Thursday 16 December 2010
Wednesday 1 December 2010
Lauren Vickers - Model & Grid Girl - Motorcycle Monthly Page 27
http://www.mpldigital.com/mortons-media/motorcycle-monthly/51
Check out page 27 online of Motorcycle Monthy for my feature on Lauren Vickers.
Check out page 27 online of Motorcycle Monthy for my feature on Lauren Vickers.
Speedway World Cup - Bomber; We can beat anyone on the day!
http://www.worldspeedway.com/artman/publish/article_13379.shtml
It was a marvellous night for Team Great Britain at a packed out Norfolk Arena in Kings Lynn on Monday at Round 2 of the Speedway World Cup. It was a titanic tussle between the host nation Team Great GB and a young Australian side that featured many ex Kings Lynn riders.
After Simon Stead was excluded for Tea, GB in heat 23, it looked as though the side may not win the meeting and the final two heats were the decider for victory on the night. Wins from GP star Chris Harris and Scott Nicholls, sent the Brits’ straight through to Saturday’s final in Vojens. Denmark and sent a large crowd home very happy. Leandra Graves spoke to the Coventry star after the awesome display to see how pleased he was with the team’s performance.
“Yes I’m really happy. The team manager was really good tonight and the five of us got together and rode as a team. Danny King was there as the extra man in the pits and he was helping. Pushing us and keeping an eye on things, to help keep the team spirit going.
“There is always pressure! Especially on me and Nicholls in the final two heats to clinch the win. Luckily it paid off at the end. The gate positions we had were good, so that did favour us and that was a little bit of help. That’s what we’re there for, to take the pressure.”
It may not have been the 20,000 fans that Gorzow had for Round 1 of the Speedway World Cup, but for a Monday night event being featured live on television, around 5,000 fans made their way to Kings Lynn to support the British team and certainly got their money’s worth with the perfect result.
“The atmosphere was great. The fans really got behind us and they were our extra man tonight, they really lifted us. Everytime I went out at the start, I could see the flags flying and they were backing us all the way.”
The result may have been to the likening of the majority of the supporters but for the first 15 heats, most of the racing was largely processional. It appeared to liven up only for the remaining 10 heats once there were more lines to ride on the track.
“The track wasn’t the best I’ve ever ridden but it did get better as the night went on. It did get slick towards the end, but we managed to work it to our advantage as we became stronger and we got the job done.”
However, anyone present at the Norfolk Arena may also remember the night for more disturbing reasons. A very unwelcome swarm of greenfly which seemed to encompass the whole stadium. Luckily it didn’t seem to affect ‘Bomber’ too much on the track and with his preparations.
“The swarm of flies didn’t really affect us, luckily we had our goggles!”
The Vastervik star also had a lucky miss when he there was a problem with the starting tapes that nearly interfered with his helmet whilst leading.
“I was quite surprised when I came around after my first lap and I saw the tape dangling in front of me. I just tried to stay out of the way of it!”
Now the Team GB side have four days to wait before the final of the Speedway World Cup competition. Plenty of time to check out their competition?
“The whole team are flying out Wednesday night as that was what was originally booked. We will go there and watch the practice. We will try and pick up some tips on the track and set-up. Then I think we will just relax really and maintain the excellent team spirit.”
After a successful night’s work, the talk after was still about whether there would be any rider changes for the final.
“I think Danny King is coming to the practice with us and then Rob Lyon will make his decision. It’s hard to take somebody out of the team after tonight when everyone rode well. I’m sure whatever decision Rob will make, the team will support it and we will just continue as we are.”
Finally, after beating the confident Aussies, how does the Cornwall born star rate his chances for his side lifting the trophy in Vojens?
“We have been in the race-off the last three years so it’s really nice to miss it this year and go automatically to the final. It’s going to be tough in the race-off but I think Denmark in their own country will be hard to beat and I think probably the Aussies will just squeeze it in the race off. We can beat anyone on the day. A bit of bad luck on their part and good luck on ours and who knows!”
It was a marvellous night for Team Great Britain at a packed out Norfolk Arena in Kings Lynn on Monday at Round 2 of the Speedway World Cup. It was a titanic tussle between the host nation Team Great GB and a young Australian side that featured many ex Kings Lynn riders.
