Motourage

The first official test of the 2011 MotoGP season got underway today at the Sepang Circuit in Malaysia. Yamaha Factory Racing Team riders Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies were quick to get up to a good pace on track, both riding under last year’s race times before the end of their first session despite not having ridden a motorcycle for two months over the winter break. With many parts and electronics to test over the three days, today’s objective of familiarizing themselves with their YZR-M1′s again was a success. Reigning World Champion Lorenzo wrapped up his first session as the second fastest rider of the day, just four tenths from the top. Team mate Spies was just less than four tenths behind him in fifth.

Jorge Lorenzo

Day two tomorrow will see both riders working on various areas of the 2011 race bike’s development along with testing tyres for MotoGP tyre supplier Bridgestone. In advance of the official 2011 Yamaha Factory Racing Team launch at the second Sepang test, both riders took to the track today riding YZR-M1s with plain black carbon fiber fairing. From tomorrow however the M1 of both Lorenzo and Spies will have a special ‘one-event’ Yamaha Factory Racing Blue de-branded design to be filmed for a Yamaha corporate video as part of the ongoing Yamaha World GP 50th Anniversary activities. This design will only be used for the remaining two days of the Sepang test.

Jorge Lorenzo – 2nd, 44 laps 2’01.977
“It’s been a good start today, we tried a few things and it seemed for everything we tried it was a little bit better, not big improvements but as I said in Valencia at the test last year, the 2011 bike seems to have less wheelie so we can open the throttle earlier in the corners and in some corners I have better corner speed as well. Today was my first ride wearing Alpinestars so there were a lot of things for me to get used to. We pushed a bit more towards the end of the session and got faster, we will continue to make the step tomorrow.”

Ben Spies – 5th, 24 laps 2’02.332
“Today was good. The weather forecast wasn’t so great so to get as much time on the bike as we had was good. We set out to not do too many laps to avoid getting tired, it’s easy to overdo it on the first day. We did enough to get my head up to speed then relaxed as we have a lot to look at over the next two days for Yamaha and Bridgestone. It’s my first day with the new team and they were fantastic, everybody worked together really well. We ended up going faster than we did here last year in the race which shows my confidence in the bike and the team. There’s more to come from the bike and from me too, so I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”

Wilco Zeelenberg – Team Manager for Jorge Lorenzo
“I’m very pleased with our first session here at Sepang. I’m actually quite surprised at Jorge’s speed as normally after a two month break it takes him longer to get into the rhythm because he’s a very smooth rider, so a break means you miss the rhythm. We had received good information at the end of the day so we have been able to make some steps and reach some decisions. Tomorrow we have some more things to test but for today we are quite satisfied.”

Massimo Meregalli – Yamaha Factory Racing Team Director and Team Manager for Ben Spies
“After a long rest we have to be satisfied with the first session. Our riders used today to get back their speed and we are happy to see they were both consistently fast. Tomorrow we will start to do some work on the bikes and collect further data.”

2011 witnesses a landmark of World Championship Grand Prix racing for Yamaha, having successfully competed at the highest level for 50 years. From the very first Grand Prix entry in the French GP of 1961 to today, Yamaha has been an icon at the forefront of Grand Prix racing with countless victories delivered the world over to the delight of the many loyal and dedicated fans. Yamaha will commemorate this incredible achievement over the course of this year with a number of actions.

A special 50th Anniversary logo has been created using Yamaha’s corporate colors and will be used during the season. The logo will be proudly displayed on the 2011 YZR-M1 fuel tank, on all Yamaha Factory Racing Team uniforms, within the pit garage of riders Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies and also on the Yamaha Factory Racing trucks.

The World GP 50th Anniversary will also be celebrated online with a special dedicated website – 50th Year of Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix – which goes live tomorrow, 1st February 2011. The website features an impressive archive tracking the history of Yamaha’s involvement with racing along with detailed historical information. Throughout the season the site will be regularly updated with columns and videos along with exclusive messages and interviews of key people involved in the Yamaha story.

Several exciting events are also planned to bring some of the glorious racing history to life. A special demonstration run for the public and global media at Motegi in Japan will see iconic machines back on track. The legends on the circuit for this special event will include the 1974 YZR-500 (OW20), Yamaha’s first 500cc factory bike, and the 1978 YZR-500 (OW35K) which delivered three championships at the hands of Kenny Roberts. This event will also be scheduled for Assen to allow European fans to take part in the celebrations and see Yamaha’s racing history come alive.

When Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies take their places on the grid to contest the Dutch TT at Assen, their YZR-M1 race bikes will wear a unique Yamaha 50th Anniversary livery design, reflecting Yamaha’s legendary GP racing activity.

Message from Hiroyuki Yanagi, President, CEO and Representative Director of Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd.:
“As we enter the 2011 race season, Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of the start of our Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix category. These 50 years of continued challenge at the top level of the sport would not have been possible without the support of the fans, our suppliers and sponsors and the race organizers. I would like to take this opportunity to extend my sincere thanks to everyone for this.

“Yamaha Motor Company began participating in races from the year of our company’s founding in 1955. Our history of competition in the World GP began in 1961, when we entered a team with riders Taneharu Noguchi and Fumio Ito in that year’s French GP.

In these 50 years of competition, Yamaha has tasted sweet victories as well as bitter defeats, but through it all we have never lost the “spirit of challenge” that we started out with. Those ongoing efforts have brought us countless technological breakthroughs and, equally important, has enabled us to share the Kando* of racing with people all over the world.

“We are both grateful and proud that one of the highlights of our history of World GP competition came last season, when Yamaha won the Triple Crown of rider, team and manufacturer titles in the pinnacle MotoGP class for the third consecutive year. This is another achievement that would not have been possible without the support of the fans and everyone involved. At the same time, I believe it stands as proof that our spirit of challenge is as alive today as it was five decades ago.

“Although economic conditions and the business environment may be tough at the moment, I promise that we will continue our race efforts as the “Kando Creating Company” we strive to be. In closing, I would like to express my gratitude once again and ask for your ongoing support of Yamaha Motor’s corporate activities.”

*Kando is a Japanese word for the simultaneous feeling of deep satisfaction and intense excitement that people experience when they encounter something of exceptional value.

Message from Shigeto Kitagawa, Senior Manager of Motorsports Development Division, Motorcycle Business Operations, and President of Yamaha Motor Racing Srl:
“It is my honor to announce that this year marks the memorable 50th Anniversary of our great challenge for the Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix, started in 1961.

“Since then we have consistently produced many exciting scenes for our global audience and various motorcycles for our customers with excellent cutting edge technology from the racing world.

“In this memorable year we are planning to express our gratitude to the people all over the world who supported us with their help and expectation. We will do this through the various events throughout the season.

“We will start strongly for the next 50 years remembering our primary mission which is to create fresh emotion, new technologies and potential engineers to contribute for the promised future”.

Yamaha World Superbike Team riders Marco Melandri and Eugene Laverty today wrapped up the first World Superbike test of the 2011 season. Run over three days at the Portimao circuit in Portugal, Melandri and Laverty experienced mixed and challenging weather conditions as they put their 2011 YZF-R1 race bike through its paces.

Marco Melandri

Very limited dry track time made it impossible for the team to simulate any race distance runs to find a perfect set up for the Portimao circuit however they were able to successfully test and evaluate the updates and developments of the 2011 R1 and came away from the test confirming there were no issues and achieving positive results.

Successful evaluations included confirming the different weight distribution of the bike, updated electronics and performance running with the new 2011 FIM regulations that include standard fuel injectors, standard fuel regulator and standard fuel pump. The 2011 bike also features a small increase in horsepower.

Having only had shoulder surgery before Christmas with a recommended recovery time of two months, Melandri came to Portimao with the sole focus of learning the track and gaining valuable seat time on his new R1. Despite this the Italian rider impressed, without pushing he was able to challenge for some of the fastest times in the wet sessions (2nd in Wednesday’s wet session and 3rd in Thursday’s wet session), whilst keeping something in reserve for when fully fit in Australia next month.

Laverty continued to impress, the young rider continuing to adapt quickly to Superbike riding. He tested a few things with the team over the three days, again being unable to run race distance due to weather the time was spent focusing on development work. The final combined times saw him in third position just two tenths off the number one spot.

Eugene Laverty
Yamaha World Superbike Team 3rd, 1’43.707 83laps
“Despite the weather it has been really beneficial for me to get some more laps on the bike. I hadn’t had any time on the R1 in the wet before this test so if race one at Phillip Island is wet now it’ll be fine! I’m really happy with the bike, in the wet and the dry. It was a slow start on the first day but then we made a big breakthrough with the front setting and I jumped up to third which is at least where I should be. It shows we can be strong so I’m confident we can be on the pace wherever we go. When I walk into the garage I feel at home. We came here and picked up where we left off from last year’s Phillip Island test really smoothly. I’m looking forward to getting back to Australia now for the two day test and then getting stuck into some racing!”

