Valentin Debise and Cameron Petersen share race insights about middleweight GSX-R.
http://www.motoamerica.com/video-motoamerica-m4-suzuki-gsx-r600
Wednesday, August 31, 2016
Tuesday, August 30, 2016
Honda rider van der Mark confirmed at Yamaha for 2017
Folks, it's official. Michael van der Mark makes the switch, from Honda, to Yamaha, for the 2017 FIM World Superbike Championship, and will be Alex Lowes' team mate at the factory squad, next year.
http://www.motorsport.com/wsbk/news/honda-rider-van-der-mark-confirmed-at-yamaha-for-2017-811521/?s=1
http://www.motorsport.com/wsbk/news/honda-rider-van-der-mark-confirmed-at-yamaha-for-2017-811521/?s=1
Monday, August 29, 2016
Giugliano: Puccetti WSBK move is the "option I prefer"
Davide Giugliano could indeed stay in World Superbike next year, but he would ride for Kawasaki instead of Ducati, and join Puccetti Racing as they move up into the WSBK ranks for 2017. Or, if that doesn't come to fruition, Giugliano says he would likely move to Moto2 and race for Sky Racing VR46, the team owned by nine-time world champ, Valentino Rossi.
http://www.motorsport.com/wsbk/news/giugliano-puccetti-wsbk-move-is-the-option-i-prefer-810158/?s=1
http://www.motorsport.com/wsbk/news/giugliano-puccetti-wsbk-move-is-the-option-i-prefer-810158/?s=1
Sunday, August 28, 2016
Aussie Flat-Tracker Jarred Brook To Race MotoAmerica KTM Finale
With coaching from FIM World Superbike champion, and fellow Aussie Troy Bayliss, Jarred Brook, comes from the flat track motorcycle ranks in Australia, stateside, and will compete in the finale of the KTM RC 390 Cup for MotoAmerica at New Jersey Motorsports Park, in a couple of weeks.
http://www.motoamerica.com/australian-flat-tracker-jarred-brook-to-race-motoamerica-finale
http://www.motoamerica.com/australian-flat-tracker-jarred-brook-to-race-motoamerica-finale
Saturday, August 27, 2016
Four Americans Facing Big Overseas Race Weekend
P.J. Jacobsen, Jason Uribe, John Hopkins, and James Rispoli. Four well known American riders, that are all in action this weekend. Check it out.
http://www.motoamerica.com/four-americans-facing-big-overseas-race-weekend
More news from MotoAmerica, coming soon.
http://www.motoamerica.com/four-americans-facing-big-overseas-race-weekend
More news from MotoAmerica, coming soon.
Friday, August 26, 2016
Laverty confirms MotoGP exit, joins Aprilia in World Superbikes
Like Stefan Bradl did for Honda, Eugene Laverty, will also exit MotoGP and jump ship to World Superbike, racing for Aprilia.
http://www.motorsport.com/wsbk/news/laverty-confirms-motogp-exit-joins-aprilia-in-world-superbikes-809361/?s=1
http://www.motorsport.com/wsbk/news/laverty-confirms-motogp-exit-joins-aprilia-in-world-superbikes-809361/?s=1
Thursday, August 25, 2016
Josh Hayes: Flyboy For A Day As He Joins The Blue Angels
Cool MotoAmerica feature story. Four-time AMA Superbike champion gets the ride of a lifetime with the Blue Angels.
http://www.motoamerica.com/josh-hayes-flyboy-for-day
http://www.motoamerica.com/josh-hayes-flyboy-for-day
Wednesday, August 24, 2016
Pocket Bike Racing
Now, for something a little different. Yes, you can race, a mini motorcycle. It's miniaturized MotoGP. Check out pocket bike racing.
Tuesday, August 23, 2016
MotoGP news after the Dutch TT
Here's the news after the conclusion of the Dutch TT, going into the round in Germany at the Sachsenring. Stay tuned for coverage of MotoGP in Germany, coming soon.
Historic day for Bagnaia and Mahindra at The Cathedral
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/26/bagnia-bags-sensational-first-win-for-mahindra/204471
Bagnaia: "This is the first win for Mahindra"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/26/bagnaia-this-is-the-first-win-for-mahindra/204490
Measured Nakagami breaks Japan's winless drought
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/26/update/204500
Nakagami: "I overtook Morbidelli and tried my best"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/26/nakagami-i-overtook-morbidelli-and-tried-my-best/204525
Perfect Fernandez wins Soppe's home round
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/26/perfect-fernandez-wins-soppe-s-assen-2/204610
Redding: "I made the move and risked it"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/26/redding-i-made-the-move-and-risked-it/204570
Aleix Espargaro moves to Aprilia for 2017 and 2018
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/26/aleix-espargaro-moves-to-aprilia-for-2017-and-2018/204572
Miller walks on water for miraculous first win
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/26/update/204529
Miller: "It is hard to describe the sensation of winning"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/26/miller-it-is-hard-to-describe-the-sensation-of-winning/204567
Marquez: "It was very dangerous out there"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/26/marquez-it-was-very-dangerous-out-there/204569
Rossi: "I pushed too much"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/26/rossi-i-pushed-too-much/204609
Lorenzo: "I was even thinking about stopping"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/26/lorenzo-las-condiciones-eran-terribles/204611
Australia reacts to their newest Grand Prix winner
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/27/australia-reacts-to-their-newest-grand-prix-winner/204744
Zarco: "I thought it was possible to catch him"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/27/zarco-i-thought-it-was-possible-to-catch-him/204720
Morbidelli: "I had a lot of fun fighting"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/27/zarco-i-thought-it-was-possible-to-catch-him/204720
The young shine while the experienced despair
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/27/the-young-shine-while-the-experienced-despair/204783
Pedrosa: "Races like today are a lottery"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/27/pedrosa-races-like-today-are-a-lottery/204726
Crutchlow: "I feel I would have won the race"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/27/crutchlow-i-feel-i-would-have-won-the-race/204729
Espargaro: "Jorge's race underlines the problem for us"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/27/espargaro-jorge-s-race-underlines-how-tough-it-is-for-us/204728
Vinales: "Today we paid the biggest price"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/27/vinales-today-we-paid-the-biggest-price/204732
Hernandez: "I felt sure I could win the race"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/27/hernandez-i-felt-sure-i-could-win-the-race/204725
Dovizioso: "It was right to stop the race"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/27/dovizioso-it-was-right-to-stop-the-race/204727
Laverty: "I almost crashed so many times"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/27/laverty-i-almost-crashed-so-many-times/204731
Iannone: "In MotoGP it's never easy to recover"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/27/iannone-in-motogp-it-s-never-easy-to-recover-from-the-back/204735
Espargaro: "I had a collision with another rider at Turn 1"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/27/espargaro-i-had-a-collision-with-another-rider-at-turn-1/204736
Bradl: "A race that will spark a lot of discussion"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/27/bradl-a-race-that-will-spark-a-lot-of-discussion/204738
Barbera: "The first race was a disaster"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/27/barbera-the-first-race-was-a-disaster/204737
Pirro: "The limit was so narrow that I couldn't save it"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/27/pirro-the-limit-was-so-narrow-that-i-couldn-t-save-it/204740
1000 to 1, Miller defies the odds
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/29/1000-to-1-miller-defies-the-odds/204842
Smith: "We will continue to soldier on"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/27/smith-we-will-continue-to-soldier-on/204741
Marc Marquez's latest blog entry.
Marquez Blog: Filming day in Cerdanya
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/29/marquez-blog-filming-day-in-cerdanya/204844
Bautista: "At the restart I stayed calm"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/27/bautista-at-the-restart-i-stayed-calm/204742
Rabat: "I'm not normally so confident in the rain"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/27/rabat-i-m-not-normally-so-confident-in-the-rain/204743
The latest blog entry from Dani Pedrosa.
Pedrosa Blog: Looking to recover points in Germany
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/29/pedrosa-blog-looking-to-recover-points-in-germany/204845
Bautista: "I am still not sure where I will be..."
http://www.motogp.com/en/youtube_update/2016/06/30/bautista-i-am-still-not-sure-where-i-will-be/204874
The latest blog entry from Dani Pedrosa.
Pedrosa Blog: Looking to recover points in Germany
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/29/pedrosa-blog-looking-to-recover-points-in-germany/204845
Bagnaia reflects on his historic Assen win
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/07/01/update/204881
An interview, after the first win for Mahindra in Moto3, with Mahindra Racing CEO, Mufaddal Choonia.
Choonia Q&A: "I have never seen so many men crying"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/07/04/choonia-q-a-i-have-never-seen-so-many-men-crying/204908
Miller: "I am still pinching myself"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/07/04/miller-i-am-still-pinching-myself/204912
Miller re-writes the records
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/07/05/miller-re-writes-the-records/204979
Redding: "I knew I had it in me"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/07/07/redding-i-knew-i-had-it-in-me/205020
Historic day for Bagnaia and Mahindra at The Cathedral
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/26/bagnia-bags-sensational-first-win-for-mahindra/204471
Bagnaia: "This is the first win for Mahindra"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/26/bagnaia-this-is-the-first-win-for-mahindra/204490
Measured Nakagami breaks Japan's winless drought
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/26/update/204500
Nakagami: "I overtook Morbidelli and tried my best"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/26/nakagami-i-overtook-morbidelli-and-tried-my-best/204525
Perfect Fernandez wins Soppe's home round
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/26/perfect-fernandez-wins-soppe-s-assen-2/204610
Redding: "I made the move and risked it"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/26/redding-i-made-the-move-and-risked-it/204570
Aleix Espargaro moves to Aprilia for 2017 and 2018
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/26/aleix-espargaro-moves-to-aprilia-for-2017-and-2018/204572
Miller walks on water for miraculous first win
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/26/update/204529
Miller: "It is hard to describe the sensation of winning"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/26/miller-it-is-hard-to-describe-the-sensation-of-winning/204567
Marquez: "It was very dangerous out there"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/26/marquez-it-was-very-dangerous-out-there/204569
Rossi: "I pushed too much"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/26/rossi-i-pushed-too-much/204609
Lorenzo: "I was even thinking about stopping"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/26/lorenzo-las-condiciones-eran-terribles/204611
Australia reacts to their newest Grand Prix winner
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/27/australia-reacts-to-their-newest-grand-prix-winner/204744
Zarco: "I thought it was possible to catch him"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/27/zarco-i-thought-it-was-possible-to-catch-him/204720
Morbidelli: "I had a lot of fun fighting"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/27/zarco-i-thought-it-was-possible-to-catch-him/204720
The young shine while the experienced despair
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/27/the-young-shine-while-the-experienced-despair/204783
Pedrosa: "Races like today are a lottery"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/27/pedrosa-races-like-today-are-a-lottery/204726
Crutchlow: "I feel I would have won the race"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/27/crutchlow-i-feel-i-would-have-won-the-race/204729
Espargaro: "Jorge's race underlines the problem for us"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/27/espargaro-jorge-s-race-underlines-how-tough-it-is-for-us/204728
Vinales: "Today we paid the biggest price"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/27/vinales-today-we-paid-the-biggest-price/204732
Hernandez: "I felt sure I could win the race"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/27/hernandez-i-felt-sure-i-could-win-the-race/204725
Dovizioso: "It was right to stop the race"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/27/dovizioso-it-was-right-to-stop-the-race/204727
Laverty: "I almost crashed so many times"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/27/laverty-i-almost-crashed-so-many-times/204731
Iannone: "In MotoGP it's never easy to recover"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/27/iannone-in-motogp-it-s-never-easy-to-recover-from-the-back/204735
Espargaro: "I had a collision with another rider at Turn 1"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/27/espargaro-i-had-a-collision-with-another-rider-at-turn-1/204736
Bradl: "A race that will spark a lot of discussion"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/27/bradl-a-race-that-will-spark-a-lot-of-discussion/204738
Barbera: "The first race was a disaster"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/27/barbera-the-first-race-was-a-disaster/204737
Pirro: "The limit was so narrow that I couldn't save it"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/27/pirro-the-limit-was-so-narrow-that-i-couldn-t-save-it/204740
1000 to 1, Miller defies the odds
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/29/1000-to-1-miller-defies-the-odds/204842
Smith: "We will continue to soldier on"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/27/smith-we-will-continue-to-soldier-on/204741
Marc Marquez's latest blog entry.
Marquez Blog: Filming day in Cerdanya
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/29/marquez-blog-filming-day-in-cerdanya/204844
Bautista: "At the restart I stayed calm"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/27/bautista-at-the-restart-i-stayed-calm/204742
Rabat: "I'm not normally so confident in the rain"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/27/rabat-i-m-not-normally-so-confident-in-the-rain/204743
The latest blog entry from Dani Pedrosa.
Pedrosa Blog: Looking to recover points in Germany
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/29/pedrosa-blog-looking-to-recover-points-in-germany/204845
Bautista: "I am still not sure where I will be..."
http://www.motogp.com/en/youtube_update/2016/06/30/bautista-i-am-still-not-sure-where-i-will-be/204874
The latest blog entry from Dani Pedrosa.
Pedrosa Blog: Looking to recover points in Germany
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/29/pedrosa-blog-looking-to-recover-points-in-germany/204845
Bagnaia reflects on his historic Assen win
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/07/01/update/204881
An interview, after the first win for Mahindra in Moto3, with Mahindra Racing CEO, Mufaddal Choonia.
Choonia Q&A: "I have never seen so many men crying"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/07/04/choonia-q-a-i-have-never-seen-so-many-men-crying/204908
Miller: "I am still pinching myself"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/07/04/miller-i-am-still-pinching-myself/204912
Miller re-writes the records
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/07/05/miller-re-writes-the-records/204979
Redding: "I knew I had it in me"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/07/07/redding-i-knew-i-had-it-in-me/205020
Monday, August 22, 2016
Ten Minutes With MotoGP World Champion Marc Marquez
A brief interview with Marc Marquez, covering many topics pertaining to MotoGP racing, and his career thus far.
http://www.motoamerica.com/ten-minutes-with-motogp-world-champion-marc-marquez
http://www.motoamerica.com/ten-minutes-with-motogp-world-champion-marc-marquez
Sunday, August 21, 2016
Moto3: Holland (Dutch TT)
It is time, for Moto3 racing, at the legendary "Cathedral of Speed", Assen, in the Netherlands. The junior lightweight division of the MotoGP World Championship... Moto3, takes to the track... next!
We have raced here since 1949, but for the first time we race, on a Sunday. The stands are packed. Here are the weather conditions at post time for Moto3. 18 degrees Celsius (64 degrees Fahrenheit), air temperature, and 28 degrees Celsius (82 degrees Fahrenheit), track temperature. A southwest wind is blowing at eight miles per hour. Rain is forecast later on. 22 laps scheduled for this race. Brad Binder is points leader by 44 points. Jorge Navarro, who won in Barcelona is not racing, due to injury. This race should be a cracking event. Enea Bastianini has pole with a 1:42.163 time, for his fifth pole, and his first since Aragon in Spain last September. No one was won Moto3 from pole in the last dozen races. In Misano last September, Enea Bastianini, was the winner.
In Misano last September, it was an all Italian front row on the grid in the junior class since 1999 when the 125cc class was the junior class, racing at Catalunya in Spain. That front row featured Roberto Locatelli, Lucio Cechenello, Simone Sana, and Marco Melandri, a former 250cc World Champion who has also raced in World Superbike and MotoGP. Enea Bastianini missed a race at Le Mans in May. But, he's working on getting his 2016 season back on track. Andrea Migno starts second on the grid. He equals his best qualifying effort, having also scored a second place starting spot at Mugello in Italy, back in May.
Gabriele Rodrigo has run well during the weekend. Niccolo Bulega is third. Fourth is Romano Fenati. Brad Binder rolls off fifth in the middle of the second row. He could surely pad his points lead in the absence of Jorge Navarro, as mentioned. Bo Bendsneyder is seventh, in his home race. Juanfran Guevara starts sixth. Bendsneyder is starting his first home Grand Prix. Fabio Quartararo is eighth. He has not had a podium in a year. In ninth, another Fabio. Fabio Di Gianntonio. Francesco Bagnaia completes the top ten grid places.
Riders have to push early, if this race should see rain, and we have to go to 2/3rds distance. Starting 12th is Lorenzo Dalla Porta. Dalla Porta is the rider replacing Jorge Navarro as he heals up after a double break in his left leg suffered in Motocross training accident. He starts ahead of another Italian, Niccolo Antonelli. Antonelli has crashed three times in the last five races, and starts just ahead of Jules Danilo, his team mate. Danny Webb is a permanent replacement for Karel Hanika. Joan Mir, Alexis Masbou, and Khairul Idham Pawi all had grid penalties. Aron Canet will be one to watch. He was quick in practice, but had a horrible qualifying run, and could only muster 16th. Bulega, Migno, and Bastianini, on the front row.
Albert Arenas is subbing for the injured Jorge Martin. The tire situation is this. Enea Bastianini has the softer option front tire. Niccolo Antonelli, Jules Danilo, and Livio Loi did so, and Loi went for the softer option rear tire, too. Loi is a hometown favorite even though he's Belgian, not Dutch. Will the weather play a factor? Fabio Quartararo is having issues with his motorcycle. Can Brad Binder continue his 100% podium record? We're about to find out. The green flag waves at the back. Red lights on. Red lights, out! Go! Enea Bastianini bogs down on the start as Romano Fenati gets a good one. Andrea Migno also gets away well.
He holds the lead into the first corner. Romano Fenati is third, and Brad Binder, is fourth. Bo Bendsneyder runs wide and there's some argy bargy through the first few corners. Niccolo Bulega has dropped down to fifth spot. Brad Binder moves inside Andrea Migno. The riders negotiate the Strubben for the first time. Francesco "Pecco" Bagnaia is trying to move up. Romano Fenati is being eaten up by Brad Binder, current Moto3 championship points leader. They fly down the Veenslang straightaway. Bo Bendsneyder loses two places on the start. Enea Bastianini wants by Brad Binder. No dice. They charge down to De Bult for the first time. Gabriel Rodrigo has also had a fantastic start to this race ladies and gentlemen.
They slide through Hoge Heide and into the Ramshoek as Bagnaia blitzes three riders and grabs third spot! Through the Geert Timmer chicane, this could be all drama. Deary me! There's a monstrous crash through the final corner at Geert Timmer! It looks like Albert Arenas has wrecked and may have come into contact with Adam Norrodin. Bagnaia leads as Gabriel Rodrigo is giving Enea Bastianini all he can handle. Brad Binder, meanwhile has lost three or four places. Fabio Quartararo is the latest rider to get around Binder. Pecco Bagnaia came from tenth, to lead. But, Romano Fenati has other plans. Scusi, Pecco. Oh dear! We have a big wreck through this series of corners!
Gabriel Rodrigo and Fabio Quartararo both crash, hard! Both of these chaps are crawling away from their bikes, meaning they might be hurt. Rodrigo lost the rear wheel traction on his bike, and nearly gets his head run over by another rider! Dear God! That was close! You haven't missed a thing up front. Fenati leads Bagnaia. Niccolo Bulega is the man to set the first fast lap of this race at 1:43.763. Bagnaia inside Fenati, for the lead! The doctors are attending to Albert Arenas. Arenas got caught up with two other riders. Those were Jakub Kornfeil and Tatsuki Suzuki. Bagnaia leads as they work their way through Duikersloot. Khairul Idham Pawi has also crashed.
Dark clouds are coming, to Assen. Aron Canet has only made up two places since the start of this race. He started 16th and is currently 14th. Bo Bendsneyder is battling Niccolo Antonelli. So, the hometown fans should be cheering indeed. Fenati passes Bagnaia under braking for the first turn. Bulega drops back behind Migno as Aron Canet resets fast lap at 1:42.778. Aron Canet is running right behind his new team mate for this weekend, Lorenzo Dalla Porta. Phillip Oettl is also running back there. Close racing at the sharp end, ladies and gentlemen. Fenati leads and Francesco Bagnaia really wants a piece of this.
But, Fenati is holding firm. Aron Canet can finish on the podium. But, he has to be sensible. Fenati leads from Bagnaia. But, here comes our points leader! Brad Binder, is steaming to the front. Bagnaia has made up time through Ramshoek and Hoge Heide. Fabio Di Giannantonio is doing very well running fifth at the moment. Niccolo Antonelli has also moved inside Andrea Migno. Binder passes Enea Bastianini. Di Giannantonio passes his team mate, Bastianini. Seven Italian riders in the top eight places. Di Giannantonio is up to third as Romano Fenati retakes the lead from Francesco Bagnaia. Fabio Di Giannantonio now moves up to second. Bastianini is now under threat from Brad Binder as well.
Bagnaia looks for the inside line into Hoge Heide. Niccolo Bulega is being pressured by Lorenzo Dalla Porta. Through the Strubben, Fabio Di Giannantonio fights back on Enea Bastianini. The top fourteen riders are all in one big group, with Phillip Oettl trailing in 15th. Fenati, Bagnaia, Di Giannantonio, Brad Binder, Antonelli, Bastianini, Migno, Mir, Bendsneyder, Dalla Porta, Bulega, Canet, Danilo, Juanfran Guevara, and Oettl. Bagnaia leads. Bagnaia and Di Gianntonio picked Romano Fenati's pocket, and went by. Bagnaia is still searching for the first lightweight class win in Grand Prix motorcycle racing competition.
Canet passes Dalla Porta. Juanfran Guevara is moving forward. Wow! Fabio Di Giannantonio has taken the lead of the Dutch TT in Moto3! He makes the pass for the lead at Ruskenhoek. Fabio Di Giannantonio runs wide. Jules Danilo almost crashes! Brad Binder pulls out of the slipstream of Di Giannantonio, and, moves up into third. Fabio gets pushed wide by Niccolo Antonelli. Di Giannantonio is also being challenged by Bo Bendsneyder. Joan Mir is also moving up. Mir passes Andrea Migno, and Mir started way down in 18th place. Aron Canet has also passed a few riders and is now behind Enea Bastianini.
Romano Fenati retakes the lead from Pecco Bagnaia. Fenati and Binder both want the lead and both blow by Bagnaia like his motorcycle is chained to a stump! As they come to Geert Timmer again, there's another wreck! Aron Canet goes down and wipes out Juanfran Guevara in the process! Canet was the fastest bloke on this speedway, folks. Now, it's game over. In replay, we see Canet get thrown from his bike, which somersaults through the air! The bike landed in front of Guevara and bounced up over his head! Holy s***! That's a wreck if I ever saw one, folks. Canet went way too hot into the Geert Timmer chicane, and paid the price, big time! Ugh!
Looking at the points, Brad Binder, has a HUGE margin over the absent Jorge Navarro, and it should grow. He's up by 69 points as of now. Francesco Bagnaia is going for the lead! He has it, but Fenati and Binder are chasing him down. Niccolo Bulega has come back into contention and so has Andrea Migno! He's come to third. Binder runs wide. Enea Bastianini has dropped to 11th and he's duking it out with hometown hero Bo Bendsneyder. Phillip Oettl is catching up, too. With all the crashes, Maria Herrera and John McPhee have entered the points paying positions. Andrea Migno launches an attack, and is now into the lead of this race!
Migno looks like he was shot out of a cannon! Brad Binder takes second away and says "thank you much" to Romano Fenati. We are a lap or so from halfway in this race. Migno is the fastest man on the speedway at the moment running a lap at 1:43.474. Joan Mir on one of the Leopard (Leo pard) Racing bikes, is trying to break this Italian juggernaut at the front of the field. Phillip Oettl challenges Bo Bendsneyder and Bendsneyder's team mate Brad Binder, now leads this race. Migno retakes the lead down into De Bult. He has the preferred line ahead of Fenati and Binder. Niccolo Bulega has made a move on Niccolo Antonelli.
Fabio Di Gianantonio wants a piece of Bulega though. Jules Danilo is also running well, along with Enea Bastianini. Migno has the lead and here comes Bulega as the lead battle turns into a huge scrum! The Italians are definitely in the picture here in Holland. Danilo passes Antonelli. Migno leads Binder. Lorenzo Dalla Porta is not out of this thing yet, either. He runs tenth. Bulega makes a move on Bagnaia, almost gets into the turn too hot, and Bagnaia retakes the place. They fly around the fastest part of the track through Hoge Heide and into the Ramshoek. Bulega nudges Brad Binder out of the way. Migno, Fenati, and Bulega, are the top three. All three VR46 team riders are in the front.
There's also a hotly contested battle for 14th led by Darryn Binder from John McPhee, Jakub Kornfeil, Alexis Masbou, Livio Loi, Maria Herrera, and Tatsuki Suzuki. Suzuki would earn his fourth points paying finish in the last five races if he holds station. Romano Fenati passes Niccolo Bulega. Fabio Di Gianantonio wants to pass Pecco Bagnaia. Bulega leads the Dutch TT lightweight race. Fabio Di Gianantonio passes Brad Binder. Bulega tries his team mate, but runs out wide onto the rumble strips on the outside of the course. Bagnaia is feeling the heat from Di Gianantonio and Brad Binder now runs sixth, pursued hotly by Antonelli. Alexis Masbou and Tatsuki Suzuki have now both crashed out of this race.
Suzuki looks to be favoring his right wrist. Bagnaia makes a pass for second as there is a threat of rain in the air. Migno wants by Bagnaia and can't get there. Here comes Fabio Di Gianantonio. Binder is falling down the order as he tries and successfully passes Antonelli. But, Antonelli nabs him again. Binder takes a wide line into the Strubben corner. Fabio Di Gianantonio has now taken the lead of this race! Di Gianantonio missed the win last time out at Mugello, by a cigarette paper. But now, he leads. But, just as we are singing his praises, he runs wide. He got it wrong through Meeuwenmeer. Bulega tries passing Binder on the inside into the Timmer chicane. Bulega runs wide another time.
Bo Bendsneyder is still running well in 12th place. Phillip Oettl is also moving back up the order. Romano Fenati leads this race with eight laps to go. Andrea Migno goes for the lead and takes it through Hoge Heide and Ramshoek. But, Pecco Bagnaia is also charging. We are past 2/3rds race distance. If rain came and stopped the race, it would be official. There is a gap emerging between the top four and Niccolo Antonelli in fifth. Enea Bastianini has fought his way back to sixth. Meanwhile, Migno looks at a move on the outside around Bagnaia! Fenati also comes through on Pecco.
Brad Binder has now put himself ahead of Bagnaia. Binder has a massive wobble and goes off the road! Binder skates across the grass, but is out of contention to win. Binder has dropped down to 13th. Binder's podium run in the Moto3 World Championship, is over. It will be the first time in eleven races that Binder has finished outside the top four. If he stays where he is, he'll gain one point for his championship lead. Bagnaia and Migno run 1-2. The Italians rule, here at Assen, at the moment. Eight Italians in the top eight places! Mama Mia! Jules Danilo goes inside Lorenzo Dalla Porta. Dalla Porta is eighth. Five laps to go. Bagnaia wants his first win, and also the first for Mahindra.
Pecco Bagnaia will try to slipstream past Romano Fenati. No dice into turn one. Jules Danilo passes Lorenzo Dalla Porta for seventh. Bo Bendsneyder makes up a place and moves to 11th. Antonelli passes Bastianini. Bagnaia wants to win for Mahindra. They have transmission upgrades set for the next race in Germany. Enea Bastianini tries to make a move, and pays the price, falling hard! The pole curse continues. Bastianini went down through Mandeveen, turn ten. Fenati leads from Bagnaia and Migno. Three laps left, and the scuffle at the front is hot and heavy.