After Simon Stead was excluded for Tea, GB in heat 23, it looked as though the side may not win the meeting and the final two heats were the decider for victory on the night. Wins from GP star Chris Harris and Scott Nicholls, sent the Brits’ straight through to Saturday’s final in Vojens. Denmark and sent a large crowd home very happy. Leandra Graves spoke to the Coventry star after the awesome display to see how pleased he was with the team’s performance.
“Yes I’m really happy. The team manager was really good tonight and the five of us got together and rode as a team. Danny King was there as the extra man in the pits and he was helping. Pushing us and keeping an eye on things, to help keep the team spirit going.
“There is always pressure! Especially on me and Nicholls in the final two heats to clinch the win. Luckily it paid off at the end. The gate positions we had were good, so that did favour us and that was a little bit of help. That’s what we’re there for, to take the pressure.”
It may not have been the 20,000 fans that Gorzow had for Round 1 of the Speedway World Cup, but for a Monday night event being featured live on television, around 5,000 fans made their way to Kings Lynn to support the British team and certainly got their money’s worth with the perfect result.
“The atmosphere was great. The fans really got behind us and they were our extra man tonight, they really lifted us. Everytime I went out at the start, I could see the flags flying and they were backing us all the way.”
The result may have been to the likening of the majority of the supporters but for the first 15 heats, most of the racing was largely processional. It appeared to liven up only for the remaining 10 heats once there were more lines to ride on the track.
“The track wasn’t the best I’ve ever ridden but it did get better as the night went on. It did get slick towards the end, but we managed to work it to our advantage as we became stronger and we got the job done.”
However, anyone present at the Norfolk Arena may also remember the night for more disturbing reasons. A very unwelcome swarm of greenfly which seemed to encompass the whole stadium. Luckily it didn’t seem to affect ‘Bomber’ too much on the track and with his preparations.
“The swarm of flies didn’t really affect us, luckily we had our goggles!”
The Vastervik star also had a lucky miss when he there was a problem with the starting tapes that nearly interfered with his helmet whilst leading.
“I was quite surprised when I came around after my first lap and I saw the tape dangling in front of me. I just tried to stay out of the way of it!”
Now the Team GB side have four days to wait before the final of the Speedway World Cup competition. Plenty of time to check out their competition?
“The whole team are flying out Wednesday night as that was what was originally booked. We will go there and watch the practice. We will try and pick up some tips on the track and set-up. Then I think we will just relax really and maintain the excellent team spirit.”
After a successful night’s work, the talk after was still about whether there would be any rider changes for the final.
“I think Danny King is coming to the practice with us and then Rob Lyon will make his decision. It’s hard to take somebody out of the team after tonight when everyone rode well. I’m sure whatever decision Rob will make, the team will support it and we will just continue as we are.”
Finally, after beating the confident Aussies, how does the Cornwall born star rate his chances for his side lifting the trophy in Vojens?
“We have been in the race-off the last three years so it’s really nice to miss it this year and go automatically to the final. It’s going to be tough in the race-off but I think Denmark in their own country will be hard to beat and I think probably the Aussies will just squeeze it in the race off. We can beat anyone on the day. A bit of bad luck on their part and good luck on ours and who knows!”
Zorro: Speedway is easy when I gate!
http://www.worldspeedway.com/artman/publish/article_13378.shtml
It may not have been the successful night the Swedes were hoping for at Kings Lynn on Monday in Round 2 of the Speedway World Cup bit it did feature 38 year old Magnus Zetterstrom making his World Cup debut in the sport.
After scoring four points on the night (dropping three points when leading in his first race and retiring almost on the line) how was he feeling after seeing his side finishing third on the night behind Great Britain and Australia? Leandra Graves caught up with the GP rider after the event.
“I’m happy that we qualified in the end but I feel a bit in two minds. We didn’t have the best start to the night. After the race was rerun in heat 1, Lindgren was excluded. Then I broke down when the chain snapped whilst in the lead, so we could have asked for a bit better start. I think overall we need to be happy because it could have been much worse. Now we know are in the race off. So if we couldn’t win, the main thing was to qualify for Thursday. We know only one team could qualify at Kings Lynn. To beat England or Australia, we needed a better start than we made today. We were missing one more rider to be scoring big points.”
I didn’t change my bike after my first ride. After my chain had broken, we fixed everything but as everyone knows in sport, a lot of it’s the mental side of things. After you have been leading and made such a good start, its tough to come back but I just need to look forward. If I had picked up the heat win, I would have scored 7 points on the night. That is a small difference to say whether I’m happy or not happy.”
