“We work strong and sometimes I’m very disappointed and other times, and we’ve smiled. I think it’s a process of (getting) strong and, in the end, after this everybody’s happy. But, in any case, we have to continue in this way, improve and improve and work really hard. I want to thank Aprilia, I want to thank all the people at home. When things are really difficult, in the end we have good relationships and we want to continue like this.”
Source: MotoGP.com – Read Full Article Here
Image: Supplied.
Yamaha Racing Team ASEAN’s Broc Parkes has extended his lead in the 2019 Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC) with superb 1-2 finishes at Suzuka in Japan.
Parkes overcame a late crash in qualifying to win the opening encounter, then scored runner-up to local ace Shinichi Nakatomi in a rain-affected second race.
“At the end of qualifying the tyres and bike were feeling good and I was really fast, but I was a little too stiff and lost the front and crashed,” Parkes said following race one. “The bike hit the wall and was damaged. I felt bad for the mechanics, but I have to say thank you to them because they were able to get the bike back together in time.
“As you can see from the result, we did have some trouble but the bike was in great shape for the race. The race was one of the best I’ve had yet, but I’m still not fully satisfied with the weekend as I want to take one more win tomorrow.”
Parkes now leads the ASB1000 championship standings with 150 points following four rounds, 27 ahead of Azlan Shah (ONEXOX TKKR SAG Racing Team).
Countryman Bryan Staring – current leader of the Australian Superbike Championship – endured a mixed weekend, recording 5-11 results with the Kawasaki Thailand Racing Team in another guest appearance.
Source: CycleOnline.com.au
Image: Supplied.
Gearbox issues denied Remy Gardner of the chance to challenge for victory in Sunday’s Dutch grand prix at Assen, causing him to crash out of contention.
ONEXOX TKKR Sag Racing’s Gardner experienced issues from the outset in the attrition-filled Moto2 affair, but managed to factor at the front over the opening nine laps.
A moment at the left-hand hairpin onto the back straight dropped him back to seventh before a couple of hard overtakes on his rivals put him back in the mix. Looking comfortable once again Gardner went down – a bittersweet ending to an exceptional weekend.
“The weekend was almost perfect,” Gardner recalled. “I felt good in every session and was made up to get my first pole yesterday. Warm-up was also good and in the race – certainly at the beginning – I felt good and think we could have won today.
“It just seems that whatever I do at the moment it goes wrong, but the luck has to change. I am so disappointed for me, the team, all my sponsors and the fans that are being so supportive this year. The good thing is that I don’t have to wait too long to ride again so let’s focus on the Sachsenring!”
On Saturday, Gardner became the first Australian since Casey Stoner in 2005 to start from pole position in the intermediate class, however, that was where the high would unfortunately end.
Source: CycleOnline.com.au
Here’s your chance to be a test pilot for the Forcite smart helmet that integrates a camera system, navigation and intercom in the shell and was developed right here in Australia.
The ultralight and ultra-hi-tech smart helmet will hit the market in December, but you can test it in July and August.
CEO and co-founder Alfred Boyadgis says their 6500 early supporters or “test pilots” can register to test the MK-01 helmet on their Launch Tour around Australia.
Dates are listed below and you can click here to register to attend.
The tour kickstarts with a track-day in Sydney and demo events in all states and territories.
“Throughout the tour, we will be gathering and utilising all the valuable feedback our Test-Pilots give us to further improve and refine the MK-01 helmet to make it the best we possibly can before delivering it to them in December,” their invitation says.
Test pilots will also be able to buy a limited-edition founder carbon composite helmet with gold logos for under $1000.
Forcite sales director Dylan Ross says the planned retail price for the helmet when it comes to market in December 2019 will be $A1299.
In this video he admits that their earlier Mach 1 model had a few flaws such as the camera position on the top.
He says that the top-mounted camera worked for sports bike riders, but those sitting upright mainly videoed the sky. And if the rider raised their visor, it obscured the camera.
The 160-degree camera has now been repositioned in the chin area.
Alfred also confirms that they have not altered the physics of the helmet which still complies with European ECE22.05 standards.
He says none of the lightweight electronics (<200g) is embedded in the foam lining to ensure the integrity of the helmet’s protection.
The Forcite helmet’s electronics are powered by two ceramic batteries that are guaranteed not to rupture or ignite in a crash.
The Forcite helmet evolved from an undergraduate UNSW design project with co-founder Julian Chow.
It followed Alfred’s “near-death experience” when he crashed his motorcycle in an oil spill about five years.
He says he broke his knee and cracked his helmet in half. The attached action camera almost penetrated his skull.
The helmet is based on similar smart helmets Forcite has developed for other industries, and the business recently received mentoring in the UNSW 10X Accelerator.
They say their helmet and software package give riders “greater situational awareness and allows them to overcome their lack of visibility on the road by communicating essential information about their ride in a completely safe manner”.
It can also alert riders to nearby safety hazards with audio and light signals in the chin bar.
The helmet also provides video and audio recordings of the ride and it can be controlled via a smartphone app.
All the technology is integrated inside the helmet with no external attachments.
Alfred says helmet attachments are illegal in NSW and being investigated by standards bodies in many countries.
(Our understanding is that NSW and Victorian police still believe external fittings render a helmet illegal, but NSW have been ordered not to fine riders until the issue is officially resolved.)
He says helmet attachments add weight to a helmet and at high-speed impact, can crack helmet shells, leading to death or injury.
There is also concern that they can cause dangerous head rotation in a crash.
Source: MotorbikeWriter.com
Many riders talk about how riding their motorcycle makes them relax and “blows out the cobwebs”, yet I see so many tense riders.
You can tell a tense rider immediately from their hunched shoulders and straight arms with locked elbows. It’s like they are shrugging or trying to strangle their bike.
It’s a dead giveaway that they are not confident nor relaxed with their riding.
Maybe they are going too fast for their skill level, or the road is wet or challenging and unknown to them.
In these situations you become tense and the first thing to tense up is your shoulders.
This straightens your arms which makes it more difficult to counter steer as your arms are now pushing down on the handlebars rather than forward.
Also the forces coming up through your front forks go up your arms which can be tiring and affect your riding ability.
But there are ways to relax while riding that will improve your riding and increase your enjoyment. It may even make you faster, if that’s your goal.
We don’t suggest doing yoga on a moving motorcycle, although there are Guinness Book of Records mentions for the most consecutive yoga positions on a motorcycle.
In case you’re interested, the record is held by Hav Jabalpur who in 2013 did 50 yoga positions, including 10 demanding reverse positions, while riding 5km on a Royal Enfield.
Instead, you can practise a type of meditation where you focus your mind on the activity of riding.
You need to clear your mind of other distractions which is pretty easy in the closed-off atmosphere of a helmet.
The second step is to lift your gaze.
Hunched shoulders also tend to make you drop your head and shorten your focus.
The shorter your focus, the less time you have to react to road conditions, sudden corners and other hazards.
So lift your head and make a conscious effort to look further down the road and around the corner.
The third step is to physically relax your arms.
I recall a professional rally driver once showing me his technique for un-hunching his shoulders: He basically flapped his arms for a few seconds like he was doing a short chicken dance while he was driving.
