Race winner Casey Stoner(27) leads team mate Pedrosa who would be taken out by Simoncelli at mid race in a pass for 2nd spot. Pedrosa suffered a broken collarbone, Simoncelli received a stop-and-go penalty whch dropped him to fifth.

MotoGP World Championship, Monza Round 4 of 19

Lemans France, May 13-15th - Repsol Honda’s Casey Stoner secured victory for the first time in his career at the Le Mans circuit in Sunday’s Monster Energy Grand Prix de France. It was a close battle until the very end between two Italians for second place but it was the second Repsol Honda of Andrea Dovizioso who clinched the 20 points, ahead of Valentino Rossi (Ducati Team) who achieved his first rostrum riding the Desmosedici. Stoner took his 25th premier class career win after a dominant ride to pull away at the front and win by a margin of over 14 seconds. With his second win of the season, the Australian has now jumped up to second place in the standings, 12 points behind Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha Factory Racing).

It was a record-breaking attendance for the French GP with 88,400 fans attending the Le Mans circuit on Sunday. The rain managed to stay away and an eventful race was enjoyed by the large and enthusiastic crowd. There was action throughout the field but at the end all eyes were on the dice between Dovizioso and Rossi. As in the previous race in Portugal, the Honda rider managed to deny the advances of the nine-time World Champion and record his best finish of this year’s campaign so far, whilst Rossi scored his best result of the season four rounds in.

Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda), who had made one his trademark rocket starts, led Stoner for the first lap until his team-mate came through on the next lap to take control of the race. The Spaniard stayed with the race leader for the first half of the 28-lap race, until he fell into the clutches of Simoncelli. The Italian passed the Repsol Honda rider on lap 17 but then a controversial incident occurred between the two when Pedrosa attempted to reclaim his second position and the two touched, sending Pedrosa crashing out.

Simoncelli sends wishes to his sick grandmother, and later would send Championship points leader Pedrosa to the hospital.

It was later confirmed that Pedrosa had broken his right collarbone, whilst Race Direction declared during the course of the race that Simoncelli had made an illegal manoeuvre, and served him with a ride through penalty. The 24 year-old eventually finished in fifth position and lost his opportunity of scoring his first ever podium in MotoGP.

Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha Factory Racing), making his 150th Grand Prix start and becoming the youngest rider ever to do so, had a bad start to his preparations on Sunday after a crash in warm up which wrecked his bike and left the Spaniard with an injured finger. After barging through on Dovizioso early on in the race for a top four place, the 2010 MotoGP World Champion slipped down the order after being re-passed by the Repsol Honda rider and by his fierce rivals, Simoncelli and Rossi, but eventually placed fourth.

Ben Spies (Yamaha Factory Racing) equalled his best result of 2011 with sixth place, the American lost out to Simoncelli after the Italian got the better of him despite his ride through penalty. Nicky Hayden (Ducati Team) was seventh, ahead of Hiroshi Aoyama (San Carlo Honda Gresini) who had a lonely race in eighth.

Héctor Barberá (Mapfre Aspar) won the race-long battle to finish in ninth. The Spaniard had been involved in a very exciting tussle with Karel Abraham (Cardion AB Motoracing) who finished tenth, Toni Elías (LCR Honda), 11th and Álvaro Bautista (Rizla Suzuki) 12th. After a difficult start to the season upon his return to MotoGP, Elías was showing signs of the ability which took him to the 2010 Moto2 World Championship and was up to 11th place in a five-rider battle in the early part of the race, but had a massive moment and was lucky to keep hold of his Honda as he dropped to the back of the group. The 28 year-old did manage to pick his way through a number of the riders after a difficult four rounds of the season.

Cal Crutchlow (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) who had qualified an impressive sixth on his first visit to the Le Mans circuit, suffered a lowside when in ninth place on lap five and had to return his machine back to the pits for his first non finish in his rookie campaign. It was not a good day for Monster Yamaha Tech 3 in their home race in France after Colin Edwards also crashed mid way through the race but managed to get back out to pick up three points in 13th place.

It was not a happy day for the French fans who had hoped to see Randy de Puniet (Pramac Racing) pick up his best result of the season. The French rider crashed into the gravel on lap two and walked back to the pits dejectedly. Loris Capirossi (Pramac Racing) suffered a similar fate as he crashed out towards the end of the race.

Dovizioso (4) leads reigning champ Lorenzo (1), who would be passed the first time this seson by Rossi (46) for 3rd on the podium.

Casey Stoner, Repsol Honda: race winner - “The whole weekend has gone so well for us, arriving here from the Portugal test with the bike almost the same and we have improved small things here and there and only needed to adjust the set-up for this circuit. We went into the race confident. At the beginning of the race Dani was very fast and he was difficult to pass as he as being cautious. When I overtook him I thought I might be able to take some advantage, but he was able to match my times and follow me for some laps, so I continued to push more than I prefer and eventually I put a gap between us. From this point the race came to me and I was able to focus on my consistency and win. A big thanks to the team and everyone for all their hard work, but my thoughts are with Dani at this moment. I hope he can recover soon as he is a very strong contender for this championship.”

Andrea Dovizioso, Repsol Honda: 2nd - “I’m really happy with the second position today, it’s so important for the championship and it arrives after a start of the season where we didn’t get the results we expected. We did a very good job with the team since the beginning of the weekend and I knew I could fight for the podium, but I didn’t expect second place. I had a great battle with Valentino and to beat him always has a special taste, and it’s good fun to get the podium after a hard fight. I was losing a lot in two areas, but I was strong in braking, so I made a good strategy and once I overtook him, I pushed 100 percent not to have him too close especially in turns 10 and 11, where he was faster. Concerning the race, I had a good start, Lorenzo’s strong overtaking slowed me down a little, but then I pushed to recover the gap. We had good pace, but we need to be faster. We have to keep on working to reduce the gap to stay with the front riders. Dani today was very unlucky and I hope he can recover soon.”

