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2008 Irta Test Jerez Day 2, QP Report - Abandon Hope All Ye Who Enter
2008-02-17 17:58:00
If there were any lingering doubts about who is favorite for the 2008 MotoGP title, Sunday's qualifying practice at the official IRTA test in Jerez should have laid these well and truly to rest. Within just 11 minutes of the start of the session, one rider had stamped his authority on qualifying with such force that the 2nd place rider at that moment was nearly three and a half seconds behind. Three and a half seconds. And though his lead was reduced, after the 40 minutes were up, the winning margin was still over 1.3 seconds. This wasn't a contest, it was a massacre. The session had started in hope, with the track damp after the morning's rain. Wet weather meant an upset could be on the cards, with wet weather specialists such as Kawasaki's Ant West and Suzuki's Chris Vermeulen capable of springing a surprise in a downpour. But the showers, which had been falling on and off throughout the morning, had been driven off in the early afternoon, and the session started under a wat...
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2008 Irta Test Jerez Day 2, QP Times - Business As Usual
2008-02-17 16:01:00
Pos.No.RiderManufacturerFast LapDiffDiff Previous 11Casey STONERDUCATI1'49.263 246Valentino ROSSIYAMAHA1'50.5801.3171.317 369Nicky HAYDENHONDA1'50.7851.5220.205 413Anthony WESTKAWASAKI1'50.7991.5360.014 54Andrea DOVIZIOSOHONDA1'51.3122.0490.513 656Shinya NAKANOHONDA1'51.5942.3310.282 765Loris CAPIROSSISUZUKI1'51.8942.6310.300 814Randy DE PUNIETHONDA1'51.9792.7160.085 950Sylvain GUINTOLIDUCATI1'52.0582.7950.079 1033Marco MELANDRIDUCATI1'52.2382.9750.180 1115Alex DE ANGELISHONDA1'52.4633.2000.225 1252James TOSELANDYAMAHA1'52.7553.4920.292 137Chris VERMEULENSUZUKI1'52.7793.5160.024 145Colin EDWARDSYAMAHA1'52.8263.5630.047 1519Olivier JACQUEKAWASAKI1'53.2834.0200.457 1648Jorge LORENZOYAMAHA1'53.2924.0290.009 1722Vittoriano GUARESCHIDUCATI1'54.6945.4311.402 1859Niccolo CANEPADUCATI1'57.4538.1902.759 1924Toni ELIASDUCATI1'57.6988.4350.245 Did not start: 2Dani PEDROSAHONDA 21John HOPKINSKAWASAKI
More About: Business , Business As Usual , Times , Test , Jerez

2008 Irta Test Jerez Day 2, FP2 Times, 1pm - Rain Shakes The Field Up
2008-02-17 14:31:00
The rain in Spain has been falling mainly on the track at Jerez today, turning up a few of the usual wet weather suspects. Suzuki's Chris Vermeulen shone as always in the rain, with Casey Stoner also putting in a strong performance. Dani Pedrosa decided to sit this morning's session out, not wishing to risk further injuring his recovering hand. With the rain still falling, the list of candidates for the BMW Z4 has been shuffled around. Vermeulen and his compatriot Ant West have to be taken into consideration, as both Australians are fantastic in the wet. But Casey Stoner isn't too shabby either, as his display at Donington proved, and Colin Edwards is another man to watch, as the Texan won himself a BMW sports car the last time the IRTA qualifying session was run in the rain, at Catalunya in 2006. Pos.No.RiderManufacturerFast LapDiffDiff Previous 11Casey STONERDUCATI1'51.427 27Chris VERMEULENSUZUKI1'51.6210.1940.194 34Andrea DOVIZIOSOHONDA1'52.0370.6100.416 469Nicky HAYDEN...