You can do it on a motorcycle as well.
As your arms relax and your shoulders drop, your arms will naturally bend so you have more control and can more easily counter steer.
Try these steps the next time you feel your shoulders hunching up and your vision becoming fixated on where you might crash!
Click here to find out how to make target fixation work for you, not against you.
Source: MotorbikeWriter.com
Image: Foremost Media.
The 2019 Australian Supercross Championship has secured major backing from Fly Racing across the trio Troy Bayliss Events (TBE) rounds.
Fly Racing will support the Brisbane, Port Adelaide and Wollongong rounds – each operated by TBE – of the five-stop season.
“We are pleased to welcome Fly Racing’s partnership with round one, two and three of the Australian Supercross Championship,” said event promoter Troy Bayliss.
“Fly Racing has been a big supporter of supercross athletes and teams around the world and it’s exciting to see that support expand to supercross events here in Australia.”
McLeod Accessories brand manager of Fly Racing, Duncan Hale, added: “McLeod Accessories and Fly Racing are honoured to commence our partnership with Troy Bayliss Events and the Australian Supercross Championship for 2019.
“Our constant goal at McLeod Accessories and Fly Racing is to always provide the highest quality service to our dealers and the very best products to their customers.
“McLeods and Fly have a strong passion for the local motorcycle industry and this is a great way to demonstrate our long-term commitment to the growth of the sport in Australia.
“Troy Bayliss Events’ vision for the long-term health and growth of Australian Supercross is shared by McLeod Accessories. That like-minded thinking, coupled with the entire organization’s passion for the sport, made them an ideal partner for the Fly Racing brand.”
To celebrate, Fly Racing is giving away to all VIP ticket holders attending the opening round of the Australian Supercross Championship at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre a Justin Brayton jersey.
Source: MotoOnline.com.au
Image: Supplied.
A third non-finish in three races has spelt a horror run for nine-time world champion Valentino Rossi after crashing out of the Assen TT.
The 40-year-old was working his way forward from 14th on the grid when he took Japanese rider Takaaki Nakagami down at turn eight on lap five.
It was Monster Energy Yamaha’s Rossi who crashed and took the LCR Honda rider down with him at high speed, putting both out of the race in its early stages. The Italian at fault has apologised to Nakagami.
“I was quite fast, so I tried to recover some positions,” Rossi reflected. “I was battling with Nakagami and I tried to overtake him entering turn eight, but I was a bit too much off the line I think.
“When I entered the corner, I lost the front and unfortunately I also took out Nakagami, so that’s a great shame and I have to say sorry. It was a mistake and a pity, because today, after being slow this weekend, we had found something, so during the race I was good.
“I felt good with the bike, so, on one side this makes it an even bigger shame, but on the other side it’s also important to realise that I was suffering too much this weekend and that we need to be stronger.”
Sunday’s DNF has Rossi fifth in the standings, now 88 points in arrears of points-leader and defending champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda). It’s now been two years since Rossi’s last win, which came at the Dutch GP in 2017.
Source: CycleOnline.com.au
Images by Hoppenworld
The Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, reached the halfway point of the 2019 season on Saturday with its annual visit to New England’s infamous The Wick 338.
The most storied sand track in American motocross was the setting for an exceptional day of racing at the MB Tractor & Equipment Southwick National, where Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Marvin Musquin took his second straight 450 Class victory.
In the 250 Class, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Adam Cianciarulo added to his dominant start to the season with his fifth victory in six rounds.
Musquin picked up where he left off to start the opening 450 Class moto by grabbing the MotoSport.com Holeshot over Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac.
The Frenchman dropped the hammer on the opening lap to establish a lead over the field, while Tomac, the reigning series champion, began to drop positions, first to Team Honda HRC’s Ken Roczen and then to Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Zach Osborne. This shuffled Tomac off the podium and into the clutches of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Cooper Webb.
Musquin was able to distance himself from everyone else and soon enjoyed a multi-second lead.
As the moto wore on, Roczen started to lose pace and lost his hold of second to Osborne.
Tomac was able to regroup from his sluggish start and march his way back to the front. The Kawasaki man got around Roczen to get back into podium contention in third, and continued to push his way up to Osborne. The rookie held the champ at bay for a few laps, but Tomac made an impressive pass to return to third. However, by this point Musquin was simply too far out front.
Musquin was flawless en route to his second moto win of the season, with a wire-to-wire effort that saw him take the checkered flag 9.1 seconds ahead of Tomac. Osborne followed solidly in third, with Webb fourth and JGRMX Suzuki’s Fredrik Noren earning a season-best moto result in fifth.
Roczen, who led the points multiple times this season and has two overall wins to his credit, continued to lose ground, eventually dropping outside the top 10 for a season-worst 12th-place finish.
| Pos | Rider | Bike | Interval |
| 1 | Marvin Musquin | KTM | 16 Laps |
| 2 | Eli Tomac | KAW | +09.113 |
| 3 | Zachary Osborne | HQV | +24.280 |
| 4 | Cooper Webb | KTM | +37.136 |
| 5 | Fredrik Noren | SUZ | +41.215 |
| 6 | Justin Barcia | YAM | +43.854 |
| 7 | Jason Anderson | HQV | +55.702 |
| 8 | Dean Ferris | YAM | +1:00.718 |
| 9 | Benny Bloss | KTM | +1:15.255 |
| 10 | Blake Baggett | KTM | +1:19.344 |
| 11 | Justin Bogle | KTM | +1:32.735 |
| 12 | Ken Roczen | HON | +1:34.872 |
| 13 | Henry Miller | KTM | +1:52.914 |
| 14 | James Weeks | YAM | +2:12.480 |
| 15 | John Short | HON | 15 Laps |
| 16 | Ryan Dowd | SUZ | +06.866 |
| 17 | Coty Schock | KTM | +15.916 |
| 18 | Aaron Plessinger | YAM | +24.511 |
| 19 | Tyler Bowers | KAW | +27.218 |
| 20 | Toshiki Tomita | HON | +30.002 |
| 21 | Chris Canning | KAW | +38.096 |
| 22 | Tristan Lane | KTM | +48.968 |
| 23 | Conor Sheridan | KTM | +1:04.250 |
| 24 | Aaron Lampi | KTM | +1:08.168 |
| 25 | Ben Lamay | HON | +1:11.307 |
| 26 | TJ Albright | KTM | +1:28.064 |
| 27 | Eric Grondahl | HQV | +1:34.497 |
| 28 | Brian Borghesani | KTM | +1:43.675 |
| 29 | Derrick Barnaby | HQV | +1:47.937 |
| 30 | Isaac Teasdale | SUZ | +1:48.370 |
| 31 | Taiki Koga | KAW | +1:53.493 |
| 32 | Jeremy Smith | HON | +2:04.213 |
| 33 | Jared Lesher | HON | +2:31.012 |
| 34 | Jacob Runkles | KTM | 14 Laps |
| 35 | Tyler Stepek | YAM | 10 Laps |
| 36 | Joseph Savatgy | KAW | 7 Laps |
| 37 | Dakota Kessler | YAM | +2:11.009 |
| 38 | Nick Fratz-Orr | KTM | 5 Laps |
| 39 | Heath Harrison | KAW | 2 Laps |
| 40 | Lorenzo Locurcio | KAW | DNF |
The final moto of the afternoon saw Webb capture the MotoSport.com Holeshot, with Osborne and Musquin in tow while Tomac found himself just outside the top 10.
