Rob Wickens finishes on top at official F2 test

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Rob Wickens finishes on top at official F2 test
Canadian driver leads Red Bull Junior Team one-two at Snetterton

RobWickens

The first official FIA Formula Two Championship test has concluded at Snetterton, with Canadian Rob Wickens finishing the day at the top of the timesheets with a time of 59.433s.

Wickens’ flying lap, which was set deep into the afternoon session, was nearly bettered immediately afterwards by fellow Red Bull junior driver Mirko Bortolotti, but the Italian missed out by just 0.168s. Six other drivers dipped below the one minute mark, with Formula Palmer Audi graduate Alex Brundle ending up third quickest.

Experienced Spaniard Andy Soucek was the only driver to set a sub-one minute time in both the morning and afternoon – his afternoon lap of 59.763s was good enough for fourth place. Philipp Eng and Milos Pavlovic were fifth and sixth respectively, but were unable to improve on their early morning pace. Julien Jousse, Sebastian Hohenthal, Mikhail Aleshin and Tobias Hegewald rounded out the top ten.

AndySoucek

The 2009 FIA Formula Two Championship looks set to be remarkably close, with a little over one second covering the top 20 drivers at the end of the day. All cars ran today (Wednesday) with brand new bespoke F2 tyres from Avon and the Williams JPH1 enjoyed good reliability with every driver completing more than 50 laps during the day. Natacha Gachnang had the most track time, completing 94 laps in her new F2 car.

Rob Wickens said: “It was a good reward and a good way to end the first test day of testing, but ultimately it’s only the first day of a long season. I really enjoyed it and I felt very comfortable in the car. The competition is very tight. I was surprised at one point when I was only three tenths off the best time, but I was way down in the overall positions. It’s definitely what you can expect from the whole season and I think it should be good.”

Mirko Bortolotti said: “To be honest I just wanted to learn the car and track today so I wasn’t focussed on times, but when I saw that I was second I was really pleased. I am happy with the work we have done and I am enjoying it a lot. All the guys from Williams F1 and MotorSport Vision have done a great job. The car is great and I am really proud to be a part of this championship.”

Alex Brundle said: "I knew the lap was pretty quick. I feel really comfortable in the car and it is good to know that I am there or thereabouts. I really love driving this car – it is mega."

Official test times – Snetterton, 6 May:

1. Robert WICKENS CAN Red Bull, Lukoil 59.433s

2. Mirko BORTOLOTTI ITA Red Bull 59.601s +0.168

3. Alex BRUNDLE GBR SEN, GAC, Nasstar 59.655s + 0.222

4. Andy SOUCEK ESP FK-Automotive 59.763s +0.330

5. Philipp ENG  Aut  59.963s +0.530

6.   Milos PAVLOVIC  SRB  59.970s +0.537

7.  Julien JOUSSE FRA E.Leclerc 59.974s +0.541

8. Sebastian HOHENTHAL SWE Mafi, Sweden Team 1:00.070s +0.637

9. Mikhail ALESHIN RUS Red Bull, Lukoil 1:00.147s +0.714

10. Tobias HEGEWALD GER Hegewald 1:00.164s +0.731

The next official F2 test will take place at Silverstone on 18 May.

www.formulatwo.com

SUPER TOP TEN PLATZIERUNGEN FÜR TROY CORSER

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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

Formula Two officially underway

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Formula Two officially underway as all 24 cars take to track for very first time

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Jonathan Palmer: “This is a very proud moment”

The 2009 FIA Formula Two Championship is officially underway as all 24 cars took to the track for the first time at Snetterton today (5 May).

After a formal introduction by Jonathan Palmer, the drivers got to familiarise themselves with their cars during a short stint of run-in and installation laps. Whilst no official timing was recorded today, the F2 drivers were able to steadily increase their pace and complete some solid runs as the day progressed. All 24 cars have run well throughout each session.

Testing is due to continue in grouped sessions tomorrow (Wednesday) morning, before the pit lane is opened for the first time to all drivers in the afternoon. Tomorrow will also be the first time that the cars run on bespoke Avon compounds and live timing will be made available on the official Formula Two website.

