Lorenzo Quietly Confident as de Puniet Makes Miraculous Return

The Cardion ab Grand Prix České republiky marks the start of the second half of a season that has been well and truly dominated by Fiat Yamaha's Jorge Lorenzo. The Spaniard is currently 72 points clear at the top of the championship standings, having racked up six wins and three second places during the first half of his 2010 campaign.

Another top-two finish would make Lorenzo only the third rider in GP racing’s 62-year history to place either first or second in the opening ten races of a season, but the Fiat Yamaha rider was more concerned with the championship during the press conference, rather than the records he's breaking as the season progresses.

"I like this track very much as it suits my riding style very well and I would obviously like to win here, but my main objective is the championship, so we will see how things go this weekend," Lorenzo told the assembled journalists at the press conference.

"It will be difficult to repeat the results from the first half of the season, but that's not really our goal. The goal is simply to finish races and get on the podium."

The championship leader was quick to admit that, during the short summer break, he'd broken the habit of a lifetime and actually enjoyed some time off, after a particularly busy first half to the season.

"For the first time ever in my racing career I made some holiday during the break," admitted the Fiat Yamaha rider. "Normally I would spend the break training, but this year for the first time I went somewhere exotic for my holiday."

Currently lying third in the championship, Andrea Dovizioso is keen to rediscover his early season form this weekend at Brno, after finishing off the podium in the last four races. The Italian narrowly missed out on a podium finish in this race last year, but goes into this weekend knowing he needs a good result if he is to hold off the challenge of Casey Stoner, who lies just 12 points behind the Repsol Honda rider in the championship.

"We had four or five really good races at the start of the season, but the last few races we haven't been able to fight for a podium because the other riders have improved more than us," said Dovizioso. "Brno is not one of my favourite tracks, so it will be quite hard for me this weekend but, of course, we will still fight. Three riders are quite close in the championship now, so we could see a good battle for second place in the standings during the next nine races."

Stoner did not race at Brno last season, after withdrawing from the championship for three races with illness. However, the Australian was a winner in the Czech Republic in 2007 and looks to be on a good run of form, having finished on the podium in the last four races. However, the Ducati rider was quick to point out during the press conference that appearances can be deceptive.

"The results might look like they're getting better, but we seem to reaching our maximum too early in the weekend and then not improving any further," explained the former World Champion. "I'm then making mistakes trying to stay with the other guys during the races. Everyone at Ducati is working hard to find improvements, but if we continue as we are then it will be hard for the rest of the season."

Brno has been a particularly successful hunting ground for Valentino Rossi in the past. The Italian has won five times here in the premier class but, while he arrives at Brno off the back of a podium finish at Laguna in only his second race back after injury, Rossi is still not back to full fitness following his Mugello crash.

"The break has helped a little bit with the injuries," declared Rossi. "I feel better than I did at Laguna and both the leg and the shoulder have improved. I have more power in both now, but I'm still not 100%."

Rossi's future is still the major talking point in the MotoGP paddock and the reigning World Champion was quite clear about the timing of an announcement regarding his plans for the 2011 season.

"An announcement about 2011 will be made after the race on Sunday," stated the Italian.

Randy de Puniet listened with more than a little interest as Rossi explained about his recovery from injury, as the LCR Honda rider sustained almost identical fractures after crashing and then being run over by Mika Kallio during the Sachsenring race. Just three weeks after an operation on his injured leg de Puniet was back on a bike at the Alés circuit in France, declaring himself fit to race this weekend after completing 30 pain free laps aboard a standard Honda CBR1000R

The Frenchman's aim is to finish this season as the top privateer and he's determined to race to a top ten finish this weekend, in a bid to claw back points on Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rider, Ben Spies, who currently leads de Puniet by eight points in the championship standings.

"I'd like to thank everyone who has helped with my recovery," said the LCR Honda rider. "It's a surprise to be here this weekend, but a nice surprise. I started physiotherapy just three days after the operation on my leg and the recovery has been good. I tested a standard bike last week in France and everything was okay. I actually think this weekend will be easier than last year at Brno, where I rode in a lot of pain just after breaking my ankle."

MotoGP Info 2010: Lorenzo Instantly on the Pace in First Brno Practice

Lorenzo on track

MotoGP
Jorge Lorenzo picked up where he left off as the MotoGP class returned to action at Brno following a three-week summer break. The World Championship leader set the quickest lap of the first practice at the Cardion ab Grand Prix Ceske republiky with a best time of 1'57.215 on his Fiat Yamaha M1, in a session that saw light rain fall in the final 10 minutes.

After finishing well ahead of his rivals a cautious Lorenzo remarked, "I am happy to be riding here in Brno again. It's always difficult to go back to work after the holidays and this track is so different to Laguna, so wide and much longer; it took me a few more laps than usual to get going! Once I found my rhythm this was a good session and I felt happy on my bike, with a good setting to start from. We tried both rear tyres and we need more time to choose, because unfortunately it rained a bit at the end and we had to stop early. We'll have to wait and see how the track is tomorrow but we hope for it to be dry so we can continue with what we started on today."

