Superbike Weltmeisterschaft 2009 Runde 4, Assen, Niederlande Zuschauerzahl: 76.000 (3 Tage). Streckenlänge: 4,555 km. Wetter: trocken, heiter bis wolkig, 19 – 23 Grad Celsius. Sonntag, 26. April

Troy Corser vom Team BMW Motorrad Motorsport genoss heute in Assen einen der bisher konstantesten Renntage in dieser Saison und durfte sich über zwei Top Ten Platzierungen freuen. Trotz Schwierigkeiten in der Superpole, einem hinteren Startplatz und Schmerzen in der linken Hand schlug sich Troy Corser in den beiden 22 Runden Rennen bravourös. In Wechselkurven und beim harten Anbremsen bereitete ihm der gebrochene Knochen in der linken Hand zwar sichtliche Probleme, doch irgendwie schien er die Schmerzen zu ignorieren und brachte seine BMW S 1000 RR zur Freude des ganzen Teams zweimal sicher ins Ziel. Bestens unterstützt wurde er dabei von seinem Teamkollegen Ruben Xaus, der die beiden Rennen ebenfalls von einem hinteren Startplatz aus angehen musste. Xaus startete aus Reihe fünf, erkämpfte sich im ersten Duchgang einen 14. Platz, und landete im zweiten Umlauf auf Platz elf.
Der Amerikaner Ben Spies (Yamaha) gewann das erste, an Spannung kaum zu überbietende Rennen vor Noriyuki Haga (Ducati) und Leon Haslam (Honda). Im zweiten Lauf sah es zu Anfang danach aus, als wäre Spies bereits zu einem Doppelsieg unterwegs, doch machte ein Sturz in der zweiten Runde seine Hoffnungen zunichte. Haga übernahm die Führung und feierte schließlich einen zu keiner Zeit gefährdeten Sieg. Zweiter wurde Haslam vor Jakub Smrz (Ducati).
Troy Corser – Rennen 1: 10. Platz, Rennen 2: 10. Platz
Das war einer unsere konstantesten Renntage in dieser Saison, und obwohl ich mit zehnten Plätzen eigentlich niemals zufrieden bin, ist unser Ergebnis zweifellos das Beste, was wir heute erreichen konnten. Gut möglich, dass ich um Platz sechs oder sieben hätte fahren können, wenn ich nicht aus der vierten Reihe hätte starten müssen. Doch solange wir uns nicht weiter vorn qualifizieren, wird es eben immer auf eine solche Aufholjagd hinauslaufen.
Im ersten Rennen machte meine Hand keine größeren Schwierigkeiten, aber im zweiten Lauf hatte ich dutlich stärkere Schmerzen. Die Bruchstelle des Knochens liegt exakt dort, wo du Druck auf den Lenkerstummel ausübst, und das lässt sich beim Fahren eben nicht vermeiden. Alles in allem bin ich mit den beiden zehnten Plätzen aber sehr zufrieden.
Ruben Xaus – Rennen 1: 14. Platz, Rennen 2: 11. Platz
Ich denke, wir brauchen etwas mehr Unterstützung von den Reifentechnikern, denn manchmal ist es unheimlich schwer, einen funktionierenden Reifen für unser Motorrad zu finden, und das behindert uns sehr in der Entwicklung. Aber ich bin sehr glücklich, heute bei beiden Rennen ins Ziel gekommen zu sein und freue mich vor allem auch darüber, einige sehr gute Rundenzeiten gefahren zu haben, gerade im zweiten Lauf.
Im ersten Durchgang war das Motorrad am Limit, während es sich im zweiten Rennen viel besser anfühlte, was die Rundenzeiten letztlich auch bestätigten. Ich weiß, dass weitere Entwicklungsschritte folgen werden, und wenn es uns erst gelingt, alles harmonisch zusammenzubringen, werden wir auch deutlich weiter vorn sein.
Berti Hauser (Leiter BMW Motorrad Motorsport)
Die heutigen Ergebnisse haben die Scharte in der gestrigen Superpole etwas ausgewetzt und gleichzeitig gezeigt, dass wir uns verbessern und gute Ergebnisse erzielen können. Die Überlegungen aus unserem letzten Test in Monza tragen Früchte, und das freut mich, weil es zeigt, dass wir in die richtige Richtung arbeiten. Ich denke, beide Fahrer haben heute brillante Arbeit geleistet. Troy litt in beiden Rennen unter Schmerzen, schlug sich aber dennoch bravourös und bescherte uns Top Ten Ergebnisse. Zudem wurde Ruben von Startplatz 20 aus Elfter, und auch das beweist, dass er ein Kämpfer ist. Nach vier WM Runden stehen wir mehr oder weniger dort, wo wir erwartet hatten, aber der zehnte Platz ist nun der Ausgangspunkt für weitere Verbesserungen.
Wir sind alle sehr zufrieden, denn unser erreichtes Level in dieser so hart umkämpften Meisterschaft bestätigt unseren Willen und unsere Fähigkeit, mit den Jungs ganz vorne mithalten zu können, auch wenn diese sämtlich über mehr Erfahrung verfügen als wir.“
Ergebnisse
Rennen 1: 1. Spies (USA-Yamaha), 2. Haga (J-Ducati), 3. Haslam (GB-Honda), 4. Sykes (GB-Yamaha), 5. Biaggi (I-Aprilia), 6. Smrz (CZ-Ducati), 10. Troy Corser (AUS-BMW Motorrad Motorsport), 14. Ruben Xaus (E-BMW Motorrad Motorsport).
Rennen 2: 1. Haga, 2. Haslam, 3. Smrz, 4. Fabrizio (I-Ducati), 5. Rea (GB-Honda), 6. Sykes, 10. Troy Corser (AUS-BMW Motorrad Motorsport), 11. Ruben Xaus (E-BMW Motorrad Motorsport).
Punktestand: 1. Haga 180, 2. Spies 120, 3. Haslam 94, 4. Fabrizio 80, 5. Neukirchner 75, 6. Sykes 70, 14. Troy Corser (AUS-BMW Motorrad Motorsport) 35, 17. Ruben Xaus (E-BMW Motorrad Motorsport) 24.

