Motourage

Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team rider Colin Edwards rode to a hard fought eighth place finish in front of a large home crowd at the Laguna Seca Circuit earlier today.

Today’s race started in gloriously sunny conditions with temperatures reaching 23 degrees and a sun-drenched crowd of 52,670 were treated to an exciting battle throughout the 32-lap encounter.

Edwards seized eighth from Hector Barbera exiting the famous Corkscrew section on lap 14 but he was already six seconds adrift of the battle for sixth place involving Ducati duo Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden.

He was able to run identical lap times to nine-times world champion Rossi and double Laguna Seca MotoGP winner Hayden in the middle phase of the race. But he was unable to reduce the gap and he opted not to take any unnecessary risks to ensure he collected eigth valuable World Championship points.

Today’s result, which was the 37-year-old’s seventh top-ten finish of the campaign, moved him up one place in the overall rankings after to consolidate his position as the leading non-factory rider in 2011.

Cal Crutchlow’s debut at the spectacular Laguna Seca circuit was unfortunately a short experience; the British rider’s hopes of a return to the top 10 ended by an early crash.

1 27 Casey Stoner Honda 32 43’52.145
2 1 Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha 32 43’57.779 5.634
3 26 Daniel Pedrosa Honda 32 44’01.612 9.467
4 11 Ben Spies Yamaha 32 44’12.707 20.562
5 4 Andrea Dovizioso Honda 32 44’13.030 20.885
6 46 Valentino Rossi Ducati 32 44’22.496 30.351
7 69 Nicky Hayden Ducati 32 44’23.176 31.031
8 5 Colin Edwards Yamaha 32 44’37.647 45.502
9 8 Héctor Barberá Ducati 32 44’43.694 51.549
10 7 Hiroshi Aoyama Honda 32 45’00.995 1’08.850
11 17 Karel Abraham Ducati 32 45’01.277 1’09.132
12 65 Loris Capirossi Ducati 31 44’05.129 1 Lap
13 24 Toni Elías Honda 31 44’29.962 1 Lap
19 Alvaro Bautista Suzuki 13 18’06.782 Retirement
23 Ben Bostrom Honda 8 12’09.042 Retirement
58 Marco Simoncelli Honda 6 8’21.101 Retirement
35 Cal Crutchlow Yamaha 3 4’18.554 Retirement

Rizla Suzuki’s Alvaro Bautista ended today’s U.S. Grand Prix at Laguna Seca in the gravel after crashing out on lap 14.

Bautista made a confident start from 12th on the grid and had moved up a place by the end of lap one. He produced a couple of very strong passes over the next few laps to move into eighth place and join the battle for sixth between the two Ducatis of Nicky Hayden and Valentino Rossi. Bautista closed the gap on the pair, and it looked like the crowd was in for a repeat of last week’s exciting battle between the three, but unfortunately Bautista low-sided his Suzuki GSV-R and, although he remounted his bike, he was unable to get it restarted and had to retire from the race.

The crowd of 52,670 that gathered on the hillsides that surround the Laguna Seca circuit were again treated to bright blue skies and brilliant sunshine as they witnessed current championship leader Casey Stoner take his fifth victory of the season on a Factory Honda. Reigning World Champion Jorge Lorenzo was second with Dani Pedrosa filling the final podium place.

Rizla Suzuki and Bautista now embark on a short Summer Break before resuming the 2011 season at Brno in the Czech Republic on Sunday August 14th, when Bautista will be joined by John Hopkins who is making a Wild card appearance at the eastern European circuit.

Alvaro Bautista:
“I am very, very disappointed after today and really frustrated because although we did a really good job all weekend, we didn’t get the result we deserved and I crashed. We tried many different things here this weekend and used a completely different setting to last year and we managed to get the same good feeling as we had in Germany. This is the best I have felt on a bike in my MotoGP career so I know things are moving in the right direction. I think we made a mistake on Friday and Saturday because we didn’t try the soft front tyre in the afternoons. I think the hard tyre here wasn’t too bad, but it didn’t give me the feeling I wanted in the corners – the grip wasn’t too bad, but it just didn’t transmit enough information. For the race I started with a hard front and I now think it was a mistake not to use a soft one. I got a good start, but some riders closed up in front of me and I couldn’t get past, but I did make up one place on the first lap. I overtook some other guys and got behind the Ducatis, but I was a bit far away and had to catch them up.

“My rhythm was really good and I had a lot of confidence in the bike, but I lost the front without any reason and crashed. I had entered that corner at the same speed and in the same place in previous laps so I don’t know what happened. I am happy with the work we did this weekend and pleased with my level on the bike. Before the crash I was fighting for sixth or seventh and I know we can be there now and we have to keep working at this level and higher in the next races. We now have some time to relax and charge our batteries, so we can be full-gas for Brno.”

