Superstock 1000 FIM Cup Round 9 Magny-Cours (France) Great podium for Sylvain Barrier Three French speaking riders were happy on the podium at Magny-Cours, with the winner Maxime Berger on his Ten Kate Honda, Xavier Simeon who is the 2009 winner of the Superstock 1000 FIM Cup on his Ducati, and Sylvain Barrier who finished third at Magny-Cours for Michel Garnier’s team. This is the third time this year on the podium for Sylvain Barrier and for the Garnier Racing Team Junior, who is, let’s not forget it, less than one year old. The two previous podiums for Sylvain were at Assen and Misano, which are precisely with Magny-Cours the three races that Maxime Berger won this year. Thanks to his good race in Burgundy, Sylvain Barrier is now very close to Daniele Beretta in the standings, with only 2 points between them and only one race to go. Julien Millet raced well, but you cannot expect miracles when you start from the 25th position on the starting grid in such a high level category. Julien finished 17th, which is fine. Sylvain Barrier: “Before the start I was a little bit stressed because I was racing in my home country, but nothing bad. I had a good start and was with Ayrton Badovini in the first curve. I lead the race for a lap, and then some riders passed me as I did some big slides. Then my main opponent Badovini crashed and I cruised in the last lap to the third position on the podium. Thank you to the team and all those who help me.” Julien Millet: “I did some good lap times, but I started from the 25th position. With a better qualification, I think I could have scored some points. Let’s keep on working like that. Thank you to the Team Garnier and to the Racing Moto Club 25.” Michel Garnier (team owner): “Sylvain had a good start. He went in the lead, and fought with Xavier Simeon, Maxime Berger, Claudio Corti and Ayrton Badovini. Third this weekend, this is perfect, in Magny-Cours and in front of your guests. Julien did the best he could. He will be faster at Portimão. Today we are sorry for him. We believe in him.” Race result: 1. Berger M. (FRA) Honda CBR1000RR 23’51.110 (155,344 kph); 2. Simeon X. (BEL) Ducati 1098R 1.560; 3. Barrier S. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R1 3.449; 4. Corti C. (ITA) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 6.677; 5. Mähr R. (AUT) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 8.591; 6. Baz L. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R1 14.116; 7. Fores J. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX 10R 14.252; 8. Schouten R. (NED) Yamaha YZF R1 25.881″¦ 17. Millet Julien (Yamaha) Superstock 1000 FIM Cup: 1. Simeon 200; 2. Corti 148; 3. Berger 127; 4. Fores 116; 5. Beretta 85; 6. Barrier 83; 7. Jezek 68; 8. Baz 51; 9. Giugliano 43; 10. Savary 39 10th and last round of the Superstock 1000 FIM Cup: October 25 at Portimão (Portugal) More, from a press release issued by Team YZF Yamaha: Supersport World Championship Round 13 Magny-Cours (France) Team YZF Yamaha Doni Tata Pradita retires Doni started from the 22nd position on the starting grid, after he qualified 3.4 seconds behind the pole position man Cal Crutchlow. After the first lap of the race, the Indonesian rider was 28th on a total of 29 riders. On lap 11 (out of 19), he was the 25th and last rider, with nobody behind him. At 13h37, he entered the pits and retired. During the previous weekend at Imola, the Supersport World Championship leader Cal Crutchlow crashed and his main opponent Eugene Laverty closed the gap to 2 points in the provisional standings between the two men. In Magny-Cours, Laverty crashed and restarted with a piece of fairing hanging off. Nevertheless, he managed to finish in 13th position. So Crutchlow leads now the championship with 19 points in front of Laverty with only one race to go. In Magny-Cours, Spaniard Joan Lascorz was a great winner, leading the race from the start to the finish. He is now fourth in the championship, only 6 points behind the third position man Kenan Sofuoglu. Doni Tata Pradita: “I am not really happy. After the start, I had some front brake problems. After two laps, I had the same problems. Then I went out. I tried to continue, but it was not possible. The front brake was pushing. I decided to go in the pits. This is not so good. I hope a good result at Portimão. It was not easy to ride on this track because of brake problem.” Team-manager Martial Garcia: “The rider could not brake like during the warm up session. He preferred to stop in the pits for safety reason. Since he has been back from his accident, he is not back yet at the same level.” Race result: 1.Lascorz J. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX-6R 32’21.660 (155,389 kph); 2. Crutchlow C. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R6 0.937; 3. Sofuoglu K. (TUR) Honda CBR600RR 5.910; 4. West A. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 20.797; 5. Aitchison M. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 20.992; 6. Pitt A. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 21.232; 7. Fujiwara K. (JPN) Kawasaki ZX-6R 21.441; 8. Roccoli M. (ITA) Honda CBR600RR 23.539 Supersport World Championship standings: 1. Crutchlow 230; 2. Laverty 211; 3. Sofuoglu 169: 4. Lascorz 163; 5.West 117; 6. Foret 115; 7. Pitt 114; 8. Aitchison 82; 9. McCoy 82; 10. Roccoli 70″¦ 25.Tata Pradita 8 14th and last round of the Supersport World Championship: October 25 at Portimão (Portugal) More, from a press release issued by Indianapolis Motor Speedway: MotoGP RACE REPORT: GRAND PRIX OF PORTUGAL Lorenzo slices Rossi’s lead to 18 points with dominant win; American Edwards fifth INDIANAPOLIS, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2009 After a dominant victory by Jorge Lorenzo on Oct. 4 in Portugal, the race is back on in MotoGP. 2009 Red Bull Indianapolis GP winner Lorenzo started from pole and led all 28 laps of the Grand Prix of Portugal at the Estoril Circuit for his fourth victory of the season. Lorenzo pulled to within 18 points of Fiat Yamaha teammate and points leader Valentino Rossi with just three races remaining. Six-time MotoGP World Champion Rossi had an uncharacteristically sluggish weekend, finishing fourth, 23.428 seconds behind his teammate. “What a day!” Lorenzo said. “I’m so happy to win here again in the same track where I won my first MotoGP race last year. “This is a good track for me, but I am fast more or less everywhere now. The championship is closer now. It’s still not easy, but we have nothing to lose.” 2007 MotoGP World Champion Casey Stoner finished second on his Ducati Team machine, 6.294 seconds behind Lorenzo. It was Stoner’s first race since July 26, as he had missed the last three races due to illness. Dani Pedrosa finished third on his Repsol Honda. He led for the first few corners of Lap 1 before Lorenzo took the lead for good. The only suspense left in the race was how the charismatic Lorenzo would celebrate his victory. He wore leathers and a helmet that paid tribute to the U.S. Apollo lunar landing program, so Lorenzo did a “moonwalk show” as a salute to Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon. While Lorenzo celebrated, it’s safe to say 2008 Red Bull Indianapolis GP winner Rossi wasn’t in a party mood. He qualified second but dropped to fourth on the first lap. He never challenged the top three due to a rear grip problem and finished off the podium at Estoril for the first time in his career. Americans Colin Edwards and Nicky Hayden finished fifth and eighth, respectively. Edwards rode his Monster Yamaha Tech 3 machine across the line two places ahead of Andrea Dovizioso’s Repsol Honda bike, picking up two points in their spirited duel for fifth in the point standings. Dovizioso leads, 142-134. “If you’re the next best rider behind the top four in the world, then you’ve done a good job, and I rode the strongest race I could today,” Edwards said. “We’ve got three races to go, and I’ll be giving it my all, as always, because I really want that fifth spot in the championship.” Hayden was plagued by lack of grip during the race on his Ducati. The next event is the Grand Prix of Australia on Oct. 18 at Phillip Island. *** RESULTS ESTORIL, Portugal Results of the 28-lap Grand Prix of Portugal MotoGP race, with position, rider, country, motorcycle, time behind winner. All riders on Bridgestone tires: 1. Jorge Lorenzo Spain Yamaha 2. Casey Stoner Australia Ducati +6.294 3. Dani Pedrosa Spain Honda +9.889 4. Valentino Rossi Italy Yamaha +23.428 5. Colin Edwards United States Yamaha +32.652 6. Toni Elias Spain Honda +35.709 7. Andrea Dovizioso Italy Honda +35.723 8. Nicky Hayden United States Ducati +38.830 9. James Toseland Great Britain Yamaha +44.093 10. Chris Vermeulen Australia Suzuki +52.863 11. Randy de Puniet France Honda +55.698 12. Marco Melandri Italy Kawasaki +1:04.515 13. Niccolo Canepa Italy Ducati +1:04.538 14. Gabor Talmacsi Hungary Honda +1:27.299 NC Loris Capirossi Italy Suzuki +8 laps NC Alex de Angelis San Marino Honda +20 laps NC Mika Kallio Finland Ducati +23 laps NC Not classified Fastest lap: Pedrosa, 1:36.937, Lap 11; Pole lap: Lorenzo, 1:36.214 *** POINTS Riders: Rossi 250, Lorenzo 232, Pedrosa 173, Stoner 170, Dovizioso 142, Edwards 134, Capirossi 97, de Puniet 93, Melandri 91, Elias 90, Vermeulen 90, de Angelis 88, Toseland 85, Hayden 81, Kallio 51, Canepa 38, Talmacsi 14, Sete Gibernau 12, Yuki Takahashi 9, Aleix Espargaro 8. Manufacturers: Yamaha 330, Honda 236, Ducati 211, Suzuki 126, Kawasaki 91. *** PODIUM QUOTES JORGE LORENZO (Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha/Bridgestone, winner): “What a day! I’m so happy to win here again in the same track where I won my first MotoGP race last year. I worked so hard in the break on my fitness with my father, and maybe that’s given me a little bit of extra speed. I certainly felt so strong this weekend, and it is great to win like this after being top in every session, as well. I got a good start, and it took me just a couple of corners to get past Dani and take the lead, but I honestly didn’t expect to be unchallenged from then on or to finish with such a big gap. This is a good track for me, but I am fast more or less everywhere now. The championship is closer now. It’s still not easy, but we have nothing to lose! I liked my leathers and helmet a lot this weekend, and I wanted to celebrate Neil Armstrong and his landing on the moon, so this is why I made this ‘moonwalk show’ after the race.” CASEY STONER (Ducati Team Ducati/Bridgestone, second): “It is great to be competitive again and to stay that way right to the end of the race. I maybe could have been faster over the opening few laps, but I made a little mistake, which caused my foot to slip off the peg. It broke the footrest support and it was moving around in all the right-handers, so my foot was slipping off. As the laps went by, I was able to alter the foot peg position a little, but I wasn’t able to go any faster. Obviously, Jorge was too fast for us today and he did a fantastic job, but I’m still really happy today for myself and for the team. It is brilliant to come back like this, and I think it shows that the decision to take a break and tackle a physical problem that was really making it impossible for us was the right choice.” DANI PEDROSA (Repsol Honda Team Honda/Bridgestone, third): “I made a very good start today and held the lead until the third corner, where I ran a little wide and Jorge came by. He was pushing really hard in the first few laps, and even though I was, too, I couldn’t match his rhythm as he opened up a gap. When Casey came past, I tried to stay with him and was able to put some pressure on and maintain a good pace. I had a moment, though, where the bike was snaking as I braked, I ran wide and I nearly crashed. That cost me some time and opened up the gap to Casey. So I’m reasonably happy with a podium, and it definitely will now be an interesting fight for third place in the championship with Casey. He is the reference in Australia, and so the next race is going to be hard-fought. I’m looking forward to it. I definitely want to win at least one of the three races left, and maybe the next one is the most important.” *** AMERICAN RIDER QUOTES COLIN EDWARDS (Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha/Bridgestone, fifth): “Like I said yesterday, if you’re the next best rider behind the top four in the world, then you’ve done a good job, and I rode the strongest race I could today. I got a good start, but we’ve been fighting some front-end movement all weekend, and I knew early on I wasn’t going to be able to go with Valentino (Rossi) in front of me. The tires worked great, but we were just missing something on the setup that meant even though Valentino was struggling a little bit, I couldn’t really put any pressure on him. As much as I couldn’t comfortably stay with the four guys in front, it was pretty easy for me to run a pace that meant I could pull away from the group behind me. Once I’d got a comfortable gap, it was just a case of staying consistent to make sure I didn’t give anybody a chance of catching me. I got a few more points back on Dovizioso for fifth in the championship, and that is a good reward for the all effort my guys at Monster Yamaha Tech 3 have put in. We’ve got three races to go, and I’ll be giving it my all, as always, because I really want that fifth spot in the championship.” NICKY HAYDEN (Ducati Team Ducati/Bridgestone, eighth): “After the morning warm-up, I was expecting a little more today, but I just didn’t feel like I had the traction I’d had for most of the weekend. The bike was moving around a lot under acceleration, and it was hard to get out of the corners. We made good progress throughout the weekend, and like I said, this morning felt quite good. But the afternoon was really warm, and maybe that affected us too much. I got a decent start and moved up a few places, but a lot of guys were able to pass me on the front straightaway, and I’m not really sure why the bike didn’t feel fast as usual. Nevertheless, we learned a lot this weekend and got some good data. I’d hoped for more, but eighth is the best we could do. It’s not for a lack of effort or hard work, but sometimes that’s not good enough. Hopefully we can do better at Phillip Island.” *** MotoGP SUPPORT CLASS WINNERS 250cc: Marco Simoncelli, Italy, Metis Gilera. 