Nicky Hayden opens the second Ducati Showroom in India

Saturday, 19 December 2009

Following on from the opening of the first Ducati Store in Mumbai, Ducati continues to impact on the Indian market.

Nicky Hayden, Ducati’s factory rider in the MotoGP Championship, was invited to inaugurate the Ducati Store in Gurgaon, one of the most dynamic and modern districts of the Indian capital. There to welcome Nicky was Ashish Chordia, CEO of Precision Motor India Private Limited, a big Ducati fan who was therefore very happy to have the 2006 MotoGP World Champion present for the event.

Mr Chordia, alongside Mirko Bordiga, CEO of Ducati Asia Pacific, presented Hayden to a large crowd of national journalists and the American rider spoke to them about the experience of being a Ducati rider, his first season with the factory MotoGP team, and his goals for 2010, when he will line up alongside Casey Stoner once again in the fight for the title.

“This event has made me understand the great strategic importance of a market such as India, its great potential and above all how well Ducati and MotoGP is known, appreciated and how the company is capable of attracting passionate fans, both from a commercial and sporting point of view,” Nicky Hayden commented. “I am happy that there is such great interest in us and such anticipation ahead of next season. Last year, after a difficult start, we made continuous improvement towards the end and after the Valencia tests I am very excited for next year and can’t wait to get back on my Ducati.”

Mr. Ashish Cordia said: “The Ducati brand symbolizes racing success and passion, and we couldn’t have a better testimonial than Nicky’s to reinforce this perception. With the opening of Gurgaon showroom Ducati is now able to reach its customers in both the key markets – Delhi and Mumbai – where we will provide the best level of Sales and After Sales Service available in the market.”

Gattuso Siap Tinggalkan Milan

Gelandang bertenaga badak Milan itu mengisyaratkan kesiapan meninggalkan klubnya ini.

27 Nov 2009 10:37:05

Terus dicadangkan membuat Rino Gattuso jengah. Isyarat untuk meninggalkan Milan pun dilontarkannya.

"Saya bukan pemain baru di klub ini. Ketika saya dalam kondisi fit, saya ingin bermain. Saya tak bisa hanya berharap tampil ketika pemain lain sedang cedera," papar Gattuso seperti dilansir Football Italia.

"Saya sangat tidak senang dengan kondisi ini. Saya juga tidak terima. Saya akan berbicara dengan [wakil presiden Milan Adriano] Galliani dan kita lihat saja nanti keputusan apa yang bisa diambil," simpulnya.

Sejumlah klub kabarnya sudah bersiap menampung Gattuso jika memang dia meninggalkan Milan dalam waktu dekat. Manchester City dan Chelsea disebut-sebut sebagai calon kuat klub Gattuso berikutnya.

Juventus Lawan Rasisme

Gelandang Juventus ini berharap semua klub berupaya keras mencegah terjadinya aksi rasisme.

27 Nov 2009 09:47:33

Juventus harus menerima malu saat kejadian kontroversi yang melibatkan para pendukungnya dengan pemain muda Inter Milan Mario Balotelli. Bahkan para penggemar Juve sengaja datang melakukan aksi rasisme saat Inter menghadapi Girondins de Bordeaux.

Akibat masalah ini, president Jean-Claude Blanc akan memanggil fans Juventus untuk memperbaiki citra. Apalagi Juventus akan bekerjasama dengan UNESCO.

Gelandang Juventus Mohamed Sissoko juga menentang rasisme. Hanya saja ia berharap pemain dan klub berupaya keras melawan aksi ini di dalam dan luar lapangan.

"Saya jelas melawan berbagai bentuk rasisme, di olahraga atau di kehidupan pribadi," kata Sissoko kepada Il Corriere dello Sport.

"Kami, pemain, menyatakan posisi kami, setiap kesempatan. Kami melakukan segalanya sebisa mungkin. Juventus juga sudah melakukan berbagai pendekatan seperlunya."

"Institusi mulai sekarang harus dapat ikut mengintervensi."

Akibat masalah yang melibatkan Balotelli, pihak UEFA akan melakukan investigasi. Kabarnya, proses itu akan dimulai hari ini.

New team, same Rossi: Winning with Yamaha

Thursday, 26 November 2009

Valentino Rossi’s titles won with Yamaha are reviewed with video highlights of more entertaining celebrations, in the final instalment of the motogp.com series looking back at the Italian’s accomplishments.

The switch from Honda to Yamaha did not upset Rossi’s winning rhythm as he immediately claimed his fourth and fifth successive premier class titles with Yamaha.

Wasting no time in settling on the Yamaha prototype, Rossi won his first race of the 2004 MotoGP season on his new machine at Welkom and collected 11 podiums – including nine wins – on his way to glory. ‘What a Spectacle’ was the triumphant slogan on his t-shirt as he secured the title at Phillip Island.

The following year in 2005 provided another crown and yet another memorable festivity. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs joined Rossi on the track at Sepang as he marked his seventh World title in a season that delivered 11 wins.

‘Sorry for the delay’ was the party line at Motegi in 2008 as Rossi reclaimed the title which had for the past two years been won by Nicky Hayden and Casey Stoner respectively. Nine wins and a total of 13 podiums are the statistics of an eighth World title winning season.