Paul Denning – Team Manager:
“I am really disappointed today for everyone at Suzuki, Rizla, the team itself; and of course for Alvaro. Starting from 12th was never going to make the job easy, but a very aggressive first couple of laps, and then settling in to a good rhythm saw him right back in the fight and another entertaining duel with the Factory Ducatis was on the cards. Equally, once the race settled down, our lap-times were not so different from Dovizioso and Spies battling for fourth, so despite today’s disappointment, there are a lot of positives to take from this weekend at Laguna Seca. We’ll be arriving in Brno with two riders and looking to keep the positive momentum going!”

Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix Race Classification: 1. Casey Stoner (Honda) 43’52.145: 2. Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) +5.634: 3. Dani Pedrosa (Honda) +9.467: 4. Ben Spies (Yamaha) +20.562: 5. Andrea Dovizioso (Honda) +20.885: DNF. Alvaro Bautista (Rizla Suzuki MotoGP).

World Championship Classification: 1. Stoner 193: 2. Lorenzo 173: 3. Dovizioso 143: 4. Pedrosa 110: 5. Valentino Rossi (Ducati) 108. 13. Alvaro Bautista (Rizla Suzuki MotoGP) 39.

Under bright blue skies, AMA Pro road racers spent Friday warming up for the weekend’s Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix action at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, where they’ll join international MotoGP athletes on the world stage. The SuperBike and SportBike riders turned practice laps at the 11-turn, 2.238-mile racetrack today, while the SuperSport class knocked out practice and the first of two qualifying sessions.

Reigning AMA Superbike champion Josh Hayes

Reigning Superbike champion, Graves Yamaha’s Josh Hayes, topped the timesheets with a 1:25.362. “It was a standard first practice for us,” said Hayes. “We ran through our usual checklist of tires and parts to see if we could go fast. The session was busy on the track; you could tell there were a number of riders who hadn’t been to this racetrack before.”

SuperBike points leader, Suzuki’s Blake Young, was second, less than three tenths behind the leader, putting him and Hayes alone in riders within the 1:25 frame. “The session went pretty good,” said Young. “It started kind of slow because we made some big changes, but we got back out and started to go to work.”

Blake’s teammate, Tommy Hayden, clocked in third-quickest, with Martin Cardenas and Roger Hayden rounding out the top five.

In Daytona SportBike, three-time 2011 race winner, Ducati’s Jason DiSalvo, grabbed the fast time of 1:29.352 in closing stages of the class’ single on-track session. Danny Eslick, the current championship points leader, slotted in second after topping the time charts for the majority of the session, likewise dipping into the 1:29 range with a 1:29.648. Yamaha’s Josh Herrin was just tenths behind for third-quickest, followed by Celtic Racing/Fast by Ferracci’s P.J. Jacobson and Mid-Ohio Race 1 winner, Dane Westby.

“I was happy to be able to make constant progress with the Latus Ducati,” said DiSalvo. “The bike feels good and it suits this track, and after today, we have a solid direction to pursue for tomorrow.”

As the SuperSport riders wrapped up the day’s action for the large Friday crowd, Benny Solis took the top Q1 spot with a 1:30.802. David Gaviria was second on the charts, leading teammate Tomas Puerta and Discovery Bay resident Elena Myers, while Miller Motorsports Park race-winner Corey Alexander registered the fifth-quickest time.

“I didn’t really get a clear lap,” said Solis before heading home for the day. “I did get one good one, but there was a lot of traffic. I thought I could have been faster, and I know we have more for tomorrow.”

All AMA Pro classes will conclude final qualifying tomorrow, with SuperSport riders kicking off the weekend’s race action with a 3:40 p.m. (PST) contest. The highly anticipated SuperBike and Daytona SportBike races go green on Sunday.

Good first day of work for Randy De Puniet, Pramac Racing rider, who finished with the eighth-fastest lap time during MotoGP free practice at Laguna Seca; first with a Ducati. His teammate, Loris Capirossi, has concluded with the sixteenth best lap time as he couldn’t improve this morning lap time. There will be another free practice session tomorrow morning before the qualifying session that will begin at 2pm.

Only wild card rider Ben Bostrom logged slower laps than Loris Capirossi

Marco Rigamonti, Randy De Puniet’s Track Engineer
“We have made some good step forward this afternoon. Randy was happy about the modifications we have made and tomorrow we can concentrate on maintaining a more stable rhythm. This is a difficult track and to make a perfect lap each time isn’t so simple. Randy has basically used always the same rear tyre and this didn’t also allow us to improve the best lap time at the end of the session, but as for today we can be happy with what we got.”

