The MotoGP™ contingent was back for round three at the Grande Prémio de Portugal Circuito Estoril, where championship leader Jorge Lorenzo was joined by reigning World Champion Casey Stoner, Dani Pedrosa, Stefan Bradl and CRT entry Danilo Petrucci at the pre-race press conference this Thursday. Factory Yamaha´s Jorge Lorenzo, who won three years in a row at the Portuguese circuit between 2008 and 2010, leads the championship standings by just four points ahead of Repsol Honda´s Stoner. Having narrowly missed out on the win in Jerez, Lorenzo is looking to rekindle his previous winning ways at the Portuguese track. He stated: “Estoril is one of my favourite tracks, especially in the MotoGP era for me. Last year was a difficult race, I struggled a lot to keep leading the race and Dani [Pedrosa] seemed a little bit more comfortable behind and he passed me four laps before the end and I couldn’t follow him. But I was able to be competitive again also last year, so I think this track is good for us and we will see what happens this year.” Estoril is now the only track on the current MotoGP calendar where Stoner has not had a premier-class win, and the Australian is looking to change not only this, but also take the lead in the championship. He highlighted the importance of bike set-up at the circuit: “It’s a complete circuit. You do have everything, every style; you have up and down corners, on-camber, off-camber, long and fast sweepers, and a big long straight into a hard-braking area. There are a lot of opportunities for overtaking on this track and also a lot of opportunities to make easy mistakes. So it’s a track you need to have a very balanced bike at.” Stoner was also quick to quash rumours that he was planning to retire at the end of the current MotoGP™ season, saying that he had no such plans. His team mate Dani Pedrosa, who has played third fiddle to Lorenzo and Stoner so far this season, is taking heart from the fact that he took victory at this track last year: “At the moment I think we are doing the right things. Still it’s early in the season but obviously it is always important to do good. I think this is a good track; in the past I also did good races here, so I’m happy to be here and to try to ride again.” LCR Honda MotoGP´s Stefan Bradl, who has been in impressive form in his rookie season, taking an eighth and seventh place so far, is drawing on the fact that his last outing at Estoril was a victory, albeit in the Moto2™ class. He commented: “We are doing not so bad at the moment, but at the beginning in the first couple of laps at Jerez I could see that the top guys were not so far away, but then in one lap they were just gone! It is sure something to do with experience but we have to put the things together because we still have some more potential in the bike, the riding style and me.” A first in the MotoGP pre-race press conference was Came IodaRacing Project’s Danilo Petrucci. The Italian recorded a great result at Jerez in 13th as the second CRT bike, despite having a significant horsepower deficit over his rivals. He is now looking to build on this performance at Estoril: “In Jerez we scored our first world championship point. Our bike is young, only three months old. As many people know, we ride with a standard engine with just 185 horsepower, so a big difference between the MotoGP bikes and the CRT bike. For me the track is new as are many tracks this year, so I will try to learn fast and, as I say, to score points on Sunday. Just to be here is a dream for me.” More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda: Estoril, 3 May: the MotoGP World Championship returns to action at Estoril (Portugal) this weekend following last weekend’s round in Southern Spain where LCR racer Stefan Bradl gained an impressive 7th place at the Jerez race track. At this week’s event LCR Honda MotoGP Team is pleased to announce that Linear (one of the major Italian Online Insurance Companies) will act as the Title Sponsor branding the German talent RC213Vs. The partnership between Linear and LCR Team started last season sharing the common will to sensitize public towards the road safety (not only to MotoGP fans): in fact the cooperation between the two societies do not include just the motorbikes fairings. Linear Assicurazioni skills and Lucio’s long-term experience will give birth to many yearly activities concerning the road safety which aim to reach the sensibility of this sport fans through the driving advices of a connoisseur. Given his affinity for the track, and his continuing progress in his rookie year in the MotoGP class, Bradl believes he can improve on his seventh place finish in Jerez. German rookie already climbed the podium at Portuguese track winning 2010 and 2011 Moto2 races. Bradl: “I am really looking forward to Estoril GP. I know it will be more difficult for me on a MotoGP bike because this track is very small for those kind of bikes. I won the last 2 years races in Moto2 which is a good sign for me: I like the circuit and I like the atmosphere so I presume this will be another exciting weekend for me and the squad”. More, from a press release issued by Blusens Avintia: Julián Simón believes things will be looking up in Portugal The Blusens Avintia team rider is obviously at a low ebb at the moment and the tight period of time between the G.P.