Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme : FIM Superstock 1000cc FIM Cup

Maverick Viñales becomes new Repsol rider

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:19:00 +0100

2011 Rookie Of The Year in 125cc signs with Spanish energy company for inaugural Moto3campaign

Maverick Viñales and Repsol are joining forces in 2012. The 17-year-old from Roses in Spain has become the latest addition to the select group of riders sponsored by Repsol in the motorcycle World Championship.

With the signing of the breakthrough rider of last season, Repsol have strengthened yet further their dream lineup. Casey Stoner, Dani Pedrosa (MotoGP), Marc Márquez (Moto2), Maverick Viñales, Miguel Oliveira and Álex Rins (Moto3) are the six stars present for the company in all three Grand Prix classes.

The agreement between Avintia Competición and Repsol —which provides Viñales with the energy company support— runs until the end of the year.

Despite his tender years, Viñales has already shown his talent on both a national and international level. He began his career in the Campeonato de España de Velocidad (CEV) Spanish Championship, finishing second in his debut season and missing out on the title by just four points. He went one better in 2010, claiming the 125cc title and also becoming European Champion.

One year later, Viñales shone on the world stage. He placed third overall in the final year of the 125cc World Championship and claimed nine podiums —four of which were race wins. He was the logical choice for his colleagues in voting for the Rookie Of The Year award.

Maverick Viñales will be part of a new category in 2012, as Moto3 takes over as the initial class for young riders. He joins fellow Repsol riders Miguel Oliveira and Álex Rins in a star-studded team. He is currently preparing for the upcoming season and will in fact be testing from today until Friday at the Ricardo Tormo circuit in Valencia.

Repsol have been present at the highest level of competition for over 40 years and are one of the main sponsors in the MotoGP World Championship. The company begins 2012 with aspirations of victory in every class.

Maverick Viñales:
"I am very excited to be riding for a sponsor like Repsol this season, as Repsol have been a force behind a great number of victories in the World Championship. Many great riders have received their support and I am honoured to be joining this elite group.

The big three current Repsol riders —Casey Stoner, Dani Pedrosa and Marc Márquez— have won titles, and this is my aim for 2012. I can only hope to follow the path that other Repsol riders have established in the World Championship and take many wins this year. Now it is time for me to test in Valencia and we will be trying out many of the improvements that have been made over the winter".

Nicky Hayden to undergo surgery

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 20:39:00 +0100

Following the first winter test at Sepang, where his participation was limited due to his left shoulder lacking the strength to ride well, Nicky Hayden traveled directly to Fremont, California, for a thorough examination at Doctor Arthur Ting's clinic. There, tests revealed damage to cartilage in the American's shoulder, as well as to muscles in his back. Tomorrow the Ducati Team rider will undergo an operation in order to have his condition evaluated more thoroughly, and to treat his injuries. "Of course another operation before the season is never a good thing, Hayden said, "but I'm actually happy that I tried to ride at Malaysia, because it helped me to discover that the problem with the shoulder was bigger than we thought. After seeing the scans, it was clear why I couldn't ride well. Setbacks are a part of life and a part of MotoGP, so we'll deal with it and do everything possible to get back on the bike in good condition as soon as possible. Ducati and the team are putting maximum effort into this championship, and that helps me to keep my spirits high and to be confident heading into the season."

Marc Márquez postpones 2012 debut

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:45:00 +0100

Repsol rider recovering well from recent surgery on right eye but will not take part in next week's test in Valencia

Runner-up in last year's Moto2 World Championship, Marc Márquez has postponed his first ride 0f 2012 until a later date. He had originally been scheduled to take part in the 8th-10th February test at the Ricardo Tormo circuit, but has elected to sit out the visit to Valencia in order to continue his recovery from eye surgery.

The Repsol rider's condition continues to improve after the operation at the Instituto Oftalmológico eye surgery department of Barcelona's Hospital Clínic this past January, carried out in order to correct the double vision problem from which he had been suffering since his crash in practice for the October 2011 Malaysian Grand Prix.

Márquez is expected to be back on track in the near future, but has erred on the side of caution in skipping the Valencia test.

