Jerez WSBK And Ducati MotoGP Test

This is a news story about the third day of a three day test done by some MotoGP and World Superbike teams, running together at the Jerez circuit in Spain.  Eugene Laverty had the quickest time of the test on his Aprilia World Superbike, while Nicky Hayden scored the fastest time for MotoGP on his Ducati, in third place overall.  An interesting mix of riders and bikes took part in the test.  Here's the full story via motomatters.com.

http://motomatters.com/node/6782

Sixteen bikes took part in the test. 

What MotoGP can learn from F1

Yours truly follows both car and motorcycle racing, and has blogs set up for both areas.  This article caught my eye, about the business of the sport.  It is from the publication Moto Matters and republished in another racing publication called Asphalt & Rubber. 

http://www.asphaltandrubber.com/racing/motogp-learn-f1-business-symposium/

Winner of the 46th Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix

Michael Rutter scored the win in the motorcycle race (the 46th edition of it) held during the Macau Grand Prix weekend in the streets of the special administration region of the People's Republic of China.  Riders from both the Bike Road Racing Series, and the FIM World Endurance Championship, as well as possible local riders, took part in the race.  Here's a brief synopsis of the highlights from MotorcycleUSA.com.

http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/498/14932/Motorcycle-Article/Macau-Grand-Prix-Results-2012.aspx

MotoGP testing update

Even though the 2012 MotoGP season ended last weekend, testing for 2013 has already begun.

The latest details come from SPEED Center. 

Valentino Rossi is back on a Yamaha.  He will be team mates with Jorge Lorenzo, and a rivalry between them should continue.  Nicky Hayden has a new frame for his Ducati.  Marc Marquez was just off the pace set by Dani Pedrosa.  So, the 2013 championship will be very competitive indeed.

Solar-Powered Cycle Breaks Speed Record

Not even too far into the off season for motorcycle racing, and there's already a cool story.  A motorcycle and it's rider have broken a land speed record.  What makes the record special, (the speed was just shy of 190 miles an hour), is, that the bike being ridden, is a solar powered motorcycle.  Follow the link to check out the story which is mostly in pictures of the bike, and it's rider, Jim Hoogerhyde.  The solar cycle was built by a company called Lightning Motorcycles.

http://news.discovery.com/autos/solar-powered-motorcycle-121115.html#mkcpgn=fbdsc17

Moto 3: Valencia (season finale)

This is the last of the season finale races for the FIM for 2012.  It is Moto 3 from the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, Spain.

Luis Salom and Maverick Vinales will decide second place in the championship behind Maverick Vinales.  Jonas Folger has a problem.  The bike did start, but, he'll be at the back of the field, starting from pit lane.  Luis Salom, Miguel Oliveira, and Jonas Folger are on the front row.  But, as mentioned, Folger might or might not start.  Jonas Folger is having issues with the starter motor, and it actually does.  The bikes roll off on their warmup lap.  Folger is still having issues with the bike.  There's something wrong in the electrical system.

Folger's crew scrambles to get the bike on the track.  They won't have time.  Here we go!  At the start, Sandro Cortese gets behind Luis Salom in this 25 lap race.  Folger joins the race as does Danny Webb.  Louis Rossi is moving forward.  He won in the wet at Le Mans earlier in the year.  Maverick Vinales is languishing down the order.  Jack Miller is picking up spots.  He's a good rider in the wet.  Zulhfammi Khairuddin is also at the sharp end right now.

Luis Salom, Miguel Oliveira, Alex Marquez and other riders are now running in the top five.  Alex Marquez is Marc Marquez's younger brother.  The track is damp now.  There's no rain falling.  But there's also no wind drying the track out.  Marquez runs fast lap at 1:54.7 early on.  Folger is lapping in the same time bracket as the top runners.  The time gap is between 1:54 and 1:56 as Alex Marquez wants to pass Miguel Oliviera.  Alex Marquez is challenging for position over Oliveira.  These two are right behind Luis Salom.  They run three wide into turn one as Alex Marquez takes second.

