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Monday, 25 May 2009 00:00 |
The 2009 Yamaha YZF-R1 is proving to be a formidable weapon in the hands of Yamaha Motor Germany rider Jörg Teuchert in the German IDM Superbike Championship.
Teuchert put in a masterful display of riding at the season opener on 26th April at the EuroSpeedway, Lausitz circuit, dominating from the start to take the chequered flag in both heats. Round two at the Motorsport Arena, Oschersleben saw more of the same adrenalin fuelled racing with the German rider one step ahead of the competition for both races on the day. Teuchert now leads the championship with 100 points and an unblemished record heading into the next round.
“Anyone who knows me and my team knows we are here to win,” said Jörg. “Obviously a second or third place is good, no doubt but I want to win the championship!”
Team-mate and 2008 Women’s European Champion Nina Prinz is also adapting well to her new R1. Prinz continues to impress as the only woman in the IDM field, she scored a 17th and a 14th place finish at Lausitz and then improved to take an 8th and a 14th place finish at Oschersleben. The first race in particular saw an incredible start with Nina taking 13 places in the first lap. She currently sits 15th in the championship on 12 points. The following round at Nurburgring is a favourite for her, last year’s race was the first time she finished inside the top ten so she’s hopeful of good results.
“The last race weekend was really good, Saturday was a little difficult as I crashed in the first qualifying after five laps,” said Prinz. “I lost both the tyres at same time, and touched the ground with the engine. Sunday was crazy, there were a lot of crashes in the first race and the start was stopped twice. The first race was great for me though, I started in 24th and got to 11th after one lap. I’ve also had new suspension since the last round, so the front forks are really comfortable now.”
The German IDM Superbike Championship now moves to the famous Nürburgring circuit on 29th to 31st May. |
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Wednesday, 20 May 2009 00:00 |
As the European Superstock championship gets underway it’s becoming clear that one bike is all you need to win. In the three rounds so far the Yamaha YZF-R6 has dominated every race.
As the first opening race of the season kicked off in Valencia on 5th April, It was Yamaha Italia Junior Trasimeno Team rider Petrucci who claimed the chequered flag and set the pace for the season. Stepping up behind him for the second podium spot was another Yamaha R6, Belgian MTM Racing Team rider Lonbois. Of the top seven finishers on race day, no less than six were riding an R6, a testament to the abilities of the Supersport machine.
As the championship moved on to round two in Assen, it was to be another showing of Yamaha Supersport dominance. Two more podiums came with the Dutch V.D. Heyden Motors Yamaha Rider Litjens taking second and MRS Racing rider Guarnoni taking the third spot. Of the top four, three were R6 riders.
Monza, and round three followed on the 10th May at the legendary Italian cathedral of speed. Come race day and there was no question as to which bike was going to deliver on the demanding circuit. With its high speed straights and tight chicanes Monza is one of the toughest races in the calendar, but the Yamaha didn’t disappoint here. Taking his second successive win of the season, first place was taken by Danilo Petrucci after a hard fought battle with three other Yamaha R6 riders. Lonbois took second and Guarnoni took third, making it an all Yamaha podium. The fourth placed Yamaha came in the shape of Petrucci’s Yamaha Italia Junior Trasimeno team-mate, Bussolotti, who finished just off the podium in fourth.
Petrucci now leads the UEM European Superstock 600 Championship with 50 points, tied with second placed Gino Rea. Guarnoni sits in third on 43 points whilst Lonbois is in fourth with 40. With Litjens, Bussolotti and Kerschenbaumer (BWIN Yoshimura Racing, Austria) occupying the other spots in the top seven and Polish rider Chmielewski (Team Trasimeno) on a shared ninth position, the Yamaha R6 is clearly dominating the 2009 championship.
The next round of the championship will be held in Misano on the 21st of June. |
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Monday, 18 May 2009 00:00 |
Yamaha Monster Energy Motocross Team's David Philippaerts scored his second podium result of the season and his best result of 2009 so far with second position at a sunny, hot and crowded Bellpuig circuit for the Grand Prix of Catalunya and the sixth round of the FIM MX1-GP World Championship. The defending number one defied pain and discomfort with the left index finger he broke only one week ago to steer his YZ450FM to two third positions in front of 20,000 spectators. There were actually two Yamaha's present in the top three as Yamaha Red Bull De Carli's Antonio Cairoli finished third overall and won the second moto to grab his sixth chequered flag from the last eight sprints.
