Jorge Lorenzo - Fiat Yamaha 2010

The Fiat Yamaha rider Jorge Lorenzo took victory again yesterday at the Red Bull US MotoGP as race leader Dani Pedrosa crashed out.

It was the Repsol Honda of Dani Pedrosa that took to the front as the lights went out at Laguna Seca from his fourth spot on the grid.  As the Spaniard made a brave pass around the outside, Casey Stoner slotted in behind followed by Lorenzo in third.

On lap 6, Stoner lost his second place after making a mistake and running wide letting Lorenzo through and hot on the tail of his fellow countryman.

On lap 12 of the 32 lap race, Pedrosa low-sided off of his Honda and was out of the race handing the lead to Lorenzo who edged away from a struggling Stoner.

In third place was a very impressive Valentino Rossi, making it onto the podium just seven weeks after his accident at Mugello in which he suffered a broken leg.  Rossi managed to catch and overtake the second Repsol Honda of Andrea Dovizioso who was still challenging for that third place at the final corner.

Nicky Hayden crossed the line in fifth place followed by Ben Spies in sixth.  Spies got off to a fantastic start and was in fourth place in the opening laps of the race but by lap 3 had dropped back to seventh place.  The Monster Tech3 Yamaha rider then worked his way back through the field, passing Hayden on lap 21 and setting Rossi in his sights before once again dropping back down the order on lap 25.

Colin Edwards finished in seventh place ahead of Marco Melandri in eighth, Mika Kallio in ninth and Loris Capirossi rounding off the top ten riders of the day.

Hector Barbera appeared to suffer a technical problem with his Aspar Ducati and failed to finish the race along with Alvaro Bautista, Marco Simoncelli and Aleix Espargaro who all crashed out.

Here are the results;

1.  Jorge Lorenzo  ESP Fiat Yamaha Team  43m 54.873s
2. Casey Stoner AUS Ducati Marlboro Team 43m 58.39s
3. Valentino Rossi ITA Fiat Yamaha Team 44m 8.293s
4. Andrea Dovizioso ITA Repsol Honda Team 44m 9.061s
5. Nicky Hayden USA Ducati Marlboro Team 44m 9.474s
6. Ben Spies USA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 44m 13.91s
7. Colin Edwards USA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 44m 35.594s
8. Marco Melandri ITA San Carlo Honda Gresini 44m 42.092s
9. Mika Kallio FIN Pramac Racing 44m 47.686s
10. Loris Capirossi ITA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 44m 47.687s
11. Roger Lee Hayden USA LCR Honda MotoGP 45m 8.962s
12. Alex de Angelis RSM Interwetten Honda MotoGP 45m 9.539s

DNF:
Aleix Espargaro ESP Pramac Racing
Marco Simoncelli ITA San Carlo Honda Gresini
Dani Pedrosa ESP Repsol Honda Team 998m 0s
Hector Barbera ESP Paginas Amarillas Aspar
Alvaro Bautista ESP Rizla Suzuki MotoGP

Roger Lee Hayden - WSB Kawasaki - Assen 2010

Roger Lee Hayden will be making his MotoGP debut this weekend at the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix as a replacement rider for the injured Randy de Puniet.

The 27-year-old brother of Nicky will be in front of his home crowd as he joins the LCR Honda team and is hoping to prove his worth on a track he knows well.

Despite never having ridden the bike before and only ever riding a GP bike once when he entered as a wildcard rider at the Laguna circuit back in 2007, finishing in tenth place,  Hayden is hoping to make a good impression to enable him to get a ride for next season either in the MotoGP, Moto2 or the World Superbike series.

Roger Lee had to get permission to take the ride this weekend from the American Honda team after agreeing to race for them as a wildcard rider in the Moto2 race at Indianapolis five weeks after the MotoGP Grand Prix but they agreed happily.

This weekend saw three races at the Snetterton circuit with the re-run of Race 2 from the Knockhill round of the championship taking place on Saturday and the two races from round seven going ahead as scheduled on the Sunday.

Race 1 (re-run of Knockhill race two – Saturday)

The HM Plant Honda rider Josh Brookes took the chequered flag in the re-run of the cancelled Knockhill race 2 on Saturday after passing his team-mate Ryuichi Kiyonari on the final lap.

Kiyonari had dominated the race from the flag ahead of the Relentless Suzuki pairing of Michael Laverty and Alastair Seeley.  Tommy Hill on the Worx Crescent Suzuki had soon moved into third position passing both Relentless Suzuki riders as he chased down the leading HM Plant Honda duo.

Brookes was sitting in ninth place by the end of the first lap after a terrible start but by the seventh lap had passed Seeley, Michael Rutter and Laverty and was up to third place.  The HM Plant Honda rider was soon attacking Hill, passing him on the inside at Riches before going after his team-mate.  Kiyonari was defending his position but Brookes managed to make his way past on the final lap again at Riches to take his third win of the season.

