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TEAM-SPEAK: Silverstone World SBK Superpole (Pics)

Alstare Suzuki

Team Suzuki Alstare rider Leon Haslam just missed out on a front row grid place today in final Superpole at the 10th round of the World Superbike Championship at Silverstone when he was held up by a slower rider on his flying lap.

Leon Haslam • Courtesy Suzuki

He will now start tomorrow’s pair of 18-lap races from the second row of the grid, just behind Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha). Crutchlow took Superpole today, with a blistering lap of 2:04.091 and with it, his fifth Superpole win of the season. Second was Jonathan Rea (Honda) with Michel Fabrizio (Ducati) third and Jakub Smrz (Aprilia) fourth.

Haslam’s team mate Sylvain Guintoli, ended with the 11th quickest lap in Superpole and will start from the third row of the grid.

Leon Haslam – 5th, 2:05.595:

“If I hadn’t have been held up on my quick lap in final Superpole, I think I would’ve been on the front row of the grid. I think it was Ruben Xaus in the way, but that’s how it goes sometimes. Fifth is not so bad because I am directly behind Cal on pole and, as long as I make two good starts, I feel I can be in contention tomorrow.

“I’m pretty happy with the bike set-up, but I’m always looking for improvements and we’ll just try a few tweaks in the warm-up tomorrow morning: I feel fairly well dialled-in with the track now and much happier with the tyres than I was in the last round at Brno. My aim is to make two good starts and go all-out for a pair of wins or podiums. Hopefully Max Biaggi will be somewhere behind – preferably with a few people between me and him!”

Sylvain Guintoli -11th, 2:05.066:

“It’s the same story in that this championship is so close and competitive that the tiniest of margins can make such big differences. It was such a small amount between me and Superpole 3 and a shame I couldn’t make it. But the good news is that I have a good feeling with the race tyres and I am much happier with the bike’s set-up today. We’ve made good progress since the first practice. I feel I’ve got good race rhythm so we’ll probably stick to what we’ve got now or very close to it.

“In one of my Superpoles, I saw a yellow flag and maybe I was a bit too cautious and eased off a bit too much – just to be safe. That was because of Toseland’s crash, but perhaps I could’ve gone a bit quicker, even though the flag was out. I am ready for the big fight tomorrow and hoping to have some fun – especially as I have so many friends and family here.”

World SBK

Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha Sterilgarda) took a home pole position at Silverstone, with a new best lap of 2’04.091. He held off the charge of Jonathan Rea (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) by 0.672 seconds, and Michel Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox) by 0.992 seconds. Jakub Smrz (Pata B&G) moved forward impressively with some great single laps to go fourth on the grid. Smrz beat both of the official factory Aprilia machines and was one place up on championship challenger Leon Haslam (Suzuki Alstare).

Cal Crutchlow • Courtesy World SBK

Max Biaggi (Aprilia Alitalia) went sixth fastest starting from the same row as his big championship rival Haslam. Troy Corser was eighth after running wide on his fast lap, and finished seventh for BMW Motorrad Motorsport, one place up on his team-mate Ruben Xaus.

Shane Byrne (Ducati Althea) was the last rider to miss the cut into Superpole three, and now starts ninth at his home round. Carlos Checa, his team-mate, made the top ten after looking good for a front row start at one stage. Sylvain Guintoli (Alstare Suzuki) was 11th, James Toseland 12th after falling when looking set for a better placing.

A strong ride from Tom Sykes put his Kawasaki Racing Team machine on the front of the fourth row, ahead of privateer Lorenzo Lanzi (DFX Corse Ducati), Noriyuki Haga (Ducati Xerox) and Leon Camier (Aprilia Alitalia), who had his best time deleted for cutting the chicane.

Wild card rider Josh Brookes (HM Plant Honda) was 17th in Superpole, Max Neukirchner (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) was 18th, Broc Parkes (ECHO CRS Honda) 19th but Luca Scassa did not set a lap in Superpole, starting from 20th place on his Supersonic Racing Team Ducati.

Cal Crutchlow (left) and Carl Fogarty. • Courtesy World SBK

Cal Crutchlow:
“It’s nice to have pole again, especially here at the home race. My lap time was good, I was absolutely desperate to do 2.03, that was the target and the whole team were pumping me up to try and do it, but I made a little mistake coming out of one of the fast left handers and it wasn’t to be. We’re in the same boat as Brno, where we had a big gap in qualifying, but the bike’s hard to ride over a race distance and we know that’s going to be the case tomorrow.”

Jonathan Rea:
“It’s been a great start to the weekend, front row you can’t ask for much more for the race. It was a great time but Cal was a bit too fast for me. I’m enjoying riding the bike, it’s a lot of fun and these 18 laps will surely go by quite fast compared to my Suzuka adventures. I need to pull the pin quite early, but I’m pretty confident. The new Silverstone is awesome, a little bit bumpy but the layout is phenomenal.”

Michel Fabrizio:
“I am very happy with my form today, and I want to dedicate the result to all of my team. Let’s hope things will go even better tomorrow. My race pace is not bad at all, but I think Cal’s is a bit quicker than mine.”

Times: 1. Crutchlow C. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 2′04.091; 2. Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 2′04.763; 3. Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 2′05.083; 4. Smrz J. (CZE) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 2′05.168; 5. Haslam L. (GBR) Suzuki GSX-R1000 2′05.595; 6. Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 2′05.682; 7.Corser T. (AUS) BMW S1000 RR 2′05.740; 8. Xaus R. (ESP) BMW S1000 RR 2′06.787; 9. Byrne S. (GBR) Ducati 1098R 2′05.026; 10. Checa C. (ESP) Ducati 1098R 2′05.035; etc.

Supersport

Eugene Laverty (Parkalgar Honda) posted the best time in Supersport qualifying at Silverstone, with a 2’09.426 lap on the final qualifying session. Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) pushed his way to second, with the final rider in the championship ‘big three’ going third – Joan Lascorz from the Kawasaki Motocard.com team. The top three riders are separated by only 0.035 seconds. Bike Service RT Yamaha rider Roberto Tamburini was an impressive fourth fastest, local star Gino Rea (Intermoto Czech) was sixth because he could not improve on his Friday time today.

Times: 1. Laverty E. (IRL) Honda CBR600RR 2′09.426; 2. Sofuoglu K. (TUR) Honda CBR600RR 2′09.456; 3. Lascorz J. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX-6R 2′09.461; 4. Tamburini R. (ITA)Yamaha YZF R6 2′09.537; 5. Harms R. (DEN) Honda CBR600RR 2′09.816; 6. Rea G. (GBR) Honda CBR600RR 2′09.916; 7. Fujiwara K. (JPN) Kawasaki ZX-6R 2′10.190; 8. Roccoli M. (ITA) Honda CBR600RR 2′10.256; 9. Davies C. (GBR) Triumph Daytona 675 2′10.258; 10. Salom D. (ESP) Triumph Daytona 675 2′10.262; etc.

Superstock 1000

Ayrton Badovini (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) moved himself into pole position in the final qualifying session, with a 2’09.742. Maxime Berger (Ten Kate Race Junior) slotted in second, and Andrea Antonelli (Team Lorini Honda) got into the top three thanks to his first day best time. Sylvain Barrier (Garnier Racing Junior BMW) is now also a front row starter, finishing fourth in the practice rankings. The top Ducati rider was Lorenzo Baroni (Pata B&G Ducati), fifth.