´s of Jerez and Estoril does not help sort things out. Jerez did not go as well as expected but it can be bet that Julián Simón and his team will work really hard to improve. Last year he was only a tenth away from the win against Bradl. All the members of the Avintia Blusens team and Julián wish to get back on the right track next Sunday right on the same scene. Julián Simón: “I have really fond memories of last year. The second position to Bradl was a good result. We were about to win for a fact – and we didn´t – but it was really competitive and I fought my way to the podium until the end. Things are now more difficult but Portugal can mark the beginning of a progression which will take me to the place where I belong. Jerez was tough but I have turned the page. I am going to Estoril with the clear intention to improve.” More, from a press release issued by Bel-Ray: Bel-Ray Racing-Weekend Racing Preview May 4, 2012 For decades, professional racers have experienced the performance advantages that Bel-Ray powersports lubricants provide. This weekend, Bel-Ray’s professional racers will be competing around the world in various types of competition. MotoGP The Grand Prix of Portugal will take place this weekend at the famous Estoril circuit. Situated along the Atlantic coast of the country, the track is just 28km from the capital city of Lisbon. The long, high speed front straight could prove difficult for the Bel-Ray backed Power Electronics Aspar team of Aleix Espargaro and Randy De Puniet, as their CRT bike are slower than the factory backed MotoGP machines. De Puniet is committed to giving it his all despite the handicap. “We are going to be struggling down the long straight compared to the MotoGP bikes, so it is up to us to make the most of the bike’s other strengths.” Teammate Espargaro echoed his sentiment, “at Jerez, I had the best top speed of all the CRT bikes, but I was still 20km/h shy of the best MotoGP bike on a straight that is 350m shorter than this. But our job is to keep progressing and working twice as hard if we can, with the added confidence of a good result at Jerez behind us.” Coming into this weekend, Espargaro is ranked 12th and De Puniet 15th in the World Championship point standings. Moto2 The 3rd round of the 2012 Moto2 championship series continues this weekend in Portugal. Both riders on the Bel-Ray backed Mapfre Aspar team, Nico Terol and Toni Elias, have had success at the Estoril circuit in their careers, a trend they hope to continue. Known as the “fifth home race” for the Spanish racers on the tour, thousands of fans cross the border to cheer for their favorite riders. Terol’s success at Estoril came as recent as last season where he was the 125cc class winner, while Elias has won multiple times including an unprecedented victory in the MotoGP class in 2006. Elias is in 11th while Terol is unranked in the 2012 series’ point standings. Moto3 Following disappointing results at the opening 2 rounds, the Bel-Ray sponsored Bankia Aspar team of Hector Faubel and Alberto Moncayo hope to turn their season around this weekend in Portugal. After they both suffered crashes last week in Jerez, they look to Estoril to turn it around. Both riders have had success at this circuit in the past and look to use that confidence to perform well over the course of the event. After the first 2 rounds of the season, both riders are in the top 10 in world championship points. Faubel is currently 10th while Moncayo is 9th. World Superbike Monza, Italy will host round 4 of the 2012 World Superbike Championship series this weekend. Following a double podium finish in the rains at Assen, the Bel-Ray supported Althea Ducati team of Carlos Checa and Davide Giugliano comes to the Italian round with confidence. The Monza track puts the teams Ducati at a disadvantage due to the 1195m straightway and the rules set in place by the sanctioning body. Both Checa and Giugliano spoke about this disadvantage prior to the event. “We know that Monza will probably be the hardest round on the calendar for us and the Ducati, something we have also seen in the last two seasons. We