MOTOGP: Pedrosa Switches to Bridgestone...

...mid-season. Dani Pedrosa and Honda have made a daring switch from Michelin to Bridgestone tire brand immediately concluding the Misano round. Dani voiced his frustration with his team's current tire deal most severely following his disappointing 15th place finish at the Brno round. The Indianapolis GP will be ridden on new Bridgestone tires with relatively little prior testing.

MOTOGP RESULTS: Misano 2008: Race!

Brno all over again! Stoner looked to be pulling away but (supposedly due to a problem with his front tire), came off of the bike allowing Rossi to win. Rossi now extends his points lead to 75 for the season- with only a handful of races remaining:

1 Valentino Rossi Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha
2 Jorge Lorenzo Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha
3 Toni Elias Alice Team Ducati
4 Dani Pedrosa Repsol Honda Team Honda
5 Chris Vermeulen Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki
6 James Toseland Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha
7 Loris Capirossi Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki
8 Andrea Dovizioso JiR Scot Team Honda
9 Chris Vermeulen Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki
10 Colin Edwards Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha
11 Sylvain Guintoli Alice Team Ducati
12 Shinya Nakano San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda
13 Anthony West Kawasaki Racing Team Kawasaki
14 John Hopkins Kawasaki Racing Team Kawasaki

Aaron Yates Wins Superstock Title for '08

Aaron Yates podium result in the AMA Superstock race at Road Atlanta has ensured him the points championship title for the AMA 2008 Superstock season! Congrats to Yates.

Geoff May (Yates' Jordan Suzuki team-mate) took the race win.

AMA Superbike Results: Road Atlanta 2008 (race 1)

Mladin wins race one!

Tough day for Ben Spies, who had trouble with his bike at the start and came back up to speed only to receive a stop-go penalty for rolling out of his grid position. Spies then fought from 12th to a podium finish, despite his misfortune.

Jamie Hacking crossed the line in 13th place after an earlier spill.

1 Mathew Mladin Suzuki GSX-R1000
2 Ben Spies Suzuki GSX-R1000
3 Tommy Hayden Suzuki GSX-R1000
4 Aaron Yates Suzuki GSX-R1000
5 Eric Bostrom Yamaha YZF-R1
6 Jason DiSalvo Yamaha YZF-R1
7 Miguel DuHamel Honda CBR1000RR
8 Geoff May Suzuki GSX-R1000
9 Ben Thompson Suzuki GSX-R1000
10 Matt Lynn Honda CBR1000RR
11 Ryan Elleby GSX-R1000
12 David Anthony Suzuki GSX-R1000
13 Jamie Hacking Kawasaki ZX-10R
14 Joshua Day Yamaha YZF-R1
15 Keith Marshall Suzuki GSX-R1000
16 J Stroud Suzuki GSX-R1000
17 Scott Jensen Suzuki GSX-R1000
18 Hawk Mazzotta Suzuki GSX-R1000
19 Scott Carpenter Suzuki GSX-R1000
20 Kurtis Roberts Suzuki GSX-R1000

Misano MotoGP Qualifying Results 2008!

Casey stoner will start on pole position (his seventh in a row) in Italy. However, as we saw in Laguna Seca and Brno, Rossi can not be counted out, especially starting right beside Stoner, on the first row.

Here are the qualifying standings:

1 C. STONER AUS Ducati Marlboro Team 1'33.378
2 V. ROSSI ITA Fiat Yamaha Team + 0.510
3 J. LORENZO SPA Fiat Yamaha Team + 0.586
4 R. DE PUNIET FRA LCR Honda MotoGP + 0.858
5 T. ELIAS SPA Alice Team + 0.944
6 D. PEDROSA SPA Repsol Honda Team + 1.020
7 C. VERMEULEN AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP + 1.083
8 S. NAKANO JPN San Carlo Honda Gresini + 1.116
9 J. TOSELAND GBR Tech 3 Yamaha + 1.274
10 C. EDWARDS USA Tech 3 Yamaha + 1.417
11 L. CAPIROSSI ITA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP + 1.548
12 S. GUINTOLI FRA Alice Team + 1.583
13 A. DE ANGELIS RSM San Carlo Honda Gresini + 1.775
14 A. DOVIZIOSO ITA JiR Team Scot MotoGP + 2.003
15 M. MELANDRI ITA Ducati Marlboro Team + 2.040
16 N. HAYDEN USA Repsol Honda Team + 2.206
17 J. HOPKINS USA Kawasaki Racing Team + 2.602
18 A. WEST AUS Kawasaki Racing Team + 3.669

Ahhh, Kawasaki...