Marco Melandri
Yamaha World Superbike Team 15th, 1’45.461 82laps
“I’m very happy with the results of this test. It was very important for me so soon after my shoulder operation to be careful and take it easy on the bike. I came here to focus on seeing the track and learning it along with some more time on the bike. We haven’t pushed very hard at all but I’m feeling very comfortable on it despite the discomfort of the shoulder. We seemed to find a very good wet set up very easily and I was surprised how easy it was to go fast. I’m looking forward now to getting to Australia, I’ve been training really hard to get back to full fitness so I am looking forward to being fully fit and really going for it and pushing.”

Andrea Dosoli – Yamaha World Superbike Team Manager
“This test was very important as we had full spec of the 2011 race bike so we had to verify that everything was right. It was also quite important for Melandri to test his shoulder after the operation before Christmas. I must say I’m impressed with the job he did. He was able to ride well. The first day he had a lot of pain but he adjusted quickly to the track and the second day in the wet where the riding style is not so aggressive he had more mobility. Eugene was also improving consistently. He worked hard on the set up on the Wednesday; the results were confirmed later in the afternoon with some fast laps. Unfortunately the weather did not help. I think for the future we should look elsewhere for less unpredictable weather. We leave Portimao with a good feeling and a competitive package. We have another two days of testing to work on the set up for the first Philip island race, I am confident Marco will be back in shape and fully fit.”

The 2011 World Supersport Championship will witness thereturn of the Yamaha YZF-R6 to the grid with the Yamaha ParkinGO Team. In 2009 the Yamaha YZF-R6 was the track weapon of choice, dominating the World Supersport Championship in the hands of 2011 rookie MotoGP rider Cal Crutchlow. The pairing proved unbeatable with Crutchlow using the full potential of the Yamaha Supersport machine to score ten pole position starts and ten podiums, including five race wins, on his way to the title. The Yamaha World Supersport Team was withdrawn by its owner Yamaha Motor Europe from the championship during 2010.

For the 2011 season Yamaha Motor Europe will provide the 2009 championship winning Yamaha R6 race bikes along with Yamaha genuine racing parts to the privately owned ParkinGO Team, for 2011 to be named Yamaha ParkinGO Team. The race bikes will be refreshed and bought up to 2011 level at Yamaha’s racing workshop in Germany before being delivered. Yamaha technical staff will provide behind the scenes support on an ongoing basis throughout the season while the team itself will take responsibility for organization, rider selection and race entry. The Yamaha ParkinGO Team will continue partnerships with some of its own technical partners, although Yamaha Motor Europe will also support negotiations with it’s former technical partners and the team for the season ahead.

The ParkinGO Team entered the last three seasons of the World Supersport Championship with Triumph, performing strongly in 2010 with four podiums by rider Chaz Davies and a victory at Imola snatched away by technical problems. The season end saw a top-five finish for the team with Davies fourth in the standings and teammate David Salom just behind in fifth. The 2011 line up sees British rider Davies remain with the team, joined by new Italian teammate Luca Scassa who impressed in 2010 as one of the top privateer World Superbike riders.

Team owner Giuliano Rovelli, Chief Executive Officer of Oasi S.r.l. Servizi Aeroportuali, was a rider himself in the early nineties and is involved in a number of activities including the ParkinGO Company, the first network of airport parking facilities in Italy.

Yamaha Motor Europe Racing Manager Laurens Klein Koerkamp:
“This is a great opportunity for officially supported R6 machinery to return to the World Supersport Championship. The R6 is a winning machine which, after taking the World Supersport Championship in 2009, has continued in 2010 with many national titles alongside the European Superstock 600 Championship title, despite not competing at world level. It is our belief and our vision that in today’s circumstances supporting a private team with the materials needed to compete is the appropriate involvement in World Supersport for a manufacturer.
I have known Giuliano for a few years now; in the past we could not find the possibility to do something together. The respect for each other has continued however and when the opportunity became available we were able to come to an agreement within a very short time. It is definitely a challenge to start at this late stage with the preparations, but the team and riders are professional and they will have full access to our information database for setup to progress quickly into the season. We consider the test in Portimao this week mainly as a shakedown for both bike and riders.”