Malaysia Test concludes with Stoner reigning supreme

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:06:00 +0100

The third and final day of the Official MotoGP™ Test concluded on Thursday at Sepang, with Casey Stoner breaking under the 2 minute mark on just his second lap out to dominate the field by over half a second. The first on-track MotoGP action of the year concluded on Thursday at the Sepang International Circuit, with the new 1000cc machines noticeably quicker than the 800s of last year as the top four paced under the circuit's best lap set by Valentino Rossi in 2009. Casey Stoner was half a second clear of the rest of the field on his Repsol Honda RC213V, with Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa his closest challengers the first part of the day, though an afternoon rain storm halted any attempts to catch up with the World Champion and all lap times from the morning remained unchanged. Stoner was the pace man laying down a time of 1'59.607 on just his second lap of the day, over a second quicker than his best lap from yesterday. He and team-mate Dani Pedrosa focused on testing suspension settings and a new clutch, with the Spaniard setting the 3rd fastest lap of the day with 2'00.256, an improvement of 1.252 from Wednesday. Factory Yamaha riders Lorenzo and Ben Spies successfully found base set ups for their YZR-M1s, focusing on chassis balance and electronics to manage the increased horsepower of the 1000cc bikes. Lorenzo's best effort was 0.591s behind the top time of Stoner, with Spies landing fourth and 0.888s from first before ending the day early following a minor crash on one of the Yamaha test bikes. The Test concluded on a high note for the Ducati Team with Valentino Rossi moving up two spots in the ranks to fifth fastest, bettering his time by over a second from yesterday and happy with the changes to the front end of the GP12 thus far, as confirmed by Ducati Corse General Manager Fillipo Preziosi, who stated: "This test was mainly focused on understanding if this bike is better in the front and I can say that it is." Nicky Hayden was only able to complete a couple of laps in the afternoon due to weakness in his injured shoulder hindering his ability to hold onto the 1000cc bike with any corner exit headshake. The American confirmed that he will ride at the Jerez Test along with the CRT prototypes before the second Official Test at Sepang later this month. The Pramac Racing Team wrapped up a successful Test with rider Héctor Barberá, who bettered his time from yesterday by eight tenths, breaking into the 2 minute mark with a best lap of 2'00.929 as he worked on testing new Bridgestone tire compounds. The Spaniard was two tenths ahead of British Cal Crutchlow (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) who had a minor crash just after 11am that set his thus far rapid progress back slightly. Italian Andrea Dovizioso wrapped up his second successful test aboard the 2012 Yamaha M1 ranking jut behind team-mate Crutchlow with a best lap of 2'01.257. Álvaro Bautista was satisfied with the three day test, and today quickened his pace on the Honda of the Gresini Team by sixth tenths, while newcomer Stefan Bradl put in another solid day's work on the LCR Team Honda and the Moto2 Champion concluded his third day of testing with the 11th fastest time (2'01.894) while trying out tires as well as making one more back to back chassis comparison in the morning. Karel Abraham (Cardion AB Motoracing) put in the 12th quickest time while testing tires on his GP12, while NGM Mobile Forward Racing's Colin Edwards worked on diagnosing chatter issues.The Texan's time of 2'04.722 put him 15th, while Avintia Racing's Iván Silva and replacement rider Jordi Torres completed the times after recovering from their engine problems of the day before.

Bridgestone wraps up a successful first round of testing

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:26:00 +0100

The first round of MotoGP testing for the 2012 season has been completed following the end of the first Sepang test with Bridgestone undertaking extensive assessment of its 2012 specification tyres.

Repsol Honda's Casey Stoner was the fastest rider in Sepang, with his time of 1:59.606 – a second faster than the best time from the corresponding test in 2011 – proving that the combination of the new 1000cc machines and 2012 specification Bridgestone tyres is working well. Yamaha's Jorge Lorenzo was overall second fastest ahead of Stoner's stablemate Dani Pedrosa, the pair setting times of 2:00.198 and 2:00.256 respectively.

Bridgestone's focus in Sepang was evaluation of both the 2012 spec tyres and the specially developed experimental front tyre, with the data acquired to be incorporated into Bridgestone's ongoing MotoGP tyre development programme.

With track temperatures regularly soaring above 50°C, Sepang presented an opportunity to test the tyres for the upcoming MotoGP season in a vastly different environment from last November's official group test in Valencia. Despite the different conditions, riders were happy with the feeling and warm-up characteristics the 2012 specification tyres delivered.

With the main technical aims for this year being improved warm-up performance and enhanced rider feel, the feedback on the tyres Bridgestone supplied to the private CRT test at Valencia (30-31 January) was also positive. The wider operating temperature range engineered into these tyres ensured optimum grip levels were achieved in quicker time, even though track temperatures in Spain did not exceed 17°C.

Bridgestone's consultation with Loris Capirossi also continued at Sepang, with a working plan for 2012 put in place to ensure an ongoing focus on rider safety. The regular liaison with Dorna's new Safety Advisor was valuable in developing a clearer picture of the overall rider opinion of the current crop of tyres.

Bridgestone now looks ahead to the next round of MotoGP tests and will supply tyres and technical engineers for both the private CRT test at Jerez on February 20-22 and the second Sepang test, from February 28-March 1.

Tohru Ubukata - General Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development Department
"Our objective for the Sepang test was to evaluate how the 2012 specification tyres performed in the hottest temperatures possible, and in this respect we are very pleased with the feedback we received from riders in Malaysia.

"Our meetings with Dorna Safety Advisor Loris Capirossi were very productive and his experience with Bridgestone tyres and relationship with the riders are valuable in understanding the relationship between rider, bike and tyre. The presence of a Safety Advisor in MotoGP is a welcome addition and we will continue our collaboration with Loris throughout the year.

"The technical data and rider feedback we gathered during testing is of great importance to our MotoGP tyre development programme and I want to thank all the teams and riders for giving their valuable time in helping us achieve our objectives."

Loris Capirossi – Safety Advisor to Dorna
"I am very happy to resume my collaboration with Bridgestone and look forward to working together throughout the season. Personally, I feel this was a very positive test and another step in the right direction after our last meeting in Valencia.

"In my discussions with riders, the general feeling is that the 2012 specification tyres are very good and they are happy with the feeling they offer. Also, the experimental front tyre helped give the riders an understanding of Bridgestone's development direction."

First Sepang MotoGP test – combined times here!

