Team HRC sets the standard in Suzuka EWC First Qualifying as YART stars
First Qualifying for the 44th Coca-Cola Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Race is complete with plenty of drama and a rapid fastest lap time from Team HRC’s Tetsuta Nagashima. A summary of the key action follows.
Tetsuta Nagashima was fastest for Team HRC with Japan Post in the opening Blue Rider session, which was briefly red-flagged after Takafumi Kato fell at Turn 15, albeit without injury. Nagashima’s 2m05.722s benchmark was 0.791s quicker than Niccolò Canepa’s effort for Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team as Greg Black went third quickest for Yoshimura SERT Motul followed by Ryo Mizuno (Astemo Honda Dream SI Racing) and Mike Di Meglio (F.C.C. TSR Honda France), while Randy de Puniet was a faller for Team Kawasaki Webike Trickstar.
The subsequent Yellow Rider group was red-flagged twice, first to allow the recovery of Alan Techer’s F.C.C. TSR Honda France entry and Josh Water’s S-Pulse Dream Racing -ITEC Suzuki after they collided at The Hairpin. Techer’s Honda briefly caught fire but both riders were uninjured. The second stoppage followed a crash for Shigenori Sakurayama at the Second Curve. The session ended with Marvin Fritz on top for Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team in a time of 2m07.084s, the German outpacing Team HRC with Japan Post’s Takumi Takahashi. Takuya Tsuda was third quickest for AutoRace Ube Racing Team with Kazuma Watanabe fourth for Astemo Honda Dream SI Racing, while Yoshimura SERT Motul’s Sylvain Guintoli took fifth.
Karel Hanika’s 2m06.009s lap put Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team on top of the Red Rider group after Team HRC with Japan Post’s EWC rookie Xavi Vierge appeared to look as though his 2m06.121s couldn’t be beaten. Ikuhiro Enokido was third quickest despite crashing his TOHO Racing Honda in the closing moments of the session, which was red flagged for a second time when Maiku Watanuki crashed heavily at Turn 15, with no injury reported. The first stoppage was required to clear gravel from the track. Tarran Mackenzie, who is making his EWC debut this weekend as a late replacement for the injured Josh Hook, was fourth fastest for F.C.C. TSR Honda France. Haruki Noguchi was fifth for SDG Honda Racing, while Kosuke Sakumoto was a faller through the ‘S’ Curves.
The final qualifying results will be based on the average time of the fastest two riders from each team at the completion of Second Qualifying, which is due to get under way at 09h50 local time tomorrow (Saturday). However, the top 10 places on the grid will be decided by the outcome of the one-at-a-time Top 10 Trial from 16h00 on Saturday.
Meanwhile, today’s hour-long Night Practice is due to start at 18h30 (local time) today.
Triumph Motorcycles extends partnership with Moto2™ until 2029
The marque will remain the Exclusive Engine Supplier for Moto2™ for another five seasons and develop a full new race gearbox to debut in 2025
Friday, 04 August 2023
Triumph Motorcycles has signed a new contract to continue as Exclusive Engine Supplier for the FIM Moto2™ World Championship for another five seasons, from 2025-2029. This will see Triumph reach the milestone of powering the Moto2™ teams for a decade, enabling riders and teams to thrive and develop using its record-breaking 765 triple engine.
To build on the success so far and to further improve the performance and capability of the engine, Triumph will also develop a full new race gearbox, which will make its debut in the 2025 season. Some improvements are already underway, with the engineering team testing parts after use in this year’s Moto2™ rounds in order to make improvements in gear selection for the 2024 season.
Steve Sargent, Chief Product Officer, Triumph Motorcycles: “Moto2 continues to be an excellent platform to showcase the performance and capability of our 765 triple engines, driving demand for our new Street Triple 765 range. Over the last five years, we’ve used the race engine programme to drive enhancements to the 765 engine, and gain insights and learnings that we’ve used to further develop and evolve our Street Triple 765 range. Our reputation for bulletproof durability, reliability and class-leading performance has grown, which in turn, drives our global sales.
“Just as the Moto2 teams make every lap count, our engineers have used every opportunity to enhance every dimension of the engine performance, from speed, power and torque, to revs, cylinder pressure and compression ratio. This has enabled us to deliver improvements on track each season, achieving shorter race times, faster top speeds and lap times, more winners and closer racing.
“The new race gearbox will make a big difference to the results that riders can achieve on track in Moto2, and in advance of this, our engineering team is already testing and developing improvements in gear selection, testing parts after use in this year’s Moto2 rounds.”
Carlos Ezpeleta, Chief Sporting Officer, Dorna Sports: “Our first five years working with Triumph are proving to be a real success, with great racing, riders achieving new Moto2 records across the board and impressive reliability from the off. We wanted this collaboration to help to define that step between Moto3 and the MotoGP class, and I think Triumph have achieved just that. We’re really happy with the way the partnership is evolving as well, with more innovation and development still to come, and we’re looking forward to five more exciting years together.”
As competition for the Triumph Triple Trophy heats up, the winner’s bike, an exclusive Street Triple 765 RS, was also unveiled at Silverstone on the Day of Champions in a special press conference announcing the new contract. Steve Sargent, Chief Product Officer of Triumph Motorcycles, was joined by Carlos Ezpeleta, Chief Sporting Officer of Dorna Sports, as well as Moto2™ riders Jake Dixon (Tensite GASGAS Aspar Team) and Alonso Lopez (Beta Tools SpeedUp).
