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MotoAmerica: News And Notes From Thursday At Indy
Michael Gilbert, age 24, is putting his Michael Gilbert Racing Kawasaki ZX-10R Stock 1000 racebike aside this weekend so he can ride a FLY Racing/ADR Motorsports Suzuki GSX-R1000R in the MotoAmerica HONOS Superbike class at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS).
“Dave [Anthony] texted me about a week ago and asked if I would be interested in racing a Superbike for him, and things just moved really quickly,” Gilbert told Roadracingworld.com. “We’re obviously giving up third in the Stock 1000 Championship, but I feel that this is a pretty good opportunity to get into Superbike, see what we can do, and hopefully raise an eyebrow or two. We’re just going to do the best job we can.”
Gilbert will ride the Suzuki that Andrew Lee made his Superbike debut on at Barber Motorsports Park, after Lee’s entry on the Superbike Unlimited Franklin Armory Racing Kawasaki ZX-10RR was withdrawn due to that bike having an illegal ECU, software, and close-ratio Nova Racing transmission.
Superbike Unlimited has brought its Kawasaki into compliance with the MotoAmerica Superbike rules, according to a press release from the team, and two-time MotoAmerica Stock 1000 Champion Lee will be back on the ZX-10RR this weekend.
The Stock 1000 class will not be empty this weekend as Altus Motorsports Suzuki’s Cameron Petersen will be looking to clinch the 2020 Championship at IMS, and the South African can accomplish that feat with a strong finish in this weekend’s sole race.
With Gilbert leaving the Stock 1000 class, this opens the door for Travis Wyman, Stefano Mesa, or Alex Dumas to move past him in the point standings during the two remaining races. Dumas, age 18, will be back in action on his M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R1000R at Indy, after breaking his right arm in a crash at Ridge Motorsports Park in August.
Mesa will be doing double duty at IMS as he has decided to bring his new Mesa 37 Racing Kawasaki ZX-6R to race in the Supersport class in addition to riding his Kawasaki ZX-10R in Stock 1000.
Twins Cup class regular Hayden Schultz has also brought a Kawasaki ZX-6R to race in Supersport in addition to riding his Hayden Schultz Racing Yamaha MT-07 in Twins Cup.
After saying at New Jersey Motorsports Park that he was selling his Syndicate Racing/Apex Assassins Yamaha MT-07 and ending his season early, Jason Madama is back to race in Twins Cup at “The Racing Capital of the World.”
Rocco Landers has a good chance at clinching the 2020 MotoAmerica Twins Cup Championship this weekend on his SportbikeTrackGear.com Suzuki SV650. The only way Landers will not clinch the title is if Kaleb De Keyrel wins the race on his 1-833-CJ-KNOWS Accident & Injury Law Yamaha MT-07 and Landers fails to score any points at all.
On a normal MotoAmerica race weekend Trevor Daley works as a member of Toni Elias’ M4 ECSTAR Suzuki crew, but this weekend Daley is racing against Elias, and the rest of the field, in Superbike. Earlier this season, Daley, a veteran racer, finished second and third in two Canadian Superbike races on his Suzuki Canada GSX-R1000R.
The “MotoAmerica Superbikes at The Brickyard” event has attracted a lot of interest from the participant side of things, resulting in a total of 139 entries across MotoAmerica’s five classes (Superbike, Stock 1000, Supersport, Junior Cup, and Twins Cup), plus 23 entries in the Heritage Cup exhibition class.
COVID-19 protocols are in full effect this weekend at IMS. Everyone who enters the facility is required to fill out a medical questionnaire and undergo a temperature screening each and every day of the event.
Because of COVID-19 concerns, spectators will not be allowed inside the track, but a limited number of fans will be allowed to watch the races from a designated section of grandstands outside of the 2.5-mile speedway’s Turn One. What’s the attendance limit? One member of the IMS staff said the limit was 10,000 fans per day.
MotoGP: Pirro Tops Day Two Of Testing In Portugal
Pirro ends Portimão Test on top for Ducati
The Italian heads the six-man timesheets as the final day of action comes to a close on the Algarve
Thursday, 08 October 2020
Ducati test rider Michele Pirro was the fastest man around Portimão on the final day of testing, the Italian putting in a 1:40.435 to end the event on the Algarve only a few tenths short of the fastest ever lap on two wheels set on Wednesday by Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini). It wasn’t all about lap times, of course, but Pirro was also a few tenths clear of the competition on Thursday. The Italian was riding a GP20 and gathering data for the season finale, as well as trying out a few 2021 parts…
Stefan Bradl was second on the timesheets for Honda and the German put in a 1:40.833 as his fastest lap, the second and final rider in the 1:40s. He only rode in the morning – then heading up to Le Mans for Grand Prix duty – and was on the 2020 Honda. The number 6 especially praised the new asphalt at the Algarve venue, with Suzuki test rider Sylvain Guintoli having already said ahead of the test that some bumps in the previous surface were its only downfall. Bradl’s comments seem to confirm that’s now more than fixed at the stunning rollercoaster of a circuit.
Guintoli, for his part, had another positive day and was just as upbeat as he had been ahead of the test. The 2014 WorldSBK Champion has good experience at the venue and that in itself should be useful for Suzuki. The Frenchman staked that claim in the morning session as he put in his best lap of the day, a 1:41.153, and the Hamamatsu factory finished their testing programme by 1pm. Their main focus? Like most: adaptation, adaptation, adaptation – especially to the elevation changes.