www.bmw-motorrad.com

Rossi romps home to win Spanish thriller

Valentino Rossi

Valentino Rossi took a stunning win in Jerez today, his first of the season and the 98th of his career taking him 11 points clear at the top of the championship. His Fiat Yamaha team-mate Jorge Lorenzo had a disappointing home race, crashing out on lap 24 when closing on the final podium position.
The reigning World Champion had looked in trouble yesterday but an overnight set-up change saw him fastest in warm-up and he lined up confident that he would be able to mount a challenge. Starting from fourth on the grid, Rossi held his position at the start and managed to pass Lorenzo on the final turn of the second lap. Casey Stoner was the next target and the Italian quickly began to close the gap, setting the fastest lap of the race on lap four. Rossi and Stoner exchanged a couple of entertaining passes in the next few laps before the Yamaha rider made it stick at the end of the seventh lap, with the gap to Dani Pedrosa in the lead then standing at 1.2 seconds. The middle section of the race saw Rossi making little headway into the Spaniard’s lead but at two-thirds distance he suddenly found a new rhythm and started shaving tenths off the gap, making the definitive move and claiming the lead with 10 laps to go. From then on there was only one winner and the irrepressible 30-year-old brought his M1 home 2.7 seconds clear of second-placed Pedrosa. Ever the joker, Rossi took advantage of the moment to replicate one of his most famous post-race stunts ten years on, making a stop on his victory lap to pop into a track side portable toilet, to the delight of the 120,000-strong crowd.
After his dazzling pole position Lorenzo was fully expecting to challenge for the win but the higher track temperature today caused problems and he lacked the grip and pace of yesterday. The Mallorcan, who turns 22 tomorrow, spent most of the race in a lonely fourth position but in the final stages began to close on Stoner and looked like he might have a podium chance. With the gap down to under half a second the excitement began to build in the 99 side of the garage but with just four laps to go he lost the front and went down, emerging unhurt from the gravel trap but with damage to his foot peg and throttle meaning there was no chance to finish the race.
Rossi now leads Stoner by 11 points in the standings, whilst Lorenzo slips to third, 13 points adrift of the Australian. The MotoGP paddock will reconvene on French soil in ten days time for round four in Le Mans.
Valentino Rossi – Position: 1stTime: 45’18.557
"This is a wonderful victory because yesterday we were really quite worried! I couldn’t ride how I wanted to and it was very hard. We had to work all together to understand how to fix the problem and finally we made a big change to try to make the bike feel how I like in the corner, which worked, so I have to say a huge thank you to Jeremy and all my guys. This morning we could tell immediately that things were much better and then we made a couple more small changes after warm-up, which made my M1 and my Bridgestone tyres feel even better. The race was long and quite hard – I lost some time getting past Lorenzo at the start and then I had a good battle with Stoner, which I enjoyed. After that I wasn’t so fast and I couldn’t close the gap to Pedrosa for a while; he was very quick but finally things improved and I was able to catch and pass him. It’s great to win again and especially here in Jerez, which I love. It’s ten years since I made the joke with the toilet here and so I thought it would be funny to do it again if I won – I liked that a lot! Now I hope that the changes we’ve made here will help us for the rest of the season. Thanks again to everyone!"

Jorge Lorenzo

Jorge Lorenzo – Position: DNF
"I am very sad, because I was so fast all weekend and on pole position. Unfortunately today the temperature meant that our setting did not work in the same way and at the moment we don’t understand why. This is really more disappointing than the actual crash. Fourth position wouldn’t have been so bad but when you’re in front of your fans, at home with so much adrenalin on the bike of course you try to do the maximum. I could see that the podium was possible and maybe the right thing would have been to go more gently and not push so hard in that moment, but I always want to do my best. Then I made a mistake and I threw all my good work away. We have to try to forget this and wake up feeling positive tomorrow because Le Mans is near. I’m sorry to all the fans who came to see me, to my team, family and to everybody!"
Davide Brivio – Team Manager
"This is a very important victory and after two second places everyone in the team was waiting for it and really wanted it. To win like this is something special; after being in trouble and quite sad on Saturday there was a lot of effort, long meetings, hard work by all the engineers, mechanics and technicians and finally we were able to give a good package to Valentino. If you can make Valentino feel happy on the bike then he will always give you this kind of performance and today it was wonderful to watch. This has to be our target every time. I am very happy and proud of all our guys, and of course of Valentino!"
Daniele Romagnoli – Team Manager
"We’re very disappointed for today’s result. After excellent practice and qualifying sessions we expected to be on the podium but with the warmer temperature Jorge lost grip on the rear. At the end he was catching Stoner but then he lost the front and that was that! Now we need to make a deep analysis of why we had these unexpected problems and make sure they don’t happen again. It’s bad luck but now we will look forward to Le Mans, where we had a great result last year."
Seventh for Edwards in scorching Spain, Toseland battles to 13th
The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team ended a scorching hot Spanish MotoGP race with hard fought points scoring finishes for Colin Edwards and James Toseland.
Texan Edwards starred in one of the most fiercely contested battles of the 27-lap encounter, dicing throughout with Italian duo Marco Melandri and Loris Capirossi in front of a sun-drenched crowd of 123,340 fans. Edwards expertly moved his Yamaha YZR-M1 machine by Capirossi to take seventh on lap ten, and four laps later he passed Melandri to set about securing his second top six in the opening three races. Small issues with his rear suspension setting though saw Edwards lose a superb last lap battle with Capirossi that left him only 1.3s away from a superb top five finish. Today’s result though keeps Edwards in the top six in the championship standings and leading non-factory rider.
British rider Toseland rode a determined race to finish 13th, the 28-year-old unable to progress any further through the field as he never found a comfortable set-up on his YZR-M1 machine. He showed his battling qualities though to fend off a persistent challenge from Alex de Angelis.
The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team now takes a deserved break before its home race at the French Grand Prix in Le Mans on May 17, with expectations high after Edwards finished third in 2008.

Colin Edwards

Colin Edwards – Position: 7th Time: +0’34.421
"I got a really good start but right from the first lap I knew I wasn’t going to be able to run the pace I needed. The guys in front just gapped me immediately and I couldn’t get the bike to turn. We went in the wrong direction yesterday when it was hot, so for the race we went back to the setting I’d had in the morning when the track temperature was a bit cooler. In the cooler temperatures that setting was fine, but once the temperature goes up I just couldn’t get into the rhythm I want and know I was capable of. I wanted to be smooth and precise but I couldn’t do that. I was having to adjust my style to get some weight on the rear to help the bike turn, but it wasn’t enough for me to get into the top six and that’s a bit frustrating."

James Toseland

James Toseland – Position: 13th Time: +0’53.683
"It has been a tough weekend and we have got some issues to sort out. We’re still trying a few things on the bike and I’m still searching for a comfortable setting over a race distance. I still need a second or so on race pace but I need to sort out qualifying too. I can do the same times as four or five guys in front of me, but when you’re all lapping at the same pace, it’s hard to come through. I’m giving myself too much to do from qualifying and being too far back. You don’t need to be too far off but if you start at the back you stay at the back in a competitive class like this. It has not been a great start to the season but I don’t feel we’re that far away. We’ve got a lot of information from this weekend and we’re eliminating things that we know don’t work. I’m confident we’re close to finding the setting I need and working hard with my guys to find it."
Herve Poncharal – Team Manager
"It was a difficult race and in the first two races I have to say we were a little bit closer to the front. It’s a shame that Colin wasn’t quite comfortable enough with the setting to fight closer with (Loris) Capirossi and (Marco) Melandri at the end. A top six would have been well deserved for his hard effort and maybe fifth was achievable. It was also a tough weekend for James. His lap times in the race were not too bad but it is clear he must improve in qualifying. He is capable of a much stronger performance, but it is difficult when you don’t qualify well. The start of the race now is crucial and qualifying is something that he will work on with his team. Everybody at Tech 3 is now looking forward to our home race. We know Le Mans is very good circuit for Yamaha and last year Colin was on the podium behind Jorge (Lorenzo) and Valentino (Rossi). I’d also like to thank Mark Hall from Monster Energy for his support this weekend. The Yamaha Tech 3 team is delighted to have Monster Energy as our title sponsor, and I’m sure our partnership will bring success in the future."

www.yamaha-racing.com

El piloto mallorquín que participa esta temporada en el Campeonato del Mundo de Superbikes ha pasado esta semana una revisión de su lesión en el hueso escafoides de su mano derecha.
Tras varios meses después de la intervención en la que le colocaron un tornillo para unir el hueso roto, el progreso de curación del mismo no está realizándose correctamente, el hueso no está soldando bien y le ocasiona molestias en la muñeca durante las jornadas de competición.
Tras los análisis médicos realizados y el estudio por parte de su equipo médico, se ha recomendado al piloto pasar de nuevo por el quirófano para asegurar el hueso y prevenir un daño mayor.
Este mes de mayo se presenta especialmente intenso para el piloto del Team Pedercini con tres pruebas del Mundial de Superbikes, empezando por esta misma semana que viajará al trazado Italiano de Monza.

