Lorenzo Quietly Confident as de Puniet Makes Miraculous Return

The Cardion ab Grand Prix České republiky marks the start of the second half of a season that has been well and truly dominated by Fiat Yamaha's Jorge Lorenzo. The Spaniard is currently 72 points clear at the top of the championship standings, having racked up six wins and three second places during the first half of his 2010 campaign.

Another top-two finish would make Lorenzo only the third rider in GP racing’s 62-year history to place either first or second in the opening ten races of a season, but the Fiat Yamaha rider was more concerned with the championship during the press conference, rather than the records he's breaking as the season progresses.

"I like this track very much as it suits my riding style very well and I would obviously like to win here, but my main objective is the championship, so we will see how things go this weekend," Lorenzo told the assembled journalists at the press conference.

"It will be difficult to repeat the results from the first half of the season, but that's not really our goal. The goal is simply to finish races and get on the podium."

The championship leader was quick to admit that, during the short summer break, he'd broken the habit of a lifetime and actually enjoyed some time off, after a particularly busy first half to the season.

"For the first time ever in my racing career I made some holiday during the break," admitted the Fiat Yamaha rider. "Normally I would spend the break training, but this year for the first time I went somewhere exotic for my holiday."

Currently lying third in the championship, Andrea Dovizioso is keen to rediscover his early season form this weekend at Brno, after finishing off the podium in the last four races. The Italian narrowly missed out on a podium finish in this race last year, but goes into this weekend knowing he needs a good result if he is to hold off the challenge of Casey Stoner, who lies just 12 points behind the Repsol Honda rider in the championship.

"We had four or five really good races at the start of the season, but the last few races we haven't been able to fight for a podium because the other riders have improved more than us," said Dovizioso. "Brno is not one of my favourite tracks, so it will be quite hard for me this weekend but, of course, we will still fight. Three riders are quite close in the championship now, so we could see a good battle for second place in the standings during the next nine races."

Stoner did not race at Brno last season, after withdrawing from the championship for three races with illness. However, the Australian was a winner in the Czech Republic in 2007 and looks to be on a good run of form, having finished on the podium in the last four races. However, the Ducati rider was quick to point out during the press conference that appearances can be deceptive.

"The results might look like they're getting better, but we seem to reaching our maximum too early in the weekend and then not improving any further," explained the former World Champion. "I'm then making mistakes trying to stay with the other guys during the races. Everyone at Ducati is working hard to find improvements, but if we continue as we are then it will be hard for the rest of the season."

Brno has been a particularly successful hunting ground for Valentino Rossi in the past. The Italian has won five times here in the premier class but, while he arrives at Brno off the back of a podium finish at Laguna in only his second race back after injury, Rossi is still not back to full fitness following his Mugello crash.

"The break has helped a little bit with the injuries," declared Rossi. "I feel better than I did at Laguna and both the leg and the shoulder have improved. I have more power in both now, but I'm still not 100%."

Rossi's future is still the major talking point in the MotoGP paddock and the reigning World Champion was quite clear about the timing of an announcement regarding his plans for the 2011 season.

"An announcement about 2011 will be made after the race on Sunday," stated the Italian.

Randy de Puniet listened with more than a little interest as Rossi explained about his recovery from injury, as the LCR Honda rider sustained almost identical fractures after crashing and then being run over by Mika Kallio during the Sachsenring race. Just three weeks after an operation on his injured leg de Puniet was back on a bike at the Alés circuit in France, declaring himself fit to race this weekend after completing 30 pain free laps aboard a standard Honda CBR1000R

The Frenchman's aim is to finish this season as the top privateer and he's determined to race to a top ten finish this weekend, in a bid to claw back points on Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rider, Ben Spies, who currently leads de Puniet by eight points in the championship standings.

"I'd like to thank everyone who has helped with my recovery," said the LCR Honda rider. "It's a surprise to be here this weekend, but a nice surprise. I started physiotherapy just three days after the operation on my leg and the recovery has been good. I tested a standard bike last week in France and everything was okay. I actually think this weekend will be easier than last year at Brno, where I rode in a lot of pain just after breaking my ankle."

