More Afternoon Moto News - Amy O'Mara, Leon Camier & NZ Novice Wins on Aprilia

Amy O'Mara is the only woman competing full-time in the Australian Superbike Championship and this year she will be supported by the Warringah Mall Eagles Angels, a group which raises awareness for breast cancer. This season will see her remain on a Yamaha and compete in both the Superstock 600 class and the Australian Formula Xtreme Championship. She will be rather busy in 2010!

http://tinyurl.com/ybf8qjj

Leon Camier is quite pleased with the way the Aprilia factory team is treating him despite rumors that he is the second man on the team behind Max Biaggi. Camier states that he has been given the same parts and knowledge as Biaggi and is moving along in the right direction. Plus, the 2010 season for him is about learning the circuits and getting familiar with his team and the World Superbike series itself.

http://tinyurl.com/yc8qkxw

Dion Sellers is not a professional - or, even amateur - road racer, but he still managed to beat the best that New Zealand had at a local Formula 1 race! He had no interest until he watched a race last month. His friend convinced him to take his brand new Aprilia RSV-4 to the track for a fun day; he did so well that he decided to race the next day. His bone-stock RSV-4 managed to take out bikes worth more than twice as much which have been modified heavily to race. It was a big surprise, to say the least!

http://tinyurl.com/y8jtgj7

Monday Morning Moto News - Camier Auction, Simon Andrews & Spanish Tests

Leon Camier is making the best out of a nasty situation...well, a problem he had last weekend as he crashed his factory Aprilia RSV-4 during Superpole qualifying at Phillip Island. Camier is auctioning off the screen from the bike with all proceeds going to Sport Relief. He is hoping that something bad for him can turn in to something good for someone else...not a bad plan...

http://tinyurl.com/yj338q7

Simon Andrews has finally faced sentencing in his case involving his 24 October 2009 early morning crash. Since there was no evidence of 'drink-driving', he was not sentenced under that statute. Instead, he was instructed to pay a fine and had some penalty points added to his license. But, the judge was rather sure that Andrews should have been given a harsher sentence, but he had not evidence to do so...

http://tinyurl.com/ylh4bev

The bevy of Bristish Superbike Championship teams testing at Cartagena, Spain, over the last few days has finally wrapped things up and some reports are coming in. I may have posted about one or two of these before, but these should be fresh stories on the subject. Take a look...

Rob Mac Racing/Motorpoint Yamaha: http://tinyurl.com/ygb7wck

Worx Crescent Suzuki: http://tinyurl.com/yhuttts

Monday Morning Moto News - 2010 Aprilia Dorsoduro & Aprilia WSBK Team

We have already heard the rumors and seen the photos of the new 2010 Aprilia Dorsoduro Factory model, but this is the first riding impression of the standard model for 2010 that I have seen. So, take the link and see what the base model Dorsoduro can do with its 750cc engine and very Italian design!

http://tinyurl.com/yep92tt

Now that we have probably all seen the results of the World Superbike race over the weekend at Phillip Island, let's take a look at the new Aprilia WSBK team's fortunes over the race event and see what this means for their future. As you probably saw in the race, they still have some work to do to get the RSV-4 setup to the liking of both Biaggi and Camier. For all the details, please take the link.

http://tinyurl.com/y8fkbou

http://tinyurl.com/ygm394m

Thursday Afternoon Moto News - Sam Costanzo Dies, Leon Camier & Josh Brookes

Sam Costanzo, the man who seems to have single-handedly helped out every collector and rider of the Suzuki rotary-powered RE5 (made from 1975 - 77), has been taken from us by cancer. Costanzo did sell the business and it has been moved to Tennessee where it still runs well, but he was the one who kept up the back-end of the love affair between owners and their RE5. He was instrumental in Suzuki's work on the machine, so it makes sense that he would know virtually everything about the model.

http://tinyurl.com/ygw9uc9

2009 British Superbike Champion Leon Camier is having some trouble coming to terms with his new Aprilia RSV-4 WSBK mount. He is at Phillip Island doing testing ahead of this weekend's racing. His Yamaha was well set-up for his riding style, but that took time to get right. The Aprilia WSBK machine may take a few more practices to get the setup perfect for Camier to challenge for the title.

http://tinyurl.com/yhx5so2

Australia's Josh Brookes will be making a quick return to the World Superbike paddock this weekend at Phillip Island. Once he finishes that race, though, he will return to his BSB home. He is familiar with the track and the Australian weather, but not much else - thus, he will be learning as he will be riding someone else's machine...

