Image of the GP- qualifying edition: Bad luck for Bradl

If some people didn’t have bad luck they’d have no luck at all.

This week I am unhappy to report that phrase is just for LCR Honda rider Stefan Bradl.

In fact, the title should probably read ‘qualifying DAY edition’, as he managed this in FP3 and was with doctors during qualifying:

Bradl puts on a brave face
Image via the man himself at Stefan Bradl’s twitter account @stefanbradl

It was such a small and if you can call a crash normal, ‘normal’ crash, but as his body moved away from the bike something seemed to catch hard on the astroturf, and THIS was the result.

Commenting directly via Twitter Bradl posted the following to accompany this picture :

“Sorry guys! Had lot of bad luck with a small crash. Fracture in the right leg! Will be back asap! Keep you update(d)”

Following up shortly after with: “We are ready for the operation here in Kuala Lumpur. 1hour I will be under the knife!”. Brave man, here’s hoping for a speedy recovery!

This poses a very interesting question though: Will Honda/LCR replace him in Australia?

Interesting because you would normally ask your test rider to stand in at short notice and Honda’s test rider is a certain Mr. C. Stoner.

Stoner was due at the track for an exhibition ride and to be made a MotoGP legend…

It’s a long shot but it would be interesting to see how he shapes up after a year out and Stoner and Marquez on the same starting grid makes for a very interesting prospect too… plus he started out at LCR…

 

MotoGP: Testing! Testing! Stoner back on a Honda in Motegi

Stoner back in action, of sorts. The Australian comes out of retirement to test for Honda at Motegi
Image shared via hrc_motogp, also available on Instagram and Twitter.

For the first time since the final race of the 2012 season Casey Stoner was back on a MotoGP bike – testing the 2013 Honda at the Motegi circuit in Japan alongside test riders Katsuyuki Nakasuga and Wataru Yoshikawa and Randy De Puniet for Suzuki.

Starting out, according to those at the track, with the 2012 forks and shocks in place, the former two-time world champion is also due to try out the new 2014 prototype machine, but has for the time being been held up by the wet weather.

Stoner had the following to say on his return;

“It was good to get back on the bike, if only for a few laps! We only managed to get one run in before the rain arrived which was a little disappointing. It was really nice to get that first run, it’s been nine months since I’ve been on a bike and it’s going to take me some time to get used to everything again! The bike and the track felt good and I hope that we can get some better testing in tomorrow with some dry track time and run some more laps.”

The development of next year’s Honda factory bike and production racer is due to continue at the private test tomorrow, weather permitting.

MotoGP/Moto2: Simon disagrees with Stoner’s Simoncelli comments

Simon and Simoncelli together in Austrailia
Image by MotoGP.com

Julian Simon takes issue with the content of Casey Stoner’s most recent interview on why he chose to exit MotoGP.

Italtrans Moto2 rider and former 125cc champion Julian Simon used a recent interview on Spanish radio to challenge Casey Stoner’s views on how he felt that Marco Simoncelli’s death in 2011 at the Sepang Grand Prix has been brushed aside in favour of aggressive racing.

In the Sunday Telegraph interview Stoner was very specific on the reasons why he had chosen to leave the MotoGP paddock, dismissing injuries and family commitments while citing fan treatment and how he “just fell out of love with the sport ”, however it was the comment that followed which upset Simon:

“We lost a rider a couple of years ago [Marco Simoncelli] and within a month it was like it never happened. They want to see biff and barge and they don’t realise our lives are on the line. “We became puppets in that world, and it had nothing to do with racing.”

Spanish website as.com reported that Simon told radio station Cadena Ser:

“The truth is that I don’t share Stoner’s view. I do not think people have forgotten a rider like Simoncelli … nor Kato and Tomizawa, and hopefully it will never happen again. I do not understand. Stoner has done so much for bikes, but bikes have also done a lot for himand I think eventually Stoner will ride a bike in the MotoGP World Championship. If not officially then sporadically. You’ll see “.

Despite Simoncelli reaching the MotoGP class in 2010 while Simon opted to move back to 125cc to take the title in 2009 the two rivals paths often crossed. They raced each other during the 2002-2005 125cc seasons and again in 250cc for the 2007 and 2008 campaigns. They also carried out promotional work together, most memorably on a trip to feed animals in Australia prior to the Phillip Island race in 2009.

