MotoGPMatters - Kropotkin ThinksMotoGPMatters - Kropotkin ThinksMotoGPMatters.com features the best writing about MotoGP on the internet. MotoGP writer Kropotkin provides race reports, previews and analysis, all the background info you need about MotoGP. Articles
Davies Out Of Ducati MotoGP Testing Job
2007-11-08 22:39:00 When Chaz Davies was named as the replacement rider for Alex Hofmann in the Pramac d'Antin team for the last 3 races of the year, hopes were raised among British MotoGP fans, who have been longing for a Brit on competitive machinery in MotoGP for a very long time, and among US racing fans, who have been impressed by the young Welshman's pace in the AMA Supersport and Formula Xtreme classes. But after his impressive debut at Laguna Seca, leaping unprepared onto the bike during the second free practice session after Hofmann was forced to pull out with an injury, Davies' full race weekends did not go as planned. His appearances were beset by injury problems: at Phillip Island and Sepang, a gash in Davies arm caused by a fairly innocent fall while testing the Ducati became badly inflamed with infection. Then, at Valencia, he crashed heavily during both the first free practice session, and again during qualifying, ending any hope of racing. As a result of his bad luck, Davies' chanc... More About: Testing
Valencia Post Race Test - Day 2 Times
2007-11-07 22:33:00 Casey Stoner was fastest again during the final day of the first post/pre-season test at Valencia , ending the season almost as it started. Nicky Hayden put in yet another monster working day, running 92 laps, or 3 race distances, taking the 2nd fastest time, and showing that the 2008 RC212V already has plenty of potential. Perhaps the biggest surprise was Randy de Puniet setting the 3rd fastest time, settling in at his new team very quickly indeed. Jorge Lorenzo was fastest of the new boys, by some margin, all of whom were way down the field, with Andrea Dovizioso and Alex de Angelis slower than Kawasaki regular Ant West. RiderTeamFastest LapTotal Laps 1C StonerDucati Marlboro1'32.09555 2N HaydenRepsol Honda1'32.43492 3R de PunietHonda LCR1'32.62583 4D PedrosaRepsol Honda1'32.71888 5C VermeulenRizla Suzuki1'32.97988 6J HopkinsKawasaki1'33.05859 7L CapirossiRizla Suzuki1'33.16364 8T EliasPramac d'Antin1'33.29474 9S NakanoHonda Gresini1'33.46592 10S GuintoliPramac d'Anti... More About: Post , Race , Times , Test
Nicky Hayden MTV Show Trailer: The Kentucky Kid
2007-11-07 17:46:00 Ever since the announcement that MTV would be showing a reality TV show based around the life of Nicky Hayden , there has been much hand-wringing among hardcore MotoGP fans that the show might trivialize their favorite sport. Now that the show has been announced, and is due to be screened on MTV in the US on November 16th, speculation has started to rise to a fever pitch about whether the show will do the sport justice. More About: Trailer , Show , Kentucky
Valencia Post Race Test - Day 2 Times At 1pm
2007-11-07 16:24:00 RiderTeamFastest LapTotal Laps 1C.StonerDucati Marlboro1'32.12037 2N.HaydenRepsol Honda1'32.92047 3D.PedrosaRepsol Honda1'33.03624 4L.CapirossiRizla Suzuki1'33.16324 5J.HopkinsKawasaki1'33.23524 6T.EliasPramac dŽAntin1'33.29434 7R.de PunietHonda LCR1'33.49730 8S.GuintoliPramac dŽAntin1'33.75533 9S.NakanoHonda Gresini1'33.80840 10C.VermeulenRizla Suzuki1'33.87422 11M.MelandriDucati Marlboro1'33.90538 12A.de AngelisHonda Gresini1'34.06036 13J.LorenzoFiat Yamaha1'34.14235 14A.WestKawasaki1'34.31538 15A.DoviziosoJiR Team Scot1'34.50637 16N.AokiRizla Suzuki1'35.36733 17V.GuareschiDucati Marlboro1'35.84022 More About: Valencia , Post , Race , Times , Test
Nicky Hayden MTV Show To Air On November 16th