http://tinyurl.com/yj5fqvc

Wednesday Morning Moto News - Leon Camier, MIST Suzuki & Steve Plater

Only because the story has somehow become syndicated I will post it here. Apparently, Leon Camier is quite happy with the new Aprilia WSBK livery. He is very excited at the opportunity to ride in the World Superbike Championship. For more, take the link...though, you know most of it already.

http://tinyurl.com/yekdu3k

British Superbike team MIST Suzuki may not be ready for the 2010 season opener at Brands Hatch, 3 - 5 April. The bikes they will be running are doing quite well, and the team is as ready as they can be to tackle the championship. However, they are having serious sponsorship issues - as many are - and may not have everything they need in order to start the season, including the all important rider...check it out:

http://tinyurl.com/y9r29c9

New news is coming to us about Steve Plater and his run at the North West 200 road race. Plater will contest five different races at the event; two Supersport, two Superbike and, now, one Superstock race as well. He will be riding for the HM Plant Honda team for the event.

http://tinyurl.com/yckrnhy

Tuesday Morning Moto News - Phillip Island, Leon Camier & Rossi's B-Day

Coming up during 26 - 28 February 2010 at Phillip Island will be the big show - Australian and World Superbike Championship races. That is 13 races over three days with plenty of local talent out to prove themselves against the best in both Australia and the world. Get your preview after the link.

http://tinyurl.com/yh5uxb5

Road Racer X managed to sit down with WSBK Aprilia man Leon Camier and ask him some questions on the upcoming season. Camier is favored to do very well in the series in 2010 - he is a BSB Champion and he is on one of the fastest bikes in the paddock - plus he has Max Biaggi as a teammate. So, what does he think so far? Well, take the link and you will learn!

http://tinyurl.com/yhp2qq4

That's right, today is Valentino Rossi's birthday! He turns the ripe old age of 31. It is hard to believe that he accomplished so much in his first 30 years on this planet - and we were there with him for nearly half that time. Get an idea of just how great Rossi is - as a racer, anyway - by taking the link. Happy Birthday Rossi!

http://tinyurl.com/ycfvdzb

Wednesday Morning Moto News - Aprilia WSBK & Karl Harris

Two big pieces from the Aprilia World Superbike team. First up is a short piece on Max Biaggi and his work so far for the Aprilia team; it even has a few words from Leon Camier, his teammate.

http://tinyurl.com/yb77o34

Next, the Aprilia World Superbike team officially unveiled their colors yesterday. I did post an article on the event, but that dealt with the sponsorship and the plans - this new post has photos! So, take your time and click away...

http://tinyurl.com/yawrn8k

http://tinyurl.com/yeyhc66

And, a video: http://tinyurl.com/yllnquv

Karl Harris has manged to get himself on a team for the BSB Superstock 1000 series. It was a very last-minute deal and it took some work on the part of his team and himself, but they will be fielding an Aprilia in the BSB series for 2010. This group did win a title about six years ago, so they have the experience and knowledge to make it work. Keep and eye on Harris in 2010.

http://tinyurl.com/yd72ur9

http://tinyurl.com/ydgo3u2

More on Harris: http://tinyurl.com/yh5xvcn

Tuesday Morning Moto News - Speed Dating & Aprilia Alitalia

Another edition of Road Racer X's Speed Dating column. This week we have birthdays for Takaaki Nakagami, Jason DiSalvo, Tommy Hill, Chaz Davies, Jim Moodie, John Surtees, Tadayuki Okada, Randy De Puniet, and Manuel Poggiali . Another very long list of great riders who will be one year older at the end of this week...for more details about the above-mentioned personalities, please take the link.

http://tinyurl.com/y9o2wd8

The Alitalia sponsored factory Aprilia team is ready to begin the 2010 World Superbike season. The team has released its livery for this year and they have made the final announcements about who and what and when and why. It will be Max Biaggi and Leon Camier dueling against the best in the world for the title on their lovely RSV-4 machines...

http://tinyurl.com/ya262hj

http://tinyurl.com/yfx8r7v

Friday Morning Moto News - MotoGP Testing, Leon Camier & Giampiero Sacchi

The Malaysian MotoGP test has now concluded - at least according to reports - and Valentino Rossi once again took the fastest lap time at the track. Stoner was right behind him, with the usual Lorenzo and Pedrosa - but, Ben Spies held fifth place! We are in for a phenomenal race year in that series in 2010!