Alex Marquez takes the lead from Miguel Oliveira and Luis Salom.  Marquez gets fast lap.  He is the Spanish Moto 3 champion.  Jack Miller has made it to eleventh spot.  Maverick Vinales is running well, but, Alex Marquez falls down.  He tried too hard turning into the corner.  He's not happy.  He pushed it too hard into the corner and slid off the bike.  Adrian Martin is the quickest rider on the track at the moment.  Sandro Cortese seems to be taking it easy.  Danny Kent is fastest.  Louis Rossi leads.  He and Danny Kent both go to Moto 2 for Tech 3 Yamaha in 2013.

Brad Binder is running well now, too.  Zulhfammi Khairuddin is moving up from his seventeenth starting spot, too.  Alex Marquez is out of the race.  Luigi Morciano is another race retirement as Jonas Folger is moving up the order.  Folger is running the pace of the leaders, but, he's still 18 seconds behind, with Arthur Sissis following him.  Louis Rossi runs wide, but still leads.  Sandro Cortese is now third.  Adrian Martin may have crashed.  Seven of 24 laps are complete.  Hector Faubel runs fast lap at 1:52.4.  Could he win?  Maybe.  Sandro Cortese takes the lead as Jonas Folger retires from the race.  He'll be back in 2013.

Maverick Vinales continues to run eleventh and he's not satisfied with the wet conditions.  Jack Miller seeems to be doing well, even as he was a wildcard rider in the 2011 season.  Zulhfammi Khairuddin is being patient, running consistently.  Danny Kent is going well as Brad Binder sets fast lap at 1:51.7.  Miguel Oliviera wants by Brad Binder.  There may be a slightly dry line out there.  But, it's hard to tell.  The bulk of the track is wet here at Ricardo Tormo.  Luis Salom runs wide and Maverick Vinales is coming, fast.  They'll battle for second in the points behind Sandro Cortese (the world champ). 

Does Luis Salom have issues with the bike?  Jakub Kornfeil has run fast lap with thirteen remaining.  Niklas Ajo passes Maverick Vinales.  He's dropping spots.  Brad Binder is hanging on well.  There are a bunch of riders involved in one battle.  At least a half a dozen.  Efren Vazquez runs wide.  Brad Binder will be back in Moto 3 next year.  He'll be team mates with Danny Webb.  Vazquez takes out Oliveira!  They'll be team mates next year!  Wow!  That might not be good, although, they did apologize to each other immediately.  Another question is, will Maverick Vinales be a Moto 2 rider next year?

There are seven bikes in contention to win.  Cortese, Rossi, Binder, Faubel, Kent, Miller, and Khairuddin.  Khairuddin runs fast lap at a 1:51.1.  Will Jack Miller keep his sixth spot?  Danny Kent lowers fast lap time to 1:50.7.  Seven laps remain in the Moto 3 season.  Jakub Kornfeil is up to eighth.  Miller battles Khairuddin.  Cortese is trying to gap the field.  Brad Binder is right up behind Danny Kent.  The gap is coming down.  Zulhfammi Khairuddin is going for it.  But, Jack Miller has a fall.  He has a fast fall into a curve and is fortunately, just fine.

He'd set his personal best lap, trying hard to keep up with Hector Faubel, and couldn't do it.  Zulhfammi Khairuddin could be on the podium.  Brad Binder, Louis Rossi, and Hector Faubel are still in contention for top placings.  Alex Rins and Romano Fenati are languishing, and Danny Kent would beat those two for Rookie of the Year honors.  Danny Kent would move to Moto 2 next year, obviously.  Khairuddin runs fastest lap at 1:50 flat.  Sandro Cortese will likely get his third consecutive win.  Cortese sets his personal best lap.  He'll be a Moto 2 rider next year for sure.  Rain begins to come down.