Spaniard Andy Soucek, who last season competed in GP2, was enthusiastic after his first run in the Williams JPH1 F2 car: "I have a very good feeling about this car and the championship. I have done four years of Formula 3, one year of Formula Renault 3.5 and two years of GP2, so I’m used to these type of cars, but the Williams JPH1 surprised me. The levels of downforce exceeded my expectations, the grip levels are good and once we have the new Avon tyre tomorrow it should be even more fun to drive."

"It is easier to follow another car than in F3 and GP2 as you don’t lose so much aero. It means that being behind someone really permits you to get close to them, so I’m sure we will see a lot of overtaking this year."

21-year-old Swiss Natacha Gachnang was another who enthused after her maiden run: "The first session was really great. The car feels really nice, and although I wasn’t pushing too hard you can feel that the car is really powerful and it will be a good apprenticeship towards Formula One."

Jonathan Palmer, Chief Executive of series organiser MotorSport Vision, said: "This is a very proud moment. Today has gone far better than I had dared to expect; none of these cars had even turned a wheel before they arrived at Snetterton this morning and the whole MSV F2 team has done an absolutely phenomenal job in meeting the original date for the first test on time. All 24 F2 cars have run today and been amazingly trouble free.

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"I really believe we are making history. The combination of high performance, F1 safety standards and 16 European races – all for just £200,000 – was disbelieved when the FIA first invited tenders, but now with a full grid of drivers and the cars all complete, the reality has arrived – Formula Two is going to create a revolution in motorsport.”