Just over half-a-second off Lorenzo's pace was Dani Pedrosa, as the Repsol Honda man set about mounting another challenge to the dominance of his compatriot. Pedrosa, who was leading the last round at Laguna Seca until he crashed out, will aim for a step up in pace to enable him to once more push Lorenzo for the win here in round ten.

Valentino Rossi (Fiat Yamaha) completed the top three as the reigning World Champion timed in at just six-hundredths of a second off Pedrosa, displaying further progress on his way back to full fitness. Close on his tail was fellow Italian Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda), who was the fourth and final rider under the 1'58" bar in the hour-long session.

Nicky Hayden was the highest placing Ducati on his factory machine at just over a full second off the top time, with Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech 3), Casey Stoner (Ducati Team) and Marco Simoncelli (San Carlo Honda Gresini Team) completing the top eight on the timesheet. Rookie Simoncelli experienced the only crash of the session early on, which did little to dent his confidence.

Making his return to action less than four weeks after suffering a broken left leg at Sachsenring was Randy de Puniet, with the LCR Honda rider 16th at just under three seconds off Lorenzo, however a near-highside early in the session caused him severe pain in his pinned tibia.

Nieto tops Moto2 timeshe...

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Nieto tops Moto2 timesheet

Moto2
A fast lap three minutes from the end of the first practice session at Brno handed Fonsi Nieto top spot on the timesheet on Friday afternoon, as the Spaniard beat home rider Karel Abraham to the top time by a margin of just two-thousandths of a second.

The Cardion ab Motoracing rider had been in prime position for more than half the session with his effort of 2'04.877, but a crash for Abraham at turn 13 with 25 minutes remaining ended his session early. The Czech rider's time remained fastest until Nieto edged in front on his 18th of 20 laps.

Shoya Tomizawa (Technomag-CIP) experienced a crash early in the session but the Japanese rider was back on his bike and undaunted as he set the third best lap of the hour, placing him a tenth of a second ahead of Gabor Talmacsi (Fimmco Speed Up).

Julian Simon (Mapfre Aspar), Yuki Takahashi (Tech3 Racing), Simone Corsi (JiR Moto2) and Andrea Iannone (Fimmco Speed Up) completed the top eight, with the Championship's current second-placed rider Thomas Luthi (Interwetten Moriwaki Racing) in 15th.

The session was controversially sat out by Championship leader Toni Elias (Gresini Racing Moto2). The Spaniard was disqualified from taking part in the practice by Race Direction following his testing infringement by riding at Misano last weekend, and will return to the track for the second practice session on Saturday morning.

Terol sets 125cc fastest ...

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Terol sets 125cc fastest time

125cc
Nico Terol's return from injury could not have gone much better as the Spaniard set the fastest time in the first practice at Brno with a fast lap of 2'08.010. the Bancaja Aspar rider, who missed the last round at Sachsenring due to the injuries he sustained in a crash at Catalunya, was strong in the practice hour as he improved his time by half-a-second towards the end.

That placed him an impressive 0.507s ahead of team-mate Bradley Smith who with a solid penultimate lap rose to second on the timesheet, ahead of Championship leader Marc Marquez. The Red Bull Ajo Motorsport rider had a crash at the very end which resulted in a dislocation of the left shoulder, however the youngster will ride with the injury tomorrow.

Pol Espargaro (Tuenti Racing), Esteve Rabat (Blusens-STX) and Danny Webb (Andalucia Cajasol) completed the top six, with the British rider avoiding a nasty high side halfway through by managing to control his Aprilia machine admirably before going down gently when he ran off at turn ten.

Randy Krummenacher (Stipa-Molenaar Racing), Sandro Cortese (Avant Mitsubishi Ajo), Efren Vazquez (Tuenti Racing) and Johann Zarco (WTR San Marino Team) were all inside the top ten.

2010 Textile Jacket Guide

This collection of textile jackets has something for every taste-from mild to wild.

By John Zamora

Photography by John Zamora

When the Mercury starts to rise it's tempting to forgo a jacket and rock the T-shirt to stay cool. But a thick layer of cotton isn't going to do much if your ride turns sour. Textile jackets are a great way to provide protection during hot weather riding while still offering more airflow than leather jackets. Also, leather typically doesn't offer much for wet weather conditions.

Today's textile gear comes in a huge variety of colors, styles and designs. Whether you like it loud and aggressive or simple and understated, there's bound to be a textile jacket available to meet your budget. Rather than gambling in the streets, take a gander through these garments to find one that matches your needs.

