it's complexities include the Mill Road roundabout, Station corner, University, Mather's Cross, and, Black Hill.
Super Stock is the first class to run in the race. This race will be six laps, 54 miles. At the start, every bike and rider is on full wet tires and they scramble for position. The bikes approach York Road corner for the first time in this event. Rider Ian Lougher really gets close to another bike through a curve. Remember, these races start with waves of bikes. The second wave is taking off now. Alistair Seeley leads Ryan Farquhar and Bruce Anstey right now. Anstey rides the Padgett's team Honda. Anstey closes on Farquhar. Seeley is a regular contender in the British Super Bike championship.
With standing water on the track, the bikes head to the McAlloy chicane. There's a long blast down a straight to a corner called Metropol. These bikes fly towards the Metropol at 180 miles an hour! Bruce Anstey makes a pass as Michael Dunlop runs wide into the corner. Ian Lougher loses another spot on his Kawasaki. Seeley continues to lead around the coast road. The Wilson Craig team mates (William Dunlop and Cameron Donald), battle each other for position. Ryan Farquhar passes Bruce Anstey who runs wide into a corner. Anstey almosts loses it again! Hang on tight to the bike, cowboy! Yikes! The bikes are starting to run in big packs now.
Ryan Farquhar is in hot pursuit of Alistair Seeley. Michael Dunlop may be in trouble. Not sure. Coming from the second wave, Michael Rutter has made his way into seventh position. Cameron Donald looks for a way by, but bike #4 of John McGuinness is a pick that they'll have to deal with. Lee Johnson gets loose on his Ducati because he's still trying to find traction on his rain tires. Johnson rides bike #18. Bruce Anstey has cut a corner and has to slow down as he approaches one of the marshals holding a stop sign. Actually, no. He's in pit lane. His race is over.
Ryan Farquhar leads the top three with Lee Johnson in third, braking late into a corner at a roundabout. Lee Johnston has an advantage over #86 ridden by Donald. But, Johnston almost crashes again at the Metropol. But, he stays on the bike. The riders return back to the coast road on this lap. Alistair Seeley is dominating this race. He won in this class at the North West 200 last year. Seeley does win this race, too. He had a 22 second gap over everyone else. It's the battle for the further positions that will be heating up now. The riders all come to the flag.
So, Seeley wins it followed home by Lee Johnston, Cameron Donald, Ryan Farquhar, and Italian rider Stefano Bonetti.
#34 Alastair Seeley Suzuki
This is the sixth win for Alastair Seeley in the North West 200.
The next race is on Thursday evening with the Super Twin class.
Adrian Archibald is on pole for this race. At the start, Ryan Farquhar wastes no time trying to pass Archibald down into the first corner in this evening race. These are the 650cc bikes. John Burrows makes his way through the field. Ian Lougher is in this race as well on bike #2, a Kawasaki. It's a three way fight for the lead between Jeremy McWilliams, Ryan Farquhar, and Adrian Archibald. Michael Rutter is also moving up through this field quickly as the track begins drying out.
Depending on what tire you're using, braking into University corner is going to be treacherous. James Hillier follows behind the Farquhar and McWilliams battle. Some riders are using two wet tires, others are using combinations of full wets and intermediates, full wets and drys, or intermediates all around. Slipstreaming is very important in this class as these 650cc machines push out only 85 to 90 horsepower. The top three make the run down the long straightaway and are slipping and sliding all over the track. Riders turn under a railroad bridge, and then onto the coast road.
This is Jeremy McWilliams' first start in the North West 200. Farquhar still leads with Archibald and McWilliams chasing as a gap opens between the top three. John Burrows is a retirement from this race on bike #16. Archibald is right beside McWilliams now. Who will successfully make a pass here? Farquhar keeps right on extending his lead. Michael Rutter still has James Hillier glued to his tail in a battle for third and fourth place. All the riders are trying to maintain traction through the Metropol. The top five riders are all on Kawasaki's. But the racing is absolutely spectacular.
Ian Lougher is gaining places after starting pretty much caboose on the field. McWilliams slides through, taking a position away. Ryan Farquhar actually builds some of these bikes which are modified versions of a Kawasaki called a KMR Kawasaki. Michael Rutter and James Hillier blow by Adrian Archibald. This is still a definitely scrap between Farquhar and McWilliams. The problem is that the conditions are in-between and not necessarily fully wet or dry. Ryan Farquhar wins this four lap race for Super Twins.
#77 Ryan Farquhar Kawasaki
Race one is now up for the Supersport class. On the pole will be Alastair Seeley. At the start, Seeley has a good getaway, but so does John McGuinness. He's right in the thick of it from the get go. Guy Martin sweeps into the lead having just rocketed off the line! Cameron Donald and Gary Johnson also move up quickly. Johnson will have to negotiate Ian Hutchinson up ahead. McGuinness and Martin are side by side into the hairpin. The second wave of riders sets off.
Ollie Linsdell is one of the major riders in this second group, aboard the #33 Yamaha. Linsdell had a huge accident along with Michael Dunlop at the Manx Grand Prix last year. This is a four way draft for the lead positions on a quick yet bumpy section of road. These 600cc Supersport bikes are flying right now. Gary Johnson runs onto an escape road. Fortunately, he will continue without gaining an advantage which is against the rules. The important thing on this track is to carry speed well out of the slower corners. John McGuinness is closing on Seeley and Dunlop into Metropol.
On the coast road, Linsdell is anxious to pass William Dunlop. McGuinness rode on a 600 Super Sport bike in World Superbike competition back in 2000 or so. There's a lot of dust on one part of the road. Weather conditions are good, but the track surface is not up to temperature just yet. The bikes appraoch the Millroad Roundabout another time. The bikes run flat out through Station corner which is considered the scariest corner in the Bike Road Racing Championship. William Dunlop is now pulling a gap on Alastair Seeley. Meanwhile, Bruce Anstey is trying to pass Cameron Donald.
Gary Johnson is looking for a piece of this action, too. William Dunlop is doing well on a 600 and has also been a superb rider on the large 1000cc bikes. Seeley is still pushing as some bikes approach an empty road. The bikes come to the McAlloy chicane. Coming back to Metropol, this is where the race can really start, coming to the front half of the track again. William Dunlop is opening up a gap on the rest of this field. The 600 bikes are pretty evenly matched, but William Dunlop's Wilson Craig Honda is in a class of it's own at least during this race.
Adrian Archibald is slowing on his Yamaha. His race appears to be run and he's a retirement from the North West 200. John McGuinness is starting to lose ground to Alastair Seeley. The race is halfway complete with three of six laps done. Actually, the riders are working the third lap. The riders make their way around the roundabout section. Seeley is still second into Mather's Cross. Gary Johnson closes on Cameron Donald and is closing fast. William Dunlop is running well, but he's never won at the North West 200 on a four stroke motorcycle. His success has only come riding two stroke machines.
Seeley cannot catch Dunlop. Johnson also is continually having a difficult time with chasing Cameron Donald. Laps are winding down coming back to the Mill Road roundabout. Gary Johnson continues to close. As for Alastair Seeley, he's used to doing just two races in a day. But at the North West 200, he is entered in five events. So, it could surely be a fatiguing race for him. Seeley flies once more through McElroy chicane. Gary Johnson could still close in on Cameron Donald. They are not in the lead battle by any means. But, it's still hard fought racing.
Seeley is right on top of Dunlop now. He closes in and Dunlop runs a little wide. Well, the commentators are wondering, "where the heck did he come from?!" Seeley takes the spot away. The red flag is out. This race is stopped. Well, this race is over. William Dunlop wins.
#6 William Dunlop Honda
Day two begins with the Super Bikes. Guy Martin won't start. It's a six lap race, but with nearly fifty bikes on the grid! Yikes!
At the start, John McGuinness gets the jump over everyone else on bike #4. There's jostling for position all over as the bikes sweep into the first corner for day two of the North West 200 going down Rose Hill into York. McGuinness is indeed the race leader. Bruce Anstey seems to be going well after starting from fifth. The second wave of riders is on the grid now, preparing for a start. Simon Andrews on bike #17 and John Burrows on #16 are ahead of this pack. Ollie Linsdell is passed by Welshman Paul Owen. Ian Lougher is right in the mix, too. Connor Cummins on the Tyco Suzuki is running well down the straightaway at 200 miles an hour in the lead draft.
At this point, the top three are Seeley, McGuinness, and Michael Rutter. Also, Ryan Farquhar has carved his way through this field like a hot knife through butter! He's in fifth after absolute being buried in the pack at the start. Michael Dunlop can get a tow from the bikes in front of him. On these long straights the motorcycles behave exactly like a race car would on an oval track or on a road course with a very long straight like here at the North West 200 or on the Mulsanne straight at Le Mans for example. They come into Mather's Cross for the first time. Riders want to be set up for braking at the 300 meter board and be able to apply the brakes at the 200 meter marker.
The bikes hit Macroboy checkpoint and come straight out of it. James Hillier battles with Cameron Donald. James Hillier and Gary Johnson are also in this fight. McGuinness and Seely battle for P1. They are pulling away from Rutter and Farquhar in third and fourth already. Seeley is running on settings dictated by British Superbike rules which means traction control has to be dialed back from it's full potential to keep costs down. Ryan Farquhar is catching Michael Rutter now. Onto lap two, it's a two way battle for the lead, a two way battle for third and fourth, and then, from fifth to about fifteenth, there's a huge scrum.
Rutter tries to outbrake Farquhar as they go down the fastest straight, side by side, crossing over the dotted line in the center of the road! Wow! Connor Cummins is running down Guy Martin. Into Mather's Cross again, Gary Johnson has passed Ian Hutchinson. Martin Jessopp is also ahead of Johnson. Farquhar is still working on Rutter. Through Metropol and Church, these guys are still going at it hammer and tongs. Paul Owen is going well on the 1000cc bike, despite the fact he's a 250cc Grand Prix bike specialist. Alastair Seeley has fallen behind somehow.
"The wee wizard" as he is called, Seeley has no chance of winning this race now, mired down in 14th place. John McGuinness has clear sailing in front of him. Seeley passes Cummins. Seeley is trying to pass William Dunlop through University corner. Seeley is a demon on the brakes and outbrakes Dunlop into the corner. But, that exuberance is short lived as Dunlop ditches his bike in a huge crash! Dunlop is OK. But it appears he's out of the race.
Cameron Donald is gaining positions. Michael Dunlop is in a serious battle with three other riders including Cameron Donald, Bruce Anstey, and others. A rider can take either of two lines into Metropol, but, one is easier to drive through and the other requires a bit more finesse. Rutter and Farquhar remain nose to tail. Seeley has made his way up to fourth now and could challenge for a podium spot. Dunlop and Donald are in a scrap for position, too. They were practically nose to nose for a short time. Donald and Dunlop still battle into York hairpin. Alastair Seeley passes Ryan Farquhar.
Farquhar wants to pass Seeley. Not sure if that'll work or not. Farquhar tries passing Seeley but can't as he goes too deep into the corner. Just a couple laps remain in this race. Connor Cummins is in fifth spot. He'll get a good finish in this one. Seeley is not going to get the record for most wins in a day at the North West 200. He'll finish well. But he isn't going to win the race. Michael Dunlop is too quick on approach to a chicane and straightlines it. Ryan Farquhar almost slides into the curb and gets away with it, stayin on the bike! Jeepers!
Farquhar is still being hounded by the green bike of Michael Rutter. Rutter manages to pass, taking the third spot away. Seeley has a big gap over Farquhar and Rutter while McGuinness has disappeared into the distance. Cameron Donald is now battling Ryan Farquhar into Mather's Cross. McGuinness looks like he's going to win this race with Seeley second. But the scrap for third is on with Chris Cummins and possibly Cameron Donald. McGuinness is going to win his sixth North West 200 trophy though. Cameron Donald does pass Michael Rutter for the last spot on the podium.
#4 John McGuinness Honda
The next race is the second Super Stock class event.
Farquhar has pole and most of the riders from Superbike will also ride this second Super Stock event. There will be a 30 second penalty assessed to one of the riders. Guy Martin and William Dunlop will not start this race because of earlier crashes. At the start, the battle is on immediately. Bruce Anstey gets a good start, but it's Ryan Farquhar who gets the jump and leads the field. The bikes race through York hairpin for the first time. The second wave gets a green light with John Burroughs fastest. Michael Rutter is also in that group.
Bruce Anstey holds down the third spot. Anstey wants to draft by Seeley. Will he let that happen? There's a three way battle for the lead and Farquhar somehow gets by both Seeley and Anstey as they were challenging him! Yikes! James Hillier is at the front of a group that has just gone up the coast road. Anstey has run off the road! Not good. He rejoins. But, there's no chance of him being able to win it now. Paul Owen is slowing on bike #98. It's Farquhar, Seeley, and Hillier who will battle it out for a victory in this race more than likely. Hillier leads Farquhar. Paul Owen is slowing. McGuinness and Donald are also back there.
Michael Rutter is now leading this event with Hillier and Farquhar battling it out for second. Rutter is ahead while Seeley and Farquhar are at war with each other. Rutter can afford to stay on cruise control. Now, James Hillier has somehow taken over the lead. Where's Rutter? Farquhar nearly touches Hillier! Oh boy! Farquhar motions at James Hillier for some reason or another. Seeley tries passing Farquhar but thinks better of it going into Metropol. Well, forget my previous question. Rutter still leads by a country mile. This battle of bikes is like a runaway express train. Farquhar almost chops Seeley into a chicane! Whoa!
