Stoner Gabung Honda Musim Depan

Musim 2010 ini akan jadi akhir kebersamaan Casey Stoner dengan Ducati. Sebab mulai musim depan Stoner akan "mudik" ke Honda.

Keputusan itu diambil secara bersama oleh Stoner dan juga pihak Ducati, Jumat (9/7) sore WIB, setelah empat tahun lalu Stoner berada di pabrikan asal Italia itu.

Di tahun 2007 itu pula Stoner langsung menyabet gelar juara dunia pertamanya dalam karir pembalap asal Australia itu. Juga jadi yang pertama bagi Ducati di gelar konstruktor.

"Ducati menguncapkan terima kasih kepada Casey Stoner yang telah memutuskan mencari tantangan baru. Dengan rasa syukur dan sayang kami dia akan selalu kami kenang," bunyi pernyataan Ducati di situs resminya.

Stoner pun tak lupa berterima kasih atas semua kesempatan yang telah diberikan oleh Ducati sehingga ia menjadi pembalap kelas satu dunia sejajar dengan Valentino Rossi, Jorge Lorenzo dan Dani Pedrosa.

"Aku ucapkan terima kasih kepada Ducati yang telah memberiku kesempatan hebat untuk membalap dan menang bersama mereka dalam empat tahun terakhir ini," tukas Stoner.

"Kini aku sudah memutuskan harus pindah dan akan mencari tantangan baru di masa depan dan banyak hambatan di yang datang. Namun aku tidak akan melupakan kebersamaanku bersama Ducati dan orang-orang yang yang sangat dekat dengaku," pungkas Stoner.

Lalu kemana pembalap 25 tahun itu akan pindah? Dilansir dari twitter resmi MotoGP, Stoner akan bergabung bersama Pedrosa dan Andrea Dovizioso di tim Honda di mana Stoner mengawali karirnya di MotoGP tahun 2006.

"Kami sangat senang Casey akan bergabung ke Honda lagi musim depan. Jelas dia adalah salah satu pembalap top di MotoGP dan ia akan membawa kecepatan dan pengalaman dalam tim kami," ujar wakil presiden Honda Shuhei Nakamoto di gpupdate.

"Honda sudah memiliki dua pembalap kuat dan berpengalaman yaitu Dani Pedrosa dan Andrea Dovizioso yang tampil sangat baik dan berada di posisi kedua dan ketiga musim ini. HRC (Honda Racing) berharap mempertahankan dua pembalap ini tahun depan, yang mana membuat kami memiliki line-up yang sangat kuat," tuntas Nakamoto.

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Pedrosa Siap Teruskan Momentum

Dani Pedrosa siap melanjutkan momentum. Pembalap Repsol Honda ini bertekad tidak membuat kesalahan dan mengejar kemenangan saat tampil di MotoGP Jerman akhir pekan ini.

Pedrosa baru saja berada di posisi kedua saat tampil di kampung halamannya di MotoGP Barcelona lalu. Pedrosa gagal melewati Jorge Lorenzo namun mampu berada di posisi kedua setelah bertarung dengan Casey Stoner.

Pembalap Spanyol ini pun mengaku hasil yang diraih di Catalunya merupakan hasil positif. Kini Pedrosa pun berharap bisa dia bisa tampil lebih baik di Sachsenring dan bertarung untuk meraih kemenangan bagi Repsol Honda di tahun ini.

"Balapan di Catalunya sangat positif bagi kami, bagi saya pribadi karena saya dapat memberikan teman dan fans saya hasil yang baik, dan bagi tim, mereka bekerja keras dan kami bisa di posisi kedua," kata Pedrosa seperti dilansir Crash.

"Saya ingin melanjutkan momentum ini dan tetap berada di depan, dan bertarung untuk kemenangan di dua balapan ke depan. Saya ingin berkonsentrasi penuh dan tak membuat kesalahan dan siap bertarung untuk kemenangan," tukasnya.

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Rizla Suzuki to continue progress in Germany

Álvaro Bautista has a good record at the German circuit over the past couple of seasons in the 250cc class, and in 2008 and 2009 he rode to the third step of the podium in both races. The 25 year-old is hoping to carry some of the ‘home’ form he showed at the last race at Catalunya – where he finished an excellent fifth – to Sachsenring and continue to improve on a MotoGP machine as his strength and confidence grows following his early season injury.

Capirossi will be looking to build on what he described as “the first real result” of 2010 last time out in Spain. He finished seventh in Barcelona and is certain that the huge steps the team took there will benefit them at Sachsenring.

Álvaro Bautista:

“The last race was the first time I have felt like I could ride the bike how I wanted to. I feel stronger now and I’m sure I will be 100% when we get to Germany. It is a quite a difficult track, but I have had a couple of good results there on a 250 so I hope that will help me on the MotoGP bike. We know we still have a lot of work to do, but as usual we will be working as hard as possible to get the bike right and try for a good result.”

Loris Capirossi:

“We must continue to work how we did at Barcelona and find the best solution for the bike. We know that the bike can perform well and we need to keep the positions we got at Barcelona, this is where we should be and at some races we can be even higher. The team is still so focused and we know what we have to do. I think we can go well in Germany and the GSV-R will work there and we’ll get a good result.”

Press release courtesy of Rizla Suzuki

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Rossi plans to starting ride at Sachsenring

Valentino Rossi will make his return to action at this weekend’s eni Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland, provided he receives clearance on Thursday from the Chief Medical Officer at Sachsenring.

Just six weeks after suffering a fractured right tibia at Mugello the Italian rider’s Fiat Yamaha team confirmed on Wednesday afternoon that the 31 year-old and his medical team have decided that after four races out he is now ready to make his comeback. Test rider Wataru Yoshikawa, who stood in for Rossi at the previous round in Catalunya, will be again be ready to take the Italian’s place if needed.

"I'm really excited that my doctors think I can ride this weekend,” said Rossi, who has completed two private tests in the last week – at Misano last Wednesday and at Brno on Monday – to assess his level of fitness and comfort. “Tomorrow I will see the medical officer and then we will have the final decision.”

He continued: “I felt good on the R1 but I know my M1 at the track is a different thing and it will be hard for me, but I miss my bike and my team and I want to try. I am really looking forward to seeing everyone and being back in the paddock; I was tired of being at home! Wataru will be there as well so if there is a problem he will ride my bike again."

Rossi’s Team Manager Davide Brivio added: "Valentino has made big effort to be ready to race in Sachsenring this weekend. He really wanted to be back riding his M1 as soon as he could and so he's worked hard to make his recovery as quick as possible. We expect him to take a couple of races to be up to speed and competitive at the top after his injury, but it's very nice to see him back with us."

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GP Aperol de Catalunya: The crashes and conditions of the riders

Morales, Terol, Debón and Dovizioso were just some of the unfortunate fallers at Montmeló. Here you can find updates on their physical conditions and see the incidents again.

The Gran Premi Aperol de Catalunya produced a spectacular weekend of action in the 125cc, Moto2 and MotoGP classes, with almost 90 riders present across the weekend. In total there were 46 crashes throughout the sessions and the races, with 26 of those on Sunday.

In the premier class Aleix Espargaró suffered disappointment in front of a home crowd of 80,000 as he failed to finish the race, and Andrea Dovizioso fell whilst trying to impose himself at the front of the race with Jorge Lorenzo. Neither were injured, and Marco Simoncelli also escaped unharmed from his own slip as he competed for sixth place.

The Moto2 race was highly eventful and the drama started at Turn 1 where a huge nine-rider crash involved Shoya Tomizawa (Technomag-CIP), Sergio Gadea (Tenerife 40 Pons), Roberto Rolfo (Italtrans STR), Alex Debón (Team Aeroport de Castelló-Ajo), Robertino Pietri (Italtrans STR), Dominique Aegerter (Technomag-CIP), Mike di Meglio (Mapfre Aspar), Héctor Faubel (Marc VDS Racing) and Alex Baldolini (Caretta Technology Race Dept).

