2011 KTM 125 Duke Officially Named

After holding an online contest to name its 125cc four-stroke based learner street bike, KTM has shockingly come to the conclusion that it should stick to its Duke nomenclature. Schedule to be the 2011 KTM 125 Duke, KTM debuted the concepts at the 2009 EICMA show in Milan. KTM’s plan is to engage young riders with the “Ready to Race” mantra, making them lifetime Team Orange riders with this stepping-stone model

Video: Josh Brookes Shows Us the Fastest Line over “The Mountain” at Cadwell Park

The Mountain at Cadwell Park, as it is known, is like the British version of the Corkscrew at Laguna Seca: another one of those special points on a race track, that would not exist on the computer-generated courses we see today. Famous for lofting bikes into the air, The Mountain makes for spectacular photographs, and should be on every rider’s track day bucket list. Finding the fastest racing line over The Mountain can be difficult though, as riders have to contend with keeping the front of their motorcycles down, but such is not the case for HM Plant Honda’s Josh Brookes…

Lost Knee Puck Hinders Hayden at Indy

Track conditions were the talk of the paddock this weekend at the Indianapolis GP, as riders battled the changing tarmac surfaces, and undulating bumps of the Indy infield. Perhaps most vocal of his displeasure with the course was Ducati rider Casey Stoner, who called the Indianapolis Motor Speedway not a world class track, and specifically complained about plastic drains that would catch riders as the ventured in towards the edge of the track (Rossi also complained of these drains). Teammate Nicky Hayden was less critical before Sunday’s race though, saying that Stoner’s comments could be applied to many of the courses on the MotoGP calendar. However after losing a knee puck to one of the drainage grates that Stoner criticized earlier, Hayden may be re-thinking his tune.

Rossi Waiting to Hear if Burgess Will Retire

Talking after the Indianapolis GP, Valentino Rossi explained that he is waiting to hear from Jeremy Burgess as to whether the Australian Crew Chief will retire next season. Assured of the fact that Burgess would not stay behind at Yamaha, and would not work with another rider, Rossi stated the buzz around whether Burgess would move with the Italian to Ducati, hinges as to when Burgess plans on retiring from motorcycle racing.

Nicky Hayden Renews Contract with Ducati

Under the lights of the Indy Mile, where motorcycle racing began for the Kentucky-born MotoGP racer, Nicky Hayden has signed a two-year contract with Ducati Corse for the 2011 & 2012 seasons. Not the biggest surprise in the paddock, Hayden’s contract renewal has never really been questioned this season as the American started the season off with series of strong finishes and continues to be a strong brand ambassador for Ducati in the United States. Hayden will be joined the next two years by former teammate Valentino Rossi, the pair rode for Repsol Honda in 2003, with Hayden finishing the season 5th in his rookie GP season.

World Superbike Responds to Ducati Exodus

Infront Motor Sports, rights holder to the World Superbike Championship series, has responded to the news that Ducati Corse will be leaving the series in 2011. Responding with an official press release, IMS’s message essentially boils down to poking holes in Ducati’s statement about technical regulations. Stating that the 2009 season was dominated by the Ducati 1198 Superbike, sans one Ben Spies, the Italian firm has clearly been able to be competitive with the current formula. IMS goes on to basically say that WSBK is about more than one manufacturer, and can’t cater to Ducati’s whims even if they do have a lengthy history together.

Ben Spies to Factory Yamaha Team

As expected, Ben Spies and Yamaha have announced that the current World Superbike Champion and MotoGP rookie will move up to the factory Yamaha team (noticeably not called Fiat-Yamaha in the press release) for the 2011 season. Spies’ move to the factory squad has lovingly been referred to as the “second worst-kept secret in MotoGP,” right after Rossi’s departure from the Fiat-Yamaha team to Ducati Corse.

Colin Edwards – “I’m going fishing. Screw this sh*t.”

No one makes the MotoGP media center come alive with emotion more so than Colin Edwards. A veteran of the sport, and born with no filter between his brain and mouth, the Texan Tornado captured the spotlight during the pre-race press conference at the Red Bull Indianapolis GP. A stark contrast to the polished veneers of other riders, Edwards isn’t afraid to tell things the way he sees it, even if it involves some colorful language. To get an idea of what we mean, check out a portion of the press conference transcript after the jump.

Ducati Trademarks “Diavel” Name in the UK

Ducati has recieved a trademark with the UK Intellectual Property Office for the Bolognese word for devil, or “Diavel”, which according to MCN is to be the name of the company’s new performance cruiser (shown here in a render done by Bar-Design exclusively for Asphalt & Rubber). Interestingly enough, Ducati has not trademarked the Diavel name with the United States Patent & Trademarks Office (USPTO). However with the British government, Ducati has reserved the Diavel mark for virtually every use possible, including lifestyle items like shirts, perfume, watches, and our personal favorite: skin cleansing lotions and creams.

Casey Stoner Ducati 1198S Phillip Island Replica

Missing three races because of a mystery illness, Casey Stoner put any critics he had from his sudden departure in 2009 to bed with his masterful race at Phillip Island. Racing in front of his home crowd, Stoner slid around the Australian course to a decisive victory, in what we called one of the top races of 2009. Making the moment even more special for Australian fans, and Ducatisti alike, was the special race livery that Stoner ran for his home race. Hoping to commemorate that race and Stoner’s contributions to the Marlboro Ducati team (Stoner is leaving Ducati for HRC next year), a French Ducati dealership in Moulins-lès-Metz has decided to sell a limited number of Casey Stoner Ducati 1198S Phillip Island replicas.