At 30 years old, the success shows no sign of fading as Rossi held off the spirited challenge of Fiat Yamaha team-mate Jorge Lorenzo throughout the 2009 campaign to take his ninth World title at Sepang, with ‘The old hen makes good soup’ Rossi’s celebratory tag.

THE NEXT RONALDINHO : ABDULRAHMAN LESTALUHU

Tidak ada keraguan bagi kemampuan remaja berusia 15 tahun ini. Sejak berlaga di pertandingan perdana, aksi Abdul Rahman selalu mengundang decak kagum para penonton dan dia mengakhiri aksinya dengan dua gol cantik ke gawang Hongkong.

THE NEW STAR : SYAMSIR ALAM

Pemain terbaik turnamen layak disematkan kepada Syamsir Alam. Pemain yang mencetak 30 gol lebih di Uruguay ini bagaikan ruh tim Indonesia. Masih berusia muda, tetapi memiliki kedewasaan dalam bermain. Memiliki tendangan bebas maut dan sundulan yang cukup akurat. Salut bagi Syamsir.

Hasil Pertandingan Liga Inggris Pekan 13

Liverpool - Manchester City 2 - 2

Birmingham City - Fulham 1 - 0
Burnley - Aston Villa 1 - 1

Hull City - West Ham United 3 - 3

Sunderland - Arsenal 1 - 0

Chelsea - Wolves 4 - 0

Manchester United - Everton 3 - 0

Bolton Wanderers - Blackburn Rovers 0 - 2

Tottenham - Wigan Athletic 9 - 1

Stoke City - Portsmouth 1 - 0

SPESIAL: Sepuluh Pemain Bernomor Punggung 10 Paling Janggal

Tak selamanya nomor punggung 10 diberikan kepada pemain yang paling diandalkan tim, atau fantasista.

Nomor 10. Anda pasti langsung membayangkan tipe pemain hebat yang bisa mengubah jalannya pertandingan. Seorang penyihir, atau kata orang Italia, fantasista. Ferenc Puskas, Pele, dan Diego Maradona adalah sebagian pemain yang membesarkan mitos nomor punggung 10 sebagai nomor paling keramat dalam sebuah tim sepakbola.

Tapi, tak jarang nomor tersebut dipakai pemain-pemain "aneh". Jauh dari kesan pemain andalan sebuah tim. GOAL.com Indonesia berupaya menyusun daftar sepuluh pemain paling janggal yang pernah mengenakan kostum bernomor punggung 10.

Tommy Docherty (Skotlandia)
Pemberian nomor 10 kepada pemain belakang yang tampil untuk Piala Dunia 1958 ini terbilang janggal karena sistem penomoran skuad Tartan Army saat itu yang mendistribusikan nomor secara urut kepada para pemain per lini. Setelah dua penjaga gawang tim diberikan nomor 1 dan 2, Docherty "terpaksa" kebagian nomor 10 karena kebetulan Skotlandia mengangkut delapan bek ke turnamen. Sistem pembagian seperti ini sepertinya tak perlu diributkan karena sepanjang sejarah, Skotlandia tak banyak mencetak pemain nomor 10.

Lee Young-pyo (Korea Selatan)
Tidak ada yang memerhatikan Korea Selatan sebelum Piala Dunia 2002. Jadi, barangkali ketika orang pertama kali menyaksikan nama Young-pyo dalam line-up tim Ginseng pada turnamen, mereka berharap aksi-aksi apik sang pemain dalam menggalang serangan di lini tengah. Saat pertandingan dimulai, boleh jadi mereka kecele, karena ternyata Young-pyo berposisi sebagai bek kiri.

Cristiano Lupatelli (Chievo)
Di lingkungan sepakbola Italia yang konservatif, Chievo mengambil langkah sensasional dengan memberikan nomor punggung 10 kepada kiper mereka, Lupatelli. Musim 2001/02, Lupatelli tengah menanjak dan dianggap sebagai salah satu kiper terbaik di Italia. Dalam daftar ini, Lupatelli jadi yang terburuk karena menjadi pemain bernomor punggung 10 yang tak pernah menciptakan gol.

Jose Antonio Reyes (Spanyol)
Meski tampil mengesankan saat masih membela Sevilla, karir Reyes mandek sejak pindah ke Arsenal. Kemampuannya boleh dibilang terlalu dibesar-besarkan. Terutama pada Piala Dunia 2006, ketika Reyes diserahkan seragam bernomor punggung 10 di timnas Spanyol. Padahal, masih ada pemain lain yang lebih pantas, misalnya Xavi atau Cesc Fabregas. Apalagi, Reyes jarang diturunkan sepanjang turnamen.

Sidney Govou (Prancis)
Prancis di bawah Raymond Domenech adalah kekacauan. Euro 2008 adalah buktinya. Rasi bintang sepertinya mengatakan kepada Domenech agar David Trezeguet dan Sebastien Frey dibiarkan menyaksikan turnamen dari rumah masing-masing. Susunan skuad yang diturunkan Domenech membingungkan dan memberikan hasil yang sangat, sangat buruk. Pada pertandingan terakhir melawan Italia, Domenech melamar kekasihnya dengan disiarkan langsung oleh televisi. Satu lagi, nomor warisan Zinedine Zidane diberikan kepada Govou...

