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.

Some More MotoGP Post-Qatar Test Stories

Well, it seems that Dani Pedrosa is not too happy with where his team is at present. Much more needs to be done before the racing can start for Repsol Honda.

http://tinyurl.com/yzff56f

In other Repsol Honda news, Andrea Dovizioso is more than happy to face his first race in 2010. Dovizioso has been the top Honda rider through the testing and his season looks on track.

http://tinyurl.com/ygzqrlu

Gresini Honda riders Marco Melandri and Marco Simoncelli had a bad test at Qatar as well. The team has now called on Honda to help them out and discover why these two could not break the top 10 during practice...something is not right.

http://tinyurl.com/yk8pjt5

And, well, Valentino Rossi is quite happy with the Yamaha YZR-M1 so far this year. After all, he has led just about every preseason test so far...

http://tinyurl.com/yj2xgcp

More Morning Moto News - XDL Championships, FB Corse & Colin Edwards

The XDL Championship Series was also running an event at Daytona Bike Week in Florida this week. The event went well even if the weather was not cooperating. They have even expanded the women's series of the Championship and put them right up there with the males in the sport. Another change was to the format - allowing two runs versus one in previous years. So, who won - well, none other than reigning champion Yamaha-mounted Bill Dixon. Dena Sodano took the win on the women's side.

http://tinyurl.com/y9stg73

The FB Corse MotoGP team will begin testing in a few weeks - in mid-March - with Gary McCoy. They will be at the Valencia circuit from 15 - 17 March. It has to show that it is competitive against the current MotoGP machines before it will be allowed to race alongside them. They had better get this test right...or, they will be in for a long fight to get into the Championship.

http://tinyurl.com/ydyt2c3

http://tinyurl.com/yf7h3tr

Colin Edwards is very happy with the current state of the Yamaha YZR-M1 machine. He believes that Yamaha is doing a good job of developing the machine to be competitive in the MotoGP series. They seem to have done him right for a change...the season will tell us more.

http://tinyurl.com/ye6vas3

MORE Morning Moto News - MotoGP Sepang Testing: Espargaro, Simoncelli & Stoner

Continuing from the last post, we have more on that MotoGP test in Malaysia.

Next up is the story of Aleix Espargaro, who will be in his first full year in the MotoGP series in 2010. His practice went very well; of course, it helped that he had those three appearances last year on a similar machine. He will be another great rider in the top world series, so keep an eye on him.

http://tinyurl.com/y8jrkhd

Marco Simoncelli crashed hard at Sepang, and this hampered his testing at the circuit. He had bike setup problems and had some tough work to get his machine working as he wanted it. They did finally make some positive movements towards the end of the test, though, so it could be much better the next time he takes it to the track.

http://tinyurl.com/yaxm52y

Casey Stoner is not worried about the performance of the Yamaha YZR-M1 at the Sepang test. As he says, it is only the first official test and his team is working on many aspects of the Ducati Desmosedici. Plus, no one ever notices an advantage of one machine over another until some racing has been done. So, we will wait to see whether the M1 is even better than 2009.

http://tinyurl.com/ya6y4b8

Saturday Afternoon Moto News - Tech 3 Yamaha & Vulcan 900 Custom SE

The 2010 Yamaha YZR-M1 MotoGP is much better than it was expected to be. With the new six engine limit in the series, many thought that the bikes would lose some performance. However, based on the testing in Malaysia, it looks like that was all wrong. In fact, Colin Edwards is very happy with the power from the M1 - they believe that the 2010 engine is superior to the 2009 engine that started the season. It could be that the new rules just make the prototype motorcycles better!

http://tinyurl.com/yl8zxaf

From the green manufacturer, Kawasaki, comes the 2010 Vulcan 900 Custom SE. While not the largest cruiser-type motorcycle on the planet, it certainly behaves like it does not care. The engine is lively, the frame rigid, and the suspension is top-notch for this price range. This Japanese V-twin will put to shame many larger 'American-made' bikes in the same category. It is worth looking into and even taking a ride.

