San Carlo Honda Gresini competitor Alex de Angelis grabbed his first MotoGP stage appearance at the Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix on Sunday, having claimed his best ever premier session grid position on Saturday.

The fresh San Marino competitor, who is looking forward to a home event next weekend, failed ground at the beginning of the event but came back to pass the experienced Colin Edwards early in the competition.

Whilst overtaking Edwards to forward up into fourth position, and benefiting from smashes for Dani Pedrosa and Valentino Rossi, De Angelis held tough for the remainder of the contest behind Jorge Lorenzo.

Still wanting to confirm a MotoGP competition next year, De Angelis stated following the race, “I have to thank the team for the incredible job they have done this weekend. The bike has been fantastic ever since we unpacked it on Friday and we have gone from strength to strength over the course of the weekend. They also gave me a lot of confidence this morning and honestly I think they had more belief that I would be on the podium today than I did.”

Now placing seventh in the rankings, the Honda satellite competitor added, “It is a fantastic result but it is no fluke because we have been in great form over the last five races. It is a long time since I was on the podium back in the 250cc class and I had almost forgotten what a great feeling it was.

Click here to read more

150 - Loris Capirossi’s fifth placing at Brno was the 150th time he had ended in a point scoring role in the premier-class. Only one competitor has had extra premier-class points scoring placings – Alex Barros with 195.

56 - Valentino Rossi’s pole at Brno was the 56th occasion that he has began from pole across all sessions of Grand Prix competition. Exactly the same number of Grand Prix poles as his opponent Max Biaggi gained during his Grand Prix career. From 1973, when full pole position statistics are due, only one competitor has begun from pole more times being Mick Doohan who began from pole 58 times in his career.

33 years - The day of racing at Indianapolis will be the 33rd anniversary of Giacomo Agostini gaining his final 500cc win at the German Grand Prix in 1976, at the Nurburgring on an MV Agusta. This was also the final 500cc victory by a four-stroke bike.

31 seconds - The speed of development of the 800cc MotoGP engines is shown by the competition time at the Czech GP being 31 seconds quicker than the last best ever event time taken by a 990cc MotoGP engine, which was from Loris Capirossi riding a Ducati in 2006.

22 years - Event day at Indianapolis will be the 22nd anniversary of Aprilia claiming their initial GP victory in the 250cc session at the San Marino GP in 1987, with Loris Reggiani.

15 - This will be the 15th time that there has been a motorbike Grand Prix event in the USA. The first two races in 1964 and 1965 were shown at the historic Daytona circuit. Eleven GP races have occurred at the Laguna Seca track and this is the second to be shown at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

7 - Yamaha competitors have started on pole at the previous seven MotoGP events. This is the lenghiest ever line of winning poles for Yamaha in the premier-class since 1986.

3 - Indianapolis is just one of three tracks on this season’s diary where Ducati have not claimed a MotoGP victory. The others are Estoril and Le Mans.

Click here to read more

Reigning 125cc World Champion Mike di Meglio could well have an advantage over the rest of the current 250cc opponents this weekend, being he is only one of the small amount in the class to have actually competed at The Brickyard.

While last season’s initial event day at Indy was interrupted for the 250cc session when Hurricane Ike came about, creating the cancellation of the category race, Di Meglio ran in the stunted 125cc event, having placed second on the grid.  Though he ended up in tenth place whilst creating valuable points which allowed his title win, the Frenchman obviously understands the requirements needed to compete on the pace at the historic US arena.

“None of the riders know the track too well because we didn’t get too much dry track time last year so it will be like starting from scratch,” he commented. “In 2008 the weekend went quite well for me before the race, but then I ran into some mechanical problems. This year want to make sure I learn as much as I can on my 250cc machine and have a better race. It is not one of my favourite tracks but it is a great place and I’m confident I can go fast there.”

The Mapfre Aspar competitor is currently 11th in the rankings following 10 events of his novice 250cc campaign and prior time out in Brno he finished over the line in ninth place. “In the Czech Republic I was running with the front group up until I went off track,” continued the 21 year-old,

Click here to read more

MotoGP’s most current visit to the US enabled Dani Pedrosa to finish his drought of over a year in fabulous fashion at Laguna Seca, even though hes not won again since then, he is definately able of repeating the victory this weekend at the Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix.