Brad Binder could get a podium and be prepared for testing for the new season.  Binder could be the first South African on a MotoGP podium since 1980.  The last riders to accomplish that both did so in the 1980 German Grand Prix at the Nurburgring.  Both riders won their respective classes that day.  Jon Ekerold in the 350cc class, and Kork Ballington in the 250cc class.   

  Kent, Binder, and Faubel are running in the 1:50s.  Maverick Vinales will finish eighth.  Will he get full points?  Niklas Ajo and Luis Salom battle.  A lap left in the season.  This is it for 2012.  Hector Faubel squeezes by Brad Binder.  One lap to go.  Sandro Cortese and Danny Kent lead.  Zulhfammi Khairuddin nips Faubel.  Will he get on the podium?  Faubel messes up in Doohan corner.  Who will get the last podium place?

Sandro Cortese is going to win this race more than likely.  Kent is closing on Cortese.  Can he pass?  Can he make a move to win?  Brad Binder wants by Danny Kent.  He attacks and it doesn't work.  Into the final right hander on the track, who will win?  Kent goes through on Cortese!  He does it!  Danny Kent wins Valencia!  What a finish to the Moto 3 season!

#52 Danny Kent      GBR     KTM

So, the Moto 3 season for 2012 is in the books as is most motorcycle racing.  This blog will continue in the future.  Stay tuned for sporadic updates through the off season and more action to come in 2013.  So long for now.

Moto 2: Valencia (season finale)

Here are the highlights of the Moto 2 season finale from Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, Spain.

The skies are dark.  Marc Marquez qualified second but will start at the rear of the grid after a kerfuffle in practice.  On pole position, it's Pol Espargaro, who starts from his fourth consecutive pole spot and eighth of the year.  Marc Marquez has been told be his team manager (and former motorcycle racer) Emilio Alzamora, to keep calm.  The race will be 27 laps.

At the start, Taaki Nakagami gets a good start.  Nico Terol and Marc Marquez are both going for it.  Bradley Smith pushes Johann Zarco wide.  Nico Terol gets the lead.  Marquez is now right behind Andrea Ianonne.  Nico Terol had his best qualifying run of the season in Moto 2.  Pol Espargaro and Tom Luthi follow Nico Terol.  Marquez is going for it, making up spots and he's behind Mika Kallio.  Simone Corsi passes Thomas Luthi.  Julian Simon is also moving up through the field right now.

Terol is ahead of Pol Espargaro.  Gino Rea is now Marc Marquez's next target.  Alex de Angelis might have won in Malaysia.  But he's not running here and didn't run in Australia either.  Bradley Smith and Scott Redding are down the order.  Anthony West is not in this race either.  Terol sets fast lap at 1:49 flat.  Julian Simon is looking for a way by Pol Espargaro.  There's two seconds between them as Simon has made a pass.  Gino Rea is pressing Marquez at the moment.  Nico Terol is flying as Julian Simon resets fast lap.  Not sure of the time.

Gino Rea is quickest on track right now as Marc Marquez follows.  A dry line begins to form on the track.  It's just sprinkling with rain at this time.  Marquez continues to challenge Rea.  Dominik Aegerter is also in the path of Marquez and could be passed.  Terol sets new fast lap at 1:48.152 on lap six.  Aegerter passes Marquez back.  Dominik Aegerter goes three wide and hits the brakes.  He goes wide.  So does Gino Rea.  The track begins to dry.  Julian Simon resets fast lap, chasing Terol.

The bikes are starting to form a big group down the order.  Pol Espargaro falls down and fortunately, rejoins the race, but down in 18th spot.  Pol Espargaro was pitched sideways by another rider and fortunately, he kept the motor running.  Simone Corsi was the rider to get in his way.  Seventeen laps to go.  Dark clouds continue to loom over the track at Ricardo Tormo.  The positions are shuffling.  There's a battle for third between Redding and Aegerter.  Simon leads.  Marquez and Rea are scrapping.  Who will win this battle?

