Buzzin MotoGP

Cyril Despres Wins Dakar Rally 2012

The Dakar Rally is an infamously wild and exciting race and this year the Dakar Rally 2012 has been as exasperating and exciting as ever before. It is an unprecedented fixture and renowned spectacle in the motor sport calendar. This year the event is 33 years old and for the fourth year running was held in South America.

The Dakar Rally is as much about endurance as it is skill as the riders race from coast to coast over the South American continent through deserts and across mountains as they head from Argentina across the Andes to Chile and Peru.

As the race comes to a climax it has been great to follow some of the leading riders in through their personal blogs.  The likes of the Giniel De Villiers, Marc Coma and Cyril Despres have all been a great read along the way. The Frenchman Cyril Despres first began riding Enduro in 1998 and in 2000 entered his first Dakar Rally.

This year’s Dakar Rally come to a close as the race completed its 14th and final stage from Pisco to Lima, and with it Cyril Despres won his fourth Dakar crown by winning the Dakar Rally 2012.  He finished ahead of fellow Red Bull riders Marc Coma and Helder Rodrigues in second and third, respectively.

Previously Depres has won the Dakar Rally on in 2005, 2007 and 2010; and came second in 2003 and 2009.

The MotoGP 2011 season finale took place in Valencia yesterday where Casey Stoner won the Spanish Grand Prix with a photo finish as he pipped Ben Spies to the chequered flag.

The race got off to a bad start when Alvaro Bautista clipped Andrea Dovizioso’s back wheel on the first corner.  The collision also took out Valentino Rossi, Nicky Hayden and Randy De Puniet.  Fortunately, no one was injured.

The Valencia Grand Prix was Casey Stoner’s 10th victory of the season.

All riders paid tribute to the Italian Marco Simoncelli who was killed in the previous meeting, the Malaysian MotoGP.

Valencia MotoGP – The Circuito de la Comunitat Valenciana – Round 18

1 Casey Stoner (Aus) Honda 48mins 18.645secs
2 Ben Spies (USA) Yamaha 48:18.660
3 Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) Honda 48:24.581

MotoGP 2011 Driver Championship Standings

1 Casey Stoner (Australia) Honda 350 points
2 Jorge Lorenzo (Spain) Yamaha 260
3 Andrea Dovizioso (Italy) Honda 228
4 Dani Pedrosa (Spain) Honda 219
5 Ben Spies (USA) Yamaha 176
6 Valentino Rossi (Italy) Ducati 139
6 Marco Simoncelli (Italy) Honda 139
8 Nicky Hayden (USA) Ducati 132
9 Colin Edwards (USA) Yamaha 109
10 Hiroshi Aoyama (Japan) Honda 98

Can it get any better for Casey Stoner who won the 2011 MotoGP Championship on his birthday in front of his home fans at the Phillip Island circuit. Victory in the Australia Grand Prix was Stoner’s fifth in a row.

“To wrap it all up at my home race and on my birthday is perfect.” Stoner told reporters after the race. Italian riders Marco Simoncelli and Andrea Dovizioso were second and third, respectively.

Stoner only had to finish in the top six to win the championship after the 2010 MotoGP champion rider Jorge Lorenzo missed the race after crashing out in the morning warm-up session that left him being rushed to hospital with a hand.

24 year-old Jorge Lorenzo, was concerned that the crash may have left him with a permanent disability.  He underwent plastic surgery on his left hand and will miss next weekend’s Malaysian MotoGP.

“After the crash I was very worried that I would not have full feeling in my finger again,” Lorenzo told reporters.

Casey Stoner wins his first MotoGP championship for Honda Repsol.  His previous victory was in 2007 riding for Ducati.

MotoGP Round 16, Phillip Island Australia Grand Prix

1 Casey Stoner (Aus) Honda 42mins 02.425secs
2 Marco Simoncelli (Ita) Honda 42:04.635
3 Andrea Dovizioso (Ita) Honda 42:04.879
4 Dani Pedrosa (Spa) Honda 42:15.585
5 Colin Edwards (USA) Yamaha 42:33.311
6 Randy De Puniet (Fra) Ducati 42:51.225
7 Nicky Hayden (USA) Ducati 43:18.739
8 Toni Elias (Spa) Honda 42:05.177
9 Loris Capirossi (Ita) Ducati 42:09.187
10 Karel Abraham (Cze) Ducati 42:45.142

Dani Pedrosa won the rescheduled Japanese MotoGP at Motegi as championship leader Casey Stoner managed to salvage third place by keeping control of his bike as he went off the track and across the gravel.

