Predictably it was Dani Pedrosa who shot into the lead from the start of the race, making the early running before being passed by fellow countryman Lorenzo. A tasty battle between the pair ensued which drew in Stoner and the three riders jostled for supremacy in the first half of this Grand Prix.

Around the midway point Stoner gradually pulled out a lead on his rivals as he sensed a possible victory with Pedrosa struggling to maintain the pace  despite battling bravely with Lorenzo for second position.

In a race where the first six riders were always in with a shout for the podium places, the third Honda factory rider, Dovizioso was in another brilliant battle with Marco Simoncelli throughout the race for fourth position.

Meanwhile Lorenzo’s new team mate at Yamaha, Ben Spies was caught up in the pack following an early exit from Randy de Puniet who high sided his bike, and found himself battling against Rossi on the Ducati for sixth place.

Having lined himself up for a couple of moves on the multiple world champion to no avail, Spies eventually launched past Rossi to claim the place for himself, with a spectacular overtake.

It was fantastic to get the season up and running and the signs are that we should be in for yet another season of exciting motorctycle racing. The Honda’s will take some beating but Lorenzo has already proved that the task is not impossible.

Other tracks will favour different manufacturers, but right now Stoner has thrown down the gauntlet to his rivals and it is down to them to respond.

Qatar MotoGP result:

1 C Stoner (Aus) Honda 42:38.569
2 J Lorenzo (Sp) Yamaha @ 3.440
3 D Pedrosa (Sp) Honda @ 5.051
4 A Dovizioso (It) Honda @ 5.942
5 M Simoncelli (It) Ducati @ 7.358
6 B Spies (US) Yamaha @ 10.468
7 V Rossi (It) Ducati @ 16.431
8 C Edwards (US) Yamaha @ 26.293
9 N Hayden (US) Ducati @ 27.416
10 H Aoyama (Jpn) Honda @ 28.920
11 C Crutchlow (GB) Yamaha @ 34.539
12 H Barbera (Sp) Ducati @ 34.829
13 K Abraham (Cz) Ducati @ 37.957

Germany’s Bradl was the runaway winner in the 600cc Moto2 class, leaving Iannone and Luthi fighting each other for the runners up spot throughout the race. Iannone eventually grabbed second place, crossing the line less than a second ahead of Luthi and over 4 seconds behind Bradl.

Bradley Smith was best of the Brit’s, earning himself a ninth place finish on his first outing in the class, while Scott Redding finished the day in 31st place.

Moto2 race result:

1 S Bradl (Ger) Kalex 40:38.549
2 A Iannone (Ita) Suter @ 4.330
3 T Luthi (Swi) Suter@ 5.137
Other riders:
9 B Smith (GB) Tech3 @ 18.910
31 S Redding (GB) Marc VDS @ 1:23.743

125cc race result:

1 N Terol (Sp) Aprilia 38:28.687
2 S Cortese (Ger) Aprilia @ 7.710
3 S Gadea (Sp) Aprilia @ 9.147

Can Valentino Rossi tame the Ducati as he did with Yamaha back in 2004 and be in with a chance of claiming his eighth MotoGP title? There are plenty of championship contenders, including World Champions past and present who will be trying their best to prevent that happening, all with a fantastic opportunity of their own to claim this years title.

If testing is anything to go by, the Honda appears to be the machine on the pace, boding well for Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa, but expect the gap to close when the racing actually gets underway.

Yamaha remains the bike to beat and with Ben Spies joining current World Champion Jorge Lorenzo, only a fool would write them off this season.

There are eight British riders involved across the three classes in 2011, Cal Crutchlow makes the step up from World Superbike to mix it with the big boys aboard the Yamaha of the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 team.

In the Moto2 line up, fans will be expecting a bit more this season from Scott Redding who started to stamp his authority on the class towards the end of last season, he is joined in Moto2 by the nearly man of 125cc, Bradley Smith and Scottish rider Kev Coghlan.

In the 125c Championship, three-time British Superbike champion Niall Mackenzie’s son Taylor will join Danny Webb, Danny Kent and Harry Stafford.

As always British Eurosport will be providing full coverage of the event, starting on Thursday with the practise sessions from all three classes.

Enjoy hearing Toby Moody and Julian Ryder get over excited as the season kicks off  at the following times:

Thursday 17 March
1650-1750 LIVE MotoGP practice on British Eurosport 2
1750-1850 LIVE 125cc practice on British Eurosport 2
1850-1935 LIVE Moto2 practice on British Eurosport 2

Friday 18 March
1555-1655 LIVE 125cc practice on British Eurosport 2
1655-1755 LIVE Moto2 practice on British Eurosport 2
1755-1845 LIVE MotoGP practice on British Eurosport 2

Saturday 19 March
1455-1555 LIVE 125cc qualifying on British Eurosport 2
1555-1655 LIVE Moto2 qualifying on British Eurosport 2
1655-1800 LIVE MotoGP qualifying on British Eurosport 2

Sunday 20 March
1545-1715 LIVE 125cc race on British Eurosport 2
1715-1825 LIVE Moto2 race on British Eurosport 2
1825-1925 Classic Race: Welkom GP (2004) on British Eurosport 2
2000-2130 MotoGP race on British Eurosport 2

Shoya Tomizawa R.I.P.