Hard-pack, dusty and increasingly rough, the Bellpuig terrain was a major contrast to the 2008 event in which the Grand Prix was washed out with a deluge of rain. Yamaha were able to celebrate a double pole position (the second this season) on a very warm Saturday thanks to Cairoli's second qualification heat win of the year and Davide Guarneri starting well to lead home the MX2 field. Saturday was a positive day for Cairoli as he was fastest in both practice sessions and then completed a perfect set with the chequered flag for first pick in the gate for Sunday.
The first moto took place in the hottest conditions of the year and Philippaerts capitalised on a good start to push and hound Clement Desalle for second position for virtually the entire race. The 25 year old underwent three days of treatment in the UK prior to the GP. The team also adjusted the clutch lever and added some extra protection to the bars. Cairoli had collided with Billy Mackenzie on the second lap and although he flew back from eighteenth to fourth (in spite of a leaking fuel tank, picked up in the fall) he then tried to overtake Josh Coppins and hit the ground again in a small error of judgement. The Sicilian and world championship leader crossed the line in eighth and with a set of sore ribs.
In the second moto Philippaerts was again a protagonist and worked hard in third position to catch and pass Mackenzie. Cairoli followed his countryman until the closing stages when he pulled ahead and then pursued leader Max Nagl. A mistake by the German allowed '222' to get close to his back wheel and he moved into the lead on the penultimate lap to make the bottom step of the rostrum; his fourth consecutive trophy this year and also increase his championship lead by 11 points.
Yamaha Monster Energy Motocross Team's Josh Coppins was sixth overall with finishes of fourth and eighth. The New Zealander was proactive at the start of the motos but did not have the speed or extra energy to be able to push and affect the leaders.
Cairoli's team-mate, Tanel Leok, had a difficult day. The Estonian made a mistake and crashed on the first lap and was halted from restarting by many riders clipping both the rider and the bike as they filtered past. Well down the field he recovered to eighth by the end. Two more errors and some brake trouble in Moto2 could only mean thirteenth at the end of the afternoon for a ranking of tenth overall.
Four Yamahas lie in the first six positions in the world championship standings and the brand also heads the Manufacturer's table by 48 points. Cairoli holds the red plate with an advantage of 36 points from Bellpuig winner Jonathan Barragan. Coppins is fourth and 56 from the top spot, Philippaerts is fifth and trails his team-mate by one point while Leok is sixth.
Round seven of the world championship will take place in two weeks time at the purpose-built track draped across the side of the Mallory Park road racing facility in England for the British Grand Prix.
David Philippaerts, Yamaha Monster Energy MX Team, 2nd:
"I did not expect this because my thumb gave me a lot of problems yesterday, but today I could ride well and quite easily and I am really happy for the result; it is a bit of a surprise. I did not do any training since Portugal, only treatment, so I felt a bit tired towards the end of the second moto but obviously I am really pleased with two third positions. My doctor believes that I should be almost back to normal for the next Grand Prix."
Antonio Cairoli, Yamaha Red Bull De Carli, 3rd:
"In the first moto I made two mistakes and when I crashed with Josh it was my fault because I was going for his line and just caught his back wheel. With Mackenzie the first time I think it was a normal pass but he cut the line and we both went down. My fuel tank was actually damaged after that so I was going easy on the gas because I did not want to run out before the end of the race. I still could make the best lap-time and the moment with Josh was a shame, it also hurt some of my ribs although the pain was not so bad by the start of the second race. I lost some time at the beginning of the second moto but I found the right lines and even copied a few from Jonathan when he overtook me for a while! I felt really good, and when I saw Nagl make a mistake I pushed hard for the win."
Josh Coppins, Yamaha Monster Energy MX Team, 6th:
"I had some good starts and my riding was not too bad but I did not have much power today; I did the best I could do. I am not sure what the problem is at the moment but I felt tired and struggled in the second moto. There is not much more I can really say."
