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Comunicado Oficial: Pedrosa será intervenido con sus células madre por doble fractura de clavícula derecha. Dani Pedrosa se ve obligado a iniciar 2019 con planes muy distintos a los que con gran ilusión había previsto. El piloto español afrontará en los próximos meses un amplio y exigente proceso de recuperación física derivado de la compleja doble fractura por estrés de clavícula derecha que recientemente le ha sido diagnosticada. El tricampeón mundial y Leyenda de MotoGP seguirá una meticulosa planificación médica que incluye intervención quirúrgica reparadora con aporte de injerto constituido por sus propias células madre de médula ósea autóloga, con lo que se persigue la mejor y más efectiva consolidación de la extremidad lesionada. Para aclarar sus circunstancias, Pedrosa señala que “de forma inesperada he tenido una doble fractura por estrés en la clavícula derecha, simplemente en un gesto de fuerza. A lo largo de los años he tenido varias fracturas en esa zona y la última vez fue en tres partes, dejándola esclerosada. La parte media no tiene suficiente flujo de sangre, creando osteoporosis, por lo que requiere una solución efectiva para regenerar el hueso y lograr la recuperación adecuada. Tras someterme a diversas pruebas y consultas médicas, la recomendación clara es la recuperación total y la salud del hueso”. Muy a su pesar, todo este proceso clínico requiere su tiempo e impedirá que Pedrosa continúe con el programa de test previstos inicialmente para el comienzo de año como piloto probador del equipo KTM. Pese a todo, las primeras pruebas que ya realizó el pasado mes de diciembre en el Circuito de Jerez han servido para que Dani Pedrosa esté ya plenamente implicado en el proyecto de desarrollo de la KTM de MotoGP, al que se siente orgulloso de pertenecer: “Agradezco a KTM la confianza que han depositado en mí y su apoyo para mi plena recuperación. Tenemos mucha ilusión en el trabajo que estamos realizando y es por ello que quiero estar físicamente en las mejores condiciones para la emocionante tarea que hemos emprendido. Para mí, los retos no se detienen.” —- Pedrosa will undergo surgery with his stem cells for double fracture of the right clavicle Dani Pedrosa is forced to start 2019 with very different plans to those that he had foreseen with great enthusiasm. The Spanish rider will face in the coming months a broad and demanding process of physical recovery derived from the complex double stress fracture of the right collarbone that has recently been diagnosed. The three-time world champion and MotoGP Legend will follow a meticulous medical planning that includes tissue repair surgery, with graft contribution constituted by its own stem cells, with what is pursued the best and most effective consolidation of the injured bone. To clarify his circumstances, Pedrosa notes that “unexpectedly I had a double stress fracture in the right collarbone, just in a gesture of strength. Over the years I have had several fractures in that area and the last time was in three parts, leaving it sclerotic. The middle part does not have enough blood flow, creating osteoporosis, so it requires an effective solution to regenerate the bone and achieve adequate recovery. After undergoing several tests and medical consultations, the clear recommendation is the total recovery and bone health. ” Unfortunately this entire clinical process takes time and will prevent Pedrosa from continuing with the test program initially planned for the beginning of the year as a test rider for the KTM team. Despite that, the first tests during the past month of December in the Circuit of Jerez have given Dani Pedrosa a good start point in the development of the KTM and is totally involved in the project. That is why Dani himself regrets “these circumstances and I thank KTM for their great support for my full recovery. We are very excited about the work we are doing and that is why I want to be physically in the best conditions for that exciting task. For me, the challenge do not stop”.
Source: Dani Pedrosa on Facebook
But Is this Similarity Good or Bad for the Americans At Dakar?
As one might expect, Day One had nothing on Day Two. Long miles, silty terrain and another hot, sunny day helped some racers climb even higher up the ladder of success and forced others to slip down the rungs.