Pecco Bagnaia passes Andrea Migno for second. He has to have a go at Fenati. Andrea Locatelli has crashed out. Joan Mir has the top Leopard (Leo-pard) KTM. Niccolo Antonelli has taken third from Andrea Migno through Gert Timmer. Antonelli is now up to third, putting the heat on Bagnaia. He moves to second. Darryn Binder rejoins the race. He has likely had a crash or an off course excursion someplace. Ah. Game over for Binder at the Strubben corner. Brad Binder is languishing in 12th. We have a lap to go. Will Pecco Bagnaia make history?
Antonelli fights back and passes Bagnaia for the lead in the Moto3 Dutch TT. Bagnaia tries to fight back. Antonelli slams the door in his face. Fenati and Di Gianantonio are coming, and fast! Niccolo Bulega has dropped out of podium contention. But, here comes Fenati! Fenati leads and Fabio Di Gianantonio is trying and does make the pass on Migno! Under half a lap left in Moto3 at "The Cathedral". Sixth place man Jules Danilo could have something to say, too. Pecco Bagnaia is now back up to third place. Can he place the Mahindra in the right spot to challenge for victory?
A bunch of riders are going wide, and on the extreme inside, it's Migno taking the lead through the Ramshoek! Bagnaia is making his move as well! Migno looks like he's going to do it! Bagnaia comes through! It's a photo finish! Down the stretch they come! Bagnaia and Mahindra win it! What a race!
#21 Francesco Bagnaia ITA. Mahindra
What a race! The Geert Timmer chicane is amazing! But, spare a thought for poor old Andrea Migno. So close, and yet, so far. Bagnaia wins by a hundredth of a second! The top five were covered by just over a tenth of a second! Yikes! Andrea Migno may be getting a penalty, if he's taken an advantage from going off course. The first Grand Prix win is always sweet and it is for Bagnaia. Andrea Migno will keep a podium place but he's demoted to third from second. He will still get to stand on the podium.
Next up for Moto3 is a race in Germany. The Sachsenring in Saxony, Germany, is the venue. Stay tuned for coverage of that one, coming soon.
We have raced here since 1949, but for the first time we race, on a Sunday. The stands are packed. Here are the weather conditions at post time for Moto3. 18 degrees Celsius (64 degrees Fahrenheit), air temperature, and 28 degrees Celsius (82 degrees Fahrenheit), track temperature. A southwest wind is blowing at eight miles per hour. Rain is forecast later on. 22 laps scheduled for this race. Brad Binder is points leader by 44 points. Jorge Navarro, who won in Barcelona is not racing, due to injury. This race should be a cracking event. Enea Bastianini has pole with a 1:42.163 time, for his fifth pole, and his first since Aragon in Spain last September. No one was won Moto3 from pole in the last dozen races. In Misano last September, Enea Bastianini, was the winner.
In Misano last September, it was an all Italian front row on the grid in the junior class since 1999 when the 125cc class was the junior class, racing at Catalunya in Spain. That front row featured Roberto Locatelli, Lucio Cechenello, Simone Sana, and Marco Melandri, a former 250cc World Champion who has also raced in World Superbike and MotoGP. Enea Bastianini missed a race at Le Mans in May. But, he's working on getting his 2016 season back on track. Andrea Migno starts second on the grid. He equals his best qualifying effort, having also scored a second place starting spot at Mugello in Italy, back in May.
Gabriele Rodrigo has run well during the weekend. Niccolo Bulega is third. Fourth is Romano Fenati. Brad Binder rolls off fifth in the middle of the second row. He could surely pad his points lead in the absence of Jorge Navarro, as mentioned. Bo Bendsneyder is seventh, in his home race. Juanfran Guevara starts sixth. Bendsneyder is starting his first home Grand Prix. Fabio Quartararo is eighth. He has not had a podium in a year. In ninth, another Fabio. Fabio Di Gianntonio. Francesco Bagnaia completes the top ten grid places.
Riders have to push early, if this race should see rain, and we have to go to 2/3rds distance. Starting 12th is Lorenzo Dalla Porta. Dalla Porta is the rider replacing Jorge Navarro as he heals up after a double break in his left leg suffered in Motocross training accident. He starts ahead of another Italian, Niccolo Antonelli. Antonelli has crashed three times in the last five races, and starts just ahead of Jules Danilo, his team mate. Danny Webb is a permanent replacement for Karel Hanika. Joan Mir, Alexis Masbou, and Khairul Idham Pawi all had grid penalties. Aron Canet will be one to watch. He was quick in practice, but had a horrible qualifying run, and could only muster 16th. Bulega, Migno, and Bastianini, on the front row.
Albert Arenas is subbing for the injured Jorge Martin. The tire situation is this. Enea Bastianini has the softer option front tire. Niccolo Antonelli, Jules Danilo, and Livio Loi did so, and Loi went for the softer option rear tire, too. Loi is a hometown favorite even though he's Belgian, not Dutch. Will the weather play a factor? Fabio Quartararo is having issues with his motorcycle. Can Brad Binder continue his 100% podium record? We're about to find out. The green flag waves at the back. Red lights on. Red lights, out! Go! Enea Bastianini bogs down on the start as Romano Fenati gets a good one. Andrea Migno also gets away well.
He holds the lead into the first corner. Romano Fenati is third, and Brad Binder, is fourth. Bo Bendsneyder runs wide and there's some argy bargy through the first few corners. Niccolo Bulega has dropped down to fifth spot. Brad Binder moves inside Andrea Migno. The riders negotiate the Strubben for the first time. Francesco "Pecco" Bagnaia is trying to move up. Romano Fenati is being eaten up by Brad Binder, current Moto3 championship points leader. They fly down the Veenslang straightaway. Bo Bendsneyder loses two places on the start. Enea Bastianini wants by Brad Binder. No dice. They charge down to De Bult for the first time. Gabriel Rodrigo has also had a fantastic start to this race ladies and gentlemen.
They slide through Hoge Heide and into the Ramshoek as Bagnaia blitzes three riders and grabs third spot! Through the Geert Timmer chicane, this could be all drama. Deary me! There's a monstrous crash through the final corner at Geert Timmer! It looks like Albert Arenas has wrecked and may have come into contact with Adam Norrodin. Bagnaia leads as Gabriel Rodrigo is giving Enea Bastianini all he can handle. Brad Binder, meanwhile has lost three or four places. Fabio Quartararo is the latest rider to get around Binder. Pecco Bagnaia came from tenth, to lead. But, Romano Fenati has other plans. Scusi, Pecco. Oh dear! We have a big wreck through this series of corners!
Gabriel Rodrigo and Fabio Quartararo both crash, hard! Both of these chaps are crawling away from their bikes, meaning they might be hurt. Rodrigo lost the rear wheel traction on his bike, and nearly gets his head run over by another rider! Dear God! That was close! You haven't missed a thing up front. Fenati leads Bagnaia. Niccolo Bulega is the man to set the first fast lap of this race at 1:43.763. Bagnaia inside Fenati, for the lead! The doctors are attending to Albert Arenas. Arenas got caught up with two other riders. Those were Jakub Kornfeil and Tatsuki Suzuki. Bagnaia leads as they work their way through Duikersloot. Khairul Idham Pawi has also crashed.
Dark clouds are coming, to Assen. Aron Canet has only made up two places since the start of this race. He started 16th and is currently 14th. Bo Bendsneyder is battling Niccolo Antonelli. So, the hometown fans should be cheering indeed. Fenati passes Bagnaia under braking for the first turn. Bulega drops back behind Migno as Aron Canet resets fast lap at 1:42.778. Aron Canet is running right behind his new team mate for this weekend, Lorenzo Dalla Porta. Phillip Oettl is also running back there. Close racing at the sharp end, ladies and gentlemen. Fenati leads and Francesco Bagnaia really wants a piece of this.
But, Fenati is holding firm. Aron Canet can finish on the podium. But, he has to be sensible. Fenati leads from Bagnaia. But, here comes our points leader! Brad Binder, is steaming to the front. Bagnaia has made up time through Ramshoek and Hoge Heide. Fabio Di Giannantonio is doing very well running fifth at the moment. Niccolo Antonelli has also moved inside Andrea Migno. Binder passes Enea Bastianini. Di Giannantonio passes his team mate, Bastianini. Seven Italian riders in the top eight places. Di Giannantonio is up to third as Romano Fenati retakes the lead from Francesco Bagnaia. Fabio Di Giannantonio now moves up to second. Bastianini is now under threat from Brad Binder as well.
Bagnaia looks for the inside line into Hoge Heide. Niccolo Bulega is being pressured by Lorenzo Dalla Porta. Through the Strubben, Fabio Di Giannantonio fights back on Enea Bastianini. The top fourteen riders are all in one big group, with Phillip Oettl trailing in 15th. Fenati, Bagnaia, Di Giannantonio, Brad Binder, Antonelli, Bastianini, Migno, Mir, Bendsneyder, Dalla Porta, Bulega, Canet, Danilo, Juanfran Guevara, and Oettl. Bagnaia leads. Bagnaia and Di Gianntonio picked Romano Fenati's pocket, and went by. Bagnaia is still searching for the first lightweight class win in Grand Prix motorcycle racing competition.
Canet passes Dalla Porta. Juanfran Guevara is moving forward. Wow! Fabio Di Giannantonio has taken the lead of the Dutch TT in Moto3! He makes the pass for the lead at Ruskenhoek. Fabio Di Giannantonio runs wide. Jules Danilo almost crashes! Brad Binder pulls out of the slipstream of Di Giannantonio, and, moves up into third. Fabio gets pushed wide by Niccolo Antonelli. Di Giannantonio is also being challenged by Bo Bendsneyder. Joan Mir is also moving up. Mir passes Andrea Migno, and Mir started way down in 18th place. Aron Canet has also passed a few riders and is now behind Enea Bastianini.
Romano Fenati retakes the lead from Pecco Bagnaia. Fenati and Binder both want the lead and both blow by Bagnaia like his motorcycle is chained to a stump! As they come to Geert Timmer again, there's another wreck! Aron Canet goes down and wipes out Juanfran Guevara in the process! Canet was the fastest bloke on this speedway, folks. Now, it's game over. In replay, we see Canet get thrown from his bike, which somersaults through the air! The bike landed in front of Guevara and bounced up over his head! Holy s***! That's a wreck if I ever saw one, folks. Canet went way too hot into the Geert Timmer chicane, and paid the price, big time! Ugh!
Looking at the points, Brad Binder, has a HUGE margin over the absent Jorge Navarro, and it should grow. He's up by 69 points as of now. Francesco Bagnaia is going for the lead! He has it, but Fenati and Binder are chasing him down. Niccolo Bulega has come back into contention and so has Andrea Migno! He's come to third. Binder runs wide. Enea Bastianini has dropped to 11th and he's duking it out with hometown hero Bo Bendsneyder. Phillip Oettl is catching up, too. With all the crashes, Maria Herrera and John McPhee have entered the points paying positions. Andrea Migno launches an attack, and is now into the lead of this race!
Migno looks like he was shot out of a cannon! Brad Binder takes second away and says "thank you much" to Romano Fenati. We are a lap or so from halfway in this race. Migno is the fastest man on the speedway at the moment running a lap at 1:43.474. Joan Mir on one of the Leopard (Leo pard) Racing bikes, is trying to break this Italian juggernaut at the front of the field. Phillip Oettl challenges Bo Bendsneyder and Bendsneyder's team mate Brad Binder, now leads this race. Migno retakes the lead down into De Bult. He has the preferred line ahead of Fenati and Binder. Niccolo Bulega has made a move on Niccolo Antonelli.
Fabio Di Gianantonio wants a piece of Bulega though. Jules Danilo is also running well, along with Enea Bastianini. Migno has the lead and here comes Bulega as the lead battle turns into a huge scrum! The Italians are definitely in the picture here in Holland. Danilo passes Antonelli. Migno leads Binder. Lorenzo Dalla Porta is not out of this thing yet, either. He runs tenth. Bulega makes a move on Bagnaia, almost gets into the turn too hot, and Bagnaia retakes the place. They fly around the fastest part of the track through Hoge Heide and into the Ramshoek. Bulega nudges Brad Binder out of the way. Migno, Fenati, and Bulega, are the top three. All three VR46 team riders are in the front.
There's also a hotly contested battle for 14th led by Darryn Binder from John McPhee, Jakub Kornfeil, Alexis Masbou, Livio Loi, Maria Herrera, and Tatsuki Suzuki. Suzuki would earn his fourth points paying finish in the last five races if he holds station. Romano Fenati passes Niccolo Bulega. Fabio Di Gianantonio wants to pass Pecco Bagnaia. Bulega leads the Dutch TT lightweight race. Fabio Di Gianantonio passes Brad Binder. Bulega tries his team mate, but runs out wide onto the rumble strips on the outside of the course. Bagnaia is feeling the heat from Di Gianantonio and Brad Binder now runs sixth, pursued hotly by Antonelli. Alexis Masbou and Tatsuki Suzuki have now both crashed out of this race.
Suzuki looks to be favoring his right wrist. Bagnaia makes a pass for second as there is a threat of rain in the air. Migno wants by Bagnaia and can't get there. Here comes Fabio Di Gianantonio. Binder is falling down the order as he tries and successfully passes Antonelli. But, Antonelli nabs him again. Binder takes a wide line into the Strubben corner. Fabio Di Gianantonio has now taken the lead of this race! Di Gianantonio missed the win last time out at Mugello, by a cigarette paper. But now, he leads. But, just as we are singing his praises, he runs wide. He got it wrong through Meeuwenmeer. Bulega tries passing Binder on the inside into the Timmer chicane. Bulega runs wide another time.
Bo Bendsneyder is still running well in 12th place. Phillip Oettl is also moving back up the order. Romano Fenati leads this race with eight laps to go. Andrea Migno goes for the lead and takes it through Hoge Heide and Ramshoek. But, Pecco Bagnaia is also charging. We are past 2/3rds race distance. If rain came and stopped the race, it would be official. There is a gap emerging between the top four and Niccolo Antonelli in fifth. Enea Bastianini has fought his way back to sixth. Meanwhile, Migno looks at a move on the outside around Bagnaia! Fenati also comes through on Pecco.
Brad Binder has now put himself ahead of Bagnaia. Binder has a massive wobble and goes off the road! Binder skates across the grass, but is out of contention to win. Binder has dropped down to 13th. Binder's podium run in the Moto3 World Championship, is over. It will be the first time in eleven races that Binder has finished outside the top four. If he stays where he is, he'll gain one point for his championship lead. Bagnaia and Migno run 1-2. The Italians rule, here at Assen, at the moment. Eight Italians in the top eight places! Mama Mia! Jules Danilo goes inside Lorenzo Dalla Porta. Dalla Porta is eighth. Five laps to go. Bagnaia wants his first win, and also the first for Mahindra.
Pecco Bagnaia will try to slipstream past Romano Fenati. No dice into turn one. Jules Danilo passes Lorenzo Dalla Porta for seventh. Bo Bendsneyder makes up a place and moves to 11th. Antonelli passes Bastianini. Bagnaia wants to win for Mahindra. They have transmission upgrades set for the next race in Germany. Enea Bastianini tries to make a move, and pays the price, falling hard! The pole curse continues. Bastianini went down through Mandeveen, turn ten. Fenati leads from Bagnaia and Migno. Three laps left, and the scuffle at the front is hot and heavy.
Pecco Bagnaia passes Andrea Migno for second. He has to have a go at Fenati. Andrea Locatelli has crashed out. Joan Mir has the top Leopard (Leo-pard) KTM. Niccolo Antonelli has taken third from Andrea Migno through Gert Timmer. Antonelli is now up to third, putting the heat on Bagnaia. He moves to second. Darryn Binder rejoins the race. He has likely had a crash or an off course excursion someplace. Ah. Game over for Binder at the Strubben corner. Brad Binder is languishing in 12th. We have a lap to go. Will Pecco Bagnaia make history?
Antonelli fights back and passes Bagnaia for the lead in the Moto3 Dutch TT. Bagnaia tries to fight back. Antonelli slams the door in his face. Fenati and Di Gianantonio are coming, and fast! Niccolo Bulega has dropped out of podium contention. But, here comes Fenati! Fenati leads and Fabio Di Gianantonio is trying and does make the pass on Migno! Under half a lap left in Moto3 at "The Cathedral". Sixth place man Jules Danilo could have something to say, too. Pecco Bagnaia is now back up to third place. Can he place the Mahindra in the right spot to challenge for victory?
A bunch of riders are going wide, and on the extreme inside, it's Migno taking the lead through the Ramshoek! Bagnaia is making his move as well! Migno looks like he's going to do it! Bagnaia comes through! It's a photo finish! Down the stretch they come! Bagnaia and Mahindra win it! What a race!
#21 Francesco Bagnaia ITA. Mahindra
What a race! The Geert Timmer chicane is amazing! But, spare a thought for poor old Andrea Migno. So close, and yet, so far. Bagnaia wins by a hundredth of a second! The top five were covered by just over a tenth of a second! Yikes! Andrea Migno may be getting a penalty, if he's taken an advantage from going off course. The first Grand Prix win is always sweet and it is for Bagnaia. Andrea Migno will keep a podium place but he's demoted to third from second. He will still get to stand on the podium.
Next up for Moto3 is a race in Germany. The Sachsenring in Saxony, Germany, is the venue. Stay tuned for coverage of that one, coming soon.
Saturday, August 20, 2016
Moto2: Holland (Dutch TT)
We are set for Moto2 in Holland, at the TT circuit Assen. Weather conditions are lovely, despite a threat of rain. We have 20 degrees Celsius (68 degrees Fahrenheit), for an air temperature. Track temperature is 23 degrees Celsius (73 degrees Fahrenheit). The forecast for the rest of the day is dodgy, however. Tom Luthi has pole, 23 points behind Alex Rins in the points. Rins is the current Moto2 points leader. Tom Luthi has had a great weekend, even in the rain interrupted qualifying session. Tom Luthi and Johann Zarco are the two to watch. This is Luthi's second pole in Moto2 in 2016. Tom Luthi had a chance to test the all new 2017 KTM MotoGP bike which will debut next year. For Luthi, this is only his fifth career Moto2 pole.
Luthi trails Alex Rins by 23 points in the championship picture. Only ten points split the top three. Rins, over Sam Lowes, and Johann Zarco. Unlike MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3, the two junior classes, don't have flag to flag rules, and the races will be stopped if the rain gets too heavy. It doesn't look as though there is rain in the area right now, over the Assen TT circuit. But, you can never be too sure of the weather. Johann Zarco has done pretty well this season as the reigning champion of the series. Dominique Aegerter starts in third place. Sam Lowes is fourth. Aegerter makes his first front row start since Italy in 2014 if I am not mistaken. Franco Morbidelli is fifth, and needs a podium.
Takaaki Nakagami qualifies sixth. He was fastest in the morning warmup. Sandro Cortese rolls off seventh. Eighth is Alex Rins. Will this race go it's full distance? Will we have to go to 2/3rds distance? Jonas Folger is ninth. Alex Rins has to keep focused if he wants a good finish here at Assen, "the Cathedral of Speed", the most legendary motorcycle racing track in the world. Alex Rins will move up to MotoGP next year, and join the factory Suzuki team. Ninth is Jonas Folger. Folger has just one podium in Jerez, Spain. Hafizh Syahrin, in 20th, could move up through the field very quickly.
Lorenzo Baldassari rounds out the top ten. Miguel Oliveira has had good showings in the last few races. He won Moto3 at Assen last year. Rins leads the championship by eight points. Mattia Pasini is a season best 12th on the grid. He has struggled though, falling off the bike in the morning warmup. Alex Marquez rolls off 13th. Next up is the Belgian rider, Xavier Simeon. Simeon is the top qualified rider on a Speed Up branded chassis. Aegerter third. Zarco second (looking for three wins in a row). On pole, it's Tom Luthi, looking for his first win since March in the season opener in Qatar.
24 laps scheduled for Moto2. We are ready to race, in Holland. Remy Gardner is now the permanent replacement on bike #87 at Tasco Racing, for Alessandro Tonucci. 27 bikes will start. We're on the warmup lap, and the Moto2 race of the Dutch TT weekend is about to launch. It'll be a straight shootout with all but one rider on the same tire setup. The opening laps of this race will be crucial. Green flag at the back. We're ready to race, in Assen, Holland, Moto2 style! Lights out, and away we go! Tom Luthi, Alex Rins, and Sam Lowes all get solid launches out of the starting blocks. Zarco moves to seond, and Takaaki Nakagami is on a real charge! Nakagami goes from sixth to fourth in one corner!
Tom Luthi flies. Alex Rins, sinks like a stone, right at the beginning. Sam Lowes gets around Johann Zarco for third. Franco Morbidelli has also lost spots, and Miguel Oliveira runs wide. Rins is back in tenth place. Zarco and Nakagami got crossed up through the third and fourth turns. Based on race pace, it looks like Tom Luthi has the edge over everyone else. Rins passes Jonas Folger for ninth. Dominique Aegerter tries making a move on Tom Luthi. The two Swiss riders are going at it early on in Moto2. But, Aegerter runs wide. Sam Lowes moves to second, and Franco Morbidelli runs a shade wide.
Takaaki Nakagami pours the steam on Johann Zarco and flies through on him. A bit too hot for Zarco? Perhaps. Morbidelli wants a piece of this, too. A move through the Stekkenwal wasn't going to work too well. Sandro Cortese is currently seventh. Alex Rins is tenth and cannot pass Xavier Simeon, who has made up five places since the start. These 600cc motorcycles scream their way through the Ramshoek and into the Geert Timmer chicane. Dominique Aegerter aggressively moves inside Sam Lowes, as Lorenzo Baldassari is the first to set a fastest lap in this race. 1:38.163 for Baldassari.
Finally, Morbidelli is too hot for Johann Zarco to handle, and he sticks it up the inside, for the pass. Advantage, Morbidelli. He holds the place as they weave through Strubben. Aegerter surely has the oomph out of the Timmer chicane. Game over for Axel Pons. Hard rear tire = not very good decision on race day. Pons has crashed out. Coming into Assen, Pons was on a roll, with three straight top ten finishes for the first time in his career. That streak is snapped, today. Morbidelli wants by Nakagami, and he makes his move. Alex Rins has passed Simone Corsi and Xavier Simeon, both riding Speed Up chassis'. Rins has to book it. He's three seconds behind Luthi. Chop chop, Alex, if you want to be in contention for this race, sunshine.
Zarco could put a move on Nakagami into the Timmer chicane. Zarco moves past Nakagami as Sandro Cortese has passed Lorenzo Baldassari. Johann Zarco, meanwhile, he's lost at least three places. Nakagami rode into the corner aggressively, pushing Zarco wide. Lorenzo Baldassari and Sandro Cortese, sweep through. Franco Morbidelli has the same mindset. Pull out all the stops. Sam Lowes drops to fourth, and Morbidelli is now second. On the most recent lap, Alex Rins was half a second quicker than Tom Luthi. Sam Lowes could have a problem with his motorcycle. He seems to be down on power and is losing spots hand over fist.
Onboard with Lowes, nothing sounds untoward with the bike. The 600cc engine is running at full speed. Into the corner, Franco Morbidelli takes the lead away from Tom Luthi. Sam Lowes' most recent lap was a 1:39.9. He is 1.7 seconds slower than Morbidelli, and, Johann Zarco is now going for it. Morbidelli makes the right move on Luthi through the Timmer chicane, to take the race lead. Many riders in the front of the pack are looking for their first wins. They really have nothing to lose. Morbidelli, Nakagami, Baldassari, Aegerter (who has had one win, but is looking for another). A gap is now forming back to the trio of Lowes, Zarco, and Rins.
Franco Morbidelli, Tom Luthi, and Takaaki Nakagami are still the top three. Simone Corsi is now right behind Alex Rins. Nakagami leads the chasing pack who is going after Morbidelli. Rins runs a tad wide. Johann Zarco is seventh, and he can't get past Sam Lowes. Rins can't fight Corsi's attack right now. Morbidelli runs wide into Strubben, and he's lost some time. As they run, the Moto2 points table is very close. Five points separate Alex Rins and Sam Lowes, and only three points separate Lowes and Zarco. Luthi is six more points in-arrears. Nakagami continues to close up on Morbidelli.
Lorenzo Baldassari is trying to make a move on Dominique Aegerter. But, Nakagami is inching closer to Morbidelli, and neither of them has won before. Whatever went wrong with Sam Lowes, is now nonexistent. He's gotten back on terms with the rest of the field. Lorenzo Baldassari wants by Dominique Aegerter, but can't make a pass. There has not been a Grand Prix win for a Japanese rider in six years. 2010 was the last time. Hiroshi Aoyama or perhaps another rider. Is Aegerter holding up a train of riders? Johann Zarco has now passed Sam Lowes for sixth spot. Side by side down through the Veenslang. Zarco catches Baldassari and Aegerter, and says, "thank you very much for leaving the door open! I'll run right through!"
Baldassari got on the inside of Aegerter, lost momentum, and now, Aegerter, has actually been demoted from fourth to seventh place. Zarco in fourth is chiseling time out of his gap to Tom Luthi. Is Luthi settling into the race rhythm? Or, does he have something left in the locker for the end? Nakagami makes a move, and takes both Morbidelli, and Luthi for the lead! Lorenzo Baldassari is dragging Dominique Aegerter and Sandro Cortese with him. Baldassari runs wide at the Strubben and loses drive, trying to make a pass, and nearly nudges a rider out of the way. "Excuse me. May I play through?"
Nakagami, Morbidelli, and Luthi, remain the top three. Sam Lowes, meanwhile, is trying to make a move on Lorenzo Baldassari. At the moment, Alex Rins runs eighth. Keep in mind, he leads the points. Simone Corsi and Sandro Cortese, follow. The rest of the top fifteen has , Jonas Folger, Alex Marquez, Miguel Oliveira, and Julian Simon. Morbidelli squeezes inside Nakagami, and makes a daring, and nearly impossible pass! Yours truly is chuckling at that cheeky bit of riding. Ladies and gentlemen, that's what you call a squeeze play! Nakagami isn't finished. He wants a piece of Morbidelli, and now.
Morbidelli lets him go. Morbidelli is hung out to dry. He's lost a place to Tom Luthi, and now Johann Zarco wants in on this party. Johann Zarco is really pushing through turns six and seven right now. This is through Stekkenwal. Zarco had his first ever podium here at Assen a year ago. Zarco is the defending race champion here at The Cathedral, in Moto2. Simone Corsi makes a bold pass on Alex Rins through De Bult. Trying to fight for a podium, it looks like Dominique Aegerter has burned up his tires. Will Simone Corsi join the scrap for sixth? Nakagami is half a second clear of Luthi at the front. Morbidelli is still trapped behind Zarco.
Rins also makes a move on Aegerter. Alex Marquez gets around Jonas Folger for 12th. Luthi can't stay with Nakagami right now. A few years back at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, when MotoGP raced there, Nakagami was going for the win, checking out on the field, and he unfortunately overcooked his tires and got mugged by the rest of the field, sinking back into a lower finishing position. Tito Rabat and Pol Espargaro (both now MotoGP riders), were the ones who stole his thunder in a couple Moto2 races a few years ago. Nakagami has no worries about getting mugged here. He just set fastest lap at 1:38 flat. 1:38.059.