Yamaha ParkinGO Team owner Giuliano Rovelli:
“We managed to reach a mutually satisfying agreement with Yamaha Motor Europe in just ten days time. Having the opportunity to work with a manufacturer that has racing in its philosophy makes a big difference. I shared this important decision with the whole team. Chaz Davies and Luca Scassa are professional riders and are looking forward to having the chance to win the World Supersport Championship with a very competitive Yamaha R6!”

Yamaha World Superbike Team riders Eugene Laverty and Marco Melandri completed their three day test at Phillip Island Circuit in Australia today. The two new signings for the 2011 season spent the three days testing out various parts including new Ohlins (TRVP25) front forks on both the 2010 and 2011 racebike. A large part of the test for both riders, particularly Melandri, included ongoing physical modifications to the YZF-R1 racebike to fit their riding style, adjusting foot pegs, handlebars and other geometry settings.

The team enjoyed good weather, sunshine and a dry track for the first two days of the test with rain only appearing in the last minutes of day two. The third and final day saw more sunshine with rain only at lunchtime and towards the end of the day’s sessions. The 2011 bike tested by the riders featured a revised weight balance, the new Ohlins forks, new engine performance parts and a different seat and fuel tank design. The bike also features standard fuel injectors and fuel pump in line with the 2011 racing regulations.

Eugene Laverty was clearly enjoying his third outing on the R1, having been impressively quick in the first two tests, he was again fast from the off, leaving Australia as the fastest rider of the test with a blistering 1’31.5 lap on soft race tires at the end of day three, over half a second faster than closest rider Max Biaggi. He also spent some time on race simulation, putting in consistently fast race pace laps.

Following his one day test in Valencia last month this was Marco Melandri’s first proper opportunity to work through some set up developments on his new R1 racebike. The Italian rider improved steadily over the test days, making steps each day as the team continued to modify the physical set up of the bike to suit him. Day three saw him record a 1’32.4 lap on race tires. Melandri also took the opportunity in the rain to experience his bike on Pirelli wet tires. The team now have valuable data to take away to work over the winter to make further changes to suit the new riders in advance of the first test of 2011 next year.

Eugene Laverty, Yamaha World Superbike Team
232 laps, Best Lap 1’31.5
“I’m pretty pleased with the test; it’s a nice way to go into the winter break. In the three days we got a lot of laps done, the second day especially was big breakthrough. So far we’ve had two one day tests so the second day here was where we really made the bike mine. The race times on the 2011 machine weren’t so far away from 2010 bike so we’re developing in the right direction. The new Ohlins front fork is definitely an improvement. I’m still learning this bike so we are fine tuning it as we go.”

Marco Melandri, Yamaha World Superbike Team
216 laps, Best Lap 1’32.4
“It was a good test in the end; the three days were very intensive. It was quite challenging at first working on the 2011 machine but during the second day we started to find a way and then third day we found a big improvement and found a good pace for the race. The rain meant we couldn’t find a good lap time with a soft tire but for me that wasn’t what was important here. The difference between a MotoGP bike and a superbike on this track are huge, the bike moves a lot more so the faster corners are very different but step by step it’s getting better and better. The feeling is very good, I’m very happy. The track is a difficult track so we have done well and I think we can be very strong for the first race here next year.”

Andrea Dosoli – Yamaha World Superbike Team Manager
“These were three very important days for us, after the shakedown of the new bike in Valencia here we had the chance to work on it in more detail. We have confirmed that the new bike is pretty good with high potential. We are pleased that it can keep consistent lap times during race simulation. For this we are quite happy as on this track in the past we have struggled. Eugene was very fast from the beginning in all three days and had a good feeling working on both bikes. Marco has been working hard, mainly on the 2011 bike. He has been working on rider position; there are still some areas we have to improve for him to be more comfortable on the bike. He was very consistent with race pace although he didn’t have time to try a flying lap. After the first two days he struggled a bit with setup then today he found a good one that worked for him and was comfortable so the lap times improved. Overall the test was very positive and we are confident we have a good base for the Philip Island race.”

