Arai riders race hard in California, Pedrosa makes podium again
DANI PEDROSA, REPSOL HONDA
Race Position: 3rd Championship Position: 4th
“I WAS VERY TIRED, ALMOST FINISHED…”
Dani Pedrosa started from third on the grid, and settled into second place in the early stages. His team mate Casey Stoner passed him, as Dani soon started suffering from fatigue and fitness problems; Stoner then chased down Jorge Lorenzo for nine laps and wasted no time in passing him around the outside of turn one on lap twenty seven. After being passed by Stoner, Pedrosa retained third position comfortably. He knew his fitness would be tested at a track that demands a huge physical effort, but has now moved above Valentino Rossi in the Championship standings to 4th position with 110 points.
“I’m very happy with another podium, the second after my come back from injury. I could have predicted this result before coming to Laguna because I knew it would be physically very tough for me and it has been great to keep up with the pace of Casey and Jorge in these past two races. Today, by the middle of the race, I was very tired, almost finished, I couldn’t get my left arm strong enough and here at this track you don’t rest for a moment, so I had to drop. It’s been quite difficult to set up the bike this weekend, I had a lack of grip generally, but the team worked very well. Now we have some holidays and it will be good for me to have some days off to rest and relax my muscles and be back training to arrive fully fit in Brno.”
CAL CRUTCHLOW, MONSTER YAMAHA TECH 3
Race Position: DNF Championship Position: 15th
“ALL OF US ARE PUSHING ON THE LIMIT”
Cal Crutchlow’s debut at the spectacular Laguna Seca circuit was unfortunately a short experience, his hopes of a return to the top 10 ended by an early crash. Starting from the front of the fourth row, Crutchlow was shadowing tenth placed Alvaro Bautista when he lost the front-end of his bike at Turn 2. The 25-year-old was unhurt in the fourth lap incident but it was a disappointing conclusion to a weekend that had promised much from the 2009 World Supersport champion, after he’d brilliantly got to grips with the 3.610km track.
“I lost the front at the second corner and it was a similar problem to what we’ve been experiencing in recent races. It was fine this morning in cooler conditions but as soon as the track temperature goes up, I have a few problems. Strangely it was only at that corner. It is a shame because I think we had a good pace. Bautista wasn’t getting away from me and he quickly got up to Valentino and Nicky, so I think I could have gone with him and been in that battle. I’m disappointed I didn't finish the race and it is not good for the Championship but I wasn’t the only one to crash today and it shows all of us are pushing on the limit. We have still learned quite a bit this weekend and the bike certainly felt better than it did in the last few races. Now we go to some tracks that I know and I’m looking forward to it because it has been a tough run and I need to recover the form I was showing in the beginning of the season.”
COLIN EDWARDS, MONSTER YAMAHA TECH 3
Race Position: 8th Championship Position: 8th
“HONESTLY I’M REALLY DISAPPOINTED”
Colin Edwards seized eighth from Hector Barbera exiting the famous Corkscrew section on lap 14, but was already six seconds adrift of the battle for sixth place involving Ducati duo Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden. He was able to run identical lap times as Rossi and double Laguna Seca MotoGP winner Hayden in the middle phase of the race, but was unable to reduce the gap and he opted not to take any unnecessary risks to ensure he collected eight valuable points. The result, which was the 37-year-old’s seventh top ten finish of the campaign, moves him up one place in the overall rankings to consolidate his position as the leading non-factory rider in 2011.
“Honestly I’m really disappointed because I came here for my home race and I expected bigger and better things. I struggled all weekend with the set-up and we made a wrong turn somewhere in the last couple of races that have knocked us out of stride a little bit. This morning we just put in the same setting I ran in last year’s race and that wasn’t great, but at least I felt more comfortable with it than what I’d been running all weekend. It wasn’t the best setting but at least I felt comfortable to a point where I could push for some decent lap times. I just lacked front and rear grip. I’ve never ridden so hard in my life but I was a second off the pace and when Cal went down in front of me, there was no way I could go with Bautista. I just had to be smooth because if I pushed I just ended up going slower. I still moved up in the Championship and got some good points, so now I’m just looking forward to a couple of weeks relaxing to get ready for the final part of the season.”
NICKY HAYDEN, MARLBORO DUCATI
Race Position: 7th Championship Position: 7th
“I’M NOT GOING TO JUMP UP AND DOWN CELEBRATING 7TH PLACE!”
Nicky Hayden finished his home round in 7th behind his team mate Valentino Rossi. He had good pace and rhythm but ultimately wasn’t fast enough to stay with the leading riders.
“I’ve won this race before, so I’m not going to jump up and down celebrating seventh place. We knew it was going to be tough, and crashing in qualifying didn’t help. I got a decent start, but I didn’t get to go with that second group like I had hoped. It was kind of like the Sachsenring: a good battle with Valentino, but thirty seconds behind the front. Vale was no faster than me, but he’s a racer: he doesn’t make mistakes and give you anything. A couple of times I thought I might be able to go up the inside, but I’m not just going to close my eyes and knock us both down trying for sixth place. We’ll take two weeks off, regroup and go to Brno.”
Hiroshi Aoyama rode his San Carlo Honda Gresini to 10th place, and moves to 9th in the Championship. Karel Abraham bought his Cardion AB Motoracing Ducati home in 11th; he remains 12th overall in the standings.
Round 11 of MotoGP is at Brno, Sunday August 14. (With Hopper!)
For more information on Arai Helmets please visit www.whyarai.co.uk
Monday, July 25, 2011
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
MOTOGP ROUND 9, SACHSENRING, SUNDAY JULY 17
Arai rider Dani Pedrosa is number one in Germany!
DANI PEDROSA, REPSOL HONDA
Race Position: 1st Championship Position: 5th
“IT’S AN INCREDIBLE FEELING TO BE BACK AND WIN!”
101,309 spectators at Sachsenring, in Germany, witnessed an incredible battle for the MotoGP victory between Dani Pedrosa, Casey Stoner and Jorge Lorenzo, with Pedrosa finally clinching the win. It was a great race for Dani who returned to the top step of the podium at only his second race after having missed three races due to an injury to the right shoulder. The Repsol Honda rider today sealed his second win of the 2011 season and his fifth Grand Prix victory at the Sachsenring circuit (three wins in MotoGP class, and two in 250cc). On lap twenty, Dani also broke his own Circuit Record Lap record at the Sachsenring with a 1'21.846s.
