Motourage

Yamaha Factory Racing Complete Successful Test at Sepang

 

The Yamaha Factory Racing Team today completed the first test of the 2012 MotoGP season at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia. Riders Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies spent the three track days working to develop the base set up of the 1000cc YZR-M1 ahead of the second Sepang test in one month’s time. The riders and engineers focused on the balance of the M1 chassis along with improving the electronics package to gain the optimum performance from the increased horsepower. New Bridgestone tires were also assessed ahead of the upcoming race season. The times from today’s final session saw Lorenzo slot in as the second-fastest rider, 0.59 seconds behind Casey Stoner. Teammate Spies wrapped up in fourth position, 0.88 seconds from first.

The riders will now return to the USA and Spain respectively while the engineers return to Japan with the valuable data to make the next steps forward in development. The team will return in four weeks’ time to test the work done.

Jorge Lorenzo, 2nd, 2.00.198, 35 Laps
“I’m really, really satisfied, I have improved on my best record here in Sepang. We tried a lot of things; some have been a lot better, especially one major improvement. We also know where we have to improve in the future. The electronics are not perfect yet, we still need to make it smoother but the bike has so much potential we are very optimistic. The Yamaha engineers have worked really hard so they have done a good job. I made my best time today at midday which is the hardest time with the conditions so it was pretty good. Let’s see what we can do when we come back.”

Ben Spies, 4th, 2.00.495, 16 Laps
“It’s been a good test, we’ve got a lot of things accomplished, we’re definitely moving in the right direction with my bike. I tried the Yamaha test rider’s bike today which had a slightly different set up to make a fair comparison with mine. I made a small mistake, losing the front but that’s testing; it can happen when you’re working out the good and bad. All in all it’s been great and I’m really happy and looking forward to coming back and seeing what’s new.”

 

Positive start to 2012 for Crutchlow and Dovizioso

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MotoGP 2012 finally got underway today with the first of three days of testing at the Sepang Circuit in Malaysia. Yamaha Factory Racing riders Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies took their first ride on the 1000cc YZR-M1 since last year. Both riders blew the cobwebs off quickly and settled down to an impressive pace, Lorenzo proving to be the fastest man on track with his team mate always close behind him.

The focus for the first day was to get back into the swing of riding and also to establish a good base set up. Tomorrow and the day after, Lorenzo and Spies will compare various new settings to provide valuable data for the second Sepang test in one month’s time.

Jorge Lorenzo, 1st, 2.01.657, 30 Laps:
“I’m very happy with today. For the first ride on the bike in some time, it’s been very positive. Yamaha has worked very hard over the winter for this M1. I can see very easily where I have to adapt my riding style for the bike and I can see a lot of potential. We have many areas where we can improve so I’m looking forward to beginning again tomorrow. I’m also very happy that my finger is fine and doesn’t affect my riding at all.”

Ben Spies, 4th, 2.02.234, 28 Laps:
“I’m happy. It was fun to get back on the bike today. I haven’t ridden any type of motorcycle since Valencia. It didn’t take too long to knock the rust off, we tried a few things in set up and every step we did made small improvements. We have a lot to do in the next couple of days and a lot more in the second test. It’s been a confidence inspiring start, Yamaha have put in a lot of effort for this season so we’ll work day by day to be even better.”

Test Times:
1. Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) Yamaha Factory Racing 2’01.657
2. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team 2’02.003
3. Cal Crutchlow (GBR) Yamaha Tech3 2’02.221
4. Ben Spies (USA) Yamaha Factory Racing 2’02.234
5. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Ducati Team 2’02.392
6. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) Yamaha Tech3 2’02.751
7. Hector Barbera (SPA) Pramac Racing Team 2’02.773
8. Katsuyuki Nakasuga (JPN) Yamaha Factory Racing 2’02.829
9. Alvaro Bautista (SPA) Honda Gresini 2’02.869
10. Nicky Hayden (USA) Ducati Team 2’03.151
11. Stefan Bradl (GER) LCR Honda 2’03.668
12. Karel Abraham (CZE) Cardion AB Motoracing 2’03.781
13. Franco Battaini (ITA) Ducati Team 2’04.986
14. Casey Stoner (AUS) Repsol Honda Team 2’07.163
15. Colin Edwards (USA) NGM Mobile Forward Racing 2’08.240
16. Jordi Torres (SPA) Avintia Racing 2’10.671
17. Ivan Silva (SPA) Avintia Racing 2’11.267

Sepang Record Lap:
C. Stoner (Ducati) 2007, 2’02.108

Sepang Best Lap:
V. Rossi (Yamaha) 2009, 2’00.518

Suzuki GSX-Rs swept to 10 titles in 2011 with the Polish accessory distributor-backed Team Suzuki GRANDys duo.