For Debón the crash came just a week after he had suffered a fractured collarbone at Assen. However, the news was encouraging for the Spanish rider who suffered no further damage to the right clavicle and left hand he injured last week. He will however remain under observation until at least Tuesday due to the abdominal blow he received in the fall at Catalunya.

There were more incredible images throughout the race as Niccoló Canepa’s RSM Team Scot bike caught fire after a high speed crash, whilst Ratthapark Wilairot also fell. There was a spectacular crash for Carmelo Morales on the start/finish straight and he was miraculously unharmed. The 31 year-old Spaniard, who was substituting for Axel Pons in the Tenerife 40 Pons team, suffered nothing more sinister than bruising to his left shoulder and elbow.

In the 125cc class the unfortunate riders whose races ended prematurely were Esteve Rabat, Alexis Masbou and Sturla Fagerhaug.

Nico Terol was another crasher on the final lap as he battled for second place, and the Spaniard was taken to the Hospital General de Catalunya after being examined at the circuit. When there, Doctor Raúl Haspert examined Terol and confirmed there were no neurological abnormalities and that his cardiovascular status was normal. A chest scan confirmed a traumatic pulmonary contusion in the lower region of the left lung, as well as fractures to the L1 and L2 vertebra and bruising in the left hand. His condition is stable, but his participation at Sachsenring (July 16th-18th) is in doubt.

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Repsol Honda duo satisfied but with more to do

Repsol Honda rider Andrea Dovizioso set the fifth fastest time in first practice for the TIM TT Assen today as round six of the MotoGP World Championship got underway. The 24 year-old Italian, who lies second in the title standings coming to the Netherlands, is confident that with improvements to the feeling from the front end of his RC212V tomorrow he can qualify well in the afternoon session and continue his impressive start to the 2010 season.

“This was a decent first session and a positive start to the weekend. Of course we still need to improve things and make up some time but I think we can do this tomorrow,” said Dovizioso. “We had some movement on the front end entering turns and also mid-corner and we need to sort this out in order to improve. It’s an issue that I’ve had already this season so we’re familiar with it.”

He continued: “Today’s session was just the start to the weekend and I think we’ll see the real pace that we can run in tomorrow’s two sessions. We used the harder option Bridgestone tyres for our fast laps today, so there’s room for improvement on the softer ones tomorrow. The modifications to the track are good fun to ride although maybe it’s a little bit dangerous if a bike goes down in the right hander because it could come back onto the track in the next corner. Still, it was a positive session today and I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”

Factory Honda team-mate Dani Pedrosa was right behind Dovizioso in sixth as the pair made the first inroads into setting-up their RC212Vs for the fast and sinuous Assen circuit. Though the 24 year-old Spaniard and his crew initially went the wrong way with suspension settings for this circuit, they too expect improvements tomorrow after the data they collected is analysed and setting adjustments are decided upon.

“We’re in sixth place which isn’t actually so bad considering that we initially chose the wrong direction with our suspension settings for this track,” explained Pedrosa. “Basically our set-up was too soft today and this cost us time - especially in Turn 1 - which meant that our lap times suffered quite a lot. So it’s not the ideal start to the race meeting that we were hoping for, but it looks like the weather is going to be stable for the rest of the weekend so we have time to improve things a lot.”

Eager to move on from his finish of eighth at Silverstone, Pedrosa continued: “We need a good result at this race to put Silverstone behind us and because last year I crashed here. The change to the circuit is good and that corner is now very fast - perhaps 270km/h in fifth gear. I’m confident that tomorrow we can do a better job than today and move forward.”

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New Assen corner suits Stoner

Small steps for Stoner after FP1

Casey Stoner was well on the pace in the opening practice session of the TIM TT Assen on Thursday, lapping with a best time just 0.011s off Championship leader Jorge Lorenzo who topped the timesheet.

Feeling the gradual improvements of some changes to his front suspension, the Australian feels that he is slowly reaching the level he wants to, but that there is still some way to go.

“It’s been one part we’ve been struggling with this year and in the last few races that we have changed the fork we’ve made some good progress,” said Stoner, who has been using a 2009 front suspension fork. “The progress unfortunately has been a little bit slow. In Mugello we were never competitive, at Silverstone by race day we were feeling much better but then we weren’t able to make the start with the bike we had. So I’m a little disappointed because we should have had a podium result this year, quite a few I think, but it’s the way things have gone for us this season and we just need to keep focused for each race.”

He continued: “Today was no different. We made a few setting changes and improved the bike a little bit as the session went on, but we still have to make some more improvements. We’ll have a go tomorrow and see if we can make the bike turn a bit harder without losing too much traction in the rear, and we should be quite confident for the race.”

The Australian was pleased with the change to the Ruskenhoek turn at Assen, which has been shortened, and feels that it suits his style much better now.

“The old corner where they have changed it now was probably the worst part of the track for me, and probably the worst part of the season!” Stoner said. “The other bikes were able to run over the kerbs with a lot of confidence, and every time I tried to the bike wanted to highside me, so it was very difficult. This year for me it’s a lot better: a fast corner into another one. It’s actually made the track more like the old Assen, not so tight and twisty but faster and more flowing and for me it’s a lot more fun.”

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Lorenzo taking it one race at a time

Casey Stoner, Dani Pedrosa, Championship leader Jorge Lorenzo, Marco Melandri and Paul Denning all discussed the forthcoming AirAsia British Grand Prix at the official press conference on Thursday.

Jorge Lorenzo may have arrived at Silverstone for the AirAsia British Grand Prix with a 25-point lead over Dani Pedrosa in the Championship standings, but the Fiat Yamaha rider was quick to point out during the pre-event press conference that the title is not something he is thinking about at this point in the season.

"For me it's better not to think about the Championship and focus more on enjoying each race and improving my riding, because we know there are improvements to be made," explained Lorenzo.

With Valentino Rossi missing from the MotoGP grid this weekend following his Mugello practice crash, Lorenzo will be the sole Fiat Yamaha rider on track this weekend at Silverstone, a track that is new to all the riders.

"I like to do a lot of laps in practice, which will help with learning the circuit, but we won't be taking any risks tomorrow, as the track looks a little dirty at the moment,” he explained. “The track will clean up with each session, so the fast lap times will only come on Saturday. From a quick look around the circuit on a scooter the track looks very long and very wide, with lots of different types of tarmac, but I guess we'll only see how it feels on the bike tomorrow during free practice."

Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) proved with a flag-to-flag victory in Mugello that he has the form to be a contender for the win here in Silverstone, while his RC212V has already displayed something of a speed advantage over the opposition at some of the faster tracks this season.

"The last race was good for us," declared Pedrosa. "With the bike we are improving little by little and we've had two good and two bad results so far this season. Hopefully this weekend will be another good one. This is a long track, without the short cut back to the pits that we had in Mugello, so it will be important to make the most of each lap during practice and qualifying."

A revitalised Marco Melandri (San Carlo Honda Gresini) will be looking to carry the momentum from Mugello into this weekend's race at Silverstone. The Italian, who is currently lying seventh in the Championship standings, seemed to find a set-up that suited his very precise riding style last time out at his home race as he took fifth.

"The bike was certainly better in Mugello, but I'm still not 100% happy,” said Melandri. “There are still improvements to be made and I hope we can continue to make them here at Silverstone this weekend. The track looks amazing and I hope we will be able to put on a good race for the fans on Sunday."

Casey Stoner (Ducati Marlboro) placed fourth at Mugello, his best result so far in 2010 after a difficult start to the season, and will be keen to take his first podium of the season and make some headway in the standings.

"We didn't have the start to the season we wanted, but we thought we could be competitive at Mugello because it's a track we've gone well at before,” he said. “To arrive there and have problems like we did was a real shock to the system."

Stoner is one of the few MotoGP riders to have raced at Silverstone before having contested the British 125cc Championship at Silverstone in 2001 and 2002, but he expects that to be of little help on the redeveloped circuit.

