Dani Pedrosa 2008

This weekend the MotoGP Championship gets underway at the Losail International circuit in Qatar with it’s second night race.

The Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa has confirmed he will be on the grid for the first race of the season after suffering injuries in a crash while testing in Qatar at the beginning of March.  Pedrosa missed some important test sessions and this will be his first time back on his machine since the accident.  Team-mate Andrea Dovizioso has proved to be outstanding in the wet as well as making progress with the factory RC212V.

Casey Stoner was a second faster than any other machine on the track at the floodlit test session and has won the last two races on this track.  However, he has not spent long spells on his Ducati Marlboro since the operation on his wrist during the winter and has admitted to not having the movement there that he had before.  Team-mate Nicky Hayden has so far been disappointed with his pace and has struggled to get to grip with his bike.  It was hoped that the Desmosedici would prove to be more suited to the aggressive riding style of Hayden but he still has a way to go yet to prove it to himself and his team.

Valentino Rossi is still aiming for his victory at the Qatar circuit after finishing down in fifth position last year’s season opener.  The Italian is happy with the improvements on his M1 machine and said that the Fiat Yamaha team have done a great job giving him the confidence to challenge any other rider out there.  Meanwhile, his team-mate Jorge Lorenzo will be on Bridgestone tyres for the first time on the circuit where he made his debut in MotoGP.

The Rizla Suzuki team with riders Chris Vermeulen and Loris Capirossi are confident that they can make it onto the podium at the opening round.  The team have struggled on this circuit in the past but have consistently been in the top five in testing.

James Toseland is expected to be fit to ride the Monster Tech 3 Yamaha this weekend after suffering a second massive accident during the winter practice in Jerez on March 29th.  He had a huge high-side while competing in the BMW M Award qualifying simulation, leaving him with concussion and a broken bone in his foot.  His team-mate Colin Edwards has shown impressive pace during the winter test sessions and his more than happy with improvements made to his machine.

The Pramac Ducati team are hoping to be one of the front runners this season after an impressive test session in Jerez with the former 250cc rider Mika Kallio. The Finnish rider finished in sixth place overall and at times had got up to fourth while team-mate Niccolo Canepe, continued to struggle with pace on the Ducati.

Yuki Takahashi will be riding for the Scot Racing Team making his MotoGP debut and knows that he has a lot of work ahead of him.  The rookie rider finished at the BMW M Awards event in fourteenth place in his first competitive MotoGP race.

Sete Gibernau will be on the grid for the Grupo Francisco Hernando Satellite bike Team after qualifying in an impressive eighth place at the BMW M Awards event on the Ducati.  Despite concerns for Gibernau’s fitness the team know that they must work hard but are more focused after the Jerez test session.

The San Carlo Honda team have again Alex de Angelis on their team alongside their new signing Toni Elias.  Elias rode for the Satellite Ducati team last season and so also has a lot of experience under his belt, despite only finishing in twelfth position overall.

Marco Melandri for the Hayate Racing team was almost 1.5 seconds faster in his Jerez test session than he was in any of his races in the 2008 season.  The team have put the success down to improving set-up and new parts after a disappointing Qatar test on the Ninja ZX-RR.

LCR Honda rider Randy De Puniet, was much lower down the time-sheets than he wanted to be in the last test session and is still not comfortable with the work left to do.  The Frenchman is aiming to be in the top ten at the opening round after the team admitted to still having a lot of work to do.

This is the only night race of the 2009 and the first of seventeen races on the calendar beginning on the 12th April.  The first practice takes place on Friday night with a 45-minute session for the MotoGP riders beginning at 10.30pm local time.  On Saturday the qualifying practice takes place at 23.05 local time with the Commercialbank Grand Prix Of Qatar taking place on Sunday at 23.00 local time.

Casey Stoner

The annual BMW M Award event took place at Jerez on Sunday at this weekends official test with Casey Stoner on the Ducati Marlboro claiming the brand new BMW 135i for the fastest lap of the session.

Stoner set a time of 1:38.646 seconds aboard his Desmosedici GP9 machine with only 10 minutes of the session remaining and shortly before the rain began.

It’s the second year running for Stoner who was followed by Valentino Rossi, the 2007 winner on the Fiat Yamaha, and Rizla Suzuki riders Loris Capirossi and Chris Vermeulen in third and fourth respectively.

The second Fiat Yamaha rider Jorge Lorenzo took fifth place with an impressive Mika Kallio for the Pramac Racing team on his tail to take sixth, despite a trip off track earlier in the session.

Andrea Dovizioso was seventh for the Repsol Honda team ahead of Sete Gibernau on the Grupo Francisco Hernando Satellite bike, Toni Elias on the San Carlo Honda Gresini and Colin Edwards on the Monster Yamaha Tech 3.