Valentino Rossi (Ducati Marlboro Team) 3rd - “We’re very pleased with this podium because we’re on the right path, and especially because I had fun today. I rode the Desmosedici well, I was fast in the technical parts of the track, I felt good from start to finish and I had good lap times. This morning we made a last change to the setting together with Jeremy and the guys from Ducati, and it helped cut another couple of tenths. I knew I could beat Lorenzo, so that was my goal. I also passed Dovi at one point, but I got a little confused and made a move on the penultimate lap instead of the last one. I lost my concentration momentarily, but in short, he got me again. Anyway, it’s fine like this; I’m happy for myself, for my team, for Filippo (Preziosi), and for all the boys at Ducati. This result boosts our morale. We still have to keep working and improving though, because there’s more to be done. I also have to improve and keep adapting my style to the Ducati, because I’m still not riding it as I should, but in the meanwhile, we’ll enjoy today’s nice race and podium.”

RESULTS MOTOGP RACE: (28 laps = 117.18 Km)
POS / RIDER / NAT. / TEAM / MOTORCYCLE / TIME / KM/H / GAP
1 / Casey STONER / AUS / Repsol Honda Team / HONDA / 44'03.955 / 159.551 /
2 / Andrea DOVIZIOSO / ITA / Repsol Honda Team / HONDA / 44'18.169 / 158.698 / 14.214
3 / Valentino ROSSI / ITA / Ducati Team / DUCATI / 44'18.519 / 158.677 / 14.564
4 / Jorge LORENZO / SPA / Yamaha Factory Racing / YAMAHA / 44'25.030 / 158.29 / 21.075
5 / Marco SIMONCELLI / ITA / San Carlo Honda Gresini / HONDA / 44'35.200 / 157.688 / 31.245
6 / Ben SPIES / USA / Yamaha Factory Racing / YAMAHA / 44'35.564 / 157.666 / 31.609
7 / Nicky HAYDEN / USA / Ducati Team / DUCATI / 44'39.521 / 157.434 / 35.566
8 / Hiroshi AOYAMA / JPN / San Carlo Honda Gresini / HONDA / 44'55.457 / 156.503 / 51.502
9 / Hector BARBERA / SPA / Mapfre Aspar Team MotoGP / DUCATI / 45'07.686 / 155.796 / 1'03.731
10 / Karel ABRAHAM / CZE / Cardion AB Motoracing / DUCATI / 45'07.840 / 155.787 / 1'03.885
11 / Toni ELIAS / SPA / LCR Honda MotoGP / HONDA / 45'08.023 / 155.777 / 1'04.068
12 / Alvaro BAUTISTA / SPA / Rizla Suzuki MotoGP / SUZUKI / 45'08.147 / 155.769 / 1'04.192
13 / Colin EDWARDS / USA / Monster Yamaha Tech 3 / YAMAHA / 45'03.007 / 144.918 / 2 laps

Pole Position: Casey STONER 1'33.153 161.733 Km/h
Fastest Lap (New record) : Dani PEDROSA 1'33.617 160.932 Km/h Lap 9
Old Circuit Record Lap: Valentino ROSSI 1'34.215 159.910 Km/h 2008
Circuit Best Lap: Dani PEDROSA 1'32.647 162.617 Km/h 2008

CHAMPIONSHIP POSITIONS TO DATE:
1 LORENZO 78, 2 STONER 66, 3 PEDROSA 61, 4 DOVIZIOSO 50, 5 ROSSI 47, 6 HAYDEN 39,
7 AOYAMA 36, 8 SIMONCELLI 22, 9 EDWARDS 21, 10 BARBERA 21, 11 CRUTCHLOW 21,
12 SPIES 20, 13 ABRAHAM 18, 14 ELIAS 17, 15 CAPIROSSI 9.

MotoGP 2 Race to Marc Marquez
Reigning 125 World Champion Marc Marquez (Team Catalunya Caixa Repsol-Suter) won his first Moto2 success in stunning style at Le Mans. The teenage rookie came from behind to win the enthralling race by an impressive 1.9s. Amazingly, this was his also Marquez’s first Moto2 points score, after he had tumbled out of his first three races in the Honda-powered series. Yuki Takahashi (Gresini Racing Moto2-Moriwaki) and Stefan Bradl (Viessmann Kiefer Racing-Kalex) completed the podium, with Thomas Luthi (Interwetten Paddock Moto2-Suter) and Julian Simon (Mapfre Aspar Team Moto2-Suter) finishing a close fourth and fifth.

Marquez, who had qualified sixth fastest, completed the first lap in ninth place, caught the lead group before half-distance, cleverly worked his way through into the lead and then broke away, leaving those four men to dispute second place. The Spaniard was strongest through Le Mans’ daunting high-speed first turn, where he briefly seized the advantage on several occasions, finally making the move stick with five laps to go. During his winning ride Marquez also broke the Moto2 lap record by 0.6s.

Takahashi saved his best for last to score his second consecutive podium result. Although he couldn’t go with Marquez, the Japanese fought with Bradl to the very end, crossing the line just metres ahead of the German, Simon and Luthi. Just six tenths of a second covered the foursome at the finish line.

Bradl led the first 15 laps until he ran into side grip issues, which took him from first place to fourth in the space of just one lap. During the final few laps he rallied strongly to get the better of Luthi, who also succumbed to Simon on the final lap.

Bradl’s third-place finish stretches his World Championship lead to 28 points over Simon who moves into second, taking over from Andrea Iannone (Speed Master-Suter) who slid out of the race at the Chemin aux Boeuf chicane on the first lap.