Pedrosa placed eighth at Indy last season and ended the event in the exact same placing with difficult weather conditions that apparently do not favour him, he will be looking for improvement this time out.

Moving into round 12 Pedrosa comments, “I’m really looking forward to riding in America again because the last time we were in the States, at Laguna Seca in July, we won the race. A result like that would be great for me and the team and that’s what we’ll be aiming for, though we know we’ll have to work hard for it because our rivals have proved they are very strong in the last few races.”

On Fiat Yamaha competitors Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo’s movement at the Czech Republic, Pedrosa adds, “I don’t think the gap they had at the last race in Brno was a true reflection of our pace compared to theirs though, so I expect we’re going to be closer to them at Indy.”

Racing at ‘The Brickyard’, Pedrosa says, “The circuit itself is largely made up of second and third gear corners so it’s not one of my favourites to ride, but the venue itself is very impressive. I really hope the weather is going to be better than last year because the conditions in the race were pretty terrible and the organisers were forced to stop it early.

Click here to read more

Referring to the 250cc rankings, leader Hiroshi Aoyama and the most of his opponents in this Sunday’s event, will be their sole time at The Brickyard, after last season’s event being called off due to the arrival of Hurricane Ike at the Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix.

With only six rounds left, Aoyama’s nearest challenge for the championship head is from Álvaro Bautista, who has just confirmed that he will forward onto MotoGP with Suzuki next year. Japanese competitor Aoyama may also race up to the premier class, however first step is the business of this season’s World title, with Indianapolis due next.

Scot Racing’s Aoyama, who placed fourth at Brno in the last round, claims a 12 point leading from Spaniard Bautista, with the Mapfre Apsar competitor closing the gap slowly with a third placing end at the Czech Republic.

World hero Marco Simoncelli came back into the race at Brno with his third win of the season, as he stamps his ground to defend his title until joining San Carl Honda Gresini in MotoGP next season. Simoncelli could have commenced last season’s 250cc Indy event in pole position if not for the cancellation and he will endeavour to gain another top performance as he challenges to gain leverage against Aoyama who is 32 points ahead of him.

Héctor Barberá is behind Simoncelli by an extra 17 points in fourth placing, he qualified with a second placing last season at Indianapolis prior to a serious back issue ending his attempts early at the subsequent event in Japan. The Spaniard has courageously come back to the action this season and claimed a MotoGP challenge with the fresh new Ducati-Aspar staff for next year.

Click here to read more

MotoGP champion Jorge Lorenzo may confirm on his career at next week’s Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix, if not earlier, whether an announcement has been offered from Ducati and a renewing contract from Yamaha has been set out.

Marcos Hirsch, his manager comments on Lorenzo and the advice on 2 options that they are now considering, a forward jump onto Honda engines has already been ruled out.

Hirsch says, “Until the middle of this week we were still ticking off the boxes and finalising the offers. We are getting close to concluding our evaluation of the pros and cons of the offers and we acknowledge that now is the right moment to make a decision.”

Hirsch also commented that an announcement may arrive next weekend at Indy, with the confirmation said by the relevant squad.

Click here to read more

Given Randy de Puniet’s upcoming form allowing LCR Honda a massive boost this season, the team manager Lucio Cecchinello is aiming to keep the Frenchman next season and maybe even locate another competitor in MotoGP to join together, or create a Moto2 squad.

De Puniet’s ankle injury over the summer period did not allow him out of the top ten at Brno, with Cecchinello stating, “What happened in the summer was difficult to take, because we got such a good result at Donington with Randy in really good form. Nonetheless Randy did a good job in Brno showing his character and his motivation to compete. It was an excellent result as the crashes from (Mika) Kallio, (Jorge) Lorenzo and (Marco) Melandri gave us three extra positions.”

Commenting on De Puniet’s ranking in seventh spot in the championship with only six events left, Cecchinello says, “Being realistic it is going to be hard to defend that position because Randy is still not over the injury and won’t be 100% fit at the next two rounds. We are keeping our feet on the ground, but we don’t think about finishing higher than this, just defending the position if we can.”