Leon Haslam and Cal Crutchlow to race in World Superbike

HM Plant Honda, top British Superbike contenders, will be entering riders Leon Haslam and Cal Crutchlow into the Donington round of the World Superbike Championship. Haslam is on a role and Donington is his one of his "home tracks", however both riders are multiple-time race winners, and have plenty of experience at the track. Haslam and Crutchlow are currently 3rd and 4th in BSB points, respectively.

Mat Mladin Disqualified!

After taking the AMA Superbike races at VIR by storm, tests on the crankshaft of Mat Mladin's Rockstar Makita Suzuki have led to AMA officials disqualifying Mladin from both races due to the crank not meeting AMA rule specification.

The clone bikes of Ben Spies and Tommy Hayden reportedly did not have the same tests performed, thus disqualification for the entire Rockstar Makita Suzuki team from the VIR event ranges from questionable to unlikely from what we can tell.

Read more at Soup

Technorati Profile

Ducati Sounds!

Enjoy:



Some Fly-bys:

CBR Sounds

Since we had Triumph 675 sounds HERE and will have Ducati sounds HERE, something for the Honda fans, CBR1000RR sound:

'04 with Akrapovic Evolution:



More Akrapovic ('06):



More CBR!:



And a short clip of a 2008 CBR100RR on the Dyno with a full Leo Vince Corsa titanium exhaust system:

MotoGP: Melandri confirms 2009 move to Kawasaki

In an earlier post (Rumors, Rumors, Rumors..., July 24th), I covered several of the latest rumors on who will be riding for whom in the 2009 season. It seems that the first big rumor on the list has come true, as Marco Melandri has signed to join John Hopkins on the Kawasaki MotoGP team next year.

The former 250cc World Champ has had a very disappointing stint with Marlboro Ducati, often struggling to break the top ten as well as being perpetually out-shined by current teammate, Casey Stoner (other than on rare occasions like Brno, where Melandri clinched a 7th place and Casey crashed out into a DNF result).

Melandri is a capable racer, and many other riders have stated that the Ducati is a unique bike which some riders mesh with, and others simply cannot control. He also states that he admires John Hopkins' skill, and believes that intra-team competition would drive both riders' race day results upwards.

Get the full story HERE.

Toriano Wilson RIP

So soon after the death of Craig Jones, I regret to inform you that on Monday, 14 year old Red Bull Rookies Cup rider Toriano Wilson passed away after a crash Virginia International Raceway. Another rider involved in the Crash, Luciano Ribodino was said to be in stable condition.

Click here for more at Superbike Planet ...

Triumph 675: Killer Sound

IXIL Exhaust systems:



Jardine:



On that note, the 2009 Triumph Daytona 675 will receive an update. Tweaked suspension and breaks, an impoved 'dashboard', and 3 extra horsepower seem to be what's new, other than very minor aesthetic changes.

MotoGP Brno Results 2008. Rossi Wins! Stoner Crashes!

(Photo: MotoGP.com)

Rossi wins!

Stoner crashes out!

1. V. Rossi
2. T. Elias
3. L Capirossi
4. S. Nakano
5. A. West
6. C. Vermeulen
7. M. Melandri
8. A. De Angelis
9. A. Dovizioso
10. J. Lorenzo
11. J. Hopkins
12. S. Guintoli
13. J. Toseland
14. C. Edwards
15. D. Pedrosa

Stoner looked to be on his way to an easy win, despite his illness, when his bike slipped out from under him on the 6th lap, opening the way for Rossi to finish the race with a comfortably 15 second gap between him and 2nd place Elias. What a stunning ride from Toni Elias, whom qualified 13th and fought his way to 2nd.

Debon took the win in 250 and Bradl in 125.

