MotoGPMatters - Kropotkin Thinks

RSS Feed Homepage

Articles: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

2008 Post Estoril Round Test Times
2008-04-15 00:15:00
1Dani PEDROSA HONDA1'36.455 2Valentino ROSSI YAMAHA1'36.707 3Andrea DOVIZIOSO HONDA1'36.791 4Nicky HAYDEN HONDA1'36.928 5Colin EDWARDS YAMAHA1'37.145 6Randy DE PUNIET HONDA1'37.146 7Casey STONER DUCATI1'37.330 8Chris VERMEULEN SUZUKI1'37.617 9Shinya NAKANO HONDA1'37.725 10James TOSELAND YAMAHA1'37.767 11Loris CAPIROSSI SUZUKI1'37.781 12Alex DE ANGELIS HONDA1'37.782 13John HOPKINS KAWASAKI1'38.023 14Toni ELIAS DUCATI1'38.695 15Anthony WEST KAWASAKI1'39.695 16Sylvain GUINTOLI DUCATI1'39.223 17Marco MELANDRI DUCATI1'39.725
More About: Post , Times , Test , Round , 2008

2008 Estoril MotoGP Race Report - Grudge Match
2008-04-14 18:38:00
Jerez saw the rivalry of Dani Pedrosa and Jorge Lorenzo reach a crescendo. At Estoril in Portugal, the two rivals face off once again, with a bunch of wily veterans thrown into the mix. The showdown between the two sets the scene for a fantastic season in MotoGP.
More About: Report , Race , Match , Grudge , 2008

Lorenzo To Undergo Surgery For Arm Pump
2008-04-14 17:07:00
That 200 mph racing motorcycles with carbon disk brakes capable of braking at close to 2G of force place demands on the human body is self evident. The repeated effort of bearing the equivalent of twice your own bodyweight on your forearms several times a lap can cause enormous pain in a condition known as Chronic exertional compartment syndrome (CECS), more colloquially referred to as arm pump. It is a truly democratic condition, striking everybody from lowly motocrossers to world champions, as long as you are prepared to race hard enough. With his win at Estoril on Sunday, Jorge Lorenzo certainly proved that he isn't afraid to race hard, despite complaining of arm pump at the previous two races. And this afternoon, Lorenzo is to undergo surgery to fix the problem. He is scheduled to be go under the knife at 4pm Monday afternoon, at the Institut Dexeus in Barcelona, Spain. With a three-week break before the next MotoGP round at Shanghai in China, Lorenzo hopes to be able to mak...
More About: Surgery , Pump

2008 Estoril MotoGP Race Results
2008-04-13 17:26:00
148Jorge LORENZOYAMAHA45'53.089 22Dani PEDROSAHONDA45'54.9061.817 346Valentino ROSSIYAMAHA46'05.81212.723 45Colin EDWARDSYAMAHA46'10.31217.223 521John HOPKINSKAWASAKI46'16.84123.752 61Casey STONERDUCATI46'19.77726.688 752James TOSELANDYAMAHA46'25.72032.631 87Chris VERMEULENSUZUKI46'29.47136.382 965Loris CAPIROSSISUZUKI46'31.35738.268 1056Shinya NAKANOHONDA46'32.56539.476 1115Alex DE ANGELISHONDA46'54.3951'01.306 1224Toni ELIASDUCATI46'56.9561'03.867 1333Marco MELANDRIDUCATI47'02.6141'09.525 1450Sylvain GUINTOLIDUCATI47'02.7231'09.634 1514Randy DE PUNIETHONDA47'04.6311'11.542 1613Anthony WESTKAWASAKI47'16.7181'23.629 Not Classified 69Nicky HAYDENHONDA26'23.67512 laps 4Andrea DOVIZIOSOHONDA24'43.87013 laps MotoGP Championship standings after Round 03, Estoril
More About: Results , Race , 2008