On the future for his staff, the Italian boss explains, “Our priority is to renew the contract with Randy as soon as possible and we have set the Misano round as our deadline to finalise things. There is a willingness from both sides to sign a new contract but the process is not yet concluded.”

Click here to read more

Last season at Indianapolis Motor Speedway a whirlwind combined with MotoGP’s initial visit to the well known American circuit, however this season it is Ducati’s Nicky Hayden who is proving to be a gale force at the Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix.

With his disappointing season so far, a Hayden win would be surprising however the difficult conditions last year saw the strong Kentuckian challenge into a second placing, moving the American spectators into a spin, repeatedly as his well know 2005 & 2006 victories on the US circuit at Laguna Seca.

“Indy is a great place and for racing it is just so famous,” Hayden comments. “Obviously the track last year was really good to me and it’s a really challenging circuit with different types of layout. We go there to do the maximum, that’s all we can do.”

Hayden claimed his best result of this season in fifth place at Laguna, he is slowly gaining some consistency on the Desmosedici, having placed sixth last weekend at Brno, his second best outcome so far with the Italian factory staff.

Click here to read more

With the late wet weather at Brno on Monday, Toni Elías still acheived a useful test with his San Carlo Honda Gresini staff and placed the sixth best ever lap of the day, with a 1’57.841 early on.

Elías’ colleague Alex de Angelis was still experiencing back ache which began soon after Sunday’s race and unfortunately took him out of the Monday test, claiming the remaining work to the Catalan competitor.

On his lap effort Elías commented, “We tried a new footrest position, which I liked, and once were able to get back out we tried a new modified fork that Showa brought here. Unfortunately we didn’t do enough laps with it to make a proper evaluation and we might need to do some more tests during free practice at Indianapolis.”

With the significance of his excellent stage performance on Sunday and the future of his career, being that he won't compete with the Gresini staff next season, Elías states, “The result gave me a lot of pleasure although at the same time it kind of makes me angry because even though I am scoring top results year after year I still don’t have a solution for next season.

Click here to read more

Dani Pedrosa has come back following his ninth placing end at the British Grand Prix to claim a second in Brno on Sunday and up his opportunties of challenging for the runner-up position in this seasons World Championship.

Having meet the criteria of third, Pedrosa endured his trademark beginning and was able to stay in a top three role during the event, even if it seemed he would be unable to challenge for the victory when the competition commenced.

Pedrosa states, “At the start of the race I pushed really hard to stay with the leaders and for the first few laps I was with them. Then they kept getting faster on every lap and, though I was pushing to the maximum, I couldn’t maintain that sort of pace today. So for the rest of the race I just had to concentrate on not making a mistake because there was a big gap in front of me and also behind me. Second place is a good result for me and the team, though obviously we would have wanted to be closer to front-running pace.”

He continues, “It’s great to finish a race on the podium and feel in good physical condition after the problems I had in the first part of the season - especially because it was very hot out there today and this is a demanding track.”

Meanwhile with another curse looming for Pedrosa’s Repsol Honda colleague Andrea Dovizioso, who repeatedly skipped the stage again by a minimal margin.

“I was riding really hard out there and I had a tough battle for third place in the last few laps,” Dovizioso says. “From the start I tried to stay with Dani and the leaders but it wasn’t possible. The gap to Toni Elias was always small and my pace was very similar to his which made it very difficult to overtake him. I tried really hard in the middle of the race without any success and then in the last few laps the grip dropped off a little and to overtake Toni I had to take some risks.”

Click here to read more

With a 50-point lead into the last stage of the season and with only six events left at some of his all time favourite circuits, World Champion Valentino Rossi is due for another World title thanks to his Czech Republic victory.

Even though Rossi began on pole, the test performances of his colleague and nearest rival Jorge Lorenzo, suggests the duo would be ready for another head-to-head challenge at the top of the race event. Rossi got the heads up from the fresh Spaniard yet again in the lead of the massive crowd, as Lorenzo overtook him nearing the end of the event but only to smash the ground with five laps left.

Later Rossi stated, “First of all I have to say thanks to all my team because this weekend we did a great job from Friday. During the practice we were struggling a little bit with front feeling and we were quite fast but not enough. After today’s warm up we made another small modification which gave me a better feeling with the front tyre.”