Times: 1. Badovini A. (ITA) BMW S1000 RR 2′09.742; 2. Berger M. (FRA) Honda CBR1000RR 2′09.964; 3. Antonelli A. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 2′10.509; 4. Barrier S. (FRA) BMW S1000 RR 2′10.613; 5.Baroni L. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 2′10.653; 6.Burrell B. (GBR) Kawasaki ZX 10R 2′11.700; 7.Petrucci D. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 2′11.716; 8. Zanetti L. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 2′11.739; 9. Magnoni M. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 2′11.744; 10. Giugliano D. (ITA) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 2′11.798

Superstock 600 – Race

Local rider Luke Mossey (Sondelsport Yamaha) won a thrilling race with championship challenger Florian Marino (Ten Kate Race Junior), a contest that came right down to the very last corner. Mossey held off Marino to win by only 0.036 seconds, with Jeremy Guarnoni (MRS Racing Yamaha) third and Davide Fanelli (All Service System by QDP Honda) fourth. In the championship standings, Guarnoni now leads Marino by 26 points.

Results: 1. Mossey L. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R6 17′55.916 (157,984 kph); 2. Marino F. (FRA) Honda CBR600RR 0.036; 3. Guarnoni J. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R6 4.102; 4. Fanelli D. (ITA) Honda CBR600RR 4.295; 5. Lombardi B. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R 4.653; 6. Le Coquen S. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R6 10.232; 7. Duwelz G. (BEL) Yamaha YZF R6 12.060; 8. Elliott J. (GBR) Kawasaki ZX-6R 17.268; 9. Calero Perez N. (ESP) Yamaha YZF R6 22.066; 10. Covena T. (NED) Yamaha YZF R6 27.070; etc.

Points (after 7 rounds of 10): 1. Guarnoni 152; 2. Marino 126; 3. D’Annunzio 70; 4. Lombardi 70; 5. Fanelli 64; 6.Karlsen 51; 7. Calero Perez 51; 8. Lanusse 44; 9. Le Coquen 42; 10. Elliot 31

Pirelli Official Tyre Supplier

ST K600 – Pirelli BEST JUMP FORWARD

DUWELZ Gauthier Duwelz (MTM Racing Team), From 10th à 7th (3 positions)

Sterilgarda Yamaha

Yamaha Sterilgarda rider Cal Crutchlow sent a clear message today in the Superpole session, the British rider putting in devastatingly fast laps through the heats to claim his fifth pole position start of the year. Crutchlow´s fastest flying lap was just 0.7 seconds off the recent MotoGP pole time taken by Lorenzo at Silverstone and would have put the Yamaha Sterilgarda rider on the second row of the GP grid to start. Whilst his time on a qualifier was impressive, Crutchlow´s first Superpole heat delivered an equally astounding 2´04.5 on race rubber.

Cal Crutchlow • Courtesy Yamaha

Crutchlow´s team mate James Toseland had a more frustrating end to his qualifying day. Toseland had been fast all weekend and determined to perform well in front of his home crowd. Having passed comfortably through the first Superpole heat he fell during the second. An unexplained tuck at the front saw him low-side midway through the lap, leaving him on the third row of the grid for tomorrow´s two races. Toseland has displayed fast consistent race pace all weekend so a good start will be needed to take the fight to the front.

Cal Crutchlow, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team, (1st, 2´04.091)

˝It is nice to have pole again, especially here at our home race, I had it last year at Donington as well. Coming back to the new Silverstone circuit is really good, it is a little but bumpy but not too bad. The lap time in Superpole was pretty good, I was absolutely desperate to do a 2.03, that was the target and the whole team were pumping me up to try it as it is the MotoGP pole time. Unfortunately I made a mistake coming out of the fast left-handers so it was not to be. I think there are a lot of fast people here this weekend so it should be close exciting racing tomorrow. All credit to the Yamaha team they have delivered a really good package this weekend so I am looking forward to the racing.˝

James Toseland • Courtesy Yamaha

James Toseland, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team (12th, 2´05.397)
˝Things have been going pretty well this weekend, I have been quite pleased with the bike and things have been moving forward. The lap where I crashed I had my second qualifier in, it was working really well and when I came through the new section I tipped it left and it felt like something touched and picked up the front of the bike and away it went. It has really been one of those years this year. I am bitterly frustrated but we are still clinging on to the third row. We just have to brush ourselves down and get on with it tomorrow.˝

Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team Manager
˝Cal did a really impressive lap in Superpole, I think he really wanted to show that in all the practices he was the fastest rider. The pace he has is good so now we are waiting to see what he can do in the races. James had a crash during the second Superpole session, It was unfortunate but with the race tyre we know he is fast so we know he has the pace to be in front tomorrow depending on his start. We think that we can be up there with both riders.˝

Circuit Length: 3619 Weather: Overcast

BMW Motorrad

Weather conditions: Overcast.
Temperature: Air: 24 – 25°C, Track: 26 – 29°C
Number of riders participating: 25 from 15 teams
Fastest lap Qualifying Practices: Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha Sterilgarda Team) 2:05.664 min
Fastest lap Superpole 3: Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha Sterilgarda Team) 2:04.091 min

Troy Corser (left) and Carl Fogarty. • Courtesy BMW

Both BMW Motorrad Motorsport riders Troy Corser (AUS) and Ruben Xaus (ESP) will start in Sunday’s Superbike World Championship races at Silverstone from the second row of the grid. In today’s Superpole Qualifying, Team BMW Motorrad Motorsport was the only team to have both riders in the third and final session. Both Troy and Ruben set their fastest lap times in the final session under difficult circumstances: while Ruben had to go into the third Superpole session with used qualifying tyres, Troy set his quickest lap time on used race tyres. Troy will start on Sunday from seventh position, Ruben will start eighth.

Troy Corser:
Bike: BMW S 1000 RR
Fastest lap Qualifying Practices: 2:06.052 min / Fastest lap Free Practice: 2:06.339 min /
Fastest lap Superpole 3: 2:05.740 min
“I am a bit disappointed. The bike is getting better and better. We have been playing a bit with the throttle connection and tried out what we already had in Misano and Mugello. But for this layout it did not work so well, so I think that we go back to what we had at the last race weekend. The only real problem today were the tyres, we ended up with the wrong tyre to the wrong time. It was a brand new set of tyres, but I had little grip and went out on the grass. That was a bit strange. The race tyres seem to be okay and on used tyres I am not so far off the pace. I’ll try to make a good start and then we’ll see where we go. A podium is possible, for sure.”

Ruben Xaus • Courtesy BMW

Ruben Xaus:
Bike: BMW S 1000 RR
Fastest lap Qualifying Practices: 2:07.101 min / Fastest lap Free Practice: 2:06.875 min /
Fastest lap Superpole 3: 2:06.787 min
“Although tomorrow’s starting position is not bad at all, I cannot be happy with the third Superpole session. I was a little bit unlucky: We decided to go for the used qualifying tyres, and with these tyres you only have one quick lap. I followed Troy and Leon Haslam on my flying lap, and when Troy ran wide into the grass, Leon had to come off the gas, and I nearly lost the front. That was it. I see a big question mark for tomorrow’s races: our starting position is not too bad, but my lap times on race tyres were not too good so far. Nevertheless, I am a fighter, and I will push tomorrow.”

Davide Tardozzi (BMW Motorrad Motorsport Team Manager):
“I am happy with today’s second Superpole session: We did very well with both riders, doing a 2:04.9 minutes on race tyres. In Superpole 3, Troy made a mistake on his flying lap and went onto the grass. So he was not able to do a good lap. But we must be happy with what we achieved with the race tyres in qualifying 2. We start from the second row, and we think that both riders can fight for the podium tomorrow.”