Aleix Espargaro (Pons HP40-Pons Kalex) was with the lead group earlier in the race but slipped back to a lonely, but satisfying sixth-place finish, his best result since joining Moto2 for the 2011 season. Simone Corsi (Ioda Racing Project-FTR) had a lonely ride to seventh place until he was almost caught in the final stages by a train of riders led by Dominique Aegerter (Technomag-CIP-Suter). Bradley Smith (Tech 3 Racing-Tech 3) finished 1.6 seconds behind Aegerter and just ahead of Alex De Angelis (JIR Moto2-Motobi).

MOTO2 RACE: (26 laps = 108.81 Km)
POS / RIDER / NAT. / TEAM / MOTORCYCLE / TIME / KM/H / GAP
1 / Marc MARQUEZ / SPA / Team CatalunyaCaixa Repsol / SUTER / 43'03.308 / 151.633 /
2 / Yuki TAKAHASHI / JPN / Gresini Racing Moto2 / MORIWAKI / 43'05.290 / 151.517 / 1.982
3 / Stefan BRADL / GER / Viessmann Kiefer Racing / KALEX / 43'05.545 / 151.502 / 2.237
4 / Julian SIMON / SPA / Mapfre Aspar Team Moto2 / SUTER / 43'05.657 / 151.495 / 2.349
5 / Thomas LUTHI / SWI / Interwetten Paddock Moto2 / SUTER / 43'05.917 / 151.48 / 2.609
6 / Aleix ESPARGARO / SPA / Pons HP 40 / PONS KALEX / 43'15.603 / 150.915 / 12.295
7 / Simone CORSI / ITA / Ioda Racing Project / FTR / 43'22.047 / 150.541 / 18.739
8 / Dominique AEGERTER / SWI / Technomag-CIP / SUTER / 43'22.226 / 150.531 / 18.918
9 / Bradley SMITH / GBR / Tech 3 Racing / TECH 3 / 43'23.716 / 150.444 / 20.408
10 / Alex DE ANGELIS / RSM / JIR Moto2 / MOTOBI / 43'23.874 / 150.435 / 20.566
11 / Jules CLUZEL / FRA / NGM Forward Racing / SUTER / 43'26.533 / 150.282 / 23.225
12 / Randy KRUMMENACHE / SWI / GP Team Switzerland Kiefer / KALEX / 43'26.667 / 150.274 / 23.359
13 / Pol ESPARGARO / SPA / HP Tuenti Speed Up / FTR / 43'26.984 / 150.256 / 23.676
14 / Michele PIRRO / ITA / Gresini Racing Moto2 / MORIWAKI / 43'28.064 / 150.194 / 24.756
15 / Max NEUKIRCHNER / GER / MZ Racing Team / MZ-RE HONDA / 43'28.371 / 150.176 / 25.063

Pole Position: Stefan BRADL 1'38.357 153.176 Km/h
Fastest Lap (New record) : Marc MARQUEZ 1'38.533 152.903 Km/h Lap 7
Old Circuit Record Lap: Jules CLUZEL 1'39.169 151.922 Km/h 2010
Circuit Best Lap: Stefan BRADL 1'38.357 153.176 Km/h 2011

CHAMPIONSHIP POSITIONS TO DATE:
1 BRADL 77, 2 SIMON 49, 3 IANNONE 48, 4 TAKAHASHI 47, 5 LUTHI 47, 6 CORSI 46,
7 DE ANGELIS 32, 8 SMITH 27, 9 MARQUEZ 25, 10 AEGERTER 24, 11 PIRRO 17,
12 ESPARGARO 15, 13 CLUZEL 14, 14 ESPARGARO 13, 15 KRUMMENACHER 13.

We go Balistic with 3-Time World Champion Troy Bayliss
at the first ever Troy Bayliss Racing Academy at Imola Italy!
the exclusive full story with pictures HERE

FastDates.com's fearless editor takes on the first ever test ride ever of the new Troy Bayliss Racing Academy with DRE at the legendary Imola race circuit in Italy. The only other schools this year at Mugello in September are alrady sold out. And nothing is set up for next year, yet. But now that Troy is settled in back home in Australia with Kim and the kids on the Gold Coast, he is already setting up Troy Bayliss Academy Schools in Australia at all the top race tracks. For the first year at least it won't be associated with DRE and you'll need to supply your own bike. But it will still be an incredible opportunity to ride on the track and learn from the World Champion. to find out more go http://TroyBaylissExperience.com.au

Tommy Hayden, Josh Hayes with a toast to the "Wine Country" and Martin Cardenas on Saturday's Superbike podium at Infinion.

AMA Pro Roadracing National Championship, Infinion Raceway, Round 2 of 10

AMA Pro Roadracing Round 2 at Infinion sees Hayes, Hayden and DeSalvo on Top
photos courtesy Brian J. Nelson / AMA Pro Roadracing

AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike, Race 1 on Saturday to Josh Hayes
SONOMA, CA (March 15, 2011) - Monster Energy Graves Yamaha's Josh Hayes got some measure of revenge for going winless at AMA Pro Road Racing's opening 2011 round today, holding off a determined Tommy Hayden for the majority of the 22-lap AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike Race 1 at Infineon Raceway. While Hayden stalked Hayes at the front, Hayden's Rockstar Makita Suzuki teammate, Blake Young, put increasing pressure on Team M4 Suzuki's Martin Cardenas, who ultimately held off Young to take the first National Guard SuperBike podium of his career.
 
Cardenas' third-place finish was extra impressive in light of the fact that today's event was only the second SuperBike event the reining AMA Pro Daytona SportBike champ has contended. And while some predicted the Colombian rider would take time to settle into his new class, Cardenas has clearly demonstrated he's not impressed by learning curves.
 
It was Hayden who took the holeshot off the line, but he came immediately under attack from Hayes, who in turn had Young all over his back wheel. Young even claimed second briefly, sliding under when Hayes went wide, but Hayes almost immediately sandwiched himself back between the two Suzuki riders and took over the lead within a handful of laps.
 
