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 MotoGP Qatar Test News

There are more stories from the recent night-time Qatar preseason test this past Thursday and Friday, and they will be posted here for your perusal. We all know that Casey Stoner finally took the top spot on the final day of practice, but he was only a few hundredths of a second ahead of Valentino Rossi, and Rossi is well-known to sand-bag. So, let's have a look...

More on Casey Stoner: http://tinyurl.com/yhm6wtx

If you head to this landing page today, you will get all the MotoGP team reports on the Friday practice: http://tinyurl.com/yznyogq

Randy de Puniet: http://tinyurl.com/yfogl7n

BMW S1000RR Ready to Go in Oz & MotoGP Testing in Qatar

The BMW S1000RR will also be campaigned in Australia - as readers of this blog will no doubt already know - in both the Asutralian Superbike Championship and in Australian Formula Xtreme. Craig Coxhell, a privateer champion, will be taking the new machine to the tracks in the ASBK series. And, the Motohansa Laser Exhaust Race Team will be fielding Jeremy Crowe in the Formula Xtreme Championship. For all the information, please take the link.

http://tinyurl.com/yky94eq

We have several reports coming in from the MotoGP preseason test at Qatar. I have already linked you to the team press releases in a previous post and, since there are so many of the other reports, I will simply place links here for you to peruse to find any story you may be looking for...

A little on Lorenzo: http://tinyurl.com/yzpd5w

More on Rossi: http://tinyurl.com/yzwm2o8

Bit about Repsol Honda: http://tinyurl.com/ygez35z

Second day early results: http://tinyurl.com/yj9eb6f

MotoGP Qatar Test Team Press Releases & Maria Costello Returns

From each team after every MotoGP event of just about any kind, you will get a press release from each team letting the world know how well the team did and details on the happenings during the event. For the MotoGP test yesterday at Qatar we now have these from each team. If you take the link below today, you will get to see a list of every team's reports. If you click on it tomorrow, you will likely see the PR from today, so go there now if you want to look up Thursday's team press releases.

http://tinyurl.com/yznyogq

Maria Costello has not really been gone, but the fact remains that she is returning to the Isle of Man TT in 2010. She will be riding a BMW S1000RR, supplied by the factory and thus becoming part of their effort to capture some wins at the TT. Given the performance of the new BMW, Costello may have a chance to become an even faster 'fastest woman on the TT'!

http://tinyurl.com/ygk7u7q

MotoGP Qatar Test Approach, Silverstone Visit Guide & Leon Haslam Interview

That's right! It's the last preseason test for MotoGP and it will be held in Qatar during 18 - 19 March 2010. Who will come out ahead - well, doubtless it will be Rossi - but who will fill in behind him? Only the test will give us the answers. For more about it, please take the link.

http://tinyurl.com/yz4dezf

If you have ever wanted to attend a race at the historic Silverstone circuit in the UK, we now have a way to find a good hotel near the track. The Silverstone Accommodation Guide has just launched and it is now available for you to find a place to lay your head. Check it out...

http://tinyurl.com/yetlgr7

It's a relatively short interview with the World Superbike Championship Alstare Suzuki rider Leon Haslam, but it is a good one. This is even more important when you consider that he is sitting at the top of the overall points standings as of the first race at Phillip Island - the man is on fire! So, what does he think of the win, of the season ahead and his team's chances? Well, take the link to find out!

http://tinyurl.com/ydz69zz

Thursday Morning Moto News - Vesrah Suzuki, Leon Haslam & Jorge Lorenzo

Vesrah Suzuki had a decent Daytona experience - well, at least rider Cory West as Jeff Wood was the victim of an unfortunate competitors engine oil which forced him to retire. West, though, took sixth place in the Daytona 200 after only having about a week to get ready for the event. They now have three times as much time to get ready for the next round...do you see a championship in their future?

http://tinyurl.com/yekwvb6

Leon Haslam, of the World Superbike series, says that the next event will be much tougher on all riders. Given that this was the first real race of the season in WSBK, there were teething problems for all teams as they adjusted to their new organizations and bikes. That means that by the next event, many teams will have things dialed in better. Look for it all to heat up even more as 2010 continues...

http://tinyurl.com/yev6j66

New rumors say that Jorge Lorenzo will be in good enough shape to participate in the final MotoGP pre-season test in Qatar next weekend (18 - 19 March 2010). Lorenzo and his team will use the time on the track to see how well his injuries have healed, thus telling them how well he can handle his race machine, the YZR-M1. Only some time on the track will allow them to judge it properly. This is good news as he was expected to miss this test entirely...

http://tinyurl.com/ybfxm2x

A Busy Wednesday Morning - Moto Race News from All Over, Part 4

Valentino Rossi has accepted another offer to drive in a Ferrari Formula 1 machine. He will be testing the Ferrari F2008 at Barcelona during 20 - 21 January 2010. It was promised to him if he picked up the 2009 MotoGP championship, so they are now delivering. Must be nice to get such promises...