Alitalia Aprilia

Silverstone, 31 July 2010 – The Superpole round was also run on dry track at Silverstone in spite of threatening clouds which hover in the unpredictable English sky. Leader of the rider rankings Max Biaggi was a key player in a truly heated session which saw him enter the top eight with just over three tenths gap behind second place. In the battle of the top eight Max landed the sixth time (2′05.682) and by just a few seconds was unable to launch himself into a higher spot during a very decisive final lap.

Max Biaggi • Courtesy Aprilia

Team mate Leon Camier was unfortunate, looking quite fast during the practice rounds, but ending his day in the second pole session (sixteenth, 2′06′064) after having his best time deleted for letting his rear wheel go outside the regulation track. An oversight which in any case doesn’t undermine the rider’s confidence in light of his performance in the previous sessions.

The words of Max Biaggi forecast a demanding Sunday: “We still have some problems, especially in the section where the asphalt is the roughest. Lap performance is in fact conditioned by these difficulties, but tomorrow over the long distance the dynamics could change. We expect two hard races, hoping that the weather gives us a hand although anything is to be expected here in England. The home riders are doing very well – we are still lacking something in order to be quick. I hope that my team can put me into some better conditions tomorrow.”

“The deleted time was only the last problem – stated Leon Camier – since I was never able to close out a clean lap due to the traffic on the track. It’s a shame when you think about what we demonstrated during all of the sessions. Honestly I didn’t expect to start on the fourth row. Anyway, I like Silverstone, we’ve done a good job, so I’m looking ahead and thinking about the two races tomorrow. It will be hard work!”

Ducati Xerox

Silverstone (UK), Saturday 31st July : Ducati Xerox rider Michel Fabrizio was more than satisfied with today’s Superpole result at Silverstone when, despite some very stiff competition from several riders, particularly the British contingent, he closed the session with the third fastest time, ensuring himself of a front row start for tomorrow’s races, alongside Cal Crutchlow, Jonathan Rea and Jakub Smrz.

Noriyuki Haga • Courtesy Ducati

Rain overnight meant that this morning’s second qualifying took place on a still damp track. Despite their best efforts, the Superbike riders were largely unable to improve on yesterday’s best times, with only two riders managing to go any faster. Noriyuki and Michel made good use of the 45-minute session, making small but all-important set-up refinements but, with the outcome conditioned by the damp track surface, results had not changed by the close of play, Fabrizio thus closing fifth and Haga twelfth, based on yesterday’s lap times.

Superpole 1: both factory riders opted for race tyres in this first fourteen-minute phase and neither Michel nor Nori needed to make a second exit, having done enough to progress safely to the second stage, Fabrizio closing in second and Haga in twelfth.

Superpole 2: this time the Ducati Xerox pair went out on qualifiers but after a first exit that left them in sixth (Michel) and fifteenth (Haga) both returned to the track on soft rear race tyres. The Italian rider ducked under 2m05 for the first time this weekend, recording a fastest lap of 2m04.6 and finishing this session in third position. His team mate Noriyuki had more difficulty and, citing grip problems, closed this phase, and today, in fifteenth place.

Superpole 3: given the outcome of the previous session, Fabrizio selected the soft race tyre once more for this final phase, and registering a best time of 2m05.0 to ensure himself of a place on the front row of tomorrow’s grid, third behind the British duo of Rea (Honda) and Crutchlow (Yamaha).

Michel Fabrizio (left) and Carl Fogarty. • Courtesy Ducati

Michel Fabrizio
“I’m really happy with today’s result and I dedicate it to my team who have been working so hard this weekend. I love this new track and after the second session yesterday I felt confident that I’d be able to qualify on the front row today. Superpole went very well; I chose to use a race tyre in the last phase because the first qualifier I’d used earlier hadn’t given me a great feeling, and my choice proved to be a good one. We have a good race pace I think, though Cal is faster, and I must say I’m feeling quite confident ahead of tomorrow’s races.”

Noriyuki Haga
“Unfortunately I continued to have some problems today and the difficulty I was having in turning the bike as I want haven’t yet been resolved. I hoped that with the qualifier we could have done better but that wasn’t the case today and I’m back on the fourth row. There are many strong riders here, including the Brits, and the races are going to be really tough. We’ll see what we are able to achieve.”

Companies Returning to EICMA

As many as 47 Exhibitors are coming back to Milan after one or more years of absence.

Beside Honda, Yamaha, Nolan, Bridgestone, Ligier, Microcar, Fuchs another great name has just been added to the list: Dainese, a leader in the fields of clothing and safety, that had not displayed its products at the Milan Show for over a decade.

Flanking these 47 comebacks, 17 companies will make their absolute debut at Eicma 2010, all of them ready to make their contribution to the success of the event.

Together, needless to say, with the loyal habitués who ensured the amazing success of Eicma 2009, and that all visitors will be happy to meet again. From BMW to Ducati, from Harley to Husqvarna, from Kawasaki to Suzuki, from Airoh to Triumph, from KTM to Kymco to Malaguti, from MV Agusta to Aprilia, Guzzi and the entire Piaggio Group.

A show not to be missed.

Elena Myers to Ride MotoGP Bike

The Rizla Suzuki MotoGP team has invited AMA Pro Racing SuperSport race winner Elena Myers to ride a factory GSV-R racebike in Valencia, Spain following the final MotoGP event of the 2010 season.

(From left) Loris Capirossi, Elena Myers, and Alvaro Bautista. • Courtesy Elena Myers Project

The offer was made after 16-year-old Myers was invited to tour the Rizla Suzuki pit garage during the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca last weekend.

“We saw that she was doing quite well over here on her Suzuki,” said Tim Walpole, Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Press and PR Officer. “So we thought she might like to come by the box and get to meet the guys and have a look at how we do things.”

“It blows my mind that people like that are kind of looking at me and the AMA stuff,” said Myers, who rides for the Lucas Oil Roadracingworld.com RMR Suzuki team. “To get this opportunity is a once in a lifetime kind of thing.”

When Myers arrived in Rizla Suzuki’s bustling garage, she was introduced to MotoGP racer Loris Capirossi, who asked a lot of questions about her racing and then immediately invited her to sit on one of his GSV-R racebikes.

“It felt really small,” said Myers, “but everything, all the bars and levers and pegs were exactly where I wanted it. I was like, ‘I could ride this thing right out of here.’

Courtesy Elena Myers Project

“It was really cool, especially talking to Capirossi. I have a lot of respect for the guy but even more now that I’ve talked to him. I thought he was a really down-to-earth guy. Talking to him was just crazy, to say the least.”

Myers also met Rizla Suzuki’s MotoGP rookie Alvaro Bautista, who explained what all the switches and buttons on the GSV-R’s handlebars and dashboard did.

After Myers chatted with Bautista, it was time for the Rizla Suzuki crew to start the warm-up procedure on one of Capirossi’s machines, and they asked for Myers’ assistance in blipping the throttle of the 240-horsepower beast.

“It was like a 125 almost with the way the rpm went up so fast,” said Myers. “Any movement of the throttle made the revs jump so fast. I’m just speechless about the whole thing.”

While she was visiting the Rizla Suzuki garage, a couple of different team staffers asked Myers if she would like to ride one of the GSV-R racebikes some time, and she thought they were joking. But Rizla Suzuki Team Manager Paul Denning then made it clear that he would like to give her an opportunity to do some laps on one of the bikes, after the season-ending Grand Prix at Valencia, in Spain. Denning explained that it wouldn’t be a test, but just a chance for Myers to experience riding a MotoGP racebike.

“If I could ride it that would just be the most insane thing ever, even if it was for just a couple of laps. I’m just speechless about it, it’s so crazy,” said Myers.

“It was all pretty overwhelming, but that’s where I want to be some day,” said Myers. “And this just makes me want it even more now. I’m going to be motivated no matter what, but seeing what this is all like makes me want it even more.”