James Toseland, the second Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rider, suffered a massive highside with only 15 minutes of the session remaining, bringing out the red flag while he was attended to by the medical team.  He was stretched off track and taken to the circuits Clinica Mobile, where it was announced that he was not seriously injured but was heavily bruised.  It has since been confirmed that the 28-year-old rider has broken the fifth metatarsal bone in his right foot as well as badly spraining his right ankle,  multiple bruising and concussion.

None of the injuries, however, should stop Toseland from being on the grid at the opening round of the MotoGP Championship in Qatar on April 12, and he will want to make it up to his team after admitting that he felt the accident was his fault as he was lacking temperature in his rear tyre.

Casey Stoner - Jerez 2008

This week the MotoGP riders will take to the Jerez circuit in Spain for their final preseason test session and the teams are eager to get on with the hectic eight months ahead of them.

The Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa, will not be attending as he is still  recovering from his accident at the winter Qatar test.   The Spanish rider is happy with the way the injuries to his left wrist and knee are mending and remains optimistic that he will be on the grid for the opening round of the season at Qatar on the 12 April.

It is reported that  Kousuke Akiyoshi, who has previously tested for the Suzuki team, will be replacing the young Spaniard for Honda after joining the team during the winter of 2008.  As well as racing in many of the Japanese National Championship races for 2009, he will also be taking part in the Suzuka 8 Hours alongside Shinichi Itoh.

Ducati rider Casey Stoner, is still concerned about the wrist  he had operated on at the end of the 2008 season.  Although the pain he had suffered during the Sepang test was much improved when he next tested in Qatar, he is still not 100% confident that the problem is over.

The 2009 livery of the Rizla Suzuki team is to be unveiled at the Jerez test session with the riders Chris Vermeulen and Loris Capirossi, who are itching to get on the GSV-R.  The pair have been promised more acceleration for their final test session after further improvements to their machines.

Another team unveiling at the event is the Monster Yamaha Tech3 crew with Colin Edwards and James Toseland as it’s riders.  The Tech3 Yamaha team finished fourth in the 2008 championship and have this year secured the sponsorship of the Monster Energy group who have also signed a personal sponsorship deal with Valentino Rossi.

The final preseason test session will begin on Wednesday 25th March until Friday 27th March for the 125cc and 250cc classes followed by the MotoGP big boys on the Saturday and Sunday.

The 45-minute qualifying shootout will take place on Sunday when all of the riders will be in with a chance of winning a brand new BMW Sports car in the BMW M Award event.  The annual event will take place in the afternoon with the rider clocking the fastest time of the session taking home the prize.

Dani Pedrosa

Repsol Honda MotoGP rider Dani Pedrosa, will now miss the final test session at Jerez in Spain on March 28-29, as doctors have said it will take about four weeks for his injuries to mend.

Initially it was reported that the Spanish rider had suffered no broken bones in the accident he suffered while testing the 2009 season Honda at the Qatar circuit and would fly to Barcelona where he would undertake further tests and x-rays.  After a full check-up at the Barcelona clinic, it was discovered that Pedrosa had fractured his left wrist and would also need a skin graft on the reopened wound to his knee.

The rider was operated on last night where his wrist was successfully screwed back together but the main problem is thought to be with his knee.  Doctors have said that it would be a month before he would even be able to begin bending his leg leaving him little time to regain fitness levels before the start of the season, which will almost definitely put him out of the final pre-season test session.

Pedrosa is to remain in the hospital for the next 72 hours.

Rossi will drive alongside fellow countryman Carlos Cassina at the Monza Rally Show, which will feature many of this seasons Moto GP riders in action.

Rossi’s team mate at Yahama, Jorge Lorenzo and Alex de Angelis will be involved in the event where they will be driving the four wheel drive Fiat Punto and a Subaru Impreza.

Moto GP riders from the 250 class will be represented by Marco Simoncelli, Fabrizio Lai and Ducati test rider Vittoriano Guareschi. Valentino’s father Graziano will be competing at the event with permanent sidekick Uccio making an appearance.

Rossi has won the Monza event on two out of three occasions and this year is looking to do well in preparation for the upcoming WRC UK Rally to be held in Wales in December. The 29 year old will be competing in a WRC Ford Focus in the UK Rally in Wales, the car will be carrying the BBC Children In Need appeal logo for the event.

While Rossi may see a future four wheel career in Rallying, he will also be testing again for Ferrari over the winter. He insists however that the Ferrari deal has no significance and he does not see a career in Formula One when his contract with Yamaha expires at the end of next season.

“It’s just a present to me for winning the championship.” he said of the Ferrari test, adding I have one more year contract with Yamaha after this, and then I will be 31. That is too old for F1. I will drive a Ford in the rally in England, on the weekend of December 7. I am quite excited, because always have fun with a car, and there is less pressure than at MotoGP.”