Up to now, the environment south of Lima has felt much like being trapped in a wind-tunnel. That’s on fire. It is enough to drive a person mad, if heat stroke doesn’t take him first. So, one can only imagine how this adds to the strain of competing at a highly demanding, not just multi, but multi-multi-day (this means “a butt-load” in French) race. A few carried on steadily, moving just ahead or a little behind their starting position. Others charged pointedly at a spot far from or far more important than the one they earned in Special Stage One. But, just as “Mama Baja” can swiftly change a [wo]man’s fate, Peru can be equally unforgiving.
“This is not only my greatest adventure, but my greatest challenge in racing. Losing the rear wheel 75 km from the finish would prove to be the hardest finish I’ve ever had. But a finish is a finish. And tomorrow is a new day!” – Garrett Poucher #71, Garrett Off-Road Racing Team, USA
Garrett Poucher (#71) had a familiar misfortune as he his bike experienced mechanical issues which set his time back drastically. There are rumors of an image floating around featuring an upbeat Poucher cruising the liaison stage on a naked rear wheel… Tire having been ripped off when his tire-insert (read: bib) disintegrated. But he’s in good spirits and hopeful for a better go at it tomorrow. Robby Gordon (#316) had a strong start in the a.m. with a superb ending at 25th among the cars. In an all-out battle royal between the rally’s best, Ricky Brabec (#15) seemed sure to finish the stage in first place. But the tide turns quickly out on the racecourse, and 2018 Dakar Rally winner, Matthias Walkner (#1), snuck by leaving a mere 00:22 second gap between the two.
“The first two days were great. Today was more or less fast. Like… last year, I’m really confident today with the bumps and the rocks and all the silt. I wanted to win today, but I was told,” he said with a chuckle, “it’s not very good to win today due to tough navigation tomorrow. So, tomorrow’s going to get a little tricky, but I’m looking forward to the next eight days, sitting strong. And I have really high expectations for the [remainder of the rally].” – Ricky Brabec #15, Monster Energy Honda Team, USA
Yesterday’s victor, Joan Barreda (#5) blasted through the finish over a minute after, and the remaining lead riders quickly followed suit – to include former Supercross racer Andrew Short (#29) who, finishing 9th, broke into the Top Ten. As for the other Americans making a name for themselves, Skyler Howes (#73) moved up an impressive 11 positions despite the stages many obstacles. Perhaps thriving on the Baja-like environment – one he’s quite familiar with.
“It’s kind of like a San Felipe stage at a SCORE race. Which is sick, but also pretty sketchy. Like a rough sea made of sand… Similar to riding whoops but with a lot of surprises. And then, everything is covered in silt because all of the cars and trucks left first. I feel like this was my strongest area, very similar to Baja. The terrain, the landscape, it felt like being south of the border.” – Skyler Howes #73, Garrett Off-Road Racing Team, USA
The route today might seem like it couldn’t have gotten more brutal, but don’t expect there to be any sign of relief yet… Tomorrow they take on SS3, and – as with every stage at Dakar – this one’s going to be a doozy!
KEY POINTS:
Ø Rankings of Americans
BIKE
2nd Ricky Brabec #15 – 03h 24’ 19”; 3rd in the General Classification
9th Andrew Short #29 – 03h 36’ 22”; ** in the General Classification
35th Skyler Howes #73 – 04h 03’ 52”; 36th in the General Classification
92nd Nathan Rafferty #104 – 05h 30’ 18”; ** in the General Classification
120th Garrett Poucher #71 – 06h 37’ 27”; ** in the General Classification
CAR
25th Robby Gordon, Kellon Walch #316 – 04h 09’ 30”; 24th in the General Classification
34th Blade Hildebrand, Bill Conger #367 – 04h 31’ 41”; 33rd in the General Classification
87th Cole Potts, Max Eddy #346 – 09h 15’ 38”; 81st in the General Classification
SIDE-BY-SIDE
14th Casey Currie #343 – 04h 32’ 56”; 12th in the General Classification
Ø Top Three Stage Finishers in Motorcycles
1st Matthias Walkner #1 – 03h 23’ 57”; 2nd in the General Classification
2nd Ricky Brabec #15 – 03h 24’ 19”; 3rd in the General Classification
3rd Joan Barreda Bort #5 – 03h 25’ 38”; 1st in the General Classification
Ø Of the female riders, KTM Factory rider Laia Sanz (#17) is keeping up the pace earning 27th place during today’s stage. Czech rider, and Dakar vet, Gabriela “Gabby” Novotna (#57) nabbed a respectable 96th position despite some setbacks. Anastasiya Nifontova (#56) of Russia is seeded at 100. And Malle Moto warrior, Sara Garcia of Spain (#98) held on strong at 118th today. Last but certainly not least, another woman sweating her ass off to live the dream is Peru National, Gianna Velarde Sumary (#130) sitting at 127th.