Lassana Diarra (Real Madrid)
Tanpa ragu, Lass adalah gelandang bertahan berkelas dunia yang dianggap sepadan dengan Claude Makelele. Tapi, perlu dipertanyakan jika klub sekelas Real Madrid memberikan nomor 10 kepada pemain Prancis ini. Masih ada pemain inspirasional lain seperti Kaka atau Cristiano Ronaldo yang bisa lebih dipercayakan memakai nomor keramat itu. Dari sisi komersil, berapa besar nilai jual nomor 10 dengan nama Lass di atasnya?

Nicola Berti (Italia)
Pasukan Azeglio Vicini pada Piala Dunia 1990 mungkin lebih berarti jika menyematkan nomor punggung 10 ke pemain yang benar-benar bisa memberikan inspirasi kepada tim, macam Giuseppe Giannini atau bahkan Roberto Baggio muda. Tapi, nomor sakti itu diberikan kepada pemain pesolek seperti Berti, yang lebih banyak menganggur di sisi lapangan sepanjang turnamen.

William Gallas (Arsenal)
Ketika Dennis Bergkamp pensiun 2006 lalu, tak terduga nomor 10 diberikan kepada William Gallas. Bek Prancis yang direkrut dari Chelsea itu memang pemain hebat di sektornya, tapi melihat bek tengah bernomor punggung 10 membuat para pecinta sepakbola gemas. Terutama bagi mereka yang menginginkan pemberian nomor secara ideal.

Andriy Voronin (Liverpool)
Kalau pemberian nomor punggung dijadikan faktor penilaian kinerja pelatih, mungkin Rafael Benitez sudah terpental dari jabatannya di Liverpool jauh-jauh hari. Tak kunjung menemukan pemain yang tepat di bursa transfer membuat Rafa memberikan nomor 10 kepada Andriy Voronin. Selama dua musim, striker Ukraina itu hanya tampil 30 kali dan mencetak enam gol buat The Reds. Ketika Voronin dipinjamkan ke Hertha Berlin, nomor dibiarkan menganggur dan ketika Voronin kembali ke Anfield, nomor diberikan lagi. Rafa, oh Rafa...

Paulo Silas (Brasil)
Untuk tim sekelas Brasil, nomor 10 berarti segalanya. Tapi, tidak terjadi pada Piala Dunia 1990. Nomor keramat tersebut diberikan kepada Paulo Silas, gelandang yang saat itu bermain untuk Sporting Lisbon. Silas mungkin menjadi refleksi pergantian generasi yang dialami Brasil saat itu. Zico dan Socrates gantung sepatu, sedangkan Rai de Souza Oliveira atau Rivaldo masih berkembang. Dalam skuad saat itu, mungkin Romario atau Careca layak disematkan nomor 10, tapi keduanya lebih memilih 11 dan 9, nomor keramat masing-masing.

Ronaldo Tampil Sejak Awal Lawan Barca

Kabar baik menghampiri Real Madrid jelang El Clasico...

18 Nov 2009 23:14:08

Menurut Marca, Cristiano Ronaldo siap tampil sejak awal untuk Real Madrid ketika menghadapi tuan rumah Barcelona, pekan depan.

Ronaldo menderita cedera engkel dan terpaksa absen dalam sepuluh pertandingan terakhir Madrid. Setelah diperiksa seorang dokter spesialis, Ronaldo diberi lampu hijau untuk meningkatkan proses pemulihannya.

Meski Madrid akan menghadapi Racing Santander akhir pekan ini, perhatian sudah tersedot untuk pertandingan El Clasico pekan depan di Camp Nou.

Pertandingan tersebut disebut-sebut menentukan nasib kursi Manuel Pellegrini di Santiago Bernabeu. Penampilan buruk akan membuat jabatan pelatih asal Cili itu melayang.

Seperti yang diberitakan sebelumnya, Ronaldo akan mulai berlatih Jumat (20/11) esok dan diberi kesempatan turun beberapa menit pada partai Liga Champions melawan FC Zurich pekan depan sebelum El Clasico.

"Proses pemulihan cedera engkelnya sangat positif dan kondisinya saat ini sempurna," ujar Dokter Niek van Dijk yang memeriksa Ronaldo.

Jadwal Televisi 21-24 November 2009

Jadwal televisi tercantum dalam Waktu Indonesia Barat (WIB). Jadwal dapat berubah sewaktu-waktu tanpa pemberitahuan.

19 Nov 2009 17:36:06

ANTV

Setiap Hari
05:30 Lensa Olahraga

Setiap Senin s/d Kamis
00:30 Lensa Olahraga

Sabtu, 21 November
15:30 Persiba Balikpapan vs Persija Jakarta
19:00 Persib Bandung vs Pelita Jaya



GLOBAL TV


Minggu, 22 November
00:30 [delay] Semi-final Piala Dunia Sepakbola Pantai
02:30 [delay] Semi-final Piala Dunia Sepakbola Pantai