www.formulatwo.com

SATA RALLYE ACORES PREVIEW

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The challenge…
The fourth round of this year’s Intercontinental Rally Challenge takes the competitors to the Azores for the first time, as the Sata Rallye Acores – previously an IRC Supporter Event – makes its debut on the full championship. Although it is new to the IRC, the Sata Rallye Acores has a long and illustrious history behind it in the European Championship, with legends of the sport such as Juha Kankkunnen amongst the former rally winners. Other drivers to have competed on the event include Alister McRae, Bruno Thiry and Gregoire de Mevius.
Nonetheless, for the vast majority of the regular IRC drivers – who will all be present this weekend – the Azores will represent a big leap into the unknown: just one of the factors that will make it such a fascinating event.
The Sata Rallye Acores is held on a wide variety of sinuous gravel roads with predominantly soft surfaces, featuring some stages that are not dissimilar to the rollercoaster roads found on the Rally New Zealand. The mid-Atlantic climate also makes for variable weather conditions, which will have a profound effect on tyre choice. The key to success on the Sata Rallye Acores will be to establish a fluid rhythm from the outset. The stages are not expected to be overly rough, meaning that the drivers should be able to make full use of the roads without too much risk of a puncture.
Many of the roads are quite wide and fast, with steep cambers that should lead to a reasonably high average speed on the stages. The driving style required to succeed on these quick stages is neat and precise, in order to establish a good flow between corners. With the rally being brand new to all the IRC competitors, it will be essential to make a good set of pace notes from the very start.
The Sata Rallye Acores gets underway with a ceremonial start from the Portas da Cidade in Ponta Delgada, the capital of San Miguel island where the event is based, at 17:30 on Thursday 7 May. The real action begins on Friday morning with the first of 18 special stages totalling 229.86 competitive kilometres. The centralised service park is located in Ponta Delgada, with the rally finish scheduled for Saturday 9 May back in Ponta Delgada at 20:05. For more information about the event, including entry lists, maps and timetables, please visit: www.satarallyeacores.com
The competitors…
The Sata Rallye Acores is an event that could favour the local crews, with the top Portuguese driver being Bruno Magalhaes – a previous podium finisher on the IRC and last year’s winner in the Azores – starting as car four in his Peugeot Portugal 207 S2000. In total, an impressive line-up of 49 crews will contest the first International Rally Challenge event to be held on the Azores islands. Of the registered drivers, 12 will compete in Super 2000 machinery, including Freddy Loix, who heads the IRC drivers‘ standings after three events. Loix will have a new co-driver for the Azores event, with Frederic Miclotte replacing Isidoor Smets.
One of the highlights of the event will be the return of Skoda, which made an impressive IRC debut on the Monte Carlo Rally.
Juho Hanninen, who led the opening IRC event of the season in Monte Carlo, will carry number one on the side of his factory Skoda Fabia S2000. Hanninen’s team-mate Jan Kopecky is also entered for the event, which marks the second appearance of the season by the Czech manufacturer.
Anton Alen and Giandomenico Basso will represent Abarth in two factory Grande Puntos, while Bernardo Sousa from Portugal will appear in a semi-works machine.
Freddy Loix, Bruno Magalhaes, Kris Meeke, Vitor Pascoal, Nicolas Vouilloz and newcomer Conrad Rautenbach will drive the six Peugeot 207 S2000s on the entry. Rautenbach, a World Rally Championship regular, will be getting his first taste of Super 2000 machinery on the Azores.
Portuguese drivers Ricardo Moura and Fernando Peres will lead the Mitsubishi Ralliart effort in a pair of Lancer Evo IXs. The talented Austrian Franz Wittmann Jr will also be at the wheel of a Lancer as part of his extensive IRC programme this year.
Julien Maurin will drive the sole Volkswagen Polo S2000 on the entry, while category leader Manuel Villa returns to the IRC 2WD Cup in a Fiat Punto S1600 where he will compete against Denis Millet in a Peugeot 207 RC Rallye. The top local driver in the category will be Sergio Silva, who starts as car number 20 in a Peugeot 206 GTI. For the complete entry list, please visit www.satarallyeacores.com and click on the ‚entry list‘ button.
The expectations…
"For me, the objective in the Azores will be to maintain my position as championship leader in the IRC. But this won’t be easy. I think there will be lots of fast drivers out there: Juho Hanninen, my team mate Nicolas Vouilloz, Kris Meeke and Bruno Magalhaes. The route of the rally is very varied, with lots of uphill and downhill sections and some bits of asphalt as well. The start order I think will be quite important as there will be a lot of loose gravel. In Brazil, I was first on the road as I was the IRC leader. But in the Azores, the FIA ‚A‘ and ‚B‘ priority drivers will be first on the road. I should have a road position of about sixth, which should be ideal."
Freddy Loix, Peugeot Belgium.
"This is a new event for me, so I’m looking forward to it a lot. I’m sure that the conditions are going to be quite tricky, and the weather could play an important part. We’ve not had so much luck up to now this season, but when things go well we have the speed, so it’s a question of once more doing our best and hoping for a clean run. I’m sure it’s going to be a very exciting weekend."
Anton Alen, factory Abarth driver
"We’ve been doing some more tests with the car since Monte Carlo and it feels good but there are still quite a lot of question marks that need to be answered. In particular, it is the first time for us on a rally with this car on gravel, so we will need to see how it performs relative to everyone else. From my point of view I am happy though as gravel is definitely the surface that I am more used to. Our pace in Monte Carlo was a very pleasant surprise, so my idea is to start this rally with the objective of finishing on the podium. If we have no problems I think it should be possible. We have a short test before the rally and hopefully that will answer a few questions for us. I’m quite sure that all our rivals will be very strong though."
Juho Hanninen, factory Skoda driver
TV times…
The Sata Rallye Acores will be broadcast on the Eurosport platform at the following times. On demand video footage, featuring highlights throughout the season to date, can also be accessed via the IRC website: www.rally-irc.com. All times listed are Central European Time (CET).
Friday 8 May
– 24h30 => 25h00      LIVE highlights of Day 1 (Eurosport)
Saturday 9 May
– 03h00 => 03h30     Highlights of Day 1 (Eurosport Asia-Pacific)
– 08h00 => 08h30     Highlights of Day 1 (Eurosport 2)
– 21h15 => 21h45     LIVE highlights of Day 2 (Eurosport)
Sunday 10 May
– 04h00 => 04h30     Highlights of Day 2 (Eurosport Asia-Pacific)
– 08h00 => 08h30     Highlights of Day 2 (Eurosport 2)
– 08h30 => 09h00     Highlights of Day 2 (Eurosport)
Tuesday 12 May
– 23h00 => 23h30      Rally Highlights (Eurosport)
Thursday 13 May
– 03h30 => 04h00      Rally Highlights (Eurosport Asia-Pacific)
Friday 14 May
– 04h00 => 04h30      Rally Highlights (Eurosport Asia-Pacific)
– 13h00 => 13h30      Rally Highlights (Eurosport 2)
– 18h30 => 19h00      Rally Highlights (Eurosport 2)
Thursday 20 May
– 18h30 => 19h00      Rally Highlights (Eurosport 2)
Media enquiries…
Any media enquiries should be addressed to Anthony Peacock on media@ircseries.com or +44 (0) 7766 163151. Please check the IRC series website – www.rally-irc.com – for all the latest information and full TV times from the Sata Rallye Acores on Eurosport. The Sata Rallye Acores media office can be contacted on: promoverde@gmail.com. Copyright-free, high-resolution photographs will be available for download at the end of each day on the official IRC website. To access them, please log in with the username IRC and password media.