Recovered Stoner tops second day of testing at Sepang

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 18:28:00 +0100

The Official MotoGP™ Test in Malaysia saw the reigning World Champion heading the times by the end of the day, with Yamaha Factory Racing's Ben Spies and Jorge Lorenzo his closest rivals.

After missing a day of testing on Tuesday due to a strained muscle, Casey Stoner gradually worked his way into the top of the timesheet on day two of the Official MotoGP Test at Sepang. The Australian's 19th lap aboard his 1000cc RC213V stood firm as the fastest of the day at 2'00.895, with Spies following 0.157 seconds behind and Lorenzo a further 0.016s off the Repsol Honda rider.

With the geometry and chassis set up adjusted to their ridings styles the previous day, the Yamaha Factory pair spent the morning smoothing out the YZR-M1's electronics and power delivery which had Spies topping the timesheet at the midday point.

Dani Pedrosa put forward his best time of 2'01.508 on his second to the last of 35 laps to rank him fourth for the day. The Spaniard used the day to work on braking and to improve the stability of the new 1000cc Repsol Honda in corner entry as well as to test solutions to reduce some chatter.

Cal Crutchlow again completed the top five, doing well to reacquaint himself with riding a motorcycle having spent the off-season largely away from two wheels. The British rider's best time of 2'01.565 at the controls of his Monster Yamaha Tech 3 machine was just over two tenths quicker than Pramac Racing's Héctor Barberá, who worked on solving a chatter issue and testing new parts for his GP12 Ducati.

Italian Valentino Rossi was the final rider within one second of Stoner, as he and the Ducati Team spent the majority of the day testing new parts for the GP12. Still recovering team-mate Nicky Hayden reported the new Desmosedici is producing a better feeling in the front, although lack of strength from his recently injured shoulder gave him some trouble and the American passed the reins of his Ducati to test rider Franco Battaini for part of the day.

Another rider recovering from injury, Italian Andrea Dovizioso (Monster Yamaha Tech 3), produced a time while getting to know his Yamaha that ranked him 9th for the day, two tenths behind Alvaro Bautista aboard the San Carlo Honda Gresini bike. MotoGP rookie Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda) followed in 11th with Karel Abraham taking the 12th spot as the Czech rider tested a new chassis on his Cardion AB Motoracing Ducati.

American Colin Edwards improved his time on the Suter-BMW by over a second from his time set in the morning, as he and the NGM Mobile Forward Racing team worked on setting up a different electronics package from yesterday.

Avintia Racing was not able to complete the day of testing due to issues with the engines in their BQR-FTR machine. Spanish rider Iván Silva completed just 16 laps with test riders Robertino Pietri and Jordi Torres making a handful of rounds each.

1000cc action on track at Sepang sees Lorenzo on top

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 08:19:00 +0100

The first Official MotoGP™ Test of 2012 kicked off in Malaysia yesterday with Jorge Lorenzo leading the timesheet at the end of day one, while World Champion Casey Stoner sat out the first day of testing after injuring his back while warming up for his first ride.

After two months off the track, the MotoGP paddock was back in action as the first official Test of 2012 began at the Sepang International Circuit. In attendance were the factory teams getting underway with development work on the new 1000cc bikes in addition several new teams contesting MotoGP CRT machines.

A damp track in the morning had the riders waiting to make first contact with the asphalt, until the late morning when all but Casey Stoner made the first laps aboard their 2012 machines. Leading the pace for the first half of the day was Factory Yamaha's Jorge Lorenzo, who then completed the day on top with a fastest lap of 2'01.657 aboard his new YZR-M1, 0.346s faster than closest rival Dani Pedrosa.

Lorenzo's team-mate Ben Spies completed the day with the fourth fastest time of 2'02.234, and tomorrow the Yamaha pair will continue development work on a new electronics package in addition to testing new parts.

While current World Champion Casey Stoner sat the day out after injuring a muscle in his back warming up in preparation to ride, team-mate Pedrosa tested the new Bridgestone tyres as well as working to set up the chassis of his RC213V, which has been developed to his specifications. The number 1 plated machine did make it to the track for four laps at the hands of Honda test rider Kousuke Akiyoshi, and Stoner did remark upon inspecting his new ride that changes made to the bike since the test in November were impressive.

With the aim of only getting familiar with the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 motorcycle, Cal Crutchlow completed the day third fastest in the field with a time of 2'02.221, just over a tenth of a second quicker than Valentino Rossi at the controls of the new Ducati GP12.

Rossi completed 43 long anticipated laps aboard the completely redesigned Desmosedici, to post a best time of 2'02.392. Today was the first public appearance of the new machine, upon which team-mate Nicky Hayden gathered his first impressions while lapping into 10th fastest spot of the day with a time of 2'03.151.

Andrea Dovizioso made his focus of the day on riding with his newly plated collarbone and working on engine management, and the Italian faired well, placing his Monster Yamaha Tech 3 machine sixth for the day, three tenths behind compatriot Rossi.

Héctor Barberá followed in the times putting in a lap of 2'02.773 on board his Ducati GP12 of the Pramac Racing team, while Alvaro Bautista completed his very first day of testing the San Carlo Honda Gresini Team bike to rank just fourth hundredths behind Barberá.