A few more gray clouds hovering around, as we close on 2/3rds distance. Zarco is closing on Luthi. Zarco can't find a pass on Luthi. Nakagami's bike is streaking away into the distance. Zarco wants by Luthi, ASAP. He's laying down black streaks of rubber on the road. That's how hard he's pushing and not even for P1. Zarco isn't close enough to make the move yet. Morbidelli sets his personal best lap at 1:38.163. Alex Rins passes Simone Corsi. But, he's struggling to keep up the pace of the leaders who are scorching this place. Zarco has passed Luthi and he sees Takaaki Nakagami up ahead.
The gap is 1.4 seconds. Morbidelli squeezes inside Luthi. If the other riders in the top five start scrapping with each other, Nakagami could be laughing all the way to the bank here. Johann Zarco is the one who can reel in Nakagami, as long as he doesn't crack under Morbidelli's pressure. Meanwhile, Morbidelli charges past Zarco for second. Another 1:38 flat for Nakagami, taking fastest lap down to 1:38.055. Franco Morbidelli wants his first podium finish of the season. Nakagami leads everyone else by 2.6 seconds. It could be too late for his pursuers even with eleven laps left in the race. Nakagami keeps steaming along. He's three seconds ahead of everyone else!
Nakagami has cut two straight laps around the TT circuit Assen, with the exact same lap time! Holy smokes! As the points are now, Zarco would lead by a single point over Alex Rins going into the next race in Germany at the Sachsenring. Sam Lowes is eight points behind Rins, with Tom Luthi a further 20 points behind. Luca Marini on the #10 Forward Racing Kalex has crashed out of 18th place. Game over. Simone Corsi remains glued to Alex Rins' rear wheel with ten laps remaining. I stand corrected. Marini is back into the race. Nakagami cuts a 1:38.3 on this lap. Hafizh Syahrin has also retired from this race.
Lorenzo Baldassari takes fourth from Tom Luthi who is also under pressure from Sam Lowes. Lorenzo Baldassari has a damaged right front brake. Tom Luthi is losing grip through Duikersloot corner and Sam Lowes will pass him. The handling on Luthi's motorcycle has totally gone away. Luthi's tires are trashed and he's all over the shop here. Luthi's hopes of a championship are fading away. Zarco takes 2/10ths of a second out of Nakagami's lead. Morbidelli has fastest lap this time at 1:38.233. Nakagami wants to be the first Japanese rider to win in the middleweight motorcycle world championship since Shoya Tomizawa did it in Qatar in 2010. Nakagami has a three second gap.
Luca Marini has rejoined the race. Danny Kent passes Julian Simon for 14th. Tiny little spots of rain are falling. We are now past 2/3rds distance. Whoa! Sam Lowes almost gets thrown off his bike! That was as close as you can get to wrecking, without actually falling off! Lowes nearly lost it in the Strubben corner. Tom Luthi, down and out. He has crashed at Stekkenwal. The rain flags are being waved around the circuit. The track might start cooling down as Johann Zarco breaks the resolve of Franco Morbidelli in third place. It will be just his second podium finish. Nakagami is holding station.
Completing lap 20, Nakagami holds the advantage. Four laps left. Johann Zarco has a lot to lose, and needs to push. He's quick in sector one. Nakagami takes 3/10ths out of Zarco. Zarco might push a little longer, but might surrender. Franco Morbidelli is dropping into the clutches of Lorenzo Baldassari. The wind is picking up and the temperature is dropping. Correction. The last Japanese rider to win a Grand Prix in Moto2, or 250cc competition, was Yuki Takahashi in 2010 at Catalunya Barcelona riding for Tech3. Three laps left. Zarco is catching Nakagami. Will he have enough left in the locker?
Rain flags reappear. Two laps left for Nakagami. This race isn't over yet. Johann Zarco was a full second quicker than Nakagami on the previous lap. Nakagami will be more nervous whereas Zarco can use Nakagami as his reference. The race has been red flagged. The wind and rain are getting stronger. Takaaki Nakagami wins his first ever Grand Prix motorcycle race in Moto2! It's his 112th Grand Prix. Johann Zarco is the first bloke to congratulate Nakagami. Race Direction and the marshals called that perfectly. At the end, Julian Simon and Danny Kent, have crashed. Zarco and Morbidelli are on the podium.
Julian Simon ran across Danny Kent and chopped him in the rear tire, causing both riders to go down. But, the Moto2 race for the Dutch TT is all about Takaaki Nakagami!
#30 Takaaki Nakagami JPN. Kalex
The next race for Moto2, was run in Germany at the Sachsenring. Stay tuned for a report on that event, coming soon.
Luthi trails Alex Rins by 23 points in the championship picture. Only ten points split the top three. Rins, over Sam Lowes, and Johann Zarco. Unlike MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3, the two junior classes, don't have flag to flag rules, and the races will be stopped if the rain gets too heavy. It doesn't look as though there is rain in the area right now, over the Assen TT circuit. But, you can never be too sure of the weather. Johann Zarco has done pretty well this season as the reigning champion of the series. Dominique Aegerter starts in third place. Sam Lowes is fourth. Aegerter makes his first front row start since Italy in 2014 if I am not mistaken. Franco Morbidelli is fifth, and needs a podium.
Takaaki Nakagami qualifies sixth. He was fastest in the morning warmup. Sandro Cortese rolls off seventh. Eighth is Alex Rins. Will this race go it's full distance? Will we have to go to 2/3rds distance? Jonas Folger is ninth. Alex Rins has to keep focused if he wants a good finish here at Assen, "the Cathedral of Speed", the most legendary motorcycle racing track in the world. Alex Rins will move up to MotoGP next year, and join the factory Suzuki team. Ninth is Jonas Folger. Folger has just one podium in Jerez, Spain. Hafizh Syahrin, in 20th, could move up through the field very quickly.
Lorenzo Baldassari rounds out the top ten. Miguel Oliveira has had good showings in the last few races. He won Moto3 at Assen last year. Rins leads the championship by eight points. Mattia Pasini is a season best 12th on the grid. He has struggled though, falling off the bike in the morning warmup. Alex Marquez rolls off 13th. Next up is the Belgian rider, Xavier Simeon. Simeon is the top qualified rider on a Speed Up branded chassis. Aegerter third. Zarco second (looking for three wins in a row). On pole, it's Tom Luthi, looking for his first win since March in the season opener in Qatar.
24 laps scheduled for Moto2. We are ready to race, in Holland. Remy Gardner is now the permanent replacement on bike #87 at Tasco Racing, for Alessandro Tonucci. 27 bikes will start. We're on the warmup lap, and the Moto2 race of the Dutch TT weekend is about to launch. It'll be a straight shootout with all but one rider on the same tire setup. The opening laps of this race will be crucial. Green flag at the back. We're ready to race, in Assen, Holland, Moto2 style! Lights out, and away we go! Tom Luthi, Alex Rins, and Sam Lowes all get solid launches out of the starting blocks. Zarco moves to seond, and Takaaki Nakagami is on a real charge! Nakagami goes from sixth to fourth in one corner!
Tom Luthi flies. Alex Rins, sinks like a stone, right at the beginning. Sam Lowes gets around Johann Zarco for third. Franco Morbidelli has also lost spots, and Miguel Oliveira runs wide. Rins is back in tenth place. Zarco and Nakagami got crossed up through the third and fourth turns. Based on race pace, it looks like Tom Luthi has the edge over everyone else. Rins passes Jonas Folger for ninth. Dominique Aegerter tries making a move on Tom Luthi. The two Swiss riders are going at it early on in Moto2. But, Aegerter runs wide. Sam Lowes moves to second, and Franco Morbidelli runs a shade wide.
Takaaki Nakagami pours the steam on Johann Zarco and flies through on him. A bit too hot for Zarco? Perhaps. Morbidelli wants a piece of this, too. A move through the Stekkenwal wasn't going to work too well. Sandro Cortese is currently seventh. Alex Rins is tenth and cannot pass Xavier Simeon, who has made up five places since the start. These 600cc motorcycles scream their way through the Ramshoek and into the Geert Timmer chicane. Dominique Aegerter aggressively moves inside Sam Lowes, as Lorenzo Baldassari is the first to set a fastest lap in this race. 1:38.163 for Baldassari.
Finally, Morbidelli is too hot for Johann Zarco to handle, and he sticks it up the inside, for the pass. Advantage, Morbidelli. He holds the place as they weave through Strubben. Aegerter surely has the oomph out of the Timmer chicane. Game over for Axel Pons. Hard rear tire = not very good decision on race day. Pons has crashed out. Coming into Assen, Pons was on a roll, with three straight top ten finishes for the first time in his career. That streak is snapped, today. Morbidelli wants by Nakagami, and he makes his move. Alex Rins has passed Simone Corsi and Xavier Simeon, both riding Speed Up chassis'. Rins has to book it. He's three seconds behind Luthi. Chop chop, Alex, if you want to be in contention for this race, sunshine.
Zarco could put a move on Nakagami into the Timmer chicane. Zarco moves past Nakagami as Sandro Cortese has passed Lorenzo Baldassari. Johann Zarco, meanwhile, he's lost at least three places. Nakagami rode into the corner aggressively, pushing Zarco wide. Lorenzo Baldassari and Sandro Cortese, sweep through. Franco Morbidelli has the same mindset. Pull out all the stops. Sam Lowes drops to fourth, and Morbidelli is now second. On the most recent lap, Alex Rins was half a second quicker than Tom Luthi. Sam Lowes could have a problem with his motorcycle. He seems to be down on power and is losing spots hand over fist.
Onboard with Lowes, nothing sounds untoward with the bike. The 600cc engine is running at full speed. Into the corner, Franco Morbidelli takes the lead away from Tom Luthi. Sam Lowes' most recent lap was a 1:39.9. He is 1.7 seconds slower than Morbidelli, and, Johann Zarco is now going for it. Morbidelli makes the right move on Luthi through the Timmer chicane, to take the race lead. Many riders in the front of the pack are looking for their first wins. They really have nothing to lose. Morbidelli, Nakagami, Baldassari, Aegerter (who has had one win, but is looking for another). A gap is now forming back to the trio of Lowes, Zarco, and Rins.
Franco Morbidelli, Tom Luthi, and Takaaki Nakagami are still the top three. Simone Corsi is now right behind Alex Rins. Nakagami leads the chasing pack who is going after Morbidelli. Rins runs a tad wide. Johann Zarco is seventh, and he can't get past Sam Lowes. Rins can't fight Corsi's attack right now. Morbidelli runs wide into Strubben, and he's lost some time. As they run, the Moto2 points table is very close. Five points separate Alex Rins and Sam Lowes, and only three points separate Lowes and Zarco. Luthi is six more points in-arrears. Nakagami continues to close up on Morbidelli.
Lorenzo Baldassari is trying to make a move on Dominique Aegerter. But, Nakagami is inching closer to Morbidelli, and neither of them has won before. Whatever went wrong with Sam Lowes, is now nonexistent. He's gotten back on terms with the rest of the field. Lorenzo Baldassari wants by Dominique Aegerter, but can't make a pass. There has not been a Grand Prix win for a Japanese rider in six years. 2010 was the last time. Hiroshi Aoyama or perhaps another rider. Is Aegerter holding up a train of riders? Johann Zarco has now passed Sam Lowes for sixth spot. Side by side down through the Veenslang. Zarco catches Baldassari and Aegerter, and says, "thank you very much for leaving the door open! I'll run right through!"
Baldassari got on the inside of Aegerter, lost momentum, and now, Aegerter, has actually been demoted from fourth to seventh place. Zarco in fourth is chiseling time out of his gap to Tom Luthi. Is Luthi settling into the race rhythm? Or, does he have something left in the locker for the end? Nakagami makes a move, and takes both Morbidelli, and Luthi for the lead! Lorenzo Baldassari is dragging Dominique Aegerter and Sandro Cortese with him. Baldassari runs wide at the Strubben and loses drive, trying to make a pass, and nearly nudges a rider out of the way. "Excuse me. May I play through?"
Nakagami, Morbidelli, and Luthi, remain the top three. Sam Lowes, meanwhile, is trying to make a move on Lorenzo Baldassari. At the moment, Alex Rins runs eighth. Keep in mind, he leads the points. Simone Corsi and Sandro Cortese, follow. The rest of the top fifteen has , Jonas Folger, Alex Marquez, Miguel Oliveira, and Julian Simon. Morbidelli squeezes inside Nakagami, and makes a daring, and nearly impossible pass! Yours truly is chuckling at that cheeky bit of riding. Ladies and gentlemen, that's what you call a squeeze play! Nakagami isn't finished. He wants a piece of Morbidelli, and now.
Morbidelli lets him go. Morbidelli is hung out to dry. He's lost a place to Tom Luthi, and now Johann Zarco wants in on this party. Johann Zarco is really pushing through turns six and seven right now. This is through Stekkenwal. Zarco had his first ever podium here at Assen a year ago. Zarco is the defending race champion here at The Cathedral, in Moto2. Simone Corsi makes a bold pass on Alex Rins through De Bult. Trying to fight for a podium, it looks like Dominique Aegerter has burned up his tires. Will Simone Corsi join the scrap for sixth? Nakagami is half a second clear of Luthi at the front. Morbidelli is still trapped behind Zarco.
Rins also makes a move on Aegerter. Alex Marquez gets around Jonas Folger for 12th. Luthi can't stay with Nakagami right now. A few years back at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, when MotoGP raced there, Nakagami was going for the win, checking out on the field, and he unfortunately overcooked his tires and got mugged by the rest of the field, sinking back into a lower finishing position. Tito Rabat and Pol Espargaro (both now MotoGP riders), were the ones who stole his thunder in a couple Moto2 races a few years ago. Nakagami has no worries about getting mugged here. He just set fastest lap at 1:38 flat. 1:38.059.
A few more gray clouds hovering around, as we close on 2/3rds distance. Zarco is closing on Luthi. Zarco can't find a pass on Luthi. Nakagami's bike is streaking away into the distance. Zarco wants by Luthi, ASAP. He's laying down black streaks of rubber on the road. That's how hard he's pushing and not even for P1. Zarco isn't close enough to make the move yet. Morbidelli sets his personal best lap at 1:38.163. Alex Rins passes Simone Corsi. But, he's struggling to keep up the pace of the leaders who are scorching this place. Zarco has passed Luthi and he sees Takaaki Nakagami up ahead.
The gap is 1.4 seconds. Morbidelli squeezes inside Luthi. If the other riders in the top five start scrapping with each other, Nakagami could be laughing all the way to the bank here. Johann Zarco is the one who can reel in Nakagami, as long as he doesn't crack under Morbidelli's pressure. Meanwhile, Morbidelli charges past Zarco for second. Another 1:38 flat for Nakagami, taking fastest lap down to 1:38.055. Franco Morbidelli wants his first podium finish of the season. Nakagami leads everyone else by 2.6 seconds. It could be too late for his pursuers even with eleven laps left in the race. Nakagami keeps steaming along. He's three seconds ahead of everyone else!
Nakagami has cut two straight laps around the TT circuit Assen, with the exact same lap time! Holy smokes! As the points are now, Zarco would lead by a single point over Alex Rins going into the next race in Germany at the Sachsenring. Sam Lowes is eight points behind Rins, with Tom Luthi a further 20 points behind. Luca Marini on the #10 Forward Racing Kalex has crashed out of 18th place. Game over. Simone Corsi remains glued to Alex Rins' rear wheel with ten laps remaining. I stand corrected. Marini is back into the race. Nakagami cuts a 1:38.3 on this lap. Hafizh Syahrin has also retired from this race.
Lorenzo Baldassari takes fourth from Tom Luthi who is also under pressure from Sam Lowes. Lorenzo Baldassari has a damaged right front brake. Tom Luthi is losing grip through Duikersloot corner and Sam Lowes will pass him. The handling on Luthi's motorcycle has totally gone away. Luthi's tires are trashed and he's all over the shop here. Luthi's hopes of a championship are fading away. Zarco takes 2/10ths of a second out of Nakagami's lead. Morbidelli has fastest lap this time at 1:38.233. Nakagami wants to be the first Japanese rider to win in the middleweight motorcycle world championship since Shoya Tomizawa did it in Qatar in 2010. Nakagami has a three second gap.
Luca Marini has rejoined the race. Danny Kent passes Julian Simon for 14th. Tiny little spots of rain are falling. We are now past 2/3rds distance. Whoa! Sam Lowes almost gets thrown off his bike! That was as close as you can get to wrecking, without actually falling off! Lowes nearly lost it in the Strubben corner. Tom Luthi, down and out. He has crashed at Stekkenwal. The rain flags are being waved around the circuit. The track might start cooling down as Johann Zarco breaks the resolve of Franco Morbidelli in third place. It will be just his second podium finish. Nakagami is holding station.
Completing lap 20, Nakagami holds the advantage. Four laps left. Johann Zarco has a lot to lose, and needs to push. He's quick in sector one. Nakagami takes 3/10ths out of Zarco. Zarco might push a little longer, but might surrender. Franco Morbidelli is dropping into the clutches of Lorenzo Baldassari. The wind is picking up and the temperature is dropping. Correction. The last Japanese rider to win a Grand Prix in Moto2, or 250cc competition, was Yuki Takahashi in 2010 at Catalunya Barcelona riding for Tech3. Three laps left. Zarco is catching Nakagami. Will he have enough left in the locker?
Rain flags reappear. Two laps left for Nakagami. This race isn't over yet. Johann Zarco was a full second quicker than Nakagami on the previous lap. Nakagami will be more nervous whereas Zarco can use Nakagami as his reference. The race has been red flagged. The wind and rain are getting stronger. Takaaki Nakagami wins his first ever Grand Prix motorcycle race in Moto2! It's his 112th Grand Prix. Johann Zarco is the first bloke to congratulate Nakagami. Race Direction and the marshals called that perfectly. At the end, Julian Simon and Danny Kent, have crashed. Zarco and Morbidelli are on the podium.
Julian Simon ran across Danny Kent and chopped him in the rear tire, causing both riders to go down. But, the Moto2 race for the Dutch TT is all about Takaaki Nakagami!
#30 Takaaki Nakagami JPN. Kalex
The next race for Moto2, was run in Germany at the Sachsenring. Stay tuned for a report on that event, coming soon.
Friday, August 19, 2016
MotoGP Round 8: Holland (Dutch TT)
Assen, Holland. "The Cathedral" of speed. The best known, most famous motorcycle racing track, in the world. The race is the Dutch TT (Tourist Trophy). Rain is in the forecast and we could have a "flag-to-flag" race, where there will be no race stoppage, but rather, the bikes will be able to change from dry to wet tires or vice versa. Andrea Dovizioso has pole. This is his first pole in his 150th MotoGP start, and the first pole for Ducati since Andrea Ianonne gave them P1 on the grid at Mugello last year. This is the first time since the Italian round at Mugello in 2011, that the front row of a MotoGP grid, does not have a Spaniard on it. There's lots of water still on the track. Scott Redding qualifies third, and is the first independent team rider to be on the front row of the grid in 2016.
It's not safe to use intermediate tires according to Danilo Petrucci. There is no dry line. In second place, is Valentino Rossi. Marc Marquez is fourth. Start the race on wet tires. But, does the spare bike have intermediate or slick tires on it already? That's going to be a big problem, if the spare bike is not prepped for track condition changes. Remember, Valentino Rossi was the guy to win the last MotoGP race held in wet weather, the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, last September. Rossi also has nine wins here, at Assen. Cal Crutchlow is going to roll off in fifth place. Sixth is Yonny Hernandez. What a great result for the Colombian!
He had a wreck in morning warmup. Pol Espargaro is seventh and he had a huge wreck in the second part of the Ruskenhoek. Again, the track is very wet. The softer wet tire will likely degrade before the harder wet does, but if the track dries out, even the harder one will be a concern. A potential deviation of two seconds per lap, is going to be possible. It's tense on the grid at the moment. No one has experience on the intermediate on this track at the moment. Jorge Lorenzo is tenth, and his crew is drilling holes in the screen so his helmet visor doesn't steam up. Hector Barbera qualified 12th despite having a huge crash in practice.
Bradley Smith is 13th and did well. Smith was on the podium by accident in the most recent flag to flag race at Misano last year. Alvaro Bautista wrecked three times in practice. Dani Pedrosa is way down in 16th place, and that is his worst start since only his third ever MotoGP race at the Turkish Grand Prix in Istanbul, way back in 2006. Stefan Bradl is 17th. Will there be differences in tire selection between some of the top runners? This race is declared wet. So, riders can swap bikes. Tito Rabat starts 19th and had a heavy fall in the morning warmup.
Ducati boss Paolo Ciabatti says Andrea Iannone will start the race with rain tires. Michele Pirro replaces Loris Baz once again. Pirro wrecked in practice. 26 laps scheduled for this race. Tense times before we start at Assen. Scott Redding third. Valentino Rossi in second. On pole, Andrea Dovizioso. The majority of riders have gone with a hard/soft tire setup for these conditions, on the Michelin wets. Scott Redding, Tito Rabat, and both Aprilia's have gone with a soft/soft setup. It's not if, for changing bikes and tires. It's when.
Scott Redding makes his first front row start since 2013, when he was in front for Moto2 action in Great Britain. Redding went on to win that race. The bikes roll off on the warmup lap, but problems surface for Eugene Laverty. Laverty does get going. At Haarbocht (turn one), it is wet. Assen is very narrow, and this contributes to the fact that at the far end of the speedway, it can be wetter, or dryer, than it is at the start/finish line. It is gray and gloomy as the riders are surely on rain tires. It's not raining, but there are dark clouds at the back of the track, and a little wind that could dry it a little bit.
Here are the post time weather conditions. 17 degrees Celsius (62 degrees Fahrenheit), air temperature. 21 degrees Celsius (69 degrees Fahrenheit), track temperature. Not a major difference in ambient vs. track temperatures, because of the cool, rainy conditions. We're ready for a flag to flag race. How long will the wet weather last, as 105,000 fans are here for the first ever Sunday running of the Dutch TT. Parts of the track are now beginning to dry out. Motorcycles have been racing here at Assen for 86 years. They first did so in the town around northern Holland, and then, since 1949, they've raced here at Assen. This is the original. The granddaddy of them all. The only original speed palace retained from the original 1949 world championship calendar.
26 laps of racing about to get underway. Stand by for drama! Round eight of the MotoGP World Championship, is underway! Scott Redding gets a great start from third on the grid. Scott Redding moves into the lead as Andrea Dovizioso is dropping back from pole. Redding runs too hot into turn one, and Valentino Rossi takes advantage. Rossi leads Andrea Dovizioso. Aleix Espargaro is up to third place on the Suzuki. Rossi leads the pack into the world famous Strubben left hand flick, which is turn five. In the wet, it is tiptoe through the tulips here in Holland, to quote the Tiny Tim song. Rossi leads Dovizioso, and let us not forget a flyer of a start from Aleix Espargaro!
Scott Redding has been demoted to eighth spot. Rossi turns his way through Ruskenhoek and down towards Stekkenwal. Rossi snakes his way through De Bult. Marc Marquez wants to pass Aleix Espargaro, but can't make it work just yet. Andrea Ianonne, meanwhile, has charged from the rear of the grid, up into 11th place! Yonny Hernandez also makes a move on Marc Marquez. Cal Crutchlow is pushing as well. Yonny Hernandez makes a pass on Aleix Espargaro. He's coming in a hurry is Yonny Hernandez! He has the Aspar Ducati up to third spot. Andrea Ianonne, meanwhile is attempting to make a move on both Pol Espargaro and Jorge Lorenzo.
Marc Marquez now moves up to fourth place through Stekkenwal. Andrea Ianonne is catching Jorge Lorenzo. Oh my. He's already made the pass. Rossi leads over Dovizioso and Yonny Hernandez is still third. Rossi's pit crew is prepping the spare bike, that has the dry tires on it, should the track begin to dry out. Dani Pedrosa has made up ten places from 16th to sixth. The pavement at the Ramshoek is beginning to dry out. Every team is in the lane now, trying to set up the dry weather motorcycles for their riders. Dani Pedrosa is another rider who went with the softer option wet rear Michelin tire.
Jorge Lorenzo has not had a good feel with the Yamaha all weekend and has had massive bike setup issues, as we witness our first fast lap laid down in this race. It's Hernandez at 1:52.835. ...And, folks, Hernandez leads the Dutch TT, making a move around Rossi! Hernandez leads a MotoGP race for the first time! Rossi ran wide, and Hernandez found the open door and walked right through it. Jorge Lorenzo meanwhile, is dropping like a stone. He had been running fifth, but has sunk to 11th. Scott Redding and Jack Miller have both passed him in the second sector on the track. Danilo Petrucci puts a move on Andrea Iannone. Hernandez, in the lead, throws caution to the wind, and sets down another fastest lap! 1:51.637 is the time.
Hernandez is two seconds quicker than Valentino Rossi right now. The track is drying here at Assen. But, there are still some wet patches to struggle with. Marc Marquez is hanging on in fourth, riding along, seeing what will happen. This is a true conundrum for the riders, as they can't really do much unless the conditions somehow change. Jorge Lorenzo is also having a real bear of a race because he's been passed by Scott Redding, Jack Miller, Alvaro Bautista, Stefan Bradl, and Pol Espargaro. When will the track dry out sufficiently enough that the harder option wet tires will overtake the softer option wet Michelin's insofar as usability and durability?
Some of these blokes just mentioned... Miller, Bautista, Bradl... have nothing to lose. Lorenzo is now 15th in the running order, being put under pressure by Tito Rabat. In the championship, Lorenzo would drop to third, 23 points behind Marc Marquez who is the points leader. Hernandez's Ducati is a bucking bronco. But, he's keeping the wild stallion under control, with another fast lap at 1:50.906. Hernandez is now clear of Rossi by 2.2 seconds. Marc Marquez is still riding in fourth, but Danilo Petrucci, he's going to have other things to say about that. He wants by Marquez, ASAP.
Yes. Petrucci makes his move.
The two riders pursuing Hernandez (who, by the way, has the soft option tire), Valentino Rossi, and Andrea Dovizioso, have done the opposite. They are using the hard option rain tires. Rossi picks up 3/10ths of a second in sector two, and drops the gap to under two seconds. Andrea Ianonne has had enough of Marc Marquez trundling along. "Hey buddy, move it!" Ianonne sweeps by. From the back of the grid, Ianonne is now fifth. These two had a barn burner of a Moto2 race here at Assen in 2011. Hernandez sets another fast lap. But, Danilo Petrucci uses the old cliche of "anything you can, I can do better" and lowers fastest lap to 1:49.864. Hardy har har. Marc Marquez has bested Andrea Ianonne for the time being, in their scrum for fifth.
In the back half of the top fifteen we see riders such as Scott Redding, Dani Pedrosa, Jack Miller, Alvaro Bautista, Aleix Espargaro, Stefan Bradl, Cal Crutchlow, Pol Espargaro, and Bradley Smith. Eugene Laverty is 20th at the moment. Ianonne passes Marquez in the Veenslang headed again for the Ruskenhoek. In the battle for second, Andrea Dovizioso is closing in on Valentino Rossi. Both Suzuki's are having a hard time here at Assen. Aleix Espargaro has dropped to 11th from his third place grid spot, and we haven't heard a peep from Maverick Vinales all day. He's down in 17th spot. He's three seconds slower than the leaders, running in the 1:53 range.
Meanwhile, poor old Jorge Lorenzo is down in eighteenth spot. There's a hint of a dry line on the road. Danilo Petrucci resets fastest lap again. 1:49.319 this time. We know that the track surface here at Assen dries quickly. So, how long will the wet weather Michelin tires hang together on a dry track, as riders may be looking for water if their tires begin to chunk. Most teams are getting the spare bikes up to temperature, with the dry weather setups installed. Will this mean some riders opt to swap bikes? We'll have to wait and find out. The plot thickens, here at Assen. Petrucci has a great ride going in fourth and lowers fast lap, again! 1:48.837!
