F1 News
Date: 31/August/2011
Red Bull Racing's chief technical officer, Adrian Newey, was seen drying his eyes at the end of Sunday's Belgian Grand Prix - and it wasn't because his drivers, Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber, had finished first and second.
Newey was emotional drained from the stress caused by a tyre set-up gamble in qualifying, which meant both his drivers began the race on blistered tyres that some feared could fail after just a handful of laps.
Red Bull's gamble had been to exceed Pirelli's recommended amount of camber - the amount the top of the tyre leans inwards - which offered a short-term performance benefit, but had caused the inside shoulder of the tyre to overheat and 'blister'.
Reducing the camber - the maximum recommended level is four-degrees from vertical - for the race would have meant starting in pitlane. Rival teams were against Red Bull being allowed to change tyres on safety grounds, since their actions had created the risk.
Ultimately, Red Bull decided to start on the blistered tyres, but pitted Webber as early as lap 3, then Vettel on lap 5.
But whilst the 'damaged' qualifying tyres were soon changed, the potentially catastrophic risks caused by the excessive camber hung over the team for the rest of the race - at a track with some of the fastest corners in the world.
"We had a lot of concerns going into the race after the damage we had on the tyres from qualifying. We took quite a lot of risk," confirmed world champion Vettel. "We had reason to be confident that it should be fine, but you never really know.
"The alternative would have been to change the set-up and start from the pit-lane. We took that risk.
"We had some long discussions last night and this morning. Now we are sitting here, it all went well and we finished one-two - but it wasn’t an easy decision to make. You are driving into the unknown."
Team-mate Webber praised his team for keeping both drivers fully informed.
"Credit to the team for the way they handled all the problems," said the Australian, who sympathised with the pressure the team were put under.
"It was not an easy grand prix for those guys on the pit wall, watching their two drivers out there. It was reasonably sensitive for them.
"It was pretty stressful last night, pretty stressful this morning," Webber admitted. "We are not just talking about blisters, we are talking about unknown characteristics of what the tyre might do.
"It was handled well from our team’s perspective, by putting the drivers right in the discussions to understand how we could get through the grand prix as safe as possible.
"I was giving them feedback on how the tyres looked. The main thing we were interested in was looking at the fronts on the inside shoulder. My set after qualifying was in a very bad way so we had to get rid of those very quickly."
The blistering remained an uncomfortable factor for both drivers during the race, but never developed into anything more serious and certainly didn’t hurt their performance.
"It was pretty scary to go around with blistering issues," confessed Vettel. "It’s not very comfortable, especially on the way down to [the flat out] Eau Rouge and Blanchimont corners.
"You look at the tyre and it doesn’t look like being in great shape and you feel quite a lot of vibrations."
Vettel won the race by 3.7sec from Webber, with McLaren's Jenson Button 9.6sec from victory in third. Vettel's seventh win of the season means he is now comfortably on his way to a second consecutive world title.
Stoner lukewarm on Indy MotoGP future
MotoGP News
Date: 30/August/2011
Moments after standing on the top step of the Indianapolis podium, straight-talking MotoGP title leader Casey Stoner refused to back the circuit remaining on the World Championship calendar.
Indianapolis is yet to sign a contract for 2012, and is under pressure from the new Austin track. The Texan venue has agreed a ten-year MotoGP deal starting from 2013, while California's Laguna Seca circuit is signed up until 2014.
So unless MotoGP is willing to run three US rounds, Indy has at best one more year of motorcycle grand prix, if terms can be agreed for 2012.
Indianapolis joined the MotoGP calendar in 2008, using a modified version of the infield circuit previously created for its F1 Grand Prix.
Fitting a road course within an oval is always a compromise and the quirky layout, which uses the same main straight as the famous Indy 500 before peeling off into a tight and twisty infield section, has never been a favourite with the riders.
"I'm not like some other riders that really enjoy tracks just because they win there," said Stoner, when asked if victory had changed his negative opinion of Indy. "We ride at a lot of different tracks around the world and I can't honestly say this is better than most of them.
"I don't get a kick out of a track just because I win on it. Mugello is one of my most favourite circuits, and I've only won there once. I look at what quality the circuit has rather than just memories."
When asked if MotoGP should return next year, the Repsol Honda rider dodged a direct answer, speaking instead of the missed opportunity to create a challenging track to match the awesome architecture and infrastructure.
"I think this whole facility and place could be unbelievable," began Stoner, "but in my opinion the corners are too tight and we use first gear a lot more than most other circuits.
"There's maybe two or three corners that I think are a lot of fun. Turn 5, Turn 12. But the rest of the track is just very tight, twisty. You just kind of roll around.
"This facility could be unbelievable with the history and everything. But, in my opinion, I don't enjoy riding it as much as I do a lot of other circuits."
Part of the problem is that MotoGP inherited the failed F1 project, for which the road course was designed to be run in the opposite direction.
Seeing cars drive the 'wrong way' down the Indianapolis home straight was a massive PR blunder and the road course was reversed, and slightly revised, for MotoGP's debut.
But changing the course direction meant many corners tend to tighten, rather than get faster.
"It's not meant to be run the way we're running it," stated Stoner. "So instead of corners opening up for exits, they just keep tightening up."
American Ben Spies unsurprisingly gave a more favourable response regarding Indy's MotoGP future, although his opinion seemed based mainly on it being another home race and a track where he has performed well.
"For me it's a home race. It's in front of the home crowd. I've had good results here. But I think it's more important for America to get involved with MotoGP and for it to grow in the States," said the Yamaha rider. "I would like to see Indy stay, for sure. It's an easy flight for me, so there's a lot of bonuses to race here."
Stoner's team-mate Dani Pedrosa indicated that as long as there are races in America, the venues are of secondary importance.
"Well, as Ben said, as I think it is important to still have races [in the US]," said Pedrosa. "I don't know if it will be Indianapolis or maybe - I don't know when the new track is ready in Texas.
"As Casey said, the track could be a little better. The track is quite strange going in the opposite way. I don't know the future with it."
In a sign of Indy's apparent intention to keep MotoGP beyond this season, the previously patchy infield asphalt was replaced for this year's race.
But what should have been a major improvement backfired when riders found the new asphalt incredibly slippery during first practice.
Conditions fortunately improved, but some riders then struggled with massive front-tyre wear, while off-line debris and dust made overtaking difficult.
"In the first session it was very slippery," said Pedrosa, "then it got better when the dust was cleaned from the race line. But basically the tyres were struggling the whole weekend, and much more in the afternoon with the heat."
Date: 30/August/2011
Moments after standing on the top step of the Indianapolis podium, straight-talking MotoGP title leader Casey Stoner refused to back the circuit remaining on the World Championship calendar.
Indianapolis is yet to sign a contract for 2012, and is under pressure from the new Austin track. The Texan venue has agreed a ten-year MotoGP deal starting from 2013, while California's Laguna Seca circuit is signed up until 2014.
So unless MotoGP is willing to run three US rounds, Indy has at best one more year of motorcycle grand prix, if terms can be agreed for 2012.
Indianapolis joined the MotoGP calendar in 2008, using a modified version of the infield circuit previously created for its F1 Grand Prix.
Fitting a road course within an oval is always a compromise and the quirky layout, which uses the same main straight as the famous Indy 500 before peeling off into a tight and twisty infield section, has never been a favourite with the riders.
"I'm not like some other riders that really enjoy tracks just because they win there," said Stoner, when asked if victory had changed his negative opinion of Indy. "We ride at a lot of different tracks around the world and I can't honestly say this is better than most of them.
"I don't get a kick out of a track just because I win on it. Mugello is one of my most favourite circuits, and I've only won there once. I look at what quality the circuit has rather than just memories."
When asked if MotoGP should return next year, the Repsol Honda rider dodged a direct answer, speaking instead of the missed opportunity to create a challenging track to match the awesome architecture and infrastructure.
"I think this whole facility and place could be unbelievable," began Stoner, "but in my opinion the corners are too tight and we use first gear a lot more than most other circuits.
"There's maybe two or three corners that I think are a lot of fun. Turn 5, Turn 12. But the rest of the track is just very tight, twisty. You just kind of roll around.
"This facility could be unbelievable with the history and everything. But, in my opinion, I don't enjoy riding it as much as I do a lot of other circuits."
Part of the problem is that MotoGP inherited the failed F1 project, for which the road course was designed to be run in the opposite direction.
Seeing cars drive the 'wrong way' down the Indianapolis home straight was a massive PR blunder and the road course was reversed, and slightly revised, for MotoGP's debut.
But changing the course direction meant many corners tend to tighten, rather than get faster.
"It's not meant to be run the way we're running it," stated Stoner. "So instead of corners opening up for exits, they just keep tightening up."
American Ben Spies unsurprisingly gave a more favourable response regarding Indy's MotoGP future, although his opinion seemed based mainly on it being another home race and a track where he has performed well.
"For me it's a home race. It's in front of the home crowd. I've had good results here. But I think it's more important for America to get involved with MotoGP and for it to grow in the States," said the Yamaha rider. "I would like to see Indy stay, for sure. It's an easy flight for me, so there's a lot of bonuses to race here."
Stoner's team-mate Dani Pedrosa indicated that as long as there are races in America, the venues are of secondary importance.
"Well, as Ben said, as I think it is important to still have races [in the US]," said Pedrosa. "I don't know if it will be Indianapolis or maybe - I don't know when the new track is ready in Texas.
"As Casey said, the track could be a little better. The track is quite strange going in the opposite way. I don't know the future with it."
In a sign of Indy's apparent intention to keep MotoGP beyond this season, the previously patchy infield asphalt was replaced for this year's race.
But what should have been a major improvement backfired when riders found the new asphalt incredibly slippery during first practice.
Conditions fortunately improved, but some riders then struggled with massive front-tyre wear, while off-line debris and dust made overtaking difficult.
"In the first session it was very slippery," said Pedrosa, "then it got better when the dust was cleaned from the race line. But basically the tyres were struggling the whole weekend, and much more in the afternoon with the heat."
Vettel talks risks, wins and World Championships
F1 News
Date: 29/August/2011
Sebastian Vettel took another step towards defending his F1 title with his first ever victory at the magnificent Spa-Francorchamps circuit, in Belgium on Sunday.
Vettel came into round twelve on a three-race losing streak, his longest of the season, but left with his seventh victory of the year and - with seven rounds to go - has now scored more points than during the whole of 2010.
But despite being 92 points clear of Red Bull team-mate and nearest rival Mark Webber, an advantage of almost four race wins, Vettel insists the title is far from over.
"Of course I’m very happy with today’s result and it brought us closer to our final target, but it’s still a long way," claimed Vettel, who snatched the 2010 title from Ferrari's Fernando Alonso at the very final race.
"If you look at last year, yes, by this time it might have been different. But if you look at how quickly things can change - if you are out in two races and someone else has good races - it could change.
"So all we do is try to get the optimum every time, like today. When the chance is there to win, we go for it. When I was driving around, passing people around the outside here and there, I wasn't thinking about the championship.
"If there’s room to overtake, I go for it."
But Vettel, 24, who crashed into Button in last year's Belgian GP, did admit to weighing-up the potential risks of an overtake a little more carefully than in previous years.
"If the risk is too high, then naturally I think you shouldn’t do it," said the German. "I’ve done it in the past when it didn’t work, as Jenson can tell you, so it’s not necessary to take that risk."
With victory at Spa, highly prized among racing drivers, added to his growing list of conquests, there is now only one event still absent from the Vettel CV.
"A home win in Germany is still missing," said Vettel. "Every year I go there and we are quite confident, but so far it hasn’t worked, so we will see in the next couple of years.
"For now, I’m very proud of the races I have won. Obviously this win at Spa is a very important one. It’s nice to join the famous guys who have won here and it’s one of the nicest tracks we have."
Vettel has won 17 races since making his full-time F1 debut in 2008 and is in his third season at Red Bull Racing.
Date: 29/August/2011
Sebastian Vettel took another step towards defending his F1 title with his first ever victory at the magnificent Spa-Francorchamps circuit, in Belgium on Sunday.
Vettel came into round twelve on a three-race losing streak, his longest of the season, but left with his seventh victory of the year and - with seven rounds to go - has now scored more points than during the whole of 2010.
But despite being 92 points clear of Red Bull team-mate and nearest rival Mark Webber, an advantage of almost four race wins, Vettel insists the title is far from over.