Rally Internacional de Curitiba, Brazil 05-07 03 2009
IRC series leader Freddy Loix is aiming to hang onto his advantage throughout the Sata Rallye Acores this weekend

www.rally-irc.com

A tracklap with…Olivier Panis!

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The former Formula 1 star and now one of the best Endurance driver in Le Mans Series with the Oreca Matmut team invites you to follow him around one of the most famous circuit of the world: Spa-Francorchamps. Follow him if you can!

 

“Spa is by far the greatest track in the world, and I have very good memories as last year we were on the podium for the first time in the Le Mans Series. I hope we can achieve at least such a good result this year and possibly even a better one!…

Click here to read more

 

www.lemans-series.com

Bridgestone Motorsport Spanish Grand Prix Preview

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Bridgestone opens the start to nine Formula One races in Europe with the hard and soft tyres at the Spanish Grand Prix, the Gran Premio de Espana Telefonica, at the Circuit de Catalunya near Barcelona, on May 8-10. The Spanish Grand Prix is the fifth round of the 2009 FIA Formula One World Championship and it takes place at a circuit that teams know very well because of the use of Barcelona as a test venue. The 4.66 km track layout features one long straight and a variety of different corners making set-up a compromise. The track is quite a harsh one for tyres which means the hard and soft compound allocation is used. Of particular note, the left front tyre is put under significant stress over a course of a lap. As with any circuit, the compromise between finding low drag for the straights and sufficient downforce for the corners is a challenge. Barcelona’s numerous bends make for a greater focus on the corners and the high speeds attained here make for significant energy forces on the tyres. Hirohide Hamashima – Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development, said: What are the challenges of Barcelona? “Barcelona has a track surface that is the middle range in terms of abrasion and roughness but durability and driver requirements mean our harder allocation combination is used. The front left tyre has a lot of work to do at this circuit and equally, teams and drivers will have a big challenge trying to gain an advantage here as they know this track so well.” Many teams have tested their latest cars here in the pre-season, will this make a difference? “Of course, the experience of the teams at this track with their current cars will assist them with set-up. However, the ambient and track temperatures are likely to be warmer than testing so this will have an affect. Generally, we see quite close lap times here and close races too. The circuit layout is well balanced so it is a good indicator of overall car balance. A car that performs in Barcelona has the potential to perform well at many places.”

www.bridgestonemotorsport.com

3ª CARRERA GO-KART-CIRCUITO DE MAGALUF

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DSC_5193

CATEGORIA ALEVIN/BENJAMÍN.

Los ocho pilotos de la categoría alevín-benjamin formaron la parrilla más concurrida de la jornada. En la manga pre-final destacó el trío formado por Hugo Viladomiu, Raúl Riveiro y José Mª. Rosselló que marcaron un fuerte ritmo despegándose del pelotón. Las primeras vueltas eran para Viladomiu, sin embargo en la séptima vuelta se producía el cambio cuando éste quedaba fuera de carrera. José Mª. Rosselló heredaba el liderato hasta que en la última vuelta era adelantado por Raúl Riveiro que se anotaba una inesperada victoria. Por detrás Elisabet Verger rodó en una cómoda posición sin que nadie le inquietara, ascendiendo al final hasta el tercer cajón del podium, por delante de Joan Oliver, Xesca Verger, Álvaro García y Bea Viladomiu, que se clasificaban a continuación.