MEN'S
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Contra Sacrifice
- Covered in massive amounts of artwork, embroidery and attitude
- Durable nylon textile chassis
- Heavyweight ballistic impact panels
- Integrated fighter mesh panels for venting
SSB Says: Bold red stitching, huge skull patches and more black and grey tattoo artwork than a prison yard makes for a seriously stunning jacket.
$250
rideicon.com

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AGV Laguna
- Polyester textile and mesh reinforced with abrasion resistant ballistic nylon material
- Removable waterproof and breathable zip-out liner can be worn as a windbreaker
- External titanium shoulder caps
- Perforated chest, belly, arms and back for maximum cooling
SSB Says: The Laguna is a modern twist on the traditional racer look. Titanium shoulder caps complete the go-fast design.
$224
motonation.com

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Alpinestars
Grease Monkey
- Classic work wear style
- Heavy duty brushed poly/cotton construction with windbreaker membrane
- Removable contrasting orange thermal liner
- Front embroidered patch with wrench logo and silkscreen graphics
SSB Says: A retro jacket with some serious rock-a-billy attitude, the Grease Monkey looks like a casual jacket but has a full spectrum of safety features.
$189.95
alpinestars.com

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Cortech RCX Jacket
- Performance cut Denier shell
- Low profile collar with soft and durable neoprene trim
- Zippered shoulder, sleeve and rear exhaust vents
- Waterproof and breathable barrier liner
SSB Says: If you prefer an understated look the RCX will let you ride in peace. You'll also be comfortable thanks to multiple vents and a waterproof liner.
$139.99
tourmaster.com

Yamaha's GP stars Present Leno with ex-Bostrom R1 Superbike

Stars align for Leno's Garage

Cypress California, July 21, 2010 – The stars of the MotoGP World Championship made their way to California this week. They're headed for Laguna Seca, of course, but on Tuesday you could not have been blamed for thinking the race would be held in Burbank.

The suburb north of LA is normally home to a lot of television and film production and star sightings are commonplace, but on Tuesday it was teeming with motorcycle racers... Fiat Yamaha's championship leader Jorge Lorenzo, Monster Tech 3 Yamaha riders Ben Spies and Colin Edwards; Yamaha legends Kenny Roberts Sr., Eddie Lawson, and Wayne Rainey – even AMA Superbike championship leader Josh Hayes and Ben Bostrom were all spotted in the nondescript warehouse district near Burbank's Bob Hope Airport – not a typical transfer point on the way to Laguna Seca.

But avid motorcyclists know that Burbank is also the location of Jay Leno's famous 'Big Dog Garage.' Leno, host of the Tonight Show, is a member of the AMA Hall of Fame. His garage (actually a 70,000 sq. ft. complex with several full time employees) houses over 200 motorcycles and cars – ranging from pioneer motorcycles like his 1918 Pope to an 800-horsepower 'Ecojet' car tuned to run on recycled cooking oil. It's definitely a garage and not just a collection, since virtually every vehicle is licensed and insured; Jay rides and drives all of them.

The latest addition to Jay's fleet is fast and exotic, even by his standards – an ex-Eric Bostrom AMA Superbike.

“Last Fall, Jay auctioned off a custom Star V-Max to benefit Bailey's Cafe, a charity that we both support,” said Bob Starr. “We were thrilled with the results of that auction; it benefitted a very worthy cause. But we realized that when he sold his V-Max, it left him without a Yamaha in the garage.”

“We wanted to make sure that Jay had a unique bike, that reflects his uniquely effective role as an ambassador for our sport,” Starr continued. “This R1 Superbike is not something that can be purchased at any price. It is virtually as-ridden by Eric. We put it into storage at the end of the 2008 season. We just asked Chuck Graves to go through it and make sure it was ready to ride again.” The bike was a surprise gift for Leno, who thought he'd only agreed to host a dinner for Yamaha's MotoGP riders.

It was hard to tell who was more star-struck. Jay and his garage staff met a 'who's who' of Yamaha racing history. But even legends like Eddie Lawson do a double-take when they see the scope of Jay's garage and workshop. “There are so many vehicles in here,” said Lawson, “that are just works of art.”

Since all his bikes get ridden, it will be up to garage manager Bernard Juchli to find a place to hang a license plate on this factory superbike. When we asked Bernard how he'd manage to register it, he smiled and replied, “I can't reveal that.”

The job of going through the ultra-trick R1 fell to Team Yamaha's Chuck Graves. Graves made a few concessions to making the bike 'streetable'; swapping the Magneti Marelli ECU for a YEC unit, and the race dash for one with a speedometer. But the engine internals, fork, swingarm and more are pure factory unobtanium. “This bike was built before we homologated parts,” said Graves, “so really, a lot of these components just aren't for sale, at any price.”

In all, over 100 of Yamaha's 'friends and family,' and representatives from Dorna and Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, attended the event, which included a great meal prepared by none other than Yamaha-USA's own racing boss Keith McCarty. Tim Collins of Alpinestars presented Jay with a custom set of leathers to match the bike, and Troy Lee added a fantastic custom-painted Arai helmet, which included signatures and elements from the designs used by the legends and MotoGP riders at the dinner.

