Motourage

Yamaha Setup Report – Estoril

Rossi and Lorenzo gear up for final four races

Fresh from a break of nearly a month, the Fiat Yamaha Team regroups this weekend at the coastal town of Estoril for the Portuguese Grand Prix. Returning to its more traditional end of season slot after moving to May last season, the race marks the start of the final phase of the championship with just the overseas double-header and the Valencian season finale remaining after it. Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo lie first and second in the championship and the Yamaha pair’s rivalry promises a tense climax to this year’s thrilling championship.

Rossi signed off for the holidays in fine fettle after taking his sixth win of the season at the last round, in front of his home fans at Misano. The 30 year old has an exemplary record at Estoril and is the most successful rider in Grand Prix history at the track, having stood on the podium on all of his nine visits, including five wins. Last year he lost out to his then-rookie team-mate Lorenzo and finished third but the Italian will be looking for a maximum points haul this weekend as he stalks his ninth World Championship title.

With three wins under his belt this season so far, Lorenzo finished second in Misano last time out and will be hoping that a return to the scene of one of his greatest world championship performances will kickstart his championship run-in. The Mallorcan’s explosive entry into MotoGP last year culminated at the third race in Portugal when he took his third consecutive pole and his maiden premier-class win. 16 months on the 22-year-old is older and wiser and he knows that nothing less than a victory will do if he wishes to increase the pressure on his team-mate, who lies 30 points ahead of him in the standings.

Temperatures in early October usually settle around the mid-twenties in the region, although the Estoril circuit is located just seven kilometres from the Atlantic and is notorious for dramatic changes in weather, with spells of warm sunshine often interrupted by wild gusts of cold wind and rain. The layout of the Autodromo Fernanda Pires de Silva is similarly contrasting, featuring one of the longest main straights in MotoGP and one of the slowest corners. Several other twisty sections make for the lowest average speed in the championship but the 200km/h kink at turn five and the final Parabolica corner are two of the toughest tests of any rider’s skill and bravery.

Valentino Rossi – “Ready to return to work”
“It was great to go away for the break after winning in Misano and with a good championship lead and I have enjoyed having three weeks off, but now I am ready to return to work. We’re in the final stage of the championship and we have a strong position but, as we’ve seen throughout this season, anything can happen and we know that the championship is far from over yet. The next three races are all good tracks for us and my team and I will aim to get as many points as possible each time and then we will see where we are in Valencia! Last year we struggled a little in Estoril but it’s been a great track for me in the past, especially with Yamaha, and it’s a place that usually produces good, close racing so I hope that’s the case again this year. I also hope to see Casey back in good shape and recovered because the championship misses him.”

Jorge Lorenzo – “One of the best moments of my life”
“I am really excited to be coming back to race, a month is too long after the summer! It’s been strange to have such a long break but I’ve tried to use the time to prepare for the final races; I spent a week in Mallorca, training with my father and resting with my family and I enjoyed myself a lot. Now we go to Estoril, where I had one of the best moments of my life. In the past I was never strong there but last year I did an unbelievable race. This year it’s a different situation; a different time of year, everyone has the same tyres and we are in the closing stages of the championship. My aim is to have a good weekend in order to keep the championship going. I am also happy that we will see Casey back this weekend because he brings another challenge for all of us.”

Davide Brivio – “The most important period of the championship”
“Now we’re going into the final four races and this is the most important period of the championship, where we can achieve all that we’ve worked for. In Misano we showed our strong motivation to win once again and we’re looking forward to the next chapter. We expect another big battle with Jorge and also with Stoner and Pedrosa. Estoril was difficult for us last year but this year everyone is on the same tires and we know that we’re in great shape so we’re looking forward to a good weekend.”

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It was fifth place all round for Hydrex Honda at Silverstone on Sunday when all three members of the team finished inside the top five in their respective races. Stuart Easton again led the way with a brace of fourths in the two Superbike races although new recruit Tommy Hill wasn’t too far behind with a pair of fifths and the results meant that for the first time ever, the team had both their riders finish in the top five in both BSB races. Meanwhile, Tom Grant added to the solid haul of results with an excellent fifth in the British Supersport 600cc Championship race.

Having taken his first win of the year at the previous round, Easton was hoping for more of the same to continue to eat into James Ellison’s advantage in the race for second overall but a problem with the front tyre in the first race meant he was unable to challenge and had to settle for fourth. The team made a number of adjustments for the second race and they certainly helped as Stuart was able to run a lot closer to the front despite coming under extreme pressure throughout the race.