FINAL TEST TIMES
Eugene Laverty        01’31.5
Max Biaggi        01’32.1
Leon Camier        01’32.4
Marco Melandri        01’32.4

Eugene Laverty

Yamaha World Superbike 2011 teammates Marco Melandri and Eugene Laverty took to the track together for the first time today, taking part in a one day test at the Ricardo Tormo circuit in Valencia. Despite strong winds both riders enjoyed a sunny dry track, enabling them to put both the 2010 and new 2011 race bike through its paces. The test was the first track outing for new Team Manager Andrea Dosoli, joining the team for 2011 in place of Massimo Meregalli who moves within the Yamaha family to work with the Yamaha Factory Racing MotoGP Team.

The session was Melandri’s first opportunity to ride the Yamaha YZF-R1 and also his first day working with his new team. Riding on the Pirelli tires for the first time, the Italian adapted quickly, spending the majority of the day on the 2010 bike to get acquainted with the R1 and give the team time to make basic set up changes to fit his physical shape on the bike. He impressed the team, settling in quickly to set an impressive fastest lap time on a qualifier tire, only two tenths of a second off times from the previous day’s MotoGP test.

Melandri’s new teammate Eugene Laverty got straight down to business today. Having already experienced the powerful 2010 R1 at the Mangy Cours Official World Superbike Test three weeks ago he took the opportunity to spend some time not just on the 2010 bike but also on the new 2011 YZF-R1 race bike, providing valuable data for the team in preparation of the upcoming test at Phillip Island in Australia at the beginning of December.

The new YZF-R1 follows a design philosophy of reduced weight and optimal weight balance for greater traction. The bike tested today also featured the new for 2011 Ohlins front forks, tested by both riders. The bike adheres to the 2011 FIM regulations for the championship, featuring standard fuel injectors, fuel pump and fuel regulators.

Marco Melandri, Yamaha World Superbike Team (1’33.9, 79laps)
“It was a very good first day. In the beginning it was a completely different feeling to a MotoGP bike, much bigger! Lap by lap the feeling got better and better and I really enjoyed it. I was riding smoothly and I was especially happy with the Pirelli tires, I got a really good feeling for the bike with them. I love the engine, it was impressive so I am very excited to go to Australia and carry on.”
Eugene Laverty

Eugene Laverty, Yamaha World Superbike Team (1’34.9, 76laps)
“I’m feeling really comfortable with the bike. At Magny Cours I didn’t want to judge too much by one track, Valencia is very different so to feel good here as well is very positive. I rode the 2011 bike and we managed to gather a lot of really useful data to help prepare for the next test at Phillip Island. I’m feeling really positive; I think we’re heading in the right direction to have a very competitive bike for the new season.”

Andrea Dosoli, Yamaha World Superbike Team Manager
“Today was good, it feels nice to be involved in such a professional environment, the team is working really well. I believe there is a good base here to achieve great results and have a good feeling with both the riders. I was a little worried about Marco’s first experience on a heavier bike with different tires but I’m really happy that he had a good feeling and adapted quickly to the new tires and bike, the lap time for him was not so bad either. Eugene has a lot of potential and is very motivated; he was working on different settings between the 2010 and 2011 bikes and was providing very clear feedback for the team to work with. We will go away now and use this information to prepare for the test in Australia in three weeks time.”

Yamaha Factory Racing Team riders Jorge Lorenzo and new teammate Ben Spies completed a successful first day of the official MotoGP test at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit in Valencia today, topping the timesheets as only two of five riders to dip below the 1.33 minute mark. Rain in the morning saw the day’s session delayed until the track had dried with all riders waiting until the afternoon before venturing out onto the circuit.

Reigning 2010 World Champion Lorenzo continued to show the form that delivered the world title this year, taking just five warm up laps to go straight to the top of the timesheets where he remained unbeaten for the entire session. The Mallorcan split his riding time between the 2011 prototype YZR-M1 and an updated version of his 2010 machine.

Taking his first outing as a Yamaha Factory rider, the 2010 Rookie of the Year Spies spent the majority of the afternoon riding the 2011 prototype YZR-M1. The American rider and his crew used their inaugural session to focus on the chassis settings of the new bike, moving quickly up the timesheets, delivering consistent fast laps to end as the third fastest rider of the day.

Jorge Lorenzo: Rider No.1, Position: 1^st, Time: 1’32.012, Laps: 48
“Today we tried the new chassis on the 2011 M1 which felt good, although it is still too early to say too much about it. We also tried the new Ohlins suspension, which felt better to me on the track. The new engine seems to have less wheelie but we will see more tomorrow in the next session.”