Jordan Suzuki's Ben Bostrom, meanwhile, was looking stronger than he had through practice and qualifying, hanging with the then-top three and keeping a pile of riders behind him. That pile soon ceased to include Cardenas, who worked his way past Steve Rapp, then Bostrom, to set out after Young. Bostrom remained in contention, however, until he was relegated to the side of the track with a sprung chain with fewer than ten laps to go.
 
Bostrom's teammate, National Guard Jordan Suzuki's Roger Hayden, was holding steady in eighth when he was knocked out of the contest by ADR Fly Racing's David Anthony in Turn 11 after Anthony slid into his rear wheel, splaying Hayden onto the sidelines. Hayden wasn't able to reenter.
 
Cardenas, meanwhile, had kept up the pressure on Young and taken advantage of a mistake that sent Young way wide to slide under and take over third position. From there, the name of Martin's game was defense, as Young stuck to his rear wheel, clearly planning a late-race attack. While Young stalked Cardenas, Young's teammate, Hayden, put increasing pressure on race-leader Hayes and beginning to whittle away at Hayes' small lead.
 
Hayes, however, had no intention of being caught, laying down the quickest lap the race had seen thus far late in the contest and even managing to extend it by race's end, crossing the finish significantly ahead of Hayden, while Cardenas survived a last-lap, last-corner attack from Young to take third by .068.

Josh 'Action' Hayes

Hayes, 1st: "For the most part I had Tommy in front of me, and I felt confident I could run the pace, whatever it may be. It looked like he and I would kind of be able to do our own thing over the weekend. I got a little antsy on the first lap and Blake jumped on me, but I got back really quick; I wanted to get that done immediately and stay close to Tommy. I guess I'm a little impatient, but I like leading. I'm a little more comfortable being in the front ... when you're back there, you never know what might happen. Our bike was just like last year: it's a very strong bike that basically allows me to just go out there and ride well."  
 
Rounding out the top ten were Blake Young, Chris Peris (Iron Horse BMW), Steve Rapp (San Diego BMW), Larry Pegram (Foremost Insurance Pegram Racing), Geoff May (EBR Racing), JD Beach (Cycle World/Attack Performance Kawasaki, in his career first National Guard SuperBike race), and Team M4 Suzuki's Chris Ulrich.   For full results CLICK HERE

AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike, Race 2 on Sunday to Tommy Hayden
SONOMA, CA (May 16, 2011) - Sunday's AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike Race 2 at Infineon Raceway was red-flagged following two hugely dramatic first laps, which kicked off with Rockstar Makita Suzuki's Tommy Hayden swooping into the lead while teammate Blake Young rubbed elbows with Monster Energy Graves Yamaha's Josh Hayes immediately behind. Within a minute, however, the M4 Suzuki team had lost both its riders, Chris Ulrich suffering a nasty crash in Turn 2 and Martin Cardenas sliding out moments later, his bike coming to rest atop the AirFence. It was the second get-off for Cardenas in one day, as a crash in morning practice had left him with a dislocated left shoulder just hours earlier.
 
Cardenas regridded at the back, determined to grab some all-important championship points, but his misfortune was quickly overshadowed by a big crash on the restart that collected JD Beach (Cycle World/Attack Performance Kawasaki), Tony Kasper (Team Iron Horse BMW), and Jeremy Burgess (ADR Fly Racing). All injured riders were treated at the at-track facility and released, save for M4 Suzuki's Chris Ulrich, who was transported by ground to the local hospital and is scheduled to be released today following treatment for two cracked lumbar vertebrae, a concussion, and internal bruising.
 
The track was cleared without bringing out the red flag, and Hayden tried to take advantage of his second holeshot to shake Hayes and Young, engaged in furious battle behind him. Hayes quickly bashed by Young, however, and set out after Hayden, passing via an aggressive move that nearly cost him. Once in second, however, Hayden didn't particularly seem to mind-he stayed close on Hayes' wheel through the following laps, periodically laying down a handful of the fastest laps the race saw and occasionally taking a look at the inside or outside of Hayes' line. When Tommy finally passed for the lead with just a few laps remaining, he put his head down and built some safety into his first National Guard SuperBike win of 2011, crossing the line with a margin of 1.926 seconds.

Pegram (72) and Rapp (15) battled on their BMW's for 4th.

Hayes and Young brought their bikes home uneventfully in second and third, respectively, while several battles were decided behind them. Steve Rapp (San Diego BMWE) came out on top of his fourth-place battle with Foremost Insurance Racing's Larry Pegram, and Jordan Suzuki's Ben Bostrom, who'd diced throughout the second half of the race with National Guard Jordan Suzuki teammate Roger Hayden for sixth, took at least that version of a victory. Equally valorous, thought the results may not reflect it, was M4 Suzuki's Cardenas, who fought his way up to eighth from the back of the grid

The top-ten finishing order was Hayes, Hayes, Young, Rapp, Pegram, Bostrom, Roger Hayden, Cardenas, Chris Peris (Iron Horse BMW), and Chris Clark (Y.E.S./Pat Clark/Graves Yamaha). For full results CLICK HERE
 
Hayden, 1st: "Seemed like as the race went on it was coming to me a little bit. I made some changes for the race, so it kind of took me a couple laps to be 100 percent confident with what I had. About the time I was feeling decent, Josh came by, and I kind of settled into that. It was tough for a few laps, but then my bike really started working good-felt like it was working better and better. With about ten to go I was following pretty close; I had a couple looks in a few places kept kind of botching it up a little and falling back a couple of bike-lengths. I was close to going by a few times and didn't, and that hurt me a little bit, but I had two or three places I thought I could get by, so I was just trying to hurry up and do it and put my head down to the finish.
 