Farquhar says to Seeley in essence, "alright sunshine, I've seen what you're doing. You're not going to get that by me." Farquhar wiggles the bike into York and holds on. Meanwhile, Rutter continues serenely in the lead. Alastair Seeley thinks he's passing Farquhar for the lead, but that isn't so. Seeley and Farquhar are racing, but Hillier passes both of them on the straight like they're standing still! Farquhar nearly smashes into Hillier! Eek! Seeley gets clear, but there's a crosswind on the circuit, upsetting the handling of these motorcycles. Hillier continues to thrash his bike for all it's worth.
Seeley takes the line into the corner that is smoother pavement. It was thought Alistair Seeley was going to win every race of the weekend. That won't happen. Michael Rutter is clearly the class of the field in this one. Michael Rutter gets the win!
#1 Michael Rutter Kawasaki
Rutter is now the second winningest rider at the North West 200 to the late, great, Joey Dunlop. Unfortunately, this race must end on a sad note. The red flag at the start of one of the races on the Saturday was for a crash involving rider Mark Buckley who was killed in the crash. He will be missed. Rest In Peace, Mark Buckley.
The riders move on next to the greatest road race of them all. It's the Isle of Man TT. Look for a race report here, in the near future.
Rider Stuart Easton was injured in a crash at the race last year in a big way. He does not remember the crash. He had a lot of injuries and considered retiring from racing, but, he watched some motorcycle races on TV and said, "I can't give this up." This track is nine miles in length and is near the sea. Some of it's complexities include the Mill Road roundabout, Station corner, University, Mather's Cross, and, Black Hill.
Super Stock is the first class to run in the race. This race will be six laps, 54 miles. At the start, every bike and rider is on full wet tires and they scramble for position. The bikes approach York Road corner for the first time in this event. Rider Ian Lougher really gets close to another bike through a curve. Remember, these races start with waves of bikes. The second wave is taking off now. Alistair Seeley leads Ryan Farquhar and Bruce Anstey right now. Anstey rides the Padgett's team Honda. Anstey closes on Farquhar. Seeley is a regular contender in the British Super Bike championship.
With standing water on the track, the bikes head to the McAlloy chicane. There's a long blast down a straight to a corner called Metropol. These bikes fly towards the Metropol at 180 miles an hour! Bruce Anstey makes a pass as Michael Dunlop runs wide into the corner. Ian Lougher loses another spot on his Kawasaki. Seeley continues to lead around the coast road. The Wilson Craig team mates (William Dunlop and Cameron Donald), battle each other for position. Ryan Farquhar passes Bruce Anstey who runs wide into a corner. Anstey almosts loses it again! Hang on tight to the bike, cowboy! Yikes! The bikes are starting to run in big packs now.
Ryan Farquhar is in hot pursuit of Alistair Seeley. Michael Dunlop may be in trouble. Not sure. Coming from the second wave, Michael Rutter has made his way into seventh position. Cameron Donald looks for a way by, but bike #4 of John McGuinness is a pick that they'll have to deal with. Lee Johnson gets loose on his Ducati because he's still trying to find traction on his rain tires. Johnson rides bike #18. Bruce Anstey has cut a corner and has to slow down as he approaches one of the marshals holding a stop sign. Actually, no. He's in pit lane. His race is over.
Ryan Farquhar leads the top three with Lee Johnson in third, braking late into a corner at a roundabout. Lee Johnston has an advantage over #86 ridden by Donald. But, Johnston almost crashes again at the Metropol. But, he stays on the bike. The riders return back to the coast road on this lap. Alistair Seeley is dominating this race. He won in this class at the North West 200 last year. Seeley does win this race, too. He had a 22 second gap over everyone else. It's the battle for the further positions that will be heating up now. The riders all come to the flag.
So, Seeley wins it followed home by Lee Johnston, Cameron Donald, Ryan Farquhar, and Italian rider Stefano Bonetti.
#34 Alastair Seeley Suzuki
This is the sixth win for Alastair Seeley in the North West 200.
The next race is on Thursday evening with the Super Twin class.
Adrian Archibald is on pole for this race. At the start, Ryan Farquhar wastes no time trying to pass Archibald down into the first corner in this evening race. These are the 650cc bikes. John Burrows makes his way through the field. Ian Lougher is in this race as well on bike #2, a Kawasaki. It's a three way fight for the lead between Jeremy McWilliams, Ryan Farquhar, and Adrian Archibald. Michael Rutter is also moving up through this field quickly as the track begins drying out.
Depending on what tire you're using, braking into University corner is going to be treacherous. James Hillier follows behind the Farquhar and McWilliams battle. Some riders are using two wet tires, others are using combinations of full wets and intermediates, full wets and drys, or intermediates all around. Slipstreaming is very important in this class as these 650cc machines push out only 85 to 90 horsepower. The top three make the run down the long straightaway and are slipping and sliding all over the track. Riders turn under a railroad bridge, and then onto the coast road.
This is Jeremy McWilliams' first start in the North West 200. Farquhar still leads with Archibald and McWilliams chasing as a gap opens between the top three. John Burrows is a retirement from this race on bike #16. Archibald is right beside McWilliams now. Who will successfully make a pass here? Farquhar keeps right on extending his lead. Michael Rutter still has James Hillier glued to his tail in a battle for third and fourth place. All the riders are trying to maintain traction through the Metropol. The top five riders are all on Kawasaki's. But the racing is absolutely spectacular.
Ian Lougher is gaining places after starting pretty much caboose on the field. McWilliams slides through, taking a position away. Ryan Farquhar actually builds some of these bikes which are modified versions of a Kawasaki called a KMR Kawasaki. Michael Rutter and James Hillier blow by Adrian Archibald. This is still a definitely scrap between Farquhar and McWilliams. The problem is that the conditions are in-between and not necessarily fully wet or dry. Ryan Farquhar wins this four lap race for Super Twins.
#77 Ryan Farquhar Kawasaki
Race one is now up for the Supersport class. On the pole will be Alastair Seeley. At the start, Seeley has a good getaway, but so does John McGuinness. He's right in the thick of it from the get go. Guy Martin sweeps into the lead having just rocketed off the line! Cameron Donald and Gary Johnson also move up quickly. Johnson will have to negotiate Ian Hutchinson up ahead. McGuinness and Martin are side by side into the hairpin. The second wave of riders sets off.
Ollie Linsdell is one of the major riders in this second group, aboard the #33 Yamaha. Linsdell had a huge accident along with Michael Dunlop at the Manx Grand Prix last year. This is a four way draft for the lead positions on a quick yet bumpy section of road. These 600cc Supersport bikes are flying right now. Gary Johnson runs onto an escape road. Fortunately, he will continue without gaining an advantage which is against the rules. The important thing on this track is to carry speed well out of the slower corners. John McGuinness is closing on Seeley and Dunlop into Metropol.
On the coast road, Linsdell is anxious to pass William Dunlop. McGuinness rode on a 600 Super Sport bike in World Superbike competition back in 2000 or so. There's a lot of dust on one part of the road. Weather conditions are good, but the track surface is not up to temperature just yet. The bikes appraoch the Millroad Roundabout another time. The bikes run flat out through Station corner which is considered the scariest corner in the Bike Road Racing Championship. William Dunlop is now pulling a gap on Alastair Seeley. Meanwhile, Bruce Anstey is trying to pass Cameron Donald.
Gary Johnson is looking for a piece of this action, too. William Dunlop is doing well on a 600 and has also been a superb rider on the large 1000cc bikes. Seeley is still pushing as some bikes approach an empty road. The bikes come to the McAlloy chicane. Coming back to Metropol, this is where the race can really start, coming to the front half of the track again. William Dunlop is opening up a gap on the rest of this field. The 600 bikes are pretty evenly matched, but William Dunlop's Wilson Craig Honda is in a class of it's own at least during this race.
Adrian Archibald is slowing on his Yamaha. His race appears to be run and he's a retirement from the North West 200. John McGuinness is starting to lose ground to Alastair Seeley. The race is halfway complete with three of six laps done. Actually, the riders are working the third lap. The riders make their way around the roundabout section. Seeley is still second into Mather's Cross. Gary Johnson closes on Cameron Donald and is closing fast. William Dunlop is running well, but he's never won at the North West 200 on a four stroke motorcycle. His success has only come riding two stroke machines.
Seeley cannot catch Dunlop. Johnson also is continually having a difficult time with chasing Cameron Donald. Laps are winding down coming back to the Mill Road roundabout. Gary Johnson continues to close. As for Alastair Seeley, he's used to doing just two races in a day. But at the North West 200, he is entered in five events. So, it could surely be a fatiguing race for him. Seeley flies once more through McElroy chicane. Gary Johnson could still close in on Cameron Donald. They are not in the lead battle by any means. But, it's still hard fought racing.
Seeley is right on top of Dunlop now. He closes in and Dunlop runs a little wide. Well, the commentators are wondering, "where the heck did he come from?!" Seeley takes the spot away. The red flag is out. This race is stopped. Well, this race is over. William Dunlop wins.
#6 William Dunlop Honda
Day two begins with the Super Bikes. Guy Martin won't start. It's a six lap race, but with nearly fifty bikes on the grid! Yikes!
At the start, John McGuinness gets the jump over everyone else on bike #4. There's jostling for position all over as the bikes sweep into the first corner for day two of the North West 200 going down Rose Hill into York. McGuinness is indeed the race leader. Bruce Anstey seems to be going well after starting from fifth. The second wave of riders is on the grid now, preparing for a start. Simon Andrews on bike #17 and John Burrows on #16 are ahead of this pack. Ollie Linsdell is passed by Welshman Paul Owen. Ian Lougher is right in the mix, too. Connor Cummins on the Tyco Suzuki is running well down the straightaway at 200 miles an hour in the lead draft.
At this point, the top three are Seeley, McGuinness, and Michael Rutter. Also, Ryan Farquhar has carved his way through this field like a hot knife through butter! He's in fifth after absolute being buried in the pack at the start. Michael Dunlop can get a tow from the bikes in front of him. On these long straights the motorcycles behave exactly like a race car would on an oval track or on a road course with a very long straight like here at the North West 200 or on the Mulsanne straight at Le Mans for example. They come into Mather's Cross for the first time. Riders want to be set up for braking at the 300 meter board and be able to apply the brakes at the 200 meter marker.
The bikes hit Macroboy checkpoint and come straight out of it. James Hillier battles with Cameron Donald. James Hillier and Gary Johnson are also in this fight. McGuinness and Seely battle for P1. They are pulling away from Rutter and Farquhar in third and fourth already. Seeley is running on settings dictated by British Superbike rules which means traction control has to be dialed back from it's full potential to keep costs down. Ryan Farquhar is catching Michael Rutter now. Onto lap two, it's a two way battle for the lead, a two way battle for third and fourth, and then, from fifth to about fifteenth, there's a huge scrum.
Rutter tries to outbrake Farquhar as they go down the fastest straight, side by side, crossing over the dotted line in the center of the road! Wow! Connor Cummins is running down Guy Martin. Into Mather's Cross again, Gary Johnson has passed Ian Hutchinson. Martin Jessopp is also ahead of Johnson. Farquhar is still working on Rutter. Through Metropol and Church, these guys are still going at it hammer and tongs. Paul Owen is going well on the 1000cc bike, despite the fact he's a 250cc Grand Prix bike specialist. Alastair Seeley has fallen behind somehow.
"The wee wizard" as he is called, Seeley has no chance of winning this race now, mired down in 14th place. John McGuinness has clear sailing in front of him. Seeley passes Cummins. Seeley is trying to pass William Dunlop through University corner. Seeley is a demon on the brakes and outbrakes Dunlop into the corner. But, that exuberance is short lived as Dunlop ditches his bike in a huge crash! Dunlop is OK. But it appears he's out of the race.
Cameron Donald is gaining positions. Michael Dunlop is in a serious battle with three other riders including Cameron Donald, Bruce Anstey, and others. A rider can take either of two lines into Metropol, but, one is easier to drive through and the other requires a bit more finesse. Rutter and Farquhar remain nose to tail. Seeley has made his way up to fourth now and could challenge for a podium spot. Dunlop and Donald are in a scrap for position, too. They were practically nose to nose for a short time. Donald and Dunlop still battle into York hairpin. Alastair Seeley passes Ryan Farquhar.
Farquhar wants to pass Seeley. Not sure if that'll work or not. Farquhar tries passing Seeley but can't as he goes too deep into the corner. Just a couple laps remain in this race. Connor Cummins is in fifth spot. He'll get a good finish in this one. Seeley is not going to get the record for most wins in a day at the North West 200. He'll finish well. But he isn't going to win the race. Michael Dunlop is too quick on approach to a chicane and straightlines it. Ryan Farquhar almost slides into the curb and gets away with it, stayin on the bike! Jeepers!
Farquhar is still being hounded by the green bike of Michael Rutter. Rutter manages to pass, taking the third spot away. Seeley has a big gap over Farquhar and Rutter while McGuinness has disappeared into the distance. Cameron Donald is now battling Ryan Farquhar into Mather's Cross. McGuinness looks like he's going to win this race with Seeley second. But the scrap for third is on with Chris Cummins and possibly Cameron Donald. McGuinness is going to win his sixth North West 200 trophy though. Cameron Donald does pass Michael Rutter for the last spot on the podium.
#4 John McGuinness Honda
The next race is the second Super Stock class event.
Farquhar has pole and most of the riders from Superbike will also ride this second Super Stock event. There will be a 30 second penalty assessed to one of the riders. Guy Martin and William Dunlop will not start this race because of earlier crashes. At the start, the battle is on immediately. Bruce Anstey gets a good start, but it's Ryan Farquhar who gets the jump and leads the field. The bikes race through York hairpin for the first time. The second wave gets a green light with John Burroughs fastest. Michael Rutter is also in that group.
