Stoner Wins Another One - 2011 MotoGP Champion

OK, so I do like to say, "...told you so." And, I do it often. I guess that means that one more time won't be adding too much fuel to any fire of hatred anyone has for me...

Casey Stoner is the FIM MotoGP World Champion once again! On board the mighty Honda RC212V, he fought the best on the surface of this planet and beat all comers to the title. Vale, though, is not doing so well this season. It turns out that the Ducati is a bit more of a handful than many thought. I wonder how things would be different if Hayden were to jump into another factory's machinery; Yamaha, or Suzuki anyone?

http://tinyurl.com/3b3d476

P.S. Congratulations Honda, too. After all, the engineers there built the bike.

Repsol Honda Launches 2010 MotoGP Team and Bikes

It all happened in Madrid, Spain, appropriately enough, where Repsol Honda showed their 2010 livery and rider Dani Pedrosa to the world. Andrea Dovizioso was not well and decided to stay home in Italy to recover for the Qatar test this coming weekend - probably for the best. Pedrosa arrived on stage riding a trials bike and his Honda RC212V was lowered from the rafters to the stage, which gave the whole thing a theatrical twist. This is the 16th year that the two names have been associated - it does seem longer - and it is now known worldwide...check the link for the rest...

http://tinyurl.com/yg8btlt

MORE Morning Moto News - Honda MotoGP & Fantasy Motorcycle Racing

Honda has decided that they very much need to capture the MotoGP title very soon! They have not won since Nicky Hayden took the 2006 Championship. They have thus reorganized the team structure to help them get their wish. A new Technical Director has been assigned and each of Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso will be managed separately and the development of the RC212V will be much more focused in 2010. Given Pedrosa's run at last year's title, we should see some interesting developments from the factory Repsol team.

http://tinyurl.com/yackulr

Motorcycle USA has announced that they will be hosting a Fantasy Motorcycle Racing game which includes MotoGP, World Superbike and AMA Motocross - as far as can be seen from the attached article. It's free to use, so what are you waiting for?

http://tinyurl.com/yas69ap

Saturday Morning Moto News - BMW, MotoGP & Honda RC212V

BMW has released their annual report form 2009 and there is good news - we already saw that their sales drop was much less than the other manufacturers, except for one. At least this proves that the company is very stable and will be just fine for 2010 - unlike some other unfortunate manufacturers.

http://tinyurl.com/yhvnn46

The 1000c.c. limit in MotoGP, which comes up in 2012, may not spell the absolute end of the 800c.c. machines. According to the principals in charge of this, they will allow the smaller displacement to remain as the new rule is 'up to' 1000c.c. Expect to see one or two smaller bikes remain in the series, but the big guys will probably go ahead and take the extra cubic centimeters...

http://tinyurl.com/yc35pxr

Now, while at the Sepang International Circuit, Honda team director Kazuhiko Yamano and Project Leader Shinichi Kokubu sat down and talked about the new 2010 Honda RC212V. They discussed the way the factory and satellite teams will be handled as far as special parts and electronics. For more on this, take the link.

http://tinyurl.com/yb4wpfh

More Morning Moto News - Duke Video, Randy de Puniet & Andrea Dovizioso

Duke Video's "MotoGP: Evolution of a Species" is reviewed for us in the linked article. If you have not heard of this video, you should be very shocked! It is a very well-done documentary on the technical and engineering side of the MotoGP Championship. If you have ever had questions about the machinery your favorite racer uses, this is a DVD which will help explain the MotoGP motorcycle for you.

http://tinyurl.com/y8mazy5

Randy de Puniet is anxious to get aboard his LCR Honda at the upcoming Sepang test for MotoGP teams. He is looking forward to campaigning the new RC212V in the 2010 Championship. However, he is not losing his grip on reality and expects there to be some work to get the bike working well for him. So, Malaysia will be very useful to de Puniet and his team.

http://tinyurl.com/yep5tf8

Andrea Dovizioso wants Honda to let him help develop the RC212V so that he has a real chance at winning races in 2010. Given his stellar performances at some circuits last year and his failures at other tracks, they might do well to listen. Either way, he will have his chance on the new beast at the Malaysian test.

http://tinyurl.com/ycnezsy

Wednesday Morning Moto News - More Dakar, Rossi & Pedrosa

Yes, there are even more post-race Rally Dakar articles available to all who wish to read them. Some contain only the motorcycle racing, but others simply discuss the Dakar from a view towards all participants. So, take a link or two below and catch up on the aftermath of this extreme race for yourself.

http://tinyurl.com/ycb974z

http://tinyurl.com/yk7udxn

http://tinyurl.com/yf8eqbj

Valentino Rossi is already out and testing the Ferrari Formula 1 machine in Spain. The first day it took some time for Rossi to adjust to the car, and to adjust the car to conditions. Either way, Rossi is having fun and enjoying his time with the team, as you would expect. Here is some early news of his time behind the wheel.

http://tinyurl.com/yhq5ltr

And, we have a pre-season interview with the one and only Dani Pedrosa. Here he evaluates his 2009 season performance versus the physical and technical issues he and his team faced that season. Pedrosa also discusses the 2010 MotoGP season what he sees for this coming year.

http://tinyurl.com/yk5m2sg

Monday Morning Moto News - Simoncelli and DiSalvo

Marco Simoncelli has ridden both the Aprilia RSV-4 - in World Superbike trim - and the Honda RC212V MotoGP machine. As we have heard many times before, the MotoGP machine is much harder to tame than a WSBK-spec machine. Simoncelli has ridden both rather close together in time, so he knows a thing or two about the differing behavior.

http://tinyurl.com/yepsao8


Well, even after reading the post on the Triumph racing efforts in 2010, we did not see this news. Jason DiSalvo, who lost his ride in DMG/AMA Pro Racing with M4 Suzuki, will be riding with Gary McCoy and Chaz Davies for the ParkinGO Triumph team in World Supersport. As even more riders defect from the US series, it seems that us Americans will have to get our racing fix in world class racing for 2010.


http://tinyurl.com/y9s894j

Monday Morning Moto News - Back to Work Edition, Part 3

Even more...