MotoGP Info 2010: Lorenzo Instantly on the Pace in First Brno Practice

Lorenzo on track

MotoGP
Jorge Lorenzo picked up where he left off as the MotoGP class returned to action at Brno following a three-week summer break. The World Championship leader set the quickest lap of the first practice at the Cardion ab Grand Prix Ceske republiky with a best time of 1'57.215 on his Fiat Yamaha M1, in a session that saw light rain fall in the final 10 minutes.

After finishing well ahead of his rivals a cautious Lorenzo remarked, "I am happy to be riding here in Brno again. It's always difficult to go back to work after the holidays and this track is so different to Laguna, so wide and much longer; it took me a few more laps than usual to get going! Once I found my rhythm this was a good session and I felt happy on my bike, with a good setting to start from. We tried both rear tyres and we need more time to choose, because unfortunately it rained a bit at the end and we had to stop early. We'll have to wait and see how the track is tomorrow but we hope for it to be dry so we can continue with what we started on today."

Just over half-a-second off Lorenzo's pace was Dani Pedrosa, as the Repsol Honda man set about mounting another challenge to the dominance of his compatriot. Pedrosa, who was leading the last round at Laguna Seca until he crashed out, will aim for a step up in pace to enable him to once more push Lorenzo for the win here in round ten.

Valentino Rossi (Fiat Yamaha) completed the top three as the reigning World Champion timed in at just six-hundredths of a second off Pedrosa, displaying further progress on his way back to full fitness. Close on his tail was fellow Italian Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda), who was the fourth and final rider under the 1'58" bar in the hour-long session.

Nicky Hayden was the highest placing Ducati on his factory machine at just over a full second off the top time, with Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech 3), Casey Stoner (Ducati Team) and Marco Simoncelli (San Carlo Honda Gresini Team) completing the top eight on the timesheet. Rookie Simoncelli experienced the only crash of the session early on, which did little to dent his confidence.

Making his return to action less than four weeks after suffering a broken left leg at Sachsenring was Randy de Puniet, with the LCR Honda rider 16th at just under three seconds off Lorenzo, however a near-highside early in the session caused him severe pain in his pinned tibia.

Nieto tops Moto2 timeshe...

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Nieto tops Moto2 timesheet

Moto2
A fast lap three minutes from the end of the first practice session at Brno handed Fonsi Nieto top spot on the timesheet on Friday afternoon, as the Spaniard beat home rider Karel Abraham to the top time by a margin of just two-thousandths of a second.

The Cardion ab Motoracing rider had been in prime position for more than half the session with his effort of 2'04.877, but a crash for Abraham at turn 13 with 25 minutes remaining ended his session early. The Czech rider's time remained fastest until Nieto edged in front on his 18th of 20 laps.

Shoya Tomizawa (Technomag-CIP) experienced a crash early in the session but the Japanese rider was back on his bike and undaunted as he set the third best lap of the hour, placing him a tenth of a second ahead of Gabor Talmacsi (Fimmco Speed Up).

Julian Simon (Mapfre Aspar), Yuki Takahashi (Tech3 Racing), Simone Corsi (JiR Moto2) and Andrea Iannone (Fimmco Speed Up) completed the top eight, with the Championship's current second-placed rider Thomas Luthi (Interwetten Moriwaki Racing) in 15th.

The session was controversially sat out by Championship leader Toni Elias (Gresini Racing Moto2). The Spaniard was disqualified from taking part in the practice by Race Direction following his testing infringement by riding at Misano last weekend, and will return to the track for the second practice session on Saturday morning.

Terol sets 125cc fastest ...

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Terol sets 125cc fastest time

125cc
Nico Terol's return from injury could not have gone much better as the Spaniard set the fastest time in the first practice at Brno with a fast lap of 2'08.010. the Bancaja Aspar rider, who missed the last round at Sachsenring due to the injuries he sustained in a crash at Catalunya, was strong in the practice hour as he improved his time by half-a-second towards the end.