En la manga final Raúl Riveiro no daría opción a sus rivales y tan solo José Mª. Rosselló sería capaz de seguir su ritmo, distanciándose ambos del resto. Elísabet Verger tan solo pudo aguantar la tercera plaza cuatro vueltas puesto que Hugo Viladomiu, que venía muy rápido desde atrás se hacía con la tercera plaza. En la cola del pelotón las posiciones se mantuvieron invariables con Joan Oliver quinto, Xesca Verger sexta, Alvaro García séptimo y Bea Viladomiu octava. De ellos Joan Oliver se anotaba la victoria entre los benjamines.

CATEGORIA CADETES.

Tan solo cuatro pilotos formaron una descafeinada parrilla de cadetes. No obstante asistimos a uno de los duelos más bonitos de la jornada entre Pedro Mulet y Hugo Viladomiu. En ambas mangas las posiciones permanecieron inalterables con Mulet instalado en el liderato, seguido de Hugo que lo intentó en varias ocasiones aunque no pudo adelantar al primero y se tuvo que conformar con la segunda plaza en ambas mangas. A cierta distancia la tercera plaza era para Sergio Reus que rodó sin presión al conseguir distanciarse de Hans Ellamauer en ambas tandas.

CATEGORIA SENIOR.

Entre los Senior tampoco hubo mucha historia con Jordi Fernández y Pere Antoni Beltrán ocupando las dos primeras plazas y poniendo tierra de por medio con un pelotón que se mantuvo estirado y sin cambios en ambas mangas de carrera. En las primeras vueltas de la manga final destacó la lucha entre Luís Mañas, Miguel García y Toni Horrach por el tercer cajón del podium, sin embargo no llegaron a producirse adelantamientos y acabaron en este orden, cerrando el pelotón Philippe Salvá. Jordi Fernández se anotaba las dos victorias mientras que era secundado por Pere Antoni Beltrán en ambas carreras.

CATEGORIA 125CC.

En la categoría de 125 cc. ocurría todo lo contrario que en Senior y las mangas estuvieron marcadas por los continuos cambios de posiciones. Al parecer los nervios estaban a flor de piel y lo pudimos comprobar puesto que se tuvieron que dar hasta cuatro vueltas de calentamiento en la primera manga y tres en la segunda para poder dar la salida lanzada. En la manga pre-final Juan Carlos Rodríguez pasaba a la última posición tras sufrir problemas mecánicos en la primera vuelta. El liderato pasaba a manos de Juan Verger que junto a José Barea se distanciaron del pelotón encabezado por Guillermo Oliver y Ángel Verger. En la séptima vuelta Juan Verger conseguía despegarse de José Barea anotándose una cómoda victoria. En la manga final tan solo saltaban a pista cuatro pilotos quedándose fuera de carrera Guillermo Oliver. La primera vuelta era de nuevo para Juan Verger, sin embargo en la segunda pasaba a la tercera plaza al ser adelantado por Ángel Verger y Juan Carlos Rodríguez, siendo ahora cuarto José Barea. Rodando todos en compacto pelotón en la sexta vuelta Rodríguez daba cuenta de Ángel Verger, situándose como líder hasta ver la bandera a cuadros. José Barea también superaba a Juan Verger y se acercaba a Ángel Verger manteniendo una bonita lucha por la segunda plaza. Sin embargo en la novena vuelta Barea se iba a la hierba dejando la carrera sentenciada con Ángel Verger segundo y Juan Verger tercero.

FERBIS

CLASIFICACIÓN OFICIAL.

CATEGORIA BENJAMIN:

1. Joan Oliver, 60 ptos. 2. Xesca Verger, 52 ptos. 3. Álvaro Garcia, 50 ptos. 4. Bea Viladomiu, 42 ptos.

CATEGORIA ALEVIN:

1. Raúl Riveiro, 56 ptos. 2. José Mª. Rosselló, 54 ptos. 3. Hugo Viladomiu, 50 ptos. 4. Elisabet Verger, 44 ptos.

CATEGORIA CADETES:

1. Pedro Mulet, 58 ptos. 2. Hugo Viladomiu, 56 ptos. 3. Sergio Reus, 48 ptos. 4. Hans Ellmauer, 42 ptos.

CATEGORIA 125 CC.:

1. Joan Verger, 56 ptos. 2. Juan Carlos Rodriguez, 51 ptos. 3. José Barea, 48 ptos. 4. Ángel Verger, 45 ptos. 5. Guillermo Oliver, 30 ptos.

