Tag

Fb Corse

Browsing

Garry McCoy announced this weekend that he has left FB Corse, presumably after the MotoGP team failed to develop its racing effort in any meaningful way. Beleagured from the start with lofty goals and un-true press releases, FB Corse has struggle both technically and financially to get on the MotoGP grid. After suffering a setback of not being given the green light to race while testing  at Valencia, FB Corse seemed determined to make at least a few wild card appearances this season.

Now with McCoy resigning from the team, the MotoGP paddock expects this to be the end of the Italian racing project (editor’s note: FB Corse has already removed its photos from its flickr stream). Of course knowing Franco Uncini and the FB Corse spin machine, we may still see another press release or two in the future from the Italian racing effort. McCoy’s official statement after the jump, best of luck to you Garry.

Despite not making the entry list into the 2010 MotoGP season (yet?), we have to admit it’s a welcomed sound to hear a triple taking off from the pits at Valencia. We here at Asphalt & Rubber were big fans of the Aprilia RS3 Cube, despite its propensity to catch fire. And while FB Corse may have drawn our ire for less than truthful media communications, their Oral Engineering designed three cylinder motor leaves us hoping the team can get their act together and make it into MotoGP so we can continue to hear its throaty tune. Check out the video after the jump for a sweet taste of triple goodness.

It’s refreshing to see that the Dorna is about as amused as we are here at Asphalt & Rubber over FB Corse’s “extremely positive” press release after the Italian MotoGP-hopeful team was denied entry into the premiere motorcycle prototype racing class. At the request of Dorna delegates, FB Corse has issued a second press release that rescinds their previous statement of being admitted into MotoGP, and now clarifies the situation with some prose that’s a little bit closer to the reality and truth of the matter.

The big takeaway from the situation is that FB Corse must now prove the FB01 in a race simulation test, which would have the race bike complete a race distance at race pace to show not only the bike’s competitiveness, but also its reliability. FB Corse’s new press release follows after the jump.

Literally no sooner did we finish our piece on FB Corse missing the boat to start MotoGP at Qatar, than the want-to-be race team released its own press statement, putting some spin on the situation. In what seems to defy logic, FB Corse claims that they have been admitted into MotoGP, and will start at Jerez round of the series, which seems to “enhance” the statement by Dorna that the team may be able “to join the grid once the MotoGP paddock returns for the European stage of the championship.”

This is of course not the first time the team has put a positively rose-colored perspective on a situation, one example of which being their adamant statements that John Hopkins was confirmed to ride for the team (this would latter prove to be a false statement). Continue reading for the rest of this racing melodrama.

Hopes were dashed in Valencia today as FB Corse was denied the opportunity to enter the 2010 MotoGP series with the rest of the field at Qatar on April 11th. The FB Corse team was at the Spanish track the past few days testing their FB01 race bike with Garry McCoy at the helm. Today being the final day of testing, representatives from Dorna and the IRTA were on hand to assess the condition of the FB Corse team and bike, and to make a determination as to whether they would be included in the 2010 series. Despite all of the media hype, Dorna’s Franco Uncini’s determined the team was not ready for MotoGP, but could maybe enter the series midway through if they where then ready.

The day has come for FB Corse to make its big track debut, and also to prove to Dorna and the IRTA that they have what it takes to race in MotoGP. This March 15th thru 17th will see the Italian team take to the track at Valencia, where they will have their first track shakedown.

In attendance March 17th will be Dorna’s Franco Uncini and an IRTA representative. The purpose of these men is to assess the FB01’s competitive ability, during what is being called a “timing test’. Intially this has been reported to mean that Dorna and the IRTA are interested in seeing as to whether or not Garry McCoy can take the FB01 around the course within three seconds of last season’s slowest qualifying MotoGP lap time. However, that doesn’t seem to be the case now.

This weekend Garry McCoy signed a two-year deal with FB Corse that sees the Australian rider making a return to premiere GP racing. The move comes just days after McCoy was dropped by one of Triumph’s Factory WSS team, BE1 Racing, and FB Corse got the official “peace out” from John Hopkins. With McCoy likely to find only teams in Moto2 looking for riders, the timing for both parties couldn’t have been better. Details after the jump.

We’re so disgruntled over the persistence of the FB Corse rumors, that we’re not even going to try and put together a quality post on the lastest gossip surrounding the hopeful Italian MotoGP team. Seriously, we don’t care if they make an announcement that Jesus Christ himself is going to come down on a beam of light, and ride the FB Corse 34100 to victory. We’re just not going to cover it today.

There is however some credible talk going on in the MotoGP paddock that Garry McCoy, who recently lost his ride at Triumph WSS effort, will be back in MotoGP with FB Corse. Read a more reputable race site for all the news if you still care. We’re going to call it a day here in the A&R office, and go home and play some smooth jazz guitar. See you all Monday.

This article takes a doubly interesting turn of events. You may remember that a week ago we brought to you the unveiling of the Bimota HB4 Moto2 race bike. The HB4, the first time a Honda motor has been in a Bimota in 25 years, was to be campaigned by FB Corse in the first running of the 250GP replacement series, Moto2, but has mysteriously been left out of the Moto2 Provisional race list.

Equally unnerving was the postponement of the FB Corse MotoGP & Moto2 press launch, which was allegedly due to FB Corse boss, Andrea Ferrari, undergoing hand surgery. The timing of that postponement drew some skeptical attention since it was right in the middle of the Hoppergate saga, which saw American rider John Hopkins teetering back and forth between riding the FB Corse MotoGP machine or taking a seat in the AMA Pro Superbike series.

Now with Hopkins making his intent to ride in the AMA clear, the FB Corse MotoGP bike yet to be unveiled, and the Bimota HB4 absentee from the Provisional Moto2 racing list, there are rumors circulating in the American and Italian racing camps that this entire thing is a charade and done for publicity.