After hoping he could make a return to World Superbike by the Portimao round, Christopher Vermeulen has had to resign today from taking part in the weekend’s races. The Australian rider has been nursing an injured knee since his crash at season opener at Phillip Island, and apparently is unable to ride around the injury this week at Portimao. Check his video on the announcement after the jump.
The good folks at On The Throttle got a chance to talk to Ben Spies after the racing action at Portimao, Portugal, and have shared the video with us. Spies talks about the season, Haga, and his move into MotoGP. Video after the jump.
It’s the qualifying session we’ve all been waiting for: the last Superpole of the 2009 season at Portimao, Portugal. A vetting process for tomorrow’s races, today’s Superpole gives us a glimpse into how this amazing season might end. How close would Ben Spies and Noriyuki Haga be on the starting line come Sunday? Who would be faster? By what margin? And lastly, would Ben Spies be able to take the outright pole record for World Superbike racing? Those answers after the jump.
MotoGP racing hit Estoril Portugal this weekend, and all eyes were on Casey Stoner as he took to motorcycle racing for the first time since taking three races off to help sort out his medical condition. Stoner’s return provided a quick reprieve to the Fiat-Yamaha camp, where riders Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo continue to battle for precious Championship points. With a 1-2 qualifying, Sunday’s race easily telegraphed itself to be a good one, and it didn’t disappoint. Spoilers and race results after the jump.
30 points separate teammates Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi in the MotoGP Championship, and as they battle in these last four races for the title, they now have to contend with Casey Stoner once again, who could take away precious points from the Fiat-Yamaha pair. While Stoner’s return to MotoGP, after a three race respite, has grabbed the media’s attention, the real race for the Championship rests squarely on one team’s shoulders.
Ducati has announced the return of Casey Stoner to MotoGP racing, with the Portuguese GP only days away from its first practice session. Stoner’s return is right on schedule, despite some speculation that the Australian racer might never race again after his prolonged hiatus from two-wheeled jousting.
Ducati has just announced that Casey Stoner will miss the GP this weekend at Brno, as well as the next two races. The decision was made by Stoner and his medical staff back in Australia, who have been trying to track down the reason for the rider’s chronic fatigue.
Stoner will return to MotoGP racing in October, at the Portuguese GP. Until then, Mika Kallio will replace Stoner on the Ducati Marlboro factory bike, and WSBK rider Michel Fabrizio will take Kallio’s spot on the Pramac Ducati satellite team.
Portimao (Portugal), has been added to the World Superbike Championship testing schedule. The testing sessions will be held from January 23rd until January 25th. All Superbike and Supersport teams, factory and privateers alike, will travel to the new circuit for their first time out on the newly added circuit to WSBK racing. With the first race at Phillip Island only a month after the testing, teams will have only a short amount of time to dissect their information and come up with a winning bike setup.