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 - 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

Saturday Afternoon Moto News - Haslam Takes Pole & More WSBK!

Leon Haslam has taken his first ever pole position in World Superbike at the Phillip Island circuit in Australia. It is the first race of 2010, so this indicates just how hungry Haslam is for a win - and the championship. It will be an interesting race - don't miss it!

http://tinyurl.com/yhu7ezm

Another look at the World Superbike proceedings in Australia. We get a re-cap on Haslam's Superpole performance, Haga starting in tenth (!), and even my pick for this race, Max Biaggi, sitting back in eleventh position. There is a full grid listing and other information which you may want to know ahead of the race weekend.

http://tinyurl.com/ye6b67x

We also get to hear from the always talking Chris Vermeulen. He is targeting a top-10 position and hoping for seventh or eighth for the race this weekend at Phillip Island. This will give Kawasaki a higher finish than it had back in 2009 and help Vermeulen get the support he needs to race for the title.

http://tinyurl.com/y9yzsz2

Friday Morning Moto News - FIM Homologated Motorcycles, Leon Haslam

The FIM has released its list of the homologated motorcycles which may participate in each of the classes within WSBK. For the list, please take the link...

http://tinyurl.com/yjpocee

Leon Haslam, he of Alstare Suzuki team, was the fastest rider on day one of the World Superbike testing at Phillip Island. He was the only rider to lap within his bracket. This bodes well for his WSBK season...but, he is up against the best in the world and the WSBK paddock is loaded with talent...so, we still must wait to see how the season goes...

http://tinyurl.com/y8pbm55

It appears as if Max Biaggi is not too far behind Haslam...Biaggi clocked the fastest top speed of anyone at Phillip Island on a Superbike, in fact he beat out his competition by 3.7 kph. It was not enough to get him past the top slot on the lap chart, but he is getting there. Just wait for race day!

http://tinyurl.com/ya3govo

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

Friday Morning Moto News - Biaggi, Jakub Smrz & Gresini Honda

Apparently, last year Max Biaggi and his Aprilia team attempted to appeal and FIM decision as to his punishment for cutting a chicane during the first race of the season. Well, the FIM has now declined the protest and the ruling will stand...as if we did not expect that.

http://tinyurl.com/yek9g7e

In more World Superbike news, the B&G Racing group has released their livery for the 2010 season. On that team is Jakub Smrz and he will be riding a Ducati 1198. The B&G name comes from the owners of the team Borciani and Guandalini. See the article for more and the photo.

http://tinyurl.com/yarhseg

Gresini Honda has picked up another sponsor for the 2010 - 2011 MotoGP Championship. Printer company Prink has signed on to be a sponsor of their effort and will provide all printing services for the entire Gresini team - all the way up to their HQ office. This is very good news - more sponsorship.

http://tinyurl.com/y9hjez3

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 Friday Morning Moto News - Rossi, Aprilia and Charley Boorman

As if we did not already know this - if you are a fan and you pay attention at all, this is common knowledge - an article is stating that Valentino Rossi would rather race in the World Rally Championship than take a seat in Formula 1. They just keep asking him the same questions over and over again, and it never seems to annoy him. Rossi is a respectful guy and we may yet see him behind the wheel of a WRC car within the next few years.

http://tinyurl.com/ygwaf66

Now on to a quick test of the sweet two-stroke Aprilia RS125. Alex Gobert took a Biaggi replica version out for a roaring ride and found that the little machine is one hell of a fun bike. It is well-made and it looks fantastic in any setting. The bike is good for new riders and old timers at the same time. Of course, in the US it would be a track-only machine, but I still want one!

http://tinyurl.com/yfeospb

Take a ride with Charley Boorman through Africa! He is taking a tour group - with rented BMW R1200GS or 650GS motorcycle from Capetown, South Africa, all the way up to Victoria Falls in Zambia. It is a pricey trip, but everything is provided and you don't have to worry about anything on the trip but having fun and enjoying the exotic scenery! Have a look...

http://tinyurl.com/yzvbf82

From Day Two of Valencia Test - WSBK and Moto2

First off we hear that Biaggi managed to lead the second day of testing on the Spanish track while riding his WSBK Aprilia RSV-4. It's not like that is much of a surprise, actually. Following him were Haslam - Suzuki Alstare and Crutchlow - Sterilgarda Yamaha. As more comes in, I will update this post.

http://tinyurl.com/ydswu4m

http://tinyurl.com/y8c57u3

Here is more; ADV's AT02 Moto2 motrocycle was also tested at the event and it did rather well. Rider Alessandro Brannetti enjoyed his time aboard it and had no issues.

http://tinyurl.com/ybddnzj

Julian Simon, Mike di Meglio and Gabor Talmasci also tested the FTR Moto2 bike. This bike is one produced in England which will see work in the Moto2 series in 2010.

http://tinyurl.com/yesbrhx

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

Max Biaggi Sees Jorge Lorenzo as Next Big Thing in MotoGP

Biaggi was interviewed recently and said that he thinks Lorenzo is the future of MotoGP. According to Biaggi, Lorenzo has what it takes to become a top talent in the paddock - and to possibly win more races than Biaggi has thus far in his career. At least Max has found a nice home at Aprilia in WSBK.

http://tinyurl.com/yghdhee

Ultimate Superbike Test Ride in Portugal at Portimao

This writer from MotorcycleUSA online was fortunate enough to get invited to this unbelievable test in Portugal presented by the rights holders to World Superbike, Infront Sports. The author seems to have an attitude to match his skill level, but he does a good job of describing what it is like to ride these WSBK machines: Troy Corser's BMW S1000RR, Fabrizio's Ducati 1098F09, Rea's Honda CBR1000RR, Tamada's Kawasaki ZX-10R, Spies' Yamaha YZF-R1, Kagayama's Suzuki GSX-R1000, and Biaggi's Aprilia RSV-4. That is a full day's worth of testing, eh? Lucky guy...

http://tinyurl.com/yjkzgvj

This Time It Is Official - Leon Camier Has Signed With Aprilia for 2010 WSBK

After months of waiting, weeks of rumors, and plenty of testing, Leon Camier is now officially Max Biaggi's teammate! So, we now know for certain that the BSB champ will be working to become a World Superbike champion in 2010 - watch out for the guy, he is very fast and very good.

http://tinyurl.com/ykcbr3z

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

Aprilia's WSBK Testing Hampered by Bad Weather

Aprilia's World Superbike squad had thought they would benefit from some extra testing at the Misano track. Well, it didn't work out exactly like that. Turns out that Nature had something to say about it and sent in some storms to slow things down. Still, even though Leon Camier is not able to turn in any real hot laps on the RSV-4, he is still very likely to be suiting up next to Biaggi in 2010.

http://tinyurl.com/ykq9osw

Leon Camier Testing Aprilia RSV-4 at Misano

Camier is still rumored to be replacing Nakano on the factory Aprilia team for 2010, but no confirmation has been given yet. It does seem more likely now that he is over in Misano testing the RSV-4. So, Aprilia, when are you going to tell us who will be on your team for next season's WSBK season? We all are aware that Camier will be a real threat in any superbike series!

http://tinyurl.com/ya6kvkk