“It’s an incredible feeling to be back and win a race so early; I didn’t expect it, but this circuit has been always very good for me and I made it happen. I was already surprised yesterday with second position in qualifying and to finish the weekend in this way is amazing, a huge relief for me after a very hard time with injuries. Here I suffered less than in Mugello because of the layout, but in the race today I had a strange feeling, something I’ve never had before. At the beginning of the race I wasn’t feeling great on the bike, I was fourth but I didn’t get nervous or worried because I’m still not mathematically out of the Championship battle, but I know it’s almost impossible. So, I just let the laps pass and in the middle of the race, with less fuel in the tank and when the tyres started sliding, I decided to step it up a little and it worked perfectly. I’m very happy with this victory; I’ve been suffering a lot even though this racetrack is not physically demanding, because I’m still weak.”
CAL CRUTCHLOW, MONSTER YAMAHA TECH 3
Race Position: 14th Championship Position: 15th
“I DIDN’T GIVE UP.”
Cal Crutchlow rode with typical aggression and he produced a fantastic ride under intense pressure to keep Randy de Puniet, Hector Barbera and fellow MotoGP rookie Karel Abraham at bay in 11th position. Battling a lack of front-end feel that Crutchlow had worked tirelessly to improve over the course of the weekend, the British rider was unable to keep his line entering Turn 3 on lap 26 and he dropped back to 14th place. The 25-year-old quickly got back into his rhythm, but despite launching a concerted effort to reclaim the lost places, he finished less than 0.5s away from 11th.
“Obviously I can’t be happy to have finished 14th because I believe I should be fighting inside the top ten. But taking the positives out of a difficult race, I was able to fight for the whole race with riders that are a lot more experienced than me, and who have much more knowledge of this track. But I didn’t give up and pushed as hard as I could right to the end and nearly recovered a couple of places. I just didn’t have enough grip from the front or the rear and it was difficult. I didn’t feel I could push any harder and it strange because we made a lot of big changes to the bike this weekend without ever really finding an improvement. We’ve learned a few things that will help in the future and now I’m looking forward to getting to Laguna Seca where I'll be aiming to get back inside the top ten.”
COLIN EDWARDS, MONSTER YAMAHA TECH 3
Race Position: 10th Championship Position: 9th
“USUALLY IT’S A DISASTER HERE SO I’M ACTUALLY HAPPY....”
Edwards delivered a determined ride throughout the 30-lap encounter, the American shrugging off the lingering affects of a nasty sore throat to finish in a hard fought 10th place after a captivating four-rider battle for seventh that included Alvaro Bautista, Valentino Rossi and compatriot Nicky Hayden, who are all riding full factory machinery. But with four laps remaining, he had to abandon his pursuit of the trio in front when he encountered a rear grip problem in the left-hand corners. Edwards though was still satisfied having set a personal best race time at the Sachsenring, which has traditionally been a bogey track for the 37-year-old.
“That was a difficult race because it was one of those where you can see a few places up for grabs in front of you but you can’t do anything to try move forward. I was with Valentino, Nicky and Alvaro for pretty much the whole race but it didn’t matter what I did or tried, I couldn’t get close enough to try and pass them. One tenth round this track feels like a million because it is so short but it felt like I was on a bungee rope the whole time. Each time we started going through the series of lefts from Turn 4 onwards, they just seem to have more traction than me. They’d pull a few bike lengths on me but then I’d gain it all back in the hard braking for Turn 12 at the bottom of the hill and hard braking for the last corner. With a few laps to go I was in Turn 2, off throttle and the rear came round. From that point on I had less grip and a bit of vibration and I couldn’t stay with them and I was making more mistakes trying to keep their pace. I’ve never gone great at this track and I’ve gone faster than I’ve ever run. Usually it’s a disaster here, so I’m actually happy...”
NICKY HAYDEN, MARLBORO DUCATI
Race Position: 8th Championship Position: 7th
“WE HAD BETTER HOPES FOR TODAY!”
Nicky Hayden won the duel with his teammate Valentino Rossi for 8th place at the chequered flag, although he had hoped to be closer to the front after a good showing in practice, where he also qualified in 8th.
“I tried to go with that group in front of me off the start, but about the second or third lap I had a pretty big moment over the bumps in Turn 1 and they took off. From there I had a big battle with Bautista and Vale. It was fun, with a lot of overtaking, but battling for seventh place, 27 seconds back is hard for me to take at a track that I love and where I’ve been on the podium several times. I got to seventh toward the end and did my best lap, but they came with me. Bautista got me on my last lap, at the bottom of the hill. I re-passed him in the last corner, but he squared it up and nipped me to the line. It’s easy to say now, but I wish I raced the soft tyre. Thanks to the team and everybody that worked hard, but we had better hopes for today, going into Laguna.”
Hiroshi Aoyama, on his San Carlo Honda Gresini rode to 15th place, and lies 10th in the Championship while Czech rider Karel Abraham rode his Cardion AB Motoracing Ducati well to 12th; he remains 12th overall in the standings.
Round 8 of MotoGP is at Laguna Seca, Sunday July 25.
DANI PEDROSA, REPSOL HONDA
Race Position: 1st Championship Position: 5th
“IT’S AN INCREDIBLE FEELING TO BE BACK AND WIN!”
101,309 spectators at Sachsenring, in Germany, witnessed an incredible battle for the MotoGP victory between Dani Pedrosa, Casey Stoner and Jorge Lorenzo, with Pedrosa finally clinching the win. It was a great race for Dani who returned to the top step of the podium at only his second race after having missed three races due to an injury to the right shoulder. The Repsol Honda rider today sealed his second win of the 2011 season and his fifth Grand Prix victory at the Sachsenring circuit (three wins in MotoGP class, and two in 250cc). On lap twenty, Dani also broke his own Circuit Record Lap record at the Sachsenring with a 1'21.846s.
“It’s an incredible feeling to be back and win a race so early; I didn’t expect it, but this circuit has been always very good for me and I made it happen. I was already surprised yesterday with second position in qualifying and to finish the weekend in this way is amazing, a huge relief for me after a very hard time with injuries. Here I suffered less than in Mugello because of the layout, but in the race today I had a strange feeling, something I’ve never had before. At the beginning of the race I wasn’t feeling great on the bike, I was fourth but I didn’t get nervous or worried because I’m still not mathematically out of the Championship battle, but I know it’s almost impossible. So, I just let the laps pass and in the middle of the race, with less fuel in the tank and when the tyres started sliding, I decided to step it up a little and it worked perfectly. I’m very happy with this victory; I’ve been suffering a lot even though this racetrack is not physically demanding, because I’m still weak.”