In the final third of the race, new Champion Leon Camier found his way through although third place and another podium looked on the cards for Stuart, It wasn’t to be though as fellow Honda rider Josh Brookes made a determined move on the last corner on the last lap and it was enough to push Stuart back for his second fourth place of the day, the first time since Mallory Park in July that he hadn’t finished on the podium in at least one of the races.

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-At the Track-

October 4
MotoGP Round 14 – Bwin.com Grande Premio de Portugal
Circuito do Estoril, Estoril, Portugal

October 3-4
World Superbike Round 13
Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, Magny-Cours, France

October 3-4
CCS/ASRA Michelin U.S. Motorcycle Championship
Barber Motorsports Park, Leeds, Alabama, USA

October 3-4
CCS/ASRA – New Hampshire
New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Loudon, New Hampshire, USA

October 3-4
CCS/ASSRA – Firebird
Firebird International Raceway, Chandler, Arizona, USA

October 3-4
CCS/ASRA – Palm Beach
Palm Beach International Raceway, Jupiter, Florida, USA

October 3-4
WMMRA Sprint Races
Pacific Raceways, Kent, Washington, USA

-On TV-

Tue, Sep 29
Midnight-1am: Isle of Man TT, Practice Sessions – Discovery HD Theater
3-4am: AMA Pro Flat Track Grand Nationals, Springfield, IL – SPEED
4-5am: AMA Pro Flat Track Grand Nationals, Peoria, IL – SPEED
4-5am: Isle of Man TT, Practice Sessions – Discovery HD Theater
Noon-1pm: World Superbike Round 12, Imola, Race 1 – SPEED
1-2pm: World Superbike Round 12, Imola, Race 2 – SPEED
2-3pm: World Superbike Round 12, Imola, Supersport Race
2-3pm: Isle of Man TT, Practice Sessions – Discovery HD Theater

Sunday, Oct 4
3-4pm: World Superbike Round 13, Magny Cours, France Race 1 – SPEED
4-5pm: World Superbike Round 13, Magny Cours, France Race 2 –SPEED
5-6pm: MotoGP Round 14, Estoril, Portugal, 250cc Race – SPEED
6-7pm: MotoGP Round 14, Estoril, Portugal, 800cc Race – SPEED

Sylvain Guintoli finished yesterday’s British Superbike races at Silverstone with 7th and 8th place results. The Worx Crescent Suzuki star made a terrific start to the day with the fourth-fastest time in the morning warm-up, but in the races, despite respectable lap times, Guintoli struggled to make the results he sought.

Sylvain Guintoli “The first race wasn’t so bad, I definitely had the pace to be running top-five. I enjoyed racing with Tommy Hill and John Laverty, and I was lining up to make a pass on Hill when – I can’t believe this – a large bug splattered my visor in one of the turns, totally obscuring my vision. By the time I had the tear-off sorted, instead of passing Tommy, I’d been passed by John. So that was 7th instead of 5th.  In that second race, I lost too much time at the start. There was some contact in the first turn and that dropped me right down. But no excuses – make a good start and these thing don’t happen to you. I’m quite frustrated as it’s not all coming together as it should. I need to make good starts and I need to get on the pace a lot quicker – these are not endurance races.”

Jack Valentine, team manager
“There’s not too much to say about today. We’ve been conscious of not pressuring Sylvain and allowing him to get his feel back for racing. He has a few issues to sort through, and the job for us now is to work on these.  We’re off to Oulton Park for the final round of the championship and there Sylvain at last has previous experience of the track – and it’s a track where he’s tasted success. With two podium finishes there we’ve also good data to work from, so we expect to be in a much stronger position to help him back to the form which we know he’s capable of.”

MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship in association with Pirelli, Silverstone
Race one results:
1. Leon Camier (Airwaves Yamaha)
2. James Ellison (Airwaves Yamaha) 0.244s
3. James Brookes (HM Plant Honda) 8.837s
4. Stuart Easton (Hydrex Honda) 9.164s
5. Tommy Hill (Hydrex Honda) 18.278s
6. John Laverty (Buildbase Kawasaki) 18.787s
7. Sylvain Guintoli (Worx Crescent Suzuki) 18.33s
8. Ian Lowry (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) 22.408s
9. Simon Andrews (MSS Colchester Kawasaki) 22.921s
10. Julien Da Costa (MSS Colchester Kawasaki) 24.682s