Departamento de prensa David Salom
Piloto Mundial de Superbikes
www.davidsalom.com
prensa@davidsalom.com
Avda. 16 de Julio, 34   Polígono Son Castelló   Palma de Mallorca
T. +34 971 291 321    M. +34 616 99 26 87

Fiat Yamaha Team target more glory as MotoGP lands in Europe

Jerez de la Frontera

The MotoGP circus has its first European port of call this weekend, at Jerez de la Frontera in Southern Spain. After the rain-interrupted first two races, springtime in Andalucia will hopefully bring calmer weather for the riders and the capacity crowd of passionate Spanish fans. The Fiat Yamaha Team is riding high after a one-two from Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi in Japan last weekend and the pair will be targeting more glory this week as they look to continue their stunning start to the season.
Rossi has a huge Spanish following and an impressive six victories in all classes to his name at Jerez, two of which have come with Yamaha in 2005 and 2006. The 30-year old finished runner-up there last year, his opening podium of the season and his first on Bridgestone tyres. After two second places on the bounce this year he will be out to claim his first win and wrest the championship lead from his team-mate, who he currently trails by just one point.
After a brilliant second MotoGP win last Sunday at Motegi, Lorenzo comes to his home Grand Prix brimming with confidence and leading the championship. Last year he took his second pole position and went on to finish third and he will be hoping to make the most of his home advantage this weekend and take a first MotoGP win on Spanish soil. The Mallorcan, who turns 22 on Monday, made history at Jerez back in 2002 as the youngest rider ever to qualify for Grand Prix and he took victory there in 2006 and 2007 on the way to his two 250cc titles.
Jerez is a Mecca for Spanish motorcycle racing and always draws one of the biggest crowds of the season, with more than 120,000 filling the natural amphitheatre and creating a unique carnival atmosphere. The track itself challenges the riders to pick the most effective racing line, with few hard braking points and little opportunity to fully open the throttle. The 4.423km layout features regular and quick changes in direction, meaning that the rider requires a responsive overall set-up and good grip at maximum lean angles.
Valentino Rossi – "A step up"
"We’ve made a good start to the season with two podiums which shows we are consistent, but now we need to make the step up. Motegi was a good race but we had one or two problems, which we need to fix. We have a lot of data from Jerez because we tested there twice in the winter so I hope that this will help us to find a good setting straight away. I also hope that the weather is good because we’ve had two difficult races for this and I have had enough of the rain now! As a rule we are very strong at the track and it is always great fun riding there. I love Jerez, it’s always a brilliant atmosphere and the fans make a big, big party for three days; I hope I can be part of the party this time! The championship is becoming very interesting now so let’s hope for an exciting race this weekend."
Jorge Lorenzo – "A special circuit"
"My motivation is high because I am arriving as the World Championship leader in my own home. I can’t ask for more! I had a very good feeling in Japan, and I enjoyed riding the bike in every corner. I have to be careful however because I am still learning all the time how to ride with the new Bridgestone tyres. I think that Jerez is maybe one of the most special circuits in the world, to be a MotoGP rider there is like a dream, all the people surrounding you… The last test in Jerez was very good. I was always in the three first positions so I hope to be fast from the start this weekend. I would like another podium, like last year in Jerez and like the first two races in 2009. I am confident!"
Davide Brivio – "Try and win as soon as possible"
"It’s nice to be back in Europe after two races away, and to be starting the European stretch with two good results behind us. Jerez is the start of an important period of racing and it’s key that we continue the same form and consistency. Our first target still remains to be on the podium every time, but of course we want to try to win a race as soon as possible!"
Daniele Romagnoli – "Extra motivation"
"The next race will be very exciting! Last weekend’s win has given Jorge extra motivation and confidence; we know that the podium is possible now every time for us and at Jerez we know that he will give the maximum once again. We need to keep our feet on the ground and keep the concentration level high because our rivals are very strong. We have a good base setting and it seems to be working very well at different tracks and now we just need to continue working in the same way. It will be a great show in Jerez."
Valentino Rossi : Information
Age: 30
Lives: Tavullia, Italy
Bike: Yamaha
GP victories: 97 (71 x MotoGP/500cc, 14 x 250cc, 12 x 125cc)
First GP victory: Czech Republic, 1996 (125cc)
First GP: Malaysia, 1996 (125cc)
GP starts: 212 (152 x MotoGP/500cc, 30 x 250cc, 30 x 125cc)
Pole positions: 52 (42 x MotoGP/500cc, 5 x 250cc, 5 x 125cc)
World Championships: 8 Grand Prix (1 x 125cc, 1 x 250cc, 1 x 500cc, 5 x MotoGP)
Jorge Lorenzo: Information
Age: 21
Lives: London, UK
Bike: Yamaha
GP victories: 23 (2 x MotoGP, 17 x 250cc, 4 x 125cc)
First GP victory: Brazil, 2003 (125cc)
First GP: Jerez, Spain, 2002 (125cc)
GP starts: 113 (19 x MotoGP, 48 x 250cc, 46 x 125cc)
Pole positions: 30 (4 x MotoGP, 23 x 250cc, 3 x 125cc)
World Championships: 2 (250cc, 2006/7)
Jerez: Record Lap
D. Pedrosa (Honda) 2008, 1’40.116
Jerez: Best Lap
J. Lorenzo (Yamaha) 2008, 1’38.189
Grand Prix Results: Jerez 2008
1. D.Pedrosa (Honda) 45’35.121
2. V.Rossi (Yamaha) +2.883
3. J. Lorenzo (Yamaha) +4.339

www.yamaha-racing.com

Jorge Lorenzo

After it looked at one point on race-day as if the Grand Prix of Japan would be a complete washout, the sun broke through the dark clouds and streamed onto the Motegi circuit as the Fiat Yamaha team enjoyed a clean sweep of the top two spots. With qualifying having been cancelled yesterday due to the heavy rain, both riders started the race from the front row of the grid according to their times from Friday’s free practice. Following a stunning race, Jorge Lorenzo took the glory of standing on the top step of the podium, after coming through a brilliant scrap with his team-mate Valentino Rossi, who finished a close second.
Starting from third on the grid Lorenzo briefly lost a position on the first lap, but was soon back up to his starting spot as they crossed the line for the first time. With a superior pace to his compatriot Pedrosa it seemed as though the Mallorcan was being held up, and sure enough on lap three the Spaniard edged into second place. Once there he had the unenviable task of closing a two-second gap to his team-mate Rossi, but gradually edged nearer his colleague. The two enjoyed a good head-to-head fight, swapping positions at the V-corner before Lorenzo finally found a way past Rossi. From that point there was no looking back, and as Rossi was entangled in the battle with Pedrosa behind, Lorenzo sealed a glorious second victory in MotoGP.
Leading from the first corner, Rossi had opened up the gap on the Spaniards in the early stages, but once Lorenzo had found a way past, it was Pedrosa who caused the champion most problems. With Pedrosa attacking on several occasions, the Italian was forced to keep his wits about him, but always seemed to have enough edge to keep ahead. The killer move come heading into the tunnel at turn five, and the race was decided as Rossi pulled away from Pedrosa in the latter stages.
With Lorenzo leading the championship on 40 points, one ahead of Rossi, the MotoGP World Championship moves on to his home race at Jerez in just a week’s time.
Jorge Lorenzo – Position: 1stTime: 43’47.238
"First of all I just want to thank my team, my Mum, Dad and whole family, my friends and all the team workers. Also Yamaha, as it is their home race, it was a difficult race because I didn’t really get a very good start, I think I even finished the first lap in third or fourth. After that I began to catch up the pace. I passed Valentino and opened up a little gap, about a second and a half, and he was following me very hard. I had to ride the best I can to get the victory."