MotoGP Qualifying Update From Brno

1. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati Marlboro 2'11.657
2. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Fiat Yamaha Team 2'12.846
3. John Hopkins (USA) Kawasaki Racing 2'12.959

4. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Rizla Suzuki 2'13.002
5. Alex De Angelis (RSM) San Carlo Honda Gresini 2'13.352
6. Anthony West (AUS) Kawasaki Racing 2'14.064

7. Shinya Nakano (JPN) San Carlo Honda Gresini 2'14.718
8. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 2'14.805
9. Sylvain Guintoli (FRA) Alice Team 2'14.861

10. Randy De Puniet (FRA) LCR Honda MotoGP 2'15.535
11. Marco Melandri (ITA) Ducati Marlboro 2'15.880
12. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda 2'16.032

13. Toni Elias (SPA) Alice Team 2'16.510
14. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) JiR Team Scot MotoGP 2'17.632
15. Colin Edwards (USA) Tech 3 Yamaha 2'20.074

16. James Toseland (GBR) Tech 3 Yamaha 2'23.303
17. Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) Fiat Yamaha Team 2'23.701

Stoner is reportedly suffering from a nasty fever but still managed to grab pole position in the wet. It will be interesting to see how his condition affects his stamina at Brno with Rossi starting on the front row. Hopkins returns from an injury for Brno and puts America on the first row. Never rule out Vermy in the second row, who has always shown strength in wet races, if the conditions thus far are an omen for what will come during the race.

Check back for race results and other updates!

Tailgunner Exhaust

to The Tailgunner exhaust rotates with engine revs to resemble a Gatling gun, Check it out:

On an SV650



On an R1



Cheesy gimmick? Yes, but cool anyway (just don't put matching "spinnaz" on, please).

Kiyonari Doubles at Brands

Tom Sykes aboard his Rizla Suzuki GSX-R1000 at Brands Hatch

(Photo: www.worldsbk.com)

Although the death of Craig Jones put a real detached mood on this weekend, the racing went on, surely how Craig would have wanted it. Kiyonari took the double win at Brands in 2 hotly contested races.

Points leader Troy Bayliss had the jump on the pack in the first race,
but Kiyonari fought his way up through the pack to catch him late. Biaggi was not blisteringly fast midway through the race, however he closed from a gap of nearly 3 seconds to challenging for the win after the 2 leaders battle wore their tires thin. If this race was 5 laps longer, I believe Biaggi's pace would have handed him a comfortable win. Haga lost his front end fairly early in the race, and wildcard Tom Sykes' bike failed while battling in the front group as well.

1. Kiyonari R. (JPN) Honda CBR1000RR 36'18.607 (152,933 kph);
2. Bayliss T. (AUS) Ducati 1098 F08 0.137;
3. Biaggi M. (ITA) Ducati 1098 RS 08 0.180;
4. Kagayama Y. (JPN) Suzuki GSX-R1000 5.733;
5. Nieto F. (ESP) Suzuki GSX-R1000 6.499;
6. Checa C. (ESP) Honda CBR1000RR 6.984;
7. Neukirchner M. (GER) Suzuki GSX-R1000 8.300;
8. Corser T. (AUS) Yamaha YZF-R1 10.732;
9. Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098 RS 08 16.547;
10. Rolfo R. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 16.569;
11. Lanzi L. (ITA) Ducati 1098 RS 08 18.366;
12. Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098 F08 22.308;
13. Sofuoglu K. (TUR) Honda CBR1000RR 26.788;
14. Lavilla G. (ESP) Honda CBR1000RR 26.856;
15. Walker C. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 32.877;
16. Muggeridge K. (AUS) Honda CBR1000RR 38.329.

Race 2 saw Kiyonari once again lead and win, however as close as Bayliss was in race 1, Haga was in race 2, right on the tail of Kiyo virtually throughout. A somewhat distant Troy Corser improved for race 2 and rounded out the podium in third.

Biaggi ran off of the track early and could only come back to fight for a 12th place finish. Bayliss made a poor tire compound choice and after leading early, rapidly dropped back to finish in 11th, once again right in front of Biaggi as in the first race. Skyes had better luck this time around moving into 7th and Neukirchner gained strong points in 4th.