2008 Estoril Warm Up Results
2008-04-13 13:22:00
Warm Up took place under damp but sunny conditions. Conditions for the race are likely to be dry, but the weather radar shows clouds and rain just off to the North of Estoril. The question remains whether they will fall on Estoril during the afternoon. They may be Casey Stoner's salvation, if they do. 11Casey STONERDUCATI1'48.932 215Alex DE ANGELISHONDA1'49.3110.3790.379 346Valentino ROSSIYAMAHA1'49.6120.6800.301 47Chris VERMEULENSUZUKI1'49.7670.8350.155 550Sylvain GUINTOLIDUCATI1'49.7750.8430.008 614Randy DE PUNIETHONDA1'49.9471.0150.172 721John HOPKINSKAWASAKI1'50.1471.2150.200 869Nicky HAYDENHONDA1'50.5721.6400.425 965Loris CAPIROSSISUZUKI1'51.3202.3880.748 1048Jorge LORENZOYAMAHA1'51.3912.4590.071 1156Shinya NAKANOHONDA1'51.6602.7280.269 1213Anthony WESTKAWASAKI1'51.8432.9110.183 134Andrea DOVIZIOSOHONDA1'51.8672.9350.024 145Colin EDWARDSYAMAHA1'51.9242.9920.057 152Dani PEDROSAHONDA1'52.8503.9180.926 1633Marco MELANDRIDUCATI1'54.1415.2091.291 1752James TOSELA...
More About: Results , 2008

2008 Estoril Qualifying Practice Report
2008-04-12 21:18:00
Saturday afternoon's qualifying practice session started warm and dry, conditions better than on Friday afternoon, when the session had started with a cool track. The riders had also had the benefit of a dry practice session in the morning, in which they had all improved their Friday times, and race setups were starting to materialize. Within 10 minutes of the session starting, times were down to the pace set in the morning, with Valentino Rossi leading the way. The Doctor had set a lap time of 1'37.540, just a fraction off Nicky Hayden's record race lap from 2007, and the kind of lap time which is likely to be race pace. Rossi had a small advantage over the man who then stood second, Loris Capirossi, but the Suzuki man had a bunch of riders all very close behind, including Colin Edwards, James Toseland, Dani Pedrosa and Jorge Lorenzo. This early in the session, the riders were working on getting the bikes into race trim, and the battle for grid positions had not yet begun. It w...
More About: Report , Qualifying , Practice , 2008

Kawasaki To Pursue Rossi For 2009
2008-04-12 18:42:00
Ever since the start of Kawasaki 's MotoGP project, one of its main problems has been the lack of a rider capable of winning championships, to help push the development of the bike forward. Their signing of John Hopkins in a multi-million dollar deal went some way to address that issue, but Team Green's ambitions are obviously much higher. Just how much higher was obvious from an interview which Kawasaki's manager Michael Bartholemy had with the Italian sports daily Gazzetta dello Sport. Bartholemy announced his attention to approach 7 time world champion Valentino Rossi , and attempt to persuade The Doctor to join the team. The Belgian team boss has not yet spoken to either Rossi or his manager yet, but by making a very public approach, will hope to tempt the Italian into talks. Of course, it's hardly a surprise that Kawasaki are interested in signing Valentino Rossi. After all, there isn't a team in the MotoGP paddock who wouldn't sign Rossi, given the opportunity and the fi...

2008 Estoril Qualifying Practice Times Day 2 - Another Lap Record Bites The
2008-04-12 18:16:00
Full results from the official MotoGP Qualifying Practice session of the Portuguese Grand Prix at Estoril.
More About: Times , Record , 2008

2008 Estoril FP3 Times Day 3 - Edwards Close To Record Pace
2008-04-12 15:02:00
The third free practice session at Estoril's Portuguese Grand Prix started half an hour later than planned, after morning dew had left the track damp and treacherous. Though the spring sunshine soon chased away the damp patches, the air and track temperatures meant that the conditions remained cooler than the riders would have wanted. Of course, this did not stop them from going fast. The tone was set by Valentino Rossi and Randy de Puniet, who were swiftly running 1'38 laps, around the pace set in yesterday's much warmer afternoon session. Behind Rossi and de Puniet, Colin Edwards , Nicky Hayden and John Hopkins matched the speed of the leading pair. In the end, it was Colin Edwards who set the fastest lap, getting down to within 1/10th of a second of lap record pace halfway through practice, with a lap of 1'37.598. But it was no fluke, as it was set in the middle of a long run of very fast laps. The Texan, who is rapidly earning back his "Tornado" moniker, continued to run la...
More About: Close , Times , Pace , Record

