MotoGP

Lorenzo to have further tests

Kawasaki frustrated by qualifying slump

The Kawasaki team were deeply disappointed to tumble back down the order in Mugello qualifying after starring in wet practice.

John Hopkins had been fastest of all in Friday's first session, while his beleaguered teammate Anthony West had also shown much better speed than he had so far this season.

But the weather cleared for qualifying, and on the dry track Hopkins could only manage 14th place, while West was 1.2 seconds slower and last of all.

"Today has felt like an uphill struggle for us," Hopkins said. "We had a few problems transitioning to a dry set-up in this morning's practice session, after the two wet sessions yesterday.

"But we persisted on refining the set-up, as well as working closely with Bridgestone to find a suitable tyre combination for the race. In qualifying it just didn't come together for us, which has left us with a less than ideal grid position. It's going to be incredibly important to get a good start in the race if I'm to claw back some points tomorrow."

West felt he had also been more competitive in the dry sections of practice, so was downcast after falling to the back row again.

"Yesterday felt good in the dry and to end up at the back of the grid after today's qualifying is very frustrating," he said. "We have been trying many different ideas to improve the rear-traction of the machine, as I have been struggling to get out of the corners at previous rounds.

"This track is particularly tricky, especially the downhill, off-camber sections, but today we found ourselves with no front-end feeling and I just couldn't push the bike into the turns."

Chinosi grabs pole on guest outing

Chilton to start on race two pole

Kawasaki riders rue disappointing results

Melandri blames too many set-up changes

Marco Melandri blamed too many configuration changes to his Ducati Marlboro for his abysmal 18th position in today's qualifying for his home Grand Prix at Mugello.

The Italian, in his worst qualifying result of what has proved to be so far a very difficult first season with the Bologna-based team, lamented too many changes on the bike throughout the weekend in an effort to solve his problems with the rear tyre.

"We've gone from bad to worse after each session," Melandri told Italia1 television. "Unfortunately in the confusion we've also lost what little good we had found.

"We carry on changing the configuration of the bike: in four session we had four completely different bikes. We haven't improved anywhere, in fact I think we've gone worse even more.

"The rear tyre is always cold, with the result that I have no feeling with the rear. It's no good, even with the qualifying tyre, it starts to warm up only towards the end of the lap for me, so it's not OK for my riding style.

"We'll have to evaluate things more. Unfortunately I can't get used to a bike that is constantly changed. The situation is constantly evolving, but is difficult at all times. We'll see tomorrow if I can get some feeling back.

"I need to put more weight at the rear to try to warm up, at least a bit, the rear tyre in order to feel it, because turn entry is impossible for me."

Melandri explained that, while he felt it might have been a good idea to use the set-up from the Shanghai race, where he scored his best result of the season with a fifth place, the team had other ideas.

"Perhaps with the difficulties we've also lost our calm," he said. "To change was certainly a mistake. I wasn't sure what we had, I perhaps wanted to get back to the set-up we had in China, however there was an idea of changing again in order to try to put temperature in the tyre, but we made a mistake. We must talk more clearly to make more sensible decisions."

Melandri denied, however, that he and the team are at odds over the way the bike is set up.

"I'd like to change different things, but unfortunately it can't be done on the track, and we still can't find affinity between my riding style and the bike's character," he concluded.

"For now I think we are at opposite ends. It's difficult, not because the bike doesn't suit my style, but because a fundamental part of riding is feeling the rear tyre. I don't have that, so it's not an easy situation."

Ducati technical director Filippo Preziosi, however, has said that the team are preparing developments for Melandri to help him find more performance.

"Marco has several problems regarding engine's rideability, so we've developed something special for him," Preziosi told Italia1. "We'll bring to Barcelona an evolutionary step, and let's hope it'll give him a hand to find the performance he's able to do."

The Grand Prix of Catalunya at Barcelona will be held in one week's time.

Jakes relieved after securing pole

Jakes takes pole at Pau

Melandri never expected such tough year

Thursday, May 29, 2008

Hayden hoping to turn things around

Nicky Hayden admits that he's had a difficult season so far but is still hopeful he can turn things around.

The former world champion lies seventh in the standings, 60 points adrift of championship leader Valentino Rossi and 57 shy of his Repsol Honda teammate Dani Pedrosa.

"It has been a tough year but it's still early," said the American. "Sure, we'd like to be strong right now, but at Jerez and Estoril we had good speed but not enough to be dangerous, and we tested at Le Mans and didn't really find anything there.

"For this weekend we have a few different options with set-up. It's never easy because this grid is really competitive, but we'll keep trying stuff and we'll never give up, so hopefully we'll come across something good and get some momentum.

"I know I can do it and I know the team is capable of it because we've done it before. We just need to put it together and make it happen."

Hayden is looking forward to getting to use the new Honda engine, which he hopes he will have in time for the follow up to this weekend's Mugello race at Barcelona on June 8.

"Hopefully it's good and hopefully I'll be using it at Barcelona. I preferred this chassis with that engine, it works a lot better for me with the weight balance and change of direction."

Devaney hoping for better luck

Hayden admits to riding struggles

Melandri never expected such tough year

Marco Melandri admitted his switch to the Ducati team has been a lot more difficult than he ever imagined.

"It's been so much more difficult than I thought," Melandri told a news conference in Mugello, ahead of this weekend's Italian Grand Prix.

"I thought it would be difficult but I was ready to work hard to get good results, but unfortunately I haven't found a good feel with the bike, so for me it's so difficult to be fast.

"We tried many different solutions but nothing really changes my feeling with the bike. We tried many different Bridgestone tyres but to me the result is always the same."

Melandri has endured a dismal start to the year, having scored just 24 points in the first five races of the season as he continues to struggle to find a good feeling with the rear end of his bike.

The Italian, who last year finished in fifth place in the standings with the Honda Gresini team, believed he had found a breakthrough in performance in the Chinese Grand Prix, where he was fifth.

But his problems returned in the last race in France, where he qualified in 17th and finished in 15th position.

The Ducati rider admits he is feeling very frustrated.

"In China we found a better feeling with the bike because the track was so much better for our bike," he added. I had a good feeling for the first time. I could ride better. I was hoping to start from a good level from Le Mans, but in the end it wasn't like that.

"So I'm just being in trouble again, like before China, so it's like in the first three races. I hope to have a different start from tomorrow morning.

"This is another race and another story. I don't want to think about what kind of feeling I'm going to have so I'm going to try to jump on my bike, to try to ride and have fun.

"It's been difficult. It's been very frustrating."

D.C.’s snake-bitten ride continues

Earthquakes look to peak again

Rapids’ impressive grit opens doors

Melandri sure he has turned a corner

Melandri upbeat after breakthrough

MotoGP: Melandri frustrated to fall back again

Rossi '90 percent' sure to stay at Yamaha

Valentino Rossi says he is more than 90 percent certain to stay at the Yamaha team after his current contract expires.

The seven-time champion's current deal comes to an end at the end of the season, but both him and his team have made it clear that they are ready to extend their relationship.

Rossi said on Thursday that he is yet to decide if he wants a one or a two-year contract, but said the deal is likely to be announced soon.