CATEGORIA SENIOR:

1. Jordi Fernández, 60 ptos. 2. Pere Antoni Beltrán, 54 ptos. 3. Luis Mañas, 48 ptos. 4. Miguel García, 41 ptos. 5. Toni Horrach, 40 ptos. 6. Philippe Salvá, 36 ptos.

HANNINEN HAS HIGH HOPES DESPITE STARTING ORDER

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HANNINEN HAS HIGH HOPES DESPITE STARTING ORDER … AND ALL THE OTHER NEWS FROM THE IRC

Factory Skoda driver Juho Hanninen believes he can fight for a podium finish on Sata Rally Azores next week, even though he is set to run first on the road on the island-based event.
Hanninen, who led the opening round of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge in Monte Carlo in January before crashing out, is scheduled to be the first of 49 drivers to tackle the 18-stage event in his Skoda Fabia S2000.
Road position, especially on gravel events, can have a huge bearing on the final result of a rally. That’s because it takes approximately two or three cars to clear away the loose surface gravel on a stage, which means the drivers running higher up the starting order are left at a disadvantage because of the reduced levels of grip under braking and traction entering and exiting corners.
"It’s not going to be so easy in my position," said the 27-year-old from Finland. "But I don’t believe it will be such a big problem either. Yes my car will be sideways more but it is a very good car and I am very confident I can get a good result."
Hanninen and team-mate Jan Kopecky, from Czech Republic, are due to test in the Azores on Monday, May 4, when they will fine-tune the set-up of their Fabia S2000s.

Rallye Monte-Carlo, Monaco 20-24 01 2009
Hanninen hopes for another strong performance in the Azores

PODIUM FINISH WILL DO FOR CHAMPION VOUILLOZ

Nicolas Vouilloz is confident he will still be able to successfully defend his Intercontinental Rally Challenge title this year even if he doesn’t win Sata Rally Azores, which runs from May 7-9.
Vouilloz, the IRC champion in 2008, has yet to register a win this season and is currently five points behind championship leader and team-mate Freddy Loix.
After failing to score points on the Monte Carlo Rally in January, Vouilloz is currently a distant sixth in the drivers‘ standings. But he insists a podium finish will be a satisfactory result and will be enough to keep his season on track.
"There is still a long way to go in the championship so I do not have to win," said Vouilloz, 33. "Besides it will not be easy because you have to consider the road position might not be good for me and there also some very quick drivers who will be hard to beat."
Vouilloz continued: "If I have the feeling in the car then I will try, of course. We had a good test on gravel and I am confident with the car. But as long as I am the top-three places then I will be happy."

Rallye Monte-Carlo, Monaco 20-24 01 2009
Nicolas Vouilloz is aiming for a strategic approach to the year