The Triumph Triple Trophy is designed to recognise impressive performances throughout the field and the 2023 competition has been fiercely fought so far. Pedro Acosta’s (Red Bull KTM Ajo) incredible lap times see him at the top of the leaderboard with 26 points, closely followed by rookie Dennis Foggia (Italtrans Racing Team) in 2nd place with 21 points, thanks to his excellent race progression. Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) and Alonso Lopez (Beta Tools SpeedUp) share 3rd place on 17 points. This year’s winner will follow in the footsteps of Moto2™ greats Jeremy Alcoba, Raul Fernandez and Marco Bezzecchi. Follow the competition at Triumph.
Watch the full press conference below and tune in this weekend as Moto2™ returns from the summer break for the Monster Energy British Grand Prix!
Aprilia factory rider Aleix Espargaro was fastest in MotoGP Practice Friday afternoon at Silverstone Circuit, in England.
Espargaro led the session, which determines the top 10 riders who qualify to go direct to Qualifying Two, with a time of 1:58.183. That time was quicker than Alex Rins’ 2022 Race Lap Record of 1:59.346.
Jorge Martin was second-best with a time of 1:58.854 on his Prima Pramac Ducati Desmosedici.
Brad Binder made it three different brands in the top three with a lap at 1:58.898 on his Red Bull KTM RC 16.
Aprilia reign Day 1 as MotoGP™ comes back with a bang
Aleix Espargaro pulls out an incredible 0.671 on the chasing pack, with Martin and Binder on the chase
Aleix Espargaro (41). Photo courtesy Dorna.
Friday, 04 August 2023
MotoGP™ is back with a bang as the riders enjoyed a dry Day 1 at the Monster Energy British Grand Prix, and Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) absolutely shot out the blocks. The number 41, who took Aprilia’s first ever MotoGP™ podium at Silverstone in 2021, was over six tenths clear at the top with a 1:58.183 and the chase is on to cut that gap on Saturday.
In second it’s Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing), who seemed to have a firm hold of the top spot with the chequered flag already out before Aleix Espargaro struck. Martin wasn’t the only rider to hit the top in the closing stages and then be denied by the Aprilia missile either, as Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) was looking incredibly strong on his KTM as he put in a solid time attack to hit the front but ultimately finish Day 1 in P3. The first Friday with the new FREE Practice 1 and renamed afternoon Practice counting for Q2 promised much and delivered on it, with the day ending in a crescendo of late fast laps.
Jorge Martin (89). Photo courtesy Dorna.
Silverstone is an emblematic track for Aprilia in MotoGP™. Not only was it the scene of the manufacturer’s first podium in the modern MotoGP™ era, but it also saw Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) pick up his first podium for Aprilia just one year ago. This time out Viñales suffered a big high-side early on in Practice which winded the Spaniard, it didn’t stop him from pushing on however as he went top with just over ten minutes remaining and continued to post impressive lap times to finish the day in 4th, just 0.006s away from the top 3.
Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) rounded out the top 5 as the Frenchman put in a solid Friday Practice run.
Brad Binder (33). Photo courtesy Dorna.
It was looking as if Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) was struggling for form in Free Practice 1, but he seemed to find more in the afternoon Practice session. The number one-plated Ducati was in the danger zone towards the closing stages, but then decided it was crunch time and found an extra gear to hit the top before a plethora of fast laps demoted him to P6. The Championship leader is slowly building into his weekend and will be one to watch.
The Mooney VR46 Racing Team were looking in fine fettle during the morning session, using team tactics to their advantage with Marco Bezzecchi and Luca Marini locked together on the circuit as they took the top two spots in FP1. The VR46 duo used the same tactics during the afternoon practice session too, and enjoyed the most of it at the sharp end. Marini then unfortunately suffered a fast crash but was unable to improve, Bezzecchi then met the same fate and joined his teammate in the gravel trap whilst pushing for a fast lap in the closing stages. Both riders managed to secure Q2 spots, however, with Bezzecchi finishing in 7th place and Marini rounding out the top 9. Both riders ok.
The two KTMs were also on a charge as they both went to the top of the timesheets with just under a quarter of an hour remaining. Whilst Binder held on to the top 3 after the flag, Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) slipped down to 8th place seeing him slot in between the VR46 duo.
Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) took the final Q2 spot as the Spaniard rounded the top 10, forcing some big hitters to compete in Q1 session.
HEADING FOR Q1
Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) is one of the names that will be competing in Q1 after missing out on the top 10 by just 0.127s, taking P11. The Frenchman also had his teammate Franco Morbidelli latched to his back wheel as the Italian sits in P12 0.029s away from Quartararo.
Despite jumping into the top 10 in the closing stages, Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) will also compete in Q1 after being bumped down to 13th. The Spaniard states he’s taking a “calmer” approach this weekend in hopes of bringing home some solid points.
Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) rounded out the top 15 to kickstart his second half of the season. The Italian hopes to be closer to 100% this weekend in fitness, and will want a lot more from Saturday.
SHOWTIME
With some huge names in Q1, the stage is set for Qualifying and then the Tissot Sprint at Silverstone. Make sure you don’t miss a single detail as the action unfolds! Here’s when it all gets underway in GMT+1:
MotoGP™ FP2: 10:10
MotoGP™ Q1: 10:50
MotoGP™ Q2: 11:15
Tissot Sprint: 15:00
Aron Canet (40). Photo courtesy Dorna.
Moto2™: Canet pips Lopez by less than a tenth
Aron Canet (Pons Wegwow Los40) is the rider to beat in Moto2™ at the Monster Energy British Grand Prix as the Spaniard heads into Saturday’s action on top of the combined standings after setting a 2:04.420. The SpeedUp duo were in hot pursuit and by no means letting their compatriot have it all his own way, as Alonso Lopez (Beta Tools SpeedUp) and Fermin Aldeguer (Beta Tools SpeedUp) finished 0.063s and 0.137s away from Canet’s top time.
Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) is showing good pace at Silverstone despite walking slightly wounded after a training crash over summer. The title contender bagged P4 after Friday’s practice sessions. Ai Ogura (IDEMISTU Honda Team Asia) rounded out the top 5 ahead of Jake Dixon (Tensite GASGAS Aspar Team) who started his home Grand Prix with a P6 after the combined Friday practice sessions.
Joe Roberts (Italtrans Racing Team) finished Day 1 in 7th place with Albert Arenas (Red Bull KTM Ajo) on his tail in 8th. Sam Lowes (Elf MarcVDS Racing Team) finished Day 1 of what could be his final British Grand Prix in 9th place ahead of Somkiat Chantra (IDEMISTU Honda Team Asia) who rounded out the top 10.
Moto2™ will be back in action on Saturday for Practice 3 at 9:25 and qualifying at 13:45 local (GMT +1).
Jaume Masia (5). Photo courtesy Dorna.
Moto3™: Masia picks up where he left off
It’s advantage Jaume Masia (Leopard Racing) as the Monster Energy British Grand Prix gets underway at the iconic Silverstone Circuit. The Spaniard put down a 2:11.403 to keep the field at arm’s length, with his teammate Tatsuki Suzuki (Leopard Racing) bagging P2 just 0.113s behind. Diogo Moreira (MT Helmets MSI) was threatening the top spot as well but Leopard teamwork on the circuit worked a treat as the Brazilian was forced to settle for 3rd spot, 0.450s away from Masia.
Practice 2 saw the riders take big chunks out of their lap times with a late time attack from the field seeing slipstreaming come into full effect at the longest circuit on the Grand Prix calendar. Stefano Nepa (Angeluss MTA Team) and Romano Fenati (Rivacold Snipers Team) put the hammer down to secure 4th and 5th respectively, with Ivan Ortola (Angeluss MTA Team) taking P6 on the combined timings despite topping the P1 session.
The Red Bull KTM Ajo riders were locked together as Deniz Öncü and Jose Antonio Rueda finished Friday in 7th and 8th respectively. Ayumu Sasaki (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) finished in P3 in Practice 1 but crashed very early on in Practice 2, losing the front through Becketts to remount and set the 9th fastest time of the day, with Riccardo Rossi (SIC58 Squadra Corse) rounding out the top 10.
Moto3™ action continues on Saturday, make sure not to miss any of the action with Practice 3 at 08:40 and qualifying at 12:50 local time (GMT +1).
It was quite a surprise to discover that the first FIM MiniGP Canada Race series event, a doubleheader no less, was taking place at my local go-kart track, Greg Moore Raceway in Chilliwack, British Columbia, in just two days. I’d never even heard about the series before that. How was that possible?
I read about it on the Pacific Coast Mini Roadracing Club’s (PCMRC) Facebook page and immediately set out to find more information. An online link sent me to the Super Sonic Road Race School website run by Toni Sharpless, where I learned that she was responsible for planning, organizing and getting FIM approval for this exciting new Canadian series. It would be the first-ever FIM-sanctioned road racing event in the province of British Columbia and the first time Canada would participate in the FIM World MiniGP Series.
“After three years of building, all of us at the Super Sonic School are super excited FIM road racing is coming to Canada!” Sharpless said. “The FIM MiniGP Canada series is the crucible for young Canadian athletes to develop their skills and dream of MotoGP.”
In Canada, riders are eligible to race in the national Canadian Superbike Series (a.k.a. CSBK) when they reach the age of 14. With limited opportunities for younger kids to practice and race on pavement, Canadian athletes are dropping behind world leaders in road racing.
Sharpless wants to introduce more young people to the sport of road racing, give more opportunities to young up-and-coming racers and bring the same kind of training and support to Canadians that exists in the rest of the world. Her ultimate goal is to see the Canadian flag waving proudly above podiums at World Championship events.
Former racer and current racer mom Misti Hurst (left) and Toni Sharpless (right), a former racer and the organizer of the FIM MiniGP Canada series. Photo by Misti Hurst.
Toni Sharpless
Sharpless is an accomplished Canadian motorcycle racer and industry professional herself, and her racing background is impressive. The oldest of three children of Hall of Famer Bill Sharpless, she began riding at just six years old. At 9, she started ice racing, becoming the national junior class champion and the first woman to win a Canadian Motorcycle Association Championship before moving to road racing in her 20s.
She received the British Empire Motor Club’s historic Kaye Don Trophy, awarded for “the most meritorious high-speed performance on a motorcycle,” and in 1987 Sharpless and Kathleen Coburn both qualified for and finished in the prestigious Daytona 200, which led to them racing the Suzuka 8-hour, part of the FIM Endurance World Championship Series over the next four years, and extending to rides in the historic Bol d’Or 24-hour and Le Mans 24-hour races in France (finishing 9th in France).
In 2009 Toni was honored with the Canadian Woman of Influence Award presented by the Motorcyclists Confederation of Canada, and in 2011 was inducted into the Canadian Motorcycle Hall of Fame. She continues actively pouring her heart and soul into motorsports with her Super Sonic Road Race School, the Canadian MiniSBK Championship Series, and now the inaugural FIM MiniGP Canada Series.
The Series
The FIM MiniGP Canada Series with Pirelli and Motul support is a six-round, 12-race season stretching across the country with four races in Ontario, one in British Columbia and one in Alberta. Each weekend consists of two or three featured, 12-lap races and is wrapping up on August 6th at Lombardy Raceway in Ontario.
Racers aged 10-14 use Ohvale GP-0 160cc mini-GP machines, competing on kart tracks run with the support of the local mini-series organizers in each province. “(The) Ohvale is a fantastic motorcycle,” said Sharpless. “They are purpose-built for road racing and training and are perfect for kids to race. That’s why they are the spec bike for the MiniGP World Series.”