For the full, more polished version of this story visit crash.net here: http://www.crash.net/motogp/news/187631/1/simon_disagrees_with_stoner.html where you can also comment or use social media to discuss with your friends or other like-minded people!

Paddock Chatter guest blog on the ‘leg dangle’

Paddock Chatter are a fairly young but very awesome source on motorsport related news, with a smattering of opinion and article led content thrown in for good measure. The website was created by motorcycle fans for motorcycle fans and have a huge presence on twitter, where they initially started out, the highlight of which is their ‘Twinterview’ where they fire a few questions at a well known rider (Shane Byrne, Eugene Laverty, Gino Rea and James Toseland included) over the social media platform.

They were also nice enough to let me write a guest blog for them!

It’s called ‘The leg dangle – An analysis’ and you can read it here:

http://www.paddockchatter.com/2013/01/guest-blog-leg-dangle-analysis.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Would be lovely if you could show it and, of course, Paddock Chatter some love with some comments or tweets!

(In case you haven’t guessed it’s about the Rossi originated leg waving and how it has taken off as a MotoGP tactic!)

MotoGP: Who Is Bryan Staring?

Bryan Staring in his ASBK winning year, 2009
(Image by Australian Superbikes via Flickr and used under Creative Commons License)

It is safe to say that MotoGP’s newest and unexpected recruit didn’t appear from absolutely nowhere, so who exactly is the Go & Fun Gresini teams new signing?

Bryan Staring has carved out a solid career in his home Australian motorcycle scene, the 25 year old from Perth is a three time national champion across 125cc racing, Superbike and Supersport and in 2012 he contested the FIM Superstock 1000 for Pedercini Kawasaki, finishing fourth with three wins to his name (Aragon,Brno & Portmao) and it was his ability to work around the bike issues he faced on the Kawasaki ZX-10R and still achieve wins which lead him into consideration for the Gresini CRT ride from seemingly nowhere.

Staring has also been a wild card rider in WSBK at his home race at Phillip Island and sometimes trains with Superbike legend and fellow countryman Troy Bayliss.

As Casey Stoner retired last season his arrival also means there will still be an Australian presence in the MotoGP class in 2013.

Staring is ready to make the most of his new appointment, taking over from Michele Pirro, who leaves after finishing the season third in the CRT standings to become Ducati test rider:

“In all my racing years I never expected to be in the MotoGP paddock as it seemed unreachable to me. To have the opportunity to race in this championship with a team like Go&Fun Honda Gresini is something incredible. This is my biggest challenge now and I’ll approach it as I have all my other challenges, I’ll give it everything I have. I realize I have a lot to learn and I look forward to taking it all in. I’m very appreciative for Fausto Gresini and the sponsors of the Team who have contributed to the position I’m in now. I can’t wait until I’m rolling out of pit lane”.

Fausto Gresini used the team press release to detail why he thinks Staring is the man for the job:

“The young Australian will be entrusted with carrying forward the CRT project that we all have such belief in, especially after such a great result in the final round of 2012 at Valencia. Bryan shone in the Superstock 1000 series this season with three wins and he has the right approach and ability to help us achieve our objectives with the FTR-Honda. I can’t wait to see him on track and working with our guys and I am sure he will settle in well. ”

Gresini’s full squad line up as Alvaro Bautista with Staring on their CRT entry in MotoGP, Indonesian rider Doni Tata Pradita joins  Ratthapark Wilairot in Moto2 and Niccolo Antonelli remains with the team in Moto3, he is partnered by newcomer and fellow Italian Lorenzo Baldassarri.

Both the MotoGP and Moto3 squads are sponsored by Go &  Fun while Wilairot is again on a Thai Honda Gresini and Pradita on the Federal Oil sponsored bike rode by Gino Rea last year, who is rumoured to be the rider for the ESGP FTR unconfirmed entry after testing late last week.

MotoGP arrives in Japan – Motegi news round up

Rossi and Crutchlow and their colouring efforts. Will presume Pedrosa was too busy hoarding pens for a photo!
Photo one of many available from MotoGP.com

As the MotoGP world championship arrives in Japan it is only fitting given the excellent manga style poster they are using for this years race (see here: https://survivalofthefastest.wordpress.com/2012/08/01/motogp-airasia-grand-prix-of-japans-epic-manga-poster/) that Cal Crutchlow, Dani Pedrosa and Valentino Rossi were sent to a Manga pre-event to have their caricatures drawn again by Ranka, the artist behind the 2012 poster. The racing stars then coloured in the pictures themselves, with Crutchlow last to finish, blaming Pedrosa for hoarding the pens!