Tanel Leok, Yamaha Red Bull De Carli, 10th:
"A bad day. I felt good and the speed was fine but I was getting things wrong. In the second moto I hit someone's back wheel and he spun out so I was stuck behind him and was really far back, I crashed again and then had a stone jamming the rear brake so after two laps without a brake I stopped to take it out. I fell again later after that, I tried too hard to get back near the front and was making mistakes; it was not my day."
Circuit Length: 1630
Crowd: 20,000
Weather: Sunshine
Last Years Winner: Steve Ramon
2009 GP of Spain 17/05/2009
Race 1 - 21 Laps
Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time
1 Jonathan Barragan KTM ESP 40'38.899
2 Clement Desalle Honda BEL 0'10.982
3 David Philippaerts Yamaha ITA 0'11.453
4 Joshua Coppins Yamaha NZL 0'16.273
5 David Vuillemin Kawasaki FRA 0'17.446
6 Gareth Swanepoel Kawasaki RSA 0'18.617
7 Maximilian Nagl KTM GER 0'19.177
8 Antonio Cairoli Yamaha ITA 0'51.165
9 Tanel Leok Yamaha EST 0'54.074
10 Aigar Leok TM EST 1'05.652
11 Billy MacKenzie Honda GBR 1'10.774
12 Julien Bill Aprilia CHE 1'13.182
13 Carlos Campano Yamaha ESP 1'14.266
14 Tom Church CCM GBR 1'26.436
15 Jason Dougan CCM GBR 1'48.844
20 Rob van Vijfeijken Yamaha NED -1Laps
Race 2 - 21 Laps
Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time
1 Antonio Cairoli Yamaha ITA 39'22.225
2 Maximilian Nagl KTM GER 0'01.314
3 David Philippaerts Yamaha ITA 0'13.691
4 Jonathan Barragan KTM ESP 0'18.063
5 Billy MacKenzie Honda GBR 0'20.186
6 Ken De Dycker Suzuki BEL 0'23.058
7 Clement Desalle Honda BEL 0'23.655
8 Joshua Coppins Yamaha NZL 0'23.983
9 David Vuillemin Kawasaki FRA 0'33.488
10 Gregory Aranda Kawasaki FRA 0'39.470
11 Gareth Swanepoel Kawasaki RSA 0'48.519
12 Manuel Priem Aprilia BEL 0'54.672
13 Tanel Leok Yamaha EST 1'02.669
14 Aigar Leok TM EST 1'09.052
15 Gert Krestinov KTM EST 1'13.655
Rider Standings 17/05/2009
Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points
1. Antonio Cairoli Yamaha ITA 231
2. Jonathan Barragan KTM ESP 195
3. Ken De Dycker Suzuki BEL 183
4. Joshua Coppins Yamaha NZL 175
5. David Philippaerts Yamaha ITA 174
6. Clement Desalle Honda BEL 162
7. Tanel Leok Yamaha EST 162
8. Maximilian Nagl KTM GER 155
9. David Vuillemin Kawasaki FRA 101
10. Steve Ramon Suzuki BEL 100
11. Gareth Swanepoel Kawasaki RSA 92
12. Aigar Leok TM EST 85
13. Kevin Strijbos Honda BEL 82
14. Billy MacKenzie Honda GBR 68
15. Gregory Aranda Kawasaki FRA 50
24. Carlos Campano Yamaha ESP 21
28. Rob van Vijfeijken Yamaha NED 13
Manufacturer Standings 17/05/2009
Pos. Manufacturer Points
1. Yamaha 261
2. KTM 213
3. Suzuki 197
4. Honda 196
5. Kawasaki 115
6. TM 85
7. Aprilia 69
8. CCM 38
RACE REPORT 17/05/2009
Guarneri 6th in Catalunya
The sixth round of the MX2-GP World Championship at the Bellpuig circuit for the Grand Prix of Catalunya saw Yamaha Monster Energy Ricci MX Team's Davide Guarneri negotiate the rough and dry Spanish hard-pack to clinch 6th position on his YZ250FM.