Lakeside star Jonas Davidsson was a late addition to the Swedihs national side after GP star Andreas Jonsson declared himself unfit to race. However, Davidsson proved to be the best Swede on show scoring 14 points! Was the Gdansk star surprided that Davidsson had not originally been called up?
“Everyone knows he should have been put in the team from the beginning. I can only answer how I know the team manager was looking at it. It was to do with his injury. After that, he came back to race a few meetings and he didn’t score points. You can’t live on old history. Then all of a sudden he turned it around to score points. I guess you could say he was lucky but unlucky that AJ got injured so he could come back to this side. He belongs to this team. Comparing league averages, he’s much higher than me, Antonio etc, so I’m sure there were a few people who did question why he hadn’t been selected in the team. The only answer is from looking at the current form. I’m glad to see Jonas was doing so well. He’s one of the top riders in Sweden so he should definitely be here.”
Facing tough opposition in the race-off, Sweden will be hoping the Bydgoszcz star if ok to return to the saddle to help the chances of them progressing through to Saturday’s elusive final.
“It’s too early to say whether AJ will be back for Thursday’s race-off. We will contact him but the doctor has said one week’s break. Fingers crossed he can ride but we don’t want him to ride not 100% fit. Maybe those few days have done him good.” It has since been announced he’s fine to ride in the race-off.
The Swedish team will face Denmark on home soil in Vojens who were World Cup Champions in 2008 – does Zorro believe they can join Poland Great Britain in the final?
“It’s going to be a really tough one. In that sort of meeting it’s going to be different. In this event we had Finland who we could take points from, but in Vojens you need to score in every race, zero points isn’t acceptable. That’s not going to be easy against Russia, Australia and Denmark. We will see, if we can get the team going and be a bit stronger then I’m sure we can make it.”
The previous Poole rider admits Vojens isn’t a track he’s too familiar with.
“Vojens isn’t a track I really know. Last time I rode there, I believe I was still a junior rider. So it was years ago! We get a good chance though to get things right at practice so I think I will be ok.”
Many other teams will be looking at rotating their squad for Thursday and Saturday, will Sweden be the same (AJ will return of course)?
“We will definitely be keeping as a team in the lead up to the race off. If we can find another rider for the team, we will change the side, but the team that has ridden here at the Norfolk Arena will stick together in Denmark at the event. Everybody is still part of this.”
Zorro has been a surprise to amny this season with some wonderful GP performances. A fourth place in Prague has been the best display so far and there was also a superb result in Gothenburg when he made the semi-finals. Being one of the oldest riders in the sport, it seem’s that he is maturing like a fine wine and proving the best is still yet to come!
“If I can gate like I did in my first heat, then I find speedway very easy. I might not fight as hard as the youngsters when I get behind, but I’m really pleased for how the GP series has gone and also how the rest of my season has been going. I’m just going to try and keep it up now for the remainder of the year. I want to make something good out of this world team cup. The next GP in August in Malilla, it would be nice to do something good at my home track with the fans behind me. It will be great if that can happen.”
Zorro’s press officer and close friend, Ola Lindholm had suffered a freak accident in the past week with news still to reach us of his condition. Zorro is hoping for good news of his friend soon and to make sure Sweden are successful in this very important World Cup week.
It may not have been the successful night the Swedes were hoping for at Kings Lynn on Monday in Round 2 of the Speedway World Cup bit it did feature 38 year old Magnus Zetterstrom making his World Cup debut in the sport.
After scoring four points on the night (dropping three points when leading in his first race and retiring almost on the line) how was he feeling after seeing his side finishing third on the night behind Great Britain and Australia? Leandra Graves caught up with the GP rider after the event.
“I’m happy that we qualified in the end but I feel a bit in two minds. We didn’t have the best start to the night. After the race was rerun in heat 1, Lindgren was excluded. Then I broke down when the chain snapped whilst in the lead, so we could have asked for a bit better start. I think overall we need to be happy because it could have been much worse. Now we know are in the race off. So if we couldn’t win, the main thing was to qualify for Thursday. We know only one team could qualify at Kings Lynn. To beat England or Australia, we needed a better start than we made today. We were missing one more rider to be scoring big points.”
I didn’t change my bike after my first ride. After my chain had broken, we fixed everything but as everyone knows in sport, a lot of it’s the mental side of things. After you have been leading and made such a good start, its tough to come back but I just need to look forward. If I had picked up the heat win, I would have scored 7 points on the night. That is a small difference to say whether I’m happy or not happy.”