http://tinyurl.com/yjjyopt

Further Rossi news involves an Italian sports poll. The poll found that Rossi tops a list of athletes, also containing Michael Schumacher and Sébastien Loeb, as the leading athlete of the decade (of course, we all know that the decade is yet to be over). That is huge as he is placed well above the two mentioned here and another very long list of incredible sports personalities...Go Rossi!

http://tinyurl.com/ydtpzjd

On 17 March 2010, the newly minted FB Corse racing team will be attending the Qatar MotoGP test. They will not make the Sepang test, but they will certainly be ready for Qatar in March. (Some of this was in a previous post about the rider selection.) It appears that FB Corse is sure to compete in the 2010 MotoGP Championship - I hope you will join me in telling them 'Good Luck!'

http://tinyurl.com/yeeyq3r

Marco Simoncelli will not be making nice with Alvaro Bautista or Hector Barbera in the MotoGP paddock this season. Given all of the feuds between them in the 250 World Championship series, he has stated that they are still behaving the same way towards him, so he will return the attitude their way by ignoring them. Sounds a bit childish, but racers have to be competitive and maybe this will help drive Simoncelli harder in MotoGP...

http://tinyurl.com/ychwv8y

Yamaha Austria Racing Team Wins 8 Hours of Doha and Championship

Finally, there are some results from Qatar! The last we heard, the Yamaha Austria Racing Team (YART) was in the lead, and they managed to carry on in the lead until the last lap. So, Igor Jerman, Steve Martin and Gwen Giabbani took the victory at the track. In second place is - well, we expected this - Phase One Yamaha, consisting of James Ellison, Pedro Vallcaneras and Glen Richards. Third place was taken by the Kawasaki team of Horst Saiger, Eric Mizera and Patric Muff. Looks like YART has yet another championship season - by a wide margin of points!

http://tinyurl.com/yl4qyqt

More on Ellison and Richards: http://tinyurl.com/ykmzjl7

Yamaha Austria Racing Team Leads 8 Hours of Doha

Yamaha Austria Racing Team riders Igor Jerman, Steve Martin and Gwen Giabbani are holding the lead at the endurance event in Qatar. Phase One - including BSB ace James Ellison - is back in second place now. And, BK Maco Moto rider Jason Pridmore had a nasty crash which broke his collarbone. In the Superstock class, the Suzuki Qatar Endurance Racing Team is in the lead, but fifth place overall. Almost over...

http://tinyurl.com/yj5ztw4

James Ellison Takes Superpole at 8 Hours of Doha

This is the final race on the calendar for the FIM Endurance World Championship and the second place finisher in British Superbike, James Ellison, has taken pole position for the race this weekend. American Jason Pridmore is back in third position with his BK Maco Moto Racing team. In between the two is the Honda Michelin Power Research Team and their rider Hugo Marchand. It will be a good weekend in Qatar for motorcycle racing...

http://tinyurl.com/yfytlva

Phase One also fastest in warm up before race: http://tinyurl.com/ylxv788

Qatar's Losail Circuit Wins MotoGP 'Circuit of the Year' Award

The award will be presented to the Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF) on Sunday after the final MotoGP race of the season. Qatar has become a favorite circuit to some riders - and it is was the first ever night MotoGP race, which has become the norm at that location now. The circuit is going to go through several improvements over the winter in preparation for rider testing and the first round of the 2010 MotoGP season.

http://tinyurl.com/yhydceq

Alex and Damian Cudlin are Laid-Off from Phase One Yamaha Endurance Team

The team simply did not have enough budget to keep them on. They have brought in Australian Glen Richards and James Ellison for the final event of the Endurance World Championship at Doha, Qatar. Even worse for the Cudlin brothers, they have not had the best season this year. I think you will agree with me when I wish the Australian brothers the best of luck in gaining employment for next season!

http://tinyurl.com/ygaft94

FIM World Endurance Heads to Qatar

The World Championship crown has already been won by Yamaha Austria (another Yamaha championship), and the Superstock World Cup has also been decided - Qatar Endurance Racing Team took that one. But, the other finishers - runner-up positions - are still to be decided. So, if you can watch it or attend it, expect some great racing! If not, well, watch this blog for results...

http://tinyurl.com/y997j9e

Road Racerhead from Road Racer X - Stories from Around the Motorcycle Racing World

There is news about the World Endurance series and the finale scheduled for Doha, Qatar. The WERA West series will be in Las Vegas. And, as we all know by now - Ben Spies is World Superbike Champion and Valentino Rossi is MotoGP World Champion. Plus, there is the matter of Yamaha pulling out of AMA/DMG Pro Racing and leaving it all up to Graves Racing. There is much more as well - most of it covered on this blog, but some of it missed, so head on over and have a read of one of my favorite magazines...

http://tinyurl.com/ybddrcn