The team picked up 10 overall Championship titles – and several runner-up positions – after competing in the Polish, Alpe Adria and Austrian Championships, plus two rounds of the German IDM series aboard its GSX-R1000 and GSX-R600 machinery.

Andy Meklau was the team’s leading performer with six titles: the Alpe Adria Superbike, Austrian Superbike, Superstock 1000, Polish Superstock 1000, Formula X-Treme and Superbike championships; the final victory totally unexpected as favorite – and teammate – Greg Junod crashed out of the deciding showdown race.

Daniel Bukowski also lifted the Supersport Championship and Przemek Janik raced to victory in the Rookie 1000 Cup.

Team Suzuki GRANDys duo also took the top accolades in the Manufacturer and Superbike Team categories.

“We won more titles this year than in 2010, which is great for us all,”  said Team Manager and owner Jacek Grandys. “Andy Meklau is like wine, and the older he gets, the better he seems to get. He kept winning in great style this year and also posted some new circuit lap-records.”

“Greg Junod was a bit unlucky at the final round, but this is racing. He had to fight Andy and we all know the outcome. Also Daniel Bukowski was great all season; he is a very smart rider. Przemek Janik was a favorite from the start, but it was great to see him take the Rookie’s Cup on the GRANDys duo GSX-R1000.”

Polish Superbike Championship: 1 Andy Meklau (Suzuki) 146, 2 Greg Junod (Suzuki) 138, 3 Janusz Oskaldowicz 133, 4 Bartek Wiczynski 103, 5 Hubert Tomaszewski 64, 15 Adam Kropiwnicki (Suzuki) 18, 18 Mariusz Durynek (Suzuki) 16.

Superstock 1000: 1 Andy Meklau (Suzuki) 172, 2 Mariusz Kondratowicz 139, 3 Gwen Giabbani 103, 4 Pawel Górka 89, 5 Waldek Chelkowski 82, 17 Slawek Janus (Suzuki) 20.

Supersport: 1 Daniel Bukowski (Suzuki) 160, 2 Marek Szkopek 152, 3 Marcin Kaldowski 105, 4 Patrik Vostarek 89, 5 Sebastian Zielinski 62, 14 Kuba Wróblewski (Suzuki) 26.

Junior Superstock 600: 1 Artur Wielebski 192, 2 Mateusz Korobacz 181, 3 Artur Wielebski 162, 4 Natalia Florek 98, 5 Kuba Wróblewski (Suzuki) 92.

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Team Suzuki raced to a one/two finish in the 8 Hour Australian Endurance Championship at the Phillip Island Circuit this weekend.

Superbike team riders Josh Waters, Troy Herfoss and Robbie Bugden claimed the outright and class honors aboard the Phil Tainton Racing-prepared GSX-R1000 with a total of 279 laps and 1241 kilometers completed. Coming in five laps behind them and second outright for the event was Suzuki’s Supersport effort of Brodie Waters, Ben Attard and Mitchell Carr aboard the GSX-R600.

Team Suzuki’s assault proved flawless, with both teams taking out their respective category pole positions on Saturday in the Super Qualifying sessions. Josh Waters was top Superbike and outright qualifier with a time of 1:33.164, while younger brother Brodie set the pace for the Supersport class on 1:36.285, which was good enough for fourth outright.

Team Suzuki dominated Sunday’s endurance event from the outset, with Waters leading the field away in the Le Mans-style start, in which riders sprinted to their bikes to begin the race. From there it was a team effort between Waters, Herfoss, Bugden and the pit crew to lead the race’s entirety to the checkered flag.

Waters claimed the fastest lap of the race on lap 154, posting a 1:34.805-second time to confirm both the speed and the reliability of the Suzuki GSX-R1000 in competition trim.

“My teammates were fantastic and we worked really well together,” Waters explained. “Everybody put in 100 percent and it was a great way to wrap up the 2011 season. It was good fun working with the other riders and I was lucky that I had team mates on my side who are fast and consistent. My experience in the Suzuka 8 Hours this year in Japan with Yoshimura Suzuki played a big part in my preparation for the race and I really enjoy endurance racing. It was definitely an advantage for me and I’m proud to win along with Team Suzuki.”

“We had a great weekend and I felt comfortable working alongside both Mitch and Ben on the team,” added Team Suzuki’s Supersport class rider Brodie Waters. “We pushed hard at the start and then settled into a rhythm, which is important in endurance racing. It is a great reward to win the Supersport class for Suzuki and go one/two outright.”