Senin, 23 November
00:30 [delay] Final Piala Dunia Sepakbola Pantai



METRO TV

Setiap Hari
02:30 Metro Sports
23:30 Metro Sports

Setiap Senin s/d Jumat
13:05 Sports Club

Setiap Sabtu
13:05 Spirit Football

Setiap Minggu
06:05 Bundesliga Kick-Off
13:05 12 Pas



RCTI

Setiap Minggu
01:30 Champions League Magazine

Senin, 23 November
02:45 Juventus vs Udinese



TRANS 7

Setiap Hari
06:00 Sport 7

Setiap Senin s/d Jumat
00:30 Sport 7 Malam

Setiap Sabtu-Minggu
13:30 Galeri Sepakbola Indonesia
14:00 One Stop Football



TV ONE

Setiap Senin s/d Jumat
23:30 Kabar Arena

Setiap Selasa
23:00 Highlight Liga Primer Inggris

Setiap Sabtu
14:00 Soccer One
14:30 Dokumenter Sepakbola
15:00 Preview Liga Primer Inggris

Setiap Minggu
13:00 Dokumenter Sepakbola

Sabtu, 21 November
22:00 Chelsea vs Wolverhampton Wanderers

Minggu, 22 November
00:30 Manchester United vs Everton
23:00 Athletic Bilbao vs Barcelona

Senin, 23 November
01:00 Malaga vs Real Zaragoza
03:00 Osasuna vs Valencia



TELKOMVISION / YES TV


Setiap Senin s/d Jumat
23:00 [Ten Sports] Sportsnight

Minggu, 22 November
00:05 [Telkomvision 2] Bologna vs Inter Milan
02:45 [Telkomvision 2] Fiorentina vs Parma
21:00 [Telkomvision 2] AC Milan vs Cagliari
21:00 [Telkomvision 1] AS Roma vs Bari



VISION 1 SPORTS (INDOVISION)

Setiap Hari
11:30 Daily News Update
18:30 Daily News Update
23:30 Daily News Update



ESPN (INDOVISION)

Setiap Hari
18:30 SportsCenter Asia
21:00 SportsCenter Asia
23:30 SportsCenter Asia

Setiap Senin
17:30 Football Asia 2009/10
21:30 Highlights Liga Primer Inggris

Setiap Selasa
19:00 Football Focus With John Dykes
20:30 Premier League World

Setiap Rabu
19:30 World Of Football
20:00 Global Football
21:30 Goals!

Setiap Kamis
19:00 Football Crazy

Setiap Jumat
19:00 Football Forecast
20:00 First Edition

Setiap Sabtu
11:30 Preview Liga Primer Inggris
17:30 SportsCenter Weekly Review

Sabtu, 21 November
19:45 Liverpool vs Manchester City
22:00 Chelsea vs Wolverhampton Wanderers

Minggu, 22 November
00:30 Manchester United vs Everton
20:30 Bolton Wanderers vs Blackburn Rovers
23:00 Stoke City vs Portsmouth



STAR SPORTS (INDOVISION)

Setiap Senin s/d Jumat
20:30 Score Tonight

Setiap Kamis
19:00 Football Crazy

Setiap Sabtu
14:00 Global Football
15:00 Highlights Liga Primer Inggris
15:30 Preview Liga Primer Inggris

Setiap Minggu
10:00 Football Extra

Sabtu, 21 November
22:00 Sunderland vs Arsenal

Minggu, 22 November
22:00 Tottenham Hotspur vs Wigan Athletic

Chelsea, United & Arsenal Berburu 'The Next Kaka'

Trio klub Liga Inggris sedang memfokuskan bidikannya terhadap aset berharga dari Brasil

17 Nov 2009 01:53:05

Lucas Piazon, bintang masa depan Brasil, telah memikat hati tiga klub elite Liga Primer Inggris. Chelsea, Manchester United, dan Arsenal dikabarkan telah jatuh hati dengan kemampuan bakat yang dimiliki oleh pemain berusia 15 tahun asal Amerika Latin tersebut.

Merujuk dari sebuah laporan yang dilansir dari The Daily Mirror, Piet de Visse -- seorang pemandu bakat dari Chelsea -- telah hadir saat Piazon membuat hat-trick ketika membela tim nasional junior Brasil mengalahkan Bolivia 4-1. Sebelumnya pemain ini pernah memikat para pemandu bakat Liga Inggris ketika tampil dalam Piala Pemuda Nike di Manchester belum lama ini.

Piazon sendiri saat ini merumput untuk klub junior Sao Paulo. Perannya sebagai seorang striker. Namanya disebut-sebut sebagai mantan Pemain Terbaik Dunia asal Brasil Kaka.

Ibra: 'El Clasico' Fantastis

Striker Barcelona itu sudah tak sabar menanti duel timnya dengan Real Madrid.

17 Nov 2009 07:01:22

Panasnya persaingan antara Barcelona dengan Real Madrid terkenal sejak lama. Tak ayal jika laga El Clasico yang mempertemukan kedua tim selalu dinantikan. Tak hanya dari Spanyol tapi juga dari penjuru dunia.

Musim ini, kedua tim akan kembali bertemu pada 29 November di Camp Nou. Situasi ini membuat striker Barcelona Zlatan Ibrahimovic tak sabar menghadapi laga ini.

"Ini akan menjadi sesuatu yang fantastis, tak hanya bagi para pendukung di Spanyol, tapi untuk semuanya. Saya berusaha untuk dapat tampil di laga ini," kata Ibra kepada Sport.

Menghadapi Madrid, pemain asal Swedia ini mengetahui Los Blancos tidak dalam kondisi baik saat ini. Namun mereka memiliki potensi luar biasa.