He continues, “I knew that today would be tough because Jorge had gone with a fantastic pace in the practices. So I tried to make the perfect race, great start, stay at the front and push like a devil! I was making it hard work for him and then when he overtook me with six laps to go I was ready for battle and to put on a good show.”

“On turn three he lost the front and it is very bad for Jorge, it is a pity, but it is good for us as we now have a 50-point lead. There is still a long way to the end of the season but we have a good advantage, so we have to keep pushing and stay focused.”

Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s British champion James Toseland was in high spirits at Wednesday’s event get together in Vienna, prior to the Cardion AB Czech Republic Grand Prix, he confirms that he must replicate the same form he has shown recently at Donington prior to the short break if he is able to stay in MotoGP.

The Yorkshireman claimed a year best result of sixth place at home but still sits at 12th in the rankings and must come forward over the next final seven events this year to maintain form for his Yamaha bosses.

In the precedings to the Czech action he comments, “I didn’t want the summer break, I wanted to go straight from Donington to Brno to keep the momentum going. I’ve had a tough start with some crashes and injuries in the winter tests and it’s nice to see things coming together again now. I need it to come together to keep my job in MotoGP.”

On the more detailed aspects of competition Toseland says, “In Brno, the bike always seems to be going slowly because the track is so fast and so wide and it’s a lot different to riding at Donington. With the undulation, the final hill up to the last chicane, it is probably one of the most undulating tracks other than Laguna Seca. It is one that everybody enjoys, it’s a real rider’s track.”

 

Click here to read more

Fiat Yamaha’s fresh star Spanish Jorge Lorenzo has visited the excellent Spanish Riding School in the Austrian capital of Vienna this week, enjoying a well earned break prior to this weekend’s Cardion AB Czech Republic Grand Prix.

Visiting an establishment that boasts over 430 years of tradition in the skills of classic horsemanship with his Austrian sponsors GRIZZLY Energy Drink, Lorenzo commented with his thoughts regarding colleagues Valentino Rossi and his Ducati challenger Casey Stoner.

On the short absence of fellow contendor Stoner, Lorenzo states, “I felt really bad for him when I heard the news because Casey is such a talented rider and is a really brave guy. We feel for him because it’s a serious issue and we hope he’s ok. For the competition in general it’s also bad because we have one rival less and in this case it’s Casey, who always gives 100% and is always great to race against.”

Questioned whether he had ideas on the title battle which is currently a challenge between himself and Rossi, Lorenzo says, “You never know. Dani (Pedrosa) is currently more than 70 points behind but you can not rule him out, because in this championship a thousand and one different things could happen. It looks like there are two riders with a real chance, especially Valentino, but mathematically you can’t rule anyone out.”

Claiming a comeback from a disappointing Donington DNF at Brno, Lorenzo also comments, “I’m really up for it, despite the crash which no-one was expecting. Perhaps it was to be expected in one sense though because the conditions were so difficult and I hit the ground because I made a mistake, but were are still in the fight for the title. Things have got more difficult, but it is not impossible.”

Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s American champion Colin Edwards has visited U.S. troops at Camp Atterbury in Edinburgh, Indiana, during the minimal summer break.

Edwards, from Texas, will come back to Indiana later this month to vie in the Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix, from 28th-30th August. It will be the second time running for MotoGP at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway after the fantastic maiden visit in the prior season.

Whilst at Camp Atterbury, Edwards tested weapons at the Engagement Skills Trainer (an indoor shooting range), had lunch with troops and joined in on an armored car roll-over strategy.

Later, he commented, “Throughout traveling around the world, whenever we are in Germany, or England, or Japan, or whatever races we go to we always see military folks who come to watch and it is great to have them as fans. Sport is sport and whether people are in the military or not they are welcome as fans, but it is really great to have these guys with us.”

Currently having three wins and two extra stage finishes incorporating consistent form overall, Hiroshi Aoyama enjoys a 15 point lead over Álvaro Bautista who is in second place in the 250cc event.

A repeat performance of his 2006 Brno 250cc stage finish would definately keep the Japanese competitor at the top of the ranks, even if the Spanish star were to win this weekend in the Czech Republic.