Webb had a solid hold on the top spot, but a bobble on the opening lap opened the door for Osborne to storm into the lead, dropping Webb into second just ahead of his hard-charging teammate.
Musquin gave chase, but just after the completion of the opening lap Roczen, who was looking to rebound from his tough first moto, passed him for third. Roczen didn’t stop there. He kept his charge going and after a persistent chase of Webb, he successfully made the pass for second. Not long after that, Musquin took advantage of an opportunity to pass Webb for third.
The intense battle between Roczen, Musquin and Webb allowed Osborne to open a gap of more than three seconds. Roczen briefly settled into second, but Musquin was able to attack and take away the position.
As all this action unfolded, Tomac quietly moved his way up into the top five and had the lead group in his sights. Roczen started to lose pace again a little more than 10 minutes into the moto, and quickly fell from third to fifth as both Webb and Tomac got around. The German continued to drop back deep into the top 10.
Tomac proceeded to stalk Webb for third as they approached the halfway point of the moto. The KTM rider was able to hold off the champ for several laps, but Tomac eventually made the pass and move into podium position. At this point, Tomac went to work to try and chip away at his deficit to the lead duo. He sat about three seconds behind Musquin for second, and after several laps he closed to within a few bike lengths of his longtime rival. Musquin responded by picking up his pace, responding to the threat.
Out front, Osborne managed the moto with the poise of a veteran, despite being a rookie in the 450 Class. The 29-year-old rider took his first moto win in the premier division by 11.1 seconds over Musquin, who capped off his winning afternoon with a second. Tomac soldiered home in third.
Musquin’s 1-2 effort also sees him as the only rider to claim back-to-back victories thus far this season. He also successfully defended his Southwick win from a year ago.
Marvin Musquin 1-2
“Qualifying first meant a whole lot coming into the races today. I was so pumped to grab the holeshot in the first moto! It was a long moto, when you lead like that the whole time it feels like forever but it was super important to win that one because everyone was right there. I didn’t get the same start in the second moto but I worked my way through to second and it was good for the overall. It was tough out there physically, but we stayed consistent and came away with the overall.”
Zach Osborne 3-1
“I had a really good day,” Osborne said. “I did struggle badly in qualifying but all-in-all I had a good day with 3-1 finishes. I was able to get my first moto-win in the 450 class and I’m super stoked to get that out of the way and really happy to just keep making progress.”
Cooper Webb 4-4
“Southwick was a step in the right direction for me. The day went well and it’s definitely the best I’ve ridden so far. Heading to RedBud, I really enjoy racing there and hopefully I can get on the podium.”
Justin Barcia 6-6
“In moto one, on the start I clicked neutral and pretty much came from outside the top 30 to sixth. I felt like I rode well but not one of those races I’m really thrilled with. The second moto I just missed my gear and had a bad start. Just one of those days and we’ll keep plugging along. Red Bud is a good track for me and I’m looking forward to next weekend.”
Dean Ferris 8-12
“I had a terrible start in moto one and had put in a really big fight. I am quite happy with the moto and wasn’t too far behind some really big guys. In moto two, i ended up going down and it was really physically demanding. I’m glad it’s over and we can focus on the next race.”
| Pos | Rider | Bike | Interval |
| 1 | Zachary Osborne | HQV | 15 Laps |
| 2 | Marvin Musquin | KTM | +11.136 |
| 3 | Eli Tomac | KAW | +19.516 |
| 4 | Cooper Webb | KTM | +31.965 |
| 5 | Jason Anderson | HQV | +59.853 |
| 6 | Justin Barcia | YAM | +1:03.081 |
| 7 | Fredrik Noren | SUZ | +1:04.894 |
| 8 | Joseph Savatgy | KAW | +1:07.970 |
| 9 | John Short | HON | +1:36.526 |
| 10 | Ken Roczen | HON | +1:45.303 |
| 11 | Lorenzo Locurcio | KAW | +2:05.203 |
| 12 | Dean Ferris | YAM | +2:22.202 |
| 13 | Justin Bogle | KTM | 14 Laps |
| 14 | Coty Schock | KTM | +00.755 |
| 15 | Tristan Lane | KTM | +01.691 |
| 16 | Aaron Plessinger | YAM | +13.251 |
| 17 | Ben Lamay | HON | +15.846 |
| 18 | Blake Baggett | KTM | +21.678 |
| 19 | Chris Canning | KAW | +25.342 |
| 20 | Taiki Koga | KAW | +33.914 |
| 21 | Isaac Teasdale | SUZ | +53.743 |
| 22 | Aaron Lampi | KTM | +1:16.921 |
| 23 | Eric Grondahl | HQV | +1:25.791 |
| 24 | Ryan Dowd | SUZ | +1:34.599 |
| 25 | Conor Sheridan | KTM | +1:40.611 |
| 26 | Tyler Stepek | YAM | +1:45.449 |
| 27 | James Weeks | YAM | +1:52.421 |
| 28 | Luke Neese | HON | +2:55.289 |
| 29 | Shane Kelleher | HON | 13 Laps |
| 30 | Jacob Runkles | KTM | +02.883 |
| 31 | TJ Albright | KTM | +33.819 |
| 32 | Jeremy Smith | HON | +1:15.088 |
| 33 | Heath Harrison | KAW | 12 Laps |
| 34 | Brian Borghesani | KTM | 11 Laps |
| 35 | Nick Fratz-Orr | KTM | 8 Laps |
| 36 | Toshiki Tomita | HON | 5 Laps |
| 37 | Derrick Barnaby | HQV | +16.462 |
| 38 | Henry Miller | KTM | 4 Laps |
| 39 | Benny Bloss | KTM | +1:14.766 |
| 40 | Tyler Bowers | KAW | 3 Laps |
