|
Occasional motorcycle racing news
reports, results and other ruminations on
MotoGP, World Superbike, British Superbike
and more.
Motorcycle Racing News:
Nina Prinz to Ride a Yamaha R1 |
AMA
sells rights to racing and sanctioning |
2008
Yamaha World Superbike info |
2008 Suzuki motorcycle racing plans | 2008 Yamaha MotoGP Team launch and photos of the 2008 YZR-M1 |
Chris Vermeulen to use Sheene's #7 |
2008 World Endurance Racing Schedule Announced |
2008 Flat Track Schedule Announced |
2008 Ducati Desmo Challenge Announced |
Kagayama Fastest at Phillip Island WSBK Test |
Shell Renews Ducati Partnership |
Yamaha GMT94 Team to
World Superbike |
KTM announces riders and
teams for 2008 |
Neukirchner beats WSBK
lap record at Valencia | More on the
wBW
Motorcycle Racing News Archive
Yamaha
Spain WSS Team Ready for 2008
December 22, 2007 - 2008 will be
the Yamaha Spain World Supersport Team’s
second season in World Supersport, being a
newcomer last year and having successfully
contested the Spanish Supersport
Championship for the past five years.
David Salom will remain with the team
and will be joined by highly experienced
fellow Spaniard David de Gea.
Based in Barcelona, the Yamaha Spain World Supersport
Team is managed by the veteran Dani Devahive, who has
taken the team to national championship success three
times since 2002 – in 2004, 2005 and 2006, before
finishing 2007 in fourth. Taking into account
three second place finishes – in 2002, 2003 and 2004 -
the Yamaha Spain squad is the most successful team in
the Spanish Supersport Championship to date. With
one season of World Supersport experience under their
belt and a brace of experienced national and
international technicians in the team Dani is confident
of making a next step upwards in their second year in
the WSS championship.
The team’s main objective has always been to nurture
young riders in the Spanish Championship and then launch
them onto the world stage; having done this previously
with Cardenas and Tizon, who both went into 250GP, the
team is looking to achieve success with its latest
protégé, David Salom. Salom made an impact early
on last year in his rookie season in World Supersport,
achieving a sixth at Valencia followed on by a fifth at
Assen. The 23 year-old Spaniard contested in the
national Supersport championship for three years prior
to moving to the World Series in 2007.
30 year-old Jose David de Gea, better known as David,
has raced in World Supersport previously but has focused
on other classes in the last few years. His career has
also seen him participate in 250GP and MotoGP races,
though his best success has been in the Spanish Formula
Extreme Championship, in which he is the current
champion and has taken the title a total of four times
since 2003.
The Yamaha Spain World Supersport Team is the third
team to be supported by Yamaha Motor Europe in the
championship, joining YME’s own Yamaha World Supersport
Team and the Yamaha Team Italia squad.
Yamaha Spain Team - National Highlights
2007: 4th, Spanish Supersport Championship
2006: Spanish Supersport Champion
2005: Spanish Supersport Champion
2004: Spanish Supersport Champion and 2nd, Spanish
Supersport Championship
2003: 2nd, Spanish Supersport Championship
2002: 2nd, Spanish Formula Extreme Championship
David Salom
Date of Birth: 16/10/1984
Nationality: Spanish
Residence: Spain
Career Highlights
2007: 21st, World Supersport Championship
2006: Spanish Supersport Champion
2005: 2nd, European Suzuki Cup and 4th, Spanish
Supersport Championship
2004: 5th, Spanish Supersport Championship
David De Gea
Date of Birth: 09/12/1977
Nationality: Spanish
Residence: Spain
Career Highlights
2007: Spanish Formula Extreme Champion
2006: Spanish Formula Extreme Champion and participation
in 3 races
250GP World Championship
2005: Spanish Formula Extreme Champion
2004: 3rd, Spanish Formula Extreme Championship
2003: Spanish Formula Extreme Champion and participation
in MotoGP
Yamaha
GMT94 Team to World Superbike
December 20, 2007 - After having
contested in the World Supersport
Championship for the last two years, the
Yamaha GMT94 team will move up to the World
Superbike Championship in 2008. In
addition to this and following on from their
Bol d’Or win in 2007, Yamaha GMT94 will
continue to enter the world’s two most
demanding Endurance races – the Le Mans 24
Hours and the Bol d’Or 24 Hours.