Lorenzo on the Yamaha continues to languish in 18th, and he's under pressure from Hector Barbera. The leaders are at the far end of the track, going through De Bult. Through Mandeveen and Duikersloot. Now, they start the run back to the start/finish line. Up through Meeuwenmeer, Hoge Heide, and Ramshoek, to the Geert Timmer Bocht, at the end of the lap. Their going to pit soon to swap bikes as we see the riders headed through the Geert Timmer chicane. The pit crews don't get an indication of when their rider will come in. This is not like car racing where you click your radio and say, "I'll pit this lap", and then, the crew chief says, "OK. Pit now, pit now. Box, box, box." There will be pit boards out on the wall saying when a rider will hit the lane.
New fast lap for one D. Petrucci. 1:48.339. He's cooking! The top six riders are actually all running 1:48s. So, the track is drying out, fast. Crutchlow should inherit ninth from a fading Dani Pedrosa. Rossi is gapping Andrea Dovizioso as well. Rain is here, ladies and gentlemen. The umbrellas are going up in the grandstands. It is surely raining at Mandeveen and Duikersloot. The white flag with the red X on it, is out. That's the rain flag. The rain is at the top end of the circuit at the moment. Hernandez leads Rossi by 3.6 seconds. Danilo Petrucci is now coming back into contention for a possible podium finish, folks. Rain in pit lane. If it starts raining, the harder option tires will be a good thing to be on.
Cal Crutchlow has made his way to eighth spot. Hernandez is still the fastest chap on the road with a 1:49.265. Dovizioso has clawed back half a second on Rossi and is right on his rear wheel! Ominous, dark clouds veil the skies here at Assen. It's bucketing down with rain at the top end of the track. The faucet is turned on. We see spraying water off the tires through Duikersloot and Mandeveen. Could Yonny Hernandez pull off the ultimate upset in the 86 year history of this great race? We'll have to wait and see. Let us not forget, that the last time a MotoGP race was run by a non-factory rider, was a decade ago. Toni Elias (who is now racing in MotoAmerica in the U.S.) pulled off the feat, in Portugal.
Dovizioso is now up into second on the Ducati. The rain is bucketing down. Riders have not ridden in a heavy downpour this weekend yet, and now, they are doing just that. It could play into the hands of a rider like Yonny Hernandez, if he's got enough rubber left on his rear tire. Valentino Rossi has to think, championship. He's ahead of both Marquez and Lorenzo at this stage of the game. Stay on the motorcycle, sunshine, even in this rain. If indeed Yonny Hernandez wins this race, it would be Ducati's first MotoGP win, since Casey Stoner won his home Grand Prix in Australia, at Phillip Island, in 2010. The Ducatisti back in Bologna, as well as the team, will be gnawing on their fingernails, hoping for a miracle.
We have 15 laps left in this race as the rain pours. They dive through turn one at Harbocht to start another lap. Oh no! Just as we were singing his praises, the commentator's curse, strikes Yonny Hernandez! He's fallen off the bike! Poor Yonny Hernandez! The moment of his life, to be a possible first-time MotoGP winner, has slipped through his fingers! Ducati's chances are still there, with Andrea Dovizioso. But, Valentino Rossi in second, well, "The Doctor" could have other plans. Dovizioso wants only his second ever MotoGP win. But, there's a long way to go yet. We haven't even quite reached half distance in this race yet.
The spare bikes that were set for dry running, are now being converted back to a wet setup. If guys who have burned up their wet tires, need to, they could have a spare motorcycle with some fresh wet skins on it, for the run to the flag. The Ducati mechanics are obviously nervous. They have a first win in six years, within their grasp, if Andrea Dovizioso can hold on. In the championship, Valentino Rossi will cut Marc Marquez's points lead down, to a mere dozen markers. Jorge Lorenzo is going to really lose out. Michele Pirro just passed him for 20th place. There's standing water on the road. Yonny Hernandez is in the lane, changing bikes.
But, for Hernandez, it is game over in terms of a race win. He will have to salvage points, and that's all he can do. Fourteen laps left and Rossi is closing on Andrea Dovizioso. We're not even halfway home yet and the plot thickens. This is a recurring theme. Recall back to the Great Britain even last year. Who was on the podium at the British GP last September? These three riders who now lead the Dutch TT. Dovizioso, Rossi, and Petrucci. Scott Redding is up to fourth, behind these guys, having an awesome ride as well. Oh dear! Game over for Andrea Iannone who was running in fifth! He spills the bike, in the wet. Petrucci passes Rossi. Rossi comes back through on Petrucci at turn seven. There's so much water on the road now, riders can't do anything but get massive amounts of wheel spin.
Scott Redding could make it on to the podium before this race is over. Out of the top four riders, Redding is the only bloke using the softer option wet rear Michelin tire. Petrucci gets around Rossi into Duikersloot. Three Ducati's in the top four at the moment. Just twelve laps now remain in this race, folks. Redding moves to third. A Ducati 1-2-3 here at Assen! Can they hold station in the rain? Well, that's easier said than done. Deary me. Yonny Hernandez has crashed out of this race for a second time. It's without doubt game over for rider #68. The Colombian, retires from the event. Visibility is now a massive problem. Because of the standing water, the riders cannot see where they are going.
Rossi passes Redding through the Ramshoek, and Redding wants to come back on Rossi. Redding can't quite make it. Marc Marquez, Dani Pedrosa, and Cal Crutchlow, are all now coming back into the fray. Seven riders could be fighting for the win in the biggest MotoGP race of them all, the Dutch TT! Redding passes Rossi in the spray. Folks, we've got a red flag now. This track is too wet to race on, with eleven laps left to run. None of the riders can be too happy about this. But, visibility is also a really tough issue. Scott Redding is furious about this, and the Repsol Honda rider's, (Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa), are both unhappy about it.
But, this is like Sepang, in Malaysia. It's so wet, that it's like taking a shower with your clothes on. The last full lap, was lap 14. There might be a new, shortened race, now. In Sepang, Malaysia, we expect these monsoon conditions. But not at a race in Europe. Restarting this race will hinge on the weather. We won't be getting a restart now. 20 minutes ago we were talking about a drying track. But that's not the case now. Andrea Dovizioso might not have a chance at winning this thing, now. We'll have to wait and see where we're at.
The red flag is due to standing water. Then, restarting, we'd shorten this race to 12 laps. There will be a new race. In replay, we see that Valentino Rossi did not have his red rain light on. The Michelin tires are not too worn out. But, what rain tires will these blokes go for? Probably the soft tires. When, or will, we start a new race? We watch in replay, Andrea Ianonne's wreck. Andrea Dovizioso did a 2:01.190 as the leader. Jorge Lorenzo was six seconds off the pace. The rain is getting even heavier now. Yonny Hernandez won't be able to restart the race. It is raining harder now, than it was when the riders were out in the race, earlier.
This is rain of biblical proportions. We hope to see a new, 12 lap race, folks. But, we don't know. Only God knows when this race is going to restart. The front row will be Dovizioso, Petrucci, and Rossi. The standings will be based on the end of lap 14. The BMW safety car, looks like a speedboat going around in these conditions. The clouds are just starting to break up. But the standing water is incredible. Jack Miller is running eighth right now. Dani Pedrosa was perturbed at the red flag, because he was running five seconds a lap faster than was Andrea Dovizioso, cutting 1:56.1 lap times.
Dani Pedrosa won a race in monsoon conditions very similar to this, in Malaysia, in 2012. The rain is lightening up, and there's some sun coming through. Yours truly, is giggling with glee, like a little kid. Why? After all this rain, and all the concerns about flooding, the sun, is now out, at Assen! The weather does a complete 180! We may be able to grow some tulips out here, and play Tiny Tim's song, "Tiptoe Through The Tulips", after all! Hehehehe. When the red flag came out, the championship shaped up, with Marc Marquez, leading Valentino Rossi, by 17 points. Jorge Lorenzo was a further 21 points back, and Dani Pedrosa, 44 points behind.
Will we see a wet track or a dry one for this race? We start this race now, from scratch. IRTA marshals are reminding teams of the quick restart procedure. There is a five minute clock for the riders to get back out there on the grid. Remember Moto2 at Mugello? That was a mess. Hopefully this one won't be as chaotic. Pit lane opens in ten minutes. Marshals clear water away from the Strubben. Andrea Ianonne might just make the restart. It's a new page, a new chapter, that is about to be written. What happened before, only determined the grid positions. It's a 12 lap, Sunday afternoon shootout.
There are no Sunday newspapers in Holland. So, the fans have found other things to do, waiting for this race to restart. Shohei Nakamato (VP of Honda Racing Corporation) talks to Paolo Ciabatti (Sporting Director of Ducati Corse). There's still a lot of standing water in the chicane as marshals sweep the water away before the pit lane opens in four minutes, for the 12 lap dash. Gigi Dall'Igna, from Ducati, looking on. The championship leaders such as Rossi, and Marquez, they can't take risks in these conditions. Those down the points table, who haven't got a shot, they could throw caution to the wind, if they chose, just as long as they don't crash. Pit lane will open very soon.
The riders filter out of pit lane for the quick restart procedure, on a fully wet track, for a dozen laps. Stay off the white curbs. They are slick and wet. The spray isn't a concern. But, the standing water, is. All riders, on this restart, with the exception of Jack Miller, will have the soft/soft tire combination for wet weather Michelin rubber, on their bikes. Miller has a soft front matched with a hard rear. Today's race marks the 250th four-stroke MotoGP race in history. Riders are on their warmup lap. Let's check the weather conditions again, for the restart. 15 degrees Celsius (59 degrees Fahrenheit), air temperature. 20 degrees Celsius (68 degrees Fahrenheit), track temperature, with a southwest wind.
Lots of water still in the Strubben corner. Visibility isn't so good going between the Veenslang and the Ruskenhoek. The track will still be wet. Everyone is on the softer option rear Michelin. 12 laps. Round eight of the MotoGP World Championship, is now, a totally new race. The 86th running of the Dutch TT, is seconds away. Red lights on. Red lights out! We're racing at the Dutch TT! Danilo Petrucci and Valentino Rossi get away well. But, Andrea Dovizioso will lead into the first turn at the Haarbocht. Some argy bargy between Scott Redding and Marc Marquez. Marc Marquez takes the lead from Redding on the inside!
Marquez runs wide, and Dovizioso takes the place back. Cal Crutchlow is up to fourth as we see a bike sliding off the road! Aleix Espargaro does some nearly agricultural racing with his Suzuki. Marc Marquez is right in the thick of it, and Jack Miller looks to be moving up. Danilo Petrucci and Dani Pedrosa are in contention, too. They rocket through the Veenslang for the first time in this new race. Scott Redding has to maintain his composure. He started on row two, but has been blitzed at the start and is down to 11th spot. Jack Miller has now moved into fourth spot. Through De Bult corner, Dani Pedrosa ditches his bike!
Valentino Rossi has taken the lead of this race. Cal Crutchlow has also crashed. Riders are pushing hard, trying to find the limit, on these stone cold rain tires. Crutchlow has now wrecked four times this weekend. Right now, our top ten in this race is:
1. Valentino Rossi
2. Andrea Dovizioso
3. Marc Marquez
4. Jack Miller
5. Danilo Petrucci
6. Pol Espargaro
7. Bradley Smith
8. Scott Redding
9. Tito Rabat
10. Eugene Laverty
Rossi's rain light on the back of his Yamaha is working this time. Rossi won the race here in 2015, and has won at Assen, nine times. Jorge Lorenzo runs 14th at the moment. Oh dear! Problems for Danilo Petrucci. Oh no! Andrea Dovizioso has now crashed out of this race! Ducati's luck, goes from bad to worse! Game over for Dovizioso in turn 12, Meeuwenmeer. Valentino Rossi has a two second lead over Marc Marquez and sets fastest lap at 1:49.485. With ten laps to go, though, Jack Miller, is in third! He's on the podium! Dovizioso crashed when the front end of his Ducati washes away.
Bradley Smith has also crashed. This has become a race of survival. An endurance race, if you will. Rear tire grip on these Michelin's has been good. But there has been concern about the grip or lack thereof, on the front tire. Oh no! Rossi's gone down! He's down and out, too! Jack Miller is up to second, and Marc Marquez now leads the Dutch TT with ten laps left. The front end of Rossi's Yamaha washes out through Mandeveen. Off throttle, trailing the brake, the front end of the Yamaha YZR M1 washes away and crash... into the gravel, Rossi goes. Jack Miller has closed up on Marc Marquez. This is your lead battle, ladies and gentlemen, for the win in the Dutch TT!
Aleix Espargaro wrecks the Suzuki. Bradley Smith is entering pit lane. Smith appears to have also crashed out. Bradley Smith is being sent from the lane, on the bike he's already crashed. Rossi is beside himself. He could have recorded his first back-to-back wins in the premier class of MotoGP, since 2009. Not today. Jack Miller in second, will be whipping his fans in Australia into a frenzy! Jack Miller goes inside Marc Marquez and leads the Dutch TT!
Jack Miller leads a MotoGP race for the first time in his career. Pol Espargaro is now third, and on the podium, but coming under pressure from Scott Redding. These two tussled it out in Moto2 in years past. Andrea Iannone is now fifth, after starting at the back of the grid, and crashing earlier on. Jack Miller could rewrite the history books in MotoGP in seven laps. Marc Marquez might get his second straight second place finish. Tito Rabat has crashed out of the race. Jorge Lorenzo is now stone last in this Dutch TT, is 12th spot, with only a dozen riders that took the start after the race was restarted due to the red flags earlier.
Jack Miller led the Moto3 race here a few years back and crashed out in turn one. Miller is riding the race of his life right now. Miller's lead stretches to over a second. 1.1 seconds. Estrella Galicia has the softer option rear tire on Miller's Honda motorcycle. With Rossi's wreck, the points are adjusted. Lorenzo will trail Marquez by 25 markers, and Rossi, will be 42 points behind. This race is the third DNF for Rossi in 2016. Pol Espargaro and Scott Redding continue their battle for third. The track is drying with five laps left. Miller could actually be on the hard option rear tire, although the Estrella Galicia Marc VDS Honda team is not saying exactly if it is or not.
Alvaro Bautista is bearing down on Stefan Bradl, and Bradl has been passed by Hector Barbera. Eugene Laverty remains ninth. Maverick Vinales and Jorge Lorenzo are way down in tenth and 11th, and those two blokes are usually fighting for podium honors. The gap to Marc Marquez is 1.1 seconds. The gap is just 1.8 seconds between Miller and Marquez, coming through the Ramshoek and into the chicane. Miller came from Moto3 straight into MotoGP, skipping past Moto2 altogether. Four laps remain now. Marc Marquez is 1.3 second behind. Pol Espargaro is just holding off Scott Redding.
The sun is shining now at Assen. Miller leads Marquez by 1.3 seconds, through the Veenslang and the Ruskenhoek. Tito Rabat has rejoined the race and will likely finish 12th. Miller is two seconds clear of Marquez. Pol Espargaro has 3/10ths of a second over Scott Redding. Espargaro will earn his first career MotoGP podium should the order stay as is. Miller's lead is 2.1 seconds with three laps left. Bradley Smith runs off the road another time, into the gravel, and then he pulls back on track. Jack Miller is about to join elite company of Australian riders who have won in MotoGP. Riders like Casey Stoner, Mick Doohan, Darryl Beattie, Kevin McGee.
Two laps to go. Scott Redding dives inside Pol Espargaro and makes it stick. Two laps left. Aussie Chris Vermuellen has also won in MotoGP. He gave Suzuki their last win in the premier class of MotoGP in 2007, at Le Mans in the wet. Miller has ridden brilliantly in this Dutch TT. Marc Marquez pulls back 4/10ths of a second in the second split. But, that might not be enough. One lap to go. Through Haarbocht, Miller just has to concentrate. Scott Redding runs his best lap of the race at 1:49.866. Redding has blown Pol Espargaro into the weeds. Miller has 2.6 seconds in hand in the first sector. He's coming closer, to his first MotoGP win!
Hold your concentration and your nerve for half a lap. He's safe through De Bult, and into Mandeveen one final time. Two corners to go at the Ramshoek and the Geert Timmer chicane. One of the Aprilia's has crashed on the final lap. Not a factor. Jack Miller into the final chicane for the final time. It's right, and now it's left, and right again. Jack Miller has done it! Jack Miller wins the Dutch TT!
#43 Jack Miller AUS. Honda
Miller celebrates with a wheelie! Marc Marquez also celebrates with 20 points! Miller becomes the first non-factory rider to win a MotoGP race since Toni Elias did it in Portugal in 2006. Miller had all sorts of injuries early in the season and had to miss the race at Circuit of the Americas in Texas. Jorge Lorenzo finishes tenth. A pivotal moment, too, for points, with the crash for Valentino Rossi. The first ever Sunday race at Assen was a bonanza! Miller is the first Aussie to win in MotoGP since Casey Stoner.
Miller made absolutely no mistakes in this race. Miller almost fell off the bike, but pulled off a standing wheelie that was just amazing. Miller does a lot of burnouts. So long, Michelin rear tire! Miller missed the tests due to a fractured leg. Miller wins the first Dutch TT to be run on a Sunday. Dani Pedrosa, Tito Rabat, and Bradley Smith, all crashed. But, they actually all finished in the points. What a wild race!
Andrea Iannone finishes fifth. You could write a book on the story of the 2016 Dutch TT. A race that will go down in history. Well done, Jack Miller! Marc Marquez has a 24 point lead in the championship. The next race in MotoGP, was in Germany, at the Sachsenring in Saxony, Germany. Stay tuned for that.
It's not safe to use intermediate tires according to Danilo Petrucci. There is no dry line. In second place, is Valentino Rossi. Marc Marquez is fourth. Start the race on wet tires. But, does the spare bike have intermediate or slick tires on it already? That's going to be a big problem, if the spare bike is not prepped for track condition changes. Remember, Valentino Rossi was the guy to win the last MotoGP race held in wet weather, the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, last September. Rossi also has nine wins here, at Assen. Cal Crutchlow is going to roll off in fifth place. Sixth is Yonny Hernandez. What a great result for the Colombian!
He had a wreck in morning warmup. Pol Espargaro is seventh and he had a huge wreck in the second part of the Ruskenhoek. Again, the track is very wet. The softer wet tire will likely degrade before the harder wet does, but if the track dries out, even the harder one will be a concern. A potential deviation of two seconds per lap, is going to be possible. It's tense on the grid at the moment. No one has experience on the intermediate on this track at the moment. Jorge Lorenzo is tenth, and his crew is drilling holes in the screen so his helmet visor doesn't steam up. Hector Barbera qualified 12th despite having a huge crash in practice.
Bradley Smith is 13th and did well. Smith was on the podium by accident in the most recent flag to flag race at Misano last year. Alvaro Bautista wrecked three times in practice. Dani Pedrosa is way down in 16th place, and that is his worst start since only his third ever MotoGP race at the Turkish Grand Prix in Istanbul, way back in 2006. Stefan Bradl is 17th. Will there be differences in tire selection between some of the top runners? This race is declared wet. So, riders can swap bikes. Tito Rabat starts 19th and had a heavy fall in the morning warmup.
Ducati boss Paolo Ciabatti says Andrea Iannone will start the race with rain tires. Michele Pirro replaces Loris Baz once again. Pirro wrecked in practice. 26 laps scheduled for this race. Tense times before we start at Assen. Scott Redding third. Valentino Rossi in second. On pole, Andrea Dovizioso. The majority of riders have gone with a hard/soft tire setup for these conditions, on the Michelin wets. Scott Redding, Tito Rabat, and both Aprilia's have gone with a soft/soft setup. It's not if, for changing bikes and tires. It's when.
Scott Redding makes his first front row start since 2013, when he was in front for Moto2 action in Great Britain. Redding went on to win that race. The bikes roll off on the warmup lap, but problems surface for Eugene Laverty. Laverty does get going. At Haarbocht (turn one), it is wet. Assen is very narrow, and this contributes to the fact that at the far end of the speedway, it can be wetter, or dryer, than it is at the start/finish line. It is gray and gloomy as the riders are surely on rain tires. It's not raining, but there are dark clouds at the back of the track, and a little wind that could dry it a little bit.
Here are the post time weather conditions. 17 degrees Celsius (62 degrees Fahrenheit), air temperature. 21 degrees Celsius (69 degrees Fahrenheit), track temperature. Not a major difference in ambient vs. track temperatures, because of the cool, rainy conditions. We're ready for a flag to flag race. How long will the wet weather last, as 105,000 fans are here for the first ever Sunday running of the Dutch TT. Parts of the track are now beginning to dry out. Motorcycles have been racing here at Assen for 86 years. They first did so in the town around northern Holland, and then, since 1949, they've raced here at Assen. This is the original. The granddaddy of them all. The only original speed palace retained from the original 1949 world championship calendar.
26 laps of racing about to get underway. Stand by for drama! Round eight of the MotoGP World Championship, is underway! Scott Redding gets a great start from third on the grid. Scott Redding moves into the lead as Andrea Dovizioso is dropping back from pole. Redding runs too hot into turn one, and Valentino Rossi takes advantage. Rossi leads Andrea Dovizioso. Aleix Espargaro is up to third place on the Suzuki. Rossi leads the pack into the world famous Strubben left hand flick, which is turn five. In the wet, it is tiptoe through the tulips here in Holland, to quote the Tiny Tim song. Rossi leads Dovizioso, and let us not forget a flyer of a start from Aleix Espargaro!
Scott Redding has been demoted to eighth spot. Rossi turns his way through Ruskenhoek and down towards Stekkenwal. Rossi snakes his way through De Bult. Marc Marquez wants to pass Aleix Espargaro, but can't make it work just yet. Andrea Ianonne, meanwhile, has charged from the rear of the grid, up into 11th place! Yonny Hernandez also makes a move on Marc Marquez. Cal Crutchlow is pushing as well. Yonny Hernandez makes a pass on Aleix Espargaro. He's coming in a hurry is Yonny Hernandez! He has the Aspar Ducati up to third spot. Andrea Ianonne, meanwhile is attempting to make a move on both Pol Espargaro and Jorge Lorenzo.
Marc Marquez now moves up to fourth place through Stekkenwal. Andrea Ianonne is catching Jorge Lorenzo. Oh my. He's already made the pass. Rossi leads over Dovizioso and Yonny Hernandez is still third. Rossi's pit crew is prepping the spare bike, that has the dry tires on it, should the track begin to dry out. Dani Pedrosa has made up ten places from 16th to sixth. The pavement at the Ramshoek is beginning to dry out. Every team is in the lane now, trying to set up the dry weather motorcycles for their riders. Dani Pedrosa is another rider who went with the softer option wet rear Michelin tire.
Jorge Lorenzo has not had a good feel with the Yamaha all weekend and has had massive bike setup issues, as we witness our first fast lap laid down in this race. It's Hernandez at 1:52.835. ...And, folks, Hernandez leads the Dutch TT, making a move around Rossi! Hernandez leads a MotoGP race for the first time! Rossi ran wide, and Hernandez found the open door and walked right through it. Jorge Lorenzo meanwhile, is dropping like a stone. He had been running fifth, but has sunk to 11th. Scott Redding and Jack Miller have both passed him in the second sector on the track. Danilo Petrucci puts a move on Andrea Iannone. Hernandez, in the lead, throws caution to the wind, and sets down another fastest lap! 1:51.637 is the time.
Hernandez is two seconds quicker than Valentino Rossi right now. The track is drying here at Assen. But, there are still some wet patches to struggle with. Marc Marquez is hanging on in fourth, riding along, seeing what will happen. This is a true conundrum for the riders, as they can't really do much unless the conditions somehow change. Jorge Lorenzo is also having a real bear of a race because he's been passed by Scott Redding, Jack Miller, Alvaro Bautista, Stefan Bradl, and Pol Espargaro. When will the track dry out sufficiently enough that the harder option wet tires will overtake the softer option wet Michelin's insofar as usability and durability?
Some of these blokes just mentioned... Miller, Bautista, Bradl... have nothing to lose. Lorenzo is now 15th in the running order, being put under pressure by Tito Rabat. In the championship, Lorenzo would drop to third, 23 points behind Marc Marquez who is the points leader. Hernandez's Ducati is a bucking bronco. But, he's keeping the wild stallion under control, with another fast lap at 1:50.906. Hernandez is now clear of Rossi by 2.2 seconds. Marc Marquez is still riding in fourth, but Danilo Petrucci, he's going to have other things to say about that. He wants by Marquez, ASAP.
Yes. Petrucci makes his move.
The two riders pursuing Hernandez (who, by the way, has the soft option tire), Valentino Rossi, and Andrea Dovizioso, have done the opposite. They are using the hard option rain tires. Rossi picks up 3/10ths of a second in sector two, and drops the gap to under two seconds. Andrea Ianonne has had enough of Marc Marquez trundling along. "Hey buddy, move it!" Ianonne sweeps by. From the back of the grid, Ianonne is now fifth. These two had a barn burner of a Moto2 race here at Assen in 2011. Hernandez sets another fast lap. But, Danilo Petrucci uses the old cliche of "anything you can, I can do better" and lowers fastest lap to 1:49.864. Hardy har har. Marc Marquez has bested Andrea Ianonne for the time being, in their scrum for fifth.
In the back half of the top fifteen we see riders such as Scott Redding, Dani Pedrosa, Jack Miller, Alvaro Bautista, Aleix Espargaro, Stefan Bradl, Cal Crutchlow, Pol Espargaro, and Bradley Smith. Eugene Laverty is 20th at the moment. Ianonne passes Marquez in the Veenslang headed again for the Ruskenhoek. In the battle for second, Andrea Dovizioso is closing in on Valentino Rossi. Both Suzuki's are having a hard time here at Assen. Aleix Espargaro has dropped to 11th from his third place grid spot, and we haven't heard a peep from Maverick Vinales all day. He's down in 17th spot. He's three seconds slower than the leaders, running in the 1:53 range.
Meanwhile, poor old Jorge Lorenzo is down in eighteenth spot. There's a hint of a dry line on the road. Danilo Petrucci resets fastest lap again. 1:49.319 this time. We know that the track surface here at Assen dries quickly. So, how long will the wet weather Michelin tires hang together on a dry track, as riders may be looking for water if their tires begin to chunk. Most teams are getting the spare bikes up to temperature, with the dry weather setups installed. Will this mean some riders opt to swap bikes? We'll have to wait and find out. The plot thickens, here at Assen. Petrucci has a great ride going in fourth and lowers fast lap, again! 1:48.837!
Lorenzo on the Yamaha continues to languish in 18th, and he's under pressure from Hector Barbera. The leaders are at the far end of the track, going through De Bult. Through Mandeveen and Duikersloot. Now, they start the run back to the start/finish line. Up through Meeuwenmeer, Hoge Heide, and Ramshoek, to the Geert Timmer Bocht, at the end of the lap. Their going to pit soon to swap bikes as we see the riders headed through the Geert Timmer chicane. The pit crews don't get an indication of when their rider will come in. This is not like car racing where you click your radio and say, "I'll pit this lap", and then, the crew chief says, "OK. Pit now, pit now. Box, box, box." There will be pit boards out on the wall saying when a rider will hit the lane.