More About: Rain , Times , Test , Field

2008 Irta Test Jerez Day 1 - A Brief Analysis
2008-02-16 23:48:00
The first day of testing at Jerez was yet another object lesson on ignoring the headline times and focusing on the big picture. If you were to judge Saturday's times just on the timesheet printed at the end of the day, then it would be simplicity itself to fall into the gaping trap laid by a smattering of qualifying tires. Nicky Hayden's fastest lap is not that much of a surprise, Hayden having been quick at the last Sepang test, and even Randy de Puniet atop the timesheets is a common sight this winter. But looking beyond de Puniet, the picture is of Yamaha dominance, with Gresini Honda close behind. Casey Stoner, the reigning world champion and the hot favorite to retain his crown, is way down in 9th place, behind the main rival for his crown, Valentino Rossi. Dani Pedrosa, the other candidate for the title, has fared even worse, only managing a 12th position. But look behind the headlines and you see a different story. The top 7 times, from Nicky Hayden all the way down to S...
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2008 Irta Test Jerez Day 1 Times - Final
2008-02-16 19:52:00
Pos.Rider BikeFastest LapDiff.Total Laps 1Nicky Hayden Honda1'39.200107 2Randy de Puniet Honda1'39.4440.24482 3Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha1'39.5280.32894 4Colin Edwards Yamaha1'39.6290.42978 5James Toseland Yamaha1'39.6780.47891 6Alex de Angelis Honda1'40.1650.96575 7Shinya Nakano Honda1'40.1920.99282 8Valentino Rossi Yamaha1'40.6411.44192 9Casey Stoner Ducati1'40.6511.45166 10Andrea Dovizioso Honda1'40.7671.56758 11Loris Capirossi Suzuki1'40.8431.64364 12Daniel Pedrosa Honda1'41.3522.15237 13Marco Melandri Ducati1'41.3922.19283 14Toni Elias Ducati1'41.7032.50391 15Chris Vermeulen Suzuki1'41.7632.56379 16Anthony West Kawasaki1'41.8212.62183 17John Hopkins Kawasaki1'41.9012.70126 18Olivier Jacque Kawasaki1'42.5573.35767 19Niccolo Canepa Ducati1'42.6523.45261 20Sylvain Guintoli Ducati1'42.6983.49868 21Vittoriano Guareschi Ducati1'43.4354.23566 Record times and times from the 2007 MotoGP race at Jerez . Pole Position2007Dani PEDROSA1'39.402160.185 Km/h Fastest Lap2007...
More About: Final , Times , Test , 2008

2008 Irta Test Jerez Day 1 Times From 2pm Local Time
2008-02-16 15:21:00
Pos.Rider Best LapLap No.Total Laps 1Valentino Rossi 1'40.6413253 2James Toseland1'40.7680.1273748 3Casey Stoner1'40.8930.2521626 4Randy de Puniet1'41.0820.4414545 5Nicky Hayden1'41.1970.5562947 6Colin Edwards1'41.2440.6031830 7Jorge Lorenzo1'41.3090.6683642 8Alex de Angelis1'41.3970.7563645 9Shinya Nakano1'41.4350.7944652 10Andrea Dovizioso1'41.5570.9162121 11Dani Pedrosa1'41.6130.9721225 12Ant West1'41.8211.1802741 13Marco Melandri1'41.8711.2302829 14John Hopkins1'41.9011.2601214 15Loris Capirossi1'42.3681.7272727 16Chris Vermeulen1'42.9042.2633333 17Toni Elias1'43.1042.4633235 18Sylvain Guintoli1'43.5962.9551928 19Olivier Jacque1'43.7433.1021626 20Niccolo Canepa1'43.8743.2332128 21Vittoriano Guareschi1'44.4233.7822733
More About: Time , Local , Times , Test , Jerez

Aide Memoire: The Fastest Laps At Jerez Summarized
2008-02-16 13:24:00
Even MotoGP addicts such as myself can't keep track of every single fast lap at every single racetrack round the world, so as an aid to our collective memories, here's a list of the fastest laps set at Jerez over the past few years. Whenever you see times posted on this or other websites around the internet, you have a yardstick against which to measure them right here. The 2007 times were or course set at the second race of the 800cc era, while the circuit record and pole record were both set on the old 990s. Pole Position2007Dani PEDROSA1'39.402160.185 Km/h Fastest Lap2007Valentino ROSSI1'40.905157.799 Km/h Circuit Record Lap2005Valentino ROSSI1'40.596158.284 Km/h Circuit Best Lap2006Loris CAPIROSSI1'39.064160.732 Km/h
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2008 Irta Test Preview - Zero Hour
2008-02-16 00:35:00
Grand Prix Zero: The unofficial jocular name for the official IRTA tests at Jerez. The joke, after the idiosyncratic tendency of computer programmers to start counting at zero instead of one, is that the only "official" preseason test has grown so much in popularity, importance, and status that it has become a de facto Grand Prix, albeit a rather strange one. For the meeting has a qualifying practice, but not a race; its highlight is on a Sunday, but it finishes on Monday; it has a paying audience, television coverage, even a prize, in the form of an expensive BMW sports car, but the 40 minutes of action which the weekend centers around is arguably the least important part of the entire event, where bikes which are still in the midst of development are pitted against each other as if in a race. If truth be told, the 40 minute shootout for the BMW Z4 is an irrelevance: It bears no relation to the racing, and tells us nothing about where the teams stand or what the season will bring....