"Of course I’m very happy with today’s result and it brought us closer to our final target, but it’s still a long way," claimed Vettel, who snatched the 2010 title from Ferrari's Fernando Alonso at the very final race.
"If you look at last year, yes, by this time it might have been different. But if you look at how quickly things can change - if you are out in two races and someone else has good races - it could change.
"So all we do is try to get the optimum every time, like today. When the chance is there to win, we go for it. When I was driving around, passing people around the outside here and there, I wasn't thinking about the championship.
"If there’s room to overtake, I go for it."
But Vettel, 24, who crashed into Button in last year's Belgian GP, did admit to weighing-up the potential risks of an overtake a little more carefully than in previous years.
"If the risk is too high, then naturally I think you shouldn’t do it," said the German. "I’ve done it in the past when it didn’t work, as Jenson can tell you, so it’s not necessary to take that risk."
With victory at Spa, highly prized among racing drivers, added to his growing list of conquests, there is now only one event still absent from the Vettel CV.
"A home win in Germany is still missing," said Vettel. "Every year I go there and we are quite confident, but so far it hasn’t worked, so we will see in the next couple of years.
"For now, I’m very proud of the races I have won. Obviously this win at Spa is a very important one. It’s nice to join the famous guys who have won here and it’s one of the nicest tracks we have."
Vettel has won 17 races since making his full-time F1 debut in 2008 and is in his third season at Red Bull Racing.
Vettel talks risks, wins and World Championships
F1 News
Date: 29/August/2011
Sebastian Vettel took another step towards defending his F1 title with his first ever victory at the magnificent Spa-Francorchamps circuit, in Belgium on Sunday.
Vettel came into round twelve on a three-race losing streak, his longest of the season, but left with his seventh victory of the year and - with seven rounds to go - has now scored more points than during the whole of 2010.
But despite being 92 points clear of Red Bull team-mate and nearest rival Mark Webber, an advantage of almost four race wins, Vettel insists the title is far from over.
"Of course I’m very happy with today’s result and it brought us closer to our final target, but it’s still a long way," claimed Vettel, who snatched the 2010 title from Ferrari's Fernando Alonso at the very final race.
"If you look at last year, yes, by this time it might have been different. But if you look at how quickly things can change - if you are out in two races and someone else has good races - it could change.
"So all we do is try to get the optimum every time, like today. When the chance is there to win, we go for it. When I was driving around, passing people around the outside here and there, I wasn't thinking about the championship.
"If there’s room to overtake, I go for it."
But Vettel, 24, who crashed into Button in last year's Belgian GP, did admit to weighing-up the potential risks of an overtake a little more carefully than in previous years.
"If the risk is too high, then naturally I think you shouldn’t do it," said the German. "I’ve done it in the past when it didn’t work, as Jenson can tell you, so it’s not necessary to take that risk."
With victory at Spa, highly prized among racing drivers, added to his growing list of conquests, there is now only one event still absent from the Vettel CV.
"A home win in Germany is still missing," said Vettel. "Every year I go there and we are quite confident, but so far it hasn’t worked, so we will see in the next couple of years.
"For now, I’m very proud of the races I have won. Obviously this win at Spa is a very important one. It’s nice to join the famous guys who have won here and it’s one of the nicest tracks we have."
Vettel has won 17 races since making his full-time F1 debut in 2008 and is in his third season at Red Bull Racing.
Date: 29/August/2011
Sebastian Vettel took another step towards defending his F1 title with his first ever victory at the magnificent Spa-Francorchamps circuit, in Belgium on Sunday.
Vettel came into round twelve on a three-race losing streak, his longest of the season, but left with his seventh victory of the year and - with seven rounds to go - has now scored more points than during the whole of 2010.
But despite being 92 points clear of Red Bull team-mate and nearest rival Mark Webber, an advantage of almost four race wins, Vettel insists the title is far from over.
"Of course I’m very happy with today’s result and it brought us closer to our final target, but it’s still a long way," claimed Vettel, who snatched the 2010 title from Ferrari's Fernando Alonso at the very final race.
"If you look at last year, yes, by this time it might have been different. But if you look at how quickly things can change - if you are out in two races and someone else has good races - it could change.
"So all we do is try to get the optimum every time, like today. When the chance is there to win, we go for it. When I was driving around, passing people around the outside here and there, I wasn't thinking about the championship.
"If there’s room to overtake, I go for it."
But Vettel, 24, who crashed into Button in last year's Belgian GP, did admit to weighing-up the potential risks of an overtake a little more carefully than in previous years.
"If the risk is too high, then naturally I think you shouldn’t do it," said the German. "I’ve done it in the past when it didn’t work, as Jenson can tell you, so it’s not necessary to take that risk."
With victory at Spa, highly prized among racing drivers, added to his growing list of conquests, there is now only one event still absent from the Vettel CV.
"A home win in Germany is still missing," said Vettel. "Every year I go there and we are quite confident, but so far it hasn’t worked, so we will see in the next couple of years.
"For now, I’m very proud of the races I have won. Obviously this win at Spa is a very important one. It’s nice to join the famous guys who have won here and it’s one of the nicest tracks we have."
Vettel has won 17 races since making his full-time F1 debut in 2008 and is in his third season at Red Bull Racing.
Hamilton, Maldonado suffer bizarre Spa collision
F1 News
Date: 27/August/2011
F1 rookie Pastor Maldonado has been penalized, and former world champion Lewis Hamilton reprimanded, after a bizarre collision after the end of qualifying two at Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium, on Saturday.
Hamilton, desperate to complete his final flying lap in order to make the cut for Q3, had barged past the Williams driver moments earlier, during a log-jam at the final chicane.
With the session over, Hamilton then backed off and Maldonado drew alongside on the exit of turn one. The Columbian was half a car-length in front when he seemed to turn across the McLaren driver, in what some felt was an act of revenge for the earlier contact.
The impact left Hamilton limping back to the pits with bodywork and suspension damage, while Maldonado was sent swerving off-track before being forced to park his car.
Hamilton said: "As I was coming through the exit of turn one I saw Maldonado approaching quite quickly. He came around me and I didn’t move anywhere, but he happened to swipe across me.
"I think it was quite serious and quite fortunate that neither of us - and particularly him - was flipped or had a big, big crash. We were quite lucky.
"Once the flag is out and the red lights are on there is no need to be racing and there should never ever be an incident.
"I don’t know whether it was intentional or not. I guess we will see shortly," added Hamilton, referring to the inevitable investigation.
The FIA Stewards declared both drivers had contributed to the incident, but that Maldonado was more to blame.
Maldonado was thus handed a five-place penalty for Sunday's race, dropping him from 16th to 21st on the grid, while Hamilton was reprimanded, but received no penalty.
Maldonado claimed he was unaware of what caused the incident.
He said: "Lewis slowed down a lot at the end of the session, so I tried to go past him. I then felt contact at the back of my car. I don’t really know what happened."
Frantic repairs in the McLaren pits allowed Hamilton to return for the final part of qualifying, where he took second on the grid behind Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel.
Hamilton explained: "The front wing was quite badly damaged – my sidepod, and I thought my front suspension was damaged. I think the front toe-in is probably a little bit out, but fortunately the guys did a great job to put it back together.
"The fortunate thing is that we were therefore able to complete the final session. Most importantly, too, we’re in a great position to fight for the race win tomorrow.”
Hamilton and Maldonado had previously clashed at Monaco, when a clumsy pass by Hamilton knocked the reigning GP2 champion out of the race. Hamilton received a 20-second penalty for the collision.
Date: 27/August/2011
F1 rookie Pastor Maldonado has been penalized, and former world champion Lewis Hamilton reprimanded, after a bizarre collision after the end of qualifying two at Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium, on Saturday.
Hamilton, desperate to complete his final flying lap in order to make the cut for Q3, had barged past the Williams driver moments earlier, during a log-jam at the final chicane.
With the session over, Hamilton then backed off and Maldonado drew alongside on the exit of turn one. The Columbian was half a car-length in front when he seemed to turn across the McLaren driver, in what some felt was an act of revenge for the earlier contact.
The impact left Hamilton limping back to the pits with bodywork and suspension damage, while Maldonado was sent swerving off-track before being forced to park his car.
Hamilton said: "As I was coming through the exit of turn one I saw Maldonado approaching quite quickly. He came around me and I didn’t move anywhere, but he happened to swipe across me.
"I think it was quite serious and quite fortunate that neither of us - and particularly him - was flipped or had a big, big crash. We were quite lucky.
"Once the flag is out and the red lights are on there is no need to be racing and there should never ever be an incident.
"I don’t know whether it was intentional or not. I guess we will see shortly," added Hamilton, referring to the inevitable investigation.
The FIA Stewards declared both drivers had contributed to the incident, but that Maldonado was more to blame.
Maldonado was thus handed a five-place penalty for Sunday's race, dropping him from 16th to 21st on the grid, while Hamilton was reprimanded, but received no penalty.
Maldonado claimed he was unaware of what caused the incident.
He said: "Lewis slowed down a lot at the end of the session, so I tried to go past him. I then felt contact at the back of my car. I don’t really know what happened."
Frantic repairs in the McLaren pits allowed Hamilton to return for the final part of qualifying, where he took second on the grid behind Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel.
Hamilton explained: "The front wing was quite badly damaged – my sidepod, and I thought my front suspension was damaged. I think the front toe-in is probably a little bit out, but fortunately the guys did a great job to put it back together.
"The fortunate thing is that we were therefore able to complete the final session. Most importantly, too, we’re in a great position to fight for the race win tomorrow.”
Hamilton and Maldonado had previously clashed at Monaco, when a clumsy pass by Hamilton knocked the reigning GP2 champion out of the race. Hamilton received a 20-second penalty for the collision.
Myers aiming to become first female MotoGP racer
MotoGP News
Date: 27/August/2011
17-year-old American Elena Myers has her sights set on becoming the first female MotoGP racer, after trying Suzuki's grand prix motorcycle in the build-up to the Indianapolis event.
The AMA SuperSport race winner was given the chance to complete five laps around the Indianapolis MotoGP circuit, using Alvaro Bautista's 800cc GSV-R race bike.
While few conclusions can be drawn from such a brief outing, Myers impressed the team, made no mistakes - and showed little fear as she clocked 306km/h (190mph) down the home straight.
"Elena treated the run with great intelligence and maturity, but nonetheless it was impressive to see that she wasn't afraid of either the speed or the power!" commented Suzuki team manager Paul Denning.
"At 17-years-old, and judging by her performances in the AMA Pro SuperSport championship, she has a significant amount of ability that is only going to develop as she gains experience."
Myers finished fifth in this year's AMA Pro SuperSport West Division, with two podiums, despite missing two races due to injury.
After sampling MotoGP power, the young American now has her sights set on becoming the first female to race against the likes of Valentino Rossi, Casey Stoner and Jorge Lorenzo.
“Any girl in MotoGP would be good, but I hope I'm the first," said Myers. "That's my goal, and I'm trying hard every day to get there.
"It was the best motorcycle I've ever ridden and the coolest thing I've ever done. To get an opportunity like that is pretty unbelievable, especially being a 17-year old girl.
"I had the time of my life on it and now I'm just excited for more.”
The most recent female to race full time in grand prix motorcycling was German Katja Poensgen, who competed in the 250cc world championship in 2001 and 2003, scoring two points.
The next step towards MotoGP for Myers would be a proper test session, when she would have the chance to ride alongside the MotoGP regulars.
Date: 27/August/2011
17-year-old American Elena Myers has her sights set on becoming the first female MotoGP racer, after trying Suzuki's grand prix motorcycle in the build-up to the Indianapolis event.
The AMA SuperSport race winner was given the chance to complete five laps around the Indianapolis MotoGP circuit, using Alvaro Bautista's 800cc GSV-R race bike.
While few conclusions can be drawn from such a brief outing, Myers impressed the team, made no mistakes - and showed little fear as she clocked 306km/h (190mph) down the home straight.
"Elena treated the run with great intelligence and maturity, but nonetheless it was impressive to see that she wasn't afraid of either the speed or the power!" commented Suzuki team manager Paul Denning.
"At 17-years-old, and judging by her performances in the AMA Pro SuperSport championship, she has a significant amount of ability that is only going to develop as she gains experience."
Myers finished fifth in this year's AMA Pro SuperSport West Division, with two podiums, despite missing two races due to injury.
After sampling MotoGP power, the young American now has her sights set on becoming the first female to race against the likes of Valentino Rossi, Casey Stoner and Jorge Lorenzo.
