World Superbike, Donington Park, Europe, 10 May 2012
Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) will be going for a home win to add to his Monza success this weekend and he will…
Don't miss 2 exciting events on June 1st and 2nd!
On Friday June 1st Sun Powersports will host the Toyota Trucks Pro Motocross National Fan Fest.meet and get autographs from all…
Yoshimura Suzuki's new signing James Stewart is pictured testing his #7 RM-Z450 in an exclusive photo shoot yesterday in California.
The multi- AMA/ FIM Supercross and AMA Pro Motocross Champion makes…
Crescent Suzuki's co-title sponsor FIXI PLC will become the team's official title sponsor for the rest of the 2012 World Superbike Championship, starting at the European round at Donington Park…
Newsflash, 9 May 2012
Kawasaki teams and riders enjoyed considerable success and thrilled Kawasaki fans trackside at Oulton Park in Cheshire over the May Bank Holiday British Superbike Championship race weekend.
The…
Just weeks after celebrating the conclusion of an epic 40th season of professional motocross racing, MX Sports Pro Racing and partners, Alli Sports, are pleased to announce the 2012 schedule for the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship.
The series will begin on Saturday, May 19, near Sacramento, Calif., at the Hangtown Classic – the longest-running event on the schedule – and will conclude on September 8 in Southern California, at the championship’s newest stop (to be announced at a later date).
Throughout the summer, the 12-round series will visit such highly-regarded motocross circuits as High Point, in Pennsylvania, RedBud, in Michigan, Washougal, in Washington, and New York’s legendary Unadilla.
“We are very fortunate to have so many great, iconic motocross tracks as part of the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship-tracks that challenge the racers and have strong, loyal fan bases that come out to see these races,” said MX Sports Pro Racing President Davey Coombs.
“This series is the pinnacle of professional motocross, and the growth we’ve seen in the last three years for both the live audiences and television viewers watching from all over the world has been outstanding.”
Not only does the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship include the best tracks in the sport, it also features the fastest riders on the planet, as well as an expanded television package with NBC Sports Group. Add in a global television package that allows fans from all over the world to tune in, plus live event streaming on www.allisports.com, and the result is an unprecedented audience for motocross racing.
Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto will defend his #1 plate against no less than three former 450 Class Champions in 2012. Besides the man he wrestled the 2011 title from, Red Bull KTM’s Ryan Dungey, as well as a hugely-popular Australian star in TwoTwo Motorsports’ Chad Reed, Villopoto must also contend with James Stewart, who is returning to outdoor motocross for the first time since his perfect 2008 season as a member of the Joe Gibbs Racing/Toyota/Yamaha team. There will also be challenges from such formidable programs as Team Honda Muscle Milk, the Yoshimura Suzuki factory team, MotoConcepts/Alessi Racing, the new L&Mc Racing Honda team spearheaded by legend Jeremy McGrath, and more.
There was no stopping Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) at Monza as he scored a clear win in the only SBK race to be completed today, thanks to weather conditions that constantly changed.
With the first race cancelled, the second race was delayed to let the track dry in some sections but at the green light Sykes set an unmatchable pace and soon put half the length of the straight between his Ninja ZX-10R and his pursuers.
By the time the rains came back and the red flag came out to stop the race Tom had amassed a 9.709 second lead over a six rider group behind him.
Tom’s victory goes down in history as a full and well-deserved one, but because of the shortened race distance only half points were awarded to all the riders who scored today.
Sykes and his team had opted for a slick tyre set-up on the drying track, soft on front and rear, and the choice worked perfectly. This was Sykes’ second victory for Kawasaki in SBK racing, and his first in the 2012 season. The final result of his Monza win is that he closed up on the championship leaders, and is now only six points behind Max Biaggi, and four behind Carlos Checa.
New rider for Monza, Sergio Gadea (Kawasaki Racing Team), fell in the attempted first race after the rains started and his bike was damaged enough to not make it to the second race.
Team Pedercini Kawasaki rider David Salom suffered what was at first thought to be a broken left collarbone when he crashed in the first running of the cancelled race one, but it was later diagnosed as a dislocated left shoulder. His team-mate Tati Mercado scored 16th place in the race and just missed out on a points score by a tenth of a second.