"I have to speak with (Yamaha's racing department boss Masao) Furusawa during the weekend, but the atmosphere is very relaxed and I think it's possible to continue," Rossi told a news conference ahead of the Italian Grand Prix.

"It's not sure but it's more than 90 percent. Now we have to decide if one year or two years.

"The contracts today are quite big and there are a lot of difficult points to fix, but I think that (the announcement) will as soon as possible. For sure before the break, without any surprises."

The Italian arrives in his home grand prix as favourite after two consecutive victories this season have moved him into the championship lead.

Rossi has also won at the Mugello circuit for the past six years and is confident he will be able to extend his streak.

"We arrive in good shape, both with the tyres and with the bike so I think it's possible to be quite competitive. Also we need to wait to see the weather condition because Mugello is always difficult."

Hulkenberg secures pole at Mugello

Rossi ‘very likely’ to stay at Yamaha

Yamaha ready to renew Rossi’s contract

Monday, May 26, 2008

Stoner hopes for trouble-free run in Italy

Casey Stoner is hoping for a trouble-free Italian Grand Prix this weekend following his disappointing race in Le Mans.

The Australian hit trouble at the French Grand Prix when fighting for a podium finish after his Ducati suffered an engine problem caused by a faulty component.

Stoner returned to the pits and finished 16th using his second bike in what was the world champion's first non-scoring race since the Comunidad de Valencia event in 2006.

Now the world champion is hoping for a strong race in Mugello to straighten a shaky start to the season.

"Last year we missed the podium by a little bit but the race was still important because we learnt some things about the bike that helped us be competitive at the races that followed," said Stoner in a team preview.

"This year we arrive on the back of a tough race, where we had a problem that prevented us from scoring a podium, but on the whole it was a positive weekend because we had a fast and consistent pace going during practice.

"Hopefully we can manage to be just as fast at Mugello but have a good race too - for the fans, who always create such a special atmosphere in Italy, but mainly for everybody at Ducati and the guys in the team, who are working so hard and deserve a top result."

Stoner is 41 points behind championship leader Valentino Rossi after the first fives races of the year.

Devaney hoping for better luck

Oakes to miss Monza race

Rossi eyes seventh straight Mugello win

Stoner targeting Le Mans fightback

Stoner still bullish about title prospects

Rossi eyes seventh straight Mugello win

Valentino Rossi is looking to score his seventh consecutive victory at his home grand prix this weekend at Mugello.

The Yamaha rider has returned to winning ways after a difficult period, taking victory in the last two races to move into the lead of the championship for the first time since the start of last season.

Rossi will arrive in Italy as hot favourite for a third consecutive win, having dominated the Mugello race since the 2002 season.

The seven-time champion admitted he is eager to score yet another home victory.

"Le Mans was fantastic and I am still feeling very happy when I think about it," said Rossi. "We had a good test afterwards and did a lot of hard work with Bridgestone and on the general setting of our bike, so hopefully we have been able to improve our package even further.

"Everyone knows that Mugello is one of my favourite tracks; I've won there six times in a row and now I want to make it seven.

"It's my home race and also the home race for a lot of our team and to race there is always something very special. It's fast and technical and we know it suits our bike so we will be aiming to be quick right from Friday morning. I hope the weather is good - for us and for all the fans - and then hopefully we can have a big Italian party."

Teammate Jorge Lorenzo is also traveling to Italy with high hopes despite his injuries, which the Spaniard said are not still completely healed.

"I have to be really grateful for the fact that I have recovered so quickly from my injuries and to have had such great professionals making sure that was the case," he said. "Obviously we're still not going to be at 100% for Mugello but with every race that passes I'm able to put more weight on the footrests.

"I'm going to Italy with high hopes because it is one of my favourite circuits, with lots of fast and flowing corners. We have some favourable tracks coming up but we can't rely too much on that because in sport, and especially in motorcycle racing, you never know what can happen.

"This is a special race for me because it will be my hundredth appearance in the World Championship. It has all gone really fast and if I ever make it to 200 then I hope it goes just as fast - that would mean I'm having just as much fun as I have up to now and hopefully I'll have helped the fans enjoy it too."

Hulkenberg secures pole at Mugello

Stoner hopes for trouble-free run in Italy

Capirossi confident on home soil

Rossi: Yamaha are back on top form

Sunday, May 25, 2008

Edwards disappointed not to win

Colin Edwards admitted that third place in the French Grand Prix was a disappointment on a day when he had desperately hoped to claim his first MotoGP race win.

The Tech 3 Yamaha rider secured his first podium finish since Donington Park last June, but had been convinced he was fast enough to fight for victory after flying in practice, qualifying on the front row and topping the warm-up.

However, although he fought for the lead with Dani Pedrosa, Valentino Rossi and Casey Stoner early in the race, he struggled to pass his rivals and had to settle for third.

"I thought today could be the day, absolutely," Edwards said.

"I'm a bit pissed off really. I was going quickly all weekend and I felt I probably should have won this race.

"I felt like I got a really good start, and next thing I knew, there were two guys in front of me - Pedrosa and Stoner. I thought, 'okay, let's make quick work of this and then go', and that quick work didn't turn out to be so quick.

"I was struggling just to get close to them to try to put a move in. With Stoner's power, I could never get close enough at the end of a straight, and Dani was riding really good as well. I just couldn't do anything with them.

"I could've taken somebody out, but these guys are fighting for a world championship at the moment."

Edwards felt he was losing out slightly on acceleration, but reckoned the main thing preventing him from passing was the sheer quality of his rivals.

"It just seemed like it never really got there on acceleration," he said.

"These guys are world champions - you're not going to out-brake them from five bike lengths' back, you've got to be pretty close. I tried to out-brake Casey from half a bike length and ran wide, because he's at the limit. These boys are tough."

But he was eventually able to overtake Pedrosa and claim third when a rain shower made the track treacherous in the closing stages.

"I didn't think the rain was that bad," Edwards said. "The guys in front of me - they were leaving the door wide open when it was raining. I was thinking, 'what do I do here, go barrelling in and risk taking everybody out?'

"You've got to play our cards right, and that's how I got Pedrosa. He checked up a little bit and I thought, 'screw it'. I'm not going to take out a Yamaha, but I'll take a few more risks with a Honda."

D.C.’s snake-bitten ride continues

RSL lets shot at first place slip away

Stoner rues bad tyre compound choice

Kawasaki riders rue disappointing results

The Kawasaki Racing team were left disappointed after a difficult French MotoGP race at Le Mans that saw them scoring a meagre two points.

American rider John Hopkins had to retire from seventh place when the chain on his Ninja ZX-RR broke, while Australian Anthony West struggled for grip and finished the race almost a lap down in 14th place.

Hopkins, who was hoping to for a good results with the way the weekend was going, was also left calling his teams for engine improvements.

"After practice and qualifying I really thought we could come away from Le Mans with a good result, which makes today even more frustrating," said Hopkins.

"I got a pretty good start, and was then able to make up places by passing on the brakes, but there are still a number of areas where we're losing out, on acceleration out of the turns for example, and this makes it difficult to make a pass stick.