"Saya tak mengikuti pertandingan mereka terlalu banyak, saya hanya fokus bermain. Jika kau lihat hasil mereka, Madrid tidak terlalu sempurna. Tapi, mereka memiliki proyek bari. Butuh waktu untuk menyatukan mereka dalam satu tim dan mereka memiliki potensi tim sebagai tim besar."

Updates to 2010 provisional MotoGP calendar

Tuesday, 10 November 2009

The FIM today announced amendments to the provisional calendar for the 2010 MotoGP World Championship.

The FIM have today announced that the 2010 Grand Prix events in France, Italy and Czech Republic will be held a week later than originally scheduled, whilst Great Britain swaps places in the order with Italy. The San Marino event will be held a week earlier.

Date Grand Prix (Circuit)

April 11th* ..............................Qatar (Losail)
April 25th ................................Japan (Motegi)
May 2nd ..................................Spain (Jerez)
May 23rd ................................France (Le Mans)
June 6th ..................................Italy (Mugello)
June 20th ...............................Great Britain (Silverstone)
June 26th** ............................Netherlands (Assen)
July 4th ...................................Catalunya (Catalunya)
July 18th .................................Germany (Sachsenring)
July 25th*** ...........................United States (Laguna Seca)
August 22nd ...........................Czech Republic (Brno)
August 29th ............................Indianapolis (Indianapolis)
September 5th .......................San Marino & Riviera di Rimini (Misano)
September 19th .....................Hungary (Balatonring)
October 10th ..........................Malaysia (Sepang)
October 17th ...........................Australia (Phillip Island)
October 31st ...........................Portugal (Estoril)
November 7th ........................Valencia (Ricardo Tormo Valencia)

Reserve Circuit: Motorland Aragon Circuit

* Evening race
** Saturday race
*** Only MotoGP class

Melandri settling back in at Gresini

Friday, 13 November 2009

Marco Melandri’s reacquaintance with the RC212V got off to a good start at the Valencia test this week, with Marco Simoncelli also making progress.

After a two-year absence, Marco Melandri was again aboard the RC212V for San Carlo Honda Gresini at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit earlier this week.

Starting his preparations for the 2010 season with the test at Valencia, Melandri worked with the Gresini crew as he enjoyed a productive three days, setting a best lap of 1’32.936 in the final session and outlining his targets for next year.

“At the start I though we had a problem with the setting but on reflection it was probably more to do with the fact we were on a used hard tyre,” said Melandri of his final day’s work. “When we put a fresh one on the bike felt unbalanced but I still managed to improve my lap time. Anyway, I'm happy because we have been able to gather a lot of useful data that will help us in a variety of circumstances during the season ahead. It has been a good three days - not easy but we have worked well and now I just hope that the new bike works and adapts well to the new tyres because my objective is to be back challenging for the podium.”

Simoncelli, who gained valuable track time following his move up from the 250cc class, was also pleased with how his time had been spent.

“My confidence in the bike is increasing even though I still don't feel totally comfortable - especially in braking into the first part of the corner and then getting out of the corner, although I think the main problem is in braking,” he explained. “All in all I am satisfied because I've been setting the lap times on my own out there. I have also learned a lot over the three days about the working methods in this category and have also developed a good relationship with the Honda engineers - they are very open and honest with their thoughts and equally open to listen to yours. It is a good way to work towards joint success and I think we are all pulling in the same direction.”

Promising initial feedback for new Bridgestone tyre

Friday, 13 November 2009

MotoGP’s sole tyre supplier Bridgestone made a new rear spec compound available for testing in Valencia this week, with positive results.

There was a good response from riders and teams at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit to the new rear tyre spec rolled out by Bridgestone, at the post-season three-day test in Valencia.

After its first year as sole tyre supplier to the premier class, Bridgestone used the test to introduce a new medium compound asymmetric rear tyre during the second and third days at Valencia.

The results and feedback were positive, with performance better than the successful 2009 medium asymmetric compound used during the Valencia race last weekend, where it was the softer of the available options. Casey Stoner was the fastest rider across the three days of testing, with a best lap of 1’31.900 – just over three tenths of a second quicker than his pole position time.

“Our new specification medium compound asymmetric rear tyre is based on new rubber which we tested in Qatar and Jerez during winter testing,” explained Tohru Ubukata, Manager of Motorcycle Race Tyre Development at Bridgestone. “Our target for this new rear tyre was to achieve a wider operating range and greater consistency, and I can say that the result was what we expected, and was successful. All the riders tried our new rear tyre during the test and already the results are promising, the lap times look good, and rider feedback is positive.”

“During the test the temperature was generally lower than during the Grand Prix so it was a challenge for the tyres to reach the optimum working temperatures, but even in these difficult conditions our new specification worked well so I am confident for the performance of this new tyre next season.”

Assessing the season as a whole, Ubukata concluded, “We have reached the end of the 2009 season and I would like to take this opportunity to thank everybody for their support during this first year of sole supply. It is thanks to the support of the teams, riders, Dorna and the FIM that our first experience as the sole tyre supplier in motorcycle racing has been a success and we look forward to what we can see already will be an exciting season in 2010.”