New fast lap for one D. Petrucci. 1:48.339. He's cooking! The top six riders are actually all running 1:48s. So, the track is drying out, fast. Crutchlow should inherit ninth from a fading Dani Pedrosa. Rossi is gapping Andrea Dovizioso as well. Rain is here, ladies and gentlemen. The umbrellas are going up in the grandstands. It is surely raining at Mandeveen and Duikersloot. The white flag with the red X on it, is out. That's the rain flag. The rain is at the top end of the circuit at the moment. Hernandez leads Rossi by 3.6 seconds. Danilo Petrucci is now coming back into contention for a possible podium finish, folks. Rain in pit lane. If it starts raining, the harder option tires will be a good thing to be on.
Cal Crutchlow has made his way to eighth spot. Hernandez is still the fastest chap on the road with a 1:49.265. Dovizioso has clawed back half a second on Rossi and is right on his rear wheel! Ominous, dark clouds veil the skies here at Assen. It's bucketing down with rain at the top end of the track. The faucet is turned on. We see spraying water off the tires through Duikersloot and Mandeveen. Could Yonny Hernandez pull off the ultimate upset in the 86 year history of this great race? We'll have to wait and see. Let us not forget, that the last time a MotoGP race was run by a non-factory rider, was a decade ago. Toni Elias (who is now racing in MotoAmerica in the U.S.) pulled off the feat, in Portugal.
Dovizioso is now up into second on the Ducati. The rain is bucketing down. Riders have not ridden in a heavy downpour this weekend yet, and now, they are doing just that. It could play into the hands of a rider like Yonny Hernandez, if he's got enough rubber left on his rear tire. Valentino Rossi has to think, championship. He's ahead of both Marquez and Lorenzo at this stage of the game. Stay on the motorcycle, sunshine, even in this rain. If indeed Yonny Hernandez wins this race, it would be Ducati's first MotoGP win, since Casey Stoner won his home Grand Prix in Australia, at Phillip Island, in 2010. The Ducatisti back in Bologna, as well as the team, will be gnawing on their fingernails, hoping for a miracle.
We have 15 laps left in this race as the rain pours. They dive through turn one at Harbocht to start another lap. Oh no! Just as we were singing his praises, the commentator's curse, strikes Yonny Hernandez! He's fallen off the bike! Poor Yonny Hernandez! The moment of his life, to be a possible first-time MotoGP winner, has slipped through his fingers! Ducati's chances are still there, with Andrea Dovizioso. But, Valentino Rossi in second, well, "The Doctor" could have other plans. Dovizioso wants only his second ever MotoGP win. But, there's a long way to go yet. We haven't even quite reached half distance in this race yet.
The spare bikes that were set for dry running, are now being converted back to a wet setup. If guys who have burned up their wet tires, need to, they could have a spare motorcycle with some fresh wet skins on it, for the run to the flag. The Ducati mechanics are obviously nervous. They have a first win in six years, within their grasp, if Andrea Dovizioso can hold on. In the championship, Valentino Rossi will cut Marc Marquez's points lead down, to a mere dozen markers. Jorge Lorenzo is going to really lose out. Michele Pirro just passed him for 20th place. There's standing water on the road. Yonny Hernandez is in the lane, changing bikes.
But, for Hernandez, it is game over in terms of a race win. He will have to salvage points, and that's all he can do. Fourteen laps left and Rossi is closing on Andrea Dovizioso. We're not even halfway home yet and the plot thickens. This is a recurring theme. Recall back to the Great Britain even last year. Who was on the podium at the British GP last September? These three riders who now lead the Dutch TT. Dovizioso, Rossi, and Petrucci. Scott Redding is up to fourth, behind these guys, having an awesome ride as well. Oh dear! Game over for Andrea Iannone who was running in fifth! He spills the bike, in the wet. Petrucci passes Rossi. Rossi comes back through on Petrucci at turn seven. There's so much water on the road now, riders can't do anything but get massive amounts of wheel spin.
Scott Redding could make it on to the podium before this race is over. Out of the top four riders, Redding is the only bloke using the softer option wet rear Michelin tire. Petrucci gets around Rossi into Duikersloot. Three Ducati's in the top four at the moment. Just twelve laps now remain in this race, folks. Redding moves to third. A Ducati 1-2-3 here at Assen! Can they hold station in the rain? Well, that's easier said than done. Deary me. Yonny Hernandez has crashed out of this race for a second time. It's without doubt game over for rider #68. The Colombian, retires from the event. Visibility is now a massive problem. Because of the standing water, the riders cannot see where they are going.
Rossi passes Redding through the Ramshoek, and Redding wants to come back on Rossi. Redding can't quite make it. Marc Marquez, Dani Pedrosa, and Cal Crutchlow, are all now coming back into the fray. Seven riders could be fighting for the win in the biggest MotoGP race of them all, the Dutch TT! Redding passes Rossi in the spray. Folks, we've got a red flag now. This track is too wet to race on, with eleven laps left to run. None of the riders can be too happy about this. But, visibility is also a really tough issue. Scott Redding is furious about this, and the Repsol Honda rider's, (Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa), are both unhappy about it.
But, this is like Sepang, in Malaysia. It's so wet, that it's like taking a shower with your clothes on. The last full lap, was lap 14. There might be a new, shortened race, now. In Sepang, Malaysia, we expect these monsoon conditions. But not at a race in Europe. Restarting this race will hinge on the weather. We won't be getting a restart now. 20 minutes ago we were talking about a drying track. But that's not the case now. Andrea Dovizioso might not have a chance at winning this thing, now. We'll have to wait and see where we're at.
The red flag is due to standing water. Then, restarting, we'd shorten this race to 12 laps. There will be a new race. In replay, we see that Valentino Rossi did not have his red rain light on. The Michelin tires are not too worn out. But, what rain tires will these blokes go for? Probably the soft tires. When, or will, we start a new race? We watch in replay, Andrea Ianonne's wreck. Andrea Dovizioso did a 2:01.190 as the leader. Jorge Lorenzo was six seconds off the pace. The rain is getting even heavier now. Yonny Hernandez won't be able to restart the race. It is raining harder now, than it was when the riders were out in the race, earlier.
This is rain of biblical proportions. We hope to see a new, 12 lap race, folks. But, we don't know. Only God knows when this race is going to restart. The front row will be Dovizioso, Petrucci, and Rossi. The standings will be based on the end of lap 14. The BMW safety car, looks like a speedboat going around in these conditions. The clouds are just starting to break up. But the standing water is incredible. Jack Miller is running eighth right now. Dani Pedrosa was perturbed at the red flag, because he was running five seconds a lap faster than was Andrea Dovizioso, cutting 1:56.1 lap times.
Dani Pedrosa won a race in monsoon conditions very similar to this, in Malaysia, in 2012. The rain is lightening up, and there's some sun coming through. Yours truly, is giggling with glee, like a little kid. Why? After all this rain, and all the concerns about flooding, the sun, is now out, at Assen! The weather does a complete 180! We may be able to grow some tulips out here, and play Tiny Tim's song, "Tiptoe Through The Tulips", after all! Hehehehe. When the red flag came out, the championship shaped up, with Marc Marquez, leading Valentino Rossi, by 17 points. Jorge Lorenzo was a further 21 points back, and Dani Pedrosa, 44 points behind.
Will we see a wet track or a dry one for this race? We start this race now, from scratch. IRTA marshals are reminding teams of the quick restart procedure. There is a five minute clock for the riders to get back out there on the grid. Remember Moto2 at Mugello? That was a mess. Hopefully this one won't be as chaotic. Pit lane opens in ten minutes. Marshals clear water away from the Strubben. Andrea Ianonne might just make the restart. It's a new page, a new chapter, that is about to be written. What happened before, only determined the grid positions. It's a 12 lap, Sunday afternoon shootout.
There are no Sunday newspapers in Holland. So, the fans have found other things to do, waiting for this race to restart. Shohei Nakamato (VP of Honda Racing Corporation) talks to Paolo Ciabatti (Sporting Director of Ducati Corse). There's still a lot of standing water in the chicane as marshals sweep the water away before the pit lane opens in four minutes, for the 12 lap dash. Gigi Dall'Igna, from Ducati, looking on. The championship leaders such as Rossi, and Marquez, they can't take risks in these conditions. Those down the points table, who haven't got a shot, they could throw caution to the wind, if they chose, just as long as they don't crash. Pit lane will open very soon.
The riders filter out of pit lane for the quick restart procedure, on a fully wet track, for a dozen laps. Stay off the white curbs. They are slick and wet. The spray isn't a concern. But, the standing water, is. All riders, on this restart, with the exception of Jack Miller, will have the soft/soft tire combination for wet weather Michelin rubber, on their bikes. Miller has a soft front matched with a hard rear. Today's race marks the 250th four-stroke MotoGP race in history. Riders are on their warmup lap. Let's check the weather conditions again, for the restart. 15 degrees Celsius (59 degrees Fahrenheit), air temperature. 20 degrees Celsius (68 degrees Fahrenheit), track temperature, with a southwest wind.
Lots of water still in the Strubben corner. Visibility isn't so good going between the Veenslang and the Ruskenhoek. The track will still be wet. Everyone is on the softer option rear Michelin. 12 laps. Round eight of the MotoGP World Championship, is now, a totally new race. The 86th running of the Dutch TT, is seconds away. Red lights on. Red lights out! We're racing at the Dutch TT! Danilo Petrucci and Valentino Rossi get away well. But, Andrea Dovizioso will lead into the first turn at the Haarbocht. Some argy bargy between Scott Redding and Marc Marquez. Marc Marquez takes the lead from Redding on the inside!
Marquez runs wide, and Dovizioso takes the place back. Cal Crutchlow is up to fourth as we see a bike sliding off the road! Aleix Espargaro does some nearly agricultural racing with his Suzuki. Marc Marquez is right in the thick of it, and Jack Miller looks to be moving up. Danilo Petrucci and Dani Pedrosa are in contention, too. They rocket through the Veenslang for the first time in this new race. Scott Redding has to maintain his composure. He started on row two, but has been blitzed at the start and is down to 11th spot. Jack Miller has now moved into fourth spot. Through De Bult corner, Dani Pedrosa ditches his bike!
Valentino Rossi has taken the lead of this race. Cal Crutchlow has also crashed. Riders are pushing hard, trying to find the limit, on these stone cold rain tires. Crutchlow has now wrecked four times this weekend. Right now, our top ten in this race is:
1. Valentino Rossi
2. Andrea Dovizioso
3. Marc Marquez
4. Jack Miller
5. Danilo Petrucci
6. Pol Espargaro
7. Bradley Smith
8. Scott Redding
9. Tito Rabat
10. Eugene Laverty
Rossi's rain light on the back of his Yamaha is working this time. Rossi won the race here in 2015, and has won at Assen, nine times. Jorge Lorenzo runs 14th at the moment. Oh dear! Problems for Danilo Petrucci. Oh no! Andrea Dovizioso has now crashed out of this race! Ducati's luck, goes from bad to worse! Game over for Dovizioso in turn 12, Meeuwenmeer. Valentino Rossi has a two second lead over Marc Marquez and sets fastest lap at 1:49.485. With ten laps to go, though, Jack Miller, is in third! He's on the podium! Dovizioso crashed when the front end of his Ducati washes away.
Bradley Smith has also crashed. This has become a race of survival. An endurance race, if you will. Rear tire grip on these Michelin's has been good. But there has been concern about the grip or lack thereof, on the front tire. Oh no! Rossi's gone down! He's down and out, too! Jack Miller is up to second, and Marc Marquez now leads the Dutch TT with ten laps left. The front end of Rossi's Yamaha washes out through Mandeveen. Off throttle, trailing the brake, the front end of the Yamaha YZR M1 washes away and crash... into the gravel, Rossi goes. Jack Miller has closed up on Marc Marquez. This is your lead battle, ladies and gentlemen, for the win in the Dutch TT!
Aleix Espargaro wrecks the Suzuki. Bradley Smith is entering pit lane. Smith appears to have also crashed out. Bradley Smith is being sent from the lane, on the bike he's already crashed. Rossi is beside himself. He could have recorded his first back-to-back wins in the premier class of MotoGP, since 2009. Not today. Jack Miller in second, will be whipping his fans in Australia into a frenzy! Jack Miller goes inside Marc Marquez and leads the Dutch TT!
Jack Miller leads a MotoGP race for the first time in his career. Pol Espargaro is now third, and on the podium, but coming under pressure from Scott Redding. These two tussled it out in Moto2 in years past. Andrea Iannone is now fifth, after starting at the back of the grid, and crashing earlier on. Jack Miller could rewrite the history books in MotoGP in seven laps. Marc Marquez might get his second straight second place finish. Tito Rabat has crashed out of the race. Jorge Lorenzo is now stone last in this Dutch TT, is 12th spot, with only a dozen riders that took the start after the race was restarted due to the red flags earlier.
Jack Miller led the Moto3 race here a few years back and crashed out in turn one. Miller is riding the race of his life right now. Miller's lead stretches to over a second. 1.1 seconds. Estrella Galicia has the softer option rear tire on Miller's Honda motorcycle. With Rossi's wreck, the points are adjusted. Lorenzo will trail Marquez by 25 markers, and Rossi, will be 42 points behind. This race is the third DNF for Rossi in 2016. Pol Espargaro and Scott Redding continue their battle for third. The track is drying with five laps left. Miller could actually be on the hard option rear tire, although the Estrella Galicia Marc VDS Honda team is not saying exactly if it is or not.
Alvaro Bautista is bearing down on Stefan Bradl, and Bradl has been passed by Hector Barbera. Eugene Laverty remains ninth. Maverick Vinales and Jorge Lorenzo are way down in tenth and 11th, and those two blokes are usually fighting for podium honors. The gap to Marc Marquez is 1.1 seconds. The gap is just 1.8 seconds between Miller and Marquez, coming through the Ramshoek and into the chicane. Miller came from Moto3 straight into MotoGP, skipping past Moto2 altogether. Four laps remain now. Marc Marquez is 1.3 second behind. Pol Espargaro is just holding off Scott Redding.
The sun is shining now at Assen. Miller leads Marquez by 1.3 seconds, through the Veenslang and the Ruskenhoek. Tito Rabat has rejoined the race and will likely finish 12th. Miller is two seconds clear of Marquez. Pol Espargaro has 3/10ths of a second over Scott Redding. Espargaro will earn his first career MotoGP podium should the order stay as is. Miller's lead is 2.1 seconds with three laps left. Bradley Smith runs off the road another time, into the gravel, and then he pulls back on track. Jack Miller is about to join elite company of Australian riders who have won in MotoGP. Riders like Casey Stoner, Mick Doohan, Darryl Beattie, Kevin McGee.
Two laps to go. Scott Redding dives inside Pol Espargaro and makes it stick. Two laps left. Aussie Chris Vermuellen has also won in MotoGP. He gave Suzuki their last win in the premier class of MotoGP in 2007, at Le Mans in the wet. Miller has ridden brilliantly in this Dutch TT. Marc Marquez pulls back 4/10ths of a second in the second split. But, that might not be enough. One lap to go. Through Haarbocht, Miller just has to concentrate. Scott Redding runs his best lap of the race at 1:49.866. Redding has blown Pol Espargaro into the weeds. Miller has 2.6 seconds in hand in the first sector. He's coming closer, to his first MotoGP win!
Hold your concentration and your nerve for half a lap. He's safe through De Bult, and into Mandeveen one final time. Two corners to go at the Ramshoek and the Geert Timmer chicane. One of the Aprilia's has crashed on the final lap. Not a factor. Jack Miller into the final chicane for the final time. It's right, and now it's left, and right again. Jack Miller has done it! Jack Miller wins the Dutch TT!
#43 Jack Miller AUS. Honda
Miller celebrates with a wheelie! Marc Marquez also celebrates with 20 points! Miller becomes the first non-factory rider to win a MotoGP race since Toni Elias did it in Portugal in 2006. Miller had all sorts of injuries early in the season and had to miss the race at Circuit of the Americas in Texas. Jorge Lorenzo finishes tenth. A pivotal moment, too, for points, with the crash for Valentino Rossi. The first ever Sunday race at Assen was a bonanza! Miller is the first Aussie to win in MotoGP since Casey Stoner.
Miller made absolutely no mistakes in this race. Miller almost fell off the bike, but pulled off a standing wheelie that was just amazing. Miller does a lot of burnouts. So long, Michelin rear tire! Miller missed the tests due to a fractured leg. Miller wins the first Dutch TT to be run on a Sunday. Dani Pedrosa, Tito Rabat, and Bradley Smith, all crashed. But, they actually all finished in the points. What a wild race!
Andrea Iannone finishes fifth. You could write a book on the story of the 2016 Dutch TT. A race that will go down in history. Well done, Jack Miller! Marc Marquez has a 24 point lead in the championship. The next race in MotoGP, was in Germany, at the Sachsenring in Saxony, Germany. Stay tuned for that.
Thursday, August 18, 2016
On The Record: Stefan Pierer, CEO KTM Sportmotorcycle
An interview with KTM CEO Stefan Pierer about why entering MotoGP next year, is part of KTM's plan to become the third largest motorcycle manufacturer in the world.
http://www.motoamerica.com/on-record-stefan-pierer-ceo-ktm-sportmotorcycle-ag
http://www.motoamerica.com/on-record-stefan-pierer-ceo-ktm-sportmotorcycle-ag
Wednesday, August 17, 2016
1978 Castrol 6 Hours Production Bike Race at Amaroo Park in Australia
Archival footage of an endurance motorcycle race in Australia, for production motorcycles. This is the 6 Hours of Amaroo Park, in two parts.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 1
Part 2
Tuesday, August 16, 2016
Ian Hutchinson unstoppable at 2016 Ulster Grand Prix
With four wins, on the Saturday of the race, Ian Hutchinson is top dog in this year's Irish Motorcycle Road Racing Championship Ulster Grand Prix.
http://www.foxsports.com/motor/story/ian-hutchinson-unstoppable-at-2016-ulster-grand-prix-081516
http://www.foxsports.com/motor/story/ian-hutchinson-unstoppable-at-2016-ulster-grand-prix-081516
Monday, August 15, 2016
Michael Dunlop on a roll with Dundrod 150 Superbike win, Ulster GP Pole
This event, has certainly already taken place. But legendary Irish motorcycle road racer, Michael Dunlop is surely on a roll.
http://www.foxsports.com/motor/story/michael-dunlop-on-a-roll-with-dundrod-150-superbike-win-ulster-gp-pole-081216
http://www.foxsports.com/motor/story/michael-dunlop-on-a-roll-with-dundrod-150-superbike-win-ulster-gp-pole-081216
Sunday, August 14, 2016
A taste of things to come?
Listen, folks. Yours truly has A LOT of catching up to do insofar as MotoGP. But, read today, that Ducati, were winners, at the latest race. Have they found the key to getting their MotoGP success back? Or, is this just a flash in the pan? We'll find out.
Friday, August 12, 2016
Stay tuned
Looking to getting back to getting caught up on MotoGP action, soon, folks. A lot needs to be caught up on. So, hopefully yours truly will be back up and running with regular MotoGP updates, in the not too distant future.
Thursday, August 11, 2016
On The Record: Scott Redding, Octo Pramac Yakhnich Ducati
An interview with Scott Redding about racing for the first time in MotoGP at the Red Bull Ring in Austria.
http://www.motoamerica.com/on-record-scott-redding-octo-pramac-yakhnich-ducati
http://www.motoamerica.com/on-record-scott-redding-octo-pramac-yakhnich-ducati
Wednesday, August 10, 2016
How Does MotoAmerica Superstock 1000 Differ From Superbike?
A good question. We know that in the FIM, (from covering both World Superbike and Superstock 1000), that the two classes race separately from each other, when the STK1000 European Cup has rounds in Europe, with the Superbikes. But, in MotoAmerica, the two classes race together. So, what then, is the difference between the two 1000cc classes? Here's an explanation.
http://www.motoamerica.com/how-does-motoamerica-superstock-1000-differ-from-superbike
http://www.motoamerica.com/how-does-motoamerica-superstock-1000-differ-from-superbike
Tuesday, August 9, 2016
Formula 1 vs. MotoGP: Who Wins Braking in Austria?
Which vehicle, is superior, when it comes to braking. A Formula 1 car, or a MotoGP motorcycle?
http://www.motoamerica.com/formula-1-vs-motogp-who-wins-braking-in-austria
http://www.motoamerica.com/formula-1-vs-motogp-who-wins-braking-in-austria
Monday, August 8, 2016
MotoAmerica coverage
Folks, yours truly, might be able to provide some full race reports on MotoAmerica as the website for the series has picked up some of the broadcasts that took place earlier on in the year. Stay tuned, to 2 Wheelin' for possible race reports.
Sunday, August 7, 2016
More MotoGP action, coming
Folks, stay tuned. There will be more news and action from MotoGP, coming to 2 Wheelin' very soon. Yours truly, just has to make that possible, first, and will publish more updates and possible race reports, in the coming days.
Friday, August 5, 2016
MotoGP news from the Netherlands Part 2
More MotoGP news from the Netherlands. Yours truly, will get around to posting the race reports. Stay tuned for those, coming soon.
Conditions unable to stop Iannone's charge in MotoGP FP1
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/24/conditions-unable-stop-iannone-s-charge-in-motogp-fp1/204027
Sun breaks through as Nakagami fastest in Moto2
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/24/sun-breaks-through-as-nakagami-fastest-in-moto2/204033
Stoner thinks Lorenzo will find it tough
http://www.motogp.com/en/in%20the%20media/2016/06/24/stoner-thinks-lorenzo-will-find-it-tough/204057
Iannone remains on top in Assen, ready to charge
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/24/iannone-remains-on-top-in-assen-ready-to-charge/204052
Bastianini sets the pace in interrupted FP1
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/24/bastianini-sets-the-pace-in-interrupted-fp1/204031
Rookie Canet steals top spot in final moments of FP2
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/24/rookie-canet-steals-top-spot-in-final-moments-of-fp2/204045
Sunshine graces Moto2 as Luthi leads
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/24/sunshine-graces-moto2-as-luthi-leads/204064
Iannone: "It was difficult to change direction"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/24/iannone-it-was-difficult-to-change-direction/204132
MotoGP charges towards its 250th race
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/24/motogp-charges-towards-its-250th-race/204128
Marquez: "We found things a little demanding"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/24/marquez-we-found-things-a-little-demanding/204188
Petrucci: "I am enjoying riding again"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/24/petrucci-i-am-enjoying-riding-again/204158
Redding: "I am confident for the race"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/24/redding-i-m-confident-for-the-race/204214
Lorenzo: "We again tried the new chassis"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/24/lorenzo-we-again-tried-the-new-chassis/204225
Rossi: "Iannone just beat me by 0.004s"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/24/rossi-iannone-just-beat-me-by-0-004s/204213
Home Heroes: A Proven Winner in Assen
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/20/home-heroes-a-proven-winner-in-assen/203821
Unstoppable Canet ups the pace in FP3
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/25/unstoppable-canet-ups-the-pace-in-fp3/204235
Dovizioso quickest as dust settles on dramatic FP3 in Assen
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/25/dovizioso-quickest-as-dust-settles-on-dramatic-fp3-in-assen/204244
Zarco looms in Assen as the skies darken
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/25/zarco-looms-in-assen-as-the-skies-darken/204255
Rain hits MotoGP FP4 as Marquez masters the conditions
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/25/rain-and-crashes-hit-motogp-fp4-as-marquez-masters-the-conditions/204275
More pre-race news, and the races themselves, coming up. Stay tuned.
Conditions unable to stop Iannone's charge in MotoGP FP1
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/24/conditions-unable-stop-iannone-s-charge-in-motogp-fp1/204027
Sun breaks through as Nakagami fastest in Moto2
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/24/sun-breaks-through-as-nakagami-fastest-in-moto2/204033
Stoner thinks Lorenzo will find it tough
http://www.motogp.com/en/in%20the%20media/2016/06/24/stoner-thinks-lorenzo-will-find-it-tough/204057
Iannone remains on top in Assen, ready to charge
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/24/iannone-remains-on-top-in-assen-ready-to-charge/204052
Bastianini sets the pace in interrupted FP1
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/24/bastianini-sets-the-pace-in-interrupted-fp1/204031
Rookie Canet steals top spot in final moments of FP2
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/24/rookie-canet-steals-top-spot-in-final-moments-of-fp2/204045
Sunshine graces Moto2 as Luthi leads
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/24/sunshine-graces-moto2-as-luthi-leads/204064
Iannone: "It was difficult to change direction"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/24/iannone-it-was-difficult-to-change-direction/204132
MotoGP charges towards its 250th race
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/24/motogp-charges-towards-its-250th-race/204128
Marquez: "We found things a little demanding"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/24/marquez-we-found-things-a-little-demanding/204188
Petrucci: "I am enjoying riding again"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/24/petrucci-i-am-enjoying-riding-again/204158
Redding: "I am confident for the race"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/24/redding-i-m-confident-for-the-race/204214
Lorenzo: "We again tried the new chassis"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/24/lorenzo-we-again-tried-the-new-chassis/204225
Rossi: "Iannone just beat me by 0.004s"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/24/rossi-iannone-just-beat-me-by-0-004s/204213
Home Heroes: A Proven Winner in Assen
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/20/home-heroes-a-proven-winner-in-assen/203821
Unstoppable Canet ups the pace in FP3
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/25/unstoppable-canet-ups-the-pace-in-fp3/204235
Dovizioso quickest as dust settles on dramatic FP3 in Assen
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/25/dovizioso-quickest-as-dust-settles-on-dramatic-fp3-in-assen/204244
Zarco looms in Assen as the skies darken
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/25/zarco-looms-in-assen-as-the-skies-darken/204255
Rain hits MotoGP FP4 as Marquez masters the conditions
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/25/rain-and-crashes-hit-motogp-fp4-as-marquez-masters-the-conditions/204275
More pre-race news, and the races themselves, coming up. Stay tuned.
Thursday, August 4, 2016
MotoGP news from the Netherlands Part 1
Catching up, with MotoGP. Here's the scoop. Yours truly, has to write about a couple of the most recent MotoGP races that have happened. We'll start, with the Dutch TT and continue from there. Here is the latest news, from the Dutch TT, before the race. Then, stay tuned for coverage from Holland, of all three divisions.
Loris Baz forced to miss the Dutch TT
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/17/loris-baz-forced-to-miss-the-dutch-tt/203774
Rins moves to MotoGP with Suzuki for 2017 and 2018
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/19/rins-moves-to-motogp-with-suzuki-for-2017-and-2018/203807
Successful operation for Navarro
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/14/successful-operation-for-navarro/203700
A new era at MotoGP's most historic home
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/09/update/203593
Binder leads into Assen as Navarro suffers injury
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/09/work-to-do-as-the-lightweight-class-chases-binder/203595
Inseparable top three arrive at The Cathedral
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/09/inseparable-top-three-arrive-at-the-cathedral/203594
Classics: Relive three of the best Dutch GPs
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/13/classics-relive-three-of-the-best-catalan-gps/203653
Past Successes in Assen for the Aspar Team
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/20/update/203822
#StatAttack: Dutch GP ready for first time Moto3 winner
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/14/statattack-dutch-gp-ready-for-first-time-moto3-winner/203713
Smith: "We still have some catching up to do"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/21/smith-we-still-have-some-catching-up-to-do/203851
#StatAttack: Moto2 full of Assen success
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/14/statattack-moto2-full-of-assen-winners/203712
MotoGP arrives in historic Assen
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/14/motogp-arrive-in-historic-assen/203702
Binder reflects on life with the championship lead
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/21/binder-reflects-on-life-with-the-championship-lead/203861
One year on from where it began
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/21/one-year-on-from-where-it-began/203852
Dani Pedrosa's latest blog entry.
