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San Marino GP

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As we published at the Indianapolis GP this past weekend, Colin Edwards’ time in the Monster Yamaha Tech3 garage seemed to be coming to an end, as the veteran MotoGP racer and former-World Superbike Champion was linked to several other possibilities in WSBK and MotoGP for the 2012 season. Making his thoughts clear, Edwards believes there’s some value to the claiming rule team (CRT) formula, saying ”I think there’ll be tracks where it’s going to surprise some people.”

Finally releasing his plans for the 2012 season, Edwards announced today at the San Marino GP that he will race for the Italian NGM Forward Racing team, on a CRT bike, next season. While the team has been linked to a BMW/Suter motor and chassis, Edwards will use instead an R1 motor with a custom chassis. The preference right now is for Tech3’s Guy Coulon to make a chassis for the R1 motor, as the team did for its own Moto2 effort, but nothing has been finalized with the French MotoGP team.

Three Grand Prix Championships, twenty-nine race victories, forty-one pole positions, and ninety-nine GP podiums, there is no denying the fact that Loris Capirossi has had an illustrious career in GP racing. Finally confirming what’s been hinted at all season long, Capirossi tearfully spoke at today’s pre-race press conference, as the 38-year-old announced that 2011 would be his last season racing motorcycles. Electing not to ride in World Superbike or continue in MotoGP on a CRT machine, this weekend’s race, the 325th for Capirossi, will be the last time the legendary Italian rider will race in front of a home crowd.

Making the announcement in the presence of past-Ducati teammate Casey Stoner and fellow Italian Champion Valentino Rossi, CapiRex said “it is difficult for me to say this after 22 seasons, but this for sure is my last race in Italy, because I decide to retire at the end of the season. When I do the last race in Valencia, racing for me will stop. I won’t go to a different championship and I will stop racing completely.

Paolo Giovagnoli, the prosecutor of Rimini, has opened a dossier of inquiry into the death of Shoya Tomizawa, the 19 year-old Moto2 rider who lost his life Sunday in a horrific crash during the San Marino GP. The inquest into Tomizawa’s death is investigating unknown persons, who may have contributed to Tomizawa’s injuries when he was hastily taken off the track via stretcher, which was subsequently dropped in the process. Tomizawa’s body will undergo a full autopsy, which could lead to manslaughter charges being drawn up against the track workers, and possibly track authorities as well.

Clinica Mobile and track officials have drawn heavy fire since the incident Sunday. At the center of the controversy was the decision not to red flag the race, and the brisk removal of the riders, bikes, and debris that occurred so the race could continue unhindered. Race officials have stood behind their decision saying that a red flag was not necessary to safely transport Tomizawa and the other riders, and in fact a red flag scenario would have delayed potentially lifesaving medical help to Tomizawa.

More sad news from MotoGP this weekend, as we have recieved word that Shoya Tomizawa died today during a tragic accident in the Moto2 race at the San Marino GP. Entangling with riders Scott Redding and Alex de Angelis, Tomizawa sustained massive injuries to his chest and back, and later succumbed to those injuries at the hospital in Riccione. Tomizawa was in fourth, battling with the lead group, when he crashed during the 12th lap of the race.

Struck by de Angelis’ bike, Tomizawa was rushed to the hospital via ambulance, where he was pronounced dead shortly thereafter. The incident was felt by the entire MotoGP paddock, where riders are still recovering from the loss of Peter Lenz, the 13 year-old USGPRU rider who died at Indianpolis last weekend during the Indianapolis GP, who was memorialized before the start of the 125 GP race.

At Misano this morning, Valentino Rossi debuted another of his famous helmet designs for his home crowd. Adorned with a painted clock on the top of helmet, Rossi will use a different helmet for each session during the San Marino GP. The time on the clock is set to five minutes before the session’s start, and labeled with “wake up and get going,” which for Rossi is both a literal and figurative reminder.

Critical of his results lately, Rossi is acknowledging that he needs to start turning around his season at Misano, and once again ride at the front of the pack. Hopefully these helmets (last year Rossi was the donkey) will be a reminder to the Italian rider, who has struggled since returning from a compound fracture to his leg.

UPDATE #1: Well, Dorna got their mitts on YouTube and the video is gone. Sorry Folks.
UPDATE #2: Ok, found a new video from a different angle that shows more of the aftermath.

The life expectancy of this video, isnt’ foreseen to be very long, but we thought we’d bring it to you because it sets up some of the best quotes you’ll find in MotoGP racing. Both by the Uber-Italian commentators, and from the rider involved.

Americans Nicky Hayden and Colin Edwards may not be podium regulars, but they certainly bring the down-to-Earth, good old boy, tell it how you see it mentality to an otherwise very rigid sport, and the events of the San Marino GP are certainly a shining example of those character traits.

MotoGP is at Misano, Italy today for the San Marino GP, where Jorge Lorenzo is looking to close in on his points deficit to leader Valentino Rossi. The week at San Marino has been a busy one, seeing the formal singing of Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso to another year with Honda Racing. We also saw the announcement that Ben Spies would remain in WSBK for 2010, and that Colin Edwards will more than likely remain at Tech3 Yamaha. Then of course, there is the race itself.

With Championship points on the line, all eyes were on Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi. But, wedged in-between the Fiat-Yamaha pair on the starting grid was Dani Pedrosa, who could showed at the Indianapolis GP that he is more than capable of throwing a wrench in Lorenzo’s bid to claw points away from Rossi.

Valentino Rossi is sporting another of his special helmets this weekend, for his home race at Misano. Designed by the Italian’s favorite designer, Aldo Drudi, Rossi’s new lid sports a large picture of a donkey’s face, and the words “The Donkey” written where normally it would say “The Doctor”. The helmet also features Rossi’s dogs wearing donkey ears, completing the donkey motif.

With San Marino officially the third smallest country by territory size, the San Marino GP does not actually take place within the soverign’s borders. Instead, MotoGP action comes to you this weekend from the coastal Italian track of Misano, where a slew of MotoGP riders are looking for redemption from their performances at Indianapolis.

The track temperatures have been scortching hot all week, and even with a coastal breeze blowing through the course today, the ambient temperature was still over 98° F. With only 25 points now separating Jorge Lorenzo from Valentino Rossi, all eyes are on the Fiat-Yamaha pair to see who will take the MotoGP Championship.