CAL CRUTCHLOW, MONSTER YAMAHA TECH 3
Race Position: 14th Championship Position: 15th
“I DIDN’T GIVE UP.”
Cal Crutchlow rode with typical aggression and he produced a fantastic ride under intense pressure to keep Randy de Puniet, Hector Barbera and fellow MotoGP rookie Karel Abraham at bay in 11th position. Battling a lack of front-end feel that Crutchlow had worked tirelessly to improve over the course of the weekend, the British rider was unable to keep his line entering Turn 3 on lap 26 and he dropped back to 14th place. The 25-year-old quickly got back into his rhythm, but despite launching a concerted effort to reclaim the lost places, he finished less than 0.5s away from 11th.
“Obviously I can’t be happy to have finished 14th because I believe I should be fighting inside the top ten. But taking the positives out of a difficult race, I was able to fight for the whole race with riders that are a lot more experienced than me, and who have much more knowledge of this track. But I didn’t give up and pushed as hard as I could right to the end and nearly recovered a couple of places. I just didn’t have enough grip from the front or the rear and it was difficult. I didn’t feel I could push any harder and it strange because we made a lot of big changes to the bike this weekend without ever really finding an improvement. We’ve learned a few things that will help in the future and now I’m looking forward to getting to Laguna Seca where I'll be aiming to get back inside the top ten.”
COLIN EDWARDS, MONSTER YAMAHA TECH 3
Race Position: 10th Championship Position: 9th
“USUALLY IT’S A DISASTER HERE SO I’M ACTUALLY HAPPY....”
Edwards delivered a determined ride throughout the 30-lap encounter, the American shrugging off the lingering affects of a nasty sore throat to finish in a hard fought 10th place after a captivating four-rider battle for seventh that included Alvaro Bautista, Valentino Rossi and compatriot Nicky Hayden, who are all riding full factory machinery. But with four laps remaining, he had to abandon his pursuit of the trio in front when he encountered a rear grip problem in the left-hand corners. Edwards though was still satisfied having set a personal best race time at the Sachsenring, which has traditionally been a bogey track for the 37-year-old.
“That was a difficult race because it was one of those where you can see a few places up for grabs in front of you but you can’t do anything to try move forward. I was with Valentino, Nicky and Alvaro for pretty much the whole race but it didn’t matter what I did or tried, I couldn’t get close enough to try and pass them. One tenth round this track feels like a million because it is so short but it felt like I was on a bungee rope the whole time. Each time we started going through the series of lefts from Turn 4 onwards, they just seem to have more traction than me. They’d pull a few bike lengths on me but then I’d gain it all back in the hard braking for Turn 12 at the bottom of the hill and hard braking for the last corner. With a few laps to go I was in Turn 2, off throttle and the rear came round. From that point on I had less grip and a bit of vibration and I couldn’t stay with them and I was making more mistakes trying to keep their pace. I’ve never gone great at this track and I’ve gone faster than I’ve ever run. Usually it’s a disaster here, so I’m actually happy...”
NICKY HAYDEN, MARLBORO DUCATI
Race Position: 8th Championship Position: 7th
“WE HAD BETTER HOPES FOR TODAY!”
Nicky Hayden won the duel with his teammate Valentino Rossi for 8th place at the chequered flag, although he had hoped to be closer to the front after a good showing in practice, where he also qualified in 8th.
“I tried to go with that group in front of me off the start, but about the second or third lap I had a pretty big moment over the bumps in Turn 1 and they took off. From there I had a big battle with Bautista and Vale. It was fun, with a lot of overtaking, but battling for seventh place, 27 seconds back is hard for me to take at a track that I love and where I’ve been on the podium several times. I got to seventh toward the end and did my best lap, but they came with me. Bautista got me on my last lap, at the bottom of the hill. I re-passed him in the last corner, but he squared it up and nipped me to the line. It’s easy to say now, but I wish I raced the soft tyre. Thanks to the team and everybody that worked hard, but we had better hopes for today, going into Laguna.”
Hiroshi Aoyama, on his San Carlo Honda Gresini rode to 15th place, and lies 10th in the Championship while Czech rider Karel Abraham rode his Cardion AB Motoracing Ducati well to 12th; he remains 12th overall in the standings.
Round 8 of MotoGP is at Laguna Seca, Sunday July 25.
For more information on Arai please visit www.whyarai.co.uk
Friday, July 15, 2011
LEON HASLAM TO WEAR SPECIAL ARAI AT SILVERSTONE FOR SPARKS
The children’s charity close to BMW World Superbike racer’s heart…
World Superbike racer Leon Haslam is once again supporting children’s charity SPARKS (Sports Aiding medical Research for KidS) and during 2011 is making a contribution to the charity that is directly linked to his racing performance; the BMW factory rider gives SPARKS £10 for every World Championship point he scores in 2011.
On Sunday 31st July, at his home WSBK round at Silverstone, Leon will be wearing a one-off Arai RX-7 GP to promote the charity. The stunning design features a blue base with yellow stars – the colours and theme of SPARKS itself – and wrapping around the lower portion is an infant’s hand reaching out and holding an adult’s finger. A large yellow star on the back has a young eye peering out, watching out for the chasing pack…
Haslam is happy to be involved with the charity, and is very pleased with his one-off Arai: “I first played golf in a SPARKS event in 2003 and it’s a great organisation. The work they do through medical research really has made a difference for thousands of children and families and continues to do so. I scored 376 points in 2010 but I’d rather score what Max Biaggi scored with 451, win the Championship and hand over a bigger cheque to SPARKS! I love the unique paintwork on my Arai RX-7 GP for Silverstone, too. Of course it looks superb, but at the same time underlines the mission of help and support that SPARKS gives to kids beautifully.”
Recently, combining one of Leon’s passions – golf – with a desire to further aid SPARKS, the Leon Haslam Classic was held at Wellingborough Golf Club, Northants, and raised £8,700 for the charity. More than 120 golfers took part in the celebrity-packed day at the 18th century Harrowden Hall home of Wellingborough Golf Club.