http://tinyurl.com/yddydwx

More on the Day 2 testing: http://tinyurl.com/yagfyhd

More on the Day 3 testing: http://tinyurl.com/yc5qsr6

Leon Camier is convinced that he will be able to learn a great deal from riding with Max Biaggi on the Aprilia factory team in WSBK. It makes sense as Biaggi does have a long career in motorcycle racing at all levels and he knows the RSV-4 race machine even better. There really is little doubt that Camier will be a high-level competitor and will only make the WSBK paddock more fun to watch.

http://tinyurl.com/yb7b8el

And, in other Aprilia news, word is that Giampiero Sacchi will be leaving the company comes out. Word is that he is fed up with the direction that Aprilia is taking following the decision to drop their Moto2 project. Of course, this is all hear-say right now...

http://tinyurl.com/yejh6yf

Thursday Morning Moto News - Erik Buell & WSBK Valencia Testing

An exclusive interview with Buell man Erik comes to us via MotorcycleUSA, and it is rather long. If there are any burning questions you have about Buell's demise or the reasoning behind the whole thing, you might find an answer or two here. Otherwise, Buell is as much in the dark as the rest of us - only H-D knows some of the answers, and they won't talk about it until people start retiring.

http://tinyurl.com/yz3bmfr

At the second testing session for which the Aprilia World Superbike team has traveled to Valencia, a heavy downpour has caused them to stop their testing. They have nearly lost a full day's worth of information due to the unexpected storm. It looks like they will only have the Phillip Island test to finalize settings for Camier and Biaggi.

http://tinyurl.com/ylqtnbz

It wasn't only Aprilia's team having a hard time, we also see that the BMW WSBK team was 'washed out' of practice due to the heavy rain.

http://tinyurl.com/yz3jphe

More Morning Moto News - RSV-4 Recall, WSBK and Leon Camier

The Aprilia RSV-4 Factory is being recalled on a global basis - we already heard about the Australian and the US recall, now we get one from Great Britain. It appears that the total number of machines which this recall concerns is right around 300 bikes. Only 30 are being pulled from the U.K., and the rest are elsewhere in the world. It all goes back to that conrod failure at the RSV-4R intro. Aprilia is usually rock-solid for reliability, so this is an odd start of a new model for them...

http://tinyurl.com/ye39qrh

Over in the World Superbike paddock, there are some teams which had planned on taking another practice at Valencia after the Portimao official test. Well, the weather seems to be working against them. So far, only two riders - Haga and Fabrizio - have even ventured onto the track.

http://tinyurl.com/ydcps8a

Leon Camier is rather sure that he has a good handle on his Aprilia WSBK machine, even though he ended the Portimao test in 12th position. He says that it does not look good on paper, but that his team is making good progress. He also stated that his low lap times could be attributed to the fact that he was not after fast laps, not yet.

http://tinyurl.com/ybxfa5n

More Morning Moto News - Sweepstakes, Leon Haslam & Capirex

Over at the U.K. newspaper, the Mirror, is having a sweepstakes where you could win a Leon Camier autographed Pirelli British Superbike Championship book. All you have to do is join some panel of theirs and you are automatically entered...easy as pie!

http://tinyurl.com/yf8x2fl

On the first day of the Portimao World Superbike test, Leon Haslam has topped the time sheets at the track. Of course, they are not all there looking for fast times, most are chasing setup demons and trying to figure out how to tune their race machines for the team riders. But, it does show that Haslam is putting in his effort to win the 2010 series title. Jonathan Rea was in second place on the day...

http://tinyurl.com/yj4s7cn

World Supersport times at the same test: http://tinyurl.com/ybqod4f

Loris Capirossi has been in the news a great deal these last few days. He must have had an interview day or two recently. Anyway, Capirossi is quite happy to know that the MotoGP engine limit will move to 1000c.c. soon. In fact, he said he would be the 'happiest person on earth' if the powers-that-be were to move the date of this rule change forward to 2011. Can't blame him...

http://tinyurl.com/yfu79jd

Friday Morning Moto News - Rea & Camier, New Build & Aprilia US Recall

Gino Rea, European 600cc Superstock Champion, and Leon Camier, British Superbike Champion, have taken off to Spain to do some testing - and to get away from the English winter. Both riders are getting some practice in and enjoying the warmer weather.