The new 2012 YZ250F features a new Bilateral Beam frame, beefy new front suspension components, revised rear shock internals, and more rigidity in the swing arm axle block area. Engine refinements include a larger 39mm carburetor, optimized CDI, and lighter piston for more power as well as exceptional throttle response in the mid to high speed range.
Key Features:
New optimized engine pumps out more power in the 8,000 to 12,000 rpm range with outstanding throttle response, thanks to new crankshaft webs, new vibration-reducing counterbalancer, new connecting rod, and low-friction piston rings, as well as a new piston, piston pin, and clip assembly that’s over 8% lighter overall than before.
To take full advantage of these advancements, there’s also new CDI mapping and a bigger 39mm carb with freer breathing air cleaner cage. Added to the new frame and suspension refinements, this latest engine gives YZ250F amazing balance – a powerful, light-handling machine with performance that’s accessible to all levels of riders.
The new-for-2012 Bilateral Beam frame has revised rigidity balance for superior cornering performance as well as great stability on rough, high-speed straights. Beefy new front suspension components plus revised rear shock internals and more rigidity in the swingarm axle block area give this new machine a serious handling advantage with light, quick steering.
The styling emphasizes the bike’s lightweight and nimble handling character. The sharp, horizontal lines set the bike apart with a clean, aggressive look.
Crescent FIXI Suzuki’s John Hopkins was involved in a crash in the early stages of the first race at round four of the World Superbike championship at Monza today which left the Anglo-American with a broken right foot.
Hopkins had a huge high-side after only a couple of laps and it was immediately evident that he was in some discomfort from the crash. Hopkins was taken straight for an X-ray where it revealed he had suffered a fracture of his foot as well as some torn muscles in his left hip.
The incident involving Hopkins, as well as some other crashes, and the bad weather that has plagued Monza all weekend, left the organisers with no option but to cancel race one and hope that conditions improved for the second race later in the day.
Race two did finally get underway after a short delay, with Leon Camier as Crescent FIXI Suzuki’s only representative on the grid.
The race began under menacing Monza skies and they didn’t disappoint as rain caused the race to be red-flagged and stopped at half distance.
Kawasaki’s Tom Sykes was clear at the front of the pack so was awarded half points for his efforts – due to the shortened race – with Camier bringing his Yoshimura powered GSX-R home safely in 15th to score half-of-a-point.
Crescent FIXI Suzuki now heads straight to Donington Park in England for the European round of the WSBK championship – to be held at the Leicestershire circuit next weekend.
The team will make a decision on the fitness of Hopkins once the severity of his injury has been assessed and will then make an announcement over his ability to take part or whether a substitute rider will be drafted in for the race.
Leon Camier:
“Today was embarrassing because I was running around with people I knew I could beat. I could catch them on the brakes, but once we exited the turns, they left me for dead. We all knew that there might be problems today if it was wet or partially wet, because in practice and qualifying the rain tyres destroyed themselves after about five or six laps, so there was no way that they would’ve lasted a race distance. We all hoped for dry conditions, but they never happened. The organisers were aware of the problems with the wet tyres and both their decisions today were the right ones.”
Blacked-Out 106 Cubic-Inch Freedom V-Twin
Whether you’re finding your way across town or cruising the city’s glass canyons, the Freedom V-Twin power plant delivers 113 ft lbs of green-light torque with ultimate authority. The dark heart of the Hammer 8-Ball, it informs the world of your arrival with every crack of the throttle.
6-Speed Overdrive Transmission
The best performing transmission on the street collects the power generated by the massive V-twin and allows the Hammer 8-Ball to roll fluidly between the curbs. Helical-cut gears ensure that each shift will be as smooth and clean as the bike itself.
113 Ft Lbs Torque
Press the starter and you can feel deep in your chest an eruption of low-end torque. With each precision-tuned piston stroke, the Freedom V-Twin’s 4-valve overhead cams and perfectly matched 6-speed overdrive transmission promise to provide unmatched throttle response, acceleration and passing power.
Inverted Front Fork
The Hammer 8-Ball’s classic look pleases every rider walking up to his machine, but that feeling is turbocharged when taking it through the twisties. The beefy inverted front fork sends more rigidity forward, providing better handling at every turn.