1. Kiyonari R. (JPN) Honda CBR1000RR 36'14.904 (153,193 kph);
2. Haga N. (JPN) Yamaha YZF-R1 1.848;
3. Corser T. (AUS) Yamaha YZF-R1 8.883;
4. Neukirchner M. (GER) Suzuki GSX-R1000 11.180;
5. Nieto F. (ESP) Suzuki GSX-R1000 12.928;
6. Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098 F08 13.696;
7. Sykes T. (GBR) Suzuki GSX-R1000 13.872;
8. Checa C. (ESP) Honda CBR1000RR 14.009;
9. Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098 RS 08 19.065;
10. Lanzi L. (ITA) Ducati 1098 RS 08 19.864;
11. Bayliss T. (AUS) Ducati 1098 F08 20.479;
12. Biaggi M. (ITA) Ducati 1098 RS 08 20.621;
13. Lavilla G. (ESP) Honda CBR1000RR 20.722;
14. Rolfo R. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 24.512;
15. Walker C. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 32.090;
16. Laconi R. (FRA) Kawasaki ZX-10R 32.207.

These are how the points standings look after Brands Hatch '08. No major differences:

1. Bayliss (Ducati) 334;
2. Neukirchner (Suzuki) 252;
3. Corser (Yamaha) 242;
4. Checa (Honda) 233;
5. Haga (Yamaha) 230;
6. Nieto (Suzuki) 183;
7. Biaggi (Ducati) 166;
8. Kiyonari (Honda) 165;
9. Fabrizio (Ducati) 161;
10. Xaus (Ducati) 148.

Manufacturers points:

1. Ducati 403;
2. Yamaha 345;
3. Suzuki 303;
4. Honda 297;
5. Kawasaki 64.

Laconi had very poor luck once again this weekend and things just don't look competitive on any level for Kawasaki.

Craig Jones Dies After Supersport Crash at Brands Hatch

I'm not posting World Superbike results yet because not all of us in the US have seen it aired on TV yet, however I will have to pass on some sad news from the supersport class...

23 year old British rider Craig Jones has passed away due to head injuries caused by his Brands Hatch crash. Craig was battling for the lead in front of his home crowd aboard his Parkalgar Honda when he low-sided at Clark Curve. He was then accidentally struck from behind by the wheel of Andrew Pitt. The race was stopped and Craig was airlifted to Royal London Hospital with severe head injuries and reportedly resuscitated four times before being pronounced dead early August 4, 2008. R.I.P. Craig, and I know we have to say it all too often in this hobby, but he died doing what he loved.

Chaos at Mid-Ohio

Photo: amasuperbike.com

AMA Superbike race 1 at Mid-Ohio was shaping up to be a great contest. Yes you read that right. A good AMA Superbike race. This was thanks to Jamie Hacking actually RACING the Rockstar Makita Suzukis of Ben Spies and Mat Mladin- even putting up the same or faster lap times early on. Not trying to keep up; actually challenging for the win. Alas, it was not meant to be.

The race started and immediately Spies, Mladin and Hacking looked the most comfortable with the track, with the rest of the riders fighting for 4th place. Then Neil Hodgson's motor blew out and the track had a nice layer of oil and "fluid" lathered across the entry to a corner with virtually zero runoff room before a row of hay bails. Several riders go down or off the track, and reportedly the incompetent track workers were afraid to throw a flag until they got word from track central command, resulting in a rider (Robertino Pietri) literally running up and ripping the red flag away to wave to the other racers. Very heroic. Shane Narbonne and Dean Mizdal hospitalized.

The race was then restarted and just as things get going between Mladin and Hacking again... both crash out, Mladins bike is left laying in the middle of the track. A "fan" reportedly had the clever idea of emptying out his beverage cooler on the bridge directly over the track, showering it. Red flag again.

We get going again, but not for long, Matt Lynn crashes out and his gas tank is punctured, setting his bike on fire. Duhamel follows him into the same gravel trap. Red flag out as if by reflex.

A couple things should be noted... more incompetence from the Mid-Ohio track workers. Hacking was left to push his bike around half the circuit back to the pits as nobody was "given the word" to hitch him a ride. Hacking, exhausted after restarting a race multiple times and running his Kawasaki back to this pits is seen screaming in anger. Also, lets not forget Ben Spies is recovering from abdominal surgery. Reportedly in avoiding one of the crashes, he aggravated the injury and was riding in moderate to severe pain, even though by the end of the race he didn't look much more tired/slow compared with anyone else. One more thing: the location of the hay bails on the first red flag crash should have been an extremely obvious candidate for an airfence. AMA Superbike is not some minor club racing event, and even many of those have air-fences nowadays. After the first rider went down, several of the hay bails were moved exposing bare wall.

The final 9 laps went green after another restart and heres how it finished up, an incredibly awkward race somehow landed with another predictable and bland result. Not to take anything away from Mladin and Spies, they rode well as always, but Hacking being right up there with them made him the obvious star of the day.