The Guyot Motorcycling Team was founded in 1992 by
Christophe Guyot - himself a former rider and passionate
sportsman - with the aim of making motorcycle racing
more accessible to the young people of France. In
2003, the team linked up with Yamaha Motor France to
become a more professional concern and has since gone
from strength to strength, including becoming Endurance
World Champion in 2004. Now known as the Yamaha
GMT94 team, the squad operates a strategy focused on two
very different road race classes – sprint racing and
endurance racing.
For 2008, the team is moving into the World Superbike
Championship, although they are continuing with the
current team line up of David Checa and
Sébastien Gimbert. 2004 Endurance World
Champion David Checa, aged 27, has raced in World
Supersport with the Yamaha GMT team for the past two
seasons. The younger brother of Carlos Checa,
David’s racing pedigree includes 250GP and European
Supersport before he moved into Endurance racing in
2003. In addition, that same year he was Pirelli’s
WSB control tyre tester and participated in a handful of
WSB races. This WSB experience will stand him in
good stead for 2008 as he re-enters the WSB fray once
more.
Sébastien Gimbert is also a long-time member of the
Yamaha GMT94 Team, having first joined the team’s
Endurance effort in 2004 and becoming world champion in
the same year. Like many Frenchmen the 30 year-old
has specialized in the Endurance scene, having won the
Bol d’Or with Checa and the GMT94 team in 2007 as well
winning the Le Mans 24 Hours in 2005. But to date
he also has 45 WSB races under his belt. Gimbert
achieved his best WSB result in 2004 when he scored two
fourth position finishes at Magny-Cours. This
success was enough to gain him a full-time WSB ride with
Yamaha Motor France the following year, although a
broken leg during the season prevented him from showing
his full potential.
As well as contesting the WSB Championship, David
Checa and Sébastien Gimbert will contest the Le Mans and
Bol d’Or races once again in 2008, this time with
British rider Steve Plater. In 2007 the
Yamaha GMT94 Team won the Bol d’Or for the first time in
style with a five lap lead, after having already won as
a team twice the Le Mans 24hrs and numerous other
Endurance events.
Yamaha GMT94 will receive some support from Yamaha
Motor Europe who recognize the importance of Endurance
racing in France and the dream of team owner Guyot to
grow steadily to become a future top contender in World
Superbikes.
David Checa Profile
Date of Birth: 20/04/1980
Nationality: Spanish
Residence: Barcelona, Spain
Career Highlights
2007: 12th, World Supersport Championship, 1st Bol d’Or
24 Hours
2006: 11th, World Supersport Championship and 3rd, Le
Mans 24 Hours
2005: 1st, Le Mans 24 Hours and 2nd, Bol d’Or 24 Hours
2004: World Champion Endurance and 1st, Oschersleben 24
Hours and Zhuhaï 6 Hours rounds
2003: 3rd, World Champion Endurance
Sébastien Gimbert Profile
Date of Birth: 09/09/1977
Nationality: French
Residence: Puy de Velay, France
Career Highlights
2007: 20th, World Supersport Championship, 1st Bol d’Or
24 Hours
2006: 3rd, Le Mans 24 Hours and 19th, World Superbike
Championship
2005: 1st, Le Mans 24 Hours
2004: World Champion Endurance
2003: 2nd, French Super-production Championship and 1st,
Bol d'Or and Spa 24-hour races
KTM Riders and Teams
for 2008
KTM will be omnipresent in the paddock
and the track in the 125 cc and 250 cc
classes of international road racing in the
2008 season; it has been announced by the
company's headquarters in Mattighofen,
Austria.
"In keeping with our well-known policy to be always
"Ready to Race", we are making a dramatic increase in
our international road racing activities for the 2008
season, "said Winfried Kerschhaggl, head of KTM Motor
Sports. "This indicates our firm commitment to be
active and successful in major road racing competition
and is in keeping with our market move into the road
bike sector."
Effective immediately, KTM will not only run the Red
Bull KTM factory team in the 125cc and 250 cc classes of
the premiere class MotoGP Road Racing World
Championship; the company now extend its activities to
include support and the supply of KTM motorcycles to a
number of private teams.
KTM Factory Riders
Under the expert guidance of KTM racing director Harald
Bartol, the 250 cc Factory Team for 2008 includes the
experienced Hiroshi Aoyama (Japan) and Mika Kallio
(Finland) both of whom made their mark in 2007 and have
the potential to be winners in their class.
Switzerland's Randy Krummenacher, a 125 cc KTM
factory rider within a new one-man team configuration,
races under the banner Red Bull KTM 125 Team in 2008.