http://tinyurl.com/ygu2b58

More Morning Moto News - Julian Simon, WSBK & Burgess

After a great deal of negotiating and work, it seems that the Aspar Moto2 team will be using a RSV chassis after all. Julian Simon has tested many Moto2 machines and he, and his team, like the RSV frame with the 600c.c. Honda engine. They were going to use an Aprilia frame, but Aprilia cancelled their Moto2 project and left the team hanging. Now they are back at it and happy with what they have.

http://tinyurl.com/yhhsmcx

And, there are more post-practice reports from the World Superbike test at Portimao in Portugal over the weekend. If you want to know more about the behind-the-scenes and get some info which may not have popped up in the simple timesheets posted, this is the time to do so. Their next test will be at Phillip Island where the 2010 season starts.

http://tinyurl.com/ygs4pqt

http://tinyurl.com/yzqrvj7

http://tinyurl.com/ye6qsou

Jeremy Burgess has nothing but good things to say about the Yamaha YZR-M1 MotoGP bike. He really believes that when all of the statistics are written and people look back on the M1, it will go down as one of the best race bikes on the planet. Well, with as many championships as Rossi has brought for the factory, I doubt anyone will disagree.

http://tinyurl.com/yg85bh7

And, More Morning News - Fiat Yamaha, Moto2 & Motohansa

Fiat Yamaha will be unveiling their livery at the first day of the Malaysian test on 4 February 2010. Basically, it's a big media day and photos of the bikes and riders - Rossi and Lorenzo - will be encouraged. If you are in the press, this is for you.

http://tinyurl.com/y8krw42

The most popular chassis in Moto2 may be the Sutter MMX - up to a third of competitors in the class may be using their product. Sutter MMX is based in Switzerland and made the frames for the Kawasaki MotoGP teams, plus they will be making all of the slipper clutches used in the series. They were lucky in being the first to get prices out and have product ready for testing, and that is why they seem to be in the front of everyone else at this point.

http://tinyurl.com/y9ec2wo

Turns out that the BMW S1000RR will be seen in the Australian Superstock 1000 series this season. The Motohansa team has joined up with Laser Exhaust to field Jeremy Crowe on the machine at select ASBK rounds throughout the year. Perhaps they will make it a full-time effort before season's end.

http://tinyurl.com/yztx4nj

Ben Spies Will NOT Participate in MotoGP Rookie Tests

Herve Poncharal, Tech 3 Yamaha boss, has said that Spies does not need to have the test as he will have plenty of time to adapt to the YZR-M1. Poncharal is even upset at the MotoGP bosses for allowing the extra tests considering the dire financial straights of the industry now. I can understand where he is coming from, but even the best riders need practice.

http://tinyurl.com/yesaobz

Tech 3 Yamaha Looks to Win Races in 2010 MotoGP Season

First we hear from Colin Edwards and how he believes that Ben Spies will be a real challenge in the 2010 MotoGP Championship. He really thinks that Spies will be a solid force in his new role at Tech 3 - and who can argue with him after Spies took the WSBK Championship in his first year there. Of course, the MotoGP motorcycle is very different from the Superbike.

http://tinyurl.com/yh4prbd

Next, it the new is from Herve Poncharal - Tech 3 chief - about 2010 and how much they want a victory in 2010. He, too, believes that Spies will be a threat to win once he gets the YZR-M1 sorted...

http://tinyurl.com/ylkautj

And, Poncharal wants Edwrads to stay with the team even long after he stops racing - that's an indication of just how much the team respects Edwards.

http://tinyurl.com/yckenyr

Even Casey Stoner believes that Spies will be a real force when he joins the Tech 3 team in MotoGP in 2010.

http://tinyurl.com/ya3ql8t

Ben Spies Cautious About MotoGP Debut

Spies is being realistic about his first season in MotoGP in 2010. He had an excellent test on the YZR-M1, but he knows that the task ahead is not an easy one. He will be riding a different bike in a different series against different competitors on many different tracks. That's a great deal of change for him, but he is a multiple-time champion. So, it is likely he will be able to handle it with class and skill...

http://tinyurl.com/yj7aoeh

Valentino Rossi Up for Eurosport-Yahoo's 2009 World Sportsperson Award and More...