This is the first opportunity for Canadian kids to begin on the pathway to MotoGP racing without first going to Europe or the U.S. to compete.
Young racers waiting to go out on track on their purpose-built Ohvale racebikes.
The worldwide competition organization, Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM), sets the rules and regulations and is represented in Canada by its affiliate, the Canadian Motorcycle Association (CMA).
For 2023, Canada and Germany joined the FIM MiniGP World Series for their biggest season yet. The FIM MiniGP Canada Series complements the FIM MiniCup USA, previously named the FIM MiniCup North America series. (MiniGP has been used for years and is trademarked in the U.S., which did not stop FIM from appropriating the name when it started its own series.) Other nations already participating in the FIM series include Alpe Adria, Australia, Austria, France, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Portugal, Qatar, Spain, and others.
The champion and vice-champion of each region of the world will be offered a chance to race in the finale of the World Series, held in Spain.
Rhys McNutt leads Lincoln Scott and Ben Hardwick for second during an FIM MiniGP Canada event at Greg Moore Raceway, in British Columbia, Canada. Photo by Colin Fraser.
Going Racing!
It was Wednesday, June 21st, and I was reading this information, thinking about what kind of incredible opportunity it would be for my kid, 14-year-old Ashton Parker, to try his hand at competing at a national level. But how? We hadn’t run many mini-road races over the years, just a few here and there, and we certainly didn’t have an Ohvale 160 we could use. Not to mention that the race was taking place in just two days!
However, after doing more research into the series, I found that Sharpless, through her Super Sonic School, was offering race-ready Ohvale GP-0 160s for rent. Not only that, but a generous anonymous sponsor has stepped forward to cover a portion of the series’ expenses, cutting the cost for families in half and making it much more affordable and accessible.
I couldn’t NOT do it. It was a great opportunity; the door opened before us and it seemed meant to be. I messaged Sharpless immediately to see if there was still an Ohvale available, signed the kid up, purchased all the necessary race licences, registered for the races, re-arranged my Friday meetings and headed to the track.
We live about 1.5 hours away from Chilliwack and know the kart track at Greg Moore Raceway fairly well. Ashton has done some mini road racing before, starting at age six on a Yamaha PW50. He moved up to a Suzuki DRZ70 for a few years and then, after a sizable break, went back earlier this year to try a 125cc Kayo. There may have been an epic mom-and-son battle on track with us racing against each other for the first time ever, but that is whole other story in itself!
But this would be a great opportunity for him to try an Ohvale and compete against some of the fastest kids in the country. Let’s just say he was pretty excited!
Misti Hurst’s son Ashton Parker (45) running 45 as tribute to the late Peter Lenz. Photo by William Snow Photography.
A Weekend Of Racing!
The weekend was fantastic, and Ashton had a blast competing with some seriously talented riders. “The Ohvale is very fast, twitchy, and very responsive,” he said. “It’s also very fun, and it was exciting racing against kids that are so fast.”
Sharpless and her team were well organized, and the bike rental included tire warmers, mechanical assistance, and general help with whatever we needed trackside. It’s an arrive-and-race format, which is extremely helpful for not-so-mechanically inclined parents like myself.
Back-to-back weekends are scheduled out West and in Ontario, so families like ours can reduce the overall amount of travelling. Ashton loved it so much that he begged me to take him to the following race in Alberta, so we drove the 12 hours to compete there as well!
The series continued in Ontario with two back-to-back weekends in a row, meaning that I only had to take a week off work to be able for us to fly there from Vancouver so he could race the full series. I didn’t even know about this series a few weeks earlier, and now we’ve flown across the country to make it happen for the kid. It was an opportunity too good to pass up, and when things like this fall in front of me, I take it as a sign that it’s meant to be.
Michael Galvis (83) won in British Columbia and leads the FIM MiniGP Canada Championship after five of six rounds. Photo by Colin Fraser.
All in all, the FIM MiniGP Canada series is an exciting opportunity for Canadian kids to gain experience in road racing with the chance to compete against the rest of the world at the MotoGP Finale in Valencia, Spain, this November. “It will just blow their mind.” Sharpless said, “Let’s get our maple leaf flag over there and see where it takes them.”
2023 Schedule:
RD1 May 13-14 Lombardy Raceway Karting, ON – Race 1&2 Exhibition Race, no Points
RD2 June 24-25 Greg Moore Raceway, BC – Race 3&4&5, Points Round
RD3 July 1-2 Strathmore Raceway, AB – Race 6&7, Points Round
RD4 July 29-30 Lombardy Raceway Karting, ON – Race 8&9, Points Round
RD5 Aug 5-6 Lombardy Raceway Karting, ON – Race 10&11&12, Points Round
RD6 Sept 15-16 Shannonville Motorsports Park, ON– Race 13&14, Bonus Round, no points
For 2024, Sharpless will run the FIM MiniGP Canada Series again with a similar scheduled but with the addition of an Ohvale 190cc class for 14-16-year-olds. This will insure that young riders can continue to progress in their motorcycle racing careers without having to switch to larger machinery. I guess this means that Ashton can race again next year. I better start looking for sponsors!
Italian Marco Bezzecchi, riding his Mooney VR46 Racing Team Ducati Desmosedici, posted a best lap time of 2:00.295 in MotoGP Practice One Friday at Silverstone.
Bezzecchi led a fleet of Ducatis filling the top four spots in the session.
Team HRC with Japan Post (33) was quickest in the first qualifying session Friday at the Suzuka 8-Hours, in Japan. This is Blue Rider Tetsuta Nagashima. Photo by Kohei Hirota.
Team HRC sets the standard in Suzuka EWC First Qualifying as YART stars
First Qualifying for the 44th Coca-Cola Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Race is complete with plenty of drama and a rapid fastest lap time from Team HRC’s Tetsuta Nagashima. A summary of the key action follows.