Pedrosa Blog: Assen always brings me back good memories
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/21/pedrosa-blog-assen-always-brings-me-back-good-memories/203874
Marquez: "The weather is particularly unpredictable"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/21/marquez-the-weather-is-particularly-unpredictable/203875
Hernandez: "It is not one of my favourites"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/21/hernandez-it-is-not-one-of-my-favourites/203885
Barbera: "I'll be strong at Assen"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/21/barbera-i-ll-be-strong-at-assen/203892
Espargaro: "We undertook a useful test"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/21/espargaro-we-undertook-a-useful-test/203887
#RacingTogether: The history of "The Cathedral"
http://www.motogp.com/en/youtube_update/2016/06/23/racingtogether-the-history-of-the-cathedral/203920
Miller: "We can't get ahead of ourselves"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/21/miller-we-can-t-get-ahead-of-ourselves/203910
Pedrosa: "We hope to have enough dry sessions"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/22/pedrosa-we-hope-to-have-enough-dry-sessions/203929
Relive Rossi's seven MotoGP victories at Assen
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/22/relive-rossi-s-seven-motogp-victories-at-assen/203931
Michelin ready to worship at the 'Cathedral of Speed'
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/22/michelin-ready-to-worship-at-the-cathedral-of-speed/203933
Laverty: "We have to keep pushing"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/22/laverty-we-have-to-keep-pushing/203930
Pirro: "I hope he gets well soon"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/22/pirro-i-hope-he-gets-well-soon/203934
Lorenzo: "Barcelona was a great pity"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/22/lorenzo-barcelona-was-a-great-pity/203944
Espargaro: "I will probably go back to the standard chassis"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/22/espargaro-i-will-probably-go-back-to-the-standard-chassis/203942
Rossi: "I'm ready for the next race"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/22/rossi-i-m-ready-for-the-next-race/203946
Iannone: "The feeling with the Desmosedici GP is good"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/23/iannone-the-feeling-with-the-desmosedici-gp-is-good/203963
Dovizioso: "This year it's impossible to make any predictions"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/23/dovizioso-this-year-it-s-impossible-to-make-any-predictions/203961
Vinales: "We are consistently fighting"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/22/vinales-we-are-consistently-fighting/203949
Assen's Tunnel of Fame Unveiled
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/23/assen-s-tunnel-of-fame-unveiled/203962
Bulega renews with Sky Racing Team VR46 for two years
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/23/bulega-renews-with-sky-racing-team-vr46-for-two-years/204005
Assen's final chicane undergoes changes
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/23/assen-s-final-chicane-undergoes-changes/204021
IRTA and Dorna renew agreement for five years
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/23/irta-and-dorna-renew-agreement-for-five-years/204011
More news and racing action from Assen, coming your way, soon, folks.
Loris Baz forced to miss the Dutch TT
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/17/loris-baz-forced-to-miss-the-dutch-tt/203774
Rins moves to MotoGP with Suzuki for 2017 and 2018
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/19/rins-moves-to-motogp-with-suzuki-for-2017-and-2018/203807
Successful operation for Navarro
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/14/successful-operation-for-navarro/203700
A new era at MotoGP's most historic home
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/09/update/203593
Binder leads into Assen as Navarro suffers injury
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/09/work-to-do-as-the-lightweight-class-chases-binder/203595
Inseparable top three arrive at The Cathedral
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/09/inseparable-top-three-arrive-at-the-cathedral/203594
Classics: Relive three of the best Dutch GPs
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/13/classics-relive-three-of-the-best-catalan-gps/203653
Past Successes in Assen for the Aspar Team
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/20/update/203822
#StatAttack: Dutch GP ready for first time Moto3 winner
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/14/statattack-dutch-gp-ready-for-first-time-moto3-winner/203713
Smith: "We still have some catching up to do"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/21/smith-we-still-have-some-catching-up-to-do/203851
#StatAttack: Moto2 full of Assen success
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/14/statattack-moto2-full-of-assen-winners/203712
MotoGP arrives in historic Assen
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/14/motogp-arrive-in-historic-assen/203702
Binder reflects on life with the championship lead
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/21/binder-reflects-on-life-with-the-championship-lead/203861
One year on from where it began
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/21/one-year-on-from-where-it-began/203852
Dani Pedrosa's latest blog entry.
Pedrosa Blog: Assen always brings me back good memories
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/21/pedrosa-blog-assen-always-brings-me-back-good-memories/203874
Marquez: "The weather is particularly unpredictable"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/21/marquez-the-weather-is-particularly-unpredictable/203875
Hernandez: "It is not one of my favourites"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/21/hernandez-it-is-not-one-of-my-favourites/203885
Barbera: "I'll be strong at Assen"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/21/barbera-i-ll-be-strong-at-assen/203892
Espargaro: "We undertook a useful test"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/21/espargaro-we-undertook-a-useful-test/203887
#RacingTogether: The history of "The Cathedral"
http://www.motogp.com/en/youtube_update/2016/06/23/racingtogether-the-history-of-the-cathedral/203920
Miller: "We can't get ahead of ourselves"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/21/miller-we-can-t-get-ahead-of-ourselves/203910
Pedrosa: "We hope to have enough dry sessions"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/22/pedrosa-we-hope-to-have-enough-dry-sessions/203929
Relive Rossi's seven MotoGP victories at Assen
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/22/relive-rossi-s-seven-motogp-victories-at-assen/203931
Michelin ready to worship at the 'Cathedral of Speed'
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/22/michelin-ready-to-worship-at-the-cathedral-of-speed/203933
Laverty: "We have to keep pushing"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/22/laverty-we-have-to-keep-pushing/203930
Pirro: "I hope he gets well soon"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/22/pirro-i-hope-he-gets-well-soon/203934
Lorenzo: "Barcelona was a great pity"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/22/lorenzo-barcelona-was-a-great-pity/203944
Espargaro: "I will probably go back to the standard chassis"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/22/espargaro-i-will-probably-go-back-to-the-standard-chassis/203942
Rossi: "I'm ready for the next race"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/22/rossi-i-m-ready-for-the-next-race/203946
Iannone: "The feeling with the Desmosedici GP is good"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/23/iannone-the-feeling-with-the-desmosedici-gp-is-good/203963
Dovizioso: "This year it's impossible to make any predictions"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/23/dovizioso-this-year-it-s-impossible-to-make-any-predictions/203961
Vinales: "We are consistently fighting"
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/22/vinales-we-are-consistently-fighting/203949
Assen's Tunnel of Fame Unveiled
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/23/assen-s-tunnel-of-fame-unveiled/203962
Bulega renews with Sky Racing Team VR46 for two years
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/23/bulega-renews-with-sky-racing-team-vr46-for-two-years/204005
Assen's final chicane undergoes changes
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/23/assen-s-final-chicane-undergoes-changes/204021
IRTA and Dorna renew agreement for five years
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/06/23/irta-and-dorna-renew-agreement-for-five-years/204011
More news and racing action from Assen, coming your way, soon, folks.
Wednesday, August 3, 2016
MotoGP riders for 2017
Recently, the team and rider lineup situations for the 2017 MotoGP season were announced. Let's take a look at who will be where, next year.
Alex Rins will race in MotoGP next year, joining Suzuki Ecstar. Rins will fill the final factory seat. Rins will race with Andrea Iannone. Iannone was forced to move to a new team (in this case, Suzuki), since Andrea Dovizioso was announced to be the rider at Ducati who will team up next year, with Jorge Lorenzo, who moves over from Yamaha. Andrea Dovizioso, meanwhile, will continue as a Ducati rider, for the next two seasons.
Ianonne was announced at Suzuki, as Maverick Vinales, was confirmed, to take the second bike, at Movistar Yamaha, alongside "The Doctor", Valentino Rossi. Vinales, moves from Suzuki, to Yamaha, thus. Rossi, confirmed that he will stay with Yamaha and he actually did so before the season opening MotoGP race in Qatar, way back in March. So, he started the "silly season" right before the 2016 campaign for MotoGP, got underway. Some people believe that the timing of Rossi's announcement, prompted Lorenzo to say, "OK, I am going to find a new ride", and then, put the pen to the paper, for Ducati.
Repsol Honda is the only factory backed MotoGP team that will keep the same riding squad for the next two seasons. They are indeed retaining the services of both Marc Marquez, and Dani Pedrosa. Pedrosa signed on after the French round at Le Mans, and Marquez announced his return, just before his home race in Barcelona. Remember, too, there will be two new factory teams coming into MotoGP, next year. KTM has a new motorcycle and team, ready to go for next year. Pol Espargaro and Bradley Smith will ride for the team. The two Monster Tech3 Yamaha team mates, will remain together, but with a new team and a new bike.
Aprilia, is not a full factory team. But, they have signed Moto2 ace, Sam Lowes, to race for them. In addition, Lowes' fellow Moto2 competitor, Jonas Folger, is going to be an Aprilia mounted MotoGP rider in '17. More announcements of where other riders will land, are set to come. Of course, one thing we do now know is, Stefan Bradl, he will not return to MotoGP. Instead, he is going to make the switch to World Superbike, and partner American Nicky Hayden, at the factory Ten Kate Honda team, next year.
Stay tuned, for more possible rider and team announcements for MotoGP season 2017, as we have quite a few races left to run for the 2016 championship as of yet.
Alex Rins will race in MotoGP next year, joining Suzuki Ecstar. Rins will fill the final factory seat. Rins will race with Andrea Iannone. Iannone was forced to move to a new team (in this case, Suzuki), since Andrea Dovizioso was announced to be the rider at Ducati who will team up next year, with Jorge Lorenzo, who moves over from Yamaha. Andrea Dovizioso, meanwhile, will continue as a Ducati rider, for the next two seasons.
Ianonne was announced at Suzuki, as Maverick Vinales, was confirmed, to take the second bike, at Movistar Yamaha, alongside "The Doctor", Valentino Rossi. Vinales, moves from Suzuki, to Yamaha, thus. Rossi, confirmed that he will stay with Yamaha and he actually did so before the season opening MotoGP race in Qatar, way back in March. So, he started the "silly season" right before the 2016 campaign for MotoGP, got underway. Some people believe that the timing of Rossi's announcement, prompted Lorenzo to say, "OK, I am going to find a new ride", and then, put the pen to the paper, for Ducati.
Repsol Honda is the only factory backed MotoGP team that will keep the same riding squad for the next two seasons. They are indeed retaining the services of both Marc Marquez, and Dani Pedrosa. Pedrosa signed on after the French round at Le Mans, and Marquez announced his return, just before his home race in Barcelona. Remember, too, there will be two new factory teams coming into MotoGP, next year. KTM has a new motorcycle and team, ready to go for next year. Pol Espargaro and Bradley Smith will ride for the team. The two Monster Tech3 Yamaha team mates, will remain together, but with a new team and a new bike.
Aprilia, is not a full factory team. But, they have signed Moto2 ace, Sam Lowes, to race for them. In addition, Lowes' fellow Moto2 competitor, Jonas Folger, is going to be an Aprilia mounted MotoGP rider in '17. More announcements of where other riders will land, are set to come. Of course, one thing we do now know is, Stefan Bradl, he will not return to MotoGP. Instead, he is going to make the switch to World Superbike, and partner American Nicky Hayden, at the factory Ten Kate Honda team, next year.
Stay tuned, for more possible rider and team announcements for MotoGP season 2017, as we have quite a few races left to run for the 2016 championship as of yet.
Tuesday, August 2, 2016
Riders coming into World Superbike, next year
Folks, because of the summer break, the news from the world of FIM World Superbike is fairly light. But, there are two key developments in terms of the 2017 grid, that seem to have just fallen into place. Ducati has signed Marco Melandri for next year and retained the services of Chaz Davies for next year.
Ducati signs Melandri, confirms Davies for 2017
http://www.motorsport.com/wsbk/news/ducati-signs-melandri-confirms-davies-for-2017-802952/?s=1
Plus, it has also been confirmed, Stefan Bradl will make the switch, from MotoGP to World Superbike, and he will be team mates with Nicky Hayden on the factory Honda, next year. Where does this leave current Honda rider Michael van der Mark? Well, it looks like van der Mark, he will switch, and be a Yamaha rider for the Pata Yamaha factory team, next year.
Honda confirms Bradl's switch to WSBK
http://www.motorsport.com/wsbk/news/honda-confirms-bradl-s-switch-to-wsbk-804773/?s=1
Ducati signs Melandri, confirms Davies for 2017
http://www.motorsport.com/wsbk/news/ducati-signs-melandri-confirms-davies-for-2017-802952/?s=1
Plus, it has also been confirmed, Stefan Bradl will make the switch, from MotoGP to World Superbike, and he will be team mates with Nicky Hayden on the factory Honda, next year. Where does this leave current Honda rider Michael van der Mark? Well, it looks like van der Mark, he will switch, and be a Yamaha rider for the Pata Yamaha factory team, next year.
Honda confirms Bradl's switch to WSBK
http://www.motorsport.com/wsbk/news/honda-confirms-bradl-s-switch-to-wsbk-804773/?s=1
Monday, August 1, 2016
FIM World Superbike Round 9: U.S.A. (Laguna Seca)
Five races left in WSBK 2016 and this is the most magical of all. It's on our shores in the US of A at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca on the Monterey Peninsula in Monterey, California. Tom Sykes will start from pole for the seventh time this season. Nicky Hayden is the home favorite, starting sixth. World Superbike first raced here at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, back in 1995, on a track that was originally built back in 1957. Anthony Gobert and Troy Corser were the 1995 winners in both races. Today marks 21 years since that win, and we've had seven American riders win at their home track. Can Nicky Hayden make it eight?
We come to Laguna Seca fresh off a test session at Misano three weeks or so ago. Here are our current, post time weather conditions. 22 degrees Celsius (71 degrees Fahrenheit), air temperature. 47 degrees Celsius (116 degrees Fahrenheit... hot!), track temperature. Jonathan Rea breaks another record here at Laguna Seca, becoming the rider with the longest streak of leading the points standings in World Superbike, with a mark set at 42 consecutive races. Troy Bayliss held that record, previously. Nicky Hayden starts sixth today. That's a good omen, because the last MotoGP start he had here, a decade ago, he won, from sixth on the grid. Dani Pedrosa and Marco Melandri rounded out the podium that day.
Jonathan Rea comes in here as the favorite. But, it will be a dogfight between he and Chaz Davies more than likely. There's a mid season break after this race. Chaz Davies is 99 points behind Jonathan Rea. Tom Sykes is 66 points out. Kawasaki leads Ducati by 74 markers in the manufacturer's cup. Honda, are a distant third, a further 83 points in-arrears. Davide Giugliano is on the front row of the grid. He qualified there in 2015 but had a horrid race. What Giugliano wants to do, is finish this season ahead of Honda's Michael van der Mark. Tom Sykes has pole for this race and is six pole positions away from tying Troy Corser's all-time record.
Sykes has run quicker, but for shorter amounts of time. Tire wear has not been a big issue here according to Pirelli, although in Friday practice, Jonathan Rea lost a little traction on the front. Davide Giugliano hopes to have a good first race, and for that matter, a good showing in the second race on Sunday, too, which you'll hear about, a bit later on in this report, as you read it. When the wind picks up, this track becomes ever more challenging than it already is, blowing in turn one, and also at the top of the Corkscrew. Three-time MotoGP World Champion and MotoAmerica ambassador Wayne Rainey, is here, and he's a winner on this track.
Rainey won three successive races here, in 1989, '90, and '91. The 500cc bikes last raced here in 1994 and then WSBK took over in 1995. Alex Lowes was one man tipped to have a shot for pole. But, no. The YZF R1 struggled on the qualifying tire. Alex Lowes made a mistake into the final sector of the track. Neither Alex Lowes nor Niccolo Canepa got hold of the qualifying tires. They don't have to worry about race pace, because both Yamaha's are on the third row of the grid in ninth and tenth. Leon Camier is making his 150th start in WSBK. He's a great development rider and does well in the races, too. Camier first raced in WSBK in 2009 and has finished on the podium nine times.
25 laps scheduled. Nobody expects a drop in tire performance, and this comes from Jonathan Rea's Kawasaki crew chief, Per Arriba. Arriba said that it will depend on the pace of the opening few laps. Nicky Hayden debuted here in World Superbike, as a wildcard rider for American Honda, back in 2002. The Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade seems to work much better for Hayden here at his home race, than for his team mate, Michael van der Mark. Laguna Seca is one of three venues that have hosted World Superbike here in the U.S. The others being Miller Motorsport Park in Utah, and, my home track, at Brainerd International Raceway in Brainerd, Minnesota, which hosted races for WSBK between 1989 and 1991. Another watch and another opportunity for Tom Sykes to sign the camera.
Jonathan Rea, rolls off from second on the grid. Chaz Davies is not as calm in speaking with his team. Ducati boss Ernesto Marinelli has said that no, he has not talked to Davide Giugliano or Xavi Fores, about staying out of Davies' way. Team orders are not necessary at Ducati Corse. Chaz Davies is starting fourth, and Xavi Fores starts fifth, right behind him inside row two. Tom Sykes scores his 37th pole on his career, and he's had seven poles out of nine races. Nicky Hayden is sixth. Davide Giugliano is third. Jordi Torres on the BMW is seventh.
Niccolo Canepa is ninth on the grid. 2000 500cc/MotoGP World Champion Kenny Roberts Jr., is here. He won eight times in his 500cc career. Lorenzo Savadori is eighth. Alex Lowes completes the top ten. Kenny Roberts Sr. was someone who changed Grand Prix motorcycle racing, when he came from flat track racing here in the U.S. and totally changed the riding style on a Grand Prix bike, before World Superbike even existed. He was the forefather of legends from the U.S. like Freddie Spencer, Eddie Lawson, Wayne Rainey, Kevin Schwantz, Nicky Hayden, and even MotoGP star, Marc Marquez.
Two-time WSBK champion and four-time 250cc Grand Prix world champion, Max Biaggi, is here to check out the races. The Alfa Romeo safety car pulls away. We have seven or so weeks before the next WSBK race. Details at the end of the race report. Leon Camier starts 12th. Alex De Angelis is 13th. We have 23 riders starting. Fabio Menghi has aggravated his injured shoulder and won't race today. We're ready for race one in California! The bikes are on their warmup lap before the start. No surprises insofar as tire selection. We're going to get right down to business of racing here, very shortly.
Weather conditions, as we get started, 22 degrees Celsius (71 degrees Fahrenheit), air temperature. 47 degrees Celsius (116 degrees Fahrenheit), track temperature. The wind will be a challenge for these riders, as a breeze has built through the day. Jonathan Rea leads the championship by 66 points over Tom Sykes and 99 points over Chaz Davies. We are under starters orders. Ready, to bring the action, at Laguna Seca. The Monterey Peninsula will rock to the thunder of 22 1000cc Superbike monsters. Watch out for one of the most daunting first corners in all of motorcycle racing. WSBK at Laguna Seca, is go!
Rea and Sykes side by side and Rea will lead into turn one. What will the Ducati's do as the bikes round the Andretti hairpin? Tom Sykes retakes the lead from Jonathan Rea. Michael van der Mark is also pushing forward. Jonathan Rea is now third and we see Alex Lowes on the Yamaha moving into contention. We plunge down the Corkscrew for the first time. All bikes and riders are running of the 23 that started. Caboose on the field right now is the Toth Yamaha in the hands of Peter Sebestyen. Davide Giugliano runs wide into turn one, but doesn't make a mistake exiting the Andretti hairpin. Alex Lowes is making headway, moving up four places. Will the Yamaha run where Lowes wants it to be?
Jordi Torres has lost five spots on the Althea BMW S1000RR. Chaz Davies runs wide through turn nine. Michael van der Mark passes Niccolo Canepa for ninth. Jonathan Rea sets early fast lap at 1:23.640. Our top ten running order so far is Sykes, Davies, Rea, Giugliano, Hayden, Lowes, Savadori, Fores, van der Mark, and De Angelis. Sykes, Davies, and Rea all run in the 1:23.8 lap time range. Davies is fastest at 1:23.833, followed by a 1:23.835 for Rea, and Sykes at 1:23.844. Jordi Torres is still running in the points, passing Niccolo Canepa for 11th. Torres, Canepa, Anthony West, Raffaele De Rosa, and Josh Brookes, complete the top 15.
The Naples, Italy native, he is currently leading the FIM Super Stock 1000 Cup series, which you have read about, having some thrilling races in Europe, here on 2 Wheelin' from time to time. Chaz Davies resets fast lap at 1:23.443. Tom Sykes is surely holding up Davies, and for good reason. He wants to keep the race lead. Oh! But this is a tight squeeze! Here comes Davies! Rea follows Davies and now, Sykes falls to third. Michael van der Mark is coming towards the lead group. Davies is ahead, but Sykes needs to get back around his two rivals, because with his riding style, it's easier for him to lead, than follow.
But, disaster, for Chaz Davies! Davies, is down and out! This is Davies' third crash in a row! He fell off at Donington. He fell off at Misano. Now, he falls at Laguna Seca! It is now a two man race between the green Kawasaki's of Jonathan Rea and Tom Sykes. Davies tucked the front of the motorcycle through turn six. A very easy mistake to make. Jonathan Rea runs wide into the Corkscrew. Both Kawasaki's have dropped their pace just a tad, and this could be a podium opportunity for Nicky Hayden on the Honda. Poor old Chaz Davies has finished eight races this year, off of the podium.
Working lap seven. Was there dust on the road where Davies wrecked? Alex Lowes is in hot pursuit of Nicky Hayden. It's Honda vs. Yamaha. Sadly, it's game over for Josh Brookes in his first WSBK race in the United States, and it is also his first visit to the U.S. Scratch that. Brookes went off at turn seven (the entrance to the Corkscrew), but has rejoined the race. The wind has picked up, blowing more dust onto the track. We look at the top fifteen order at the moment.
1. Jonathan Rea
2. Tom Sykes
3. Davide Giugliano
4. Nicky Hayden
5. Alex Lowes
6. Lorenzo Savadori
7. Michael van der Mark
8. Xavi Fores
9. Alex De Angelis
10. Jordi Torres
11. Niccolo Canepa
12. Anthony West
13. Raffaele De Rosa
14. Leon Camier
15. Roman Ramos
Lorenzo Savadori is running well in his first race at Laguna Seca. Michael van der Mark needs to improve and so does Nicky Hayden. Honda is struggling. Gianluca Vizziello is out. Davide Giugliano is trying to catch up to the Kawasaki team mates, but finding the going difficult at the moment. Chaz Davies has not been a happy boy this weekend, and that's something that could have contributed to his wreck. Working lap ten. We are a few laps from halfway in race one. If something does happen to the top three, Nicky Hayden would be on the podium here in the U.S. round of the world championship.
Jonathan Rea can eke out a gap on Tom Sykes right now. Davide Giugliano loses time in sector three, but gains time in sector one. Alex Lowes is catching Nicky Hayden again. The top three are covered by a second and a half. We watch Nicky Hayden running in fourth place right now. We are approaching halfway in this race. Lorenzo Savadori is running really well, and we might see a factory Aprilia team here in WSBK next year. Jordi Torres had a great scrap here last year, with his then Aprilia team mate, Leon Haslam. Torres is the leading BMW rider. Will the Aprilia hold off the BMW? Torres could try to pass Alex De Angelis. Niccolo Canepa is running well too, replacing Sylvain Guintoli.
Oh no! Davide Giugliano, is down and out. Ducati will want to erase 2016 WSBK race one at Laguna Seca from their memory bank. We have lost Giugliano from this race, meaning Nicky Hayden could score a podium. Giugliano went down in turn five, the same place on the course, where Davies wrecked earlier. Turn five claims another victim. One Althea BMW is still running. Poor old Raffaele De Rosa, who has been dominant in STK1000 racing in Europe this year, is also down and out. Game over. Another yellow flag is show through the Corkscrew. Nicky Hayden wants a podium place, but Alex Lowes is giving him a tough run for his money.
Let's not forget Lorenzo Savadori and Michael van der Mark. Both of them also are in with a shout here in race one. Savadori seems to be using up a lot of his Pirelli rear tire. Just 2/10ths of a second separate the Kawasaki boys. Tom Sykes chases Jonathan Rea. Sykes has fastest lap. 1:24.489, compared to Rea with a 1:24.838. Ten laps remain now in race one. Lowes and Savadori are right on top of each other, fighting for fourth place. Alex Lowes wants to finish on the podium, and he hasn't done so since Thailand 2015. Lorenzo Savadori wants to finish on the podium. But, Michael van der Mark is pushing him hard.
Tom Sykes has now gone past Jonathan Rea. Lap 17 of 25. Has Jonathan Rea made another mistake in the Corkscrew? Indeed he did. Sykes has run wide straight down the gravel trap in the Corkscrew. That's the Marquez/Rossi line he was taking. Saeed Al Sulaiti has crashed out of this race as well. Four riders have now retired from WSBK race one at Laguna Seca. Al Sulaiti slid through the Corkscrew, but neither bike nor rider hit the air fences. Rea and Sykes are really scrapping now! Back and forth between the Kawasaki team mates, with just six laps left in race one at Laguna Seca! Rea is riding defensive and Sykes could get a run up the hill back to the Corkscrew.
Michael van der Mark is now fifth, getting around Lorenzo Savadori. Honda is ahead of Aprilia. There is a three way battle for third as Alex Lowes is the meat in a Honda sandwich. Hayden, Lowes, van der Mark. Both Kawasaki's could catch the two back markers they are trying to lap. Gianluca Vizziello has rejoined the race from pit lane, albeit eight laps behind. The other two are Pawel Szkopek and Peter Sebestyen. Nicky Hayden goes by Alex Lowes and Lowes is off the road a bit, exceeding track limits. That was a heck of a move through Rainey curve!
Michael van der Mark tries to take advantage into the Andretti hairpin, but he can't quite do it. van der Mark could pass one rider, but not both, as Lorenzo Savadori is fastest man on the course at the moment turning a lap of 1:25.160. Lorenzo Savadori wiggles the motorcycle in the downhill run from after the Corkscrew. Xavi Fores and Jordi Torres are not far behind either. Anyone could get third place, as Jonathan Rea leads by 1.1 seconds over Tom Sykes. Lapped traffic is in the way. Alex Lowes lowers the quick time to 1:25.018. Alex Lowes could be slightly faster than Nicky Hayden in the scrum for third.
Hayden has found some space between himself and the battle between Lowes and van der Mark. On the last lap, Nicky Hayden has to hold off his Honda team mate if he wants a rostrum finish here at Laguna Seca. Last lap of race one. Pawel Szkopek moves out of the way of the leaders. Jonathan Rea will score his first ever win in WSBK in the United States. Michael van der Mark is catching Nicky Hayden. He's 4/10ths of a second behind. Keep in mind that Hayden is on target for a podium, in the U.S. Vizziello and Sebestyen both move out of the way of the leaders. Another Kawasaki 1-2 and Jonathan Rea wins a WSBK race in the United States for the first time!
World Superbike Race 1: #1 Jonathan Rea GBR. Kawasaki Racing Team Kawasaki ZX10R
...And, Michael van der Mark, runs wide into the last corner, allowing Nicky Hayden, his factory Honda team mate, to finish on the podium in the United States! The crowd will go nuts! Rea is 71 points ahead of Tom Sykes and now 124 ahead of Chaz Davies.
Race two, is coming up.