"I raced here nine years ago, but I think that there are only four corners still in use from that time with the new track layout. I certainly don't think that counts as circuit knowledge, so it definitely won't give me any sort of advantage this weekend,” he added.

For Paul Denning, Team Manager of the UK based Rizla Suzuki team, the weekend is a big one indeed. He stated: "We made some big steps with the bike over the winter, but then we had some issues at the start of the season with Loris' confidence in the bike and also with Álvaro's injury. Where we are right now obviously stinks, but when the riders are both fully fit and confident then I think we can be up there. I'm not saying we're suddenly going to start challenging Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa at the front, but the potential for much better results is definitely there."

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Hayden happy and ready to push after Mugello crash

The Ducati Marlboro rider is prepared for this weekend’s AirAsia British Grand Prix at the new Silverstone, where he hopes some fresh front end solutions will help in his search for a first podium of 2010.

Hayden tries his hand at cricket

Nicky Hayden has had a strong start to the 2010 campaign, coming close to a podium finish in the opening three rounds but just missing out before a crash at Mugello in the previous round highlighted a front-end issue on his Desmosedici GP10.

Going into round five at Silverstone this weekend the American is confident after the hard work put in by his Ducati Marlboro team, which has involved some testing in Italy in the intervening two weeks. The progress made so far this season also means Hayden is ready for what the new circuit has to offer.

“I’m pretty happy with the bike, the team and everything, I’m just not so happy with my mistake at Mugello. I tried a bit too hard there and it’s true we need to improve something in the front of the bike to give us a little more confidence,” said Hayden at the official AirAsia British Grand Prix pre-event at Lord’s cricket ground.

“The test team was at Mugello after we raced to try out a few different options, so we have a few things to try this weekend. It’s tough because it’s a new track and you don’t want to confuse things, but I feel good. The team are understanding me more and more and now we have five races in six weeks so let’s go!”

The Hayden family celebrated some good news this week when Roger Lee was confirmed as a wildcard entry for the Moto2 race at Indianapolis at the end of August, where he will ride under the leadership of former 500cc World Champion Kevin Schwantz.

“Hopefully the team comes together in time and lets him get out and do some testing to make it a proper effort, and it looks like that will be the case,” said Hayden on his brother’s news. “Wildcards are always exciting and it will be good for him. When we first started racing we all rode 600s together in AMA which was cool, and who knows? Maybe one day we’ll all be racing MotoGP!”

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Dovizioso and Pedrosa prepared for Italian attempt

With three podiums between them so far and occupying third and fourth in the Championship standings the Repsol Honda riders are ready to push hard at the Gran Premio d’Italia TIM.

Andrea Dovizioso and Dani Pedrosa have been the main challengers to Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi for the podium places so far this season and the Repsol Honda duo will both be looking to go one step better this weekend at Mugello, as they each look to secure their respective first wins of the season.

Dovizioso has twice finished third so far this campaign (in Qatar and France) and will combine the progress made in the opening three rounds with the support of the home fans to continue his strong start.

"We’re arriving at Mugello in a good situation,” said Dovizioso, whose best finish at Mugello to date has been third in the 250cc class in 2006. “Two weeks ago at Le Mans I was able to ride fast, we had a good race and I ended up with a great podium finish - plus we were quite close to the two Yamahas. I think that if I had been able to qualify further forward, we could have got an even better result. So that result has set us up well for Mugello which is a very special track for me.”

“The circuit is really fascinating to ride - it’s so challenging and demanding to get right and this is what makes it so appealing. Plus the support of the Italian fans is incredible. It’s also a special appointment for my fans gathered at the Casanova Savelli turns, so I’ll do everything I can to put on a good show for them this weekend," added the 23 year-old.

Pedrosa’s record at the Italian circuit is strong and he has finished on the podium there five times across all classes, including a win in the 250cc category in 2005. He also set the highest recorded maximum speed at Mugello last year in the first practice session, posting a blistering 349.3 km/h.

The Spaniard will be aiming to add to his sole podium finish of 2010 so far, and continue with the promising direction his RC212V prototype is taking. Pedrosa said: "Mugello is one of the circuits you always look forward to because the atmosphere is incredible. It’s very similar to Spain, people are very passionate, the viewing areas are normally full from the first day of practice and it helps you to get quickly in the mood for the Grand Prix. We will have to work hard this weekend, for sure, but we are very motivated to improve on the final result we got in France.”

“This season we go there in much better shape than last year and that's important because Mugello is a physically demanding track to ride, especially in the fast direction changes. The strategy for the weekend is simply to be totally focused and get the maximum out of every session,” concluded Pedrosa.

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Lorenzo Sang Penghibur yang luar biasa

Jorge Lorenzo menampilkan sebuah pertunjukan menghibur di Le Mans. Tak hanya mendominasi jalannya balapan, aksinya merayakan kemenangan juga mencuri perhatian. Siapa bilang sebutan entertainer cuma milik Valentino Rossi?

"Mandi air dingin dan pemanasan untuk balapan! Sampai ketemu lagi, kawan-kawan!" demikian tulis Lorenzo di akun Twitter-nya sebelum balapan. Yang terjadi selanjutnya seperti yang sudah disaksikan Minggu (24/5/2010) malam ini.

Start dari posisi dua, Lorenzo bertarung dengan rekan setimnya sendiri, Rossi, nyaris sepanjang balapan. Di lap ke-11 serangan Lorenzo tak mampu lagi diladeni Rossi. Pembalap Spanyol itu terus memantapkan kecepatan dan posisinya. Tiga lap berikutnya ia sudah memberi jarak tiga detik pada Rossi. Sejak itu ia terlihat sulit dikejar dan akhirnya memang berhasil menyentuh garis finish sebagai yang terbaik.

Ia kemudian merayakan kemenangannya dengan cara yang tak bisa dibilang "biasa-biasa saja". Usai menyerahkan motornya kepada kru, pembalap berusia 23 tahun ini lalu berlari beberapa meter di trek. Ke mana Lorenzo berlari?

Rupanya, ia menuju ke sebuah panggung yang sudah disediakan oleh timnya. Di sana, ia duduk di sebuah bangku yang mirip dengan bangku sutradara, menyantap popcorn dan menyaksikan balapan dari sebuah layar besar--layaknya menonton di bioskop.

Apa yang dilakukan Lorenzo ini bak menggambarkan dirinya baru saja menyutradarai dan membintangi sebuah film bernama "Balapan Le Mans". Ia kemudian menontonnya dengan gaya yang rileks, sebuah hiburan yang pas dinikmatinya dengan popcorn.

Selebrasi gila seperti ini sebelumnya juga pernah ia lakukan kala memenangi Balapan di Jerez beberapa pekan silam. Kala itu, usai memberikan motornya kepada kru, ia langsung berlari ke sebuah kolam yang berada di sirkuit, melompat, menyeburkan dirinya dan berenang di dalamnya. Ia mengaku, dirinya berpikir aksi seperti ini bisa membuat fans terhibur.

Terdengar mirip Rossi? Bisa jadi. Sebab selama ini The Doctor dikenal sebagai pembalap yang tak hanya mementingkan kemenangan. Rossi kerap memberikan fans-nya aksi-aksi yang menghibur.

Tak salah kalau sekarang Lorenzo disebut sebagai pesaing sejati Rossi. Tak hanya di dalam perebutan gelar juara, tetapi juga untuk urusan tontonan yang bisa mengundang senyum. Yang membuatnya makin menarik, keduanya adalah rekan setim.

Selanjutnya, apa lagi yang akan kau tampilkan, Lorenzo?

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MotoGP Prancis: Yamaha masih perkasa, Lorenzo Menang Lagi

MotoGP Prancis 2010 menjadi tontonan balapan di antara dua pembalap tim Fiat Yamaha. Tak tersentuh pembalap tim-tim lain sejak awal, Jorge Lorenzo berhasil mengalahkan Valentino Rossi.