250-MM Rear Tire
Put a 250 mm tire on the back of a muscle cruiser like the Hammer 8-Ball, and rider and machine will both look like they are ready for anything the road has to dish out. In this case, looks aren’t deceiving. This tire will stick to the road no matter the condition, and make any rim proud to be associated with it.
Removable Passenger Cowl
Even the most independent of riders feels the need for human interaction once and a while. When that time comes yank the stylish, color-matched cowl and there’s your passenger’s ticket to ride. When ready to get back to that drag bike demeanor, simply reattach the cowl and return to one-up heaven.
Blacked Out Pipes and Headlight
Leave it up to the Hammer 8-Ball to take you where no bike has gone before. Blacked out pipes and black bullet headlight take you to the dark side, which leads to the kind of performance that has every other motorcycle scurrying for the light.
Yamaha Factory Racing rider Jorge Lorenzo continued his unbroken podium record at Estoril today. Starting from fourth on the grid he was quickly into second at the first corner and held the position to the line after a determined effort to stay with race leader Casey Stoner.
The Mallorcan’s legendary consistent lap pace meant Stoner was never more than one second ahead until the final lap and at times just 0.2 seconds in front.
Lap three of the race saw Lorenzo deliver a new fastest lap record for Estoril of 1’36.909. He now heads to Le Mans in two weeks time just one point adrift of the Championship lead.
Team mate Ben Spies started well from fifth, slotting into fourth in the first corner before running wide and dropping back several places.
The Texan made a couple of mistakes and dropped to ninth where he battled Stephan Bradl for eighth, eventually passing the German to take the position at the line. Spies will arrive in Le Mans in 11th position with 18 points.
Jorge Lorenzo Position 2nd – Time: +1.421
“I’m happy with this second position because I was expecting to fight for third or fourth and not the victory. The bike improved a lot from the practices so it was possible. I had two problems, at the start I used a lot of clutch and burnt it so for two or three laps it was burning and I lost a lot of distance from Casey. Also at the end Casey was very strong. After this everything was working well and I made a fastest lap, which is not very common for me. We are just one point behind Casey, hopefully we can improve something on the bike tomorrow and be in front again.”
Ben Spies Position 8th – Time: +33.262
“Very mixed emotions today, this is actually the first time in three years that I’ve finished a race here. As I told the team, I made four or five big mistakes during the race, they cost me time and places. It was a rough race but I’m continuing to build my confidence, I don’t enjoy Estoril so I’m happy to have finished. Now we go to Le Mans which is a great event with an amazing crowd but another track I don’t love so much! I’m happy with the bike and it’s performance so we’ll continue to build my confidence and improve the results.”
The Portugal MotoGP saw the Ducati Team improving with Valentino Rossi and unfortunate with Nicky Hayden.
After two days of working on his GP12’s settings, the Italian lapped at a pace that was both relatively fast and very consistent, eventually finishing in seventh place, which is his best result of the season so far.
Nicky Hayden, on the other hand, had to just try make it to the finish due to an electrical problem with his bike’s ECU, which was subject to interference from a radio signal near the track.
As a result, all of the electronic calibrations were out of phase around the circuit, making riding extremely challenging. The American nonetheless rode with great determination to an eleventh-place finish.
Tomorrow the Ducati Team will remain in Portugal for a one-day test, with hopes that the rain forecasts turn out to be wrong so that development can continue on the GP12.
Valentino Rossi (Ducati Team) 7th
“It went a bit better this time, in the sense that we started from a better base on Friday and we managed to prepare for today over the course of the weekend. I was able to approach the race knowing what to expect from the bike, and I therefore managed to push harder and get a little closer to the limit. The first laps were decent. I moved up a couple of positions and then I maintained a consistent pace, doing times that we expected to do. We can say that we took advantage of our current potential, and now we’ll have to work to make another step forward. We must improve on corner exits and on acceleration because right now we’re not able to be as effective as the others due to the fact that we can’t get all of the power to the ground. We have a test tomorrow, and we’ll start working. Anyway, today I even managed to have some fun.”
World Superbike races at the Monza racetrack were conditioned by the bad weather. The first race was cancelled due to rain and the second cut short when rain started to fall mid-race. Althea Racing’s Carlos Checa and Davide Giugliano closed the second (8-lap) race in seventh and eighth position respectively.