2008 Estoril FP2 Times Day 1 - Michelins Lead, Only Rossi Can Follow
2008-04-11 18:21:00
The weather had improved considerably this afternoon during MotoGP's FP2 session, the session starting sunny and dry. But sunny as it may have been, at the start of the session, the track was still pretty cool, as a coterie of crashers hit the deck on their first laps out of the pits. The fallers included Alex de Angelis, who has managed to fall off in almost every single session of practice so far this year, James Toseland, and the reigning champion Casey Stoner. Despite his strong start this morning, Casey Stoner had a rather unhappy time this afternoon. His early crash meant that he was unable to use his number 1 bike for the session, and as Stoner is very picky about which of the two Ducatis he rides, despite the machines being supposedly identical, the Australian never really hit his stride. The session turned into an entertaining back and forth between Repsol Honda's Dani Pedrosa, Tech 3 Yamaha's Colin Edwards, and Fiat Yamaha's Valentino Rossi . It was obvious that Edwar...
More About: Times , Lead , 2008

2008 Estoril FP1 Times Day 1 - A Damp Start, The Usual Leader
2008-04-11 14:17:00
The morning started wet, with rain during the 125 practice session, but though the MotoGP riders went out on a damp track, at least the rain had stopped. The rain was good for some, though, as Ant West finally found himself running nearer the front, rather than at the back. West was joined early on by Chris Vermeulen, the other wet weather wizard, but Vermeulen's time didn't improve as fast as the conditions. But it was the names you would expect who were fastest. Casey Stoner ran only a few laps, but they were good enough for the fastest time, and Stoner was fast almost from the moment he hit the track. Valentino Rossi made good use of the weather to gain valuable experience on wet-weather Bridgestones, and Shinya Nakano showed that he still has what it takes, taking a surprising 3rd fastest time. Nakano and West weren't the only riders to benefit from the conditions. West was usually to be found at the rear of the pack, down with the Alice Ducatis, but the conditions meant th...
More About: Start , Times , Leader , 2008

2008 Estoril MotoGP Preview - The Western Shore
2008-04-11 00:54:00
After the bizarre, ghostly night race at Qatar and the seething cauldron at Jerez, MotoGP returns to some semblance of normality when it visits Estoril for the Portuguese Grand Prix. At Qatar, the night race entered completely unknown territory, the combination of falling temperatures and rising humidity making getting setup right a gamble at best. Then came Jerez, a track which places particular demands on the bikes and on setup. It also strongly favors Michelin, as it is one of the French tire
More About: Preview , Shore , Western , 2008

Tech 3's Pneumatic Engined Yamaha M1 Pass Scrutineering
2008-04-10 18:26:00
British MotoGP fans can finally breathe a collective sigh of relief. There had been much speculation (and a great deal of fear) that Yamaha would hold back the air spring engines after both Colin Edwards and James Toseland had put in outstanding performances at Qatar and Jerez, to ensure that the Tech 3 riders didn't get in Valentino Rossi's way in his fight to reclaim the MotoGP title. But the conspiracy theorists have been confounded, with Autosport reporting that the pneumatic valve M1s have made it through technical inspection in Portugal. This is excellent news for both Edwards and Toseland, as the pair were down over 7 km/h on top speed down Qatar's massive straight. And with Estoril having a similarly epic straight, it would have meant the Tech 3 boys having to give their all just to try and keep up round the slow rear section of the track to make up for their lack of top end speed. Now, Toseland and Edwards stand a fair chance of staying with the leaders down the front s...
More About: Pass