Pada lomba di sirkuit Le Mans hari Minggu (23/5/2010), Lorenzo tampil sebagai juara dengan catatan waktu 44 menit 29,114 detik, melahap 28 putaran. Ia unggul lima detik lebih dari Rossi yang harus puas di tempat kedua.

Rossi sempat berada di depan setelah balapan dimulai, mengamankan posisinya sebagai pemegang pole position. Akan tetapi ia terus dikuntit Lorenzo, yang dengan gaya agresifnya terus memberi tekanan pada The Doctor.

Duel di antara mereka mulai terjadi sangat ketat di lap ketujuh, di mana Lorenzo sempat menyusul Rossi sebanyak dua kali berturut-turut dalam jarak dekat, tapi sang juara bertahan mampu membalas.

Baru di lap ke-11 serangan Lorenzo tak mampu lagi diladeni Rossi, yang sepertinya masih terganggu dengan kondisi bahunya yang belum pulih betul.

Pembalap Spanyol itu terus memantapkan kecepatan dan posisinya. Tiga lap berikutnya ia sudah memberi jarak tiga detik pada Rossi. Sejak itu terlihat sulit dikejar dan akhirnya memang berhasil menyentuh garis finish sebagai yang terbaik.

Dengan demikian Lorenzo sudah memenangi dua dari tiga balapan di musim ini, dan berhak memimpin klasemen sementara. Kemenangan pertama didapatnya di seri kedua di Jerez, Spanyol, sedangkan di seri pembuka di Qatar ia juga naik podium di urutan kedua di bawah Rossi.

Podium ketiga di Le Mans menjadi milik pembalap Honda Andrea Dovizioso. Ia mendapat tempat itu setelah memenangi balapan ketat di lap-lap terakhir dengan Dani Pedrosa dan Nicky Hayden. Ini adalah podium ketiga nomor dua buat Dovizioso setelah memperoleh yang pertama di Losail.

Pedrosa harus puas dengan 11 poin atas capaiannya di peringkat kelima di belakang Hayden. Di seri kedua di Jerez Pedrosa gagal menjadi juara karena berhasil dibalap Lorenzo di lap-lap terakhir walaupun memimpin sejak awal lomba.

Nasib sial dialami Casey Stoner yang hanya beredar di lintasan kurang dari tiga lap. Ia terjatuh dalam posisi yang sebenarnya tanpa tekanan -- dan langsung KO. Loris Capirossi dan Ben Spies juga out, seperti halnya tiga minggu lalu di Jerez.


Hasil MotoGP Prancis:
1. Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha 44m29.114s
2. Valentino Rossi Yamaha + 5.672s
3. Andrea Dovizioso Honda + 7.872s
4. Nicky Hayden Ducati + 9.346s
5. Dani Pedrosa Honda + 12.613s
6. Marco Melandri Gresini Honda + 21.918s
7. Randy de Puniet LCR Honda + 29.288s
8. Hector Barbera Aspar Ducati + 33.128s
9. Aleix Espargaro Pramac Ducati + 33.493s
10. Marco Simoncelli Gresini Honda + 33.805s
11. Hiroshi Aoyama Interwetten Honda + 34.346s
12. Colin Edwards Tech 3 Yamaha + 37.123s
13. Mika Kallio Pramac Ducati + 55.061s

Tidak finish
Loris Capirossi Suzuki 6 laps
Ben Spies Tech 3 Yamaha 6 laps
Casey Stoner Ducati 2 laps

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Jelang MotoGP Prancis: Rossi Harapkan Cuaca Bagus

Valentino Rossi mengharapkan cuaca yang bersahabat di MotoGP Prancis, Minggu (23/5/2010). Juara bertahan itu ingin menghapus kenangan buruk di seri yang sama semusim lalu.

Setahun lalu, Rossi mengalami nasib yang kurang beruntung dalam melakoni lomba ini. Hujan deras yang mengguyur saat lomba bikin lintasan jadi licin.

Akibatnya fatal buat si pembalap Fiat Yamaha itu. Ia terjatuh tak lama setelah mengganti motornya dan akhirnya membawa nihil angka karena hanya finis di urutan 16. Sementara tampil sebagai kampiun ialah rekan Jorge Lorenzo disusul oleh Marco Melandri dan Dani Pedrosa.

"Walau (saya) mengalami musibah pada balapan tahun lalu, Le Mans selalu menjadi
lintasan yang bagus buat saya dan Yamaha selalu tampil bagus disana," ujar Rossi seperti dilansir Autosport.

"Persoalan yang terbesar adalah cuaca, tapi melihat tahun lalu saya pikir kami berhak atas balapan dengan cuaca yang cerah," harap dia.

Bukan cuma harap-harap cemas soal cuaca, namun Rossi sangat mengharapkan kesembuhan cedera bahu yang cukup mengganggu performa dia pada balapan sebelumnya.

"Bahu saya sedikit banyak sembuh sekarang. Jadi saya berharap saya akan kembali pada kekuatan penuh di Le Mans," harap juara dunia MotoGP lima kali itu.

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Jelang MotoGP Prancis Lorenzo: Saya Bukan Favorit Juara

Pembalap Fiat Yamaha, Jorge Lorenzo kini memimpin kompetisi dengan menduduki urutan teratas klasemen. Meski demikian, pemuda Spanyol ini tidak merasa bahwa dia adalah favorit juara.

Sebanyak 47 angka telah dikoleksi Lorenzo dari hasil dua kali membalap di tahun ini. Seri perdana di Qatar, pemuda 23 tahun itu menjadi runner-up yang menjadi juara sedangkan di seri Jerez, Lorenzo sukses menjadi jawara untuk kali pertama.

Hasil ini mengantarnya ke kursi singgasana pembalap. Ia masih memiliki keunggulan empat angka dari Rossi berada di urutan kedua sekaligus salah satu pesaing terberatnya dalam perebutan gelar juara dunia.

Walau begitu, Lorenzo enggan jumawa dan memikirkan soal gelar. Pasalnya, kompetisi ini masih menyisakan 16 seri dan apapun masih bisa terjadi.

"Meskipun (akibat) kemenangan kami di Jerez dan mengambil alih kepemimpinan klasemen saya lanjut memikirkan bahwa saya bukan favorit juara karena musim ini masih akan sangat panjang dan ini baru saja dimulai," sahut Lorenzo kepada Autosport.

Menghadapi MotoGP Prancis yang akan digelar Minggu (23/1/2010), Lorenzo merasa cukup percaya diri. Rider yang juga penggemar klub sepakbola Barcelona itu termotivasi oleh kemenangannya pada musim lalu.

"Tahun lalu saya menang di (sirkuit Le Mans) dalam duel seru dan gila. Saya telah berada di podium sebanyak tiga kali, musim lalu dan ketika saya memenangi titel 250cc. Jadi saya ingin mengulanginya lagi," pungkas pembalap dengan nomor motor 99 itu

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Solid points secured by Hayden and Stoner

Fourth and fifth places respectively at the Gran Premio bwin de España for the Ducati Marlboro riders delivered important Championship points, but both Nicky Hayden and Casey Stoner wanted to be closer to the top three.

Nicky Hayden and Casey Stoner took top five finishes in the Gran Premio bwin de España today, fourth and fifth place respectively representing satisfactory if not sensational results at Jerez. Both riders had higher hopes as they targeted a podium challenge from fifth and third on the grid but it was a demanding 27-lap affair as they lost touch with eventual top three Jorge Lorenzo, Dani Pedrosa and Valentino Rossi in the first half of the race.

Stoner’s front end troubles forced the Australian to accept 11 important Championship points. Meanwhile Hayden made a great start to the race and was lapping in third place over the early laps but didn’t quite have the pace to stick with the leaders.

Nicky Hayden – 4th

“Fourth place is no disaster but I was hoping to stay closer to the top three towards the end and put up a bit of a fight. I’m not happy to be nine seconds adrift but we’re trying to build something here and we’ve had another solid weekend. The team, the bike, everything has been great this weekend but we just fell a couple of tenths short on race day. To be honest I thought we might find a little extra for the race, like we did in Qatar, but it wasn’t to be. Like I said yesterday my guys worked like dogs to put me in this position today and we’ve got more to do tomorrow so I want to give a big thanks to them. This is the Ducati factory team and we don’t jump up and down at fourth place but we’ll take it. We got some great data to work from that should help us be stronger at Le Mans and hopefully we can keep this upward trend going.”