More About: Preview , Test , Hour , 2008

Pedrosa and Hopkins Both Confirmed For Irta Test
2008-02-15 21:46:00
With the season not yet even started, beds in the MotoGP sick bay have already been filling up. Kawasaki's John Hopkins suffered a very painful groin injury after a fall at Phillip Island, and Dani Pedrosa had even worse luck, breaking a bone in his hand in a huge crash on the first day of testing after the winter ban ended. Both men had question marks hanging over the start of their seasons, but luckily for them, their recovery has been remarkably swift. This means that Hopkins and Pedrosa have both been given the green light to take part in the official Irta test at Jerez, which starts on Saturday. But though both men are keen to get back to work, they are very aware of their limitations. Dani Pedrosa told the press at the Repsol Honda team launch in Zaragoza, Spain on Thursday that he intends to first check how he feels on the bike, before starting to push for fast lap times. "I still find moving my hand very difficult. It's a bit tense in all that area." John Hopkins will b...
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Rossi's Tax Woes Finally Settled - At A Price
2008-02-12 15:26:00
In 2007, just as everything seemed to be going against Valentino Rossi, with the Yamaha M1 too slow and the Michelin tires seemingly unable to last an entire race, the Italian tax authorities added insult to injury by slapping a monster fine of 112 million Euros. Coming as it did just prior to the Brno round, the media attention distracted the Italian from racing, adding yet another obstacle in his path to regain the MotoGP title. The dispute centers on the question of residence: Rossi is officially domiciled in London for tax reasons, as the UK has a very attractive tax regime for people who spend more than half the year outside the country. The Italian tax authorities, however, claimed that Rossi was actually living in Tavullia in Italy, finding evidence that Rossi owned several luxury cars in a house in Italy, as well as a yacht, and that as a consequence, the 7 time world champion owed Italian income tax over the money he had earned in the years between 2001 and 2006. Now, V...
More About: Price , Finally

Spies To Ride Both US MotoGP Rounds
2008-02-07 23:34:00
There had already been plenty of speculation, but now there's yet more confirmation: Ben Spies is getting ready to make the switch to MotoGP. On Thursday, he told Roadracing World that he'll be racing both US MotoGP rounds, at both Indianapolis and Laguna Seca. He also told Roadracing World that he hopes to have two tests lined up on the Suzuki GSV-R MotoGP bike before the races. This would allow Spies to arrive at the races reasonably well-prepared, and given that Laguna Seca is one of Spies' favorite tracks, and a track he is nigh on unbeatable at, it raises hopes that Spies could actually be competitive there. Spies has a contract with Yoshimura Suzuki until the end of 2008, and plans to move to MotoGP in 2009, reportedly in a team to be run by Spies' friend and mentor Kevin Schwantz. But as he told Roadracing World, "nothing's signed yet."
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More Number Changes - Pedrosa To Take #2 Plate
2008-02-07 23:12:00
Once upon a time, it was pretty easy to see who the fast guys were and who the slow guys were. The fast guys all had low numbers, taking the numbers allotted to them by virtue of the championship performances in the previous year, while the guys with the high numbers were privateers, or rookies, or people heading towards the tail end of their careers. Then, after a young British champion insisted on using his lucky number instead of the #1 plate he had earned by winning a title, riders, teams and sponsors saw the power of marketing, and numbers became a part of a rider's identity. Since then, riders have increasingly held on to a single number to use, regardless of their performance the previous season, and the grid was awash with increasingly individual, and increasingly illegible, stylized number plates, with the number becoming the brand. As a consequence, we now all know that #3 is Max Biaggi, #33 is Marco Melandri, #100 is Neil Hodgson, #15 is Sete Gibernau, and #21 is John H...