MotoGP rookie Stefan Bradl on the LCR Honda finished a day of familiarizing himself with a MotoGP bike at 11th fastest, a half second behind Hayden. The Moto2 World Champion was a tenth of a second ahead of Karel Abraham, whose focus on the Cardion AB Motoracing Ducati was on set up and tyre testing.

CRT development progress continued, with NGM Mobile Forward Racing's Colin Edwards putting in 12 laps on the BMW-Suter, with much of his time going into electronics development. The Texan paced ahead of Avintia Racing rider Iván Silva, who also made 12 laps, while test rider Jordi Torres completed 42 laps at the controls of the BQR-FTR machine.

The Ducati Team starts work on the GP12 at Sepang

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 16:02:00 +0100

The 2012 MotoGP test season started with today's first day of a three-day test at Malaysia's Sepang International Circuit. The Ducati Team took to the track with its Desmosedici GP12, and after official test rider Franco Battaini carried out the shakedown, Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden started the important work of finding a base setup.

Ducati Corse Technical Director Filippo Preziosi followed the team's work from the garage. Last night's rainfall resulted in a damp track surface this morning, delaying the team's start until around midday. Valentino Rossi and his team progressed step by step, improving the lap time in each outing before finishing with the fifth-fastest time, .735 seconds behind that of Jorge Lorenzo. Nicky Hayden also began working on the GP12's setup, although his physical condition was still affected by the injury to his left scapula. The American finished the day tenth, having completed 25 laps.

Valentino Rossi 5th, 2:02.392 (30 laps)
"I'm happy because first impressions are important, and already in the first few laps, I could tell that I like the bike. Ducati did a good job in a just a short time. The bike is beautiful, but more importantly, it's nice to ride. The riding position has improved a lot, and it's better on braking and corner entry. I can brake like I want to and take the lines that I like, and I feel comfortable in general. I was able to ride well and not make mistakes, and there's a reason for that. It means that the bike can be ridden. It's more agile in change of direction, and it wheelies much less. We're 7 tenths back today, and of course there's still a lot of work to do before we can win. We have to improve in some areas: acceleration, electronics, power delivery and setup. I'd say we'll be able to make a more accurate assessment at the end of the test, because let's remember, the bike is just 40 days old. To leave here a second back from the top would be okay because anyway, we know that there's still much more to be done. But one of the best things from today is that the bike reacts well to changes. That enabled us to drop one or two tenths every outing, which means further progress should be possible."

Nicky Hayden 10th, 2:03.151 (25 laps)
"It's great to be back at the track with the team, riding a motorcycle. We lost a little time this morning, but I hadn't planned to ride the whole day anyway. Obviously, I wish my physical condition were better. On one hand I'm happy just to be here and not miss another test after missing the one in Valencia, but I wasn't able to do a lot of laps, and definitely no long stints. We know how important shoulders are on these bikes, and I didn't have the strength I would like. The bone itself was okay, but I had a lot of pain in the joint, although there was no problem with the ribs and very few problems with the wrist. Anyway, it was great to try the new bike and get some information. We made a step forward with the feeling at the front while braking and turning, but I need to find more edge grip and rear grip on entry, and a better balance with the electronics. We'll do some treatment to my shoulder tonight and see how I feel in the morning."

Positive Start to 2012 for Yamaha Factory Racing

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 13:10:00 +0100

MotoGP 2012 finally got underway today with the first of three days of testing at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia. Yamaha Factory riders Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies took their first ride on the 1000cc YZR-M1 since last year. Both riders blew the cobwebs off quickly and settled down to an impressive pace, Lorenzo proving to be the fastest man on track with his team mate always close behind him.

The focus for the first day was to get back into the swing of riding and also to establish a good base set up. Tomorrow and the day after Lorenzo and Spies will compare various new settings to provide valuable data for the second Sepang test in one month's time.

Jorge Lorenzo
Position : 1st       Time: 2'01.657       Laps: 30
"I'm very happy with today. For the first ride on the bike in some time, it's been very positive. Yamaha has worked very hard over the winter for this M1. I can see very easily where I have to adapt my riding style for the bike and I can see a lot of potential. We have many areas where we can improve so I'm looking forward to beginning again tomorrow. I'm also very happy that my finger is fine and doesn't affect my riding at all!"

Ben Spies
Position : 4th       Time: 2'02.234       Laps: 28
"I'm happy, it was fun to get back on the bike today, I haven't ridden any type of motorcycle since Valencia. It didn't take too long to knock the rust off, we tried a few things in set up and every step we did made small improvements. We have a lot to do in the next couple of days and a lot more in the second test. It's been a confidence inspiring start, Yamaha have put in a lot of effort for this season so we'll work day by day to be even better."

Repsol Honda Team Presentation 2012

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 14:08:00 +0100

The Repsol Honda Team, 2011 Triple Crown Champions, hosted the media at a Team Presentation in the Pan Pacific Hotel in Kuala Lumpur tonight with a press conference and welcome party

After the winter break, team riders Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa returned to the media spotlight refreshed and eager to start the new season. Alongside them were HRC team bosses, Shuhei Nakamoto (HRC Executive Vice President), Hideki Iwano (Director, Assistant to Team Principal), Shinichi Kokubu (Technical Director) and Livio Suppo (Communications and Marketing Director). This was also the first opportunity for the media to see the new RC213V bike complete with 2011 World Champion, Casey Stoner's number '1' emblazoned on the front.

