2009 Grand Prix motorcycle racing

[Wido Rossen]

Fiat Yamaha’s Jorge Lorenzo got his third victory of 2009 at Indianapolis, as his team-mate Valentino Rossi and Spanish rival Dani Pedrosa both crashed in the 28 lap Brickyard contest.


The battle for the 2009 World Championship was blown wide open on Sunday at the Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix as Jorge Lorenzo scored a great win and his Fiat Yamaha colleague Valentino Rossi suffered his first DNF of the year.

Lorenzo eventually crossed the line with a 9.5s winning margin to cut Rossi’s championship lead in half, as the deficit dropped from 50 to 25 points, with five races remaining.

Behind Lorenzo there was a great ride from San Carlo Honda Gresini’s Alex de Angelis who did his quest to remain in MotoGP no harm at all in second place, gaining his first ever premier class podium from fourth on the grid.

Nicky Hayden also rode brilliantly after qualifying sixth, repeating his 2008 Indianapolis podium, this time in third position – his best result to date with Ducati. Hayden got the better of Andrea Dovizioso, despite a stiff challenge from the man who replaced him in the Repsol Honda team, the Italian yet again having to settle for fourth on the last lap.

World Champion Valentino Rossi hit the ground on lap nine when battling for the race lead with Lorenzo, the Italian able to remount and try to continue only to have to retire a couple of laps later due to the damage his M1 machine sustained. It was the first time Rossi has failed to finish a race since Valencia in 2007.

Earlier in the race there was also a crash for Dani Pedrosa on the fourth lap when the pole man was leading the race. He bravely picked up his RC212V and rejoined in last place, doing well to finally finish in 10th position.

Adding to the American representation towards the front Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) finished in fifth place, whilst there was a late crash from Marco Melandri (Hayate Racing) when battling with James Toseland (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) for sixth. Melandri’s mishap left the Englishman to again equal his best ever MotoGP result.

The top ten also featured Loris Capirossi (Rizla Suzuki), Mika Kallio (Ducati) and Toni Elías (San Carlo Honda Gresini). A special mention must go to Pramac Racing’s temporary replacement rider Aleix Espargaró who earned three points in 13th place on his MotoGP debu


source motogp.com

 

[Ross Balfour]

Hayden! Its not all bad for me in motorsport today! Top job Nicky, who needs Casey??

 

[Wido Rossen]

MotoGP 2009 - Round 13: San Marino

San Marino host the 13Th GP on the calender.

Story of this circuit.

http://www.misanocircuit.com/eng/circuit/story/

 

[Wido Rossen]

Melandri back with Gresini Honda in 2010

It has been officially announced that Marco Melandri will return to the Gresini Honda team for the 2010 MotoGP World Championship.

The 27-year-old will thus rejoin the team with which he finished second in the 2005 MotoGP championship and took all five of his MotoGP race wins, plus twelve other podiums.

Melandri will ride alongside reigning 250cc world champion Marco Simoncelli, who has already been announced at the team.

After finishing second, fourth and fifth in the world championship during his three seasons at Gresini Honda, Melandri made an ill-fated move to the factory Ducati Marlboro team for 2008.

Melandri has since rebuilt his reputation will impressive performances on the unofficial Hayate Kawasaki this season, including a second place at Le Mans and briefly leading his home grand prix at Mugello.

The Italian is currently seventh in the world championship standings after ten of 17 rounds and, with Kawasaki not continuing to support Hayate next season, his move back to Gresini had been highly rumoured.

Gresini Honda hasn't taken a podium finish since Melandri's second place at the 2007 Malaysian Grand Prix.

“It gives us great pride and satisfaction to have Marco Melandri back with us,” said team manager Fausto Gresini. “I have always had great belief in his potential and to get our sporting and technical project with him back on track following his experiences with other teams creates fresh and important motivation.

“Melandri is a huge part of the Honda Gresini story - we have had great results together that over time consolidated a relationship founded on mutual respect and friendship. Now I am confident we can recreate the past successes that gave us so much joy and excitement.

“With Simoncelli and Melandri together in the premier class and San Carlo as main sponsor we have a true Italian flavour to the team. Circumstances have conspired to allow us to create an “Azzurro Dream Team”, which provides us all with extra motivation.”

The announcement means that both of Gresini's current riders, Toni Elias and Alex de Angelis, will leave the team at the end of the season. de Angelis is currently eleventh in the world championship with Elias, who has a factory-spec RCV, just 14th.

 

[Brad Johnson]

Wasn't this Officially announced at Brno ?

 

[Ben Tusting]

Yep

 

[Ben Tusting]

Pedrosa considering Ducati move

Dani Pedrosa has admitted that he is considering a switch from Honda to Ducati next season. Ducati team boss Livio Suppo hinted yesterday that he had not given up on attracting the 23-year-old Spaniard across from Honda, where he is yet to confirm a deal for 2010.


http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/78250

 

[Wido Rossen]

I think that will be a bad move for Dani.
Better stay where you are.