http://tinyurl.com/yhd6afx

Honestly, I do not know how to title this, but here is the story as I can understand it. Eighteen-year-old Ryan Mackey has built a replica/real/custom Harley-Davidson WLA and won a contest for it, or unrelated to it, and another motorcycle. He did win the AMCA Youth Program Giveaway Bike, which is an honor of some sort. Honestly, the quality of writing leaves something to be desired, but you can go and check it out for yourself.

http://tinyurl.com/ylgjb5l

The Aprilia RSV-4 (R or Factory), which we heard yesterday was recalled in Australia, is now also being recalled in the US. The article does not specify which version (another poorly written piece), but we can probably assume it was among the earlier generations, thus is likely the Factory model. Keep in mind that there have been NO reports of any failures in the field, none at all.

http://tinyurl.com/yhoyy4e

http://tinyurl.com/ykmotux

And more detail - a complete engine exchange: http://tinyurl.com/ybczceq

Shane Byrne Looking Forward to Battle of the Brits in WSBK

So far, there will be seven British riders on the World Superbike circuits in 2010 who have factory rides - that's a large contingent. Byrne is happy to see so many of his fellow countrymen on the grid and is relishing the challenge of it as soon as the season begins. Again, 2010 will be a great year for motorcycle racing!

http://tinyurl.com/yaq2nf5

Leon Haslam Fastest at Valencia Testing - Wrap-Up of Event

Haslam managed to pull his Alstare Suzuki around the Valencia track faster than anyone else testing there. Of course, this is only testing and not everyone there was working for outright lap times - there is plenty to do on the new machines that does not include watching the clock...First debrief linked below:

http://tinyurl.com/yhjlntk

World Superbike (and Moto2) Testing at Valencia This Week

Starting on Wednesday, riders from World Superbike, World Supersport and Moto2 will descend on the Valencia track for some testing in preparation for 2010. So far, it seems that only Honda, Suzuki, Aprilia and Yamaha will be present with their WSBK riders.

http://tinyurl.com/ygnhols

Even more news on the testing at Valencia: http://tinyurl.com/yeac47z

Testing in progress: http://tinyurl.com/ye24ddj

James Toseland had a bad moment - he crashed his R1 while testing - but he has recovered and is continuing to test: http://tinyurl.com/ye22627

In the end, Crutchlow and Toseland had a good test: http://tinyurl.com/yfmw7qr

GSE Racing - BSB Championship Team - May Have to Shut Down

Leon Camier won the British Superbike Championship for the Airwaves/GSE Racing team just this year. But, with their main sponsor - Airwaves - pulling the plug on sponsorship for 2010 (announced many weeks ago), the team may not have enough support to race in 2010. This is a very sad state of affairs when the champion's team cannot compete and defend their title...

http://tinyurl.com/yfpahg8

http://tinyurl.com/yf4ttug

Update - no sponsor yet and staff given redundancy notices...they could be done for 2010...


http://tinyurl.com/ylruoxr

Aprilia to Run Two World Superbike Teams? New Rumors (again)...

We heard it a few weeks ago before the end of the 2009 World Superbike season, and now it has surfaced again; Aprilia may go ahead with plans to have to teams in WSBK. We already know that Camier may join Biaggi at the current singular factory team. The newest news is that the Guandalini team may switch from Ducati machinery to Aprilia. Currently, this other team only has Jacob Smrz under contract for 2010 - so, there could be another new Aprilia rider in 2010.

http://tinyurl.com/y8oa2b4

Leon Camier WILL Ride for Aprilia World Superbike Team

It is only about 99.9% official as there has been no official release from Aprilia, but Aprilia's General Director Leo Mercanti has now said that Camier will be riding for Aprilia in World Superbike. However, we must still wait until the contract has been signed and it is announced before we can say for sure where Camier will be in 2010.

http://tinyurl.com/ylrfycf

http://tinyurl.com/y9g7cmp

Racing Business Never Ends - Even in the Off-Season

So, much of what is contained in the linked article is just a round-up of recent news from teh MotoGP, Moto2, and World Superbike paddock. So, it will be a quick read for many. The one point of interest is Lorenzo's collarbone is now plate free - he had it removed this week as his bone seems to have healed. Just head over and get a quick update on the last week's racing news...

http://tinyurl.com/y89ny2w