Randy De Puniet, Pramac Racing, 8th, 1’23.135
“A good first day of work. We made it to improve by seventh tenths of a second compare to this morning and this give us good expectations for the next couple of days of work. I really enjoyed today the track, we have tried many solutions but as we kept the same rear tyre during the session we couldn’t make it to improve more in the last few laps. I am confident.”

Loris Capirossi, Pramac Racing, 16th, 1’24.566
“In the afternoon it was probably more difficult because I only took one painkiller to try to understand which were my real physical conditions. Sincerely I found more complications as I couldn’t make it to ride as in the first free practice session. Tomorrow it will surely not be easy, but I am here to ride and give the maximum to climb the classification.”

Colin Edwards and Cal Crutchlow conclude the busiest period of the 2011 MotoGP World Championship this weekend in America, the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team riders heading to the spectacular Laguna Seca track full of optimism and expectation.

Cal Crutchlow desperately needs a positive outcome, and soon

After collecting a hard fought 10th position in last weekend’s German round at the Sachsenring, Edwards is confident he can be even more competitive in his all-important home race. The immensely popular Texan, who has huge fan base at Laguna Seca, put in a tremendous amount of effort to improve the set-up of his Monster Yamaha YZR-M1 machine in Germany, and he’s hoping to reap the rewards this weekend on the shortest track on the MotoGP calendar. Having finished seventh in the California clash in 2009 and 2010, the 37-year-old is determined to battle for a top six finish to delight what will be a large and passionate home support.

This weekend’s race presents another fresh challenge for Cal Crutchlow, who is looking forward to testing his skills on the famous Laguna Seca track, which hosts the first of two visits to America for the MotoGP paddock in the space of five weeks. The Brit can’t wait to get his first taste of the 3.610km circuit and he’s looking forward to tackling the awe-inspiring Corkscrew corner, which requires skill and bravery in abundance to master. Crutchlow, the 2009 Supersport World Champion, tried a range of different settings in Germany last weekend to improve his confidence with the front-end of his Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team. And while his 14th position didn’t reflect his hard work, his crew is positive they are moving in the right direction to give the 25-year-old the feeling he is looking for.

After a hectic run of six races in eight weeks, the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team will enjoy a richly deserved short summer break after Sunday’s race before the 2011 campaign resumes in Brno, Czech Republic on August 14.

Colin Edwards:
“I can’t wait to get to Laguna because I love the place so much. I have a lot of family and friends that are coming which always makes it extra special, but the American fans are brilliant to me, so hopefully I can send them home smiling on Sunday night with a good result. It has been a bit manic since Germany because I flew straight to LA to shoot another movie for Yamaha. They are always good fun and I really enjoy myself, so a big thanks to Yamaha US for all they d o in arranging that for us. I am really looking forward to the weekend and although 10th in Germany wasn’t the result we wanted, it was actually a positive race. We certainly learned a few things about the bike because we made a lot of changes, so I’ve got good reason to be optimistic of fighting for the top six this weekend. That’s my goal anyway and if we have a smooth weekend, I’m sure that’s achievable. I want to get a strong result not just because it’s my home race, but it will make the summer break more relaxing and enjoyable and set me up for a strong push in the final part of the season.”

Cal Crutchlow:
“The result last weekend in Germany was a bit disappointing but I’m ready to bounce back in Laguna Seca and fight for a top ten where I know I should be. I’m still searching for some more confidence in the front-end, but all of us in the Monster Yam aha Tech 3 Team are working non-stop to improve the situation and we’ve got a few ideas to try and Laguna. It is another new track for me but I’m really excited. Laguna Seca is such a famous name and the Corkscrew looks amazing. It looks awesome on TV, so I’m looking forward to getting on the bike on Friday and experiencing it for myself for the first time. I’ll have to ask Colin for some tips, but I’m just concentrating on getting a decent result that we can build on for the rest of the season. The last few races have been quite difficult but I’ll be working harder than ever this weekend to put things right.”

After the German Grand Prix, MotoGP returns to action in the United States at Laguna Seca, host to the tenth round of the world championship. The circuit, which in 2005 returned to the MotoGP calendar for the premier class only, is laid out in the California hills that surround Monterey. Laguna Seca is famous for its unique Corkscrew section, a narrow and spectacular left-right chicane on a steep descent. The whole track, with its many ups and downs, calls to mind a rollercoaster, with straightaways being both few and short. There are a number of fast corners, and it’s quite common for the bikes’ wheels to come off the ground.