“Any girl in MotoGP would be good, but I hope I'm the first," said Myers. "That's my goal, and I'm trying hard every day to get there.
"It was the best motorcycle I've ever ridden and the coolest thing I've ever done. To get an opportunity like that is pretty unbelievable, especially being a 17-year old girl.
"I had the time of my life on it and now I'm just excited for more.”
The most recent female to race full time in grand prix motorcycling was German Katja Poensgen, who competed in the 250cc world championship in 2001 and 2003, scoring two points.
The next step towards MotoGP for Myers would be a proper test session, when she would have the chance to ride alongside the MotoGP regulars.
Ben Spies: Sh*t this thing is going fast!
MotoGP News
Date: 25/August/2011
A former American and World Superbike champion, Ben Spies is no stranger to 1-litre motorcycles, but even he was blown away by the performance of the new 1000cc Yamaha MotoGP bike.
Spies, like team-mate Jorge Lorenzo, made his debut on an early version of the 2012 M1 during the recent Brno test, when the Yamaha turned heads by getting within a fraction of Casey Stoner.
While Spies and Lorenzo hadn’t ridden the new Yamaha before, the Brno test marked Stoner's third day on the RC213V - yet the 2011 title leader was only 0.085sec quicker than Lorenzo and 0.138sec ahead of Spies.
But it wasn't the lap time that impressed Spies as much as the 'raw power' compared with the present 800cc bikes.
"I pulled out of pit lane and was straight on the rev limiter in every gear because the RPM is lower than with the 800," recalled Spies.
"Finally I started shifting the thing correctly and that's when you're like, ‘Holy sh*t, this thing is going fast now!' You get to your normal brake marker for an 800, and you realize you're going way too fast.
"It's fun and it's got the raw power. And you cannot make any big mistakes, but if you make a small mistake, you can get out of trouble a whole lot easier. I can't wait to ride it more.
"Yamaha did a great job for the first time rolling the bike out. We were quite fast on it without changing much, and hopefully there's a lot more to come."
Spies was speaking on the eve of this weekend's Indianapolis MotoGP, his second home race of the year and a track where he finished second, from pole, last season.
Now in the Factory Yamaha team, and with a race win under his belt, expectations are high for this weekend.
"It's a huge race," said Spies. "And it's great to have a lot of support from the crowd, family, friends. "We have a couple new pieces which will hopefully make the bike a bit better and the new track surface is definitely different. We'll just attack every session and see how we can do on Sunday."
Unfortunately for the 27-year-old, doubts remain that the arm numbness he struggled with in the Czech Republic - caused by a trapped nerve - have been fully cured.
"I've done everything possible in the last week, and it's definitely better," said Spies. "Coming into a weekend knowing you're not 100 percent on top of everything is frustrating, but it's not going to stop us from trying.
"It didn't in Brno, and I'll be giving 100 percent of whatever I've got. I can't say what that'll be right now because I honestly don’t know. All we can do is we get on the bike and try to go as fast as we can."
Spies is presently sixth in the world championship, but within easy reach of fourth place Valentino Rossi (Ducati) with seven rounds to go.
Date: 25/August/2011
A former American and World Superbike champion, Ben Spies is no stranger to 1-litre motorcycles, but even he was blown away by the performance of the new 1000cc Yamaha MotoGP bike.
Spies, like team-mate Jorge Lorenzo, made his debut on an early version of the 2012 M1 during the recent Brno test, when the Yamaha turned heads by getting within a fraction of Casey Stoner.
While Spies and Lorenzo hadn’t ridden the new Yamaha before, the Brno test marked Stoner's third day on the RC213V - yet the 2011 title leader was only 0.085sec quicker than Lorenzo and 0.138sec ahead of Spies.
But it wasn't the lap time that impressed Spies as much as the 'raw power' compared with the present 800cc bikes.
"I pulled out of pit lane and was straight on the rev limiter in every gear because the RPM is lower than with the 800," recalled Spies.
"Finally I started shifting the thing correctly and that's when you're like, ‘Holy sh*t, this thing is going fast now!' You get to your normal brake marker for an 800, and you realize you're going way too fast.
"It's fun and it's got the raw power. And you cannot make any big mistakes, but if you make a small mistake, you can get out of trouble a whole lot easier. I can't wait to ride it more.
"Yamaha did a great job for the first time rolling the bike out. We were quite fast on it without changing much, and hopefully there's a lot more to come."
Spies was speaking on the eve of this weekend's Indianapolis MotoGP, his second home race of the year and a track where he finished second, from pole, last season.
Now in the Factory Yamaha team, and with a race win under his belt, expectations are high for this weekend.
"It's a huge race," said Spies. "And it's great to have a lot of support from the crowd, family, friends. "We have a couple new pieces which will hopefully make the bike a bit better and the new track surface is definitely different. We'll just attack every session and see how we can do on Sunday."
Unfortunately for the 27-year-old, doubts remain that the arm numbness he struggled with in the Czech Republic - caused by a trapped nerve - have been fully cured.
"I've done everything possible in the last week, and it's definitely better," said Spies. "Coming into a weekend knowing you're not 100 percent on top of everything is frustrating, but it's not going to stop us from trying.
"It didn't in Brno, and I'll be giving 100 percent of whatever I've got. I can't say what that'll be right now because I honestly don’t know. All we can do is we get on the bike and try to go as fast as we can."
Spies is presently sixth in the world championship, but within easy reach of fourth place Valentino Rossi (Ducati) with seven rounds to go.
Senna gets F1 return, Heidfeld calls lawyers
F1 News
Date: 25/August/2011
Renault has taken the controversial step of dropping Nick Heidfeld in favour of Bruno Senna for this weekend's Belgian F1 Grand Prix.
F1 veteran Heidfeld was drafted into the Enstone-based team at the start of this year, after team leader Robert Kubica was seriously injured in a rally accident.
34-year-old Heidfeld took a podium in round two (Sepang) and holds eighth in the championship after eleven of 19 rounds, having scored two points more than team-mate Vitaly Petrov.
The reasons behind the driver change have not been revealed. Team management have recently been critical of Heidfeld, but many suspect a financial element in Senna's appointment.
The Brazilian, 27, is the nephew of the late Ayrton Senna. Bruno made his F1 debut with backmarkers HRT during 2010, before switching to a test driver role at Renault for 2011.
A team statement declared: "Lotus Renault GP can confirm that Bruno Senna has been nominated to race alongside Vitaly Petrov at this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix and at the Italian Grand Prix two weeks later.
"The team’s present intention is to give Bruno the opportunity to race for the rest of the season. However, some legal issues have not been fully resolved as yet and, as a result, the team will make another announcement on this matter in due course."
Heidfeld is refusing to go without a fight, appearing in the Spa-Francorchamps paddock on Thursday and insisting that he has a valid contract in place.
As legal discussions continue, Renault's only comment regarding Heidfeld is that he "remains contracted to the team".
Senna was also choosing his words carefully, upon facing the press on Thursday:
"Well, right now, I’m confirmed for this race and the next race but, for some legal issues still to be resolved, they can’t confirm the rest of the year or not. The intentions are that I do it but it still cannot be confirmed."
Complicating the Renault situation further are persistent rumours that Romain Grosjean is being lined-up for a return to Renault later this year.
Grosjean replaced Nelson Piquet Jr for the second half of the 2009 season, but failed to impress. The Frenchman has since rebuilt his reputation in GP2 and looks to be back in favour.
Heidfeld, a former McLaren test driver, made his F1 debut with Prost in 2000 and was a full-time racer until the end of 2009. Heidfeld then drove a partial 2010 season for Sauber before being picked by Renault to replace Kubica.
Heidfeld has taken 13 F1 podiums during his career, but no race wins.
The Renault F1 team, previously Benetton, last won the World Championship with Fernando Alonso in 2006.
Date: 25/August/2011
Renault has taken the controversial step of dropping Nick Heidfeld in favour of Bruno Senna for this weekend's Belgian F1 Grand Prix.
F1 veteran Heidfeld was drafted into the Enstone-based team at the start of this year, after team leader Robert Kubica was seriously injured in a rally accident.
34-year-old Heidfeld took a podium in round two (Sepang) and holds eighth in the championship after eleven of 19 rounds, having scored two points more than team-mate Vitaly Petrov.
The reasons behind the driver change have not been revealed. Team management have recently been critical of Heidfeld, but many suspect a financial element in Senna's appointment.
The Brazilian, 27, is the nephew of the late Ayrton Senna. Bruno made his F1 debut with backmarkers HRT during 2010, before switching to a test driver role at Renault for 2011.
A team statement declared: "Lotus Renault GP can confirm that Bruno Senna has been nominated to race alongside Vitaly Petrov at this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix and at the Italian Grand Prix two weeks later.
"The team’s present intention is to give Bruno the opportunity to race for the rest of the season. However, some legal issues have not been fully resolved as yet and, as a result, the team will make another announcement on this matter in due course."
Heidfeld is refusing to go without a fight, appearing in the Spa-Francorchamps paddock on Thursday and insisting that he has a valid contract in place.
As legal discussions continue, Renault's only comment regarding Heidfeld is that he "remains contracted to the team".
Senna was also choosing his words carefully, upon facing the press on Thursday:
"Well, right now, I’m confirmed for this race and the next race but, for some legal issues still to be resolved, they can’t confirm the rest of the year or not. The intentions are that I do it but it still cannot be confirmed."
Complicating the Renault situation further are persistent rumours that Romain Grosjean is being lined-up for a return to Renault later this year.
Grosjean replaced Nelson Piquet Jr for the second half of the 2009 season, but failed to impress. The Frenchman has since rebuilt his reputation in GP2 and looks to be back in favour.
Heidfeld, a former McLaren test driver, made his F1 debut with Prost in 2000 and was a full-time racer until the end of 2009. Heidfeld then drove a partial 2010 season for Sauber before being picked by Renault to replace Kubica.
Heidfeld has taken 13 F1 podiums during his career, but no race wins.
The Renault F1 team, previously Benetton, last won the World Championship with Fernando Alonso in 2006.
Colin Edwards: I’m not ready to retire
MotoGP News
Date: 24/August/2011
Yamaha appears to be gently nudging Colin Edwards towards MotoGP retirement at the end of 2011, but the man himself insists he has no plans to do so.
Edwards, a former factory Yamaha team-mate of Valentino Rossi, has outlived retirement rumours more than once.
The Texan switched to the satellite Tech 3 Yamaha team for what was billed as his final MotoGP season in 2008, after being forced to make way for Jorge Lorenzo.
Excelling in the more relaxed environment of Herve Poncharal's team, Edwards has been re-signed three times since, and finished fifth in the 2009 championship.
Edwards, 37, has outperformed all his Tech 3 team-mates with the exception of Ben Spies (2010) and has put the French team on the podium four times, most recently at this year's Silverstone round.
But with team-mate Cal Crutchlow on a two-year contract, and Yamaha keen to use Tech 3 to develop up-and-coming riders, Yamaha Motor Racing director Lin Jarvis has been quoted as saying that Edwards - although still competitive - should perhaps call it a day.
Edwards disagrees.
"Probably the worst thing is that I’m not ready to retire," he said. "That would make it easy for everybody. But at the moment, I’m still enjoying it. I’m still having a good time, and I’m still motivated. Until that goes away, I’m going to ride motorcycles."
Edwards' seat is under pressure from the likes of Moto2 title leader Stefan Bradl and Yamaha World Superbike star Eugene Laverty.
In addition to Tech 3 Edwards, a former double WSBK champion, has admitted to talks with the factory BMW Superbike team among other options, but says the situation is unlikely to become clear until at least September's Misano round.
"At the moment, nobody knows exactly what’s going on. I have a little bit of an inclination but I cannot say anything now," he said. "Will we make any kind of announcement at Indy? Probably not. Misano, maybe. We’ve got a few pieces of the puzzle lying around. We’ve just got to put those pieces together."
Despite Yamaha's apparent lack of enthusiasm, the switch to 1000cc engines for 2012 should mean Edwards' development skills are in demand somewhere on the grid.
That is especially true for the new class of 'Claiming Rule Teams' - basically privateer constructors - although it remains to be seen if Edwards would want to take a risk with one of the newcomers.
The gun-totting Texan joked: "Right now I’m working on developing a new load for this new rifle I got. I’m going to stick with that development until somebody wants me to go ride motorcycles."
Edwards is ninth in the world championship, and the leading non-factory bike rider, heading into this weekend's Indianapolis round.
"Sitting ninth in the points, I don’t think anybody can ever be happy about that," said Edwards. "But at the end of the day, we had a bike quit on us while sitting in a podium position in Jerez. Then I broke a collarbone and didn’t race at Barcelona.
"The one podium, at Silverstone, has obviously been the highlight. Apart from that, it’s tough. You’ve got so many factory Hondas out there and Yamahas, and everybody’s riding good.
"You get in the top five or the top six, and it feels like you’ve done something."
Date: 24/August/2011
Yamaha appears to be gently nudging Colin Edwards towards MotoGP retirement at the end of 2011, but the man himself insists he has no plans to do so.
Edwards, a former factory Yamaha team-mate of Valentino Rossi, has outlived retirement rumours more than once.
The Texan switched to the satellite Tech 3 Yamaha team for what was billed as his final MotoGP season in 2008, after being forced to make way for Jorge Lorenzo.
Excelling in the more relaxed environment of Herve Poncharal's team, Edwards has been re-signed three times since, and finished fifth in the 2009 championship.
Edwards, 37, has outperformed all his Tech 3 team-mates with the exception of Ben Spies (2010) and has put the French team on the podium four times, most recently at this year's Silverstone round.
But with team-mate Cal Crutchlow on a two-year contract, and Yamaha keen to use Tech 3 to develop up-and-coming riders, Yamaha Motor Racing director Lin Jarvis has been quoted as saying that Edwards - although still competitive - should perhaps call it a day.
Edwards disagrees.
"Probably the worst thing is that I’m not ready to retire," he said. "That would make it easy for everybody. But at the moment, I’m still enjoying it. I’m still having a good time, and I’m still motivated. Until that goes away, I’m going to ride motorcycles."
Edwards' seat is under pressure from the likes of Moto2 title leader Stefan Bradl and Yamaha World Superbike star Eugene Laverty.
In addition to Tech 3 Edwards, a former double WSBK champion, has admitted to talks with the factory BMW Superbike team among other options, but says the situation is unlikely to become clear until at least September's Misano round.
"At the moment, nobody knows exactly what’s going on. I have a little bit of an inclination but I cannot say anything now," he said. "Will we make any kind of announcement at Indy? Probably not. Misano, maybe. We’ve got a few pieces of the puzzle lying around. We’ve just got to put those pieces together."
Despite Yamaha's apparent lack of enthusiasm, the switch to 1000cc engines for 2012 should mean Edwards' development skills are in demand somewhere on the grid.
That is especially true for the new class of 'Claiming Rule Teams' - basically privateer constructors - although it remains to be seen if Edwards would want to take a risk with one of the newcomers.
The gun-totting Texan joked: "Right now I’m working on developing a new load for this new rifle I got. I’m going to stick with that development until somebody wants me to go ride motorcycles."
Edwards is ninth in the world championship, and the leading non-factory bike rider, heading into this weekend's Indianapolis round.
"Sitting ninth in the points, I don’t think anybody can ever be happy about that," said Edwards. "But at the end of the day, we had a bike quit on us while sitting in a podium position in Jerez. Then I broke a collarbone and didn’t race at Barcelona.
"The one podium, at Silverstone, has obviously been the highlight. Apart from that, it’s tough. You’ve got so many factory Hondas out there and Yamahas, and everybody’s riding good.
"You get in the top five or the top six, and it feels like you’ve done something."
Hayden: MotoGP tyres hurting 'different' Ducati
MotoGP News
Date: 24/August/2011
Ducati's dare-to-be-different approach to its MotoGP prototype is being punished by the single tyre rule.
That's the view of factory rider Nicky Hayden who, like superstar team-mate Valentino Rossi, is working flat-out to extract Ducati from its current struggles, as rumours of a major chassis change continue.
Eleven rounds into the 2011 season and the pair have taken just one podium each, with their fourth (Rossi) and seventh (Hayden) places in the standings masking the sizable performance gap between Ducati and the best of the Japanese bikes.
Since its race-winning 2003 MotoGP debut, Ducati has taken a range of calculated risks - an early switch from Michelin to Bridgestone tyres and subsequent signing of Casey Stoner (after a crash-packed debut season) contributing greatly to its 2007 world championship triumph.
That approach was largely aimed at the need to defeat Rossi as a rival - Ducati concluding that to do so on similar equipment was not feasible.
But now they have the seven-time world champion, Ducati is facing the prospect of flipping its tactics and building a more conventional motorcycle that allows Rossi - currently struggling with a lack of feel - to unleash his talents.
"It’s definitely a different bike," Hayden said of the Ducati. "All of the Japanese bikes kind of have more of a similar feel and similar DNA. Where the Ducati, it’s its own bike, it’s its own brand."
A modified version of the 2011 Desmosedici, the GP11.1, was introduced for Rossi at round seven - Hayden will race it for the first time this weekend at Indianapolis - but all indications are that it isn’t the magic bullet needed.
Instead, rumours are circling that the company will abandon it carbon fibre chassis - and perhaps even its F1-style stressed-engine concept - and adopt a traditional twin-spar aluminium chassis, as used by all its MotoGP rivals.
Hayden feels that MotoGP's move to a single-tyre format for 2009, which ended the possibility of made-to-fit tyres to suit each individual bike, has hurt Ducati's adventurous approach.
"When you have the Ducati working well, it’s an absolute weapon. But we went to spec tyres, which I don’t think has helped the Ducati situation," explained Hayden, the 2006 world champion for Honda.
"When they had more tyre options, a higher-level tyre, it was probably better for our bike and that chassis."
Ever the team player, Hayden is refusing to publically weigh-in on the aluminium debate, but the signs are that Ducati is at least developing a parallel chassis project for 2012.
"We’re learning a lot at Ducati this year," said Hayden. "I’m definitely kicking around ideas for the future. We haven’t got the results we have hoped for. I think the bike certainly is capable of more."
Despite the tough season, Hayden - 15 points behind Rossi - is buoyed by the performance of former Ducati team-mate Stoner, currently leading the world championship for Repsol Honda.
"I’ve always known Casey has the talent," said Hayden. "But also that gives me motivation. Last year at Indy, I outqualified him and was in front of him in the race until my knee slider came off and still led him for a few laps. I’ve got to find hope in that.
"The level is high this year. All of the guys are extremely quick. At the right time, they all impress you… But that front group, Stoner, Pedrosa and Lorenzo, they’re the guys on Sundays really setting the bar. They’re the guys doing it."
First practice for the Indianapolis MotoGP takes place on Friday morning.
Date: 24/August/2011
Ducati's dare-to-be-different approach to its MotoGP prototype is being punished by the single tyre rule.
That's the view of factory rider Nicky Hayden who, like superstar team-mate Valentino Rossi, is working flat-out to extract Ducati from its current struggles, as rumours of a major chassis change continue.
Eleven rounds into the 2011 season and the pair have taken just one podium each, with their fourth (Rossi) and seventh (Hayden) places in the standings masking the sizable performance gap between Ducati and the best of the Japanese bikes.
Since its race-winning 2003 MotoGP debut, Ducati has taken a range of calculated risks - an early switch from Michelin to Bridgestone tyres and subsequent signing of Casey Stoner (after a crash-packed debut season) contributing greatly to its 2007 world championship triumph.
That approach was largely aimed at the need to defeat Rossi as a rival - Ducati concluding that to do so on similar equipment was not feasible.
But now they have the seven-time world champion, Ducati is facing the prospect of flipping its tactics and building a more conventional motorcycle that allows Rossi - currently struggling with a lack of feel - to unleash his talents.
"It’s definitely a different bike," Hayden said of the Ducati. "All of the Japanese bikes kind of have more of a similar feel and similar DNA. Where the Ducati, it’s its own bike, it’s its own brand."
A modified version of the 2011 Desmosedici, the GP11.1, was introduced for Rossi at round seven - Hayden will race it for the first time this weekend at Indianapolis - but all indications are that it isn’t the magic bullet needed.
Instead, rumours are circling that the company will abandon it carbon fibre chassis - and perhaps even its F1-style stressed-engine concept - and adopt a traditional twin-spar aluminium chassis, as used by all its MotoGP rivals.
Hayden feels that MotoGP's move to a single-tyre format for 2009, which ended the possibility of made-to-fit tyres to suit each individual bike, has hurt Ducati's adventurous approach.
"When you have the Ducati working well, it’s an absolute weapon. But we went to spec tyres, which I don’t think has helped the Ducati situation," explained Hayden, the 2006 world champion for Honda.
"When they had more tyre options, a higher-level tyre, it was probably better for our bike and that chassis."
Ever the team player, Hayden is refusing to publically weigh-in on the aluminium debate, but the signs are that Ducati is at least developing a parallel chassis project for 2012.
"We’re learning a lot at Ducati this year," said Hayden. "I’m definitely kicking around ideas for the future. We haven’t got the results we have hoped for. I think the bike certainly is capable of more."
Despite the tough season, Hayden - 15 points behind Rossi - is buoyed by the performance of former Ducati team-mate Stoner, currently leading the world championship for Repsol Honda.
"I’ve always known Casey has the talent," said Hayden. "But also that gives me motivation. Last year at Indy, I outqualified him and was in front of him in the race until my knee slider came off and still led him for a few laps. I’ve got to find hope in that.
"The level is high this year. All of the guys are extremely quick. At the right time, they all impress you… But that front group, Stoner, Pedrosa and Lorenzo, they’re the guys on Sundays really setting the bar. They’re the guys doing it."
First practice for the Indianapolis MotoGP takes place on Friday morning.
F1 bursts back into life at Spa
F1 News
Date: 22/August/2011
The month-long F1 summer break comes to an end with the Belgian Grand Prix at the magnificent Spa-Francorchamps circuit this Sunday.
Representing round twelve of 19, the second part of the season will begin with reigning champion Sebastian Vettel enjoying a massive 85-point lead over Red Bull team-mate and nearest rival Mark Webber.
Vettel has won six of the eleven races so far this year, compared with just two wins at the same point last season.
First or second in every race this season other than Germany (fourth) Vettel has already collected 98 points more than this time last year - and is only 22 points behind his entire 2010 tally!
For Webber - a triple race winner by this time last year, but winless in 2011 - to overturn Vettel's advantage he would need to outscore the young German by an average of 10.7 points over the remaining rounds.
The task is ever greater for former world champions Lewis Hamilton (McLaren), Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) and Jenson Button (McLaren), who have all won this year but are presently languishing 88, 89 and 100 points respectively behind Vettel.
Hamilton and Button have both won two races - the same as this time last year - while Alonso's single win is one less than last year.
If 2010 is anything to go by, Vettel and Alonso will be the drivers to beat in the remaining races - each having won three grands prix from the final eight rounds of last year.
The remaining rounds will be held at the same venues as last year, with the exception of the new Indian event.
A 64-point gap separates Button from Alonso's Ferrari team-mate Felipe Massa, in sixth.
The Brazilian had scored three podiums by this time last year but, like Webber, seems to have noticeably lost pace relative to his team-mate in the first year of Pirelli tyres.
Massa's nearest challenger, Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg, needs to find 22 points to catch the former title contender.
Rosberg finished seventh in last year's championship, but will feel far less satisfaction from holding that position this time around, having taken three podiums by this time last year, but has only a best of fifth (twice) this year.
Despite recent criticism, Renault substitute Nick Heidfeld is matching predecessor Robert Kubica's final 2010 position of eighth, although the Pole could boast two podiums to Heidfeld's one at the stage of last year.
Team-mate Vitaly Petrov began his second year in style with a podium in Australia and is presently just two points from Heidfeld, an improvement of four places over his final 2010 ranking.
Rounding out the top ten is F1 legend Michael Schumacher, whose second season since coming out of retirement to join Mercedes is yet to yield the kind of results expected.
Currently one place behind his final 2010 ranking, Schumacher's best result of this year is a fourth place in Canada - a result he had achieved twice by this time last year.
But if Schumacher is disappointed, spare a thought for former Ferrari team-mate Rubens Barrichello. Tenth at the end of last year with 47 points, the Williams driver has sunk to 17th place, having scored just four points so far this year.
At the tail end of the grid, the 'new' teams that arrived at the start of 2010, are still chasing their first world championship point. Jarno Trulli (Lotus) and Vittoriano Liuzzi (HRT) have so far got closest with 13th place finishes.
Date: 22/August/2011
The month-long F1 summer break comes to an end with the Belgian Grand Prix at the magnificent Spa-Francorchamps circuit this Sunday.
Representing round twelve of 19, the second part of the season will begin with reigning champion Sebastian Vettel enjoying a massive 85-point lead over Red Bull team-mate and nearest rival Mark Webber.
Vettel has won six of the eleven races so far this year, compared with just two wins at the same point last season.
First or second in every race this season other than Germany (fourth) Vettel has already collected 98 points more than this time last year - and is only 22 points behind his entire 2010 tally!
For Webber - a triple race winner by this time last year, but winless in 2011 - to overturn Vettel's advantage he would need to outscore the young German by an average of 10.7 points over the remaining rounds.
The task is ever greater for former world champions Lewis Hamilton (McLaren), Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) and Jenson Button (McLaren), who have all won this year but are presently languishing 88, 89 and 100 points respectively behind Vettel.
Hamilton and Button have both won two races - the same as this time last year - while Alonso's single win is one less than last year.
If 2010 is anything to go by, Vettel and Alonso will be the drivers to beat in the remaining races - each having won three grands prix from the final eight rounds of last year.
The remaining rounds will be held at the same venues as last year, with the exception of the new Indian event.
A 64-point gap separates Button from Alonso's Ferrari team-mate Felipe Massa, in sixth.
The Brazilian had scored three podiums by this time last year but, like Webber, seems to have noticeably lost pace relative to his team-mate in the first year of Pirelli tyres.
Massa's nearest challenger, Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg, needs to find 22 points to catch the former title contender.
Rosberg finished seventh in last year's championship, but will feel far less satisfaction from holding that position this time around, having taken three podiums by this time last year, but has only a best of fifth (twice) this year.
Despite recent criticism, Renault substitute Nick Heidfeld is matching predecessor Robert Kubica's final 2010 position of eighth, although the Pole could boast two podiums to Heidfeld's one at the stage of last year.
Team-mate Vitaly Petrov began his second year in style with a podium in Australia and is presently just two points from Heidfeld, an improvement of four places over his final 2010 ranking.
Rounding out the top ten is F1 legend Michael Schumacher, whose second season since coming out of retirement to join Mercedes is yet to yield the kind of results expected.
Currently one place behind his final 2010 ranking, Schumacher's best result of this year is a fourth place in Canada - a result he had achieved twice by this time last year.
But if Schumacher is disappointed, spare a thought for former Ferrari team-mate Rubens Barrichello. Tenth at the end of last year with 47 points, the Williams driver has sunk to 17th place, having scored just four points so far this year.
At the tail end of the grid, the 'new' teams that arrived at the start of 2010, are still chasing their first world championship point. Jarno Trulli (Lotus) and Vittoriano Liuzzi (HRT) have so far got closest with 13th place finishes.
Stoner: I was sulking!
MotoGP News
Date: 19/August/2011
Casey Stoner cut a forlorn figure for much of the Czech Republic MotoGP weekend, the world championship leader being seen with his head in his hands as he struggled to keep pace with team-mate Dani Pedrosa and title rival Jorge Lorenzo.
That same Casey Stoner went on to win by 6.5-seconds and build his championship advantage to 32 points, the biggest it has been all season.
So how did he do it?
The answer was a late set-up breakthrough by his Repsol Honda team and then two very different mistakes by his nearest rivals.
"We were shooting in the dark going into the race," confirmed Stoner. "To be honest I was sulking a little bit this morning, because we couldn't understand why the bike wasn't giving us the feedback we needed.
"So we tried something different for the race and it was better right from the start. As soon as I got by Andrea [Dovizioso] and went after Dani and Jorge, I found it quite easy to do the pace.
"The team did a great job to give me a bit more edge grip, which we'd been struggling with all weekend. I was able to attack the corners a little bit harder. I had a fantastic bike for the race."
By the end of lap two, Stoner was directly behind race leaders Pedrosa and Lorenzo. But Lorenzo, Yamaha's reigning world champion, had made a surprise gamble in the form of the softer Bridgestone front tyre.
Just one other rider made the same decision - Suzuki's Alvaro Bautista, who crashed out - and Lorenzo was soon starting to suffer.
"I was a little surprised by Jorge's tyre choice, but I can understand," said Stoner. "The softer tyre gives you a little bit more confidence in the long corners. But being a hot as the race, it was a unique decision for sure."
Pedrosa and Stoner both overtook Lorenzo early on lap three - with Pedrosa, the dominant force all weekend, sliding out of the lead just moments later!
"As soon as I got past Jorge, unfortunately Dani crashed," confirmed Stoner.
"It went really quick. It looked like it just slammed him down, like my crash in the wet [on Saturday]. It was a little bit strange for sure.
"Without that it would have been a hard race, but that's the way things went.
"I would have liked to follow Dani for a few laps and see what lines he was running and what apexes he was using.
"But with the different set-up on our bikes I was going to have to run my own race anyway. Although it would have been interesting to see what pace I could hold relative to Dani."
Stoner then cruised to his sixth win from the eleven rounds, with Dovizioso second and Simoncelli third for an all-Honda podium. Lorenzo faded to fourth place.
"This win felt good for sure," smiled Stoner. "Like Laguna but in a different way. In Laguna we were not quite as far off - here we really weren't sure of what we had going into the race. To win that convincingly was something sweet for sure."
Stoner, the 2007 world champion, also admitted that the points gain was "hugely important", but rejected the notion that Brno was the decisive moment of the 2011 season.
"Everybody is always trying to pick a decisive point," replied Stoner. "That can be any part of the season - you don't know until the end of the year when you look back. For me the decisive point is when it's done."
Emerging victorious after struggling in practice for the last two events may be an ominous sign for the opposition, but Stoner wants a far less complicated weekend at Indianapolis later this month.
"In the last few races we've struggled to get on our feet quickly. It's taken too long to get our speed up," he warned. "We've got some work to do in the next two weeks to try and understand what kind of direction we need to go in with this bike.
"I'd like things to have been more comfortable than the last few weekends, but it's still worked out. Big thanks to my team and everyone for never giving up on me."
Stoner, in his first season with Honda, is aiming to hand the Japanese giant its first MotoGP title since Nicky Hayden in 2006.
Date: 19/August/2011
Casey Stoner cut a forlorn figure for much of the Czech Republic MotoGP weekend, the world championship leader being seen with his head in his hands as he struggled to keep pace with team-mate Dani Pedrosa and title rival Jorge Lorenzo.
That same Casey Stoner went on to win by 6.5-seconds and build his championship advantage to 32 points, the biggest it has been all season.
So how did he do it?
The answer was a late set-up breakthrough by his Repsol Honda team and then two very different mistakes by his nearest rivals.
"We were shooting in the dark going into the race," confirmed Stoner. "To be honest I was sulking a little bit this morning, because we couldn't understand why the bike wasn't giving us the feedback we needed.
"So we tried something different for the race and it was better right from the start. As soon as I got by Andrea [Dovizioso] and went after Dani and Jorge, I found it quite easy to do the pace.
"The team did a great job to give me a bit more edge grip, which we'd been struggling with all weekend. I was able to attack the corners a little bit harder. I had a fantastic bike for the race."
By the end of lap two, Stoner was directly behind race leaders Pedrosa and Lorenzo. But Lorenzo, Yamaha's reigning world champion, had made a surprise gamble in the form of the softer Bridgestone front tyre.
Just one other rider made the same decision - Suzuki's Alvaro Bautista, who crashed out - and Lorenzo was soon starting to suffer.
"I was a little surprised by Jorge's tyre choice, but I can understand," said Stoner. "The softer tyre gives you a little bit more confidence in the long corners. But being a hot as the race, it was a unique decision for sure."
Pedrosa and Stoner both overtook Lorenzo early on lap three - with Pedrosa, the dominant force all weekend, sliding out of the lead just moments later!
"As soon as I got past Jorge, unfortunately Dani crashed," confirmed Stoner.
"It went really quick. It looked like it just slammed him down, like my crash in the wet [on Saturday]. It was a little bit strange for sure.
"Without that it would have been a hard race, but that's the way things went.
"I would have liked to follow Dani for a few laps and see what lines he was running and what apexes he was using.
"But with the different set-up on our bikes I was going to have to run my own race anyway. Although it would have been interesting to see what pace I could hold relative to Dani."
Stoner then cruised to his sixth win from the eleven rounds, with Dovizioso second and Simoncelli third for an all-Honda podium. Lorenzo faded to fourth place.
"This win felt good for sure," smiled Stoner. "Like Laguna but in a different way. In Laguna we were not quite as far off - here we really weren't sure of what we had going into the race. To win that convincingly was something sweet for sure."
Stoner, the 2007 world champion, also admitted that the points gain was "hugely important", but rejected the notion that Brno was the decisive moment of the 2011 season.
"Everybody is always trying to pick a decisive point," replied Stoner. "That can be any part of the season - you don't know until the end of the year when you look back. For me the decisive point is when it's done."
Emerging victorious after struggling in practice for the last two events may be an ominous sign for the opposition, but Stoner wants a far less complicated weekend at Indianapolis later this month.
"In the last few races we've struggled to get on our feet quickly. It's taken too long to get our speed up," he warned. "We've got some work to do in the next two weeks to try and understand what kind of direction we need to go in with this bike.
"I'd like things to have been more comfortable than the last few weekends, but it's still worked out. Big thanks to my team and everyone for never giving up on me."
Stoner, in his first season with Honda, is aiming to hand the Japanese giant its first MotoGP title since Nicky Hayden in 2006.
Schumacher at Mercedes in 2012 'like it or not'
F1 News
Date: 17/August/2011
Michael Schumacher has attempted to stamp out rumours that he will quit F1, for a second and final time, at the end of this season.
The seven-time world champion, who spent the majority of his glittering career at Ferrari, was tempted out of a three-year retirement by the chance to drive for the new Mercedes GP team in 2010.
The German legend, driving a Silver Arrow designed by then reigning champion designer Ross Brawn - in whose cars Schumacher achieved most of his F1 success - seemed like a match made in heaven. Unfortunately, the results are yet to follow the script…
Midway through his second season back and Schumacher, a winner of 91 grands prix and podium finisher in 154 events, is yet to even stand on the rostrum.
The 42-year-old finished ninth overall last season and is currently tenth in this year's championship, 16 points and three places behind young team-mate Nico Rosberg - but insist he won’t throw in the towel.
“Despite some funny rumours and stupid, untruthful stories I keep repeating myself, that you will have to see me in 2012. If you like it or not, I will be there!" said Schumacher.
"The good thing is that I have lots of support from all around, in particular from the company and team. They wish me to be there. I wish to be there and I’m looking forward to it.”
The forthcoming Belgian Grand Prix at Spa will mark Schumacher's return to a circuit where he made his F1 debut in 1991, qualifying seventh as a stand-in driver for Jordan after Bertrand Gachot was imprisoned!
Reflecting on his unlikely entry into F1, Schumacher also revealed the behind-the-scene role Mercedes - whom Schumacher was then driving for in Sports Car racing - had played.
“F1 was more the plan for ’92, but then we got the opportunity [with Jordan]. Mercedes supported this, both financially and from the management side, to get me into Formula One," said Schumacher, whose one-off Jordan drive was rumoured to have cost Mercedes a six-figure sum.
Despite accepting a comeback chance with Ferrari in 2009 as a stand-in for the injured Felipe Massa, which Schumacher eventually had to abort due to motorcycle injuries, the German insists he would not have returned with another team.
“The loop is closing again, with me coming back after all these years to Mercedes, in order to succeed in the mission to make Mercedes world champion," he said.
“That is something that I’m happy about and it’s certainly the only combination that triggered my thoughts to seriously think about a comeback.
"When Ross asked me to return, I said give me two days to think it over. I decided ‘why not?’ I’m still fit enough, I’m still mentally ready for it and I like a challenge.”
So why is Schumacher struggling to get even anywhere near his past success?
Since being taken over by Mercedes, the previously titled Honda and then Brawn GP team has lost considerable ground to the 'big three' of Red Bull, McLaren and Ferrari.
But uncompetitive cars aside, being regularly beaten by a team-mate isn’t something the 'old' Michael ever had to tolerate.
Some say Schumacher is simply less intense than before - making him a more relaxed, but slower, driver. The man himself insists the 2011 'Schumi' contains the same characteristics.
“I'm older, but no less competitive from my point of view and certainly no less determined," he stated.
Schumacher now has until the end of 2012 to prove his doubters wrong, starting where it all began, at Spa-Francorchamps on August 28.
Schumacher qualified seventh on his F1 debut in 1991, but retired early from the race with clutch problems.
Benetton had seen enough and quickly prised Schumacher from Jordan for the following race. Schumacher went on to win his first two world titles for the Benetton before joining Ferrari in 1996.
Date: 17/August/2011
Michael Schumacher has attempted to stamp out rumours that he will quit F1, for a second and final time, at the end of this season.
The seven-time world champion, who spent the majority of his glittering career at Ferrari, was tempted out of a three-year retirement by the chance to drive for the new Mercedes GP team in 2010.
The German legend, driving a Silver Arrow designed by then reigning champion designer Ross Brawn - in whose cars Schumacher achieved most of his F1 success - seemed like a match made in heaven. Unfortunately, the results are yet to follow the script…
Midway through his second season back and Schumacher, a winner of 91 grands prix and podium finisher in 154 events, is yet to even stand on the rostrum.
The 42-year-old finished ninth overall last season and is currently tenth in this year's championship, 16 points and three places behind young team-mate Nico Rosberg - but insist he won’t throw in the towel.
“Despite some funny rumours and stupid, untruthful stories I keep repeating myself, that you will have to see me in 2012. If you like it or not, I will be there!" said Schumacher.
"The good thing is that I have lots of support from all around, in particular from the company and team. They wish me to be there. I wish to be there and I’m looking forward to it.”
The forthcoming Belgian Grand Prix at Spa will mark Schumacher's return to a circuit where he made his F1 debut in 1991, qualifying seventh as a stand-in driver for Jordan after Bertrand Gachot was imprisoned!
Reflecting on his unlikely entry into F1, Schumacher also revealed the behind-the-scene role Mercedes - whom Schumacher was then driving for in Sports Car racing - had played.
“F1 was more the plan for ’92, but then we got the opportunity [with Jordan]. Mercedes supported this, both financially and from the management side, to get me into Formula One," said Schumacher, whose one-off Jordan drive was rumoured to have cost Mercedes a six-figure sum.
Despite accepting a comeback chance with Ferrari in 2009 as a stand-in for the injured Felipe Massa, which Schumacher eventually had to abort due to motorcycle injuries, the German insists he would not have returned with another team.
“The loop is closing again, with me coming back after all these years to Mercedes, in order to succeed in the mission to make Mercedes world champion," he said.
“That is something that I’m happy about and it’s certainly the only combination that triggered my thoughts to seriously think about a comeback.
"When Ross asked me to return, I said give me two days to think it over. I decided ‘why not?’ I’m still fit enough, I’m still mentally ready for it and I like a challenge.”
So why is Schumacher struggling to get even anywhere near his past success?
Since being taken over by Mercedes, the previously titled Honda and then Brawn GP team has lost considerable ground to the 'big three' of Red Bull, McLaren and Ferrari.
But uncompetitive cars aside, being regularly beaten by a team-mate isn’t something the 'old' Michael ever had to tolerate.
Some say Schumacher is simply less intense than before - making him a more relaxed, but slower, driver. The man himself insists the 2011 'Schumi' contains the same characteristics.
“I'm older, but no less competitive from my point of view and certainly no less determined," he stated.
Schumacher now has until the end of 2012 to prove his doubters wrong, starting where it all began, at Spa-Francorchamps on August 28.
Schumacher qualified seventh on his F1 debut in 1991, but retired early from the race with clutch problems.
Benetton had seen enough and quickly prised Schumacher from Jordan for the following race. Schumacher went on to win his first two world titles for the Benetton before joining Ferrari in 1996.
Honda: Six 'equal' bikes at start of 2012
MotoGP News
Date: 16/August/2011
HRC vice president Shuhei Nakamoto has revealed that Honda will once again support six MotoGP riders in the 2012 World Championship.
According to Nakamoto, HRC is facing a 30 percent reduction in its budget - and the new 1000cc rules mean that this year's 800cc factory bikes cannot be upgraded and leased as next year's satellite machines, as is usually the case.
Nevertheless, Nakamoto claims that all six RC213Vs - two of which will be for Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa in the official team and four for satellite riders - will be technically equal at the start of the season. With one exception:
"The transmission," Nakamoto told reporters at Brno. "The satellite teams that want to use the new gearbox must pay for it separately."
That's because it is no ordinary gearbox. This winter Honda introduced a new seamless-shift transmission, which reduces - and some say eliminates - the 'dead time' between gear shifts.
And acceleration is only part of the gain. The new transmission not only engages more quickly, but more smoothly, a highly-valued characteristic when a rider is leant over on the limit of adhesion.
However it has one big drawback: "The gearbox costs more than my house!" joked Nakamoto. For that reason, satellite teams will have to purchase the technology separately.
It is not clear if Honda will allow a 'try before you buy' system, but the more financially challenged team managers are sure to try and calculate how much time the gearbox gains over an average lap and if it is worth the extra cost.
This year, the four factory Hondas have the special gearbox, while the satellite bikes of Hiroshi Aoyama (Gresini) and Toni Elias (LCR) do not.
Nakamoto added that Honda will only lease complete motorcycles - ending any chance of a Claiming Rule Team, a new privateer class being created for 2012, putting an RCV engine in its own frame.
Stoner and Pedrosa are presently the only Honda riders signed for 2012. HRC is working on a budget to retain Andrea Dovizioso and Marco Simoncelli, who presently have factory status, although Dovizioso looks set to leave Repsol for a satellite team.
Elias is all-but-certain to leave LCR after a miserable season, while Moto2 championship leader Stefan Bradl is tipped to graduate to the premier-class. If Aoyama stays alongside Simoncelli at Gresini, that would create the six Honda riders.
Date: 16/August/2011
HRC vice president Shuhei Nakamoto has revealed that Honda will once again support six MotoGP riders in the 2012 World Championship.
According to Nakamoto, HRC is facing a 30 percent reduction in its budget - and the new 1000cc rules mean that this year's 800cc factory bikes cannot be upgraded and leased as next year's satellite machines, as is usually the case.
Nevertheless, Nakamoto claims that all six RC213Vs - two of which will be for Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa in the official team and four for satellite riders - will be technically equal at the start of the season. With one exception:
"The transmission," Nakamoto told reporters at Brno. "The satellite teams that want to use the new gearbox must pay for it separately."
That's because it is no ordinary gearbox. This winter Honda introduced a new seamless-shift transmission, which reduces - and some say eliminates - the 'dead time' between gear shifts.
And acceleration is only part of the gain. The new transmission not only engages more quickly, but more smoothly, a highly-valued characteristic when a rider is leant over on the limit of adhesion.
However it has one big drawback: "The gearbox costs more than my house!" joked Nakamoto. For that reason, satellite teams will have to purchase the technology separately.
It is not clear if Honda will allow a 'try before you buy' system, but the more financially challenged team managers are sure to try and calculate how much time the gearbox gains over an average lap and if it is worth the extra cost.
This year, the four factory Hondas have the special gearbox, while the satellite bikes of Hiroshi Aoyama (Gresini) and Toni Elias (LCR) do not.
Nakamoto added that Honda will only lease complete motorcycles - ending any chance of a Claiming Rule Team, a new privateer class being created for 2012, putting an RCV engine in its own frame.
Stoner and Pedrosa are presently the only Honda riders signed for 2012. HRC is working on a budget to retain Andrea Dovizioso and Marco Simoncelli, who presently have factory status, although Dovizioso looks set to leave Repsol for a satellite team.
Elias is all-but-certain to leave LCR after a miserable season, while Moto2 championship leader Stefan Bradl is tipped to graduate to the premier-class. If Aoyama stays alongside Simoncelli at Gresini, that would create the six Honda riders.
'You're hired?' Dovizioso, Simoncelli waiting for Honda decision
MotoGP News
Date: 15/August/2011
Andrea Dovizioso and Marco Simoncelli formed two-parts of Honda's podium sweep at the Czech Republic MotoGP on Sunday. The Italians were just over six-seconds from race winner and world championship leader Casey Stoner, but both had good reason to celebrate.
For Stoner's team-mate Dovizioso, second place marked his fifth rostrum of the year and strengthened his hold on third in the championship. For Simoncelli, it was his first podium in the premier-class and reduced the immense pressure to stop crashing and start delivering.
But both are nevertheless fighting for their Honda futures, with HRC unwilling, or unable, to continue its present level of MotoGP investment.
Honda currently supports six MotoGP riders: Four (Stoner, Pedrosa, Dovizioso and Simoncelli) are full factory riders using the latest machinery, while two others (Hiroshi Aoyama and Toni Elias) have the use of lower-spec satellite machines.
The official three-man Repsol team looks certain to be cut back to two and, with Stoner and Dani Pedrosa already signed, Dovizioso - a Honda rider for his entire grand prix career - knows that he faces being farmed out to a satellite team for 2012.
Indeed, he seems resigned to it.
The most important thing for Dovizioso is that he continues to get the latest specification 'factory' machinery and technical support from Honda next year, rather than a satellite bike.
However, since 2012 is the first year of the new 1000cc rules the difference between factory and satellite - usually the previous season's factory bikes - is likely to be blurred.
Dovizioso's most likely destination is LCR Honda.
A factory bike in a satellite team has allowed Simoncelli to become a regular frontrunner in his second season of MotoGP, at Gresini. Simoncelli wants to stay put, but is also unsigned and eagerly waiting to hear if Honda can continue offering factory treatment.
HRC boss Shuhei Nakamoto expects to inform both Dovizioso and Simoncelli about their Honda options by the end of this month.
Nakamoto told Italy's Gazetta dello Sport: "We want to hold on to [Dovizioso and Simoncelli] and we'll try to, even though these are difficult times. For sure, as a racing department, there will be a decrease to our budget, which will be defined in September.
"But we can't wait that long: we need to find an agreement by Indianapolis. We'll talk to Simoncelli and Dovizioso and we'll try to keep them. We have no preference, because they both have positive and negative sides.
"We'd like to build four bikes next year, in fact they'll almost certainly be five. The fifth will be ridden by a German-speaking rider."
That would mean two bikes at Repsol, and then three divided between LCR and Gresini. The 'German-speaking rider' is Moto2 title leader Stefan Bradl.
Assuming both Simoncelli and Dovizioso remain, Aoyama - the only Japanese rider on the grid - faces being without a ride. After a nightmare season reigning Moto2 champion Elias is certain to leave LCR, and will probably return to Moto2.
Stoner and Pedrosa will test Honda's new 1000cc motorcycle at Brno on Monday, but the lack of a signed contract means Dovizioso and Simoncelli will be restricted to this year's 800cc bikes.
Yamaha and Ducati already have their (two-man) 2012 factory team line-ups decided, with their present riders also staying put, restricting the alternative options for those out of contract this year.
Date: 15/August/2011
Andrea Dovizioso and Marco Simoncelli formed two-parts of Honda's podium sweep at the Czech Republic MotoGP on Sunday. The Italians were just over six-seconds from race winner and world championship leader Casey Stoner, but both had good reason to celebrate.
For Stoner's team-mate Dovizioso, second place marked his fifth rostrum of the year and strengthened his hold on third in the championship. For Simoncelli, it was his first podium in the premier-class and reduced the immense pressure to stop crashing and start delivering.
But both are nevertheless fighting for their Honda futures, with HRC unwilling, or unable, to continue its present level of MotoGP investment.
Honda currently supports six MotoGP riders: Four (Stoner, Pedrosa, Dovizioso and Simoncelli) are full factory riders using the latest machinery, while two others (Hiroshi Aoyama and Toni Elias) have the use of lower-spec satellite machines.
The official three-man Repsol team looks certain to be cut back to two and, with Stoner and Dani Pedrosa already signed, Dovizioso - a Honda rider for his entire grand prix career - knows that he faces being farmed out to a satellite team for 2012.
Indeed, he seems resigned to it.
The most important thing for Dovizioso is that he continues to get the latest specification 'factory' machinery and technical support from Honda next year, rather than a satellite bike.
However, since 2012 is the first year of the new 1000cc rules the difference between factory and satellite - usually the previous season's factory bikes - is likely to be blurred.
Dovizioso's most likely destination is LCR Honda.
A factory bike in a satellite team has allowed Simoncelli to become a regular frontrunner in his second season of MotoGP, at Gresini. Simoncelli wants to stay put, but is also unsigned and eagerly waiting to hear if Honda can continue offering factory treatment.
HRC boss Shuhei Nakamoto expects to inform both Dovizioso and Simoncelli about their Honda options by the end of this month.
Nakamoto told Italy's Gazetta dello Sport: "We want to hold on to [Dovizioso and Simoncelli] and we'll try to, even though these are difficult times. For sure, as a racing department, there will be a decrease to our budget, which will be defined in September.
"But we can't wait that long: we need to find an agreement by Indianapolis. We'll talk to Simoncelli and Dovizioso and we'll try to keep them. We have no preference, because they both have positive and negative sides.
"We'd like to build four bikes next year, in fact they'll almost certainly be five. The fifth will be ridden by a German-speaking rider."
That would mean two bikes at Repsol, and then three divided between LCR and Gresini. The 'German-speaking rider' is Moto2 title leader Stefan Bradl.
Assuming both Simoncelli and Dovizioso remain, Aoyama - the only Japanese rider on the grid - faces being without a ride. After a nightmare season reigning Moto2 champion Elias is certain to leave LCR, and will probably return to Moto2.
Stoner and Pedrosa will test Honda's new 1000cc motorcycle at Brno on Monday, but the lack of a signed contract means Dovizioso and Simoncelli will be restricted to this year's 800cc bikes.
Yamaha and Ducati already have their (two-man) 2012 factory team line-ups decided, with their present riders also staying put, restricting the alternative options for those out of contract this year.
Why John Hopkins was injured at Brno
MotoGP News
Date: 13/August/2011
When a motorcycle racer crashes the chance of injury is usually in the lap of the gods. Once physical contact with the motorcycle is lost, there is very little a rider can do.
But John Hopkins believes his actions, after falling, were to blame for the nasty hand injury that ruled the American out of his second MotoGP appearance of the season, at Brno in the Czech Republic.
After an impressive performance in Friday practice Hopkins lost the front of his Rizla Suzuki early in Saturday's wet practice session, sending him sliding down the road at high speed. It was then that Hopkins made his 'stupid mistake'.
Racing full time in the British Superbike Championship this season, on tracks with far less run-off area, 'Hopper' instinctively used his extremities to try and slow down as much as possible - fearing he would hit a wall.
He didn’t need to. The Brno circuit, like most MotoGP tracks, has ample run-off - and pressing his hands onto the asphalt proved a disastrous decision when his right-hand dug into the gravel trap.
Hopkins, 28, said: "I must apologise to the whole team for making such a stupid mistake. It was the smallest crash under braking in the wet conditions and as I slid along I kept my hand on the ground to try and slow me down, but as soon as I hit the gravel it went in and mangled my hand right up."
Hopkins broke three fingers in the incident and will require surgery.
"The index and middle finger are just normal fractures that probably wouldn’t have kept me off the bike, but the third finger has separated and split down the middle from the knuckle," he explained.
"It’s not a case of pain, strength or anything like that, it’s simply that I can’t bend the finger or both bones could come through the skin, so it would have been impossible to hold on to the bike."
Adding to the sense of 'what if' was the fact that MotoGP Championship leader Casey Stoner had walked away unharmed from a near identical fall at the very same turn.
"It was on exactly the same corner that Casey had done the same thing at the start of the session, but John was just less lucky and as he entered the gravel trap the angle of his hand meant that the impact folded his fingers," confirmed Suzuki team manager Paul Denning.
Hopkins, who finished tenth as a stand-in for injured Suzuki rider Alvaro Bautista at Jerez earlier this year, now has until the end of August to recover before his next BSB event.
And Hopkins, currently second in the BSB series, insists that his plans for a full time MotoGP return in 2012 won’t be derailed by the injury.
“This is just another small setback in my journey to get back to full time MotoGP," he declared. "This is not the last time you’ll see me at a Grand Prix, I’m still destined to be back here, whether it’s this year or next I don’t know, but I will be back here!”
Hopkins, a full time MotoGP rider from 2002-2008, claimed his best ever MotoGP finish with second at the 2007 Czech Republic Grand Prix, also with Suzuki.
Date: 13/August/2011
When a motorcycle racer crashes the chance of injury is usually in the lap of the gods. Once physical contact with the motorcycle is lost, there is very little a rider can do.
But John Hopkins believes his actions, after falling, were to blame for the nasty hand injury that ruled the American out of his second MotoGP appearance of the season, at Brno in the Czech Republic.
After an impressive performance in Friday practice Hopkins lost the front of his Rizla Suzuki early in Saturday's wet practice session, sending him sliding down the road at high speed. It was then that Hopkins made his 'stupid mistake'.
Racing full time in the British Superbike Championship this season, on tracks with far less run-off area, 'Hopper' instinctively used his extremities to try and slow down as much as possible - fearing he would hit a wall.
He didn’t need to. The Brno circuit, like most MotoGP tracks, has ample run-off - and pressing his hands onto the asphalt proved a disastrous decision when his right-hand dug into the gravel trap.
Hopkins, 28, said: "I must apologise to the whole team for making such a stupid mistake. It was the smallest crash under braking in the wet conditions and as I slid along I kept my hand on the ground to try and slow me down, but as soon as I hit the gravel it went in and mangled my hand right up."
Hopkins broke three fingers in the incident and will require surgery.
"The index and middle finger are just normal fractures that probably wouldn’t have kept me off the bike, but the third finger has separated and split down the middle from the knuckle," he explained.
"It’s not a case of pain, strength or anything like that, it’s simply that I can’t bend the finger or both bones could come through the skin, so it would have been impossible to hold on to the bike."
Adding to the sense of 'what if' was the fact that MotoGP Championship leader Casey Stoner had walked away unharmed from a near identical fall at the very same turn.
"It was on exactly the same corner that Casey had done the same thing at the start of the session, but John was just less lucky and as he entered the gravel trap the angle of his hand meant that the impact folded his fingers," confirmed Suzuki team manager Paul Denning.
Hopkins, who finished tenth as a stand-in for injured Suzuki rider Alvaro Bautista at Jerez earlier this year, now has until the end of August to recover before his next BSB event.
And Hopkins, currently second in the BSB series, insists that his plans for a full time MotoGP return in 2012 won’t be derailed by the injury.
“This is just another small setback in my journey to get back to full time MotoGP," he declared. "This is not the last time you’ll see me at a Grand Prix, I’m still destined to be back here, whether it’s this year or next I don’t know, but I will be back here!”
Hopkins, a full time MotoGP rider from 2002-2008, claimed his best ever MotoGP finish with second at the 2007 Czech Republic Grand Prix, also with Suzuki.
Rossi mocks Melandri over Ducati quit rumours
MotoGP News
Date: 11/August/2011
The MotoGP summer break always spawns unlikely rumours, and the 'best' from this year's holiday period was that Valentino Rossi would quit Ducati after just one season and head for Honda in 2012.
Fellow Italian Marco Melandri, a former MotoGP title runner-up who is now battling for the World Superbike crown, appeared to be the source of the story and Rossi served up his light-hearted revenge on Thursday in Brno.
Rossi said: "Yes, I read something from my new manager, Superbike rider Marco Melandri, who seems to know everything about my decision for next year!
"Joking aside, it is not in doubt. The contract is signed and the situation is 100 percent fixed. So for sure I will race with Ducati again next year - if Melandri agrees!"
Melandri meanwhile claims that his 'Rossi to Gresini Honda' comments weren't meant to be taken seriously.
Writing on his Twitter page, he explained: "Kidding I said Rossi was looking for a Honda and everyone wrote about it… Why do I always have to look like a bad boy? Just let me race."
Rossi won his first three MotoGP world championships for Honda before a somewhat acrimonious split at the end of 2003. The Italian then moved to underdogs Yamaha, where he won a further four titles, before joining Ducati at the start of this year.
But Rossi has only taken one podium on the carbon-fibre framed Desmosedici and Melandri seems to have provided the quote many in the Italian press had been waiting for about a possible divorce.
In reality, both Rossi and team-mate Nicky Hayden have a Ducati contract in place for 2012, when MotoGP will switch from 800 to 1000cc engines.
Date: 11/August/2011
The MotoGP summer break always spawns unlikely rumours, and the 'best' from this year's holiday period was that Valentino Rossi would quit Ducati after just one season and head for Honda in 2012.
Fellow Italian Marco Melandri, a former MotoGP title runner-up who is now battling for the World Superbike crown, appeared to be the source of the story and Rossi served up his light-hearted revenge on Thursday in Brno.
Rossi said: "Yes, I read something from my new manager, Superbike rider Marco Melandri, who seems to know everything about my decision for next year!
"Joking aside, it is not in doubt. The contract is signed and the situation is 100 percent fixed. So for sure I will race with Ducati again next year - if Melandri agrees!"
Melandri meanwhile claims that his 'Rossi to Gresini Honda' comments weren't meant to be taken seriously.
Writing on his Twitter page, he explained: "Kidding I said Rossi was looking for a Honda and everyone wrote about it… Why do I always have to look like a bad boy? Just let me race."
Rossi won his first three MotoGP world championships for Honda before a somewhat acrimonious split at the end of 2003. The Italian then moved to underdogs Yamaha, where he won a further four titles, before joining Ducati at the start of this year.
But Rossi has only taken one podium on the carbon-fibre framed Desmosedici and Melandri seems to have provided the quote many in the Italian press had been waiting for about a possible divorce.
In reality, both Rossi and team-mate Nicky Hayden have a Ducati contract in place for 2012, when MotoGP will switch from 800 to 1000cc engines.
Stoner: Fatherhood behind Japanese GP doubts
MotoGP News
Date: 11/August/2011
Casey Stoner has revealed that the 'emotion' of finding out he is to become a father for the first time influenced his hard-line attitude against attending the Japanese Grand Prix.
A month ago, the 2011 title leader shocked the MotoGP world when he bluntly stated "I will not go", in response to radiation fears. The Motegi circuit, due to host this October's race, is just over 100km from the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant.
But upon announcing his wife Adriana's pregnancy at Brno in the Czech Republic on Thursday, the 25-year-old Honda rider also explained that he had used the recent summer break to gather further information about the possible risks.
Stoner said: “There was a period when I felt very strongly that I wasn’t going to go to Japan after things I’d seen and heard. That came from a very strong sense of emotion after we found out that Adriana was pregnant. There was no way I was going to risk my wife or my family.
“In these weeks I’ve taken a lot of data from Australia, people we feel we can trust on the matter, and I’m now slightly more open to it than I was before. I’m not saying that I am going, but I’m not saying that I’m not. So we’ll just have to see what happens in the near future.”
Reigning world champion Jorge Lorenzo, Stoner's nearest title rival, also seemed to have made up his mind about not racing at Motegi.
However, like Stoner and the other MotoGP riders (many of whom previously signed a petition against holding the race) the Spaniard now says he is yet to make a final decision.
A recent independent report commissioned by the FIM to examine the radiation risk at Motegi concluded that "based on the estimate dose it can be said with no doubt that the radiation risk during the race event is negligible".
"They say it's safe. We hope that's true," commented MotoGP superstar Valentino Rossi. "I think we have to wait a little bit for a decision. It's not only about the riders, because many other people in the paddock are not very happy to go to Japan. Sincerely I don’t know yet."
With Japanese-built motorcycles forming 70% of the MotoGP grid - and bearing stickers in support of Japan - any rider boycott of the Japanese Grand Prix will be seen as a major insult.
The Motegi circuit is owned by Honda.
Date: 11/August/2011
Casey Stoner has revealed that the 'emotion' of finding out he is to become a father for the first time influenced his hard-line attitude against attending the Japanese Grand Prix.
A month ago, the 2011 title leader shocked the MotoGP world when he bluntly stated "I will not go", in response to radiation fears. The Motegi circuit, due to host this October's race, is just over 100km from the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant.
But upon announcing his wife Adriana's pregnancy at Brno in the Czech Republic on Thursday, the 25-year-old Honda rider also explained that he had used the recent summer break to gather further information about the possible risks.
Stoner said: “There was a period when I felt very strongly that I wasn’t going to go to Japan after things I’d seen and heard. That came from a very strong sense of emotion after we found out that Adriana was pregnant. There was no way I was going to risk my wife or my family.
“In these weeks I’ve taken a lot of data from Australia, people we feel we can trust on the matter, and I’m now slightly more open to it than I was before. I’m not saying that I am going, but I’m not saying that I’m not. So we’ll just have to see what happens in the near future.”
Reigning world champion Jorge Lorenzo, Stoner's nearest title rival, also seemed to have made up his mind about not racing at Motegi.
However, like Stoner and the other MotoGP riders (many of whom previously signed a petition against holding the race) the Spaniard now says he is yet to make a final decision.