The team arrived in Malaysia on Saturday and returned to the Sepang track on Sunday for the first time since Marco Simoncelli's tragic accident in the race on 23rd October. As a mark of respect, the whole team visited the corner where Marco lost his life, laid a wreath of flowers and held a minutes silence.

This season the MotoGP world returns to 1000cc bikes and HRC head into the 2012 season determined to retain the World Championship.

Dani Pedrosa:
"It's nice to be back with the team for the first Sepang test. I'm really excited to get on the bike again after the test we did in Valencia in November.

Sepang is a good track for testing and we have still many things to discover out about the new bike. It's been a long time since we were last riding and at the first test it's always important to get the feeling back, the first sensations.

We will have three long days here to work with the team and HRC and it's necessary to be very focused in order to get good information to move forward for the second test. I guess the main target in this test will be to know the bike and the new Bridgestone tyres".

Casey Stoner:
"The off season has been really good, we got to go back home and spend some time with family and friends in Australia over Christmas which was great. Then we came back to Switzerland to get everything in order for the baby's arrival, Adriana's due in just a few weeks and so we've been preparing, as best possible!

After such a strong season in 2011, we remain focused and don't expect to be in top form immediately. I am sure Honda have done a fantastic job with the new 1000cc machine over the winter break and I'm really looking forward to getting back on the bike and seeing what we can do, hoping to start strong again.

We know there will be a lot of serious competition out there, Ducati have been putting a lot of effort in as have Yamaha so it will be interesting to get out on track and see what everyone's got. However, it's early days and I think we'll have to wait until the race in Qatar before we really know our competitors true pace and the package they have for 2012, but we're ready for it".

Mugello circuit awarded IRTA Best Grand Prix of 2011

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 13:30:00 +0100

The Gran Premio d'Italia TIM has been announced as the winner of the 2011 IRTA "Best Grand Prix" award, thus securing its fifth title from the Teams' Association since hosting a Grand Prix for the first time in 1976.

Almost 85,000 MotoGP™ fans were gathered at the Mugello Circuit on the 3rd of July last year to witness the Gran Premio d'Italia TIM, which saw then reigning World Champion, Jorge Lorenzo, take his second victory of the season after battling with his eventual sucessor as title holder, Casey Stoner.

Once again, the Italian venue provided a thrilling spectacle in all three World Championship classes and, despite the weekend being marred by intermittent rain, riders were able to fully enjoy the improved grip levels thanks to the recently laid new tarmac. Off-track, teams and staff were able to work in excellent conditions in a paddock upgraded to MotoGP standards over the past few years.

Proud of the recognition given to the Mugello Circuit, the track CEO Paolo Poli declared: "I consider this award a recognition to Italian excellence in the world. This is proof that Italy is able to answer – with the strength of tradition and the quality of innovation – to the big global challenges defining this difficult historical period. The Italian Grand Prix will remain the most important event of our sporting calendar in years to come. In addition we will continue our positive relationship with Dorna and IRTA, whose professionalism has allowed motorcycle racing to be more successful and popular than ever."

IRTA President Herve Poncharal noted: "The best Grand Prix is voted by the teams, and the teams talk to the riders, mechanics and press officers. So it's not only the track, it's everything, how everybody feels about the Grand Prix and how everybody feels at home there. So I'm personally very happy that they've won it for the fifth time. I'm delighted to think we're going to go back there quite soon and this is well-deserved."

Last year, Dorna Sports S.L and the Mugello circuit reached an agreement on a new five-year deal, meaning the Italian Grand Prix will continue to be held at the Tuscan circuit until at least 2016. In 2012, the Tuscan circuit will host the 9th round of the MotoGP World Championship on the 15th of July.

Superbike and Supersport: provisional Entry lists

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 09:32:00 +0100

The FIM is pleased to announce the 2012 provisional 2012 Entry lists of the FIM Superbike et Supersport World Championships as follow:

SUPERBIKE

N°	RIDER	NAT.	MOTOCXCLE	TEAM NAME
3	Max Biaggi	ITA	Aprilia RSV4 1000 F	Aprilia Racing Team
58	Eugene Laverty	IRL	Aprilia RSV4 1000 F	Aprilia Racing Team
7	Carlos Checa	ESP	Ducati 1098R	Althea Racing
34	Davide Giugliano	ITA	Ducati 1098R	Althea Racing
50	Sylvain Guintoli	FRA	Ducati 1098R	Team Effenbert Liberty Racing
96	Jakub Smrz	CZE	Ducati 1098R	Team Effenbert Liberty Racing
33	Marco Melandri	ITA	BMW S1000 RR	BMW Motorrad Motorsport
91	Leon Haslam	GBR	BMW S1000 RR	BMW Motorrad Motorsport
4	Hiroshi Aoyama	JPM	Honda CBR1000RR	Honda World Superbike Team
65	Jonathan Rea	GBR	Honda CBR1000RR	Honda World Superbike Team
84	Michel Fabrizio	ITA	BMW S1000 RR	BMW Motorrad Italia GOLDBET SBK Team
86	Ayrton Badovini	ITA	BMW S1000 RR	BMW Motorrad Italia GOLDBET SBK Team
78	Lorenzo Zanetti	ITA	Ducati 1098R	PATA Racing Team
17	Joan Lascorz	ESP	Kawasaki ZX-10R	Kawasaki Racing Team
66	Tom Sykes	GBR	Kawasaki ZX-10R	Kawasaki Racing Team
36	Leandro Mercado	ARG	Kawasaki ZX-10R	Team Pedercini
44	David Salom	ESP	Kawasaki ZX-10R	Team Pedercini
21	John Hopkins	USA	Suzuki GSX-R1000	Crescent Suzuki
	Leon Camier	GBR	Suzuki GSX-R1000	Crescent Suzuki
	Mark Aitchison	AUS	BMW S1000 RR	Grillini Progea Superbike Team
121	Maxime Berger	FRA	Ducati 1098R	Liberty Racing - Team Effenbert
19	Chaz Davies	GBR	Aprilia RSV4 1000 F	ParkinGO Aprilia Racing Team
35	Raffaele De Rosa	ITA	Honda CBR1000RR	Pro Ride Motorsports
59	Niccoló Canepa	ITA	Ducati 1098R	Team Ducati Roma