Hill finished in third place ahead of Rutter in fourth, Seeley in fifth, Michael Laverty in sixth, James Ellison in seventh, Simon Andrews in eighth, Gary Mason in ninth and Tommy Bridewell in tenth.

Here are the results;

1. Josh Brookes  AUS HM Plant Honda  19mins 41.650s
2. Ryuichi Kiyonari JPN HM Plant Honda +0.594s
3. Tommy Hill GBR Worx Crescent Suzuki +4.475s
4. Michael Rutter GBR Ridersmotorcycles.com Ducati +4.989s
5. Alastair Seeley GBR Relentless by TAS Suzuki +5.485s
6. Michael Laverty GBR Relentless by TAS Suzuki +5.889s
7. James Ellison GBR Swan Honda +9.148s
8. Simon Andrews GBR MSS Colchester Kawasaki +11.305s
9. Gary Mason GBR MSS Colchester Kawasaki +14.364s
10. Tommy Bridewell GBR Quay Garage Honda +14.386s
11. Chris Walker GBR Sorrymate.com SMT Honda +14.698s
12. John Laverty GBR Buildbase Kawasaki +15.007s
13. Dan Linfoot GBR Motorpoint Yamaha +17.458s
14. Andrew Pitt AUS Motorpoint Yamaha +28.761s
15. Peter Hickman GBR Ultimate Racing Yamaha +28.933s

25. Stuart Easton GBR Swan Honda 5 laps completed
26. Chris Burns GBR Splitlath Aprilia 0 laps completed

Race One - Snetterton

It was Michael Rutter on the RidersMotorcycles.com Ducati that took to the lead as the opening race got underway ahead of Tommy Hill, Ryuichi Kiyonari, Michael Laverty and James Ellison.

Brookes was back in sixth place by the end of lap one despite claiming pole position in the Swan Combi Roll for Pole after another iffy start.  By the fourth lap the HM Plant Honda rider had moved up to third while his team-mate Kiyonari was forced to retire from the race following a mechanical problem.

Hill had fallen back down the field running behind both Seeley and Ellison but was soon looking to make a pass on the Swan Honda rider which he succeeded in doing to finish the race in second place.

By lap 7, Brookes had passed second place man Hill before being gifted the lead 7 laps later when Rutter was seen slowing down with a gear shift problem on the Ducati.

Hill finished in second place followed by Seeley in third, Ellison in fourth, Michael Laverty in fifth, Tommy Bridewell in sixth, Chris Walker in seventh, Stuart Easton in eighth, Simon Andrews in ninth and John Laverty rounding off the top ten riders.

Here are the results;

1.  Josh Brookes  AUS HM Plant Honda  24mins 13.327s
2. Tommy Hill GBR Worx Crescent Suzuki +1.472s
3. Alastair Seeley GBR Relentless by TAS Suzuki +2.740s
4. James Ellison GBR Swan Honda +3.757s
5. Michael Laverty GBR Relentless by TAS Suzuki +4.152s
6. Tommy Bridewell GBR Quay Garage Honda +15.640s
7. Chris Walker GBR Sorrymate.com SMT Honda +17.779s
8. Stuart Easton GBR Swan Honda +18.417s
9. Simon Andrews GBR MSS Colchester Kawasaki +18.860s
10. John Laverty GBR Buildbase Kawasaki +19.131s
11. Gary Mason GBR MSS Colchester Kawasaki +21.546s
12. Andrew Pitt AUS Motorpoint Yamaha +21.838s
13. Steve Brogan GBR Jentin Racing BMW +32.999s
14. Gary Johnson GBR AIM Suzuki +34.969s
15. Tom Tunstall GBR Doodson Motorsport Honda +44.072s

DNS Chris Burns GBR Splitlath Aprilia
DNS Luke Jones GBR PR Racing Yamaha

Race Two

Josh Brookes was denied his third win of the weekend after a technical problem occurred seeing him retiring from the race on lap 12.

It was the Swan Honda of James Ellison that took to the front of the pack as the race got underway ahead of Josh Brookes and Ryuichi Kiyonari.

By lap 3, Kiyonari squeezed his way through on Michael Laverty before passing his team-mate Brookes seven laps later.  On lap 9, the Honda rider had managed to get past the leading Swan Honda rider Ellison as they headed into Riches.  Brookes was hot on the tail of his team-mate until he was forced to retire from the race.

Kiyonari was leading the race 1.3 seconds ahead of Michael Laverty, Rutter and Ellison until Alastair Seeley attempted a pass on Ellison taking them both out of the race.

Michael Laverty made a move on the leading man only to run wide and lose his second position to a stalking Tommy Hill.  Rutter finished in fourth place ahead of John Laverty in fifth, Simon Andrews in sixth, Chris Walker in seventh, Andrew Pitt in eighth, Gary Mason in ninth and Yukio Kagayama in tenth.