When he posed for photos with Lorenzo, Spies, and Edwards he quipped, “Yeah, this is great – I love being the slowest guy in the room.”

After dinner, as the event wound down, the riders prepared to travel up the coast to Laguna Seca and Jay – who works at his comedy as hard as Ben Spies works at his cardio fitness – went home to write the next Tonight Show opening monologue. Jay couldn't attend the races, as he was already committed to an event in Detroit this weekend. But it's just a question of time before he takes his R1 up the Rock Store. If you see him there and think, 'Wow, that looks like a genuine factory bike,' it's because that's what it is.”

Mickey Thompson Performance Tires MiRock Superbike Series

Ellis claims Teasley bounty at HUGE Bike Fest

Photography by Tim Hailey

event: Fast by Gast WPGC Bike Fest
when: July 17-18, 2010
where: Maryland International Raceway in Budd’s Creek, MD, USA

Rider Chip Ellis and tuner Blake Ritter weren’t intimidated by Jeremy Teasley’s HTP Performance Real Street win streak. The bounty that the Mickey Thompson Performance Tires MiRock Superbike Series levied on Teasley’s head had swelled and Ellis and Ritter planned on taking it back to Indiana with them.

But before the pair could take on Teasley for the win at Maryland International Raceway’s Fast by Gast WPGC Bike Fest—now indisputably the nation’s biggest all-motorcycle drag race—Teasley had some unfinished business to attend to. He still had to win the rain delayed June final over Eddie Murphy. That he did on Saturday, doubling the bounty for anyone that could beat him and his Adams Performance/RS Motorsports Kawasaki ZX14 on Sunday.

No combination rose to that challenge better than multi-time AMA Prostar national champ and NHRA national event winner Ellis, his fellow Vance & Hines employee Ritter, and their Suzuki GSX-R1000. Ellis qualified number 1 and made his way to a semifinal made up entirely of riders who’d ridden for Teasley’s team boss Coby Adams at some point in their careers—Ellis himself, Ryan Schnitz, superstar Rickey Gadson, and current pilot Teasley. Ellis advanced in style, nailing a record 7.83 to beat Schnitz. Teasley beat Gadson, then took the tree against Ellis in the final. But setting the record was no fluke for Ellis, and Ritter had the bike firmly in the 7.80’s at this point. Teasley, running a whole new nitrous system installed by owner/tuner Roger Starrette, was stuck in the .90’s and event promoter Jason Miller handed the cash bounty over to Ellis in the MIR winners circle.

Adams is final round tested after many matches with his rider Teasley, but couldn’t get his own ZX14 to hook up on Saturday and was stuck in the B race on Sunday. He opened the day with an 8.0 but fluctuated as the day wore on. His worst light and ET of the day came in the final against fellow builder/tuner heavyweight Del Flores. But Del and his ‘Busa were hovering around 8.40, and Adams had enough to take the B race.

Although Teasley saw his Real Street streak broken, two Orient Express Pro Street wins on the weekend helped ease the pain. After leaving the tree within .001 of each other, Teasley and his nitrous huffing Kawasaki ZX14 ran 7.31 to pull ahead of number 2 plateholder Rodney Williford for the rain delayed June race win. Rodney’s turbocharged Suzuki Hayabusa was on a top end charge but ran out of racetrack.

Sunday’s race saw plenty of Pro Street upsets, with number 1 qualifier Bud Yoder breaking in the water box before his round 2 match with Sean “Skinny” Walsh. Sean carried that break all the way to his first Pro Street final against Teasley, and stepped up by taking the tree and running his quickest lap of the weekend. But that wasn’t enough to keep Teasley from his second Pro Street win of the event.

Steve Smithers drove all the way from Kansas and was determined not to go home empty handed. He beat Ehren Litten in the Pro Street B final after a full, four round raceday.

Pro Comp eighth mile racing for nitrous Pro Mods, turbo Funnybikes and Outlaw Pro Street bikes made its MiRock debut, and Maryland native Ronnie Procopio took all the spoils. Procopio qualified number 1 on his nitrous Pro Mod Suzuki and met up with Canadian Terry Schweigert on a similar combination in the final. Schweigert failed to make the long trip pay off, cutting a poor light, backsliding slightly on ET, and handing Procopio the homecoming win.

Robert “Crossroads” Johnson worked his way through a 52 bike House of Speed Crazy 8’s field to meet Dr. Rick Bunting in the final. Bunting ran .009 off the index, but gave up too much to Johnson’s .012 light at the tree and Johnson took the win.

After subduing a 134 bike Fast By Gast Pro ET field, Shawn Smith beat Kip Green in Saturday’s final. Rodney “They Call Me Mister” Tibbs and his gorgeous old school Kaw 900 took Sunday’s win when Jimmie Miller redlit. Rickey Butler Jr. won the FBR Shop Quick 32 final when Jay Windsor redlit by a scant .001.