Casey Stoner – 5th

"I’m disappointed with today’s performance. We started the weekend strongly but only got worse compared to our rivals as the sessions went by and we were never able to improve on the base set-up that we started out with. I think we fell into the trap of making changes to the bike that were too radical and it only served to confuse us because we never went in the right direction. I made an okay start to the race and felt comfortable over the opening laps, Jorge was actually slowing my progress at that point and I was eager to get past him and chase Nicky and the others but as soon as I came up to pass Nicky I lost the front and almost crashed"

"The bike was pretty much on the ground but I managed to pick it up and then tried to push on from there but the front folded two or three more times on that lap alone. That shot my confidence so Jorge was able to pass me easily and from that moment I just wanted to take as many points as I could. As the tyres went off in the second half of the race the bike felt better and I had more contact with the front but it was little too late and I couldn’t catch Nicky. We need to work hard to find some answers in the test tomorrow and move on to Le Mans ready to battle again."

Press release courtesy of Ducati Marlboro

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Pedrosa: Lorenzo Tak Mungkin Dihentikan

Jorge Lorenzo meraih podium teratas di MotoGP Spanyol setelah tampil luar biasa di lap-lap akhir. Laju jagoan Fiat Yamaha itu untuk meraih gelar juara diakui Dani Pedrosa tak terhentikan.

Awal balapan Lorenzo di MotoGP Barcelona sesungguhnya tak berjalan dengan baik karena dia kehilangan posisi start kedua yang didapat pada sesi kualifikasi. Pembalap Spanyol itu sempat melorot ke urutan lima.

Baru di 10 lap terakhir Lorenzo seakan dapat tenaga tambahan untuk memacu motronya dan menyusul pembalap-pembalap di depannya satu persatu. Klimaks dari semua itu tentu saja aksi menawannya saat mendahului Dani Pedrosa, yang sejak awal berhasil memimpin balapan.

Momen tersebut menjadi sangat peting karena terjadi saat race tinggal menyisakan setengah putaran saja. Mampu mempertahankan posisi terdepan, Lorenzo akhirnya menjadi jawaran di Jerez.

Terkait persaingannya dengan Lorenzo di lap-lap akhir, Pedrosa juga sudah merasakan ancaman dari rekan senegaranya itu beberapa lap sebelumnya. Dengan kecepatan yang dimiliki, Lorenzo disebut Pedrosa mustahil dihentikan.

"Di 10 lap terakhir saya melihat Lorenzo mendekat dengan lima per sepuluh (detik) lebih cepat dari (Valentino) Rossi dan saya. Saat itu saya berpikir 'hmm, ini akan ketat...'" lanjut Pedrosa.

"Pada akhirnya dia terlalu kuat. Saya mencoba menahannya di belakang tapi itu tak mungkin," pungkas Pedrosa seperti dikutip dari Autosports.

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Tekuk Pedrosa di lap terakhir, Lorenzo Luar Biasa

Jorge Lorenzo tampil luar biasa di negaranya sendiri. Ia memastikan kemenangan di lap terakhir MotoGP Spanyol, mengalahkan Dani Pedrosa setelah terlebih dahulu menaklukkan Valentino Rossi.

Lorenzo benar-benar memukau karena ia membuat perubahan besar sekitar tujuh lap terakhir. Setelah melewati Rossi yang tampak tidak prima, ia juga membuat Pedrosa gigit jari karena sudah nyaris memenangi perlombaan.

Di tiga lap terakhir Lorenzo sudah merapat ke Pedrosa, yang sejak start tak terkejar pembalap-pembalap lain. Setelah gagal di beberapa kesempatan, Lorenzo akhirnya berhasil mengalahkan rider Repsol Honda itu di lap terakhir!

Catatan waktu yang dibuat Lorenzo adalah 45 menit 17,538 detik. Pembalap tim Fiat Yamaha ini pun mengoleksi kemenangan pertamanya di musim ini, setelah di seri pertama di Qatar hanya menjadi runner up Rossi.

Pedrosa harus puas dengan podium dua di Jerez, dan urung mengangkat Honda ke tangga teratas. Di Qatar capaian terbaik pabrikan tersebut cuma nomor tiga atas nama rekan setimnya, Andrea Dovizioso.

Adapun Rossi, yang start dari posisi keempat, berhak menduduki tempat ketiga, namun posisinya di klasemen sementara turun ke urutan dua di bawah Lorenzo.

Jalannya balapan

Pedrosa mengamankan posisi terdepan sebagai pemegang pole. Rossi start dengan baik dan maju dua grid dari posisi awalnya di peringkat keempat. Nicky Hayden mengikuti di urutan ketiga, lalu Lorenzo dan Casey Stoner.

Di lap kedua Loris Capirossi out setelah menyasar ke gravel. Beberapa lap kemudian Ben Spies mengikuti jejak buruk itu karena masalah ban. Kelak hanya mereka berdua yang tidak menyelesaikan lomba.

Di depan, Pedrosa tampak makin mantap performanya. Perlahan tapi pasti ia mulai menjauhi lawan-lawan terdekatnya. Namun tidak demikian dengan Lorenzo. Di lap kedelapan ia berhasil mengalahkan Hayden dan mengambil posisi ketiga.

Hingga pertengahan lomba tidak ada insiden yang terlalu istimewa. Pedrosa makin nyaman di depan, Rossi mulai "tersengal-sengal" untuk mendekati pembalap Spanyol dari tim Repsol Honda itu.

Setelah memasuki 20 putaran, balapan di depan mulai berubah berkat Lorenzo. Ia memberi tekanan besar pada Rossi dan di lap 22 berhasil menaklukkan rekan setimnya itu. Rossi tidak cukup kuat untuk memberi tekanan balik.

Laju Pedrosa semakin kencang. Pedrosa yang sempat terlihat akan mengunci kemenangan, ternyata mampu ia pepet. Di lap 24 mereka sudah begitu dekat. Pedrosa begitu terancam.

Sedikitnya tiga kali Lorenzo berusaha mengalahkan rivalnya itu baik di tikungan maupun trek lurus, tapi Pedrosa mampu menahannya dengan susah payah. Namun, ketika balapan memasuki lap terakhir, performa Lorenzo mencapai klimaks. Ia berhasil menaklukkan lawannya itu di tikungan.

Itulah momen kemenangan Lorenzo dan memang demikian adanya setelah ia melewati garis finish. Ia pun menambahkan jumlah kemenangannya menjadi enam, dan merayakannya dengan menceburkan diri ke sebuah kolam di pinggir sirkuit, menciptakan pesta sangat menarik di Jerez, di depan suporternya sendiri.

Hasil MotoGP Spanyol:
1. Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha 45 menit 17.538 detik
2. Dani Pedrosa Honda + 0.543
3. Valentino Rossi Yamaha + 0.890
4. Nicky Hayden Ducati + 9.015
5. Casey Stoner Ducati + 10.034
6. Andrea Dovizioso Honda + 23.144
7. Mika Kallio Pramac Ducati + 34.489
8. Marco Melandri Gresini Honda + 34.687
9. Randy de Puniet LCR Honda + 36.160
10. Alvaro Bautista Suzuki + 36.791
11. Marco Simoncelli Gresini Honda + 37.155
12. Colin Edwards Tech 3 Yamaha + 38.260
13. Hector Barbera Aspar Ducati + 38.371
14. Hiroshi Aoyama Interwetten Honda + 1m02.052
15. Aleix Espargaro Pramac Ducati + 3 lap

Tidak finish
Ben Spies Tech 3 Yamaha 7 lap
Loris Capirossi Suzuki 2 lap

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MotoGP Jepang Dipastikan Mundur ke Oktober

Gara-gara letusan gunung api di Islandia, MotoGP Jepang yang sedianya digelar akhir pekan ini ditunda. Sirkuit Motegi baru akan menggelar balap MotoGP pada 3 Oktober mendatang.