| Pos | Rider | Bike | M1 | M2 | Rnd PTS |
| 1 | Marvin Musquin | KTM | 1 | 2 | 47 |
| 2 | Zachary Osborne | HQV | 3 | 1 | 45 |
| 3 | Eli Tomac | KAW | 2 | 3 | 42 |
| 4 | Cooper Webb | KTM | 4 | 4 | 36 |
| 5 | Jason Anderson | HQV | 7 | 5 | 30 |
| 6 | Justin Barcia | YAM | 6 | 6 | 30 |
| 7 | Fredrik Noren | SUZ | 5 | 7 | 30 |
| 8 | Dean Ferris | YAM | 8 | 12 | 22 |
| 9 | Ken Roczen | HON | 12 | 10 | 20 |
| 10 | John Short | HON | 15 | 9 | 18 |
| 11 | Justin Bogle | KTM | 11 | 13 | 18 |
| 12 | Blake Baggett | KTM | 10 | 18 | 14 |
| 13 | Joseph Savatgy | KAW | 36 | 8 | 13 |
| 14 | Benny Bloss | KTM | 9 | 39 | 12 |
| 15 | Coty Schock | KTM | 17 | 14 | 11 |
| 16 | Lorenzo Locurcio | KAW | 40 | 11 | 10 |
| 17 | Aaron Plessinger | YAM | 18 | 16 | 8 |
| 18 | Henry Miller | KTM | 13 | 38 | 8 |
| 19 | James Weeks | YAM | 14 | 27 | 7 |
| 20 | Tristan Lane | KTM | 22 | 15 | 6 |
| 21 | Ryan Dowd | SUZ | 16 | 24 | 5 |
| 22 | Ben Lamay | HON | 25 | 17 | 4 |
| 23 | Chris Canning | KAW | 21 | 19 | 2 |
| 24 | Tyler Bowers | KAW | 19 | 40 | 2 |
| 25 | Taiki Koga | KAW | 31 | 20 | 1 |
| 26 | Toshiki Tomita | HON | 20 | 36 | 1 |
| 27 | Aaron Lampi | KTM | 24 | 22 | 0 |
| 28 | Conor Sheridan | KTM | 23 | 25 | 0 |
| 29 | Eric Grondahl | HQV | 27 | 23 | 0 |
| 30 | Isaac Teasdale | SUZ | 30 | 21 | 0 |
| 31 | TJ Albright | KTM | 26 | 31 | 0 |
| 32 | Tyler Stepek | YAM | 35 | 26 | 0 |
| 33 | Brian Borghesani | KTM | 28 | 34 | 0 |
| 34 | Jacob Runkles | KTM | 34 | 30 | 0 |
| 35 | Jeremy Smith | HON | 32 | 32 | 0 |
| 36 | Derrick Barnaby | HQV | 29 | 37 | 0 |
| 37 | Heath Harrison | KAW | 39 | 33 | 0 |
| 38 | Nick Fratz-Orr | KTM | 38 | 35 | 0 |
| 39 | Luke Neese | HON | / | 28 | 0 |
| 40 | Shane Kelleher | HON | / | 29 | 0 |
| 41 | Jared Lesher | HON | 33 | / | 0 |
| 42 | Dakota Kessler | YAM | 37 | / | 0 |
For the first time in 2019 a rider will sit atop the 450 Class standings for consecutive weekends, with Tomac maintaining his hold on the championship lead.
Musquin moved up to second place in the season standings on the back of his Southwick performance and is now 26-points adrift of Tomac.
Ken Roczen, who finished a season-worst ninth (12-10), drops to third, 28-points off the championship lead.
| Pos | Name | Bike | Total | |
| 1 | Eli Tomac | KAW | 257 | |
| 2 | Marvin Musquin | KTM | 231 | |
| 3 | Ken Roczen | HON | 229 | |
| 4 | Zachary Osborne | HQV | 227 | |
| 5 | Jason Anderson | HQV | 212 | |
| 6 | Cooper Webb | KTM | 202 | |
| 7 | Justin Barcia | YAM | 159 | |
| 8 | Dean Ferris | YAM | 136 | |
| 9 | Blake Baggett | KTM | 131 | |
| 10 | Justin Bogle | KTM | 117 | |
| 11 | Fredrik Noren | SUZ | 111 | |
| 12 | Cole Seely | HON | 59 | |
| 13 | Ben Lamay | HON | 56 | |
| 14 | Lorenzo Locurcio | KAW | 55 | |
| 15 | Joseph Savatgy | KAW | 54 | |
| 16 | Justin Hill | SUZ | 51 | |
| 17 | Todd Waters | HQV | 46 | |
| 18 | Tyler Bowers | KAW | 46 | |
| 19 | Benny Bloss | KTM | 39 | |
| 20 | John Short | HON | 36 | |
| 21 | Henry Miller | KTM | 36 | |
| 22 | Jake Masterpool | HON | 35 | |
| 23 | Toshiki Tomita | HON | 21 | |
| 24 | Dylan Merriam | HQV | 18 | |
| 25 | James Weeks | YAM | 13 | |
| 26 | Taiki Koga | KAW | 12 | |
| 27 | Coty Schock | KTM | 11 | |
| 28 | Aaron Plessinger | YAM | 8 | |
| 29 | Kyle Chisholm | SUZ | 7 | |
| 30 | Tristan Lane | KTM | 6 | |
| 31 | Cody Cooper | HON | 6 | |
| 32 | Matthew Hubert | HQV | 5 | |
| 33 | Ryan Dowd | SUZ | 5 | |
| 34 | Erki Kahro | KTM | 5 | |
| 35 | Mathias Jorgensen | HON | 3 | |
| 36 | Chris Canning | KAW | 2 | |
| 37 | Dare Demartile | HON | 2 | |
| 38 | Felix Lopez | KTM | 1 | |
| 39 | Brandan Leith | KAW | 1 | |
| 40 | Heath Harrison | KAW | 1 | |
The first 250 Class moto of the afternoon saw championship rivals Cianciarulo and Justin Cooper cross the MotoSport.com Holeshot side-by-side, with Cianciarulo just barely getting the edge aboard his Kawasaki.
Cooper ultimately emerged with the early lead on his Monster Energy/Star/Yamaha, but Cianciarulo went on the attack and forced his way into the lead. From there, the points leader sprinted out to an advantage of just over two seconds by the time the field completed the opening lap.
The Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/KTM duo of rookie Derek Drake and Shane McElrath followed right behind in third and fourth, respectively.
Cianciarulo continued to build on his lead over Cooper, who soon settled into second. Behind them, the battle for third intensified between the KTM teammates, which ultimately allowed Monster Energy/Star/Yamaha Racing’s Dylan Ferrandis to close in from fifth. With pressure from behind, McElrath forced the issue on Drake and took over third.
It wasn’t long before Ferrandis made his way around the rookie to move up to fourth. The focus then shifted to a head-to-head battle between McElrath and Ferrandis. Their pace allowed them to close in on Cooper in second, and as McElrath looked to potentially make a challenge for the runner-up spot, Ferrandis utilized some alternate lines to surge into third.
The Frenchman was mere bike lengths behind his teammate for second, and appeared to be the faster rider. However, as he began to apply pressure he carried too much speed into a corner and went off track. While he was able to resume without losing a position, Ferrandis lost valuable time to Cooper that he’d be unable to recover.