2007-11-07 00:21:00 It has been talked about for a long time, but finally it looks like being a reality. Today, MTV announced that they will be airing the long-awaited reality show based around Nicky Hayden 's life in MotoGP. The show, unsurprisingly called "The Kentucky Kid," is a two-hour long special charting Hayden's claiming of the 2006 world title over the last two races of the season, and the ill-fated defense of his title during the 2007 season. The show has caused controversy among MotoGP fans, with many hardcore followers fearing the trivialization of the sport, and an influx of what they usually call "clueless teenage girls," among other, less printable names. But the show could also raise the profile of MotoGP in the US, especially among the key 15-30 demographic, which would surely be a welcome development with the US due to host two MotoGP rounds in 2008. "The Kentucky Kid" is due to air on November 16th, at 10pm ET/PT on MTV. If and when the show will be shown in Europe, Australia, an... More About: Show , Ayden
Valencia Post Race Test - Day 1 Times
2007-11-06 21:25:00 RiderTeamFastest LapTotal Laps 1Casey StonerDucati Marlboro1'32.34826 2Nicky HaydenRepsol Honda1'33.17626 3Chris VermeulenRizla Suzuki1'33.18649 4Loris CapirossiRizla Suzuki1'33.26634 5Dani PedrosaRepsol Honda1'33.38735 6Toni EliasPramac d'Antin1'33.50842 7Randy de PunietHonda LCR1'33.56359 8Shinya NakanoHonda Gresini1'33.90146 9John HopkinsKawasaki1'34.27743 10Jorge LorenzoFiat Yamaha1'34.33050 11Sylvain GuintoliPramac d'Antin1'34.36745 12Marco MelandriDucati Marlboro1'34.43344 13Alex de AngelisHonda Gresini1'34.47147 14Andrea DoviziosoJiR Team Scot1'34.76048 15Nobu AokiRizla Suzuki1'35.56448 16Olivier JacqueKawasaki1'35.72750 17Vittoriano GuareschiDucati Marlboro1'36.11529 More About: Valencia , Post , Race , Times , Test
Times From First Test For '08 - Valencia Post-Race Test - UPDATED
2007-11-06 17:27:00 Finally, after an endless day and a half of waiting since the 2007 season finished, the 2008 season has finally begun! This afternoon, the teams and riders rolled out of their pit boxes to test their new machinery, and in several cases, their new teams, for the start of the '08 pre-season. The Italian site GPone.com has images and times from the first half of the test on their website. Times taken at 3pm CET. Casey StonerDucati1'32:393 Nicky HaydenHonda1'33:176 Chris VermeulenSuzuki1'33:634 Loris CapirossiSuzuki1'33:669 Toni EliasDucati1'33:911 Shinya NakanoHonda1'34:561 Randy De PunietHonda1'34:804 Dani PedrosaHonda1'34:926 John HopkinsKawasaki1'35:128 Marco MelandriDucati1'35:267 Sylvain GuintoliDucati1'35:695 Olivier JacqueKawasaki1'36:034 Nobuatsu AokiSuzuki1'36:826 Alex De AngelisHonda1'36:934 Jorge LorenzoYamaha1'37:115 Andrea DoviziosoHonda1'37:255 ~~~ UPDATED ~~~ Times taken at 3pm CET. Casey StonerDucati1'32:348 Nicky HaydenHonda1'33:176 Chris Ver... More About: Valencia , Post , Race , Test
2008 Tires: Rossi On Bridgestones, Repsol Honda On Michelins, Dunlop Out
2007-11-06 00:51:00 The Valencia MotoGP round is steeped in tradition, despite only having been the final round since 2002. The most interesting part of that tradition is the rolling out of the 2008 MotoGP bikes for the first official test on the Tuesday and Wednesday following the race. But before that can happen, there's the end-of-year test for journalists, former racers and miscellaneous celebrities (this year including Michael Schumacher and Gerhard Berger), who all get to try out some, or for the really lucky ones, all, of the 2007 MotoGP bikes. The teams all loathe this with a vengeance, as well you might expect, handing the machine they have slaved on and pampered all year long over to a bunch of hamfisted writers who are never going to approach 60% of the machine's potential. There is little they can do about it, however, as the manufacturers' marketing departments all see it as a vital part of selling more motorcycles. But having the world's press hanging around the track for a couple of... More About: Honda , Rossi , Tires , Repsol , Tone