Here are the results;

1.  Ryuichi Kiyonari  JPN HM Plant Honda  26mins 52.964s
2. Tommy Hill GBR Worx Crescent Suzuki +0.591s
3. Michael Laverty GBR Relentless by TAS Suzuki +0.954s
4. Michael Rutter GBR Ridersmotorcycles.com Ducati +1.584s
5. John Laverty GBR Buildbase Kawasaki +3.897s
6. Simon Andrews GBR MSS Colchester Kawasaki +4.899s
7. Chris Walker GBR Sorrymate.com SMT Honda +6.127s
8. Andrew Pitt AUS Motorpoint Yamaha +8.211s
9. Gary Mason GBR MSS Colchester Kawasaki +8.349s
10. Yukio Kagayama JPN Worx Crescent Suzuki +9.566s
11. Peter Hickman GBR Ultimate Racing Yamaha 10.663s
12. Dan Linfoot GBR Motorpoint Yamaha +12.146s
13. Steve Brogan GBR Jentin Racing BMW +16.226s
14. Gary Johnson GBR AIM Suzuki +17.302s
15. Hudson Kennaugh RSA Splitlath Aprilia +17.607s

DNS James Edmeades GBR Redline KTM
DNS Chris Burns GBR Splitlath Aprilia
DNS Luke Jones GBR PR Racing Yamaha

Dani Pedrosa - Repsol Honda 2010

The Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa took his second win of the season yesterday in a fantastic race at the Sachsenring circuit in Germany.

As the race got underway it was pole sitter Jorge Lorenzo on the Fiat Yamaha that took the lead ahead of Dani Pedrosa, Casey Stoner, Andrea Dovizioso and Valentino Rossi.

As Pedrosa stuck to the back wheel of his fellow countryman on lap 9 the red flag was waved following a huge crash which saw Randy de Puniet come off at turn 4 collecting both Alvaro Bautista and Alexi Espargaró. Neither rider could avoid the LCR Honda of de Puniet who received a broken left tibia and fibula and a possible cracked vertebra for Espargaró.  Despite returning to the pits to recover their spare bikes, neither Espargaro or Bautista were allowed to continue as they were unable to get back with their bikes within 5 minutes of the red flag.

The second 21 lap race started 25-minutes later with Lorenzo once again out in front but this time Pedrosa made  his intentions clear as he attempted a pass on the Yamaha rider before the end of the first lap.  While the took took turns at the front Rossi had made his way past Dovizioso for fourth and was after Stoner in third.

Pedrosa took control of the race after making his move stick on lap 12 breaking his own lap record from the previous year.  Rossi meanwhile was on the tail of Stoner before the two raced side-by-side across the circuit with just a handful of laps to run.

Pedrosa took the chequered flag 3.355 seconds ahead of Lorenzo with Stoner taking third place after passing Rossi on the final corner of the last lap.  Dovizioso crossed the line in fifth place followed by Marco Simoncelli in sixth, Nicky Hayden in seventh, Ben Spies in eighth, Héctor Barberá in ninth and Marco Melandri in tenth.

The Pramac Racing team rider Mika Kallio crashed out on the first lap of the restarted 21 lap race after a disastrous weekend while the Monster Yamaha Tech3 rider Colin Edwards failed to restart the race after crashing out on lap 7 of the original race.

Here are the results;

1.  Dani Pedrosa  ESP Repsol Honda Team  28m 50.476s
2. Jorge Lorenzo ESP Fiat Yamaha Team 28m 53.831s
3. Casey Stoner AUS Ducati Marlboro Team 28m 55.733s
4. Valentino Rossi ITA Fiat Yamaha Team 28m 56.099s
5. Andrea Dovizioso ITA Repsol Honda Team 29m 7.634s
6. Marco Simoncelli ITA San Carlo Honda Gresini 29m 8.233s
7. Nicky Hayden USA Ducati Marlboro Team 29m 8.411s
8. Ben Spies USA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 29m 11.433s
9. Hector Barbera ESP Paginas Amarillas Aspar 29m 12.476s
10. Marco Melandri ITA San Carlo Honda Gresini 29m 25.693s
11. Loris Capirossi ITA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 29m 35.518s
12. Alex de Angelis RSM Interwetten Honda MotoGP 29m 35.68s

DNF:
Mika Kallio FIN Pramac Racing
Alvaro Bautista ESP Rizla Suzuki MotoGP
Aleix Espargaro ESP Pramac Racing
Randy de Puniet FRA LCR Honda MotoGP >
Colin Edwards USA Monster Yamaha Tech 3

Jorge Lorenzo - Catalunya MotoGP 2010

The Fiat Yamaha rider Jorge Lorenzo crossed the line to take the chequered flag yesterday at the Catalunya MotoGP extending his lead in the championship standings.

It was the Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa that took to the front as the lights went our at the Circuit de Catalunya from fourth spot on the grid but as he came out of the first turn he discovered that he had no front brakes, forcing him wide and  back to ninth position.

