MotoGP: By the Numbers

Numbers and statistics for the latest round of the MotoGP World Championship

MotoGP Press Release

159 – At Sachsenring, Valentino Rossi is scheduled to make his 159th successive premier-class GP start without missing a race. This will take the record for successive premier-class starts from Alex Barros, who started 158 successive races.

61 – With his tenth place finish at Laguna Seca, Marco Melandri has scored 61 points from the first eight races of the year. This is four more than top Kawasaki rider of last year John Hopkins scored throughout the complete 2008 season.

18 – Dani Pedrosa’s win at Laguna Seca ended an 18 race sequence without a win for Honda in MotoGP, since Pedrosa won in Catalonia last year. This is the longest sequence of races in the premier-class without a Honda win since they re-entered Grand Prix racing in 1982.

16 – Valentino Rossi has been on the podium sixteen times in the seventeen races since finishing second in Germany last year. The only occasion he has not finished on the podium during this period was when he crashed at Le Mans and re-started to finish 16th.

15 – Spanish riders have started from pole on fifteen occasions across the three classes in 2009. None of these riders have gone on to win the race after starting from pole.

11 – Race day in Germany will be the 11th anniversary to the day of the very first Grand Prix event to be held at the newly built Sachsenring circuit in 1998.

3 – Sachsenring is one of just three current circuits where Rossi has not started from pole in the premier-class; the others are Laguna Seca and Misano.

3 – There are only three riders in the 250cc class who have scored points at all seven races held so far in 2009; Hiroshi Aoyama, Hector Barbera and Raffaele de Rosa.

MotoGP: Round 9

MotoGP Alice Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland

Tyler Hopper

AllAboutBikes.com Staff-Writer

With Yamaha and Ducati dominating the top three spots in championship points, both manufacturers face stumbling blocks on the road to Deutschland. Jorge Lorenzo, currently in second place, and Casey Stoner, in third, will be competing at less than 100 percent heading to Sachsenring, Germany, for the Alice Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland.

When Lorenzo arrives for the ninth round, he won’t be concerned with the media; his attention will be with the Clinica Mobile, whose staff helped prepare him for the Laguna Seca race after his qualifying crash. The crash resulted in a collarbone injury, a micro fracture in his right foot and two bruised ankles.

Casey Stoner, who suffered a crash during qualifying at the Laguna Seca race, has recently been diagnosed with slight gastritis and mild anemia. Stoner said, “I still don’t feel like I am 100 percent, but the biggest problem now is that my ribs are very painful after the crash in qualifying in the U.S. It will be probably another hard weekend in Germany, but as always, we will do our best to stay as much as possible close to the lead of the Championship.” Stoner managed to finish fourth at the Red Bull Grand Prix at Laguna Seca, despite his misfortune in qualifying. That kind of performance, at a time when he needed it, is an indication of how much Stoner wants to stay in the battle for the championship.

Two riders looking forward to top performances this weekend are Dani Pedrosa and Valentino Rossi. Coming off of a victory in the US, Pedrosa looks forward to the race in Germany. “I’ve had some good results at this track and I take a lot of confidence into the race weekend at Sachsenring because we’re probably in the best shape we’ve been in for a while,” stated the Pedrosa. “The win in Laguna Seca was really important for me and the team because it proves we’ve been making progress and we now have the pace to win races.”

Rossi is looking to continue his run for the title this weekend. Rossi said, “Sachsenring isn’t one of my favorite tracks but I’ve had some great races there and generally it suits Yamaha well, which is good. We need another good result to keep our lead because our rivals are so strong and we can’t afford to make any mistakes. Last year there was a lot of rain in Germany but in fact we were able to take a great second place. I hope this year we can go one better.”

WSBK: Imola Testing

Fabrizio blitzes Superbike field in day 1 of WSB testing at Imola

World Superbike Press Release

Michel Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox) stormed to the top slot in the first day of official Superbike group testing at the Autodromo di Imola Wednesday. After 265 minutes of heat-sapping track action at the revised Santerno circuit, the young Italian slammed in an impressive time of 1 minute 49.164 seconds in the final seconds to edge Ben Spies (Yamaha World Superbike) off the top slot. Fabrizio is running singleton for the Ducati factory squad at Imola as points leader Noriyuki Haga is scheduled to return at Brno following his recent Donington crash.