The Ferrari tests will take place in Mugello between the dates of November 20th and 22nd, only a week before official Moto GP testing at the Jerez circuit in Spain. Rossi will be looking to continue his form into the 2009 season when he will hope to maintain his Moto GP results and record an incredible ninth world championship.

The Jerez circuit is famous for it’s narrow track of only 11 metres in width making it difficult for overtaking, but it’s what the expected 240,000 spectators are there for.

James Toseland is feeling confident for the coming race after starting in second on the grid at Qatar and finishing in sixth place on the Yamaha Tech-3.  He said “I’ve already tested the Moto GP Yamaha at Jerez and I’m really looking forward to carrying on where I left off in Qatar.”

In the 125cc series, ‘The ginger ninja’, Bradley Smith is hoping for a better race than he had in Qatar.  The young rider took pole position at the floodlit event but a steering dampner broke on his Polaris World Aprilia, leaving him to finish in 16th spot.  However, it was at the Jerez track that Smith broke the lap record earlier in the year and he said “Despite having to ride to catch-up after scoring no points in Qatar, we are taking all the positives from that opening weekend.  I led all the practice and qualifying sessions and also the race.  I’ve also led the two pre-season testing sessions at Jerez this year and so we are going into the race with plenty of confidence and just looking for that change of luck.”

The Repsol Honda riders Dani Pedrosa and Nicky Hayden, are also confident for the most spectacular event of the Moto GP season.

Last year, Pedrosa qualified in pole position and went on to finish in a close second place and Hayden took a podium place in 2006 at the track that the Honda has always done well on.

Casey Stoner, the reigning World Champion feels that Dani Pedrosa will be his main rival for this season as he continues to play mind games with Valentino Rossi.  He said “Valentino Rossi didn’t finish second but third in 2007, therefore I should fear Pedrosa more.  Anyway, it’s better to be chased than to chase.”

The Kawasaki rider, is still recovering from the injury to his groin after crashing in Australia in January.

John said “The abductor muscle I tore at Philip Island in January still isn’t completely fixed but everything’s going okay and I’ve been training hard.  I’ve been in Miami, the sun’s been out and I’ve been taking care of myself before Jerez.              We’ve had some more MRI scans done, which show the injury is still definately there, unfortunately, but it’s not been keeping me from working on my fitness.  Despite the muscle problem, I really feel 100% ready for the race and I’m really looking forward to it.  I’m definately going to improve on the position I got at Qatar.  We’ll work on tyre choice and a good set up and it’ll be great to head back to Europe to race.”

Hopkins team mate Anthony West is also hoping for better things in his race after finishing in sixteenth place at Qatar.  He said “I really wasn’t happy with my performance at Qatar.  Riding around at the back isn’t why I’m here and I need to get it together.  My confidence was shot when I crashed a couple of times and, after that, I never really found my pace.  My main aim is essentially to raise my game.  I need to have more faith in the bike and the set-up, especially when it comes to turning it in to the corners.  This is a weak spot for me, of sorts.  Still, I’m really looking forward to the Jerez race.  I really want to prove myself and I’m hoping this is where I can start doing that.”

Toseland crashed his Yamaha bike whilst testing in Jerez and tore ligaments in his ankle on his first lap under difficult riding conditions.  After being x-rayed, the rider was soon back on his bike and managed six fastest in testing.

Smith was over half a second faster than second place man Nicholas Terol on the Jack & Jones WRB after a difficult few days due to wet weather conditions hampered proper testing.

In the 250cc testing session, Thomas Luthi was quickest in the final session with a time of 1:43.208 on a dry track.  He was followed by Marco Simoncelli and third place man Alvaro Bautista.

The final testing sessions will take place next week at the Losail International Circuit for the 500cc on Thursday and Friday whilst the 125cc and the 250cc will test between the 1-3 March ahead of the start of the Grand Prix season on March 9th at Qatar.

Jorge Lorenzo was on good form finishing only four-tenths of a second behind Hayden on his Fiat Yamaha M1.

In third place was the other Moto GP rookie, Andrea Dovizioso on the JiR Team Scot bike who was being tailed by the  rider Randy de Puniet on the LCR Honda.

Valentino Rossi was in fifth place and again the fastest man on Bridgestone’s but spent most of his time concentrating on his corner entries after troubles in Spain.

Sixth place man was James Toseland although he crashed out on his second lap of the day and lost two hours of the session for x-rays on a damaged ankle.  He returned to the track on crutches with damaged right ankle ligaments but was soon back on his bike and testing again.

Casey Stoner the current World Champion, was in seventh spot after 57 laps, he did have a small slide out but was not injured.  Alex de Angelis, Shinya Nakano and Loris Capirossi finished off the top ten riders.

The injured Kawasaki, John Hopkins only managed 18 laps out on the track whilst the other injured rider Dani Pedrosa was taking things easy at his home circuit.