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| Rossi and Lorenzo gear up for final four races | | |  | Fresh from a break of nearly a month, the Fiat Yamaha Team regroups this weekend at the coastal town of Estoril for the Portuguese Grand Prix. Returning to its more traditional end of season slot after moving to May last season, the race marks the start of the final phase of the championship with just the overseas double-header and the Valencian season finale remaining after it. Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo lie first and second in the championship and the Yamaha pair's rivalry promises a tense climax to this year's thrilling championship.
Rossi signed off for the holidays in fine fettle after taking his sixth win of the season at the last round, in front of his home fans at Misano. The 30-year-old has an exemplary record at Estoril and is the most successful rider in Grand Prix history at the track, having stood on the podium on all of his nine visits, including five wins. Last year he lost out to his then-rookie team-mate Lorenzo and finished third but the Italian will be looking for a maximum points haul this weekend as he stalks his ninth World Championship title.
With three wins under his belt this season so far, Lorenzo finished second in Misano last time out and will be hoping that a return to the scene of one of his greatest world championship performances will kickstart his championship run-in. The Mallorcan's explosive entry into MotoGP last year culminated at the third race in Portugal when he took his third consecutive pole and his maiden premier-class win. 16 months on the 22-year-old is older and wiser and he knows that nothing less than a victory will do if he wishes to increase the pressure on his team-mate, who lies 30 points ahead of him in the standings.
Temperatures in early October usually settle around the mid-twenties in the region, although the Estoril circuit is located just seven kilometres from the Atlantic and is notorious for dramatic changes in weather, with spells of warm sunshine often interrupted by wild gusts of cold wind and rain. The layout of the Autodromo Fernanda Pires de Silva is similarly contrasting, featuring one of the longest main straights in MotoGP and one of the slowest corners. Several other twisty sections make for the lowest average speed in the championship but the 200km/h kink at turn five and the final Parabolica corner are two of the toughest tests of any rider's skill and bravery.
Valentino Rossi - "Ready to return to work"
"It was great to go away for the break after winning in Misano and with a good championship lead and I have enjoyed having three weeks off, but now I am ready to return to work. We're in the final stage of the championship and we have a strong position but, as we've seen throughout this season, anything can happen and we know that the championship is far from over yet. The next three races are all good tracks for us and my team and I will aim to get as many points as possible each time and then we will see where we are in Valencia! Last year we struggled a little in Estoril but it's been a great track for me in the past, especially with Yamaha, and it's a place that usually produces good, close racing so I hope that's the case again this year. I also hope to see Casey back in good shape and recovered because the championship misses him."
Jorge Lorenzo - "One of the best moments of my life"
"I am really excited to be coming back to race, a month is too long after the summer! It's been strange to have such a long break but I've tried to use the time to prepare for the final races; I spent a week in Mallorca, training with my father and resting with my family and I enjoyed myself a lot. Now we go to Estoril, where I had one of the best moments of my life. In the past I was never strong there but last year I did an unbelievable race. This year it's a different situation; a different time of year, everyone has the same tyres and we are in the closing stages of the championship. My aim is to have a good weekend in order to keep the championship going. I am also happy that we will see Casey back this weekend because he brings another challenge for all of us."
Davide Brivio - "The most important period of the championship"
"Now we're going into the final four races and this is the most important period of the championship, where we can achieve all that we've worked for. In Misano we showed our strong motivation to win once again and we're looking forward to the next chapter. We expect another big battle with Jorge and also with Stoner and Pedrosa. Estoril was difficult for us last year but this year everyone is on the same tyres and we know that we're in great shape so we're looking forward to a good weekend."
Daniele Romagnoli - "Can't wait to be back on track"
"We've had a very long break in the season which is really unusual for us, but now we can't wait to be back on the track again to continue our challenge. Last year Estoril was Jorge's first win in MotoGP, which was unforgettable for everyone. It wasn't his best track but we were very competitive and we believe that we will be able to be so again this time, keeping this championship as exciting as possible for us and all MotoGP fans."