Gino Rea runs really wide.  Marquez does likewise.  Fifteen laps to go now.  Dominik Aegerter retains his podium spot at the moment, behind Julian Simon.  There are points positions being shuffled as this race goes on.  Marquez slides past Gino Rea, and will work at passing Dominik Aegerter.  Julian Simon has a major wiggle into turn eight.  Marquez and Aegerter touch!  Gino Rea makes a pass.  Marquez sets new fast lap at 1:47 and change.  Gino Rea ditches his bike, fortunately resuming.  He slid sideways and fortunately picked it up again.

Andrea Ianonne is not performing the same way he should be.  But, he doesn't care really because he'll move to MotoGP on a Ducati next year, teaming with Ben Spies.  The gap is under two seconds with nine laps remaining.  Elena Rossell falls down after contacting Eric Granado.  She's out of the race.  Rossell has run in endurance motorcycle racing that has been blogged here before.  Marc Marquez slices past Nico Terol.  He's quicker than Julian Simon, too.  Simon continues to lead.  Marquez is now second.  He's the hound, and Simon is the rabbit.

Simon runs through Doohan corner.  It's a two bike race for the win.  Pol Espargaro has clawed his way back through the field.  Marquez is a second quicker than anyone else.  He's sliding the bike like in dry conditions.  Marquez is champion, and chasing his ninth race of the season.  He starts his MotoGP career tomorrow (Tuesday).  Simon still leads but it's very close.  It's a gap of one second between Julian Simon and Marc Marquez.  Who will win the season finale for Moto 2?  He can't get by Simon.  Will he try in turn one?

On the backstretch, Marquez passes Julian Simon.  Adios amigo.  Marc Marquez is on his way to another win.  Simon tries to hang on behind Marquez.  It's the last lap of the Valencia Grand Prix for Moto 2.  Nico Terol will be on the podium.  He's a former 125cc world champion.  But, Marquez will go out of Moto 2 on top.  He's going to win this race.  He's a Moto 2 champion.  He'll start on Tuesday as a MotoGP rider.  Marc Marquez is the winner!  ...And, he came from behind to do it.

#93 Marc Marquez     ESP     Suter BMW

So ends a great season of Moto 2 action.  Congratulations to Marc Marquez on the championship.  He's bound for MotoGP.  See you in 2013 for more Moto 2 racing.  Ciao for now.

  

MotoGP round 18: Valencia, Spain (season finale)

The season finale for the 2012 MotoGP World Championship is in Valencia, Spain, at Circuit Ricardo Tormo, which is named after a former motorcycle racer.  It's located in Cheste, Spain and repaved.  However, it's very bumpy. 

Jorge Lorenzo is already champion.  This race is purely for bragging rights, going into 2013.  Dani Pedrosa has to return to form to prove himself, and Casey Stoner wants to go out with a bang before retiring, as this is his last career MotoGP race. 

In qualifying, it was dry.  Dani Pedrosa is on pole with Jorge Lorenzo (the new world champ), second.  Casey Stoner rolls off third in his last race with the two Tech 3 Yamaha's and Nicky Hayden's Ducati, on the second row.  Stefan Bradl splits the two Tech 3 bikes.  Hiroshi Aoyama moves to MotoGP from World Superbike for next year.  He starts this race as does Moto 2 racer Claudio Corti, and, Katsuyuki Nakasuga will also make a start in this season finale race for MotoGP.

The bikes head out on their warmup lap.  Some riders will run slick tires and others, wets.  The race will be 30 laps.  This is it, for all the marbles.  Riders enter the pits.  But, the grid is set.  At the start, it's Aleix Espargaro!  Many riders had to pit and start from pit lane.  Will the race dry out?  The CRT bike leads with Espargaro aboard.  The riders on wet tires will need to change.  Valentino Rossi has third.  Andrea Dovizioso passes Casey Stoner.  Will there be more rain?