Team Zyvax WERA Summit Point Preview

Kennesaw, Georgia (July 30th, 2010), – As Team Zyvax heads into this weekend’s WERA National Endurance 6 Hour Race at Summit Point Raceway, WV, redemption is the name of the game for the Zyvax R1 crew. After their teammates on the R6 took the win at Grattan earlier this month, the Zyvax R1 effort is on fire with determination to cross the finish line first.

It’s the ultimate battle, the very definition of racing; two teams under the same canopy and leading the points in their classes, both on proven machines, both facing challenges and both hungry for the win.

Coming off the win at Grattan and narrowing the gap to a paltry four points between them and the Zyvax R1, Dane Westby and Clinton Seller astride their Team Zyvax / Graves spec Yamaha R6 look to again defeat the bigger bikes and take the win. This will be Seller’s first time on the 10-turn, 2-mile Summit Point Circuit. The two R6 riders will have to fight hard to chase down the bigger bikes on a track that’s better suited for the liter machines. Summit Point’s long uphill straights will give Zyvax team rider Chris Clark and guest rider Jason Disalvo an edge over their R6 teammates. Clark and Disalvo’s Graves Motorsports prepped / Team Zyvax R1 will eat up the track’s 2900-foot main straight. Though Clark has not ridden on the track prior to this weekend, his determination to redeem the win over the R6 is all the fuel he needs!

Unfortunately Clark’s teammate and fellow Zyvax R1 rider Ben Bostrom will not be on hand to help win the battle at Summit Point. Bostrom’s 150mph get-off at Mid-Ohio left him with a detached ligament and a chipped bone in his left thumb. Bostrom regrets having to miss out on this weekend’s 6 Hour, even attempting to have a support made so he could ride. “We hope to get this thing back to par soon,” said Bostrom of his injured thumb. Bostrom expects to be back on the track for VIR’s WERA weekend in August.

“It’ll be tough without Ben this weekend but I have faith in Chris and Jason,” said team owner JB Layman of his riders. “It should be good racing. The heat is going to challenge the bikes and the riders but the guys are fit and the bikes are dialed. We expect nothing less than good, strong finishes.”

For images of the last WERA round see http://www.gravesport.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=712

Red Flag Fund Auction

Yes, it’s that time again. The annual Red Flag Fund auction will be held on August 21st,, 2010 around 7PM, hosted once again at Blackhawk Farms Raceway in beautiful South Beloit, IL during the CCS Midwest weekend. There are some very cool items available this year including an Arai Quantum 2, Continental, Dunlop and Michelin tires, custom fuel injection map, Puma boots, and Suzuka tire warmers. In addition, Blackhawk’s concession will be providing dinner, with a portion of the proceeds going to the RFF. As always, beer will be served, courtesy of Blackhawk Farms and Motovid.com. We’ll have RFF apparel for sale, a 50/50 raffle and a drawing for various prizes.

Brian McLaughlin, president of the RFF, said “We’re delighted that Blackhawk Farms is having us back for another year. We had a great crowd last year; it gets more fun each year, so we’re hopeful for a good turnout. Please remember if you are bringing an item to be included in the auction to try and get it to us by 12PM Saturday if at all possible.”

Brian added, “I’ll be out at VIR during the Cycle Jam weekend held by WERA on August 6, 7, 8 2010. I’ll be there to answer any questions folks might have about the fund and we’ll have apparel for purchase. If you have an item you’d like to donate to the auction, you can save the shipping charges by bringing it with you to give to us at that time. We only ask you check with us if it’s an especially large item.”

If you would like to donate an item for auction, please contact the Red Flag Fund by emailing us at brian@redflagfund.org. You can visit the www.redflagfund.org for more information on the fund.

The Red Flag Fund is dedicated to helping seriously injured road racers. By raising money through apparel sales, auctions and other events, we are able to bridge financial gaps not covered by insurance after a rider crashes. None of this would be possible without the help of the race community. We thank you for supporting our cause.

The Red Flag Fund is a 501(c)(3) Federally exempt non-profit charity. For more info visit: redflagfund.org
To contact the Red Flag Fund, email Brian McLaughlin, President: brian@redflagfund.org

Honda Road Racerhead #31

It’s Nicky Hayden’s birthday today, and the Kentucky Kid was the one who perfectly summed up my general disposition this week with a Tuesday email: “Recovered from your Laguna hangover yet?” he asked, and my honest answer was “Not even close.”

As usual, there were plenty of activities at the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix, such as this cool tribute to legends Kenny Roberts, Eddie Lawson, and Wayne Rainey--complete with period suits by Alpinestars and Dainese. Yamaha re-upped its commitment to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. • Brian J. Nelson photo

Don’t worry, I wasn’t hitting the bottle while in Monterey (I only wish I’d had time for that). It’s just that the race is our busiest weekend of the season here at Road Racer X, and there’s something about it that puts the stress knob on “11.” Between four Americans racing in their home MotoGP round, four support classes instead of the typical two, a ton of non-race functions and press conferences on deck, and just the standard social meeting and greeting, the activity is unrelenting. Throw in a six-hour drive on each end—this year undertaken with my wife and pre-school-age daughter—and, well, I was ready for an intervention by Monday night.

Fortunately, even though it can be a little too much of a good thing, the party that is the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix is pretty tough to beat. I don’t just say that because I’m a Californian, either: even the Euros tell me that there’s something special about this race, and most of the paddock looks forward to it every year. Not as many people plan vacations around it—the economy and the fact that it’s now six years old probably both have something to do with that, though Randy Mamola is spending a few days with his parents in NorCal before heading back to Spain—but it’s a unique event that riders, teams, journalists, and fans all appreciate.

Ben Bostrom's return to winning form was good news for many of his old colleagues from Europe, including Ducati MotoGP project manager Alessandro Cicognani. You can own B-Boz's leathers and help out a good cause. • Brian J. Nelson photo

The fact that the race is a little rough around the edges just adds to its character, which is probably why such factors aren’t held against it by its partners. On Saturday, it was announced that Yamaha had re-upped as a major sponsor of the facility through 2014, which is also when Laguna’s contract with Dorna expires. The three-day turnout for the race was 116,488, which is up slightly from last year’s July 4 date (though still down from the event’s early glory years of hosting MotoGP, starting in 2005—not surprising, considering the still-suffering economy and the relative lack of a novelty factor).

Most of the vendors in Yamaha Marketplace appeared to be doing a brisk business, and that was certainly true of our booth, helmed mainly by Senior Editor Laurel Allen. Few were the people who made it by our Turn 3 location without renewing or subscribing, and even fewer were those who didn’t walk away with a free souvenir sticker. A heartfelt thank you to those who signed up—we’ll do our very best to give you your money’s worth with every issue—and to those who missed out on the sticker, we’ve got another cool one whipped up for the Red Bull Indianapolis GP.

Speaking of freebies, congrats to reader Steve Petre, who’s the winner of this week’s TGI Monday trivia contest (which was actually on Tuesday, due mainly to that aforementioned Laguna hangover). We asked readers to name all of Nicky Hayden’s Laguna Seca wins, and Petre was one of the readers who correctly responded with the following: AMA 750 Supersport (1998); AMA Superbike (’00); MotoGP (’05 and ’06). For his troubles, he gets a white, Hayden-championship-celebrating ball cap from the 2007 season.