Bruce Anstey holds down the third spot. Anstey wants to draft by Seeley. Will he let that happen? There's a three way battle for the lead and Farquhar somehow gets by both Seeley and Anstey as they were challenging him! Yikes! James Hillier is at the front of a group that has just gone up the coast road. Anstey has run off the road! Not good. He rejoins. But, there's no chance of him being able to win it now. Paul Owen is slowing on bike #98. It's Farquhar, Seeley, and Hillier who will battle it out for a victory in this race more than likely. Hillier leads Farquhar. Paul Owen is slowing. McGuinness and Donald are also back there.
Michael Rutter is now leading this event with Hillier and Farquhar battling it out for second. Rutter is ahead while Seeley and Farquhar are at war with each other. Rutter can afford to stay on cruise control. Now, James Hillier has somehow taken over the lead. Where's Rutter? Farquhar nearly touches Hillier! Oh boy! Farquhar motions at James Hillier for some reason or another. Seeley tries passing Farquhar but thinks better of it going into Metropol. Well, forget my previous question. Rutter still leads by a country mile. This battle of bikes is like a runaway express train. Farquhar almost chops Seeley into a chicane! Whoa!
Farquhar says to Seeley in essence, "alright sunshine, I've seen what you're doing. You're not going to get that by me." Farquhar wiggles the bike into York and holds on. Meanwhile, Rutter continues serenely in the lead. Alastair Seeley thinks he's passing Farquhar for the lead, but that isn't so. Seeley and Farquhar are racing, but Hillier passes both of them on the straight like they're standing still! Farquhar nearly smashes into Hillier! Eek! Seeley gets clear, but there's a crosswind on the circuit, upsetting the handling of these motorcycles. Hillier continues to thrash his bike for all it's worth.
Seeley takes the line into the corner that is smoother pavement. It was thought Alistair Seeley was going to win every race of the weekend. That won't happen. Michael Rutter is clearly the class of the field in this one. Michael Rutter gets the win!
#1 Michael Rutter Kawasaki
Rutter is now the second winningest rider at the North West 200 to the late, great, Joey Dunlop. Unfortunately, this race must end on a sad note. The red flag at the start of one of the races on the Saturday was for a crash involving rider Mark Buckley who was killed in the crash. He will be missed. Rest In Peace, Mark Buckley.
The riders move on next to the greatest road race of them all. It's the Isle of Man TT. Look for a race report here, in the near future.
Sunday, August 19, 2012
AMA XR1200: Indianapolis
Here are the highlights of the fourth major race at Indianapolis for the AMA XR1200 series which is a spec series with identical motorcycles that normally races along with the other AMA divisions at their events.
The first seven races have been very interesting and this is the only two race weekend in the whole season. Three riders have had the upper hand this year. This is a series that has spec bikes, but riders and teams can modify them in certain ways. Tyler O'Hara, Kyle Wyman, and Michael Barnes are the three riders who have won most of the race this year already. P.J. Jacobsen is on pole. But, he is not a regular in the series. The XR1200 bikes come to the grid from a different paddock because the main one is being used for MotoGP, Moto 2, and Moto 3, classes that have already run very good races at Indy today. Check out the previous blog entry for all the details on those races.
The bikes are coming to the grid. At the start, Michael Wyman gets the jump on the field on #33. Benjamin Carlson on bike #45 also goes on strongly as Tyler O'Hara on the #29 takes the lead. P.J. Jacobsen tries passing O'Hara, but can't. Two bikes crash. Josh Dyer on bike #360 and #97 Nicolas Hansen. Also, #88 Gary Signorelli is down. O'Hara, Jacobsen, and Barnes are the top three. Turn four is a very important corner on this track. O'Hara leads and Barnes and others are competing for this race. Many riders fell in MotoGP qualifying and in the race. Will that happen with these XR1200s? There's a yellow flag on a corner. Just a local yellow. No worries.
Michael Corbino almost fell down and thankfully stayed in the saddle! Phew! Tyler O'Hara is the class of the field right now and P.J. Jacobsen is giving chase. O'Hara and Jacobsen are moving away from Michael Barnes. Bobby Fong is also running well, (from the Daytona Sport Bike division). Jacobsen passes O'Hara and Fong also made a move further back. P.J. Jacobsen leads at Indy in race one. There is a second race. Results will be mentioned at the end of this blog entry.
Ten riders will go for the series championship with 1000 points each. Will keep updates coming during regular AMA blog updates in the future. P.J. Jacobson seems to be covering the field but Tyler O'Hara crashes! He's not going to be in contention, or is he? That fall will affect him a little bit. The front end washed out. O'Hara languishes in 13th spot. He's busted a foot peg off his bike and there goes Jacobson, down. Ugh! Kyle Wyman takes the lead and theremore riders down. There's oil on the track. Red flag this race. Bikes and riders are dropping like flies!
Jacobson, Barnes, Michael Wyman and others are involved in this mess. Wyman tries signaling his fellow riders to slow down, but it doesn't work. This race is over. It can't continue because the race track is in such a mess. P.J. Jacobsen might have been the bike dropping the oil. It's unofficial on the results. Lets see what happens. Jacobsen may be the winner.
No one is sure who wins race one. Well, the AMA has looked at the tape and photo. Kyle Wyman wins it.
#33 Kyle Wyman
Wyman didn't even know he'd won until Michael Barnes sent him a text saying, "what's up, winner?" Wow.
Race two is on deck. The bikes are on their warmup lap. The bikes are on the grid. P.J. Jacobsen has pole. At the start, Kyle Wyman takes the lead with P.J. Jacobsen running wide trying for the lead but can't get there. O'Hara and Barnes are third and fourth. The track is very dirty after all the races. Tyler O'Hara tries to pass. Benny Carlson is fourth on bike #45. A rider has crashed. It's the #17 bike of Paul Schwemmer. It's his last race on the Harley Davidson XR1200.
Tyler O'Hara wants by Kyle Wyman and P.J. Jacobsen is running in the lead right now. Benjamin Carlson is fourth on bike #45. O'Hara takes second. Bike #35 crashes. It's Matthew Hydell. Fortunately he's able to walk away. Another rider (#911 Aaron Borello) was involved. Paul James (who works for Harley Davidson) also crashes. Michael Barnes and Bobby Fong battle. P.J. Jacobsen is ahead still but the battle for third and fourth is a big deal.
P.J. Jacobsen crashes again! Two races in a row! He loses the front end. More high side and low side crashes at Indy. Yikes! Benny Carlson is now up to second behind O'Hara passing Kyle Wyman. Kyle Wyman goes for second as Bobby Fong moves past Michael Barnes. Steve Crevier is sixth. Five laps to go. These bikes react to exaggerated movements. They are very loose bikes compared to, say, a MotoGP bike. Bobby Fong came from nowhere on what is his first ride on a Harley Davidson.
These are spec bikes, so they're evenly matched. There are little tweaks that can be done for slightly more power on the front straight. The bikes come towards the Hulman straightaway on the road course. Ben Carlson passes Kyle Wyman again and Bobby Fong might be able to pounce. Fong gets by Wyman. The race continues among the top five.
O'Hara is still leading. But the fight for second, third and fourth is shuffling. Bobby Fong is up to second with Ben Carlson third and Kyle Wyman, fourth. Three wide into turn one! Fong looks at Carlon on the outside! Two laps to go. Wyman has the line but can't get by. Bobby Fong has to make a move and pull away. Go for it, now. This is your only chance. Wyman doesn't want points robbed from him by wildcard riders. There's money on the line. Who will cash the check?
White flag lap. The other thing is the MotoGP teams are watching these guys. Fong can't keep up. He's trying to pass Ben Carlson. It looks like Wyman is going to do the double. Fong goes inside and can't pass. He runs in really deep. You can't take your team mate out. Who gets it coming to the yard of bricks? Who has it? It's Tyler O'Hara winning race two!
#29 Tyler O'Hara
Wow! What a race!
The next race for XR1200 is at New Jersey Motorsports Park in Millville, New Jersey.
The first seven races have been very interesting and this is the only two race weekend in the whole season. Three riders have had the upper hand this year. This is a series that has spec bikes, but riders and teams can modify them in certain ways. Tyler O'Hara, Kyle Wyman, and Michael Barnes are the three riders who have won most of the race this year already. P.J. Jacobsen is on pole. But, he is not a regular in the series. The XR1200 bikes come to the grid from a different paddock because the main one is being used for MotoGP, Moto 2, and Moto 3, classes that have already run very good races at Indy today. Check out the previous blog entry for all the details on those races.
The bikes are coming to the grid. At the start, Michael Wyman gets the jump on the field on #33. Benjamin Carlson on bike #45 also goes on strongly as Tyler O'Hara on the #29 takes the lead. P.J. Jacobsen tries passing O'Hara, but can't. Two bikes crash. Josh Dyer on bike #360 and #97 Nicolas Hansen. Also, #88 Gary Signorelli is down. O'Hara, Jacobsen, and Barnes are the top three. Turn four is a very important corner on this track. O'Hara leads and Barnes and others are competing for this race. Many riders fell in MotoGP qualifying and in the race. Will that happen with these XR1200s? There's a yellow flag on a corner. Just a local yellow. No worries.
Michael Corbino almost fell down and thankfully stayed in the saddle! Phew! Tyler O'Hara is the class of the field right now and P.J. Jacobsen is giving chase. O'Hara and Jacobsen are moving away from Michael Barnes. Bobby Fong is also running well, (from the Daytona Sport Bike division). Jacobsen passes O'Hara and Fong also made a move further back. P.J. Jacobsen leads at Indy in race one. There is a second race. Results will be mentioned at the end of this blog entry.
Ten riders will go for the series championship with 1000 points each. Will keep updates coming during regular AMA blog updates in the future. P.J. Jacobson seems to be covering the field but Tyler O'Hara crashes! He's not going to be in contention, or is he? That fall will affect him a little bit. The front end washed out. O'Hara languishes in 13th spot. He's busted a foot peg off his bike and there goes Jacobson, down. Ugh! Kyle Wyman takes the lead and theremore riders down. There's oil on the track. Red flag this race. Bikes and riders are dropping like flies!
Jacobson, Barnes, Michael Wyman and others are involved in this mess. Wyman tries signaling his fellow riders to slow down, but it doesn't work. This race is over. It can't continue because the race track is in such a mess. P.J. Jacobsen might have been the bike dropping the oil. It's unofficial on the results. Lets see what happens. Jacobsen may be the winner.
No one is sure who wins race one. Well, the AMA has looked at the tape and photo. Kyle Wyman wins it.
#33 Kyle Wyman
Wyman didn't even know he'd won until Michael Barnes sent him a text saying, "what's up, winner?" Wow.
Race two is on deck. The bikes are on their warmup lap. The bikes are on the grid. P.J. Jacobsen has pole. At the start, Kyle Wyman takes the lead with P.J. Jacobsen running wide trying for the lead but can't get there. O'Hara and Barnes are third and fourth. The track is very dirty after all the races. Tyler O'Hara tries to pass. Benny Carlson is fourth on bike #45. A rider has crashed. It's the #17 bike of Paul Schwemmer. It's his last race on the Harley Davidson XR1200.
Tyler O'Hara wants by Kyle Wyman and P.J. Jacobsen is running in the lead right now. Benjamin Carlson is fourth on bike #45. O'Hara takes second. Bike #35 crashes. It's Matthew Hydell. Fortunately he's able to walk away. Another rider (#911 Aaron Borello) was involved. Paul James (who works for Harley Davidson) also crashes. Michael Barnes and Bobby Fong battle. P.J. Jacobsen is ahead still but the battle for third and fourth is a big deal.
P.J. Jacobsen crashes again! Two races in a row! He loses the front end. More high side and low side crashes at Indy. Yikes! Benny Carlson is now up to second behind O'Hara passing Kyle Wyman. Kyle Wyman goes for second as Bobby Fong moves past Michael Barnes. Steve Crevier is sixth. Five laps to go. These bikes react to exaggerated movements. They are very loose bikes compared to, say, a MotoGP bike. Bobby Fong came from nowhere on what is his first ride on a Harley Davidson.
These are spec bikes, so they're evenly matched. There are little tweaks that can be done for slightly more power on the front straight. The bikes come towards the Hulman straightaway on the road course. Ben Carlson passes Kyle Wyman again and Bobby Fong might be able to pounce. Fong gets by Wyman. The race continues among the top five.
O'Hara is still leading. But the fight for second, third and fourth is shuffling. Bobby Fong is up to second with Ben Carlson third and Kyle Wyman, fourth. Three wide into turn one! Fong looks at Carlon on the outside! Two laps to go. Wyman has the line but can't get by. Bobby Fong has to make a move and pull away. Go for it, now. This is your only chance. Wyman doesn't want points robbed from him by wildcard riders. There's money on the line. Who will cash the check?
White flag lap. The other thing is the MotoGP teams are watching these guys. Fong can't keep up. He's trying to pass Ben Carlson. It looks like Wyman is going to do the double. Fong goes inside and can't pass. He runs in really deep. You can't take your team mate out. Who gets it coming to the yard of bricks? Who has it? It's Tyler O'Hara winning race two!
#29 Tyler O'Hara
Wow! What a race!
The next race for XR1200 is at New Jersey Motorsports Park in Millville, New Jersey.