will do our best to take as many points as possible, but realize that this weekend will be mainly about containing the damage. Two top ten finishes would be good, and closing inside the top five would feel like a win for us here!” Teammate Giugliano added, “Reaching the podium at Assen has really boosted my confidence. I realize that a similar result will be almost impossible at Monza, as the bike is disadvantaged at tracks with long straights, but I’ll be fighting to improve my position in the standings with a good performance in the two races on Sunday. It’s always great to race at ‘home,’ so I’ll be doing my best to please the Italian crowds!” Going into the 4th of 14 rounds, Checa is in 2nd while Giugliano is 10th in the 2012 series’ point standings. AMA Supercross The 2012 Monster Energy Supercross series concludes this Saturday night at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas Nevada. The Bel-Ray sponsored Team Rockstar Energy Racing Suzuki will field all 4 of their riders this weekend, as the Lites series concludes for both the East and West division. Saturday night will also feature the Dave Coombs Sr. East/West Shootout, a winner take all event that features the best riders from each division. Last week, for the first time in the team’s history, both riders raced to podium finishes. Jason Anderson was 2nd and Martin Davalos was 3rd at the checkered flag. East coast division riders Blake Wharton and Hunter Hewitt will both rejoin the team for this final Supercross of the season. In a year marred by injuries, the Dodge/ Sycuan Casino/ Hart & Huntington/ Bel-Ray Racing team comes to their home race prepared to end the series on a high note. Much like the rest of the season, last week’s race in Salt Lake City had its ups and downs with team rider Tyler Bowers finishing a strong 10th place in only his 2nd ride for the team, while Kyle Regal was the victim of a crash that took him out of the main event. Both riders are grateful for the opportunity that they’ve had to act as fill in riders and look to reward them for their confidence on Saturday night. World Enduro Championship The Euskadi region of Spain will host round 2 of the 2012 FIM World Enduro Championship series this weekend. Following events in Argentina and Chile, the competitive series will make its first appearance in Europe this season. The Bel-Ray supported Factory TM racing team enters 3 riders in 3 different divisions at each event. The E1 class entry is Finish rider Antti Hellsten, Estonian Aigar Leok is the E3 class entry and Italian Nicolo Mori is the EJ class entry. Both Hellsten and Mori are in the top 15 in the series’ standings with Hellsten in 13th and Mori in 14th. Leok is a strong contender for victories and is currently in 3rd in the series’ standings with 2 of the 8 championship events completed. British Motocross Championship The 2012 ACU Maxxis British Motocross Championship continues for round 3 this weekend in Lyng, Norfolk at the Cadders Hill track. This spectacular, physically demanding track has hosted British Championship events for more than 25 years. Bel-Ray’s professional entry in the series is the MVR-D Honda Race Team of Jason Dougan, Gert Krestinov and Brad Pocock. After 2 of the series 8 rounds, the team has both MX1 riders, Dougan and Krestinov, in the top 10 in the series’ standings, while the teams MX2 entry, Pocock, is in the top 20 at 18th. Round 2 of the series took place at the Canada Heights Circuit in Swanley, Kent with mixed results for the team. Krestinov was 9th overall and Dougan was 15th overall in the MX1 class and Pocock was 15th overall in MX2. The riders all look to improve on their results coming into this weekend’s event. ATV Motocross Championship Round 3 of the 2012 ATV motocross championship will take place this weekend at Budd’s Creek in Mechanicsville, Maryland. Following a 4th place finish at Round 2 in Tennessee 2 weeks ago, Bel-Ray sponsored Josh Upperman is looking to put himself back up on the podium after an opening round 3rd place overall finish. The high speed sections of the track should prove to be an advantage for Upperman’s Baldwin Motorsports powered Honda. Follow all of Bel-Ray’s racers in action each week on www.belray.com and www.belrayracing.com. Bel Ray Company Inc was founded in 1946 and is a privately held, woman owned business serving the lubrication needs of powersports, industrial and mining customers worldwide. Bel-Ray is recognized as the leader in the specialty lubricants industry for setting high standards of quality and performance with products formulated for the motorcycle, automotive, aviation, energy, food, marine, military, mining, OEM, Industrial steel, and textile industries. “Flex Your Engine” with