Tag Archives: MotoGP 2020

A breakthrough season for KTM in MotoGP

December 15, 2020 mcnews Leave a comment

KTM MotoGP 2020

The 2020 MotoGP season was a great one for Red Bull KTM, marking the most successful season yet, both in the premier MotoGP class, but also in the Moto2 and Moto3 categories.

The delayed 2020 MotoGP season began in late July to sizzling temperatures with the first ‘double-header’ at the Circuit de Jerez-Angel Nieto in Spain and where the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team of Pol Espargaro and Brad Binder and the Red Bull KTM Tech3 crew of Miguel Oliveira and Iker Lecuona showed pace on their KTM RC16s to challenge the front runners for grid slots and race positions.

Brno MotoGP podium
1 Brad Binder – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing – KTM – 41:38.764
2 Franco Morbidelli – Petronas Yamaha SRT – Yamaha – +5.266
3 Johann Zarco – Esponsorama Racing – Ducati – +6.470

A sensational first ever victory came at just round three as eventual Rookie of the Year Brad Binder shocked the establishment by crossing the finish line first with a five-second margin at the Automotodrom Brno in the Czech Republic. The 25-year old South African was the first athlete to have won in Moto3, Moto2 and MotoGP classes with KTM machinery.

Brad Binder won the first MotoGP race for himself, South Africa, and Ixon

Two Grands Prix later and Oliveira picked up the first of his two triumphs with a measured but dramatic success at the Red Bull Ring (also the first MotoGP win for the Tech3 squad and becoming the second racer to do the ‘KTM clean sweep’ in all categories). The Portuguese – in only his second MotoGP term – would complete the set with a dominant performance at the Algarve International Circuit season-closer on home turf.

Ultimately it would be Espargaro with the most podium finishes (as well as two of the three Pole Positions registered by KTM) for 2020. The Spanish star – who gave KTM their maiden top three in MotoGP at the conclusion of 2018 in Valencia – walked the rostrum five times in total and reached fifth position in the final championship standings as KTM clinched fourth in the Constructors contest, but was only four-points from second place. Rookie Iker Lecuona contributed three of KTM’s 27 top-ten results.

This year MotoGP managed to clock up 14 Grands Prix from the original 20 on the calendar for the premier class. A tight and unpredictable level of competition – where qualification times often saw the top twenty riders divided by a second – delivered nine different winners and 15 different riders in podium positions.

Pit Beirer – KTM Motorsports Director

“When the tyres have cooled and the tools are down we have to look back at 2020 as perhaps the most challenging season for us yet in just four years in MotoGP but what an amazing one. All the statistics speak for themselves. I cannot describe how rewarding it has been to see our riders develop, our teams, our machinery: the whole programme has taken big steps forward. The credit goes to every single person who played their part, whether that was in difficult conditions at the circuit or at home here in the factory. We punched over our weight in 2020 and we’ll keep swinging for more next season and for the years to come.”

2020 Portimao MotoGP podium
1 Miguel Oliveira – Red Bull KTM Tech 3 – KTM 41:48.163
2 Jack Miller -Pramac Racing – Ducati +3.193
3 Franco Morbidelli – Petronas Yamaha SRT – Yamaha +3.298

Here’s a look at Red Bull KTM’s 2020 MotoGP accomplishments from 14 rounds, nine circuits with more than 5100 km raced in six countries and with 633 PCR tests (accumulated by Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team alone):

3 wins (1: Binder & 2: Oliveira)
8 podiums (1: Binder, 5: Espargaro, 2: Oliveira)
3 Pole Positions (2: Espargaro, 1: Oliveira)
4 Fastest laps (2: Binder, 1: Espargaro, 1: Oliveira)
27 top ten finishes (5: Binder, 10: Espargaro, 3: Lecuona, 9: Oliveira)
5th in Riders Championship: Espargaro (highest yet for KTM)
4th in Constructors Championship (from 6, highest yet)
3rd in Teams Championship: Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
7th in Teams Championship: Red Bull KTM Tech3
Rookie of the Year: Brad Binder, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
Average points per round comparison won by KTM: 2019 = 9.26, 2020 = 26.71 (increase of 188.4%)

2020 MotoGP World Championship Standings

Pos	Rider	Points
1	Joan MIR	171
2	Franco MORBIDELLI	158
3	Alex RINS	139
4	Andrea DOVIZIOSO	135
5	Pol ESPARGARO	135
6	Maverick VIÑALES	132
7	Jack MILLER	132
8	Fabio QUARTARARO	127
9	Miguel OLIVEIRA	125
10	Takaaki NAKAGAMI	116
11	Brad BINDER	87
12	Danilo PETRUCCI	78
13	Johann ZARCO	77
14	Alex MARQUEZ	74
15	Valentino ROSSI	66
16	Francesco BAGNAIA	47
17	Aleix ESPARGARO	42
18	Cal CRUTCHLOW	32
19	Stefan BRADL	27
20	Iker LECUONA	27
21	Bradley SMITH	12
22	Tito RABAT	10
23	Michele PIRRO	4

2020 MotoGP Constructors Championship

Pos	Constructor	Points
1	DUCATI	221
2	YAMAHA	204
3	SUZUKI	202
4	KTM	200
5	HONDA	144
6	APRILIA	51

2020 MotoGP Team Championship

Pos	Team	Points
1	TEAM SUZUKI ECSTAR	310
2	PETRONAS YAMAHA SRT	248
3	RED BULL KTM FACTORY RACING	222
4	DUCATI TEAM	213
5	PRAMAC RACING	183
6	MONSTER ENERGY YAMAHA MOTOGP	178
7	RED BULL KTM TECH 3	152
8	LCR HONDA	148
9	REPSOL HONDA TEAM	101
10	ESPONSORAMA RACING	87
11	APRILIA RACING TEAM GRESINI	54

Moto2 & Moto3

The KTM GP Academy spots, develops and funnels riders through the MotoGP tiers to hopefully guide athletes to a berth on the premier class grid, with 2020 proving a notable year for the Academy in Moto2 and Moto3.