Cal Crutchlow--shown here on his way to the fastest SBK time at Silverstone--could be moving to MotoGP next season. • Grame Brown photo

The hat is made by Alpinestars, and I paid their U.S. headquarters a visit on Wednesday for their 2011 motorcycle technical-wear unveiling. Between preparing for that, recovering from Laguna (where Mika Kallio’s crash resulted in the first in-MotoGP-race inflation for A-stars’ new airbag system), and squeezing in this week’s X Games extravaganza, Jeremy Appleton, Tim Collins, and company were probably pinging harder than I was this week. They’ve got some very cool stuff in the new line though, including a high-end knee brace for off-road use and some very nice adventure-touring gear.

Anyway, while neither Nicky nor his two brothers were victorious last weekend, Laguna has been a very good track to the Hayden family over the years, just as it has for the Bostroms. It was the site of Ben’s last AMA Superbike win, in 2004, and after a six-year drought in the class, it was the site of his return to glory, as he was simply unbeatable in American Superbike despite racing with a broken thumb and a detached tendon. Throw in Laguna victories in Supersport, Formula Xtreme, and Daytona SportBike, plus three in World Superbike—and brother Eric’s five AMA Pro wins at the track—and you get the picture.

Will Colin Edwards be back in World Superbike in 2011? • Courtesy Honda

B-Boz’s special, one-off Laguna leathers are on eBay through Wednesday, and last I checked, the bidding was still under $2,000. The money goes to Yamaha press man Kevin Foley’s Race4RettMX foundation, to benefit research on Rett Syndrome. For more information and a link to the auction, click here.

As if Ben’s win weren’t enough for one weekend, his fiancée Nikki Hale competed in the San Francisco marathon on the same day, and she completed the hilly 26.2 miles in just four and a half hours. Meanwhile, Bradley Smith took advantage of the off weekend for the 125cc Grand Prix class to take part in a triathlon in France. Congratulations to both.

On the subject of special liveries, I thought Yamaha knocked it out of the park with their Cinquecento getup, and Jorge Lorenzo topped it off perfectly with his U.S. astronaut suit for a post-victory celebration at the top of the Corkscrew. I noticed the Spaniard wasn’t wearing the leathers to match his fairing’s graphics like Rossi, and word is that’s because the suit got hung up in customs. It was pretty embarrassing that the first few notes of the Italian national anthem were played for Lorenzo on the podium—it reminded me of the yellow-smoke pyrotechnics at the ’06 Valencia MotoGP finale, when Nicky overtook Rossi to earn the crown. Between the anthem and the American flag on Lorenzo’s space suit, fans could be mistaken for not knowing he was Spanish. And on the subject of wardrobe stuff, GP One reported that Spies helmet visor was opening during the race.

Andrea Dovizioso has reportedly secured a factory Honda for next year, but HRC is still looking for funding to run three bikes. • Andrew Northcott photo

With Laguna being the midway point of the season, it’s become kind of an important marker in the season, and this year was no different. Word is that Andrea Dovizioso clinched a factory Honda for next season by means of being inside the top five in the points chase at this point, though Red Bull reportedly nixed the offer of sponsoring a third works Honda next year. Dovi’s management is also said to be in talks with Gresini Racing.

In case you missed our Sunday-night Twitter blast, other Laguna rumors included:

Colin Edwards has been in talks with Ducati Xerox about a return to World Superbike in 2011. That once-proud team has been struggling this year (Michel Fabrizio and Noriyuki Haga were fifth and twelfth, respectively, in today’s preliminary qualifying session at the Silverstone round), and the two-time World SBK champ—a respected bike tester and developer—could make a good replacement. That’s assuming Ducati actually fields a factory SBK effort next year; they’re known to be in talks with Infront about technical regulations, not only for their current V-twin-powered bike, but for its replacement.Meanwhile, GP One reports that Haga could end up alongside Chris Vermeulen on the new Kawasaki.

Could Loris Capirossi be back on a Ducati next year? • Courtesy Ducati

Cal Crutchlow–quickest today at his home SBK round–is another rider said to have been approached by Ducati for an SBK gig, but he’s also supposedly in talks with Tech 3 for a move to MotoGP. If that one happened, it would essentially mean Edwards and Crutchlow trading bikes, teams, and series over the winter.

With Spies basically certain to replace Valentino Rossi on the factory Yamaha team (which next year will probably have Petronas or perhaps Telefonica as a title sponsor), and Edwards possibly moving on, the Tech 3 squad could have a very different look from it’s current all-Texas rider roster. In addition to Crutchlow, Randy de Puniet and Dovizioso are other riders said to be in talks with Herve Poncharal.

Evergreen Loris Capirossi reportedly turned down the Ducati SBK offer but could still end his ill-fated Suzuki stint to be back on a Ducati, though with the satellite Pramac MotoGP outfit rather than the factory squad. Another potential destination for the Italian is LCR.

Marco Melandri could be making the move over to World SBK. • Andrew Northcott photo

Capirex’s fellow countryman Marco Melandri is another MotoGP rider who could be headed to World Superbike, as he’s been mentioned in connection with Davide Tardozzi’s factory BMW squad. If “Macho” doesn’t go there, he might stay in MotoGP and take over Capirossi’s seat at Rizla Suzuki.

Jeremy Burgess is either staying put at Yamaha to work with Spies, accompanying Rossi to Ducati, or moving back to Honda to work with fellow Aussie Casey Stoner. Wish I could narrow it down a bit better, but literally all three scenarios were on fire in Monterey. The Honda one was basically shot down, but we probably won’t know which of the other two is true until Brno in two weeks, when the Rossi-to-Ducati deal is expected to be confirmed. In the meantime, Rossi team manager Davide Brivio will almost certainly follow The Doctor to Bologna.

As far as new players go, Czech Moto2 rider Karel Abraham is set to join the premier class via a new Ducati customer team called Cardion Racing. That would put the number of Ducatis on the grid at six, the same as Honda supplies this year. Fellow Moto2 rider (and MotoGP sub rider) Alex de Angelis is also working hard to get a full-time ride back in the premier class.

Anyway, Laguna’s now in the rear-view mirror, but Indy is just around the corner. The track has a new video ad out, and you can expect us to be ramping up for Round 2 of the unofficial American MotoGP series in the coming weeks. In the meantime, I’m about to indulge in another bout of binge-working as we finish up a magazine deadline early next week. Talk to you on the other end of that one.

Brian J. Nelson photo

TEAM-SPEAK: Silverstone World Superbike, Friday (Pics)

World Superbike

Local hero Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha Sterilgarda) set a blistering 2’05.664 second lap at Silverstone to head the first qualifying session at his home track, with no fewer than five of his compatriots inside the top ten places. The 5.902km Silverstone circuit is new to almost all of the 25 Superbike riders on show, making Crutchlow’s advantage of 0.342 seconds over the Hannspree Ten Kate Honda of Jonathan Rea an impressive first day result.

Cal Crutchlow • Courtesy WSBK

BMW Motorrad Motorsport rider Troy Corser was third quickest, with British rider Leon Camier fourth on his Aprilia Alitalia vee-four. Michel Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox) made it five different bikes in the top five places with one qualifying session to go, and James Toseland (Crutchlow’s Yamaha Sterilgarda team-mate) secured sixth place.

Championship leader Max Biaggi, Camier’s team-mate, was a steady seventh, one place ahead of his main championship threat, Leon Haslam (Suzuki Alstare). Privateer Carlos Checa (Althea Ducati) was 0.811 seconds away from Crutchlow, in ninth, with the top ten rounded out by Tom Sykes on his official Kawasaki Racing Team four-cylinder machine.

Lorenzo Lanzi (DFX Corse Ducati) was a happy 11th, as he was one place up on the official machine of Noriyuki Haga (Ducati Xerox). Shane Byrne (Althea Ducati) was 13th, the Team Pata B&G Aprilia of Jakub Smrz 14th, and 15th was a rider returning from injury, Luca Scassa (Supersonic Ducati).