The organizers are also presumably happy that centre star and main focus of said poster, Casey Stoner returns at the Twin Ring, his first appearance since he was told to have surgery after a gallant fourth place in Indianapolis where he rode through the pain of the ankle fractures he sustained during qualifying. These will be the last four races of his career as he is due to retire from the MotoGP paddock at the end of the season.

The Championship is currently lead by Jorge Lorenzo, who enjoys a 33 point margin over nearest rival and fellow Spaniard Pedrosa despite not haven beaten him since July.

There will also be an extra Yamaha on the grid as Japanese rider Katsuyuki Nakasuga will be competing for the Yamaha YSP Racing Team.

Nicky Hayden is set to compete despite revealing in the build up to the race he added to his injury woes in Aragon with another fracture after initially thinking he had walked away from his horror crash injury free.

Moto2 arrives at the circuit with Marc Marquez leading the way with a 48 point lead. Randy Krummenacher is replaced at GP Team Switzerland by Jesko Raffin, while SAG have decided to use local rider Khota Nozane to replace Marco Colandrea who the team said in a statement has ‘ physical problems’.

Toni Elias is back in Moto2 until the end of the season at the Italtrans Team, replacing the ousted Claudio Corti.

The Pons team, home to Espargaro, Rabat and Axel Pons is listed on the entry list as Tuenti Movil HP 40, instead of Pons 40 HP Tuenti, as it has been all season.

Moto3 has two Japanese wildcard riders present – Hyuga Watanabe for Project U 7C Harc and Yuudai Kamei for 18 Garage Racing Team, both on Hondas.

Josep Rodriguez takes over from Jasper Iwema at Moto FGR after the Dutch rider decided he was getting nowhere at the team and left.

The Moto3 championship is currently lead by Champion-elect Sandro Cortese who is currently 51 points ahead of Luis Salom.

MotoGP: Japanese manga – revisited !

After the AirAsia 2012 Japanese Grand Prix poster was unveiled and racing fans around the world had drooled at the awesome manga art they were using to promote the race, one question popped into the concious of the masses – where was Ben Spies?

Was the poster predicting his departure? Is he not popular in Japan? Are his Elbowz really tricky and technical to draw?

Apparently not as both Ben Spies and his fellow A.W.O.L. poster buddy Stefan Bradl have a starring role on this dvd cover for the Japanese volume 5 press pack:

(Image originally posted to Twitter via @fujiran. Image property of the original artist,  MotoGP.com and Dorna.)

Being a huge Japanese culture and Manga fan I thought it would be great to share some more MotoGP manga art!

In case you missed it here’s the Japan grand prix poster that caused all the original interest:

… and the link to the original again: http://www.motogp.com/en/photos/2012/Grand+Prix+of+Japan+2012+1

MotoGP: Yamaha’s offer to Rossi – MotoGP then WSBK!

Italian press report the offer tabled to Valentino Rossi includes a two year factory stint to the MotoGP factory team, followed by a move to World Superbikes to aid their move into that championship.

Popular Italian Sports publication Gazetta Dello Sport reports that Yamaha have offered Valentino Rossi a MotoGP contract for two years, followed by a switch to World Superbikes in 2015. Yamaha have been planning a return to World Superbikes and the article proposes that Rossi would go on to a transitional role as technical developer and rider of the new WSBK bike after completing another stint as Jorge Lorenzo’s Team mate in MotoGP.

The Italian’s current team, Ducati, have asked for confirmation of the MotoGP stars plans by Indianapolis as so much of their future plans, from who will partner Nicky Hayden to the start of moving on the proposal for a satellite team, which Moto2 riders Andrea Iannone and Scott Redding have tested for this week, all depend on his decision.

Keeping his choices open is also irking fellow countryman Andrea Dovizioso who feels hung out to dry by Yamaha as until the Rossi issue arose he thought he had a fighting chance of a factory seat, an option he had lost at Honda prompting his move to the Yamaha Tech3 team to open up the opportunity with a new maunfacturer.