Stoner and Hayden continue their progress for Ducati

Tuesday, 10 November 2009

Casey Stoner and Nicky Hayden were again amongst the fastest riders at the Valencia test, as they continued the fine tuning of their Desmosedici machines.


Early preparations for the 2010 season continued to go well for the Ducati Marlboro team, with Casey Stoner and Nicky Hayden both testing further set-up variations at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit on Tuesday.

Stoner was again working with new forks and a revised engine configuration on his Desmosedici prototype, and clocked the second-fastest lap of the day with a best time of 1’32.195.

“We weren’t able to make much use of the day yesterday because of the high winds but today the conditions were much better,” said Stoner of Tuesday’s session. “The new engine setting – which I prefer so far – changes the performance of the bike in different ways, for example in corner exit, so we have to modify the set-up in order to get the most out of it. I also have to get used to it and adapt my riding style accordingly.”

Stoner continued, “This probably means I can’t get on the gas as hard and fast out of the corners but can keep it open for further in the corners. We also tried out the new Bridgestone which seem to work well. In general I’m very pleased with how things are going.”

The rear Bridgestone tyre which Stoner referred to was also tested by team-mate Hayden, as well as a number of other MotoGP riders, and the American completed 84 laps as he continued with a variety of set-up options.

“Today we worked mainly on confirming our impressions from yesterday, running some more tests on the new forks and a bunch of other things on the bike set-up and with the new tyres,” said Hayden, who registered the fifth-fastest lap of the day.

“We have improved a few tenths here and there. The gap to the really fast group is still there but it has been a positive day, we have done a lot of laps and gathered a lot of data. We’ll do some more tests tomorrow on the engine settings and other set-up alterations. We also need to push hard to get the lap times down and close that gap to the lead group,” he concluded.

Successful first MotoGP Yamaha outing for Spies

Sunday, 08 November 2009

Ben Spies had a productive wildcard debut weekend for Yamaha at the Gran Premio Generali de la Comunitat Valenciana.

Before becoming incorporated into his the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 team on Monday in the post-race Valencia test American rider Ben Spies did a good job for Yamaha in Sunday’s final MotoGP contest of the year, crossing the line in seventh place – just ahead of Repsol Honda’s Andrea Dovizioso to help future team-mate Colin Edwards up the standings.

Edwards finished the race in fourth place himself, to leapfrog Dovizioso for fifth in the final 2009 classification, and then embraced and thanked his fellow Texan Spies after the Valencian extravaganza had concluded.

Riding in the colours of the Sterilgarda Yamaha Team this weekend and starting the race from ninth on the grid Spies rode a sensible but impressive race and will now enjoy three days with his new team in high spirits.

Reviewing the race he told motogp.com, “It was pretty good. I actually got a better start than I expected but in the first few laps I got shuffled around and bullied a little bit. I guessed that would be the case as I haven’t figured out how to get comfortable quickly on the tyres. Eventually I slowly picked off some people with some smart passes, as I didn’t want to mess up anyone else’s championship position and I wanted to be clean, but still ride as hard as I could.”

He continued, “I saw Dovizioso and then I was thinking about him and Colin (Edwards) and their battle and I managed to get past him. Then I kept my head down and tried to keep the laps fast and I recorded my best time on the last lap, so it was good. I didn’t do anything stupid and stack it up (crash), it was a good weekend and we got a top ten.”

“This result is like winning a World Superbike race for me in terms of the amount of satisfaction it has given me. These are the fastest guys in the world,” concluded Spies

Adjustments still to be made for Fiat Yamaha pair

Friday, 06 November 2009

Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi both came out of Friday’s practice session at Valencia with further adjustments to be made to the settings of their factory Yamaha YZR-M1s.

Fiat Yamaha duo Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi were in slightly different spirits after the opening practice session at the Gran Premio Generali de la Comunitat Valenciana, having recorded the second and fourth fastest times respectively.

Lorenzo was pleased with how he performed, as he registered the second-fastest time of the session behind Casey Stoner.

“I’m quite happy with the practice because Valencia is not one of my favourite tracks, and every year I struggle to get a good feeling and a good result,” said the 22 year-old. “But now I’m in one of the best shapes of my career so I am pushing and riding aggressively. I am fast, we have some improvements to make, but the feeling in general is positive.”

“This is one of the few places I haven't won in my career so I really want to try! Today was very good, I did many laps with a strong rhythm and with a consistent and fast pace. We are feeling strong and we hope we can continue to be competitive. Tonight we will look at the data from today and consider how we can make more improvements for tomorrow so that I can try to be on the front row once again.”

Rossi, who was 0.686s slower than the pace set by Stoner, was less satisfied with fourth but highlighted the need to experiment with the harder tyres provided by Bridgestone in Saturday’s practice.

“It's really nice to be riding as the World Champion without having to think about points and now I just want to finish the year with a good race,” said the Italian. “Today was not so bad, I'm not happy with fourth but we're not far off and we worked well on the bike. We had some different settings to work on to try to improve our performance at this track and then at the end I was able to do some good laps all together.

“Tomorrow we have quite a lot of work to do, we need to try the harder Bridgestone tyre and try to make another step with the setting, but so far we have done a good job.”

Valencia MotoGP racing numbers

Thursday, 05 November 2009

The racing numbers courtesy of the motogp.com statisticians, ahead of the Gran Premio Generali de la Comunitat Valenciana.