Seperti diberitakan sebelumnya, akibat letusan Gunung Eyjafjallajokull di Eropa, banyak penerbangan dari dan ke 'Benua Biru' tersebut terpaksa dibatalkan. Kejadian tersebut berimbas pada seri kedua MotoGP musim 2010 yang sebelumnya direncanakan digelar sepanjang akhir pekan ini di Jepang.

Seperti telah diprediksi, Motegi harus menunggu lama untuk akhirnya bisa menggelar kompetisi antara Valentino Rossi, Jorge Lorenzo, Casey Stoner dan belasan pembalap lainnya. Jepang yang tadinya menjadi seri kedua musim ini harus menerima dipindah menjadi seri ke-14, dengan race yang akan dilangsungkan pada 3 Oktober 2010.

"Carmelo Ezpeleta, dengan mendapat persetujuan dari Grand Prix Promoter, Mobilityland Corporation, memutuskan menunda GP Jepang yang direncanakan digelar 25 April 2010. The Grand Prix Permanent Bureau mengajukan usulan pada FIM untuk menjadwalkan ulang GP Jepang pada 3 Oktober 2010," demikian pernyataan resmi yang dirilis Dorna dan MotoGP.

Kondisi ini membuat GP Spanyol di Sirkuit Jerez pada 2 Mei mendatang menjadi seri kedua di musim ini. Namun kekhawatiran kalau balapan tersebut juga bakal tertunda masih ada lantaran larangan penerbangan di Eropa masih berlaku hingga kini.

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Tahun 2012, 800cc vs 1000cc

Tahun 2012, MotoGP akan mementaskan laga 800cc kontra 1000cc. Pembalap Ducati Nicky Hayden menilai ide ini terdengar sedikit gila.

Di musim 2012 kapasitas mesin MotoGP ditingkatkan menjadi 1000cc. Tapi karena pengembangan mesin baru dalam waktu singkat akan memakan banyak biaya, tim boleh menggunakan mesin 1000 cc atau 800 cc.

Hayden sendiri, meski mengaku belum memahami secara detil soal rencana tersebut memberikan penilaiannya.

"Saya tidak paham: akan ada dua motor dengan kapasitas mesin berbeda. Menurut saya, ide itu sedikit terdengar gila," demikian Hayden seperti dikutip dari Visordown.

"Saya tidak memberikan perhatian banyak akan hal ini, sampai aturan tersebut sudah hitam dan putih (sudah pasti). Sungguh, saya tidak mengikuti bagaimana jalannya rencana ini dengan intens," tambah pembalap berjuluk Kentucky Kid itu.

Hayden secara pribadi mendukung MotoGP untuk kembali beralih ke 1.000cc. "Saya senang dengan ide untuk kembali ke 1000cc. Sebagai rider, saya menilai ada perbedaan dalam hal bore dan stroke," tukas pembalap asal Amerika Serikat tersebut.

Hayden merupakan juara dunia tahun 2006, ketika itu MotoGP masih menggunakan mesin 1.000 cc.

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Jorge Lorenzo at CEV Buckler for debut of Ricard Cardús

The World Championship rider was present at the Circuit de Catalunya at the weekend to witness the debut of the Catalan rider in the Moto2 category of the Spanish National Championship.

The postponement of the Grand Prix of Japan allowed Jorge Lorenzo the time to attend the opening round of the 2010 CEV Buckler (Spanish National Championship) on Sunday, where he watched friend and training partner Ricard Cardús make his debut in the Moto2 category at the Circuit de Catalunya.

Lorenzo sponsors the participation of Cardús in the Laglisse team, for whom he rides a Suter MMX alongside Carmelo Morales, Jorge Castellanos and Colombian Santiago Hernández. The four bikes run with the logo ‘XFuera’, which is a signature slogan of the 2009 MotoGP World Championship runner-up.

Lorenzo was supposed to travel to Berlin last Saturday to fulfil a personal sponsorship commitment, and from there his plan was to fly onwards to Tokyo to begin his preparations for the Grand Prix of Japan. The postponement of the event due to the volcanic eruption in Iceland however allowed Lorenzo to see Cardús’ debut in person, as he finished fourth having competed for the podium all the way to the finish.

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2010 MotoGP Rider Classification

Pos.	Points	Num.	Rider	Nation	Team	Bike
1	25	46	Valentino ROSSI	ITA	Fiat Yamaha Team	Yamaha
2	20	99	Jorge LORENZO	SPA	Fiat Yamaha Team	Yamaha
3	16	4	Andrea DOVIZIOSO	ITA	Repsol Honda Team	Honda
4	13	69	Nicky HAYDEN	USA	Ducati Marlboro Team	Ducati
5	11	11	Ben SPIES	USA	Monster Yamaha Tech 3	Yamaha
6	10	14	Randy DE PUNIET	FRA	LCR Honda MotoGP	Honda
7	9	26	Dani PEDROSA	SPA	Repsol Honda Team	Honda
8	8	5	Colin EDWARDS	USA	Monster Yamaha Tech 3	Yamaha
9	7	65	Loris CAPIROSSI	ITA	Rizla Suzuki MotoGP	Suzuki
10	6	7	Hiroshi AOYAMA	JPN	Interwetten Honda MotoGP	Honda
11	5	58	Marco SIMONCELLI	ITA	San Carlo Honda Gresini	Honda
12	4	40	Hector BARBERA	SPA	Paginas Amarillas Aspar	Ducati
13	3	33	Marco MELANDRI	ITA	San Carlo Honda Gresini	Honda

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Aoyama starts premier class career with top-10 finish

Hiroshi Aoyama and the Interwetten Honda MotoGP team accomplished their aim for the season-opening race at the Commercialbank Grand Prix of Qatar on Sunday, as the 250cc World Champion secured 10th place.

Aoyama had struggled to find a comfortable feeling with his RC212V machine in practice, but in qualifying he managed to correct the issue and secured 10th place on the grid – the highest qualification position of all the rookies.

He matched that position in the actual race and a points-scoring start to his premier class career was of great satisfaction to Aoyama.

“This is a good result, not great, but good,” said the 28 year-old. “I pushed throughout the 22 laps and did what I was able to do. I had a bad start and lost some positions in the first few laps that I had to pull back. For this reason 10th place is a good result for my first MotoGP race. If I had started better I don't know where I could have finished.”

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Awal yang Positif buat Rossi & Yamaha

Valentino Rossi memulai musim 2010 dengan positif. Sang juara bertahan memenangi MotoGP Qatar setelah mengambil alih posisi Casey Stoner yang out di awal-awal balapan. Rossi diikuti Jorge Lorenzo untuk membuat Yamaha finis satu-dua.

Untuk Rossi, ini adalah kali pertama dia menjadi jawara lagi di Losail semenjak tahun 2006. Setelahnya, Losail selalu dikuasai Stoner yang jadi juara tiga tahun beruntun.

Dalam balapan kali ini Stoner pun sebenarnya memulai dengan menjanjikan. Sial untuk si pembalap Ducati, dia terjatuh saat tengah memimpin balapan dan setelah mencatat fastest lap. Stoner pun tak dapat angka.

Lorenzo yang jadi runner-up musim lalu juga tampil mengesankan. Sempat melorot posisinya usai start dari posisi tiga, Lorenzo menggebrak dan mencuri posisi dua di lap-lap akhir setelah melewati Nicky Hayden (Ducati) dan Andrea Dovizioso (Honda).

Pujian besar juga patut dituai dua nama yang disebut terakhir tadi. Sebelum aksi Lorenzo di akhir balapan, Hayden yang start di posisi sembilan dan Dovizioso yang start di posisi enam banyak bertarung di belakang Rossi untuk berebut posisi dua.