The wildcard HM Plant Honda duo of Josh Brookes and Ryuichi Kiyonari, both old friends of WSBK, were only 21st and 22nd on day one, with Tommy Bridewell (TYCO Racing Honda) 24th.

Times: 1. Crutchlow C. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 2′05.664; 2. Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 2′06.006; 3. Corser T. (AUS) BMW S1000 RR 2′06.052; 4. Camier L. (GBR) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 2′06.064; 5.Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 2′06.088; 6. Toseland J. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 2′06.238; 7. Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 2′06.315; 8. Haslam L. (GBR) Suzuki GSX-R1000 2′06.464; 9. Checa C. (ESP) Ducati 1098R 2′06.475; 10. Sykes T. (GBR) Kawasaki ZX 10R 2′06.596; etc.

World Supersport

Jonathan Rea • Courtesy World Superbike

Eugene Laverty (Parkalgar Honda) eased to the top of the first qualifying session at Silverstone, 0.090 seconds ahead of UK-based series regular Gino Rea (Intermoto Czech Honda) and 0.161 seconds up on Joan Lascorz (Kawasaki Motocard.com). Championship leader Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) was fourth, Miguel Praia (Parkalgar Honda) fifth.

Times: 1. Laverty E. (IRL) Honda CBR600RR 2′09.826; 2. Rea G. (GBR)        Honda CBR600RR 2′09.916; 3. Lascorz J. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX-6R 2′09.987; 4. Sofuoglu K. (TUR) Honda CBR600RR 2′10.069; 5. Praia M. (POR) Honda CBR600RR 2′10.438; 6. Tamburini R. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 2′10.689; 7. Salom D. (ESP) Triumph Daytona 675 2′10.761; 8. Foret F. (FRA) Kawasaki ZX-6R 2′10.915; etc.

Superstock 1000

Maxime Berger (Ten Kate Junior Honda) earned the best time in the first qualifying session in the last minute, heading off championship leader Ayrton Badovini (BMW Italia STK). Third was the Team Lorini Honda of Andrea Antonelli, with the 88 Lazio Motorsport Ducati of Lorenzo Zanetti fourth. A good day for Ducati saw Luca Baroni (Pata B&G) fifth, and the Team Pedercini Kawasaki of Danilo Petrucci finished off a cosmopolitan top six in terms of motorcycles. Loris Baz was top Yamaha man, eighth on his MRS Racing R1.

Times: 1. Berger M. (FRA) Honda CBR1000RR 2′10.226; 2. Badovini A. (ITA) BMW S1000 RR 2′10.390; 3. Antonelli A. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 2′10.509; 4. Zanetti L. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 2′11.739; 5. Baroni L. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 2′11.921; 6. Petrucci D. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 2′12.211; 7. Barrier S. (FRA) BMW S1000 RR 2′12.329; 8. Baz L. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R1 2′12.392; etc.

Superstock 600

Wildcard rider Luke Mossey (Sondelsport Yamaha) was the provisional pole man at Silverstone after the first day, holding off the push of championship challengers Florian Marino (Ten Kate Race Junior Honda) and Jeremy Guarnoni (MRS Racing Yamaha). Berardino Lombardi (Martini Corse Yamaha) was a top four early qualifier, ahead of Guarnoni’s team-mate, Romain Lanusse.

Times: 1. Mossey L. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R6 2′13.653; 2. Marino F. (FRA) Honda CBR600RR 2′14.355; 3. Guarnoni J. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R6 2′14.601; 4. Lombardi B. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 2′15.796; 5. Lanusse R. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R6 2′15.854; 6. Fanelli D. (ITA) Honda CBR600RR 2′15.929; 7. Le Coquen S. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R6 2′16.169; 8. Calero Perez N. (ESP) Yamaha YZF R6 2′16.226; etc.

Suzuki Alstare

Both Team Suzuki Alstare riders Leon Haslam and Sylvain Guintoli gave the thumbs-up to the new British Silverstone circuit after spending the day learning the new layout – and look forward to improving their positions tomorrow at the 10th round of the World Superbike Championship.

Courtesy Suzuki Alstare

Haslam finished eighth fastest and was the happier of the duo, although Guintoli is upbeat about his prospects tomorrow, despite ending the day 17th in the standings.

Briton Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha) set the day’s fastest lap with a time of 2:05.664 with fellow countryman Jonathan Rea (Honda) second and Troy Corser (BMW) in third.

Leon Haslam – 8th, 2:06.464:
“Happily, today was like a normal Friday – and that is a good feeling to have after Brno. This is a fantastic track and has bags of character, is fast and flowing; and there are lots of passing opportunities. I think it’s going to be great racing on Sunday. At the moment, I am still trying to find the right lines around it, but, because the track is quite wide, there are many different lines to try.

“It’s bumpy for sure, but I don’t think any more than other tracks, but because of the high speeds, you notice it a lot more. I like bumpy tracks though and I think I’m going to have a lot of fun here. It is a very technical track and very safe, so once you have a good set-up, you can push pretty hard. At the moment, we’re getting there and really we’re not far off; just fine-tuning really. Tomorrow we’ll push harder, hopefully have a good Superpole; and be in a much-better position on the grid than Brno!”

Sylvain Guintoli – 17th, 2:07:
“This is a very, very nice track and I’m going to enjoy racing here. Obviously my position today is not so good, but I have been spending the day learning the track and trying to find a good set-up for my bike. The track is very technical and because it is quite bumpy, it is important to get a good set-up. There are many changes of rhythm at this circuit, some slow corners, some fast; and for me it is really interesting. I have to work on the first split because that’s where I’m losing time at the moment, but I once I get that sorted out, my lap times will come down.

“This is like a ‘home’ race for me, because I live in UK and many of my friends and fans will be coming to support me this weekend. I would like to improve my position tomorrow, get a high grid place and good results, so that they will go home happy.”

Friday WSB Qualifying: 1 Cal Crutchlow (GBR-Yamaha) 2:05.664, 2 Jonathan Rea (GBR-Honda) 2:06.006, 3 Troy Corser (AUS-BMW) 2:06.052, 4 Leon Camier (GBR-Aprilia) 2:06.064, 5 Fabrizio (ITA-Ducati) 2:06.088, 6 Toseland (GBR-Yamaha) 2:06.238. 8 Leon Haslam (GBR-Suzuki Alstare) 2:06.464. 17 Sylvain Guintoli (FRA-Suzuki Alstare) 2:07.107.

Ducati Xerox

Silverstone (UK), Friday 30th July : the Superbike action got under way today at the new-look Silverstone track and Ducati Xerox riders Michel Fabrizio and Noriyuki Haga had to learn fast, closing first qualifying in fifth and twelfth position respectively.

Fabrizio • Courtesy Ducati

After some major restructuring work over recent months, the Silverstone track presented  a fresh challenge today as very few of the Superbike riders had seen the track in its new configuration. Riders therefore concentrated, particularly in the first free practice session, on getting to grips with the  long and tricky circuit, before turning their attention to optimizing machine set-up during first qualifying.

Both Ducati Xerox riders made continuous and steady improvement during the first practice session, concentrating on the “hard” rear tyres, but, perhaps inevitably, it was the British contingent who were quickest off the mark, all seven of them closing the first session  in the top nine, ahead of Noriyuki in tenth and Michel in thirteenth.