The sunny conditions and high temperatures provided completely contrasting racing circumstances compared to the 2008 edition of the event. 20,000 spectators had to deal with sunburn and dust instead of rain and sinking mud. The track was rough and demanding and combined with the climate offered one of the toughest physical tests of the season so far.
Guarneri started from Pole Position for the first time this year and for the first time since 2005. His getaways were not bad but the Italian struggled to make ground on the leaders as they circulated at the same pace. Taking fourth place the winner of the same GP thirteen months ago had some muscle pain in the second moto and scored seventh spot for another consistent points haul.
Team-mate Nico Aubin was feeling better after recovering from his virus and a five-day course of antibiotics. The Frenchman had a poor start in Moto1 but after a few mistakes sailed from twenty-first to eleventh place. In the second race he had to ditch his goggles in the formative stages and although the dust proved hazardous he rode well to reach third place. He was just overtaken by GP winner Jeremy Van Horebeek on the last lap. Aubin was eighth overall.
A first corner crash in Saturday's qualification heat left the third member of the team Loic Larrieu with a painful shoulder. The teenager did not attempt the warm-up and had to make a late decision to withdraw from the Grand Prix. He will have an examination this week to see the extent of the injury.
Italian MX2 Champion Manuel Monni was 10th on the 3C Racing YZ250F.
In the world championship standings Guarneri's regular points-gain means that he is third and only five points away from seizing the red plate. Aubin has made some ground and is seventh while Utag Yamaha.com's Zach Osborne might have been absent with a broken wrist but he still rests eighth in the points table.
Round seven of fifteen will take place in two weeks time at Mallory Park for the British Grand Prix.
Davide Guarneri, Yamaha Monster Energy Ricci MX Team, 6th:
"Yesterday and today my speed was really good but it was very hard to pass on this track. There was one really good line and the rest was really rough, too slippery or very deep. I was third at the start of the first moto but a KTM rider crashed in the second turn and that made me lose positions to sixth. To finish fourth was good for the points. In the second moto the start wasn't great but I pushed hard. I had a small problem with a muscle in my leg and I don't know why. It is where I had the operation in the winter so perhaps it is a little weak. I had a good period in the middle of the race but in the last two laps the pain was too much. It was a shame to miss the podium but we are close all the time and it will arrive."
Nico Aubin, Yamaha Monster Energy Ricci MX Team, 8th:
"I felt better here today but my starts were not that good. I had some decent speed in the first moto and was pleased with my recovery because I was quite far back and it was not easy to pass. In the second moto I had a little problem with my goggles on the second lap and I had to throw them away. It was really hard then to see with all the dust and it made getting closer to riders very difficult. I could see nothing on the last lap and Van Horebeek was able to pass me for third and I was disappointed about that. I need points however and I feel things are getting better for me."
Circuit Length: 1630
Crowd: 20,000
Weather: Sunny
Last Years Winner: Davide Guarneri
2009 GP of Spain 17/05/2009
Race 1 - 20 Laps
Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time
1 Rui Goncalves KTM POR 39'21.424
2 Jeremy Van Horebeek KTM BEL 0'01.818
3 Xavier Boog Suzuki FRA 0'05.871
4 Davide Guarneri Yamaha ITA 0'06.426
5 Steven Frossard Kawasaki FRA 0'07.891
6 Ken Roczen Suzuki GER 0'07.954
7 Anthony Boissi?re KTM FRA 0'24.346
8 Manuel Monni Yamaha ITA 0'29.578
9 Marcus Schiffer KTM GER 0'33.182
10 Arnaud Tonus KTM CHE 0'34.051
11 Nicolas Aubin Yamaha FRA 0'34.785
12 Dennis Verbruggen Honda BEL 0'39.568
13 Joel Roelants KTM BEL 0'40.106
14 Marvin Musquin Honda FRA 0'51.241
15 Nikolai Larsen Suzuki DNK 0'54.281
20 Evgeny Bobryshev Yamaha RUS 1'07.348
Race 2 - 20 Laps
Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time
1 Anthony Boissi?re KTM FRA 39'35.739
2 Ken Roczen Suzuki GER 0'02.240
3 Jeremy Van Horebeek KTM BEL 0'05.212
4 Nicolas Aubin Yamaha FRA 0'06.794
5 Rui Goncalves KTM POR 0'09.792
6 Steven Frossard Kawasaki FRA 0'10.777
7 Davide Guarneri Yamaha ITA 0'19.102
8 Xavier Boog Suzuki FRA 0'20.462
9 Marvin Musquin Honda FRA 0'29.925
10 Marcus Schiffer KTM GER 0'36.699
11 Khounsith Vongsana Honda FRA 0'57.983
12 Stephen Sword KTM GBR 1'00.744
13 Jake Nicholls KTM GBR 1'00.927
14 Manuel Monni Yamaha ITA 1'06.647
15 Ceriel Klein Kromhof KTM NED 1'10.243
Rider Standings 10/05/2009
Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points
1. Gautier Paulin Kawasaki FRA 171
2. Marvin Musquin Honda FRA 165
3. Davide Guarneri Yamaha ITA 147
4. Rui Goncalves KTM POR 125
5. Xavier Boog Suzuki FRA 108
6. Steven Frossard Kawasaki FRA 105
7. Zach Osborne Yamaha USA 100
8. Nicolas Aubin Yamaha FRA 98
9. Shaun Simpson KTM GBR 97
10. Arnaud Tonus KTM CHE 72
11. Loic Larrieu Yamaha FRA 70
12. Manuel Monni Yamaha ITA 67
13. Marcus Schiffer KTM GER 66
14. Joel Roelants KTM BEL 61
15. Alessandro Lupino Yamaha ITA 56
19. Evgeny Bobryshev Yamaha RUS 38
27. Cedric Soubeyras Yamaha FRA 15
34. Deny Philippaerts Yamaha ITA 6
Manufacturer Standings 10/05/2009
Pos. Manufacturer Points
1. Kawasaki 191
2. KTM 180
3. Yamaha 177
4. Honda 171
5. Suzuki 128
6. TM 5 |
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Monday, 18 May 2009 00:00 |
Fiat Yamaha rider Jorge Lorenzo took a stunning second win of the season in Le Mans today, negotiating varying track conditions and a change of bikes to lead from the first lap to the flag and take the championship lead. It was a doom-laden day for his team-mate Valentino Rossi however as the world champion slid off early on and then had a ride-through penalty to compound his misfortune.
With the track still wet from a rainy morning all riders started the race on rain tyres, with the mechanics readying the dry bikes in pit lane in anticipation of an early change as the track dried out. Lorenzo, starting from second, slipped a place at the start but had passed both Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa by the end of the first lap to take the lead. By lap five a dry line had begun to appear and a few riders chose to make early pit stops to change bikes. The 22-year-old Spaniard however was feeling comfortable and had an excellent pace on his Bridgestone wets and so he stayed out, constantly stretching his lead. In the end he was the last of the front-runners to pit, a gamble which paid off brilliantly as he was by then nearly 34 seconds clear and was able to rejoin the race in the lead on lap 13. Once he had bit of heat in his slick tyres the youngster put his head down and kept his nerve for the remaining 15 laps and he eventually took the chequered flag an impressive 17.710 seconds clear of second-placed Marco Melandri.
It was a day of stark contrasts on the opposite side of the garage, with Rossi forced to make an incredible four visits to pit lane. The Italian was in second behind his team-mate when he elected for an early bike change, coming in to swap onto his second M1 on dry Bridgestones after just five laps. The change went smoothly but the track was still damp in places and he went down on the next lap whilst trying to warm his tyres up. He returned to the pits next time around to swap back onto his other bike, with the rules stipulating that he had to keep one wet tyre with the second bike change, but a problem with his pit-limiter meant he was penalised for speeding on exit and forced to return once again two laps later to perform a ride-through penalty. His final visit to the garage came on lap 11 when he changed once again onto a fully-dry machine, but by then he was some two laps adrift and he finished in 16th.
Lorenzo's 25-point haul takes him into the lead by one point and he now has 66 points to Rossi's 65. Stoner has the same points as Rossi but lies third as the Italian has more second places, and Pedrosa follow in the standings. With just nine points separating the top four the next round in Mugello is sure to be a thrilling spectacle.
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