"This win today feels really good. I was really disappointed with my performance here last year, so I really challenged myself to come here this year and redeem myself, not give away the kind of points I did here last hear. That's not something you can do when you're racing guys like Josh and Blake, so this feels really good."

 Hayes, 2nd: "Man, both of them just came off the line like rocket ships. I got a pretty good jump, but I just didn't get rolling as good as they did. I'm sitting here thinking about the race, and I really had a hard race. It's just, the bike was a bit of a handful today ... I think the red flag hurt me a little. Before that I felt pretty good, but on the restart, right in the beginning I had a couple of pretty big ones and I thought, 'Man, I've been this route before. I've been able to do pretty good laps, so I'm just doing to dig deep and ride this thing the best I can. Knowing Tommy, he's back there watching me, laughing at me, and getting ready to kick my butt,' which is what he did [laughs]."
 
The AMA Pro Road Racing Series next travels to Utah's Miller Motorsports Park for the "Big M Weekend," where it will run alongside the World Superbike series in a combined May 28-30 event. For tickets and information, visit www.bigmweekend.com.

Jason Disalvo and the Ducati 848 look like an unbeatable combination in SportBike.

AMA Pro Daytona SportBike, Saturday Race 1
SONOMA, CA (March 15, 2011) - Team Latus Motors Racing's Jason DiSalvo took his second consecutive 2011 AMA Pro Daytona SportBike win Saturday, but for many fans and spectators, the hero of the twenty-two laps was second-place finisher Jake Holden. Holden, who began the 2011 season with an East Coast-based team, showed up at Infineon Raceway's Round 2 under the Jake Holden Racing banner, a grassroots-funded effort supported mainly by friends, family, and small, individual sponsors.
 
"We're little under-funded," said Holden, after taking Friday's provisional pole, "but I've got some great friends and sponsors. I'm living a dream. I get emotional thinking about how everyone is helping."
 
Race fans shared in that emotion Saturday, as Holden started the race by putting an immediate pass on then-second Danny Eslick (GEICO Powersports RMR Suzuki) and setting out after DiSalvo, refusing to be shaken from the latter's rear wheel as the two built a steadily increasing gap on the rest of the field. While a ten-bike freight train snaked through the turns behind them, Holden repeatedly tried the inside and outside of DiSalvo's every turn, until a mistake sent him into the grass at Turn 4 with more than half the race remaining.
 
Having stayed upright, Holden blended back into the field in seventh and began methodically picking off the riders ahead, first dispatching GP Bike Parts Racing's Cameron Beaubier and Vesrah Suzuki's Cory West, then Y.E.S./Pat Clark/Graves Motorsports' Tommy Aquino, and Celtic Racing/Fast by Ferracci's PJ Jacobsen. The next in line-Danny Eslick-put up significantly more of a fight, but in the end was left in the dust as Holden dove around the outside and put three bike-lengths on the GEICO rider before Eslick had a chance to react.
 
DiSalvo, at this point, was a full eight seconds ahead of second place, but with Holden laying down blazingly quick laps and eleven laps still remaining, the math pointed to the possibility of a dramatic last few laps.
 
As the laps ticked down, so too did the gap under Holden's unrelenting assault. DiSalvo's lead narrowed from eight seconds to just a few tenths over four seconds in a handful of laps, but there DiSalvo was able to stop Holden's charge, ramping up his own laptimes enough to maintain the cushion. Though Holden eventually had to cede to the value of a second-place finish vs. throwing it all away, the hard riding had carried the pair a whopping 15.6 seconds ahead of third-place Eslick by the finish.
 
Behind Eslick, the top ten crossed in the following order: Jacobsen, Aquino, West, Beaubier, Paul Allison (Triple Crown Industries), Tyler Odom (Don Odom Racing), Tyler O'Hara (GP Bike Parts Racing). For full results CLICK HERE
 
DiSalvo, 1st: "At the beginning I felt like we were running a pretty good pace.... I was just trying to run a pace I could run for 22 laps. I think I know the lap that Jake ran off, because I could hear his bike behind me-it got real loud, and then it went away. Once that happened, that reflected immediately on my pit board, so knew I had a big gap. I kind of put my head down for a couple laps, extended it out to six seconds, then let up for a little bit and just started managing the gap that we had. Then all of a sudden it started to shrink, rather quickly. I looked over and saw Jake was in second ... all I knew is that I needed to ride harder. I put my head down and was able to keep Jake at bay and keep the gap pretty solid, but I definitely think tomorrow's going to be a dog fight again."

AMA Pro Daytona SportBike, Sunday Race 2 SONOMA, CA (May 16, 2011) - Monster Energy Graves Yamaha's Josh Herrin seemed to return with a vengeance on Sunday; having sat out AMA Pro Daytona SportBike Race 1 while serving a one-race penalty incurred at Round 1, he wasted no time when the track went green for Race 2's Infineon Raceway event. Though Latus Motors Racing's Jason DiSalvo didn't let Herrin have it easy, Herrin sailed into the lead off the start, with Jake Holden (Jake Holden Racing) hot on DiSalvo's rear wheel.   Holden, too, had company, as GEICO Powersports RMR Suzuki's Danny Eslick was immediately gunning for third, and while DiSalvo and Herrin diced for the lead, Holden targeted the position ahead. The first big lineup-change came when DiSalvo tried the inside of Herrin, only to be sent wide when Herrin shut the door, DiSalvo's trip leaving the way wide open for both Holden and Eslick. The top four now covered by less than a second, Holden set out after Herrin and made a desperate grab for the lead when Herrin went wide, holding it while the Yamaha rider raged behind. With Eslick watching from third position, Herrin continued to put pressure on Holden until Holden slid out of the lead, ceding the frontrunner position to Herrin and being left on the sidelines with his head in his hands.   With just four laps elapsed, DiSalvo, and Eslick-trailed by dueling riders Cory West (Vesrah Suzuki) and PJ Jacobsen (Celtic Racing/Fast by Ferracci)-began a back-and-forth contest for second position that was suddenly halted by a weather-induced red flag, as several corners began reporting wet track surfaces.

