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Tuesday, 11 March 2008 |
With just days to go before the 2008 FIM World Enduro Championship begins with the Grand Prix of Sweden, the UFO Corse Yamaha team are busy putting the final touches to what they are confident will be a successful season with their WR450F and WR250F machinery. The series opener is being staged for the third successive season in Ostersund, deep within the heart of Scandinavia’s frozen north, the 16-day championship only weeks later will head to warmer climes in Portugal and Spain before continuing to travel through southern Europe eventually ending in France in mid-October.
The only event of the year in which competitors are required to use spiked tyres to wade through the snow and ice, the Grand Prix of Sweden will once again present many unique challenges to the world’s best riders as they battle against the winter conditions. The expected sub-zero temperatures and heavily rutted snow-covered special tests require a dedicated approach and mindset. With the demands of the course and climate taken into consideration the first round of the ’08 WEC campaign will undoubtedly be a memorable one.
For the UFO Corse Yamaha team’s number one Enduro 2 class rider, Johnny Aubert, 2008 is set to be a hugely important - and extremely challenging - season as he bids to claim his first enduro world championship. A proven WEC race-winner, the Frenchman will face the world’s most successful enduro rider – seven-time world champion Juha Salminen - in what is expected to be the closest fought tussle in any of the WEC classes this year. Having showed that he has the speed at the highest level following several dominant wins during the ’07 series, Aubert, who enters his third full term of international enduro competition, knows that winning the chilly season-opener will be a tall order but is confident that he has what it takes to win the coveted E2 crown.
“My goal is nothing less than to win the Enduro 2 world championship this season,” comments Aubert. “Last year I proved that I could win races and although I wasn’t able to take the E2 title I ended the season well by topping the last round of the series and by winning the International Six Days Enduro in Chile. It certainly won’t be easy to beat Salminen but I am ready to fight.” |
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Monday, 10 March 2008 |
Reed seventh in Daytona quagmire
The heavens opened and created a swamp at the Daytona Speedway for the tenth round of the 2008 AMA Supercross series, a FIM World Championship. Yamaha San Manuel's Chad Reed was three corners from his seventh victory of the season before being forced to retire.
To make matters worse for the Australian he was later penalised for cutting the sodden track and dropped to seventh place for his lowest standing of the season so far. Despite the drama and eventual outcome, the 25 year old still leads the championship by 23 points with seven rounds remaining.
The deluge of rain on Saturday ruined the outdoor course partly designed by AMA legend Ricky Carmichael. The races in both Supercross and Lites classes were only just able to start, with some American sources describing the conditions as the worst ever seen for a SX event.
Reed - like most of the riders - was barely recognisable after the first few corners and fought in the early stages with Kevin Windham before being able to make a break, although the battle of attrition would be lost mere metres from the flag.
"It just sucked water and mud through the air boot," said Larry Brooks, San Manuel Yamaha team manager. "There was standing water on the track, and the bike sucked water and dirt, and when he stopped to line up for a rut, it just had no compression, got stuck in some mud and stopped. He had a minute and 15 second lead with three corners to go and couldn't finish, so obviously he's upset, but stuff happens. We should be happy that he got those points and move on to the next one."
Brand-mate Josh Hill has a similar problem after four laps. Reed was still the top ranked Yamaha finisher with seventh while Nathan Ramsey managed to take twelfth. There were no top ten entrants in the Lites division.
Round eleven takes place next weekend at the HHH Metrodome in Minneapolis. |
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Sunday, 09 March 2008 |
Fiat Yamaha Team rider Jorge Lorenzo sealed a weekend to remember in Qatar at the first ever MotoGP night race by finishing second on an impressive premier-class debut. The reigning double 250cc World Champion started from pole for the fifth consecutive year at this track, following three 250cc and one 125cc pole, and proved he will be a force to reckon with in 2008 with a mature ride to the runner-up spot behind Casey Stoner.
Lorenzo made a tentative start and dropped several places from his starting position, crossing the line after the first lap in fourth. The first eight laps were something of a dog-fight with the front six riders trading places back and forth several times, but the Yamaha rookie kept his head through the melee and gradually worked his way forward, eventually passing Rossi to take second behind Stoner on lap 9. He hung on to the World Champion for a while but gradually the stress of the first part of the race took its toll and the 20-year-old began to tire and suffer pain in his arms. He eventually crossed the line 5.323 seconds behind Stoner but the same distance clear of third-placed Dani Pedrosa.
Jorge Lorenzo - Position: 2nd Time: +5.323
"For sure I couldn't have expected a better debut than this and I am very, very excited to be on the podium. Second place is an amazing result for me and I had great fun. The start and first few laps were a bit crazy and really a bit of a scary time for me, but anyway I managed to make it through and get past some riders to get to second. I started to go with Stoner but after a while I became very tired and I started to have a lot of pressure and pain in my arms, so I really couldn't push any more! Anyway he was faster than us and I want to say congratulations to him because he deserved to win tonight. I think if I could have got a better start, maybe I wouldn't have got so tired later on and I would have been able to keep a better rhythm, but anyway I don't think I can ask for more than this tonight. I want to thank Yamaha and Michelin for all the hard work they have put in over the winter to get me to this point, and of course my team for all of their work. I don't want to start talking about the championship yet because this is only my first race, and now we will go to Jerez and do our very best again there and see what happens!"
Daniele Romagnoli - Team Manager
"What a weekend! After a long winter it was great to finally arrive at the race and all of us in the team really enjoyed watching Jorge make such a fantastic debut. We couldn't have asked for more and to do what he's done here is really fantastic. From now on it will be easier for him because he will know what to expect from a MotoGP race, and of course we've also collected some important information about his race performance to help us to improve his package. Thank you to the team, to Yamaha and to Michelin for doing a great job throughout the winter and tonight and well done once again to Jorge."
Masahiko Nakajima - Team Director
"The biggest problem here has been the track temperature but Michelin did a very good job here to counteract a difficult situation and their tyres have worked very well. We managed to find a good set-up for Jorge and we are very pleased with his first race. It's impressive that such a young rookie can do so well in such a tough race so a big congratulations to him for a brilliant second place." |
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Monday, 03 March 2008 |
After missing the top five in an AMA Supercross event for the first time in 88 starts last week Yamaha's Chad Reed bounced back to record his sixth victory of the season and finished ahead of brand-mate Josh Hill at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis last weekend. The Australian headed a YZ450F '1-2' on the podium of the ninth round from seventeen in the series - an FIM World Championship - to give Yamaha their fourth win at the venue and first since 2002.
The 25 year old, who took some time to get into a rhythm during practice on a track he helped design, determinedly seized the holeshot and disappeared with the main event Saturday evening in front of Hill and Andrew Short. It was his first ever SX class success in Indianapolis although the result did extend his impressive tally of five podiums in five starts at the Dome.
"I struggled in practice - I was second both times - and I think that wasn't cool to design the track and then not be the fastest guy," he commented. "But I redeemed myself in the main, and it just feels awesome to be back up where we belong."
"I'm so happy to get this win," added Reed who had gone two rounds without a triumph after previously setting a record with victory in every Californian event. "A second place and a sixth position really isn't that bad, but in my book, it sucks. I just wanted to get back out here and get on top. I'm just looking forward to Daytona now. It's one of my favourite races in the world, and I can't wait." |
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