In Moto2 the Red Bull KTM Ajo team were able to help both of their racers – Jorge Martin and Tetsuta Nakashima – either lead or fight for the FIM Moto2 World Championship. The Spaniard and Japanese posted three wins between them (two for Martin and one for Nagashima) and total of eight podium appearances. Martin also logged one Pole Position on his way to fifth in the series standings. Nagashima ended-up in eighth.

In Moto3 Albert Arenas used his KTM RC4 to become KTM’s fourth world champion since the inception of the class in 2012. His exciting final-round confirmation of the title came at the Algarve International Circuit. The Portuguese venue brought a gripping and typically fraught 15 fixtures of Moto3 to a close. The series began on a high for Arenas with his victory at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar and ended with his entry into the history books.

Four KTM riders classified in the top ten of the Moto3 standings. The same number tasted Grand Prix victory in 2020; three for the first time in their careers. Arenas shared the top of the ‘box’ with Celestino Vietti (1), Darryn Binder (1) and Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Raul Fernandez (2). KTM were able to rule eight from the 15 rounds in 2020. KTM posted seven Pole Positions (six for Fernandez and one for Binder).

Arenas’ Qatar win was the 100th for KTM equipment on Grand Prix asphalt and all in all divisions; that number swelled to 110 by the finale of 2020.

Source: MCNews.com.au

MotoGP, News

Valentino Rossi bids farewell to Yamaha Factory Racing

November 23, 2020 mcnews Leave a comment

Valentino Rossi & Yamaha Factory Racing part ways

As a highly unusual 2020 MotoGP season comes to an end, one of the sports great partnerships is also ending, with the Yamaha Factory Racing MotoGP Team thanking Valentino Rossi for his 15 years of hard work, dedication, and passion.

Valentino Rossi says farewell after 15 years – Pictured at Termas de Rio Hondo in 2017

Valentino Rossi has been a key member of the Yamaha family during two long terms in his impressive Grand Prix racing career (from 2004 to 2010 and from 2013 to 2020). The Factory Yamaha MotoGP Team took this opportunity to share their heartfelt appreciation of the still active MotoGP legend, as well as the departing crew members, and celebrate their remarkable achievements.

Valentino Rossi in 2006 on the podium in Mugello

Valentino started riding for the team in 2004 and stayed for seven years, then had a brief two-year stint at Ducati, before he came back to Yamaha where he refound his purpose, his energy, and his performance. His second term with the Factory Yamaha MotoGP Team lasted eight years, one year longer than his first term and a clear indication of how much the Italian feels at home with Yamaha.

Valentino‘s list of results achieved with the Factory Yamaha Team is extensive. He earned four MotoGP World Championship titles and secured 56 victories and 142 podiums in their 255 Grand Prix races together.

Valentino Rossi

“This is an important moment, because this is the end of our long journey together. Our history, between me and the Yamaha Factory Racing MotoGP Team, is divided into two parts – almost like a good movie, I think. The first part is from the beginning in 2004 to 2010. I think that was the best part of my career. We wrote history for Yamaha. We were able to win the championship for Yamaha after twenty-something years. I will always remember these achievements, for sure, because they are key moments in my career too. But I‘m also very proud of the second part. I want to say ’Thanks‘ again to Lin and all of Yamaha. They gave me a chance to come back to the Factory Team after two bad years with another factory, when I was already ’getting old‘ by MotoGP-standards, so I was desperate.

“I will never forget the moment when Lin told me I would have a chance to come back here. I‘ll always be thankful for that moment, because maybe I could also have stopped riding at that time if I wasn‘t able to come back here. My return to the Factory Yamaha team has lasted 8 years, so one year longer than the first part. The second part was a bit more difficult in terms of results, but we did come close to winning a championship at one point, which could have changed our story. But things happened the way they happened, and I‘m still thankful for the support I got from Lin, Maio, and all the Japanese engineers. But especially I want to say ’Thank you‘ to my crew. We‘ve been together for a long time. Bernie, Alex, Brent, Matteo, Mark, David, Idalio, and more. I also want to say thanks to the other guys from the team and the hospitality staff. And of course to my mate Maverick: we also had a good atmosphere with that side of the box, so I want to thank them too. Next year I will still be riding a factory bike with full factory support, just in different colours. It‘s true, I will not be sitting in the Yamaha Factory Racing garage, but I will be just next door – together with Matteo, Idalio, and David – so for sure we can still say hello.”

Besides Valentino, the Factory Yamaha Team is also saying goodbye to highly-esteemed and much-appreciated colleagues Brent Stephens (Mechanic since 1999), Alex Briggs (Mechanic since 2004), Matteo Flamigni (Data Engineer since 2000), David Muñoz (Crew Chief since 2020), and Idalio Gavira (Rider Performance Analyst since 2019), who are all part of The Doctor‘s crew.

Alex and Brent will be leaving Yamaha, while David, Matteo, and Idalio will continue their work with Valentino as a part of PETRONAS Yamaha SRT in 2021.

Javier Ullate (Mechanic since 2003) will also be leaving the team. In the 18 years he spent as a part of the Factory Yamaha crew, he worked with big names such as Carlos Checa, Marco Melandri, Colin Edwards, Jorge Lorenzo, and Maverick Viñales, helping them secure many victories and podiums, including three titles with Jorge.