"On the last lap I put on a new tire to set my time, one of the development tires that Pirelli brought along for this extreme heat," declared Fabrizio. "We worked a lot on the set-up, something we've never managed to do really well during the championship, and we worked on the traction control to try and get the best out of the engine in view of Brno. I really wanted to prove to Ben that I'm right there with him. There are still five rounds left and I think he realizes that by now!"

Right throughout the day the battle had been between Spies and Fabrizio, but they were joined at the end by a group of riders who also set impressive times. Next up was Britain's Jonathan Rea (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda), just five-tenths down on the front man, while Ruben Xaus (BMW Motorrad) showed great progress for the German squad by powering through into an impressive fourth slot with his quickest time of the day in the closing stages. Carlos Checa (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda), fastest in the morning, maintained his good form in the afternoon, improving his time to end up fifth.

Three Brits took the next three positions, but all were over the 1m50s mark, Shane Byrne (Sterilgarda Ducati) coming in ahead of Tom Sykes (Yamaha World Superbike) and Leon Haslam (Stiggy Racing Honda), while Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati DFX) and Yukio Kagayama (Suzuki Alstare BRUX) completed the top ten runners. Max Neukirchner (Suzuki Alstare BRUX) eased himself back into the WSB scene with an encouraging 14th position, but there was little joy today for Aprilia Racing, as Shinya Nakano and Max Biaggi could only take their RSV4 machines to 12th and 17th respectively.

In the Supersport sessions, Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha World Supersport) proved to be too strong for the opposition on the first day, the Coventry man posting a time that was six-tenths quicker than Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda). Eugene Laverty (Parkalgar Honda) hauled himself up to third place, one tenth behind, Fabien Foret (Yamaha World Supersport) also lapped within a second of the leader to finish fourth, just ahead of Mark Aitchison (Honda Althea) in fifth.

Schwantz School at Indy

Schwantz School Headed For The Brickyard

Press Release

Join 1993 500cc World Champion Kevin Schwantz at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for a special two-day Schwantz School on August 21-22. Students will have the unprecedented opportunity to lap the same track that Valentino Rossi, Nicky Hayden and the rest of the world's best will tackle one week later during the second running of the Red Bull Indianapolis GP.

Schwantz and his team of instructors will offer a comprehensive, corner-by-corner look at IMS's 16-turn, 2.6-mile road course. Classroom instruction, conducted by Schwantz and his chief instructor, will cover visual awareness and concentration, body position and steering, lines and reference points, gear selection and shifting, and braking. Schwantz will also lead a track walk to further enhance the learning experience.

Michelin Pilot Power-shod Honda CBR600RRs and Suzuki GSX-R600s will be provided, with Arai helmets and Dainese riding gear available for rental. Students will receive an inaugural Schwantz School T-shirt, a photo CD and a video DVD. Special awards for the safest and most-improved students are planned. Drinks and snacks will be offered both days, along with lunch each afternoon. A special Schwantz family BBQ is scheduled for Friday evening.

The Schwantz School at Indy is limited to 34 students, all of whom must be 18 years of age. Price is $2750.00. Online registration opens at 11 a.m. EST on Wednesday, July 15, at schwantzschool.com. For more information, call 866.223.5649 or 205.702.2712.

MotoGP: Suzuki’s Hopeful

Loris Capirossi and Chris Vermeulen hope to bounce back from their Laguna Seca disappointments this weekend

MotoGP Press Release

The Rizla Suzuki team went into the last round in the U.S. in spirits high after the successful incorporation of a new engine in the GSV-R and a series of top five results in the preceding races, but things did not go according to plan for Loris Capirossi or Chris Vermeulen in California.

Capirossi crashed out of the Laguna Seca contest - his second DNF this year - to leave him frustrated and sitting tenth in the World Championship standings. He now gets a chance to put that right at Sachsenring, where he finished seventh last year despite carrying a nasty arm injury.

The Italian rider – who got his best result from eight premier-class starts at the Sachsenring in 2007 when he finished second – gave his thoughts ahead of the Alice Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland, saying, “The last couple of races have been a bit tough on us, which has been pretty difficult as we have worked so hard to get everything right. The crew have certainly been giving all they can and we just didn’t get the solutions we were looking for.”