The MotoGP riders and teams were in mourning today following the Moto2 race at Misano yesterday resulted in the death of the young Japanese rider Shoya Tomizawa.

The 19-year-old fell on lap 12 of the race while in fourth place and was hit by Alex de Angelis and Scott Redding who were unable to avoid the crashed rider.

The official statement from Dorna read;

“On Sunday 5th September during the Moto2 race at the Misano World Circuit, rider Shoya Tomizawa aged 19 suffered a serious crash and subsequent cranial, thoracic and abdominal trauma.

“Given the seriousness of his condition – especially for the thoracic and abdominal trauma – Tomizawa was immediately treated at the Misano World Circuit medical centre and put under artificial respiration.

“The rider was taken by ambulance to the Riccione hospital accompanied by two doctors – helicopter was not used in order to allow for the proper respiratory support to be administered. Despite various attempts to resuscitate him Shoya sadly succumbed to his injuries at 14.20.

“Everybody involved in MotoGP extends its deepest condolences to Shoya’s family and friends at this tragic loss.”

The Honda rider made history this year for being the first Moto2 Grand Prix winner at the Qatar followed by a pole position and podium for the following round.

Alex de Angelis managed to walk away from the carnage while Scott Redding received ten stitches to a laceration on is back.

R.I.P. Shoya Tomizawa

Colin Edwards

The ‘Texas Tornado’ a.k.a. Colin Edwards is to make an appearance at a MotoGP Night on behalf of the North Yorkshire Road Racing Supporters Club on 16th June.

It’s bound to be a night to remember and hopefully Colin will be giving some of his amazing quotes for you all to enjoy, such as the one given after the Qatar race in 2009;

“I like the night race. I think it’s a cool little scenario. It’s something special; you only have one a year. It’s something a little bit different. I tend to ride faster when I can’t see where I’m going. Everything works out better that way.”

Or this one when he was asked about the use of electronics in July 2009;

“Everybody has got it. Traction control, anti-wheelie control, frickin’ scratch-your-ass-while-you’re-racing control; whatever control it is, there’s always some new thing they’re coming out with. Our cornering speeds right now are so just astronomical that if you didn’t have traction control, man, you would be in orbit every other frickin’ race.”

The event is raising money to further the careers of racers from the local area, so go along and show your support for the cause and meet up with Colin.  Guests can also take their Arai helmets along to be serviced by the Arai technicians who will be available to answer any questions.

The double World Champion and top MotoGP rider will be appearing at ;

Colin Edwards in association Arai Helmets

Club Amadeus, Northallerton, DL6 1AA

16th June 2010

Doors Open at 7:00pm with the show starting at 8:00pm

Admission (on the door) is £8.00 (£5.00 for NYRRSC members)

www.nyrrsc.net

Valentino Rossi

One rider thankful for the postponement of the Japanese MotoGP was the Italian Valentino Rossi after suffering an injury in a motocross training accident.

The 31-year-old was sent for X-Rays after the incident, complaining of discomfort in his back following the tumble days after the Losail round of the championship.

Rossi was fortunate to have been left with just bruising to his shoulder and back but was unsure how it would affect him during the race, so the break between rounds gave him the time he needed to repair the damage caused.

This weekend the teams and riders will head to the Jerez circuit where the Fiat Yamaha rider is currently leading the MotoGP leaderboard following his win after the fall of  Casey Stoner’s at the last round in Qatar.

