Farquhar dominates at the Mid Antrim 150 Fresh from his race-winning exploits at the Isle of Man TT Races, Ryan Farquhar’s highly successful season continued on Saturday when he dominated the Mid Antrim 150 road races. Despite the tricky, damp conditions around the 3.54-mile Clough circuit, the KMR Kawasaki rider won all five of his races, including the Grand Final, by comfortable margins to make it 21 wins already for the season. Having been hit by bad weather in the last three years, the organising Mid Antrim club brought the meeting forward from their traditional August date to June but, sadly, they were still hit by wind and rain and so only 5 controlled laps of practice could take place, Ryan completing his on the 450cc Kawasaki. Saturday was still damp although a dry line appeared as the day wore on and first up for Ryan was the Superbike race. Despite having made a few changes to the big since the TT, the bike was still handling poorly but, after taking it steady in the first few laps, Ryan moved up from third and took his first win of the day by 10.44 seconds. Next up was the Supertwins race and Ryan, quite literally, dominated the race with a start to finish victory, which saw him take the chequered flag some 45 seconds clear of second placed John Burrows. He also set a new lap record of 98.735mph. Riding a borrowed 600cc ZX-6R Kawasaki, he then completed his hat-trick with a 9.6s victory in the Supersport race and win number 4 soon followed with another dominant performance in the 125cc/450cc race and another new lap record. That just left the Grand Final and, aided by the fastest lap of the day at 106.501mph, it was another start to finish victory for Ryan as he beat Derek Shiels by 10.3s. Team-mate Jamie Hamilton took strong 5th and 6th place finishes in the two Superbike races but was denied 2nd place and a podium in the Supertwins race when he slid off at the Clough hairpin, fortunately without injury. Speaking later, a delighted Ryan said: “After having a few hectic weeks at the NW200 and TT, I wasn’t sure if I was going to race this weekend but I took the bull by the horns, got the bikes sorted and came along and I’m glad I did now! It’s tough at the moment for everyone and with a number of meetings being cancelled later in the year, I think it’s important I do what I can to support the clubs as best I can as I’d hate any of them to disappear. I think it was appreciated and it’s just such a shame for the Mid Antrim club that the meeting was affected by the weather again. We got a full day’s racing in though and although it was still quite damp and greasy off the racing line and out the back of the circuit, a dry line was there and I was able to complete most of the day with an intermediate front tyre and slick rear.” “The Superbike was still giving me problems and having taken the big fuel tank fitted for the TT off, it changed the characteristics of the bike again. It was a long way off in the first Superbike race so I just took it steady to begin with and managed to take the win but if it had been dry, I wouldn’t have been so fortunate. I made some changes for the Grand Final though and it was a lot better so I could push on a bit more. My 600cc bike is still in bits after having it stripped after the Supersport TT race so a big thanks to John Duggan (again!) for loaning me the use of my old 600 and it was another good race for me. In fact, the whole day went really well and I couldn’t have asked for any more – five wins and two lap records was pretty good going and I really enjoyed myself out there. I was planning on cutting down my racing a bit this year but, like I say, I think it’s important to support all the clubs as much as possible to keep the meetings going so I’ve got a busy few weeks ahead at the likes of the Bush, Skerries, Walderstown, the Southern 100 and Scarborough so I’ll be hoping to rack up a few more wins there!” Ryan and the team will be out in force next Saturday at his local event, the Bush road races. More, from a press release issued by PTR Honda: Silverstone 200 proves good test for PTR SAM LOWES on his Bogdanka PTR Honda and Jules Cluzel on his PTR Honda declared the Silverstone200 support race at the British MotoGP an excellent test ahead of racing at the same track in the World Supersport Championship in August. Both racers are back in action in the World Supersport Championship at Aragon in Spain on Sunday July 1st. Sam: “It was an enjoyable second race but I was forced to slow on the last lap with an electrical problem that dropped me from second to fourth. My lap times were good and we learnt about the tyres and machine set up ahead of the round here in August – it has been well worth it.” Jules: “Yeah, it has been a good test. Yesterday was raining and it was not good conditions for