2007 Valencia MotoGP Race Report - Mixed Emotions
2007-11-05 18:00:00 Bittersweet. That, in a word, describes the final MotoGP round at Valencia . Riders, teams, fans and followers, all face the weekend of MotoGP's last race with very mixed feelings. The time and place, Valencia in early November, has a lot going for it. The weather is perfect for racing and spectating alike, not so hot that it melts both bikes and fans, but warm enough that the tires get up to temperature, and fans can sit in the sun all day. The track is fantastic for viewing: located in a natura More About: Report , Race , Emotions , Mixed
2007 Valencia MotoGP Race Results
2007-11-04 16:36:00 126Dani PEDROSAHONDA46'43.533 227Casey STONERDUCATI46'48.9805.447 321John HOPKINSSUZUKI47'03.93720.404 433Marco MELANDRIHONDA47'08.36024.827 565Loris CAPIROSSIDUCATI47'09.33725.804 671Chris VERMEULENSUZUKI47'09.39525.862 74Alex BARROSDUCATI47'13.00329.470 81Nicky HAYDENHONDA47'13.86630.333 914Randy DE PUNIETKAWASAKI47'14.42830.895 1024Toni ELIASHONDA47'14.56331.030 1150Sylvain GUINTOLIYAMAHA47'22.29638.763 127Carlos CHECAHONDA47'26.03942.506 135Colin EDWARDSYAMAHA47'30.10546.572 1456Shinya NAKANOHONDA47'33.75350.220 156Makoto TAMADAYAMAHA47'40.41256.879 1613Anthony WESTKAWASAKI47'58.9021'15.369 Not Classified 46Valentino ROSSIYAMAHA30'32.47711 laps 80Kurtis ROBERTSKR212V16'15.09920 laps More About: Valencia , Results , Race
Valencia Warmup - Rossi Riding, Davies Out, Checa Doubtful
2007-11-04 11:13:00 Injuries and illness are taking their toll at Valencia this morning, with the results of various crashes over the past two days starting to tell on the riders. Chaz Davies has been forced to pull out of Sunday's race, with his crash towards the end of qualifying causing a suspected cracked scaphoid to add to his cracked fingertips from an earlier crash. Davies' withdrawal means the end to his current MotoGP career, as the Welshman will be returning to the AMA for next season. Valentino Rossi was out during the warmup, and looks probable to try and take part in the race. Though he may well be riding, he certainly won't be competitive, as The Doctor was lapping some 2.6 seconds off the pace during the warm up session. Rossi will be concentrating on extending his streak of races competed, never having missed a race in his career, and in trying to secure 2nd place in the Championship. To do this, all he needs to do is score a single point to stay ahead of Dani Pedrosa, and with a re... More About: Riding
New Tire Regulations For 2008 Officially Announced
2007-11-03 19:36:00 The FIM officially announced changes to the tire regulations today. As expected, the single tire rule has been called off entirely, its purpose having been served by forcing the tire manufacturers to agree upon new rules. Instead, the tire allocation has been expanded, and the testing restrictions have been eased. Here is a summary of the new rules: Tire limits are lifted from 31 to 40, with 18 front tires and 22 rear tires available to riders during the race weekend; Tire companies can choose on GP circuit to test at, after the race has been held there, but current MotoGP riders will not be allowed to take part in the tests; If a track is resurfaced, and for new tracks, tire and motorcycle manufacturers can test there at least 4 weeks prior to the event. Once again, current MotoGP riders will not be allowed to take part, only official test riders. You can find the full text of regulations over on the FIM website (PDF file). More About: Regulations , Anno , 2008