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The battle is over for another season of the Australian Superbike Championship, and Team Honda Racing takes 2nd and 4th in the Championship for 2011.

The series finale held over the weekend was nothing if not dramatic for the factory Honda team with Wayne Maxwell lucky to walk away from a high-speed crash at turn 12 of the Phillip Island Circuit in practice on Friday and go on to win the first race of the event.

The drama not over, Jamie Stauffer posted a DNF in race 1 due to a crash of his own midway through the race during which he sustained multiple burns to his neck from his own tire after being violently flicked from the bike. Sauffer was able to remount in an attempt to finish the race, but returned to the pits before the checkered flag when he realized he and his machine were in need of some medical and mechanical attention.

The resilience and determination of a Superbike racer shone through in Stauffer when he gingerly donned his leathers for the final time this season in race 2 to finish the job he began and secure second place in the Championship. Stauffer held on in race 2 to finish third behind teammate Wayne Maxwell in second and Josh Waters in first.

Maxwell raced strongly in the second race with a never-say-die determination and took second place behind Josh Waters. Taking second overall for the weekend, Maxwell finished the year fourth in the championship.

Wayne Maxwell:
“We have had a fairly mixed year this year and with a run of bad luck early in the season we had a lot of work to make up the points. The team have worked really hard and we did manage to come back solidly which is a credit to the team. I took 5 Superpole wins this season and only just missed my 6th here at the last round. The team have also taken three round wins, my own being at Queensland Raceway for Round 6.

Jamie Stauffer:
“The final round was a hard one really in that we were looking to secure second in championship and I crashed in the first race. I lost a lot of points then, and the gap for second closed right up. The second race went well although I was injured we pulled through and got 3rd in the race which was enough to take second in the championship. Overall the year was a tough year after some issues at the start of the season, but we got going mid-way through year and Wayne and I were up there every race from there on in. The team worked really hard to bring us back into the mix and we were able to finish strongly with a place in the championship overall.”

Team Honda Racing have seen all the highs and lows of racing during the 2011 season of the Australian Superbike Championship and have displayed an unwavering determination and passion in their craft to finish the season with a strength that most definitely indicates their intentions for the new year.

Team Principle Paul Free:
“When we reformed a Honda team at the beginning of the year in Team Honda Racing we knew we would be strong on the CBR1000RR. With Jamie and Wayne as pilots I knew we had a good package. We did encounter some issues in the first part of the season, but full credit goes to the team and the riders for turning it all around and bringing the Honda to the front on many occasions throughout the season. With many race wins, Superpoles, overall round wins and to finish up 2nd and 4th in the championship I believe we have shown that our focus and determination is solid and I am extremely excited about what 2012 race season holds for Team Honda Racing. On behalf of the team I would like to thank Honda for their invaluable support throughout the season. We are looking forward to getting started on the new model CBR1000RR and unleashing its potential on the race track.

Final starting positions for tomorrow’s Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix

1) Michael Rutter 2:23.794
2) John McGuinness 2:26.951
3) Ian Hutchinson 2:27.911
4) Martin Jessopp 2:28.014
5) Gary Johnson 2:28.213
6) Jeremy Toye 2:28.642
7) Michael Barnes 2:28.979
8) James Storrar 2:29.260
9) Rico Penzkofer 2:29.683
10) Conor Cummins 2:29.952
11) Steve Mercer 2:30.255
12) James Hillier 2:30.341
13) Bruce Anstey 2:31.505
14) Horst Saiger 2:32.079
15) Willian Dunlop 2:32.086
16) Michael Dunlop 2:32.508
17) Didier Grams 2:32.946
18) Stephen Thompson 2:33.928
19) James McBride 2:34.123
20) Mark Miller 2:34.955
21) Chris Clark 2:35.229
22) Sean Dwyer 2:35.669
23) Paul Shoesmith 2:36.495
24) Michal Dokoupil

Did not qualify: Maximum time 2:38.173 to qualify
Joao Fernandes 2:40.129
Nuno Caetano 2:41.799
Sou Sio Hong 2:43.518

An exciting season finale in Doha, Qatar saw the Yamaha Racing France GMT 94 Ipone team with riders David Checa, Kenny Foray and Matthieu Lagrive power their YZF-R1 to the finish line and snatch their first victory of the year and, as a consequence, earn the third place overall in the 2011 Qtel FIM Endurance World Championship.