Ducati To Adapt GP8 For Melandri
2008-04-09 17:54:00
It's been no secret that Marco Melandri has had a terrible time adapting to the GP8 since hist switch to Ducati at the end of the year. And Melandri is not the only rider to suffer: both Toni Elias and Sylvain Guintoli have struggled aboard the Ducati for the satellite Alice team. Yet reigning world champion Casey Stoner continues to dominate the MotoGP class, despite his recent setbacks at Jerez. Now, Ducati has recognized that they will have to make some changes to their title-winning bike if anyone other than Stoner is to be competitive aboard it. According to the Italian motorcycle magazine Motosprint, Ducati engineering supremo Filippo Preziosi will be making some changes to soften the bike up for Melandri, to make it easier for the Italian to adapt to the bike. According to Preziosi, the problem is that the current bike is too harsh, in terms of both power delivery and frame stiffness. This suits Casey Stoner down to the ground, as it gives him the intense feedback that he i...

Video Footage Of Kawasaki's New Screamer
2008-04-07 19:58:00
Although we are not much given to rehashing race team press releases here at MotoGPMatters.com, much preferring to go searching for actual news, from time to time, we get sent something which captures our imagination. Anthony Murphy, A reader of the site sent us a link to the Kawasaki Racing website, with a video of Kawasaki's new screamer engine. As you can hear, it sounds completely different to the old big bang engine Kawasaki are currently using in their ZX-RR race bike. Below are a couple of videos of the old bike for comparison, which we found on Youtube: Kawasaki's new screamer engine is not yet ready to make its official debut, but Team Green are hard at work trying to get the bike ready. Kawasaki hope the engine will provide both more top end power, as well as better drive, but getting the engine to work will rely on setting up the electronics to work. The team is believed to be looking to race the screamer engine towards the end of the season.
More About: Video , Footage

Shanghai Definitely Off 2009 Calendar
2008-04-07 01:04:00
It was MotoGP's least favorite destination for any number of reasons: It was half a world away from most teams' headquarters; there was minimal local interest; the track was designed for Formula 1, which made for poor motorcycle racing; the track was located miles from the city; the air quality was appalling, on a good day; and the journalists which cover MotoGP were kept on a tight leash by the authorities, in case they said anything wrong about the host country. And so there will be very few tears shed indeed that the Chinese round of MotoGP in Shanghai won't be coming back. Both Motorsport Aktuell and GPOne.com are reporting that Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta has decided to scrap the Chinese circuit from the 2009 MotoGP calendar, and for the foreseeable future. "The Japanese factories have always said that we need more races in Asia. But spectator numbers were always low, and Chinese companies were never interested in sponsorship. In reality, there was just no demand for this Mo...
More About: Calendar

Suzuki Too Expensive For Aspar?
2008-04-03 21:24:00
GPOne.com is reporting that Jorge Martinez of Aspar may look elsewhere for MotoGP bikes for 2009. Aspar has made no secret of his intention to enter MotoGP next season, and his name has long been linked with Suzuki . Now, however, Martinez is saying that Suzuki are asking for too much money for the privilege of running a third bike, and he may be forced to look elsewhere. Quite where Aspar could find other machinery is a bit of a mystery, as the other manufacturers have made it clear that they are pretty much at maximum effort supporting the current crop of bikes on the grid. Kawasaki is thought to be the only real alternative, as they are under pressure from Dorna to supply at least one more machine to help fill the grid. An entirely speculative option is that Honda could possibly provide one more machine, as they managed to provide the extra sets of engines for Team KR during the 2006 and 2007 series. As the engine is by far the most expensive and time-consuming part of a motorcy...

2008 Post Jerez Round Test Times, Day 2
2008-04-01 23:11:00
Times from the last day of testing at Jerez courtesy of GPOne.com: 1Nicky HAYDENHonda1'38.940 2Dani PEDROSAHonda1'40.099 3Chris VERMEULEN Suzuki1'40.184 4Loris CAPIROSSI Suzuki1'40.776 5Olivier JACQUES Kawasaki1'41.852 6William COSTES Yamaha1'42.581
More About: Post , Times , Test , Round