Rossi To Decide Whether To Race On Sunday Morning
2007-11-03 18:28:00 Valentino Rossi has spoken to the press about his crash during today's Qualifying Practice session. "I immediately realized my hand was broken, but I didn't know how bad it was" he told reporters. "I hit my lower back quite hard as well, and actually it hurts quite a lot, but luckily there is no damage there," the Italian continued. He further revealed that he was not sure whether he would be able to race tomorrow or not. Rossi has never missed a race in his career, a record he would like to maintain, but with no championship at stake, he may decide it is the wiser course of action to rest and recuperate, to be able to concentrate on preparing for next season, when he will be even more determined to take back the championship. "I remember last year in Assen the pain was more or less the same, but then I was challenging for the championship. Tomorrow, I am challenging for second place; it's not quite the same," Rossi said, hinting strongly that he may be less motivated to race t... More About: Race , Sunday , Morning , Sunday morning
2007 Valencia Qualifying Practice Result - Day 2
2007-11-03 16:14:00 Full times and qualifying report for the Qualifying Practice session of the 2007 Valencia MotoGP Grand Prix More About: Result
Valencia QP Update - Rossi Down, Fractures 3 Bones In Hand
2007-11-03 15:11:00 Less than 10 minutes into today's Qualifying Practice session, and Valentino Rossi 's terrible season continues to the end. Rossi crashed very heavily coming out of Turn 1, the bike completely destroyed, Rossi whipped back and forth before being tossed off the bike. Rossi was very slow to get up, obviously very shaken, but even worse, he was holding his right wrist in a great deal of pain. He was taken to the medical center with an ice pack on his wrist. Rossi has already set a time likely to be good enough to have qualified, but was clearly in so much pain that his participation in doubt for tomorrow. More news as it becomes available. ~~~ UPDATE ~~~ It's been confirmed that Valentino Rossi has fractured 3 bones in his right hand. He is also complaining of back pain. He has said he will try and ride tomorrow, but is very doubtful for the race. More About: Valencia , Bones , Update , Hand
2007 Valencia FP3 Times - Day 2
2007-11-03 13:11:00 150Sylvain GUINTOLIYAMAHA1'32.670 227Casey STONERDUCATI1'33.1320.4620.462 326Dani PEDROSAHONDA1'33.2360.5660.104 44Alex BARROSDUCATI1'33.2390.5690.003 533Marco MELANDRIHONDA1'33.2400.5700.001 665Loris CAPIROSSIDUCATI1'33.4070.7370.167 714Randy DE PUNIETKAWASAKI1'33.4870.8170.080 821John HOPKINSSUZUKI1'33.5050.8350.018 95Colin EDWARDSYAMAHA1'33.5180.8480.013 1071Chris VERMEULENSUZUKI1'33.5690.8990.051 1146Valentino ROSSIYAMAHA1'33.5800.9100.011 1224Toni ELIASHONDA1'33.7571.0870.177 136Makoto TAMADAYAMAHA1'33.9881.3180.231 141Nicky HAYDENHONDA1'34.0061.3360.018 1556Shinya NAKANOHONDA1'34.2581.5880.252 1613Anthony WESTKAWASAKI1'34.3271.6570.069 1780Kurtis ROBERTSKR212V1'34.4871.8170.160 1857Chaz DAVIESDUCATI1'34.9602.2900.473 Carlos Checa missed the session, as the Spaniard was taken to hospital yesterday after feeling unwell. A scan revealed no problems, but left Checa unable to take part in this morning's session. Circuit Records: Fastest Lap:Sylvain GUINTOLI1... More About: Valencia , Times
2007 Valencia FP2 Times - Day 1
