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.

MotoGP: A Bumpy Independence Day Weekend

Sun 07/05/2009 @ 6:31 pm, by Jenny Gun

Home » Racing » MotoGP: A Bumpy Independence Day Weekend

This weekend was a double-wammy for American motorcycle enthusiasts as we celebrated our Independence Day on Saturday, and the coming of MotoGP to Laguna Seca on Sunday. Despite the weather being cooler than in previous years, Seca proved once again to be a hot track that would be no open book to race teams.

Teams and riders had problems keeping both sides of the tires in the sticky, and suspension proved to be an issue on the bumpy and rough Seca tarmac. That didn’t stop a few riders from breaking away from the group though, and giving the American fans some fine laps of racing. Continue through to read more.

Dani Pedrosa showed the American crowd what a rabbit start looks like in MotoGP. Pedrosa charged from the second row, to take the lead into turn 1, followed by Casey Stoner and Valentino Rossi.

The trio would remain in control of the race for its first half. After a few laps though Stoner and Rossi would see Pedrosa pull away, the young Spaniard seemingly in his own place of motorcycle riding.

Following the lead three riders, Andrea Dovizioso looked like he might join the group, until crashing out. He wouldn’t be alone though, Dovi would later be joined in the gravel by Loris Capirossi, Sete Gibernau, and Galbor Talmacsi.

As Pedorsa broke away from the pack, the real race was in the battle for second. With Championship points on the line, Rossi and Stoner battled back and forth, each trying to get the edge over the other.

Rossi finally got free from Stoner, and began breaking away from him, trying to catch a now distant Pedrosa. After that, the injured Stoner seemed to move backwards, and was passed a lap later by Jorge Lorenzo in the Wayne Rainey corner, the very same spot the pair crashed in during qualifying yesterday.

In the last half of the race, Rossi found himself challenged by teammate Lorenzo. Lorezno looked like he was going to get around Rossi, but had a massive unsettling of his M1 that almost threw the Spaniard off his bike. With Lorenzo no longer knocking on his door, Rossi found his way to Dani Pedrosa.

On the last lap of the race, it looked as if Rossi would have at least one opportunity to pass the Repsol Honda rider. With two laps to go, Rossi made his move, but he was too far removed and Pedrosa closed the door, taking the drive to the finish line, and the US GP win.

Nicky Hayden was feeling the help from the home crowd, finding his way into 5th place during the race, his best result thus far this season. He finished just behind teammate Casey stoner.

Colin Edwards arguably wasn’t up to his usual self, despite being back in the United States. The American finished 6th for the day, which has been about par for the course for Edwards. Edwards would be the only Monster Yamaha Tech3 rider to finish the race, as James Toseland was flagged for a jumped start, and later pulled out of the contest for failing to comply with a stop-and-go penalty.

MotoGP now heads to Germany and the Sachsenring for racing two weeks from now, on July 19th.

Race Results from MotoGP at Laguna Seca, USA:

Pos.	No.	Rider	Manufacturer	Time	Diff
1	3	Dani PEDROSA	HONDA	44′01.580	-
2	46	Valentino ROSSI	YAMAHA	44′01.924	0.344
3	99	Jorge LORENZO	YAMAHA	44′03.506	1.926
4	27	Casey STONER	DUCATI	44′14.012	12.432
5	69	Nicky HAYDEN	DUCATI	44′23.243	21.663
6	24	Toni ELIAS	HODNA	44′23.621	22.041
7	5	Colin EDWARDS	YAMAHA	44′31.781	30.201
8	7	Chris VERMEULEN	SUZUKI	44′34.437	32.857
9	14	Randy DE PUNIET	HONDA	44′41.905	40.325
10	33	Marco MELANDRI	KAWASAKI	44′49.608	48.028
11	15	Alex DE ANGELIS	HONDA	44′50.390	48.810
12	88	Niccolo CANEPA	DUCATI	45′20.111	1′18.531
Not classified
	4	Andrea DOVIZIOSO	HONDA	8′23.703	26 Lap
	59	Sete GIBERNAU	DUCATI	8′23.190	26 Lap
	65	Loris CAPIROSSI	SUZUKI	4′19.395	29 Lap
	41	Gabor TALMACSI	HONDA	4′22.278	29 Lap
Excluded
	52	James TOSELAND	YAMAHA	-	-

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Tagged under: Dani Pedrosa, Jorge Lorenzo, Laguna Seca, MotoGP, US GP, Valentino Rossi

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