The GMT 94 R1 was quick off the mark for the Eight Hours of Doha on Saturday, battling for the lead from the very beginning with fellow Yamaha riders Igor German, Steve Martin and Katsuyuki Nakasuga from Monster Yamaha YART. In a dramatic ninth lap, Monster Yamaha YART’s Nakasuga went down in a tussle with Sébastien Gimbert, sending the Austrian team to the back of the pack with a one-lap deficit. Yamaha Racing France GMT 94 Ipone managed to avoid the collision and took advantage to push their Yamaha into the lead. Thanks to some slick pit work and consistent runs from Checa, Foray and Lagrive, the team managed to maintain the lead. Holding off constant advances from the Suzuki Endurance Racing Team (SERT), the French Yamaha squad gradually created a comfortable gap and completed a total of 231 laps to take a well-earned first step on the season finale podium.

Despite the collision at the early stages, Monster Yamaha YART riders put in an outstanding performance to push back through the field to complete the final race of the season just shy of a podium position, in fourth place. Closely following was the Spanish Yamaha of YMES Folch Endurance with Dani Ribalta, Pedro Vallcaneras and Jose Manuel Luis Rita crossing the line in sixth place.

Belgian’s Yamaha DG Sport Herock Team took a beautiful victory in the Superstock category, giving the YZF-R1 “the double” in Doha. Riders Raymond Schouten, Hugo Marchand and Josep Monge all completed trouble-free stints and were able to run a perfect race following the planned strategy.

Four out of the seven entered Yamaha YZF-R1 machines completed the 2011 Qtel FIM Endurance World Championship in the top 10 with Yamaha Racing France GMT 94 Ipone, Monster Yamaha YART, YMES Folch Endurance and Maco Racing Team wrapping up the season in third, fifth, sixth and ninth places respectively.

Christophe Guyot, Yamaha Racing France GMT 94 Ipone Team Manager:
“The three riders perfectly handled a situation that is never easy to manage. They had to maintain a high pace while remaining cautious. All three really wanted this win. David, Matthieu and Kenny are a very close-knit team with the talent to match their ambition. Last but not least, Michelin gave us the performance and safety needed on a track where tires are a key to success. We experienced no mechanical problems all season, and it’s great to be back in the winners’ circle.”

David Checa:
“I am really happy to get back to winning with my team, GMT 94. I want to thank the mechanics, who allowed us to spend the least amount of time in the pits. Thanks to Yamaha. Thanks to Christophe. Thanks to Michelin. I can’t wait for 2012 on the new R1.”

Matthieu Lagrive:
“I have had some difficult times in the past. With GMT 94, I am enjoying racing again. Racing as I love it, with a team that became a family. With team mates who are my friends first. Winning today is an immense joy for me. After this crossing of the desert, I feel ready to race in the next Dakar.”

Kenny Foray:
”This is my first race win in a world championship. A great moment. Many thanks to my teammates, Matthieu and David. The Michelin tires were incredible. And the Yamaha was fantastic. Thank you.”

Olivier Aerts, Yamaha DG Sport Herock Team Manager:
“We always said that we had the perfect package to win and here in Qatar we have run the perfect race. We had to return to the box earlier than foreseen but thanks to that we had one less stop at the end of the race. Thanks to the tires we received by Michelin, we could do two stints with the same set of tires, which made us gain a lot of time at the stops. Michelin has been a very important support throughout this season and an ace for this victory. Linked to a trouble-free race and a high-performing trio of riders, that pays off.”

FTR Moto was reunited with Kev Coghlan and the Joe Darcey Racing Team to take seventh place in Sunday’s sixth round of the CEV Buckler Spanish Moto2 Championship at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit in Valencia. Coghlan, riding the FOGI Racing M211 machine campaigned by Kenny Noyes in this year’s Moto2 World Championship, qualified fifth before finishing seventh in the damp and tricky conditions.

Coghlan led the race into the first corner and was involved in a battle throughout the 19-lap affair before finishing just 0.023” behind former 125cc Grand Prix rider Tomoyoshi Koyama in a race that set a new record of 38 riders in a Spanish Moto2 race.

“It was a tough race in those conditions and easy to make little mistakes,” said Coghlan. “But, overall, it was great to be working with the FTR guys and with the Joe Darcey Team again, and I’d like to thank Angus Borland of FOGI Racing and everyone for the opportunity.”

“Kev rode intelligently in the conditions and it was his first time on the Michelins with the M211 in a race so there was plenty for him to think about,” said FTR’s Steve Bones. “We’ve had a pretty satisfactory weekend at Valencia – after also qualifying in the top five – Kev set his fastest lap on the penultimate lap and we definitely have something to build on at Jerez this coming weekend.”

Coghlan will now contest the seventh and final round of the CEV Buckler Spanish Moto2 Championship at Jerez this coming Sunday, November 20.

