|
Tuesday, 02 September 2008 20:42 |
Yamaha Ricci Racing will have their 2009 FIM MX2-GP World Championship line-up bolstered by the addition of talented youngster Loic Larrieu next season. The 17 year old Frenchman (18 before the start of the ’09 campaign) has signed to compete alongside countryman Nicolas Aubin and Italian Davide Guarneri on YZ250F machinery for the Italian crew.
Larrieu, from Sete, near Montpellier, has shone in the 2008 European Championship despite carrying a shoulder injury for the majority of the campaign and has emerged as one of the brightest stars of the competitive feeder series. He has won two motos so far – dominating the French meeting – and scored nine top three race finishes from the twelve meetings to-date (obtaining four overall podiums in the first five rounds). He is fourth in the standings and just four points from second place.
Larrieu made his world championship debut at St Jean D’Angely in 2007 and again appeared at his home Grand Prix this season, earning his first points with two impressive 12th positions and 11th overall.
“It was important for me to find the right team with the right support and the right machinery and I am really happy to be joining Ricci and Yamaha because I believe the team and set-up have all the elements I need to make the next step,” he said. “The YZ250F is a very good and fast motorcycle and I am confident that I will be able to make my goal of getting regular top ten results in 2009.”
|
|
Read more... - Larrieu completes po...
|
|
|
Monday, 01 September 2008 18:45 |
Yamaha Monster Motocross Team's David Philippaerts still leads the 2008 FIM MX1-GP World Championship after finishing in 4th position overall under decent weather conditions at the new Fairyhouse circuit for the Grand Prix of Ireland and the thirteenth round of fifteen.
As the campaign heads towards its penultimate stages next week, Philippaerts was just two points away from his eighth podium of the season in Dublin but keeps hold of the red number plate - for the tenth time in thirteen events - and heads the standings by 5 points over world champion Steve Ramon. Josh Coppins' was again bitten by ill fortune as the New Zealander was hit at the start of race one and again on the first lap of race two. The second incident forced his retirement.
The brand new circuit within the confines of the Fairyhouse horse racing venue contained a tricky layout with well-constructed jumps but the grass was laden with wood chippings making a soft and slippery course. The event itself was perhaps lucky to go ahead in wake of one of the wettest August months on Irish record. Thankfully the weather stayed dry over the weekend for a 16,000 crowd.
Philippaerts set off from the seventh best pick in the gate while Coppins was tenth after Saturday's Time Practice. The Italian was quick from the line on both occasions. He circulated adrift of the top four for long stretches of Moto1 but timed an attack on Ramon perfectly entering the last two laps and beat his main rival for the title to 4th spot. The 24 year old was even better placed in Moto2 - in second - but some clutch trouble meant that he had to adjust his riding and lower his speed and he dropped back to 4th once more.
|
|
Read more... - Fourth position for ...
|
|
Monday, 01 September 2008 18:11 |
Valentino Rossi reached another milestone in his outstanding career today by matching the all-time premier-class win record. His 68th premier-class victory brings him level with his great countryman Giacomo Agostini and the fact that he was able to do it at his home track of Misano made it all the more special for the flamboyant Italian. His Fiat Yamaha team-mate Jorge Lorenzo put the icing on the cake for Yamaha with an impressive return to the podium to make it the second one-two finish for the team this season.
Rossi had a good start but Dani Pedrosa had an even better one and the seven-time world champion was forced to ride at his maximum to pass the Spaniard back, which he did on the second lap. Casey Stoner was by then some three seconds clear but Rossi's M1 was working well and he was gradually able to start making up some ground, setting the fastest lap of the race on lap six. One lap eight of 28 Stoner sensationally slid out into the gravel in a carbon copy of the last race in Brno and Rossi was left in the lead. There was no opportunity to rest however as the twisty nature of the circuit was a very different task to face alone than the flowing curves of Brno and Lorenzo, another three seconds behind, was giving Rossi no chance of a let-up. The local hero was able to bring his M1 home safely however to the rapturous cheers of his home fans, who flooded onto the track in typical Italian fashion.
The sixth win of the season for Rossi and another non-finish for Stoner means he is now 75 points clear at the top of the championship, with a maximum of 125 points remaining from five races.Lorenzo stays in fourth and Yamaha remain on course for a treble of Teams' and Manufacturers' championships as well.
Valentino Rossi - Position: 1 Time: 44'41.884
"Today is a truly fantastic day and I can't believe that I have matched Agostini's record! He was one of my heroes so it's quite incredible to have made it to 68 wins. This was quite a difficult weekend for us from the start and there has been the added pressure of a home race, which makes it harder to concentrate because there is so much distraction! Mugello has always been 'my' track, even though it's further away from Tavullia, but here, after the bad time last year, we haven't found it so easy. Once again today however my team gave me a very competitive bike and I felt very confident. I got a good start but then Dani came past me very fast and I then lost a lot of time getting past him and had to take some big risks - I had a big slide! Once I was past him I could see Casey, although I have to admit that today I wasn't as confident as I was in Brno that I could win. Anyway I kept pushing because it's not in my nature to ride for second place and I think it still could have been a battle; I was very fast once I found my rhythm. Then I saw Casey slide out. I'm sorry for him once again but this is very good for our championship so I am happy for our team. We have 75 points, which is a lot, but there are still five races and I will ride to win at every one, as I always have done throughout my career. Thanks to my fantastic Yamaha team, to Bridgestone and of course congratulations to Jorge as well, he kept pushing me today and I wasn't able to relax even for one minute! It is a great day for us all."