SPARKS
SPARKS has existed since 1960 and has a simple mission; to help all babies be born healthy and stay healthy. The charity contributes to this by funding high quality medical research into childhood diseases and has donated more than £15m since 1991 to tackle a wide range of conditions diagnosed in babies and young children. The charity is supported by many sporting celebrities including England rugby coach Martin Johnson CBE, Olympian Sir Steve Redgrave, golfer and Ryder Cup Captain Colin Montgomerie OBE and 1966 England football legend Sir Geoff Hurst MBE. For more information on SPARKS visit www.sparks.org.uk
For further details on the Arai range call 2724UK on 01782 569800, or visit www.whyarai.co.uk
World Superbike racer Leon Haslam is once again supporting children’s charity SPARKS (Sports Aiding medical Research for KidS) and during 2011 is making a contribution to the charity that is directly linked to his racing performance; the BMW factory rider gives SPARKS £10 for every World Championship point he scores in 2011.
Haslam is happy to be involved with the charity, and is very pleased with his one-off Arai: “I first played golf in a SPARKS event in 2003 and it’s a great organisation. The work they do through medical research really has made a difference for thousands of children and families and continues to do so. I scored 376 points in 2010 but I’d rather score what Max Biaggi scored with 451, win the Championship and hand over a bigger cheque to SPARKS! I love the unique paintwork on my Arai RX-7 GP for Silverstone, too. Of course it looks superb, but at the same time underlines the mission of help and support that SPARKS gives to kids beautifully.”
Recently, combining one of Leon’s passions – golf – with a desire to further aid SPARKS, the Leon Haslam Classic was held at Wellingborough Golf Club, Northants, and raised £8,700 for the charity. More than 120 golfers took part in the celebrity-packed day at the 18th century Harrowden Hall home of Wellingborough Golf Club.
SPARKS
SPARKS has existed since 1960 and has a simple mission; to help all babies be born healthy and stay healthy. The charity contributes to this by funding high quality medical research into childhood diseases and has donated more than £15m since 1991 to tackle a wide range of conditions diagnosed in babies and young children. The charity is supported by many sporting celebrities including England rugby coach Martin Johnson CBE, Olympian Sir Steve Redgrave, golfer and Ryder Cup Captain Colin Montgomerie OBE and 1966 England football legend Sir Geoff Hurst MBE. For more information on SPARKS visit www.sparks.org.uk
For further details on the Arai range call 2724UK on 01782 569800, or visit www.whyarai.co.uk
Monday, July 11, 2011
WSBK ROUND 8, BRNO, SUNDAY JULY 10
Highs and lows in Czechoslovakia for Arai riders, but Haslam makes progress!
LEON HASLAM, BMW MOTORRAD MOTORSPORT
Race One: 8th Race Two: 7th Championship Position: 5th
“I’M PRETTY HAPPY WITH THE PROGRESS…”
In race one at Brno Leon Haslam made a good start from 13th on the grid and was circulating in the top ten, before slipping back into a five-way battle with Joan Lascorz, Leon Camier, Tom Sykes and Jakub Smrz. Momentarily finding himself back down in 11th place, a late charge from Haslam saw him claw his way back into the top ten on the penultimate laps, and eventually fight his way up to eighth by the finish line.
Temperatures were even higher for race two but Leon made another good start up into the top ten from his fourth row grid position. Fighting all the way, Haslam also passed Sylvain Guintoli and then moved past Tom Sykes on lap 9 to move into seventh. An on-going battle with a rejuvenated Lascorz held Haslam up as he fought for track position with the Spaniard, swapping places and battling all the way throughout the final lap – and just beating him to the chequered flag.
It was an inspiring result for Leon, having started way down on the fourth row of the grid, and these results move him back into the top five in the championship standings. The races were won by Marco Melandri and Max Biaggi, with each rider finishing second in the race he didn’t win, and series leader Carlos Checa taking two thirds.
“In the first race I had a good start but on new, grippy tyres I was struggling a little bit with my pace, so some of the riders got past. But when the grip levels went away, I maintained my pace – and they couldn’t – so I caught up again! That was a good battle and I passed three guys during the final laps, which was exciting.
In race two I was held up a little bit so Ayrton, who was in sixth, could pull a gap on me. Then I was involved in a really good battle with Lascorz in the closing stages. It was two pretty hard races to finish in eighth and seventh – and this is not where we want to finish, but we understand what the issue is and know what direction to take now. So all in all, I am pretty happy with the progress we made and I hope that we can make the difference at my next home race at Silverstone.”
JONATHAN REA, CASTROL HONDA
Race One: DNS Race Two: DNS Championship Position: 10th
Castrol Honda rider Jonathan Rea sat out the Brno round of the WSBK championship, taking time to heal his right arm which was broken at Misano during morning warm up on race day, June 12.
Noriyuki Haga and his PATA Aprilia finished race one in 12th and race two in 10th; he lies 9th in the championship. Jakub Smrz and his Effenbert Liberty Racing Ducati got to the chequered flag in race one 11th, but DNF’d in the second outing, moving him back one place to 12th overall in the title chase.
Despite falling for the second time in succession while in the leading mix for the podium places, Kawasaki Motocard.com rider Broc Parkes remains second in the World Supersport championship. With series leader Chaz Davies unable to add to his race win total in the Czech Republic, Parkes still has five rounds to make up the points deficit of 36 to the British rider. The race at Brno was stopped three laps early by a red flag, after a technical problem with another machine and a few crashes – including a small trackside fire – brought proceedings to a halt. Broc was understandably disappointed;
“I lost the front end again. I have been struggling with feel from the front in the past two races and I do not know exactly why. I had no warnings in the corners and just fell by losing the front. I am very disappointed this time, more than at the last race. We had the pace last time but I just did not have the race pace at this round. It is not good to crash in the first few laps. But we are still second overall and have a lot of races left to run.”
The next World Superbike championship round is at Silverstone, on July 31.
For more information on Arai Helmets please visit www.whyarai.co.uk
For more information on the World Superbike Rounds please visit www.worldsbk.com
LEON HASLAM, BMW MOTORRAD MOTORSPORT
Race One: 8th Race Two: 7th Championship Position: 5th
“I’M PRETTY HAPPY WITH THE PROGRESS…”
In race one at Brno Leon Haslam made a good start from 13th on the grid and was circulating in the top ten, before slipping back into a five-way battle with Joan Lascorz, Leon Camier, Tom Sykes and Jakub Smrz. Momentarily finding himself back down in 11th place, a late charge from Haslam saw him claw his way back into the top ten on the penultimate laps, and eventually fight his way up to eighth by the finish line.