Lorenzo Savadori, meanwhile, used some of the time to test 2021 parts for Aprilia. With prior knowledge of the venue already, the Italian was confident in splitting his time between the tasks and focused on the chassis and then the tyre selection for the GP. His best lap was a 1:41.483.
At KTM it was superstar test rider Dani Pedrosa out on track, the number 26 putting in the laps in both the morning and afternoon sessions as he got used to the Portuguese venue and gathered a useful amount of data for the Austrian factory. His quickest lap was a 1:41.627 set in the morning, but the speed wasn’t the focus – adapting to the undulating track was. Pedrosa was also out on a carbon-black RC16 on Thursday…
Finally, another superstar test rider took the reins at Yamaha: Jorge Lorenzo. He was one of two to improve in the afternoon as he spent the time on a 2019 machine, getting down to a 1:43.163. Not on a bike since the Sepang test in February, the ‘Spartan’ was another who, like Pedrosa, took part in both sessions on Thursday. Most of the day was spent working on the gearbox and finding the right ratios, but Lorenzo also said he needed more time on the bike. Will we see the number 99 back on track again testing anywhere before the season finale?
That’s it from Portimão until the paddock returns to take on the rollercoaster at racing speed in November. Check out more updates about the test on motogp.com, and get in gear for the Shark Helmets Grand Prix de France as Free Practice begins on Friday!
MotoGP: Mir “Fully Focused” On Getting First Win
“Competitive, focused, consistent and fast”: Press Conference buzzwords ahead of the French GP
Riders sit down to talk to the media as Le Mans gears up for the Shark Helmets Grand Prix de France
Thursday, 08 October 2020
The Shark Helmets Grand Prix de France is ready to go and ahead of track action, it was pre-event Press Conference time at Le Mans. Championship leader – and home hero – Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) was joined by closest challenger Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar), Catalan GP podium finisher Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar), Pramac Racing’s Francesco Bagnaia, home hero Johann Zarco (Esponsorama Racing) and newly-announced 2021 MotoGP™ rider Jorge Martin, riding in Moto2™ with Red Bull KTM Ajo.
Here are the key quotes from those present, with Quartararo up first as he gears up for home turf.
FABIO QUARTARARO: “Finally it was a great moment to have my third win in Barcelona and I think that was the most important. We had some difficult moments in Misano, Brno and Austria. It was great to be back at a track that I really like. Last year here was really positive, the result was not that great but in the race we showed our pace was really fast, if we check the lap time we had the pace for the podium. That’s really good, we hope for the same this year. I’m really confident, the weather doesn’t look that bad so I’m happy and confident to be here.”
Why did he not ride at the Portimão Test?
“First of all it was to avoid any kind of injury, I think it was a bit risky two days before doing three races in a row. I was there six years ago and also we have a long FP1 and FP2 when we’re there so that’s the reason I didn’t go to Portimao and also it was a different bike.”
On Joan Mir as a teammate back in Moto3™:
“For sure we are in a much better position than back then. That year, less for Joan, but for me it was a total disaster. It’s great that we keep a relationship since then and right now we are 1-2 in the championship, we were rookies last year and now we fight for the championship so it’s a cool story.”
Mir was asked about that first, too:
JOAN MIR: “Yeah, it’s so nice, I remember that year really well because it was not easy at the beginning because it was my rookie year. We both struggled a lot the first half the season and then at the end it was a bit better and my season was not bad for the first. But yeah, it is nice that both of us are fighting for the championship and I’m really happy.”
What’s his focus? Winning races or the title?
“Honestly, I think in the World Championship we are really close but to fight for the Championship you need to win races and that is a fact. At the moment we are competitive, focused, consistent and fast, but we don’t have a victory yet. I am fully focused on that, fully focused on trying to get my first victory. Meanwhile it is important to score points and continue this way and like I said, just focus on the victory.”
And finally, on Suzuki getting two machines on the podium last time out:
“It was so nice especially because both of us were on the podium and the celebration was all the team, so it was special like you said some funny moments and I expect to repeat it this weekend.”
Rins picked up from there…
ALEX RINS: “Yeah for sure it was super nice for both Suzuki riders to finish on the podium, then all the team were super happy because as you know, this doesn’t come from the work we’re doing now, it comes from the work they’ve done since they were racing. It was super nice to do a double podium in Montmelo. To celebrate with Ken, Davide and all the team it was super. In Suzuki the relationship is quite nice, it’s like a family.”
Next up, the Spaniard talked about his ongoing recovery:
“For sure the podium in Montmelo gave me extra motivation and power. About the shoulder, I would like to say I’m at 100% but still not 100%. I’m happy to not feel pain on the bone but with this sort of injury you have to stop and recover for 2-3 months to be perfect. We didn’t stop with this season full of races, on the bike I’m not feeling enough muscle on the right arm. So we need to finish this season and fully recover for next season.”
Bagnaia was first asked about his 2021 move to the factory Ducati team:
FRANCESCO BAGNAIA: “Very good! I’m happy I think I deserve this position because the races I have finished I have been strong and in front. We have done a great job this season. We have had a bit of bad luck with the broken leg and the engine failure so we are not in the position we deserve but I think our potential is very high, our bike is very strong, and we can be happy with the work we are doing. We need to be more consistent and finish the races, but we are there.”