Valentino Rossi : Information
Age: 30
Lives: Tavullia, Italy
Bike: Yamaha
GP victories: 103 (77 x MotoGP/500cc, 14 x 250cc, 12 x 125cc)
First GP victory: Czech Republic, 1996 (125cc)
First GP: Malaysia, 1996 (125cc)
GP starts: 223 (163 x MotoGP/500cc, 30 x 250cc, 30 x 125cc)
Pole positions: 58 (47 x MotoGP/500cc, 5 x 250cc, 5 x 125cc)
World Championships: 8 Grand Prix (1 x 125cc, 1 x 250cc, 1 x 500cc, 5 x MotoGP)
Jorge Lorenzo: Information
Age: 22
Lives: Barcelona, Spain
Bike: Yamaha
GP victories: 25 (4 x MotoGP, 17 x 250cc, 4 x 125cc)
First GP victory: Brazil, 2003 (125cc)
First GP: Jerez, Spain, 2002 (125cc)
GP starts: 124 (30 x MotoGP, 48 x 250cc, 46 x 125cc)
Pole positions: 34 (8 x MotoGP, 23 x 250cc, 3 x 125cc)
World Championships: 2 (250cc, 2006/7)
Estoril: Record Lap
J. Lorenzo (Yamaha) 2008, 1'37.404
Estoril: Best Lap
J. Lorenzo (Yamaha) 2008, 1'35.715
Grand Prix Results: Estoril 2008
1. J. Lorenzo (Yamaha) 45'53.089
2. D.Pedrosa (Honda) +1.817
3. V.Rossi (Yamaha) +12.723
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| Cairoli and De Carli face final 2009 challenge | | |  | The 63rd Motocross of Nations takes place next week at Franciacorta in Brescia (Italy) and the massive annual event will be the final chapter in an unforgettable 2009 campaign for MX1-GP World Champion Tony Cairoli and his Yamaha Red Bull De Carli team.
The Sicilian, who turned 24 years old last week, will steer his YZ450F for the last time this season in front of a passionate home following as the all-Yamaha Italian crew – he is joined by Yamaha Monster Energy duo David Philippaerts and Davide Guarneri – vie to win the prestigious Chamberlain trophy.
In the six years that Cairoli has been a Yamaha rider he has become not only the most successful Italian motocrosser in terms of Grand Prix wins but has also equalled Chicco Chiodi's haul of three world championships. Cairoli ruled MX2 in 2005 and 2007, grabbed the European SX title in 2006 and '07 and claimed the MX1-GP crown at his first attempt in 2009. The numbers this term are impressive: From 15 GPs and 30 motos he took 4 wins and 9 moto victories, gaining 9 podiums in total; all statistics higher than any other rider. In a ruthless little streak of four Grand Prix during mid-season he owned 6 from 8 motos and began to establish a point cushion in the standings. He celebrated his final objective of the title with one round remaining and in spite of a knee problem in the sand of Lierop, Holland, last month.
His road to the title began in 2008 - while trying to defend the MX2-GP championship but ultimately suffering bad luck with a blameless incident in South Africa that required a knee reconstruction - he collected the MX1 Italian series, as both rider and team diligently worked behind-the-scenes for their introduction to the premier class in 2009. A dedicated winter programme of testing and riding meant that Cairoli could be considered a threat from the outset.
The first of his four wins came in an impressive performance in Turkey for round three. "The one in Turkey stands out," he recalls. "The track was good for me, it was a big crowd and I had a nice race with David Philippaerts and Steve Ramon in the second moto. It was also my first victory in MX1, if you do not count a one-off wild-card appearance at Donington Park two years ago, so I remember it fondly."
Some tough races with reigning champ Philippaerts on the YZ450FM and the likes of Clement Desalle and Ken De Dycker meant that the season was far from easy but Cairoli seized the red plate as series-leader in Turkey and did not let it go for the remaining twelve events.