Ben Spies: Rider No.11, Position: 3^rd, Time: 1’32.878, Laps: 42
“For the first day of testing I’m super happy with the team, a lot of things are new including obviously riding the prototype bike. There are a lot of subtle changes from last year so I spent some time getting used to it along with working with a new Japanese engineer who is very, very good. I had a couple of new mechanics who were learning the ropes as well so it was a lot of learning today. I’m really happy, I can feel the potential of the bike and I think there’s quite a bit more to come.”

Wilco Zeelenberg – Team Manager – Jorge Lorenzo
“2011 has started I would say. We finished the session on top so I think everything went quite well. Our lap times were good and we improved on our qualification time from Sunday’s race. We managed to test everything we wanted to today so tomorrow we will continue with more and see how far Jorge can go.”

Massimo Meregalli
“As a first day, I think Ben’s crew worked really well. He was very satisfied with the new 2011 prototype YZR-M1 bike which is a good sign. We didn’t make many changes to the setup in the session so it’s clear that we have a good base to work with. Tomorrow we will start to test the 2011 tires as today Ben used the same ones as he ran for Sunday’s race.”

2011 Yamaha World Superbike Team rider Eugene Laverty visited the team’s workshops at Germo di Lesmo in Italy this week. Having completed his first test on the bike following the final round of the 2010 championship at Magny Cours, Laverty had the opportunity to see firsthand the mechanics in the workshops making the adjustments of the bike from the data gained at his first test and get a first impression of the 2011 YZF-R1 racebike he will ride to challenge for the title next year. There was also a chance to meet some of the team members not usually present at the race weekends and get a deeper insight into the team’s base.

The team’s workshops are just a stone’s throw from the Monza Circuit and sit next to the Yamaha Factory MotoGP Team’s workshop. Frankie Carchedi, Laverty’s crew chief for the 2011 season was also present, both enjoying the chance to discuss changes to the bike’s settings in advance of their one day test in Valencia next week and following test at the Phillip Island Circuit in Australia at the end of the month. Laverty joins the team for the next year having completed two successful years in World Supersport, taking second in the championship after taking the fight to the last race in both seasons.

Eugene Laverty
“It was nice to spend the day at the workshop and meet the guys who don’t always come to the race track,” said Eugene Laverty. “We also studied some data with Frankie from the first test in Magny Cours and looked at where we can improve. It gave me some good information for me to understand what I need to do differently and work on at the next test. It has all been really positive and a great opportunity to do it away from the race track with no pressure. The workshops were really impressive and I got to see everything, you can it’s very well organised. I’m really looking to getting on the 2011 racebike for the first time next week at Valencia and then Phillip Island at the end of the month to get cracking again.”

Double podium at Estoril delivers third consecutive Yamaha Triple Crown

Fiat Yamaha riders Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi put in a superb team performance on Sunday at the Grand Prix of Portugal on the Estoril Circuit, taking first and second respectively to deliver Yamaha its third consecutive Triple Crown with the Team, Rider and Manufacturer titles. The achievement marks the first time since the Triple Crown’s inception that any manufacturer has won it three times in a row. After a weekend of disruption from the weather, yesterday’s race was run mainly in bright sunshine, although rain earlier in the day meant the track was still patchy to begin with.

2010 World Champion Lorenzo made a strong start from pole, taking the lead into the first corner before briefly relinquishing it to Nicky Hayden for a few seconds before taking back control of the race. His teammate, Rossi, made a play for the lead on lap four, relegating Lorenzo to second until lap 17 where a decisive out braking maneuver saw the Spaniard retake the lead, putting his head down to build an impressive eight second lead over Rossi by the checkered flag. The victory was another landmark for Lorenzo, being the third consecutive time he has won from pole position at this track. Rossi’s second position finish continues his impressive record in Portugal, giving him his tenth podium here in all classes.

Rossi’s second-place and a non-finish from Casey Stoner means the Italian has moved back to third in the championship standings, 19 points off Dani Pedrosa and second place. The final round of the season comes in one week’s time at Valencia in Spain.