MotoGP round 11: Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix
Before the racing action even starts, here are notes about qualifying. Dani Pedrosa will start from pole and there are two wildcard riders from the United States. They are current AMA Superbike racer Steve Rapp, and former AMA Superbike standout, Aaron Yates. Qualifying was interesting and scary as Nicky Hayden, Ben Spies, and Casey Stoner all had vicious crashes. These 1000 CC bikes used in MotoGP are becoming very fast, just like the old 500cc World Championship bikes were in the 1980s and '90s. Stoner could be hurt and is questionable for starting the race. The same goes for Nicky Hayden. Ben Spies should be fine.
Casey Stoner will race today. So will Ben Spies. Nicky Hayden will not race. He will be a spectator, watching. Folks, be prepared for a boatload of racing action here. Three races, consecutively will be blogged in this report. Motorcycle racing was the first race at Indianapolis in 1909. The motorcycles raced on the old brick course. Of course, the bricks are now just in the yard on the front straight. Hence, "The Brickyard". One of the first riders to run at Indy was Cannonball Baker. The weather is going to be great.
First up, it's Moto 3, followed by Moto 2, and then, MotoGP. Check this out.
Moto 3:
Sandro Cortese starts on pole. No American riders in this class. But, it's going to be good. At the start, Danny Kent gets the early lead into turn one. Louis Salom has second and Zulfahmmi Khairuddin. There's a wreck in turn two. Hector Faubel goes down and gets back going. Faubel is riding hurt. Kent leads right now. The bikes get wound up between turns nine and ten. Khairuddin passes Sandro Cortese. Efrin Vazquez is also up at the sharp end. Jakub Kornfeil runs wide.
Salom takes the lead now. Vinales is also really going for it. Louis Salom is followed by Danny Kent. Keep the bike in the narrow line through the infield road course. Zulfahmmi Khairuddin takes the lead. Wind the bike up, drive it out. Efrin Vasquez is running well as Maverick Vinales is flying. Alex Rins also moves up. Vinales wants by Louis Salom. There's a long way to go. This is the shortest race of the three today. 23 laps scheduled.
This is the fifth annual visit by MotoGP. Zhulfammi Khairuddin might be able to get a podium at Indy. What a massive career boost that would be. Khairuddin rides a KTM. Efrin Vazquez, Sandro Cortese, Louis Salom and others are very competitive. The parity is reduced in this class compared to the old 125cc class. These guys really compete, as readers of this blog know. Fifteen laps left. Rins and Cortese pass Salom. Anyone can win this race. There have been very few crashes.
Brad Binder retires with mechanical problems. But, very few crashes have happened so far. Vinales wants down inside as Cortese wants to push Alex Rins wide. Rins tries Vinales but can't pass. Romano Fenati is now coming up to the sharp end. Cortese is not wasting time either. Use the curb down the short chute between turns four and five. Rins makes a mistake allowing Khairuddin to pass. Vinales wants to get away from Cortese and Fenati while Zulfahmmi Khairuddin is pushing hard. Alex Rins runs wide, losing two spots in one corner. Twelve laps left.
Former World Champion Kevin Schwantz says that the crashes on the MotoGP bikes are much more dangerous to deal with than the old 500cc Grand Prix days. When you used to high side, it would spin and snap. You could prepare your body to move. But, now, the trajectory is different. By the time you fly, hold your breath and hope you don't get hurt. Schwantz runs a riding school right at Indianapolis.
Nine laps to go in Moto 3. Sandro Cortese is now leading Maverick Vinales and Louis Salom. Khairuddin is down to fourth. Efrin Vazquez crashes out of the race. Vinales tries Cortese but can't get there. Alex Rins and Romano Fenati are coming back. Jonas Folger and Jakub Kornfeil round out the top ten right now. Cortese is keeping Vinales honest right now. He's scored in every race and has missed the podium just one time. Frenchman Alan Techer falls off his #89 bike (a TSR Honda Cannes bike).
Nico Terol and Pol Espargaro won the previous 125cc races at Indy. Three laps to go. Vinales is being chased for the victory by Cortese and Salom. Romano Fenati fends off Miguel Oliveira and Jonas Folger. Oliveira passes Fenati. It is incredible for these teenage riders to learn race craft. How do you pace yourself? Look after the tires. Don't make moves too quick. This is the last lap. Who will win it? Someone will make a move. Folger passes Fenati. One lap to go. Cortese passes Vinales. Vinales runs wide. Who is the winner? He's got a nine point lead over Vinales.
Salom opens the door and makes a bid for the lead. He's in the driver's seat now! Where did he come from? Will he win? Vinales is down! He's crashed! Luis Salom wins his first Moto 3 race at Indy! How special!
#39 Luis Salom ESP Kalex KTM
What a Moto 3 race. Moto 2, MotoGP, and XR1200 are still to come.
The Moto 2 race is on deck. This one will be a wild one to watch, too.
Nine time dirt track motorcycle champion Scott Parker is in attendance at the race this weekend. Some Moto 2 riders will go to MotoGP. Marc Marques will run for Repsol Honda. Bradley Smith will take over a Tech 3 Yamaha. Andrea Ianonne needs opportunity. Ditto for Scott Redding, and Pol Espargaro. These three guys could appear in MotoGP, someday. Plenty of good riders have run Moto2 and moved to MotoGP including the late Marco Simoncelli.
Moto 2 is 600cc four stroke motors. In qualifying, Marc Marques ran well. Pol Espargaro gets his third pole of 2012. All riders in this class are on Dunlop tires and the bikes are built for the tires. By mid race, tires will degrade. To increase the life of the tire, they are warmed very slowly. If they're too hot, they get really greasy. There's no launch control. Use the throttle and the clutch release. Pol Espargaro has a slide on the grass in the morning warmup, low siding the bike in the next turn. But, he's ready to race. Keep the bike on the track.
Moto 3, done and dusted. Moto 2, ready.
At the start, Marc Marquez gets a great start, but Andrea Ianonne takes the lead. Can the bikes get through clean. Domink Aegerter, Julian Simon, and Brad Smith are all jammed up. All the motors are the same at 600ccs. The chassis is the major part of these bikes. Marques runs wide. Other riders besides Marc Marques who is moving to MotoGP next year, are saying to team managers, "check me out. I am MotoGP material and can be competitive." Aegerter makes a pass on Andrea Ianonne. Aegerter is running real well.
Scott Redding is flying towards the front. Mika Kalio has a dreadful start. Marques pushes Pol Espargaro wide. Dominik Aegerter still has an advantage on Ianonne. Pol Espargaro wants by these two. His brother Alexei is in MotoGP of course. Kallio and Redding are running very well. Ditto for Yuki Takahashi and Tito Rebat. Marquez has reeled in Domink Aegerter. Marques takes the lead with three of 26 laps completed. Tom Luthi is also up at the sharp end. Marquez continues to lead.
Nicky Hayden joins the broadcast. He high sided the bike. He said he was sliding to turn the bike and when he rolled out of the throttle, he fell. He's got some broken bones in his hand and he was unconscious for a while. His head is not feeling well either. So, he'll have to just watch and rest. "Shake it off and think about what's next" he says. Get well soon, Nicky. Mika Kallio is running well. He's had 174 races across four divisions like 125, 250, MotoGP, and Moto2. Marques is running well, finding a rhythm on the bike. Marquez sets a new lap record. Elena Rossell falls down.
Julian Simon has third. Another lap completed. Mika Kallio and Tom Luthi battle. Marc Marques is running 1:43s and these guys are running real good lap times. Diving into the infield with split pavement has been giving riders trouble. Kallio took Ianonne by surprise. Kallio is one of those guys who is one of the best riders to never be a World Champion. Aegerter passes Ianonne. He was tied with Pol Espargaro for second in points. But, Marquez might gain more points. Marquez is going to do real well in MotoGP next year. We'll find one.
Simone Corsi is moving up. Fifteen laps left to run. Julian Simon is now third. He won a title in the 125cc class in 2009. Luthi passes Iannone. Scott Redding is not having the race he wants. Marc Marques is checking out. He's got a five second lead. Andrea Ianonne has sunk to tenth place. Typically of course, Ianonne is a real scrapper for the finish of the race as seen in earlier races this year, and countless blog entries.
Mika Kallio might have used up his tires. Marques can ride where he doesn't need to use a ton of lean angle. Bradley Smith has sunk, but, he'll also be in MotoGP next year. Smith hasn't won in Moto2. He's going to be on the Monster Energy Yamaha. But, he's going to be in for a rude awakening. Tom Luthi is fourth over Mika Kallio. Yuki Takahashi is out of the race. The riders appreciate racing at Indy, but the road course at Indianapolis is pretty technical and difficult to get used to.
Julian Simon is running very well with ten laps to go. Marco Simoncelli, Toni Elias, and Marc Marques have won at Indy before. In 2008, there was a rainstorm as a remnant of Hurricane Ike. Not sure who won in '08. Claudio Corti and Anthony West are running well. Johann Zarco is also running well. With a short distance to go, Marquez appears to have this race in the bag. Four laps left. Pol Espargaro is still second and Julian Simon is third.
Yuki Takahashi was taken out by Xavier Simeon. Simeon should have used better judgment. Nico Terol (who won three 125cc races), is buried in the field. He's not come to the fore yet at all. Terol has not made the transition. He cannot find the setup with his bike. Three laps to go now. Marques won ten 125 races. He's won eleven Moto 2 races. He's mirroring his 125 career, he's going to win the title in Moto2, and he'll be up with the big boys in MotoGP next year. Mika Kallio has been able to pass Tom Luthi.
Julian Simon will get a podium. Good finish. Just two laps left now. Marques does have a similar riding style to Dani Pedrosa. It'll be an all Spanish team for Repsol Honda next year. That will be fun to watch. Spain will lock out the podium in this race. The Spanish and Italian riders really do well in motorcycle racing. Marc Marquez wins at Indianapolis for the second time!
#93 Marc Marquez ESP Suter Cervera
OK. The preliminaries are over. It's time for the main feature race. MotoGP is up next!
Rossi, Pedrosa, Lorenzo, and Stoner have won this race the last four years. Hector Barbera, Cal Crutchlow, Casey Stoner, Ben Spies, and Nicky Hayden all crashed. The riders have now taken their sighting lap. The teams have checked their bikes. It's now going to be up to the riders. Some will focus. Some will be willing to talk to people. Don't forget, that besides Nicky Hayden and Ben Spies, (well, of course, Nicky is now out with injury), but, we also have Steve Rapp and Aaron Yates racing in MotoGP as wildcard riders.
Valentino Rossi will return to Yamaha, and leave Ducati at the end of the year. It will be two champs at Yamaha next year. Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo. Rossi wants to do well. He's a legend. He's only eighteen wins away from matching the legend, Giacomo Agostini. We are coming up to race time, folks. It's not too far away now.
The prototype motorcycles are on hard Bridgestone tires and the CRT's are on soft ones. Lorenzo is also on soft tires. Can he make the tire last? Here we go.
At the srart, Pedrosa gets a good hole shot. Spies gets second. Spies takes the lead and runs wide. This race is 28 laps. Andrea Dovizioso is up to third. Ben Spies will not be in MotoGP next year. One rider crashes. Not sure who. Pedrosa feels he's got something with the bike. Spies takes a wide line while Pedrosa takes a tighter one. Jorge Lorenzo is third. Stefan Bradl is also moving up. Bradl has been the surprise of the season, coming up from Moto 2. Alvaro Bautista also gets a good start. Alexei Espargaro is now tenth. Get in a rhythm, heat up the tires, and go.
Pedrosa is right up behind Spies now. Spies has issues with his back, his elbow and one of his big toes. But, he seems to be riding well now. Pedrosa is right on top of Ben Spies. Pedrosa drafts by Spies. This is great racing. Pedrosa looks at Spies, fighting. Jorge Lorenzo is coming. He's Spies team mate for now. Of course, Rossi will team with Lorenzo for 2013. Dani Pedrosa passes Ben Spies as he ran wide in turns 15 and 16. Casey Stoner has passed Alvaro Bautista, moving in on Stefan Bradl. Jorge Lorenzo is also moving up to pass Ben Spies.
Andrea Dovizioso is a target for Stefan Bradl. Michele Pirro, Matteo Passini, and Danilo Petrucci are all retirements. Spies blows a motor! Oh no! His season goes from bad to worse! He will not win at Indianapolis. Ka blammo! There's oil out of the engine of Spies' Yamaha. Yonny Hernandez is now tenth. Bradl has passed Stoner into turn one. No issues with grip or oil. Stoner is behind Bradl now. There's a large gap between Lorenzo and Dovizioso. He's gone well with Tech 3 Yamaha after being sacked by Repsol Yamaha.
Dovizioso may be in the running to race for Ducati next year. Nineteen laps remain in the race as Dani Pedrosa is gapping Lorenzo. He's turning the wick up for sure. Cal Crutchlow has dumped his bike. He's had a bad weekend. He loses the front end in a slow corner and he's done, after what is called a low side fall. Rossi is now seventh. Karel Abraham is now tenth. Rossi is having a lonely race. The laps are being clicked off quickly. Dani Pedrosa has a 3.1 second lead. He's going for it, just flying!
Randy de Puniet is out of the race. The race is half over and the attrition rate is unreal! Did you see that crash? No, man. What happened? How will the soft tire hold up? Ben Spies and Yamaha have a strained relationship. Not good. But, Steve Rapp and Aaron Yates are having fun out there. Karel Abraham is running well as the teams will run in his home country next weekend. More details at the end of this post. Pedrosa is going very well and he's preparing to be the lead rider for Repsol Honda next year with Marc Marques as his team mate.