Tetsuta Nagashima was fastest for Team HRC with Japan Post in the opening Blue Rider session, which was briefly red-flagged after Takafumi Kato fell at Turn 15, albeit without injury. Nagashima’s 2m05.722s benchmark was 0.791s quicker than Niccolò Canepa’s effort for Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team as Greg Black went third quickest for Yoshimura SERT Motul followed by Ryo Mizuno (Astemo Honda Dream SI Racing) and Mike Di Meglio (F.C.C. TSR Honda France), while Randy de Puniet was a faller for Team Kawasaki Webike Trickstar.
The subsequent Yellow Rider group was red-flagged twice, first to allow the recovery of Alan Techer’s F.C.C. TSR Honda France entry and Josh Water’s S-Pulse Dream Racing -ITEC Suzuki after they collided at The Hairpin. Techer’s Honda briefly caught fire but both riders were uninjured. The second stoppage followed a crash for Shigenori Sakurayama at the Second Curve. The session ended with Marvin Fritz on top for Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team in a time of 2m07.084s, the German outpacing Team HRC with Japan Post’s Takumi Takahashi. Takuya Tsuda was third quickest for AutoRace Ube Racing Team with Kazuma Watanabe fourth for Astemo Honda Dream SI Racing, while Yoshimura SERT Motul’s Sylvain Guintoli took fifth.
Karel Hanika’s 2m06.009s lap put Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team on top of the Red Rider group after Team HRC with Japan Post’s EWC rookie Xavi Vierge appeared to look as though his 2m06.121s couldn’t be beaten. Ikuhiro Enokido was third quickest despite crashing his TOHO Racing Honda in the closing moments of the session, which was red flagged for a second time when Maiku Watanuki crashed heavily at Turn 15, with no injury reported. The first stoppage was required to clear gravel from the track. Tarran Mackenzie, who is making his EWC debut this weekend as a late replacement for the injured Josh Hook, was fourth fastest for F.C.C. TSR Honda France. Haruki Noguchi was fifth for SDG Honda Racing, while Kosuke Sakumoto was a faller through the ‘S’ Curves.
The final qualifying results will be based on the average time of the fastest two riders from each team at the completion of Second Qualifying, which is due to get under way at 09h50 local time tomorrow (Saturday). However, the top 10 places on the grid will be decided by the outcome of the one-at-a-time Top 10 Trial from 16h00 on Saturday.
Meanwhile, today’s hour-long Night Practice is due to start at 18h30 (local time) today.
Steve Sargent, Chief Product Officer of Triumph Motorcycles (left) and Carlos Ezpeleta, Chief Sporting Officer at Dorna Sports. Photo courtesy Dorna.
Triumph Motorcycles extends partnership with Moto2™ until 2029
The marque will remain the Exclusive Engine Supplier for Moto2™ for another five seasons and develop a full new race gearbox to debut in 2025
Friday, 04 August 2023
Triumph Motorcycles has signed a new contract to continue as Exclusive Engine Supplier for the FIM Moto2™ World Championship for another five seasons, from 2025-2029. This will see Triumph reach the milestone of powering the Moto2™ teams for a decade, enabling riders and teams to thrive and develop using its record-breaking 765 triple engine.
To build on the success so far and to further improve the performance and capability of the engine, Triumph will also develop a full new race gearbox, which will make its debut in the 2025 season. Some improvements are already underway, with the engineering team testing parts after use in this year’s Moto2™ rounds in order to make improvements in gear selection for the 2024 season.
Steve Sargent, Chief Product Officer, Triumph Motorcycles: “Moto2 continues to be an excellent platform to showcase the performance and capability of our 765 triple engines, driving demand for our new Street Triple 765 range. Over the last five years, we’ve used the race engine programme to drive enhancements to the 765 engine, and gain insights and learnings that we’ve used to further develop and evolve our Street Triple 765 range. Our reputation for bulletproof durability, reliability and class-leading performance has grown, which in turn, drives our global sales.
“Just as the Moto2 teams make every lap count, our engineers have used every opportunity to enhance every dimension of the engine performance, from speed, power and torque, to revs, cylinder pressure and compression ratio. This has enabled us to deliver improvements on track each season, achieving shorter race times, faster top speeds and lap times, more winners and closer racing.
“The new race gearbox will make a big difference to the results that riders can achieve on track in Moto2, and in advance of this, our engineering team is already testing and developing improvements in gear selection, testing parts after use in this year’s Moto2 rounds.”
Carlos Ezpeleta, Chief Sporting Officer, Dorna Sports: “Our first five years working with Triumph are proving to be a real success, with great racing, riders achieving new Moto2 records across the board and impressive reliability from the off. We wanted this collaboration to help to define that step between Moto3 and the MotoGP class, and I think Triumph have achieved just that. We’re really happy with the way the partnership is evolving as well, with more innovation and development still to come, and we’re looking forward to five more exciting years together.”
As competition for the Triumph Triple Trophy heats up, the winner’s bike, an exclusive Street Triple 765 RS, was also unveiled at Silverstone on the Day of Champions in a special press conference announcing the new contract. Steve Sargent, Chief Product Officer of Triumph Motorcycles, was joined by Carlos Ezpeleta, Chief Sporting Officer of Dorna Sports, as well as Moto2™ riders Jake Dixon (Tensite GASGAS Aspar Team) and Alonso Lopez (Beta Tools SpeedUp).