The Yamaha Factory Racing MotoGP Team couldn‘t let this occasion go by unnoticed. On Thursday 19 November, the entire staff (including the staff and friends of the team who are not in Portugal, who attended the event online) met up at the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP garage to give the leaving members the appreciation they deserve and present them with some parting gifts.

The Factory Yamaha MotoGP Team thanked Valentino and the departing team members for their hard work, professionalism, dedication, and passion. Their contribution and results will always remain a part of Yamaha‘s racing legacy.

Lin Jarvis – Mamaging Director Yamaha Motor Racing

“This is an emotional moment. It‘s always sad to bid farewell, especially to people who have been such a vital part of the team. But nothing in life is continuous, nothing remains the same, and that‘s also the nature of MotoGP. The situation in the paddock is constantly evolving. People come into the team, some leave, and some come back again. 2020 was Valentino‘s 15th season with the Yamaha Factory Racing MotoGP Team. I have very vivid memories of those years. There have been highs and lows – it‘s been a roller-coaster ride, but his list with results on a Yamaha is seriously impressive: 4 MotoGP World Championship Titles, 255 Grand Prix races, 56 victories, 142 podiums. It‘s amazing how much he achieved during his time with us. In Valentino‘s case we are now facing what I would call ’a changing of the guard‘. Though he is leaving the Factory Yamaha MotoGP Team, this is not the end of his career. This is not a complete farewell scenario, this is a transition moment. It‘s important, regardless, because Valentino has been part of our team for so long. But next year he will be next door, so he will stay close. His factory-rider status continues, and he will continue riding a factory YZR-M1 with full support from Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. He will also be taking Crew Chief David, Data Engineer Matteo, and Rider Performance Analyst Idalio with him, so he will be surrounded by some familiar faces in the PETRONAS Yamaha SRT garage. Brent, Alex, and Javier will finish their long-term working collaboration with Yamaha. Their expertise, professionalism, and passion for the job is something that kept our team going for many years, so it‘s very sad to have to say goodbye to them. We wish them all the best for the future and hope to stay in touch.”

2020 MotoGP World Championship Final Standings

Pos	Rider	Points
1	Joan MIR	171
2	Franco MORBIDELLI	158
3	Alex RINS	139
4	Andrea DOVIZIOSO	135
5	Pol ESPARGARO	135
6	Maverick VIÑALES	132
7	Jack MILLER	132
8	Fabio QUARTARARO	127
9	Miguel OLIVEIRA	125
10	Takaaki NAKAGAMI	116
11	Brad BINDER	87
12	Danilo PETRUCCI	78
13	Johann ZARCO	77
14	Alex MARQUEZ	74
15	Valentino ROSSI	66
16	Francesco BAGNAIA	47
17	Aleix ESPARGARO	42
18	Cal CRUTCHLOW	32
19	Stefan BRADL	27
20	Iker LECUONA	27
21	Bradley SMITH	12
22	Tito RABAT	10
23	Michele PIRRO	4

Source: MCNews.com.au

MotoGP, News

Espargaro tops Portimao Test Day 1 on race machinery

October 7, 2020 mcnews Leave a comment

2020 MotoGP

Portimao Test – Day 1

Aprilia Racing Team Gresini’s Aleix Espargaro set the fastest ever lap – on two wheels – at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve on Day 1, testing on board his premier class machine, the Spaniard’s impressive 1:40.170 under Jonathan Rea’s fastest WorldSBK Superpole record, which was a 1:40.372 set in 2019.

Aleix Espargaro wasted no time in getting down to very respectable lap times on the opening day as he and teammate Bradley Smith were the only current full-time MotoGP riders lapping on their premier class machines – due to concession rules allowing Aprilia to do so – with Smith second quickest but still a second down.

For the rest of the current MotoGP riders present, it was street machinery and track familiarisation, with factory test riders taking on the task of starting to dial in each machine ready for November. The general feeling from most? A tough track, but a great circuit.

Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) said the circuit was “sweet” but “scary”, and teammate Maverick Viñales particularly liked the fast, flowing final corner. Second in the Championship Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) said the wheelies will be a challenge on MotoGP bikes. Many said point blank that they expect Yamaha to start the race weekend as favourites, with the track seemingly suiting the YZR-M1’s characteristics….

Valentino Rossi

“Riding here is very interesting, because the track is beautiful and technically quite difficult. It‘s a very strange track because of the many elevation changes. But it‘s beautiful and the asphalt is good, it has good grip. You can enjoy it a lot when you‘re riding here. It looked more difficult on television, a bit more tricky, but in real life it‘s good. There are three or four points that are a bit scary, because you have big jumps. It will be difficult to keep a MotoGP bike in contact with the ground there, but in general it‘s a very sweet track to ride, so I like it. It was also a good day for a test here, because we had good conditions, which is important when you‘re getting familiar with a new track.”

Maverick Vinales

“The track is different from what we are used to, because of the changes in elevation, and most of the corners have blind entries. But overall I felt really good. It‘s the kind of track that I like, because you need a lot of flow and corner speed. I already had a good feeling with my standard street bike and I think it will be even better when I‘ll ride with the MotoGP bike, I’ll be even faster. The track looks amazing and it‘s a lot of fun to ride. The biggest challenge here are wheelies. We will have to work hard on this because there‘s a lot of changes in elevation and we need front contact, so we will have to change the bike a bit, for sure. The last corner here is amazing, I love it. I expected the track to be longer, it‘s actually quite short, but I like it.”