And last time out?
“I’m not happy with the result because it was my mistake, Friday I was struggling with the conditions and it was my mistake not to adapt to the conditions. I started to move the settings on the bike too much. That Saturday I tried something different on the bike but it didn’t work and Sunday when I decided to go back to my standard bike I was strong in the race. Not in the first part because we already know Suzuki and Yamaha were better in the first part of the race because they heated the front tyre before and for us it was a little bit more difficult. And then in the last laps I closed the gap to the front. I think 3 seconds. So, we can be happy about the race but not happy with the weekend. My leg at the moment is riding at 100% but walking less.”
Zarco also began by talking about his 2021 machinery:
JOHANN ZARCO: “It makes me feel good to know where to go next year and on a winning bike. I still have many things to learn on the Ducati and from the last races, the work was good but clearly on Sunday I didn’t get good results. I still need to put things together but I believe I’m on the good way and thanks to Ducati, all the things I’ll do this season, will be useful for next season. I’m also happy for Pecco that with these three races that he did, he showed the factory team was for him. I have this step with the bike, getting a new bike but similar for next year. Happy and fully motivated, one year ago this was not the situation in October, I know where I’m going and that makes my target really clear.”
How’s his injured wrist healing?
“The injury on the wrist was quickly getting well but then there are some ligaments that are still giving pain. I think it doesn’t disturb when riding but for the opinion of the physio, it’s disturbing a little bit the body is adapting and trying to compensate in another way. I think the not good results in the last races weren’t due to the wrist and still, as Alex said, when you have an injury you should stop for a few months but with our work you can’t. I’m feeling ok, still really taking care of it.”
And finally, is there any home pressure?
“At the French GP, the pressure is for Fabio I think, not for me. I have everything to win, we have 5,000 people here on Sunday which is better than nothing and it will give us some good energy. We will see the weather, not think too much and try to perform!”
First on Martin’s agenda was also 2021, when he’ll be moving to partner Zarco at Pramac.
JORGE MARTIN: “Super excited. After a long career I have finally arrived to MotoGP. It’s great, I’ve been racing with some of these guys in the past and I know them. I think it was the moment, I felt quite strong in Moto2 so I think it was the right moment to make the jump and I think going into MotoGP was my best option.”
So what’s the target for the rest of 2020?
“I think I have nothing to lose. I will try to win or be on the podium every race. I don’t have the pressure to make a mistake because my future is decided. I have the potential to win, not the Championship as I’m 71 points away, but for sure the top three is there and I will try to get into it.”
That’s a wrap for the Press Conference au Mans! Tune in for FP1 at 9:55 (GMT +2) on Friday, and make sure to set your reminders for the earlier MotoGP™ race on Sunday at 13:00 (GMT +2).
MotoGP: COVID-19 Strikes Monster Energy Yamaha Team
SIX YAMAHA MOTOGP GROUP MEMBERS TO MISS THE GRAND PRIX DE FRANCE
Le Mans (France), 8th October 2020
Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. and Yamaha Motor Racing Srl regret to announce that six Yamaha MotoGP Group engineers, including YZR-M1 Project Leader Takahiro Sumi, will be unable to attend this weekend‘s Grand Prix de France.
STATEMENT – 8th October 2020
Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. and Yamaha Motor Racing Srl regret to announce that six Yamaha MotoGP Group engineers, including YZR-M1 Project Leader Takahiro Sumi, will be unable to attend this weekend‘s Grand Prix de France.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
– Due to restrictions in travel, several of Yamaha‘s MotoGP staff are frequently staying in Andorra in the breaks between the back-to-back rounds. On this occasion, after taking the usual PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) test on Monday before the planned departure from Andorra, one member of Yamaha‘s engineering staff received a positive test result for Covid-19 on the Tuesday. The other five members of the YMC engineers group received negative test results.
– 24 hours later a further test was done to double-check the first test results. The test results were identical, confirming the initial positive Covid-19 test result for one member and negative results for the other five members.
– As a consequence, all six YMC engineers in this travel group are now self-isolating in Andorra and will not be attending the upcoming race weekend in Le Mans, France.
– Yamaha Motor Racing Srl is currently arranging for alternative staff to come to Le Mans during the coming days to support the riders at the French GP.
– YZR-M1 Project Leader Takahiro Sumi and the five GP support engineers will stay in touch with the team staff at the Le Mans track using the new communications tools that the team has used since the restart of this Covid-19 affected 2020 MotoGP racing season. This new communications system allows them to stay remotely connected with the team crew and the riders in the pit box before, during, and after each session on track. Thanks to this technical solution, the self-isolating engineers will still be able to share their expertise and offer their best support to the staff present in Le Mans.
– The infected engineer does not currently show signs of illness but will continue to be monitored by his colleagues and medical staff in Andorra.
– The situation will be reviewed in the middle of next week with a view to the group‘s participation at the coming MotoGP events in Aragon, Spain.