The Triumph Triple Trophy is designed to recognise impressive performances throughout the field and the 2023 competition has been fiercely fought so far. Pedro Acosta’s (Red Bull KTM Ajo) incredible lap times see him at the top of the leaderboard with 26 points, closely followed by rookie Dennis Foggia (Italtrans Racing Team) in 2nd place with 21 points, thanks to his excellent race progression. Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) and Alonso Lopez (Beta Tools SpeedUp) share 3rd place on 17 points. This year’s winner will follow in the footsteps of Moto2™ greats Jeremy Alcoba, Raul Fernandez and Marco Bezzecchi. Follow the competition at Triumph.
Watch the full press conference below and tune in this weekend as Moto2™ returns from the summer break for the Monster Energy British Grand Prix!
Aprilia factory rider Aleix Espargaro was fastest in MotoGP Practice Friday afternoon at Silverstone Circuit, in England.
Espargaro led the session, which determines the top 10 riders who qualify to go direct to Qualifying Two, with a time of 1:58.183. That time was quicker than Alex Rins’ 2022 Race Lap Record of 1:59.346.
Jorge Martin was second-best with a time of 1:58.854 on his Prima Pramac Ducati Desmosedici.
Brad Binder made it three different brands in the top three with a lap at 1:58.898 on his Red Bull KTM RC 16.
Aprilia reign Day 1 as MotoGP™ comes back with a bang
Aleix Espargaro pulls out an incredible 0.671 on the chasing pack, with Martin and Binder on the chase
Aleix Espargaro (41). Photo courtesy Dorna.
Friday, 04 August 2023
MotoGP™ is back with a bang as the riders enjoyed a dry Day 1 at the Monster Energy British Grand Prix, and Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) absolutely shot out the blocks. The number 41, who took Aprilia’s first ever MotoGP™ podium at Silverstone in 2021, was over six tenths clear at the top with a 1:58.183 and the chase is on to cut that gap on Saturday.
In second it’s Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing), who seemed to have a firm hold of the top spot with the chequered flag already out before Aleix Espargaro struck. Martin wasn’t the only rider to hit the top in the closing stages and then be denied by the Aprilia missile either, as Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) was looking incredibly strong on his KTM as he put in a solid time attack to hit the front but ultimately finish Day 1 in P3. The first Friday with the new FREE Practice 1 and renamed afternoon Practice counting for Q2 promised much and delivered on it, with the day ending in a crescendo of late fast laps.
Jorge Martin (89). Photo courtesy Dorna.
Silverstone is an emblematic track for Aprilia in MotoGP™. Not only was it the scene of the manufacturer’s first podium in the modern MotoGP™ era, but it also saw Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) pick up his first podium for Aprilia just one year ago. This time out Viñales suffered a big high-side early on in Practice which winded the Spaniard, it didn’t stop him from pushing on however as he went top with just over ten minutes remaining and continued to post impressive lap times to finish the day in 4th, just 0.006s away from the top 3.
Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) rounded out the top 5 as the Frenchman put in a solid Friday Practice run.
Brad Binder (33). Photo courtesy Dorna.
It was looking as if Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) was struggling for form in Free Practice 1, but he seemed to find more in the afternoon Practice session. The number one-plated Ducati was in the danger zone towards the closing stages, but then decided it was crunch time and found an extra gear to hit the top before a plethora of fast laps demoted him to P6. The Championship leader is slowly building into his weekend and will be one to watch.
The Mooney VR46 Racing Team were looking in fine fettle during the morning session, using team tactics to their advantage with Marco Bezzecchi and Luca Marini locked together on the circuit as they took the top two spots in FP1. The VR46 duo used the same tactics during the afternoon practice session too, and enjoyed the most of it at the sharp end. Marini then unfortunately suffered a fast crash but was unable to improve, Bezzecchi then met the same fate and joined his teammate in the gravel trap whilst pushing for a fast lap in the closing stages. Both riders managed to secure Q2 spots, however, with Bezzecchi finishing in 7th place and Marini rounding out the top 9. Both riders ok.
The two KTMs were also on a charge as they both went to the top of the timesheets with just under a quarter of an hour remaining. Whilst Binder held on to the top 3 after the flag, Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) slipped down to 8th place seeing him slot in between the VR46 duo.
Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) took the final Q2 spot as the Spaniard rounded the top 10, forcing some big hitters to compete in Q1 session.
HEADING FOR Q1
Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) is one of the names that will be competing in Q1 after missing out on the top 10 by just 0.127s, taking P11. The Frenchman also had his teammate Franco Morbidelli latched to his back wheel as the Italian sits in P12 0.029s away from Quartararo.
Despite jumping into the top 10 in the closing stages, Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) will also compete in Q1 after being bumped down to 13th. The Spaniard states he’s taking a “calmer” approach this weekend in hopes of bringing home some solid points.
Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) rounded out the top 15 to kickstart his second half of the season. The Italian hopes to be closer to 100% this weekend in fitness, and will want a lot more from Saturday.
SHOWTIME
With some huge names in Q1, the stage is set for Qualifying and then the Tissot Sprint at Silverstone. Make sure you don’t miss a single detail as the action unfolds! Here’s when it all gets underway in GMT+1:
MotoGP™ FP2: 10:10
MotoGP™ Q1: 10:50
MotoGP™ Q2: 11:15
Tissot Sprint: 15:00
Aron Canet (40). Photo courtesy Dorna.
Moto2™: Canet pips Lopez by less than a tenth
Aron Canet (Pons Wegwow Los40) is the rider to beat in Moto2™ at the Monster Energy British Grand Prix as the Spaniard heads into Saturday’s action on top of the combined standings after setting a 2:04.420. The SpeedUp duo were in hot pursuit and by no means letting their compatriot have it all his own way, as Alonso Lopez (Beta Tools SpeedUp) and Fermin Aldeguer (Beta Tools SpeedUp) finished 0.063s and 0.137s away from Canet’s top time.
Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) is showing good pace at Silverstone despite walking slightly wounded after a training crash over summer. The title contender bagged P4 after Friday’s practice sessions. Ai Ogura (IDEMISTU Honda Team Asia) rounded out the top 5 ahead of Jake Dixon (Tensite GASGAS Aspar Team) who started his home Grand Prix with a P6 after the combined Friday practice sessions.
Joe Roberts (Italtrans Racing Team) finished Day 1 in 7th place with Albert Arenas (Red Bull KTM Ajo) on his tail in 8th. Sam Lowes (Elf MarcVDS Racing Team) finished Day 1 of what could be his final British Grand Prix in 9th place ahead of Somkiat Chantra (IDEMISTU Honda Team Asia) who rounded out the top 10.
Moto2™ will be back in action on Saturday for Practice 3 at 9:25 and qualifying at 13:45 local (GMT +1).
Jaume Masia (5). Photo courtesy Dorna.
Moto3™: Masia picks up where he left off
It’s advantage Jaume Masia (Leopard Racing) as the Monster Energy British Grand Prix gets underway at the iconic Silverstone Circuit. The Spaniard put down a 2:11.403 to keep the field at arm’s length, with his teammate Tatsuki Suzuki (Leopard Racing) bagging P2 just 0.113s behind. Diogo Moreira (MT Helmets MSI) was threatening the top spot as well but Leopard teamwork on the circuit worked a treat as the Brazilian was forced to settle for 3rd spot, 0.450s away from Masia.
Practice 2 saw the riders take big chunks out of their lap times with a late time attack from the field seeing slipstreaming come into full effect at the longest circuit on the Grand Prix calendar. Stefano Nepa (Angeluss MTA Team) and Romano Fenati (Rivacold Snipers Team) put the hammer down to secure 4th and 5th respectively, with Ivan Ortola (Angeluss MTA Team) taking P6 on the combined timings despite topping the P1 session.
The Red Bull KTM Ajo riders were locked together as Deniz Öncü and Jose Antonio Rueda finished Friday in 7th and 8th respectively. Ayumu Sasaki (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) finished in P3 in Practice 1 but crashed very early on in Practice 2, losing the front through Becketts to remount and set the 9th fastest time of the day, with Riccardo Rossi (SIC58 Squadra Corse) rounding out the top 10.
Moto3™ action continues on Saturday, make sure not to miss any of the action with Practice 3 at 08:40 and qualifying at 12:50 local time (GMT +1).
Rhys McNutt (87) and Lincoln Scott (41) race for position during an FIM MiniGP Canada event at Greg Moore Raceway, in British Columbia, Canada. Photo by Colin Fraser.
FIRST PERSON/OPINION:
By Misti Hurst
It was quite a surprise to discover that the first FIM MiniGP Canada Race series event, a doubleheader no less, was taking place at my local go-kart track, Greg Moore Raceway in Chilliwack, British Columbia, in just two days. I’d never even heard about the series before that. How was that possible?
I read about it on the Pacific Coast Mini Roadracing Club’s (PCMRC) Facebook page and immediately set out to find more information. An online link sent me to the Super Sonic Road Race School website run by Toni Sharpless, where I learned that she was responsible for planning, organizing and getting FIM approval for this exciting new Canadian series. It would be the first-ever FIM-sanctioned road racing event in the province of British Columbia and the first time Canada would participate in the FIM World MiniGP Series.
“After three years of building, all of us at the Super Sonic School are super excited FIM road racing is coming to Canada!” Sharpless said. “The FIM MiniGP Canada series is the crucible for young Canadian athletes to develop their skills and dream of MotoGP.”
In Canada, riders are eligible to race in the national Canadian Superbike Series (a.k.a. CSBK) when they reach the age of 14. With limited opportunities for younger kids to practice and race on pavement, Canadian athletes are dropping behind world leaders in road racing.
Sharpless wants to introduce more young people to the sport of road racing, give more opportunities to young up-and-coming racers and bring the same kind of training and support to Canadians that exists in the rest of the world. Her ultimate goal is to see the Canadian flag waving proudly above podiums at World Championship events.
Former racer and current racer mom Misti Hurst (left) and Toni Sharpless (right), a former racer and the organizer of the FIM MiniGP Canada series. Photo by Misti Hurst.
Toni Sharpless
Sharpless is an accomplished Canadian motorcycle racer and industry professional herself, and her racing background is impressive. The oldest of three children of Hall of Famer Bill Sharpless, she began riding at just six years old. At 9, she started ice racing, becoming the national junior class champion and the first woman to win a Canadian Motorcycle Association Championship before moving to road racing in her 20s.
She received the British Empire Motor Club’s historic Kaye Don Trophy, awarded for “the most meritorious high-speed performance on a motorcycle,” and in 1987 Sharpless and Kathleen Coburn both qualified for and finished in the prestigious Daytona 200, which led to them racing the Suzuka 8-hour, part of the FIM Endurance World Championship Series over the next four years, and extending to rides in the historic Bol d’Or 24-hour and Le Mans 24-hour races in France (finishing 9th in France).
In 2009 Toni was honored with the Canadian Woman of Influence Award presented by the Motorcyclists Confederation of Canada, and in 2011 was inducted into the Canadian Motorcycle Hall of Fame. She continues actively pouring her heart and soul into motorsports with her Super Sonic Road Race School, the Canadian MiniSBK Championship Series, and now the inaugural FIM MiniGP Canada Series.
The Series
The FIM MiniGP Canada Series with Pirelli and Motul support is a six-round, 12-race season stretching across the country with four races in Ontario, one in British Columbia and one in Alberta. Each weekend consists of two or three featured, 12-lap races and is wrapping up on August 6th at Lombardy Raceway in Ontario.