"I have said it before; I did not expect this title in my first year," adds the first rider ever to have scooped the number one status in both categories. "I knew I could probably win races and certainly be one of the top guys but to actually be the first rookie to do it is, for me and the team, a very good thing."
"There were some riders this year that were injured and this was a shame but I had the red plate before most of these happened and there were always threats from people like Nagl, Philipppaerts, Desalle and De Dycker," Cairoli continues. "It was not easy at all and there were times when I had to think about the standings and just go for points. Now some good races at Franciacorta in front of our fans would be the best way to finish the season."
The De Carli team, created and helmed by former 500cc rider Claudio De Carli and Yamaha-equipped since the mid-1990s, have nurtured a number of promising young Italian stars and names such as Chiodi, Federici, Camerlengo, Bonini and Lupino. In 2009 they retained the national championship thanks to Estonian Tanel Leok, who also won a flooded home Grand Prix for the squad at Faenza for the opening round of the year. De Carli's excellence in development of the YZ250F and most recently with the 450F has elevated the team to a well-deserved lofty status in the paddock.
"We had a good base with the 450 to work from. In recent years it has been proven not only in MX1 but also in the AMA motocross and supercross competitions," reveals the Italian. "We started early and were encouraged by the fact that Tony could win at Donington Park in 2007. 2009 was an important year for the team and a big challenge. Winning the 2008 Italian championship was a good first move and after Tony's knee was OK in the winter then we worked hard to be as ready as we could for the start of the season."
"Tony also did a fantastic job, his sand riding was impressive and the way he could come back from some average starts – probably his only weakness this season – was also great to watch," he explains. "I don't think the championship was easy and there was some adversity at times but the final result is very satisfying for us. I would also like to thank Tanel; he won the Italian title and also gave the team its first 2009 MX1 win at Faenza."
For both Cairoli and De Carli they now hope to end 2009 in the way it began, in triumph. Undoubtedly Cairoli's profile will have never been higher and he, together with Philippaerts and Guarneri, will count on vocal and copious support for the upcoming weekend at Franciacorta, where the latest generation of the YZ450F will also be unveiled to the European public for the first time. |
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| Spies fights hard in Imola to keep championship title in sight | | |  | It was never going to be easy for Yamaha World Superbike rider Ben Spies at Imola. Race one saw Spies in fifth off the start line, chasing Haga, Fabrizio, Rea and Biaggi. As the second lap drew to a close Rea over shot the corner, narrowly missing Haga as he headed off into the gravel. As the Italian bikes continued to fight for the lead, Spies was left with a two second gap to close. He managed to close down to 1.4 seconds, but was unable to stay with the front runners, holding on to fourth for the chequered flag. Changes in the set up to the bike saw Spies hit race two with a faster pace and a consistent speed to challenge the leaders. Rea again ran wide on a couple of occasions, causing Spies to pull up for safety, however he was soon back on the pace. He caught and took Byrne on lap 10 for fifth and started closing down on Simoncelli and Biaggi. Unfortunately as he caught them on the last chicane before the start line, Simoncelli took Biaggi, forcing him wide and into the path of Spies, taking him off track. He rejoined but was again forced wide to avoid an early braking Byrne and had to settle for fifth at the flag.
Race one was a mixed one for Sykes, having had a good start he continued to struggle for grip, but still managed to fight through the pack from his 16th position grid start to take ninth at the chequered flag, holding off Australian riders Parkes and Corser for his top ten finish. Race two saw some changes to the bike which provided more grip and consistency however as a number of riders cut the chicane at the end of the lap, they pushed Sykes wide, losing him valuable time. By the end of the race he had made up four places to take 12th at the flag.
Spies now heads to Magny Cours next weekend again in second place chasing the championship lead, separated from Haga at the top by a mere three points, with four races and hundred possible points still on the table. Team mate Tom Sykes remains in eighth position with two rounds to go, sitting just behind Checa with a seven point difference.