MotoAmerica: Support Class Titles Can Be Clinched At Indy
Landers Oh So Close; Supersport Title Fight Rages On
MotoAmerica Heads To The Brickyard With Titles On The Line
IRVINE, CA (October 8, 2020) – With a 49-point lead and just two races remaining in the 2020 MotoAmerica Twins Cup Championship, Rocco Landers basically just needs to throw his leg over his SportbikeTrackGear.com Roadracingworld.com Suzuki this weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway to capture his third MotoAmerica Championship in two years.
Gaining a single point is all Landers needs to put an exclamation point on a season that has already seen him wrap up his second successive Liqui Moly Junior Cup Championship. The 15-year-old from Oregon earned the Junior Cup title at Barber Motorsports Park to successfully defend the championship he earned in 2019. The next one to check off the list is the Twins Cup Championship, a title he’s set to earn in his rookie season in the class this weekend.
Landers has won seven of the nine Twins Cup races held in 2020, with The Brickyard and WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca rounds left on the schedule. Landers heads to Indy riding a six race Twins Cup win streak.
Second in the title chase is held by Kaleb De Keyrel on the 1833CJKNOWS Yamaha FZ-07/MT-07, the three-time race winner well clear of third-placed Hayden Schultz and his Hayden Schultz Racing Yamaha. Schultz, in turn, is 24 and 32 points clear of Robem Engineering teammates Toby Khamsouk and Jackson Blackmon, respectively.
With 100 points still up for grabs, the Supersport Championship is far from over with two races set for The Brickyard this weekend and two more for Laguna Seca two weeks later. HONOS Kawasaki’s Richie Escalante leads the only other rider with a chance of stopping him, Sean Dylan Kelly, by 40 points.
Escalante arrives in Indy with 11 wins in 14 attempts thus far in 2020 while M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Kelly is the only other winner in the class with wins in the three races Escalante failed to win. Celtic HSBK’s Brandon Paasch is third in the title chase, 110 points behind Escalante and 40 clear of Aguilar Racing’s Jason Aguilar. Kelly’s teammate Lucas Silva rounds out the top five in the series, 24 points behind Aguilar.
The closest title chase is in the Stock 1000 Championship where Altus Motorsports’ Cameron Petersen leads Ride HVMC Racing’s Corey Alexander by 31 points with 50 points up for grabs in the final two races. Petersen, however, has looked unbeatable of late and comes to the World Center of Racing with a six-race win streak. In all, Petersen has won seven of the 10 races. Alexander, meanwhile, has won two races with Celtic HSBK Racing’s PJ Jacobsen the only other race winner in the class in 2020.
Michael Gilbert Racing’s Michael Gilbert is third in the Stock 1000 Championship heading to Indy, but he’s just 12 points ahead of Travis Wyman Racing’s Travis Wyman and 13 ahead of MESA37 Racing’s Stefano Mesa.
As mentioned earlier, the Liqui Moly Junior Cup Championship was wrapped up in Alabama by Landers, the youngster winning his 11th race in 14 starts to take the title in style.
While the championship has been clinched, the battle for second in the Liqui Moly Junior Cup Series rages on with Celtic HSBK’s Sam Lochoff leading BARTCON Racing’s Dominic Doyle by just nine points. Quarterley Racing/On Track Development’s Benjamin Gloddy is fourth and clear of Grant Motors Racing’s Liam Grant and DMK Racing’s David Kohlstaedt, who are tied for fifth.
Indianapolis Motor Speedway Notes…
Everyone wants to race at The Brickyard: In total, 37 riders have entered the Twins Cup race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway; the Supersport class will feature 30 entries; 22 Liqui Moly Junior Cup riders have entered; and there will be 27 Stock 1000 riders attempting to qualify this weekend at Indy.
Rocco Landers has won 25 Liqui Moly Junior Cup races thus far in his career and two more wins at Indy would give him 27. The 15-year-old Landers won’t compete in the series finale at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca as he will be in Europe contesting the Red Bull Rookies Cup round. Landers’ 25 wins have come over the course of two championship-winning seasons from the Oregonian. Despite his success in 2020, however, he won’t match his win total in the Junior Cup class from the 14 races he won in 2019.
In addition to leading the all-time Liqui Moly Junior Cup win list, Landers is now also the winningest rider in the three-year history of the Twins Cup Series with his seven wins thus far in 2020. Alex Dumas, who now competes in the Stock 1000 Series, is second on the list with the five wins from his title-winning 2019 campaign.
Andrew Lee, who will race in the HONOS Superbike class this weekend at Indy, is the all-time leader in Stock 1000 victories with 11 wins. Cameron Petersen is second on the list with his seven wins from this season and he has the ability to get that total to nine with two races left in the 2020 Stock 1000 season.
With his 11 wins thus far in 2020, Richie Escalante has climbed to third on the all-time win list in the class. Escalante is eight wins shy of Garrett Gerloff for second on the all-time list but is 21 wins behind the all-time win leader in the class – JD Beach. With four more races this year, Escalante could get to 15 wins on the year. That would be a high water mark for the class with Beach (2018) and Gerloff (2017) having high-water marks of 11 wins in a single season.
The MotoAmerica Heritage Cup at The Brickyard event has drawn 23 entries with seven manufacturers represented. The motorcycles that will be raced in the Open Exhibition class at Indy range from a 1966 Ducati GP350 to a 2008 Buell XB12R Firebolt and everything in between.