SUPERSPORT

N°	RIDER	NAT.	MOTOCYCLE	TEAM NAME
23	Broc Parkes	AUS	Honda CBR600RR	Ten Kate Honda
9	Patrick Jacobsen	USA	Honda CBR600RR	PTR Honda
34	Ronan Quarmby	RSA	Honda CBR600RR	PTR Honda
32	Sheridan Morais	RSA	Kawasaki ZX-6R	Kawasaki Deltafin Lorenzini
54	Kenan Sofuoglu	TUR	Kawasaki ZX-6R	Kawasaki Deltafin Lorenzini
11	Sam Lowes	GBR	Honda CBR600RR	Bogdanka PTR Honda
20	Mathew Scholtz	RSA	Honda CBR600RR	Bogdanka PTR Honda
55	Massimo Roccoli	ITA	Yamaha YZF R6	Bike Service by WTR TEN 10
98	Romain Lanusse	FRA	Kawasaki ZX-6R	Kawasaki Intermoto Step
99	Fabien Foret	FRA	Kawasaki ZX-6R	kawasaki Intermoto Step
10	Imre Toth	HUN	Honda CBR600RR	Racing Team Toth
38	Balazs Nemeth	HUN	Honda CBR600RR	Racing Toth
31	Vittorio Iannuzzo	ITA	Triumph Daytona 675	Suriano Racing Team
69	Ondrej Jezek	CZE	Honda CBR600RR	SMS Racing
27	Thomas Caiani	SUI	Honda CBR600RR	KUJA Racing
24	Eduard Blokhin	RUS	Yamaha YZF R6	RivaMoto
73	Oleg Pozdneev	RUS	Yamaha YZF R6	RivaMoto
19	Pawel Szkopek	POL	Honda CBR600RR	Bogdanka Racing
95	Robert Muresan	ROU	Honda CBR600RR	East European Racing
119	Janos Chrobak	HUN	Honda CBR600RR	East European Racing
52	Lukas Pesek	CZE	Honda CBR600RR	PRORACE
40	Martin Jessopp	GBR	Honda CBR600RR	Riders PTR Honda
71	Thomas Berghammer	AUT	Honda CBR600RR	Team Berghammer
64	Joshua Day	USA	Kawasaki ZX-6R	Team GOELEVEN
8	Andrea Antonelli	ITA	Honda CBR600RR	Team Lorini
22	Roberto Tamburini	ITA	Honda CBR600RR	Team Lorini
33	Yves Polzer	AUT	Yamaha YZF R6	Team MRC Austria
13	Dino Lombardi	ITA	Yamaha YZF R6	Team PATA by Martini
3	Jed metcher	AUS	Yamaha YZF R6	Team RivaMoto
28	Giacomo Micheli	ITA	Yamaha YZF R6	VFT Racing
61	Fabio Menghi	ITA	Yamaha YZF R6	VFT Racing
65	Vladimir Leonov	RUS	Yamaha YZF R6	Yakhnich Motorsport

Márquez undergoes successful surgery

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 14:56:00 +0100

Repsol rider has been discharged from hospital following operation and will continue his recovery at home

Marc Márquez underwent successful surgery today to treat the vision problem present in his right eye. The 2011 Rookie of the Year in the Moto2 class was operated on first thing Monday morning at the Outpatients Eye Surgery Unit of Barcelona's Hospital Clinico, in a procedure performed by Doctor Bernardo Sánchez Dalmau.

The surgeon treated the rider for paralysis of the upper right oblique muscle, caused by trauma to the fourth right cranial nerve in Márquez's crash last October 21st in free practice for the Malaysian Grand Prix. "The patient underwent the operation under local anaesthetic and sedation and the procedure went satisfactorily," said Doctor Sánchez, who discharged the rider so as to allow him "to continue his recovery at home."

The former 125cc World Champion has been gradually regaining normal vision over the past three months, but it had not reached the necessary level required by a professional rider. After consulting various specialists and receiving the opinion that he would have to undergo an operation once his vision had stabilised, Márquez decided to schedule this small procedure.