That placed him an impressive 0.507s ahead of team-mate Bradley Smith who with a solid penultimate lap rose to second on the timesheet, ahead of Championship leader Marc Marquez. The Red Bull Ajo Motorsport rider had a crash at the very end which resulted in a dislocation of the left shoulder, however the youngster will ride with the injury tomorrow.

Pol Espargaro (Tuenti Racing), Esteve Rabat (Blusens-STX) and Danny Webb (Andalucia Cajasol) completed the top six, with the British rider avoiding a nasty high side halfway through by managing to control his Aprilia machine admirably before going down gently when he ran off at turn ten.

Randy Krummenacher (Stipa-Molenaar Racing), Sandro Cortese (Avant Mitsubishi Ajo), Efren Vazquez (Tuenti Racing) and Johann Zarco (WTR San Marino Team) were all inside the top ten.

2010 Textile Jacket Guide

This collection of textile jackets has something for every taste-from mild to wild.

By John Zamora

Photography by John Zamora

When the Mercury starts to rise it's tempting to forgo a jacket and rock the T-shirt to stay cool. But a thick layer of cotton isn't going to do much if your ride turns sour. Textile jackets are a great way to provide protection during hot weather riding while still offering more airflow than leather jackets. Also, leather typically doesn't offer much for wet weather conditions.

Today's textile gear comes in a huge variety of colors, styles and designs. Whether you like it loud and aggressive or simple and understated, there's bound to be a textile jacket available to meet your budget. Rather than gambling in the streets, take a gander through these garments to find one that matches your needs.

MEN'S
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Contra Sacrifice
- Covered in massive amounts of artwork, embroidery and attitude
- Durable nylon textile chassis
- Heavyweight ballistic impact panels
- Integrated fighter mesh panels for venting
SSB Says: Bold red stitching, huge skull patches and more black and grey tattoo artwork than a prison yard makes for a seriously stunning jacket.
$250
rideicon.com

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AGV Laguna
- Polyester textile and mesh reinforced with abrasion resistant ballistic nylon material
- Removable waterproof and breathable zip-out liner can be worn as a windbreaker
- External titanium shoulder caps
- Perforated chest, belly, arms and back for maximum cooling
SSB Says: The Laguna is a modern twist on the traditional racer look. Titanium shoulder caps complete the go-fast design.
$224
motonation.com

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Alpinestars
Grease Monkey
- Classic work wear style
- Heavy duty brushed poly/cotton construction with windbreaker membrane
- Removable contrasting orange thermal liner
- Front embroidered patch with wrench logo and silkscreen graphics
SSB Says: A retro jacket with some serious rock-a-billy attitude, the Grease Monkey looks like a casual jacket but has a full spectrum of safety features.
$189.95
alpinestars.com

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Cortech RCX Jacket
- Performance cut Denier shell
- Low profile collar with soft and durable neoprene trim
- Zippered shoulder, sleeve and rear exhaust vents
- Waterproof and breathable barrier liner
SSB Says: If you prefer an understated look the RCX will let you ride in peace. You'll also be comfortable thanks to multiple vents and a waterproof liner.
$139.99
tourmaster.com

Yamaha's GP stars Present Leno with ex-Bostrom R1 Superbike

Stars align for Leno's Garage

Cypress California, July 21, 2010 – The stars of the MotoGP World Championship made their way to California this week. They're headed for Laguna Seca, of course, but on Tuesday you could not have been blamed for thinking the race would be held in Burbank.

The suburb north of LA is normally home to a lot of television and film production and star sightings are commonplace, but on Tuesday it was teeming with motorcycle racers... Fiat Yamaha's championship leader Jorge Lorenzo, Monster Tech 3 Yamaha riders Ben Spies and Colin Edwards; Yamaha legends Kenny Roberts Sr., Eddie Lawson, and Wayne Rainey – even AMA Superbike championship leader Josh Hayes and Ben Bostrom were all spotted in the nondescript warehouse district near Burbank's Bob Hope Airport – not a typical transfer point on the way to Laguna Seca.