MotoE: De Angelis Leads FP1
Moto2: Daniel Fastest, Roberts 4th In FP1
MotoAmerica: News And Notes From Thursday At Indy
Michael Gilbert, age 24, is putting his Michael Gilbert Racing Kawasaki ZX-10R Stock 1000 racebike aside this weekend so he can ride a FLY Racing/ADR Motorsports Suzuki GSX-R1000R in the MotoAmerica HONOS Superbike class at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS).
“Dave [Anthony] texted me about a week ago and asked if I would be interested in racing a Superbike for him, and things just moved really quickly,” Gilbert told Roadracingworld.com. “We’re obviously giving up third in the Stock 1000 Championship, but I feel that this is a pretty good opportunity to get into Superbike, see what we can do, and hopefully raise an eyebrow or two. We’re just going to do the best job we can.”
Gilbert will ride the Suzuki that Andrew Lee made his Superbike debut on at Barber Motorsports Park, after Lee’s entry on the Superbike Unlimited Franklin Armory Racing Kawasaki ZX-10RR was withdrawn due to that bike having an illegal ECU, software, and close-ratio Nova Racing transmission.
Superbike Unlimited has brought its Kawasaki into compliance with the MotoAmerica Superbike rules, according to a press release from the team, and two-time MotoAmerica Stock 1000 Champion Lee will be back on the ZX-10RR this weekend.
The Stock 1000 class will not be empty this weekend as Altus Motorsports Suzuki’s Cameron Petersen will be looking to clinch the 2020 Championship at IMS, and the South African can accomplish that feat with a strong finish in this weekend’s sole race.
With Gilbert leaving the Stock 1000 class, this opens the door for Travis Wyman, Stefano Mesa, or Alex Dumas to move past him in the point standings during the two remaining races. Dumas, age 18, will be back in action on his M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R1000R at Indy, after breaking his right arm in a crash at Ridge Motorsports Park in August.
Mesa will be doing double duty at IMS as he has decided to bring his new Mesa 37 Racing Kawasaki ZX-6R to race in the Supersport class in addition to riding his Kawasaki ZX-10R in Stock 1000.
Twins Cup class regular Hayden Schultz has also brought a Kawasaki ZX-6R to race in Supersport in addition to riding his Hayden Schultz Racing Yamaha MT-07 in Twins Cup.
After saying at New Jersey Motorsports Park that he was selling his Syndicate Racing/Apex Assassins Yamaha MT-07 and ending his season early, Jason Madama is back to race in Twins Cup at “The Racing Capital of the World.”
Rocco Landers has a good chance at clinching the 2020 MotoAmerica Twins Cup Championship this weekend on his SportbikeTrackGear.com Suzuki SV650. The only way Landers will not clinch the title is if Kaleb De Keyrel wins the race on his 1-833-CJ-KNOWS Accident & Injury Law Yamaha MT-07 and Landers fails to score any points at all.
On a normal MotoAmerica race weekend Trevor Daley works as a member of Toni Elias’ M4 ECSTAR Suzuki crew, but this weekend Daley is racing against Elias, and the rest of the field, in Superbike. Earlier this season, Daley, a veteran racer, finished second and third in two Canadian Superbike races on his Suzuki Canada GSX-R1000R.
The “MotoAmerica Superbikes at The Brickyard” event has attracted a lot of interest from the participant side of things, resulting in a total of 139 entries across MotoAmerica’s five classes (Superbike, Stock 1000, Supersport, Junior Cup, and Twins Cup), plus 23 entries in the Heritage Cup exhibition class.
COVID-19 protocols are in full effect this weekend at IMS. Everyone who enters the facility is required to fill out a medical questionnaire and undergo a temperature screening each and every day of the event.
Because of COVID-19 concerns, spectators will not be allowed inside the track, but a limited number of fans will be allowed to watch the races from a designated section of grandstands outside of the 2.5-mile speedway’s Turn One. What’s the attendance limit? One member of the IMS staff said the limit was 10,000 fans per day.
MotoGP: Pirro Tops Day Two Of Testing In Portugal
Pirro ends Portimão Test on top for Ducati
The Italian heads the six-man timesheets as the final day of action comes to a close on the Algarve
Thursday, 08 October 2020
Ducati test rider Michele Pirro was the fastest man around Portimão on the final day of testing, the Italian putting in a 1:40.435 to end the event on the Algarve only a few tenths short of the fastest ever lap on two wheels set on Wednesday by Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini). It wasn’t all about lap times, of course, but Pirro was also a few tenths clear of the competition on Thursday. The Italian was riding a GP20 and gathering data for the season finale, as well as trying out a few 2021 parts…
Stefan Bradl was second on the timesheets for Honda and the German put in a 1:40.833 as his fastest lap, the second and final rider in the 1:40s. He only rode in the morning – then heading up to Le Mans for Grand Prix duty – and was on the 2020 Honda. The number 6 especially praised the new asphalt at the Algarve venue, with Suzuki test rider Sylvain Guintoli having already said ahead of the test that some bumps in the previous surface were its only downfall. Bradl’s comments seem to confirm that’s now more than fixed at the stunning rollercoaster of a circuit.