IRISH STAR CRONIN TARGETS IRC DEBUT

Keith Cronin, the current leader of the British Rally Championship, has announced plans to contest at least two rounds of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge this season.
Twenty-two-year-old Cronin has won the opening two rounds of the British series and has already set his sights on making his IRC debut.
Cronin, from Ireland, wants to tackle the season closing Rally of Scotland in November but has also declared his intention to take part on a round of the IRC before then. He could event swap his current Mitsubishi Lancer E9 for a Super 2000 machine when he does so.
"The Super 2000 car is the future of rallying at the moment so the more experience I get in one the better," said Cronin. "I want to do the IRC when it comes to Scotland in November and I’m also planning another IRC round to get an understanding of the format of each event. But if I can’t get to drive a Super 2000 car I will continue in my Mitsubishi Lancer. It will still be very competitive."
WEST CONSIDERS MORE IRC APPERANCES
Volkswagen privateer Nick West is considering a bid for the Intercontinental Rally Challenge 2WD Cup this season.
The 50-year-old finished third in the category on the Monte Carlo Rally and is currently equal sixth in the 2WD division in a Volkswagen Polo.
Now West is contemplating entering the IRC rounds in Asturias (Spain), Italy (Sanremo) and the inaugural Rally of Scotland in November because he believes he can make a impact on the class leaderboad.
He said: "I’m only four points off the lead of the championship and I keep looking at my position on ircseries.com. It makes you think I can still get something out of this but I would need to do a few more events before I begin thinking like that."
West has chosen the rallies in Italy and Spain for his return to the series because their relative close proximity to each other will restrict his costs.
APPLICATIONS OPEN FOR BFGOODRICH DRIVE OPPORTUNITY
Belgian drivers planning to contest the Belgium Ypres Rally from June 18-20 have from now until May 22 to be considered for selection for the BFGoodrich Drivers‘ Team on the asphalt event.
The tyre firm has teamed-up with leading entrant Kronos Racing to offer a free drive in a Peugeot 207 Super 2000. In partnership with the Royal Automobile Club of Belgium, BFGoodrich and Kronos will select five names from a list of applicants. Those names will be presented to a panel of Belgian journalists who will decide the winner through a secret ballot.
The winner will get the opportunity to test a 207 on June 10 when they will receive guidance from Kronos Racing and advice on tyre selection and usage by engineers from BFGoodrich.
Veteran Belgian driver Patrick Snijers was chosen as the winner last season and finished fifth overall. Sebastien Ogier, who drove the BFGoodrich Drivers‘ Team entry on Rally Monte Carlo.
Meanwhile, Peugeot, which has claimed success on the Belgium Ypres Rally for the last two seasons, will strengthen its association with the famous asphalt event by becoming the competition’s official vehicle supplier.
It will provide approximately 18 cars to rally organisers and sponsors to use during the three-day event through its Belgium-Luxembourg distributor. That will be in addition to the 12 Peugeot 207 Super 2000s likely to enter the rally itself.

Rallye Monte-Carlo, Monaco 20-24 01 2009
Applications are open now for the BFGoodrich prize drive in Belgium

www.rally-irc.com

2009 MotoGP – Jerez Race

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Rossi romps home to win Spanish thriller

Valentino Rossi

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

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

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

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

DAVID SALOM PASARA DE NUEVO POR EL QUIROFANO

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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

WTCC: Two wins for Chevrolet in Morocco

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CHEVROLET CLAIM DOUBLE VICTORY IN MARRAKECH
The first visit of the WTCC to the new street circuit in Marrakech provided two exciting races and hailed double success for the new Chevrolet Cruze.
On its third event since the maiden appearance in Curitiba two months ago, the blue and white saloon run by RML made a big leap forward, which resulted in Robert Huff and Nicola Larini winning one race apiece.
After a four race winning streak in Brazil and Mexico, the SEAT TDI cars had to settle for podium positions and points. However, reigning world champion Yvan Muller managed to stretch his leading margin in the Drivers‘ Championship to 12 points ahead of his team-mate Gabriele Tarquini.
In the second race Jörg Müller had the chance to claim BMW’s first win of the season as he led from Chevrolet and SEAT; however the German driver could not rebuff the pressure from his chasers.
The first edition of the WTCC Race of Morocco ran smoothly. The efforts made by the event promoter and the local authorities ensured the event took place without issues and was attended by a crowd of 48,000.
The championship will resume in Pau, France, on May 17th, for rounds 7 and 8.

www.fiawtcc.com

WTCC: TEST – MENU CHASES YVAN MULLER

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SEAT Sport’s Yvan Muller posted the fastest lap in today’s test session that inaugurated the Marrakech street circuit. The reigning world champion beat Chevrolet driver Alain Menu by just four thousandths of a second. Rickard Rydell posted the third fastest time.
The drivers opened the session with caution as they got to grips with the new circuit.
Tom Coronel was the first driver to clock a provisional fastest lap of 1:56.174 and within the next couple of laps he had shaved three seconds off his time.
With 18 minutes on the clock LADA Sport’s Kirill Ladygin stopped at the first chicane on the back straight due to a technical issue. This resulted in a red flag. On returning to the track Tiago Monteiro took the fastest time but it was quickly topped by Muller. With two minutes remaining Muller set a lap of 1:50.694 that eventually remained the fastest. Menu came close to matching it on his final and fastest lap but fell 0.004 of a second shy. Rydell’s offering was 1:51.372.
Tom Coronel emerged as the fastest of the Independents after spells at the top with a time of 1:51.869 (eighth overall). The best of the BMW squad was Alessandro Zanardi whose time of 1:51.998 equated to ninth overall. Jaap van Lagen achieved the 19th fastest time with 1:54.130, the best of the LADA cars.
Marin Colak did not join due to a clutch problem. Kristian Poulsen went off at turn one and hit the wall in his BMW 320si because of a brake failure.


