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Photos from the 2015 Superprestigio in Barcelona

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Asphalt & Rubber is fortunate to publish this outstanding photos by friend and photographer/journalist Steve English. Most motorcycle racing fans will know Steve for his work in the MotoGP paddock, but thankfully his skills translate well on dirt ovals. We hope you enjoy his work and captions. -JB

Failure to prepare leads to failure. On Friday, Brad Baker made sure that everything was just right for him to succeed on Sunday. Having crashed heavily last year and broken his shoulder and elbow, the Washington native took a different approach to this year’s Superprestigio.

“Last year was tough and when I crashed I was just trying so hard. This year I took a different approach because the win is given on the last race and I was building all weekend towards it. Two serious surgeries in two years helps you realize that the most important race is the final. Last year I was going out to impress everyone and I crashed and missed the race. This year I was able to win both finals and it’s great after such an emotional year.”

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Double Pro Flat Track Grand National champion Jared Mees wasn’t able to make the magic happen in the Superfinal, but enjoyed the weekend and said afterwards that “I’m glad Brad won because it means that it’s another win for America!”

The flat track rivals both joked that this weekend was a very different challenge for them. “For me and Jared we’re usually on opposite sides and looking to beat each other so it was fun that we both approached this weekend thinking ‘If I don’t win I hope you do,'” was how Baker summed up their approach to the weekend.

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“Is that a penny at the apex?” Marc Marquez brought a tremendous style to MotoGP when he arrived three years ago and his flat track style is equally impressive.

Leaning so far off the bike to try and generate grip from the edge of the tire is a very different style to that employed by the full-time flat track racers, but on the 200m Barcelona track it worked well for the Spaniard.

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MotoGP

Superprestigio: Day 1 Practice – Marc Marquez & Toni Elias Lead Jared Mees & Brad Baker

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The first sessions of practice for the Barcelona Superprestigio event took place on Friday evening, and the man behind the event is fastest, as might be expected.

Marc Marquez posted a lap of 11.797 during his second run on the track, ahead of Toni Elias, with an 11.8. Jared Mees and Brad Baker were the fastest of the Open riders, for off road and dirt track specialists, both posting times in the 11.9 bracket.

Headline times are not the full story, however, with Marquez’s times less consistent than the two Americans. Brad Baker was particularly impressive, posting a long strings of 11.9s, showing he has good race pace.

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Racing

How to Watch the 2015 Superprestigio Race in Barcelona

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This year marks the third time that road racers and flat track racers will meet in Barcelona for the revived Superprestigio event.

The short-track format dirt track race is a welcomed addition to the doldrums of the winter off-season, and it features international names like Marc Marquez, Toni Elias, Jared Mees, Brad Baker, and many others (see the entry lists, after the jump).

DTX Barcelona, the promoter of the event, has been very forward-thinking its approach to the Superprestigio, and as such we have been blessed with a quality live stream each year, the 2015 Superprestigio being no different.

FansChoice.tv will host the live stream, which will begin with the opening ceremonies on Saturday, at 9am PDT. For a full schedule of the day’s events, check here. Be sure to tune in, it should be a fun event for the off-season.

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Dirt

2015 Superprestigio Set for December 12th in Barcelona

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The Barcelona Superprestigio race is becoming a regular fixture in the winter break, and this year is no exception. The third edition of the race is due to take place on December 12th in the Palau Sant Jordi, part of Barcelona’s Olympic Ring up on the Montjuic hill which sits on southwest edge of Barcelona.

Once again, the feature will pit some of the best MotoGP riders in the world against the cream of the US flat track scene, as well as top riders from many other motorcycling disciplines.

Star of the show is once again Marc Marquez, the man who helped organize the show after hearing about previous editions of the race which had been run in the 1980s and 1990s.

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Bikes

Ducati Scrambler Flat Track Pro – When Hipsters Go Racing

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Debuting today in Milan, Italy – just ahead of the EICMA trade show – Ducati has announced the Ducati Scrambler Flat Track Pro. The model comes from Ducati’s foray into the flat track realm, where Troy Bayliss made a tough return to motorcycle racing.

Ducati’s flat track race bike hasn’t really mimiced anything in the Italian company’s lineup, until now of course. Behold the first new model to the Scrambler Ducati brand, the Ducati Scrambler Flat Track Pro.