The riders retook the grid just under thirty minutes later, Herrin again commanding the holeshot with DiSalvo in hot pursuit. Through the next handful of laps the top three diced for position, each taking over the lead temporarily until DiSalvo did so with authority on Lap 11 and dropped his head, dedicated to the all-important task of building a buffer between himself and the chase pair. Immediately laying down the quickest lap the race had seen thus far, DiSalvo proceeded to do just that, soon putting a second between himself and Herrin-a gap he proceeded to stretch through the remaining laps.
 
Herrin, meanwhile, proved unable to sustain under Eslick's onslaught; following some back-and-forth swapping of position, Eslick finally made it stick and set out after DiSalvo. All the action at the front, meanwhile, was complemented by a forced rippling up through the ranks behind, as young-gun Jacobsen had climbed as high as fourth and spent the remaining handful of laps chipping away at the gap between himself and the Yamaha rider, who seemed to be flagging as the race wound down. Beaubier, Aquino, and Westby, meanwhile, were all gunning to take over the fifth-place position held by West, who in the end managed to hold it by just a few tenths.
 
The top-ten order at races end was DiSalvo, Eslick, Herrin, Jacobsen, West, Beaubier, Aquino, Westby, Knapp, Allison. Results CLICK HERE

DiSalvo, 1st: "I was strong a couple places on the brakes today, so I thought I could make some passes. But from yesterday, too, all my experience for the twenty-two laps of yesterday's race was leading out at the front, and that's what I was used to seeing. I wasn't used to having Josh and Danny blocking my sight in a couple corners, and I wasn't able to get some visual references to kind of see where I was going. So once I got out in front, got in that rhythm, got in that zone, I just kept chugging away-pulling laps, keeping my head down, and riding hard." 
 
Eslick, 2nd: "I think we made a good call in taking a little break and restarting [the race]. After the restart we were all going back and forth and running around and just trying to figure out who was doing what, so it was pretty fun. It was nice to throw a little bit of excitement in there ... [but] I just didn't have anything for Jason today. He was riding great and the bike was working good for him, so it was all we could do to hang in there. It's gonna be a tough season."

Herrin, 3rd: "The first start was really good for us, we were running really well. Then the red flag came out because of the rain, and the restart was good start again, and I just tried to stay out there. I had a feeling once we let Jason go by it was going to be hard to keep up with him, and it was. Trying to keep the pace he was running, I kind of overcooked my tires a little bit ... [but] I'm just really excited to get out of here with some points. Real grateful we got to ride, and just glad to put [Daytona] behind us."

The AMA Pro Road Racing Series next travels to Utah's Miller Motorsports Park for the "Big M Weekend," where it will run alongside the World Superbike series in a combined May 28-30 event. For tickets and information, visit www.bigmweekend.com.

Valentino with the legendary John Surtees, the only man to win both a Grand Prix motorcycle and Grand Prix automobile World Championship. John raced both 2 and 4-wheels at Silverstone during its history.

Valentino Rossi at Silverstone to Celebrate new Paddock Wing opening with other Legends
Silverstone, England, Tues May 17, 2011 - Valentino Rossi joined other great motorsports champions from the past and present in an inauguration ceremony for a new, ultramodern paddock structure at England’s Silverstone Circuit. The Silverstone Wing, as the British venue’s enormous new facility is called, comprises spacious garages, a media center, offices, and an auditorium, and it will host the seventh round of the MotoGP world championship on June 12.

Rossi, who missed the track’s 2010 round due to injury, used the occasion to turn some introductory laps with a World Superbike 1198 and, while that bike was in the garage for a check of its electronics, with a standard 1198 street bike, complete with license plate and mirrors. The Italian greatly enjoyed his track time—about thirty laps in all—as a way to get to know the circuit.

“I really had fun,” said Valentino Rossi before leaving for Italy. “After a few laps with the 1198 Superbike, we had a problem with the electronics and decided to use the 1198 street bike that Ducati’s UK affiliate rushed to us. I really liked riding that bike here. The track is nice—difficult and very technical. It makes you work hard because there are very fast sections where having the right trajectory is important, and others that are very narrow where you have to have good grip under acceleration. The first turn is completely blind, and you must hold a very precise line, and in general the entire first section is really great, definitely the part I like most. In short, I enjoyed it, especially because there were many drivers and riders who have great histories in motorsports, like John Surtees, who told me that he raced here in the ’50s. I wasn’t following racing then,” joked the Italian, “but he was great.”

Laverty on the starting gird at Monza with his girlfriend Pippa. Photo by Jim Gianatsis

SBK World Superbike Championship, Monza Round 4 of 13

Laverty doubles for Yamaha at Monza World Superbike
as Biaggi fans riot over a race lead costing penality to their Italian hero
Autodroma Nazionale Monza, Italy, May 6-8th - FastDates.com was in Italy this week as World Superbike Rookie, Eugene Laverty on the factory Yamaha YZR1, put on a sensational display of race craft today to take a well earned double victory on his team’s home track in Monza. Today’s success signified not only Laverty’s maiden win, but also his first podium finish to date in the 2011 World Superbike Championship. Eugene leaves Monza with a total of 85 points in the 4th round of the WSBK series, having jumped up from ninth to sixth place in the Championship standings after today’s impressive performance. His Yamaha team mate Marco Melandri is now sitting second in the classification with 118 points, just 27 points behind the current leader, Carlos Checa, Althea Ducati. COMPLETE RACE COVERAGE HERE

The Effenbert beer girl shows us a replica of their team Ducati 998RS Superbike for Sylvain Guintoli. We sampled a bottle of their great Effenbert beer sold in their paddock store here. We tired their Dark style which was somewhate like a Dark Heineiken. Click to go BIG.