Can Jonathan Rea, do the double? That's the question. We have another 25 lap race ahead of us here at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Weather conditions look like this. 20 degrees Celsius (68 degrees Fahrenheit), air temperature. 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit), track temperature. Ambiet temperatures are a bit cooler than in yesterday's race. Jonathan Rea now leads Tom Sykes in the points, by 71 markers. It is his championship to lose. Davide Giugliano has not had the best weekend here at Laguna Seca. Alex Lowes had a big crash in morning warmup for the Sunday race. He fell at the right hand corner, turn four. WSBK doctors checked Alex Lowes for a possible collarbone injury. Thankfully, the X ray was negative.
Pit lane is now open. The bikes and riders come out on track. Chaz Davies has crashed in four of the last five races. Not a good way to go so far this season for the Ducati rider. Chaz Davies just wants to take things race by race, and by now, Davies is mathematically out of the championship hunt. The Kawasaki ZX10R is easier to ride than the Ducati Panigale. Davies knows he has to push hard for the reward. But, he's going all in, to use a gambling term, and he's almost out of aces. He's crashed four times in five races. He's lost so, so many points! 124 points is the deficit between Davies and Jonathan Rea.
Rea has led the championship for 42 straight races, going back to the 2015 Thailand round, race two. Jonathan Rea is second on the grid. You want an amazing official WSBK stat? Check this out. Jonathan Rea has had 82 career podium finishes. 42 of them were with Honda between 2009 and 2014. 40 already, riding for Kawasaki, for just a year and a half's worth of racing. So, he's almost equal on the number of podiums he's earned with Kawasaki as the total amount he earned as a Honda rider! Yikes! Davide Giugliano, who we've talked about quite frequently already, rolls off third on the grid.
Chaz Davies set fast lap in the Saturday race. He's fourth on the grid here today. Tom Sykes is on pole. Lots of manufacturer changes might happen for WSBK teams next year. BMW is a customer operation right now, while it is possible for the Milwaukee team to race Aprilia. Ioda Aprilia is a private team, but they could come in as a factory squad next year along with their current MotoGP effort. Some riders actually say that the Aprilia is the best motorcycle on the grid. Eugene Laverty, or Michael van der Mark, might have a possibility to ride for Aprilia next year. Laverty has ridden for Aprilia, Yamaha, and Suzuki. So, he could race for Yamaha, Ducati, or Aprilia. We'll see lots of confirmation for next year. Will Michael van der Mark stay with Honda? Honda has a new motorcycle for next year.
Honda has always been strong when debuting a new motorcycle in the World Superbike Championship. Colin Edwards, when he had a tremendous career in WSBK, made the old VTR1000 a very successful motorcycle. Edwards won a championship aboard the VTR. The Honda Fireblade has also been a successful racing bike over the last decade. Michael van der Mark could take the opportunity to ride the new bike, and for a second season, he would be team mates, to Nicky Hayden. Speaking of Nicky Hayden, he starts fifth on the grid. Lorenzo Savadori is eighth. Next is Niccolo Canepa. Michael van der Mark starts eleventh, as we are merely ten minutes away from the start of race two at Laguna Seca, the 18th race of the 2016 WSBK championship.
Tenth on the grid is Alex Lowes and he ran very well in the Saturday race. Lowes will be sore due to his shoulder giving him issues after his warmup wreck. Niccolo Canepa of course, subs for Sylvain Guintoli after he crashed in Super Pole at Imola in Italy. Leon Camier is 12th on the MV Agusta. There are three teams running one bike, who could race two bikes, next year. The factory MV Agusta team is one. Barni Ducati is another. The third, is the privateer Kawasaki team for Go11. Go11 is consistently in the midfield and scoring points. Alex De Angelis is 13th and knows Laguna Seca well from racing here in MotoGP. He scored two points on Saturday. Anthony West is next. West has run no fewer than eight production road racing motorcycle championships this year.
West is subbing for Frenchman Sylvain Barrier of course. Barrier had a horrid accident at Motorland Aragon earlier this year, and he also fell off here at Laguna Seca one time, and hit the pit wall. Barrier should be back in action when the summer break is over. Sixteenth is Roman Ramos. After the summer break, the last four races come thick and fast. Germany at the Lausitzring, France at Magny Cours, Spain, at Jerez, and the finale in Qatar at the Losail circuit. Ramos is a consistent rider for sure. Joshua Brookes is 15th, on his first trip to the United States.
Karel Abraham is 17th. He's had a tough weekend and is struggling in slower corners. In 18th place, is the man who has run so well for BMW in Stock 1000 races this year, Raffaele De Rosa. Lining up 19th is Dominic Schmitter. He starts ahead of Saeed Al Sulaiti, Pawel Szkopek, Peter Sebestyen, and Gianluca Vizziello, the Italian, is caboose on the field. Five minutes to the race start as the Alfa Romeo 4C safety car pulls away. The tire degradation will start about lap seven, dropping the lap times down. Two drops in tire performance will be seen, more than likely. Davide Giugliano third, Jonathan Rea, second. Tom Sykes, on pole.
Will it be another double for Jonathan Rea? Take a deep breath, everyone. Settle in, for an exciting World Superbike Sunday race, from Laguna Seca. The bikes are on their warmup lap. Weather conditions just before we start. 20 degrees Celsius (68 degrees Fahrenheit), air temperature. 46 degrees Celsius (114 degrees Fahrenheit), track temperature. Same weather conditions we had yesterday on the Celsius and Fahrenheit scales. Will the Ducati riders approach the race differently than they did on Saturday? What will Davide Giugliano do? 5,000 horsepower about to be unleashed, from 23 World Superbikes, at 220 horsepower apiece. Here we go. Race two, from Laguna Seca. Go! Tom Sykes gets a great start and Jonathan Rea now has Davide Giugliano right there. He is trapped at the moment.
Nicky Hayden on the Honda comes around the outside and someone is almost forced to sit up on their bike. Not sure who. Ah. That was Alex Lowes on the lead factory Yamaha. Alex Lowes may have jumped the start as Davide Giugliano is onto Tom Sykes early and wants to make a move. Chaz Davies runs fourth right now and wants to be aggressive early on. Nicky Hayden and Lorenzo Savadori, follow. Oh dear! Michael van der Mark goes off course at the entrance to the Corkscrew! He can't keep the motorcycle upright, and, ker-rash! He's into the air fence. He should be OK and it looks like there isn't too much damage to the Honda Fireblade right now. The gravel trap at the Corkscrew is very deep and the bike will fall down if you go off the road there.
Alex Lowes is following Jordi Torres. BMW vs. Yamaha. But, did Lowes jump the start? Lowes now has his interim team mate, Niccolo Canepa, running right behind him. Michael van der Mark is back up and running. No damage to his factory Honda. Raffaele De Rosa is improving position from where he started, on the BMW S1000RR. But, Leon Camier, on the MV Agusta, is losing places hand over fist. What is wrong with the MV? Mechanical troubles mean it's game over for Camier. These DNF's are beginning to happen too much for Leon Camier. Out of race. We see the Kawasaki's and Ducati's running together in the top four at the start of this race.
Hayden and Savadori are now contending with Xavi Fores who is seventh. Behind those three, another battle is brewing. Alex De Angelis runs 11th behind the two Yamaha's of Lowes and Canepa. De Angelis, Josh Brookes, Raffaele De Rosa, Anthony West, and in 15th, Roman Ramos. Chaz Davies runs fourth just behind Jonathan Rea, with Davide Giugliano and Tom Sykes ahead. Giugliano sets the first fastest lap in race two at 1:23.522. Giugliano takes a late lunge past Tom Sykes and up the inside he goes. Giugliano is leading, but Sykes probably won't let him stay out front for very long. Josh Brookes crashes, and it looks like he's out. But, no. He rejoins the race.
Time will tell, but it may be the Milwaukee team could switch from the BMW S1000RR to the Aprilia RSV next year. The top four are glued together. Alex De Angelis moves up to tenth, past Alex Lowes. Davide Giugliano has extended his lead by a half a second over Tom Sykes. Davide Giugliano needs to stay consistent if he wants to lead this race. Oh deary me. It's game over for Alex De Angelis. Commentator's curse, I'm afraid, after saying how well he was doing so far in race two. De Angelis stops at turn two, the Andretti hairpin, and it's without doubt, a retirement. If this battle at the front continues, the next four riders in line, could gain time. Nicky Hayden, followed by Lorenzo Savadori, Xavi Fores, and Jordi Torres.
Alex Lowes did not jump the start in this race. Jonathan Rea, because of the difference in riding style he has as compared to Tom Sykes, carries more speed into the corner. Sykes runs slowly through the mid corner and then mashes the gas on corner exit. The bikes sweep down through the Rainey curve. Oh no. Another crash. Pawel Szkopek has laid down his bike in turn six. That's the Corkscrew. There's a red flag due to this crash. This race, will be stopped. Race control has red flagged the race, due to safety conditions. In replay, we catch the end of Szkopek's crash. Through the dust cloud, we cannot see exactly what happened. We will recycle timing and scoring back to lap four, which was the last completed lap before Szkopek's wreck.
Pawel Szkopek scored a point at Magny Cours last year, and also did so way back in 2004. Szkopek is the oldest rider in the field at age 40. He races for Team Toth who runs a Yamaha YZF-R1 this year. Last year, they campaigned a BMW S1000RR. When we restart this race, the new distance, will be 21 laps. If it was less than three laps, we'd clean the slate and go right back to a brand new race, in which the first race we were initially running, would be null and void. If we were past 2/3rds race distance and a red flag appeared, the race would end and be declared official, with full points. There is no safety car restart. But sadly, the blokes who are out of this race such as Alex De Angelis, Leon Camier, and Josh Brookes, they are done for the day and won't be able to restart.
Szkopek is out, and Michael van der Mark will be caboose on the field. Everyone is getting ready for when the restart will happen. Alex De Angelis has to be disappointed to be out, as he was running well before his mechanical issues. Pawel Szkopek is on the stretcher being loaded into the ambulance. But, he gives the peace sign, to tell everyone he is OK. Pit lane opens for the quick start procedure in four minutes. Somone startingmid pack may make a move. Ducati and Honda are the most well known winning manufacturers here at Laguna Seca. Ducati has 12 wins and 35 podium finishes. Honda, has five, including a double for Chris Vermuellen in 2004 and a decade later, Jonathan Rea.
Pawel Szkopek is conscious and is being evaluated at the medical center. It is standard procedure. Usually, the rider is unhurt. Dominic Schmitter is a rider who stepped up from World Supersport to World Superbike for this season. Schmitter is a big Jorge Lorenzo fan. Toni Elias from MotoAmerica, has a chat with Kawasaki boss Per Arriba. Elias was on the podium in the MotoAmerica race won by Cameron Beaubier. Restarting this race means that it might be a bit of a war of attrition, or at least one of wanting to gain points.
We restart this race. 21 laps to run. Here we go, for the second start at Laguna Seca! Away we go! Giugliano and Sykes are side by side as Niccolo Canepa and Nicky Hayden both make good starts. Davide Giugliano loses the lead and Tom Sykes sweeps around him. Chaz Davies is down behind Nicky Hayden and Lorenzo Savadori. But, look! Hayden is side by side and wants a piece of Jonathan Rea! Hayden passes the world champ! Xavi Fores also makes a great start. Chaz Davies is stuck behind all this traffic. Cresting the hill it is BMW vs. Yamaha again, as Jordi Torres and Alex Lowes scrap for position.
Xavi Fores runs wide and Lorenzo Savadori has Chaz Davies all over him, like a rash. Michael van der Mark has already made up nine spots, from 19th on the grid, to tenth in the running order. No one jumped the start. Torres and Lowes continue their tussle and Jonathan Rea and Nicky Hayden, mean business! They were side by side, just for a brief moment! Phew! Jonathan Rea has made it past Hayden, working lap two of this restarted motorcycle race. Tom Sykes sets fastest lap so far with a very good pace. 1:23.552 for Sykes. Uh oh. Someone has fallen in the background, out of turn four. Who is it?
Lorenzo Savadori has crashed out. Game over. Thankfully Savadori is OK. It's a tricky part of the speedway, and the same spot where Alex Lowes crashed in the morning warmup. Saeed Al Sulaiti is fifteenth, and in the points at the moment. But Karel Abraham is in hot pursuit. The lower half of the top 15 features Anthony West, Raffaele De Rosa, Roman Ramos, Dominic Schmitter, and Al Sulaiti. Whoa! Check this out! Jonathan Rea, has taken both Tom Sykes and Davide Giugliano in one corner! Tom Sykes holds onto second, and onto his Kawasaki ZX10R!
Rea has to really enjoy being a motorcycle racer. The best rider in World Superbike, on the best motorcycle. But, Rea, runs wide! Rea is down to tenth after going off the road. He'll rejoin in tenth behind Michael van der Mark. Sykes leads over Davide Giugliano, Nicky Hayden, and Chaz Davies, who is currently fourth. Rea had some lean angle going into the corner and doesn't want to tip it into the gravel. So, he sits up, and skates the Kawasaki through the gravel, staying on the motorcycle, and keeping it on the blacktop. However, Rea has lost a place to Anthony West. Oh dear! Jonathan Rea has stopped on lap six.
Will this be his first retirement of 2016? The podium will be gone, and the points record, up in smoke, if he can't rejoin the race. Maybe he had the transmission in the wrong gear. Oh dear. It is official. For just the second time riding a Kawasaki motorcycle, Jonathan Rea, has to park it and pack it up. Game over. Jonathan Rea has not crashed a Kawasaki though. His last wreck was in 2014 when he high sided out of the race in France at Magny Cours, coming through the Nurburgring chicane. For the third time this season we won't have a double winner. The flyaway races tend to produce these kinds of finishes. Sykes leads with Giugliano second, and in third, Chaz Davies.
Meanwhile, Nicky Hayden is feeling the heat from Xavi Fores. Just 14 laps left to run. Alex Lowes is moving in on Fores. Can Chaz Davies bridge the gap to the front? He's the only man right now, in the 1:23 bracket with his lap times. Rea's only other mechanical retirement was when his engine went sour last year in the season finale in Qatar. Now, he has gearbox woes. Hayden and Fores side by side. Fores takes the turn too deep. Lowes, Jordi Torres, and Niccolo Canepa are all trying to make a move on Xavi Fores. Michael van der Mark in ninth is also in this fight.
Nicky Hayden appears he is soon to make a move on Fores. Niccolo Canepa has done very well standing in for the injured Sylvain Guintoli. Six bikes scrap for fourth through ninth places. Anthony West rounds out the top ten. Saeed Al Sulaiti is now in the points. He is 15th. Between West and Al Sulaiti, it is Raffaele De Rosa, Roman Ramos, Dominic Schmitter, and Karel Abraham. Torres and Lowes almost touch into turn ten. The only difference in the performance area, is the Yamaha does not have the top end speed the BMW does. Michael van der Mark goes around Niccolo Canepa.
Jordi Torres is very strong, but he can't brake as deep into the corner as Alex Lowes can. Tom Sykes is 6/10ths clear of Davide Giugliano who is a second ahead of Chaz Davies. The tires are starting to drop, meaning the lap times will drop about a second from 1:23 to 1:24. Torres makes the move on Lowes. But Lowes now has to be on the charge to try and pass the BMW. A lot of pressure is on Davide Giugliano to win his first race. He is one of few riders to start over 100 races in WSBK without winning. This is the 108th start for Giugliano. Nine laps now remain in the race as Sykes feels the pressure from Giugliano.
After this race is done, just four remain in the WSBK 2016 season. Chaz Davies is third, but in a very real sense, he has been eliminated from contention for the world championship. Giugliano is managing his tires and still running in the 1:23 lap time bracket. With Rea out, and if Sykes can win, the points gap between the KRT riders will be only 46 markers. 200 possible points are still left on the table in the last races of the year. If Giugliano passes Sykes, it's a loss of five points, and the gap would still be 51 points. Nicky Hayden is fifth between Xavi Fores and Jordi Torres. van der Mark, Lowes, and Canepa are also in this fight.
Canepa now runs right behind Alex Lowes. Anthony West retains tenth on the Pedercini Kawasaki ZX10R followed by Ramos, De Rosa, Abraham, Schmitter, and Al Sulaiti. If he can keep going, Saeed Al Sulaiti will be the first ever rider from Qatar to score a WSBK championship point. The gap is merely a second between Sykes and Giugliano. Chaz Davies in third is bridging the gap, and he's coming. He's a half second faster than the leaders. Giugliano is faster than Sykes. 1:24.446 to 1:24.652. Sykes can afford to brake deeper into the corner on the Kawasaki. Giugliano applies the blowtorch to Tom Sykes.
Sykes has to think about the championship. Sykes has to gain points with Jonathan Rea out, to go for a chance to win his second World Superbike crown. Five laps to go. Giugliano is closing up. Chaz Davies also has great pace, running laps at 1:24 flat. Xavi Fores is still fourth, but is dropping behind the top three. Down through the Corkscrew they come, and the gap between the Ducati riders is closing. It is a matter of when and where, more than if. Davies tries a block pass on the inside of Giugliano, but it won't work. Davies is surely out to prove a point. Sykes is under pressure.
Sykes and Davies both run wide, and here comes Giugliano. Giugliano takes advantage of Davies' blunder. Sykes also ran wide. That's easy to do entering the Corkscrew. Three laps to go now. Giugliano is alongside Tom Sykes under the bridge, and can't quite get it done. Into the Corkscrew, we see Davies waiting in the wings. But, he'll have to make a move if he wants to go for the win. Coming into Rainey, has Giugliano pulled the pin? Will he go for the lead on Sykes? Not yet. Wait. Speaking of pulling the pin, here comes Davies, with far better corner speed, than Giugliano! Davies bravely goes inside his Ducati team mate.
Davies runs wide on the front straight. Here comes Giugliano back. Side by side stuff for the Ducati team mates! Sykes is loving this, because he'll get away. Davies slides the rear tire! The red mist is down with Chaz Davies. He slides past Giugliano and now targets the green Kawasaki of Tom Sykes. Giugliano holds him off! Don't crash, boys. Ernesto Marinelli will be livid if that happens. Rule number one in all of racing on two and four wheels, don't take your team mate out! With two laps left, Davies will have to put in the best lap of his life, if he's going to have any chance of catching the green motorcycle. Last lap. If something terrible does happen, it will be quite the surprise. Xavi Fores would pick up the win.
But, it appears these three are the blokes duking it out. No dice for Giugliano in turn three. Only eight corners remain. Ooh! It's so close. Italy wants their 100th win as a nation and especially after the passing of Ducati racing legend, Fabrizio Pirovano. Tremendous traction for Giugliano up the back straight named for car racing legend, Bobby Rahal. No dive by Giugliano into the Corkscrew. Giguliano has to punch up the power through the Rainey curve for the last time. It's now or never for the Ducati rider. Two corners to go. Giugliano wants to have a go into the last corner, but might be too far behind.
Tom Sykes, wins race two at Laguna Seca, trimming his deficit to Jonathan Rea, who retired from this race, to a mere 46 points.
World Superbike Race 2: #66 Tom Sykes GBR. Kawasaki Racing Team Kawasaki ZX10R
Alex Lowes, crashes right out of the last corner, on the final lap just headed for home! Both factory Yamaha's are in that little dust up. Niccolo Canepa rejoins, but it's game over, right to the bitter end, for Alex Lowes. When the red mist comes down, things get crazy. But, that's racing, as they say. Alex Lowes is 14th and Saeed Al Sulaiti will be the first Qatari rider to score points in WSBK. Lowes went inside Canepa, and ditched the bike. Canepa clips his team mate, just barely, and thankfully, both Yamaha riders were not down and out in a heap!
What a race, at a great venue! That was smokin'! 17 riders out of the 21 starters, finished. Tom Sykes wins his fifth race of 2016 and the 31st of his career. 46 points separate Rea and Sykes, over the final eight races. Nicky Hayden finishes fifth in race two. Sykes becomes only the fifth rider in WSBK who wins three times at Laguna Seca, including the great John Kocinski who did the double at Laguna Seca back in 1997. Giugliano was so close to winning! But, it was a brilliant race for him. A better one, for Tom Sykes. This has to be a sweet victory. His third, at Laguna Seca.
Davies loses more points to Rea. Rea and Sykes are going to slug it out for the 2016 championship. Pawel Szkopek who crashed, will be fine, save for a fractured toe. Folks, we've been on quite the break for WSBK racing action, and it will continue for another six weeks before the championship resumes, in Germany, at the Eurospeedway Lausitz in Klettwitz, Brandenburg, Germany. Eurospeedway is a venue WSBK has not run at since 2007. The race will take place in seven weeks.
We come to Laguna Seca fresh off a test session at Misano three weeks or so ago. Here are our current, post time weather conditions. 22 degrees Celsius (71 degrees Fahrenheit), air temperature. 47 degrees Celsius (116 degrees Fahrenheit... hot!), track temperature. Jonathan Rea breaks another record here at Laguna Seca, becoming the rider with the longest streak of leading the points standings in World Superbike, with a mark set at 42 consecutive races. Troy Bayliss held that record, previously. Nicky Hayden starts sixth today. That's a good omen, because the last MotoGP start he had here, a decade ago, he won, from sixth on the grid. Dani Pedrosa and Marco Melandri rounded out the podium that day.
Jonathan Rea comes in here as the favorite. But, it will be a dogfight between he and Chaz Davies more than likely. There's a mid season break after this race. Chaz Davies is 99 points behind Jonathan Rea. Tom Sykes is 66 points out. Kawasaki leads Ducati by 74 markers in the manufacturer's cup. Honda, are a distant third, a further 83 points in-arrears. Davide Giugliano is on the front row of the grid. He qualified there in 2015 but had a horrid race. What Giugliano wants to do, is finish this season ahead of Honda's Michael van der Mark. Tom Sykes has pole for this race and is six pole positions away from tying Troy Corser's all-time record.
Sykes has run quicker, but for shorter amounts of time. Tire wear has not been a big issue here according to Pirelli, although in Friday practice, Jonathan Rea lost a little traction on the front. Davide Giugliano hopes to have a good first race, and for that matter, a good showing in the second race on Sunday, too, which you'll hear about, a bit later on in this report, as you read it. When the wind picks up, this track becomes ever more challenging than it already is, blowing in turn one, and also at the top of the Corkscrew. Three-time MotoGP World Champion and MotoAmerica ambassador Wayne Rainey, is here, and he's a winner on this track.
Rainey won three successive races here, in 1989, '90, and '91. The 500cc bikes last raced here in 1994 and then WSBK took over in 1995. Alex Lowes was one man tipped to have a shot for pole. But, no. The YZF R1 struggled on the qualifying tire. Alex Lowes made a mistake into the final sector of the track. Neither Alex Lowes nor Niccolo Canepa got hold of the qualifying tires. They don't have to worry about race pace, because both Yamaha's are on the third row of the grid in ninth and tenth. Leon Camier is making his 150th start in WSBK. He's a great development rider and does well in the races, too. Camier first raced in WSBK in 2009 and has finished on the podium nine times.
25 laps scheduled. Nobody expects a drop in tire performance, and this comes from Jonathan Rea's Kawasaki crew chief, Per Arriba. Arriba said that it will depend on the pace of the opening few laps. Nicky Hayden debuted here in World Superbike, as a wildcard rider for American Honda, back in 2002. The Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade seems to work much better for Hayden here at his home race, than for his team mate, Michael van der Mark. Laguna Seca is one of three venues that have hosted World Superbike here in the U.S. The others being Miller Motorsport Park in Utah, and, my home track, at Brainerd International Raceway in Brainerd, Minnesota, which hosted races for WSBK between 1989 and 1991. Another watch and another opportunity for Tom Sykes to sign the camera.
Jonathan Rea, rolls off from second on the grid. Chaz Davies is not as calm in speaking with his team. Ducati boss Ernesto Marinelli has said that no, he has not talked to Davide Giugliano or Xavi Fores, about staying out of Davies' way. Team orders are not necessary at Ducati Corse. Chaz Davies is starting fourth, and Xavi Fores starts fifth, right behind him inside row two. Tom Sykes scores his 37th pole on his career, and he's had seven poles out of nine races. Nicky Hayden is sixth. Davide Giugliano is third. Jordi Torres on the BMW is seventh.
Niccolo Canepa is ninth on the grid. 2000 500cc/MotoGP World Champion Kenny Roberts Jr., is here. He won eight times in his 500cc career. Lorenzo Savadori is eighth. Alex Lowes completes the top ten. Kenny Roberts Sr. was someone who changed Grand Prix motorcycle racing, when he came from flat track racing here in the U.S. and totally changed the riding style on a Grand Prix bike, before World Superbike even existed. He was the forefather of legends from the U.S. like Freddie Spencer, Eddie Lawson, Wayne Rainey, Kevin Schwantz, Nicky Hayden, and even MotoGP star, Marc Marquez.
Two-time WSBK champion and four-time 250cc Grand Prix world champion, Max Biaggi, is here to check out the races. The Alfa Romeo safety car pulls away. We have seven or so weeks before the next WSBK race. Details at the end of the race report. Leon Camier starts 12th. Alex De Angelis is 13th. We have 23 riders starting. Fabio Menghi has aggravated his injured shoulder and won't race today. We're ready for race one in California! The bikes are on their warmup lap before the start. No surprises insofar as tire selection. We're going to get right down to business of racing here, very shortly.
Weather conditions, as we get started, 22 degrees Celsius (71 degrees Fahrenheit), air temperature. 47 degrees Celsius (116 degrees Fahrenheit), track temperature. The wind will be a challenge for these riders, as a breeze has built through the day. Jonathan Rea leads the championship by 66 points over Tom Sykes and 99 points over Chaz Davies. We are under starters orders. Ready, to bring the action, at Laguna Seca. The Monterey Peninsula will rock to the thunder of 22 1000cc Superbike monsters. Watch out for one of the most daunting first corners in all of motorcycle racing. WSBK at Laguna Seca, is go!
Rea and Sykes side by side and Rea will lead into turn one. What will the Ducati's do as the bikes round the Andretti hairpin? Tom Sykes retakes the lead from Jonathan Rea. Michael van der Mark is also pushing forward. Jonathan Rea is now third and we see Alex Lowes on the Yamaha moving into contention. We plunge down the Corkscrew for the first time. All bikes and riders are running of the 23 that started. Caboose on the field right now is the Toth Yamaha in the hands of Peter Sebestyen. Davide Giugliano runs wide into turn one, but doesn't make a mistake exiting the Andretti hairpin. Alex Lowes is making headway, moving up four places. Will the Yamaha run where Lowes wants it to be?
Jordi Torres has lost five spots on the Althea BMW S1000RR. Chaz Davies runs wide through turn nine. Michael van der Mark passes Niccolo Canepa for ninth. Jonathan Rea sets early fast lap at 1:23.640. Our top ten running order so far is Sykes, Davies, Rea, Giugliano, Hayden, Lowes, Savadori, Fores, van der Mark, and De Angelis. Sykes, Davies, and Rea all run in the 1:23.8 lap time range. Davies is fastest at 1:23.833, followed by a 1:23.835 for Rea, and Sykes at 1:23.844. Jordi Torres is still running in the points, passing Niccolo Canepa for 11th. Torres, Canepa, Anthony West, Raffaele De Rosa, and Josh Brookes, complete the top 15.