Lakeside star Jonas Davidsson was a late addition to the Swedihs national side after GP star Andreas Jonsson declared himself unfit to race. However, Davidsson proved to be the best Swede on show scoring 14 points! Was the Gdansk star surprided that Davidsson had not originally been called up?
“Everyone knows he should have been put in the team from the beginning. I can only answer how I know the team manager was looking at it. It was to do with his injury. After that, he came back to race a few meetings and he didn’t score points. You can’t live on old history. Then all of a sudden he turned it around to score points. I guess you could say he was lucky but unlucky that AJ got injured so he could come back to this side. He belongs to this team. Comparing league averages, he’s much higher than me, Antonio etc, so I’m sure there were a few people who did question why he hadn’t been selected in the team. The only answer is from looking at the current form. I’m glad to see Jonas was doing so well. He’s one of the top riders in Sweden so he should definitely be here.”
Facing tough opposition in the race-off, Sweden will be hoping the Bydgoszcz star if ok to return to the saddle to help the chances of them progressing through to Saturday’s elusive final.
“It’s too early to say whether AJ will be back for Thursday’s race-off. We will contact him but the doctor has said one week’s break. Fingers crossed he can ride but we don’t want him to ride not 100% fit. Maybe those few days have done him good.” It has since been announced he’s fine to ride in the race-off.
The Swedish team will face Denmark on home soil in Vojens who were World Cup Champions in 2008 – does Zorro believe they can join Poland Great Britain in the final?
“It’s going to be a really tough one. In that sort of meeting it’s going to be different. In this event we had Finland who we could take points from, but in Vojens you need to score in every race, zero points isn’t acceptable. That’s not going to be easy against Russia, Australia and Denmark. We will see, if we can get the team going and be a bit stronger then I’m sure we can make it.”
The previous Poole rider admits Vojens isn’t a track he’s too familiar with.
“Vojens isn’t a track I really know. Last time I rode there, I believe I was still a junior rider. So it was years ago! We get a good chance though to get things right at practice so I think I will be ok.”
Many other teams will be looking at rotating their squad for Thursday and Saturday, will Sweden be the same (AJ will return of course)?
“We will definitely be keeping as a team in the lead up to the race off. If we can find another rider for the team, we will change the side, but the team that has ridden here at the Norfolk Arena will stick together in Denmark at the event. Everybody is still part of this.”
Zorro has been a surprise to amny this season with some wonderful GP performances. A fourth place in Prague has been the best display so far and there was also a superb result in Gothenburg when he made the semi-finals. Being one of the oldest riders in the sport, it seem’s that he is maturing like a fine wine and proving the best is still yet to come!
“If I can gate like I did in my first heat, then I find speedway very easy. I might not fight as hard as the youngsters when I get behind, but I’m really pleased for how the GP series has gone and also how the rest of my season has been going. I’m just going to try and keep it up now for the remainder of the year. I want to make something good out of this world team cup. The next GP in August in Malilla, it would be nice to do something good at my home track with the fans behind me. It will be great if that can happen.”
Zorro’s press officer and close friend, Ola Lindholm had suffered a freak accident in the past week with news still to reach us of his condition. Zorro is hoping for good news of his friend soon and to make sure Sweden are successful in this very important World Cup week.
My interview for Panthers TV/Clean Cut Sports with Kenneth Bjerre
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RQDNvxEJDk
My interview with Peterborough Panthers rider and SGP star Kenneth Bjerre, for http://www.cleancutsports.com/ and http://www.peterboroughspeedway.co.uk/
My interview with Peterborough Panthers rider and SGP star Kenneth Bjerre, for http://www.cleancutsports.com/ and http://www.peterboroughspeedway.co.uk/
SGP: Hungry Harris eats away at the top 8
http://www.worldspeedway.com/artman/publish/article_14142.shtml
The penultimate 2010 Speedway Grand Prix took place in Terenzano, Italy and was definitely one to remember.
The forecasts had predicted heavy rain but luckily the sun shone long enough to see an action packed meeting with a new world champion crowned! The moment Poland had been waiting for, Tomasz Gollob secured his first ever world title in speedway much to the delight of the passionate and devoted fans who had travelled to Italy to cheer on their hero.
The night will also be remembered for an impressive performance from Britain’s Chris Harris. After a slow start to this season’s GP season, Bomber has turned his season around and come alive. A second place finish in Croatia propelled the Coventry rider back amongst the top 8 and Italy was to prove a happy hunting ground for the winner of the 2007 Cardiff GP.