Rossi – Lorenzo

Valentino Rossi – Position: 2ndTime: + 1.304
"It was a great race, long, very difficult and also physical. I got a really good start from the front row, but there was a part of the race that I wasn’t quite able to ride like I wanted, there was some kind of problem and I wasn’t fast enough to pull away. I lost time from Jorge and then was involved in a battle with Dani and then in the last part of the race I was able to step up my pace and pick my lines, setting some good lap times. I tried to come back but unfortunately Lorenzo was too far away. It’s a good race, second place is not a victory but it’s still twenty points for the championship. I think the championship will become very interesting now because we have four riders ready to battle for wins at the end."
Daniele Romagnoli – Team Manager
"I’m really happy about today’s result, we didn’t expect a victory, maybe we were just thinking about the podium, so I’m extremely happy. We did a great job on Friday and I think that was the key because we worked a lot around the harder tyre and in the end that was the good one. With the information and the data we collected, today we just had to do some fine-tuning to the bike and it has brought us this special victory, and we are able to show the world how strong Yamaha is. Jerez will be a great battle, like today it will be a big show and so i am looking forward to that event."
Davide Brivio – Team Manager
"First of all, congratulations to Jorge, who rode very well, and congratulations to Yamaha, because this result confirms the great job we have done in the last months. We are always very fast and for the second time this year we have two riders on the podium. Night or day, we are always there! Valentino took a very important second place, because our target is to be always there. Now we are looking forward to going back to Europe for a very important phase of the championship and it is crucial to start this time on top".
Top ten for Toseland, Edwards fights back into points in Japan
Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team duo James Toseland and Colin Edwards secured hard fought points-scoring finishes in Yamaha’s home race at the Twin Ring Motegi today.
British rider Toseland gave himself a welcome confidence boost with a determined ride to ninth place in the 24-lap encounter, which took place in windy but dry conditions after another weekend dominated by rain. Opting to run the softer compound Bridgestone tyre, Toseland made a storming start from the fourth row of the grid, crossing the line at the end of the first lap in seventh place. The 28-year-old secured his first top ten finish of the campaign with a superb attacking display in the final stages, holding off the persistent challenge of Chris Vermeulen and Randy de Puniet. American Edwards encountered a small problem in the early stages of the race but once he was able to demonstrate his true potential, the 35-year-old reeled off some blistering lap times. At times he ran the same pace as the top five as he fought his way through the field to a highly commendable 12th, setting the sixth fastest time in the race to miss out on a top ten finish by three seconds.
The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team now heads to Jerez next weekend for the start of the European leg of the MotoGP world championship.

James Toseland

James Toseland – Position: 9th Time:
"I needed to be back in the top ten, so today was the step I’ve been looking for. We made a big step with the front-end setting on Friday in just the 45 minutes of dry track time we had this weekend and it helped me a lot. The comfort on the braking was much better and I was able to pass a couple of guys on the brakes today, which was good. I went for the soft rear tyre just because that’s what I’d run most on Friday. We knew the soft one would go the distance, but it wouldn’t be as strong in the latter stages of the race with the temperature being hotter today. But I didn’t want to take any risks by running the harder compound, particularly as we knew it would take a couple of laps to get to temperature. In the early part of the race I had quite a bit more grip than some of the guys and I might have been able to pass (Casey) Stoner and (Loris) Capirossi) if I was more comfortable with the bike on a full fuel load. That would have pushed me a bit further up earlier in the race when I had an advantage with the softer tyre. It was a good battle on the last lap with Vermeulen. He passed me briefly at the end of the back straight, but I managed to keep him at bay. I’m happy for my team because they’ve stood behind me and everybody has kept their morale up, and now we’ve got a result we can build on."

Colin Edwards

Colin Edwards – Position: 12th Time:
"That was not at all what I expected but I can’t turn the clock back. I wish I could because I believe I could have fought for the podium. We had a small issue at the start of the race and I simply couldn’t ride how I wanted to. I kept my head down and persevered throughout and perhaps a few more laps I could have chased down the guys in front for a top ten. I couldn’t have ridden any harder today and I did my absolute best for Yamaha. I was really confident going into the race because I was one of the few guys who had done a lot of laps on the harder compound tyre in the dry on Friday. So with the track temperature coming up a lot compared to how cool it was on Friday, I felt that experience we gained would really help. When I got going in the race my lap times were as quick as the top five, so it’s a case of wondering what might have been today. We’ll look to bounce back in Jerez next weekend because I feel like I’m riding really well."
Herve Poncharal – Team Manager
"We obviously had higher expectations but I’m pleased that both James and Colin showed their determination throughout the race. It was good to see James fighting strongly in the top ten and this result will have given his confidence a big boost. He has had a difficult winter and first race, but he’s remained incredibly focused and this is a good platform for him to build on for the rest of the season. I’d also like to thank Colin for his efforts today in difficult circumstances. He had a problem before the start and we are still investigating the cause with Yamaha. But his pace in the second half of the race was very impressive, so we know that Colin is in very good form heading into Europe. I’d like to say big congratulations to Yamaha for its one-two in front of the Japanese fans. It shows the YZR-M1 is a very strong package and that Yamaha is the brand to beat again in 2009."