Pedrosa runs a 1:39.2 and Lorenzo, a 1:40.1. Casey Stoner holds third while Andrea Dovizioso wants the podium with 11 laps left. Dani Pedrosa wiggles, but stays on the bike. Is there time for Lorenzo to catch Pedrosa? We are into the last ten laps of this Grand Prix. Amazingly, with the injuries in these crashes, there have been fewer falls in 2012 than in the last three years that the race has been run. Alexei Espargaro gets ninth with Karel Abraham also doing well before his home race next weekend. Cal Crutchlow is out of the race now.
Seven laps remain. Andrea Dovizioso and Casey Stoner battle for the last spot on the podium. Jorge Lorenzo might have a rear tire going away. Stoner is reeling in Dovizioso for third with four laps to go. Ride along with another rival, and then try making a pass. These guys are running 200+ miles an hour down the front straight. These bikes are like Formula One cars on two wheels. Lorenzo is looking to pass Steve Rapp. Rapp makes MotoGP history as the oldest rider to make his debut in MotoGP at age 40. Aaron Yates also, has been retired for three years. But, he and Rapp are having a good time in this race.
Steve Rapp is biding his time. He lets Lorenzo by. Two laps left now. Dani Pedrosa is racking up wins and it will put him company with some of the legends of the sport like Giacomo Agostini, Anton Mang, Mike Hailwood, Angel Nieto, Phil Read, Max Biaggi (who now is in World Superbike of course), Jim Redman, and Carlo Ubbiali to name a few.
Andrea Dovizioso has passed Casey Stoner. But, Spain will make a clean sweep of the Indianapolis GP. Dani Pedrosa wins! He's the first repeat winner at The Brickyard! It's his second win of the 2012 season.
#26 Dani Pedrosa ESP Honda
The next race in MotoGP is in the Czech Republic at the Brno Circuit, in a week's time.
Casey Stoner will race today. So will Ben Spies. Nicky Hayden will not race. He will be a spectator, watching. Folks, be prepared for a boatload of racing action here. Three races, consecutively will be blogged in this report. Motorcycle racing was the first race at Indianapolis in 1909. The motorcycles raced on the old brick course. Of course, the bricks are now just in the yard on the front straight. Hence, "The Brickyard". One of the first riders to run at Indy was Cannonball Baker. The weather is going to be great.
First up, it's Moto 3, followed by Moto 2, and then, MotoGP. Check this out.
Moto 3:
Sandro Cortese starts on pole. No American riders in this class. But, it's going to be good. At the start, Danny Kent gets the early lead into turn one. Louis Salom has second and Zulfahmmi Khairuddin. There's a wreck in turn two. Hector Faubel goes down and gets back going. Faubel is riding hurt. Kent leads right now. The bikes get wound up between turns nine and ten. Khairuddin passes Sandro Cortese. Efrin Vazquez is also up at the sharp end. Jakub Kornfeil runs wide.
Salom takes the lead now. Vinales is also really going for it. Louis Salom is followed by Danny Kent. Keep the bike in the narrow line through the infield road course. Zulfahmmi Khairuddin takes the lead. Wind the bike up, drive it out. Efrin Vasquez is running well as Maverick Vinales is flying. Alex Rins also moves up. Vinales wants by Louis Salom. There's a long way to go. This is the shortest race of the three today. 23 laps scheduled.
This is the fifth annual visit by MotoGP. Zhulfammi Khairuddin might be able to get a podium at Indy. What a massive career boost that would be. Khairuddin rides a KTM. Efrin Vazquez, Sandro Cortese, Louis Salom and others are very competitive. The parity is reduced in this class compared to the old 125cc class. These guys really compete, as readers of this blog know. Fifteen laps left. Rins and Cortese pass Salom. Anyone can win this race. There have been very few crashes.
Brad Binder retires with mechanical problems. But, very few crashes have happened so far. Vinales wants down inside as Cortese wants to push Alex Rins wide. Rins tries Vinales but can't pass. Romano Fenati is now coming up to the sharp end. Cortese is not wasting time either. Use the curb down the short chute between turns four and five. Rins makes a mistake allowing Khairuddin to pass. Vinales wants to get away from Cortese and Fenati while Zulfahmmi Khairuddin is pushing hard. Alex Rins runs wide, losing two spots in one corner. Twelve laps left.
Former World Champion Kevin Schwantz says that the crashes on the MotoGP bikes are much more dangerous to deal with than the old 500cc Grand Prix days. When you used to high side, it would spin and snap. You could prepare your body to move. But, now, the trajectory is different. By the time you fly, hold your breath and hope you don't get hurt. Schwantz runs a riding school right at Indianapolis.
Nine laps to go in Moto 3. Sandro Cortese is now leading Maverick Vinales and Louis Salom. Khairuddin is down to fourth. Efrin Vazquez crashes out of the race. Vinales tries Cortese but can't get there. Alex Rins and Romano Fenati are coming back. Jonas Folger and Jakub Kornfeil round out the top ten right now. Cortese is keeping Vinales honest right now. He's scored in every race and has missed the podium just one time. Frenchman Alan Techer falls off his #89 bike (a TSR Honda Cannes bike).
Nico Terol and Pol Espargaro won the previous 125cc races at Indy. Three laps to go. Vinales is being chased for the victory by Cortese and Salom. Romano Fenati fends off Miguel Oliveira and Jonas Folger. Oliveira passes Fenati. It is incredible for these teenage riders to learn race craft. How do you pace yourself? Look after the tires. Don't make moves too quick. This is the last lap. Who will win it? Someone will make a move. Folger passes Fenati. One lap to go. Cortese passes Vinales. Vinales runs wide. Who is the winner? He's got a nine point lead over Vinales.
Salom opens the door and makes a bid for the lead. He's in the driver's seat now! Where did he come from? Will he win? Vinales is down! He's crashed! Luis Salom wins his first Moto 3 race at Indy! How special!
#39 Luis Salom ESP Kalex KTM
What a Moto 3 race. Moto 2, MotoGP, and XR1200 are still to come.
The Moto 2 race is on deck. This one will be a wild one to watch, too.
Nine time dirt track motorcycle champion Scott Parker is in attendance at the race this weekend. Some Moto 2 riders will go to MotoGP. Marc Marques will run for Repsol Honda. Bradley Smith will take over a Tech 3 Yamaha. Andrea Ianonne needs opportunity. Ditto for Scott Redding, and Pol Espargaro. These three guys could appear in MotoGP, someday. Plenty of good riders have run Moto2 and moved to MotoGP including the late Marco Simoncelli.
Moto 2 is 600cc four stroke motors. In qualifying, Marc Marques ran well. Pol Espargaro gets his third pole of 2012. All riders in this class are on Dunlop tires and the bikes are built for the tires. By mid race, tires will degrade. To increase the life of the tire, they are warmed very slowly. If they're too hot, they get really greasy. There's no launch control. Use the throttle and the clutch release. Pol Espargaro has a slide on the grass in the morning warmup, low siding the bike in the next turn. But, he's ready to race. Keep the bike on the track.
Moto 3, done and dusted. Moto 2, ready.
At the start, Marc Marquez gets a great start, but Andrea Ianonne takes the lead. Can the bikes get through clean. Domink Aegerter, Julian Simon, and Brad Smith are all jammed up. All the motors are the same at 600ccs. The chassis is the major part of these bikes. Marques runs wide. Other riders besides Marc Marques who is moving to MotoGP next year, are saying to team managers, "check me out. I am MotoGP material and can be competitive." Aegerter makes a pass on Andrea Ianonne. Aegerter is running real well.
Scott Redding is flying towards the front. Mika Kalio has a dreadful start. Marques pushes Pol Espargaro wide. Dominik Aegerter still has an advantage on Ianonne. Pol Espargaro wants by these two. His brother Alexei is in MotoGP of course. Kallio and Redding are running very well. Ditto for Yuki Takahashi and Tito Rebat. Marquez has reeled in Domink Aegerter. Marques takes the lead with three of 26 laps completed. Tom Luthi is also up at the sharp end. Marquez continues to lead.
Nicky Hayden joins the broadcast. He high sided the bike. He said he was sliding to turn the bike and when he rolled out of the throttle, he fell. He's got some broken bones in his hand and he was unconscious for a while. His head is not feeling well either. So, he'll have to just watch and rest. "Shake it off and think about what's next" he says. Get well soon, Nicky. Mika Kallio is running well. He's had 174 races across four divisions like 125, 250, MotoGP, and Moto2. Marques is running well, finding a rhythm on the bike. Marquez sets a new lap record. Elena Rossell falls down.
Julian Simon has third. Another lap completed. Mika Kallio and Tom Luthi battle. Marc Marques is running 1:43s and these guys are running real good lap times. Diving into the infield with split pavement has been giving riders trouble. Kallio took Ianonne by surprise. Kallio is one of those guys who is one of the best riders to never be a World Champion. Aegerter passes Ianonne. He was tied with Pol Espargaro for second in points. But, Marquez might gain more points. Marquez is going to do real well in MotoGP next year. We'll find one.
Simone Corsi is moving up. Fifteen laps left to run. Julian Simon is now third. He won a title in the 125cc class in 2009. Luthi passes Iannone. Scott Redding is not having the race he wants. Marc Marques is checking out. He's got a five second lead. Andrea Ianonne has sunk to tenth place. Typically of course, Ianonne is a real scrapper for the finish of the race as seen in earlier races this year, and countless blog entries.
Mika Kallio might have used up his tires. Marques can ride where he doesn't need to use a ton of lean angle. Bradley Smith has sunk, but, he'll also be in MotoGP next year. Smith hasn't won in Moto2. He's going to be on the Monster Energy Yamaha. But, he's going to be in for a rude awakening. Tom Luthi is fourth over Mika Kallio. Yuki Takahashi is out of the race. The riders appreciate racing at Indy, but the road course at Indianapolis is pretty technical and difficult to get used to.
Julian Simon is running very well with ten laps to go. Marco Simoncelli, Toni Elias, and Marc Marques have won at Indy before. In 2008, there was a rainstorm as a remnant of Hurricane Ike. Not sure who won in '08. Claudio Corti and Anthony West are running well. Johann Zarco is also running well. With a short distance to go, Marquez appears to have this race in the bag. Four laps left. Pol Espargaro is still second and Julian Simon is third.
Yuki Takahashi was taken out by Xavier Simeon. Simeon should have used better judgment. Nico Terol (who won three 125cc races), is buried in the field. He's not come to the fore yet at all. Terol has not made the transition. He cannot find the setup with his bike. Three laps to go now. Marques won ten 125 races. He's won eleven Moto 2 races. He's mirroring his 125 career, he's going to win the title in Moto2, and he'll be up with the big boys in MotoGP next year. Mika Kallio has been able to pass Tom Luthi.
Julian Simon will get a podium. Good finish. Just two laps left now. Marques does have a similar riding style to Dani Pedrosa. It'll be an all Spanish team for Repsol Honda next year. That will be fun to watch. Spain will lock out the podium in this race. The Spanish and Italian riders really do well in motorcycle racing. Marc Marquez wins at Indianapolis for the second time!
#93 Marc Marquez ESP Suter Cervera
OK. The preliminaries are over. It's time for the main feature race. MotoGP is up next!
Rossi, Pedrosa, Lorenzo, and Stoner have won this race the last four years. Hector Barbera, Cal Crutchlow, Casey Stoner, Ben Spies, and Nicky Hayden all crashed. The riders have now taken their sighting lap. The teams have checked their bikes. It's now going to be up to the riders. Some will focus. Some will be willing to talk to people. Don't forget, that besides Nicky Hayden and Ben Spies, (well, of course, Nicky is now out with injury), but, we also have Steve Rapp and Aaron Yates racing in MotoGP as wildcard riders.
Valentino Rossi will return to Yamaha, and leave Ducati at the end of the year. It will be two champs at Yamaha next year. Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo. Rossi wants to do well. He's a legend. He's only eighteen wins away from matching the legend, Giacomo Agostini. We are coming up to race time, folks. It's not too far away now.
The prototype motorcycles are on hard Bridgestone tires and the CRT's are on soft ones. Lorenzo is also on soft tires. Can he make the tire last? Here we go.
At the srart, Pedrosa gets a good hole shot. Spies gets second. Spies takes the lead and runs wide. This race is 28 laps. Andrea Dovizioso is up to third. Ben Spies will not be in MotoGP next year. One rider crashes. Not sure who. Pedrosa feels he's got something with the bike. Spies takes a wide line while Pedrosa takes a tighter one. Jorge Lorenzo is third. Stefan Bradl is also moving up. Bradl has been the surprise of the season, coming up from Moto 2. Alvaro Bautista also gets a good start. Alexei Espargaro is now tenth. Get in a rhythm, heat up the tires, and go.
Pedrosa is right up behind Spies now. Spies has issues with his back, his elbow and one of his big toes. But, he seems to be riding well now. Pedrosa is right on top of Ben Spies. Pedrosa drafts by Spies. This is great racing. Pedrosa looks at Spies, fighting. Jorge Lorenzo is coming. He's Spies team mate for now. Of course, Rossi will team with Lorenzo for 2013. Dani Pedrosa passes Ben Spies as he ran wide in turns 15 and 16. Casey Stoner has passed Alvaro Bautista, moving in on Stefan Bradl. Jorge Lorenzo is also moving up to pass Ben Spies.
Andrea Dovizioso is a target for Stefan Bradl. Michele Pirro, Matteo Passini, and Danilo Petrucci are all retirements. Spies blows a motor! Oh no! His season goes from bad to worse! He will not win at Indianapolis. Ka blammo! There's oil out of the engine of Spies' Yamaha. Yonny Hernandez is now tenth. Bradl has passed Stoner into turn one. No issues with grip or oil. Stoner is behind Bradl now. There's a large gap between Lorenzo and Dovizioso. He's gone well with Tech 3 Yamaha after being sacked by Repsol Yamaha.