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Sepang 2 Test Day 3 - Lorenzo Takes Top Time
2008-02-07 12:59:00
The final day of testing at Sepang saw an already depleted field thin out even more, with Nicky Hayden electing to head for home yesterday. That left only the Fiat Yamahas of Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo and the Gresini Hondas of Shinya Nakano and Alex de Angelis running laps, with the Kawasaki and Yamaha test teams making up the numbers. Rossi spent much of the day concentrating on long runs on race tires, which produced evidence of significant progress in the Yamaha garage. The Italian site GPOne.com has an interesting comparison of the times set by Rossi and Casey Stoner at this test and the previous test at Sepang. For the sake of readability, I have reproduced them here: Lap no.Rossi,Feb 7thRossi,Jan 24thStoner,Jan 24th 12'56.6092'03.4852'01.940 22'03.4192'02.2902'01.865 32'02.1612'02.2012'01.584 42'01.8342'02.7412'01.910 52'01.7812'02.0732'01.693 62'01.8692'02.2192'13.140 72'01.5512'01.8792'01.570 82'01.7642'01.8522'01.510 92'01.6272'02.241 10...
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Sepang 2 Test Day 2 - Rossi Fastest, Hayden Closer
2008-02-06 13:27:00
On the second day of testing at Sepang , it was once again Valentino Rossi who was fastest, dipping below the official pole record for the second day running, although not as fast as the time he set yesterday. Rossi was also fast on race tires, dipping into the 2'01 bracket for 19 of the 70 laps he put in today. Until Rossi set his fast flying lap, it was Nicky Hayden who had his name at the top of the timesheets, trying out some qualifiers earlier in the day, recording a fastest time of 2'00.900. Hayden was his usual hard-working self, racking up a total of over 300 miles riding at full intensity. His times on race tires were less encouraging, running in the high 2'02 bracket for the most part. Shinya Nakano was the fastest of the rest aboard the Gresini Honda, ahead of Rossi's team mate Jorge Lorenzo and Nakano's own team mate Alex de Angelis. The test teams followed at some distance, with only Olivier Jacque getting close to the race riders teams. The three-day test at Sep...
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Sepang 2 Test Day 1 - Rossi Shatters Pole Time Again
2008-02-05 13:24:00
Testing resumed at Sepang today with a much-depleted field, with only the Fiat Yamaha team and the Gresini and Repsol Honda teams testing, along with test teams from Yamaha and Kawasaki. Honda was further restricted by the temporary absence of Dani Pedrosa, currently recovering from a broken hand in Spain, and forced to leave the development work of the 2008 RC212V to Nicky Hayden, a fact Pedrosa has been complaining bitterly about. After all, the last time Nicky Hayden developed a bike, it won a championship. In the morning, it was the young Spaniard Jorge Lorenzo who was fastest, but the rivalry in the Fiat Yamaha garage meant that this result was unlikely to stand for long. By the end of the day, Valentino Rossi had smashed his own circuit pole record by 3/10ths of a second, edging close to the magic 2 minute barrier at the Malaysian track. Even on race tires, The Doctor was flying, setting a sequence of laps under the 2'02 mark. Nicky Hayden was also quick, setting his fastes...