www.yamaha-racing.com

Mit einem souveränen Doppelsieg in der Tasche kehren die beiden Fiat Yamaha Team Fahrer Jorge Lorenzo und Valentino Rossi aus Motegi nach Europa zurück. Sah es zu Beginn des Renntages nicht nach gutem Wetter aus, kam die Sonne pünktlich zum Rennen hinter den dunklen Wolken hervor und bescherte den WM-Protagonisten bestes Rennwetter. Nachdem das Training am Samstag wegen wolkenbruchartigen Regenfällen gestrichen wurde, nahmen die Piloten ihre Position nach den Platzierungen vom freien Training am Freitag ein.
Von Position drei ging es für Lorenzo in das zweite Rennen der Saison und der Spanier verlor zu Beginn an Boden, den er aber kurze Zeit später wieder gut machen konnte. Hinter seinem Landsmann Pedrosa zog Lorenzo seine Bahnen und es sah danach aus, als ob Lorenzo schneller fahren konnte als sein Vordermann. In der dritten Runde schnappte sich Lorenzo Pedrosa und schaffte es in kürzester Zeit, den Rückstand von 2 Sekunden auf den führenden Rossi aufzuholen. Im ersten Anlauf konnte sich Lorenzo an Rossi vorbeizwängen, musste aber einen weiten Bogen fahren, den Rossi nutzen und sich wieder an die Spitze setzen konnte. Erst beim zweiten Überholmanöver gelang es Pedrosa, die Führung zu behalten und in den folgenden Runden einen Vorsprung auf seine Verfolger herauszufahren. Am Ende reichte ein Vorsprung von 1,3 Sekunden auf Rossi für den zweiten Sieg in Lorenzos Karriere.
Für Rossi begann das Rennen erfolgreicher. Der Italiener führte nach dem Start und konnte eine kleine Lücke auf seine Mitstreiter öffnen. Doch Lorenzo, der zuvor an Pedrosa vorbeifahren konnte, ließ nicht locker, schloss die Lücke auf Rossi und überholte ihn. Das Rennen war für Rossi noch nicht zu Ende, nachdem sich Lorenzo an der Spitze absetzen konnte. Von hinten kam Pedrosa mit großen Schritten an und machte mächtig Druck auf Rossi. Erst in den letzten Runden gelang es Rossi, sich von seinem Verfolger abzusetzen und seinen zweiten Platz nach Hause zu fahren.
In der WM-Tabelle führt Rossi nach zwei Rennen mit 40 Punkten, bevor am kommenden Wochenende in Jerez der dritte Lauf gestartet wird.
Jorge Lorenzo, Platz 1
"Ich möchte mich bei meinem Team, meiner Mama, Papa, meiner Familie und meinen Freunden bedanken. Vielen Dank auch an Yamaha für dieses tolle Heimrennen. Das Rennen war ziemlich schwierig, denn nach meinem schlechten Start, lag ich auf Platz drei oder vier. Nach einer kurzen Phase fand ich einen guten Rhythmus. Als ich an Valentino vorbei war, konnte ich einen kleinen Vorsprung herausfahren. Er machte ziemlich Druck, aber mit meinem Vorsprung von 1,5 Sekunden hat es dann am Ende doch gereicht. Ich musste heute wirklich alles für diesen Sieg geben."
Valentino Rossi, Platz 2
"Es war ein tolles Rennen, lang und ziemlich schwierig, auch körperlich. Mein Start war gut doch für eine bestimmte Zeit konnte ich nicht so fahren, wie ich wollte. Ich hatte ein kleines Problem und war leider nicht schnell genug, um einen kleinen Vorsprung herauszufahren. Ich verlor Zeit, als ich mit Jorge kämpfte und wurde noch in einen Zweikampf mit Dani verwickelt. In den letzten Runden konnte ich wieder meinen gewohnten Speed fahren. Ich wollte noch einmal attackieren, doch Lorenzo war schon zu weit weg. Es war ein gutes Rennen, auch wenn der zweite Platz nicht der Sieg ist. Aber zwanzig Punkte für die WM sind nicht zu verachten. Ich denke, die WM wird ziemlich spannend, denn jetzt sind es vier Fahrer, die um Siege fahren können."

www.yamaha-racing.de

Valentino Rossi

Fiat Yamaha riders Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo made a promising start to Yamaha’s home Grand Prix at the Twin Ring Motegi this afternoon, with Rossi finishing at the top of the time sheets and Lorenzo close behind in third. This afternoon’s session was run in cool, dry conditions but with the weather looking unsettled for the rest of the weekend this might be the only dry session before the race and therefore data gathered today could prove key.
Rossi, who claimed his eighth championship title at this track just six months ago, was fast from the outset and found his M1 was working well despite the cold conditions. Lorenzo too felt confident with his base setting immediately and spent some time at the top of the time sheets mid way through the 45-minutes. In the closing stages it looked like the Yamaha pair would end the day in second and third, behind Casey Stoner, but Rossi’s final lap edged him ahead and he finished the day with an advantage of 0.056 seconds over his Australian rival.
Valentino Rossi – Position: 1stTime: 1’48.545Laps: 18
"This is a very good start because we’re at the top and this is very important! The conditions today were hard and it was difficult to reach the limit and work to the maximum with the bike and tyres, but it looks like we have a good potential here so I am happy. It’s important to be in front, even though it’s only Friday, because in Qatar we were second in every session and really we don’t like second so much; for sure first is much better! Tomorrow it seems it may rain but we haven’t had the chance to try the new Bridgestone rain tyres yet so I think that this could be an important chance for us to understand how they are. It will be interesting and I hope they are good!"

Jorge Lorenzo

Jorge Lorenzo – Position: 3rdTime: 1’48.965Laps: 19
"I’m so happy with this practice session because we often struggle a bit at the start of the weekend but today this wasn’t the case at all and I felt great from the start. My M1 felt good when braking, under acceleration and in the corners so I think we are in good shape and now I hope we can continue like this tomorrow even if it rains, in fact I am quite curious to see what happens in the rain and how the lap time is."
Davide Brivio – Team Manager
"It’s nice to be back on top, even if it’s only Friday! It was always going to be very important to make the most of this session because there’s a chance it could be the only dry one, so we wanted to try to explore a few different things. It went ok; we can definitely improve more but we have made a good start."
Daniele Romagnoli – Team Manager
"We’ve made a good start today and we’re confident that we have a good base for this circuit, which is very different to Qatar. Because this could be the only dry session we worked to collect some extra data for the race to make sure that we’re prepared if it’s wet tomorrow and then dry on Sunday. We have made good use of this first session."
Edwards and Toseland set promising pace in Japan
Monster Yamaha Tech 3 duo Colin Edwards and James Toseland showed promising form to end the first day of action in Yamaha’s all-important home race at the Twin Ring Motegi in fifth and tenth places respectively.
American Edwards continued his stunning start to the 2009 MotoGP campaign, ending the 45-minute session with a best time of 1.49.697 to finish just 0.7s outside of the top three. Today’s session was run under cool and grey skies, and looks certain to be the only dry session ahead of Sunday’s 24-lap Japanese MotoGP race. Tomorrow’s forecasts predict a 90 per cent chance of rain. As a result of tomorrow’s gloomy outlook, Edwards spent the entire session using the same hard compound Bridgestone front and rear tyres to gain crucial endurance data, with the 35-year-old expecting the harder compounds to be his race selection.
British rider Toseland adopted the same tactic to easily produce his best performance on the impressive 2009 Yamaha YZR-M1 so far. After a difficult winter testing campaign and a disappointing first race in Qatar, the 28-year showed his motivation remains as strong as ever as he featured in the top six for the majority of the session. Fine-tuning a new front fork set-up to help with braking stability, Toseland’s final position of tenth didn’t reflect his brilliant return to form on the 2.983 miles circuit, and he’s confident of mounting a strong challenge in Sunday’s race.

Colin Edwards

Colin Edwards – Position: 5th Time: 1.49.697 Laps: 19
"Today was all about gathering information. My thinking even yesterday was to start with the hard tyre because we knew it was going to be cold and the forecasts were showing rain for tomorrow, so I needed to get some information in the dry before the race. I started out with the hard tyre and didn’t change it for the whole session, just switching the same tyre between bikes to play around with the setting. I’m sure if I had run the softer compounds I could have gone quicker, but Bridgestone think the hard front and rear will be what I’ll need for the race. It feels to me like the left side of the tyre is a little bit too hard and I’ve got to make sure I get it warmed up. The right side feels really good, but you can’t take too much risk in the beginning on the left, but once it comes to temperature it works fine. The bike feels really great to show what a great job Yamaha has done again. Today was a good start to the weekend and hopefully I can continue that to give Yamaha a good result in Japan."

James Toseland

James Toseland – Position: 10th Time: 1.50.432 Laps: 19
"That was a bit more like it. Right to the end I was looking good to be around the top six but I caught (Yuki) Takahashi on my last lap when the tyre was working pretty good, so I’m sure I could have got into the 1.49s. My guys have done a great job because I had a slightly different setting on the front fork today to get a bit more control under braking. This place is all about hard braking and that is an area I’ve needed to work on. I’ve got a bit more control on initial braking so it doesn’t upset the bike as much when I’m turning in. I ran most of the session on the hard tyre with the weather not looking too good for tomorrow, but I did try the softer one at the end just to check on it. I doubt we’d be able to run it in the race, even if the temperature is quite low. So if it rains tomorrow and it’s dry for the race, at least I know I’ll run the harder tyre. It was a difficult first race but we’re not losing motivation and my team have all stuck together. Rain or shine I’m determined to get a good result for them and Yamaha in their home race."