Haga • Courtesy Ducati

Exchanging the rear for a softer compound at the start of first qualifying seemed to make a significant difference to lap times with an improvement of a second and a half for both Haga and Fabrizio. They remained in the top five for the best part of the session, during which various modifications were made to the set-up of the Ducati 1198 machines, with riders also trying different tyre configurations. A final fast lap for Michel saw him close first qualifying in fifth position but with the same lap time (2m06.0) as Rea, Corser and Camier, respectively second, third and fourth. Noriyuki, losing valuable tenths in the first split mainly due to problems with grip, eventually closed day one in twelfth place.

Michel Fabrizio
“I really like the new configuration of the track. I liked the previous long version that we raced on years back, in 2003 I think, but once they shortened it I could never get the results. Now it’s been lengthened once more I’m enjoying it, it’s only a pity that they removed the little bridge that was the best point as far as I’m concerned. We’ve made a good start today but we’re all very close, second to fifth position all with the same lap time! I think we can improve further tomorrow, if the weather permits that is.”

Noriyuki Haga
“To tell the truth I preferred the old layout; particularly the final section. What surprised me is that some of the new sections are more or less blind corners which made today a little difficult. It was also hard to time exactly when to open the throttle through the corners but I hope that, with the time available tomorrow, we’ll be able to resolve a few things and improve. The bike doesn’t seem bad and the tyres have given me pretty good feeling.”

TIMES: 1. Crutchlow (Yamaha) 2m05.6; 2. Rea (Honda) 2m06.0; 3. Corser (BMW) 2m06.0; 4. Camier (Aprilia) 2m06.0; 5. Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox) 2m06.0; 6. Toseland (Yamaha) 2m06.2; 7. Biaggi (Aprilia) 2m06.3; 8. Haslam (Suzuki) 2m06.4…. 12. Haga (Ducati Xerox) 2m06.8

Aprilia Alitalia

Silverstone, 30 July 2010 – In spite of the grey skies, the Superbike débuts on dry asphalt on the renovated Silverstone track. Aprilia Alitalia Racing Team concentrates, as they always do on Friday, on finding the best solutions to tackle the pole tomorrow and the two Sunday races. In any case, the clock sends positive messages with seventh place for world leader Max Biaggi and fourth place for Englishman Leon Camier, who found the right pace straight away on his home track.

Courtesy Alitalia Aprilia

A promising result even with the bumpy asphalt which doesn’t do any favours for an RSV4 rider. Both riders identified the areas which need working on and they will concentrate on these tomorrow after the usual briefing with the Aprilia Racing technicians: the great amount of work which was done is confirmed by the number of laps the riders got in – more than any of the other competitors.

Max Biaggi is confident about this English weekend: “We still need to fix a few things, especially in the turns on the rougher asphalt, but it’s not bad at all. Without looking too much at the clock we punched out a good time, quite close to those ahead of us. The English riders are giving 110%, they are breathing in their home air, but I’ll try to… bring honour to the Italian flag even here!

All joking aside, we have some ideas on the setup which need to be perfected hand in hand with the experience we gain on this new track. Concentration and determination will do the rest.”

“We started off as we had hoped – stated Leon Camier – without making drastic changes to the base setup of my RSV4, just some small tweaks to adapt it to the conditions. I’d say that with the setting we’re on target, now I just need to improve my trajectories especially on some sections. The final tenths which need to be shaved off are there, in my knowledge of the track and the lines. Here, at home, I really want to do well for my supporters and my Team.”

Tyco Security Products Signs As Quay Garage Honda Sponsor

Quay Garage Honda will welcome a brand new sponsor to the team at Silverstone this weekend with the news that Tyco Security Products will take over title sponsorship for team rider Tommy Bridewell’s wild card entry into the British round of the Hannspree World Superbike Championship.

The team will be rebranded Tyco Racing for the Silverstone meeting which, it is hoped, will extend into backing the Devon-based team at future races of the 2010 MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship.

21-year-old Bridewell from Etchilhampton near Devizes in Wiltshire will race the ex-Gregorio Lavilla Honda Fireblade in Tyco Racing colours against some of the world’s best riders and will join seven other British riders contesting their home round.

Team owner Ian Woollacott has been working hard over the past week to secure the deal which only came about following the announcement that Bridewell was to race at Silverstone so it’s been a frantically busy week for the reigning British Superbike Cup Champions.

Ian Woollacott:  “It’s all come about so quickly that we’ve had to move mountains to get everything sorted but it’s just about all in place now and we’re looking forward to the weekend as Tyco Racing. It’s fantastic that our efforts are being recognised and the fact that a massive global company like Tyco wants to be associated with us speaks volumes about the job both the team and Tommy are doing. There are a number of very influential people attending Silverstone this weekend so we hope to put on a good show for them especially as we are underdogs, more so than ever this weekend. Having heard about our wild card entry through business contacts and in a recent magazine article they are pleased to help and if successful will look at remaining involved as a sponsor for the remainder of the season.”

Tommy Bridewell:  “This is fantastic news and I’m now even more determined to go out there and put on a good show aboard the Tyco Racing Honda at Silverstone. Ian and the team have worked miracles to get everything sorted in time for this weekend and I’m looking forward to meeting our new sponsors as they’ll be made very welcome in our team. Now it’s up to me to push even harder for some results this weekend so I can give everyone something to cheer about.”

Phil Dashey, VP & General Manager, Tyco Security Products EMEA:  “Motorsport and especially motorbikes are a huge part of many people’s lives at Tyco Security Products, this is a great synergy for us and our brand, we are very excited to be involved by helping Tommy in perhaps his most important race thus far in his career. Our motorbike theme continues here as we recently gave away an original DSC themed Orange County Chopper in North America, and are giving away a brand new Bentel branded Ducati Supersport bike to a customer in Europe, just some of our excellent promotional competitions. We are delighted that our customers and staff can share in this fantastic experience and get an insight into the inner workings of a team and what goes into the pinnacle of the sport I’m sure will be mind-blowing, Go Tommy! Go Tyco!”

Suzuki White Lightning AMA Pro SuperBike Nationals Tickets Available

As one of the last big weekends before Back to School, Aug 13-15, 2010, you can end your summer just right at VIRginia International Raceway during the Suzuki White Lightning AMA Pro SuperBike Nationals presented by Foremost Insurance.  With special advance 3-day weekend tickets still just $50 (order online at www.VIR.now with promo code AMASP10) until August 6th, this will be a family weekend that everyone won’t soon forget!

SLIDESHOW: Umbrella Girls of the Week, Red Bull USGP

RED BULL USGP • PHOTOS BY ANDREW NORTHCOTT

Backmarker: Working so hard it’s not funny

Back in the days when the Yamaha FZR600 was fast, I crashed at Shannonville, in Ontario. I was going pretty fast; it was the classic sky-ground-sky-ground-sky-ground deal.

Yamaha's racing manager Keith McCarty is also a heck of a good cook. Luckily, Jay's garage has a full commercial kitchen, where McCarty put his race crew and whole family to work preparing hors d'oeuvres, lasagna, and steaks for 140. Here, his indefatigable mom does a number on about twenty pounds of zucchini. “I thought I retired about sixteen years ago,” she quipped. • Gardiner photo

I bounced and tumbled so far that the ladies in the control tower told me that they’d scrambled the ambulance, and they even claimed it started moving before I stopped moving. “I don’t know how you guys ever walk away from those things!” one of them said. The thing I remember most vividly about it was that it went on for so long that I actually had time to wonder, “Is this just my new reality? Maybe this is never going to stop.”

That’s the kind of month I just had.

Seriously. I know some of the tire marks on my body are the result of my own stupidity, but I’ve been thrown under the bus so often lately that when I come to a bus stop, instead of standing on the sidewalk to wait for it, I lie down in the street.