Pedrosa notes that “unexpectedly I had a double stress fracture in the right collarbone, just in a gesture of strength. Over the years I have had several fractures in that area and the last time was in three parts, leaving it sclerotic. The middle part does not have enough blood flow, creating osteoporosis, so it requires an effective solution to regenerate the bone and achieve adequate recovery. After undergoing several tests and medical consultations, the clear recommendation is the total recovery and bone health”.
Triumph, Norton, BSA, Ariel. Barry Sheene, Cal Crutchlow, Carl Fogarty. The British have been banging at the heart of motorcycling.
From the wild, wall-lined madness of the Isle of Man TT and gnarly bike racers, to Triumph and Norton’s resurgence, this small country punches above its weight.
Overnight at the Consumer Electronic Show staged in Las Vegas, a Ducati Multistrada 1260 as well as Audi and Ford vehicles, demonstrated driving situations utilising C-V2X direct communications.
All vehicles were equipped with C-V2X technology utilizing the Qualcomm 9150 C-V2X chipset to demonstrate a cooperative intersection use case, exhibiting how C-V2X can be used between vehicles to negotiate the right of way in entering a four-way, non-signalled intersection where intention sharing and non-line-of-sight (NLOS) conditions make the use of a wireless sensor such as C-V2X ideal.
The V2V use case featured the Intersection Movement Assist (IMA) scenario, which is a key countermeasure to address angle collisions at intersections, while the V2P scenario exhibited how C-V2X can be used to protect vulnerable road users, including pedestrians and bicyclists.
The V2I use case featured the Work Zone Warning scenario, which is designed to provide drivers advanced warning of road construction ahead allowing them to maneuver in a safe manner.
Pierluigi Zampieri, Vehicle Innovation Manager at Ducati
“This demonstration is showing use cases in which advanced technologies can significantly improve the safety of motorcycle users. C-V2X communication is one of the key projects of the Ducati 2025 safety road map. There’s no better place than CES to talk about our roadmap towards the future”.
Pierluigi Zampieri, Vehicle Innovation Manager at Ducati
This week’s Las Vegas demonstrations follow the successful showings of C-V2X trial validations and interoperability conducted throughout 2018 in Europe, Japan, Australia, China and the United States, as well as the first live C-V2X interoperability demonstration between a motorcycle, vehicles and roadside infrastructure, which was hosted by several leading automotive and technology companies, including Ducati and Qualcomm Technologies.
C-V2X is designed to deliver reliable and consistent performance in realistic driving scenarios. While complementing other Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) sensors, such as radar, lidar, and camera systems, C-V2X direct communications supports an ever-expanding set of safety use cases, as well as enhanced situational awareness by detecting and directly exchanging vital information.
I love technology and the improvements as companies forge ahead with development, but there is also a part of me that while pondering these latest systems just say, ‘keep my motorcycling simple, with a bank of carburettors, a throttle cable, and let me look after my own safety’…
Plessinger ‘couldn’t back down’ in Anaheim 450SX debut
Monster Energy Yamaha rookie sixth in maiden outing.
Image: Supplied.
Aaron Plessinger says he couldn’t back down in his Monster Energy AMA Supercross 450SX debut at the weekend despite feeling the effects of the gruelling 20-lap main event in rain-soaked conditions.
Plessinger’s graduation to the premier class has been a strong talking point since his signing with Monster Energy Yamaha was made official last year, coming off a stellar 2018 season that saw him wrap up 250 titles in both supercross and motocross.