Temperatures were even higher for race two but Leon made another good start up into the top ten from his fourth row grid position. Fighting all the way, Haslam also passed Sylvain Guintoli and then moved past Tom Sykes on lap 9 to move into seventh. An on-going battle with a rejuvenated Lascorz held Haslam up as he fought for track position with the Spaniard, swapping places and battling all the way throughout the final lap – and just beating him to the chequered flag.
It was an inspiring result for Leon, having started way down on the fourth row of the grid, and these results move him back into the top five in the championship standings. The races were won by Marco Melandri and Max Biaggi, with each rider finishing second in the race he didn’t win, and series leader Carlos Checa taking two thirds.
“In the first race I had a good start but on new, grippy tyres I was struggling a little bit with my pace, so some of the riders got past. But when the grip levels went away, I maintained my pace – and they couldn’t – so I caught up again! That was a good battle and I passed three guys during the final laps, which was exciting.
In race two I was held up a little bit so Ayrton, who was in sixth, could pull a gap on me. Then I was involved in a really good battle with Lascorz in the closing stages. It was two pretty hard races to finish in eighth and seventh – and this is not where we want to finish, but we understand what the issue is and know what direction to take now. So all in all, I am pretty happy with the progress we made and I hope that we can make the difference at my next home race at Silverstone.”
JONATHAN REA, CASTROL HONDA
Race One: DNS Race Two: DNS Championship Position: 10th
Castrol Honda rider Jonathan Rea sat out the Brno round of the WSBK championship, taking time to heal his right arm which was broken at Misano during morning warm up on race day, June 12.
Noriyuki Haga and his PATA Aprilia finished race one in 12th and race two in 10th; he lies 9th in the championship. Jakub Smrz and his Effenbert Liberty Racing Ducati got to the chequered flag in race one 11th, but DNF’d in the second outing, moving him back one place to 12th overall in the title chase.
Despite falling for the second time in succession while in the leading mix for the podium places, Kawasaki Motocard.com rider Broc Parkes remains second in the World Supersport championship. With series leader Chaz Davies unable to add to his race win total in the Czech Republic, Parkes still has five rounds to make up the points deficit of 36 to the British rider. The race at Brno was stopped three laps early by a red flag, after a technical problem with another machine and a few crashes – including a small trackside fire – brought proceedings to a halt. Broc was understandably disappointed;
“I lost the front end again. I have been struggling with feel from the front in the past two races and I do not know exactly why. I had no warnings in the corners and just fell by losing the front. I am very disappointed this time, more than at the last race. We had the pace last time but I just did not have the race pace at this round. It is not good to crash in the first few laps. But we are still second overall and have a lot of races left to run.”
The next World Superbike championship round is at Silverstone, on July 31.
For more information on Arai Helmets please visit www.whyarai.co.uk
For more information on the World Superbike Rounds please visit www.worldsbk.com
Thursday, June 30, 2011
MOTOGP ROUND 7, ASSEN, SATURDAY JUNE 25
Unpredictable conditions in Holland challenge Arai riders, but hard work pays off…
DANI PEDROSA, REPSOL HONDA
Race Position: DNS Championship Position: 6th
Prior to the weekend’s racing at Assen Honda Racing Corporation confirmed that Dani Pedrosa would not race, and for one round only his replacement in the Repsol Honda squad would be Hiroshi Aoyama from the San Carlo Honda Gresini Team. HRC test rider, Kousuke Akiyoshi stepped in to replace Aoyama and ride alongside Marco Simoncelli. Pedrosa is planning a return to action at Mugello.
The race was won by factory Yamaha rider Ben Spies, taking his maiden MotoGP victory, followed by Repsol Honda team-mates Casey Stoner and Andrea Dovizioso.
CAL CRUTCHLOW, MONSTER YAMAHA TECH 3
Race Position: 14th Championship Position: 14th
“I’VE PROVED AGAIN I’VE GOT THE SPEED”
With air temperatures only just reaching a cold 13 degrees and earlier rain affecting grip levels, Cal Crutchlow fitted the soft compound Bridgestone front tyre to his Yamaha. He subsequently made the best start of his MotoGP career and ended the first lap in fourth place, showing phenomenal early speed to chase Stoner and Dovizioso. Ignoring the pain of the recovering left collarbone he broke at Silverstone just over two weeks ago, he superbly kept Valentino Rossi at bay until he started to encounter a front tyre grip problem after five laps. Determined to overcome the issue to claim his first top six MotoGP finish, he fought hard to remain in the top six until lap 11 when the problem worsened. He opted to pit for a new front tyre on lap 13 and then set a fast and consistent pace on his way to 14th.
“Looking at the positives I got a fantastic start and for the first few laps I was running close to the front in a MotoGP race for the first time. I felt confident I could keep Valentino behind me but then after about five or six laps I started struggling with the front tyre on the right side. I had no choice but to come in and change it because if I had carried on pushing it was going to be easy to crash and that’s the last thing I need to be doing at the moment. Without that I’ve no doubt I’d have finished fourth but I’ve proved again I’ve got the speed and shown that I can race with the best in this class. It wasn’t the final result we wanted but I can’t change it and I still learned a lot, so now I’m concentrating on Mugello and getting a good result there.”
COLIN EDWARDS, MONSTER YAMAHA TECH 3
Race Position: 7th Championship Position: 9th
“TO BE HONEST I’M HAPPY I MADE IT TO THE FINISH!”
Colin Edwards also encountered a front tyre grip issue as the race avoided any repeat of the earlier rain. Once he’d settled into a fast pace, Edwards was comfortably cutting the gap to the Crutchlow and Rossi battle when his front tyre started to lose traction. He held fifth until lap 17 but was unable to hold off Nicky Hayden. Edwards also then encountered a rare arm pump issue caused as he tried to compensate for the muscle damage to his left ribcage suffered in a recent crash at Catalunya. Despite his best efforts the 37-year-old was unable to maintain his pace and he dropped down the order to finish in seventh position.