Valentino Rossi passes Hector Barbera.  Alvaro Bautista, Dani Pedrosa, and Nicky Hayden are way down the order.  Aleix Espargaro is now leading.  Jorge Lorenzo is eighth.  He's coming quick.  Dani Pedrosa is closing up on the CRT bikes, passing Randy de Puniet.  One lap is complete.  If you are on wet tires, don't pit too soon, in case it does rain.  The track is very abrasive, wearing down the tires.  Michele Pirro is having problems.  Andrea Dovizioso takes over the lead.  He's running his last race for Tech 3 Yamaha.  Casey Stoner needs to change to dry tires.

Aleix Espargaro is still leading on wet tires and he runs wide as Jorge Lorenzo gets the lead.  Rossi stays out on wet tires as more riders come in.  This is quite the race.  Stoner and Pedrosa change tires.  Andrea Dovizioso's bike wouldn't start.  This race is only four laps old.  Dani Pedrosa and Kasayuki Nakasuga are both flying on slicks.  Claudio Corti started on slick tires.  Jorge Lorenzo has taken over the lead running fast lap at 1:39.5.  Valentino Rossi and Aleix Espargaro pit and actually change from their main bikes to their spares with the rain tires on.  There are spots of rain around.  But it's nothing serious.

Nicky Hayden crashes out of the race.  His 2012 season is over.  Jorge Lorenzo resets fast lap three seconds quicker at 1:36.8.  He's outrunning Dani Pedrosa.  Dani Pedrosa has won five times in Valencia between all three divisions (125cc, 250cc, and MotoGP).  Nakasuga is being pressured by Stefan Bradl.  Kazuke Nakasuga is riding on Ben Spies' bike this weekend.  Spies did not start the race due to injury.  Dani Pedrosa runs a 1:33.3 and is right on top of Jorge Lorenzo now.

There are large black clouds coming, as many riders are using the pits, worried about the tires and the conditions.  It's another battle between Pedrosa and Lorenzo.  Pedrosa brings fast lap down to 1:33.1 and Nakasuga now runs third.  Actually, Cal Crutchlow takes over third.  Pedrosa wiggles the bike and loses time.  He ran wide behind Lorenzo.  Aleix Espargaro led the race.  But now, Lorenzo is clearly in control.  Lorenzo has a huge crash!  The bike begins to fishtail, and he gets swept off!  So, the top three is now Pedrosa, Crutchlow, and Nakasuga.

Dani Pedrosa is pushiong hard now, coming up on halfway through this race.  Fifteen laps is halfway.  Working lap fourteen at the moment.  Former MotoGP and World Superbike champion Max Biaggi is attending this race.  He has retired from riding, but knows a lot about the conditions.  His exploits were followed in World Superbike this year on this blog of course.  Nicky Hayden's crash was in turn ten and Stefan Bradl also crashed.  All this before Lorenzo's high side.  Nakasuga remains third with Bautista fourth, and the lead CRT bike is fifth, with Michele Pirro aboard.

Randy de Puniet runs off in the gravel.  Just ten laps remain now.  Dani Pedrosa is leading and tehn, Claudio Corti crashed.  Corti is now team mate to Colin Edwards.  Pedrosa battles with the lapped bike of Karel Abraham.  He must get by.  He flies by down the front straight, easily.  Stefan Bradl and Jorge Lorenzo ended up getting away well at the start.  The bikes in the pits had a really wicked time getting off the starting blocks.  Cal Crutchlow runs second and Katsuyuki Nakasuga will be third, getting on the podium.  Nakasuga will not challenge for second place.

Seven laps remain now.  Pedrosa is running a second slower than before.  Unfortunately, Cal Crutchlow crashes!  He's out of it.  Nakasuga is now second and Alvaro Bautista will be third.  Crutchlow had a nasty slide off the bike, tumbling through the gravel after going wide.  Casey Stoner will get fourth, but he's not done yet.  He closes up on Alvaro Bautista.  Only four laps remain now.  It's Bautista vs. Stoner for the last podium spot.  Stoner wants it, in his last ever MotoGP race.  Stoner is closing on Bautista two seconds a lap.