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Phillip Island Jan '08 Test Day 3 Times - Stoner in Charge
2008-02-01 13:18:00
Pos.RiderBikeTimeFast LapTotal Laps 1.Casey Stoner Ducati1'28.7772551 2.Nicky Hayden Honda1'29.73471102 3.James Toseland Yamaha1'29.7545189 4.Andrea Dovizioso Honda1'29.7808490 5.Colin Edwards Yamaha1'29.7955656 6.Chris Vermeulen Suzuki1'30.2164973 7.Alex de Angelis Honda1'30.4386791 8.Shinya Nakano Honda1'30.7288989 9.Toni Elias Ducati1'30.9669497 10.Randy de Puniet Honda1'30.97864115 11.Sylvain Guintoli Ducati1'30.9834558 12.Marco Melandri Ducati1'31.37718108 13.Loris Capirossi Suzuki1'31.5087575 14.Ant West Kawasaki1'31.9571690
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Hopkins To Miss Testing At Phillip Island After Crash
2008-02-01 00:25:00
Any hope John Hopkins may have had of getting his 2008 season off to a better start than in 2007 were dashed today, after Hopper crashed in damp conditions during the second day of testing in Phillip Island . The American Kawasaki rider suffered a torn abductor muscle in his groin, after a highside at turn one flicked him off the bike. The only consolation for Hopper is that the injury, while painful, is less serious than the broken hand he suffered testing at Qatar prior to the 2007 season. Hopkins was scheduled to fly back to California as soon as possible, to receive treatment from the renowned sports physiologist Dr Ting. Hopkins will hope to return to testing at the official IRTA test at Jerez in mid-February.
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Phillip Island Jan '08 Test Day 2 Times
2008-01-31 14:42:00
Pos.RiderBikeTimeFast LapTotal Laps 1.Casey Stoner Ducati1'29.9384345 2.Alex de Angelis Honda1'30.4495454 3.Andrea Dovizioso Honda1'31.0745760 4.Shinya Nakano Honda1'31.3166474 5.Nicky Hayden Honda1'31.3737172 6.James Toseland Yamaha1'31.4514955 7.Marco Melandri Ducati1'31.4786980 8.Loris Capirossi Suzuki1'31.5456062 9.Randy de Puniet Honda1'31.5755872 10.Colin Edwards Yamaha1'31.5934044 11.Chris Vermeulen Suzuki1'31.7745050 12.Ant West Kawasaki1'32.2427175 13.Toni Elias Ducati1'32.2464459 14.Sylvain Guintoli Ducati1'32.4315564 15.John Hopkins Kawasaki1'42.1302727
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Phillip Island Jan '08 Test Day 1 Times - Rookies Off To A Flying Start
2008-01-30 11:10:00
Pos.RiderBikeTimeFast LapTotal Laps 1.Colin EdwardsYamaha1'29.5664177 2.Casey StonerDucati1'30.1787373 3.Alex de AngelisHonda1'30.6886870 4.Andrea DoviziosoHonda1'30.7015679 5.James ToselandYamaha 1'30 8644981 6.Marco MelandriDucati1'30.8699999 7.Shinya NakanoHonda1'31.1119091 8.Nicky HaydenHonda1'31.22696107 9.Loris CapirossiSuzuki1'31.2745282 10.Chris VermeulenSuzuki1'31.3176099 11.Randy de PunietHonda1'31.43648103 12.John HopkinsKawasaki1'31.6237988 13.Ant WestKawasaki1'31.7866572 14.Sylvain GuintoliDucati1'32.4843568 15.Toni EliasDucati1'32.5736790
More About: Rookies , Flying , Start , Island , Times

Casey Stoner Wins Young Australian Of The Year Award
2008-01-26 23:04:00
In a boost to the profile of MotoGP in Australia, Casey Stoner won the Young Australian of the Year award for 2008. Stoner's award was announced at a special ceremony in Canberra, Australia, part of celebrations for Australia Day, the country's national holiday. The awards were presented by Australia's newly-elected Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. Stoner edged out Australian teenager Daniel Adams, who organized Australia's first Make Poverty History day.
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Pedrosa Out For At Least 3 Weeks
2008-01-25 14:16:00
The operation on Dani Pedrosa's hand has left him in a bit of a quandary. With an injury which would keep ordinary mortals away from motorcycles for at least six week, Pedrosa has been told by his doctors that he could be back riding within 3 weeks, which would be just in time for the official IRTA test at Jerez from February 14th. That, however, is a risk: If his hand isn't healed properly, then riding early could aggravate the injury, endangering the start of his season. On the other hand, if he waits until the test at Qatar the end of February, that would leave him just those two days of testing to develop and prepare his 2008 Honda RC212V before the start of the season. So far, the Spanish triple world champion seems to be erring on the side of caution. At a press conference in Barcelona, Pedrosa told journalists "for now, my priority is to work on recovering (from the injury) quickly." He was reticent his plans for returning to testing: "we'll see over the next few days whe...