Hiroshi Aoyama has been testing with his electronics package switched off on his MotoGP machine. Someone thought to ask why, and we now have an explanation from his technical director, Tom Jojic. In short, they are doing it to allow Aoyama to explore the potential of the motorcycle first - afterwards, they may go right back to the electronics to aid him in gaining the extra he needs to win. Makes some sense...

http://tinyurl.com/yekxw8f

And, finally (for this morning, anyway) we have an exclusive interview with Nicky Hayden from MotorcycleUSA. Mostly, this deals with last season, but there is some good news for 2010 as well. Nicky improved on the Desmosedici almost every race in 2009, so 2010 should be a good year for him now that he will also have more practice with the machine and team.

http://tinyurl.com/ycnhpwc

Marco Simoncelli Is Happy to be Testing in Malaysia

At the Sepang Circuit in Malaysia, Simoncelli is having his rookie test on the Honda RC212V he will be racing next year in the MotoGP Championship. His Gresini team is there with him for this rookie test and he really seems to be enjoying himself on the track. It will certainly make him a threat in 2010.

http://tinyurl.com/yddhec4

LCR Honda Wants Top Privateer Honor in MotoGP

Colin Edwards and Tech 3 took the honor in 2009, but LCR Honda and rider Randy de Puniet want to take it in 2010. With rider de Puniet at the controls of an even more advanced Honda in 2010, they do have a chance. Honda will be providing the satellite teams with similar support to what the factory team is receiving. We will see how it all works out next season...

http://tinyurl.com/yfqscbv

Simoncelli Testing in Sepang With San Carlo Honda Gresini

Marco Simoncelli will be testing with the Gresini Honda team in Sepang during 21 - 23 December 2009. Again, nothing has been officially released from the MotoGP bosses (Dorna and FIM) about rookie testing time, but many are out testing their new machines during this off season. Well, the more time these newbies get on their MotoGP bikes, the better for everyone...

http://tinyurl.com/yf86atn

Scot Honda Racing Withdraws from 2010 MotoGP Series

Scot Racing has not yet obtained the 2010 Honda MotoGP machine, so they are left with only one choice - withdraw from the top series. They will remain in the Moto2 series, so they will have a presence in the paddock, but not in the MotoGP Championship. Alex de Angelis now does not have a ride for 2010. Sad news...another team gone leaving only 17 riders confirmed for 2010.

http://tinyurl.com/yg2ulzs

Hiroshi Aoyama Rides the Honda RC212V at Valencia

So, we all know that MotoGP teams have been testing at Valencia since Monday. But, what we could use to know is how Aoyama is doing with the RC212V - well, we may know some of that as well since he does like the machine and "thoroughly enjoyed the experience." He was recruited by Daniel Epp to ride the Honda for the new Interwetten MotoGP team in 2010. He actually rode the Honda bare - no electronic aids - and still managed to turn in good times for his first ride on the machine.

http://tinyurl.com/yklwt2b

More From Valencia MotoGP Testing - Simoncelli and Melandri

Marco Simoncelli was astounded by the power of the Honda RC212V MotoGP bike during his first practice aboard the machine. He really liked what it had to offer, but he also sees a long learning curve ahead. On the other hand, Marco Melandri also liked the RC212V, but it was something he knew at least a little since he rode with Honda back in 2007; still, the bike had changed since he last threw a leg over it. He did outdo his best time on the Kawasaki during Sunday's race. Aoyama and Barbera also participated in this test...

http://tinyurl.com/yb3vksm

Some good photos from the event: http://tinyurl.com/ylbl9f6

MotoGP Evolution of a Species from Duke Video

A lovely and well-made (as we have come to expect from recent Duke Video releases) documentary focusing on the development of the current four-stroke MotoGP race bike. The video covers 2002 through 2009. It shows how these prototype motorcycles were first developed and the influence of electronics on them and the riders who race them. There is much more contained within. The DVD has been officially released today at £19.56 and can be found at your local video store (most likely in England only) or online.

http://tinyurl.com/ydtspzz

(The entry on the other side of the link has many factual and spelling errors.)

Another Update: Honda Adding Additional RC212V for Aoyama

We all read the news about current front-runner in the 250c.c. Grand Prix class, Hiroshi Aoyama, getting a MotoGP ride. But, here is more information on the new team and Honda machine which he will ride...

http://tinyurl.com/ya9yg65

Honda Improves Satellite Team's Chances in MotoGP

Honda has moved ahead in at least one aspect of racing. They are going to allow their satellite efforts to 'buy in' to the top of the line improvements to their RC212V during the MotoGP season. This will allow those teams to be more competitive in the MotoGP Championship. This is largely responsible for de Puniet signing with LCR again for 2010.

http://tinyurl.com/llmb6e