Hayden dan Dovizioso bahkan praktis terus bertarung sampai menjelang garis finis, kendati kali ini untuk berebut podium akhir alias posisi tiga. Dovizioso memenangi duel ini dengan selisih tipis.

Sementara Dani Pedrosa yang jadi rekan Dovizioso di Honda bisa dibilang sebagai rider yang paling mencuri perhatian saat start. Dari posisi tujuh, dia melesat ke tempat terdepan. Sial untuknya, kemudian Pedrosa malah drop dan akhirnya finis di posisi tujuh.

Seperti dapat emas

Losail - Podium pertama di balapan perdana musim yang baru sudah cukup lama tak didapat Valentino Rossi. Itu mengapa hasil di Losail, Senin (12/4/2010) dinihari WIB, jadi sangat istimewa untuknya.

Rossi baru saja memastikan diri menjadi jawara MotoGP Qatar 2010. Capaian itu tak terlepas dari insiden jatuhnya Casey Stoner saat sedang memimpin balapan --posisi yang kemudian direbut Rossi dan dijaganya sampai akhir.

Kesialan yang menimpa Stoner tersebut bukan hanya bikin si rider Ducati gagal meneruskan capaian positif di sana, dengan jadi jawara empat musim beruntun. Tetapi juga memberikan celah buat Rossi untuk melakukan start awal musim nan apik.

Selain berhasil mengakhiri dominasi di seri Losail, podium pertama di sini sekaligus juga bikin Rossi kembali memulai musim dengan kemenangan. Ini sudah tak dia lakukan semenjak tahun 2005.

Pada tahun 2006, pada seri perdana musim tersebut di Jerez, Rossi hanya bisa finis di posisi 14. Bukan sebuah capaian bagus buat The Doctor yang kemudian mengakhiri musim di posisi runner-up.

Sejak musim 2007 sampai dengan 2009, seri perdana MotoGP mulai dihelat di Losail. Seperti telah diketahui, Stoner tak pernah absen dari podium teratas selama tiga musim tersebut.

Maka dari itu, kemenangan Rossi di MotoGP Qatar 2010 kali ini bukan hanya menyudahi dominasi Stoner melainkan juga membuatnya kembali langsung meraih kemenangan sedari seri perdana.

Kian luar biasa untuk timnya, Yamaha, karena Jorge Lorenzo berhasil finis di belakang Rossi untuk mencatatkan finis satu-dua untuk tim tersebut. "Sebuah hasil yang bagus untuk memulai musim, buat saya dan juga buat tim Yamaha."

"Kemenangan satu dan dua lagi, dan (untuk saya) 25 poin di trek ini seperti emas buat kami di kejuaraan. Saya pikir sudah sejak 2005 saya tak pernah memenangi balapan perdana, jadi kami akan berusaha terus seperti ini," lugas Rossi senang di Reuters.

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Stoner Jatuh, Rossi Juara seri pertama GP 2010

Casey Stoner gagal mengulangi kesuksesan di Losail selama tiga musim terakhir. Dia out dalam balapan yang kemudian dimenangi oleh Valentino Rossi.

Stoner yang tiga musim terakhir selalu jadi jawara MotoGP Qatar kali ini malah harus menyudahi balapan tanpa angka. Sedang memimpin balapan di lap lima, si pembalap Ducati itu terjatuh dari motornya dan out dari balapan.

Hal ini jelas capaian mengecewakan buat Stoner yang juga tampil dominan di sesi latihan bebas dan kemudian kualifikasi. Apalagi sebelum jatuh dia pun sempat membuat fastest lap.

Jatuhnya Stoner dimanfaatkan Rossi yang langsung mengambil alih posisi terdepan. Rossi yang di awal balapan juga sempat terlibat duel sengit dengan Dani Pedrosa berhasil menjaga posisi terdepan sampai akhir balapan.

Pedrosa sendiri mengawali balapan dengan menjanjikan. Dari posisi start tujuh, dia sempat berhasil jadi pembalap di posisi terdepan. Namun, lambat laun posisinya kian tercecer ke belakang.

Hayden juga start tak kalah apik. Dari tempat start sembilan, dia berhasil melaju ke depan dan kemudian acap menghabiskan waktu memperebutkan posisi dua dan tiga dengan Andrea Dovizioso, kendati akhirnya tercecer.

Dovizioso sendiri tidak mengawali balapan semengilap rekannya di Honda, Pedrosa. Tetapi dengan stabil dia terus merangsek ke depan dan kemudian berduel dengan Hayden, serta terus-terusan mengancam Rossi.

Lorenzo yang banyak menghabiskan waktu di posisi empat tiba-tiba menggebrak di lap-lap akhir. Dia menyalip Hayden dan kemudian Dovizioso untuk jadi runner-up.

Hasil Balapan MotoGP Qatar:
Posisi-Pembalap-Tim-Waktu
1. Valentino Rossi Fiat Yamaha Team 42m 50.099s
2. Jorge Lorenzo Fiat Yamaha Team 42m 51.121s
3. Andrea Dovizioso Repsol Honda Team 42m 51.964s
4. Nicky Hayden Ducati Marlboro Team 42m 51.975s
5. Ben Spies Monster Yamaha Tech 3 42m 54.002s
6. Randy de Puniet LCR Honda MotoGP 42m 59.421s
7. Dani Pedrosa Repsol Honda Team 43m 6.607s
8. Colin Edwards Monster Yamaha Tech 3 43m 9.966s
9. Loris Capirossi Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 43m 10.992s
10. Hiroshi Aoyama Interwetten Honda MotoGP 43m 11.199s
11. Marco Simoncelli San Carlo Honda Gresini 43m 21.737s
12. Hector Barbera Paginas Amarillas Aspar 43m 22.672s
13. Marco Melandri San Carlo Honda Gresini 43m 30.879s

Tak Finis/DNF:
Alvaro Bautista Rizla Suzuki MotoGP
Aleix Espargaro Pramac Racing
Casey Stoner Ducati Marlboro Team
Mika Kallio Pramac Racing

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Bridgestone gain valuable insight from Qatar Test

The official MotoGP tyre supplier made available to teams at the official pre-season Test the slick compounds which will be on offer for the opening race at Losail. Valentino Rossi also gave an experimental front tyre a run through.

The final pre-season Test in Qatar offered not only teams and riders the opportunity to fine-tune their set-ups ahead of the season’s start on April 11th at the Losail International Circuit, but also gave official tyre suppliers Bridgestone the chance to roll out the slick compounds that will be used in the first Grand Prix of the 2010 season.

Bridgestone presented medium and extra hard front slick compounds and medium and hard rears for the 17 riders in attendance at the Test, and the feedback on performance was good in the trying conditions of the desert-based track.

Sand caused some problems in the first session on Thursday, but the extra front and hard rear tyres – both harder compounds than were available for last year’s race – helped to combat the issue. Even as the track got cleaner throughout the two night-time sessions the harder options were favoured by the majority for their extra durability.

The Test’s quickest rider Casey Stoner’s lap of 1’55.353 was just under half a second faster than his best race lap from 2009, and Bridgestone Tyre Development Manager Tohru Ubukata was very pleased with the results gathered.

“During the two days of testing in Qatar we saw good and fairly consistent conditions which allowed us and the teams to gain data on all of the available slick tyre specifications that we will bring to the Qatar GP,” he explained. “Both options of front and rear slick are working well, although almost all the riders preferred the harder options. The track conditions were much improved on the second day because of the cleaning effect of a day’s running, but we can see that the track was still not perfect: Casey’s fastest lap time was 0.1s slower than his qualifying time from last year, and even at the end of the test the harder option tyres were favoured for their extra durability as the track was still quite sandy and slippery. Many riders completed long runs though, and durability was good despite this so I am happy.”

Another interesting aspect to Bridgestone’s work in Qatar was the use of another new front tyre, which World Champion Valentino Rossi provided some feedback on in Friday evening’s session.