Lorenzo to the front of the pack as the Marlboro Ducati of Casey Stoner began to put pressure on the Spaniard followed closely behind by the second Repsol Honda of Andrea Dovizioso and Randy de Puniet.

Within two laps Dani Pedrosa was back on the pace and had fought his way back to fifth position as his team-mate passed Stoner on the inside to take second place at turn five and began to chase down the leading man.

Dovizioso then passed Lorenzo on the following lap as they headed into turn one but only managed to hold the position for a short time as the Yamaha rider retook the lead within a lap and a half.

Stoner decided he wanted a taste of the lead and after running in the slipstream of the two front runners picked up enough speed to pass but missed his braking point at turn 1, rejoining behind Randy de Puniet and Pedrosa.

Pedrosa continued to chase down the front runners, passing De Puniet on lap 7 as the battle for the lead between Lorenzo and Dovizioso went on.

Dovizioso’s moment ended when after suffering some sort of problem with his rear brakes the Honda rider crashed out leaving Lorenzo some breathing space as he cruised towards the finishing line.

Stoner recovered from his earlier off and passed Randy de Puniet before chasing down Pedrosa for second place, however, Pedrosa gave the Ducati rider no chance of passing and finished the race ahead.

Randy de Puniet finished in fourth place ahead of the Rizla Suzuki rider Alvaro Bautista in fifth and Monster Tech3 Yamaha rider Ben Spies in sixth.

In seventh place was the second Rizla Suzuki man Loris Capirossi followed by Nicky Hayden on the second Marlboro Ducati in eighth, Marco Melandri on the  San Carlo Honda Gresini in ninth and Hector Barbera on the Paginas Amarillas Aspar in tenth.

Here are the results;

1.  Jorge Lorenzo  ESP Fiat Yamaha Team  43m 22.805s
2. Dani Pedrosa ESP Repsol Honda Team 43m 27.559s
3. Casey Stoner AUS Ducati Marlboro Team 43m 27.761s
4. Randy de Puniet FRA LCR Honda MotoGP 43m 40.862s
5. Alvaro Bautista ESP Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 43m 44.166s
6. Ben Spies USA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 43m 44.308s
7. Loris Capirossi ITA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 43m 46.986s
8. Nicky Hayden USA Ducati Marlboro Team 43m 50.746s
9. Marco Melandri ITA San Carlo Honda Gresini 43m 50.851s
10. Hector Barbera ESP Paginas Amarillas Aspar 43m 55.244s
11. Colin Edwards USA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 44m 1.211s
12. Mika Kallio FIN Pramac Racing 44m 21.062s
13. Kousuke Akiyoshi JPN Interwetten Honda MotoGP 44m 32.153s
14. Andrea Dovizioso ITA Repsol Honda Team 44m 55.207s
15. Wataru Yoshikawa JPN Fiat Yamaha Team 44m 58.042s

DNF:
Marco Simoncelli ITA San Carlo Honda Gresini
Aleix Espargaro ESP Pramac Racing

Max Biaggi - Aprilia 2010

Max Biaggi was cheered on by his home crowd at the weekend after winning both races for the Aprilia team at the Italian circuit in Misano.

Race One

It was the BMW Motorrad Motorsport rider Troy Corser that led the first race of the day for the first 16 laps until he was passed by the Italian Aprilia rider.

Leon Haslam got off to a terrible start and was shuffled back to ninth place after being forced wide by the Suzuki Alstare rider Sylvain Guintoli through the first bend.

Jonathan Rea who had qualified in sixteenth on the grid, barged his way through to eighth place early on in the race before being passed by Haslam on lap 3.

The front five runners, Corser, Biaggi, Carlos Checa, Guintoli and Michel Fabrizio soon managed to create a gap as the battle went on for sixth place between Cal Crutchlow and Noriyuki Haga.  Crutchlow made a mistake on lap 4 after making a move past Haga and low-sided off of his machine and was out of the race.

On lap 9, Biaggi made a move on Corser to take the lead but only briefly as Corser retook his position before the whole sequence took place once again leaving Biaggi this time in front.

As Corser tried to keep the pressure on Biaggi he ran wide at the left hand bend at Quercia allowing Checa a chance to get past him.

Biaggi fought off the attempts of Checa to pass him and crossed the line to take his seventh win of the season ahead of Checa and Corser.  Fabrizio finished in fourth followed by Guintoli in fifth.

Leon Camier on the second Aprilia crossed the line in sixth place after qualifying in fourteenth on the grid ahead of Noriyuki Haga for seventh place.  Haslam finished in eighth place followed by Shane Byrne and James Toseland in ninth and tenth respectively.