MotoGP: Weather Changes Leaves Riders Out to Dry in Le Mans

Sun 05/17/2009 @ 1:41 pm, by Jenny Gun

Home » News » MotoGP: Weather Changes Leaves Riders Out to Dry in Le Mans

MotoGP: Weather Changes Leaves Riders Out to Dry in Le Mans jorge lorenzo fiat yamaha le mans 560x401

As we mentioned yesterday, Le Mans is known for its rapidly changing weather patterns, and a mixture of both rain and sunshine is not uncommon for the French track. The weather gods being unappeased, they decided to bring both the rain and the sun for MotoGP fans in France today. From the very beginning of the French GP things were interesting: with the GP run on a dry track, but riders leaving the grid on rain tires. With teams having to make the call on whether to stay out on rains, or sacrifice time and pit in, there were some interesting results from the choices being made. Continue reading for the spoilers.

The story of the first place winner is perhaps the least interesting story of today’s GP. Jorge Lorenzo grabbed the lead on the first lap, and left the rest of the field behind. Lorenzo easily won the day, with over 17 seconds between him and second place winner Marco Melandri, and he was never in trouble of being caught.

Exstatic about his win, and also his new lead in the overall standings, Lorezno commented on swapping bikes mid-race for the first time in his career:

“It was very difficult because I am not used to changing bikes in the middle of the race and this was the first time in my life that I have done it. I am grateful for the victory because I was fast with the wet tyres and also with the dry ones. I knew it would be so hard because you have to change bikes at the right moment, if you do it one lap too late you could lose. We changed at the perfect point and we are back on top.”

The day was a big day for the Hayate Team as well, scoring their first podium of the season. The success seemed to rest on the fact that Marco Melandri stayed out on the rain tires for a long time, whereas riders who entered into the pits earlier, payed dearly for their decision.

Riders who pitted early for slicks soon regretted their choice. The pitting process takes a long time, it took the riders a while before their slick tires could do times to match the fading wets. Valentino Rossi took the brunt of today’s punishment for his early pitting strategy. The Fiat Yamaha rider went into pit lane on four separate occasions today at Le Mans, three times to change bikes and once for a ride through penalty.

Rossi was first into the pits, and crashed almost immediately after changing to slick tires. He got back on his crashed Yamaha M1, making it back into the pits for another bike. Because his swapped bike didn’t have a pit-limiter, the Italian had to perform a pit ride through penalty for speeding in pit-lane. Rossi would then re-return to the pits later and take another bike. SOL, Rossi ended the day two laps behind Lorenzo, with his focus looking two weekends from now at Mugello.

“I had difficulties from the start and I really could not ride my bike to its best. By the fourth lap I felt that I was quite slow and that I couldn’t ride as I wanted. I decided to change bikes early because usually this strategy pays off. I knew that I had to warm the tyres up a little bit but I crashed anyway in that corner because at that point the track was still wet and I just didn’t ride into it in a calm enough manner.”

Dani Pedrosa caught team mate Andrea Dovizioso on the last lap, then passed to snatch up 3rd place.

Race Results from the MotoGP’s stop at Le Mans for the French GP:

Pos.	No.	Rider	Manufacturer	Time	Diff
1	99	Jorge LORENZO	YAMAHA	47′52.678
2	33	Marco MELANDRI	KAWASAKI	48′10.388	17.710
3	3	Dani PEDROSA	HONDA	48′12.571	19.893
4	4	Andrea DOVIZIOSO	HONDA	48′13.133	20.455
5	27	Casey STONER	DUCATI	48′23.217	30.539
6	7	Chris VERMEULEN	SUZUKI	48′30.140	37.462
7	5	Colin EDWARDS	YAMAHA	48′32.869	40.191
8	65	Loris CAPIROSSI	SUZUKI	48′38.099	45.421
9	52	James TOSELAND	YAMAHA	48′42.985	50.307
10	24	Toni ELIAS	HONDA	48′45.896	53.218
11	15	Alex DE ANGELIS	HONDA	48′46.228	53.550
12	69	Nicky HAYDEN	DUCATI	48′49.325	56.647
13	72	Yuki TAKAHASHI	HONDA	48′49.366	56.688
14	14	Randy DE PUNIET	HONDA	49′03.977	1′11.299
15	88	Niccolo CANEPA	DUCATI	49′08.063	1′15.385
16	46	Valentino ROSSI	YAMAHA	49′28.685	2 laps
Not Classified
	36	Mika KALLIO	DUCATI	20′47.302	17 laps

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Tagged under: french, French GP, hayate, Jorge Lorenzo, Kawasaki, Le Mans, Marco Melandri, MotoGP, Valentino Rossi

Comment:

Mark John O'Reardon says:

05/17/2009 at 2:55 PM

MotoGP: Weather Changes Leaves Riders Out to Dry in Le Mans … http://bit.ly/SKlrt
Razvan Popescu says:

05/17/2009 at 3:17 PM

MotoGP: Weather Changes Leaves Riders Out to Dry in Le Mans … http://bit.ly/Dlo8S

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