Rossi is often at the top of such lists, so this really should not come as too much of a surprise. He has already won several of them - so many, in fact, that he has probably forgotten some of those awards. In the running for the Eurosport-Yahoo's 2009 World Sportsperson award are also Usain Bolt, Jenson Button, Kim Clijsters, and many more. Take the link and we will wait and see who takes the honors...

http://tinyurl.com/yzduloh

Rossi is also in the running for ESPN's People's Choice for Champion of Champions 2009. You can vote here: http://tinyurl.com/yjl9c5p

Yamaha to Have Big Showing at Carole Nash International Show

They may be leaving several racing series around the world and their profits are all but non-existent, but Yamaha will make a full go at it when the Carole Nash International Motorcycle and Scooter show starts at the NEC later this week. Yamaha will have on display several of their new machines along with Toseland's YZR-M1 and Spies' World Championship YZF-R1. Also, noted in this article is the Silverstone booth at the NEC - that is reason enough to attend the show. After all, saving that kind of money on a MotoGP race is something you just do not pass up.

http://tinyurl.com/yfv24z5

Dainese Happy with Lorenzo's D-Air System Activation at Valencia

According to the data recorded when Jorge Lorenzo had a 'moment' on his Yamaha YZR-M1, the new Dainese D-Air System worked perfectly. It inflated and then deflated quickly enough to allow Lorenzo to control his race bike just fine - no interference at all. This proves to the researchers that the D-Air System will not adversely affect a rider when on a motorcycle - even in a MotoGP race. Of course, Lorenzo is not an ordinary rider by any means...

http://tinyurl.com/ylbkpp5

First Report: Post Season MotoGP Testing at Valencia - Stoner Fastest

Casey Stoner lapped the fastest on the new Ducati for 2010; he said that the engine is smoother and the bike is much more controllable. Lorenzo was out testing the new chassis on the YZR-M1 and was quite impressed. Rossi has let us know that the new Yamaha engine will not be ready for testing until the Sepang test next year. For the rest of the news, please take the link and have a read:

http://tinyurl.com/yb8sm68

Yamaha MotoGP Team Conducts Technical Presentation

Since Yamaha has already won the Team, Constructor's and Rider's MotoGP Championship, they gave their annual technical presentation on Friday at the Valencia circuit. There are several details about the YZR-M1 released at the meeting and many of the primary details can be found after the link. Much work was done to conform to the spec tire rule, the new fuel limits, and engine reliability due to the engine limit instituted at Brno. Have a look - you will be interested.

http://tinyurl.com/ycjjzye

Ben Spies Says He Needs a "Miracle" to Grab a Podium in 2010 MotoGP Season

Spies has really taken the time to learn about his competition in the 2010 MotoGP paddock, and he knows it is going to be a tough road in his freshman year. After all, he will have to come up against many racers who have been doing this for a long time - and many of them are used to the style of riding you need to have in that series; it is rather different from a superbike. But, we also know that he won the World Superbike Championship in his rookie year there. I guess he is trying to tame any expectations that fans may have since most people do not know how different the prototype bikes in MotoGP actually are from his YZF-R1.

http://tinyurl.com/yb99fep

Yamaha Displays Ben Spies' YZR-M1 Livery

Well, not much to this, really. The photo pretty much tells the story. Spies' M1 will sport graphics based on his Sterilgarda R1 in World Superbike. It will also have his number prominently displayed. Just have a look at the photo...and take the link if you want to hear Spies' comments.

http://tinyurl.com/yeuhkzg

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.)

Ben Spies to Ride as 'Wild Card' at Valencia MotoGP Round

Well, he has signed on to race in the series for 2010, so why not give him a chance to run with his future series competitors in MotoGP. Yamaha will provide him with a YZR-M1 test bike from Japan.

http://tinyurl.com/y8z3r9e

New UK Shop in Surrey Gives One More Place to Get MotoGP Race Replica

As of this writing, the Surrey shop Carbontek will paint and modify the Yamaha YZF-R1 as either Tech 3 rider Colin Edwards' or Fiat Yamaha rider Valentino Rossi's YZR-M1. They use only top-of-the-line parts and accessories and they paint on the graphics - not a single sticker! Check it out...

http://tinyurl.com/klveqf