But avid motorcyclists know that Burbank is also the location of Jay Leno's famous 'Big Dog Garage.' Leno, host of the Tonight Show, is a member of the AMA Hall of Fame. His garage (actually a 70,000 sq. ft. complex with several full time employees) houses over 200 motorcycles and cars – ranging from pioneer motorcycles like his 1918 Pope to an 800-horsepower 'Ecojet' car tuned to run on recycled cooking oil. It's definitely a garage and not just a collection, since virtually every vehicle is licensed and insured; Jay rides and drives all of them.

The latest addition to Jay's fleet is fast and exotic, even by his standards – an ex-Eric Bostrom AMA Superbike.

“Last Fall, Jay auctioned off a custom Star V-Max to benefit Bailey's Cafe, a charity that we both support,” said Bob Starr. “We were thrilled with the results of that auction; it benefitted a very worthy cause. But we realized that when he sold his V-Max, it left him without a Yamaha in the garage.”

“We wanted to make sure that Jay had a unique bike, that reflects his uniquely effective role as an ambassador for our sport,” Starr continued. “This R1 Superbike is not something that can be purchased at any price. It is virtually as-ridden by Eric. We put it into storage at the end of the 2008 season. We just asked Chuck Graves to go through it and make sure it was ready to ride again.” The bike was a surprise gift for Leno, who thought he'd only agreed to host a dinner for Yamaha's MotoGP riders.

It was hard to tell who was more star-struck. Jay and his garage staff met a 'who's who' of Yamaha racing history. But even legends like Eddie Lawson do a double-take when they see the scope of Jay's garage and workshop. “There are so many vehicles in here,” said Lawson, “that are just works of art.”

Since all his bikes get ridden, it will be up to garage manager Bernard Juchli to find a place to hang a license plate on this factory superbike. When we asked Bernard how he'd manage to register it, he smiled and replied, “I can't reveal that.”

The job of going through the ultra-trick R1 fell to Team Yamaha's Chuck Graves. Graves made a few concessions to making the bike 'streetable'; swapping the Magneti Marelli ECU for a YEC unit, and the race dash for one with a speedometer. But the engine internals, fork, swingarm and more are pure factory unobtanium. “This bike was built before we homologated parts,” said Graves, “so really, a lot of these components just aren't for sale, at any price.”

In all, over 100 of Yamaha's 'friends and family,' and representatives from Dorna and Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, attended the event, which included a great meal prepared by none other than Yamaha-USA's own racing boss Keith McCarty. Tim Collins of Alpinestars presented Jay with a custom set of leathers to match the bike, and Troy Lee added a fantastic custom-painted Arai helmet, which included signatures and elements from the designs used by the legends and MotoGP riders at the dinner.

When he posed for photos with Lorenzo, Spies, and Edwards he quipped, “Yeah, this is great – I love being the slowest guy in the room.”

After dinner, as the event wound down, the riders prepared to travel up the coast to Laguna Seca and Jay – who works at his comedy as hard as Ben Spies works at his cardio fitness – went home to write the next Tonight Show opening monologue. Jay couldn't attend the races, as he was already committed to an event in Detroit this weekend. But it's just a question of time before he takes his R1 up the Rock Store. If you see him there and think, 'Wow, that looks like a genuine factory bike,' it's because that's what it is.”

Mickey Thompson Performance Tires MiRock Superbike Series

Ellis claims Teasley bounty at HUGE Bike Fest

Photography by Tim Hailey

event: Fast by Gast WPGC Bike Fest
when: July 17-18, 2010
where: Maryland International Raceway in Budd’s Creek, MD, USA

Rider Chip Ellis and tuner Blake Ritter weren’t intimidated by Jeremy Teasley’s HTP Performance Real Street win streak. The bounty that the Mickey Thompson Performance Tires MiRock Superbike Series levied on Teasley’s head had swelled and Ellis and Ritter planned on taking it back to Indiana with them.

But before the pair could take on Teasley for the win at Maryland International Raceway’s Fast by Gast WPGC Bike Fest—now indisputably the nation’s biggest all-motorcycle drag race—Teasley had some unfinished business to attend to. He still had to win the rain delayed June final over Eddie Murphy. That he did on Saturday, doubling the bounty for anyone that could beat him and his Adams Performance/RS Motorsports Kawasaki ZX14 on Sunday.