1. Mat Mladin (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, 19 laps, crash
2. Ben Spies (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, -1.965 seconds
3. Jamie Hacking (Kaw ZX-10R), Dunlop, -2.423, crash
4. Jason DiSalvo (Yam YZF-R1), Dunlop, -7.940
5. Tommy Hayden (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, -8.729
6. Roger Hayden (Kaw ZX-10R), Dunlop, -11.526
7. Eric Bostrom (Yam YZF-R1), Dunlop, -11.653
8. Geoff May (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, -15.569 *
9. Chris Peris (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, -20.666 *
10. Scott Jensen (Suz GSX-R1000), Pirelli, -21.922
11. Ben Thompson (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, -25.192
12. David Anthony (Suz GSX-R1000), Pirelli, -31.441 *
13. Ryan Elleby (Suz GSX-R1000), Pirelli, -31.888 *
14. Hawk Mazzotta (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, -32.128 *
15. Scotty Van Hawk (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, -60.066
16. Johnny Rock Page (Yam YZF-R1), Dunlop
17. Reno Karimian (Suz GSX-R1000)
18. Aaron Yates (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, -5 laps
19. Matt Lynn (Hon CBR1000RR), Dunlop, -9 laps, DNF, crash
20. Kenny Noyes (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, -9 laps, DNF, mechanical *
21. Miguel Duhamel (Hon CBR1000RR), Dunlop, -10 laps, DNF, crashed twice
22. Neil Hodgson (Hon CBR1000RR), Dunlop, -12 laps, DNF, mechanical
23. Robertino Pietri (Suz GSX-R1000), Pirelli, -12 laps, DNF, crash *
24. Shane Narbonne (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, -12 laps, DNF, crash *
25. Dean Mizdal (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, -12 laps, DNF, crash
26. Keith Marshall (Suz GSX-R1000), Pirelli, -19 laps, DNF, crash

Superbike Race 2 Results, no big story here:

1. Mat Mladin (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, 26 laps
2. Ben Spies (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, -6.357 seconds
3. Jamie Hacking (Kaw ZX-10R), Dunlop, -20.617
4. Neil Hodgson (Hon CBR1000RR), Dunlop, -27.827
5. Tommy Hayden (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, -30.492
6. Miguel Duhamel (Hon CBR1000RR), Dunlop, -31.425
7. Jason DiSalvo (Yam YZF-R1), Dunlop, -52.772
8. Geoff May (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, -66.266 *
9. Chris Peris (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, -73.657 *
10. Kenny Noyes (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, -85.880 *
11. Ben Thompson (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, -1 lap
12. David Anthony (Suz GSX-R1000), Pirelli, -1 lap, -4.341 seconds *
13. Ryan Elleby (Suz GSX-R1000), Pirelli, -1 lap, -7.196 *
14. Hawk Mazzotta (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, -1 lap, -14.218 *
15. Keith Marshall (Suz GSX-R1000), Pirelli, -1 lap, -47.040 *
16. Scotty Van Hawk (Suz GSX-R1000), -1 lap, -76.789
17. Reno Karimian (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, -2 laps
18. Johnny Rock Page (Yam YZF-R1), Dunlop, -3 laps
19. Aaron Yates (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, -9 laps, DNF, crash
20. Eric Bostrom (Yam YZF-R1), Dunlop, -13 laps, DNF, mechanical
21. Scott Jensen (Suz GSX-R1000), Pirelli, -15 laps, DNF, crash
22. Roger Hayden (Kaw ZX-10R), Dunlop, -18 laps, DNF, mechanical
23. Robertino Pietri (Suz GSX-R1000), Pirelli, -24 laps, DNF, retired *
24. Matt Lynn (Hon CBR1000RR), Dunlop, DNS
25. Shane Narbonne (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, DNS *
26. Dean Mizdal (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, DNS

Josh Hayes took Formula Xtreme after Garret Carter had a scary crash and was reportedly out for 2+ minutes, prompting officials to stop the race. Aaron Yates wins in superstock. Ben Bostrom looks dominant in Supersport aboard the Yamaha, but Zemke and Honda have petitioned for the AMA to inspect illegal modifications to Bostom's motorcycle. Hayden Gillim took the Red Bull Rookies Cup race.