Guintoli, for his part, had another positive day and was just as upbeat as he had been ahead of the test. The 2014 WorldSBK Champion has good experience at the venue and that in itself should be useful for Suzuki. The Frenchman staked that claim in the morning session as he put in his best lap of the day, a 1:41.153, and the Hamamatsu factory finished their testing programme by 1pm. Their main focus? Like most: adaptation, adaptation, adaptation – especially to the elevation changes.
Lorenzo Savadori, meanwhile, used some of the time to test 2021 parts for Aprilia. With prior knowledge of the venue already, the Italian was confident in splitting his time between the tasks and focused on the chassis and then the tyre selection for the GP. His best lap was a 1:41.483.
At KTM it was superstar test rider Dani Pedrosa out on track, the number 26 putting in the laps in both the morning and afternoon sessions as he got used to the Portuguese venue and gathered a useful amount of data for the Austrian factory. His quickest lap was a 1:41.627 set in the morning, but the speed wasn’t the focus – adapting to the undulating track was. Pedrosa was also out on a carbon-black RC16 on Thursday…
Finally, another superstar test rider took the reins at Yamaha: Jorge Lorenzo. He was one of two to improve in the afternoon as he spent the time on a 2019 machine, getting down to a 1:43.163. Not on a bike since the Sepang test in February, the ‘Spartan’ was another who, like Pedrosa, took part in both sessions on Thursday. Most of the day was spent working on the gearbox and finding the right ratios, but Lorenzo also said he needed more time on the bike. Will we see the number 99 back on track again testing anywhere before the season finale?
That’s it from Portimão until the paddock returns to take on the rollercoaster at racing speed in November. Check out more updates about the test on motogp.com, and get in gear for the Shark Helmets Grand Prix de France as Free Practice begins on Friday!
MotoGP: Mir “Fully Focused” On Getting First Win
“Competitive, focused, consistent and fast”: Press Conference buzzwords ahead of the French GP
Riders sit down to talk to the media as Le Mans gears up for the Shark Helmets Grand Prix de France
Thursday, 08 October 2020
The Shark Helmets Grand Prix de France is ready to go and ahead of track action, it was pre-event Press Conference time at Le Mans. Championship leader – and home hero – Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) was joined by closest challenger Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar), Catalan GP podium finisher Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar), Pramac Racing’s Francesco Bagnaia, home hero Johann Zarco (Esponsorama Racing) and newly-announced 2021 MotoGP™ rider Jorge Martin, riding in Moto2™ with Red Bull KTM Ajo.
Here are the key quotes from those present, with Quartararo up first as he gears up for home turf.
FABIO QUARTARARO: “Finally it was a great moment to have my third win in Barcelona and I think that was the most important. We had some difficult moments in Misano, Brno and Austria. It was great to be back at a track that I really like. Last year here was really positive, the result was not that great but in the race we showed our pace was really fast, if we check the lap time we had the pace for the podium. That’s really good, we hope for the same this year. I’m really confident, the weather doesn’t look that bad so I’m happy and confident to be here.”
Why did he not ride at the Portimão Test?
“First of all it was to avoid any kind of injury, I think it was a bit risky two days before doing three races in a row. I was there six years ago and also we have a long FP1 and FP2 when we’re there so that’s the reason I didn’t go to Portimao and also it was a different bike.”
On Joan Mir as a teammate back in Moto3™:
“For sure we are in a much better position than back then. That year, less for Joan, but for me it was a total disaster. It’s great that we keep a relationship since then and right now we are 1-2 in the championship, we were rookies last year and now we fight for the championship so it’s a cool story.”
Mir was asked about that first, too:
JOAN MIR: “Yeah, it’s so nice, I remember that year really well because it was not easy at the beginning because it was my rookie year. We both struggled a lot the first half the season and then at the end it was a bit better and my season was not bad for the first. But yeah, it is nice that both of us are fighting for the championship and I’m really happy.”
What’s his focus? Winning races or the title?
“Honestly, I think in the World Championship we are really close but to fight for the Championship you need to win races and that is a fact. At the moment we are competitive, focused, consistent and fast, but we don’t have a victory yet. I am fully focused on that, fully focused on trying to get my first victory. Meanwhile it is important to score points and continue this way and like I said, just focus on the victory.”
And finally, on Suzuki getting two machines on the podium last time out:
“It was so nice especially because both of us were on the podium and the celebration was all the team, so it was special like you said some funny moments and I expect to repeat it this weekend.”
Rins picked up from there…
ALEX RINS: “Yeah for sure it was super nice for both Suzuki riders to finish on the podium, then all the team were super happy because as you know, this doesn’t come from the work we’re doing now, it comes from the work they’ve done since they were racing. It was super nice to do a double podium in Montmelo. To celebrate with Ken, Davide and all the team it was super. In Suzuki the relationship is quite nice, it’s like a family.”
Next up, the Spaniard talked about his ongoing recovery:
“For sure the podium in Montmelo gave me extra motivation and power. About the shoulder, I would like to say I’m at 100% but still not 100%. I’m happy to not feel pain on the bone but with this sort of injury you have to stop and recover for 2-3 months to be perfect. We didn’t stop with this season full of races, on the bike I’m not feeling enough muscle on the right arm. So we need to finish this season and fully recover for next season.”