After finishing third in his heat, the newly-appointed number seven put on a charge in the made, riding a consistent race to ultimately wind up in sixth.
“Anaheim 1 went pretty well,” Plessinger admitted. “I got better and better every time I went out on the track. The heat race went awesome. I started out about fifth or sixth, got past some guys and finished third. I was pretty amped on that and I went into the main event pretty happy with myself.
“I got a great start and just maintained it. There were sometimes where I felt a little winded, but I couldn’t back down and pushed on to the finish and got sixth. I’d say Anaheim I, my first 450 race, was pretty good in my eyes. We’ll keep making improvements and head into Phoenix hot on the ball.”
Teammate Justin Barcia rode away to victory in the main event – his first since 2013 – while Ken Roczen (Honda HRC) and Eli Tomac (Monster Energy Kawasaki).
Title contender recovers for fifth position at Anaheim 1.
Image: Supplied.
Popular 250SX West contender Adam Cianciarulo says it was tough to swallow crashing in Saturday night’s Monster Energy AMA Supercross opener, which came as a result of being taken down by Geico Honda’s RJ Hampshire.
The duo engaged in a battle for position, which quickly escalated in a heated scenario where Hampshire cleaned out the Pro Circuit Monster Energy Kawasaki rider’s front wheel, one corner after he himself was pushed wide.
Cianciarulo downplayed the incident, adamant he would’ve landed on the podium if it wasn’t for the clash, although he’s satisfied to exit Anaheim with full health and a fifth place finish.
“For me, there are a lot of positives to take away from today’s race,” said the number 92. “The day started out great as we were able to secure the fastest qualifying time in practice, which gave us first gate pick to start the evening races. In my heat race, I got a little squirrelly off the start but I was able to save it and charge to the front and get my first heat race win of the year, which was awesome.
“The main event is a tough one to swallow because I know I should have been on the podium. It is unfortunate that I came together with another rider, however, I am happy I was able to remount and safely walk away from Anaheim 1 with some decent points. I am already looking forward to next weekend in Glendale.”
Colt Nichols (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) was the eventual winner of the 16-lap main event – the first of his career – while teammate Dylan Ferrandis was second ahead of Shane McElrath (Troy Lee Designs Red Bull KTM) and Hampshire.
Former MXGP contender to challenge for premier class crown.
Image: Supplied.
Popular Queenslander Todd Waters has revealed he’ll make a full-time return to the Australian circuit this season with DPH Motorsport Husqvarna after racing internationally in 2018.
The 28-year-old hasn’t ruled out racing the highly-desired American championship, insisting he plans to make appearances at select rounds during the seven-week break of the Pirelli MX Nationals.
“It was pretty last minute – I was dedicated to Honda and doing a program with those guys, but nothing was set in stone and it got to December, so I started to look elsewhere,” Waters explained to MotoOnline.com.au. “I turned down everything to be with Honda when I returned from Europe, but nothing came of it. Then an opportunity came up with Husqvarna and DPH Motorsport.
“I’m pretty excited to be back with Husqvarna, because when KTM bought out Husqvarna, I was one of the first riders to represent the brand on the world stage. I know all the guys internally, I know all about the brand, so it’s nice to represent them here in Australia. The plan is to both the motocross and supercross championship with Husqvarna, and the plan is to also head over and do a couple of AMA rounds in the break.”
Waters, an immediate title threat this season, will make his first public appearance aboard the all-new 2019 FC 450 this weekend at the bLU cRU Coffs Harbour Stadium MX in New South Wales, where a number of high-profile contenders will appear, including Luke Clout (CDR Yamaha Monster Energy), Jay Wilson (Yamalube Yamaha Racing) and Aaron Tanti (Serco Yamaha).
“I’ve spent two days on the bike, and I thought I’d break up the drive on the way up and race there,” he added. “I haven’t raced one of these local races for a long time, and I’m going to try and get out and do state titles and some local races – get back to my roots and enjoy the family atmoshphere of out sport.”