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News We All Expected: Monster Energy To Sponsor Kawasaki MotoGP Team
2008-01-25 12:47:00
In the summer of 2007, John Hopkins made two separate, but unrelated announcements: That he was leaving Red Bull, and would be sponsored by Monster Energy ; and that he was leaving Suzuki, and would be joining Kawasaki. Almost immediately the second announcement was made, MotoGP followers put two and two together, and speculation was rife that Monster Energy (whose corporate colors are black and green) would be sponsoring the Kawasaki MotoGP racing team (whose corporate colors are green, with some black) for the 2008 season. Of course, Kawasaki refused to comment on such speculation. Until now. Today, Kawasaki announced that MotoGP followers had correctly surmised that two and two equals four, and that the Kawasaki MotoGP team will be sponsored by Monster Energy for the '08 and '09 seasons. The deal is for two years, with an option for becoming a title sponsor in 2009. A major non motorcycle-related sponsor entering the championship must raise hopes for other teams. So far, Gresi...
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Sepang Jan '08 Test Day 3 Times - Hayden Smashes Circuit Record
2008-01-24 13:03:00
The final day of testing at Sepang threw up a few surprises to add to the drama of the first two days. The biggest surprise was the return of Nicky Hayden to the top of the timesheets, after a couple of days ending mid-pack. The Kentucky Kid's was back with a vengeance, shattering Valentino Rossi's circuit lap record by nearly 3/10ths of a second. Hayden wasn't the only rider to smash records, both Valentino Rossi and Casey Stoner went faster than the race lap record on race tires today, proving beyond any doubt that the 800s are already faster than the old 990s were. Casey Stoner also came close to Rossi's circuit lap record on qualifiers, setting the 2nd fastest time of the day, after being blisteringly fast on race tires. Behind Stoner, the Yamahas continued their strong form, with rookie and 250 world champion Jorge Lorenzo putting in yet another strong time to take 3rd fastest, ahead of Colin Edwards on the Tech 3 M1. John Hopkins was 5th fastest, getting the Kawasaki u...
More About: Times , Circuit , Test , Record

Sepang Day 3 Comparison - Rossi vs Stoner
2008-01-24 11:09:00
The resumption of MotoGP testing brings welcome relief to fans starved of news over the long winter break, but it usually causes more questions than answers. For although the fans finally have some times to pore over and speculate about, the published times are usually just for a single lap for each rider, with no indication of whether the times were set on race or qualifying tires, with a full or nearly empty tank, with the bike in race trim or not. Genuinely useful times, which include long sequences of laps are hard to come by, and like all rare commodities, highly prized. Fortunately for MotoGP fans, sites like the Italian stalwart GPOne.com manage on occasion to lay their hands on more detailed timesheets. As they have today: GPOne has a comparison between long runs by Valentino Rossi and Casey Stoner . Rossi's 21 lap run was done with the new Yamaha M1 engine with pneumatic valves, running 2'02 second laps consistently, with a couple inside the 2'01 bracket, which is well i...
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Sepang Jan '08 Test Day 2 Times - De Puniet Fastest Once Again
2008-01-23 13:38:00
After the drama of Day 1, the second day of testing at Sepang got off to a much more normal start. Adding to the sense of normality was Casey Stoner, performing his usual trick of being fast right out of the gate and setting the fastest time early. But Stoner would not sit atop the timesheets for too long. By midday, Colin Edwards had taken over top spot on the Tech 3 Yamaha, only to pass the baton on to Randy de Puniet in the afternoon. The Frenchman was once again the fastest rider of the day, taking 2/10ths off his fastest time from yesterday. How much we can read into his time is hard to say, as De Puniet's LCR Honda was almost certainly running qualifiers at the time. Encouragingly for Yamaha, the next three fastest times were all set by M1s, with Colin Edwards leading the Fiat Yamaha team mates Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo, leaving Casey Stoner's Ducati down in 5th. Stoner was followed by the Kawasaki of John Hopkins and the Suzuki of Loris Capirossi. Despite the fa...