Out front, Cianciarulo was dominant en route to his fifth moto win of the season. He crossed the line 11.1 seconds ahead of Cooper, who rode solidly in second the entire moto. Ferrandis held off a late charge from GEICO Honda’s RJ Hampshire to finish third, while Monster Energy Yamaha’s Colt Nichols rounded out the top five.
| Pos | Rider | Bike | Interval |
| 1 | Adam Cianciarulo | KAW | 16 Laps |
| 2 | Justin Cooper | YAM | +11.124 |
| 3 | Dylan Ferrandis | YAM | +15.525 |
| 4 | RJ Hampshire | HON | +17.041 |
| 5 | Colt Nichols | YAM | +18.166 |
| 6 | Shane McElrath | KTM | +42.781 |
| 7 | Brandon Hartranft | YAM | +56.517 |
| 8 | Ty Masterpool | YAM | +1:00.492 |
| 9 | Hunter Lawrence | HON | +1:09.638 |
| 10 | Alex Martin | SUZ | +1:12.750 |
| 11 | Cameron Mcadoo | KTM | +1:27.158 |
| 12 | Jacob Hayes | YAM | +1:31.340 |
| 13 | Chase Sexton | HON | +1:38.346 |
| 14 | Jerry Robin | KTM | +1:45.880 |
| 15 | Jordan Bailey | HQV | +1:49.194 |
| 16 | Kyle Peters | SUZ | +1:50.204 |
| 17 | Nick Gaines | YAM | +1:51.308 |
| 18 | Ramyller Alves | KTM | +2:06.933 |
| 19 | Mitchell Oldenburg | YAM | +2:19.840 |
| 20 | Justin Thompson | YAM | 15 Laps |
| 21 | Derek Drake | KTM | +04.348 |
| 22 | Martin Davalos | KAW | +11.869 |
| 23 | Gabe Gutierres | KTM | +18.833 |
| 24 | Kevin Moranz | KAW | +33.652 |
| 25 | Cody Williams | HQV | +42.934 |
| 26 | Joshua Prior | HQV | +53.790 |
| 27 | Jake Pinhancos | KAW | +56.325 |
| 28 | Hayden Halstead | YAM | +1:12.053 |
| 29 | Corey Ridel | HQV | +1:31.280 |
| 30 | Joshua Berchem | KTM | +1:32.436 |
| 31 | James Harrington | YAM | +2:09.197 |
| 32 | Bryton Carroll | YAM | +2:26.313 |
| 33 | Jeffrey Walker | HON | 14 Laps |
| 34 | Aaron Zielfelder | HON | +02.459 |
| 35 | Jonathan Mayzak | KTM | +19.970 |
| 36 | Stephen Czarnota | KTM | +31.839 |
| 37 | Cody Williams | KTM | +43.877 |
| 38 | Austin Brooks | YAM | +2:18.710 |
| 39 | Walter White | KTM | 13 Laps |
| 40 | Zane Merrett | KTM | 6 Laps |
Cianciarulo made it a clean sweep of the MotoSport.com Holeshots when he emerged from the first turn with the lead to start Moto 2. Cycle Trader Yamaha’s Brandon Hartranft followed in second, with Red Bull KTM’s Cameron McAdoo in third, just ahead of both Ferrandis and Cooper.
Cianciarulo tried to duplicate the early pace he showed in the first moto, but the field kept him within reach. Ferrandis proved to be the first rider to make a move, fighting his way around both McAdoo and Hartranft to surge from fourth to second. Just about a second separated the lead pair as they came to complete Lap 1.
Cianciarulo and Ferrandis started to inch away from the rest of the field, setting up a two-rider showdown for the win. This forced Cooper to dig deep from fifth, and he successfully got around McAdoo for fourth. A lap later he worked his way by Hartranft to take over third, but faced more than an eight-second deficit to the top two. Up front, the gap between Cianciarulo and Ferrandis hovered around a second for half of the moto, with the duo trading fast laps.
As the moto surpassed the halfway point, Ferrandis began to lose patience and started to force the issue. He was able to learn in his pursuit of the Kawasaki and found a couple spots on the track where he could make a move.
With about 13-minutes left in the moto, the Frenchman pulled the trigger and sped by Cianciarulo, who put up little fight knowing he still had the overall in hand. Once out front, Ferrandis was able to quickly build an insurmountable advantage. He carried on to take his second win in the last three motos, 10.6-seconds over Cianciarulo, while Cooper followed in a distant third.
Cianciarulo’s 1-2 effort gave him the sixth overall victory of his career, five of which have come this summer alone. He also became the 27th different winner in 34 seasons of 250 Class racing in Southwick.
Adam Cianciarulo 1-2
“I try to make good decisions [when I’m out there]. The more I mature as a racer, the more you just learn [how to handle situations],” explained Cianciarulo. “I managed that [second moto], for sure. I’m not sure if I had Dylan’s pace in that [second] moto. He deserved that one. I tried to follow, but I’ll admit, I was a little bit fatigued. We still leave here with another win, and it’s amazing what we continue to accomplish as a team.”
Dylan Ferrandis 3-1
“I feel like even with the heat, I’m still alright. It’s nice to get another moto win. We improved between the motos after going the wrong way for moto one. We talked a lot and we figured it out for moto two. I’m exhausted but happy to be up here and we’ll go after the overall again next weekend.”
Justin Cooper 2-3
“The track was the roughest I’ve ever ridden Southwick. Not that I’ve been here much, but even watching it on TV has never seemed to be this rough. I made some good changes between motos but the breaking bumps were really tightening my back up and I just wanted to make sure we maintained through the whole moto. It was gnarly and a really physically and mentally demanding track. I gave it my all out there today.”
Colt Nichols 5-11
“Bike was great all day and I’m honestly happy with the changes we have made in the past week or so. Conditions were brutal. The typical Southwick rough and tough you could say. I’m bummed I had a crash first lap of the second moto but that’s racing. We get to try again next weekend.”
| Pos | Rider | Bike | Interval |
| 1 | Dylan Ferrandis | YAM | 15 Laps |
| 2 | Adam Cianciarulo | KAW | +10.690 |
| 3 | Justin Cooper | YAM | +28.357 |
| 4 | RJ Hampshire | HON | +41.007 |
| 5 | Alex Martin | SUZ | +52.192 |
| 6 | Cameron Mcadoo | KTM | +1:01.582 |
| 7 | Shane McElrath | KTM | +1:01.870 |
| 8 | Brandon Hartranft | YAM | +1:17.963 |
| 9 | Jacob Hayes | YAM | +1:20.057 |
| 10 | Nick Gaines | YAM | +1:27.269 |
| 11 | Colt Nichols | YAM | +1:49.882 |
| 12 | Ramyller Alves | KTM | +1:56.727 |
| 13 | Hunter Lawrence | HON | +2:04.333 |
| 14 | Mitchell Oldenburg | YAM | +2:21.530 |
| 15 | Ty Masterpool | YAM | +2:28.314 |
| 16 | Kevin Moranz | KAW | 14 Laps |
| 17 | Jerry Robin | KTM | +09.403 |
| 18 | Jordan Bailey | HQV | +27.973 |
| 19 | Hayden Halstead | YAM | +32.039 |
| 20 | Justin Thompson | YAM | +53.572 |
| 21 | Zane Merrett | KTM | +1:02.268 |
| 22 | Joshua Prior | HQV | +1:35.238 |
| 23 | Derek Drake | KTM | +1:38.267 |
| 24 | Jake Pinhancos | KAW | +1:41.747 |
| 25 | Corey Ridel | HQV | +1:58.652 |
| 26 | Joshua Berchem | KTM | +2:05.808 |
| 27 | Aaron Zielfelder | HON | +2:36.150 |
| 28 | Jonathan Mayzak | KTM | +2:47.798 |
| 29 | James Harrington | YAM | 13 Laps |
| 30 | Stephen Czarnota | KTM | +35.171 |
| 31 | Bryton Carroll | YAM | +35.921 |
| 32 | Cody Williams | KTM | +1:06.856 |
| 33 | Hunter Stempel | HON | +1:29.476 |
| 34 | Austin Brooks | YAM | +1:39.885 |
| 35 | Kyle Peters | SUZ | 9 Laps |
| 36 | Cody Williams | HQV | +29.752 |
| 37 | Gabe Gutierres | KTM | 6 Laps |
| 38 | Jeffrey Walker | HON | 5 Laps |
| 39 | Walter White | KTM | +39.788 |
| 40 | Martin Davalos | KAW | 4 Laps |
Ferrandis’ win in the second moto carried him to back-to-back runner-up finishes (3-1), while Cooper earned his fifth overall podium result of the season in third (2-3).