Newest Fast Dates Calendar Kitten Taylor Gunnin
selected as an official InFront Superbike Grid Girl for Miller USA Race Weekend May 28-30th
Los Angeles,CA, May 1st 2011 - The FastDates.com Calendars, the world's premier brand of motorsports and pinup model wall calendars is excited to announce that beautiful Southern California model and actress Taylor Gunnin has been selected to accompany photographer publisher Jim Gianatsis to the Miller Motorsports USA World Superbike Race Weekend in Utah, May 28-30th to shoot the next edition of the Fast Dates World Superbike Calendar with all the top factory race team bikes. This marks Taylor's first shoot for the renown motorcycle pinup calendars which have seen some of the world's most beautiful models grace its pages together with the world's top racing and custom motorcycles. Celebrity models that have included Hollywood actresses and Playboy cover models Pamela Anderson, Jaime Pressly, Josie Bisset, LeeAnn Tweeden, Cindy Margolis, world's sexiest supermodel Joanna Krupa, along with other beautiful women like Miss Great Britain Nicki Lane and Miss Texas Robin Cunningham.

InFront Sports, producers of the World Superbike Championship, upon learning of Taylor Gunnin's attendance with Jim Gianatsis at the Miller USA race weekend, made a specific request that Taylor be one of their official grid girls for the race weekend. For additional information on the Fast Dates World Superbike Calendars and complete race coverage in the Pit Lane News section go to www.FastDates.com

And for more race information visit www.WorldSBK.com and www.MillerMotorsportsPark.com

MV Agusta gets really serious about Superbikes! The new F4RR
When the most sophisticated chassis design is joined with the new MV short stroke engine, the result can only be an extraordinary machine. The new 2012 MV Agusta F4 RR is the perfect tool for the utmost performance. Evolved, exotic, and even further refined, the F4 RR is currently the best that technology can offer to the motorcycling world. To already refined MV Agusta F4, you add even more exotic materials, reduced 423lp dry weight, and, above all, a 201 hp four-cylinder engine which makes the F4 RR the most powerful superbike ever built. All "packaged" with the advanced design that makes the MV Agusta F4 RR unique and unmistakable.

Piston skirts? Who needs them when you rev to 13.400 RPM!

It's an awesome bike this week. But there's no traction control or anti-lock brakes like the BMW 1000RR for half the price.
And in 6 months the sportbike world will be turned upside down when Ducati introduces their all-new generation frameless Superbike weighing a whole lot less with even more horsepower.

There's more!   Go to Pit Lane News Next Page

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2011 Superbike World Championship
PREVIEW
Feb 27   Phillip Island AUS
Mar 27   European Round
              Donnington Park GB
April 17  Assen Netherlands
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May 30  Miller USA
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All Rounds include Superbike    and 600cc Superstock except    Miller USA is Superbike only
European rounds also Include    1000cc Superstock
    exception Donnington

2011 MotoGP
March 20 - Qatar – Doha Losail
April 3 - Spain, Jerez Frontera
May 1 - Portugal, Estoril
May 15 - France, Le Mans
June 5 - Catalunya, Catalunya
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July 24 - United States, Laguna Seca (Only MotoGP class)
August 14 - Czech Rep, Brno
August 28 - USA, Indianapolis
September 4 - SanMarino Misano
September 18 - Aragon - Motorland Aragon
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October 16 - Australia, Phillip Island
October 23 - Malaysia, Sepang
November 6 - Valencia, Ricardo

2011 AMA Superbike
March 10-12 Daytona Speedway
May 13-15 Infineon Racewy CA
May 28-30 Miller Motorsports UT
June 3-5 Road America
TBD
July 8-10 Mid-Ohio Sports CA
July 2 -24 Laguna Seca CA
August 12-14 Virginia Raceway
Sept 2-4 New Jersey Motorspts
TBD - Season Finale Location, Date and Banquet

2011 British Superbike
DATE/REPORT   TRACK LINK
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Special Miller World Superbike Races Ticket Package
2011 – May 28-30
A Historical Event Approaches:
BMW Racing at Miller Raceway at SBK & AMA
BMW race fans at Miller Raceway in Toole, Utah this Memorial Day weekend will have an unparalleled opportunity to see BMW race teams in two major series in one location: World Superbike and AMA Pro Racing. The BMW Motorrad USA special ticket package is $215.00 and it includes:

• Three-day grandstand ticket
• Three-day paddock pass
• Parking and facility fees
• Exclusive BMW Hospitality with CCTV, including lunch and three beverages each day
• Exclusive BMW WSB racer meet and greet
• Exclusive BMW stunt riders meet and greet
• BMW goodies valued at $60.00
• Utah map from Butler Motorcycle Maps
• MMP Gifts including credential lanyard, event program, decal, lip balm and bracelet
• Concert viewing from BMW hospitality.  (30-dollar value if purchased separately.)
• Bands include:
• Saturday, May 28: Dierks Bentley, with Sawyer Brown and Reckless Kelly supporting.
• Sunday, May 29: Creedence Clearwater Revisited.

Two Ways to Order Tickets:
1) Via telephone at 435.277.RACE from Monday – Friday 8:30AM -5:30PM Mountain Time. Additional fees: $2.50 if tickets are mailed, no fee if put in will-call
2) Via internet at bigmweekend.com/bmwmotorrad - use code BMWMOTORRAD.
Additional fees: approximately $16.50 no matter if tickets are mailed or put in will-call

Miller Motorsports Park Introduces The BigM Weekend
 Memorial Day World Superbike Weekend Event Re-branded
 
TOOELE VALLEY, UTAH Feb 24th, 2011 — Miller Motorsports Park has renamed its Memorial Day weekend event as The BigM Weekend to better reflect the range of activities taking place.
 