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News

Michael Lock Is the New CEO of AMA Pro Racing

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AMA Pro Racing has a new CEO, and it’s a name you will likely recognize. Consulting for AMA Pro Racing through the 2015, Michael Lock will now take the reigns of the France Family’s two-wheeled racing organization.

This announcement means that Lock will replace Michael Gentry as AMA Pro Racing’s de facto leader, who will continue with his COO position within the company, effective November 1s, 2015.

“Adding Michael Lock to the executive team shows our commitment to elevating professional motorcycle racing in North America,” said Jim France, Principal of AMA Pro Racing. “His expertise will be critical to the long-term success of the sport, and we are excited to have him join the team.”

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Bikes

Yamaha DT-07 Flat Track Concept – Turn Left, Slide, Repeat

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There has been some talk about how the Yamaha FZ-07 platform is well-suited for flat track racing. The parallel-twin engine produces tractable power, and the FZ-07 (that’s MT-07, to our European readers) is an affordable starting point for would-be racers.

Yamaha Motor USA has heard that chatter, and run with the idea, producing what it calls the Yamaha DT-07 Concept to tackle the American dirt track scene.

The concept is the work of Jeff Palhegyi Design, in conjunction with Yamaha’s US race shop. As you would expect, the Yamaha DT-07 features a race-tuned engine, 19″ wheels, no front brakes, and a custom exhaust system that was created by Graves Motorsports.

The DT-07 features a special race-tuned FZ-07 twin-cylinder engine with an exhaust system created by Graves Motorsports. Debuting at this year’s AIMExpo, the Yamaha DT-07 has Yamaha’s special yellow and black “speedblock” livery design, to commemorate the company’s 60th anniversary.

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Columns

motoDNA: The Global Dirt Track Resurgence

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When AMA dirt tracker Kenny Roberts arrived on the European 500 Grand Prix scene in 1978, road racing would never be the same. Not only did Roberts win the 500 GP title in his rookie year, as Marc Marquez did in 2013, but he also brought with him a radically new style derived from dirt track in the USA.

Robert’s style was of course, immediately copied by his rivals, much like Marquez’s dynamic style is being imitated today. KR, and the Americans that followed him, embraced dirt track lines, sacrificing entry speed, picking the bike up early and launching out of the corner, rear wheel spinning and handlebars crossed up.

Putting the bike sideways with the rear wheel 100mm out of line, steering with the rear wheel was the new way to ride. Dirt trackers then pretty much dominated 500 Grand Prix for nearly two decades between Americans: Roberts, Spencer, Lawson, Rainey, Schwantz and the Aussies: Gardner and Doohan.

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MotoGP

MotoGP: Yonny Hernandez Injures Shoulder in Training

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Yonny Hernandez is to miss the first Sepang test. The Colombian rider crashed while riding dirt track, falling heavily on his left shoulder, and dislocating the shoulder. As a result, Hernandez will not be able to ride at Sepang, and will be replaced by Ducati’s test rider, Michele Pirro.

The good news for the Pramac Ducati rider is that the damage was mainly microfractures, and the ligaments and tendons were undamaged. The shoulder is a very complex joint, held together by a complicated network of tendons, cartilege and ligaments which allow it to move freely, but is vulnerable to damage.

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Columns

Trackside Tuesday: You Can’t Keep a Good Woman Down

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Shayna Texter Superprestigio

Shayna Texter Superprestigio

While Marc Marquez, Brad Baker, and Jared Mees grabbed most of the attention at this past weekend’s in Barcelona, each of the other forty-five racers has his, or her, own story for the two-day event.

Scott Redding had high hopes of a strong performance, but crashed heavily and tore a muscle in his chest. Guy Martin, with 17 Isle of Man TT podiums and many victories on the Irish roads circuits, never looked at ease on Barcelona’s tiny dirt oval. Moto2 champ Tito Rabat didn’t see his experience or recent practice pay off with a good result.

The greatest disappointment probably goes to Baker, whose crash and resulting concussion and dislocated shoulder forced him to retire from competition, and miss his chance to defend his title. The story of Superprestigio’s unrealized hopes has many characters.

When the story reaches Shayna Texter, the plot takes a unique turn. Miss Texter is the five-foot-tall, 95-pound flat tracker from Willow Street, Pennsylvania, and the only female racer to participate in the Superprestigio competition.

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