"It's no fun holding off someone like (Fiat Yamaha's Jorge) Lorenzo for a whole lap, only to see him motor past you as soon as you get onto the straight. We need to work on these areas, starting with tomorrow's test, and we need to make some improvements if we're to increase our competitiveness.

"As for the chain, I guess that was just bad luck. Now we need to find out why it failed, so we can avoid the same problem in the future.

Hopkins also apologised to Suzuki rival Loris Capirossi for an overtaking move that pushed the Italian on the grass.

"Finally, I'd like to apologise to Loris for the pass I put on him, which was a little bit hard. Sorry Loris," he concluded.

West, who has lamented a lack of traction at the rear throughout the season, said that problem worsened in the race today, with the team later identifying the cause in the bike's set-up.

"I am not happy at all," he said. "This weekend has been a struggle, because we've had the same rear traction problems that we've experienced at every track since the start of the season. But then, in the race, the rear grip was non-existent; the bike was spinning up if I even thought about opening the throttle.

"I knew straight away that something was wrong, but short of coming in for a change of tyre and kissing any chance of a points scoring finish goodbye, there was nothing I could do.

"In the end, I just did what I could to ride round the problem, but I don't think I've ever been as happy to see the chequered flag as I was today.

"Now I want to know what the problem was, and I want to be sure that we don't have the same problem again."

Kawasaki competition manager Michael Bartholemy publicly apologised to West on behalf of the team, who took full blame for the rider's set-up problem.

"To Anthony I'd like to apologise, because the difficulties he experienced today were due to a miscalculation on the part of the team," Bartholemy said.

"He showed true determination this afternoon by riding around the problem to finish the race, and for that he should be commended."

Wickens to Signature for Euro Series

Hopkins sure he will be fit for France

Pedrosa blames tyres for race slump

Capirossi confident on home soil

Loris Capirossi is determined to score a strong result at his home circuit when MotoGP visits Mugello next weekend.

It will be the first time the Italian has raced for Suzuki at the Tuscan track, where he won in 2000, and he's hoping to take a step forward with the GSV-R on home soil.

"I love Mugello," he said. "I'm really looking forward to racing a Suzuki in Italy for the first time, it's a big moment for me and I know there will be many fans there.

"The bike is getting better all the time, but still we must make improvements. Hopefully we can make big steps at Mugello and give the Italians and Suzuki fans something to cheers about.

"I'm very determined to do well at my home grand prix and will be doing all I can to make it happen."

Capirossi's Suzuki team-mate Chris Vermeulen is also confident about Suzuki's chances after he qualified on the front row in the wet at Mugello last year.

"We made some important steps in the last race at Le Mans and that's put us in a much better positions for Mugello," he said. "The potential we showed in France was a boost for the whole team, but we still have quite a bit of work to do to bridge the gap to the front guys.

"Mugello is quite a touch track to ride at the maximum level, but I got the hang of it in the race last year and I'm sure having Loris in the team with his home advantage will be a big help."

Capirossi pledges future to Suzuki

Ducati identify engine failure cause

The Ducati team have identified the cause of Casey Stoner's engine failure during Sunday's French Grand Prix at Le Mans.

The Australian's power unit failed when he was fighting for second place, although he still managed to return to the pits and use his second bike to complete the race in last position.

Ducati said on Tuesday the faulty component had been identified at their factory, although no furthers details were provided.

The team decided to end today's test at Le Mans early in order to avoid further damage to other engines.

Mercedes threaten to pull out of F3

MotoGP: Melandri frustrated to fall back again

Rossi ends Le Mans test on top

French GP winner Valentino Rossi finished the two-day Le Mans test on top by going quickest in Tuesday's session.

The Italian, who scored his second consecutive victory of the season on Sunday, continued testing tyres with Bridgestone and also trying out some new settings for his Yamaha.

Rossi was 0.333 seconds quicker than the fastest lap in Sunday's race.

"It was a nice quiet day on track today and it was good to have the chance to work in such a relaxed atmosphere, without so many other riders around," said Yamaha team boss Davide Brivio.

"We finished quite early but we managed to get a lot of important work done, both on tyres with Bridgestone and on the general set-up of our bike with the next few races in mind.

"We tested more different tyres and also made some experiments with different settings, trying to collect as much information as possible to help us to continue to improve. The next eight weeks brings six races in close succession and so we need to be at the top of our game!

"Valentino did a very good time with a race tyre this afternoon so it's clear we're working well, and now we're leaving Le Mans with some great memories and with everyone feeling positive and motivated for the busiest stage of the season.

"Thanks to Valentino and the team for staying on and working so hard over these two days; now I hope everyone can have a good break before our home race."

World champion Casey Stoner was second quickest after his Ducati team decided to end their session early in order not to damage any more engines following the discovery of a faulty component.

Despite that, the Italian squad managed to complete the majority of their programme over the two days.

Stoner's teammate Marco Melandri completed just a handful of laps and finished at the bottom of the times, behind HRC test rider Erwan Nigon.

Pos Rider Team Time 1. Valentino Rossi Fiat Yamaha Team 1:33.882 2. Casey Stoner Ducati Marlboro 1:34.068 3. Erwan Nigon HRC Test Team 1:36.341 4. Marco Melandri Ducati Marlboro 1:38.536

Ericsson tops Rockingham test

Oakes to miss Monza race

Perez takes maiden F3 win at Croft

Pedrosa tops post-Le Mans test

Rossi made to wait for bike upgrades

Friday, May 23, 2008

Pedrosa blames tyres for race slump

Dani Pedrosa said problems with his Michelin tyres led to his disappointing form in the French Grand Prix.

The pole-winner, who had finished on the podium at every race this year until Le Mans, fell back to fourth in the race and consequently lost his championship lead to the victorious Valentino Rossi.

"I am sorry because we could have been on the podium but in the race I wasn't able to go as fast as I had gone during practice," Pedrosa said.

"From the beginning of the race I had some issues with the front tyre, I couldn't brake the way I wanted to brake.

"When we chose our race tyres we tried hard to choose the best tyres for the race, so we didn't expect things to turn out like they did.

"Then in the second half of the race I started to lack some rear grip. When (Jorge) Lorenzo passed me I tried to go with him and not lose contact but I couldn't manage it.

"I gave my maximum and despite the problems we finished fourth, which isn't so bad. We are second equal in the championship and we will continue to work hard to achieve better results at the next races."

Pedrosa's teammate Nicky Hayden had struggled for speed all weekend, and although he salvaged sixth on the grid, he feared that this would prove to be a one-off lap and he would fall back in the race.

His concerns proved well founded, as the 2006 champion came home a distant eighth.

"That wasn't too pretty," Hayden said. "All weekend we've been missing something, the pace hasn't been there.

"I got a good start and recovered a couple of positions but couldn't go with the group I needed to go with. I was hanging in there, then I ran off the track in Turn 6, got in just a little bit hot, didn't make it and that lost me three positions.

"I came back on, had a little dice with Loris (Capirossi) over the last few laps but it wasn't the result we wanted."