Jorge Lorenzo – Test Rider

“Of course it’s not easy to start riding a MotoGP bike again after a nine-month break. Tomorrow we are going to play with the settings some more to see if we can improve and make a big step. The track is wonderful. It’s unique, compared to other tracks it has a lot of elevation changes, and that’s a lot of fun to ride. Hopefully tomorrow I will have a good feeling, and we can get more work done.”

On the other hand, the Ducati riders seemed a little more reserved about tackling the venue on their MotoGP machinery. Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team), Jack Miller (Pramac Racing), Danilo Petrucci (Ducati Team), Pecco Bagnaia (Pramac Racing), Johann Zarco (Esponsorama Racing) and Tito Rabat (Esponsorama Racing) all attacked the layout on superbikes as they focused on familiarisation, with test rider Michele Pirro putting in the laps on the GP20 to get the Borgo Panigale factory some data for the Portuguese Grand Prix. Pirro’s fastest time on Wednesday was a 1:41.654.

Ducati riders proved a little more restrained learning the track — Ducati riders proved a little more restrained on track

Back at the now-anointed “favourites” Yamaha, Petronas Yamaha SRT’s Franco Morbidelli was also on track alongside the aforementioned Viñales and Rossi, meaning Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) was the only Yamaha absentee on Wednesday as the Championship leader focuses on his upcoming home GP.

Viñales’ R1 superbike was only one of three street machines fitted with transponders, with his 1:43.699 enough to see him end the day over a second quicker than the other two whose laptimes we know: Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) and Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), respectively. Viñales completed 41 laps in the afternoon session.

Also on Yamaha business was test rider Jorge Lorenzo, who enjoyed his first time on a MotoGP bike for the first time since February’s Sepang Test. The five-time World Champion set a best time of a 1:44.910 as he got reacquainted with the Yamaha and ‘The Spartan’ will be back on track on Thursday to continue his and Yamaha’s work on tyres, the gearbox and general base settings for the Grand Prix at the venue,

Stefan Bradl was joined by Alex Marquez in Portugal for the first MotoGP test at the Portimao circuit, both riders familiarising themselves with the new track.

Alex Marquez

“It was a good day, good weather at a nice track with a good layout and new tarmac – it was nice to try it. The Honda RC213V-S was really nice to ride, everything was nice! The layout is quite difficult, but I think the rider will be able to make a lot of difference here. I’m looking forward to returning here on the MotoGP bike at the end of the year, I think it will be an interesting race. But right now, my attention is back fully on Le Mans.”

Stefan Bradl

“It was a great day today with the weather, pretty much perfect conditions. We followed our test plan after the track condition improved. This was an advantage to having a lot of riders there, the circuit was cleaned quite fast. The circuit is a great challenge, but you can really enjoy it with a MotoGP bike, the elevation changes are great. We were fast and completed our test plan for today and have a few runs tomorrow before heading to Le Mans.”

KTM’s Dani Pedrosa, Lorenzo, Pirro, Suzuki’s Sylvain Guintoli and Aprilia’s Lorenzo Savadori will be lapping Portimao on Thursday as the respective factory test riders continue to gather useful data, with everyone else heading to Le Mans for the French GP.

Quartararo, Iker Lecuona (Red Bull KTM Tech3) and Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) were the only full-time riders not in attendance at the Algarve layout, but we’ll see them all in action this weekend at Le Mans!

Source: MCNews.com.au

MotoGP, Motorcycle News, Motorcycle Racing, News

Virtual MotoGP contest sees Alex Marquez victorious

March 29, 2020 mcnews Leave a comment

Alex Marquez first virtual MotoGP winner

Repsol Honda Team’s Alex Marquez managed to avoid the chaos around him to clinch an impressive victory on his MotoGP debut in Sunday’s first ever Virtual MotoGP Race. The inaugural #StayAtHomeGP was filled with thrills and spills as ten MotoGP riders put on a show to bring a little light relief and entertainment to a tough time for many MotoGP fans around the world.

[embedded content]

Petronas Yamaha SRT’s Fabio Quartararo started the race from familiar territory after the Frenchman stormed to pole position in the five-minute qualifying session that preceded the race, a quarter of a second clear of Pramac Racing’s Francesco Bagnaia and over half a second clear of Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP’s Maverick Viñales, who completed the front row.

And they’re off, virtual MotoGP race one kicks off with Quartararo in front

It was then drama from the off as the lights went out, with pole sitter Quartararo alongside Viñales, Alex Marquez and Bagnaia on the run into San Donato and the holeshot anyone’s guess. It was Quartararo who ultimately emerged ahead but he was clearly too late on the brakes when the front-end of his Yamaha M1 washed out from beneath him, incredibly and unfortunately taking out 2021 teammate Viñales in the process.

Alex Marquez and Bagnaia avoided the incident and were able to break clear, with reigning World Champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) settling into third place after an attempted lunge up the inside by Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Joan Mir.

Alex Marquez and Pecco Bagnaia

Further back, Quartararo was fighting back through the field after his spill, up to fifth after getting the better of Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) and Iker Lecuona (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) and the rookie highsiding in spectacular style whilst trying to get back ahead of the Frenchman…

As the leading two crossed the start-finish line at the end of the opening lap there was absolutely nothing between them, having already swapped places, and paint, a good few times. Bagnaia would once again dive past Alex Marquez into Turn 1, but the Spaniard responded immediately after as the Italian ran wide.

The virtual MotoGP field tips in

Meanwhile, chaos was breaking out behind the leading two. Mir was the first to crash out after getting an almighty shunt from his teammate Rins, of all people, and Quartararo wasn’t too far behind, tucking the front at Turn 1 for the second lap in a row. However, the Frenchman respawned on track… before Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) then rode straight into him and the pair crashed out, dropping the polesitter even further down the order.