Race two result:
1. James Ellison (Airwaves Yamaha)
2. Leon Camier (Airwaves Yamaha) 1.200s
3. Josh Brookes (HM Plant Honda) 3.783s
4. Stuart Easton (Hydrex Honda) 3.974s
5. Tommy Hill (Hydrex Honda) 9.774s
6. Julien Da Costa (MSS Colchester Kawasaki) 11.099s
7. Simon Andrews (MSS Colchester Kawasaki) 14.340s
8. Sylvain Guintoli (Worx Crescent Suzuki) 16.148s
9. Ian Lowry (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) 21.434s
10. Alastair Seeley (Relentless Suzuki by TAS Evo) 23.963s

Imola, Bologna, Italy

Yamaha Race Report – Superbikes

Spies fights hard in Imola to keep championship title in sight

It was never going to be easy for Yamaha World Superbike rider Ben Spies at Imola. Race one saw Spies in fifth off the start line, chasing Haga, Fabrizio, Rea and Biaggi. As the second lap drew to a close Rea over shot the corner, narrowly missing Haga as he headed off into the gravel. As the Italian bikes continued to fight for the lead, Spies was left with a two second gap to close. He managed to close down to 1.4 seconds, but was unable to stay with the front runners, holding on to fourth for the checkered flag. Changes in the set up to the bike saw Spies hit race two with a faster pace and a consistent speed to challenge the leaders. Rea again ran wide on a couple of occasions, causing Spies to pull up for safety, however he was soon back on the pace. He caught and took Byrne on lap 10 for fifth and started closing down on Simoncelli and Biaggi. Unfortunately as he caught them on the last chicane before the start line, Simoncelli took Biaggi, forcing him wide and into the path of Spies, taking him off track. He rejoined but was again forced wide to avoid an early braking Byrne and had to settle for fifth at the flag.

Race one was a mixed one for Sykes, having had a good start he continued to struggle for grip, but still managed to fight through the pack from his 16th position grid start to take ninth at the checkered flag, holding off Australian riders Parkes and Corser for his top ten finish. Race two saw some changes to the bike which provided more grip and consistency however as a number of riders cut the chicane at the end of the lap, they pushed Sykes wide, losing him valuable time. By the end of the race he had made up four places to take 12th at the flag.

Spies now heads to Magny Cours next weekend again in second place chasing the championship lead, separated from Haga at the top by a mere three points, with four races and hundred possible points still on the table. Team mate Tom Sykes remains in eighth position with two rounds to go, sitting just behind Checa with a seven point difference.

Ben Spies, Yamaha World Superbike Team (4th, 5th)
“In race one, we ruined our chances with the electronic side of the bike, we didn’t have enough power coming out of the bike and we struggled with grip a bit as well, it was a rough race. The second race we had the pace for sure to battle for the lead but a combination of things held us up. Rea got pretty greedy early in the race, passing me in the gravel trap three different times. I felt bad for him as I knew he had the pace to run up front but you’ve got to know when to calm down and when to take it easy for a couple of laps and let the race come in, you can’t push on every corner. I had a couple of laps where I wasn’t riding well at all then I got myself together and caught up to Simoncelli and Biaggi. They bumped and Biaggi ran off the track, when he came back on it was either hit him or go off into the gravel. I got back on and caught up to Byrne and then almost ran into the back of him and had to run off the track again. It was a messy race. There were a lot of mistakes, a couple from me and some from others. If you would have told me after the first race that we would only be losing the championship by three points I’d be happy because there were a lot of guys who could beat me this weekend.”

Tom Sykes, Yamaha World Superbike Team, (9th, 12th)
“I had a good start in race one but still struggled for grip as we have been all weekend with the rear of the bike. We improved it a bit for warm up this morning but in the race I still struggled. We made a change for race two but I got a bad start. The bike felt faster and more consistent though but unfortunately I kept getting caught up by a few riders cutting the chicane and I ended up losing a second here and there. Towards the end I had one lap where I was having huge slides so I was looking back at the tyre to see if there was anything on it and lost maybe two and a half seconds.”

Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha World Superbike Team Manager
“it’s been a very tough day for the team. We definitely came here with a different goal, but racing doesn’t always go as you plan it. During the second race, despite a bad start Ben was really pushing, but unfortunately he was in the wrong place at the wrong time which cost him a podium finish. We didn’t give up when the championship gap was 88 points, for sure we will be trying just as hard now to take back the three we lost today. Our bike has always worked well at Magny Cours so we are going there confident that we can have success. After Tom’s big crash on Friday we lost a whole day so the bike set up was not perfect for today’s races. Starting from 16th, especially here where it’s not easy to pass, it was a good achievement to get into the top ten with a ninth place finish.”