Hayden, who has not finished on the podium since last July, said he is now desperate to turn his season around.

"I need to try getting some momentum going, especially for the tracks I really love that are coming up," he said. "I need to be strong when I get to them, I need to use the people around me to find what I need."

Hartley on pole for race two

Pedrosa tops post-Le Mans test

Hayden admits to riding struggles

Yamaha ready to renew Rossi's contract

Yamaha's racing department boss Masao Furusawa says the Japanese squad will renew Valentino Rossi's contract this year.

"Yes, because Valentino will be a winner for at least another couple of seasons," Furusawa told Gazzetta dello Sport when asked if they were renewing Rossi's deal.

He added: "Valentino can ride a Yamaha for as long as he wants to, while he manages to stay at the front."

The Italian rider's contract expires at the end of this year, but the he has made it clear he will be happy to stay at Yamaha now that he has a competitive bike.

Rossi has won the last two races to take the championship lead for the first time since the start of last year, where the seven-time champion finished in third place.

Furusawa said Rossi's frustrating season was down to Yamaha not giving him a good enough bike.

"It was Yamaha at fault, not Rossi's," he added. "The credit for our improvements must go to our technicians, who have found what we needed in a fair way, through calculating data.

"They've worked both on the track, and by getting up to date in the research facilities and on technical documentation.

"The M1 that will repeat last Sunday's triumphs is the result of this huge technical and organizational effort. We've taken some of Ducati's power, but not all, and rideability from Honda. And we're already working towards 2009."

Yamaha scored a 1-2-3 at last weekend's French Grand Prix, with Rossi leading Jorge Lorenzo and Colin Edwards.

Furusawa praised the Italian rider, whom he believes will take the title this year.

"That was a good result, well done to Lorenzo and Edwards," Furusawa said. "But most of all I love Valentino, at this moment more than Jorge, I'm sorry to say. Because what counted most at Le Mans was that Rossi was on the top step of the podium.

"He has demonstrated to be the strongest rider at the moment. Rossi will win his eighth title. Lorenzo and Pedrosa will be able to beat him in some races but in the end he will win."

Fire sign Paraguayan defender Marmol

Teams consider BTCC package move

Rossi ‘very likely’ to stay at Yamaha

Angel delivers first goal, win for NY

Rossi 'very likely' to stay at Yamaha

Seven-time champion Valentino Rossi says he sees no reason to leave the Yamaha team now that he has a winning bike.

The Italian's current contract expires at the end of the season and he had hinted in the past that he was ready to leave if Yamaha didn't have a competitive bike this year.

But Rossi has won the last two races in China and France to take the championship lead for the first time since the start of last season.

And the Italian now looks set to stay at Yamaha, saying it is "very likely" that they will reach a new agreement.

"We are talking with Yamaha," Rossi was quoted as saying by Gazzetta dello Sport. "I had asked them for a bike to win and they've satisfied my request, so there's no reason for me to leave.

"We still need to find the agreement, but I think it's very likely that I will carry on with Yamaha for two more years."

Rossi has been encouraged by the pace of his Yamaha, which he reckons is the best machine produced by the Japanese manufacturer.

"This year's M1 is the best bike Yamaha has ever produced," he said. "The 2005 bike was excellent, but it doesn't compare with this one. I'm happy they have worked so well and they've managed to improve so much in so little time.

"I'm still hungry for victories and I think I will keep on racing for a few years more, at least while I manage to stay at the front."

Rossi made to wait for bike upgrades

Rossi hints he will stay at Yamaha

Yamaha ready to renew Rossi’s contract

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Pedrosa tops post-Le Mans test

Dani Pedrosa showed that Repsol Honda remain a serious threat despite the continued delays to their new engine, as he topped the times on the first day of testing at Le Mans on Monday.

The Spaniard, who lost the championship lead after being forced to see rivals Yamaha lock out the podium in Sunday's French Grand Prix, edged out race winner Valentino Rossi by just more than half a second on the first day of post-race testing.

Rossi was far from unhappy though, and he was the sole Fiat Yamaha representative, with teammate Jorge Lorenzo returning home to Spain to allow his injured ankles to recover.

"Today was a good day, even if it was quite hard to get back to work after the great day we had yesterday," said Rossi. "We tested many different tyres with Bridgestone, both qualifiers and race tyres, and collected a lot of information.

"The tyres we tested today were mostly for the future development, not so much for the next few races, but it's very important to look ahead like this and we found some good material.

"Of course we worked on the setting a bit as well and also tested some new electronic maps, and now we will continue with more tyre testing again tomorrow. Our aim for this test is just to make sure the bike is in the best possible shape for the Italian challenge that is waiting around the corner."

World champion Casey Stoner was third quickest as he spent the day focusing on electronic work to try and improve engine performance - which is why he did not try out qualifying tyres.

Chris Vermeulen showed the ever improving pace of the Rizla Suzuki team to set the fourth fastest time, ahead of Kawasaki's John Hopkins and Loris Capirossi, also on the Rizla Suzuki.

Pos Rider Team Time 1. Dani Pedrosa Repsol Honda 1:33.106 2. Valentino Rossi Fiat Yamaha Team 1:33.661 3. Casey Stoner Ducati Marlboro 1:33.994 4. Chris Vermeulen Rizla Suzuki 1:34.108 5. John Hopkins Kawasaki Racing 1:34.484 6. Loris Capirossi Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 1:34.730 7. Nicky Hayden Repsol Honda 1:34.752 8. Shinya Nakano San Carlo Honda Gresini 1:34.911 9. Alex De Angelis San Carlo Honda Gresini 1:34.926 10. Anthony West Kawasaki Racing 1:35.082 11. Marco Melandri Ducati Marlboro 1:36.064 12. Erwan Nigon HRC Test Team 1:37.389 13. Olivier Jacque Kawasaki Racing 1:37.424 All Timing Unofficial

Ericsson tops Rockingham test

Oakes to miss Monza race

Pedrosa tops first practice in France

Dovizioso blames Toseland for collision

Andrea Dovizioso was critical of James Toseland after they tangled early in the French Grand Prix, but the British rider believed Dovizioso caused the clash by failing to see him alongside.

Toseland fell in the incident and had to retire, while Dovizioso survived unscathed and finished sixth.

The Italian said Toseland only had himself to blame.

"I don't know what Toseland was thinking of then," Dovizioso told Italia1 television. "Even though he was on a tighter line, I was ahead and he didn't care at all about who was around him, he just went his own way.

"It had already been said he is a bit too aggressive, and today he did even worse. It would be better if he calmed down a bit. It's not a matter of the bikes clashing side-by-side in superbikes-style, it's a matter of a rider hitting another one in the middle of a corner."

But Toseland felt the crash occurred simply because Dovizioso hadn't seen him.

"I was going into Turn 4 and Dovizioso came past, he went wide and I went underneath him," he told BBC television. "Unfortunately he didn't see me on the inside and came straight into the side of us. We came together quite hard and I lost my front.

"I got off to a great start and just wanted to settle into the race, but unfortunately I had the incident and that spoiled it. I'm disappointed, obviously. With a French team at Le Mans, I wanted to get a good result."