2008 Post Jerez Round Test Times, Day 1
2008-03-31 22:38:00
Times taken from GPOne.com 1Jorge LORENZO Yamaha1'38.679 2Valentino ROSSI Yamaha1'39.117 3Casey STONER Ducati1'39.218 4Randy DE PUNIET Honda1'39.484 5John HOPKINS Kawasaki1'39.569 6Loris CAPIROSSI Suzuki1'39.747 7Shinya NAKANO Honda1'40.034 8Dani PEDROSA Honda1'40.116 9Nicky HAYDEN Honda1'40.389 10Andrea DOVIZIOSO Honda1'40.394 11Chris VERMEULEN Suzuki1'40.534 12Alex DE ANGELIS Honda1'41.308 13Marco MELANDRI Ducati1'41.396 14Ant WEST Kawasaki1'42.132 15Toni ELIAS Ducati1'42.240 16Olivier JACQUE Kawasaki1'42.562 17Sylvain GUINTOLI Ducati1'42.624
More About: Post , Times , Test , Round , Jerez

2008 Jerez MotoGP Race Report - Pride Of A Nation
2008-03-31 19:43:00
Dorna, the organization which holds the TV rights for MotoGP and is charged with marketing the series, likes to tell people that MotoGP is truly a global sport. But while the series certainly has fans all around the world, there are only a two countries where MotoGP really matters. And when MotoGP comes to race in Spain, the crowds are baying for a Spanish victory.
More About: Report , Race , Nation , Pride , Jerez

2008 Jerez MotoGP Race Results
2008-03-30 17:43:00
Full results of the 2008 Spanish MotoGP Grand Prix at Jerez .
More About: Results , Race

2008 Jerez Warm Up
2008-03-30 12:24:00
148Jorge LORENZOYAMAHA1'40.378 25Colin EDWARDSYAMAHA1'40.3980.0200.020 346Valentino ROSSIYAMAHA1'40.8210.4430.423 469Nicky HAYDENHONDA1'40.8720.4940.051 54Andrea DOVIZIOSOHONDA1'40.9810.6030.109 62Dani PEDROSAHONDA1'41.0760.6980.095 765Loris CAPIROSSISUZUKI1'41.0860.7080.010 81Casey STONERDUCATI1'41.2130.8350.127 956Shinya NAKANOHONDA1'41.2950.9170.082 107Chris VERMEULENSUZUKI1'41.3230.9450.028 1121John HOPKINSKAWASAKI1'41.3961.0180.073 1214Randy DE PUNIETHONDA1'41.5191.1410.123 1315Alex DE ANGELISHONDA1'41.8251.4470.306 1452James TOSELANDYAMAHA1'41.8981.5200.073 1533Marco MELANDRIDUCATI1'41.9121.5340.014 1624Toni ELIASDUCATI1'42.7462.3680.834 1750Sylvain GUINTOLIDUCATI1'42.7582.3800.012 1813Anthony WESTKAWASAKI1'42.8772.4990.119
More About: Jerez , 2008

2008 Jerez Qualifying Practice Report
2008-03-29 18:39:00
Qualifying practice at Jerez was a case of déjà vu, but from a parallel universe. A young man goes out on a new bike and posts the fastest time in session after session, before ripping up qualifying and snatching the pole by a big margin. Last year it was Casey Stoner putting on the smackdown at track after track. But here at Jerez, things were a little different. The morning's session had seen Dani Pedrosa set the fastest time, ahead of Colin Edwards and Nicky Hayden, meaning Michelin runners taking the top three times, hardly surprising considering Jerez is a Michelin test track. The bigger surprise was Loris Capirossi setting the 4th fastest time, the Suzuki finally finding some speed. But the next Bridgestone runner was Casey Stoner, the world champion only managing the 7th fastest time, ahead at least of his rival Valentino Rossi in 8th. The question was, how would the warmer temperatures of the afternoon's qualifying session change things? That answer to that...
More About: Report , Qualifying , Practice , 2008