2007-11-02 16:15:00 The first day of the last race weekend of the season looks as familiar as ever. Casey Stoner dominated both sessions of practice setting the fastest time in the morning and in the afternoon. Stoner even came within a whisker of hitting last year's lap record pace, finishing just a couple of hundredths slower. There were differences with earlier in the year, however, and those differences give those hoping for an exciting race something to cheer about. Where in the cool of the morning session, Stoner was fastest by a significant margin, during the afternoon, when temperatures reached something likely to resemble conditions on race day, Dani Pedrosa was setting times which matched Stoner's laps reasonably closely. For once, Stoner was not streets ahead of the rest of the field. Marco Melandri was nearly as fast as Pedrosa, also stringing consistently fast laps together in the afternoon, and looks like being a force on Sunday. But between Stoner in 1st and Pedrosa in 3rd, the surpr... More About: Valencia , Times
2007 Valencia FP1 Times - Day 1
2007-11-02 12:30:00 127Casey STONERDUCATI1'33.083 233Marco MELANDRIHONDA1'33.7620.6790.679 326Dani PEDROSAHONDA1'33.8810.7980.119 44Alex BARROSDUCATI1'33.9790.8960.098 571Chris VERMEULENSUZUKI1'34.0590.9760.080 646Valentino ROSSIYAMAHA1'34.1021.0190.043 71Nicky HAYDENHONDA1'34.2261.1430.124 865Loris CAPIROSSIDUCATI1'34.2421.1590.016 95Colin EDWARDSYAMAHA1'34.2591.1760.017 1021John HOPKINSSUZUKI1'34.3151.2320.056 117Carlos CHECAHONDA1'34.3241.2410.009 1224Toni ELIASHONDA1'34.3631.2800.039 1350Sylvain GUINTOLIYAMAHA1'34.4201.3370.057 146Makoto TAMADAYAMAHA1'34.5491.4660.129 1514Randy DE PUNIETKAWASAKI1'34.5631.4800.014 1656Shinya NAKANOHONDA1'34.5771.4940.014 1713Anthony WESTKAWASAKI1'35.0001.9170.423 1857Chaz DAVIESDUCATI1'35.0291.9460.029 1980Kurtis ROBERTSKR212V1'35.4042.3210.375 Circuit Records: Fastest Lap:Casey STONER1'33.083154.894 Km/h Circuit Record Lap:2006Loris CAPIROSSI1'32.924155.159 Km/h Circuit Best Lap:2006Valentino ROSSI1'31.002158.436 Km/h More About: Valencia , Times
2007 Valencia MotoGP Preview - This Is The End
2007-11-02 01:46:00 For anyone who enjoyed the host of apocalyptic disaster movies which appeared at the end of the 20th century, most of which seemed to involve asteroids threatening to destroy the Earth, the atmosphere surrounding the final MotoGP round at Valencia will be instantly familiar. For almost everyone involved, either in staging, racing in, or just plain attending the event, there is a sense that the end of the world is imminent and that they'd better try and cram as much as possible into the weekend, before the endless dark of winter falls. And so the Valencia circuit and the small town of Cheste nearby is home to Breughelian scenes of frenzied partying. Fans crowd the streets on any kind of vehicle which will bear them, filling the night skies with the shriek of engines bouncing off rev limiters and the thick, acrid smoke of burning rubber, as tires are worn down to the cords before exploding to wild cheers. The smoke, the howling engines, the rampaging bacchanalia, and the inevitabl... More About: Preview
Rossi Could Face Another Post-Season Testing Ban
2007-11-01 22:47:00 It happened the last time he jumped ship, and it looks like it could happen again: Motorcycle News is reporting that Valentino Rossi could be prevented from taking part in any MotoGP tests until the end of the year, this time with Michelin stopping Rossi from testing on Bridgestone tires until the contract between Yamaha and Michelin expires at the end of November. As the FIM enforce a winter test ban which starts on December 1st and runs until mid-January, Rossi may not get to ride the new M1 until the January 22nd test at Sepang. The Doctor has been here before, of course, as Honda held Rossi to the terms of his contract at the end of the 2003 season, banning him from riding the Yamaha M1 until January 1st 2004. Despite having a lot less testing under his belt than the competition, and starting on a clearly inferior bike, Rossi went on to win the first race of that season, and take the championship, establishing his reputation once and for all. So the question is, would a test ba... More About: Post , Testing , Season , Face