Here are the results;

1. Max Biaggi ITA Aprilia Alitalia Racing RSV-4 24 laps
2. Carlos Checa ESP Althea Ducati 1198 +0.387s
3. Troy Corser AUS BMW Motorrad S1000RR +0.822s
4. Michel Fabrizio ITA Ducati Xerox 1198 +4.911s
5. Sylvain Guintoli FRA Alstare Suzuki GSX-R1000 +5.916s
6. Leon Camier GBR Aprilia Alitalia Racing RSV-4 +8.658s
7. Noriyuki Haga JPN Ducati Xerox 1198 +11.872s
8. Leon Haslam GBR Alstare Suzuki GSX-R1000 +11.907s
9. Shane Byrne GBR Althea Ducati 1198 +16.490s
10. James Toseland GBR Yamaha Sterilgarda YZF R1 +18.458s
11. Luca Scassa ITA Team Supersonic Ducati 1198 +18.646s
12. Lorenzo Lanzi ITA DFX Ducati 1198 +19.315s
13. Jonathan Rea GBR Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR +25.405s
14. Max Neukirchner GER Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR +31.671s
15. Tom Sykes GBR Kawasaki SRT ZX-10R +39.658s

16. Chris Vermeulen AUS Kawasaki SRT ZX-10R +48.137s
17. Roger Lee Hayden USA Team Pedercini Kawasaki ZX-10R +56.316s
18. Federico Sandi ITA Gabrielli Aprilia RSV-4 +56.667s
19. Matteo Baiocco ITA Team Pedercini Kawasaki ZX-10R +57.218s

Not Classified

20. Ruben Xaus ESP BMW Motorrad S1000RR 8 laps completed
21. Cal Crutchlow GBR Yamaha Sterilgarda YZF R1 4 laps completed
22. Jakub Smrz CZE PATA B&G Racing Ducati 1098R 1 lap completed

DQ. Broc Parkes AUS Echo-CRS Honda CBR1000RR

Race Tw0

In the second race of the day at the Italian circuit it was Troy Corser who once again led as the riders headed into the first corner ahead of Carlos Checa and Max Biaggi.

Biaggi was briefly dropped back to fourth place after being passed by fellow Italian Michel Fabrizio on lap 2 before setting a new lap record.  The Aprilia rider soon got his head down and began to chase down third place man Checa who was shuffled back to the field by Fabrizio and then Biaggi.  Haslam and Crutchlow followed the lead and both made their moves on Checa dropping him back to sixth place.

Fabrizio past Corser on lap 7 of the race to take the lead as Biaggi also made his move slip in behind his fellow countryman for second place.

It didn’t take long for the Aprilia rider to get past Fabrizio and finished four seconds ahead of the second placed man for his fourth double win of the season.

The battle continued for second place with Haslam also passing Fabrizio on lap 14 while Fabrizio had then to deal with a challenging Crutchlow. The Ducati rider had his position snatched away on lap 24 before retaking it within the next two laps.

Haslam crossed the line for second followed by Fabrizio in third, Crutchlow in fourth, Checa in fifth, Guintoli in sixth, Shane Byrne seventh, Luca Scassa in eighth, Noriyuki Haga in ninth and Corser in tenth.

Corser made a mistake on the final lap after running off the circuit while trying to defend his position from the pressuring of Carlos Checa.  James Toseland failed to finish the race after falling from the Yamaha Sterilgarda at turn one of lap 11.

Here are the results;

1. Max Biaggi ITA Aprilia Alitalia Racing RSV-4 24 laps
2. Leon Haslam GBR Alstare Suzuki GSX-R1000 +4.095s
3. Michel Fabrizio ITA Ducati Xerox 1198 +4.631s
4. Cal Crutchlow GBR Yamaha Sterilgarda YZF R1 +5.014s
5. Carlos Checa ESP Althea Ducati 1198 +6.256s
6. Sylvain Guintoli FRA Alstare Suzuki GSX-R1000 +7.677s
7. Shane Byrne GBR Althea Ducati 1198 +10.144s
8. Luca Scassa ITA Team Supersonic Ducati 1198 +10.942s
9. Noriyuki Haga JPN Ducati Xerox 1198 +13.640s
10. Troy Corser AUS BMW Motorrad S1000RR +16.279s
11. Leon Camier GBR Aprilia Alitalia Racing RSV-4 +17.799s
12. Jonathan Rea GBR Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR +22.793s
13. Lorenzo Lanzi ITA DFX Ducati 1198 +24.131s
14. Max Neukirchner GER Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR +28.212s
15. Chris Vermeulen AUS Kawasaki SRT ZX-10R +36.551s

16. Tom Sykes GBR Kawasaki SRT ZX-10R +49.636s
17. Broc Parkes AUS Echo-CRS Honda CBR1000RR +50.041s
18. Roger Lee Hayden USA Team Pedercini Kawasaki ZX-10R +51.246s
19. Matteo Baiocco ITA Team Pedercini Kawasaki ZX-10R +58.174s
20. Federico Sandi ITA Gabrielli Aprilia RSV-4 +1min 10.688s

Not Classified

21. James Toseland GBR Yamaha Sterilgarda YZF R1 10 laps completed
22. Ruben Xaus ESP BMW Motorrad S1000RR 7 laps completed
23. Jakub Smrz CZE PATA B&G Racing Ducati 1098R 2 laps completed

Ryuichi Kiyonari - HM Plant Honda 2010

Ryuichi Kiyonari took the victory in both races this weekend at the Mallory Park round of the British Superbike Championship.