Derek Christensen and Brandon Bachmeier bested 133 riders to reach the final in Saturday’s Schnitz Racing Street ET race, and Christensen bested Bachmeier in the final. Dale Hamilton and Glenn Gass fought their way through an even bigger field on Sunday, with Hamilton taking the win.

In all, 7000 watched the Maryland action, which along with the 450+ race entries each day included 47 stunt and show bikes, 13 bikini contestants, live music, and a large vendor display, all at Maryland International Raceway’s fabulous facility.

The Mickey Thompson Performance Tires MiRock Superbike Series races next August 21-22 at the Schnitz Racing Summer Sizzler at Rockingham Dragway in Rockingham, North Carolina, USA

Find out more about the MiRock Superbike Series at www.mirockracing.com

Brock's Performance BMW S1000RR Breaks The 8-Second Barrier!

Brock's Performance BMW S1000RR Breaks The 8-Second Barrier!

DAYTON, Ohio. (July 2, 2010)-- Ongoing research and development has pushed the Brock's Performance SuperSport-prepped, stock-wheelbase BMW S 1000 RR into the coveted 8-second E.T. bracket.

During the recent "No Hatin'" race series at Kil-Kare Raceway in Xenia, Ohio, the bike recorded a scorching 8.95 run with Jeremy Teasley in the saddle. Stressing that it's "business as usual" at Brock's Performance while the AMA Dragbike series undergoes restructuring, shop owner Brock Davidson vowed not to let turbulent times deter him from developing products and testing them in the sport's most competitive regional venues. For Kil-Kare, the BMW was run in AMA Dragbike SuperSport trim. SuperSport rules are the most stringent in motorcycle drag racing. The only allowable deviations from stock are lowered suspension, modified gearing, aftermarket exhaust, a fuel-injection controller, ceramic wheel bearings and very few other changes. "We're working hard to improve the BMW's performance," said Davidson. "To do any kind of systematic testing you must have a standard to run against. The SuperSport rule structure is still the way stock-wheelbase performance is gauged."

To extract every bit of acceleration from the bike, Brock's enlisted the services of local drag ace Jeremy Teasley to lay down clean runs on the short, low, lean, 200-horsepower machine. With two AMA Dragbike Real Street championships under his belt, Teasley is widely regarded as one of the best sportbike drag racers in the business. Running off an 8.90 national record set by Rickey Gadson on a Brock's-prepared ZX-14 last season, Teasley clicked off successive quarter-mile runs of 9.12 and 9.04 seconds before hitting a 8.971 at 157.93 mph. He went on to lower the mark with an astounding 8.950.

Teasley's best 1/8-mile time of 5.83 seconds was just over one-hundredth of a second off Gadson's national record. All this, at a track that was not prepared to national-event standards, with an adjusted air density altitude of 3800 feet. "With the S 1000 RR having a better power-to-weight ratio of any production sportbike, we felt strongly that we were going to do some damage in the SuperSport class with the BMW this season and it is very disappointing that AMA Dragbike suspended operations after we got only two races in," said Davidson. "Nonetheless, we're going to continue doing what we do best: developing, testing and selling products that make streetbikes fly. I still hold out hope that there will be another national-level SuperSport class in the somewhat near future. When that happens, we'll show up with a finely tuned, powerful weapon, ready to do battle."

For more information on championship-winning Brock's Performance exhaust systems, BST wheels and other go-fast parts, visit BrocksPerformance.com

Rossi strikes again - MotoGP Brno

Rossi strikes again - MotoGP Brno

Rossi strikes again at Brno as Lorenzo cracks under pressure

From the August, 2009 issue of Super Streetbike

Valentino Rossi got the best of his Fiat Yamaha team-mate Jorge Lorenzo again at the Cardion ab Czech Republic Grand Prix on Sunday with the young Spaniard crashing out with five laps to go, as the pair battled for the race lead, handing Rossi a 50-point title advantage with six races to go.

In front of a crowd of nearly 140,000 fans the Fiat Yamaha duo had built up a ten second lead over the rest of the field but with Lorenzo desperate for points after his Donington DNF the 22 year-old from Mallorca pushed too hard again and slid out, with Rossi eventually finishing more than 11 seconds ahead of second placed Dani Pedrosa.

Behind Pedrosa, two more Honda riders, Toni Elias and Andrea Dovizioso, dueled for the final podium slot, with San Carlo Honda Gresini rider Elias just outdoing Repsol Honda's Dovizioso. Repeating his 2008 Brno podium was a perfect reaction from Elias as he learned this weekend that he has lost his current MotoGP ride for next year.

Just over a tenth of a second behind his compatriot Dovizioso there was a morale-boosting result for Loris Capirossi in fifth place for the Rizla Suzuki team. Nicky Hayden, meanwhile, bolstered his confidence in sixth, from eighth on the grid.

Hayden's countryman Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) will be disappointed to have ended up seventh after qualifying fifth and both Americans will be looking for top five results at the next round in Indianapolis.