Race 1 - In very changeable conditions (sunshine but a damp track) the Superbikes took to the grid, ready for Race 1. After only three laps it started to rain and the race was quickly stopped with a red flag. The riders returned to the grid half an hour later expecting a re-start but with a track that was dry in sections and completely wet in others, Race Direction took the decision to cancel the race for safety reasons.
Race 2 – unfortunately the second race was equally complicated. The start was delayed but then, seeing that the conditions had improved but only slightly, Race Direction decided to start the race anyway, giving each rider the choice as to whether to race or not. Almost all riders started without problems and after two laps Checa was in sixth place, followed by Giugliano in eighth. Finding a good rhythm, the Althea pair continued to lap in seventh (Carlos) and eighth (Davide) place, chasing the six four-cylinder machines ahead of them. On the eighth lap rain started to fall and a red flag once again put an end to proceedings. As only 50% of the planned laps were actually completed, riders were awarded half points.
At the end of the fourth event, Checa is still in second position in the general standings with 95.5 points right behind Biaggi with 97.5. Giugliano is still tenth with 41 points. Ducati leads the manufacturer’s championship with 140.5 points to Aprilia’s 108.
Carlos Checa:
“In Race 1 most of the riders stated that it was too dangerous to re-start in the mixed conditions that we had at that moment. While some parts of the track were drying, other sections were very wet and so riding with slicks would have been impossible, while it wasn’t wet enough for the rain tyres. Then, when it started to rain hard, I was ready to race in ‘full wet’ conditions but Race Direction decided to cancel it. I helped Biaggi back to the box when his bike stopped. We’re rivals yes, but not enemies! I would have done the same for any rider who asked. Race 2 was brief but I’m pleased with the outcome as far as the points are concerned because we were able to limit the damage as we had hoped to.”
A rain-affected day of racing at Monza saw BMW Motorrad Motorsport’s Leon Haslam come from 14th on the grid to finish in second place in the second World Superbike race of the day, after the first one was cancelled due to safety issues.
Team-mate Marco Melandri finished in fourth, despite having fought his way up to third before the race was red-flagged due to rain falling on part of the circuit.
Having already played a big part in qualifying, the weather continued to affect the WSBK programme.
After race one had been red-flagged and then subsequently cancelled, everyone was hopeful that race two would go ahead, despite the possibility of rain and some visible damp patches on the track.
However, after a short delay, a scheduled 16-lap race two got underway, with eventual winner Tom Sykes taking his chances and pulling a healthy lead in the early stages.
With Sykes clearly out in front, it was left to the two BMW S 1000 RR riders and Aprilia team-mates Eugene Laverty and Max Biaggi to fight for the two remaining podium positions.
Haslam – who made a great start from the fourth row of the grid – had battled his way past Jonathan Rea, Biaggi, Laverty and his own team-mate, using both the slipstream effect and the power of the RR to slingshot past his fellow competitors. By half distance, with Haslam in second place and Melandri having just battled back up to third, it suddenly started to rain, bringing out the red flags. A result was declared and taken back to the last completed lap, relegating Melandri back to fourth place, but with Haslam able to celebrate his third podium of 2012.
“The conditions this weekend were tough, especially today with different track conditions,” said Leon. “Anyhow I felt confident to fight for a top position. Starting from 14th on the grid was not ideal though as overtaking in these conditions is quite difficult as you have to leave the dry racing line. Anyway my race went really well, but when I was second Tom already had pulled away. A big credit to BMW Motorrad and my crew who did a great job. I am really happy to be back on the podium. I am now looking forward to racing in Donington at my ‘home’ race.”
The series will begin on Saturday, May 19, near Sacramento, Calif., at the Hangtown Classic – the longest-running event on the schedule – and will conclude on September 8 in Southern California, at the championship’s newest stop (to be announced at a later date).
Tom’s victory goes down in history as a full and well-deserved one, but because of the shortened race distance only half points were awarded to all the riders who scored today.
Key Features:
The Mallorcan’s legendary consistent lap pace meant Stoner was never more than one second ahead until the final lap and at times just 0.2 seconds in front.
After two days of working on his GP12’s settings, the Italian lapped at a pace that was both relatively fast and very consistent, eventually finishing in seventh place, which is his best result of the season so far.
Having already played a big part in qualifying, the weather continued to affect the WSBK programme.