Spies Gets Another Chance - Will Test Suzuki On Monday In Valencia
2007-10-31 11:05:00 Ben Spies has not had a lot of luck when it comes to testing the Suzuki GSV-R MotoGP bike. Twice he has had tests of the bike scheduled, and twice those tests have been rained out, in Japan and in Sepang. After the washout at Sepang, it looked like that would be the AMA Superbike Champion's last chance of testing the bike this year, as the Rizla Suzuki team felt they would be too busy in Valencia helping new signing Loris Capirossi's find a base setting on his first time on the bike, and putting Chris Vermeulen to work on the 2008 GSV-R, making handling a test for Spies too difficult. But it looks like it could be third time lucky for the Texan, as Cycle News is reporting that Ben Spies will be given a chance to test the Suzuki at Valencia after all. Spies is slated to test on Monday , with the possibility of running on Tuesday and Wednesday as well, if Monday goes well, and the team can manage the workload with Capirossi and Vermeulen easily enough. That only leaves the weathe... More About: Chance , Test
Memories Of Summer: Some Images From Misano
2007-10-29 22:26:00 As most of you know by now, we occasionally feature MotoGP photography from sources off the beaten path here at MotoGPMatters.com. A couple of months ago, someone who posts as RLCanon over on the Adventure Rider website posted up a couple of pictures from his visit to the Misa no MotoGP round. We liked them a lot, and we hope you like them too. Colin Edwards, demonstrating how to crane your neck. Edwards again. His '07 helmet paint job is truly a thing of beauty, as is the tail section on the '08 M1. Shame the results aren't as good as the bike's looks. John Hopkins looks where he wants to be going. Style contrast: Kurtis Roberts leans his upper body over, and looks all the way to the exit, while Nicky Hayden shifts his lower body, and looks less far ahead. Nicky Hayden: Hanging off and looking through. The M1's tail is much prettier than the stubby RC212V. Kurtis Roberts again. It's been a tough year for all at Team Roberts. Casey Stoner has been a litt... More About: Summer , Images , Memories , Some
Elias Confirmed At D'Antin
2007-10-25 19:35:00 Pramac d'Antin have just confirmed what we had reported earlier, that Toni Elias will ride for the Pramac d'Antin Ducati squad next year. This leaves the teams rider line-up for 2008 looking very different from their 2007 riders, two long-time MotoGP veterans. Elias' signing brings the MotoGP silly season almost to a close, leaving only the Team KR seat open, although their plans are not yet finalized.
Nakano Joins Gresini Honda
2007-10-25 16:02:00 It had been rumored for a while, and now it's official. Gresini Racing today announced that they have signed Shinya Nakano to ride for them in 2008. The Japanese rider has had a nightmare year at Konica Minolta Honda , regularly finishing around 14th place, and must bitterly regret his decision to leave Kawasaki, now that Team Green has performed so well in 2007. The move means that Nakano will once again switch to Bridgestone tires. Part of Nakano's dismal performance at JIR, who run the Konica Minolta Honda, has been put down to his failure to adapt to the Michelin tires used by the team, suffering the same fate as the team's previous rider, former GP winner Makoto Tamada. Nakano consistently complained about chatter and a lack of feel from the Michelins, a complaint common among riders who have switched from Japanese to French rubber. The move also means that the series will not after all be without a Japanese rider, a prospect which had been threatened with Tamada leaving and...