Dovizioso may be in the running to race for Ducati next year. Nineteen laps remain in the race as Dani Pedrosa is gapping Lorenzo. He's turning the wick up for sure. Cal Crutchlow has dumped his bike. He's had a bad weekend. He loses the front end in a slow corner and he's done, after what is called a low side fall. Rossi is now seventh. Karel Abraham is now tenth. Rossi is having a lonely race. The laps are being clicked off quickly. Dani Pedrosa has a 3.1 second lead. He's going for it, just flying!
Randy de Puniet is out of the race. The race is half over and the attrition rate is unreal! Did you see that crash? No, man. What happened? How will the soft tire hold up? Ben Spies and Yamaha have a strained relationship. Not good. But, Steve Rapp and Aaron Yates are having fun out there. Karel Abraham is running well as the teams will run in his home country next weekend. More details at the end of this post. Pedrosa is going very well and he's preparing to be the lead rider for Repsol Honda next year with Marc Marques as his team mate.
Pedrosa runs a 1:39.2 and Lorenzo, a 1:40.1. Casey Stoner holds third while Andrea Dovizioso wants the podium with 11 laps left. Dani Pedrosa wiggles, but stays on the bike. Is there time for Lorenzo to catch Pedrosa? We are into the last ten laps of this Grand Prix. Amazingly, with the injuries in these crashes, there have been fewer falls in 2012 than in the last three years that the race has been run. Alexei Espargaro gets ninth with Karel Abraham also doing well before his home race next weekend. Cal Crutchlow is out of the race now.
Seven laps remain. Andrea Dovizioso and Casey Stoner battle for the last spot on the podium. Jorge Lorenzo might have a rear tire going away. Stoner is reeling in Dovizioso for third with four laps to go. Ride along with another rival, and then try making a pass. These guys are running 200+ miles an hour down the front straight. These bikes are like Formula One cars on two wheels. Lorenzo is looking to pass Steve Rapp. Rapp makes MotoGP history as the oldest rider to make his debut in MotoGP at age 40. Aaron Yates also, has been retired for three years. But, he and Rapp are having a good time in this race.
Steve Rapp is biding his time. He lets Lorenzo by. Two laps left now. Dani Pedrosa is racking up wins and it will put him company with some of the legends of the sport like Giacomo Agostini, Anton Mang, Mike Hailwood, Angel Nieto, Phil Read, Max Biaggi (who now is in World Superbike of course), Jim Redman, and Carlo Ubbiali to name a few.
Andrea Dovizioso has passed Casey Stoner. But, Spain will make a clean sweep of the Indianapolis GP. Dani Pedrosa wins! He's the first repeat winner at The Brickyard! It's his second win of the 2012 season.
#26 Dani Pedrosa ESP Honda
The next race in MotoGP is in the Czech Republic at the Brno Circuit, in a week's time.
Saturday, August 18, 2012
FIM World Endurance Championship round 1: Bol D'or 24 Hours, Magny Cours, France
In May, the FIM World Endurance Championship for motorcycles got underway with the running of the classic Bol D'Or 24 Hours at the Magny Cours track in France. The 76th edition of this race was run back in April. Here are the full highlights of the race. The FIM World Endurance Championship has existed since 1975.
There are two 24 hour races at the beginning and end of the season, with three eight hour events in between. Here are all the races.
Bol D'or 24 Hours Magny Cours, France
8 Hours of Qatar Doha, Qatar (Losail International Circuit)
8 Hours of Suzuka Suzuka Circuit: Suzuka, Japan
8 Hours of Oschersleben Motorpark Oschersleben: Oschersleben, Germany
24 Hours of Le Mans (moto) Bugatti Circuit: Le Mans, France
SERT (Suzuki Endurance Racing Team), has the most competitive team, with three major riders. They will have stiff competition from BMW Motorrad France and Team GMT 94. Suzuki has French rider Fabien Foret who was the 2002 FIM World Supersport champion. Now, Foret has spent over a decade (eleven years), away from motorcycle endurance competition.
This race is going to have a big grid of bikes, on a wet track, at least for the start. Vincent Philippe for SERT has pole. SRC Kawasaki is right up there on the grid, too, with their riders Olivier Four, Gregory Leblanc, and Julien Dacosta. This is a 55 bike grid. The Bol D'or has been run at Magny Cours for the last dozen years, since 2000. The battle for Endurance World Championship class honors will be fought by BMW, Kawasaki, Suzuki, and a number of teams with Yamaha motorcycles.
Teams in the Super Stock class will also contest their own race among the EWC contenders. The Le Mans start is used, where the riders (at the drop of the green flag), run across the track, get on their bikes, and set off in pursuit of victory. At the start, who gets the lead? SERT takes the early lead with their two rider team of Vincent Philippe, Anthony Delhalle, and Fabien Foret. Meanwhile, crashing early, it's the #2 Suzuki GSX-R1000 for Team R2CL. Sharing the bike are Amaury Baratin, Thierry Capela, and Raphael Chausse.
SERT leads the race with Vincent Philippe. Actually, the #2 bike may have different riders. The graphic lists Thierry Capela sharing with David Dumain and Emmanuel Cheron, both of France. BMW Motorrad France pursues. Their bike #99 is ridden by Sebastien Gimbert, Erwan Nigon, and Damian Cudlin. They made an early pit stop for a rider change. Assumingly, Gimbert was the starting rider, and Nigon would take over.
Bike #27 ditched it in one of the corners. This is the TRT 27 City Bike Suzuki GSXR shared by Olivier Depoorter, Camille Hedelin, Vincent Moussin, and Alexandre Prigent. Moussin is a Belgian rider. This spill at the same corner where R2CL had their issue. There's light rain out on course. Meanwhile, SRC Kawasaki seems to be having a good race with the team of Dacosta, Leblanc, and Four. Kawasaki has not won the Bol D'or at Magny Cours in three decades, going back to 1982, though they have won the 24 Hours of Le Mans Moto.
SERT pits and Honda TT Legends are coming forward. Suzuki has the lead and the upper hand over everyone else, about an hour into the race. Meanwhile, bike #24 is in the pits. This is the Kawasaki ZX10R in Super Stock for 3D Endurance Moto Center and an all French riding squad including Valentin Debise, Benjamin Delegue, Fabrice Holub, and Patrick Blanchet. They lead Super Stock right now. Blanchet could be a reserve rider. Four riders are listed for some of the teams. But, maybe, the fourth one is just a reserve. Not sure. Bolliger Team Switzerland pits their Kawasaki.
Sharing riding chores on the #8 bike are Austrian Horst Saiger, Roman Stamm of Switzerland, and Jerome Tangre of France. Frenchman Frederic Chabboseau is also listed as a rider. Bolliger Team Switzerland is one of the best privately run teams in the series. Meanwhile, out on track, Monster Energy Yamaha YART is running well with their #7 Yamaha R1 shared by Igor Jerman, Steve Martin, and Gwen Giabbani, with backup rider, Brit, Steve Plater. YART did really well in this series back in 2009. Louit Moto 33 (the French Fireman team), is running well. On the rider's strength is a name that should be familiar to readers of this blog. World Superbike standout for Kawasaki, Loris Baz shares this bike with Jeremy Guarnoni, Nans Chevaux, and Lionel Richier.
Damian Cudlin for BMW Motorrad France has taken a spill. The track is still wet. Cudlin pushes the bike forlornly towards the pits. Yamaha GMT 94 is looking for a good result. The #94 bike is shared by David Checa, Kenny Foray, and Mathieu Lagrive. Checa is the brother of World Superbike champion and also, former 500cc Grand Prix champion, Carlos Checa. BMW frantically goes to work in the garage area.
After two hours, here are the positions in the Bol D'Or
1. EWC #1 SERT Delhalle/Foret Suzuki GSXR 1000
2. EWC #11 SRC Kawasaki Dacosta/Leblanc/Four Kawasaki ZX10R
3. EWC #94 Yamaha GMT 94 Checa/Foray/Lagrive Yamaha R1
4. EWC #77 Honda TT Legends Donald/McGuiness/Johnson/Andrews Honda CBR1000RR
5. SST #33 Louit Motor 33 Baz/Guarnoni/Chevaux/Richier Kawasaki ZX10R
6. EWC #7 Monster Energy
Yamaha YART Jerman/Martin/Giabbani/Plater Yamaha R1
7. SST #72 Junior Team LMS
Suzuki Guittet/Tangre/Enjolras/Camus Suzuki GSXR 1000
8. EWC #4 Yamalube Folch
Endurance Ribalta Bosch/Dos Santos/Tizon Ibanez/
Martinez Caballero Yamaha R1
9. EWC #14 Maco Racing Pridmore/Junod/Black Yamaha R1
10. EWC #8 Bolliger Team
Switzerland Saiger/Stamm/Tangre/Chabosseau Kawasaki ZX10R
SRC Kawasaki pits at the start of hour two. SERT takes back the lead of the race. They pitted and didn't lose a nine second lead. The #99 BMW bike for Motorrad France is out of it. Sebastien Gimbert rides slowly back to the garage. Pit stops are happening fast as SERT comes in. Cameron Donald, John McGuiness, and Simon Andrews for Honda TT Legends are running well. GMT 94 also pits. Bike #33 is still leading Super Stock for Louit Motor 33.
Junior Team LMS Suzuki is chasing them down and eventually, passes them on track. YART is also running well with the team of Igor Jerman, Steve Martin, Gwen Giabbani and Steve Plater. YART is Yamaha Austria Racing Team. DG Sport Herrock on their Superstock Yamaha pits. This is bike #9 for Didier van Keymeulen of Belgium, Australian Alex Cudlin, Gianluca Vizziello of Italy, and German, Raymond Schouten. One of the SERT bikes crashes coming into the pits.
It's their heavy hitter though. Whoops! This is indeed the bike of Foret, Delhalle, and Philippe. Vincent Philippe has injured his collarbone slightly. He may have to sit out the rest of the race. So, SERT now has two riders on their main bike. This opens the door for SRC Kawasaki and bike #11. Here are the four hour standings.
1. EWC #11 SRC Kawasaki Da Costa/Leblanc/Four Kawasaki ZX10R
2. EWC #94 Yamaha GMT 94 Checa/Foray/Lagrive Yamaha R1
3. EWC #7 Monster Energy
Yamaha YART Jerman/Martin/Giabbani/Plater Yamaha R1
4. EWC #77 Honda TT Legends Donald/McGuinness/Johnson/Andrews Honda CBR1000RR
5. EWC #1 Suzuki Endurance
Racing Team Delhalle/Foret Suzuki GSXR1000
6. EWC #8 Bolliger Team
Switzerland Saiger/Stamm/Tangre/Chabosseau Kawasaki ZX10R
7. EWC #4 Yamalube Folch
Endurance Ribalta Bosch/Dos Santos/Tizon Ibanez/
Martinez Caballero Yamaha R1
8. SST #72 Junior Team LMS
Suzuki Guittet/Tangre/Enjolras/Camus Suzuki GSXR 1000
9. SST #110 Am Moto Racing
Competition Loiseau/Denis/Maitre/Napoleone Suzuki GSXR-1000
10. SST #33 Louit Moto 33 Baz/Guarnoni/Chevaux/Richier Kawasaki ZX10R
At 7;00 P.M. More rain comes. GMT 94/Yamaha Racing France has to pit for rain tires, unscheduled. Mathieu Lagrive is the rider on the bike right now. Vincent Philippe has the bike examined and repaired, heading back on track. SERT has to catch up to SRC Kawasaki. SRC Kawasaki pits for fuel, tires and a rider change, maintaining their lead in the race. Darkness will be upon the race soon.
Junior Team LMS Suzuki continues leading Super Stock on their GSXR 1000. Am Moto Racing Competition on their Suzuki is also hanging on. SERT pits again, trying to make up lost time with their two rider squad of Philippe and Foret. Yamaha GMT 94 also pits their bike as the track temperatures fall into the cool zone. As night falls, the teams will change to a softer tire compound to adjust to the conditions. By now, the Circuit de Nevers in Magny Cours is shrouded in darkness, and the rider all have their headlights on.
The crews will have to eat and sleep when they can, and the riders, fortunately, if they are off duty, can go catch 40 winks. Just after 9;30 P.M. (five and a half hours into the race), the safety car is deployed. There was a wreck between two Super Stock bikes battling for second in class. Those were the Suzuki and Kawasaki1 that showed up ninth and tenth in the overall earlier for Am Moto Racing Competion, as well as the Louit Moto 33 Kawasaki with Loris Baz on the riding team.
Here are the standings after seven of 24 hours.