2008 Jerez Qualifying Practice Times Day 2 - Lap Record Shattered
2008-03-29 16:24:00
Pos.No.RiderManufacturerFast LapDiffDiff Previous 148Jorge LORENZOYAMAHA1'38.189 22Dani PEDROSAHONDA1'38.7890.6000.600 35Colin EDWARDSYAMAHA1'38.9540.7650.165 469Nicky HAYDENHONDA1'39.0610.8720.107 546Valentino ROSSIYAMAHA1'39.0640.8750.003 614Randy DE PUNIETHONDA1'39.1220.9330.058 71Casey STONERDUCATI1'39.2861.0970.164 852James TOSELANDYAMAHA1'39.3341.1450.048 921John HOPKINSKAWASAKI1'39.4391.2500.105 1065Loris CAPIROSSISUZUKI1'39.4841.2950.045 1156Shinya NAKANOHONDA1'39.5591.3700.075 127Chris VERMEULENSUZUKI1'39.7041.5150.145 134Andrea DOVIZIOSOHONDA1'39.7671.5780.063 1415Alex DE ANGELISHONDA1'40.0371.8480.270 1513Anthony WESTKAWASAKI1'40.0881.8990.051 1624Toni ELIASDUCATI1'40.2862.0970.198 1750Sylvain GUINTOLIDUCATI1'40.9392.7500.653 1833Marco MELANDRIDUCATI1'41.0272.8380.088 Circuit Record s Fastest LapLap 6Jorge LORENZO 1'38.189 162.164 Km/h Circuit Record Lap2005 Valentino ROSSI 1'40.596 158.284 Km/h Circuit Best Lap2008 Jorge LORENZO 1'38.189 162.164 ...
More About: Qualifying , Practice , Times , Jerez

2008 Jerez FP3 Times Day 2 - Pedrosa Leads The Way
2008-03-29 12:33:00
Pos.No.RiderManufacturerFast LapDiffDiff Previous 12Dani PEDROSAHONDA1'40.337 25Colin EDWARDSYAMAHA1'40.4020.0650.065 369Nicky HAYDENHONDA1'40.4150.0780.013 465Loris CAPIROSSISUZUKI1'40.4230.0860.008 548Jorge LORENZOYAMAHA1'40.4880.1510.065 64Andrea DOVIZIOSOHONDA1'40.6170.2800.129 71Casey STONERDUCATI1'40.6920.3550.075 846Valentino ROSSIYAMAHA1'40.7310.3940.039 914Randy DE PUNIETHONDA1'40.7750.4380.044 107Chris VERMEULENSUZUKI1'40.8370.5000.062 1115Alex DE ANGELISHONDA1'40.9440.6070.107 1221John HOPKINSKAWASAKI1'41.0420.7050.098 1356Shinya NAKANOHONDA1'41.1350.7980.093 1433Marco MELANDRIDUCATI1'41.1880.8510.053 1552James TOSELANDYAMAHA1'41.5591.2220.371 1624Toni ELIASDUCATI1'41.9751.6380.416 1713Anthony WESTKAWASAKI1'42.4222.0850.447 1850Sylvain GUINTOLIDUCATI1'42.6132.2760.191 Circuit Records Fastest LapLap 6Dani PEDROSA 1'40.337 158.693 Km/h Circuit Record Lap2005 Valentino ROSSI 1'40.596 158.284 Km/h Circuit Best Lap2006 Loris CAPIROSSI 1'39.064 160.73...
More About: Leads , Times , Jerez , 2008

2008 Jerez FP2 Times Day 1 - Lorenzo Dominates The Afternoon
2008-03-28 16:11:00
The first day of practice at Jerez was full of surprises. Despite Jerez not being a track which is particularly kind to Ducati, the fear of many was that we would see the old, familiar pattern once again: Casey Stoner coming out and being quick right from the very start. The first session had been a little like that, but Stoner had been a long way from dominating. In the end, it was Colin Edwards who had set the fastest time, in a long string of laps in the mid-1'40s. Although Stoner was 2nd fastest, with Valentino Rossi not far behind, it was Edwards on the Tech 3 Yamaha who was most impressive. The afternoon practice was even more interesting. This time, Yamaha turned in a clean sweep, taking the top 3 times in the session with apparent ease, with Fiat Yamaha team mates Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi, by just hundredths apart, beating Colin Edwards into 3rd. Lorenzo's performance was truly impressive, putting in a long sequence of laps in the 1'40s, showing a consistency...
More About: Afternoon , Times , 2008