In a post-race interview Stoner said he hit a bump in the track which had 70% of its surface relayed after the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster back in April, following the devastating earthquake and subsequent tsunami.

The current world champion, Jorge Lorenzo claimed second place.  Lorenzo is now 40 points behind Casey Stoner with just three races to go.

Andrea Dovizioso and Marco Simoncelli finished fourth and fifth respectively.

Japanese MotoGP race results

1) Dani Pedrosa (Spa) Repsol Honda 42′47.481
2) Jorge Lorenzo (Spa) Yamaha 42′54.780
3) Casey Stoner (Aus) Repsol Honda 43′05.861
4) Marco Simoncelli (Ita) Gresini Honda 43′11.031
5) Andrea Dovizioso (Ita) Repsol Honda 43′11.172
6) Ben Spies (USA) Yamaha 43′25.085
7) Nicky Hayden (USA) Ducati 43′26.648
Colin Edwards (USA) Tech 3 Yamaha 43′32.504
9) Hiroshi Aoyama (Jpn) Gresini Honda 43′36.555
10) Randy De Puniet (Fra) Pramac Ducati 43′46.503

MotoGP World Championship 2011

1) Casey Stoner (300 points)
2) Jorge Lorenzo (260 points)
3) Andrea Dovizioso (196 points)
4) Dani Pedrosa  (195 points)
5) Ben Spies (156 points)
6) Valentino Rossi (139 points)

Australian Casey Stoner gave a great performance to extend his lead in this year’s MotoGP championship with another great race to win the United States MotoGP at Laguna Seca circuit.

Casey Stoner had a great race passing Dani Pedrosa and Jorge Lorenzo to win in California at the weekend. He took the lead on lap 26 as he passed Lorenzo. The 2007 world champion held on his fifth win of the season with Lorenzo second and Pedrosa claiming third.

The 25-year-old currently leads the MotoGP Championship by 20 points from the current champion Jorge Lorenzo with eight races still to come.

The American Ben Spies could only manage fourth place in front of his home crowd with fellow Americans  Nicky Hayden & Colin Edwards finishing 7th & 8th respectively.  Valentino Rossi had a very close call as he almost lost control coming out of the last corner on the second lap, while Brtish rider Cal Crutchlow was unhurt after he crashed out of the race on lap four.

Other riders to retire included Alvaro Bautista who crashed before half way, and Gresini Honda rider Marco Simoncelli who slid off his bike, making it 4 retirements from 10 races this season

Casey Stoner told reporters after the race:

“I was making time up on the brakes but slowly the bike got better and better and when everyone was struggling with grip I made a move.

Stoner continued to say:

“With a few laps to go I put the hammer down and it is a great weekend to come through and win.”

United States MotoGP results:

1. Casey Stoner (Australia) Repsol Honda 43′52.145
2. Jorge Lorenzo (Spain) Yamaha 43′57.779
3. Dani Pedrosa (Spain) Repsol Honda 44′01.612
4. Ben Spies (USA) Yamaha 44′12.707
5. Andrea Dovizioso (Italy) Repsol Honda 44′13.030
6. Valentino Rossi (Italy) Ducati 44′22.496
7. Nicky Hayden (USA) Ducati 44′23.176
8. Colin Edwards (USA) Tech 3 Yamaha 44′37.647
9. Hector Barbera (Spain) Aspar Ducati 44′43.694
10. Hiroshi Aoyama (Japan) Gresini Honda 45′00.995

MotoGP 2011 Championship:

1. Casey Stoner (Aus) Repsol Honda 193 points
2. Jorge Lorenzo (Spn) Yamaha 173
3. Andrea Dovizioso (It) Repsol Honda 143
4. Dani Pedrosa (Spn) Repsol Honda 110
5. Valentino Rossi (Ita) Ducati 108