Stoner won his first race in 125cc competition in 2003 at Ricardo Tormo.  Andrea Dovizioso slides off line and fortunately continues.  Casey Stoner moves through Doohan corner.  Can Stoner get by Bautista?  Will Bautista hold him off?  Well, it looks like Stoner will make the pass.  Two laps remain in Stoner's career.  He'll finish on the podium.  Dani Pedrosa has dominated this race despite starting from pit lane.  Dani Pedrosa will be second in the championship, eighteen points behind Jorge Lorenzo.  Pedrosa will score another win, scoring the most wins in 2012 MotoGP competition!

#26 Dani Pedrosa     ESP     Honda

Kasuki Nakasuga finishes second.  Nakasuga was Japanese Superbike champion this year, too.  Casey Stoner gets his tenth podium of 2012 and his 69th career podium.  He has 38 race wins.  Happy retirement, Casey Stoner!  So ends a great season of MotoGP racing.  Looking forward to 2013.      

2014 MotoGP Rules Announced

Check out the following link to get the skinny on the 2014 rules for MotoGP and Moto 2.

http://motomatters.com/node/6719?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

1990 AMA Superbike race from the streets of Miami, Florida

Here's more old school AMA Superbike racing from 1990 on the streets of Miami, Florida.  The Miami Motorcycle Grand Prix.  Riders competing in this race include Doug Chandler, Scott Russell, David Sadowski, Thomas Stevens, and Randy Renfrow, just to name a few.

Alstare Ducati outcome expected this week

Alstare and Ducati could come together for the 2013 FIM World Superbike season.  It's possible that riders could be Carlos Checa and Sylvain Guintoli.  Guintoli was linked to both Suzuki and Aprilia (the latter for which, he would possibly replace World Champion Max Biaggi).  But, these particular rumors may be less likely.  Here's the whole story.

http://www.crash.net/world+superbikes/news/185787/1/alstare_ducati_outcome_expected_this_week.html

1992 AMA Daytona 200

Another video of motorcycle racing in the early 1990s.  This is the 1992 running of the Daytona 200.  Riders in this race include some familiar and unfamiliar names surely to fans.  Competing in the race for the honors are such front runners as Jamie James, Doug Chandler, Scott Russell, Pascal Picotte, Doug Polen, and Thomas Stevens to name a few.  The video quality is not very good.  But, it's quite the race.  Check it out.

2013 FIM World Endurance Championship race schedule

The 2013 FIM World Endurance Championship schedule has been released and can be found (in French or English), on the www.lemans.org in the section for the motorcycle 24 hours.

http://www.lemans.org/fr/courses/24-heures-moto/actualites/moto-calendrier-provisoire-du-championnat-du-monde-d-endurance_9155.html

Here's the full schedule as printed.

Race 1: 4/20-4/21    Bol D'or                         Magny Cours, France
Race 2: 7/28            Suzuka 8 Hours              Suzuka, Japan
Race 3: 8/8              Oschersleben 8 Hours    Oschersleben, Germany
Race 4: 9/21-9/22   24 Hours of Le Mans     Le Mans, France

No 8 Hours of Qatar on next year's schedule.  But, should be a great season of racing to look forward to.

AMA Superbike in 1993

Here is a brief clip of what AMA Superbike racing was like back in the 1990s.  This is from the 1993 Camel Classic at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (back then, called New Hampshire International Speedway), featuring riders such as Mike Smith, Miguel Duhamel, Tiger Shoa, Doug Polen, and Dale Quarterly.  Not all the action is highlighted here.  But, a good chunk is.  There is also a video of the 250cc Grand Prix series from the same venue, to be posted, later.