Jorge Lorenzo – Position: 1stTime: 46’17.962
“On the warm-up lap I could see there were still a few wet parts and I knew that I was going to have to be careful at the beginning. I got a great start and was in the lead but eventually Valentino overtook me and then off he went. He had a better pace than me then and I couldn’t go with him. As the track got drier I found my pace improving and then step-by-step I closed the gap and was able to get past him. At that point I felt really good and I am so happy to win for the third time here at Estoril. It was a long time since I have won but my confidence has remained high and I haven’t been worried. I knew I could win here at my favorite track. We also confirmed the Triple Crown for Yamaha today so well done to the whole team for this victory.”

Valentino Rossi – Position: 2ndTime: +8.629
“Like I said yesterday, a wet warm up and a dry race is a difficult one! I am happy about this weekend, we worked really well on the bike on the wet and this morning I was the fastest in the warm up, if it had been a wet race I could have been very competitive. For the dry we started blind so I had to try to take some risks at the beginning because the setting was ok, but it was not enough because when Jorge got into his rhythm he was faster than me, I had no way to fight with him. I tried to stay with him but he was too fast. Anyway second place is positive for my championship because I am back in third place and I’m not so far from Dani Pedrosa in second. I’m happy to have improved the setting of the bike but we are still not strong enough so we will try to improve for Valencia for a final win with Yamaha.”

Wilco Zeelenberg – Team Manager
“They were strange conditions for the race today, being run in the dry after all the wet practice sessions. We struggled at the start a bit with a full fuel tank, Jorge over braked a little on the end of the straight so P1 was not so good in the beginning. After eight or nine laps however the feeling was a lot better and he was able to catch up with Valentino and pass for the win. This is victory number eight and after a few races of not winning we are happy to be first again! We need to keep our focus for Valencia because it would be great to finish this fantastic season with one more win.”

Davide Brivio – Team Manager
“On one side it was a very good race because we went into a dry race with a blind setting and we got a very good result, but unfortunately when you are so very close to the victory it’s hard to not get there. Anyway we took a positive second position and we learned a lot today about out setting for the final race. It was a very positive day for Yamaha too because we took the Triple Crown again, well done to everyone.”

Mixed fortunes for Edwards and Spies in Estoril

The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha Team experienced mixed fortunes at the Grand Prix of Portugal today, Colin Edwards racing to a gutsy seventh position while Ben Spies was unfortunately unable to start after a heavy fall on the sighting lap.
Read more…

Australian Motorcycle Expo Melbourne organizers will celebrate Jorge Lorenzo’s maiden MotoGP title by revealing a unique airbrushed machine at the Phillip Island round of the championship this Friday.

Covers will come off the all-new Yamaha YZF-R15* ahead of its official launch at the Australian Motorcycle Expo Melbourne on November 26-28. The distinct difference between this particular machine and the one that will hit showroom floors is its incredibly detailed paint scheme, crafted by renowned airbrush artist Mark Brown of Brown’s Grafix.  A product of more than 100 hours of design and painting, the bike will be revealed at 12pm this Friday (October 15) at the Australian Motorcycle Expo stand at the GP Expo, Phillip Island.

Mark Brown is the artist behind an array of custom airbrushed bikes on display at previous events celebrating the achievements of riders including Valentino Rossi, Casey Stoner, Mick Doohan and Wayne Gardner.

Valentino Rossi signs a previous tribute bike airbrushed for the Australian Motorcycle Expo

“Being able to make my mark on bike such as the Yamaha YZF-R15 that hasn’t event been released has been a great thrill,” said Brown. “Our goal was to create a design that paid homage to Lorenzo and his colorful traits. This bike has been an incredible canvas to work with and we hope he can find the time to come by at the Grand Prix this weekend and sign his name as a stamp of approval.”

Event Manager Mark Petersen said enthusiasts not at the ‘Island this weekend could check out the Lorenzo machine at the Australian Motorcycle Expo Melbourne, to be held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.

“Over the past few years the tribute bikes we have displayed have attracted a lot of attention and we believe this airbrushed YZF-R15 will again be a focal point at this year’s event,” said Petersen. “The Expo will play host to a number of new motorcycles not yet seen in Australia and will be one not to miss for any two-wheel fans.”

Australian Motorcycle Expo Melbourne
November 26-28, Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Adults: $18
Concession: $13
Children (5-15 years): $13. Under 5 FREE.
Family (2 adults, 2 children): $46

Visit www.motorcycleshow.com.au to pre-purchase tickets online and for further event information and news.

*The Yamaha YZF-R15 is a 150cc, single-cylinder motorcycle designed by India Yamaha Motor exclusively for the Indian market.