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| Kropotkin Thinks | ... that dirty air is difficult air |
Submitted by David Emmett on
You spin me right round, baby
Moto2 - the battle for second. No quarter asked, none given
Submitted by David Emmett on
You put your left leg in ...
What makes Silverstone so challenging is having to brake so hard as you tip the bike in. Jorge Lorenzo demonstrates the proper technique
Submitted by David Emmett on
The 1 minute penalty Marc Marquez had been handed by Race Direction has been revoked. Marquez was initially penalized after an incident on lap 21 of the Moto2 race at Barcelona, in which he and Pol Espargaro collided, causing Espargaro to crash out of the race. The incident was reviewed by Race Direction, and several hours after the Moto2 race was over, Race Direction issued the 1 minute penalty. Marquez' CatalunyaCaixa team appealed to the FIM Stewards against the penalty, and the FIM Stewards ruled in his favor, overturning it. The penalty would have meant that Marquez dropped from 3rd to 23rd in the final results, scoring no points for the championship.
Submitted by David Emmett on
It has been great to have some consistent weather, Casey Stoner said at the qualifying press conference at Barcelona, a sentiment that was shared by everyone at the Montmelo circuit, riders, teams, fans and media. Apart from the anomaly that is Qatar (a night race with practice in cooling temperatures) all of the MotoGP rounds held so far have featured massive changes in weather almost from session to session. With four session all with comparable temperatures - a little cooler in the mornings, a little warmer in the afternoons - the riders have been able to actually spend some time working on a consistent set up.
What they have learned is that the tires are going to be a huge part in Sunday's race. The 2012 Bridgestones are built to a new specification and a new philosophy, softer to get up to temperature more quickly and provide better feedback. This the Japanese tire company has succeeded in spectacularly well, the only downside (though that is debatable) is that the tires wear more quickly. This makes tire management critical for the race, with both hard and soft tires dropping off rapidly after 7 laps, and then needing managing to get them home.
Submitted by Press Release on
Press releases from the Moto2 and Moto3 teams after the first day of practice at the Montmelo circuit near Barcelona:
Submitted by Press Release on
Press releases from the Moto2 and Moto3 teams after the race on Sunday at Le Mans:
Grand Prix of France
Le Mans, May 19th, 2012
Race
Submitted by Press Release on
Press releases from the Moto2 and Moto3 teams after the first day of practice at Le Mans:
Viñales sets early pace at Le Mans
Submitted by David Emmett on
Cheating in motorsports is as old as the sport itself. Whenever powered vehicles gather together to race each other, then someone, somewhere, will try to gain an advantage, either within the rules or, if that is not successful, outside of the rules. In all classes, and at all times, teams, engineers and riders have all tried to cheat in one way or another. Even the imposition of a spec engine in the Moto2 class hasn't prevented teams trying to cheat, and the paddock is awash with rumors regarding which teams are cheating and which teams are not.
The finger of blame is inevitably pointed at the most successful riders, and in recent months, it has been pointed mainly at Catalunya CX rider Marc Marquez. Marquez has a number of strikes against him, making him a popular target for rumors of cheating; firstly, Marquez is Spanish, and as Moto2 is a Spanish-run series, the non-Spanish teams are all fervently convinced that Spanish teams are not monitored as closely as they are. Secondly, Marquez has the backing of Repsol, one of the more powerful sponsors in the paddock, exerting influence not just over Marquez' Monlau Competicion team, but also over the much more important factory Repsol Honda team; the power of Repsol, the gossips suggest, exerts undue influence on the policing process. Thirdly, and most obviously, Marquez is fast, almost suspiciously so. The Spaniard's bike is always one of the fastest through the speed traps, and accelerates hardest off the corners. His team put it down to hard work at finding exactly the right set up for Marquez to excel. One of the lighter Moto2 riders on a well-prepared bike, ridden by a fast and talented rider? That, Marquez' supporters argue, is reason enough for him to be fastest.
Submitted by David Emmett on
The weather may have tried to claim the leading role at Jerez on Sunday, but after three fascinating races, there are still a few stars which easily outshone it. First and foremost is surely Romano Fenati: the Italian teenager won a Moto3 race at just the second attempt, going one better than his first race. Winning was impressive enough - you had to go back to 1991 and Nobby Ueda to find a rookie with a better debut, and Fenati's victory made him the 3rd youngest winner behind Scott Redding and Marc Marquez - but it was the manner of his victory which impressed most. Not only did the 16-year-old keep his head in the treacherous conditions while all around him fell, ran off track or made other serious mistakes, he also managed to run at a pace simply inconceivable to the rest of the field. Fenati was over 1.5 seconds a lap quicker than the rest, and he went on to win by over 36 seconds. This was just his second ever race in the rain (he won the first one, naturally) and he still felt he lacked experience in the wet. His victory received the loudest round of applause in the media center all day.
Submitted by Press Release on
The final round of press releases issued after the MotoGP season opener in Qatar, from Tech 3, Marc VDS Racing, Suter, Brad Binder, Bel-Ray and PBM:
