After debuting the 2010 Fiat-Yamaha MotoGP team and the new(ish) YZR-M1, news came out that the Fiat-Yamaha team, like many other teams before them, will not be sharing data between its two riders, effectively erecting a wall in the Fiat-Yamaha garage. The news was confirmed by Masahiko Nakajima, MotoGP Group Leader and Fiat Yamaha Team Director, that there will be no sharing of data between the two riders this year as they battle for the MotoGP Championship once again. The issue has already made its first divide, as Lorenzo and Rossi have expressed very different sentiments on the topic.
A Year in Review with the 2009 A&R Rubbies
2009 was Asphalt & Rubber’s first entire year bringing you a daily-dose of motorcycle news, racing, rumors, and more. As the year winds down, we thought we would re-visit some of the top stories from the motorcycle community this year. It’s the high’s and the low’s, it’s the best and the worst, it’s the 2009 A&R Rubbies, and they’ll be coming at you everyday until 2010.
Oberdan Bezzi continues today with his sketches of the S1000RR in naked form. This time the Italian designer takes a half-fairing approach to the German Superbike, and has also picked up on the chatter about the BMW naming conventions. Dubbed the S1000RS, the latest sketch from Obiboi is a blend from his naked version and the full-faired production bike from BMW. The headlights appear to be symettrical, which should please many riders who are still on the fence with the S1000RR.
The Learning Channel (TLC) has finally given the television series American Chopper the boot, releasing information that show’s season finale will debut this Thursday at 9pm (8pm Central). We can only conclude that the show’s demise comes as a result of the ongoing rift between Paul Teutel Sr. and his sons, in particular his former partner Paul Teutel Jr. The two Paul’s are locked in a legal struggle regarding ownership of the American Chopper business, which has bled onto the television screen.
Late last month it was announced that the eGrandPrix who ran the 2009 TTXGP clean emission race at Isle Of Man TT would be replaced by TT Zero. TT Zero would be run without the involvement of eGrandPrix and instead the responsibilities would be split among the IOM Department of Tourism And Leisure and the ACU. Speculation followed about the FIM’s role in the TTXGP’s departure and the reasons for TT Zero coming into existence.
The Isle Of Man issued a statement in response to speculation on why TTXGP was replaced by TT Zero at the Isle Of Man TT for 2010. We are waiting for a response from TTXGP which we will add to this post. Please check back for updates. Click the break to see the full statement from the Isle Of Man.
Update: A response from TTXGP is posted at the end of this blog post.
Here’s a little something to help you get the weekend going, a video put together by the folks from Fischer Motorcycles. Forgiving the shameless Motorcyclist (at least it wasn’t SportRider) plug at the beginning, we’ll take one in black Dan. Video after the jump.
We still have several months before the Ducati Multistrada 1200 is released here in the United States, but Ducati North America has revealed that the cost of owning the $14,995 Multistrada will be even cheaper with the now announced 15,000 mile valve service interval. With the longer mileage between major services, the Multistrada 1200 better positions itself as a touring/adventure option and to compete against the BMW R1200GS.
MotoGP riders tested at Sepgang for the second time today, after waiting for the Malaysian track to dry out from the looming rains. For their second outing, Ben Spies gets the most improved award, as the Texan rookie moved up from yesterday’s 12th place testing position (2′03.142) to being the 5th quickest man around the track (2′02.266) today. Spies had complained of jetlag yesterday, but with nearly a second dropped off his pace, it would seem he got a full night’s sleep last night. The Malaysian outing has been especially good for Tech3 Yamaha, which saw Colin Edwards as the 3rd quickest man yesterday.
In conjunction with the unveiling of the 2010 Fiat-Yamaha MotoGP team, a series of interviews with Valentino Rossi, Jorge Lorenzo, and Lin Jarvis have been released for public consumption. Despite being released from the team’s PR firm, with cooperation from Fiat, the questions strike at the heart of many the issues that surround the Lorenzo/Rossi battle for supremacy. They’re quite long, but worth a watch, check them out after the jump.




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