After his disappointing late smash in a duel with Aoyama at Assen Bautista, he has come back with two straight stage finishes and the Mapfre Aspar competitor was victorious in the Czech Republic in 2006 during his 125cc title campaign. As the race heats up, Bautista will attempt to get the heads up on his second place at Donington and avoid another 2009 Aoyama win.

Bautista was second in last season’s 250cc Brno event just in front of reigning World Champion Marco Simoncelli who placed third. The Italian Metis Gilera rider is also third in the current class and will be looking to advance better form in the second part of the year after an up and down season, he prepares for his forward move up to MotoGP alongside San Carlo Honda Gresini.

Currently only one point behind Simoncelli, another Spanish rival Héctor Barberá saw a run of four straight top five results finish to end in eighth place at Donington. Last season’s Czech 250cc victor Alex Debon, stays sixth overall in the ranks, just behind Mattia Pasini.

Victory Motorcycles is proudly showing the Arlen Ness Photographic Exhibition at Sebel Heritage Hotel Yarra Valley during the 5th–13th September 2009.

Arlen Ness is highly regarded as the nation's number one motorbike customiser. Beginning the business from his garage back in the 60’s with a spray gun and a vision as his ony equipment, he produced his first chopper. That chopper created a customising profession that aided a launch to a complete industry. To this day, Arlen and his family members continue to run their multi million dollar empire inl motorbike parts and customising business through Dublin, California.

Lorenzo Lamas, who acted as Hector Ramirez in The Bold and The Beautiful from 2004-2007, has begun a motorcycle company called Lorenzo Lamas Cycles (LLC).

He has commenced in the custom circle and is dealing with Ralph Randolph from Knockout Motorcycle Company, who will engineer and manufacture the equipment.

LLC at the moment has four bikes in its range, Reno Rocket, Badlands Bomber, Knockout Bobber and Power Sled. The foursome is torqued by a V-twin motor, and the frame looks fairly standard.

The Reno Rocket and Badlands Bomber will arrive for their public viewing at the 69th yearly Sturgis Rally in South Dakota this week.

Lamas will be at the show where you can claim his autograph at 6.00pm on Thursday which could be worth a bit more than any of the bikes! An Australian distributor has not been confirmed yet.

In 1984, Lamas was responsible for taking out the worst actor honor at the Golden Raspberry Awards for his presentation in the flick Body Rock. He has also had his hand in singing, with his talents being seen as a mixture of Bruce Willis and Russell Crowe.

Honda twosome Jacob Smith and AJ Roberts have transferred into a dominating position in the 2009 Australian Safari, with riders re-locating from Mt Magnet to Leonara on day three of the event.

Smith gains a mild 10-second lead over Roberts, with the first pace setter Todd Smith, having dropped back to third, almost 17 minutes away from the leaders, after ensuing some problems.

Todd’s issues were nothing compared to his colleague Damien Grabham, who smashed out and broke both his legs.

Competitors have now endured 8 of the 19 times periods in the safari, with four days of competition left until it concludes in Kalgoorlie on Saturday.

Day three has shown four competitive phases -- the longest 173km – with Jacob Smith pushing his way into first place with total consistency.

“It was tough being out front today, because I had to make all the calls on finding the right track,” Jacob Smith states. “AJ (Roberts) was behind me most of the time, but the bike was good and I had no problems, so it was generally a good day.”

Roberts had a difficult time trailing Smith.

“I pulled some good time on Jake (Smith), but I ate his dust all day,” Roberts explains. “You had to travel pretty fast and I’ve never had to hold a bike so fast for so long. The bike has been fantastic, but the course was very easy to stuff up and the navigation was critical.”

Defending hero Ben Grabham continued his come back after Monday’s wheel issues and pushed up 11 spots into fifth place, he is still close to an hour off the lead.

Local rider Ivan Erceg is closely six minutes in front of Grabham in fourth place.

Husqvarna will announce the release of its innovative TC 250, nick-named the X light due to the fact that it is spot on the category tare limit, in Australia from next month.

Completely re-modelled for next season the X light has endured major refurbishments that incorporate a tightened swingarm (by 15mm) to allow for easier traction and revamped rear disc.

The development of the back suspension has been expanded and the frame firmed up around high-stress spots whilst the X light gathers sealed cartridge 48 mm Kayaba forks with fresh triple clamps.