At least I got to breathe one sigh of relief the Tuesday before MotoGP, when Yamaha’s soiree at Jay Leno’s garage came off without a hitch—the first thing that had gone according to plan for me all month. I was stressed about it because I’d acted as a go-between with Yamaha and Jay. So although all the actual work of putting it on was handled by Bob Starr, with logistics (and even cooking!) by the super-prepared Keith McCarty, assisted by his whole family, including his amazing mom, I felt responsible—at least for assuring that Jay had a good time.

Garage manager Bernard Juchli made sure that Wayne Rainey and the king signed his toolbox. They're in good company: Agostini's on there too. • Gardiner photo

The day began with a busload of Yamahanians, including Jorge Lorenzo, arriving at the garage just in time to be transferred to the NBC studios to watch Jay tape The Tonight Show. This is entertaining for me partly because I like Jay and enjoy cheering him on, but mainly because I’m in awe of the intensity of the live-to-tape production. Although the show’s taped several hours before it’s aired, it’s all done in real time, with the set changes made during the two- or three-minute commercial breaks.

Starr had correctly pegged the subject of that day’s monologue as Lindsay Lohan’s trip to jail. After the monologue and in each subsequent break, all hell breaks loose on the set, with people running in and out changing props, the cue card guy quickly going through the next set of cues with Jay, and another key assistant going over other absolute last-minute changes to the show and script. Meanwhile, the new band keeps the crowd rocking out.

Jay rolls up his sleeves before firing up one of his several enormous steam engines. Some of his huge, 100-plus-year-old machines not only work, but are put to work. Soon one of them, powered by natural gas, will turn an electric generator. The shop's already got a huge solar array on the roof. Although in one sense, Jay's got a carbon footprint bigger than his chin, he argues that he's also embodying the notion of “Reduce, reuse, recycle.” He says, “I'm still using cars that were built a hundred years ago. If that's not conservation, what is?” • Gardiiner photo

With about thirty seconds to go, some guy walks over to the band leader and holds his wrists crossed over his head, in a signal not unlike a corner worker calling for an ambulance. Then with a few seconds to go, he signals for the band to bring the break music to a close, the set’s cleared, and Jay launches into the next bit. It’s really, really intense even watching it, and it’s a marvel that the host is never, ever rattled—or if he is, it sure doesn’t show. Picture a MotoGP rider crashing early in qualifying, and having his crew frantically prepare his backup machine in a mad thrash complete with the occasional thrown wrench and cursing, then having the rider climb on the machine, pure composure and concentration, and put in a fast lap with no room for error.

Layer in the pressure on him from above. When NBC shuffled Jay and O’Brien, it was portrayed as nothing less than the future (and perhaps the death of) NBC and maybe even mainstream television. Then when they put Jay back behind the Tonight Show desk, he was excoriated in the press. It was interesting last week to see the subtle changes made to the show, which is in fact a lot fresher. The guest band was hip—the Black Keys—and Zac Efron was on the set for virtually the whole show, much to the delight of the young women in the audience. So it’s, like, Yeah… save the network from itself while knowing that across the Southland, jealous comedians will pick every monologue joke apart tomorrow morning over coffee.

"They called me and asked, 'Can we bring a few racers to the garage for dinner'," Jay said as he looked out over a crowd that had grown to well over 100 people, including a Dorna video crew. Then he patted the bike and delivered the laugh line: "I should do this more often." • Gardiner photo

The show we watched being taped was number three thousand, eight hundred and something. It was all in a day’s work.

Whenever I spend any time with Jay, I realize that virtually everyone around him wants a piece of him, that there’s always someone nearby with a clipboard and something that needs attention—often so urgently they’re actually looking at a stopwatch. I come away realizing that as cool as it must be to be rich and famous, and to be able to buy all the cool toys he wants, I wouldn’t trade lives.

Notwithstanding the 100-plus bikes and an equal number of great cars and the shop facility where Jay and his staff can actually build a jet car in-house, the garage is really his sanctuary—a place where he can go and decompress for a few hours after taping the show. He hangs with the half-dozen or so guys who work for him full-time, checks on the progress of various projects, and if things are going his way, spins a few wrenches safe in the knowledge that behind the locked gates, he won’t be disturbed. That’s why it was so generous of Jay to host us.

Garage regular John Pera brought one of his own bikes over for the evening. It made an interesting comparison between GP bikes of different eras. “It's a good thing you guys came,” one garage employee told me. “It forced us to finally clean this place up!” • Gardiner photo

Last fall, Jay auctioned off a Star V-Max to benefit Bailey’s Café, and that left him without a single Yamaha in the garage. It seemed wrong to Yamaha that Jay would never show up at the Rock Store on one of their bikes. That, after all, was a PR opportunity going to waste, and anyway, Jay’s been a great ambassador for American motorcycling for ages (he was inducted into the AMA Hall of Fame in 2000). In the last year or so, he’s generated a lot of positive press for Yamaha, to say nothing of well over $100k for a worthwhile charity that he and Yamaha (and my wife and I) support. A suitable thank-you was in order.

The question for Bob Starr and his cronies was, what do you give a guy who can easily buy anything he wants, already attracts attention wherever he goes, and is frequently seen on amazing bikes? The “now that’s cool” bar was set pretty high.

Their answer was to pull an ex-Eric Bostrom superbike out of the warehouse. Jay’s not a track guy. “I think it’s sad when you see some old guy, his leathers too tight, who thinks that because he’s good at one thing, that made him rich, he must be good at racing,” he once told me, adding, “Racers are athletes. I once read that Stirling Moss could read a newspaper at twenty feet. I tried it and at twenty feet I couldn’t even see the paper.” So he wouldn’t want, or use, a track-day bike. That meant sending it to Chuck Graves with instructions to do the bare minimum that would leave the machine capable of being ridden on the street.

Graves replaced E-Boz’s Magneti Marelli ECU with one that would allow the bike to run reliably at lower rpm, swapped the dash for one with a speedo, and made sure the charging system would keep the battery topped up for longer than a twent-five-lap race. The rest of the bike was left intact. Graves told me, “Since this bike was built before we were homologating parts [as per the current DMG-era rules], if you wanted to reproduce it you’d have to build a lot of the parts.” I guess Leno’s done enough favors for the local constabulary that he can get away with riding it sans lights or treaded tires.

Future teammates? Spies seemed preoccupied—perhaps already slipping into race mode, and feeling the pressure of a home GP (as well as the pain of a recent crash). Lorenzo was quiet but comes across as an okay guy with (my wife was quick to note) a great smile. • Gardiner photo

All in all, the bike’s a pretty cool addition to his garage, and it was a nice touch to spring it on him; he had no idea he was getting it when he agreed to the evening. He also got custom Alpinestars leathers that match the bike, and a way cool helmet, painted by Troy Lee himself, which had elements of the paint jobs used by Lorenzo, Spies and Edwards, as well as Kenny Roberts Sr., Eddie Lawson, and Wayne Rainey—all of whom were there and signed it for him.

After dinner, Jay was, as always, the opposite of Hollywood. He stood around, posing for the same photo, taken over and over and over, but with different people. A couple of times, when he needed a break, he grabbed one person he knew and said, “C’mere, I want to show you something,” and walked way to the back of the garage, where he unlocked a door into two more huge empty rooms—an addition he’s in the process of building. After a few minutes’ respite, he went back out to work the crowd. Instead of “Okay, no more photos,” he was available until absolutely everyone had the pics they wanted. As the last person stood in for a photo and thanked him, he said, “No problem, thank you for coming.”

Finally, we went back to our homes and hotels, and Keith McCarty and his crew cleaned up Jay’s kitchen and loaded the tables and chairs back into Yamaha’s hauler.

Jay went home to work on the next day’s monologue.

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