2009 Archives - Page 4 of 12 - Asphalt & Rubber

Racing

Hayden Hopes for A Better Weekend in Jerez

By Jensen Beeler 04/30/2009 No Comments

Yes…we just wanted an excuse to post these pictures of the Hayden/Takahashi collision. While Nicky Hayden hasn’t had the best of luck in the first two races of MotoGP, on a positive note though the Kentuckian rider recently stated, “At Motegi I felt as though the communication within the team had improved, the work we’re doing together as a group is becoming more smooth.” Hayden concluded by saying he didn’t “even want to think about the possibility of it raining again.”

Hayden is currently 15th in the MotoGP standings, 37 points behind leader Jorge Lorenzo.

Source:

Keep Reading

News

Valentino Rossi To Do an Exhibition Lap at the 2009 Isle of Man TT

By Jensen Beeler 04/29/2009 2 Comments

In what will be his first visit to the Isle of Man, six-time MotoGP world champion Valentino Rossi will do an exhibition lap at the start of this year’s IoM TT. Rossi will ride a 2009 Yamaha R1 alongside multi-time motorcycle GP racing world champion, Giacomo Agostini. Don’t expect any hot laps though. The pair will be parading around the course behind a safety car, and followed by a crew of as many as eight race marshals. A team of PR reps will be on hand to freak out in case Rossi crashes on the , and unable to compete in the following weekend’s GP race in Barcelona.

Keep Reading

Racing

MotoGP: Motegi Race Results

By Jensen Beeler 04/26/2009 No Comments

The rain gods smiled down on Motegi, Japan today and provided a timely start to the second GP race of the season, after rainy conditions forced race officials to cancel the GP’s qualifying session on Saturday. The Japanese GP wasn’t without incident however, as several riders failed to finish the race due to various incidents and events. This is of course code for you to read further, and to help us curb spoilers for those who haven’t sat down with their Tivo yet. Needless to say, continue reading to see a full race report on the Polini Grand Prix of Japan at Motegi.

Keep Reading

Racing

WSBK: Assen Race 2 Results

By Jensen Beeler 04/26/2009 No Comments

It was Ben Spies again who took the holeshot of Race 2. Building off of his performance in Race 1, the American again began building a lead early on in the race. But wait! There’s more, continue reading for the full report from Race 2 of World Superbike at Assen.

Keep Reading

Racing

WSBK: Assen Race 1 Results

By Jensen Beeler 04/26/2009 No Comments

In Assen, Holland, it was Ben Spies who took the holeshot in Race 1, launching off the line from pole position and into turn 1 of the Dutch course. Spies was followed by Max Neukirchner and Noriyuki Haga, neither of whom could touch the American’s lead position after turning just one lap around the course. As Haga closed in on Neukirchner it seemed there would be a good battle for second brewing, but the German made a mistake in the GT chicane and tossed his bike. He would finish 13th for the day. However, Race 1 at Assen wasn’t about to disappoint. Continue reading for a woefully inadequate description of one heck of a Superbike race that was WSBK Race 1 at Assen.

Keep Reading

Racing

Spies Wins Dutch Superpole at Assen – 4th WSBK Superpole Win in a Row

By Jensen Beeler 04/25/2009 2 Comments

In Assen, Ben Spies took his fourth Superpole win in a row by besting the existing pole record by 7/10ths of a second, with back-to-back 1’36.6 laps. Nipping at the heels of Spies, and the only other man to break into the 1’37’s, was Jakub Smrz and his Guandalini Ducati. Continue reading for the rest of the front row, and the Superpole results.

Keep Reading

Racing

Rain at Motegi Forces Japanese GP Qualifying to be Cancelled

By Jensen Beeler 04/25/2009 No Comments

Heavy lunchtime rain at the Twin Ring Motegi circuit led to the cancellation of all qualifying sessions for the Polini Grand Prix of Japan, leaving grid positions in all three World Championship categories to be decided according to Free Practice positions. Initially, the decision was to wait for an hour, and then assess if the weather conditions would improve enough for qualifying to be run later in the day. However with the rain being unrelenting, there was nothing left for Race Direction to do but to cancel the qualifying sessions for all three classes. As such, Valentino Rossi will start at the Japanese GP’s pole position for the first time in his career.

Keep Reading

Racing

Hopkins Dislocates Hip in Crash at Assen, Racing Sunday Looks Doubtful

By Jensen Beeler 04/24/2009 2 Comments

If you were to ask John Hopkins what his least favorite track is right now, we’d bet good money the American would say the Dutch track Assen. The last time Hopper was in Assen, he smash his leg in a huge crash, which left him sitting out of two races, and struggling in pain for the rest of the season. Now, after only four laps around the course this year, Assen has shown its teeth again for Hopper. During the free practice today Hopkins dislocated his hip in another big crash, and there is doubt surrounding his return to riding by Sunday.

Keep Reading

Racing

Hayden is Nearly 100% for Japanese GP

By Jensen Beeler 04/23/2009 No Comments

Nicky Hayden is a go for Friday’s practice session for the Polini Grand Prix of Japan, although the American will not be fully recovered from his Qatar highside. Hayden still has several stiches from his practice session crash at Qatar, but they should not affect his ability to ride hard on Sunday.

Keep Reading

Racing

Dainese to be the Official Safety Partner of the Isle of Man TT

By Jensen Beeler 04/21/2009 1 Comment

Dainese has announced the renewal of their partnership as the Official Safety Partner for the 2009 Isle of Man TT. Like last year, the partnership will include the first race of the Superbike TT to be renamed “The Isle of Man Dainese Superbike Race”.

The Isle of Man has long been regarded as one of the premiere races in motorcycling, as well as one of the most dangerous. Riders like Joey Dunlop have helped cement the iconic status of the time trial, while his death has also reinforced how dangerous the race still is. The TT races are extremely dangerous because of the high speeds on very narrow, twisting streets, roads and lanes flanked by stone walls and even buildings. Between 1907 and 2007 there have been 225 deaths during official practices or races on the Snaefell Mountain Course.

Keep Reading

Racing

Petronas Sponsorship Worth $24 Million to Fiat Yamaha

By Jensen Beeler 04/20/2009 No Comments

You may remember that , sponsoring the Rossi/Lorenzo duo in MotoGP. While Petronas has worked with Yamaha for eight years in a variety of fields, this marks their first collaboration with them in MotoGP, and it is costing them a pretty penny: $24 million for three years, or $8 million a year. For this sum, Petronas branding will appear on the Fiat Yamaha team’s bikes, equipment, and uniforms. Looking closer at the deal we see how large of a deal this is when compared to other similar sponsorships in MotoGP, while also at the same time, how the actual sum paid might be much less than $24 million.

Keep Reading