| Pos | Rider | Bike | M1 | M2 | Rnd PTS |
| 1 | Adam Cianciarulo | KAW | 1 | 2 | 47 |
| 2 | Dylan Ferrandis | YAM | 3 | 1 | 45 |
| 3 | Justin Cooper | YAM | 2 | 3 | 42 |
| 4 | RJ Hampshire | HON | 4 | 4 | 36 |
| 5 | Shane McElrath | KTM | 6 | 7 | 29 |
| 6 | Alex Martin | SUZ | 10 | 5 | 27 |
| 7 | Brandon Hartranft | YAM | 7 | 8 | 27 |
| 8 | Colt Nichols | YAM | 5 | 11 | 26 |
| 9 | Cameron Mcadoo | KTM | 11 | 6 | 25 |
| 10 | Jacob Hayes | YAM | 12 | 9 | 21 |
| 11 | Hunter Lawrence | HON | 9 | 13 | 20 |
| 12 | Ty Masterpool | YAM | 8 | 15 | 19 |
| 13 | Nick Gaines | YAM | 17 | 10 | 15 |
| 14 | Ramyller Alves | KTM | 18 | 12 | 12 |
| 15 | Jerry Robin | KTM | 14 | 17 | 11 |
| 16 | Mitchell Oldenburg | YAM | 19 | 14 | 9 |
| 17 | Jordan Bailey | HQV | 15 | 18 | 9 |
| 18 | Chase Sexton | HON | 13 | 8 | |
| 19 | Kevin Moranz | KAW | 24 | 16 | 5 |
| 20 | Kyle Peters | SUZ | 16 | 35 | 5 |
| 21 | Hayden Halstead | YAM | 28 | 19 | 2 |
| 22 | Justin Thompson | YAM | 20 | 20 | 2 |
| 23 | Derek Drake | KTM | 21 | 23 | 0 |
| 24 | Joshua Prior | HQV | 26 | 22 | 0 |
| 25 | Jake Pinhancos | KAW | 27 | 24 | 0 |
| 26 | Corey Ridel | HQV | 29 | 25 | 0 |
| 27 | Joshua Berchem | KTM | 30 | 26 | 0 |
| 28 | James Harrington | YAM | 31 | 29 | 0 |
| 29 | Gabe Gutierres | KTM | 23 | 37 | 0 |
| 30 | Zane Merrett | KTM | 40 | 21 | 0 |
| 31 | Aaron Zielfelder | HON | 34 | 27 | 0 |
| 32 | Cody Williams | HQV | 25 | 36 | 0 |
| 33 | Martin Davalos | KAW | 22 | 40 | 0 |
| 34 | Jonathan Mayzak | KTM | 35 | 28 | 0 |
| 35 | Bryton Carroll | YAM | 32 | 31 | 0 |
| 36 | Stephen Czarnota | KTM | 36 | 30 | 0 |
| 37 | Cody Williams | KTM | 37 | 32 | 0 |
| 38 | Jeffrey Walker | HON | 33 | 38 | 0 |
| 39 | Austin Brooks | YAM | 38 | 34 | 0 |
| 40 | Walter White | KTM | 39 | 39 | 0 |
| 41 | Hunter Stempel | HON | / | 33 | 0 |
Cianciarulo was able to add to his lead in the 250 Class standings, where he now enjoys a 23-point lead over Cooper. Ferrandis remains solidly in third, 37 points out of the lead.
| Pos | Name | Bike | Total |
| 1 | Adam Cianciarulo | KAW | 269 |
| 2 | Justin Cooper | YAM | 246 |
| 3 | Dylan Ferrandis | YAM | 232 |
| 4 | Colt Nichols | YAM | 178 |
| 5 | Chase Sexton | HON | 167 |
| 6 | RJ Hampshire | HON | 165 |
| 7 | Hunter Lawrence | HON | 162 |
| 8 | Michael Mosiman | HQV | 148 |
| 9 | Alex Martin | SUZ | 143 |
| 10 | Shane McElrath | KTM | 108 |
| 11 | Ty Masterpool | YAM | 83 |
| 12 | Brandon Hartranft | YAM | 73 |
| 13 | Jacob Hayes | YAM | 72 |
| 14 | Garrett Marchbanks | KAW | 63 |
| 15 | Cameron Mcadoo | KTM | 58 |
| 16 | Wilson Todd | KTM | 56 |
| 17 | Martin Davalos | KAW | 54 |
| 18 | Derek Drake | KTM | 50 |
| 19 | Christian Craig | HON | 48 |
| 20 | Jordan Bailey | HQV | 48 |
| 21 | Jordon Smith | KTM | 38 |
| 22 | Kyle Peters | SUZ | 36 |
| 23 | Mitchell Oldenburg | YAM | 31 |
| 24 | Nick Gaines | YAM | 30 |
| 25 | Pierce Brown | KTM | 18 |
| 26 | Jerry Robin | KTM | 15 |
| 27 | Ramyller Alves | KTM | 13 |
| 28 | Kevin Moranz | KAW | 11 |
| 29 | Thomas Covington | HQV | 10 |
| 30 | Killian Auberson | KTM | 6 |
| 31 | Justin Thompson | YAM | 5 |
| 32 | Challen Tennant | KTM | 4 |
| 33 | Martin Castelo | HQV | 4 |
| 34 | Zane Merrett | KTM | 3 |
| 35 | Yusuke Watanabe | YAM | 2 |
| 36 | Hayden Halstead | YAM | 2 |
The second half of the 2019 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship begins next Saturday, July 6, with American motocross’ own Independence Day tradition from Michigan’s legendary RedBud MX.
Source: MCNews.com.au
What has happened to motorcycle centre stands which are often only available as options (like on the above Kawasaki Z900RS) or provided as standard on just the biggest motorcycles?
When I started riding in the ‘70s, most road bikes had them.
Even some modern bikes regarded as touring bikes don’t have these utilitarian stands and if you want to buy one, they cost several hundred dollars.
A centre stand is vital for any chain-driven motorcycle heavier than, say a 400cc bike.
Here are some of the advantages of centre stands:
The only option is to buy a paddock stand which often also requires the owner to fit pick-ups. But of course you can’t take these with you on tour.
There are three main reasons manufacturers don’t provide centre stands as standard equipment on most modern motorcycles.
The first is to make the bike appear cheaper.
It’s a competitive industry and price is a huge bargaining tool.