Race One

The HM Plant Honda rider Ryuichi Kiyonari qualified in pole position for the first race of the day but dropped back to third as the pack headed into the first corner.

Michael Laverty took to the lead from the start followed by Michael Rutter, Kiyonari and Chris Walker in fourth, however, the following lap saw the red flag waved following an accident between Martin Jessopp and Dan Linfoot.  Jessopp appeared to make contact with Yamaha of Linfoot and managed to get his leg caught up in the Motorpoint machine.  After being taken to the track-side medical centre, Jessopp is believed to have suffered a suspected fracture to his leg.

As the race restarted, Laverty once again took to the front of the pack followed by Josh Brookes, Rutter and Kiyonari. The Japanese rider soon passed Rutter while Brookes made his move stick on the race leader, with Kiyonari following two laps later.

Kiyonari finally got past his team-mate on lap 12 where he remained until the chequered flag was waved followed by Brookes for a Honda 1-2.  Laverty claimed third place ahead of Rutter in fourth, Stuart Easton in fifth, Chris Walker in sixth, Simon Andrews seventh, John Laverty eighth, Andrew Pitt ninth and Alastair Seeley in tenth.

Both Worx Crescent Suzuki riders failed to finish the race after Tommy Hill suffered technical issues on his machine and Yukio Kagayama had a huge high-side.  Karl Harris was another non-finisher after failing to complete a single lap on his East Coast Yamaha.

Here are the results;

1.  Ryuichi Kiyonari  JPN HM Plant Honda  23mins 42.274s
2. Josh Brookes AUS HM Plant Honda +1.820
3. Michael Laverty GBR Relentless by TAS Suzuki +3.573s
4. Michael Rutter GBR Ridersmotorcycles.com Ducati +3.753s
5. Stuart Easton GBR Swan Honda +13.883s
6. Chris Walker GBR CW Suzuki +14.155s
7. Simon Andrews GBR MSS Colchester Kawasaki +16.175s
8. John Laverty GBR Buildbase Kawasaki +16.343s
9. Andrew Pitt AUS Motorpoint Yamaha +19.469s
10. Alastair Seeley GBR Relentless by TAS Suzuki +19.912s
11. Tommy Bridewell GBR Quay Garage Honda +21.571s
12. Gary Mason GBR MSS Colchester Kawasaki +22.206s
13. James Ellison GBR Swan Honda +37.820s
14. Steve Brogan GBR Jentin Racing BMW +45.855s
15. Tom Tunstall GBR Doodson Motorsport Honda +46.402264s

16. Adam Jenkinson GBR Buildbase Kawasaki +46.900s
17. Christian Iddon GBR Sorrymate.com SMT Honda +47.528s
18. Hudson Kennaugh RSA MAR Kawasaki +50.865s
19. Peter Ward GBR Astro-Chase SST Kawasaki +52.622s
20. Pauli Pekkanen FIN 777 RR Motorsport Suzuki +52.769s
21. Gary Johnson GBR AIM Suzuki +1 lap
22. Craig Fitzpatrick GBR Close Print Finance Honda +2 laps

Not Classified

23. Tommy Hill GBR Worx Crescent Suzuki 8 laps completed
24. Peter Hickman GBR Ultimate Racing Yamaha 7 laps completed
25. David Johnson AUS Two Brothers BMW 5 laps completed
26. Yukio Kagayama JPN Worx Crescent Suzuki 1 lap completed
27. Karl Harris GBR East Coast Yamaha 0 laps completed
28. Chris Burns GBR Splitlath Aprilia 0 laps completed
29. James Edmeades GBR Redline KTM 0 laps completed

DNS Dan Linfoot GBR Motorpoint Yamaha
DNS Martin Jessopp GBR Ridersmotorcycles.com Ducati
DNS Aaron Zanotti GBR Red Viper Spike Suzuki
DNS Steve Heneghan IRL Quattro Plant Honda

Race Two

For the second time of the day it was a HM Plant Honda 1-2 after Ryuichi Kiyonari won the final race of the day ahead of his team-mate Josh Brookes.

Kiyonari once again dominated the second race of the day despite being briefly overtaken by Chris Walker on the opening lap.

The second HM Plant Honda rider made his way past Walker on lap 7 before chasing down his team-mate but the Japanese rider got his head down and created a gap of more than three seconds between himself and Brookes.

Michael Laverty made it onto the podium for his fifth consecutive race after finishing in third place ahead of Michael Rutter who once again took his second fourth place of the day.  Chris Walker also took his second fifth place of the day followed by John Laverty in sixth, Simon Andrews in seventh, Tommy Hill in eighth, Tommy Bridewell in ninth and Andrew Pitt in tenth.