Davide Brivio - Team Mananger
"What a day! It's very positive for our championship and to come out with 75 points after three wins in a row is amazing. Once again the team and engineers did an excellent job to fix some problems in time for the race to give Valentino a competitive bike, so well done to them. Despite losing a bit of time at the start Valentino was able to come back and set the fastest lap and keep pushing. Of course the championship isn't done but our advantage is very big and all the team are concentrated and motivated for the final five races. It's great to see Jorge back on the podium as well - a great race and a great team!"
Lorenzo returns to podium with stunning second in Misano
Jorge Lorenzo made it a fantastic home-race double podium for the Fiat Yamaha Team today, finishing second behind his team-mate Valentino Rossi at Misano. It was the rookie's first podium since the team's last one-two finish in Le Mans and it was a deserved one following the injuries that have plagued him since.
|
|
Read more... - Rossi matches Agosti...
|
|
Wednesday, 27 August 2008 00:00 |
After a three week hiatus the factory Yamaha Monster Motocross Team now prepare for an intense culmination to the 2008 FIM MX1-GP World Championship with the first of the three final Grand Prix taking place in three weeks this weekend just outside the city of Dublin. Series leader David Philippaerts holds a 7 point advantage over world champ Steve Ramon with team-mate Josh Coppins 35 points from the lead in third spot with a total of 150 still to be won. Trips to Holland and Italy will close the campaign.
Philippaerts, emphatic victor of the Czech Grand Prix three weeks ago, has split his time during the break between Italy and his Belgian base. The 24 year old spent a week training in the Italian mountains before heading back to northern Europe for the Bilzen International in Belgium last weekend. Going up against world championship rivals Steve Ramon and Ken De Dycker, Philippaerts finished second, only one point away from first place and ahead of defending number one Ramon.
“I am 100% ready for racing and excited for the next three weeks,” said the Italian who has fronted the championship for nine of the twelve GPs held so far. “I had some good training time in Italy even though we went up to the mountains and the weather was very strange, I even saw snow in the middle of August! We then came back to Belgium and Lommel and had the International last weekend. I was happy with my riding. I should have won the first moto as I was leading easily but a silly crash meant that I finished second. A bad start in the second saw me third and then I won the last race.”
“It feels like a long time we have had off and now I am keen to get to Ireland,” he added.
|
|
Read more... - Philippaerts and Cop...
|
|
Wednesday, 20 August 2008 17:45 |
Eugene Laverty, the young 22 yr old Northern Irish 250 GP rider has been picked by the Yamaha World Supersport Team to replace injured rider Fabien Foret for the next two rounds of the World Supersport Championship at Donington and Vallelunga.
Laverty is no stranger to the Supersport class, having raced successfully in British Supersport previously. He gave a strong performance in the 2006 championship, battling throughout the year to take third in the overall standings. The talented rider was fighting for the title however a hand injury left him side lined with four race wins at the end of the season.Prior to this he successfully competed in the 2004 British 125cc Championship, finishing 2nd in the season. Eugene moved on to take a ride in the 250 GP series for 2007 and 2008 however a lack of competitive machinery has hampered any significant racing success.
Fabien Foret continues to recover well from his injuries sustained after crashing in the Brno round of the World Supersport Championship and is hoped to return to the Yamaha World Supersport Team before the end of the season.
Wilco Zeelenberg (Team Manager, Yamaha World Supersport Team)
"We were impressed with Karl Harris’ performance on the bike at Brands, it confirms for us that our bike is competitive even when we have someone not familiar with it. Karl rode well, however whilst Fabien is recovering this is a good opportunity for us to trial different riders. Donington is also more of a top power track compared to Brands which meansKarl’s physical size and weight may have been more of an issue whilst Eugene is a very lightweight rider so should have an edge"
"Looking back to Eugene’s British Supersport rides he was keenly in competition with top riders like Crutchlow and Sykes, proving he’s a talented 4 stroke rider with strong Supersport credentials. With Donington coming up we wanted to keep using an English rider with excellent local track knowledge, which he has."
Eugene Laverty
"I’m really excited at the chance to ride a competitive Supersport machine. Two years of riding underpowered bikes has led to two difficult seasons for me. For Yamaha to pick me up and offer this opportunity is fantastic, I’m over the moon! I can’t wait to get to Donington and start working with the team to set up and get out on track" |
|
|
|
|
<< Start < Prev 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next > End >>
|
|
Page 1 of 98 |