 

[Travis]

Exactly.

Only Stoner can get the maximum performance out of the Ducati thus far, with Casey not riding, that Ducati look very ordinary indeed.

Dani would be better served to stay with Honda.

 

[Wido Rossen]

Thanks guy`s , i mist that race and all of its news.

 

[Ben Tusting]

You have forgotten that Hayden came third @ Indinapolis though

 

[Brad Johnson]

Yeah but Ben, Rossi, and Ped came off in front of Hayden.

On top of all this, im a bit baffled by all of this, as Pedrosa and Dovisioso have both signed a 2 year contract deal at Brno, which then sparked off the flare of when Ducati offered $14m to get Jorge on their bike, of which he declined and is staying with Yamaha on a one year deal.

On top of all that, i can highly doubt he will want to go to Ducati anyways, The Honda is begining to look like a competative bike again, like look at the Gap he had in qualifying at Indianapolis.

Probs just some bull being spread about by the media like always.

 

[Ross Balfour]

Dani isnt strong enough to ride the Ducati, if Marco sturggled with the bruteness of it, Dani definitely will, he will regret it!

 

[Sander Hogendoorn]

Ducati has confirmed that it has taken up an option to retain the American, putting an end to speculation that Dani Pedrosa would move to the Italian manufacturer from Honda.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/78285

 

[Brad Johnson]

Thought as much, big Publicity stunt. And errm Ross, have you ever met/seen Dani, or even Casey? Casey is just as small as Dani. And its not about being strong enough, its being able to ride it like Casey does, after all the bike is designed around his riding style, so the #2 rider, or the pramac squad have to ride similar to Casey to get full performance out of the bike. It seems that a 250 riding style seems to work, as Kallio isn't doing too bad on the Ducati. Also worth noting, Casey's bike just burbles all the time with the Traction Control.

 

[Ross Balfour]

Its not about Height its about strength, if you watched Laguna, you would see Dani couldnt even lift his bike up when he crashed, while Casey can easily.

 

[Brad Johnson]

So your trying to tell me Dani is weaker than Casey in terms of strength, i cant say i'd agree on that tbh.

 

[Travis]

Yeah but Ben, Rossi, and Ped came off in front of Hayden.

Exactly my point., hence I didn't mention his result. I was happy to see Hayden get a podium but without the crashers in front of him he was a long way off getting a decent result.

Fact is, like him or not Stoner is the only rider who can get the results on the Ducati, everyone else is made to look sub-par on it. The only other rider who could have won a world for Ducati in GP's has been Loris Capirossi and he refused to return to Ducati just recently (if the internet rumours are to be believed).

As for the traction control debate, they all have it and use it. I heard Stoner along with every other bike for 3 days at Philip Island last year sitting on Honda Corner and it sounded like they all had the TC switched on!

To quote Colin Edwards: ‘Everybody has got it. Traction control, anti-wheelie control, frickin' scratch-your-ass-while-you’re-racing control; whatever control it is, there's always some new thing they’re coming out with ... Our cornering speeds right now are so just astronomical that if you didn't have traction control, man, you would be in orbit every other frickin race.’ - July 2009

Cheers.

 

[Wido Rossen]

Hayden extends contract with Ducati

Ducati Motor Holding General Manager, Claudio Domenicali, told NickyHayden.com, “The confirmation of Nicky is the right reward to a rider who has shown to perfectly embody the frame of mind that characterizes Ducati--passion, determination and commitment.”

Domenicali added, "We have always considered Nicky to be an important asset to the Ducati 2010 strategy, and we are very happy that he will remain in the Ducati MotoGP Team. His progression through the season has been constant up to the podium in Indianapolis and we are certain that the experience he has gained will be decisive for a 2010 season full of success.”

MotoGP.com reported Hayden as saying: “This has been a very good week and this news just adds to that. After the good result in Indy, now to renew the deal with Ducati is exactly what I wanted. I’m very happy. I always had faith and believed that we could achieve good results. I’m excited for these last five races of the '09 season, and if you look at the progression we have made from the start of the season to the middle, hopefully we will continue this through to the end. I just wish to say a big thanks to all the guys who made this happen, especially everybody in Ducati as well as all our sponsors and I’m sure I’ll be able to do a good job next year and to continue to build with, and be part of, the Ducati family.”


Source Motogp.com

 

[Ben Tusting]

Spies moves up to Satellite Yamaha in 2010

Yamaha has announced that it will bring Ben Spies into MotoGP on one of its satellite bikes in 2011 - but the American will remain in World Superbikes next season.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/78324