“That wasn’t an easy race at all and to be honest I’m happy I made it to the finish. I was feeling really good and catching Valentino and Cal when I went through the second corner and lost the front. I thought it was just because I was pushing but the next corner the same thing happened and from that moment it was really difficult. Each time I was in a right-hander I couldn’t turn but that wasn’t my only issue today. After about ten laps I got really bad arm pump. I’ve got no upper body strength with the rib injury from Catalunya, so to compensate I was doing everything with my arms and at one stage, the combination of the two issues meant I thought I was going to have to pull in. It was a case of gritting my teeth and getting some points but we’ll analyse what happened because Ben (Spies) won the race on the soft front tyre. Our bike isn’t set-up completely different, so we'll have to talk to Bridgestone.”
NICKY HAYDEN, MARLBORO DUCATI
Race Position: 5th Championship Position: 5th
“I CAN’T CELEBRATE FIFTH PLACE TOO MUCH…”
Nicky Hayden earned fifth place on a day marked by difficult weather conditions, with cold temperatures resulting in a number of early crashes, including Simoncelli taking out Lorenzo just off the start. The warm-up session was wet, but the track began to dry out before the race, and the riders were forced to change their setups on the grid and replaced their rain tyres with slicks. This is Hayden’s best dry result of the season so far.
“Conditions have been all over the place all weekend, and the race wasn’t any different. We went out with a rain setup, but we saw that it was drying quickly and changed to a complete dry setup on the grid. There were a couple of little wet patches early on, but it was okay. We made a small change for the race, but nothing big. The first lap or two, the tyres heated up and I felt really good. Then I made a couple of early mistakes. I touched a white line and also pushed the front once and had to go straight at the chicane. Colin passed me, and then I managed to drag him back. I can’t celebrate fifth place too much, but it’s my best dry result of the year and puts us fifth in the points.”
Hiroshi Aoyama, riding Pedrosa’s full factory Honda in Repsol colours finished in 8th place and is 8th overall in the championship. He was grateful for the taste of factory machinery;
“First of all I’d like to thank the whole Repsol Honda Team and HRC. It was quite a tough weekend due to the conditions and situation, not ideal to go racing in but we couldn’t do anything about this. We tried our best during this short space of time and I’m happy I enjoyed the race even if in a lot of pain after yesterday’s crash. In the race it was quite tough, but from mid-race I was able to improve lap by lap and achieve good consistency. This experience has taught me things and made me a better rider, I hope one day I can return to this team. Dani will return next race and I am sure he will be happy to be back on his bike!”
Czech rider Karel Abraham was caught out by the conditions, crashing early on and unable to restart, moving him back to 13th in the championship.
Round 8 of MotoGP is at Mugello, Sunday 3rd July.
DANI PEDROSA, REPSOL HONDA
Race Position: DNS Championship Position: 6th
Prior to the weekend’s racing at Assen Honda Racing Corporation confirmed that Dani Pedrosa would not race, and for one round only his replacement in the Repsol Honda squad would be Hiroshi Aoyama from the San Carlo Honda Gresini Team. HRC test rider, Kousuke Akiyoshi stepped in to replace Aoyama and ride alongside Marco Simoncelli. Pedrosa is planning a return to action at Mugello.
The race was won by factory Yamaha rider Ben Spies, taking his maiden MotoGP victory, followed by Repsol Honda team-mates Casey Stoner and Andrea Dovizioso.
CAL CRUTCHLOW, MONSTER YAMAHA TECH 3
Race Position: 14th Championship Position: 14th
“I’VE PROVED AGAIN I’VE GOT THE SPEED”
With air temperatures only just reaching a cold 13 degrees and earlier rain affecting grip levels, Cal Crutchlow fitted the soft compound Bridgestone front tyre to his Yamaha. He subsequently made the best start of his MotoGP career and ended the first lap in fourth place, showing phenomenal early speed to chase Stoner and Dovizioso. Ignoring the pain of the recovering left collarbone he broke at Silverstone just over two weeks ago, he superbly kept Valentino Rossi at bay until he started to encounter a front tyre grip problem after five laps. Determined to overcome the issue to claim his first top six MotoGP finish, he fought hard to remain in the top six until lap 11 when the problem worsened. He opted to pit for a new front tyre on lap 13 and then set a fast and consistent pace on his way to 14th.
“Looking at the positives I got a fantastic start and for the first few laps I was running close to the front in a MotoGP race for the first time. I felt confident I could keep Valentino behind me but then after about five or six laps I started struggling with the front tyre on the right side. I had no choice but to come in and change it because if I had carried on pushing it was going to be easy to crash and that’s the last thing I need to be doing at the moment. Without that I’ve no doubt I’d have finished fourth but I’ve proved again I’ve got the speed and shown that I can race with the best in this class. It wasn’t the final result we wanted but I can’t change it and I still learned a lot, so now I’m concentrating on Mugello and getting a good result there.”
COLIN EDWARDS, MONSTER YAMAHA TECH 3
Race Position: 7th Championship Position: 9th
“TO BE HONEST I’M HAPPY I MADE IT TO THE FINISH!”
Colin Edwards also encountered a front tyre grip issue as the race avoided any repeat of the earlier rain. Once he’d settled into a fast pace, Edwards was comfortably cutting the gap to the Crutchlow and Rossi battle when his front tyre started to lose traction. He held fifth until lap 17 but was unable to hold off Nicky Hayden. Edwards also then encountered a rare arm pump issue caused as he tried to compensate for the muscle damage to his left ribcage suffered in a recent crash at Catalunya. Despite his best efforts the 37-year-old was unable to maintain his pace and he dropped down the order to finish in seventh position.
“That wasn’t an easy race at all and to be honest I’m happy I made it to the finish. I was feeling really good and catching Valentino and Cal when I went through the second corner and lost the front. I thought it was just because I was pushing but the next corner the same thing happened and from that moment it was really difficult. Each time I was in a right-hander I couldn’t turn but that wasn’t my only issue today. After about ten laps I got really bad arm pump. I’ve got no upper body strength with the rib injury from Catalunya, so to compensate I was doing everything with my arms and at one stage, the combination of the two issues meant I thought I was going to have to pull in. It was a case of gritting my teeth and getting some points but we’ll analyse what happened because Ben (Spies) won the race on the soft front tyre. Our bike isn’t set-up completely different, so we'll have to talk to Bridgestone.”