From now on KTM actively supports a range of private
teams, which the company believes is an excellent way of
supporting young talent and allowing promising riders to
contest races on high performance machines. KTM's Konrad
Hefele has been appointed to oversee the operational
activities with the various private teams.
Team Repsol KTM
KTM is particularly thrilled that in 2008 the riders of
Alberto Puig's Team Repsol will be onboard the machines
from Mattighofen. Not only is Puig one of the
great racing personalities; he moved off the track to
become an influential talent spotter and mentor to
developing riders. Team Repsol's decision to go
with KTM machines in both the 125cc and 250 cc classes
underlines the depth of this valuable sponsorship
partnership and the importance of the new, radically
expanded team structure.
Under Puig's astute guidance, Spain's Julian Simon,
who was a full factory rider for KTM in the 2006 season,
contests the 250 cc class and retains full factory
status. KTM is particularly pleased to have Simon
again onboard their racing machines. Completing
the Team Repsol KTM racing stable are two very promising
young riders Spanish riders in Esteve Rabat and Marc
Marquez on the Repsol KTM 125 cc machines. Alberto
Puig has now also opted to use KTM 125 race bikes for
his activities in the rookies program of the MotoGP
Academy.
KTM Supports Team Valsir Seedorf
The popular Japanese rider Tomoyoshi Koyama, who raced
in the Red Bull KTM factory team in 2007, also stays
onboard a KTM machine, racing for Team Valsir Seedorf.
He will be joined in the team by 20-year old Italian
Lorenzo Zanetti who contested his first full 125 cc
world championship season in 2005.
Scot Racing Team 125cc on KTM
This private team will field two 125cc riders in 20-year
old Italian rider Raffaele De Rosa who enters his third
season in the top level of 125 cc racing. His
team-mate will be 27-year-old Spanish rider Pablo Nieto,
who won his first GP in 2003, Nieto, nicknamed "El
Chiquitin", is the son of the legendary racing star
Angel Nieto.
Red Bull Rookies Cup
This unique competition continues in Europe for 2008,
while a second series is also being contested in the
USA. Twenty three talented young riders have made
it through the selection process for each of the
competitions and all 46 will race on identical KTM
machines. The decision to run a parallel
competition for young riders in the USA is an indication
of the success of the inaugural series in 2007, of KTM's
commitment to support young riding talent and of the
growing significance of the KTM brand road bikes in the
USA.
Neukirchner
Beats Valencia World Superbike Record
November 15, 2007 - Spaniard Fonsi Nieto
and German Max Neukirchner both put the 2007
Alstare Corona Extra Suzuki GSX-R1000 though
its paces during their recent test at
Valencia in Spain with Neukirchner beating
the lap record on regular race rubber.
Both riders made many changes to the positions of the
bars, footpegs and levers so that they could start to
get comfortable with the bike, before beginning to push
hard.
The weather for the tests was generally good and both
riders and the team were able to do a lot of good
groundwork and gather useful information in more than
150 laps.
Nieto posted a best time of 1:35.5 and Neukirchner a
1:35.00 - which is faster than Max Biaggi's best race
lap there earlier this season.
Fonsi Nieto: "This test was all about me
getting comfortable with the bike so we did a lot of
work with the handlebars, levers and footpegs. My
initial feeling is that the bike is very good and I have
a lot to learn. I started with the Biaggi settings
but I didn't get on with them so we've changed them
quite a lot - more in the Kagayama direction I guess."
"The Alstare Suzuki feels more of a race bike than my
bike of last year and it has a lot of potential. I
am not thinking about lap times at this test, because I
want to learn this bike first. The Alstare team is
great to work with and everybody is very friendly.
I am getting to know them all very quickly and already
we have a very good relationship. The World
Superbike Championship is not an easy race series by any
means but I am really looking forward to this new
challenge."
Max Neukirchner: "I know I've ridden the
Alstare Suzuki before but this is a different situation
for me here. We spent most of the time getting the
bike right for me. That meant changes to the
riding position, bars, levers and footpegs. I
enjoyed riding the bike in the last race of the year but
now it's time to get the bike dialed-in for me
properly."
"There is a lot to do, but we are all working well
and making good progress, so we are all pretty happy at
this stage. I know most the Alstare guys from
before but I am working with some different mechanics
this time, so I have to get used to them and they have
to get used to me. I'm already enjoying myself
with the team and I think we will leave Valencia in a
positive frame of mind."