A recent independent report commissioned by the FIM to examine the radiation risk at Motegi concluded that "based on the estimate dose it can be said with no doubt that the radiation risk during the race event is negligible".
"They say it's safe. We hope that's true," commented MotoGP superstar Valentino Rossi. "I think we have to wait a little bit for a decision. It's not only about the riders, because many other people in the paddock are not very happy to go to Japan. Sincerely I don’t know yet."
With Japanese-built motorcycles forming 70% of the MotoGP grid - and bearing stickers in support of Japan - any rider boycott of the Japanese Grand Prix will be seen as a major insult.
The Motegi circuit is owned by Honda.
Debate continues over F1 'electric mode'
F1 News
Date: 5/August/2011
The debate over F1's future engine format may be settled, but another sentence in the 2014 technical rules looks set to become a new battleground between the FIA and F1 boss Berne Ecclestone.
That sentence is as follows: "5.19 Electric mode: The car must be run in electric mode (no ignition and no fuel supply to the engine) at all times when being driven in the pit lane."
In other words, the cars will run silently on electric-only propulsion whenever they make a pit stop.
The battle to retain F1's noise appeal was won by Ecclestone in the case of engines, with the proposed four-cylinder turbos - which Ecclestone feared would be a poor sound replacement for the present V8 non-turbo engines - now being replaced by V6 turbos.
FIA president Jean Todt is keen to promote green technology as much as possible and the new V6 engines will also feature an Energy Recovery System [ERS] which will harvest, and then release on demand, more power than the present KERS system.
While such systems add to the show, in terms of providing a short-term power boost that can aid overtaking, from a 'green marketing' point of view their presence is undetectable.
It is surely for this reason that the FIA has included the 'electric mode' rule for 2014, so that even a viewer watching a grand prix for the first time will know that F1 is using - and developing - green technology.
But Ecclestone remains unimpressed, saying there is "no way" the electric pit lane will happen, due to safety concerns of cars moving silently, and again adding that noise is one of F1's biggest attractions.
Date: 5/August/2011
The debate over F1's future engine format may be settled, but another sentence in the 2014 technical rules looks set to become a new battleground between the FIA and F1 boss Berne Ecclestone.
That sentence is as follows: "5.19 Electric mode: The car must be run in electric mode (no ignition and no fuel supply to the engine) at all times when being driven in the pit lane."
In other words, the cars will run silently on electric-only propulsion whenever they make a pit stop.
The battle to retain F1's noise appeal was won by Ecclestone in the case of engines, with the proposed four-cylinder turbos - which Ecclestone feared would be a poor sound replacement for the present V8 non-turbo engines - now being replaced by V6 turbos.
FIA president Jean Todt is keen to promote green technology as much as possible and the new V6 engines will also feature an Energy Recovery System [ERS] which will harvest, and then release on demand, more power than the present KERS system.
While such systems add to the show, in terms of providing a short-term power boost that can aid overtaking, from a 'green marketing' point of view their presence is undetectable.
It is surely for this reason that the FIA has included the 'electric mode' rule for 2014, so that even a viewer watching a grand prix for the first time will know that F1 is using - and developing - green technology.
But Ecclestone remains unimpressed, saying there is "no way" the electric pit lane will happen, due to safety concerns of cars moving silently, and again adding that noise is one of F1's biggest attractions.
Edwards: Why MotoGP would freak you out
MotoGP News
Date: 5/August/2011
Riding a MotoGP bike may be an incredible experience, but for those lucky enough to call it their day job it can be easy to forgot just how special it is.
So what does it actually feel like, when you control a finely-tuned 200mph missile at its limit?
“It's weird you ask me that because I actually had a bit of a ‘flash bulb’ moment out there today," replied Tech 3 Yamaha's Colin Edwards.
“I was going around the track like normal and as you roll into a corner you adjust your body weight - depending on if you want to put more weight on the front or the rear - and you also change your weight on each of the footpegs and each side of the handlebars.
"Then there's the throttle, the brakes and the clutch to control, plus the g-forces… It's a lot of very small movements that are constantly changing and they are all mixed together.
“It's crazy the amount of things you have to do just to get around one corner at racing speed - but at the same time I was thinking 'this is just weird' because I was doing it all automatically.
"I thought ‘if the average person could feel what I’m feeling right now, they would probably freak out!'
"For us riding these bikes hard is just natural. It’s a bit of an art form I guess.”
Edwards, a double World Superbike champion before making the switch to grand prix, believes the key to being a great rider is adapting your style to suit the bike - rather than trying to change the bike.
“In World Superbike the bikes are so heavy you have to ride it one way, and then you come here and these things are so well balanced," he said. "They don’t really move a whole lot. So you have to ride a different way. That is where Ben [Spies] did a really good job in adapting."
Since joining MotoGP in 2003, Edwards has taken twelve podiums and three pole positions. The #5 is presently eighth in the 2011 standings and the top non-factory bike rider.
The Texan, who runs his own riding school alongside his MotoGP commitments for the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 team, achieved a best championship ranking of fourth in 2005.
Date: 5/August/2011
Riding a MotoGP bike may be an incredible experience, but for those lucky enough to call it their day job it can be easy to forgot just how special it is.
So what does it actually feel like, when you control a finely-tuned 200mph missile at its limit?
“It's weird you ask me that because I actually had a bit of a ‘flash bulb’ moment out there today," replied Tech 3 Yamaha's Colin Edwards.
“I was going around the track like normal and as you roll into a corner you adjust your body weight - depending on if you want to put more weight on the front or the rear - and you also change your weight on each of the footpegs and each side of the handlebars.
"Then there's the throttle, the brakes and the clutch to control, plus the g-forces… It's a lot of very small movements that are constantly changing and they are all mixed together.
“It's crazy the amount of things you have to do just to get around one corner at racing speed - but at the same time I was thinking 'this is just weird' because I was doing it all automatically.
"I thought ‘if the average person could feel what I’m feeling right now, they would probably freak out!'
"For us riding these bikes hard is just natural. It’s a bit of an art form I guess.”
Edwards, a double World Superbike champion before making the switch to grand prix, believes the key to being a great rider is adapting your style to suit the bike - rather than trying to change the bike.
“In World Superbike the bikes are so heavy you have to ride it one way, and then you come here and these things are so well balanced," he said. "They don’t really move a whole lot. So you have to ride a different way. That is where Ben [Spies] did a really good job in adapting."
Since joining MotoGP in 2003, Edwards has taken twelve podiums and three pole positions. The #5 is presently eighth in the 2011 standings and the top non-factory bike rider.
The Texan, who runs his own riding school alongside his MotoGP commitments for the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 team, achieved a best championship ranking of fourth in 2005.
Comparison: Rossi, Stoner, Ducati and Yamaha
MotoGP News
Date: 3/August/2011
It's no secret that MotoGP megastar Valentino Rossi has struggled in his first ten races with Ducati, but how bad is it?
Racing is relative. It doesn’t matter how fast you are - as long as you are faster than the competition.
With that in mind, we've compiled two tables listing how close Rossi has been to the front of the MotoGP field so far in 2011 - in both qualifying and racing - and compared that with Rossi's 2010 form (for Yamaha) at the same circuits.
We then also listed Casey Stoner's performance for Ducati at those tracks last year.
The tables, shown in full below, unsurprisingly confirm that Rossi has slipped backwards - relative to last season - in both qualifying and racing at all ten events.
The tables also show that Rossi is still a long way from equalling the kind of relative pace that Stoner was able to achieve on the Desmosedici.
Of the ten events, Stoner and Ducati only qualified more than a second from pole on one occasion last year. For Rossi and Ducati, it is the exact opposite this year.
In terms of race pace, Rossi has been far from both his 2010 Yamaha form (even after returning early from a broken leg) and Stoner's Ducati performances.
There is one exception, that Italian Grand Prix at Mugello, where Rossi's 2011 race time was within one-second of Stoner's 2010 time.
Unfortunately, that's not an accurate comparison.
The Mugello circuit was completely resurfaced for 2011 and the speedier asphalt meant that this year's Italian GP was won with a finishing time 37.977sec faster than last year.
But despite the slump in relative performance, it's worth remembering that Rossi - with only one podium this year - is still fifth in the championship with 108 points.
That compares surprisingly favourably with Stoner who, at this time last year, had scored 119 points. Admittedly the Australian had also scored five podiums and was third in the championship.
Stoner went on to win three races at the end of last year and finished fourth overall in his fin al Ducatis season, before making the switch to Repsol Honda for 2011.
Rossi used the original Desmosedici GP11 motorcycle until Assen, where he switched to the revised GP11.1.
Date: 3/August/2011
It's no secret that MotoGP megastar Valentino Rossi has struggled in his first ten races with Ducati, but how bad is it?
Racing is relative. It doesn’t matter how fast you are - as long as you are faster than the competition.
With that in mind, we've compiled two tables listing how close Rossi has been to the front of the MotoGP field so far in 2011 - in both qualifying and racing - and compared that with Rossi's 2010 form (for Yamaha) at the same circuits.
We then also listed Casey Stoner's performance for Ducati at those tracks last year.
The tables, shown in full below, unsurprisingly confirm that Rossi has slipped backwards - relative to last season - in both qualifying and racing at all ten events.
The tables also show that Rossi is still a long way from equalling the kind of relative pace that Stoner was able to achieve on the Desmosedici.
Of the ten events, Stoner and Ducati only qualified more than a second from pole on one occasion last year. For Rossi and Ducati, it is the exact opposite this year.
In terms of race pace, Rossi has been far from both his 2010 Yamaha form (even after returning early from a broken leg) and Stoner's Ducati performances.
There is one exception, that Italian Grand Prix at Mugello, where Rossi's 2011 race time was within one-second of Stoner's 2010 time.
Unfortunately, that's not an accurate comparison.
The Mugello circuit was completely resurfaced for 2011 and the speedier asphalt meant that this year's Italian GP was won with a finishing time 37.977sec faster than last year.
But despite the slump in relative performance, it's worth remembering that Rossi - with only one podium this year - is still fifth in the championship with 108 points.
That compares surprisingly favourably with Stoner who, at this time last year, had scored 119 points. Admittedly the Australian had also scored five podiums and was third in the championship.
Stoner went on to win three races at the end of last year and finished fourth overall in his fin al Ducatis season, before making the switch to Repsol Honda for 2011.
Rossi used the original Desmosedici GP11 motorcycle until Assen, where he switched to the revised GP11.1.
Valentino Rossi/Casey Stoner – Times from the Top (Qualifying)
Circuit
|
Rossi Ducati (2011)
|
Rossi Yamaha (2010)
|
Stoner Ducati (2010)
|
Losail
|
+1.500s
|
+0.355s
|
+0s (pole)
|
Jerez
|
+1.428s
|
+0.356s
|
+0.309s
|
Estoril*
|
+1.110s
|
+0.361s
|
+0.539s
|
Le Mans
|
+1.053s
|
+0s (pole)
|
+0.416s
|
Catalunya
|
+0.810s
|
Injured
|
+0.364s
|
Silverstone
|
+3.761s
|
Injured
|
+1.086s
|
Assen
|
+1.846s
|
Injured
|
+0.288s
|
Mugello
|
+1.868s
|
Injured
|
+0.613s
|
Sachsenring
|
+1.639s
|
+0.578s
|
+0.024s
|
Laguna Seca
|
+1.033s
|
+0.710s
|
+0.191s
|
* 2010 qualifying
cancelled due to weather, times from free practice.
Circuit
|
Rossi Ducati (2011)
|
Rossi Yamaha (2010)
|
Stoner Ducati (2010)
|
Losail
|
+16.431s
|
+0s (win)
|
DNF
|
Jerez
|
+62.227s (W)
|
+0.890s
|
+10.034s
|
Estoril
|
+16.555s
|
+8.629s
|
DNF
|
Le Mans
|
+14.564s
|
+5.672s
|
DNF
|
Catalunya
|
+7.371s
|
Injured
|
+4.956s
|
Silverstone
|
+64.526s (W)
|
Injured
|
+7.494s
|
Assen
|
+30.684s
|
Injured
|
+7.022s
|
Mugello*
|
+26.450s
|
Injured
|
+25.703s
|
Sachsenring**
|
+27.576s
|
+5.623s
|
+5.257s
|
Laguna Seca
|
+30.351s
|
+13.420s
|
+3.517s
|
(W) = Wet race
* Track resurfaced for
2011.
** Restarted and
shortened 2010 race (21 laps)
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