Onto Lap 3 and Alex Marquez was beginning to edge further and further clear of Bagnaia at the front, with the gap starting to stretch to over half a second. The Pramac rider wasn’t throwing in the towel just yet, however. Just behind them, Viñales was recovering well from his earlier incident and had Marc Marquez in his sights after taking advantage of a mistake from Rins to take fourth.

Alex Marquez took a dominant role

Alas, Viñales then crashed out after braking too late into Correntaio and running into the gravel trap, the factory Yamaha rider visibly annoyed at himself as he slapped his controller in fury. Seconds later though, Marc Marquez would have a crash of his own, allowing Viñales to blast back ahead of the Repsol Honda and into the final podium place.

As the pack filtered through to start the penultimate lap, the podium looked decided but there a battle heating up between Marc Marquez and Quartararo for fourth place. The first MM93 vs FQ20 fight of 2020 would unfold with the Frenchman coming out on top thanks to a move at Casanova-Savelli, despite Marquez throwing everything he had into Arrabbiata 1 as he tried to stop the Yamaha man breaking clear…

Back at the front, Alex Marquez kept his nerve on the final lap to take victory by over seven seconds, joined on the podium by Bagnaia and Viñales.

Alex Marquez – P1

“I’m so happy! I knew before the race I wasn’t the fastest one, especially on one lap, so my target was to be as consistent as I could be. I had a good fight with Pecco in the opening laps until he had his crash at Arrabbiata. I want to say thank you to Putut Maulana [Moe27 – an Indonesian MotoGP eSport rider], who gave me some setup tips! I didn’t pass the tips to Marc because yes he’s my teammate but he’s my rival also! I’m looking forward to doing another race now. I want to do it again, but I want a little more notice! I only had a few days to prepare, so to have a week would be better for next time…”

Alex Marquez takes the win

Pecco Bagnaia – P2

“I did very well in the Qualifying, but unfortunately I crashed during the second lap in the race. I started second and this this helped me a lot, but Alex Marquez was very fast and he started very well. My first podium in MotoGP although in the #StayAtHomeGP Championship. I am very happy,I hope you all enjoyed it.”

Quartararo ended up fourth, despite setting the fastest lap of the race with his final lap, with Marc Marquez completing the top five.

Marc Marquez – P5

“First of all congratulations to Alex on the win, I knew from our time playing together he would be very fast but he did a great job. Of course, I would have liked better than fifth, but the result isn’t too bad and as a team we did well. You need a different style in these kinds of races so I had to adapt my strategy a little bit during the day. A good time and I am really happy to be able to do something for the fans. Now we want to be riding and battling back on track, because it means the world is in a better situation, but first we have to win the battle with the Corona Virus. Stay safe everyone!”

Marc Marquez had to settle for fifth

Rins came out on top in the battle of the Suzuki teammates after he took sixth, ahead of Mir in seventh, with Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Tech 3), Lecuona and Espargaro completing the top ten.

Virtual MotoGP Race 1 Final Results – 1) Alex Marquez, 2) Pecco Bagnaia, 3) Maverick Vinales

Virtual MotoGP Race One Results

MARQUEZ Alex SPA 25 Repsol Honda Team
BAGNAIA Francesco ITA 20 Pramac Racing
VINALES Maverick SPA 16 Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP
QUARTARARO Fabio FRA 13 Petronas Yamaha SRT
MARQUEZ Marc SPA 11 Repsol Honda Team
RINS Alex SPA 10 Team Suzuki Ecstar
MIR Joan SPA 9 Team Suzuki Ecstar
OLIVEIRA Miguel POR 8 Red Bull KTM Tech 3
LECOUNA Iker SPA 7 Red Bull KTM Tech 3
ESPARGARO Aleix SPA 6 Aprilia Racing Team Gresini

Source: MCNews.com.au

MotoGP, Motorcycle News, Motorcycle Racing, News

New MotoGP scrutineering system implemented

March 23, 2020 mcnews Leave a comment

Remote scrutineering adopted for MotoGP

MotoGP are forging ahead with plans to keep the season running as the impact of the coronavirus continues to be felt, with homologation and scrutineering being organised, after the cancellation of the opening round meant only Honda able to provide sample parts in Qatar.

This leaves the question of technical homologation a big one for the 2020 MotoGP World Championship as in the MotoGP class, the engine must be the same specification for the whole season – the only exemptions being for factories qualifying for concessions – and each rider also has the limit of two aero-body versions per season and per rider that they are allowed to homologate.

Normally, the engine specification for the season is homologated on the Thursday of the first Grand Prix, as is the first of the two aero-fairings. Due to the cancellation of the MotoGP class at Losail, that wasn’t possible for every factory. However, the QNB Grand Prix of Qatar remains the official starting point of the season and the point at which the rules for homologation begin being enforced.

Like every year, the 2020 engine specifications (except KTM and Aprilia machines as they qualify for concessions) must remain the same during the whole season and each rider has to homologate the first aero-fairing.

KTM and Aprilia machine receive special compensation at this stage

The FIM, IRTA, MSMA and Dorna all agree that for reasons of equality and fairness the homologation must therefore be carried out remotely and digitally as soon as possible.

Under normal circumstances, factories have two options. Either they can supply a list of sample engine parts to the organisation, providing a means of comparison with engines used throughout the season to verify no changes have been made, or they can supply digital drawings. Normally, each factory chooses to supply either a full sample engine or a sample for all the parts that the engine contains.

This means that if a manufacturer has riders using different engine specifications, like for example an Independent Team rider using an engine design from a past season, they must supply every sample.