The Brno top ten was completed by Alex de Angelis (San Carlo Honda Gresini), James Toseland (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) and Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda). Mika Kallio and Marco Melandri were left bickering in the gravel after the pair crashed out when vying for the same piece of asphalt on the penultimate lap and both riders hit the deck.

MotoGP: First Blood to Lorenzo at Catalunya

July 02, 2010

Lorenzo comments on FP1

Audio Interview

MotoGP
Championship leader, Jorge Lorenzo, took first blood in the stifling heat of Barcelona, topping the timesheet with a time of 1'43.259 at the end of this afternoon's first MotoGP free practice session ahead of the Gran Premi Aperol de Catalunya.

Lorenzo on track

With the ambient air temperature topping 37ºC and the track temperature rising to 52ºC during the session, free practice was demanding of riders, bikes and tyres this afternoon but Lorenzo, who is going for a third straight win this weekend in front of his home crowd, still managed to lap the 4.727km Catalunya circuit 0.153s faster than Casey Stoner. The Ducati Team rider had a run-off early on in the session at Turn 1 but it was a minor event, as he went on to record the second fastest time aboard his Desmosedici GP10 at a track he declared as fun to ride.

Completing the top three was Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa who finished almost four-tenths of the time of his fellow countryman, Lorenzo. Seeking an improvement in the consistency of his results on his RC212V this weekend, Pedrosa started his quest in promising fashion at a track on which he has won races in three different classes.

Teammate Andrea Dovizioso was 0.094s further back in fourth, while Monster Yamaha Tech 3's Ben Spies put in a hot penultimate lap to shoot up from 15th to fifth inside the final minutes of the session, as he set about learning another new track.

Aleix Espargaró's improvements continued on board the Pramac Ducati as he set the sixth fastest lap of the session, just under nine-tenths off Lorenzo, whilst Randy de Puniet is also on track for another good result at Catalunya having finished seventh and just 0.06s behind Espargaró.

Nicky Hayden made a step up towards the end of the session to move into eighth spot, with Colin Edwards and Marco Simoncelli also posting top-ten lap times.

The only crash of the session occurred 23 minutes in when Álvaro Bautista fell on his tenth lap whilst running fifth fastest, with his team checking to see if a problem with his Rizla Suzuki GSV-R had caused the crash. The rookie was back out shortly after and completed a further ten laps, eventually finishing 12th - one spot behind teammate Loris Capirossi - despite having banged his injured shoulder once again in the crash.

San Carlo Honda Gresini's Marco Melandri was 14th, a brave ride from the Italian, who looked to be in some pain with the shoulder injury and fractured sternum he sustained in a practice crash at Assen just eight days ago.

Wataru Yoshikawa started his first GP weekend as Valentino Rossi's substitute on the Fiat Yamaha team and was 17th fastest, just behind Kousuke Akiyoshi who continues to fill in for the injured Hiroshi Aoyama on the Interwetten Honda.

Elías leads Moto2 FP1

Moto2
Eager to delight a strong home crowd this weekend at Catalunya and with a Championship lead to maintain, Toni Elías made the perfect start by topping the opening practice session with a best lap of 1'48.425. The Gresini Racing Moto2 rider posted his effort on the 23rd of 25 laps, placing him 0.107s clear at the head of the timesheet.

Following him was Sergio Gadea who is looking to return to the scoring positions this weekend after his run of registering points in every race so far was broken at Assen. At just over a tenth off Elías, Gadea was 0.09s faster than Shoya Tomizawa, although it is the Japanese rider who lies second in the Championship standings ahead of Sunday's race.

Interwetten Moriwaki Moto2 rider Tom Luthi continued to impress with the fourth fastest time, just eight-thousandths off Tomizawa. The Swiss rider, who has ridden in the last two races - finishing on the podium in each and currently lying third in the standings - with a damaged collarbone, only had surgery last Saturday after Assen but was again on the pace here in Catalunya. In fifth was Andrea Iannone, who comes into this weekend off the back of his second win of 2010 at Assen.

Completing the top-eight positions were Gabor Talmacsi , Yonny Hernández and Julián Simón, with Jules Cluzel and Scott Redding both within 0.534s of Elías as they registered top-ten times as well.

Vladimir Leonov, Iannone, Redding, Cluzel, Alex de Angelis and Raffaele De Rosa all ran off track, but none were prevented from completing the session as a result.

Fastest 125cc time for M...

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Fastest 125cc time for Márquez

125cc
Marc Márquez matched the scorching weather conditions in Barcelona on Friday afternoon by setting the hottest lap of FP1, topping the opening 125cc session of the weekend with a best time of 1'51.219. The Red Bull Ajo Motorsport rider is seeking his fourth straight win of 2010 at his home GP and made his intentions clear during the hour-long practice.