racing. We started yesterday’s wet race with dry settings that was not the best feeling. It was good to try the bike and different tyres. We understand a lot about the tyres now. I am happy with this test and looking forward to racing again and coming back here in WSS.” Simon Buckmaster PTR Team Manager: “It’s been a good test and we have learnt a lot about the tyres and machine set up in the wet and dry. Yesterday’s race was short and wet while today Sam deserved to finish second but lost 13seconds on the last lap due to an electrical problem. Jules deliberately started on a softer race tyre and had to pit to change as it was shot after just four laps. This is great information that will help us when we return to race here in August. It’s been a fun event and we have enjoyed being here.” Race Result 1: Byrne 2: Johnson +39.859 3: Jones +41.870 4: Sam Lowes, Bogdanka PTR Honda +45.638 14th Jules Cluzel, PTR Honda +1:37.771 Silverstone 200 Championship (Provisional) 1: Byrne, 2 2: Johnson, 7 3: Sam Lowes Bogdanka PTR Honda, 11 Jules Cluzel PTR Honda, 20 More, from a press release issued by Indianapolis Motor Speedway: MotoGP RACE REPORT: BRITISH GRAND PRIX Lorenzo stays nearly perfect with fourth victory of 2012 INDIANAPOLIS, Sunday, June 17, 2012 – Jorge Lorenzo is just 10 points behind MotoGP perfection this year after winning the British Grand Prix on Sunday, June 17 at the Silverstone Circuit, his fourth victory of the season. 2010 World Champion Lorenzo has dropped just 10 points in six starts this season on his factory Yamaha M1, with four wins and two runner-up finishes. He extended his lead over reigning World Champion Casey Stoner to 25 points – a gap of exactly one race. “Today was a very difficult race,” Lorenzo said. “The front guys were very strong and very fast, so it was very hard for me to catch them and stay with them.” 2009 Red Bull Indianapolis GP winner Lorenzo beat Stoner to the finish by 3.313 seconds. Stoner’s Repsol Honda teammate, Dani Pedrosa, finished third, 3.599 seconds behind Lorenzo. Surprise pole sitter Alvaro Bautista finished a career-best fourth on a San Carlo Honda Gresini, and American Ben Spies rounded out the top five with his best finish of the season on a Yamaha Factory Racing machine. Americans Nicky Hayden and Colin Edwards finished seventh and 16th, respectively. Spies shot to the lead early in the race and kept it for the first four laps. But then his Yamaha lost tire grip, and Spies went wide in a turn on Lap 5, allowing Stoner to pass him for the lead. Lorenzo dropped from fourth at the start to fifth on Lap 1 and stayed there for a few laps until he began a rapid charge toward the front. By Lap 6, he had passed Hayden, Bautista and Pedrosa to take second behind Stoner. Stoner and Lorenzo then began a thrilling, brief dice for the lead on Lap 9. Lorenzo passed Stoner on the last turn before Stoner regained the lead on the next turn. Then Lorenzo edged past Stoner for good shortly thereafter and rode away. Only a mistake that caused Lorenzo to sit up with four laps remaining kept him within reach of the intense duel between Stoner, Pedrosa and Bautista for the final two podium spots. British rider Cal Crutchlow gained a stunning 14 spots, finishing sixth after starting 20th on his Monster Yamaha Tech 3 machine. Crutchlow thrilled his home fans despite racing with a broken ankle suffered in a crash during qualifying Saturday. The next race is the TT Assen on June 30 at Assen. The Red Bull Indianapolis GP is the 11th of 18 races this season, Sunday, Aug. 19 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. PODIUM FINISHER QUOTES JORGE LORENZO (Winner, Yamaha Factory Racing): “Today was a very difficult race. The front guys were very strong and very fast, so it was very hard for me to catch them and stay with them. Little by little, the rear tire drops a bit more. I had good confidence, and I was faster than them, and I started to catch them. When I caught up, I didn’t want to crash, so I waited for my moment and was patient. When I caught Casey (Stoner), we had a wonderful fight. Luckily for us, I had a better pace, and I passed him. Four laps from the end, I made a big mistake and almost crashed! I’m very happy with the result and for the team, who gave me a good bike again.” CASEY STONER (Second, Repsol Honda Team): “It wasn’t a great race for us today. We saw the pace the Yamahas had in the early laps, and it was really worrying to me. As early as Lap 3, the bike wasn’t feeling good, especially on the left side. The tire destroyed itself almost immediately. My plan was to try and get to the front and hold them up, but Ben (Spies) was proving difficult to pass. Then he made a small mistake, and I was able to slip through and I tried to hold it from there. We knew we didn’t have a better