Honda are the exception, as they were the only manufacturer that did supply all their sample engine parts at Qatar. The rest of the factories were not able to do so this year due to the extenuating circumstances, and have instead sent their sample engines to the organisation, which must match those in the machines at the first 2020 event.

Aero-body designs need to be homologated, traditionally at the opening round

Digital drawings of each rider’s first aero-body must also be supplied and these must likewise be homologated if they are within the technical restrictions provided in the rulebook.

The FIM, IRTA, MSMA and Dorna make every effort to focus on simplicity for both the manufacturers and the enforcement of the rules. MotoGP has never considered a shutdown period in which all factories must cease any and all development for a set period of time, at any time of year, primarily due to the difficulty of policing such a regulation.

Development on any other part of the machine not subject to homologation may therefore continue, as is the case during any season.

Source: MCNews.com.au

MotoGP, Motorcycle News, Motorcycle Racing, News

Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta talks MotoGP 2020 & coronavirus

March 13, 2020 mcnews Leave a comment

Carmelo Ezpeleta – Dorna Sports CEO – Interview

Following the recent updates to the 2020 MotoGP calendar, Dorna Sports CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta sat down to talk about the changes and how the sport is reacting to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.

Despite the recent difficulties faced by much of the sporting world, the message to the MotoGP community remains an optimistic one as work continues round the clock to get our tantalising 2020 season underway.

Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta (L) with Ballington – MotoGP Legends 2018

Why have the Grands Prix been postponed?

Carmelo Ezpeleta: “Since the coronavirus problem began, we’ve been following the instructions of each government, we have been in close contact with the promoters in Austin and Argentina and when the authorities said it wasn’t possible to do it now, we talked to other Grands Prix to try and accommodate… and we were able to. Now the calendar is ok, if everything continues as it is.”

Is the aim to continue with the 19 GPs that remain in the 2019 season?

Carmelo Ezpeleta: “As I said in the press conference in Qatar, our idea is to continue the Championship with all the races, that’s our aim. But if something is unpredictable… we’re following the situations with each government and especially the promoters. We’re in close contact with the FIM, IRTA, the teams, and of course with the promoters. We’re trying to accommodate everything in the moment, in close contact with them.”

As it stands, will the Spanish GP at Jerez be the first MotoGP class round of the season?

Carmelo Ezpeleta: “We are talking with the authorities in Jerez and today everything seems ok; there’s no problem. But we’ll see exactly what the situation is in the near future.”

Randy Mamola and Carmelo Ezpeleta – MotoGP Legends 2018

Would you consider having the first MotoGP class Grand Prix behind closed doors?

Carmelo Ezpeleta: “As I said, we are trying to do everything as normally as we can but if the conditions of the local authorities are to race without spectators, we can consider it, along with the local promoter.”

Have you been in contact with the teams?

Carmelo Ezpeleta: “We have been in contact with the FIM, IRTA, with the teams and organisers, and all together we are taking the necessary measures.”

Have you got a message for MotoGP fans?

Carmelo Ezpeleta: “We are expecting a fantastic MotoGP season, We think the season will be amazing, and we’re waiting to start it as soon as possible. It’s a bit delayed from normal but if we can start on the schedule we have now, it really will be an exciting season.”

Revised 2020 MotoGP Calendar

(Updated 12th March)

<tr”>22th NovemberComunitat ValencianaComunitat Valenciana-Ricardo Tormo

2020 MotoGP Calendar (Revised)

Date	Grand prix	Circuit
08 M~~arch~~	Qatar*	~~Losail International (Circuit Moto/Moto3 only)~~
~~19 April~~	~~Republica Argentina~~	~~Termas de Rio Hondo~~
03 May	Spain	Circuito de Jerez – Ángel Nieto
17 May	France	Le Mans
31 May	Italy	Autodromo del Mugello
07 June	Catalunya	Barcelona – Catalunya
21 June	Germany	Sachsenring
28 June	Netherlands	TT Circuit Assen
12 July	Finland**	KymiRing
09 August	Czech Republic	Automotodrom Brno
16 August	Austria	Red Bull Ring-Spielberg
30 August	Great Britain	Silverstone
13 September	San Marino	Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli
27 September	Aragón	MotorLand Aragón
04 October	Thailand	Chang International Circuit
18 October	Japan	Twin Ring Motegi
25 October	Australia	Phillip Island
01 November	Malaysia	Sepang International Circuit
15th November	Americas	Circuit of the Americas
22th November	Republica Argentina	Termas de Rio Hondo

Source: MCNews.com.au

MotoGP, Motorcycle News, Motorcycle Racing, News

Argentina MotoGP postponed until November

March 12, 2020 mcnews Leave a comment

2020 Argentina GP postponed to November

The FIM, IRTA and Dorna Sports have announced the postponement of the Gran Premio Motul de la Republica Argentina, which was set to take place April 17-19. Due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, the event has been rescheduled for later in the season and will now take place November 20-22.

The Gran Premio Motul de la Comunitat Valenciana will therefore now be held from the 27th to the 29th of November.

The Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas retains its new date from the 13th to the 15th of November, a week before the rescheduled Gran Premio Motul de la Republica Argentina.

Following these schedule changes, the 2020 MotoGP class season is now set to begin with the Gran Premio Red Bull de España at the Circuito de Jerez-Angel Nieto from May 1-3, 2020.

Dates for the Moto2 and Moto3 test in Valencia and the MotoGP test in Jerez at the end of the year will be decided once the season is underway.

