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.

Edwards and Toseland Rift in Tech3 Widens

Wed 02/18/2009 @ 9:32 am, by Jenny Gun

Home » Racing » Edwards and Toseland Rift in Tech3 Widens

Edwards and Toseland Rift in Tech3 Widens colin edwards james toseland tech3 560x378

There is little doubt that teammates Colin Edwards and James Toseland are not on the best of terms right now. It all started when Toseland allegedly stole Edwards’s crew chief Garry Reinders. Not to leave no good deed unpunished, Edwards took Toselands crew chief, Guy Coulon, in kind. The flip-flop has left the Tech3 camp in a bit of disarray with both riders now touting how much happier they are, although still very bitter about the outcome. Now Tech3 boss, Herve Poncharal, has weighed in his opinion on the matter.

In a say…interesting…approach to talent management, Poncharal has stated he believes the antics going-on in his garage will help motivate the two riders.

“If it gives extra motivation to James’ department and to Colin’s department I am absolutely happy. We will never see two riders going on holiday together because this is an individual sport. They respect each other still, ok they don’t talk anymore, but who cares? I wanted to give both of them the best support I could and that is what I have done.”

Poncharal explains the situation delicately when he says, “Colin was not so happy because he thought he could have been more involved in the decision making process, but he accepted it…I understood James’ point of view [too] because Garry lives in England close to James, and he speaks better English than Guy. James and Garry spent a lot of time together last year traveling to and from England and James likes to talk to his crew chief in between races.” That’s the French way of saying, my riders are acting like idiots, but as long as they win races I don’t really care a whole lot. While most theories of management would suggest a course away from this approach, we’ll leave our judgment for the seasons results.

This isn’t the first split camp in MotoGP. Rossi and Lorenzo are still leaving “the wall” up in their paddock, and not sharing information with each other despite running the same tires this season. A similar rift was the cause of Nicky Hayden leaving Repsol Honda after they showed Dani Pedrosa to be their golden goose. Just one big happy family, right?

Source: MotoGP

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Tagged under: Colin Edwards, Garry Reinders, Guy Coulon, Herve Poncharal, James Toseland, MotoGP, rift, Tech3, Wall

Comment:

Brian Christner says:

02/18/2009 at 6:41 AM

RT @Asphalt_Rubber: #motorcycle “Edwards and Toseland Rift in Tech3 Widens” – http://tinyurl.com/cljedt

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