Ben Spies, Yamaha World Superbike Team (4th, 5th)
"In race one we ruined our chances with the electronic side of the bike, we didn't have enough power coming out of the bike and we struggled with grip a bit as well, it was a rough race. The second race we had the pace for sure to battle for the lead but a combination of things held us up. Rea got pretty greedy early in the race, passing me in the gravel trap three different times. I felt bad for him as I knew he had the pace to run up front but you've got to know when to calm down and when to take it easy for a couple of laps and let the race come in, you can't push on every corner. I had a couple of laps where I wasn't riding well at all then I got myself together and caught up to Simoncelli and Biaggi. They bumped and Biaggi ran off the track, when he came back on it was either hit him or go off into the gravel. I got back on and caught up to Bryne and then almost ran into the back of him and had to run off the track again. It was a messy race. There were a lot of mistakes, a couple from me and some from others. If you would have told me after the first race that we would only be losing the championship by three points I'd be happy because there were a lot of guys who could beat me this weekend."
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|  | Tom Sykes, Yamaha World Superbike Team, (9th, 12th)
"I had a good start in race one but still struggled for grip as we have been all weekend with the rear of the bike. We improved it a bit for warm up this morning but in the race I still struggled. We made a change for race two but I got a bad start. The bike felt faster and more consistent though but unfortunately I kept getting caught up by a few riders cutting the chicane and I ended up losing a second here and there. Towards the end I had one lap where I was having huge slides so I was looking back at the tyre to see if there was anything on it and lost maybe two and a half seconds."
Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha World Superbike Team Manager
"it's been a very tough day for the team. We definitely came here with a different goal, but racing doesn't always go as you plan it. During the second race, despite a bad start Ben was really pushing, but unfortunately he was in the wrong place at the wrong time which cost him a podium finish. We didn't give up when the championship gap was 88 points, for sure we will be trying just as hard now to take back the three we lost today. Our bike has always worked well at Magny Cours so we are going there confident that we can have success. After Tom's big crash on Friday we lost a whole day so the bike set up was not perfect for today's races. Starting from 16th, especially here where it's not easy to pass, it was a good achievement to get into the top ten with a ninth place finish."
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| Circuit Length: 4959
Crowd: 67000
Weather: Hot Lap Record: 1'50.266 (Alex Barros, 01/01/2006)
Fastest Lap Ever: 1'47.735 (Michel Fabrizio, 27/09/2009)
| | | 2009 WSB Italy - Imola 27/09/2009 | | Pos. | Rider | Manu. | Nat. | Total Time | | 1 | Noriyuki Haga | Ducati | JPN | 38'32.199 | | 2 | Max Biaggi | Aprilia | ITA | 0'02.074 | | 3 | Michel Fabrizio | Ducati | ITA | 0'02.190 | | 4 | Ben Spies | Yamaha | USA | 0'05.438 | | 5 | Ryuichi Kiyonari | Honda | JPN | 0'14.470 | | 6 | Leon Haslam | Honda | GBR | 0'14.685 | | 7 | Jonathan Rea | Honda | GBR | 0'26.822 | | 8 | Jakub Smrz | Ducati | CZE | 0'32.694 | | 9 | Tom Sykes | Yamaha | GBR | 0'33.817 | | 10 | Broc Parkes | Kawasaki | AUS | 0'34.801 | | 11 | Troy Corser | BMW | AUS | 0'35.286 | | 12 | Ruben Xaus | BMW | ESP | 0'36.442 | | 13 | Karl Muggeridge | Suzuki | AUS | 0'38.698 | | 14 | Matteo Baiocco | Kawasaki | ITA | 0'42.147 | | 15 | Yukio Kagayama | Suzuki | JPN | 0'46.510 | | 17 | David Checa | Yamaha | ESP | 1'16.121 |