Cochrane recovering from grisly collision

Pedrosa tops first practice in France

Hayden admits to riding struggles

Nicky Hayden admitted he is going through a difficult time as he continues to struggle to adapt to the new MotoGP bikes.

The American clinched the MotoGP title in 2006 but finished down in eighth place in 2007 after just three podium finishes and no race wins.

After the first five races of the current season, he lies in seventh position, 57 points behind Repsol Honda teammate.

Hayden says he is not making excuses for his form and admits he has just been unable to adapt his style to the less powerful bikes used now.

"I'm not looking for excuses, the problem is mine: I haven't yet been able to adapt my riding style to the 800cc. I'm not happy, it's a tough period for me," Hayden was quoted as saying by Motosprint magazine.

"At the end of last year I thought I had solved my problems, but I was wrong. In the second half of last season my results weren't very good, but it was also down to some bad luck. I had managed to use the bike in the best way.

"This Honda doesn't have enough power for my riding style: I come from dirt tracks, I need to make the bike skid by using the throttle. To do that you need a lot of horsepower and great acceleration.

"The decrease in power and the different power output have put me in great difficulty."

Hayden, who last won a race in the 2006 US Grand Prix, reckons he is struggling because of his lack of experience in lesser categories.

"Pedrosa comes from the 125cc and 250cc classes, so he's used to look for linearity in the trajectory and he knows how to keep a higher speed through corners," he added. "So his riding style is very much suited to the 800cc.

"I don't ride that way, for me you need to brake hard and then make the bike turn with the gas, by skidding, in order to get good turn exit speed under acceleration.

"I need engines with a lot of power and the new (pneumatic valves) one should have enough. But I agree with the HRC engineers, who say we should wait a bit longer: we at the factory team will get this bike only once it goes really well and it's reliable."

Rout of RSL may turn corner for D.C.

Hartley on pole for race two

MotoGP: Melandri frustrated to fall back again

MotoGP: Okada to race pneumatic valve Honda

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Suppo stays positive despite problems

Ducati Marlboro boss Livio Suppo remained positive after a very difficult French MotoGP at Le Mans for the Italian outfit.

Reigning champion Casey Stoner suffered a mechanical failure while trying to hold on to third position on lap 21 out of 28, while Marco Melandri had a terrible weekend when after qualifying 17th, his engine switched off at the start and he needed to be push-started.

The two riders ultimately classified in 16th and 15th position respectively, both of them lapped by today's winner Valentino Rossi, who with his Fiat Yamaha now leads the championship with 41 points over fourth-placed Stoner.

"It wasn't our day today," Suppo told Italia1 television.

"However I want to think positive: Stoner rode in an incredible way throughout the weekend, and has demonstrated he can make the difference, because this track is historically better suited to the Yamaha, just like Phillip Island is better suited to us.

"Despite this Stoner was able to stay at the front in qualifying and in the warm-up, and today in the race he did extremely well while he was allowed to.

"He's there, and it's a more enjoyable championship. Last year they were telling us it was boring because he was dominating, so this year we'll try to make our fans enjoy themselves more."

"There's no point looking at things negatively: he rode like a god, the way he knows. When he's in shape he is in my opinion the best rider in the world, and this is a certainty for us that makes us proud."

Suppo then explained that his leading rider didn't just suffer a mechanical problem, but was also troubled by his front Bridgestone tyre.

"Unfortunately Stoner's engine broke down," said the Italian boss. "These things happen. It was a long time since it last happened, but unfortunately it happened.

"On top of that he had a problem with his front tyre, which despite being of the same type as in practice and with the temperatures being similar, after a few laps it stopped working well on the right side, and therefore he had to lean on the knee in order not to fall.

"We've looked at the tyre with our man from Bridgestone, it was an abnormal behaviour, we need to understand what happened."

Suppo hopes that the post-race testing session the team will do on Monday and Tuesday at the French track will allow them to make up the gap.

"We just need to put ourselves in the condition to recover," he concluded. "It's a nice stimulus: we have two days to do so, with many important things to try out."

Oakes to make F3 debut with Eurotek

Despite easy win, Nicol not pleased

Rossi hints he will stay at Yamaha

Vermeulen positive ahead of Le Mans

Rossi leads Yamaha 1-2-3 at Le Mans

Vermeulen pleased with fifth place

Chris Vermeulen was pleased with the fifth place he scored in today's French MotoGP, the best result of the year so far for the Rizla Suzuki rider.

The Australian started the race at Le Mans from eighth on the grid and fended off a late challenge from the JiR Team Scot Honda of Andrea Dovizioso to finish 21 seconds behind winner Valentino Rossi on Fiat Yamaha.

"Well that was alright, I guess," said Vermeulen. "I'm happy with the weekend, we made some progress and we finally got some good points on the board.

"I am a little disappointed with fifth because I was really hoping I'd have a bit more pace to be able to fight with the front guys. I felt I was just that little bit behind and just couldn't close the gap.

"We are testing here tomorrow so hopefully we can try and improve a few more things on the bike, and make more steps in Mugello.

"I want to say a big thanks to my crew, they've worked out all the issues we had from China and the Rizla Suzuki GSV-R worked great all weekend and we had no problems at all."

Teammate Loris Capirossi, who classified in seventh position, wasn't as happy with his race.

The Italian, who admitted to struggle throughout the weekend by being unable to exploit the bike's full potential, said Kawasaki rival John Hopkins apologized to him for an over-optimistic move that pushed him onto the grass.

"It has been really hard for me all weekend," said Capirossi. "We just couldn't go as quick as we wanted to. We made some changes yesterday and went a bit better, but today we struggled in warm-up.

"In the race we didn't get the result we are looking for and seventh is not our target, but we scored some good points and we must wait for it to be our moment to go quick.

"I was pushed onto the grass by another rider and maybe I could have had a better result, but that is racing and he has come and apologised so that's all good.

"Our potential is not too bad, but we still need to discover something new so we can go a bit quicker."

Despite easy win, Nicol not pleased

Hartley wins race two at Croft

Vermeulen targets Le Mans resurgence

Stoner still bullish about title prospects

Casey Stoner remains bullish about his chances of taking a second consecutive MotoGP championship despite falling 41 points behind Valentino Rossi after engine problems in the French Grand Prix.

The reigning champion has had a lean time since winning the Qatar season-opener - going off the road twice at Jerez, being hampered by a loose on-board camera at Estoril, finishing a distant and unhappy third in China, then taking 16th on his wet-tyre-shod spare bike following an engine glitch at Le Mans today.

Those results have dropped Stoner to fourth in the championship, 41 points adrift of double winner Rossi, but the Australian believes he can regain the lost ground.

"It's a very big gap, especially now we've done five races," he acknowledged. "But we've still got a long way to go. We were world champions last year and it's our job to defend it again this year.

"But from my point of view - I'm trying to win the world championship, not defend it. All we can do is always do our best and try to not let these type of things happen again."

He said there would be no change to his approach even though he now has to chase down the points leaders.

"We've still got to score points. If it's 'win or bust', you're not going to get anywhere if you keep busting," Stoner said.