Bagnaia was first asked about his 2021 move to the factory Ducati team:
FRANCESCO BAGNAIA: “Very good! I’m happy I think I deserve this position because the races I have finished I have been strong and in front. We have done a great job this season. We have had a bit of bad luck with the broken leg and the engine failure so we are not in the position we deserve but I think our potential is very high, our bike is very strong, and we can be happy with the work we are doing. We need to be more consistent and finish the races, but we are there.”
And last time out?
“I’m not happy with the result because it was my mistake, Friday I was struggling with the conditions and it was my mistake not to adapt to the conditions. I started to move the settings on the bike too much. That Saturday I tried something different on the bike but it didn’t work and Sunday when I decided to go back to my standard bike I was strong in the race. Not in the first part because we already know Suzuki and Yamaha were better in the first part of the race because they heated the front tyre before and for us it was a little bit more difficult. And then in the last laps I closed the gap to the front. I think 3 seconds. So, we can be happy about the race but not happy with the weekend. My leg at the moment is riding at 100% but walking less.”
Zarco also began by talking about his 2021 machinery:
JOHANN ZARCO: “It makes me feel good to know where to go next year and on a winning bike. I still have many things to learn on the Ducati and from the last races, the work was good but clearly on Sunday I didn’t get good results. I still need to put things together but I believe I’m on the good way and thanks to Ducati, all the things I’ll do this season, will be useful for next season. I’m also happy for Pecco that with these three races that he did, he showed the factory team was for him. I have this step with the bike, getting a new bike but similar for next year. Happy and fully motivated, one year ago this was not the situation in October, I know where I’m going and that makes my target really clear.”
How’s his injured wrist healing?
“The injury on the wrist was quickly getting well but then there are some ligaments that are still giving pain. I think it doesn’t disturb when riding but for the opinion of the physio, it’s disturbing a little bit the body is adapting and trying to compensate in another way. I think the not good results in the last races weren’t due to the wrist and still, as Alex said, when you have an injury you should stop for a few months but with our work you can’t. I’m feeling ok, still really taking care of it.”
And finally, is there any home pressure?
“At the French GP, the pressure is for Fabio I think, not for me. I have everything to win, we have 5,000 people here on Sunday which is better than nothing and it will give us some good energy. We will see the weather, not think too much and try to perform!”
First on Martin’s agenda was also 2021, when he’ll be moving to partner Zarco at Pramac.
JORGE MARTIN: “Super excited. After a long career I have finally arrived to MotoGP. It’s great, I’ve been racing with some of these guys in the past and I know them. I think it was the moment, I felt quite strong in Moto2 so I think it was the right moment to make the jump and I think going into MotoGP was my best option.”
So what’s the target for the rest of 2020?
“I think I have nothing to lose. I will try to win or be on the podium every race. I don’t have the pressure to make a mistake because my future is decided. I have the potential to win, not the Championship as I’m 71 points away, but for sure the top three is there and I will try to get into it.”
That’s a wrap for the Press Conference au Mans! Tune in for FP1 at 9:55 (GMT +2) on Friday, and make sure to set your reminders for the earlier MotoGP™ race on Sunday at 13:00 (GMT +2).
MotoGP: COVID-19 Strikes Monster Energy Yamaha Team
SIX YAMAHA MOTOGP GROUP MEMBERS TO MISS THE GRAND PRIX DE FRANCE
Le Mans (France), 8th October 2020
Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. and Yamaha Motor Racing Srl regret to announce that six Yamaha MotoGP Group engineers, including YZR-M1 Project Leader Takahiro Sumi, will be unable to attend this weekend‘s Grand Prix de France.
STATEMENT – 8th October 2020
Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. and Yamaha Motor Racing Srl regret to announce that six Yamaha MotoGP Group engineers, including YZR-M1 Project Leader Takahiro Sumi, will be unable to attend this weekend‘s Grand Prix de France.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
– Due to restrictions in travel, several of Yamaha‘s MotoGP staff are frequently staying in Andorra in the breaks between the back-to-back rounds. On this occasion, after taking the usual PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) test on Monday before the planned departure from Andorra, one member of Yamaha‘s engineering staff received a positive test result for Covid-19 on the Tuesday. The other five members of the YMC engineers group received negative test results.
– 24 hours later a further test was done to double-check the first test results. The test results were identical, confirming the initial positive Covid-19 test result for one member and negative results for the other five members.
– As a consequence, all six YMC engineers in this travel group are now self-isolating in Andorra and will not be attending the upcoming race weekend in Le Mans, France.
– Yamaha Motor Racing Srl is currently arranging for alternative staff to come to Le Mans during the coming days to support the riders at the French GP.
– YZR-M1 Project Leader Takahiro Sumi and the five GP support engineers will stay in touch with the team staff at the Le Mans track using the new communications tools that the team has used since the restart of this Covid-19 affected 2020 MotoGP racing season. This new communications system allows them to stay remotely connected with the team crew and the riders in the pit box before, during, and after each session on track. Thanks to this technical solution, the self-isolating engineers will still be able to share their expertise and offer their best support to the staff present in Le Mans.
– The infected engineer does not currently show signs of illness but will continue to be monitored by his colleagues and medical staff in Andorra.
– The situation will be reviewed in the middle of next week with a view to the group‘s participation at the coming MotoGP events in Aragon, Spain.