| Pos. | Rider | Manu. | Nat. | Total Time | | 1 | Michel Fabrizio | Ducati | ITA | 38'23.143 | | 2 | Noriyuki Haga | Ducati | JPN | 0'03.592 | | 3 | Marco Simoncelli | Aprilia | ITA | 0'06.510 | | 4 | Max Biaggi | Aprilia | ITA | 0'07.445 | | 5 | Ben Spies | Yamaha | USA | 0'14.678 | | 6 | Jonathan Rea | Honda | GBR | 0'16.396 | | 7 | Shane Byrne | Ducati | GBR | 0'17.110 | | 8 | Leon Haslam | Honda | GBR | 0'22.502 | | 9 | Jakub Smrz | Ducati | CZE | 0'25.268 | | 10 | Carlos Checa | Honda | ESP | 0'30.203 | | 11 | Lorenzo Lanzi | Ducati | ITA | 0'32.589 | | 12 | Tom Sykes | Yamaha | GBR | 0'36.243 | | 13 | Ruben Xaus | BMW | ESP | 0'36.368 | | 14 | Karl Muggeridge | Suzuki | AUS | 0'38.809 | | 15 | Broc Parkes | Kawasaki | AUS | 0'42.435 |
| Rider | Manu. | Nat. | Total Time | | Michel Fabrizio | Ducati | ITA | 1'49.282 |
| Rider Standings | 27/09/2009 | | Pos. | Rider | Manu. | Nat. | Points | | 1. | Noriyuki Haga | Ducati | JPN | 391 | | 2. | Ben Spies | Yamaha | USA | 388 | | 3. | Michel Fabrizio | Ducati | ITA | 330 | | 4. | Jonathan Rea | Honda | GBR | 263 | | 5. | Max Biaggi | Aprilia | ITA | 257 | | 6. | Leon Haslam | Honda | GBR | 219 | | 7. | Carlos Checa | Honda | ESP | 183 | | 8. | Tom Sykes | Yamaha | GBR | 176 | | 9. | Jakub Smrz | Ducati | CZE | 155 | | 10. | Shane Byrne | Ducati | GBR | 149 | | 11. | Ryuichi Kiyonari | Honda | JPN | 141 | | 12. | Yukio Kagayama | Suzuki | JPN | 104 | | 13. | Shinya Nakano | Aprilia | JPN | 86 | | 14. | Regis Laconi | Ducati | FRA | 77 | | 15. | Troy Corser | BMW | AUS | 76 | | 25. | Leon Camier | Yamaha | GBR | 13 | | 30. | James Ellison | Yamaha | GBR | 8 |
| Manufacturer Standings | 27/09/2009 | | Pos. | Manufacturer | Points | | 1. | Ducati | 489 | | 2. | Yamaha | 431 | | 3. | Honda | 368 | | 4. | Aprilia | 267 | | 5. | Suzuki | 148 | | 6. | BMW | 113 | | 7. | Kawasaki | 63 |
| Foret takes a podium while Crutchlow strikes out | | |  | It was a bitter sweet Supersport race for the Yamaha team at Imola today, a hotly contested first ten laps were brought to an abrupt halt when Kawasaki rider Lascorz developed an engine fault, spraying oil across the track and across the front of Crutchlow's bike as he followed close behind in second place. The restart with just nine laps to go saw Crutchlow move quickly up to take Laverty and then Sofuoglu for the lead before a false neutral going into a fast right hander caused him to crash out, ending his race.
Team mate Foret was on form, grabbing fifth off the line from the restart then quickly passing Gary McCoy for fourth on the second lap. The French rider then kept up a fast consistent pace for the remaining laps, holding onto his position then getting an automatic move to third and a podium finish after team mate Crutchlow crashed out.
With two races remaining, Crutchlow heads to Magny Cours next week still leading the championship with a two point advantage over rival Eugene Laverty. Team mate Foret remains in fifth position, 23 points behind fourth position rider Joan Lascorz.
Fabien Foret, Yamaha World Supersport Team (3rd)
"I'm really happy to be on the podium again. It's great to be back up near the front and taking points, it's really good for my head. I'm enjoying the racing and looking forward to racing at home next week. The team worked really hard this weekend so I want to thank them for everything."