Guest Column - When A Spec Tire Isn?t A Good Idea, By The Duke
2007-10-25 02:26:00 In the midst of the controversy about Dorna's proposed single tire rule, The Duke , who many of you may already know as host of the outstanding, informative and entertaining motorcycle racing podcast Rumblestrip Radio sent us an excellent opinion piece on why he feels the single tire rule should not be imposed. Although it looks like Dorna has withdrawn the proposal, it could yet be pulled out of a drawer again if tires dominate another season of racing. As such, we at MotoGPMatters.com thought we should share The Duke's thoughts on why this would be a very bad idea. When A Spec Tire Isn?t A Good Idea On Saturday of the MotoGP race at Motegi, DORNA CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta made the announcement that MotoGP was very seriously considering the move to a spec tire, much like Formula 1, World Superbike and the Parts Canada Superbike series. A final decision will be made following the race at Sepang in Malaysia. The impetus behind this decision has been the emergence, and occasionally t... More About: Column , Guest
Single Tire Proposal Withdrawn
2007-10-24 14:15:00 After weeks of speculation and controversy, Autosport's Toby Moody is reporting that Dorna has withdrawn the proposal to use a control tire in MotoGP. Presumably this means that Carmelo Ezpeleta got what he wanted with the rule, but just what that is, is yet to be seen. Whether that means that Valentino Rossi will be on Bridgestones next year or on Michelins is likely be made clear within the next couple of days. Stay tuned. More About: Proposal , Single , Prop , Tire
2007 Sepang MotoGP Race Report - The Show Must Go On
2007-10-23 00:11:00 Is the MotoGP series sport or entertainment? That's the question which has gripped and divided the world of MotoGP, both inside and outside the paddock, since roughly the end of July. At Laguna Seca, Casey Stoner had humiliated the rest of the field, beating 2nd placed Chris Vermeulen by nearly 10 seconds and 3rd place man Marco Melandri by over 25 seconds. The week before Laguna, Dani Pedrosa had given the field an even worse drubbing, Loris Capirossi finishin More About: Show , Report , Race , Sepang
Spies Test At Sepang A Washout
2007-10-22 18:31:00 The weather at Sepang , which had held off for Sunday's MotoGP race, has scuppered Ben Spies plans to test the Suzuki GSV-R 800 MotoGP bike. Spies, who won the AMA Superbike title aboard a GSX-R 1000, had flown to Malaysia for his first outing on the Suzuki, to acquaint himself with the bike, with a view to taking a couple of wildcard rides in 2008 before possibly making the switch to MotoGP in 2009. The weather had different ideas, however. The rain was a double dose of bad news for Spies, as Sepang was probably his last chance to test the GSV-R this season. Ordinarily, Spies might have had another chance to ride the bike after the traditional MotoGP season finale at Valencia, but that looks very unlikely to happen now, as it will also mark Loris Capirossi's first test on the bike, which is much more important to Rizla Suzuki's 2008 plans than Spies' test. To cap it all, Spies overcome his deep revulsion of flying to travel all the way from Texas to Malaysia, and for no result... More About: Test , Shout
2008 MotoGP Team And Rider Line-up
2007-10-21 15:54:00 As the 2008 MotoGP grid becomes finalized, it's useful to have an overview of who is riding where in MotoGP for 2008. So I've added the list below, and in a separate post. This list will be updated as and when the final seats are filled. No.Rider Tires Fiat Yamaha 46Valentino RossiBridgestone 48Jorge LorenzoMichelin Tech 3 Yamaha 5Colin EdwardsMichelin 52James ToselandMichelin Marlboro Ducati 27/1Casey StonerBridgestone 33Marco MelandriBridgestone Pramac d'Antin Ducati 50Sylvain GuintoliBridgestone 24Toni EliasBridgestone Repsol Honda 26Dani PedrosaMichelin 69Nicky HaydenMichelin Gresini Honda ??Alex d'AngelisBridgestone Unknown (rumored to be Shinya Nakano)Bridgestone LCR Honda 14Randy de PunietMichelin JIR / Team Scot Honda 34/??Andrea DoviziosoMichelin Rizla Suzuki 65Loris CapirossiBridgestone 71/7Chris VermeulenBridgestone Kawasaki Racing 21John HopkinsBridgestone 13Ant WestBridgestone Team KR Unkn... More About: Line
2007 Sepang MotoGP Race Results
More articles from this author:2007-10-21 13:43:00 Full results of the MotoGP Race at Sepang in Malaysia. More About: Results , Result 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
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