pace than the other riders, and it wouldn’t be long until they were on us, so I did what I could to stay in front. We were losing so much grip on the edge of the tire that we had no mid-turn corner speed, and we were having to make up for this with the entry and a clean exit, which made things difficult. Today we needed a little more grip, and we would have been able to fight for the win. But looking at the rear tires at the end of the race, there was definitely something wrong with ours.” DANI PEDROSA (Third, Repsol Honda Team): “I have mixed feelings after this race. I’m happy to be on the podium at this circuit, for several reasons. It’s a track where I have always struggled a lot. We had a very tough weekend; it wasn’t easy for us to learn the circuit and set up the bike with these weather conditions. Also I didn’t have one of my best race starts. I was seventh on the first lap, but I managed to remain calm and get faster lap after lap, maintaining my rhythm. I saw that Jorge (Lorenzo) was the man to follow, so I managed to pass Dovizioso, Bautista and Spies and caught Casey (Stoner), who was second. But at this time, Jorge was gone, and I tried twice to pass Casey, but he pulled a little again. And in the last chicane, I tried to overtake him, but I had a flash in my mind and I saw both Repsol Hondas on the ground, so I settled for third place. It’s positive to both be on the podium if we consider that it’s the first race for the team with this new front tire, but for the championship, it is not good. We need to make a step forward to solve the problems we have with the chattering because right now, Jorge is too strong for the Hondas.” AMERICAN RIDER QUOTES BEN SPIES (Fifth, Yamaha Factory Racing): “Today was a bittersweet day. We made a good start and had a really good pace in the beginning. After four or five laps, we had a big problem with the rear tire and lost all our momentum and pace. It turned into damage control after that. From the start of the season to now, top five is a better result. The potential of the bike was great today, and we could have been fighting for the podium or the win with Jorge.” NICKY HAYDEN (Seventh, Ducati Team): “We did the sighting lap with the hard rear tire, but with the sprinkles and dark clouds, we decided to play it safe and switch to the soft on the grid. Everybody else had it, too, but we know our bike has been hard on tires here. I got an awesome start, and the beginning of the race was great. I took some chances to hang in as long as I could, and I enjoyed it and learned some things. Then the grip went, which brought on a lot of chatter. I couldn’t accelerate or carry speed on the straightaway, and we started having a little problem with the electronics in one corner, which cost us some time. Crutchlow got me on the last lap, which is frustrating, but I had my smallest gaps to the front this year in terms of race time and best lap. We need to figure out how to make me and the bike less hard on the rear tire, but there were some positives.” COLIN EDWARDS (16th, NGM Mobile Forward Racing): “I went faster during the race than I did in qualifying. I felt that I was just on edge; everything is so rigid and stiff that you can’t relax on this bike. Once the grip went down just a little bit, then it just stops turning. It’s like driving a truck, and it just doesn’t turn anymore. You’ve got to trust the electronics and kind of steer it with the rear. Electronics felt OK today. Obviously, they could be better, but the electronics aren’t going to fix the issues that we are having. They might make them better, but we’ve got to get the bike to turn – that is No. 1 priority. Get the bike to turn and just go straight because when I get it on my knee it just seems to go straight until the speed comes down, and then the bike will turn. But by that time, you are losing bike lengths to the guys in front of you. For Assen, we will be trying something that hopefully will make the difference.” POINTS Riders: Jorge Lorenzo 140, Casey Stoner 115, Dani Pedrosa 101, Cal Crutchlow 66, Andrea Dovizioso 60, Valentino Rossi 58, Alvaro Bautista 58, Stefan Bradl 51, Nicky Hayden 49, Hector Barbera 37, Ben Spies 35, Aleix Espargaro 20, Randy de Puniet 11, Michele Pirro 9, James Ellison 7, Mattia Pasini 6, Karel Abraham 4, Colin Edwards 4, Danilo Petrucci 4, Yonny Hernandez 4, Ivan Silva 1. Manufacturers: Yamaha 140, Honda 126, Ducati 65, ART 24, FTR 9, Suter 4, Ioda 4, BQR 3, BQR-FTR 2. MotoGP SUPPORT CLASS WINNERS Moto2: Pol Espargaro, Spain, Pons 40 HP Tuenti Kalex-Honda. Moto3: Maverick Vinales, Spain, Blusens Avintia FTR Honda. 2012 tickets: Tickets for the 2012 Red Bull Indianapolis GP MotoGP event, scheduled for Aug. 17-19 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, are on sale now at www.imstix.com , by calling (800) 822-INDY or (317) 492-6700 or by visiting the IMS Ticket Office at the IMS Administration Building at the corner of Georgetown Road and 16th Street between 8 a.m.