Here are the results;

1.  Ryuichi Kiyonari  JPN HM Plant Honda  28mins 20.065s
2. Josh Brookes AUS HM Plant Honda +3.601
3. Michael Laverty GBR Relentless by TAS Suzuki +9.726s
4. Michael Rutter GBR Ridersmotorcycles.com Ducati +10.819s
5. Chris Walker GBR CW Suzuki +19.126s
6. John Laverty GBR Buildbase Kawasaki +21.249s
7. Simon Andrews GBR MSS Colchester Kawasaki +22.812s
8. Tommy Hill GBR Worx Crescent Suzuki +23.085s
9. Tommy Bridewell GBR Quay Garage Honda +23.326s
10. Andrew Pitt AUS Motorpoint Yamaha +23.950s
11. Alastair Seeley GBR Relentless by TAS Suzuki +32.645s
12. James Ellison GBR Swan Honda +39.495s
13. Gary Mason GBR MSS Colchester Kawasaki +40.135s
14. Dan Linfoot GBR Motorpoint Yamaha +43.289
15. Peter Hickman GBR Ultimate Racing Yamaha +48.414s

16. Christian Iddon GBR Sorrymate.com SMT Honda +53.274s
17. Hudson Kennaugh RSA MAR Kawasaki +1 lap
18. David Johnson AUS Two Brothers BMW +1 lap
19. Gary Johnson GBR AIM Suzuki +1 lap
20. Tom Tunstall GBR Doodson Motorsport Honda +1 lap
21. Pauli Pekkanen FIN 777 RR Motorsport Suzuki +1 lap
22. Chris Burns GBR Splitlath Aprilia +1 lap
23. Aaron Zanotti GBR Red Viper Spike Suzuki +2 laps

Not Classified

24. Karl Harris GBR East Coast Yamaha 0 laps completed
25. Adam Jenkinson GBR Buildbase Kawasaki +46.900s
26. James Edmeades GBR Redline KTM 0 laps completed
27. Stuart Easton GBR Swan Honda +13.883s
28. Peter Ward GBR Astro-Chase SST Kawasaki +52.622s
29. Steve Brogan GBR Jentin Racing BMW +45.855s

DNS Yukio Kagayama JPN Worx Crescent Suzuki
DNS Craig Fitzpatrick GBR Close Print Finance Honda
DNS Martin Jessopp GBR Ridersmotorcycles.com Ducati
DNS Steve Heneghan IRL Quattro Plant Honda

Jorge Lorenzo - Fiat Yamaha 2010

The Fiat Yamaha rider Jorge Lorenzo continued his winning streak after taking the victory at the Assen MotoGP on Saturday, his fourth of the season.

Starting from pole position, Lorenzo led the pack into the first corner with Ben Spies and Dani Pedrosa moving up the grid to slot into second and third places respectively.

On lap three as Lorenzo started to increase his lead, Pedrosa and Casey Stoner both made their move to pass the Monster Yamaha Tech3 of Ben Spies.  The second Repsol Honda rider Andrea Dovizioso was the next man to make a move on Spies to slot into fourth place.

Stoner was desperately trying to find a way past Pedrosa while Spies retook the position from Dovizioso with Randy de Puniet also in the battle for the points.

Lorenzo crossed the line 2.935 seconds ahead of Pedrosa, while Stoner made it onto the podium for the first time this season with third place.  Spies finished in fourth place followed by Dovizioso and De Puniet in fifth and sixth, Nicky Hayden in seventh, Colin Edwards in eighth, Marco Simoncelli in ninth and Aleix Espargaro completing the top ten finishers.

Here are the results;

1 25 99 Jorge LORENZO SPA Fiat Yamaha Team YAMAHA 41′18.629 171.518
2 20 26 Dani PEDROSA SPA Repsol Honda Team HONDA 41′21.564 171.315 2.935
3 16 27 Casey STONER AUS Ducati Team DUCATI 41′25.651 171.034 7.022
4 13 11 Ben SPIES USA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 YAMAHA 41′31.894 170.605 13.265
5 11 4 Andrea DOVIZIOSO ITA Repsol Honda Team HONDA 41′33.952 170.464 15.323
6 10 14 Randy DE PUNIET FRA LCR Honda MotoGP HONDA 41′34.401 170.434 15.772
7 9 69 Nicky HAYDEN USA Ducati Team DUCATI 41′44.496 169.747 25.867
8 8 5 Colin EDWARDS USA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 YAMAHA 41′47.620 169.535 28.991
9 7 58 Marco SIMONCELLI ITA San Carlo Honda Gresini HONDA 41′54.287 169.086 35.658
10 6 41 Aleix ESPARGARO SPA Pramac Racing Team DUCATI 41′54.466 169.074 35.837
11 5 36 Mika KALLIO FIN Pramac Racing Team DUCATI 42′15.398 167.678 56.769
12 4 40 Hector BARBERA SPA Paginas Amarillas Aspar DUCATI 42′15.519 167.670 56.890
13 3 65 Loris CAPIROSSI ITA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP SUZUKI 42′19.244 167.424 1′00.615
14 2 19 Alvaro BAUTISTA SPA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP SUZUKI 42′26.703 166.933 1′08.074
15 1 64 Kousuke AKIYOSHI JPN Interwetten Honda MotoGP HONDA 41′42.019 163.380 1 lap