The first race of the MotoGP season got underway last night with Valentino Rossi doing what he does best, taking the chequered flag. The Commercialbank Grand Prix of Qatar got underway with Dani Pedrosa on the Repsol Honda taking the lead as the lights went out, from seventh on the grid. Casey Stoner on the Marlboro Ducati slipped back to fourth place after starting in pole position but was in the lead by the fourth lap after picking off his Ducati team-mate Nicky Hayden, Rossi and Dani Pedrosa. Rossi was soon chasing down Stoner but the Ducati rider had managed to make a gap of two-seconds by the time the Italian had made his move on Pedrosa. However, Stoner lost the front end of his Ducati going into turn 4 and was out of the race leaving Rossi at the front of the pack. Hayden stuck with Rossi after an impressive ride from ninth on the grid as the second Repsol Honda of Andrea Dovizioso replaced his team-mate Pedrosa at the front. Dovizioso got past Hayden before challenging Rossi for the lead, briefly making the pass stick on lap 16 before Rossi snatched it back. Jorge Lorenzo was then on the move as Rossi created a gap at the front, first picking off third place man Hayden before muscling his way through on Dovizioso two laps later. Hayden once again fought his way past Dovizioso but not for long as the Honda rider retook the lead on the final run down to the line for third place. Ben Spies came in to finish in fifth place on the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 followed by the LCR Honda of Randy de Puniet in sixth and Pedrosa in seventh. The second Monster Yamaha Tech 3 of Colin Edwards finished in eighth place ahead of Loris Capirossi on the Rizla Suzuki, riding in his 300 grand prix finished in ninth followed by Hiroshi Aoyama in tenth for the Interwetten Honda team. The Pramac Racing riders Mika Kallio and Aleix Espargaro, both failed to finish the race after crashes along with rookie rider Alvaro Bautista, who slid off track on the final lap of the race. Here are the results;

Moto2 The first ever replacement series for the 250cc series, Moto2 took place with a surprising victory for newcomer Shoya Tomizawa. Every machine on the grid follows the new rules of using Honda-built 600cc four-stroke engines and all are fitted with Dunlop tyres, with the race coming down to riding skills and nerve. As Toni Elias took the lead in the early stages of the race, his back wheel was clipped by his team-mate Alex deAngelis , causing de Angelis and Stefan Bradl out of contention. Tomizawa had moved to the front of the pack as second place man Elias, was moved back to third when Jules Cluzel made his move with 5 laps left to run. Tomizawa took his first ever podium step for the Technomag Seuter team ahead of Alex Debon on the Aeroport de Castelló-Ajo bike in second and Jules Cluzel for the Forward Racing team in third. Elias finished the race in fourth place followed by Roberto Rolfo in fifth, Mattai Pasini in sixth, Thomas Lüthi in seventh, Simone Corsi in eighth, Gabor Talmacsi in ninth and Sergio Gadea completing the top ten riders. Here are the results;

125CC Nico Terol claimed the top step of the podium in the first 125cc race of the MotoGP season for the BancajaAspar team last night. It was Efrén Vázquez who led as the race got underway but the lead spot was soon swapped as Marc Márquez, Terol and Pol Espargaro all took a turn at the front. Terol was however the man of the day followed by Vázquez for second place and Márquez in third. Espargaro finished in fourth place ahead of Sandro Cortese, Randy Krummenacher, Esteve Rabat, Bradley Smith, Tomoyoshi Koyama and Alexis Masbou rounding up the top ten. Here are the results;

Jorge Lorenzo - Fiat Yamaha

It has been confirmed that the Fiat Yamaha rider Jorge Lorenzo will be taking part in the final pre-season MotoGP test session at Qatar this week following his injury.

The Spanish rider broke a bone in his right thumb four weeks ago whilst taking part in a motorcross training session, missing the second test at Sepang.

The 22-year-old underwent surgery on the injury after the accident and is expected to continue with his physiotherapy but has now been given the all clear to ride by his doctor after recovering at his home in Barcelona.

The Silverstone Circuit

There is to be 18 races in the MotoGP championship series for 2010 which has released by the FIM, with the return of Silverstone for the British Grand Prix for the first time since the 1980’s.

It has also been stated that if any of the races fail to go ahead the new circuit in Aragon in Spain will host the event.

April 11 *        Qatar              Doha/Losail
April 25          Japan              Motegi
May 2             Spain              Jerez de la Frontera
May 23            France             Le Mans
June 6            Italy              Mugello
June 20           Great Britain      Silverstone
June 26 **        Netherlands        Assen
July 4            Catalunya          Catalunya
July 18           Germany            Sachsenring
July 25 ***       United States      Laguna Seca
August 15         Czech Rep.         Brno
August 29         Indianapolis       Indianapolis
September 5       San Marino         Misano
September 19      Hungary            Balatonring
October 10        Malaysia           Sepang
October 17        Australia          Phillip Island
October 31        Portugal           Estoril
November 7        Valencia           Ricardo Tormo - Valencia

*   Evening Race
**  Saturday
*** Only MotoGP class

The MotoGP cost cutting goes a bit further than expected!

The provisional MotoGP Calendar has now been released by the FIM for the MotoGP World Championship of 2010, and hopefully all teams and riders will be on the grid as the economic crisis continues.