2008 Qatar FP1 Times Day 1 - Yamahas Still Fast At Jerez
2008-03-28 12:18:00
15Colin EDWARDSYAMAHA1'40.714 21Casey STONERDUCATI1'40.8280.1140.114 346Valentino ROSSIYAMAHA1'40.9180.2040.090 469Nicky HAYDENHONDA1'41.1820.4680.264 548Jorge LORENZOYAMAHA1'41.3710.6570.189 64Andrea DOVIZIOSOHONDA1'41.3780.6640.007 72Dani PEDROSAHONDA1'41.4190.7050.041 87Chris VERMEULENSUZUKI1'41.4430.7290.024 915Alex DE ANGELISHONDA1'41.5790.8650.136 1056Shinya NAKANOHONDA1'41.5990.8850.020 1152James TOSELANDYAMAHA1'41.6070.8930.008 1265Loris CAPIROSSISUZUKI1'41.7461.0320.139 1321John HOPKINSKAWASAKI1'41.9441.2300.198 1433Marco MELANDRIDUCATI1'41.9801.2660.036 1513Anthony WESTKAWASAKI1'42.3001.5860.320 1614Randy DE PUNIETHONDA1'42.4541.7400.154 1750Sylvain GUINTOLIDUCATI1'42.8682.1540.414 1824Toni ELIASDUCATI1'43.2062.4920.338 Circuit Records Fast est LapLap 19Colin EDWARDS 1'40.714 158.099 Km/h Circuit Record Lap2005 Valentino ROSSI 1'40.596 158.284 Km/h Circuit Best Lap2006 Loris CAPIROSSI 1'39.064 160.732 Km/h
More About: Qatar , Times , Jerez , 2008

2008 Jerez MotoGP Preview - The Waiting Is Over
2008-03-27 23:30:00
If Qatar is the Phoney War, Jerez is the Blitzkrieg of MotoGP. The deserted stands and silent night of the season opener makes way for the cacophony and chaos of the world's wildest motorcycling weekend. The Jerez round of MotoGP is louder, more dangerous, and probably involves more gunpowder and smoke than the entire German push through France and Belgium ever produced.
More About: Preview , Waiting , 2008

Melandri's Future Uncertain At Ducati
2008-03-26 18:48:00
When Marco Melandri signed for Ducati , he cannot have foreseen the immense difficulty he would have in getting to grips with the Ducati GP7. Since making the switch from Honda, Melandri has floundered near the back of the field during testing, only managing to stay ahead of the satellite Alice Ducati riders Toni Elias and Sylvain Guintoli. The measure of his difficulties is summed up in the relief Melandri expressed in managing an 11th place finish at the season opener in Qatar. It wasn't just Melandri who had been expecting much more from his joining Ducati: Team boss Livio Suppo was also hoping for a lot more from Melandri than the Italian has so far shown, and Suppo's patience is already starting to wear thin. The Ducati boss hinted to the German-language publication Motorsport Aktuell that Melandri's position was far from safe. "It's not easy for Marco," Suppo told Motorsport Aktuell's Günther Wiesinger. "If we don't manage to get Marco into the top 5 soon, then it ...
More About: Future

Spies 2009 MotoGP Ride In Doubt?
2008-03-23 17:54:00
Competing in motorcycle racing's premier class, and a prototype class to boot, is an extraordinarily expensive undertaking. As a consequence, being able to bring hard cash to a race team can sometimes be one of the factors in rider selection for a team. This is exactly what seems to be happening in the case of Ben Spies , the reigning AMA Superbike champion. Spies has widely been tipped to be Suzuki's next big import from the US, and is expected to be offered a Suzuki GSV-R for the 2009 MotoGP season. Spies' team would be run by former GP legend and loyal Suzuki man Kevin Schwantz, who has helped Spies throughout his career, with Jorge Martinez Aspar, the man behind the incredibly successful Aspar Aprilia teams in the 125 and 250 classes, managing the team and providing the mechanics. But according to Chris Jonnum of Road Racer X magazine, Suzuki want $6 million for the lease of the bike, and Aspar is unwilling to invest such a huge sum in a non-Spanish rider. The problem is tw...
More About: Ride , Doubt