Second on the timesheet and searching for his second podium of the season, Bradley Smith was 0.246s off Márquez with the British rider's Bancaja Aspar team-mate and current Championship leader Nico Terol in third, over half a second off his colleague's pace as he made himself the final rider under the 1'52” mark. Pol Espargaró, who crashed without injury during the session, was a further 0.019s back in fourth.

The gap to fifth-placed Efrén Vázquez was far more substantial at 1.269s, just over two seconds off Márquez's pace at the front. Jonas Folger, Sandro Cortese, Johann Zarco, Randy Krummenacher and Esteve Rabat were separated by less than two-tenths as they completed the top ten. British rider, Danny Webb, was 12th.

As well as Espargaró there were crashes for wildcard rider Peter Sebestyen and Louis Rossi towards the end of the session with none experiencing any lasting effects.

"Euro-Only" Kawasaki Special Edition - Kool Kawis (You Can't Buy)

Kool Kawis

From the June, 2010 issue of Super Streetbike

By Kar Lee

Photography by Kar Lee

Those lucky bastards across the pond have some souped-up Kawis to look forward to. Big Green is releasing five "Euro-only" Special Edition bikes, three of which we'd kill for. These SE models come with a bundled package of mods that is said to save the consumer from buying similar, more costly upgrades from the aftermarket. What's even better is that all of the additions are genuine Kawi accessories and come with a two-year warranty. Good for the Euros, that is.

The trio includes the ZX-6R, ZX-10R and ZX-14, all of which receive a host of individual upgrades. These mods include special graphics, Akrapovic pipes, double bubble style windscreens, tank/knee pads and new mini blinkers.

OK so maybe they aren't rocking carbon fiber wheels and 240 rear tires, but we'd say it's a step in the right direction when modded bikes are rolling off the showroom floor-too bad we can't have them!

The All New 2011 Tirade Helmet from ONEAL

Available NOW!

Features:
• Integrated Bluetooth technology powered by BLINC 3
• Clear, easy to use LED Display screen makes set up a cinch
• Connect with your phone, GPS or MP3 player or any Bluetooth compatible device
• Comes complete with Bluetooth built in
• Also includes FM Radio with Auto Seek built in
• Superior lightweight helmet with excellent fit and function
• Clear Helmet to Helmet communication with no phone required

XDL BBQ & Industry Night at Bert's Mega Mall on June 17

Los Angeles, CA (June 8, 2010) -- Stunt riding has been around for well over a decade. XDL is in its fifth season. The sport is doubling in size almost every year. But have you ever asked yourself what you really know about it? What are the bike trends? How are they influencing the mainstream? What about riding gear? What happened to all the kids that used to stunt in a t-shirt? Now they are riding in proper gear. But which gear and why? And what do they really want? Where are the business opportunities? XDL BBQ & Industry Night at Bert's Mega Mall is designed to help you find answers to those and many other questions.

We realize it is short notice but since athletes and staff are in town for XDL Los Angeles on June 18 & 19, and Bert's Mega Mall is being a very generous host, we thought we'd give it a try.

From 6pm to 8pm XDL staff and athletes will be hosting a series of discussion sessions that will delve into the major topics. Each discussion session will start with a 10 minute talk and then be followed by an open Q&A session:

1. XDL and the Future Direction of the Sport
- Why does the sport exist?
- How has it progressed since 2006?
- Where is it going?
Speaker: Randy Grube
Time: 6:30pm
Location: Cafe

2. The Culture of Stunt Riding
- What is the stunt culture and how did it originate?
- How does it fit in with the modern action sports culture?
- How do you tap into this market?
Speaker: Thomas Evans
Time: 7:00pm
Location: Cafe

3. Bikes & Gear
Speakers: Bill Dixon, Joe Dryden, Aaron Colton, Nick Brocha, Alex Flores and others
- What are the popular freestyle bikes and what are the typical modifications?
- How have bikes and their use developed over time and what would the freestyle bike of the future look like?
- What gear do the athletes wear and why?
Time: 7:30pm
Location: Cafe

Free food will be provided to all participants and Red Bull will be on site as well. Concurrent with XDL Industry Night Bert's Mega Mall will also be hosting a BBQ and athlete meet and greet for fans of the sport. The meet and greet will include:

1. Static freestyle bike for picture opportunities
2. Autograph and picture session with XDL athletes
3. Free food and copies of XDL Magazine
4. Freestyle bike display
5. Girls
6. Discount tickets to XDL LA on June 18 & 19

This will be your best and most effective opportunity to learn about the sportbike freestyle movement this year so don't miss it.

Please RSVP to info@xdlshow.com so we can get a head count for food.