WTCC cars line up in the Marrakech pit lane before the start of the test session

SEAT’S APPEAL PARTIALLY UPHELD
Ruling on decision 12 taken by the Stewards of the Meeting at the WTCC event run in Puebla on 22 March, the FIA International Court of Appeal, which met in Paris on 21 April, confirmed the drive-through penalty for Gabriele Tarquini but annulled the drop of ten grid positions.
The Stewards judged Tarquini responsible for causing an avoidable collision with BMW Team Germany driver Jörg Müller during the second race.
The International Court of Appeal declared SEAT’s appeal inadmissible in so far the drive-through penalty is concerned; this penalty remains suspended for the next three events.
At the same time, the International Court of Appeal annulled the part of the decision concerning the drop of then grid positions, because the same infringement cannot be punished with two different penalties.

BUREAU’S DECISIONS ON BMW AND CHEVROLET
The FIA Touring Car Bureau granted technical waivers to Chevrolet and to the BMW 320si cars run by the independent teams.
The Chevrolet Cruze cars have been authorized to use a new front bumper fitted with flat bottom and to replace the front and rear door windows with plastic elements.
As for the independent BMW cars driven by Stefano D’Aste (Wiechers-Sport), Franz Engstler and Kristian Poulsen (Liqui Moly Team Engstler), George Tanev, Félix Porteiro and newcomer Visto Postiglione (Proteam Motorsport) they will benefit from a 15-kilo reduction on the minimum weight that will be dropped from 1170 to 1155 kg, including the driver.

BOARDMAN TO SKIP THE MARRAKECH EVENT
SUNRED Engineering’s Tom Boardman will not take part in this weekend’s event at Marrakech. The Briton will join the championship again from the following meeting in Pau on May 17th.
"After the first two events in Brazil and Mexico, Tom asked us to have a new car, however we were not able to have it ready in time to be shipped to Marrakech. Also because Tom wishes to test the new car in England before racing it. We will be ready in time to re-start from Pau," team principal Joán Orus explained.

www.fiawtcc.com

Bridgestone Motorsport Barcelona GP2 Series Preview

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The Bridgestone-supported GP2 Series will start its exciting fifth season when 13 teams and 26 drivers from around the world line up on the grid with Bridgestone’s medium compound GP2 Series slick tyre in the first round of the ten round championship, as part of the Spanish Grand Prix on May 8-10. Bridgestone tyres are once more the official tyre for the GP2 Series as they have been since the Series began. Just like last season, the GP2 Series tyres will be produced at Bridgestone’s Technical Centre in Rome. In 2008 the hard compound tyre was used in Barcelona, however Bridgestone’s tyre allocations for 2009 are generally one step softer, so in Barcelona the medium compound will be used. All competitors will have to work hard to find the best set-up to harness the potential of Bridgestone’s tyres at the 4.66 km Circuit de Catalunya, located 20km to the north east of Barcelona. The circuit gives tyres a thorough workout. High loads are experienced, particularly in turn three, and those tyres on the left hand side of the car are put under a lot of stress. Bridgestone brings an average of 760 tyres to each round, and these include both wet and dry weather Potenza tyres. In 2008, Alvaro Parente (Super Nova Racing) and Kamui Kobayashi (DAMS) both took race wins in Barcelona. Both drivers return to GP2 for this season, Kobayashi remaining with DAMS, with whom he has just won the GP2 Asia Series championship whilst Parente is now racing with Ocean Racing Technology. Quote from Hirohide Hamashima – Director of Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development “Barcelona is quite a severe circuit so it will be a challenge for competitors to use a softer tyre than has been used here previously. Braking stability is important in Barcelona and it is very important to get a good car balance in the slow speed corners. This weekend will be a challenge for teams and drivers alike and I expect we will see some exciting racing as 26 drivers try to stake their claim on an F1 drive for next year.”

www.bridgestonemotorsport.com