-5 p.m. (ET) Monday-Friday. Tickets for groups of 20 or more also are on sale. Contact the IMS Group Sales Department at (866) 221-8775 for more information. Information on camping at IMS during the Red Bull Indianapolis GP is available at www.imstix.com. Hotel package information can be found at visitindy.com/redbull. More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki: Grégory Leblanc extends championship lead in French Supersport series Newsflash, 18 June 2012 Only two weeks after surgery on his broken left leg, Grégory Leblanc performed outstandingly once more, extending his championship lead to a stunning 86 points. By getting an incredible 2-1 in the Supersport class, the Kawasaki SRC rider is now a 86 points gap away from his contenders. Julien Da Costa also performed strongly in his two races (2-1) keeping control over the provisional classification in Superbike. LeBlanc was expected to save only few points but he did the unexpected in two really amazing races. In the first race he achieved a third place. The second race was even more impressive, with LeBlanc taking the top step of the podium. A fantastic result that makes him really delighted. “It was a really tough weekend for me. The goal was to save as much points as possible, but I never thought I could be able to win. It’s a really good result and I’m leading the class with a big gap now. I guess next event in Magny-Cours will be an easier race for sure.” Julien Da Costa said, “With the hot weather conditions we knew that we would be struggling. And that was what happened. Anyway, the second spot of the podium is not a really bad result at all. For the second race we changed a few things on my Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R and things went a little bit easier for me. This new victory is a really good thing for me and the team. I’m still leading the Superbike championship and it would have been a mistake to not try to fight for the victory in each race. We have to prepare as good as possible for the next weekend now and I’m sure we will be able to win again!” For Kawasaki SRC team manager Gilles Stafler the results were a real good opportunity to secure the lead of his riders. “We have done a really good job this weekend. We can’t win every race of the championship and sometimes you have to consider that second spot is good enough, and surely better than making any mistake. Julien has done two very good races with a lap record in race one. I can’t find my words for Grégory. He was really awesome and has done even more than I had expected. We have to focus on the next race now.” The next round of the French Superbike Championship will be held at Magny-Cours circuit (30 June -1st July). Current FSBK standings: ~http://www.fsbk.fr/resultats/2012/ledenon-1/superbike/situation/~ Current FSS standings: ~http://www.fsbk.fr/resultats/2012/ledenon-1/supersport/situation/~ More, from a press release issued by BMW Motorrad Motorsport: BMW S 1000 RR: Three wins in one weekend The BMW teams were a cut above the rest in the IDM races at the Nürburgring, while there was also a victory to celebrate in France Munich/Nürburg/Ledenon, 18th June 2012. Three wins and eight podium finishes: that was the overall result this weekend for the BMW teams supported directly by BMW Motorrad HP RaceSupport in the International German Motorcycle Championship (IDM) and the French Superbike Championship (FSBK). The BMW S 1000 RR riders were particularly successful in the fiercely competitive IDM Superbike at the Nürburgring (GER): not only did they occupy all three steps on the podium in both races, but also dominated the places just outside the top three. The third round of the 2012 IDM season was held at the Nürburgring. Remarkably, the BMW teams were actually able to top their achievements from the opening races of the season. In race one, no less than seven RRs finished in the top ten, five of which occupied the first five places. Race winner Michael Ranseder (AUT) of Team Technogym Racing Austria Fritze Tuning was joined on the podium by the two riders from the Wilbers BMW racing team, Gareth Jones (AUS) and Jörg Teuchert (GER). Fourth and fifth place went to Erwan Nigon (FRA) of Team Van Zon alpha Technik-BMW and Gisberth van Ginhoven (NED) of Team RAC Racing BMW respectively. Young RR rider Lucy Glöckner (GER), who is contesting her first full season in the IDM Superbike series with the Wilbers BMW racing team, ended the race in an impressive eighth place, ahead of Markus Reiterberger (GER / Team alpha Racing). The young Bavarian usually lines up on his RR in the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup within the framework of the FIM Superbike World Championship. The result was similar in race two: Ranseder won again, with Troy Herfoss (AUS) of Team RAC Racing BMW and his compatriot Jones joining the Austrian rider on the podium. The top four was completed by another RR rider in the form of Nigon. Teuchert crossed the line in sixth, while Glöckner finished tenth to claim another top-ten result. Guest starter Reiterberger ended the second race in eleventh. Thanks to his two wins, Ranseder has moved into the lead in the riders’ championship in the IDM Superbike series (106 points). He is followed by more BMW riders in places two to four: Teuchert (98), Nigon (92) and Jones (91). In the manufacturers’ championship, leader BMW is racing away from the opposition. With 245 points to its name, the Munich-based manufacturer has already opened up a 149-point gap over Yamaha and Suzuki (both 96). BMW also celebrated victory at the fourth round of the French Superbike Championship in Ledenon (FRA). Just one week after the triumph at the World Endurance Championship in Doha (QAT), Sébastien Gimbert (FRA) and Team BMW Motorrad France won the first race of the weekend in Ledenon. Gimbert finished third in race two. Victory went to Julien da Costa (FRA / Kawasaki), who now leads the overall rankings with 195 points, ahead of Gimbert (143). “Two triple podium finishes in the IDM Superbike and the BMW S 1000 RR dominating this hard-fought class you cannot ask for more,” said Berthold Hauser, Head of BMW Motorrad HP RaceSupport. “We reacted to the amendments to the regulations, which came into force at the start of the IDM season, with a modified and optimised camshaft kit, which we were able to use for the first time last weekend. This magnificent result is the result of that increased performance. Like the teams, we are absolutely delighted. Congratulations to all the BMW S 1000 RR riders and their teams, who achieved such excellent results. In the French championship we closed the gap on the front-runners. Our partner team BMW Motorrad France scored a win and a podium finish. Congratulations to Sébastien Gimbert. However, we know that we still have a long season ahead of us and it is the positions at the end of the year that count. Whatever happens, we are well positioned to provide the BMW teams with the best possible support in all areas.” More, from a press release issued by Rockstar: ROCKSTAR ENERGY’S JORGE LORENZO STRIKES IN SILVERSTONE LOS ANGELES, CA (June 18, 2012) Yamaha Factory Racing rider Jorge Lorenzo put in superb performance today for the Grand Prix of Great Britain, taking victory at the Silverstone circuit, his third consecutive victory this year. Having started from fourth on the grid, the Rockstar Energy rider dropped to fifth at the start and held position until lap six when he carved through to take up second place behind Casey Stoner in the lead. Stoner was only able to hold him off for four laps before the Championship leader made his move, the pass a beautiful battle with his rival over several corners. Lorenzo then led from lap 11 to the finish line, a small mistake four laps from the end causing him to sit up was the only threat to victory. He crossed the line 3.313 seconds ahead of Stoner, taking maximum points and increasing his lead in the 2012 standings to 25 points. Rockstar Energy’s Lorenzo heads to Assen in two weeks time now having won four of the six races of the season with a point tally of 140. The victory also increases Yamaha’s lead in the Constructor’s standings to 140, 14 ahead of Honda. “Today was a very difficult race, the front guys were very strong and very fast so it was very hard for me to catch them and stay with them,” said Rockstar Energy’s Lorenzo. “Little by little the rear tyre drops a bit more, I had good confidence and I was faster than them and I started to catch them. When I caught up I didn’t want to crash so I waited for my moment and was patient. When I caught Casey we had a wonderful fight, luckily for us I had a better pace and I passed him. Four laps from the end I made a big mistake and almost crashed! I’m very happy with the result, and for the team who gave me a good bike again.” The next event for Rockstar Energy’s Jorge Lorenzo is round seven of the 2012 MotoGP Championship in Assen at the Grand Prix of The Netherlands on June 30th. About Rockstar: ROCKSTAR is the world’s most powerful Energy Drink. Enhanced with the potent herbal blend of Guarana, Ginkgo, Ginseng and Milk Thistle, ROCKSTAR is formulated to provide an incredible energy boost for those who lead active and exhausting lifestyles – from athletes to rock stars. ROCKSTAR Energy Drink is available in nineteen amazing flavors and worldwide in 25 countries. For more information visit www.rockstar69.com.