The FIM has released the provisional roster for the 2012 MotoGP season, which starts on April 8 at the Losail International Circuit near Doha in the Arabian state of Qatar. For the fifth season, the MotoGP calendar will kick off under the desert lights with the Commercialbank Grand Prix of Qatar.
1 CASEY STONER AUS – HONDA TEAM, HONDA
4 ANDREA DOVIZIOSO ITA – YAMAHA TECH 3, YAMAHA
5 COLIN EDWARDS USA – FORWARD RACING, SUTER*
6 STEFAN BRADL GER – LCR HONDA MotoGP, HONDA
8 HECTOR BARBERA SPA – PRAMAC RACING TEAM, DUCATI
9 DANILO PETRUCCI ITA – IODA RACING PROJECT, IODA*
11 BEN SPIES USA – YAMAHA FACTORY RACING, YAMAHA
13 ANTHONY WEST AUS – SPEED MASTER, ART*
14 RANDY DE PUNIET FRA – ASPAR TEAM MotoGP, ART*
17 KAREL ABRAHAM CZE – CARDION AB MOTORACING, DUCATI
19 ALVARO BAUTISTA SPA – HONDA GRESINI, HONDA
20 ALEIX ESPARGARO SPA – ASPAR TEAM MotoGP, ART*
22 IVAN SILVA SPA – BQR, BQR-FTR*
26 DANI PEDROSA SPA – HONDA TEAM, HONDA
35 CAL CRUTCHLOW GBR – YAMAHA TECH 3, YAMAHA
46 VALENTINO ROSSI ITA – DUCATI TEAM, DUCATI
51 MICHELE PIRRO ITA – HONDA GRESINI, FTR*
68 YONNY HERNANDEZ COL – BQR, BQR-FTR*
69 NICKY HAYDEN USA – DUCATI TEAM, DUCATI
77 JAMES ELLISON GBR – PAUL BIRD RACING, ART*
99 JORGE LORENZO SPA – YAMAHA FACTORY RACING, YAMAHA
Defending Canadian Observed Trials and Superbike champion Jordan Szoke
Organized by the International Motorcycling Federation (FIM), the Trial des Nations is the most important international motorcycle trials competition. It has been held annually since 1984 at different countries. Each team is composed of four riders in the male category, and since 2000, three riders in the female category. The team with fewest total penalties is awarded the title.
It is a true honor to represent your country in the Trials Des Nations, which could be described as the Olympics of Observed Trials. The Canadian Team is made up of the top Canadian riders who work hard throughout the season to ready themselves to compete against other countries in Tolmezzo, Italy on Sept 18, 2011.
2011 Team Canada:
Jordan Szoke – Ontario
Jonathan English – Ontario
Will Duggan – British Columbia
Devon D’Argis – British Columbia
Jon Nelson – Ontario (Minder)
The current major obstacle with sending a Canadian Trials Team to Europe is funding. Without funding and support we simply would not be able to represent our country abroad. Donations are accepted directly to the CMA and your sponsorship will be acknowledged on the CMA TDN Web Page.
For more information on how you can help the Canadian TDN Team Contact Bob Billyard at bob@ossacanada.ca.
The 2010 Qtel FIM Endurance World Championship has wind in its sails. The entry list for the next 24 Hours of Le Mans broke new records with 31 Permanent teams this season, and applications are still flowing. The 24 Hours of Le Mans, opening round of the Qtel FIM Endurance World Championship, will take place on April 17 and 18 and will be an unprecedented popular event. The organizers have received 80 application forms; however, there are only 64 places available for the qualifying session on the Bugatti race track for the 24 Hours event.
The record level of entries includes high numbers of very competitive teams. Not less than 10 different brands, many of them with official support, are competing in three different classes at Le Mans: Formula EWC, Superstock and Open. Twelve different nationalities and four tire suppliers will be present on the starting grid.
The 2010 Qtel FIM Endurance World Championship has several assets to explain that success. It is an international championship in which the costs of participation are still limited. The free choice of the tire manufacturer is also one of its characteristics. This leaves to the team great opportunities of partnership and sponsorship, and has also allowed a new tire supplier, Bridgestone, to officially join the championship. Last but not least, the increasing media and TV coverage of the Qtel FIM Endurance World Championship gives more and more popularity to each of the race events. Read more…
Treasure Racing attended Winton Motor Raceway in Northern Victoria recently to continue its bike testing to increase its knowledge of the new LCR Chassis adjustments in preparation for the 2010 FIM World Championship. The main purpose of the day was to focus on suspension.
The Treasure Racing LCR Suzuki of Adam Treasure and Darren Dewhurst
The Winton racetrack has become quite a bit bumpier in the years since Adam or Darren last rode at the track in 2006. The bumpy track created an environment to test the suspension adjustments allowing Adam to focus on obtaining the perfect balance between low impact ripples while still maintaining composure over the harder hitting bumps for the LCR.
Pilot Adam Treasure and passenger Darren Dewhurst at Winton
The day started out slow with each test session becoming quicker as adjustments were made. The Sidecar lap record at this track was set by Stacey Sellar at 1:30.088 in 2006, Adam and Darren managed to go out in their last session and lap consistently in the mid to low 1:30’s until the final lap when the boys posted a new un-official lap record of 1:29.63.
Thanks must go to Mick DeWith and Justin Sheppard for their help throughout the day. We would like to take this opportunity to announce that Treasure Racing now has it’s own official Website. We can be found at www.treasureracing.com Thanks to our Website designer and Host Bradley Brown for all of his help and input.
Feel free to drop into our website and sign on to the forum and comments page to keep up to date with our achievements throughout 2010.
The final round of the 2009 FIM Motocross Women’s World Championship at Lierop in Holland was a surprise stage for the teenage talents of Yamaha 3C Racing’s Chiara Fontanesi. The 15 year old from Parma not only gave her native Italy two causes for celebration on the same weekend that Tony Cairoli became MX1-GP world champion but also provided the rare sight of a two-stroke machine on a Grand Prix podium thanks to her efforts of 1st and 2nd positions for 2nd overall on a YZ125. In two years of the female series receiving FIM status and from a further two years previously as a ‘World Cup’ Fontanesi’s success was the first for Yamaha.
Fontanesi’s previous best result in the 2009 campaign had been 7th position taken at the Grand Prix of France and her effective speed in the sand of Lierop for the Dutch meeting of the seven-race competition that runs concurrently with the MX1-GP and MX2-GP contests was unexpected to all; except the rider herself.
“I had been training for a few weeks in the sand before the GP and I thought a good result might be possible but when I saw the times on Saturday in practice I believed a podium would be very difficult,” she said after setting the 11th best lap in the first session. “I then started quite well in both heats and felt really comfortable with the pace I was running.”
“It was incredible to win that first moto and Stephanie pushed right until the end. This is a dream result to end the season,” she added.
The youngster had her first off-road race as a five year old and the sound of the YZ125 two-stroke chimes brought back pleasant memories for spectators around the circuit who last saw one of the machines triumph in the 2004 MX2-GP series before four-strokes came to rule the scene.
Fontanesi has been riding for the Italian 3C Racing squad this season and accumulated points in 6 of the 7 events to place 9th in the world ranking at her first attempt. Expect more from this new star in 2010.
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