Circuit Length: 4801
Temp: 13
Weather: Dry

Lap Record: 1’47.968 (Loris Capirossi, 01/01/2005)
Fastest Lap Ever: 1’45.543 (Jorge Lorenzo, 28/09/2008)
Last Years Winner: Valentino Rossi

www.yamaha-racing.com

Kike Ferrer ha finalizado undécimo en la primera carrera del Campeonato de España de Velocidad junto a su nuevo equipo Neu Grip.
Tras luchar contra la meteorología, que ha causado muchos problemas durante todo el fin de semana, finalmente se optaba por montar un neumático blando para la carrera, con la pista todavía mojada pero sin lluvia, los tiempos por vuelta fueron bajando a medida que los pilotos encontraban el "feeling" adecuado.
Partiendo desde el puesto 16 de parrilla, Ferrer salía con prudencia ya que sus ganas de avanzar le llevaron al suelo en los entrenamientos de ayer sábado y no quería arriesgar demasiado en carrera.
Kike se enganchó al grupo de unos diez pilotos que rodaban en 1:36, bajando el crono vuelta tras vuelta hasta rodar en la vuelta 13 en un tiempo de 1:35:176 dejando de esta forma atrás a varios de sus rivales y recuperando cinco puestos durante la carrera.
La sensación general es muy positiva, el trabajo del equipo es muy diferente a lo que estaba acostumbrado el mallorquín y la impresión de estar trabajando con posibilidades de mejorar es lo que más valora el joven piloto que sabe que puede estar entre los mejores en las siguientes pruebas.
Fotos en alta resolución
Más información:
Javier Beltrán – 616 99 26 87
prensa@kikeferrer.com

Kike Ferrer
Piloto del Campeonato de España Supersport
16 de Julio, 34    07009 Palma de Mallorca   Tel. +34 971 291 321   M. +34 616 99 26 87
prensa@kikeferrer.com       http://www.duesrodes.com

El Equipo Mallorca New Limit
se desplazó a los circuitos de
Cartagena y Valencia con el
fin de que sus pilotos, Miguel
Ángel Poyatos y Alfonso Ho,
realizaran un test preparatorio
de cara a los compromisos
que deben afrontar esta
temporada, la Kawasaki Junior
Cup en el caso de Poyatos y
el Balear de Velocidad en el
caso de Ho.
El viernes 10 de abril, a las 10 de la mañana, empezaron a rodar en el Circuito de Cartagena,
en tandas de 20 minutos. Ambos pilotos realizaron siete tandas cada uno, con pequeños
intervalos para descansar, acabando sobre las seis de la tarde. Debido a que la Kawasaki
Ninja 250R era nueva, durante las cuatro primeras tandas Miguel Ángel siguió con el rodaje
que ya había iniciado en el Circuito RennArena de Llucmajor, siendo en las últimas tandas
donde pudo empezar a exigirle más a la mecánica. Al acabar la jornada los técnicos del equipo
desmontaron la moto y se pudieron empezar a realizar modificaciones, sobre todo en las
suspensiones y en la entrega de potencia. El segundo día, Poyatos pudo se hizo a la moto y
consiguió rodar en 1:57.88, quedando satisfecho con su nueva montura.
Alfonso Ho no tuvo el hándicap de tener que hacer ningún tipo de rodaje, por lo que desde el
primer momento pudo rodar a fondo con su Suzuki GSX600RR. El Circuito de Cartagena es
muy similar al circuito de Llucmajor, con un gran número de curvas lentas y cerradas, por lo
que se sintió muy a gusto. Empezó marcando un cono de 1:43.86, acabando el dia en 1.42.64,
mientras que el segundo día y con un neumático mas nuevo
paró el crono en 1:41.56.

El 12 de abril, ya en el circuito mundialista de Cheste, en
Valencia, un circuito en el que Poyatos ha rodado en varias
ocasiones, le pudo sacar todo el potencial a la Ninja 250R,
rodando en un tiempo de 2:06.74. El equipo trabajo con
intensidad para poner la moto a punto, ya que la primera
prueba de este certamen será en este circuito.
Por su parte Alfonso encontró el circuito un poco complicado,
ya que hay curvas más rápidas y rectas mas largas, lo
que el ritmo es mucho más rápido. Empezó marcando un
crono discreto de 1:54.32, para acabar con un fantástico
1:44.68, lo que demuestra su gran progresión. Al día
siguiente, en la primera tanda, tuvo una contractura en el
cuello y no pudo seguir rodando.
En resumen, unas jornadas de tests sin caídas y con los
objetivos realizados. Miguel Ángel Poyatos hizo 1.007 Km
y Alfonso Ho 724 Km.

Un saludo,
Luis Borrás

Koldo Zuazaga – Ferbis Press

Valentino Rossi

Due to technical issues the Free Practice and Qualifying reports have not been issued, for which offer our apologies. Please visit Yamaha-racing.com to view these releases.
Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo put in a strong opening showing for the Fiat Yamaha Team tonight, finishing second and third under the Qatar floodlights after the race was delayed 24 hours following last night’s heavy rain. Tech 3 Yamaha rider Colin Edwards brought his M1 home in fourth, making it three Yamaha’s in the top four, with Casey Stoner taking the race win.
Starting from second on the grid, Rossi lost some ground at the start and was passed by Loris Capirossi and then Lorenzo. He had passed his team-mate back by the end of the first lap and on lap three he despatched Capirossi, but by that time Stoner was already some three seconds clear. The world champion set off in pursuit and after ten laps had closed the gap to less than two seconds, but the wear and tear from pushing so hard on his Bridgestone tyres was beginning to tell and he wisely chose to settle for the safe option and twenty points, crossing the line 7.771 seconds adrift.
His team-mate Lorenzo, who finished second here last year in what was his first MotoGP race, rode a spirited race from the third grid spot. He slipped down to sixth at one point but found his rhythm and fought back to pass Edwards, Capirossi and eventually Dovizioso to take the final podium spot, a further eight seconds behind Rossi.
Round two of the MotoGP World Championship takes place at Motegi in Japan in just under two weeks time.
Valentino Rossi – Position: 2ndTime: +7.771
"So I think it’s definitely more fun to race on a Monday than test, like last year! Today the conditions of the track were quite different to before and this evening in warm-up we encountered a couple of small problems related to tyres, so our strategy had to change slightly tonight. It’s a pity because I think last night we could have put up more of a fight, but anyway this is a good result to start the season, much better than last year. I knew I needed a good start in order to go with Stoner but unfortunately I didn’t get one and I lost some time fighting with Lorenzo and Capirossi and by then Stoner had already gone! The middle part of the race was great fun and I made six or seven good laps to come much closer, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to continue in that rhythm, it was too risky for the tyres and I decided it was more important to take the 20 points. Casey was very strong today but he is always fast here and I believe that our potential is very good; I think that we can be back fighting again in Motegi. I am so glad we could race today after yesterday and I am satisfied to be leaving here having made a good start to the season – it is long!"