MotoGP
2008 Riders and Teams
November 5, 2007 - Suzuki Motor
Corporation has officially announced its
agreement with Italian star Loris Capirossi
to join its MotoGP squad for the 2008
season.
Capirossi joins new team-mate Chris Vermeulen in the
two-man Suzuki MotoGP team after the final round of the
current MotoGP Championship, at Valencia yesterday, and
the experienced racer will begin evaluating the 2007 and
2008 versions of the prototype 800cc GSV-R during a
two-day test at the Spanish circuit.
Capirossi hails from Bologna in Italy and began Grand
Prix racing in 1990. He has achieved success in each
racing category, including World Championship titles in
the 125cc class (twice) and the 250cc category in 1998.
He still holds the record for becoming the youngest ever
World Champion when he won the 125cc title at the age of
17.
Capirossi finished 7th in the MotoGP Championship
this season and scored one race win to add to his
previous 28 Grand Prix victories in the 125cc, 250cc,
500cc and MotoGP classes. Capirossi has also achieved
nearly 100 podiums and 41 pole positions in all
categories throughout his career.
Thirty four year-old Capirossi joins Suzuki with a
vast wealth of knowledge gathered from 18 seasons at the
highest level of motorcycle racing and significant
experience of Bridgestone tyres. The signing of
Capirossi confirms Suzuki's line-up for the attack on
the 2008 championship, following the announcement
shortly after his excellent second place in America
earlier in the year, that current rider Vermeulen was to
stay with the team
Loris Capirossi: "I am really happy
because after five years with Ducati this is a very good
time to change. I have been talking with the guys
from Suzuki a lot and for me it is a really really
interesting time and a very big change. I just
cannot wait for the first time to jump on the bike.
This will be important for me and for all the team.
Suzuki looks in a good shape at the moment.
Already the bike is good and we have three more tests
this year to work on it and make more developments.:
"My motivation is 100% focused on that moment and I
have new toys in my hand! I am really happy to be
going to Suzuki and start working with my new team.
The first time I ride the bike will be the best moment
for me. After 18 years in Grand Prix racing I
think I don't have many more seasons, so I want to
prepare my body and condition myself 110%, and try to do
the best I can to challenge again for the championship."
September 19, 2007 - Yamaha has today
confirmed that Troy Corser and Noriyuki Haga
will remain with the Yamaha Motor Italia
World Superbike Team in 2008.
A flamboyant and much-loved character, Haga has
worked with Yamaha for many years and his World
Superbike career highlights include second in 2000 and
third title position in 2004, 2005 and 2006.
Currently Haga is fighting for the 2007 title with
only 41 points separating him in second place from front
man Toseland, having caught up 25 points at the last
round in Lausitz. With only two rounds remaining
on 30th September (Vallelunga, Italy) and 7th October (Magny
Cours, France) Haga is taking the fight for WSB crown
all the way to the wire. So far this season he has
already won four races, including taking the double win
at the team’s home circuit of Monza.
This year has been Corser’s first season with the
Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team but it has been a fruitful
one, with him gaining eight podium positions so far this
season. Corser has also had a good and close
working relationship with Haga, with the two riders
working together to help develop a championship winning
machine in the YZF-R1. The two-times World
Superbike Champion has 13 years of experience in the
class, including 40 pole positions and an impressive 114
podium positions, 33 of which have been race wins.
Noriyuki Haga: “I feel great about how
things have worked out, I’m very happy to stay with the
Yamaha Motor Italia Team. This will be my fourth
year with them; they are such a great team and I feel
like I have known everyone for a long time. It’s like
one big family! I’m pleased to be riding with Troy again
next year; I know him quite well and we get along
together, which always makes for a good atmosphere in
the pit box.
I’m looking forward to repaying Yamaha’s faith in me
with, hopefully, my first WSB championship title this
year and a second one next year! With my position
for next year sorted I can now concentrate on chasing
the title in the last two rounds. I never give up!”
Troy Corser: “I’m very happy to be
staying with the team next year; this year has been a
very positive learning experience for me so far.
We’ve made a lot of progress with the bike, the chassis
and the suspension and I’m confident we can make further
improvements in winter testing. It’s not all been
plain sailing but that’s to be expected when you join a
new team and get on a new bike. We’ve got a good
path forward for next year, though, and that’s the
important thing. Nori and I have worked well this
season with good communication between us about the bike
and tires. I’m sure that the close working
relationship will strengthen even more during next
year.”