Revised 2020 MotoGP Calendar

(Updated 12th March)

<tr”>22th NovemberComunitat ValencianaComunitat Valenciana-Ricardo Tormo

2020 MotoGP Calendar (Revised)

Date	Grand prix	Circuit
08 M~~arch~~	Qatar*	~~Losail International (Circuit Moto/Moto3 only)~~
~~19 April~~	~~Republica Argentina~~	~~Termas de Rio Hondo~~
03 May	Spain	Circuito de Jerez – Ángel Nieto
17 May	France	Le Mans
31 May	Italy	Autodromo del Mugello
07 June	Catalunya	Barcelona – Catalunya
21 June	Germany	Sachsenring
28 June	Netherlands	TT Circuit Assen
12 July	Finland**	KymiRing
09 August	Czech Republic	Automotodrom Brno
16 August	Austria	Red Bull Ring-Spielberg
30 August	Great Britain	Silverstone
13 September	San Marino	Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli
27 September	Aragón	MotorLand Aragón
04 October	Thailand	Chang International Circuit
18 October	Japan	Twin Ring Motegi
25 October	Australia	Phillip Island
01 November	Malaysia	Sepang International Circuit
15th November	Americas	Circuit of the Americas
22th November	Republica Argentina	Termas de Rio Hondo

Source: MCNews.com.au

MotoGP, Motorcycle News, News

Nagashima top Moto2 performer in Qatar | Gardner fifth

March 8, 2020 mcnews Leave a comment

2020 MotoGP – Round 1, Qatar

Moto2

Tetsuta Nagashima blew the competition away in the final stages of a top class Moto2 race at the QNB Grand Prix of Qatar, claiming his first Grand Prix victory in style – 10 years on from late friend Shoya Tomizawa’s first Moto2 win at the same track.

Tetsuta Nagashima

2019 Qatar GP winner Lorenzo claimed P2, battling it out with Enea Bastianini to the end as the ‘Beast’ picked up his second intermediate class rostrum in third.

It was Luca Marini who took the holeshot from second on the grid, the Italian quickest off the mark as polesitter Joe Roberts slipped back to third, Bastianini also attacking the American to make it an Italian 1-2. The number 33 didn’t take long to attack for the lead either, with the two duelling as Roberts then came under pressure for third from Jorge Martin.

The star of the mid-part of the race was about to take over at the front, however, as Marini moved for the lead and began to push to make a gap. But Roberts was up into second and the closest challenger for some time, with the group behind then descending into varying levels of chaos and genius as the moves came thick and fast.

Lorenzo Baldassarri & Enea Bastianini

Lap 6 then saw Roberts go for an overtake at Turn 1 but the American ran wide, handing the position back to Marini. By Lap 8, just a second and a half split the top eight, with Bastianini, Baldassarri, Xavi Vierge, Marco Bezzecchi and Warm Up pacesetter Nagashima setting similar lap times. However, Marini then started to stretch the field, taking just under half a second out of second place Roberts on Lap 9 and 10 and on Lap 11, the gap was up to 0.9 seconds as another personal best lap was slammed in by the SKY VR46 rider. Could anyone respond?

By Lap 12, the gap was back down to six tenths and Nagashima was starting to look a serious threat in P5 having gone over half a second quicker than Marini that lap. With eight to go the Japanese rider was up to P4 past Bastianini, sat just over a second behind race leader Marini, and the Moto2 race in Qatar was shaping up nicely as the battle entered the final seven laps…

Beta Tools Speed Up’s Jorge Navarro was starting to reel the leaders in too. Just as he did for much of 2019, the Spaniard was coming into his own on used tyres and with little over five laps remaining, a mistake from Marini allowed the leading six to bunch up and Roberts led. Bastianini then snatched the baton with five to go, and suddenly it looked like it was game over for Marini as he began to plummet.

The leading four were now Baldassarri, Bastianini, Roberts and Nagashima with four to go, and the Japanese rider was looking ominous in his mission to the front. The Ajo rider first picked off Roberts for P3 before taking control of the race at Turn 2 with three to go – and immediately starting to creep away..

Baldassarri & Bastianini

The number 45 had three tenths in his pocket as the race entered the final two laps, with the battle for the remaining podium places starting to heat up. Remy Gardner was latching onto the back of Navarro as five riders scrapped it out behind Nagashima, who – by the time he’d clocked onto the final lap – was over then a second clear.

Simply stunning latter race pace for the Japanese rider made victory suddenly seem a done deal, and Nagashima would make no mistake on the final lap to take an emotional first Grand Prix victory – 10 years since Tomizawa, who was “like a brother” to him, made history in 2010.

Tetsuta Nagashima

“It’s like I’m in a dream. Yesterday in qualifying I made a small mistake and my grid position wasn’t perfect, and from the beginning I hard to push hard, I thought about nothing else. Last year I was close to the podium but I didn’t get there, so I forgot everything else. Win or crash! Shoya was like a brother to me. When I started racing we were always together and he taught me a lot. I remember it well when he won the race here. My first time winning is unbelievable, thank you to Shoya, my family and my team. I’m very happy.”

Tetsuta Nagashima

Behind him, it was a close but clean fight to the flag. Baldassarri and Bastianini battled it out with some brutality to decide the podium, crossing the line with almost nothing to split them, as Roberts took his best Grand Prix finish in fourth after an impressive weekend – including going fastest on Friday and taking pole. Fifth went the way of Gardner after the Australian made up some impressive ground in the latter stages, ahead of Navarro, who was forced to settle for sixth.

Remy Gardner

“Qualifying could have been so much worse following my two crashes and considering how we ended the opening day. I was riding with a bit of pain in my back and ribs so to put it on the second row for the opening round was good damage limitation you could say. I didn’t make the perfect lap, but Sunday is when it counts. We had had good pace all weekend and, in the test, so I was confident for the race. We lost a lot of time in the first ten laps and I dropped all the way down to twelfth, but I never gave up and kept fighting and in the last few laps I thought we had a shot for the podium. One more lap and it could have been a trophy, but I can’t be unhappy with the work done, the team did a great job and it feels like a podium even if it’s not. Already looking forward to the next race, wherever it is and to pushing hard as ever.”