Márquez will now rest up and begin his road to a full recovery. The opening Moto2 test of the year is set to take place on February 8th-10th at the Ricardo Tormo circuit in Valencia and he has not ruled out his participation. A decision will be taken at the end of the current month and will depend on the Repsol rider's condition -as analysed by specialists.

Yamaha Factory riders in Indonesia

Sun, 15 Jan 2012 18:12:00 +0100

Yamaha Factory Racing riders Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies kicked off their one day visit to Jakarta this morning with a special visit to meet potential racing stars of the future. They shared some of their valuable knowledge with up and coming racers in the Indonesian Yamaha R Series Cup as part of a unique Yamaha Coaching Clinic. The MotoGP stars gave tips on rider positioning, cornering and overtaking to the delighted local riders. Following the morning coaching session Lorenzo went on to help Yamaha Motor Indonesia launch the new Yamaha Byson motorcycle to an audience of over 3000 Indonesian Yamaha Dealers at a special event just outside Jakarta. The 150cc Byson street bike is Yamaha's star new machine for 2012 in Indonesia. Spies was due to co-host alongside his team mate however a bout of food poisoning unfortunately meant he was unable to participate. "It's been a pleasure to meet the new Indonesian racers of the future," said Lorenzo. "I think with good teachers they can be professional riders in world championships. It was important as well for us to see all the dealers here in Indonesia this afternoon who sell all the Yamaha bikes; I hope we helped to motivate them to achieve success in 2012." "It's been extremely cool to come here and meet the Indonesian people" commented Spies. "They've been so warm and welcoming to me. I'm really sorry to have not been able to meet all the dealers this afternoon, just my luck to get struck down with a bug today. I'm off to Bali now to recover and take a few days rest but I'm already looking forward to another opportunity to come back here again and see everyone."

Pedrosa calls in on the FIM

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 18:05:00 +0100

MotoGP rider Dani Pedrosa met Stéphane Desprez, the new CEO of the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme, when he dropped in at the Federation's headquarters, for a meeting with Ignacio Verneda (FIM Sports Director).

Dani will be cheering on the world's top Trial riders when they compete at the Geneva Arena next Saturday, and especially his friends and fellow Spaniards Toni Bou, Adam Raga, Albert Cabestany, Jeroni Fajardo and Alfredo Gomez.

On 21 January for the second year running, the FIM is organising the Swiss round of the FIM X-Trial World Championship just a few kilometres from its headquarters.

Provisional MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3 2012 Entry list

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 14:02:00 +0100

MotoGP Class

N°	Rider	Nationality	Team	Machine
1	CASEY STONER	AUSTRALIAN	HONDA TEAM	HONDA
4	ANDREA DOVIZIOSO	ITALIAN	YAMAHA TECH 3	YAMAHA
5	COLIN EDWARDS	USA	FORWARD RACING	SUTER	*
6	STEFAN BRADL	GERMAN	LCR HONDA MotoGP	HONDA
8	HECTOR BARBERA	SPANISH	PRAMAC RACING TEAM	DUCATI
9	DANILO PETRUCCI	ITALIAN	IODA RACING PROJECT	IODA	*
11	BEN SPIES	USA	YAMAHA FACTORY RACING	YAMAHA
13	ANTHONY WEST	AUSTRALIAN	SPEED MASTER	ART	*
14	RANDY DE PUNIET	FRENCH	ASPAR TEAM MotoGP	ART	*
17	KAREL ABRAHAM	CZECH	CARDION AB MOTORACING	DUCATI
19	ALVARO BAUTISTA	SPANISH	HONDA GRESINI	HONDA
20	ALEIX ESPARGARO	SPANISH	ASPAR TEAM MotoGP	ART	*
22	IVAN SILVA	SPANISH	BQR	BQR-FTR	*
26	DANI PEDROSA	SPANISH	HONDA TEAM	HONDA
35	CAL CRUTCHLOW	BRITISH	YAMAHA TECH 3	YAMAHA
46	VALENTINO ROSSI	ITALIAN	DUCATI TEAM	DUCATI
51	MICHELE PIRRO	ITALIAN	HONDA GRESINI	FTR	*
68	YONNY HERNANDEZ	COLOMBIAN	BQR	BQR-FTR	*
69	NICHY HAYDEN	USA	DUCATI TEAM	DUCATI
77	JAMES ELLISON	BRITISH	PAUL BIRD RACING	ART	*
99	JORGE LORENZO	SPANISH	YAMAHA FACTORY RACING	YAMAHA
*= CRT Entry

MOTO2 and MOTO3 Classes, click HERE

Marco Melandri gives it full throttle off-road

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 11:39:00 +0100

During the winter break from the Superbike World Championship, Marco Melandri is keeping his concentration in shape on the Husqvarna TC 250.

BMW Motorrad factory rider Marco Melandri (ITA) still feels the need for speed on two wheels, even during the winter break from the FIM Superbike World Championship. His preparation programme for the 2012 season includes off-road training sessions on a Husqvarna TC 250. In order to be fit for his World Championship outings on the BMW S 1000 RR, Melandri can regularly be found on the Husqvarna 250cc Motocross bike.