MotoGP 2008
Riders and Teams - The "Silly Season" Begins
|
 |
|
James Toseland. Photo
Courtesy
WSBK |
September 1, 2007 - The Kawasaki Racing
Team confirmed their full rider line-up for
the 2008 season today at Misano, with the
announcement that 26-year-old Anthony
West has been signed on a one-year deal
to ride alongside Kawasaki's other recent
signing, John Hopkins, next year.
Meanwhile, Kawasaki will field a third rider at the
Japanese round of the MotoGP world championship next
month. Current leader of the All Japan Superbike
Championship, Akira Yanagawa, will join team
stalwarts, Randy de Puniet and Anthony West, on a Ninja
ZX-RR at the Motegi circuit as, for the second time this
year, the team will put three riders on the grid.
August 3, 2007 - Comparatively normal by
previous season’s standards, the summer
break has arrived with 12 riders still
unclear as to for whom they will ride in
2008.
This year has seen a number of early moves which,
although they may have happened in season’s past, have
rarely been announced so far in advance. The
trigger for the numerous switches in teams was the first
confirmed deal of the year, that of John Hopkins’
parting ways with Suzuki and moving to Kawasaki for a
new challenge (see story below on this page).
This has set the wheels in motion for a frantic
signing up process, with more moves confirmed by various
teams:
Marco Melandri’s long-rumoured switch to
Ducati finally came to fruition at Laguna Seca, making
him the second rider currently in MotoGP to change rides
for 2008.
Additional arrival Jorge Lorenzo is sure to
fuel the rider roundabout yet further, and Yamaha
announced today that James Toseland will go to the
Yamaha Tech 3 team (see
story).
Those who can rest easy concentrating on the task at
hand are some of MotoGP’s big guns, including the top
two in the World Championship standings. Ducati
have wisely extended their deal with Casey Stoner
for the next two seasons (see story below), while
five-times champion Valentino Rossi also has his
future with Yamaha secured.
Nicky Hayden still has a year on his Honda
contract, although it wouldn't be surprising to learn
that he's wondering why he signed with Honda for two
years after the way they've been treating him.
Wouldn't it be nice to see Nicky on, say, a Ducati?
Chris Vermeulen rejected offers to leave
Suzuki, and will continue with Paul Denning’s outfit as
they continue to improve their results.
The big question marks surround two riders known to
have held talks with other teams, with both having
assessed the possibility of joining Vermeulen in blue
next year:
Dani Pedrosa is also thought to have spoken
with Suzuki, although a move away from Honda seems
unlikely given his long history with the Japanese
factory.
Kawasaki could yet run a three rider team next season
after success at Laguna Seca, meaning that Randy de
Puniet and Anthony West could still be
team-mates alongside John Hopkins. The Frenchman’s
option for 2008 passed it’s deadline last month, but the
25 year-old is still in the frame for a spot in "Team
Green", whilst West has impressed management with his
performances since replacing Olivier Jacque at Donington
Park.
Numerous other riders will have to wait on decisions,
including experienced veterans Colin Edwards and
Alex Barros, indicating that even those out of
the running for the title still have every reason to
perform after the summer break.
Rizla Rolls Another One With Suzuki
Meanwhile, Suzuki has announced that it has agreed terms
with Rizla to continue with their sponsorship for a
further season in MotoGP following on from the
successful two-year partnership the pair has already
enjoyed in the premier class of motorcycle racing.
Rizla, "The world's premier rolling paper brand", has
agreed a one-year extension to its title sponsorship of
the Suzuki Grand Prix motorcycle race team in the 2008
MotoGP World Championship which will see the Suzuki GSV-R
prototype race bike sporting the distinctive Rizla blue
for a further season around the world's Grand Prix
circuits.
This is the second positive step for Suzuki as it
plans its assault on 2008 championship after Chris
Vermeulen pledged his future to the Japanese
manufacturer shortly after last month's US GP, where the
ever-improving Australian star took a superb second
place. Rizla and Suzuki have already created a
successful on-track partnership in MotoGP with the
pairing scoring Suzuki's first four-stroke MotoGP
victory at Le Mans in France earlier this year, along
with three more podiums this season. Suzuki has
had a racing relationship with Rizla since the 1980's in
Grand Prix and Kevin Schwantz made his GP debut on a
Rizla-backed RG500 in 1986.
Text and Photos for this report are courtesy MotoGP. Edited by webBikeWorld.com.
Note: For informational use only. All material and
photographs are Copyright © webWorld International, LLC - 2001-2008. All
rights reserved. Read the
Terms and Conditions. See the webBikeWorld®
Site Info
page.
|