MotoGPMatters.com (Free subscription) | 11/18/2009
Niccolo Canepa had a very tough rookie year in MotoGP. The Italian joined the Pramac Ducati team after a year as Ducati's test rider, having won the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup a year before. But once he made the switch from test rider to MotoGP rider, he has struggled badly, circulating close to the back of the field for much of the season. So it was no surprise that the likable Italian lost his MotoGP...
MotoGPMatters.com (Free subscription) | 11/03/2009
It has not been Niccolo Canepa's season. After a long and difficult year struggling with the Pramac Ducati, the Italian is to miss the final round of MotoGP at Valencia, leaving the series without a final chance to prove his mettle. The Valencia round will be the third race in a row that Canepa has been forced to miss, as he is still recovering from the skin transplant necessitated by his crash in...
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....
Valentino Rossi - MotoGP 2007 (Free subscription) | 10/24/2009
Full Saturday free practice times from the Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang, round 16 of the 2009 MotoGP World Championship. Niccolo Canepa, who injured his arm in Friday practice at Phillip Island last weekend, has been replaced by Aleix Espargaro. 1. Valentino Rossi ITA Fiat Yamaha Team 2min 0.518 sec 2. Jorge Lorenzo SPA Fiat Yamaha Team 2min 1.087 sec 3. Dani Pedrosa SPA Repsol Honda Team 2min 1.254...
MotoGPMatters.com (Free subscription) | 10/20/2009
Niccolo Canepa's weekend at Phillip Island got off to a bad start. The Pramac Ducati rider crashed during the first session of free practice on Friday, going down at the - literally - scorching Doohan corner at around 200 km/h. The Italian slid a long way on the tarmac, burning a hole through his leathers and removing a big chunk of skin from his right arm and elbow. His injuries were sufficiently...
MotoGPMatters.com (Free subscription) | 10/16/2009
There was a fairly hefty injury toll at the cool and dusty Phillip Island track on Friday. There were fallers in all of the categories, but the heaviest of the lot were Hector Barbera in the 250cc class and Niccolo Canepa in MotoGP. Barbera highsided, landing heavily on his back and knocking the wind out of him. As he struggled for breath, Barbera told the press afterwards, he feared the worst, the...
MotoGPMatters.com (Free subscription) | 09/18/2009
The saga of Pramac Ducati is become a very off-again-on-again affair. After Aleix Espargaro made such a positive impression at Indianapolis and Misano, subbing for Mika Kallio who had been temporarily promoted to the factory Marlboro Ducati team, the Spaniard looked set to replace the current holder of the second seat at Pramac, Niccolo Canepa. But the decision has fallen in favor of the Italian instead....
MotoGPMatters.com (Free subscription) | 09/15/2009
Since being called up to take the place of Mika Kallio at Pramac Ducati, Aleix Espargaro has made a big impression. So good an impression has the Spanish former 250 rider made that Pramac are looking to keep the Spaniard, even though Kallio will be returning to the satellite Ducati squad now that Casey Stoner will - presumably - be returning to action at Estoril. As predicted last week , Pramac have...
MotoGPMatters.com (Free subscription) | 09/10/2009
No motorcycle has acquired quite such a fearsome reputation as the Ducati Desmosedici GP9. Though there are no doubts about the speed of the Ducati - Casey Stoner has proved the bike is fast over and over again - there are huge question marks about its ridability. Loris Capirossi went from being a title candidate to an occasional podium visitor on the 800, Marco Melandri turned from podium regular...
MotoGPMatters.com (Free subscription) | 08/29/2009
Dani Pedrosa obviously likes it in the US. After his relatively easy victory at Laguna Seca, he has come to Indianapolis and dominated. He was comfortably fastest in the rain yesterday, and during this morning's second free practice session, he completely blew away the rest of the field, smashing last year's pole record - set on qualifiers - leaving 2nd place man Jorge Lorenzo over a second behind....
MotoGPMatters.com (Free subscription) | 08/14/2009
Yesterday, Dorna released a list of engines presented to MotoGP's Technical Director Mike Webb to be officially sealed. The seals are placed to comply with the engine limit which comes into effect at Brno, which stipulates that each rider is only allowed to use 5 engines until the end of the season. The teams only needed to submit 1, or at most 2 engines to be sealed before practice started, but instead...
Valentino Rossi - MotoGP 2007 (Free subscription) | 07/26/2009
Race results from the British Grand Prix at Donington Park, round ten of the 2009 MotoGP World Championship. 1. Andrea Dovizioso ITA Repsol Honda Team 48min 26.267 sec 2. Colin Edwards USA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 48min 27.627 sec 3. Randy de Puniet FRA LCR Honda MotoGP 48min 27.867 sec 4. Alex de Angelis RSM San Carlo Honda Gresini 48min 35.225 sec 5. Valentino Rossi ITA Fiat Yamaha Team 48min 47.889...
MotoGPMatters.com (Free subscription) | 07/20/2009
Yet more photos from Scott Jones, this time of the rain-soaked qualifying session. The conditions may have been horrific, but this did not deter either our intrepid photographer or the subjects he was shooting. Jorge Lorenzo. He's supposed to be injured, but he refuses to let that deter him. Niccolo Canepa, before Nicky laid the Kentucky Smackdown on him Usually, underwater conditions suit Chris Vermeulen,...
SPEED (Free subscription) | 07/19/2009
Nicky Hayden took out fellow Ducati rider Niccolo Canepa in a wild qualifying crash at Sachsenring today.
MotoGPMatters.com (Free subscription) | 07/15/2009
The Team Toth saga seems set to run and run. Three weeks ago, disaster was averted at Assen by an urgent transfer of funds from Mattia Pasini's Team Toth to Aprilia, who then released the ECUs required to operate the factory-spec RSA 250s Pasini is racing halfway through the first session of free practice. Now, that scenario looks set to be repeated, as according to both GPOne.com and the Italian...
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