Jorge Lorenzo

Jorge Lorenzo – Position: 3rdTime: +16.244
"I am so happy to be on the podium tonight, I really enjoyed some parts of the race when I made some good overtakes and felt confident enough to take some risks. The grip of the track was better tonight but my rear tyre was moving from the start, so this is something we need to address and improve. Apart from the result and the points it is clear we have some work to do because our pace tonight was too far off Rossi and especially Stoner. The gap is too big! After yesterday’s crazy weather I am really happy we could race, it was very important for everyone and now we have got the season underway with a good result, my aim is to be much closer to the leaders in Motegi."
Davide Brivio – Team Manager
"We didn’t win but we can consider this a good start to the season, certainly much better than in 2008. Now we need to work to fix one or two small problems that we have. The middle part of the race was good, we were gaining on Stoner but in the latter stages he was in a better condition to push and Valentino was right to settle for second. It’s a long championship and the points are important. We are confident that we will be able to battle with Stoner in Motegi."
Daniele Romagnoli – Team Manager
"We are happy with the result because we have started the season well and this is very important, especially with so many rule changes to get used to. It is clear that we have some hard work to do in order to close the gap on the leaders and that we need to improve our setting further, so this will be our target for Motegi. Well done to everyone for the effort to get the race run tonight, it was very important to have the chance to compete."
Edwards claims brilliant fourth in floodlit Qatar opener
The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team finally ended an eventful Qatar MotoGP weekend with Colin Edwards riding to a brilliant fourth place finish in tonight’s rescheduled opening race.
The race was run nearly 24 hours late after the opening round of the 2009 world championship was postponed because of a freak desert storm last night. Tonight’s race went ahead over the scheduled 22-lap distance after Losail International Circuit staff spent the day using specialist vehicles to clear dust and sand off the surface.
Edwards produced one of the best performances of the race in which he was able to showcase his overtaking skills. His stunning surge from ninth on lap one culminated with a pass by Andrea Dovizioso for fourth on lap 14 to ensure Yamaha claimed three of the top four places.
British rider James Toseland looked well set for a top ten challenge as he shadowed Randy de Puniet and Mika Kallio in the early stages. But just as he closed in for an attack, he ran off into the gravel trap at the final corner on lap seven after a tangle with Toni Elias. He got back on track and finished just outside the points in 16th position.

Colin Edwards

Colin Edwards 4th – 13pts
"That was a good start to the season after I made a rubbish start to the race. I thought I’d got a good start but the next thing I know is everybody flying by me. I was way down and it cost me the chance to fight for the podium really. I’m not saying I could have run with Jorge (Lorenzo) because he was riding really well, but it would have been nice to give myself a shot. The track conditions were good considering the rain we had last night and I just concentrated on being smooth and not abusing the tyre too much and it paid off because when I caught (Andrea) Dovizioso I could see he was having some issues. By the time I passed him for fourth, Jorge was long gone and it was going to take a massive mistake from him for me to get close to Jorge but I kept pushing. I’d like to think I could have kept the pace with Jorge if I’d got a good start, but it’s easy to say that after the race. The grip from Bridgestone was really good and I’m glad we all stayed and raced. I just want to say thanks to all my guys at Monster Yamaha Tech 3. It has been a long and difficult weekend but we have all pulled together, stayed strong and focused and come out with a good result, so I’m looking forward to another good race in Japan next time out.

James Toseland

James Toseland 16th – 0pts
"It has been a difficult weekend to say the least and I know we have got a long way to catch up. This race was almost like a test for me, and like in testing, I didn’t have a lot of luck out there. I felt like I could fight for the top ten but Toni Elias came up the inside of me at the final corner as I was closing on Randy de Puniet and Mika Kallio. He touched me and I went off into the gravel and that left me out of the points unfortunately. We tried a different front-end setting for the race to try and solve some stability issues I’ve been having, and there is plenty of room for improvement. I just need time on the bike and a bit of luck to go my way. My guys have put in a lot of effort this weekend and I’m confident I can get a good result in Japan for the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team."

www.yamaha-racing.com

Yamaha World Superbike rider Ben Spies again proved the quickest rider on the day in his debut Monza test for the team. Over the two days of testing the American rider was consistently fast, laying down at least ten consecutive laps under last year’s lap record whilst on race tyres. Team-mate Sykes was also setting a blistering pace, and one of only five riders to break under the 1’46” mark. Ducati riders Haga and Fabrizio were second and third fastest respectively with times of 1’45.5 and 1’45.6 whilst Sykes was fifth fastest behind Last year’s race winner Neukirchener.

Ben Spies, Yamaha World Superbike Team (1’45.3)
“The test was good, it was really good to come back and reset myself after Valencia as I was feeling really frustrated. It was good to take a couple of days off, then come back fresh. We found a really good pace, and I loved Monza which is another new track for me. We also did half a race simulation, and got some really competitive times. I think we’ve got a good setup for the bike for when we come back here. Hopefully we’ll show up with a couple more tricks on the bike as well.”

Tom Sykes, Yamaha World Superbike Team (1’45.8)
“As soon as I did my first lap I had a big smile, the track is amazing, and not what I’m used to at all, lots of fast straights and fantastic corners. It was a really good test for me, we’ve proved again we can be very fast and we can do the lap times over distance. Overall we’ve found a good set-up. It was a great opportunity for myself and my side of the garage to look at what changes we make and what it does to the character of the bike. We should be faster now which is good, considering the pace we have already. I’ve always wanted to ride Assen, unfortunately it’s not the old full circuit I’m but still looking forward to it.”
Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha World Superbike Team Manager
“Overall it’s been a really good test for us for both riders. We tested some chassis set ups and both the riders were quite happy with the developments. We got some good long runs in, especially for Ben so in the end we are quite satisfied. Last year the lap record was 1’45.8, Ben was running consistent laps below this time on race tyres, including a 1’45.3. Tom also proved to be consistently fast and we were happy to see him dipping under last year’s lap record.”