This round marks Loris Capirossi’s return to the Desmosedici. His shoulder is still painful, but the GP veteran is ready to once again compete for the Pramac Racing Team. Meanwhile, Randy De Puniet is looking for confirmation. After the modest progress made in Germany, the Frenchman returns to Laguna Seca two years after his last outing there (he missed the race last year due to an injury incurred at the Sachsenring).

Fabiano Sterlacchini, Pramac Racing Technical Director:
“It’s a crucial moment for Loris Capirossi. After three races as a spectator, he’ll be back in his bike’s saddle, though obviously not in perfect condition. Still, it seems that he has recovered enough to face this weekend with no problems. The fact remains that Laguna Seca is a very physical track, with many ascents and descents and a Corkscrew that’s quite difficult. It’s one of Randy De Puniet’s favorite circuits, and if he doesn’t have any problems, the Frenchman can get a good result.”

Loris Capirossi, Pramac Racing Team rider:
“This time I’m really returning to the track. As I said before the Sachsenring weekend, the Desmosedici is mine, and seeing another rider on it bothered me a lot. I’m not in top form, but I’ve worked over the past few days to be in decent physical condition. The track is very tough, which isn’t ideal for my condition, but I’ll give 110% to be able to finish the race. I’m expecting a very challenging weekend.”

Randy De Puniet, Pramac Racing Team rider:
“First, I must repeat the same results I had in practice and qualifying at the Sachsenring, and there’s also much work to be done regarding the race. I hope not to have the same problems as usual, although they’ve been improving lately. Laguna Seca is a very physical track, which could help me to get a good result. Last year, unfortunately, I skipped this round, so I’m very motivated for this weekend.”

Brammo, Inc. has announced that 2004 AMA Superstock champion and current Australian Superbike competitor Aaron Gobert will be riding the Empulse RR race bike in this weekend’s FIM e-Power race. The Empulse RR is a purpose-built, race-ready version of the recently announced Brammo Empulse and will be revealed at the 2010 MotoGP Red Bull Grand Prix at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

Brammo continues to use its race program to develop forward-looking vehicles that ultimately make their way into commercial production. The 2009 Enertia TTR race bike evolved into the stunning Empulse street bike which is now available for pre-order.

No stranger to Brammo race bikes, Aaron Gobert said, “I had the opportunity to test with Brammo in 2009 and really enjoyed my time on the TTR race bike.  Motorcycle racing is my passion and here’s an opportunity to experience a new chapter in bike racing and participate at the ground level in a branch of the sport that is almost certainly going to have an increasing impact on motorcycle racing in the future.”

Green racing. As part of its commitment to sustainability Brammo has officially offset the entire carbon load that will be generated when it attends the Red Bull Grand Prix at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca later this month. This has been achieved by working with CarbonFund.Org. to calculate Brammo’s total CO2 emissions in all aspects of its race program; from vehicle and airplane mileage, to electricity generation for the race bike, even taking into account accommodation and meals. CarbonFund.Org was then able to translate this information into a dollar amount and appropriately funnel this money into a carbon offset project based around sustainable forestation in America.

As a leading electric vehicle technology company it is clearly very important to Brammo and all of its employees, customers, suppliers and investors that our sustainable values should not be left behind once we leave our facility in Ashland and this initiative ensures that those values aren’t compromised by our passion for racing.

About Brammo:
Brammo Inc. is a leading electric vehicle technology company headquartered in North America. Brammo designs and develops electric vehicles including the award winning Brammo Enertia motorcycle. Brammo is also an OEM supplier of innovative electric drivetrain systems including the Brammo Power™ battery pack and Brammo Power™ vehicle management system. Brammo has vehicle distribution and marketing operations in North America, Europe and Asia.

About CarbonFund.Org:
CarbonFund.Org is leading the fight against global warming, making it easy and affordable for any individual, business or organization to reduce & offset their climate impact and hasten the transition to a clean energy future. CarbonFund.Org achieves its goals through Climate change education, Carbon offsets and reductions and Public outreach.

About Tensas River National Wildlife Refuge Reforestation Project:
This project is restoring native hardwood forests to a region in Northeastern Louisiana that once was covered by dense forest. It is restoring the habitat for estimated 400 species of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish, including endangered/threatened species, such as the Louisiana Black Bear and the Florida Panther.

About The FIM e-power race:
The FIM e-Power race will take place at the Red Bull 2010 MotoGP. The race will see 15 electric motorcycle teams from around the world including Brammo compete on the demanding circuit at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca on July 25th 2010.