“This event has morphed and grown over the years into much more than a race,” said Bryan Miller, Assistant General Manager of Miller Motorsports Park, “and we felt it needed a name that encompassed its many facets. We decided that The BigM Weekend was the perfect name, since the event includes motorcycles, music, military and Memorial Day, all at Miller Motorsports Park.”
 
The May 28-30 weekend will include the USA Round of the FIM Superbike World Championship, plus support races from AMA Pro Road Racing including the National Guard Superbike Championship, the Daytona SportBike Championship, the Vance & Hines XR1200 Championship and the Larry H. Miller AMA SuperSport Challenge.
 
In addition to the on-track action, there will be a variety of off-track entertainment and displays for the entire family to enjoy. Based on the successful rock concert featuring Styx, Foreigner and Kansas at last year’s event, this year the track will have another concert on Saturday night (artists to be announced at a later date). Track officials are contemplating a Sunday-night concert as well.
 
To honor America’s military during the Memorial Day celebrations, all branches of the armed forces will have interactive displays onsite throughout the weekend, and military personnel will receive a 50-percent discount on event tickets. Carrying over another popular feature from 2010, a Tribute Field of 2,011 American flags will be erected in the track’s infield. Fans will be able to sponsor individual flags to honor friends or loved ones who serve or have served in the military. On Monday, May 30, an Air Force flyover to honor our armed forces is planned just prior to the start of the Superbike World Championship races.
 
All tickets to The BigM Weekend will include paddock access, so fans will be able to get behind the scenes to see the teams working on their race bikes and visit a huge variety of vendors and displays. The Miller Kart Track will be open for kart rentals and stunt riders will perform throughout the weekend. A number of family- and kid-friendly activities are also being planned.
 
The event-specific website has been relaunched as www.BigMWeekend.com, and will serve as a central point for fans to get information, buy tickets and keep up on all the news related to The BigM Weekend.
 
For information regarding Miller Motorsports Park, call 435-277-RACE (7223) or visit the track’s website at www.MillerMotorsportsPark.com.

Bonhams adds Motorcycles to its famed 2-day sale at Carmel The Quail Lodge in August -Consignments invited.
 16 May 2001 - San Francisco –  Bonhams is delighted to announce that the 218-year old auction house has been selected to represent the ultra-rare 1954 AJS E95 “Porcupine” at its renowned August automotive sale in Carmel.
 
One of just four E95s completed by the factory, the Porcupine (so nicknamed because of the spiked cooling fins on its cylinder head) was created as a works racer by British manufacturer AJS and is perhaps one of the most legendary motorcycles in history owing to its brief, sunburst racing success and extreme rarity.
 
“As far as motorcycles go, the Porcupine is at the very top,” says Bonhams CEO Malcolm Barber. “It is arguably the most beautiful, graceful and innovative racing motorcycle ever built, the perfect blend of technology and art. Comparisons are impossible but bikes of a similar caliber – rarity, significance and worth – could include a 1915 Cyclone Board Track Racer, 1955 Moto Guzzi V8 or a mid-1960s RC Honda Grand Prix. This AJS is an utterly important machine whose appearance at auction cannot be underscored enough.”
 
Because the number of AJS Porcupines is so scarce, each machine is well known with all 1954 models being accounted for (most earlier Porcupines were scrapped by the factory). Until recently, this particular example had been on display for more than two decades, occupying pride of place at the world-famous National Motorcycle Museum in England. It is estimated to bring upwards of $750,000 at auction.
 
Now in its 14th year, the Bonhams automotive sale at Quail Lodge is the longest running auction during the most famous collector car event in the world – Pebble Beach Car Week. Held in conjunction with the prestigious The Quail: A Motorsports Gathering, Bonhams is proud to introduce motorcycles to its successful two-day auction format and is now accepting highly select consignments, strictly limited to 50 of the finest and most iconic machines, to go alongside the AJS Porcupine.
 
“Motorcycles are consistently attracting the interest of discerning motor vehicle enthusiasts and collectors, and their rising values confirm this,” says Ben Walker, Bonhams’ International Director of Motorcycles. “As the world’s premiere auction house in the sale of exceptional motorcycles, we see the addition of rare motorcycles at The Quail as highly complementary to rare motorcars.”
 
Indeed, Bonhams is no newcomer to the two-wheeled market. The firm has the longest-established department dedicated to motorcycles of any auction house and sells, on average, more than 1,300 motorcycles, or $8-million worth, annually around the globe. Its list of leading sales and world-record prices is renowned and includes motorbike-specific auctions at Las Vegas (January) and the International Classic MotorCycle Show in England (April), as well as combined motorcar/motorcycle sales at the Petersen Auto Museum (November) and Le Grand Palais in Paris (February), to name just a few.
 
The Bonhams Sale of Exceptional Collectors’ Motorcars, Motorcycles & Related Automobilia will take place at Quail Lodge in Carmel, California, on Thursday, August 18 and Friday, August 19. This sale is the first time a dedicated live auction of motorcycles will be held during the Pebble Beach Car Week and the opportunities for sellers are unprecedented. At no other time or place in the world are the most affluent automotive collectors from around the globe brought together in one location like they are here. Additionally, sellers benefit from Bonhams' worldwide marketing and promotion efforts and their long-established network of international clientele.

To ensure a truly newsworthy and special event, only the most select motorcycles will be consigned to this first-ever sale. Owners interested in consigning high-value motorcycles may respond to this e-mail, press@dravcarn.com, and provide the following information:
1. Owner's First and Last Name 
2. Owner's (1) Telephone, (2) E-mail and (3) Mailing Address 
3. Motorcycle (1) Year, (2) Make and (3) Model 
4. Motorcycle's estimated value 
5. Any brief, special attributes (ie, raced by..., 1 of 30 made..., etc.)
When your information is received, a specialist working on behalf of Bonhams in your part of the world will contact you.