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YAMAHA FREE PRACTICE REPORT

Challenging start to Imola for the Yamaha World Superbike Team riders.

The first day of free practice did not go according to plan at Imola today. The first scheduled Superbike free practice session lasted for just two laps, with less than perfect conditions resulting in a huge high side crash for rider Tom Sykes. Luckily he walked away uninjured. Touring Car racing the weekend previously had resulted in a dirty track with minimal grip and spilt oil in places. The track was re-cleaned and practice got underway after several hours delay. Spies was quick from the word go, dropping into second position two tenths behind leader Byrne as soon as he started. He went on to take the lead until the closing moments, dropping to third as the free practice session ended.

Team mate Tom Sykes was working hard lower down the board, starting in 21st, the British rider improved his times to take 18th spot at the end. Sykes was still suffering from his huge high side crash which brought the first session to a premature end.

As a result of the closures and delays there will be just one qualifying session for the Superbike riders this weekend on the Saturday.

Ben Spies, Yamaha World Superbike Team (3rd, 1’50.213)
“we got straight down to it this afternoon when we could finally get on track. Since we lost a lot of time today we’ve been focusing on the race set-up. There’s a tyre that I think most people where on today which we haven’t tried yet so we’ll throw that in there tomorrow. We’ve got some time still to find, but we’re on it. The cleaning made a big difference to the track, and felt a lot better, although still slower than the test. I think it will get better tomorrow.”

AMA Pro Racing is proud to announce that following the season finale of the AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship at the Fairplex in Pomona, Calif., AMA Pro Flat Track will host the 2009 AMA Pro Flat Track Awards Ceremony on Sunday, October 25th at the Sheraton Fairplex Hotel adjoining the 5/8-mile dirt track.

The award ceremony will honor this year’s champions and top performers in the AMA Pro National Hot Shoe Series and AMA Pro Grand National Championship. The AMA Pro National Hot Shoe Series awards will go to four classes; Pro Singles, Expert Singles, Pro Twins and Expert Twins. The AMA Pro Grand National Championship awards consist of three classes; Pro Singles, Expert Singles and Expert Twins. Other awards include; Manufacturer of the year in Singles and Twins classes, Expert Rookie of the Year, Most Dedicated, Most Determined and Team Excellence.

“Wrapping up the series and providing a top-rated season-ending awards ceremony on the same weekend at the Fairplex is perfect,” said Mike Kidd, Director of AMA Pro Flat Track. “We want to recognize all the hard work, dedication and positive attitudes that the teams and riders put into the series. I know all of the AMA Pro Flat Track officials look forward to spending an evening with the riders celebrating a fun and exciting season.”

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Hi everyone;

What a crazy weekend it was at Springfield. I arrived at the Springfield short track and mile after capturing a AMA National Land Speed record a the Bonneville Salt Flats. My dad and I flew into St. Louis from Utah where we were picked up and made our way to the track about an hour and a half away. When I arrived I immediately went to the track to see the amateur race so I could see the layout of the track and the conditions of the dirt. Things looked in order and I was getting excited about racing there the next night.

On Saturday, the skies were threatening with rain but we still made our way into the pit area for set up. There was a huge crowd and with the combined expert and pro classes there were record amounts of races and team participating. It made for a long trek into the pit area for set up which started at 7AM in the morning. We had our practice sessions on time and then the skis started to spray a little water on the track. Initially it wasn’t too bad and AMA Pro and the IMDA worked hard to rush us through our qualifying. We managed to qualify both classes and then played games with the weather and the track prep from 8PM to after midnight before they cancelled the race. It was the most frustrating and tiring day I had in a long time. The main reason was I needed to compete in both races that weekend if I was to have any chance of closing in on the 10 point gap I had with Baker for the championship. Missing another race because of rain like we did in Sturgis was really going to hurt my chances since time was running out. The only saving grace was that we had a rain date for Monday so my chances were still alive.

With the short track behind us for the time being we woke up to headed down to the mile track to see what we could do there. Unfortunately the rain caused the mile track to be too wet to even cross with the big rigs so we were all on hold for a good portion of the day waiting for the old mother nature to do its thing and dry the track out naturally for a while. It was well after 1PM in the afternoon before they put a truck on the track and with the mile track without lights, it was clearly going to be a challenge getting the race in if they could even get the track to come around. I guess it was around 2:30PM or so when they started to let us in to set up but it was really getting late. The decision was made to set up and run the expert program all the way through and then if there was time run the our pro class. I was already starting to get bummed because I couldn’t afford to have both races cancelled with only one race on the schedule left to gain points.