Team Honda Racing Australia came away from another QBE Australian Superbike Championship round satisfied after Jamie Stauffer took the overall round win and Wayne Maxwell claimed fourth overall at this weekend’s event at Symmons Plains Raceway in Tasmania. The championship title was decided today after Team BMW  Motorrad Australia’s Glenn Allerton clinched the coveted based on available points remaining. With one round to go, Team Honda Racing is focused on retaining their second place with Stauffer and moving Maxwell onto the podium to take third.

Race 2 today was equally as exciting as the first with Stauffer getting off the line strongly from his P7 start to move into second by the mid-way point of the race. There he remained to the checkered flag behind ultimate race winner Josh Waters.

From P1 on the grid Maxwell battled with Troy Herfoss for third, but had to settle for fourth place at the line.

“I would have liked to convert my P1 position into a race win today, but I wasn’t able to so,” said Maxwell. “I just have to focus on Phillip Island next weekend to finish the season strongly and possibly move into a podium position for the championship. We will make a few changes to the set-up of the CBR1000RR in the days we have before the final round to suit the Phillip Island circuit, it is a circuit I am strong at so I am really determined to get a place on the podium in 2011. Congratulations to Glenn on the championship title.”

Stauffer is really pleased to take the overall round win for the penultimate round of the championship and appears to have found the momentum he needs on his CBR1000RR to finish the season impressively and retain his current second-place ranking.

“Congratulations to Glenn taking the championship today; that was a great effort,” said Stauffer. “I’m really happy to take my second round win of the season, and I would like to thank Team Honda Racing for their hard work this weekend. We had a couple of dramas in qualifying which the team responded to quickly and clearly sorted for me to go out confidently in the races. Next weekend is the final one for the year and I am planning to hold onto to my second place for the championship, so I’m not taking my eye off the goal with such a strong field.”

With many strong competitors emerging through the season, the final round of the QBE Australian Superbike Championship will be a fantastic spectacle to decide the remaining championship positions. Team Honda Racing’s Team Principle Paul Free is proud of his team’s effort this weekend.

“The team have put in 110 percent this weekend, as with every event, and I’m really proud of them,” said Free. “It was fantastic for Jamie to win the overall for Round 7, and we are looking forward to getting to Phillip Island next weekend for the final round. I would like to congratulate Glenn on his championship title on behalf of all the team. It was disappointing for Wayne to have crashed in race 1 as he was looking very strong from his P1 start. Still, we will move into next weekend with a clear goal for our final round, to consolidate second place for Jamie and get Wayne into third.”

ASBK round 8 will be held at Phillip Island November 18-20.

The Suzuki Endurance Racing Team has won the 2011 FIM World Endurance Championship after a close finish at yesterday’s final round in Qatar.

With a depleted two-rider team of Vincent Philippe and Anthony Delhalle following a mid-week injury of third rider Daisaku Sakai – who turned up to support his team – the duo brought the GSX-R1000 home in third place overall in the eight-hour race at Losail to clinch its eleventh title ahead of closest rivals BMW Motorrad France 99, which finished just ahead of Yamaha Racing France in second.

After qualifying in fourth position, SERT’s Philippe grabbed the sprint to the lead on the opening lap ahead of Yamaha Racing France, BMW and Monster Yamaha YART. But the lead changed hands frequently during the opening four hours after which Yamaha made its position a permanent one at the head of the 26-rider field to secure victory with 231 laps completed.

From there on, the Suzuki team made good use of pit stops, and with consistent lap times played a tactical race to ensure it stayed ahead of the BMW team on points. BMW entered the fifth and final race nine points adrift of SERT in the Championship standings.

The only significant position change was at the seven-and-a-half hour mark when SERT pitted, dropping the team back into third position, but with less than 50 seconds separating the three top teams, it was a well-timed maneuver that helped seal Suzuki’s success again at the top-level of World Endurance racing.

Qatar Results: 1 Yamaha France GMT 94 iPhone (Yamaha) 231 laps, 2 BMW Motorrad France 99 (BMW) – 30.134 seconds, 3 SERT (Suzuki GSX-R1000) – 49.023 seconds, 4 Monster Yamaha YART (Yamaha) – 1 lap, 5 Honda TT Legends (Honda) – 4 laps, 6 YMES Folch Endurance (Yamaha), 7 DGS Sport (Yamaha), 8 Motors Events Bodyguard (Suzuki GSX-R1000), 9 Qatar Endurance Racing Team (QERT) (Suzuki GSX-R1000), 10 MCS Racing Ipone (Suzuki GSX-R1000).