NICKY HAYDEN, MARLBORO DUCATI
Race Position: 5th Championship Position: 5th
“I CAN’T CELEBRATE FIFTH PLACE TOO MUCH…”
Nicky Hayden earned fifth place on a day marked by difficult weather conditions, with cold temperatures resulting in a number of early crashes, including Simoncelli taking out Lorenzo just off the start. The warm-up session was wet, but the track began to dry out before the race, and the riders were forced to change their setups on the grid and replaced their rain tyres with slicks. This is Hayden’s best dry result of the season so far.
“Conditions have been all over the place all weekend, and the race wasn’t any different. We went out with a rain setup, but we saw that it was drying quickly and changed to a complete dry setup on the grid. There were a couple of little wet patches early on, but it was okay. We made a small change for the race, but nothing big. The first lap or two, the tyres heated up and I felt really good. Then I made a couple of early mistakes. I touched a white line and also pushed the front once and had to go straight at the chicane. Colin passed me, and then I managed to drag him back. I can’t celebrate fifth place too much, but it’s my best dry result of the year and puts us fifth in the points.”
Hiroshi Aoyama, riding Pedrosa’s full factory Honda in Repsol colours finished in 8th place and is 8th overall in the championship. He was grateful for the taste of factory machinery;
“First of all I’d like to thank the whole Repsol Honda Team and HRC. It was quite a tough weekend due to the conditions and situation, not ideal to go racing in but we couldn’t do anything about this. We tried our best during this short space of time and I’m happy I enjoyed the race even if in a lot of pain after yesterday’s crash. In the race it was quite tough, but from mid-race I was able to improve lap by lap and achieve good consistency. This experience has taught me things and made me a better rider, I hope one day I can return to this team. Dani will return next race and I am sure he will be happy to be back on his bike!”
Czech rider Karel Abraham was caught out by the conditions, crashing early on and unable to restart, moving him back to 13th in the championship.
Round 8 of MotoGP is at Mugello, Sunday 3rd July.
Monday, June 20, 2011
World Superbikes- Aragon, Spain, June 19th
Hard work and slim pickings for Arai riders in Spain.
LEON HASLAM, BMW MOTORRAD MOTORSPORT
Race One: 9th Race Two: 9th Championship Position: 6th
“WE’VE STILL GOT A LOT OF WORK TO DO…”
Leon Haslam finished ninth in both races at round seven of the World Superbike Championship at Aragon in Spain. Haslam battled through from row four of the grid in both races, holding 14th place for the early part of race one before easing into ninth place and a battle with team-mate Troy Corser in the closing stages. A much better start to race two left Haslam in eighth place at the end of the first lap but he drifted back to 10th before muscling out Italian Ayrton Badovini in the closing stages to ensure ninth place a repeat finish of race one. Yamaha-mounted Marco Melandri won the opening encounter, while fellow Italian Max Biaggi and his Aprilia took victory in the second race.
“It has been another tough weekend for us. In race one I didn’t get a good start and left myself with a lot of work to do. I felt like I had the pace to run with the second group of riders who were fighting for fourth place, but I made a mistake on lap one and was not able to bridge the gap. However, I worked hard, made up some places and finished the race in ninth. In race two I got a better start, the one I was hoping for in the first race. Sadly I did not have a good feeling with the machine, as we went for a softer tyre and I did not have the same level of grip, but I had a good battle with Ayrton Badovini. We just have to go through the data now and get ready for the next round. We’ve still got a lot of work to do…”
JONATHAN REA, CASTROL HONDA
Race One: DNS Race Two: DNS Championship Position: 8th
“I’M SO DISAPPOINTED.”
Castrol Honda rider Jonathan Rea was forced to miss the two races at Aragon and has undergone an operation to secure the radius bone in his right arm, which was fractured in a warm-up crash at Misano. The 24-year-old from Northern Ireland also sustained minor fractures to his right foot and left collarbone and is working on regaining 100% fitness as quickly as possible.
“I’m so disappointed to be missing the Aragon round because when we rode a couple of really cold laps there last year I did enjoy the layout. I like riding at new circuits and it would have been useful to get some data from there. It was a pretty fast crash last weekend – everything’s quite sore and I also got some gravel rash on my neck which is pretty painful, too. I’m going to concentrate on getting fit again as quickly as I can. When I get back on the bike I want to be at 100% so that I can really get the very best of out it and try to get us back on the podium and back to winning ways.”
Race One: 9th Race Two: 9th Championship Position: 6th
“WE’VE STILL GOT A LOT OF WORK TO DO…”
Leon Haslam finished ninth in both races at round seven of the World Superbike Championship at Aragon in Spain. Haslam battled through from row four of the grid in both races, holding 14th place for the early part of race one before easing into ninth place and a battle with team-mate Troy Corser in the closing stages. A much better start to race two left Haslam in eighth place at the end of the first lap but he drifted back to 10th before muscling out Italian Ayrton Badovini in the closing stages to ensure ninth place a repeat finish of race one. Yamaha-mounted Marco Melandri won the opening encounter, while fellow Italian Max Biaggi and his Aprilia took victory in the second race.
“It has been another tough weekend for us. In race one I didn’t get a good start and left myself with a lot of work to do. I felt like I had the pace to run with the second group of riders who were fighting for fourth place, but I made a mistake on lap one and was not able to bridge the gap. However, I worked hard, made up some places and finished the race in ninth. In race two I got a better start, the one I was hoping for in the first race. Sadly I did not have a good feeling with the machine, as we went for a softer tyre and I did not have the same level of grip, but I had a good battle with Ayrton Badovini. We just have to go through the data now and get ready for the next round. We’ve still got a lot of work to do…”
JONATHAN REA, CASTROL HONDA
Race One: DNS Race Two: DNS Championship Position: 8th
“I’M SO DISAPPOINTED.”
Castrol Honda rider Jonathan Rea was forced to miss the two races at Aragon and has undergone an operation to secure the radius bone in his right arm, which was fractured in a warm-up crash at Misano. The 24-year-old from Northern Ireland also sustained minor fractures to his right foot and left collarbone and is working on regaining 100% fitness as quickly as possible.
“I’m so disappointed to be missing the Aragon round because when we rode a couple of really cold laps there last year I did enjoy the layout. I like riding at new circuits and it would have been useful to get some data from there. It was a pretty fast crash last weekend – everything’s quite sore and I also got some gravel rash on my neck which is pretty painful, too. I’m going to concentrate on getting fit again as quickly as I can. When I get back on the bike I want to be at 100% so that I can really get the very best of out it and try to get us back on the podium and back to winning ways.”