Ubukata continued: “Again in Qatar we offered an experimental front tyre, though a different spec to the one we tested in Sepang. I would like to thank Valentino and the Fiat Yamaha Team for using this tyre in Qatar and providing some very important and valuable data that will not only help shape the future direction of our MotoGP tyre development, but also of our Battlax production tyres.”

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MotoGP to promote Spain as a tourism destination

The Spanish Secretary of State for Tourism and the CEO of Dorna Sports have reached an agreement for the next three years. The Secretary of State for Spanish Tourism, Joan Mesquida, and the CEO of Dorna Sports, Carmelo Ezpeleta, have today announced an agreement for the promotion of Spain as a major tourism destination through the MotoGP World Championship at a press conference at the Ministry for Industry, Tourism and Commerce.

The agreement, which is for three years up to and including the 2012 season, will utilise the international reach of the World Championship. With circuits in four continents and millions of spectators across the world, the Visit Spain slogan will help to continue raising awareness of Spain as a widely known holiday destination.

In this manner, the Spanish riders competing in the three categories of the World Championship (MotoGP, Moto2 and 125cc) will reinforce the brand of Spain, not just on a sporting level but also in the field of tourism. Several riders were present at the presentation, including MotoGP vice-World Champion Jorge Lorenzo (Fiat Yamaha Team) and riders who will this season make their debut in the premier class in Héctor Barberá (Páginas Amarillas Aspar Team) and Álvaro Bautista (Rizla Suzuki), as well as the various riders who will compete in the Moto2 and 125cc classes in 2010.

As part of this agreement, the Ministry of Tourism will be the title sponsor of the Grand Prix of Japan, which will take place at the Motegi circuit on April 25th. Visit Spain will have a presence through trackside advertising at various Grands Prix throughout the 2010 season, those being Silverstone (Great Britain) on June 20th, Sachsenring (Germany) on July 18th and at Indianapolis (USA) on August 29th.

The CEO of Dorna Sports is extremely proud that Spanish Tourism has chosen the MotoGP World Championship to promote Spain as a tourism destination across the globe. “For years, the three Spanish GPs, now four, have already served as an attraction to foreigners to visit Spain, and with this agreement we hope to continue to draw more people, not only to watch the races but to discover everything the country has to offer,” said Carmelo Ezpeleta.

The Secretary of State for Tourism Joan Mesquida also commented on the agreement with Dorna, which he views as an excellent global showcase for Spain. Mesquida highlighted the coverage of the Motorcycling World Championship, which reaches more than 225 million households every year through the media. “This agreement allows us to offer everyone the chance to Visit Spain,” he said.

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Sukses Yamaha Bukan Cuma Karena Motor

Sejak era 800 cc dimulai, Yamaha mendominasi MotoGP dengan mengalahkan Honda dan Ducati. Menurut Ben Spies, keberhasilan tersebut didapat bukan semata karena pabrikan Jepang itu selalu punya motor kompetitif.

Setelah pada 2007 Casey Stoner menjadi juara dunia bersama Ducati, dua musim terakhir status tersebut diambil alih Valentino Rossi dan Yamaha. Di tahun 2009 kemarin Yamaha malah lebih dominan setelah menempatkan Jorge Lorenzo di posisi runner up.

Sukses Yamaha menjadi juara dunia konstruktor dan pembalap berpeluang kembali terjadi di 2010 ini. YZR-M1 tampil paling impresif di sepanjang sesi ujicoba musim dingin dengan Valentino Rossi, Ben Spies, Colin Edwards dan Jorge Lorenzo selalu dengan mudah masuk posisi lima besar pembalap tercepat.

Dari enam hari ujicoba musim dingin yang digelar, cuma satu di mana Yamaha gagal menempatkan pembalapnya sebagai yang tercepat. Hebatnya lagi, di sepanjang sesi ujicoba tersebut pembalap-pembalap Yamaha tak pernah keluar dari posisi 10 besar.

Keberhasilan Yamaha mendominasi MotoGP di dua musim terakhir bukan semata karena mereka memiliki motor-motor yang kompetitif. Disebut Ben Spies, hal lain yang membuat tim tersebut berjaya adalah keberadaan orang-orang hebat di dalamnya.

"Setiap tim punya masanya sendiri-sendiri. Honda sudah memiliki waktunya dan Ducati juga sangat baik melihat apa yang secara spesial diberikan Casey Stoner pada mereka. "Saya pikir Yamaha sedang melakukan pekerjaan yang bagus saat ini dan pembalap-pembalapnya selalu tampil maksimal saat ini ," ungkap Spies di MCN.

Keunggulan lain Yamaha jelas ada pada pembalap-pembalapnya. Meski belum mampu menundukkan Rossi, dengan dua gelar juara dunia 250 cc Lorenzo diyakini akan bisa menjadi juara dunia dalam beberapa musim ke depan.

Spies, yang akan membela Yamaha Tech 3, juga menyanjung kerja anggota tim yang lain yang dianggapnya punya kontribusi besar terhadap sukses yang didapat.

"Dari sisi talenta Anda melihat sekelompok pembalap hebat di sana, jadi itu bukan sekadar motornya. Dengan tim seperti itu, pembalap dan insinyur dalam satu paket, mereka bisa tampil bagus di semua trek," tutup mantan juara Superbike itu.

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Stoner: Ducati Kini Lebih Siap

Casey Stoner mengaku kalau dirinya bukan tandingan Valentino Rossi saat ujicoba di Sepang bulan lalu. Namun menyusul performa bagus di Losail, pembalap Australia itu menyebut timnya sudah lebih baik.

"Pada tes pertama di Sepang kami punya beberapa hal untuk dikerjakan dan sekarang kami sudah membuat kemajuan yang stabil. Langkah besar terakhir dengan GP10 datang malam tadi dan hari ini saya bisa punya kecepatan yang stabil," sahut Stoner di Autosport.

Untuk kali pertama di sesi ujicoba pra musim, Stoner berhasil menjadi pembalap tercepat dan mengalahkan Rossi. Hasil tersebut dia torehkan di ujicoba hari terakhir, yang sekaligus merupakan penutup, di Sirkuit Losail.

Kesiapan Ducati menantang Yamaha ikut dibuktikan oleh Nicky Hayden. Pembalap asal Amerika Serikat itu berhasil menjadi salah satu rider tercepat dengan duduk di posisi lima.

"Saya sangat menyukai mesin barunya, lebih mudah dikendalikan san saya puas bisa melihat pembalap Ducati lainnya, terutama Nicky yang melakukannya dengan mencatat waktu yang cepat," lanjut Stoner.

Seri pertama MotoGP musim 2010 akan digelar di Sirkuit Losail pada 11 April mendatang. Kemajuan pesat yang diraih Ducati dipastikan membuat persaingan di kelas rajanya balap motor itu dipastikan bakal makin sengit.

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2010 provisional MotoGP calendar

The FIM have announced that the provisional date of the 2010 Czech Republic Grand Prix has been moved to August 15th.The FIM have today announced an amendment to the provisional calendar for the 2010 MotoGP World Championship, with the Czech Republic Grand Prix to be held a week earlier than originally scheduled.

Date	Grand Prix	Circuit
April 11th*	Qatar	Losail
April 25th	Japan	Motegi
May 2nd	Spain	Jerez
May 23rd	France	Le Mans
June 6th	Italy	Mugello
June 20th	Great Britain	Silverstone
June 26th**	Netherlands	Assen
July 4th	Catalunya	Catalunya
July 18th	Germany	Sachsenring
July 25th***	United States	Laguna Seca
August 15th	Czech Republic	Brno
August 29th	Indianapolis	Indianapolis
September 5th	San Marino & Riviera di Rimini	Misano
September 19th	Hungary	Balatonring
October 10th	Malaysia	Sepang
October 17th	Australia	Phillip Island
October 31st	Portugal	Estoril
November 7th	Valencia	Ricardo Tormo Valencia

Reserve Circuit: Motorland Aragon Circuit
* Evening race
** Saturday race
*** Only MotoGP class

Calendar still subject to changes

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