Motourage

The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team is delighted to announce it has reached an agreement with current Repsol Honda rider Andrea Dovizioso for the 2012 MotoGP World Championship.

The 25-year-old brings a wealth of experience to the French-based Tech 3 Team having proven to be one of the fastest and most consistent performers on the grid since his MotoGP debut in 2008.

Five podium finishes, including four second places in 2011, have put Dovizioso in a fantastic third place in the World Championship standings with just three races remaining.

The Italian, who was 125cc World Champion in 2004 and twice runner-up in the 250cc class, will join Cal Crutchlow at Tech 3 for the hugely anticipated first season of the new 1000cc MotoGP era, which kicks off in Qatar on April 15, 2012.

Andrea Dovizioso
I’m happy to have reached this agreement with Tech 3 for next year and I want to thank Hervé Poncharal for the opportunity he is giving me. I am excited to become part of Hervé’s squad and to be teamed with Cal. I am sure this new challenge will be exciting, motivating and fun. Now that 2012 is sorted I want to focus on finishing the season in the best possible way.”

Hervé Poncharal, Team Manager
“I am delighted that a rider of Andrea’s stature has decided to commit his future to Tech 3 and Yamaha. He is without doubt one of the fastest riders in the world who has proven on a regular basis that he is capable of challenging for the podium in MotoGP. I am thrilled that he trusts the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team to take his career to the next level and we can look forward to 2012 with high expectations. I am convinced that with Andrea and Cal we have one of the strongest line-ups on the grid in 2012 and both of them will demonstrate the potential of Yamaha’s new 1000cc machine.”

Cal Crutchlow is Tech 3's sole representative this weekend with Colin Edwards uncharacteristically missing the event due to a broken collarbone.

Cal Crutchlow will start tomorrow’s Gran Premi Aperol de Catalunya from sixth position on the grid after the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team rider produced another outstanding qualifying performance this afternoon.

The 2009 World Supersport champion was a serious contender for the top six throughout today’s session, run in warmer conditions than expected as temperatures peaked at 25 degrees C.

Crutchlow spent the majority of the session working to improve the side grip performance with his Bridgestone rear tire options, the British rider soaring into fourth place on the timesheets when he posted a lap of 1.43.501 with just more than 15 minutes left on the clock.

As the pace heated up in the final few minutes, Crutchlow slipped down the rankings to sixth position. He kept his cool though and showed how quickly he’s mastered the technical Montmelo circuit by producing a stunning final lap of 1.43.202 to claim his second successive start from the second row of the grid. He finished just more then 0.4″ away from reigning World Champion Jorge Lorenzo, who qualified his factory Yamaha YZR-M1 machine in third spot on the front row for tomorrow’s 25-lap race.

Colin Edwards has already commenced his recovery from the broken right collarbone he suffered in a crash during the second free practice yesterday afternoon. The popular American underwent a successful operation on the damaged collarbone at the USP Institut Universitari Dexeus of Barcelona this morning. The procedure was carried out by specialist surgeons Dr Xavier Mir, Head of the Hand Surgery Unit of the Orthopedics Department of the USP Institut Universitari Dexeus, and Dr Victor Marlet. A plate and seven screws were inserted to stabilize the injury.

Edwards will remain under observation in hospital for the next 24 to 48 hours, but the 37-year-old is already in good spirits and planning a return to his Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team at the earliest opportunity. The collarbone injury ends the Texan’s proud record of starting 141 consecutive races since his MotoGP debut back in 2003.

Cal Crutchlow, 6th, 1.43.202, 22 laps
“I’m happy enough to be on the second row of the grid again because this is another track I’ve come to with zero experience and I’ve shown my raw speed and proved a few people wrong. Ben (Spies) was fifth here last year and I was trying to get that one place higher up to equal it, but I can’t be disappointed with sixth on the grid. All credit it to the Team because they have done a fantastic job again. We’ve still got some work to do to improve the side grip but I’m confident we can make the set-up better for the race. As soon as I open the throttle I’m struggling for grip, so if we can improve in that area we should be on course for a strong result. As I get faster and faster I have to keep changing my riding style but I think I can have an interesting race if I can get away from the start. It’s a long run down to the first corner here so I need a good start to avoid getting bunched up at the beginning. It’s a shame Colin is not here because I can learn lot from him on the data that helps me out a lot, particularly with lines. I heard he sent the Team a text saying he wanted to see me ‘kick some ass’, so hopefully I can do that for him tomorrow.”