The Naples, Italy native, he is currently leading the FIM Super Stock 1000 Cup series, which you have read about, having some thrilling races in Europe, here on 2 Wheelin' from time to time. Chaz Davies resets fast lap at 1:23.443. Tom Sykes is surely holding up Davies, and for good reason. He wants to keep the race lead. Oh! But this is a tight squeeze! Here comes Davies! Rea follows Davies and now, Sykes falls to third. Michael van der Mark is coming towards the lead group. Davies is ahead, but Sykes needs to get back around his two rivals, because with his riding style, it's easier for him to lead, than follow.
But, disaster, for Chaz Davies! Davies, is down and out! This is Davies' third crash in a row! He fell off at Donington. He fell off at Misano. Now, he falls at Laguna Seca! It is now a two man race between the green Kawasaki's of Jonathan Rea and Tom Sykes. Davies tucked the front of the motorcycle through turn six. A very easy mistake to make. Jonathan Rea runs wide into the Corkscrew. Both Kawasaki's have dropped their pace just a tad, and this could be a podium opportunity for Nicky Hayden on the Honda. Poor old Chaz Davies has finished eight races this year, off of the podium.
Working lap seven. Was there dust on the road where Davies wrecked? Alex Lowes is in hot pursuit of Nicky Hayden. It's Honda vs. Yamaha. Sadly, it's game over for Josh Brookes in his first WSBK race in the United States, and it is also his first visit to the U.S. Scratch that. Brookes went off at turn seven (the entrance to the Corkscrew), but has rejoined the race. The wind has picked up, blowing more dust onto the track. We look at the top fifteen order at the moment.
1. Jonathan Rea
2. Tom Sykes
3. Davide Giugliano
4. Nicky Hayden
5. Alex Lowes
6. Lorenzo Savadori
7. Michael van der Mark
8. Xavi Fores
9. Alex De Angelis
10. Jordi Torres
11. Niccolo Canepa
12. Anthony West
13. Raffaele De Rosa
14. Leon Camier
15. Roman Ramos
Lorenzo Savadori is running well in his first race at Laguna Seca. Michael van der Mark needs to improve and so does Nicky Hayden. Honda is struggling. Gianluca Vizziello is out. Davide Giugliano is trying to catch up to the Kawasaki team mates, but finding the going difficult at the moment. Chaz Davies has not been a happy boy this weekend, and that's something that could have contributed to his wreck. Working lap ten. We are a few laps from halfway in race one. If something does happen to the top three, Nicky Hayden would be on the podium here in the U.S. round of the world championship.
Jonathan Rea can eke out a gap on Tom Sykes right now. Davide Giugliano loses time in sector three, but gains time in sector one. Alex Lowes is catching Nicky Hayden again. The top three are covered by a second and a half. We watch Nicky Hayden running in fourth place right now. We are approaching halfway in this race. Lorenzo Savadori is running really well, and we might see a factory Aprilia team here in WSBK next year. Jordi Torres had a great scrap here last year, with his then Aprilia team mate, Leon Haslam. Torres is the leading BMW rider. Will the Aprilia hold off the BMW? Torres could try to pass Alex De Angelis. Niccolo Canepa is running well too, replacing Sylvain Guintoli.
Oh no! Davide Giugliano, is down and out. Ducati will want to erase 2016 WSBK race one at Laguna Seca from their memory bank. We have lost Giugliano from this race, meaning Nicky Hayden could score a podium. Giugliano went down in turn five, the same place on the course, where Davies wrecked earlier. Turn five claims another victim. One Althea BMW is still running. Poor old Raffaele De Rosa, who has been dominant in STK1000 racing in Europe this year, is also down and out. Game over. Another yellow flag is show through the Corkscrew. Nicky Hayden wants a podium place, but Alex Lowes is giving him a tough run for his money.
Let's not forget Lorenzo Savadori and Michael van der Mark. Both of them also are in with a shout here in race one. Savadori seems to be using up a lot of his Pirelli rear tire. Just 2/10ths of a second separate the Kawasaki boys. Tom Sykes chases Jonathan Rea. Sykes has fastest lap. 1:24.489, compared to Rea with a 1:24.838. Ten laps remain now in race one. Lowes and Savadori are right on top of each other, fighting for fourth place. Alex Lowes wants to finish on the podium, and he hasn't done so since Thailand 2015. Lorenzo Savadori wants to finish on the podium. But, Michael van der Mark is pushing him hard.
Tom Sykes has now gone past Jonathan Rea. Lap 17 of 25. Has Jonathan Rea made another mistake in the Corkscrew? Indeed he did. Sykes has run wide straight down the gravel trap in the Corkscrew. That's the Marquez/Rossi line he was taking. Saeed Al Sulaiti has crashed out of this race as well. Four riders have now retired from WSBK race one at Laguna Seca. Al Sulaiti slid through the Corkscrew, but neither bike nor rider hit the air fences. Rea and Sykes are really scrapping now! Back and forth between the Kawasaki team mates, with just six laps left in race one at Laguna Seca! Rea is riding defensive and Sykes could get a run up the hill back to the Corkscrew.
Michael van der Mark is now fifth, getting around Lorenzo Savadori. Honda is ahead of Aprilia. There is a three way battle for third as Alex Lowes is the meat in a Honda sandwich. Hayden, Lowes, van der Mark. Both Kawasaki's could catch the two back markers they are trying to lap. Gianluca Vizziello has rejoined the race from pit lane, albeit eight laps behind. The other two are Pawel Szkopek and Peter Sebestyen. Nicky Hayden goes by Alex Lowes and Lowes is off the road a bit, exceeding track limits. That was a heck of a move through Rainey curve!
Michael van der Mark tries to take advantage into the Andretti hairpin, but he can't quite do it. van der Mark could pass one rider, but not both, as Lorenzo Savadori is fastest man on the course at the moment turning a lap of 1:25.160. Lorenzo Savadori wiggles the motorcycle in the downhill run from after the Corkscrew. Xavi Fores and Jordi Torres are not far behind either. Anyone could get third place, as Jonathan Rea leads by 1.1 seconds over Tom Sykes. Lapped traffic is in the way. Alex Lowes lowers the quick time to 1:25.018. Alex Lowes could be slightly faster than Nicky Hayden in the scrum for third.
Hayden has found some space between himself and the battle between Lowes and van der Mark. On the last lap, Nicky Hayden has to hold off his Honda team mate if he wants a rostrum finish here at Laguna Seca. Last lap of race one. Pawel Szkopek moves out of the way of the leaders. Jonathan Rea will score his first ever win in WSBK in the United States. Michael van der Mark is catching Nicky Hayden. He's 4/10ths of a second behind. Keep in mind that Hayden is on target for a podium, in the U.S. Vizziello and Sebestyen both move out of the way of the leaders. Another Kawasaki 1-2 and Jonathan Rea wins a WSBK race in the United States for the first time!
World Superbike Race 1: #1 Jonathan Rea GBR. Kawasaki Racing Team Kawasaki ZX10R
...And, Michael van der Mark, runs wide into the last corner, allowing Nicky Hayden, his factory Honda team mate, to finish on the podium in the United States! The crowd will go nuts! Rea is 71 points ahead of Tom Sykes and now 124 ahead of Chaz Davies.
Race two, is coming up.
Can Jonathan Rea, do the double? That's the question. We have another 25 lap race ahead of us here at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Weather conditions look like this. 20 degrees Celsius (68 degrees Fahrenheit), air temperature. 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit), track temperature. Ambiet temperatures are a bit cooler than in yesterday's race. Jonathan Rea now leads Tom Sykes in the points, by 71 markers. It is his championship to lose. Davide Giugliano has not had the best weekend here at Laguna Seca. Alex Lowes had a big crash in morning warmup for the Sunday race. He fell at the right hand corner, turn four. WSBK doctors checked Alex Lowes for a possible collarbone injury. Thankfully, the X ray was negative.
Pit lane is now open. The bikes and riders come out on track. Chaz Davies has crashed in four of the last five races. Not a good way to go so far this season for the Ducati rider. Chaz Davies just wants to take things race by race, and by now, Davies is mathematically out of the championship hunt. The Kawasaki ZX10R is easier to ride than the Ducati Panigale. Davies knows he has to push hard for the reward. But, he's going all in, to use a gambling term, and he's almost out of aces. He's crashed four times in five races. He's lost so, so many points! 124 points is the deficit between Davies and Jonathan Rea.
Rea has led the championship for 42 straight races, going back to the 2015 Thailand round, race two. Jonathan Rea is second on the grid. You want an amazing official WSBK stat? Check this out. Jonathan Rea has had 82 career podium finishes. 42 of them were with Honda between 2009 and 2014. 40 already, riding for Kawasaki, for just a year and a half's worth of racing. So, he's almost equal on the number of podiums he's earned with Kawasaki as the total amount he earned as a Honda rider! Yikes! Davide Giugliano, who we've talked about quite frequently already, rolls off third on the grid.
Chaz Davies set fast lap in the Saturday race. He's fourth on the grid here today. Tom Sykes is on pole. Lots of manufacturer changes might happen for WSBK teams next year. BMW is a customer operation right now, while it is possible for the Milwaukee team to race Aprilia. Ioda Aprilia is a private team, but they could come in as a factory squad next year along with their current MotoGP effort. Some riders actually say that the Aprilia is the best motorcycle on the grid. Eugene Laverty, or Michael van der Mark, might have a possibility to ride for Aprilia next year. Laverty has ridden for Aprilia, Yamaha, and Suzuki. So, he could race for Yamaha, Ducati, or Aprilia. We'll see lots of confirmation for next year. Will Michael van der Mark stay with Honda? Honda has a new motorcycle for next year.
Honda has always been strong when debuting a new motorcycle in the World Superbike Championship. Colin Edwards, when he had a tremendous career in WSBK, made the old VTR1000 a very successful motorcycle. Edwards won a championship aboard the VTR. The Honda Fireblade has also been a successful racing bike over the last decade. Michael van der Mark could take the opportunity to ride the new bike, and for a second season, he would be team mates, to Nicky Hayden. Speaking of Nicky Hayden, he starts fifth on the grid. Lorenzo Savadori is eighth. Next is Niccolo Canepa. Michael van der Mark starts eleventh, as we are merely ten minutes away from the start of race two at Laguna Seca, the 18th race of the 2016 WSBK championship.
Tenth on the grid is Alex Lowes and he ran very well in the Saturday race. Lowes will be sore due to his shoulder giving him issues after his warmup wreck. Niccolo Canepa of course, subs for Sylvain Guintoli after he crashed in Super Pole at Imola in Italy. Leon Camier is 12th on the MV Agusta. There are three teams running one bike, who could race two bikes, next year. The factory MV Agusta team is one. Barni Ducati is another. The third, is the privateer Kawasaki team for Go11. Go11 is consistently in the midfield and scoring points. Alex De Angelis is 13th and knows Laguna Seca well from racing here in MotoGP. He scored two points on Saturday. Anthony West is next. West has run no fewer than eight production road racing motorcycle championships this year.
West is subbing for Frenchman Sylvain Barrier of course. Barrier had a horrid accident at Motorland Aragon earlier this year, and he also fell off here at Laguna Seca one time, and hit the pit wall. Barrier should be back in action when the summer break is over. Sixteenth is Roman Ramos. After the summer break, the last four races come thick and fast. Germany at the Lausitzring, France at Magny Cours, Spain, at Jerez, and the finale in Qatar at the Losail circuit. Ramos is a consistent rider for sure. Joshua Brookes is 15th, on his first trip to the United States.
Karel Abraham is 17th. He's had a tough weekend and is struggling in slower corners. In 18th place, is the man who has run so well for BMW in Stock 1000 races this year, Raffaele De Rosa. Lining up 19th is Dominic Schmitter. He starts ahead of Saeed Al Sulaiti, Pawel Szkopek, Peter Sebestyen, and Gianluca Vizziello, the Italian, is caboose on the field. Five minutes to the race start as the Alfa Romeo 4C safety car pulls away. The tire degradation will start about lap seven, dropping the lap times down. Two drops in tire performance will be seen, more than likely. Davide Giugliano third, Jonathan Rea, second. Tom Sykes, on pole.
Will it be another double for Jonathan Rea? Take a deep breath, everyone. Settle in, for an exciting World Superbike Sunday race, from Laguna Seca. The bikes are on their warmup lap. Weather conditions just before we start. 20 degrees Celsius (68 degrees Fahrenheit), air temperature. 46 degrees Celsius (114 degrees Fahrenheit), track temperature. Same weather conditions we had yesterday on the Celsius and Fahrenheit scales. Will the Ducati riders approach the race differently than they did on Saturday? What will Davide Giugliano do? 5,000 horsepower about to be unleashed, from 23 World Superbikes, at 220 horsepower apiece. Here we go. Race two, from Laguna Seca. Go! Tom Sykes gets a great start and Jonathan Rea now has Davide Giugliano right there. He is trapped at the moment.
Nicky Hayden on the Honda comes around the outside and someone is almost forced to sit up on their bike. Not sure who. Ah. That was Alex Lowes on the lead factory Yamaha. Alex Lowes may have jumped the start as Davide Giugliano is onto Tom Sykes early and wants to make a move. Chaz Davies runs fourth right now and wants to be aggressive early on. Nicky Hayden and Lorenzo Savadori, follow. Oh dear! Michael van der Mark goes off course at the entrance to the Corkscrew! He can't keep the motorcycle upright, and, ker-rash! He's into the air fence. He should be OK and it looks like there isn't too much damage to the Honda Fireblade right now. The gravel trap at the Corkscrew is very deep and the bike will fall down if you go off the road there.
Alex Lowes is following Jordi Torres. BMW vs. Yamaha. But, did Lowes jump the start? Lowes now has his interim team mate, Niccolo Canepa, running right behind him. Michael van der Mark is back up and running. No damage to his factory Honda. Raffaele De Rosa is improving position from where he started, on the BMW S1000RR. But, Leon Camier, on the MV Agusta, is losing places hand over fist. What is wrong with the MV? Mechanical troubles mean it's game over for Camier. These DNF's are beginning to happen too much for Leon Camier. Out of race. We see the Kawasaki's and Ducati's running together in the top four at the start of this race.
Hayden and Savadori are now contending with Xavi Fores who is seventh. Behind those three, another battle is brewing. Alex De Angelis runs 11th behind the two Yamaha's of Lowes and Canepa. De Angelis, Josh Brookes, Raffaele De Rosa, Anthony West, and in 15th, Roman Ramos. Chaz Davies runs fourth just behind Jonathan Rea, with Davide Giugliano and Tom Sykes ahead. Giugliano sets the first fastest lap in race two at 1:23.522. Giugliano takes a late lunge past Tom Sykes and up the inside he goes. Giugliano is leading, but Sykes probably won't let him stay out front for very long. Josh Brookes crashes, and it looks like he's out. But, no. He rejoins the race.
Time will tell, but it may be the Milwaukee team could switch from the BMW S1000RR to the Aprilia RSV next year. The top four are glued together. Alex De Angelis moves up to tenth, past Alex Lowes. Davide Giugliano has extended his lead by a half a second over Tom Sykes. Davide Giugliano needs to stay consistent if he wants to lead this race. Oh deary me. It's game over for Alex De Angelis. Commentator's curse, I'm afraid, after saying how well he was doing so far in race two. De Angelis stops at turn two, the Andretti hairpin, and it's without doubt, a retirement. If this battle at the front continues, the next four riders in line, could gain time. Nicky Hayden, followed by Lorenzo Savadori, Xavi Fores, and Jordi Torres.
Alex Lowes did not jump the start in this race. Jonathan Rea, because of the difference in riding style he has as compared to Tom Sykes, carries more speed into the corner. Sykes runs slowly through the mid corner and then mashes the gas on corner exit. The bikes sweep down through the Rainey curve. Oh no. Another crash. Pawel Szkopek has laid down his bike in turn six. That's the Corkscrew. There's a red flag due to this crash. This race, will be stopped. Race control has red flagged the race, due to safety conditions. In replay, we catch the end of Szkopek's crash. Through the dust cloud, we cannot see exactly what happened. We will recycle timing and scoring back to lap four, which was the last completed lap before Szkopek's wreck.
Pawel Szkopek scored a point at Magny Cours last year, and also did so way back in 2004. Szkopek is the oldest rider in the field at age 40. He races for Team Toth who runs a Yamaha YZF-R1 this year. Last year, they campaigned a BMW S1000RR. When we restart this race, the new distance, will be 21 laps. If it was less than three laps, we'd clean the slate and go right back to a brand new race, in which the first race we were initially running, would be null and void. If we were past 2/3rds race distance and a red flag appeared, the race would end and be declared official, with full points. There is no safety car restart. But sadly, the blokes who are out of this race such as Alex De Angelis, Leon Camier, and Josh Brookes, they are done for the day and won't be able to restart.
Szkopek is out, and Michael van der Mark will be caboose on the field. Everyone is getting ready for when the restart will happen. Alex De Angelis has to be disappointed to be out, as he was running well before his mechanical issues. Pawel Szkopek is on the stretcher being loaded into the ambulance. But, he gives the peace sign, to tell everyone he is OK. Pit lane opens for the quick start procedure in four minutes. Somone startingmid pack may make a move. Ducati and Honda are the most well known winning manufacturers here at Laguna Seca. Ducati has 12 wins and 35 podium finishes. Honda, has five, including a double for Chris Vermuellen in 2004 and a decade later, Jonathan Rea.
Pawel Szkopek is conscious and is being evaluated at the medical center. It is standard procedure. Usually, the rider is unhurt. Dominic Schmitter is a rider who stepped up from World Supersport to World Superbike for this season. Schmitter is a big Jorge Lorenzo fan. Toni Elias from MotoAmerica, has a chat with Kawasaki boss Per Arriba. Elias was on the podium in the MotoAmerica race won by Cameron Beaubier. Restarting this race means that it might be a bit of a war of attrition, or at least one of wanting to gain points.
We restart this race. 21 laps to run. Here we go, for the second start at Laguna Seca! Away we go! Giugliano and Sykes are side by side as Niccolo Canepa and Nicky Hayden both make good starts. Davide Giugliano loses the lead and Tom Sykes sweeps around him. Chaz Davies is down behind Nicky Hayden and Lorenzo Savadori. But, look! Hayden is side by side and wants a piece of Jonathan Rea! Hayden passes the world champ! Xavi Fores also makes a great start. Chaz Davies is stuck behind all this traffic. Cresting the hill it is BMW vs. Yamaha again, as Jordi Torres and Alex Lowes scrap for position.
Xavi Fores runs wide and Lorenzo Savadori has Chaz Davies all over him, like a rash. Michael van der Mark has already made up nine spots, from 19th on the grid, to tenth in the running order. No one jumped the start. Torres and Lowes continue their tussle and Jonathan Rea and Nicky Hayden, mean business! They were side by side, just for a brief moment! Phew! Jonathan Rea has made it past Hayden, working lap two of this restarted motorcycle race. Tom Sykes sets fastest lap so far with a very good pace. 1:23.552 for Sykes. Uh oh. Someone has fallen in the background, out of turn four. Who is it?
Lorenzo Savadori has crashed out. Game over. Thankfully Savadori is OK. It's a tricky part of the speedway, and the same spot where Alex Lowes crashed in the morning warmup. Saeed Al Sulaiti is fifteenth, and in the points at the moment. But Karel Abraham is in hot pursuit. The lower half of the top 15 features Anthony West, Raffaele De Rosa, Roman Ramos, Dominic Schmitter, and Al Sulaiti. Whoa! Check this out! Jonathan Rea, has taken both Tom Sykes and Davide Giugliano in one corner! Tom Sykes holds onto second, and onto his Kawasaki ZX10R!
Rea has to really enjoy being a motorcycle racer. The best rider in World Superbike, on the best motorcycle. But, Rea, runs wide! Rea is down to tenth after going off the road. He'll rejoin in tenth behind Michael van der Mark. Sykes leads over Davide Giugliano, Nicky Hayden, and Chaz Davies, who is currently fourth. Rea had some lean angle going into the corner and doesn't want to tip it into the gravel. So, he sits up, and skates the Kawasaki through the gravel, staying on the motorcycle, and keeping it on the blacktop. However, Rea has lost a place to Anthony West. Oh dear! Jonathan Rea has stopped on lap six.
Will this be his first retirement of 2016? The podium will be gone, and the points record, up in smoke, if he can't rejoin the race. Maybe he had the transmission in the wrong gear. Oh dear. It is official. For just the second time riding a Kawasaki motorcycle, Jonathan Rea, has to park it and pack it up. Game over. Jonathan Rea has not crashed a Kawasaki though. His last wreck was in 2014 when he high sided out of the race in France at Magny Cours, coming through the Nurburgring chicane. For the third time this season we won't have a double winner. The flyaway races tend to produce these kinds of finishes. Sykes leads with Giugliano second, and in third, Chaz Davies.
Meanwhile, Nicky Hayden is feeling the heat from Xavi Fores. Just 14 laps left to run. Alex Lowes is moving in on Fores. Can Chaz Davies bridge the gap to the front? He's the only man right now, in the 1:23 bracket with his lap times. Rea's only other mechanical retirement was when his engine went sour last year in the season finale in Qatar. Now, he has gearbox woes. Hayden and Fores side by side. Fores takes the turn too deep. Lowes, Jordi Torres, and Niccolo Canepa are all trying to make a move on Xavi Fores. Michael van der Mark in ninth is also in this fight.
Nicky Hayden appears he is soon to make a move on Fores. Niccolo Canepa has done very well standing in for the injured Sylvain Guintoli. Six bikes scrap for fourth through ninth places. Anthony West rounds out the top ten. Saeed Al Sulaiti is now in the points. He is 15th. Between West and Al Sulaiti, it is Raffaele De Rosa, Roman Ramos, Dominic Schmitter, and Karel Abraham. Torres and Lowes almost touch into turn ten. The only difference in the performance area, is the Yamaha does not have the top end speed the BMW does. Michael van der Mark goes around Niccolo Canepa.
Jordi Torres is very strong, but he can't brake as deep into the corner as Alex Lowes can. Tom Sykes is 6/10ths clear of Davide Giugliano who is a second ahead of Chaz Davies. The tires are starting to drop, meaning the lap times will drop about a second from 1:23 to 1:24. Torres makes the move on Lowes. But Lowes now has to be on the charge to try and pass the BMW. A lot of pressure is on Davide Giugliano to win his first race. He is one of few riders to start over 100 races in WSBK without winning. This is the 108th start for Giugliano. Nine laps now remain in the race as Sykes feels the pressure from Giugliano.
After this race is done, just four remain in the WSBK 2016 season. Chaz Davies is third, but in a very real sense, he has been eliminated from contention for the world championship. Giugliano is managing his tires and still running in the 1:23 lap time bracket. With Rea out, and if Sykes can win, the points gap between the KRT riders will be only 46 markers. 200 possible points are still left on the table in the last races of the year. If Giugliano passes Sykes, it's a loss of five points, and the gap would still be 51 points. Nicky Hayden is fifth between Xavi Fores and Jordi Torres. van der Mark, Lowes, and Canepa are also in this fight.
Canepa now runs right behind Alex Lowes. Anthony West retains tenth on the Pedercini Kawasaki ZX10R followed by Ramos, De Rosa, Abraham, Schmitter, and Al Sulaiti. If he can keep going, Saeed Al Sulaiti will be the first ever rider from Qatar to score a WSBK championship point. The gap is merely a second between Sykes and Giugliano. Chaz Davies in third is bridging the gap, and he's coming. He's a half second faster than the leaders. Giugliano is faster than Sykes. 1:24.446 to 1:24.652. Sykes can afford to brake deeper into the corner on the Kawasaki. Giugliano applies the blowtorch to Tom Sykes.
Sykes has to think about the championship. Sykes has to gain points with Jonathan Rea out, to go for a chance to win his second World Superbike crown. Five laps to go. Giugliano is closing up. Chaz Davies also has great pace, running laps at 1:24 flat. Xavi Fores is still fourth, but is dropping behind the top three. Down through the Corkscrew they come, and the gap between the Ducati riders is closing. It is a matter of when and where, more than if. Davies tries a block pass on the inside of Giugliano, but it won't work. Davies is surely out to prove a point. Sykes is under pressure.
Sykes and Davies both run wide, and here comes Giugliano. Giugliano takes advantage of Davies' blunder. Sykes also ran wide. That's easy to do entering the Corkscrew. Three laps to go now. Giugliano is alongside Tom Sykes under the bridge, and can't quite get it done. Into the Corkscrew, we see Davies waiting in the wings. But, he'll have to make a move if he wants to go for the win. Coming into Rainey, has Giugliano pulled the pin? Will he go for the lead on Sykes? Not yet. Wait. Speaking of pulling the pin, here comes Davies, with far better corner speed, than Giugliano! Davies bravely goes inside his Ducati team mate.
Davies runs wide on the front straight. Here comes Giugliano back. Side by side stuff for the Ducati team mates! Sykes is loving this, because he'll get away. Davies slides the rear tire! The red mist is down with Chaz Davies. He slides past Giugliano and now targets the green Kawasaki of Tom Sykes. Giugliano holds him off! Don't crash, boys. Ernesto Marinelli will be livid if that happens. Rule number one in all of racing on two and four wheels, don't take your team mate out! With two laps left, Davies will have to put in the best lap of his life, if he's going to have any chance of catching the green motorcycle. Last lap. If something terrible does happen, it will be quite the surprise. Xavi Fores would pick up the win.
But, it appears these three are the blokes duking it out. No dice for Giugliano in turn three. Only eight corners remain. Ooh! It's so close. Italy wants their 100th win as a nation and especially after the passing of Ducati racing legend, Fabrizio Pirovano. Tremendous traction for Giugliano up the back straight named for car racing legend, Bobby Rahal. No dive by Giugliano into the Corkscrew. Giguliano has to punch up the power through the Rainey curve for the last time. It's now or never for the Ducati rider. Two corners to go. Giugliano wants to have a go into the last corner, but might be too far behind.
Tom Sykes, wins race two at Laguna Seca, trimming his deficit to Jonathan Rea, who retired from this race, to a mere 46 points.
World Superbike Race 2: #66 Tom Sykes GBR. Kawasaki Racing Team Kawasaki ZX10R
Alex Lowes, crashes right out of the last corner, on the final lap just headed for home! Both factory Yamaha's are in that little dust up. Niccolo Canepa rejoins, but it's game over, right to the bitter end, for Alex Lowes. When the red mist comes down, things get crazy. But, that's racing, as they say. Alex Lowes is 14th and Saeed Al Sulaiti will be the first Qatari rider to score points in WSBK. Lowes went inside Canepa, and ditched the bike. Canepa clips his team mate, just barely, and thankfully, both Yamaha riders were not down and out in a heap!
What a race, at a great venue! That was smokin'! 17 riders out of the 21 starters, finished. Tom Sykes wins his fifth race of 2016 and the 31st of his career. 46 points separate Rea and Sykes, over the final eight races. Nicky Hayden finishes fifth in race two. Sykes becomes only the fifth rider in WSBK who wins three times at Laguna Seca, including the great John Kocinski who did the double at Laguna Seca back in 1997. Giugliano was so close to winning! But, it was a brilliant race for him. A better one, for Tom Sykes. This has to be a sweet victory. His third, at Laguna Seca.
Davies loses more points to Rea. Rea and Sykes are going to slug it out for the 2016 championship. Pawel Szkopek who crashed, will be fine, save for a fractured toe. Folks, we've been on quite the break for WSBK racing action, and it will continue for another six weeks before the championship resumes, in Germany, at the Eurospeedway Lausitz in Klettwitz, Brandenburg, Germany. Eurospeedway is a venue WSBK has not run at since 2007. The race will take place in seven weeks.
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