Paola Cazzola - 2007

Paola Cazzola - 2007

Female motorcycle rider Paola Cazzola has signed a contract with the Elle 2 Ciatti team and will be racing at this weekends World Supersport round at San Marino.

The Italian rider will be at her home circuit on her return to the series after parting ways with the Kuja Racing team where she rode their Honda CBR 600RR.

The 32-year-old is the first woman to compete full-time in the Supersport World championship after dominating woman’s racing in Italy over the past few years.

Paola has been named the ‘Valentino Rossi in Pink’ and scored points during her first outing of the series at the Phillip Island circuit in Australia.  The Italian rider was also the first woman to ever win the Vallelunga Rome race of the Yamaha R6 Series Cup after beating all the other male riders in the competition back in 2006.

If that fact wasn’t a signal of intention in itself, it is worth noting that the only two teams to have done so prior to Honda were the hugely successful BRM, and current Formula One giants Ferrari.

Their creativity paid off: Honda got their first race win in the 1965 Mexican Grand Prix. At the close of the 1968, though, Honda’s team faced tragedy and chose to withdraw: driver Jo Schlesser crashed and died at the French Grand Prix.

Despite their withdrawal, Honda has maintained an incredibly successful career in formula one. As a manufacturer of parts, their forward thinking designs have meant that – when between 1983 and 1992, they provided engines for other F1 teams – cars with Honda engines took six Constructors Championships and saw five drivers race to Driver Championships in cars with Honda engines.

One such driver was the legendary Ayrton Senna, who won his three championships in cars with a Honda engine.

In the 21st century, Honda is now one of the world’s leading car manufacturers. It’s presence in F1 is perhaps now less well known to the casual viewer than it was in the 1960s, but lives on with a great degree of success as the Mercedes GP team, for which 7 times world champion Michael Schumacher now races.

And the forward thinking approach continues at Mercedes GP, as it does with Honda’s road vehicles. Honda’s current range of three hybrid cars represent the peak of innovation in the technology, and  – from the Insight Hybrid, through to the brand new CR-Z hybrid – the company are claiming that they offer the driver the best of both worlds; a car which is not only green and efficient, and that also offers great economy as well as a significantly lower carbon footprint, but which also offers no radical compromise in terms of performance and power. It is a somewhat proud claim and one worthy of serious investigation.

These variations on the hybrid car, like Honda’s confident early developments in F1 in the 1960s and their design work in the 80s and 90s, shows that the manufacturer has innovation at their heart.

Indeed, after several years waiting for a viable workable hybrid engine, after several expensive failures, Honda have produced a range of hybrid cars that look like achieving that lofty aim.

The first car in the range is the Honda Insight Hybrid, or as it has come to be known the Insight (Family Hybrid). The reason for this being that the Insight is Honda’s entry-level family hybrid car. Sharing the same levels of comfort as any petrol or diesel guzzling car in its price range, the Insight Hybrid is available for an on the road price of just £16,325.

The emission rate of just 101 g/km means that it qualifies to be exempt from road tax in the UK (Road Tax Band B) and if you live in London, it also means that you are exempt from the congestion charge.

Furthermore, with a fuel economy rating of 64.2 miles per gallon, you won’t be lining the pockets of the petrol companies too often either. It’s 1.3 litre petrol/electrical engine powers the car to a respectable 113 miles per hour, plenty along any motorway in the United Kingdom and on top of that, the car accelerates from 0-62 mph in just 12.5 seconds.

While the performance isn’t likely to send the car into warp speed, it is certainly more than enough to satisfy the environmentally conscious family driver seeking a practical, affordable and economically viable vehicle.

However the notion that hybrid cars can offer little more than that, even at their best, has also been shot to pieces with the introduction of the Honda CR-Z Hybrid, which hit the UK market in early 2010.

This is where Honda’s seemingly distinct worlds of F1 and roadworthy vehicles combine: Powered by a 1.5 litre petrol/electrical engine, the sporty CR-Z achieves 0-62 mph in an eyebrow raising 9.9 seconds and will keep accelerating up to a lip-smacking 124mph.

Where Honda began its life four years before its first Formula 1 victory as a small provider of road vehicles, it has now cemented its position as one of the foremost thinkers in the development of design in car manufacture, whether it’s in streamlining and speeding up F1 cars, or in developing low emissions vehicles.