Stage two of the 2019 Dakar Rally challenged all motorcycle competitors with an extremely fast, and rough, timed special of 342 kilometres. Leaving Pisco and heading south along the coast towards San Juan de Marcona the unusual stage saw the cars opening the route, leaving the bikes to deal with the many tracks ahead of them in the sand. The added traffic not only caused the terrain to cut up badly, but also made navigation even more of a challenge.
Matthias Walkner
Following his solid ride on the short, opening day’s stage, Matthias Walkner was the seventh rider to enter today’s timed special. Feeling comfortable on his KTM 450 Rally, the reigning Dakar Champion opted to push right from the beginning.
Dakar 2019 Stage Two Video
For the majority of the stage Walkner chased down Honda’s Ricky Brabec ahead of him, only to head the American rider in the last 40-kilometres and ultimately claim the stage win by a narrow 22-seconds.
Matthias Walkner – Stage P1 – Overall P2
“That was a long and really, really fast stage. It was hard to judge the pace of the riders in front, so early on I decided to push and give my best. It was enough to set the fastest time, which is great but I’m not too keen on stages like that – two or three in a year is enough for me. Crossing the tracks left by the cars on such a tricky stage can be quite daunting sometimes and I’m glad to reach the finish safely.”
Matthias Walkner
Ricky Brabec – Stage P2 – Overall P3
“The second stage was awesome. More or less like what I’m used to at home. Lot’s of fast track, lots of rocks, fesh fesh and some dunes. I had a fun day, and rode most of the day with Quintanilla. It was great so we’ll see what happens tomorrow. Third overall is not that good. We’ve got to be in front. So we are going to try tomorrow.”
Ricky Brabec
Joan Barreda, who opened the special alone, posted third, 1m41s seconds behind stage winner Walkner. The 35-year-old Spaniard still leads the Rally overall with a 1m31s buffer over Walkner after the KTM rider promoted himself from P7 right through to P2 after a sensational day in the dunes for the Austrian.
Joan Barreda – Stage P3 – Overall P1
“Days like today are really important. When you start out in first position, winning is very difficult. Open the track without making any mistakes throughout the day is really complicated, but these are the days that you really make progress on. At first I doubted as to whether to follow the tracks or not, but in the part on the beach I saw that they were catching me up and following the tracks I was able to push hard with good pace. In the end it turned out to be a perfect stage, with a very good starting position for tomorrow.”
Joan Barreda
Despite a small mistake that caused him to get stuck early on in the stage, Toby Price went on to post the fourth fastest time of the day, three minutes behind stage winner Walkner. Although still riding in pain due to his injured wrist, Price now sits fifth overall in the provisional overall standings and is determined to maintain his strong pace as the rally progresses.
Toby Price – Stage P4 – Overall P5
“Day two was long, 342 kilometres on my wrist was really tough. It didn’t help that I got stuck in a dune around the 50-kilometre mark and had to pull the bike out and turn around. That hurt my wrist a little more but I managed to live with it for the rest of the stage, even though it was really bumpy after the cars had been through. All in all, I’m pretty happy with my time and looking forward to tomorrow.”
Toby Price
Making good use of his vast rally racing experience, Pablo Quintanilla put in a steady but importantly mistake-free performance on Tuesday’s stage two of the Dakar. Pushing hard to gain some time in the opening part of the special, the Chilean rally star eventually finished less than four-minutes behind the day’s winner Matthias Walkner. Currently fourth in the provisional overall standings, Pablo sits in a very good place ahead of the remainder of the rally.
Pablo Quintanilla – Stage P5 – Overall P4
“Stage two was a long and tough one but I had a good feeling on my bike. The pace was quite high from the beginning and we were riding a lot across the beach. I pushed hard in the first part of the special stage. After the refueling the conditions changed a lot. We were following the cars and there were lots of different tracks everywhere, so I decided to keep it steady and avoid taking any risks. I kept a good pace until the end and managed to get a good overall time for the day. The gap to the leaders is still controllable so I am looking ahead to tomorrow’s stage.”