1. EWC #11 SRC Kawasaki Da Costa/Leblanc/Four Kawasaki ZX10R
2. EWC #1 Suzuki Endurance
Racing Team Delhalle/Foret Suzuki GSXR1000
3. EWC #94 Yamaha GMT 94 Checa/Foray/Lagrive Yamaha R1
4. EWC #7 Monster Energy
Yamaha YART Jerman/Martin/Giabanni/Plater Yamaha R1
5. EWC #77 Honda TT
Legends Donald/McGuinness/Johnson/Andrews Honda CBR1000RR
6. EWC #8 Bolliger
Team Switzerland Sager/Stamm/Tangre/Chabbosseau Kawasaki ZX10R
7. EWC #4 Yamalube Folch
Endurance Ribolta Bosch/Dos Santos/Tizon Ibanez/
Caballero Yamaha R1
8. SST #72 Junior Team LMS
Suzuki Guittet/Tangre/Enjolas/Cammus Suzuki GSX-R-1000
9. EWC #24 3D Endurance
Moto Center Debise/Delegue/Holub/Blanchet Kawasaki ZX10R
10. SST #13 Kraftwerk Filla/Fastre/Vallcaneras BMW S1000RR
It is a clear battle between Suzuki Endurance Racing Team and SRC Kawasaki as night falls. SRC Kawasaki pits their bike for routine service and a rider change. Foret and Delhalle are also pitting for SERT on bike #1. It's a damp track, and it's dark. Riders focus during the night, on just running consistent lap times. Most passes are completed on pit lane. Yamaha GMT 94 makes a stop. Ditto for Monster Energy Yamaha YART, and, also, Honda TT Legends is still in this fight.
Yamaha Folch Endurance and bike #41 also pit. They are a privateer effort from Spain. Kraftwek also pits their Super Stock BMW. The #9 DG Sport Yamaha in Super Stock is working it's way into contention again, too. Unfortunately, at this stage, Bolliger Kawasaki are out of the race. SRC Kawasaki, leading the race, are the sole remaining Kawasaki team in the race now.
SERT pits another time. Foret and Delhalle are running like clockwork through this event. SRC pits and Julien Da Costa takes over the bike. Likewise, Yamaha GMT 94 also stops. Ymaha YART also pits. These stops are mainly for tires and/or rider changes. The fuel mileage strategy seems to be working, meaning the tanks don't have to be topped up or refilled as often. Star Team 67 in Super Stock pits. This is the Suzuki GSX-R 1000 with a trio of French riders. Claude Lucas, Jonathan Harolt, and Cyrille de Laville. DG Sport also pits their #9 bike.
The mechanics try to rest wherever and whenever they can, whether that's sprawled on the garage floor, or, with your head resting on a tire.
Dawn has come to Magny Cours by now, and there are just five hours remaining in the race. After 19 hours, the top positions look like this (the top 10).
1. EWC #1 Suzuki Endurance
Racing Team Delhalle/Foret Suzuki GSXR1000
2. EWC #11 SRC Kawasaki Da Costa/Leblanc/Four Kawasaki ZX10R
3. EWC #94 Yamaha GMT 94 Checa/Foray/Lagrive Yamaha R1
4. EWC #7 Monster Energy
Yamaha YART Jerman/Martin/Giabanni/Plater Yamaha R1
5. EWC #4 Yamalube Folch
Endurance Ribolta Bosch/Dos Santos/Tizon Ibanez/
Caballero Yamaha R1
6. EWC #77 Honda TT
Legends Donald/McGuinness/Johnson/Andrews Honda CBR1000RR
7. EWC #24 3D Endurance
Moto Center Debise/Delegue/Holub/Blanchet Kawasaki ZX10R
8. SST #13 Kraftwerk Filla/Fastre/Vallcaneras BMW S1000RR
9. SST #67 Star Team 67 Lucas/Harolt/De Laville Suzuki GSXR1000
10. SST #68 Atomic
Motorsport Muteau/Lalevee/Jond Suzuki GSXR1000
Up to tenth now is a new contender, second in Super Stock. It's the #68 Atomic Motorsport GSXR1000 shared by Gerald Muteau, Michael Lalevee, and Frederic Jond. Suzuki Endurance Racing Team now takes over the overall lead. They make a scheduled pit stop in the early morning hours as this race is headed towards the finish. SRC Kawasaki had a long pit stop, changing fluids out of the bike. Specifically, an oil change, as well as brake fluid.
Suzuki has the lead for the first time since the early evening hours and Kawasaki will now need to fight back in the closing stages. SRC Kawasaki has a flawless pit stop which gives them the race lead with just hours remaining. Team manager Gilles Stafler explains that the race has been a difficult one even though the team is now ahead. How would Suzuki hold out with Fabien Foret and Anthony Delhalle? Yamaha GMT 94 is running well, but, they can't be as competitive as the other bikes. Team manager Christophe Guyot claims that the bike is down on power, but the team has no idea why.
Big news! Honda TT Legends crashes! Cameron Donald lost the bike into a corner in a big way, landing in the gravel. He's OK. But the bike needs repairs. SERT pits again for another routine stop. They seem to have things pretty well under control in this race. OK. There's good news now. Honda TT Legends makes it bake on track, as a crewman restarts the Honda CBR1000 and Cameron Donald will resume in the race. Kraftwerk is still running well in Super Stock. Correction. Dylan Buisson is the fourth rider for the #13 team who has been listed as one of the participants.
The 3D Endurance Kawasaki is still motoring along well. After 21 hours, here are the standings, with three left.
1. EWC #11 SRC Kawasaki Da Costa/Leblanc/Four Kawasaki ZX10R
2. EWC #1 Suzuki Endurance
Racing Team Delhalle/Foret Suzuki GSXR1000
3. EWC #94 Yamaha GMT 94 Checa/Foray/Lagrive Yamaha R1
4. EWC #7 Monster Energy
Yamaha YART Jerman/Martin/Giabanni/Plater Yamaha R1
5. EWC #4 Yamalube Folch
Endurance Ribolta Bosch/Dos Santos/Tizon Ibanez/
Caballero Yamaha R1
6. EWC #24 3D Endurance
Moto Center Debise/Delegue/Holub/Blanchet Kawasaki ZX10R
7. SST #13 Kraftwerk Filla/Fastre/Vallcaneras BMW S1000RR
8. SST #67 Star Team 67 Lucas/Harolt/De Laville Suzuki GSXR1000
9. EWC #77 Honda TT
Legends Donald/McGuinness/Johnson/Andrews Honda CBR1000RR
10. SST #68 Atomic
Motorsport Muteau/Lalevee/Jond Suzuki GSXR1000
Suzuki Endurance Racing Team makes another pit stop which should be close to being their last of the race. Durability and fatigue are the two factors. It's down to Kawasaki and Suzuki for the win. The #4 Yamahlube Folch Endurance bike makes a pit stop. It is also a battle of two more Yamaha teams for positions in the top half dozen between GMT 94 and YART. SERT has a late issue, running the bike off the road. Could it be a mechanical gremlin?
SRC Kawasaki makes a scheduled pit stop. The Bol D'or has become a sprint now, to see who will take the checkers first. Now, just one hour remains and the placings are pretty much identical to what they were before.
1. EWC #11 SRC Kawasaki Da Costa/Leblanc/Four Kawasaki ZX10R
2. EWC #1 Suzuki Endurance
Racing Team Delhalle/Foret Suzuki GSXR1000
3. EWC #94 Yamaha GMT 94 Checa/Foray/Lagrive Yamaha R1
4. EWC #7 Monster Energy
Yamaha YART Jerman/Martin/Giabanni/Plater Yamaha R1
5. EWC #4 Yamalube Folch
Endurance Ribolta Bosch/Dos Santos/Tizon Ibanez/
Caballero Yamaha R1
6. EWC #24 3D Endurance
Moto Center Debise/Delegue/Holub/Blanchet Kawasaki ZX10R
7. SST #13 Kraftwerk Filla/Fastre/Vallcaneras BMW S1000RR
8. SST #67 Star Team 67 Lucas/Harolt/De Laville Suzuki GSXR1000
9. EWC #77 Honda TT
Legends Donald/McGuinness/Johnson/Andrews Honda CBR1000RR
10. SST #68 Atomic
Motorsport Muteau/Lalevee/Jond Suzuki GSXR1000
Kawasaki and Suzuki are on the same lap now. YART pits the #7 bike and they could very well get a podium place out of this effort, in third. Steve Martin will take the bike to the flag and team boss Mandy Kaine is optimistic. But, it looks like Kawasaki is going to take the win with just a few laps to go as the clock winds down. SRC Kawasaki is set to complete 781 laps of the Magny Cours track, which equals 2,141 miles.
SERT makes one last pit stop. YART passes Yamaha GMT 94. 3D Endurance Moto Center on another Kawasaki will win the Super Stock division. SRC Kawasaki makes their last stop. Kawasaki will get their first win in this race in three decades, going back to 1982. SRC Kawasaki does it!
Overall/EWC: #11 Da Costa/Leblanc/Four Kawasaki ZX10R
SST: #24 Debise/Delegue/Holub/Blanchet Kawasaki ZX10R
Kawasaki has turned Magny Cours, green! The next race in the World Endurance Championship is the 8 Hours of Qatar. Look for highlights of that event in the not too distant future.
There are two 24 hour races at the beginning and end of the season, with three eight hour events in between. Here are all the races.
Bol D'or 24 Hours Magny Cours, France
8 Hours of Qatar Doha, Qatar (Losail International Circuit)
8 Hours of Suzuka Suzuka Circuit: Suzuka, Japan
8 Hours of Oschersleben Motorpark Oschersleben: Oschersleben, Germany
24 Hours of Le Mans (moto) Bugatti Circuit: Le Mans, France
SERT (Suzuki Endurance Racing Team), has the most competitive team, with three major riders. They will have stiff competition from BMW Motorrad France and Team GMT 94. Suzuki has French rider Fabien Foret who was the 2002 FIM World Supersport champion. Now, Foret has spent over a decade (eleven years), away from motorcycle endurance competition.
This race is going to have a big grid of bikes, on a wet track, at least for the start. Vincent Philippe for SERT has pole. SRC Kawasaki is right up there on the grid, too, with their riders Olivier Four, Gregory Leblanc, and Julien Dacosta. This is a 55 bike grid. The Bol D'or has been run at Magny Cours for the last dozen years, since 2000. The battle for Endurance World Championship class honors will be fought by BMW, Kawasaki, Suzuki, and a number of teams with Yamaha motorcycles.
Teams in the Super Stock class will also contest their own race among the EWC contenders. The Le Mans start is used, where the riders (at the drop of the green flag), run across the track, get on their bikes, and set off in pursuit of victory. At the start, who gets the lead? SERT takes the early lead with their two rider team of Vincent Philippe, Anthony Delhalle, and Fabien Foret. Meanwhile, crashing early, it's the #2 Suzuki GSX-R1000 for Team R2CL. Sharing the bike are Amaury Baratin, Thierry Capela, and Raphael Chausse.
SERT leads the race with Vincent Philippe. Actually, the #2 bike may have different riders. The graphic lists Thierry Capela sharing with David Dumain and Emmanuel Cheron, both of France. BMW Motorrad France pursues. Their bike #99 is ridden by Sebastien Gimbert, Erwan Nigon, and Damian Cudlin. They made an early pit stop for a rider change. Assumingly, Gimbert was the starting rider, and Nigon would take over.
Bike #27 ditched it in one of the corners. This is the TRT 27 City Bike Suzuki GSXR shared by Olivier Depoorter, Camille Hedelin, Vincent Moussin, and Alexandre Prigent. Moussin is a Belgian rider. This spill at the same corner where R2CL had their issue. There's light rain out on course. Meanwhile, SRC Kawasaki seems to be having a good race with the team of Dacosta, Leblanc, and Four. Kawasaki has not won the Bol D'or at Magny Cours in three decades, going back to 1982, though they have won the 24 Hours of Le Mans Moto.
SERT pits and Honda TT Legends are coming forward. Suzuki has the lead and the upper hand over everyone else, about an hour into the race. Meanwhile, bike #24 is in the pits. This is the Kawasaki ZX10R in Super Stock for 3D Endurance Moto Center and an all French riding squad including Valentin Debise, Benjamin Delegue, Fabrice Holub, and Patrick Blanchet. They lead Super Stock right now. Blanchet could be a reserve rider. Four riders are listed for some of the teams. But, maybe, the fourth one is just a reserve. Not sure. Bolliger Team Switzerland pits their Kawasaki.
Sharing riding chores on the #8 bike are Austrian Horst Saiger, Roman Stamm of Switzerland, and Jerome Tangre of France. Frenchman Frederic Chabboseau is also listed as a rider. Bolliger Team Switzerland is one of the best privately run teams in the series. Meanwhile, out on track, Monster Energy Yamaha YART is running well with their #7 Yamaha R1 shared by Igor Jerman, Steve Martin, and Gwen Giabbani, with backup rider, Brit, Steve Plater. YART did really well in this series back in 2009. Louit Moto 33 (the French Fireman team), is running well. On the rider's strength is a name that should be familiar to readers of this blog. World Superbike standout for Kawasaki, Loris Baz shares this bike with Jeremy Guarnoni, Nans Chevaux, and Lionel Richier.
Damian Cudlin for BMW Motorrad France has taken a spill. The track is still wet. Cudlin pushes the bike forlornly towards the pits. Yamaha GMT 94 is looking for a good result. The #94 bike is shared by David Checa, Kenny Foray, and Mathieu Lagrive. Checa is the brother of World Superbike champion and also, former 500cc Grand Prix champion, Carlos Checa. BMW frantically goes to work in the garage area.