Date – Grand Prix – Circuit:
11 April – Qatar* – Losail
25 April – Japan – Motegi
2 May – Spain – Jerez
16 May – France – Le Mans
30 May – Italy – Mugello
6 June - Great Britain – Silverstone
26 June – Netherlands** – Assen
4 July – Catalunya – Catalunya
18 July - Germany – Sachsenring
25 July - United States*** – Laguna Seca
15 August – Czech Republic – Brno
29 August – Indianapolis – Indianapolis
12 September - San Marino & Riviera di Rimini – Misano
19 September - Hungary – Balatonring
10 October – Malaysia – Sepang
17 October – Australia - Phillip Island
31 October – Portugal – Estoril
7 November Valencia Ricardo Tormo-Valencia

* Evening Race
** Saturday Race
*** Only MotoGP class

In the event that one of the circuits is not able to comply with the requirements to hold the scheduled Grand Prix, the Motorland Aragon Circuit would host a reserve “event” on the same day.

Casey Stoner

Casey Stoner on the Marlboro Ducati claimed his first victory of the season at the Commercialbank Grand Prix of Qatar on Monday after the race was rescheduled as the weather deteriorated on the Sunday evening.

Stoner dominated the race from pole position and by the end of the first lap had built a 2 second gap which by the end of the race had been increased to 7 seconds.

Valentino Rossi took the Fiat Yamaha across the line to take second place followed by his team-mate Jorge Lorenzo, who was racing on Bridgestone tyres for the first time since the new single supplier rule was applied.

In fourth place was Colin Edwards who had qualified in sixth position on the Monster Tech 3 Yamaha and who was also making his debut on the new Bridgestone tyre.

The new Repsol Honda rider Andrea Dovizioso, showed some impressive riding in the first half of the race, even running in third for a while but seemed to pace in the remaining laps, finally finishing in fifth.  Meanwhile, his team-mate Dani Pedrosa, who is still not 100% fit, finished down in eleventh place.

Pedrosa’s race nearly came to an early end when he was almost run of the track by Alex De Angelis on the San Carlo Honda Gresini, contact was made and an impressive Pedrosa somehow managed to cling onto his machine, dropping places while De Angelis finished in sixth.

James Toseland on the second Monster Yamaha, had qualified in thirteenth place on the grid and looked to be in with a top ten finish at the beginning of the race, keeping pace with LCR Honda rider Randy de Puniet and Pramac Racing rider Mika Kallio until he got in a tangle with Toni Elias on lap 7 seeing him fly through the gravel trap.

After rejoining the circuit Toseland struggled to find his previous pace and finished in sixteenth while Elias on the second San Carlo Honda finished in ninth place.

The Scot Racing teams new signing Yuki Takahashi had qualified in seventeenth place on his debut after moving up from the 250cc series.  He finished in fifteenth place picking up his first point in the championship with still a lot to learn as he joins the big boy racers.

There was doubt if Nicky Hayden, on the  second Ducati Marlboro, would be fit to race after his dramatic 130mph high-side in qualifying on the Saturday.  Hayden finished in twelfth place after qualifying in sixteenth, despite suffering from a badly bruised back and stitches to his chest.

It wasn’t such a good race for the Rizla Suzuki team after Loris Capirossi suffered a high speed crash and finished the first race without any points.  Capirossi had qualified in fifth place and as the riders went into the first corner he was in second.  However, he appeared to lose grip rapidly on his front tyre before flying off the bike as the front end gave way, fortunately leaving him without serious injury.  His team-mate Chris Vermeulen managed a seventh place so collected some points for the team at least.

Doubts also surrounded the Grupo Franciso Hernando Satellite bike rider Sete Gibernau, who had suffered a problem with an old shoulder injury during winter testing.  He qualified in fifteenth place and finished in thirteenth place after admitting that he had been unsure if he would be able to complete the whole 22 lap race.

Here are the results;

1  Casey STONER  Ducati Marlboro Team
2  Valentino ROSSI  Fiat Yamaha Team    +7.771
3  Jorge LORENZO  Fiat Yamaha Team     +16.244
4  Colin EDWARDS  Monster Yamaha Tech 3     +24.410
5  Andrea DOVIZIOSO Repsol Honda Team     +27.263
6  Alex DE ANGELIS San Carlo Honda Gresini    +29.883
7  Chris VERMEULEN Rizla Suzuki MotoGP    +33.627
8  Mika KALLIO  Pramac Racing      +34.755
9  Toni ELIAS San Carlo Honda Gresini    +39.481
10  Randy DE PUNIET LCR Honda MotoGP     +42.284
11  Dani PEDROSA  Repsol Honda Team     +48.526
12  Nicky HAYDEN  Ducati Marlboro Team     +48.883
13  Sete GIBERNAU  Grupo Francisco Hernando   +52.215
14  Marco MELANDRI  Hayate Racing Team     +56.379
15  Yuki TAKAHASHI  Scot Racing Team MotoGP    +1′00.286
16  James TOSELAND  Monster Yamaha Tech 3     +1′14.978
17  Niccolo CANEPA  Pramac Racing     +1′15.028

Not classified
Loris CAPIROSSI Rizla Suzuki MotoGP