And he insisted that he is just as competitive as he had been in 2007, when he won ten races and took the title with three rounds to spare, but has lacked the good fortune he enjoyed last season.

"I'm just as strong. The last few races, we've struggled. But we also had some bad luck," said Stoner.

"Things haven't gone our way. If those things hadn't happened, nothing would look as bad as it does. We were fighting for a podium today. I believe if everything had gone a little bit better, we would've been on the podium.

"I think I'm fighting just as well as I did last year. Nothing's changed."

Stoner was much happier in France after Ducati reverted to an older set-up on his bike. He felt that some of the team's recent developments may have been a backwards step.

"At the beginning of the season everything was really good and we tried to continue development," he said. "Maybe we would have been better off where we were.

"The characteristic of the bike in China and Portugal was making it a little bit difficult to ride.

"We went back to what we had at the start of the season, with some old parts, some new parts, and some parts that we've already tested, and it definitely gave us back that feeling that we wanted and it was working really well.

"We had to come back and make everything a little bit more smooth. Once we'd done that, the bike felt a lot better to ride. For a couple of races, we couldn't seem to find that last little bit we needed. But this weekend, until the race, the bike was working really well."

Chilton to start on race two pole

Teams consider BTCC package move

Top riders predict ‘long’ title battle

Monday, May 19, 2008

Rossi: Yamaha are back on top form

Valentino Rossi believes his back to back wins in China and France prove that Yamaha are back on top form.

The former champion hasn't won consecutive races since 2006, but followed up his Shanghai success with a dominant run at Le Mans today, leading teammate Jorge Lorenzo and Tech 3's Colin Edwards in a Yamaha one-two-three. The result puts Rossi into the championship lead for the first time in a year and a half.

"I haven't won two races in a row since Mugello and Barcelona in 2006," Rossi said. "This means that we are back in business.

"After the difficulties of 2007, nobody thought that after just five races the M1 would take all the podium places. It's a great, great pleasure, and great effort by the Japanese. We are also at the top of the world championship, it's a great result."

He said changes made in the morning warm-up proved crucial to his victory, having rapidly progressed from fourth on the grid to pass Edwards, Dani Pedrosa and Casey Stoner, then pull away.

"It was a great race," Rossi said. "I didn't expect to be so fast, but we made some modifications with the team this morning and the bike worked very well. The tyres had fantastic grip, so on a completely dry track it was faster and I was able to pull away and get a good advantage.

"Then it started to rain, and I tried to ride very sweetly in the corners. We had enough grip to continue and not change bikes, and in the end we had a good advantage."

The victory was Rossi's 90th at world championship level, which puts him equal second with Angel Nieto on the all-time winners' list. To celebrate, he handed his Yamaha to Nieto - who was wearing special commemorative leathers - for the slowing-down lap and rode home on the back behind his fellow legend.

Rossi revealed that the celebration had been a long time in the planning.

"It was organised for a long, long time," he said. "After Portugal last year, when we arrived on 88 (wins), I went to Angel and said 'Angel, I'm close, so if I catch you, you have to come with me on the bike'.

"At first he said no, but in the end he said 'okay', so they made the new leathers. After China, he said to me 'for Le Mans, I'm ready, and my last victory was at Le Mans too'. So that was a little bit of pressure, because I knew Nieto was waiting for me on the track."

Angel delivers first goal, win for NY

Hoops struggling to regain form

Rossi aims to carry momentum

Debon takes dominant maiden win

Alex Debon took a dominant maiden victory in the 250cc French Grand Prix at Le Mans, leading every lap after starting from pole position.

The Spaniard didn't have the bast of starts but by the end of the first lap he was back in the lead and started opening a gap, which grew to as much as 13 seconds.

The race had begun on a damp track that dried as the event progressed, and Debon's choice of slick tyres proved to be the right one.

In the end the Aprilia rider controlled the race and won by almost five seconds over a fine battle for second, involving Italians Marco Simoncelli and Mattia Pasini.

Pasini looked set to take second after overtaking Yuki Takahashi with four laps remaining, but Simoncelli battled with the Japanese two laps later and after passing him he chased his fellow countryman.

The chase was successful, with the Gilera rider overtaking his Aprilia rider on the last corner of the last lap and setting the fastest lap of the race in the meantime.

Honda's Takahashi, who looked capable of getting close to Debon in the first laps of the race, had to be content with fourth, ahead of KTM's Mika Kallio and Gilera's Manuel Poggiali.

Eight seconds behind Poggiali, the KTMs of Hiroshi Aoyama and Julian Simon finished in seventh and eighth respectively, followed 15 seconds later by the Aprilias of Aleix Espargaro and Hector Faubel rounding up the top ten.

Alvaro Bautista, starting from the second slot on the grid, made a bad start and did not figure in the race, ending in a lowly 14th place.

Pos Rider Bike Time 1. Alex Debon Aprilia 47:27.406 2. Marco Simoncelli Gilera + 4.816 3. Mattia Pasini Aprilia + 4.998 4. Yuki Takahashi Honda + 5.770 5. Mika Kallio KTM + 6.197 6. Manuel Poggiali Gilera + 6.474 7. Hiroshi Aoyama KTM + 14.909 8. Julian Simon KTM + 17.526 9. Aleix Espargaro Aprilia + 32.925 10. Hector Faubel Aprilia + 36.719 11. Thomas Luthi Aprilia + 48.968 12. Hector Barbera Aprilia + 56.837 13. R.Locatelli Gilera + 57.827 14. Alvaro Bautista Aprilia +1:05.407 15. R.Wilairot Honda +1:24.336 16. Alex Baldolini Aprilia +1:24.577 17. Federico Sandi Aprilia + 1 lap 18. Imre Toth Aprilia + 1 lap 19. Russell Gomez Aprilia + 1 lap Retirements:Rider Bike Laps Karel Abraham Aprilia 24 D.T.Pradita Yamaha 24 Lukas Pesek Aprilia 21 Fabrizio Lai Gilera 13 Eugene Laverty Aprilia 11

Perez takes maiden F3 win at Croft

Ericsson takes maiden pole at Croft

Kallio leads KTM 1-2 at Shanghai

Iannone claims maiden win

Rossi leads Yamaha 1-2-3 at Le Mans

Valentino Rossi took a dominating victory in the French MotoGP leading a Yamaha 1-2-3, with the still-recovering Jorge Lorenzo finishing second and Colin Edwards in third.

This is the Italian's 90th Grand Prix victory, slotting him in second on the all-time winners list, tied with Spaniard Angel Nieto.

Rossi and 61-year-old Nieto celebrated this historic victory with the former stopping on his parade lap, and the latter, who wore overalls saying 'Bravo Valentino 90', jumping on Rossi's M1 bike and taking them both back to the pits, with Rossi waving a flag saying '90+90'.

Rossi, who now tops the championship table, took the lead with his Fiat Yamaha on lap seven of the 28-lap race from Ducati Marlboro's Casey Stoner and never relinquished it, opening a gap as wide as ten seconds over man-of-the-day Lorenzo.