No combination rose to that challenge better than multi-time AMA Prostar national champ and NHRA national event winner Ellis, his fellow Vance & Hines employee Ritter, and their Suzuki GSX-R1000. Ellis qualified number 1 and made his way to a semifinal made up entirely of riders who’d ridden for Teasley’s team boss Coby Adams at some point in their careers—Ellis himself, Ryan Schnitz, superstar Rickey Gadson, and current pilot Teasley. Ellis advanced in style, nailing a record 7.83 to beat Schnitz. Teasley beat Gadson, then took the tree against Ellis in the final. But setting the record was no fluke for Ellis, and Ritter had the bike firmly in the 7.80’s at this point. Teasley, running a whole new nitrous system installed by owner/tuner Roger Starrette, was stuck in the .90’s and event promoter Jason Miller handed the cash bounty over to Ellis in the MIR winners circle.

Adams is final round tested after many matches with his rider Teasley, but couldn’t get his own ZX14 to hook up on Saturday and was stuck in the B race on Sunday. He opened the day with an 8.0 but fluctuated as the day wore on. His worst light and ET of the day came in the final against fellow builder/tuner heavyweight Del Flores. But Del and his ‘Busa were hovering around 8.40, and Adams had enough to take the B race.

Although Teasley saw his Real Street streak broken, two Orient Express Pro Street wins on the weekend helped ease the pain. After leaving the tree within .001 of each other, Teasley and his nitrous huffing Kawasaki ZX14 ran 7.31 to pull ahead of number 2 plateholder Rodney Williford for the rain delayed June race win. Rodney’s turbocharged Suzuki Hayabusa was on a top end charge but ran out of racetrack.

Sunday’s race saw plenty of Pro Street upsets, with number 1 qualifier Bud Yoder breaking in the water box before his round 2 match with Sean “Skinny” Walsh. Sean carried that break all the way to his first Pro Street final against Teasley, and stepped up by taking the tree and running his quickest lap of the weekend. But that wasn’t enough to keep Teasley from his second Pro Street win of the event.

Steve Smithers drove all the way from Kansas and was determined not to go home empty handed. He beat Ehren Litten in the Pro Street B final after a full, four round raceday.

Pro Comp eighth mile racing for nitrous Pro Mods, turbo Funnybikes and Outlaw Pro Street bikes made its MiRock debut, and Maryland native Ronnie Procopio took all the spoils. Procopio qualified number 1 on his nitrous Pro Mod Suzuki and met up with Canadian Terry Schweigert on a similar combination in the final. Schweigert failed to make the long trip pay off, cutting a poor light, backsliding slightly on ET, and handing Procopio the homecoming win.

Robert “Crossroads” Johnson worked his way through a 52 bike House of Speed Crazy 8’s field to meet Dr. Rick Bunting in the final. Bunting ran .009 off the index, but gave up too much to Johnson’s .012 light at the tree and Johnson took the win.

After subduing a 134 bike Fast By Gast Pro ET field, Shawn Smith beat Kip Green in Saturday’s final. Rodney “They Call Me Mister” Tibbs and his gorgeous old school Kaw 900 took Sunday’s win when Jimmie Miller redlit. Rickey Butler Jr. won the FBR Shop Quick 32 final when Jay Windsor redlit by a scant .001.

Derek Christensen and Brandon Bachmeier bested 133 riders to reach the final in Saturday’s Schnitz Racing Street ET race, and Christensen bested Bachmeier in the final. Dale Hamilton and Glenn Gass fought their way through an even bigger field on Sunday, with Hamilton taking the win.

In all, 7000 watched the Maryland action, which along with the 450+ race entries each day included 47 stunt and show bikes, 13 bikini contestants, live music, and a large vendor display, all at Maryland International Raceway’s fabulous facility.

The Mickey Thompson Performance Tires MiRock Superbike Series races next August 21-22 at the Schnitz Racing Summer Sizzler at Rockingham Dragway in Rockingham, North Carolina, USA

Find out more about the MiRock Superbike Series at www.mirockracing.com