Fresh wheel hubs and spindles conclude the engine modification while IPD (in-mould plastic decoration) graphics apply original body panels.

The X light motor (250cc four-stroke) has a tare weight of 22 kg and has more torque with improved power traits, plus a new exhaust. Power acceptance is very fast and the torque curve much more aligned.

The new flagship of the Husqvarna Motocross series will be presented through the Australian Husqvarna dealer, retail price is $10,995 including GST plus dealer's fees.

Australia’s Mat Mladin has confirmed his retirement from AMA competition at the end of this season, by then he may have taken his seventh superbike title and resigned from the sport still at the top of his performance.

Announcing his retirement from America in an open statement, Mladin confirmed that his “career has been long and above and beyond my wildest expectation”.

The statement explained: “I won my first national championship on dirt bikes back in 1981 (28 years ago) and have had an amazing career ever since.

“If I had my time again, I would not change a single decision I have made, in life or in racing.“I would like to thank my team for their constant hard work. Without these guys, the 80-plus race wins and multiple championships would not have been possible.

“I wish to thank my fans. I want you to know that you all have helped me achieve so much. I will miss you.”

For those into significant reading, Mladin has only confirmed retirement from AMA competition, but at 37 years old there seems to be little chance he will carry on his career in another field – not even national superbike, where rumours have surfaced that he may have followed the path of his AMA colleague Ben Spies.

People who enjoyed some saga tussles with Mladin in the last couple of seasons of AMA superbike, have been a surprise in this season’s world superbike title.

Mladin will also exit motorcycle competition as a two-time Aussie road racing hero, with a year of MotoGP 500cc following him.

Mladin was taken straight from the Australian Superbike Championship to go into grand prix competition for Cagiva in 1993, however only stayed a year before the Italian concluded not to take up the opportunity of extending his term.

He came back to Australia in 1994, confirming never to return to world championship racing unless he was on challenging equipment.

After reconsolidating in Australia, interrupted by a heavy paraglider accident which broke his leg quite seriously, the upcoming Mladin finally travelled to America, where he was victorious with all six AMA titles (1999-2001, 2003-2005) on Suzukis.

The New South Welshman is now due to come back to Australia permanently to run his business, Bike Gear Warehouse.

Mladin rejected last weekend’s series of the AMNA circuit at Topeka, stating issues with safety, but still heads by 73pts over colleague Tommy Hayden with only three rounds left.

Click here to read more

The occasion is being carried by the RoadSafe councils of Westgate, North East and North West who are giving a unique promotion on the day to ensure riders wear protective dress and engage in motorcycle training.

Anyone who enrols into a subsidised HART training option at the open day will get a free pair of riding gloves for summer, retailed at $49.

The happening will also incorporate free “Try It” sessions for novices and experienced riders (bookings required), $50 off any lesson booked and paid for on the day, plus free demo laps of the Honda road fleet (bookings needed on the day).

HART has been deemed as the best provider of rider lessons and licensing in Victoria, and now excels two huge road ranges applying for both amateur and experienced riders to gain a realistic approach to road speeds and hazards.

As an extra to learners, licence, intermediate and advanced road riding lessons, the fresh facility also allows for off road training for children and novice adults, as well as ATV lessons on a purpose built circuit.

    “This is one of the most exciting developments since HART’s initial opening 20 years ago,” states HART National Manager Mark Collins. “We are particularly excited to be able to appeal to even more riders at the new site as we have access to excellent off road training areas as well.”

Extras will also include a sausage sizzle at midday, Riding Simulator sessions carried out by experienced HART instructors, protective clothing will be available for purchase at excellent discounted prices, plus road, off road and ATV demos.

Honda is offering an amazing deal on their three most enjoyable sportbikes from now to October 31st, with an extra bonus available to any person who finances with HMFS (Honda MPE Financial Services).

The lucky contendors who purchase a CBR1000RR Fireblade, CB1000R or CBR600RR will get a $750 Honda dollars to splurge in store, along with the opportunity to delay finance payments until next year.

Clients can spend their Honda Dollars in many ways within the dealership from purchase time, and can also use them for accessories, servicing or even as a discount off the bike.