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Pedrosa Out Of Sepang Test, Likely To Miss Phillip Island
2008-01-22 16:02:00
Dani Pedrosa's ill fortune at Sepang continues. His fiery crash at the end of testing on Tuesday resulted in a fractured hand, and is on his way home. As expected, the Repsol Honda rider will miss the remainder of the test in Malaysia, but the situation is looking bleak, as Pedrosa is also highly likely to miss out on the Phillip Island test next week, with the next test at Sepang in the first week of February also looking doubtful. Sepang has been cruel to Pedrosa over the years, as he injured himself badly there in a practice crash during his rookie season. The excruciating pain from the gaping hole in his leg did not prevent the tough little Spaniard from finishing on the podium, however.
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Sepang Test Day 1 - 2008 Pre-Season Off To A Tumultuous Start
2008-01-22 13:34:00
Testing resumed after the long winter layoff for the official test ban, and the so eagerly-awaited first day of testing proved to be a tumultuous and drama-ridden affair. From the start, it was clear that the riders were having a tough first day back at work, with several crashes throughout the day. Valentino Rossi was the first faller, crashing out around 10 am, having only just gotten started. Rossi later put his fall down to a lack of concentration, a remarkable confession from the Doctor, who appeared at the M1 launch just days previously with a new hair cut and an air of gritty determination. Rossi was lucky to escape comparatively uninjured, as the crash was a fairly nasty highside, as the images from SportsMalaysia.net show: Rossi was followed into the dirt later in the day by his team mate Jorge Lorenzo, the 250 champion also getting away relatively unscathed. But the big story was Dani Pedrosa's crash at the end of the day. The young Spaniard, who had crashed earlie...
More About: Season , Start , Test , Sepang , 2008

MotoGP Gets Back To Work - Testing Resumes At Sepang
2008-01-21 22:54:00
The seemingly interminable drought of the MotoGP winter test ban is about to come to an end, and masses of die-hard MotoGP fans will draw a collective sigh of relief. For testing resumes at Sepang in Malaysia on Tuesday, with all of the teams slated to attend the 3 day test. The test will also be the first chance all of the teams get to focus more closely on their 2008 machinery. All of the new bikes should be there, and the teams will be working on getting the bikes up to speed as quickly as possible. One interesting detail was revealed by the Italian site MotoGrandPrix.it this week: According to Masahiko Nakajima and Lin Jarvis of Yamaha, barring insurmountable reliability problems, the M1 will use pneumatic valves at the first race at Qatar. Nakajima and Jarvis told MotoGrandPrix.it that work on the pneumatic valve engine is complete, and it will be tested alongside the engine using conventional steel springs at Sepang. This will mean that the entire field has abandoned conve...
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Exclusive: Rizla Suzuki's Chris Vermeulen Talks To MotoGPMatters.com
2008-01-20 18:16:00
In the middle of the 2007 season's summer break, MotoGPMatters.com caught up with Suzuki's Chris Vermeulen, and talked to him about racing, the tire and engine rules which came in in 2007, and the direction for Suzuki in 2008. With the winter test ban about to end, and the teams getting ready for the 2008 season, it seems like a good time to run the interview with Chris Vermeulen, and whet our appetites for the thrills to come. Take it away, Chris.
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From The Wild Italian Rumor Dept: Rossi To Kawasaki?
2008-01-17 14:43:00
For many MotoGP fans, especially in countries such as the USA, where motorcycle racing is very much a minority pursuit, the thought of the sport seeing the sort of popularity it enjoys in Spain and Italy is regarded as a kind of idyll to aspire to. But they forget that the flip side of that coin is that such popularity spawns a kind of relentless hunger for news, which in turn generates a vast and entirely unreliable rumor mill, some of which may even turn out to be accurate. The latest example of this is the rumor in the Italian press that Kawasaki have approached Valentino Rossi , offering The Doctor a 4 year deal worth 72 million Euros. The German motorsports weekly MotorSport Aktuell contacted Kawasaki's Michael Bartholemy for confirmation, but Bartholemy flatly denied it: "I don't know anything about any such offer," the Frenchman is quoted as saying. Although it is almost standard practice for team spokespeople to deny any and all rumors, Bartholemy's denial is extremely ...
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