Pablo Quintanilla
Now sitting sixth, one place behind Price in the overall standings, Sam Sunderland rode another calculated stage, minimising any risks on the heavily worn terrain. Although not quite finding his rhythm on the long timed special, the Brit is still confident that his pace is good and is feeling fit and motivated for the rest of the event.
Sam Sunderland – Stage P6 – Overall P6
“It was a pretty tricky stage covering the car lines. You are always cross-checking the road book to make sure you’re not making any mistakes. I didn’t find my rhythm as well as I would have liked, I know my pace wasn’t too bad but I didn’t feel so strong out there. As the speeds were so high today, I decided to ease off a little after the refuel to conserve my tyre. It may be that I didn’t have to, but this early in the rally I’d rather be safe than sorry.”
Sam Sunderland
Adrien Van Beveren posted the seventh best time in Tuesday’s timed special and is the top ranked Yamaha rider. Currently seventh in the provisional overall rankings, the WR450F Rally powered racer is looking ahead to the coming stages of the rally.
Adrien Van Beveren – Stage P7 – Overall P7
“Today we were treated with a fast and difficult stage. There was a lot of fesh-fesh and some parts with loads of stones. It’s quite hard to feel comfortable racing in this terrain but I did my best to stay close to the leaders. There were also lots of tracks from the cars and it was easy to make navigational mistakes. In the dunes I felt good on my bike and managed to gain some time, but overall I had to be patient and try not to make costly mistakes. There’s still a long way to go in this Dakar and I’m now are set on tomorrow’s stage three.”
Adrien Van Beveren
Queensland Yamaha dealer Rodney Faggotter put in another steady performance on stage two. The 42-year-old collected a 29th place result and is now 27th in the provisional overall standings.
Rodney Faggotter – Stage P29 – Overall P27
“We’re just two days into this Dakar and we’ve already entered the most demanding stages. The stage today was fast and long. For me, the goal is to remain consistent and bring my Yamaha back at the bivouac safely. It’s all going according to plan so far and I’m looking forward to the dune stages to come.”
Rodney Faggotter
Stage three of the 2019 Dakar Rally leaves the bivouac at San Juan de Marcona and again heads south along the coast of the South Pacific towards the city of Arequipa. The 798-kilometre stage includes another long timed special of 331 kilometres.
2019 Dakar Rally Provisional Results Stage Two
WALKNER Matthias AUT KTM 03:21’57
BRABEC Ricky USA Honda +00’22
BARREDA Joan SPA Honda +01’41
PRICE Toby AUS KTM +03’06
QUINTANILLA Pablo CHI Husqvarna +03’24
SUNDERLAND Sam GBR KTM +06’03
VAN BEVEREN Adrien FRA Yamaha +09’03
BENAVIDES Kevin ARG Honda +09’59
SHORT Andrew USA Husqvarna +12’25
CORNEJO José Ignacio CHI Honda +13’43
GONCALVES Paulo POR Honda +14’12 29. FAGGOTTER Rodney AUS Yamaha +33’13
Matthias Walkner
2019 Dakar Rally Outright Standings after Stage Two
BARREDA Joan SPA Monster Energy Honda Team 04:23’14
WALKNER Matthias AUT Red Bull KTM Rally Factory Team +01’31
BRABEC Ricky USA Monster Energy Honda Team +01’33
QUINTANILLA Pablo CHI Rockstar Husqvarna Factory Racing +03’17
PRICE Toby AUS Red Bull KTM Rally Factory Team +04’33
SUNDERLAND Sam GBR Red Bull KTM Rally Factory Team +07’18
VAN BEVEREN Adrien FRA Yamaha Official Rally Team +10’19
BENAVIDES Kevin ARG Monster Energy Honda Team +12’18
CORNEJO José Ignacio CHI Monster Energy Honda Team +17’24
SHORT Andrew USA Rockstar Husqvarna Factory Racing +17’37
GONCALVES Paulo POR Monster Energy Honda Team +19’12 27. FAGGOTTER Rodney AUS Yamaha +42’59
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