Racers aged 10-14 use Ohvale GP-0 160cc mini-GP machines, competing on kart tracks run with the support of the local mini-series organizers in each province. “(The) Ohvale is a fantastic motorcycle,” said Sharpless. “They are purpose-built for road racing and training and are perfect for kids to race. That’s why they are the spec bike for the MiniGP World Series.”
This is the first opportunity for Canadian kids to begin on the pathway to MotoGP racing without first going to Europe or the U.S. to compete.
Young racers waiting to go out on track on their purpose-built Ohvale racebikes.
The worldwide competition organization, Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM), sets the rules and regulations and is represented in Canada by its affiliate, the Canadian Motorcycle Association (CMA).
For 2023, Canada and Germany joined the FIM MiniGP World Series for their biggest season yet. The FIM MiniGP Canada Series complements the FIM MiniCup USA, previously named the FIM MiniCup North America series. (MiniGP has been used for years and is trademarked in the U.S., which did not stop FIM from appropriating the name when it started its own series.) Other nations already participating in the FIM series include Alpe Adria, Australia, Austria, France, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Portugal, Qatar, Spain, and others.
The champion and vice-champion of each region of the world will be offered a chance to race in the finale of the World Series, held in Spain.
Rhys McNutt leads Lincoln Scott and Ben Hardwick for second during an FIM MiniGP Canada event at Greg Moore Raceway, in British Columbia, Canada. Photo by Colin Fraser.
Going Racing!
It was Wednesday, June 21st, and I was reading this information, thinking about what kind of incredible opportunity it would be for my kid, 14-year-old Ashton Parker, to try his hand at competing at a national level. But how? We hadn’t run many mini-road races over the years, just a few here and there, and we certainly didn’t have an Ohvale 160 we could use. Not to mention that the race was taking place in just two days!
However, after doing more research into the series, I found that Sharpless, through her Super Sonic School, was offering race-ready Ohvale GP-0 160s for rent. Not only that, but a generous anonymous sponsor has stepped forward to cover a portion of the series’ expenses, cutting the cost for families in half and making it much more affordable and accessible.
I couldn’t NOT do it. It was a great opportunity; the door opened before us and it seemed meant to be. I messaged Sharpless immediately to see if there was still an Ohvale available, signed the kid up, purchased all the necessary race licences, registered for the races, re-arranged my Friday meetings and headed to the track.
We live about 1.5 hours away from Chilliwack and know the kart track at Greg Moore Raceway fairly well. Ashton has done some mini road racing before, starting at age six on a Yamaha PW50. He moved up to a Suzuki DRZ70 for a few years and then, after a sizable break, went back earlier this year to try a 125cc Kayo. There may have been an epic mom-and-son battle on track with us racing against each other for the first time ever, but that is whole other story in itself!
But this would be a great opportunity for him to try an Ohvale and compete against some of the fastest kids in the country. Let’s just say he was pretty excited!
Misti Hurst’s son Ashton Parker (45) running 45 as tribute to the late Peter Lenz. Photo by William Snow Photography.
A Weekend Of Racing!
The weekend was fantastic, and Ashton had a blast competing with some seriously talented riders. “The Ohvale is very fast, twitchy, and very responsive,” he said. “It’s also very fun, and it was exciting racing against kids that are so fast.”
Sharpless and her team were well organized, and the bike rental included tire warmers, mechanical assistance, and general help with whatever we needed trackside. It’s an arrive-and-race format, which is extremely helpful for not-so-mechanically inclined parents like myself.
Back-to-back weekends are scheduled out West and in Ontario, so families like ours can reduce the overall amount of travelling. Ashton loved it so much that he begged me to take him to the following race in Alberta, so we drove the 12 hours to compete there as well!
The series continued in Ontario with two back-to-back weekends in a row, meaning that I only had to take a week off work to be able for us to fly there from Vancouver so he could race the full series. I didn’t even know about this series a few weeks earlier, and now we’ve flown across the country to make it happen for the kid. It was an opportunity too good to pass up, and when things like this fall in front of me, I take it as a sign that it’s meant to be.
Michael Galvis (83) won in British Columbia and leads the FIM MiniGP Canada Championship after five of six rounds. Photo by Colin Fraser.
All in all, the FIM MiniGP Canada series is an exciting opportunity for Canadian kids to gain experience in road racing with the chance to compete against the rest of the world at the MotoGP Finale in Valencia, Spain, this November. “It will just blow their mind.” Sharpless said, “Let’s get our maple leaf flag over there and see where it takes them.”
2023 Schedule:
RD1 May 13-14 Lombardy Raceway Karting, ON – Race 1&2 Exhibition Race, no Points
RD2 June 24-25 Greg Moore Raceway, BC – Race 3&4&5, Points Round
RD3 July 1-2 Strathmore Raceway, AB – Race 6&7, Points Round
RD4 July 29-30 Lombardy Raceway Karting, ON – Race 8&9, Points Round
RD5 Aug 5-6 Lombardy Raceway Karting, ON – Race 10&11&12, Points Round
RD6 Sept 15-16 Shannonville Motorsports Park, ON– Race 13&14, Bonus Round, no points
For 2024, Sharpless will run the FIM MiniGP Canada Series again with a similar scheduled but with the addition of an Ohvale 190cc class for 14-16-year-olds. This will insure that young riders can continue to progress in their motorcycle racing careers without having to switch to larger machinery. I guess this means that Ashton can race again next year. I better start looking for sponsors!
Marco Bezzecchi (72). Photo courtesy Mooney VR46 Racing Team.
Italian Marco Bezzecchi, riding his Mooney VR46 Racing Team Ducati Desmosedici, posted a best lap time of 2:00.295 in MotoGP Practice One Friday at Silverstone.
Bezzecchi led a fleet of Ducatis filling the top four spots in the session.
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