For additional info please visit the following web sites:

For more info on XDL visit www.xdlshow.com
For tickets visit xdl.vbotickets.com
For XDL merchandise visit: www.xdlstore.com
For Red Bull visit: www.redbull.com

XDL is the only championship of its kind and is the leader in reaching the core 20-year old sportbike demographic. Each XDL event features the world's most skilled sportbike riders squaring off in seven unique competitions for over $10,000 in prize money. Since its inception in 2006 the series has built a global following in places as far off as Japan, Australia, France, Thailand and Eastern Europe, and in the process emerged as the fastest growing action sport in America. The stateside event series schedule includes Daytona Beach, Lake Havasu City, Nashville, Los Angeles and Indianapolis. New for 2010, XDL Magazine was launched in time for the season opener and provides a comprehensive overview of the series and its athletes. The new line of XDL apparel is available at www.xdlstore.com. And on October 12th, Inside XDL, a documentary drama on the series and its athletes will premier on Versus Network.

Yoshimura Extends Exhaust System Line-up to Include 2010 Kawasaki ZX-6R and ZX-10R

Chino, Calif. – June 9, 2010 – Yoshimura R&D of America has been making performance exhaust systems since the company was founded in 1971, and now your Kawasaki ZX-6R or ZX-10R can benefit from these years of experience thanks to a full line-up of exhaust systems from Yoshimura. These machines already make great power, but if you really want to tear up the track, then a Yoshimura system will boost your performance to a whole new level. Yoshimura makes a system to match every level of performance, from slip-on mufflers for the streetriding enthusiast, to full-systems made from titanium and carbon-fiber for professional racers. Head to www.yoshimura-rd.com and check out the full lineup of Yoshimura exhausts and other performance parts available for your Kawasaki.

ZX-6R with RS-4

ZX-10R with R-55

ZX_10R with the R-77 Slip... read full caption ZX_10R with the R-77 Slip-On

Applications Available:
2009 - 2010 ZX-6R
2008 - 2010 ZX-10R

Slip-Ons

TRS

RS-4

R-55

TRS Stainless/Stainless Slip-On
ZX-6R P/N:1464265
MSRP $379.00

RS-4 Stainless/Titanium Slip-On
ZX-6R P/N:1464247
MSRP $434.95

RS-4 Stainless/Stainless Slip-On
ZX-6R P/N:1464245
MSRP $374.95

RS-4 Stainless/Carbon Slip-On
ZX-6R P/N:1464242
MSRP $524.95

TRC Stainless/Titanium Slip-On
ZX-6R P/N:1464277
ZX-10R P/N:1417277
MSRP $499.00

TRC Stainless/Stainless Slip-On
ZX-6R P/N:1464275
ZX-10R P/N:1417275
MSRP $399.00

TRC Stainless/Carbon Slip-On
ZX-6R P/N:1464272 ZX-10R P/N:1417272
MSRP $549.00

TRS Stainless/Stainless Slip-On
ZX-10R P/N:1417265
MSRP $379.00

R-55 Stainless/Stainless Slip-On - Stainless End-cap
ZX-10R P/N:1417286
MSRP $529.00

R-55 Stainless/Stainless Slip-On - Carbon End-cap
ZX-10R P/N:1417288
MSRP $579.00

R-77 Stainless/Carbon Slip-On
ZX-6R P/N:1464202
ZX-10R P/N:1417202
MSRP $599.00

R-77 Stainless/Stainless Slip-On - Stainless End-cap
ZX-6R P/N:1464206
ZX-10R P/N:1417206
MSRP $429.00

R-77 Stainless/Titanium Slip-On
ZX-6R P/N:1464207
ZX-10R P/N:1417207
MSRP $549.00

R-77 Stainless/Stainless Slip-On - Carbon End-cap
ZX-6R P/N:1464205
ZX-10R P/N:1417205
MSRP $479.00

Full Systems

TRC Stainless/Titanium Full System
ZX-6R P/N:1464077
ZX-10R P/N:1417077
MSRP $1,049.00

TRC Stainless/Stainless Full System
ZX-6R P/N:1464075
ZX-10R P/N:1417075
MSRP $979.00

TRC Stainless/Carbon Full System
ZX-6R P/N:1464072
ZX-10R P/N:1417072
MSRP $1,099.00

R-77 Stainless/Carbon Full System
ZX-6R P/N:1464002
ZX-10R P/N:1417002
MSRP $1,149.00

R-77 Stainless/Stainless Full System - Stainless End-cap
ZX-6R P/N:1464006
ZX-10R P/N:1417006
MSRP $979.00

R-77 Stainless/Stainless Full System - Carbon End-cap
ZX-6R P/N:1464005
ZX-10R P/N:1417005
MSRP $1,029.00

R-77 Stainless/Titanium Full System
ZX-6R P/N:1464007
ZX-10R P/N:1417007
MSRP $1,099.00

TRC

R-77

About Yoshimura R&D of America: Yoshimura is “The Leader in Performance” and has been for more than 55 years. With unmatched skills, knowledge, and passion for racing, Yoshimura is on the forefront of the aftermarket exhaust industry. Yoshimura pipes are race bred and feature the same legendary performance, fit and quality that has been their trademark for more than five decades. To learn more about Yoshimura and view the wide variety of performance products, visit www.yoshimura-rd.com