After two hours, here are the positions in the Bol D'Or
1. EWC #1 SERT Delhalle/Foret Suzuki GSXR 1000
2. EWC #11 SRC Kawasaki Dacosta/Leblanc/Four Kawasaki ZX10R
3. EWC #94 Yamaha GMT 94 Checa/Foray/Lagrive Yamaha R1
4. EWC #77 Honda TT Legends Donald/McGuiness/Johnson/Andrews Honda CBR1000RR
5. SST #33 Louit Motor 33 Baz/Guarnoni/Chevaux/Richier Kawasaki ZX10R
6. EWC #7 Monster Energy
Yamaha YART Jerman/Martin/Giabbani/Plater Yamaha R1
7. SST #72 Junior Team LMS
Suzuki Guittet/Tangre/Enjolras/Camus Suzuki GSXR 1000
8. EWC #4 Yamalube Folch
Endurance Ribalta Bosch/Dos Santos/Tizon Ibanez/
Martinez Caballero Yamaha R1
9. EWC #14 Maco Racing Pridmore/Junod/Black Yamaha R1
10. EWC #8 Bolliger Team
Switzerland Saiger/Stamm/Tangre/Chabosseau Kawasaki ZX10R
SRC Kawasaki pits at the start of hour two. SERT takes back the lead of the race. They pitted and didn't lose a nine second lead. The #99 BMW bike for Motorrad France is out of it. Sebastien Gimbert rides slowly back to the garage. Pit stops are happening fast as SERT comes in. Cameron Donald, John McGuiness, and Simon Andrews for Honda TT Legends are running well. GMT 94 also pits. Bike #33 is still leading Super Stock for Louit Motor 33.
Junior Team LMS Suzuki is chasing them down and eventually, passes them on track. YART is also running well with the team of Igor Jerman, Steve Martin, Gwen Giabbani and Steve Plater. YART is Yamaha Austria Racing Team. DG Sport Herrock on their Superstock Yamaha pits. This is bike #9 for Didier van Keymeulen of Belgium, Australian Alex Cudlin, Gianluca Vizziello of Italy, and German, Raymond Schouten. One of the SERT bikes crashes coming into the pits.
It's their heavy hitter though. Whoops! This is indeed the bike of Foret, Delhalle, and Philippe. Vincent Philippe has injured his collarbone slightly. He may have to sit out the rest of the race. So, SERT now has two riders on their main bike. This opens the door for SRC Kawasaki and bike #11. Here are the four hour standings.
1. EWC #11 SRC Kawasaki Da Costa/Leblanc/Four Kawasaki ZX10R
2. EWC #94 Yamaha GMT 94 Checa/Foray/Lagrive Yamaha R1
3. EWC #7 Monster Energy
Yamaha YART Jerman/Martin/Giabbani/Plater Yamaha R1
4. EWC #77 Honda TT Legends Donald/McGuinness/Johnson/Andrews Honda CBR1000RR
5. EWC #1 Suzuki Endurance
Racing Team Delhalle/Foret Suzuki GSXR1000
6. EWC #8 Bolliger Team
Switzerland Saiger/Stamm/Tangre/Chabosseau Kawasaki ZX10R
7. EWC #4 Yamalube Folch
Endurance Ribalta Bosch/Dos Santos/Tizon Ibanez/
Martinez Caballero Yamaha R1
8. SST #72 Junior Team LMS
Suzuki Guittet/Tangre/Enjolras/Camus Suzuki GSXR 1000
9. SST #110 Am Moto Racing
Competition Loiseau/Denis/Maitre/Napoleone Suzuki GSXR-1000
10. SST #33 Louit Moto 33 Baz/Guarnoni/Chevaux/Richier Kawasaki ZX10R
At 7;00 P.M. More rain comes. GMT 94/Yamaha Racing France has to pit for rain tires, unscheduled. Mathieu Lagrive is the rider on the bike right now. Vincent Philippe has the bike examined and repaired, heading back on track. SERT has to catch up to SRC Kawasaki. SRC Kawasaki pits for fuel, tires and a rider change, maintaining their lead in the race. Darkness will be upon the race soon.
Junior Team LMS Suzuki continues leading Super Stock on their GSXR 1000. Am Moto Racing Competition on their Suzuki is also hanging on. SERT pits again, trying to make up lost time with their two rider squad of Philippe and Foret. Yamaha GMT 94 also pits their bike as the track temperatures fall into the cool zone. As night falls, the teams will change to a softer tire compound to adjust to the conditions. By now, the Circuit de Nevers in Magny Cours is shrouded in darkness, and the rider all have their headlights on.
The crews will have to eat and sleep when they can, and the riders, fortunately, if they are off duty, can go catch 40 winks. Just after 9;30 P.M. (five and a half hours into the race), the safety car is deployed. There was a wreck between two Super Stock bikes battling for second in class. Those were the Suzuki and Kawasaki1 that showed up ninth and tenth in the overall earlier for Am Moto Racing Competion, as well as the Louit Moto 33 Kawasaki with Loris Baz on the riding team.
Here are the standings after seven of 24 hours.
1. EWC #11 SRC Kawasaki Da Costa/Leblanc/Four Kawasaki ZX10R
2. EWC #1 Suzuki Endurance
Racing Team Delhalle/Foret Suzuki GSXR1000
3. EWC #94 Yamaha GMT 94 Checa/Foray/Lagrive Yamaha R1
4. EWC #7 Monster Energy
Yamaha YART Jerman/Martin/Giabanni/Plater Yamaha R1
5. EWC #77 Honda TT
Legends Donald/McGuinness/Johnson/Andrews Honda CBR1000RR
6. EWC #8 Bolliger
Team Switzerland Sager/Stamm/Tangre/Chabbosseau Kawasaki ZX10R
7. EWC #4 Yamalube Folch
Endurance Ribolta Bosch/Dos Santos/Tizon Ibanez/
Caballero Yamaha R1
8. SST #72 Junior Team LMS
Suzuki Guittet/Tangre/Enjolas/Cammus Suzuki GSX-R-1000
9. EWC #24 3D Endurance
Moto Center Debise/Delegue/Holub/Blanchet Kawasaki ZX10R
10. SST #13 Kraftwerk Filla/Fastre/Vallcaneras BMW S1000RR
It is a clear battle between Suzuki Endurance Racing Team and SRC Kawasaki as night falls. SRC Kawasaki pits their bike for routine service and a rider change. Foret and Delhalle are also pitting for SERT on bike #1. It's a damp track, and it's dark. Riders focus during the night, on just running consistent lap times. Most passes are completed on pit lane. Yamaha GMT 94 makes a stop. Ditto for Monster Energy Yamaha YART, and, also, Honda TT Legends is still in this fight.
Yamaha Folch Endurance and bike #41 also pit. They are a privateer effort from Spain. Kraftwek also pits their Super Stock BMW. The #9 DG Sport Yamaha in Super Stock is working it's way into contention again, too. Unfortunately, at this stage, Bolliger Kawasaki are out of the race. SRC Kawasaki, leading the race, are the sole remaining Kawasaki team in the race now.
SERT pits another time. Foret and Delhalle are running like clockwork through this event. SRC pits and Julien Da Costa takes over the bike. Likewise, Yamaha GMT 94 also stops. Ymaha YART also pits. These stops are mainly for tires and/or rider changes. The fuel mileage strategy seems to be working, meaning the tanks don't have to be topped up or refilled as often. Star Team 67 in Super Stock pits. This is the Suzuki GSX-R 1000 with a trio of French riders. Claude Lucas, Jonathan Harolt, and Cyrille de Laville. DG Sport also pits their #9 bike.
The mechanics try to rest wherever and whenever they can, whether that's sprawled on the garage floor, or, with your head resting on a tire.
Dawn has come to Magny Cours by now, and there are just five hours remaining in the race. After 19 hours, the top positions look like this (the top 10).
1. EWC #1 Suzuki Endurance
Racing Team Delhalle/Foret Suzuki GSXR1000
2. EWC #11 SRC Kawasaki Da Costa/Leblanc/Four Kawasaki ZX10R
3. EWC #94 Yamaha GMT 94 Checa/Foray/Lagrive Yamaha R1
4. EWC #7 Monster Energy
Yamaha YART Jerman/Martin/Giabanni/Plater Yamaha R1
5. EWC #4 Yamalube Folch
Endurance Ribolta Bosch/Dos Santos/Tizon Ibanez/
Caballero Yamaha R1
6. EWC #77 Honda TT
Legends Donald/McGuinness/Johnson/Andrews Honda CBR1000RR
7. EWC #24 3D Endurance
Moto Center Debise/Delegue/Holub/Blanchet Kawasaki ZX10R
8. SST #13 Kraftwerk Filla/Fastre/Vallcaneras BMW S1000RR
9. SST #67 Star Team 67 Lucas/Harolt/De Laville Suzuki GSXR1000
10. SST #68 Atomic
Motorsport Muteau/Lalevee/Jond Suzuki GSXR1000
Up to tenth now is a new contender, second in Super Stock. It's the #68 Atomic Motorsport GSXR1000 shared by Gerald Muteau, Michael Lalevee, and Frederic Jond. Suzuki Endurance Racing Team now takes over the overall lead. They make a scheduled pit stop in the early morning hours as this race is headed towards the finish. SRC Kawasaki had a long pit stop, changing fluids out of the bike. Specifically, an oil change, as well as brake fluid.
Suzuki has the lead for the first time since the early evening hours and Kawasaki will now need to fight back in the closing stages. SRC Kawasaki has a flawless pit stop which gives them the race lead with just hours remaining. Team manager Gilles Stafler explains that the race has been a difficult one even though the team is now ahead. How would Suzuki hold out with Fabien Foret and Anthony Delhalle? Yamaha GMT 94 is running well, but, they can't be as competitive as the other bikes. Team manager Christophe Guyot claims that the bike is down on power, but the team has no idea why.
Big news! Honda TT Legends crashes! Cameron Donald lost the bike into a corner in a big way, landing in the gravel. He's OK. But the bike needs repairs. SERT pits again for another routine stop. They seem to have things pretty well under control in this race. OK. There's good news now. Honda TT Legends makes it bake on track, as a crewman restarts the Honda CBR1000 and Cameron Donald will resume in the race. Kraftwerk is still running well in Super Stock. Correction. Dylan Buisson is the fourth rider for the #13 team who has been listed as one of the participants.
The 3D Endurance Kawasaki is still motoring along well. After 21 hours, here are the standings, with three left.
1. EWC #11 SRC Kawasaki Da Costa/Leblanc/Four Kawasaki ZX10R
2. EWC #1 Suzuki Endurance
Racing Team Delhalle/Foret Suzuki GSXR1000
3. EWC #94 Yamaha GMT 94 Checa/Foray/Lagrive Yamaha R1
4. EWC #7 Monster Energy
Yamaha YART Jerman/Martin/Giabanni/Plater Yamaha R1
5. EWC #4 Yamalube Folch
Endurance Ribolta Bosch/Dos Santos/Tizon Ibanez/
Caballero Yamaha R1
6. EWC #24 3D Endurance
Moto Center Debise/Delegue/Holub/Blanchet Kawasaki ZX10R
7. SST #13 Kraftwerk Filla/Fastre/Vallcaneras BMW S1000RR
8. SST #67 Star Team 67 Lucas/Harolt/De Laville Suzuki GSXR1000
9. EWC #77 Honda TT
Legends Donald/McGuinness/Johnson/Andrews Honda CBR1000RR
10. SST #68 Atomic
Motorsport Muteau/Lalevee/Jond Suzuki GSXR1000
Suzuki Endurance Racing Team makes another pit stop which should be close to being their last of the race. Durability and fatigue are the two factors. It's down to Kawasaki and Suzuki for the win. The #4 Yamahlube Folch Endurance bike makes a pit stop. It is also a battle of two more Yamaha teams for positions in the top half dozen between GMT 94 and YART. SERT has a late issue, running the bike off the road. Could it be a mechanical gremlin?
SRC Kawasaki makes a scheduled pit stop. The Bol D'or has become a sprint now, to see who will take the checkers first. Now, just one hour remains and the placings are pretty much identical to what they were before.
1. EWC #11 SRC Kawasaki Da Costa/Leblanc/Four Kawasaki ZX10R
2. EWC #1 Suzuki Endurance
Racing Team Delhalle/Foret Suzuki GSXR1000
3. EWC #94 Yamaha GMT 94 Checa/Foray/Lagrive Yamaha R1
4. EWC #7 Monster Energy
Yamaha YART Jerman/Martin/Giabanni/Plater Yamaha R1
5. EWC #4 Yamalube Folch
Endurance Ribolta Bosch/Dos Santos/Tizon Ibanez/
Caballero Yamaha R1
6. EWC #24 3D Endurance
Moto Center Debise/Delegue/Holub/Blanchet Kawasaki ZX10R
7. SST #13 Kraftwerk Filla/Fastre/Vallcaneras BMW S1000RR
8. SST #67 Star Team 67 Lucas/Harolt/De Laville Suzuki GSXR1000
9. EWC #77 Honda TT
Legends Donald/McGuinness/Johnson/Andrews Honda CBR1000RR
10. SST #68 Atomic
Motorsport Muteau/Lalevee/Jond Suzuki GSXR1000
Kawasaki and Suzuki are on the same lap now. YART pits the #7 bike and they could very well get a podium place out of this effort, in third. Steve Martin will take the bike to the flag and team boss Mandy Kaine is optimistic. But, it looks like Kawasaki is going to take the win with just a few laps to go as the clock winds down. SRC Kawasaki is set to complete 781 laps of the Magny Cours track, which equals 2,141 miles.
SERT makes one last pit stop. YART passes Yamaha GMT 94. 3D Endurance Moto Center on another Kawasaki will win the Super Stock division. SRC Kawasaki makes their last stop. Kawasaki will get their first win in this race in three decades, going back to 1982. SRC Kawasaki does it!
Overall/EWC: #11 Da Costa/Leblanc/Four Kawasaki ZX10R
SST: #24 Debise/Delegue/Holub/Blanchet Kawasaki ZX10R
Kawasaki has turned Magny Cours, green! The next race in the World Endurance Championship is the 8 Hours of Qatar. Look for highlights of that event in the not too distant future.
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