MotoGPMatters.com (Free subscription) | 11/27/2009
One name keeps cropping up amidst all the speculation about still open seats in the various race series. Alex de Angelis has been linked with a range of options since the late summer, all of them revolving around sponsorship by the tourism agency of San Marino, the tiny Italian republic from whence De Angelis hails. It started with the Scot Honda MotoGP program, and when that was abandoned, went on...
MotoGPMatters.com (Free subscription) | 11/26/2009
As has been widely supposed here on MotoMatters, and nearly everywhere else in the racing press, 2009 BSB champion Leon Camier has signed to race alongside Max Biaggi on the Factory Aprilia Racing Team in 2010. Aprilia's recent withdrawal with extreme prejudice from Moto2 to concentrate on WSBK and the proposed 1000cc 2012 MotoGP regulations, leaves open the possibility that the Noale based manufacturer...
MotoGPMatters.com (Free subscription) | 11/18/2009
A variety of sources are reporting that 2009 British superbike champion Leon Camier has or will shortly sign a deal that will see him ride alongside Max Biaggi on the factory Aprilia team in the World Superbike championship. Camier will test with the team at Misano Wednesday and Thursday and some sort of announcement may be made by the team at that time. The young Brit has been considered a front-runner...
MotoGPMatters.com (Free subscription) | 11/12/2009
Althea Ducati has announced that Shane "Shakey" Byrne will team with Carlos Checa on the squad in the World Superbike championship in 2010. Althea ended a relationship with Honda at the end of the 2009 season that had lasted the last two years in favor of the Bologna based manufacturer. Byrne brings extensive experience with the 1098 Superbike to Althea, having won the 2008 British superbike...
MotoGPMatters.com (Free subscription) | 11/11/2009
The hopes that Team Scot had of remaining in the MotoGP class have been dashed. The Italian team - home of the 2009 250cc World Champion - had failed to match the success of their 250cc riders in the MotoGP class. As a consequence, their bid to remain in MotoGP on merit has failed. The team had hoped to stay if they could secure the extra funding to run Alex de Angelis. But though initial talks with...
MotoGPMatters.com (Free subscription) | 11/02/2009
Yet another unmissable charity event with a MotoGP connection, but this time in the dirt rather than on tarmac. Valentino Rossi is helping to organize a charity motocross event to be held on November 15th at the Crossodromo di Cavallara, in Mundavio, not far from Pesaro on Italy's Adriatic Coast. The event is due to feature a host of big names from the MotoGP world, including Andrea Dovizioso, Marco...
MotoGPMatters.com (Free subscription) | 10/30/2009
As the final race for the much-loved 250cc class approaches, news is starting to emerge of rider signings and ongoing negotiations for the Moto2 class which is scheduled to take its place. It was reported earlier this week that Alex de Angelis is close to a deal with Tech 3 , after the enclave republic of San Marino was not prepared to fund the Scot Honda MotoGP project which would have kept the San...
MotoGPMatters.com (Free subscription) | 10/28/2009
For the past couple of weeks, the MotoGP paddock has been on tenterhooks waiting for an announcement on the future of Alex de Angelis. The Italian has been working on a deal to keep the Scot Honda team in MotoGP, with backing from De Angelis' native mountain republic of San Marino. An announcement was expected this weekend at Sepang, but it failed to come, raising fears that the deal had fallen through....
MotoGPMatters.com (Free subscription) | 10/23/2009
Jorge Lorenzo got his weekend off to an ideal start at Sepang, setting the fastest time in the first session of free practice, just a fraction of a second ahead of the Australian Casey Stoner. Valentino Rossi had dominated early on, but as the second half of the session commenced, Casey Stoner took over the running at the front. With 10 minutes to go, Rossi looked like getting back in contention with...
MotoGPMatters.com (Free subscription) | 10/22/2009
Uncertainty continues as to who will fill the final seat on the 2010 MotoGP grid. In the early hours of today, several sections of the Spanish media were reporting that the Scot Honda ride had gone to Alex de Angelis , leaving Toni Elias riding for the Pons team in Moto2 . But news is emerging that the deal is not yet completely finalized. According to the Catalonian sports daily Sport.es , the Scot...
MotoGPMatters.com (Free subscription) | 10/16/2009
Valentino Rossi was the fastest man out of the blocks in the MotoGP class at Phillip Island, the cool but sunny weather and dusty track conditions keeping the Italian well off lap record pace. The Italian was just over a tenth faster than Casey Stoner, the birthday boy (he turned 24 today) the only rider close to matching Rossi's time. But a few spots of rain later in the session prevented the Australian...
MotoGPMatters.com (Free subscription) | 09/16/2009
As in MotoGP, so in World Superbikes. In both series, the Japanese manufacturer is suffering an embarrassment of riches when it comes to riders, and with the MotoGP factory squad complete, Yamaha Motor Italia, who run the World Superbike squad, are considering their options for 2010. Their problem depends in part on Ben Spies, and whether he stays in World Superbikes or goes to MotoGP with the Tech...
MotoGPMatters.com (Free subscription) | 09/16/2009
Ever since the inception of the MotoGP era, Honda has borne most of the burden of keeping the grid full of bikes, never supplying less than 6 machines. In the heyday of the 990s, any one of those bikes, satellite or factory, was capable of a podium on any given day. That all changed with the advent of the 800s. HRC's grave miscalculation of what it would take to build a winning 800cc MotoGP bike left...
MotoGPMatters.com (Free subscription) | 09/05/2009
With the future of Ben Spies now apparently settled - though the English-language journalists continue to debate the exact meaning of the word "foresee", and whether it allows for Spies to move to MotoGP earlier than 2011 - half the Monster Tech 3 Yamaha team seems to be settled, as Colin Edwards looks certain to keep his seat in the team, especially given the outstanding results he has...
MotoGPMatters.com (Free subscription) | 09/04/2009
Valentino Rossi has struck the first blow at Misano, edging ahead of Fiat Yamaha team mate Jorge Lorenzo, with 10 minutes to go, then taking another tenth of a second off his best time to hold onto provisional pole. Lorenzo had dominated the session up until that point, only briefly ceding the lead to Dani Pedrosa, and hammering a whole sequence of laps in the 1'35s, over half a second faster than...
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