The Spanish rookie, who dropped down to tenth at the start from fifth on the grid, began to really make an impression in the race on lap nine, when in a single lap he overtook John Hopkins's Kawasaki, Loris Capirossi's Suzuki and Nicky Hayden's Repsol Honda to slot into sixth.

The works Yamaha rider then made up a gap to Chris Vermeulen's Suzuki to overtake him for fifth place on lap 15, five laps before passing Edwards in fourth place and challenging Stoner for third.

When Lorenzo made a move on the Australian on the Le Mans front straight, the reigning champion's Ducati suffered a mechanical problem that dropped him down the order on lap 21. On the same lap the Spaniard overtook arch-rival and compatriot Dani Pedrosa's Repsol Honda for second place.

After his injury in China Lorenzo had to walk to the podium on crutches and sat on a chair during the celebrations.

Today's race was affected by the weather, with rain drops prompting the stewards to show the white flag on lap 16, thus allowing the riders to switch to bikes fitted with wet-weather tyres.

The rain increased for a couple of laps, with Rossi notably slowing down, but in the end only two riders switched bikes.

These were the two works Ducatis, with Stoner taking advantage of this rule to rejoin the track after his mechanical gremlins, and Melandri taking a gamble after his engine switched off at the start forcing him to be push-started by a mechanic.

In the end the two teammates finished the race in a disappointing 15th and 16th position for the Italian and the Australian respectively.

Three seconds behind Tech 3 Yamaha's Edwards came Pedrosa in fourth, followed a further eleven seconds back by Vermeulen, with JiR Team Scot Honda's Andrea Dovizioso in close pursuit.

Capirossi finished in seventh place, ahead of Hayden in eighth and the two customer Hondas of Randy de Puniet (LCR) and Shinya Nakano (Gresini).

Hopkins retired from seventh place on lap 17 after losing his Suzuki's chain, which almost went in the way of Dovizioso who was following.

Tech 3 Yamaha's James Toseland crashed out of the race from ninth place on lap 3.

Pos Rider Bike Time 1. Valentino Rossi Yamaha (B) 44:30.799 2. Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha (M) + 4.997 3. Colin Edwards Yamaha (M) + 6.805 4. Dani Pedrosa Honda (M) + 10.157 5. Chris Vermeulen Suzuki (B) + 21.762 6. Andrea Dovizioso Honda (M) + 22.395 7. Loris Capirossi Suzuki (B) + 27.806 8. Nicky Hayden Honda (M) + 27.995 9. Randy de Puniet Honda (M) + 29.344 10. Shinya Nakano Honda (B) + 30.822 11. Toni Elias Ducati (B) + 35.154 12. Alex de Angelis Honda (B) + 36.216 13. Sylvain Guintoli Ducati (B) + 52.038 14. Anthony West Kawasaki (B) +1:29.307 15. Marco Melandri Ducati (B) + 1 lap 16. Casey Stoner Ducati (B) + 2 laps Retirements:Rider Bike Laps John Hopkins Kawasaki (B) 16 James Toseland Yamaha (M) 2

Ericsson tops Rockingham test

Sunday, May 18, 2008

MotoGP: Edwards tops Le Mans warm-up

Colin Edwards was quickest in this morning's warm-up at Le Mans, ahead of today's French MotoGP.

The Tech 2 Yamaha rider, who will start the race from the second slot on the grid, put in a late lap of 1:34.143 to beat Ducati Marlboro's Casey Stoner - third on the grid - by 0.013 seconds.

Valentino Rossi ended the session third fastest with his Fiat Yamaha, three tenths behind ex-teammate Edwards.

Repsol Honda pole position-setter Dani Pedrosa set the fourth fastest time, 0.359 seconds slower than Edwards, followed by Chris Vermeulen with his Rizla Suzuki and Andrea Dovizioso's JiR Team Scot Honda.

Kawasaki's John Hopkins was seventh fastest, followed by the works Honda of Nicky Hayden and the San Carlo Honda Gresinis of Alex de Angelis and Shinya Nakano.

Jorge Lorenzo, still recovering from an injury during the Chinese GP weekend, was 11th fastest.

Pos Rider Bike Time 1. Colin Edwards Yamaha (M) 1:34.143 2. Casey Stoner Ducati (B) 1:34.156 + 0.013 3. Valentino Rossi Yamaha (B) 1:34.458 + 0.315 4. Daniel Pedrosa Honda (M) 1:34.502 + 0.359 5. Chris Vermeulen Suzuki (B) 1:34.754 + 0.611 6. Andrea Dovizioso Honda (M) 1:34.765 + 0.622 7. John Hopkins Kawasaki (B) 1:34.977 + 0.834 8. Nicky Hayden Honda (M) 1:34.982 + 0.839 9. Alex de Angelis Honda (B) 1:35.025 + 0.882 10. Shinya Nakano Honda (B) 1:35.102 + 0.959 11. Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha (M) 1:35.150 + 1.007 12. Randy de Puniet Honda (M) 1:35.163 + 1.020 13. James Toseland Yamaha (M) 1:35.196 + 1.053 14. Marco Melandri Ducati (B) 1:35.344 + 1.201 15. Loris Capirossi Suzuki (B) 1:35.401 + 1.258 16. Anthony West Kawasaki (B) 1:35.776 + 1.633 17. Toni Elias Ducati (B) 1:35.909 + 1.766 18. Sylvain Guintoli Ducati (B) 1:35.987 + 1.844

MotoGP: Okada to race pneumatic valve Honda

Honda will enter a third factory Repsol bike for the Italian Grand Prix at Mugello, with test rider Tady Okada riding a 2008 Honda fitted with the pneumatic valved engine.

The engine has been tested by the works riders Dani Pedrosa and Nicky Hayden, but was withdrawn from racing in 2008 due to concerns about reliability, meaning the factory duo have run with a conventional valve sprung engine so far this year.

Okada's last major race result was second place in the important Suzuka Eight Hours, while his last competitive run was in a domestic race last weekend at Japan's Tsukuba circuit, where he fought through from 26th on the grid to 10th at the flag.

The Japanese rider won four 500cc Grands Prix in 1997 and 1998, but was perhaps most famous for getting pole position for his very first 500cc Grand Prix aboard the unconventional Honda V-Twin at Shah Alam in 1996.

Pedrosa tops first practice in France

MotoGP: Melandri frustrated to fall back again

Marco Melandri said the breakthrough changes he made to his Ducati in China did not work in France, after he slumped back to the final row of the grid at Le Mans.

The Italian has struggled since joining the factory Ducati team for this season, but a new set-up adopted for the Shanghai race a fortnight ago allowed him to charge through to fifth in the race.

However he only managed 17th on the grid at Le Mans today, two seconds slower than teammate Casey Stoner, having found that the riding style required for the twisty French track did not suit the set-up he adopted for China.

"Unfortunately here at Le Mans we've been unable to progress as we'd hoped because the layout of this track highlights the weak points in the set-up of my bike," Melandri explained.

"In China, where the majority of braking is done with the bike upright, we found a satisfactory setting but here, where you have to tip the bike in under braking, I can't get any feel for the rear and I can't go fast. I'm having to go in early and that is making the corners longer."