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|  | Cal Crutchlow, Yamaha World Supersport Team (DNF)
"I'm really disappointed, we've lost 50 points over the year for two DNFs. It's nobody's fault, I hit a false neutral and went in way too fast and just couldn't stop. I couldn't get it round the corner and crashed. We still have a small lead though so we'll take it to Magny Cours and give it everything we've got."
Wilco Zeelenberg, Yamaha World Supersport Team Manager
"Cal found four false neutrals after the restart so we need to check exactly what happened. Normally it can be ridden round but if you're in the wrong place and can't shift back then you run in too hot and are going to crash which is what happened. The championship is open again, he's leading by two points so he really has to fight for it at Magny Cours and Portimao. I was very happy for Fabien to get third and be on the podium, a great result for him. A disappointing result for us today but we haven't lost yet, well put our heads together this week before Magny Cours, Cal is still fast so we will work it out." |
| | 2009 WSS Italy - Imola 27/09/2009 | | | Pos. | Rider | Manu. | Nat. | Total Time | | 1 | Kenan Sofuoglu | Honda | TUR | 35'51.342 | | 2 | Eugene Laverty | Honda | GBR | 0'05.372 | | 3 | Fabien Foret | Yamaha | FRA | 0'06.450 | | 4 | Chaz Davies | Triumph | GBR | 0'15.847 | | 5 | Garry McCoy | Triumph | AUS | 0'15.944 | | 6 | Andrew Pitt | Honda | AUS | 0'16.001 | | 7 | Katsuaki Fujiwara | Kawasaki | JPN | 0'27.097 | | 8 | Anthony West | Honda | AUS | 0'27.835 | | 9 | Miguel Praia | Honda | POR | 0'32.846 | | 10 | Danilo Dell'omo | Honda | ITA | 0'33.315 | | 11 | Michele Pirro | Yamaha | ITA | 0'33.576 | | 12 | Cristiano Migliorati | Kawasaki | ITA | 0'44.958 | | 13 | Olivier Four | Honda | FRA | 0'59.645 | | 14 | Barry Veneman | Honda | NED | 1'06.270 | | 15 | Flavio Gentile | Honda | ITA | 1'14.735 | | 17 | Emanuele Russo | Yamaha | ITA | 1'25.012 | | Rider Standings | 27/09/2009 | | Pos. | Rider | Manu. | Nat. | Points | | 1. | Cal Crutchlow | Yamaha | GBR | 210 | | 2. | Eugene Laverty | Honda | GBR | 208 | | 3. | Kenan Sofuoglu | Honda | TUR | 153 | | 4. | Joan Lascorz | Kawasaki | ESP | 138 | | 5. | Fabien Foret | Yamaha | FRA | 115 | | 6. | Andrew Pitt | Honda | AUS | 104 | | 7. | Anthony West | Honda | AUS | 104 | | 8. | Garry McCoy | Triumph | AUS | 82 | | 9. | Mark Aitchison | Honda | AUS | 71 | | 10. | Massimo Roccoli | Honda | ITA | 62 | | 11. | Katsuaki Fujiwara | Kawasaki | JPN | 61 | | 12. | Michele Pirro | Yamaha | ITA | 54 | | 13. | Barry Veneman | Honda | NED | 51 | | 14. | Matthieu Lagrive | Honda | FRA | 38 | | 15. | Gianluca Nannelli | Triumph | ITA | 31 | | 21. | Sheridan Morais | Yamaha | RSA | 10 | | 24. | Doni Tata Pradita | Yamaha | IDN | 8 | | 25. | Franco Battaini | Yamaha | ITA | 5 | | 31. | Hudson Kennaugh | Yamaha | RSA | 2 | | 34. | Yannick Guerra | Yamaha | ESP | 1 | | Manufacturer Standings | 27/09/2009 | | Pos. | Manufacturer | Points | | 1. | Honda | 256 | | 2. | Yamaha | 251 | | 3. | Kawasaki | 158 | | 4. | Triumph | 98 | | 5. | Suzuki | 30 |
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