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Yamaha World Superbike Team rider Ben Spies heads to Imola this weekend looking to build on his championship lead over rival Noriyuki Haga. In a dramatic clash two weeks ago at the Nurburgring in Germany Spies put on a breathtaking race performance after mixed qualifying results to finally take the championship lead he’d been chasing all year with a win and a second placed finish. Although the WSB championship hasn’t raced at Imola since 2006 it has proved to be good for Texans, being the scene of a double win for Colin Edwards in 2002 where he won back to back races against Troy Bayliss to claim the World Championship title.

Teammate Tom Sykes is heading to the Italian circuit looking to convert his recent qualifying form into race success. Pre race sessions at the Nurburgring offered a glimpse of Sykes’s potential to run at the front with consistent fast race pace however the British rider was unable to convert it to a top race result after struggling with grip issues on race day.

Spies has an 18 point lead over Haga now with six races to go and a potential 150 more points up for grabs. Sykes currently sits in eighth position, trailing Carlos Checa in seventh by 12 points and 36 points behind rival Brit Leon Haslam in sixth.

Both riders benefit from having tested at Imola over the summer so will not have to use their first practice sessions to learn the circuit.

“I’m looking forward to riding on a track we’ve tested at again,” said Ben Spies. ” I feel we should have a good weekend coming up as we have a lot of data to go on, we got a lot accomplished at the test. We don’t have as big a lead as we would like but I’ve been in this situation before, it’s not so strange for me. As far as I’m concerned, we’re going to Imola to try and win two races. We know this is Ducati’s back yard and the past has been pretty good for them, so it will be tough. Having said that we have some good stuff worked out with the bike and the team has been continuing to develop so I’m confident we can pull in some good results.”

I’m really looking forward to Imola,” said Tom Sykes. “I had a two day test there and it was a decent one, we came away with a lot of positives. I’m hoping to go back there with what we’ve learnt and start with a good race setting. I’m really ready to get on the rostrum and taste the champagne, I certainly feel like I’m capable of doing it. That’s the plan so hopefully we can go there strong, not having to learn the circuit and get stuck straight in. I really enjoyed riding on the track, there are a few bumps that remind me of home and there’s certainly a lot of history there, it’s strange seeing houses as you come down the fast left on the track.”

Imola Technically speaking according to Tom Houseworth, Ben Spies Crew Chief
“We had a very productive test at Imola, a big factor being Ben knows the track now. This will allow us to work on setup straight away, on both bikes if necessary. Unlike Nurburgring we won’t lose any track learning time if it rains, last race weekend proved that puts us behind quickly. Both Ben’s bikes are a bit different so we’ll try each one and figure out which is more comfortable to go fast on. We’re hoping to be able to test some race rubber and dial in the ‘back in’ control in the second session. If all goes well and the weather holds Saturday should be fine tuning day. By this time we will have picked a bike and will concentrate on tuning the traction and wheelie control. Of course the goal is to make the bike as easy for Ben to ride fast as possible come Sunday. We’ll see how it goes!”

Imola technically speaking according to Sergio Verbena, Tom Sykes Crew Chief
“For Imola we can and will concentrate immediately on getting the best performance and finding the best balance between the tyres, chassis and suspension. We also have a lot of tyre data, even if the conditions turn out to be different compared to the summer tests. We had very hot temperatures in the summer, for the race we are hoping for lower temperatures! We’re going to start with the base setting from the test as Tom produced some really good lap times with it and build into that what we’ve learnt at Brno and the Nurburgring and go from there.”

Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha World uperbike Team Manager
“we are ready for Imola, we know how the bike works there. I think as we’ve done in the last races, we will be going into this weekend with confidence, I’m positive we can continue to achieve great results. We’ve worked and studied the data from the test so we can prepare the bikes for optimum performance, we will we see Friday at noon if that works well. We are positive that both riders can perform here so we’re looking forward to a successful weekend for the team.”

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Sep 25-27
World Superbike Round 12
Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, Imola, Italy

Sep 25 – 27
British Superbike Round 11
Silverstone, Northamptonshire, England

Sept 25 – 27
SRA Pro Track Sidecar Racing – Round 11& 12
Shannonville Motorsports Park, Ontario, Canada

Sep 26-27
CMRA Mini Sprints, 5hr Mini Endurance, Sprints
Oak Hill Raceway, Henderson, Texas, USA

Sep 26-27
CCS/ASRA
Blackhawk Farms Raceway, South Beloit, IL, USA