The semi-final was a nail biting affair with what appeared a dead-heat with Harris and Jarek Hampel. However, the Polish referee, awarded second to the Brit’ which booked him his place in the final. Harris produced an awesome ride in the final and certainly made the new champion work for his money in the last heat but he was unable to claim top step on the podium. Second place on the night was a fantastic achievement for the man from Cornwall and established him in a comfortable 7th place in the standings with one round left.
There had been much talk about the 27 year old having to wait for a wildcard to obtain a place in the 2011 series but it looks like the Cornishman has done his talking on the track and provided a surprise to his critics.
This season has seen the likeable Vastervik rider take the British championship yet again, as well as leading his Elite League club to the final of the play-offs. After a turbulent start to the Bees’ season, Bomber has been an inspirational captain and helped turn their fortunes around.
The change in track conditions in the GP’s has also suited Bomber’s riding styles as now the tracks are less slick, there are more lines for passing and to gain grip on the outside. It has also been noted he has improved his gating technique, he has always been known in the past for not being the sharpest away from the tapes, but recent results have shown he is seemingly getting to grips with this.
2011 is looking bright for this young man…
The penultimate 2010 Speedway Grand Prix took place in Terenzano, Italy and was definitely one to remember.
The forecasts had predicted heavy rain but luckily the sun shone long enough to see an action packed meeting with a new world champion crowned! The moment Poland had been waiting for, Tomasz Gollob secured his first ever world title in speedway much to the delight of the passionate and devoted fans who had travelled to Italy to cheer on their hero.
The night will also be remembered for an impressive performance from Britain’s Chris Harris. After a slow start to this season’s GP season, Bomber has turned his season around and come alive. A second place finish in Croatia propelled the Coventry rider back amongst the top 8 and Italy was to prove a happy hunting ground for the winner of the 2007 Cardiff GP.
The semi-final was a nail biting affair with what appeared a dead-heat with Harris and Jarek Hampel. However, the Polish referee, awarded second to the Brit’ which booked him his place in the final. Harris produced an awesome ride in the final and certainly made the new champion work for his money in the last heat but he was unable to claim top step on the podium. Second place on the night was a fantastic achievement for the man from Cornwall and established him in a comfortable 7th place in the standings with one round left.
There had been much talk about the 27 year old having to wait for a wildcard to obtain a place in the 2011 series but it looks like the Cornishman has done his talking on the track and provided a surprise to his critics.
This season has seen the likeable Vastervik rider take the British championship yet again, as well as leading his Elite League club to the final of the play-offs. After a turbulent start to the Bees’ season, Bomber has been an inspirational captain and helped turn their fortunes around.
The change in track conditions in the GP’s has also suited Bomber’s riding styles as now the tracks are less slick, there are more lines for passing and to gain grip on the outside. It has also been noted he has improved his gating technique, he has always been known in the past for not being the sharpest away from the tapes, but recent results have shown he is seemingly getting to grips with this.
2011 is looking bright for this young man…
SGP - Holta: The Forgotten Man...
http://www.worldspeedway.com/artman/publish/article_13638.shtml
He was in 6th place in the world rankings for 2010 before the GP circus arrived to Malilla, Sweden. He’d scored more points than Nicki Pedersen, Hans Andersen, Andreas Jonsson and Greg Hancock to name but a few.
However, this man’s had been the forgotten rider of the GP series so far! Rune Holta, riding under the Polish license, has quietly been putting in good performances. He may not receive all the attention and media hype, but the points he has picked up have been vital to maintaining a solid top 8 position. Yes, he may have slipped under the radar until the summer break but now he’s made an impact.
He arrived to his home track of Dackarna in Sweden for the next round of the GP series. Tomasz Gollob and Jarek Hampel were living up to their reputation ion the championship by proving to be the men to beat early on, but the Czestochowa rider was the man on fire in the final. Beating triple world champion, Jason Crump and the new championship leader, Gollob. A nice treat for him was also bagging 20 points!
This fantastic victory has now moved him up to fourth in the standings. He must surely be eyeing at least a bronze medal in the championship of his rich vein of form continues. Holta was of course part of the successful Polish team that claimed gold in the Speedway World Cup in July. He’s riding on the crest of a wave! Holta admits he has his eye on a medal and his aim is a top three in the final standings. He may make it a Polish one, two, three at this rate!