He continued, “We have still managed to learn a lot of things about how the Suzuki GSV-R behaves in different situations and on different types of Bridgestone tyres, so all that will be very useful to us in Germany. Sachsenring is not a track that needs a lot of power and speed, but it does require careful balance because you are on the side of the tyre so much. It is a track that I certainly enjoy racing at and believe that we can do well at - we will just have to see what happens this weekend!”

His team-mate Vermeulen did at least finish the race at Laguna, but the Australian’s eighth place finish was well below expectations at a track where he had been on the podium on his previous two visits, with tyre choice apparently letting him down.

Looking ahead to the visit to Sachsenring, where he rode a great race in the rain last year to also mount the rostrum despite starting in 14th on the grid, Vermeulen commented, “I got a third at Sachsenring last year and although that was in the wet I am sure we can try and repeat that this year in whatever weather we have to contend with. The bike is still working well and seems to improve every time we go out on it The crew have got a good base package and if that works from the start at Sachsenring - and we can get the tyres to match the bike - then I see no reason why we can't be competitive from the first day.”

KYMCO: Demo Rides

KYMCO scoots to the fifth AMA International Women and Motorcycling Conference, presented by Harley-Davidson and Buell

AMA Press Release

The American Motorcyclist Association is pleased to announce that powersports distributor KYMCO USA will provide scooter demo rides at the fifth AMA International Women & Motorcycling Conference, presented by Harley-Davidson and Buell. The conference will take place in Keystone, Colo., Aug. 19-22.

"KYMCO scooters are easy and fun to ride, and because they are equipped with constant velocity transmissions (CVT), they offer riders with little or no shifting experience a great opportunity to participate in the sport," said Tigra Tsujikawa, marketing and special events manager for the AMA. "We are very excited about KYMCO's presence at our conference."

The KYMCO USA scooter product line includes a wide range of models and colors, including the sporty new 500cc Xciting. Other models range in engine size from 50-250cc, and many feature sleek European and retro styling. The Spartanburg, S.C.-based company has been on the U.S. powersports scene for more than 30 years, and today it distributes motor scooters, motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles manufactured by its parent company in Taiwan.

Registration for the fifth AMA International Women & Motorcycling Conference, presented by Harley-Davidson and Buell, costs $165 through Aug. 3. Registration after Aug. 3 (and any on-site registrations) will cost $185. The registration fee includes a commemorative t-shirt, and admission to all seminars as well as opening ceremonies on Aug. 19, a barn dance on Aug. 20, the International Street Party on Aug. 21 and a closing banquet on Aug. 22. Both the barn dance and closing banquet include dinner.

AMA: Ride Like a Pro

AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days welcomes Ride Like a Pro precision riding team

AMA Press Release

The American Motorcyclist Association is pleased to announce that the Ride Like a Pro precision riding team will perform at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course this July 24-26 as part of AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days.

"AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days is known for one of the broadest schedules of motorcycling-related activities anywhere, from our massive swap meet to seminars to bike shows to vintage racing," said Tigra Tsujikawa, AMA special events manager. "The entertainment also extends to displays of extraordinary riding skill, such as what visitors will witness this year when the Ride Like a Pro team takes to the stunt area."

Ride Like a Pro showcases "the fusion of entertainment and rider skills enlightenment." Ride Like a Pro is led by Jerry "Motorman" Palladino, who has produced instructional motorcycle videos and appears weekly on SPEED with motorcycling safety tips. The team includes two petite female riders who handle their 850-pound motorcycles as easily as a kid plays with a toy car.

AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days attracts thousands of the most enthusiastic motorcyclists on the planet every year, from racers to vintage collectors to restorers to fans," Palladino said. "The one thing they all have in common is they're serious about their riding. We're looking forward to showing this group some great riding techniques, and I can guarantee the crowd will be laughing and learning at the same time."

Palladino and his team will perform daily and will have the Ride Like a Pro book and DVDs available for sale before and after the rider skills demonstrations. More information about Ride Like a Pro can be found here.

For ticket and schedule information about AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days, see their site.