MotoAmerica: Support Class Titles Can Be Clinched At Indy
Landers Oh So Close; Supersport Title Fight Rages On
MotoAmerica Heads To The Brickyard With Titles On The Line
IRVINE, CA (October 8, 2020) – With a 49-point lead and just two races remaining in the 2020 MotoAmerica Twins Cup Championship, Rocco Landers basically just needs to throw his leg over his SportbikeTrackGear.com Roadracingworld.com Suzuki this weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway to capture his third MotoAmerica Championship in two years.
Gaining a single point is all Landers needs to put an exclamation point on a season that has already seen him wrap up his second successive Liqui Moly Junior Cup Championship. The 15-year-old from Oregon earned the Junior Cup title at Barber Motorsports Park to successfully defend the championship he earned in 2019. The next one to check off the list is the Twins Cup Championship, a title he’s set to earn in his rookie season in the class this weekend.
Landers has won seven of the nine Twins Cup races held in 2020, with The Brickyard and WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca rounds left on the schedule. Landers heads to Indy riding a six race Twins Cup win streak.
Second in the title chase is held by Kaleb De Keyrel on the 1833CJKNOWS Yamaha FZ-07/MT-07, the three-time race winner well clear of third-placed Hayden Schultz and his Hayden Schultz Racing Yamaha. Schultz, in turn, is 24 and 32 points clear of Robem Engineering teammates Toby Khamsouk and Jackson Blackmon, respectively.
With 100 points still up for grabs, the Supersport Championship is far from over with two races set for The Brickyard this weekend and two more for Laguna Seca two weeks later. HONOS Kawasaki’s Richie Escalante leads the only other rider with a chance of stopping him, Sean Dylan Kelly, by 40 points.
Escalante arrives in Indy with 11 wins in 14 attempts thus far in 2020 while M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Kelly is the only other winner in the class with wins in the three races Escalante failed to win. Celtic HSBK’s Brandon Paasch is third in the title chase, 110 points behind Escalante and 40 clear of Aguilar Racing’s Jason Aguilar. Kelly’s teammate Lucas Silva rounds out the top five in the series, 24 points behind Aguilar.
The closest title chase is in the Stock 1000 Championship where Altus Motorsports’ Cameron Petersen leads Ride HVMC Racing’s Corey Alexander by 31 points with 50 points up for grabs in the final two races. Petersen, however, has looked unbeatable of late and comes to the World Center of Racing with a six-race win streak. In all, Petersen has won seven of the 10 races. Alexander, meanwhile, has won two races with Celtic HSBK Racing’s PJ Jacobsen the only other race winner in the class in 2020.
Michael Gilbert Racing’s Michael Gilbert is third in the Stock 1000 Championship heading to Indy, but he’s just 12 points ahead of Travis Wyman Racing’s Travis Wyman and 13 ahead of MESA37 Racing’s Stefano Mesa.
As mentioned earlier, the Liqui Moly Junior Cup Championship was wrapped up in Alabama by Landers, the youngster winning his 11th race in 14 starts to take the title in style.
While the championship has been clinched, the battle for second in the Liqui Moly Junior Cup Series rages on with Celtic HSBK’s Sam Lochoff leading BARTCON Racing’s Dominic Doyle by just nine points. Quarterley Racing/On Track Development’s Benjamin Gloddy is fourth and clear of Grant Motors Racing’s Liam Grant and DMK Racing’s David Kohlstaedt, who are tied for fifth.
Indianapolis Motor Speedway Notes…
Everyone wants to race at The Brickyard: In total, 37 riders have entered the Twins Cup race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway; the Supersport class will feature 30 entries; 22 Liqui Moly Junior Cup riders have entered; and there will be 27 Stock 1000 riders attempting to qualify this weekend at Indy.
Rocco Landers has won 25 Liqui Moly Junior Cup races thus far in his career and two more wins at Indy would give him 27. The 15-year-old Landers won’t compete in the series finale at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca as he will be in Europe contesting the Red Bull Rookies Cup round. Landers’ 25 wins have come over the course of two championship-winning seasons from the Oregonian. Despite his success in 2020, however, he won’t match his win total in the Junior Cup class from the 14 races he won in 2019.
In addition to leading the all-time Liqui Moly Junior Cup win list, Landers is now also the winningest rider in the three-year history of the Twins Cup Series with his seven wins thus far in 2020. Alex Dumas, who now competes in the Stock 1000 Series, is second on the list with the five wins from his title-winning 2019 campaign.
Andrew Lee, who will race in the HONOS Superbike class this weekend at Indy, is the all-time leader in Stock 1000 victories with 11 wins. Cameron Petersen is second on the list with his seven wins from this season and he has the ability to get that total to nine with two races left in the 2020 Stock 1000 season.
With his 11 wins thus far in 2020, Richie Escalante has climbed to third on the all-time win list in the class. Escalante is eight wins shy of Garrett Gerloff for second on the all-time list but is 21 wins behind the all-time win leader in the class – JD Beach. With four more races this year, Escalante could get to 15 wins on the year. That would be a high water mark for the class with Beach (2018) and Gerloff (2017) having high-water marks of 11 wins in a single season.
The MotoAmerica Heritage Cup at The Brickyard event has drawn 23 entries with seven manufacturers represented. The motorcycles that will be raced in the Open Exhibition class at Indy range from a 1966 Ducati GP350 to a 2008 Buell XB12R Firebolt and everything in between.