He is not optimistic about his chances of improving in the race.

"Unfortunately I think it's going to be a tough race for us tomorrow," Melandri said.

Melandri upbeat after breakthrough

Saturday, May 17, 2008

Pedrosa tops first practice in France

Dani Pedrosa topped the times in an incredibly close opening session for this weekend's French Grand Prix, saving his best effort until the final minute of first practice.

With the series' front-runners well aware there is little to choose between the four men who have won races so far this year, it was the quartet who again were the class of the field at Le Mans as they traded leading times throughout the session.

Pedrosa's best effort of 1:34.646 just edged out Fiat Yamaha rival Jorge Lorenzo, who was showing no after affects from the injuries he picked up in his sizeable crash in practice for the Chinese Grand Prix.

Behind Lorenzo was his teammate Valentino Rossi, fresh from his victory in Shanghai that has given him renewed confidence in the abilities of his M1 bike.

World champion Casey Stoner, who topped the times twice during the session, ended up fourth fastest - ahead of Tech 3 Yamaha rider Colin Edwards and Rizla Suzuki rider Chris Vermeulen.

Andrea Dovizioso was an encouraging seventh quickest, ahead of Shinya Nakano, John Hopkins and James Toseland.

Pos Rider Team Time 1. Dani Pedrosa Repsol Honda Team 1:34.646 2. Jorge Lorenzo Fiat Yamaha Team 1:34.779 + 0.133 3. Valentino Rossi Fiat Yamaha Team 1:34.886 + 0.240 4. Casey Stoner Ducati Marlboro Team 1:34.967 + 0.321 5. Colin Edwards Tech 3 Yamaha 1:35.319 + 0.673 6. Chris Vermeulen Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 1:35.502 + 0.856 7. Andrea Dovizioso JiR Team Scot MotoGP 1:35.574 + 0.928 8. Shinya Nakano San Carlo Honda Gresini 1:35.672 + 1.026 9. John Hopkins Kawasaki Racing Team 1:35.743 + 1.097 10. James Toseland Tech 3 Yamaha 1:35.874 + 1.228 11. Loris Capirossi Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 1:35.968 + 1.322 12. Alex de Angelis San Carlo Honda Gresini 1:36.059 + 1.413 13. Randy de Puniet LCR Honda MotoGP 1:36.134 + 1.488 14. Nicky Hayden Repsol Honda Team 1:36.144 + 1.498 15. Marco Melandri Ducati Marlboro Team 1:36.359 + 1.713 16. Anthony West Kawasaki Racing Team 1:36.418 + 1.772 17. Toni Elias Alice Team 1:36.756 + 2.110 18. Sylvain Guintoli Alice Team 1:37.421 + 2.775

Abay dominates second Croft practice

Dynamo breathe easy after first win

Happy Pedrosa vows not to relax

Dani Pedrosa says his Repsol Honda team will not relax despite topping both practice sessions ahead of the French Grand Prix.

The Spaniard, leading the championship after the first four races of the season, finished less than two tenths of a second ahead of Jorge Lorenzo in the morning, and just 0.049 seconds in front of Casey Stoner in the afternoon.

Pedrosa admits the battle is so tight at the top that no one can afford to relax.

"We worked very hard today because we heard that the weather forecast for tomorrow isn't so good," said Pedrosa.

"At least we did get two hours of dry track time, which we dedicated to quickly finding a good basic set-up and then doing some work on tyre choice for Sunday's race.

"The revised part of the circuit seems quite bumpy, so I ran straight on there several times during the day, same as a few other riders.

"Overall I'm feeling quite happy about my machine after this first day but we must keep our heads down and keep working hard because the top few riders are all very close together on laptimes."

Teammate Nicky Hayden did not enjoy such a positive day, the American not feeling comfortable with the braking at the Le Mans circuit.

Hayden finished over a second behind Pedrosa in the afternoon, and down in 12th place.

"Things didn't go as smooth as we'd have liked today," he said. "Braking at this track is so important and I don't have a good feeling when I'm braking. Straight line or leaned over, the front end doesn't feel so good. I don't know why, but I was hurting a little bit in that area in China too.

"We're basically a full second off the pace and that's a lot on a 1 minute 34 lap, so we need to sort something overnight. We really never found a direction all day, we were chasing our tails, so that makes it hard, and it's never good to fall behind when there's rain in the forecast. I know the team will work hard, so I'm confident in that."

Top riders predict ‘long’ title battle

Rossi relieved to end winless streak

Stoner encouraged by Friday pace

Casey Stoner is encouraged by the fact he was able to set the second quickest time on the opening day of practice for the French Grand Prix, even though he thinks his Ducati Marlboro must improve in the final sector of the lap.

The reigning champion was just pipped to the top spot on the timesheets by Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa, but feels that there is plenty more speed to come from his own machine just by the evidence of the first day.

"We're struggling a little bit in T4, as we did last year," said the Australian. "We need a little more acceleration coming onto the straights and it's a bit difficult for us in those tight but long corners.

"Tomorrow we'll make some changes to try and improve on that but basically the idea is to compensate for it by making our strong points even stronger.

"In any case today has been a good step for us because we haven't been really competitive in the last three races and it's good to start a grand prix in the right way again."

Teammate Marco Melandri did not have such a good time, ending up 14th on the timesheets after clearly hoping for better following his strong performance in the Chinese Grand Prix.

"I was hoping to start this weekend a little better but even though engine performance isn't bad we still haven't found the right way forward with the set-up of the cycle part," explained the Italian.

"At the moment I can't brake as hard as I would like. When I'm braking with the bike upright it's okay but when it's leaned over the problems start. With a lot of braking areas in the turns at this track it means I'm losing a couple of vital tenths.

"We've done some different tyre tests and even though we've found something I like we're still not getting enough grip. We'll obviously try to improve that tomorrow because we want to at least be at the same level we reached two weeks ago in China."

D.C. United unable to find spark against Rapids

United hopes to shake road woes

Stoner rues bad tyre compound choice

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Guintoli hoping for home crowd boost

Sylvain Guintoli is hoping that the support of his home crowd at Le Mans this weekend will help him pull off a strong result to kick-start his 2008 season with Team Alice.

The Frenchman, who sensationally led his home grand prix in the wet on a Dunlop-shod Yamaha a year ago, admits he is struggling to come to terms with the Ducati after a difficult start to the season.

"I think what's gone on is that the Ducati is a very fast bike, as we saw in Shanghai, but it needs a very special riding style," said Guintoli. "This process of learning is taking a lot more time than we thought.

"So we are working on it and we are working really hard, and hopefully we can have a lot of fun this weekend and I can start to enjoy myself on the bike again.

"For sure it was better in Shanghai, we were not as slow. Also, the feeling was better, but here is a track I quite like, especially since it has been modified so, yeah I hope I can find the joy again with the support of the home crowd.

"At the minute we don't concentrate on the result. We are just trying to improve, but with what happened last year obviously I would like to do something special."

Oakes to make F3 debut with Eurotek

Hoops hoping to reignite attack

Elias targets more progress in France

Stoner targeting Le Mans fightback