125cc: Pol Espargaro, Spain, Derbi Racing Team. American Cameron Beaubier was not classified after crashing out of the race on Lap 5. He is tied for 27th in the World Championship standings. *** NEXT RACE Grand Prix of Australia, Phillip Island, Oct. 16-18. Round 15 of 17 *** IMS tickets: Established in 1909, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway has long prevailed as an icon of motorsports excellence. Beginning in 2009, the Speedway celebrates its Centennial Era, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the facility in 2009 and the 100th anniversary of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race in 2011. Tickets can be purchased online at www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com at any time. Tickets for groups of 20 or more also are on sale. Contact the IMS Group Sales Department at (866) 221-8775 for more information. More, from a press release issued by Aprilia: The sun was shining at Magny Cours for Race 2 of the French round of the SBK. The 81,000 spectators present watched a race that was extremely hard fought, right up until the final moments, and concluded with Haga’s victory just ahead of Max Biaggi’s RSV4 and Rea’s Honda. Biaggi started off very well from fourth position and immediately jumped into the lead, followed by Haga, Rea and Spies, but at the end of the first round, it was the Japanese driver who took over the first place position and set the pace of the selection. Max continued to stay attached to the Ducati with Rea right behind him and the native of Northern Ireland took over second position in the seventh lap. Halfway through the race, Haga seemed to be breaking away, but Biaggi passed quickly and Rea set off behind him, but the Honda didn’t give up until just five laps before the end when the Roman driver closed the gap with the Japanese driver to just a half second, while the Brit slipped back and had to make do with third place. Biaggi seemed to be getting closer and closer in the first two sections of the track, while the Ducati lengthened the gap in the third. In the end, Haga would be the first to cross under the chequered flag with a time of 1:480 on the RSV4. Biaggi climbed atop the podium once again after his third place finish in Race 1, for the seventh time this season, in addition to his victory at Brno and this is the third double win this season after two third place finishes in Qatar, and the victory and second place finish in the Czech Republic. Another dropout froze Leon Camier’s Superbike debut with the RSV4. This time the Brit started off well and for more than half the race he battled it out for sixth place with a group of competitors despite a few too many errors that forced him to remount each time. Unfortunately, during the fifteenth lap the Aprilia’s engine overheated and forced him to pull out while he was in ninth position. “I’m very happy,” declared Biaggi. “It was a very difficult race; we were all quite fast and all at the same level, especially during the first part of the race. Haga had set an excellent pace but he wasn’t too far ahead, even though a stone broke my front fairing halfway through the race and I lost ground to check and make sure the radiator wasn’t broken. Then I managed to get back on and I tried to catch up to the Japanese driver during the final laps. It was a nice battle that we drove to the limit. We had an excellent race; we’ve grown a lot in these last few rounds, and after the first heat we made some small changes that worked quite well. I dedicate this second place finish to my team, which is truly fantastic.” “I used a different approach with the RSV4,” said Camier, “which is quite different from the other bikes that I’ve driven up until now. These last few days I’ve managed to understand Aprilia’s potential; I changed my driving style and we worked a lot on the alignment, getting faster step by step, to the point that this morning during