www.yamaha-racing.com

Mit guten Ergebnissen starteten die beiden Fiat Yamaha Team Fahrer beim Saisonauftakt in Katar in die neue Saison. Unter Flutlicht beendete der amtierende Weltmeister Valentino Rossi das erste Montagsrennen in der MotoGP-Geschichte auf einem starken zweiten Platz, während sein Teamkollege Jorge Lorenzo auf Rang drei über den Zielstrich fuhr. Colin Edwards, der für das Tech 3 eine Yamaha M1 pilotiert, komplettierte die gute Yamaha-Leistung mit einem vierten Platz. Das wegen Unwetter am Sonntag um 24 Stunden verschobene Rennen gewann Casey Stoner.
Von Position zwei ging Rossi in das Rennen, verlor aber nach einem mäßigen Start Zeit und musste sich hinter Capirossi und Lorenzo einreihen. Doch der Italiener nutzte die erste Gelegenheit, um sich an seinem Teamkollegen vorbeizuschieben, um in der dritten Runde auch den zweitplatzierten Capirossi zu überholen. Der Rückstand auf den führenden Stoner betrug zu diesem Zeitpunkt bereits drei Sekunden und Rossi konnte den Abstand in den folgenden Runden auf knapp zwei Sekunden verringern. Als Folge der Aufholjagd wurden die Reifen von Rossi schlechter und der Italiener entschied sich, keine unnötigen Risiken einzugehen und einen sicheren zweiten Platz und damit 20 wichtige Punkte für die WM-Wertung einzufahren. Am Ende überquerte Rossi mit 7,771 Sekunden Rückstand auf Stoner die Ziellinie.
Teamkollege Lorenzo, der im vergangenen Jahr an gleicher Stelle in seinem ersten MotoGP-Rennen Zweiter wurde, fuhr ebenfalls ein gutes Rennen. Zwischenzeitlich lag der Spanier auf dem sechsten Rang, fand aber einen guten Rhythmus und konnte Edwards, Capirossi und Dovizioso überholen und am Ende den dritten Platz und 16 Punkte für sich verbuchen. Das zweite Rennen findet in knapp 14 Tagen im japanischen Motegi statt.
Valentino Rossi, Platz 2
"Es macht sicherlich mehr Spaß, am Montag ein Rennen zu fahren, als zu testen, wie im letzten Jahr! Die Bedingungen auf der Strecke waren anders als die letzten Tage und im Warm-Up hatten wir einige Probleme mit den Reifen und wir haben unsere Strategie leicht geändert. Es ist schade, denn wären wir gestern gefahren, wäre es vermutlich ein spannenderes Rennen geworden. Mit dem Start in die Saison bin ich aber dennoch zufrieden, denn es lief besser als noch im letzten Jahr. Ich brauchte einen guten Start um an Casey dran zu bleiben, doch leider hat das nicht so geklappt und ich habe Zeit verloren, um Lorenzo und Capirossi zu überholen und Stoner hatte bereits einen guten Vorsprung! Gegen Rennmitte hatte ich viel Spaß, denn ich fuhr sechs oder sieben gute Runden und kam näher an Stoner ran, doch ich wusste, dass ich diesen Rhythmus nicht halten kann und es zu riskant war, die Reifen so zu strapazieren. Mir war es dann wichtiger, die 20 Punkte nach Hause zu fahren. Casey war, wie immer in Katar, richtig stark, doch ich glaube, dass wir eine sehr gute Basis haben. In Motegi werde ich wieder um die Führung mitfahren. Ich freue mich, dass wir hier doch noch fahren konnten und bin froh, dass wir mit so einem Ergebnis in die Saison gestartet sind."
Jorge Lorenzo, Platz 3
"Ich freue mich, dass ich auf das Podium fahren konnte, denn ich habe Teile des Rennens richtig genossen und hatte einige gute Überholmanöver. Der Grip auf der Strecke war gut, doch mein Hinterreifen rutschte von Beginn an. An diesem Punkt müssen wir noch arbeiten und uns verbessern. Auch wenn ich mit dem Ergebnis zufrieden bin, müssen wir uns noch steigern, denn ich lag einfach zu weit hinter Stoner und Rossi. Der Abstand ist eindeutig zu groß! Nach dem Wetterchaos am Sonntag war ich froh, dass wir fahren konnten. Es war für jeden wichtig und jetzt hat die Saison mit einem guten Ergebnis begonnen. Mein Ziel für Motegi ist, näher an der Spitze zu sein als hier in Katar."

www.yamaha-racing.de

Tan sólo quedan diez días para la primera prueba del Campeonato de España de Velocidad y varios equipos aprovechan estos días para realizar los últimos test de pretemporada en el circuito que servirá de escenario para dar el pistoletazo de salida del Campeonato.

El circuito de Albacete acoge desde el pasado martes a varios equipos que preparan sus máquinas y ultiman detalles para la primera prueba del CEV, entre estos equipos se encuentra NEU GRIP, la formación con la que el mallorquín Enrique Ferrer acaba de firmar para disputar el Campeonato Nacional de velocidad.

La RFME ha hecho públicas las listas de inscritos para la primera prueba puntuable del CEV Buckler 2009, programada para el próximo día 19 de abril en Albacete. Hasta el momento son 89 pilotos de once nacionalidades los que han formalizado su inscripción, para las categorías de 125GP, Extreme y Supersport, a los que se unen los 18 participantes en una nueva edición de la Kawasaki Ninja Cup.

Por lo que respecta a los horarios de las carreras, quedan como sigue:

10:30    Extreme

11:45    125GP

12:45    Kawasaki Ninja Cup

13:45    Supersport

Pueden consultar las listas de inscritos, así como toda la información del Campeonato, en los siguientes portales: www.cevbucker.com y www.rfme.net

Más información:

VOLTERETA Comunicación

Javier Beltrán   Avenida 16 de Julio, 34   07009 Palma de Mallorca

Tel. +34 971 291 321   M. +34 616 99 26 87   info@voltereta.com

Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd has signed a three-year agreement with PETRONAS that will see the Malaysian national oil and gas corporation become an important new Official Sponsor and Premium Partner of the Fiat Yamaha Team.
Under the new partnership, the Fiat Yamaha Team will carry the PETRONAS branding on the team’s liveries, including on the bikes of riders Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo as well as team equipment and material.
The two parties are also partners in sporting collaborations in motorcycle championships in the Asia Pacific region for over eight years.
The partnership will lead to the future extension of the existing business relationship in Malaysia into the South-East Asian region for the development and production of Yamalube engine oil for Yamaha OEM vehicles.
For PETRONAS, the latest collaboration with Yamaha will enable it to continue building the position of its international lubricants business through a strategic partnership with another globally successful manufacturer and brand.
“This is a very exciting development for Yamaha and for the sport of MotoGP,” commented Lin Jarvis, Managing Director of Yamaha Motor Racing. “Yamaha and PETRONAS already have a successful business relationship away from racing, and this new, long-term, business partnership will see the ties between the two multi-national companies strengthened further. It is especially good to see a global company of PETRONAS’ stature making the decision to enter into our sport at this difficult time and we look forward to working hand in hand with them to develop a long and mutually beneficial relationship.”
The new livery of the Fiat Yamaha Team riders and bikes with PETRONAS branding will be seen for the first time on Friday April 10th as the riders begin free practice for the 1st GP event – the night race in Qatar on Sunday April 12th.

www.yamaha-racing.com

Fotos: © Ferbis Press

Mañana jueves 9 de abril, el Equipo Mallorca New Limit, con sus dos pilotos Miguel Ángel Poyatos y Alfonso Ho,  embarcará rumbo a Valencia para realizar unos entrenos privados en los circuitos de Cartagena y Valencia (Cheste).

Estos circuitos serán los escenarios de varias de las pruebas de la "Kawasaki Junior Cup" y del "Castellano-Manchego de Velocidad", certámenes en los que participará Miguel Ángel Poyatos, y los tests que se realizarán en ellos servirán para que este piloto se adapte a la Kawasaki Ninja 250R, una moto de calle con algunas mejoras, que dispone de un motor bicilíndrico de 4 tiempos con una potencia de 30 CV.

La unidad de Miguel Ángel, llegó a Palma este pasado miércoles, pasando una profunda revisión en el taller que Mallorca New Limit dispone en Palma, para a continuación realizar la primera toma de contacto y el necesario rodaje en el Circuito de Llucmajor, donde las inclemencias metereológicas no han permitido sacar el máximo provecho. Sin embargo, esta toma de contacto con el asfalto mojado, ha permitido al equipo evaluar las posibilidades de esta moto bajo circunstancias adversas.

La "Kawasaki Junior Cup" celebrará su carrera inaugural el 25 de abril en el circuito de Valencia, donde Miguel Ángel espera luchar por subir al podio.

Para Alfonso Ho estas sesiones de prueba le servirán para empezar a conocer los trazados de Cartagena y Valencia, y sobre todo para descubrir todo el potencial de su Suzuki GSX600RR, con la que en un futuro podría participar en un certamen nacional. 

Un saludo,

Luis Borrás