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: Crash in Race 1 Could Cost the Championship

Mon 10/26/2009 @ 1:20 am, by Jenny Gun

Home » Racing » WSBK: Crash in Race 1 Could Cost the Championship

It’s the day that all World Superbike fans have been looking forward to, the day that the battle for the World Superbike Championship would finally come to an end. Some say it is Noriyuki Haga, who has come so close to Superbike supremacy in the past, only to miss his day by a few simple points. Others say it is Ben Spies.

The Texan has been dominating his rookie season abroad, and now with his MotoGP plans for 2010 solidified, it would be unfinished business if he left World Superbike without a Championship wreath. We think both riders have a solid argument for why they should win the crown, but talking does little for victory on the race track.

With two races at Portimao to find our champion, it would seem that all we’d need is Race 1 to find our Champion, as a costly crash early into the race by one of these riders has likely dashed their hopes for the day. More after the jump.

Ben Spies came to Portimao, expecting a great battle with Noriyuki Haga. Knowing that the Japanese Ducati rider would be bringing his best fight to the race track, Spies understood the notion that a WSBK Championship meant winning both races for the day. With this mission at heart, Spies did just that, taking Race 1 of the Portugal round of World Superbike.

Making a great start, Spies sped out to an early lead, but he would not be alone. Both Max Biaggi and Johnny Rea were close at hand to challenge the rookie American. Spies would catch an early break though as Haga lost the front-end of his bike, taking to the asphalt like a turtle on its back.

Grappling for all 25 first place points, Spies would see pressure from Biaggi, but that waned as Rea gained on the Roman Emperor. This battle for second place, allowed Spies to ride his own race and finish with a comfortable margin.

Haga’s crash was devastating for the Japanese rider. Instead of leading Spies by 10 points, as he had at the start of the race, by Race 1’s conclusion, he was 15 points behind the Yamaha rider. This translates into Spies needing only to finish 6th to clinch the World Superbike Championship, and even lower if Haga does not win Race 2. However, we’ll have to wait for Race 2, to see if Spies can truly capitalize on his Race 1 fortune.

Results from Race 1 of World Superbike at Portimao, Portugal:

Pos.	Num.	Rider	Country	Bike	Diff
1	19	B. Spies	USA	Yamaha YZF R1	-
2	65	J. Rea	GBR	Honda CBR1000RR	1.697
3	3	M. Biaggi	ITA	Aprilia RSV4 Factory	2.113
4	67	S. Byrne	GBR	Ducati 1098R	2.757
5	84	M. Fabrizio	ITA	Ducati 1098R	14.753
6	22	L. Camier	GBR	Aprilia RSV4 Factory	20.044
7	7	C. Checa	ESP	Honda CBR1000RR	25.634
8	111	R. Xaus	ESP	BMW S1000 RR	31.104
9	14	M. Lagrive	FRA	Honda CBR1000RR	36.689
10	15	M. Baiocco	ITA	Ducati 1098R	39.331
11	23	B. Parkes	AUS	Kawasaki ZX 10R	41.827
12	100	M. Tamada	JPN	Kawasaki ZX 10R	41.882
13	25	D. Salom	ESP	Kawasaki ZX 10R	54.967
14	94	D. Checa	ESP	Yamaha YZF R1	1′38.533
15	99	L. Scassa	ITA	Kawasaki ZX 10R	4 Laps
RET	88	R. Resch	AUT	Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9	3 Laps
RET	11	T. Corser	AUS	BMW S1000 RR	6 Laps
RET	91	L. Haslam	GBR	Honda CBR1000RR	12 Laps
RET	96	J. Smrz	CZE	Ducati 1098R	14 Laps
RET	50	S. Guintoli	FRA	Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9	14 Laps
RET	77	V. Iannuzzo	ITA	Honda CBR1000RR	15 Laps
RET	41	N. Haga	JPN	Ducati 1098R	16 Laps
RET	10	F. Nieto	ESP	Ducati 1098R	19 Laps
RET	71	Y. Kagayama	JPN	Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9

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Tagged under: Ben Spies, Johnny Rea, Max Biaggi, Noriyuki Haga, race, Race 1, world superbike, World Superbike Championship, WSBK

Comment:

valter marques says:

10/26/2009 at 1:21 AM

WSBK: Crash in Race 1 Could Cost the Championship http://bit.ly/JMsCB

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