Most buyers are more interested in the power of the engine, the bright colours and hi-tech features, often forgetting about practical things like a centre stand.
The second reason is that they don’t look sexy!
I can’t recall one motorcycle brochure or promo photo showing a motorcycle on a centre stand even when they have one.
I’ve seen motorcycles on paddock stands, but not a provided centre stand.
The third reason is emissions regulations.
It is becoming more and more difficult for manufacturers to reach the ever-increasing standards of European emissions controls.
So they try to keep the bike’s weight down to improve engine efficiency.
Centre stands are heavy, often weighing several kilograms, so jettisoning this extra weight allows manufacturers to reach emissions targets.
Even many modern side stands are now made of a light alloy rather than a substantial steel or iron for weight-saving reasons.
Consequently, they bend and can develop faults with the engine cut-off switch. You should never stand on the pegs to mount a tall bike while it is on its side stand for this very reason.
Weight-saving and emissions targets are also why fuel tanks are getting smaller on modern bikes … but don’t get me started on that!
Source: MotorbikeWriter.com
MotoGP.
“It feels like I’m dreaming. These have been difficult times for me, because I’ve been out of the three tracks where I thought I had the most potential with the bike. My season has been difficult, but I’ve tried to keep the momentum from Catalunya, because I felt really good on the bike. I’m so grateful to the team, because they did a great job this weekend and prepared well for the last laps of the race. I was strong, even one-to-one on the brakes, I knew I could make the overtakes. It was very important to relieve some of the pressure by taking a victory. I think the team will be more relaxed now. Being back on the top step of the podium again feels really good and bringing Yamaha back to its winning ways is the most important to me. We knew we had the potential but hadn’t been able to show it. It’s always a combination between the team’s, the rider’s, and the bike’s efforts. Sachsenring is a track I’m usually fast at, so we’ll try our best.”
“An amazing weekend here in Assen overall. I chose the soft tyre and targeted the podium so this is like a victory as we have again increased the advantage in the championship. I saw Viñales was faster than me and I tried to stay with him to avoid a battle with Quartararo at the end. I was behind Viñales for a few laps and then I saw he was faster than me today, congratulations to him on the victory. The most important part is we have extended our lead in the championship at a circuit where we struggle. Thank you Assen, see you next year!”
“It’s been a great weekend, although the race was very tough. Leading the race was one of the best moments of my life. When I was a kid I watched these races, and today I managed to lead one. When I got overtaken for the lead, I knew I couldn’t do anything to respond because of my arm problems. The chasing pack was further behind, so I chose to manage the distance and ensure I placed on the podium. My arm bothered me a lot because there were several bumps and a lot of wind, which made the bike move around a lot. We have taken another podium, and yesterday I got on pole, so I couldn’t be happier. The goal in Qatar was to get into the top ten frequently this season, but little by little we have been raising our targets. I’m looking forward to Germany.”
“Looking at the positives, we managed to score the best possible result for us today. After a tricky qualifying session and the start from fourth row, it would have been easy to make mistakes and get involved in risky situations in the chasing group, but we were able to quickly recover positions and take home some important points. Unfortunately, on tracks such as this one our limitations are a bit more evident and everything becomes more difficult. The gap on the finish line can’t make us happy, so we need to keep working hard to make further progress in the areas in which we struggle the most, and we’ll try to do that starting from next weekend at Sachsenring.”
“I matched my best result in MotoGP to date, so I am very happy today. It was very important to finish the race, and above all to achieve a good position here. It was a tough race, because to begin with I didn’t feel like I had enough speed to stay with the front group. However, towards the end of the race my feeling improved and I was able to ride faster than those in front of me. I was able to gain several positions and finish fifth. I’m very happy with this result, and I thank the team and my crew.”
“It’s been a bit of a strange weekend, because we started off on the right foot and we were always among the frontrunners in free practice. I was feeling really confident onboard my Desmosedici GP, but the rising temperatures complicated the situation because, when the grip level goes down, we struggle more than our rivals and today it wasn’t possible to match the pace at the front. In the second half of the race Andrea and I engaged in a fun battle against other riders, but unfortunately I lost one position at the very last corner. On the bright side, I’m now third in the Championship and we’re headed to Sachsenring: I barely missed the podium there last year, and this time we’ll try to make sure we step on it.”
“I think we salvaged not a bad position considering the weekend we had. Midway through the race I was the fastest guy on the circuit, but I didn’t feel good with the bike on the first three or four laps and I got passed a lot. Then I was able to do my own pace which was faster than the guys ahead, but when I got to them I made too many mistakes – I ran off the track three or four times. We tried our best and that was it, we have to work on the negatives of the bike, but we’re working well as a team and I think we did a good job to be able to be competitive enough today. As I said, my pace in the middle of the race was very, very good and we need to work on being able to go faster at the start.”
“I’m so happy about the weekend in general. Although it was still a bit of a shame, because I expected a little bit more. I was fighting really hard throughout the race, but I didn’t have much grip on the rear towards the end and I thought it was better to finish than fight. I’m looking forward to Sachsenring because I have been feeling much better recently, and I feel that I’m close to achieving some really strong results.”
“It’s been a very difficult weekend. During the race I tried to push but the tyre didn’t help me. I’m disappointed because I thought I could do better. We finished by taking some important points for the classification but the result could have been better.”
“Besides the position, which is my best result with Aprilia, I am especially pleased with the nice pace I maintained throughout the race. With better qualifiers, we would have had a chance for a much better finishing position. This result is the fruit of constant and consistent work, on my part and by the entire team. We have faced some difficult moments, but neither my commitment nor our reciprocal trust have waned. Today we are all happy and I wish to thank all the guys from Aprilia, but we certainly don’t think that this is enough. This is a good starting place and we need to keep working, improving and growing constantly, race after race.”
“It was the hardest race to handle the pain but not so much for the riding because I was not on the limit. At the beginning of the race I was quite comfortable. I tried to stay calm and fresh and then I pushed behind [Francesco] Bagnaia. The pain started about 12 laps before the end and then 5 laps to go I couldn’t manage. Entering the fast right corners was quite dangerous for me. So I just rolled off and stayed in that position which was not that bad. I was the first KTM…with problems, so this is good. Hopefully with three days the injury can come a bit better and with some painkillers we can do a good race in Germany.”
“It was a very difficult race. I struggled from the beginning to move around on the bike because of the injuries to my left leg, and that penalised our performance. I used all the muscles I could, but it was difficult to turn the bike on a track like this one that is very physical. Now I will focus on recovering in order to arrive in Germany in better physical condition.”
“It has been a tough race today. For sure, the starting position didn’t help at all. In the first laps I couldn’t overtake anyone but in any case, I had a strong pace at the end. I could be competitive and fight with other riders, so I think finally, to finish in the points was the target and we did it. I’m quite happy for the weekend. This is a small step but we are getting there. Collecting more information for the future is also important.”
“I tried being with the Top 10 group. I pushed a lot but in the last laps I didn’t have any more grip. We’ll look at the data to see what happened. We still got 2 points and we have a lot of room for improvement.”