4006 - With his third place finish at Sepang, Valentino Rossi has now accumulated a points total of 4006 during his Grand Prix career – the first rider to pass the 4000-point milestone in Grand Prix racing.

986 - Following his win in Malaysia, Casey Stoner has accumulated 986 points during his career in the MotoGP class. If he finishes either first or second in Valencia he will become the 17th rider to pass the milestone of 1000 points in the premier class of Grand Prix racing.

299 - Loris Capirossi is scheduled to make his 299th Grand Prix start at the Valencia Grand Prix.

24 - Spanish riders have started from pole on 24 occasions across the three classes in 2009. From these 24 pole position starts by Spanish riders only two have been converted into race wins – Julián Simón in Germany and Jorge Lorenzo in Portugal.

13 - Aprilia have taken thirteen victories already this year in the 125cc class. A victory in Valencia means they will equal the record for most wins by a manufacturer in the 125cc class in a single season that Aprilia themselves achieved in 2007.

11 - This year will be the eleventh Valencian GP, which has been held every year since the first visit in 1999.

8 - This will be the eighth successive year that the Ricardo Tormo Comunidad Valenciana circuit has hosted the final race of the season.

4 - Since the introduction of the four-stroke MotoGP formula in 2002, Honda have been the most successful manufacturer at Valencia with four victories. Ducati riders have had two MotoGP wins and Yamaha one.

4 - Dani Pedrosa is the most successful rider at the Valencia circuit with four wins; twice in the 250cc class and once each in the 125cc and MotoGP classes.

4 - Reaching the end of the third year of the 800cc capacity limit in MotoGP, only four riders have competed in all 52 races since the regulation was introduced at the start of the 2007 season: Chris Vermeulen, Colin Edwards, Randy de Puniet and Valentino Rossi.

Rossi targets M3 Sedan prize in BMW M Award

Monday, 02 November 2009

All eyes will be on the final round of the season this weekend when two stars of MotoGP battle it out for the coveted BMW M Best Qualifier Award 2009.

It promises to be a real showdown during Saturday’s final qualifying hour of the 2009 season when Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi go head-to-head to decide who pockets the keys of a brand new BMW M3 Sedan.

World Champion Valentino Rossi has 330 points in the BMW M Award standings, 12 more than his arch rival and team mate Lorenzo. For Lorenzo, he has to get pole position, while for Rossi he just has to be fourth or better to take home the 420hp dream BMW.

Lorenzo has been on the front row at every race but one since the season opener under the floodlights of Qatar, while his Italian colleague has fought back - being on the front row at every race since Barcelona in mid June, including beating the 990cc pole record last time out in Malaysia.

Casey Stoner, the winner of the BMW Best Qualifier Award in 2007 and 2008 has taken took two poles throughout his illness-affected year, while Dani Pedrosa has also registered two. However, Pedrosa was only 0.05 seconds off pole behind Stoner at Valencia in 2008 so there is a score to settle for the Honda rider come Saturday.

For Lorenzo this is his first chance to take a BMW home from the race track after Rossi has won four BMWs previous to this weekend in Valencia - a BMW Z4 Roadster, Z4 2.2i, 645 Ci and a Z4 M Coupé making his garage back home in Italy more than desirable with BMW’s finest cars.

BMW and MotoGP have now been in partnership for 11 years, a synergy that will continue for a further four seasons with BMW M Power Safety Cars, Official Cars and VIP Shuttle Cars supporting the world’s most exciting Grand Prix racing. Indeed, a glimpse into the future of BMW will be present at Valencia with a special exhibition of BMW M Power models on show, plus the brand new BMW X1 and BMW 5 Series Gran Tourismo models at the track.

Edwards excited by prospects of Spies partnership
Friday, 30 October 2009

Colin Edwards reviews the 2009 season overall and looks forward to working alongside MotoGP newcomer Ben Spies next year.

Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rider Colin Edwards’ season has been an impressive one to date, with the Texan close to equalling his second-best championship finish as the final round of the 2009 season approaches at Valencia.

Locked in a battle for fifth spot with Andrea Dovizioso, whom he finished second behind at Donington this year, Edwards could match his 2004 championship finish with the right result on November 8th.

This year’s campaign is one the 35 year-old feels has been a consistent one, with six top-five finishes on his satellite YZR-M1 paving the way for a potentially similar placement in the overall standings.

“I’d say the 2009 season has gone on a pretty even keel for me,” said Edwards. “We’ve made a couple of mistakes, I think in Japan we had an electrical issue going on. The rain that happened at Donington was kind of a spike. Everything else I think has been pretty even; I seem to have qualified fifth and finished the race in fifth lots! The four guys out front at the moment are on another planet. But we’re still working and are trying to keep up with them.”

He continued, “Donington was actually one of those races you wish you don’t ever have to race, because it was raining basically the whole time and we were on dry tyres. We changed tyres right on the grid for a soft front and soft rear that I hadn’t used all weekend. We also made changes to the suspension of the bike on the grid, but it’s a bike we hadn’t run all weekend, so it was kind of a case of throw the dice and see what happens. Anyway, I got a good feel for the bike and it was close. Dovizioso was just a little bit out there in front of me and a couple more laps and I might have had it.”