Noriyuki Haga and his PATA Aprilia finished race one in 6th and race two in 7th; the consistency helps move him up one spot to 9th in the championship. Jakub Smrz and his Effenbert Liberty Racing Ducati had another disastrous weekend and DNF’d both races, dropping him back to 11th overall in the title chase.
Kawasaki Motocard.com rider Broc Parkes not only blasted off from pole he led from the front and looked comfortable, but was unlucky in the final part of the race. Losing front tyre grip from mid-race on, but trying to keep his closest title rival Chas Davies behind him, he slid off on lap 16 of 18. Despite trying to get going again, he had to retire and no scored. Despite the disappointment of losing the championship lead to Davies, Parkes is still a strong overall second after six rounds, with another six to go; “It was all going fine at the front, all under control. Then the front tyre felt that it was moving a little bit under me, from about half race distance. I was struggling to control the pace and a couple of times I lost the front. I tried to back down a little bit and then it started to feel OK. I had three laps to go and I knew there were two riders behind me and the gap back to them was pretty much the same. Then I made a mistake and lost the front. Maybe on days like that you should finish and settle for the points in third, or something like that. Anyway, it didn’t work out and I am really upset because it was good points we lost.”
For more information on Arai please visit www.whyarai.co.uk
Monday, June 13, 2011
WSBK ROUND 6, MISANO, SUNDAY JUNE 12
Tough breaks in Italy, but also a win and a podium for Arai riders
LEON HASLAM, BMW MOTORRAD MOTORSPORT
Race One: DNF Race Two: 5th Championship Position: 5th
“I WAS JUST PLEASED TO SEE THE FINISH!”
Leon Haslam finished fifth in the second race of round six of the World Superbike Championship at Misano in Italy after crashing out of the day’s opening race.
Having led in the early stages, Haslam crashed out of fourth place on lap 10 of 24, breaking a foot and damaging wrist ligaments in the 120mph fall. He again led in race two and was holding fourth place on lap 11 when the race was stopped to remove a stricken, crashed machine from the middle of the circuit. In the 14-lap restart Haslam again hit the front before eventually crossing the finish line in fifth place, retaining fifth place in the World Championship. Both 24-lap races around the 4.226km Misano circuit were won by Spain’s Carlos Checa, riding his Althea Ducati.
LEON HASLAM, BMW MOTORRAD MOTORSPORT
Race One: DNF Race Two: 5th Championship Position: 5th
“I WAS JUST PLEASED TO SEE THE FINISH!”
Leon Haslam finished fifth in the second race of round six of the World Superbike Championship at Misano in Italy after crashing out of the day’s opening race.
Having led in the early stages, Haslam crashed out of fourth place on lap 10 of 24, breaking a foot and damaging wrist ligaments in the 120mph fall. He again led in race two and was holding fourth place on lap 11 when the race was stopped to remove a stricken, crashed machine from the middle of the circuit. In the 14-lap restart Haslam again hit the front before eventually crossing the finish line in fifth place, retaining fifth place in the World Championship. Both 24-lap races around the 4.226km Misano circuit were won by Spain’s Carlos Checa, riding his Althea Ducati.
“I was just about on the limit with the machine and tyre when I was sent into a big highside and down I went, race over. Overall it’s been a pretty disappointing weekend; to have the pace to lead the races but not the pace to win is really frustrating. It was a shame that the second race got red-flagged as we’d gone for a harder compound rear tyre that should’ve been good for the second part of the race. The machine did feel more stable and more comfortable than it did in race one. For the restart we used a softer compound rear tyre and it really changed the characteristics of the machine – the front became a problem and I almost crashed a few times so, in the end, I was just pleased to see the finish.”
JONATHAN REA, CASTROL HONDA
Race One: DNS Race Two: DNS Championship Position: 8th
“I’LL TRY TO COME BACK FOR BRNO…”
Castrol Honda rider Jonathan Rea was forced to sit out both races at Misano after a high-speed crash during warm-up left him with fractures to his right arm and left collarbone. Rea had been searching for an improvement in his machine’s setting after issues in qualifying left him in 11th place after the final Superpole session. The 24-year-old from Northern Ireland was pushing hard in warm-up before he crashed at approximately 230kph at Misano’s fast turn 11. He was transferred to Ospedale Bufalini in Cesena where the fracture to his right radius and left clavicle were confirmed; with a number of other bumps and bruises, it is doubtful whether he will be able to line up for next weekend’s races at Aragon in Spain.
“Well, the weekend just went from bad to worse really – I had a crash yesterday which needed some stitches in my arm and then a 230kph crash this morning at one of the fastest corners on the calendar. Of course, I’m frustrated and I have some injuries that I want to take time to heal properly. We’ll have to miss Aragon next week, unfortunately, but Brno is a month off and the doctors tell me that the break in my arm would normally keep someone off work for three weeks. I’ll try to come back for Brno at 100% as it’s a circuit that suits me and the bike.”
Noriyuki Haga and his PATA Aprilia DNF’d in race one but bounced back to a brilliant third place in the interrupted second race – Haga looked very much like the rider of old, carving tight lines and riding with fractions of an inch to spare. He holds 12th place in the championship. Jakub Smrz and his Effenbert Liberty Racing Ducati as ever had a superb qualifying, landing third place on the grid but both races ended in disaster with a brace of crashes; he remains 9th overall.
Broc Parkes rode a perfect race at Misano to take his first World Supersport victory for Kawasaki and take the team’s first race win of the season. Broc also seized the lead in the Riders' Championship standings. Having qualified fourth fastest, Parkes was in line for a good result and his longed-for first win came at one of his favourite circuits. Broc now leads the championship by five points from Chaz Davies, who led the race for a time, before Parkes swept past on lap five. He was a happy man, understandably; “Unreal to win. It felt really good and I got a good start from fourth place on the grid. I was really concerned how the set-up would be for the race, because we made quite a big change for the start, so we did not know exactly where we were. It was a little bit of a gamble but it paid off in the end. I got out in front, got to the lead, but just had to stay relaxed and control the race.”
The next Word Superbike championship round is at Aragon, on June 19.
For more news and information on Arai helmets please visit www.whyarai.co.uk
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