Bel-Ray’s superior Powersports line that delivers top quality Made-in-the-USA products to motorcycle and recreational vehicle enthusiasts around the world. Bel-Ray products are available at powersports dealers worldwide. Visit Bel-Ray.com for a complete dealer listing. Like us on Facebook.com/BelRay or follow us on Twitter/Bel_Ray More, from a press release issued by Indianapolis Motor Speedway: MotoGP RACE PREVIEW: GRAND PRIX OF PORTUGAL INDIANAPOLIS, Thursday, May 3, 2012 – A preview of the Grand Prix of Portugal MotoGP World Championship event May 6: Race: Grand Prix of Portugal Date: Sunday, May 6 Round: Third of 18 races in 2012 Circuit: Estoril Circuit, Estoril, Portugal Distance: 28 laps on 13-turn, 2.599-mile circuit 2011 Winner: Dani Pedrosa, Honda 2012 Points Leader: Jorge Lorenzo, Yamaha U.S. Riders: Nicky Hayden, seventh, 18 points; Ben Spies, 11th, 10; Colin Edwards, 13th, 4. TV: MotoGP: 8 a.m. (ET) Sunday, May 6, SPEED. Moto2: 1 p.m. (ET), Sunday, May 6, SPEED. Moto3: Noon (ET) Tuesday, May 8, SPEED. Web: www.motogp.com Twitter: @MotoGP LAST RACE Reigning MotoGP World Champion Casey Stoner earned his first career victory at the Jerez Circuit with a stunning triumph April 29 in the Spanish Grand Prix. He rode his Repsol Honda from the fifth starting spot on the grid to victory over Yamaha rival Jorge Lorenzo by .947 of a second. Dani Pedrosa finished third on a Repsol Honda, with Tech 3 Yamaha teammates Cal Crutchlow and Andrea Dovizioso fourth and fifth, respectively. WHO’S HOT Casey Stoner: Two-time MotoGP World Champion Stoner produced an impressive ride to victory after starting fifth April 29 at Jerez, Spain. The victory pulled Stoner to within four points of leader and rival Jorge Lorenzo in the standings. The only troubling aspect of the victory for Stoner was a less-intense recurrence of the arm pump problem that caused him to drop from the lead to a third-place finish in the season opener April 8 at Qatar. Cal Crutchlow: The question surrounding Crutchlow isn’t if he will earn his first career podium finish this season in MotoGP – it’s when. Crutchlow earned his second consecutive fourth-place finish of the season at Jerez on his satellite Yamaha, chasing the factory Honda of third-place Dani Pedrosa for the entire race. Crutchlow probably made few friends with his aggressive riding tactics, but he’s showing the brash confidence that helped him win races and fans in World Superbike and World Supersport. WHO’S NOT Ben Spies: 2010 Rookie of the Year Spies has endured a rough start to the 2012 season, finishing 11th at Qatar and Jerez on a factory Yamaha. Team boss Lin Jarvis said during the preseason that he expected improved results from Spies in 2012 despite the American winning a race last season, so the pressure is on the American to stay closer to teammate Jorge Lorenzo and the podium at Estoril. Spies crashed out of his first two Grands Prix of Portugal, in 2010 and 2011. Valentino Rossi: Seven-time MotoGP World Champion Rossi made some progress at Jerez, finishing ninth after placing 10th in the season opener at Qatar on his Ducati. But much more is expected from the highest-paid rider in the paddock and one of the all-time icons of the sport. Rossi said he found a breakthrough with the setup of his Ducati during the race after using the settings of his teammate, Nicky Hayden, who has outqualified and beaten Rossi in both races this season. BY THE NUMBERS This could be the last Grand Prix of Portugal for some time, as the race is rumored to be on the chopping block next season to make room for proposed new events in Argentina and Austin, Texas. There are five MotoGP events this season on the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal), a number that almost certainly will decrease in 2013 … Casey Stoner climbed to 10th among all-time Grand Prix winners with his 41st career victory over all classes last weekend at Jerez … Stoner earned his 17th consecutive podium finish in MotoGP by winning April 29 at Jerez, tying fellow Australian World Champion Mick Doohan for third on the all-time list. Valentino Rossi made 23 straight podiums from 2002-04, while Giacomo Agostini was on the podium 22 consecutive times from 1967-69 … Spaniard Dani Pedrosa is aiming for his 100th podium finish across all classes this weekend at Estoril. Only six riders have achieved that feat … Cal Crutchlow turned the fastest lap of the MotoGP race April 29 at Jerez. The last British rider to achieve that feat was two-time World Champion Barry Sheene, in 1984 … Romano Fenati of Italy won the Moto3 race April 29 at Jerez to become the third-youngest winner of a Grand Prix class, at 16 years, 105 days old. 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.