"I ride a lot, almost every week," says Melandri. "I like riding with friends, mainly just to have fun. We find nice routes, enjoy the views and stop somewhere for lunch. I really enjoy riding the bike. I love it. It is perfect for me – it is easy to ride. I also like the fact that it does not have a kick-starter, but an electric start, as I am quite small."

Off-road tours on the Husqvarna TC 250 are more than just a pleasant leisure activity for Melandri: they also play an important role in his preparations for the Superbike World Championship. "It is the best way to train my concentration," Melandri explains. "In the gym you can chat with other people or think about other things. On a bike, however, you have to remain focussed. While the test ban is in place during the winter, riding an off-road bike is the best opportunity to practice this."

Away from off-road riding, Melandri has resumed his intensive fitness regime following a short Christmas break. "Let the season begin, I am ready," says the Italian. The first races of 2012 will be held in Phillip Island, Australia, on 26th February. Team BMW Motorrad Motorsport will also be testing at the same venue in the week running up to the season's curtain-raiser.

Husqvarna Motorcycles is a 100 per cent owned subsidiary of the BMW Group and oversees the off-road motorcycle sector within the group. In 2011, Husqvarna launched a product offensive in the on-road sector. Having won 82 World Championship titles, Husqvarna is already one of the most successful off-road motorcycle constructors in the world.

Jorge Lorenzo on Track in New Delhi

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 17:51:00 +0100

Yamaha Factory Racing rider Jorge Lorenzo kicked off 2012 yesterday with a visit to New Delhi. The MotoGP star was in India for a personal appearance at the Auto Expo to meet both racing fans and the national Indian media. Lorenzo also took time in the afternoon to visit the impressive Budh International circuit, a potential newcomer to the MotoGP calendar in the not too distant future. After a lap of the circuit aboard a Yamaha R15 in full Yamaha Factory Racing leathers Lorenzo met with a selected few new R15 owners before holding a short press conference at the track.

The Yamaha rider will now fly on to Indonesia to be joined by team mate Ben Spies for two days of PR activities in Jakarta on the 14th and 15th January. The trip will be hosted by Yamaha Motor Kenkana Indonesia, a main sponsor of the Yamaha's Factory Racing MotoGP Team (Semakin di Depan).

"It's been great to visit the Budh circuit," said Lorenzo, "the track is very modern and wide. I think it is quite prepared and ready to be on the calendar. I believe it will be exciting to ride with many overtaking opportunities. The Indian people I have met have been very kind and gentle, I would like to see more of India in the future with more time; we didn't get to see so much in just two days here. Now I'm very excited to go to Jakarta to see all my Indonesian fans there."

Rossi and Hayden in the spotlight at Wrooom 2012

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 16:49:00 +0100

Following an intense media welcome on Monday, the Ducati duo participated in a press conference and interviews on the second day of the week-long Ducati event at Madonna di Campiglio.

Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden were greeted with snow, fans and a frenetic media welcome upon their arrival Monday evening for the twenty-second edition of the Wrooom Press Ski Meeting. The two attended a meet and greet session alongside Scuderia Ferrari drivers Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa as they posed for photographs in front of the waiting press.

Tuesday morning the pair participated in a press conference and interviews where they reflected on 2011, shared their thoughts about the return to 1000cc capacity bikes and spoke about their expectations and goals for the upcoming 2012 season.

For the injured Nicky Hayden, his first goal is to be ready for the first test in Malaysia, after which he claims the 2012 season "will be a big year for me. We have new rules and new bikes and I believe in this team. I think we can have a good season and I am looking forward to it".

Rossi was somewhat more subtle with his enthusiasm, claiming "the bike will be very different from the GP11, so it will be impossible to be competitive from first test. We will work on getting information to be ready for the first race". The Italian remains committed to Ducati however, stating that he would like to remain with the team for at least two more years adding "I would like help Ducati achieve something".

Dovizioso fractures right collarbone

Sat, 07 Jan 2012 18:15:00 +0100

Andrea Dovizioso fractured his right collarbone on Thursday in a training accident, when he fell whilst riding a motocross bike. The Italian rider, who will ride a Yamaha M1 in 2012 with Hervé Poncharal's Tech 3 team, received immediate medical attention and will undergo surgery at Bologna Hospital on Saturday. Manager of the French team Poncharal explained that until Dovizioso's operation had taken place it would be difficult to give any indication with regards to the amount of time the rider will need to recover. Speaking to motogp.com, Poncharal said he was not overly concerned "because there are three weeks before the Sepang Test, which is only the first Test of the year. Also, both Colin (Edwards) and Cal (Crutchlow) recovered very quickly from similar injuries last season." Dovizioso's personal manager, Simone Batistella, revealed how the unfortunate accident happened: "Andrea was training on Thursday and riding a motocross bike. It was a training session like any other, but then Dovi had this crash which he himself described as a minor one. However, the way in which he landed when he fell resulted in a fracture to his right collarbone." "As far as the Sepang Test goes, the first impressions of the medics who examined him are that he should not have any major problems, and they expect and hope for a speedy recovery. Tomorrow (Saturday) he'll have an operation and then we'll know if everything's going to plan or if there are any problems. The only certainty is that he'll have a slight delay to his preparations for Sepang." Dovizioso will be operated on by Dr. Porcellini, the same specialist who treated Valentino Rossi last year when the nine-time World Champion suffered a similar accident in pre-season.