Remy Gardner

Marcel Schrötter took seventh after a solid performance on race day, with Aron Canet once again the fastest rookie and once again doing plenty to impress as he debuted in the intermediate class in P8. Xavi Vierge and Tom Lüthi completed the top ten.

Bo Bendsneyder slipped back from his second row qualifying on Sunday, but nevertheless brought home a good haul of points in P11, ahead of Marco Bezzecchi by the flag. Fabio Di Giannantonio was 13th, just beating Jake Dixon to the line by 0.016. The Brit was involved in the late race incident that put paid to Marini’s chance at points too as the two got a little close and the Italian crashed out, rider ok. Stefano Manzi therefore completed the points.

Qatar 2020 Moto2 Results Standing

Source: MCNews.com.au

MotoGP, Motorcycle News, Motorcycle Racing, News

Quarantine cancels MotoGP season opener

March 1, 2020 mcnews Leave a comment

MotoGP class cancelled at the Grand Prix of Qatar

Due to Qatar travel restrictions brought into force affecting passengers from Italy and other countries, the premier MotoGP class will not race at Losail, with FIM, IRTA and Dorna making the announcement of the cancellation of all MotoGP class sessions, including the race.

All passengers arriving at Doha on direct flights from Italy, or having been in Italy in the past two weeks, were being taken straight to quarantine for a minimum of 14 days. Italy’s vital role in the Championship and in the MotoGP class – both on track and off – meant the decision was made to cancel premier class competition.

Losail, Qatar

As the teams and riders of the Moto2 and Moto3 classes are already in Qatar for the three-day official test at Losail International Circuit earlier this week, the races of both categories will go ahead. The lightweight and intermediate classes will therefore compete in their season opener from the March 6-8. The same will apply to the Idemitsu Asia Talent Cup, which will have two races during the Qatar Grand Prix as originally planned. A revised schedule will be released soon.

Team Suzuki Ecstar shared they are naturally disappointed not to race but agree with the decision which was not taken lightly by the officials.

Davide Brivio – Team Suzuki Ecstar Team Manager

“Obviously It’s a big shame to have to cancel this first race of the season, as we were all really ready to start, and so were the MotoGP fans. Some of our team staff stayed in Qatar following the test days, as we were aware of the seriousness of the outbreak. But at this time the most important thing is the safety of the people, and we have to respect the decision made by the local authorities and by the MotoGP officials. It’s a delicate and strange time for everyone around the world and we need to take things race-by-race at the moment and see what develops in the coming weeks. I’d like to wish good luck to those riding in Moto2 and Moto3 next weekend, and I hope we can be back on the track soon.”

Davide Brivio
Source: MCNews.com.au

MotoGP, Motorcycle News, Motorcycle Racing, News

Bezzecchi fastest on Day 2 of Official Jerez Test

February 20, 2020 mcnews Leave a comment

2020 MotoGP

Official Jerez Test – Day 2

The second day of the Official Moto2 and Moto3 test at the Circuito de Jerez-Angel Nieto saw Marco Bezzecchi (Sky Racing Team VR46) storm to the top in the intermediate class, with Gabriel Rodrigo (Kömmerling Gresini Moto3) claiming P1 in the lightweight class – as both had done last week at the private test at the venue. The conditions allowed plenty of running once again, with the day warmer still and the field making the most of the southern Spanish weather.

Moto2

In Moto2, Bezzecchi set the timing screens alight in the second session of Day 2 to set a new lap record. The Italian’s 1:40.448 was enough to beat an incredible performance from rookie Aron Canet (Aspar Team) by 0.262 on Thursday, with the injured Jorge Martin (Red Bull KTM Ajo) claiming an equally impressive P3.

Aron Canet

Both Bezzecchi and Canet beat Remy Gardner’s (ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team) new lap record time set on Day 1, the Australian finishing P13 on the second day of action. Fourth on Thursday was the experienced Tom Lüthi (Liqui Moly Intact GP) as both the Swiss rider and Spaniard Jorge Navarro (Speed Up Racing) dipped below the 1:41 barrier.

Jorge Navarro

Aron Canet

“This second day has gone very well: I am happy because I have improved my time and my pace, but what I liked most is that I begin to understand the category, the laps, the tyres… We still have a lot to do, tomorrow I will try to complete a race simulation to see how I feel physically.”

Aron Canet

Xavi Vierge (Petronas Sprinta Racing) ended the day sixth fastest to finish 0.666 off Bezzecchi’s benchmark, but it wasn’t the day his teammate Jake Dixon would have been looking for. The British rider suffered a crash at Turn 2 in the second session which damaged his right-hand ring finger, the Moto2 sophomore will now miss Day 3 as he flies back to the UK for further medical checks.

Xavi Vierge

Seventh fastest went the way of Tetsuta Nagashima (Red Bull KTM Ajo), with Italians Lorenzo Baldassarri (FlexBox HP 40) and Luca Marini (SKY Racing Team VR46) next up, also finishing seventh tenths off top spot. Completing the top 10 was American Racing’s Joe Roberts, the American setting his best lap in the final session of the day.

One thing spotted in the EG 0,0 Marc VDS box was two extra bikes under Kalex covers for Augusto Fernandez. One of the two is expected to be testing Kalex’s 2020 chassis, something that Edgar Pons (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) tried on Day 1 and impressed with.

Moto2 Combined Times – Jerez Test Day 2

Source: MCNews.com.au

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