While Rossi wasn’t able to work his magic on the Ducati and make it more generally rideable ,’ fix’ doesn’t seem appropriate when Casey Stoner could wring it’s neck, juddering over the line for a win, he can instead look at a different set of achievements if he moves away from the Italian rider/Italian bike and winning MotoGP on three differnet manufacturers ideal, the Yamaha proposal would offer him the chance to be the only man in history to win 125cc, 250cc, 500cc, MotoGp and then possibly win WSBK.

Rossi has already aquainted himself with a Yamaha Superbike, he used one in the private test to help after the recovery of his fractured leg in 2010 at Mugello. when talking on his future Superbikes along with rallying is often mentioned by ‘The Doctor’ himself as an area he sees as a future option. He also won the Suzuka 8 hours on a Honda Superbike with Colin Edwards in 2001.

Yamaha have not won the Superbike title since 2009, when Ben Spies took the championship and then moved over to MotoGP.

After his tumble at Laguna Seca, he spoke to Italian broadcaster Sportmediaset about the offer Ducati had put on the table for him, cutting down rumours they had offered him extreme amounts of cash to stay and try to make the Ducati a winning machine again:

“Actually, Ducati has lowered their offer, the money is a lot less, but fortunately for me it isn’t important in deciding what will be my future. They told me that a lot of things will change now that there is Audi, and there is some great motivation, but to stay with Ducati is a bit of a gamble.”

Yamaha seems to be the best deal for Rossi to finish his career on a positive note and hopefully get back to the winning ways which his fans tune in for and keep the global interest in the sport up ( and the viewing figures looking good for Dorna!) Failing to change the Ducati isn’t necessarily the big failure his detractors will angle for, the bike was a winner for Stoner, so can be again, but Stoner bolted and bucked around on the red machine while his cries for change were never answered, Rossi has already stated he finds it hard to ride around problems and prefers to make changes to the bike as opposed to altering his riding style. Ducati have the perfect development rider in Nicky Hayden, a former world champion who with Rossi has already made the Desmosedici into a bike they can both do equally well on, and as he is more confident with the front end problems, he looks to be the man to use Audi’s money to good effect as if necessary he can sling it around like a dirt bike.
Read the original Gazzetta Dello Sport article here (in Italian):

http://www.gazzetta.it/Motomondiale/MotoGP/02-08-2012/piano-yamaha-rossi-motogp-superbike-912079412165.shtml

image courtesy of Andrew Napier and used under Creative Commons, go find him on Flickr!

MotoGP: AirAsia Grand Prix of Japan’s epic manga poster

Celebrating their cultural heritage for the 2012 MotoGP, the Japanese grand prix poster features the main championship protagonists for the season in Manga style.

Here’s what Rossi, Lorenzo and Stoner look like in cartoon form:

Maybe they are thinking of using it again in 2013 as they have totally left off Ben Spies! Maybe he’s really tricky to draw!

EDIT: Ben Spies found! ( and Stefan Bradl too!) click here: https://survivalofthefastest.wordpress.com/2012/08/06/motogp-japanese-manga-revisited/

Originally discovered and sourced from a Twitter post by Suzuki World Superbike rider Leon Camier on his account @leoncamier.

Original poster owned by MotoGP.com, Dorna and the original artist, link to the original here:

http://www.motogp.com/en/photos/2012/Grand+Prix+of+Japan+2012+1

Sachsenring qualifying sessions try to outdo Silverstone for rain

Round 8 of the MotoGP championship rolled into Sachsenring – just as the rain clouds rolled over.

In MotoGP, Stoner managed to top the timesheets while using his second bike, while a resurgent Ben Spies was narrowly behind. Pedrosa completed the front row. Cal Xrutchlow forgot his ear plugs and came in fourth.

Both Moto2 and Moto3 were wet qualifying sessions, both saw a frontrunner for the Championship snatch pole late on (Cortese, Marquez) while others had a shockingly bad time of things despite recent success (Espargaro 17th, Redding 26th and Vinales 24th, Fenati 35th ).

Much credit to Gino Rea for using the rain to show us what he can be capable of in Moto2 qualifying, and to Kent, here’s hoping he and Cortese have a clean race tomorrow.

My full Moto2 report is here :

http://www.crash.net/motogp/news/181669/1/moto2_marquez_snatches_late_pole_at_sachsenring_espargaro_17th.html

Check out what happened in Moto3 here:

http://www.crash.net/motogp/news/181662/1/moto3_cortese_takes_wet_home_pole_vinales_24th.html