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.

Norton Returning to MotoGP Racing

German magazine Speedweek is reporting that Norton will be back in GP racing for the 2012 season with a two-man team. Speedweek’s highly respected Austrian journalist Gunther Wiesinger has received word that Norton has requested two spots on the 2012 MotoGP grid, and has signed a request to join the series when it returns to the 1000cc format. It’s unclear at this time if Norton will be entering as a claiming rule team (CRT), or be listed as a factory prototype, which could have a dramatic affect on the team’s success in the series.

WSBK: While Rossi Looks for the Ocho at Mugello, Spies Looks for the Septo at Miller

Sat 05/30/2009 @ 11:20 pm, by Jenny Gun

Home » News » WSBK: While Rossi Looks for the Ocho at Mugello, Spies Looks for the Septo at Miller

WSBK: While Rossi Looks for the Ocho at Mugello, Spies Looks for the Septo at Miller ben spies wsbk miller motorsports park

World Superbike has landed on American soil with its first stop in the States: Miller Motorsports Park. The track based in Salt Lake City is playing host to WSBK for the second time in its history, and because of injuries a special contingency of American riders participated in the today’s events. With the AMA series sharing a stop at Miller, it should come as no surprise that one of “dem good old boys” was at the top of the Superpole podium.

Jamie Hacking lead the charge in the first round of Superpole qualifying, followed closely by Ben Spies, who is searching for his seventh Superpole in a row. The American duo set the tone for the rest of the day, and worked their way all the way into the final round.

In the second round of qualifying, Spies showed why he is the master of the Superpole, and quickly took matters into his own hands. Meanwhile, Max Biaggi crashed his Aprilia RSV4 with 6 minutes to go in the session, before he could clock in a lap time. Right after he went down, he leapt onto a scooter and was rushed back to the pits, where he got on his spare bike out just in time to go out for another lap. Unfortunately for Biaggi, as he went out very light rain started, and he failed to improve his time from the previous round. It was at this point the weather in Salt Lake City started to play a factor into the Superpole competition.

In the third and last round of Superpole racing, Carlos Checa took an early lead, but it didn’t last long as Ben Spies dropped the hammer down with just 7 minutes to go, with a time of 1′48.344.

This would be the fastest time of the day, as Spies upped the ante just before the rain really began to fall at Miller. This meant that Ben was assured his his 7th Superpole in a row, taking the pole record from fellow American Doug Polen. Jamie Hacking couldn’t improve his position in the last round of qualifying, and will start from the 8th position on the grid.

Results from World Superbike at Miller Motorsports Park Superpole:

Pos	No.	Rider	Bike	Time	Diff
1	19	B. Spies	Yamaha YZF R1	1′48.344
2	7	C. Checa	Honda CBR1000RR	1′48.908	0.564
3	9	R. Kiyonari	Honda CBR1000RR	1′49.243	0.899
4	84	M. Fabrizio	Ducati 1098R	1′49.434	1.090
5	96	J. Smrz	Ducati 1098R	1′49.658	1.314
6	67	S. Byrne	Ducati 1098R	1′49.982	1.638
7	23	B. Parkes	Kawasaki ZX 10R	1′51.328	2.984
8	2	J. Hacking	Kawasaki ZX 10R	1′51.438	3.094
Out after Superpole 2 (Ben Spies, 1′48.319)
9	41	N. Haga	Ducati 1098R	1′49.516	1.197
10	56	S. Nakano	Aprilia RSV4 Factory	1′49.528	1.209
11	65	J. Rea	Honda CBR1000RR	1′49.541	1.222
12	91	L. Haslam	Honda CBR1000RR	1′49.765	1.446
13	71	Y. Kagayama	Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9	1′50.114	1.795
14	10	F. Nieto	Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9	1′50.488	2.169
15	99	L. Scassa	Kawasaki ZX 10R	1′50.987	2.668
16	3	M. Biaggi	Aprilia RSV4 Factory	1′51.351	3.032
Out after Superpole 1 (Jamie Hacking, 1′49.216)
17	36	G. Lavilla	Ducati 1098R	1′50.344	1.128
18	25	D. Salom	Kawasaki ZX 10R	1′50.633	1.417
19	57	L. Lanzi	Ducati 1098R	1′50.868	1.652
20	31	K. Muggeridge	Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9	1′51.004	1.788

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Tagged under: America, Americans, Ben Spies, Jamie Hacking, MMp, record, Salt Lake City, superbike, Superpole, USA, world superbike, World Superbike Championship, WSBK

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