Edwards admitted he had anticipated more podiums this year than the single one he has so far enjoyed at Donington, but believes the introduction of Bridgestone as sole tyre manufacturer has helped increase the competition between riders.

“The one time on the podium this year is not enough,” he said. “Everything has been a little bit more evened out I think than in years past. With two tyre manufacturers one tyre had an advantage at one track, and another tyre had an advantage at another track. Now everybody’s on an equal footing and it’s pretty much been proven. You’ve got the four guys out front that seem to dominate, and it’s hard, but it’s definitely evened out the playing field a little bit.”

Turning his focus to the 2010 season, for which Edwards has signed a further one-year contract with Tech 3, the American explained his decision to renew and also his excitement at working with incoming countryman Ben Spies.

“With Herve Poncharal (Team Manager) and the team, and Guy Coulon (Chief Mechanic) especially, we match,” he said. “I think that’s an important thing. If you don’t match then there’s no point being together. It’s an easy team, they’re great and are very organised and Yamaha work very closely with them giving them as much as they can. So it all works out well and I’m more than happy to stay with them.”

“I think Ben Spies is going to be good – he’s obviously got a lot of talent. You come over and you’re hot. You’ve got a guy that’s accustomed to winning and fighting for the win all the time, then you’re going to make him go on a bike that under normal circumstances is not going to be as fast as the factory bikes. But next year it might be different with the engine rules, maybe all the engines will be the same, I have no idea. But he’ll be fast, he’ll be good and I’m excited at the prospect of working with him.”

Finally, looking forward to Valencia, Edwards commented, “It’s like a party, the last stop of the circus. Everybody’s ready to go home and get some rest and relaxation but at the same time we still have a job to do. I’m excited about Valencia; Ben’s going to do a wildcard ride there so that’ll be interesting and it’ll be James’ (Toseland) last race. He goes well at that track, and the Yamaha works well there so I think it’ll be a good weekend.”

Albacete all set for European Championship weekend
Friday, 30 October 2009

With 117 riders from 22 countries set to contest three European titles this weekend in Albacete the 2009 European Championship event promises to be an action-packed affair as the competition visits the Spanish circuit for the second consecutive year.

The European titles are disputed across three categories, 125GP, Supersport and Superstock 1000, with a solitary race in each class dictating who is to be proclaimed champion.

In the 125GP class the continent’s best emerging will do battle, with national champions such as Marcel Schrötter (Germany), Ricardo Moretti (Italy), Cyril Carrillo (France) and Erno Kostamo (Scandinavia) likely to feature at the front. Czech rider Jakub Kornfeil, the winner of the 2009 Red Bull Rookies Cup and Alberto Moncayo, the current leader of the Spanish national championship (CEV Buckler) 125cc category, will also both be looking to make an impression.

Amongst the Supersport riders, additional CEV Buckler protagonists Kev Coghlan, Xavi Forés and Adrián Bonastre will be fighting for supremacy with French champion Mathieu Gines and some riders with World Championship experience such as Italian pair Mirko Giansanti and Roberto Tamburini and Romanian competitor Robert Muresan.

Meanwhile, Spaniard Carmelo Morales aims to defend the Superstock 1000 crown he won last year at Albacete, with his Spanish rivals Javier del Amor and Bernat Martínez attempting to grab the glory themselves. Italians Alessandro Polita and Stefano Cruciani could also be a threat.

The timetable for Sunday’s racing is as follows:
10:30am - Superstock 1000
Midday - 125GP
1.15pm - Supersport

In between the two first races the Albacete circuit will honour two 125cc World Champions, by naming corners after current World title holder Julián Simón and 2006 champion Álvaro Bautista – who will both be in attendance at the track.

For more information please visit www.europeanchamp.com

Results
World Championship

MotoGP250cc125cc
Pos. Rider Nation Team Points
1 Valentino ROSSI ITA Fiat Yamaha Team 286
2 Jorge LORENZO SPA Fiat Yamaha Team 245
3 Casey STONER AUS Ducati Marlboro Team 220
4 Dani PEDROSA SPA Repsol Honda Team 209
5 Andrea DOVIZIOSO ITA Repsol Honda Team 152
6 Colin EDWARDS USA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 148
7 Marco MELANDRI ITA Hayate Racing Team 108
8 Loris CAPIROSSI ITA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 108
9 Alex DE ANGELIS RSM San Carlo Honda Gresini 105
10 Toni ELIAS SPA San Carlo Honda Gresini 105
11 Chris VERMEULEN AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 105
12 Randy DE PUNIET FRA LCR Honda MotoGP 101
13 Nicky HAYDEN USA Ducati Marlboro Team 93
14 James TOSELAND GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 88
15 Mika KALLIO FIN Pramac Racing 64
16 Niccolo CANEPA ITA Pramac Racing 38
17 Gabor TALMACSI HUN Scot Racing Team MotoGP 19
18 Aleix ESPARGARO SPA Pramac Racing 13
19 Sete GIBERNAU SPA Grupo Francisco Hernando 12
20 Yuki TAKAHASHI JPN Scot Racing Team MotoGP 9

Valentino Rossi
Rossi's 9th title: Gallina vecchia fa buon brodo
Thursday, 29 October 2009

Exclusive extended footage of Valentino Rossi’s ‘The old hen makes good soup’ celebration at Sepang is now available.