the warm-up I finished in fourth place with worn racing tyres that. I started off badly in Race 1, and during the initial laps I was slowed down by some falls. When I got my rhythm I caught up to the group that was fighting for sixth place, but then I had to stop because of a problem with the gas pump. I started off better in Race 2; I set a good pace and despite a few mistakes, I moved up to ninth place, but I had to pull out again due to an engine problem. It was a very positive debut for me, and I’m sure things will go better in Portimao.” More, from a press release issued by Michelin: CHAMPIONS CROWNED ON RAINY DAY TWO OF MICHELIN U.S. MOTORCYCLE CHAMPIONSHIP BIRMINGHAM, ALA. Competitors at the Michelin U.S. Motorcycle Championship had ample opportunity to test the full range of the company’s road racing tire technology, as the event’s final day at Barber Motorsports Park began under overcast skies and finished in a steady downpour. The challenging weather conditions produced some great racing and unexpected results, as Michelin crowned champions in eight different classes, awarding $87,500 in cash and prizes based on results from two days of racing. Among the stars of the event was 28-year-old Ryan Jones, a second-year racer from Winchester, Va., who swept all four of the weekend’s races in the Supersport Amateur and Superstock Amateur classes, winning the title of Grand Champion in both categories and netting a $6000 payday. “I had a thought on the way here that I might win, but I never dreamed I’d win all four races,” said Jones, who rode his first road race in June 2008. “I wish I’d started this 12 years ago!” Suzuki rider Robert Jensen, who won both the Supersport Pro and Superstock Pro races on Saturday, maintained his momentum to win the Grand Championships in both classes on Sunday, but not without difficulty. Jensen withstood an early challenge from Kawasaki-mounted Matt Lynn to take the win in the second Supersport Pro race while the track was still dry in the early afternoon. The later Superstock Pro race, however, ran in heavy rain. Jensen, who admitted he’s no fan of racing in the wet, slid off the track on lap two, and leaking oil from his bike brought out a red flag. Fortunately for Jensen, the race stoppage was long enough to effect repairs on his crashed machine, allowing him to take the restart. Needing only to finish second to earn the championship, Jensen then ran at a conservative pace to finish second, well behind eventual winner Brian Stokes on a Suzuki. Though tied on points with Stokes for the overall title, Jensen won the tiebreaker by virtue of his win on Saturday. “I don’t like to wash my bike, and I don’t like to fall down,” said Jensen, explaining his aversion to rain races. “But there was a lot of money on the line today.” He took home $14,000 for his efforts in the two pro classes. Possibly the most inspiring rides of the weekend were put in by Melissa Appel of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, who not only won both days’ Women Supersport races while riding with a broken right hand, but borrowed a misfiring bike from her boyfriend to finish second in Sunday’s rain-hampered Superstock Amateur race, won by Jones. “It was only doing about 95 down the straights,” said Appel, who wisely chose MICHELIN® rain tires for a race that started on a damp track and finished in a downpour. In fact, she finished a scant half-second ahead of third-placed James Gillespie, who was riding a Suzuki GSX-R1000 to chase down Appel’s 600cc Honda. In other racing action, Byron Barbour of Lithia Springs, Ga., completed a sweep of both Superstock Expert races on his Suzuki GSX-R1000, to take the Grand Championship in the class. Meanwhile, J.B. Layman of East Ellijay, Ga., equaled that feat in Supersport Expert aboard a Yamaha R6, and Canadian Steve Walker did the same in Thunderbike Amateur on a BMW R1200S. The Thunderbike Expert crown went to Saturday winner Danny Bilansky on a Buell, who rode to a safe second place on Sunday behind winner Joel Spalding, also on a Buell. Dedicated to the improvement of sustainable mobility, Michelin designs, manufactures and sells tires for every type of vehicle, including airplanes, automobiles, bicycles, earthmovers, farm equipment, heavy-duty trucks, motorcycles and the space shuttle. The company also publishes travel guides, hotel and restaurant guides, maps and road atlases. Headquartered in Greenville, S.C., Michelin North America (www.MichelinMotorcycle.com) employs more than 22,600 and operates 19 major manufacturing plants in 17 locations.