“It was a really good race in the beginning. From eight laps to go, I lost rear grip on the right side and don’t know why. I tried to manage it with the traction control but it was not working. So, I’m a bit disappointed, because I know I could have been close to Pol and maybe also in front of my teammate. But this is the race. Now we further try to improve our weak points and understand the bike better and better.”
”Complicated weekend. Assen is a very physically demanding circuit and even more considering that I came from an operation in the leg and my tendon hurted behind the knee. The first two days hurted more, today in the warm up the pain disappeared down but it has returned in the race. It penalized me because it is one of the worst circuits for the Ducati, you have to change a lot of direction. In the race I tried to follow the group in front but I made a mistake and when I was alone I could not go full throttle on the straights, I had to use the rear brake even in sixth gear because the bike moved a lot. After half a race, the rear brake temperature went up and sometimes it stopped working. I tried to get some points but it was not possible today. The positive part is that we have another race next week to get rid of the thorn.”
”It was a bad day today. Friday and Saturday were good and I was happy with everthing, I think we did a really good job with lap times. I felt relaxed for the race and strong to fight for 12th or 13th. However, after the start, which was really bad, I couldn’t do anything as I wasn’t fast. We made a few mistakes in the set up that I would like to change for Sachsenring and I just didn’t have a good feeling with both front and rear tyres. I couldn’t follow the riders that overtook me as Oliveira or Tito himself. Then, I was just trying to finish the race but unfortunately I lost the front in a corner. I picked up the bike and continued in order to finish the race.”
“I did a really good start, and I was riding with a lot of confidence. But then, on the exit of Turn 8, the front came up a little bit more than usual and then I braked really hard getting into Turn 9 and I lost the front immediately. It was a real shame because I was doing well, with a good rhythm and good pace. I’m sure I would have stayed with the front riders. The good news is that I’ll be back on the bike in less than a week, at Sachsenring, and I’m really excited.”
“I was quite fast, so I tried to recover some positions. I was battling with Nakagami and I tried to overtake him, entering Turn 8, but I was a bit too much off the line, I think. When I entered the corner, I lost the front and unfortunately I also took out Nakagami, so that’s a great shame and I have to say “sorry”. It was a mistake and a pity, because today, after being slow this weekend, we had found something, so during the race I was good. I felt good with the bike. So, on one side this makes it an even bigger shame, but on the other side it’s also important to realise that I was suffering too much this weekend and that we need to be stronger.”
“It was an unlucky day, we made a good start at the beginning and I tried to follow the top group. Then I was fighting with Cal (Crutchlow), Jack (Miller) and Valentino (Rossi), and on that lap he (Rossi) overtook me in turn one and I overtook again in turn two, then in turn eight he tried to overtake again from inside but I saw him lose the front end and I had no time to recover and he took me out. It was an unlucky crash, but although I’m not 100 percent ok, I’ve not got any injuries which is good as it was a nasty crash. I hit the fence and I can’t completely remember what happened, but I want to thank all my staff for helping me.”
“It is a hard track for all the riders I think and I got this problem, which I was able to control the last two years and this year not. The good thing was the first ten laps and to be able to catch the others with pace and be able to overtake as a racer. We are working a lot and changing the bike a lot to give me this feeling or possibilities to improve. After ten laps I did a few mistakes. I had the feeling I was not holding the bike any more and before something bad happened I had to stop.”
“We start with the positives. Maverick was strong all weekend and started the Dutch GP with the same confidence level he had in Barcelona. To have him battle at the front, which is where he belongs, and win in such a convincing manner is fantastic, especially in hot weather, the circumstances in which we struggled in the past. This win is an indication that we‘re heading in the right direction and is a very important reward for both Maverick, his team, and Yamaha, because they have been working very hard. It also slightly makes up for the misfortune our team encountered in Catalunya. However, as much as we are happy for Maverick, we are disappointed for Valentino. The race is always tricky when you‘re starting from more towards the back, but he had found something he liked in the morning and was on his way up the order when he crashed. It‘s a shame, and also very unlucky that Nakagami was taken down too. In any case, we have learned from this weekend and head to the Sachsenring fully motivated to get to work.”
“What a fantastic Dutch GP! To achieve a podium finish, in only the next race from our first-ever podium finish, is really quite remarkable and it’s incredible to think that this team is only eight races old. Fabio performed excellently all weekend and the entire team did a tremendous job. Franco had a superb race, and a fine fifth is just reward for his efforts. This weekend PETRONAS debuted their Sprinta engine oil in the Yamaha YZR-M1 and were rewarded with pole position and a podium finish. This is a great endorsement of their technical prowess and a well-deserved reward for the support they have given this team. This is a very happy team today but we remain focused to keep improving and delivering at the very best we can.”
“It’s our best result as a team to date. Having our MotoGP riders finish third and fifth is a bit unexpected. If we were offered these results for the rest of the season, we’d take it – it would be fantastic. Fabio had a great race, leading for 12 laps and claiming another podium – the second for the team. We are very satisfied. Franco had a very steady race. He made a good start, and although he lacked some pace at the beginning, when the other riders started to lap slower he was able to maintain his speed and overtake on the final laps. He should be very proud of himself after this race in Assen. We come out of this weekend with much more energy and we are looking forward to the next round. The goal for Germany will be to try to make sure Fabio goes into the weekend in the best physical condition, and we hope that Franco can take another step forward, although we are more than satisfied with the results that both riders have provided us with up to now.”
“Today we expected a very strong race for both our riders, so it was a pity that we couldn’t get the results we hoped for. We need to investigate exactly what happened to Alex. Joan lost some places and that was a pity too, but he still had a good finish and took good points within the second group. Things have been improving for him in the last few rounds.”
“Today was disappointing for Alex because he and Joan had great starts and Alex just made a small mistake and went down. Joan fought well, even though he had to back off a bit towards the end of the race. Despite everything, we’re still confident because in general our pace and form are very good at the moment. We’re looking forward to trying again in Germany next week.”
“Pol had a great weekend in the circumstances. He went from the hospital to the garage and there were a lot of question marks as well as pain for him in the sessions. He did a great qualifying and that was the base of this result today. If someone asked me after FP1 if Pol would finish the race on Sunday I would have said ‘no chance’. To ride a MotoGP bike is not like riding a scooter in the paddock: it is a tough job. He did brilliantly. Johann did well in the beginning and was in the group fighting for tenth position but then dropped away dramatically. So we’ll have to analyse what happened but I could see there were riders with other brands that were suffering on track. We’ll have to look if we can give our best at Sachsenring. It was great to see the Red Bull Tech3 guys both in the points again and looking more competitive.”
“This has been a very good weekend for us as the performance, grip and durability was at the forefront all the time. We set very fast times and broke the outright lap record more than once and if the weather hadn’t been different today I am sure we would have seen more records broken. All six compounds were used, which is again a testament to making tyres that all can use. Maverick became the fifth winner of the season from the fourth different manufacturer, this again reiterates our intention of producing tyres for all bikes to give them the chance of the best performance. We now head to Germany and Sachsenring, which can be a very demanding track, both from a layout and weather point of view, we will also see the first running of the MotoE Grand Prix, so that gives us another new challenge and one we are looking forward to taking.”
Source: MCNews.com.au