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Colin Edwards made a stunning return to the top six in MotoGP yesterday at Motegi, the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team rider producing his best performance of 2010 to finish in a richly deserved fifth position.

With predicted rain never materializing, the 24-lap race was run in mild conditions and Edwards made a fast getaway from fifth place on the grid. He held fifth for the opening two laps, the American engaged in an exciting early fight with Italian duo Marco Simoncelli and Loris Capirossi.

Simoncelli took fifth on lap three but having comfortably pulled away from Capirossi, Edwards used all of his experience to exert intense pressure on Simoncelli. Knowing he was capable of running a much faster pace, Edwards was content to stalk Simoncelli until he made his decisive attack on lap 18.

Edwards then clearly demonstrated his superior speed, the 36-year-old opening up a three second gap on Simoncelli in the last seven laps to secure his best finish since the final round of 2009 in Valencia.

A sixth successive start from the second row of the grid had raised expectations that Ben Spies could continue his outstanding recent form. But a mistake under braking at turn five forced him into the gravel trap on lap two. Spies lost eight seconds with the off-track excursion and dropped down to 15th before he embarked on an enthralling recovery.

The Texan showcased his overtaking skills with a series of breathtaking moves that delighted a large contingent of Yamaha supporters in the 40,113-strong crowd. Lapping close to the pace of the leading group in the final stages after gambling with a radically revised front and rear suspension set-up, Spies clawed his way back into the top ten on lap 12 and eventually finished in eighth.

Colin Edwards 5th – 81 points
“In terms of the result I’m really happy because it is my first top six finish of the year and I think it was deserved after all the hard work the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team and me have been putting in to improve our results. And it is always good to get a result in Japan with the race being so important for Yamaha and the Tech 3 Team. I rode good all weekend and was only four-tenths off pole, but what I’m a little disappointed about is that I’m 27 seconds behind the winner. That’s a big chunk of time and I’m riding as hard as I can. I feel comfortable and I feel good on the bike now we improved the setting but I guess we just have to shoot for being top non-factory rider. It was hard in the first few laps because I didn’t have a lot of feel in the left-side of the rear tire. But once I got confident, Simoncelli passed me but I was happy just to sit behind him and study him, check where I was faster while making sure I wasn’t going to leave the door open for Capirossi. I think my rear tire had good grip for a little bit longer than Simoncelli’s and I managed to pass him, put my head down for a couple of laps and managed to pull a gap.”

Ben Spies 8th – 139 points
“Considering everything that happened this weekend with me not being totally happy with the bike and then running off early on, I’m extremely happy to finish eighth, especially coming from 15th. We made a big change to the bike before the race with the geometry in the front and I ran a rear shock that we hadn’t run all weekend and it was a big step. It was a big gamble but it paid off. The front was a bit better in the turns and we definitely had better traction and it made the bike a bit easier to ride and more confidence inspiring. Going into turn five I think Loris was in front of me and it seemed like he braked really, really early. To avoid hitting him I had to move over and get on the curb and run off track. After my pace in the warm-up I was wondering how I would be able to fight with anybody but I made some passes and I never gave up. I rode as hard as I could and while it wasn’t my best result it was still a really good race. Even coming through the field I was still turning some really fast laps that without the mistake would have given me a chance of running in the top five.”

Herve Poncharal – Team Manager
“I am very happy with today’s race and I think Colin and Ben performed at their maximum in the home race for Yamaha. We were determined to do well for Yamaha and I don’t think we disappointed with both of them performing incredibly well. I think everybody at Yamaha and the Japanese fans really enjoyed the way both of them performed. Colin had by far his best result of the season and this weekend he has been back to the outstanding form he showed all last season. He’s been working hard with his Monster Yamaha Tech 3 crew for several races now to improve and this weekend that effort paid off. He had a good battle with Simoncelli that Colin won comfortably and I think we saw he used his experience today. It was unfortunate that Ben ran off the track so early because his potential was much higher than eighth. His fighting spirit was unbelievable and he never gave up and his lap times at the end would have easily put him in the top five. He demonstrated his determination today and after a positive winter test at Sepang, I’m confident he can be challenging back at the front again in Malaysia next weekend.”

Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd is delighted to announce that current Yamaha Tech 3 rider Ben Spies will move to the Factory Team for the 2011 MotoGP season.

Lin Jarvis, Ben Spies and Herve Poncharal at Indy

The 26-year-old American, who won the World Superbike Championship with Yamaha in 2009, is enjoying an impressive first season in MotoGP. He is currently the leading rookie and the top satellite rider, lying seventh in the championship.

“We’re delighted that Ben will join the Factory Team for next season,” said Lin Jarvis, Managing Director of Yamaha Motor Racing. “Ben has shown great promise in his first ten MotoGP races. He has learnt rapidly and recorded strong results, including a well-deserved podium finish at Silverstone – impressive for someone in their first full season.

“We believe that Ben will be a future title contender and that he will be a good fit with our team. His mission next year will be to continue learning, consistently challenge for podium places and try to win some races. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Herve Poncharal and the Tech 3 Team for taking care of Ben this season and for giving him such good training for the years ahead. I hope that he will repay them by getting some more podium results in the second half of this season and helping them to secure top satellite team status at the end of this year.”

Spies added “My first year in MotoGP has been a great learning curve and for that I have to thank Herve Poncharal, all the team at Tech 3 and especially my American mechanics who have stuck by me throughout this great journey so far. Having previously been to only four of the ten tracks to date, I have to be pleased with where I am and with having achieved my first podium so soon. I’m especially pleased that Yamaha have recognized the potential in me and given me the opportunity to step up to the Factory Team so early in my GP career. I believe that by working closely with the Yamaha staff and my mechanics we will be able to help develop the M1 and make the next step of challenging for regular podiums, followed by future championships.”

Lorenzo extends championship lead with win at Assen

Jorge Lorenzo put in another textbook performance at Assen on Saturday, leaving his rivals trailing as he led from the front to win the 80th Dutch TT and take his fourth victory of the season. In doing so he becomes only the seventh rider in history to have won in three or more classes at the historic racetrack, with 125cc, 250cc and MotoGP wins to his name. Meanwhile Tech 3 Yamaha rider Ben Spies ensured that there were still two Yamahas in the top four, despite the absence of Valentino Rossi, with another brilliant performance to back up his maiden podium last week.

Lorenzo had looked the man to beat all weekend after topping both practice and qualifying, and he got a great start from pole position and quickly pulled out a second’s gap. But, by lap five, Dani Pedrosa and Casey Stoner were looming large behind him, and for a few laps it looked as if a tense three-way battle was in the offing. However Lorenzo’s choice of the harder Bridgestone tire soon began to pay off and, with a lighter fuel load by mid-race distance, he was able to step things up a notch and gave himself an unassailable lead, crossing the line 2.935 seconds ahead of Pedrosa, with Stoner third and Spies fourth.

The Fiat Yamaha man’s second win on the bounce sees him extend his championship lead to an impressive 47 points from Pedrosa, while Rossi remains fourth in the standings. The next round comes in just a week’s time at Barcelona in Spain, when Wataru Yoshikawa will join the Fiat Yamaha Team to fill in until Rossi is back on board his M1.

Jorge Lorenzo – 1st, Time: 41’18.629
“This race was a bit more difficult than Silverstone because Dani was so fast with the softer tire early on in the race and I had to really keep my concentration to stay in front of him at that point. I was confident that my harder Bridgestone tire would help me later on and this was the case, so we made the right choice. It wasn’t easy though and at the end I was sliding quite a lot, in fact I made a mistake at the chicane and nearly crashed so I was quite glad to finish! I am really happy that I have won here in all three classes because it’s such a historic place and the football I had in Parc Ferme was to celebrate this ‘hat-trick.’ Thanks to all my Yamaha guys and also to Bridgestone for this win, we have a big lead in the championship so we can afford to stay calm and relaxed. Now we go to my home in Barcelona and I am excited about another chance to race in front of the Spanish fans.”
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