Holta of course qualified for the 2010 GP series by finishing 7th in last year’s series and then had doubts whether he would take up his place for this season’s GP. After much debate the 36 year old, decided not to relinquish his hard earned GP spot and has been scoring consistently through-put, if not spectacular.
A positive start to this year’s campaign saw him take 10 points in his home round in Leszno, Poland. With a string of around 6-7 points, he then was narrowly missing out on fighting through to the semi-finals. However, back in Poland, he was about to have his best performance so far this series with a 2nd place at Torun scoring a massive 19 points.
Cardiff was not a repeat of the sensational result he had a few weeks before, but still important, picking up a valuable 8 points on the night.
It seems Poland has been very kind to Holta, so he must be relishing grabbing some more when the SGP circus arrives at Bydgoszcz for the finale. Last year saw a superb performance by him at the final GP which secured his place in the top eight.
Holta also has the challenge of fighting to keep his Polish team from dropping to Division 1 when his club takes on Bydgoszcz in a relegation battle later in the few months. Can Holta continue to keep into the spotlight? We will find out in the next round in Croatia.
He was in 6th place in the world rankings for 2010 before the GP circus arrived to Malilla, Sweden. He’d scored more points than Nicki Pedersen, Hans Andersen, Andreas Jonsson and Greg Hancock to name but a few.
However, this man’s had been the forgotten rider of the GP series so far! Rune Holta, riding under the Polish license, has quietly been putting in good performances. He may not receive all the attention and media hype, but the points he has picked up have been vital to maintaining a solid top 8 position. Yes, he may have slipped under the radar until the summer break but now he’s made an impact.
He arrived to his home track of Dackarna in Sweden for the next round of the GP series. Tomasz Gollob and Jarek Hampel were living up to their reputation ion the championship by proving to be the men to beat early on, but the Czestochowa rider was the man on fire in the final. Beating triple world champion, Jason Crump and the new championship leader, Gollob. A nice treat for him was also bagging 20 points!
This fantastic victory has now moved him up to fourth in the standings. He must surely be eyeing at least a bronze medal in the championship of his rich vein of form continues. Holta was of course part of the successful Polish team that claimed gold in the Speedway World Cup in July. He’s riding on the crest of a wave! Holta admits he has his eye on a medal and his aim is a top three in the final standings. He may make it a Polish one, two, three at this rate!
Holta of course qualified for the 2010 GP series by finishing 7th in last year’s series and then had doubts whether he would take up his place for this season’s GP. After much debate the 36 year old, decided not to relinquish his hard earned GP spot and has been scoring consistently through-put, if not spectacular.
A positive start to this year’s campaign saw him take 10 points in his home round in Leszno, Poland. With a string of around 6-7 points, he then was narrowly missing out on fighting through to the semi-finals. However, back in Poland, he was about to have his best performance so far this series with a 2nd place at Torun scoring a massive 19 points.
Cardiff was not a repeat of the sensational result he had a few weeks before, but still important, picking up a valuable 8 points on the night.
It seems Poland has been very kind to Holta, so he must be relishing grabbing some more when the SGP circus arrives at Bydgoszcz for the finale. Last year saw a superb performance by him at the final GP which secured his place in the top eight.
Holta also has the challenge of fighting to keep his Polish team from dropping to Division 1 when his club takes on Bydgoszcz in a relegation battle later in the few months. Can Holta continue to keep into the spotlight? We will find out in the next round in Croatia.
Bjerre just needs a little luck...
http://www.worldspeedway.com/artman/publish/article_13279.shtml
The start of the 2010 GP series must have been a dream come true for Kenneth Bjerre. Recording his debut win in Gothenburg, saw him rocket to the head of the standings.
Suddenly, all eyes were on the Dane and the talk was about whether the 26 year old could not just clinch further victories, but bag a championship title too.
The Peterborough racer was keep to play down any talk of winning the crown, repeatedly saying “It’s where I finish at the end that matters. It’s a long season. It’s nice to be leading now but I want to be leading after Bydgoszcz.”
Unfortunately, Torun was where his championship hopes came unstuck with scoring 4 points. It was worst result in his GP and even after the event, he and his team were baffled as to what had gone wrong for them that night.
Cardiff needed a big performance. However, in the lead-up to the event, he suffered a nasty injury to his knee whilst riding for the Panthers at Eastbourne. This was not what the Esbjerg man needed before the fifth GP.
The Wroclaw rider battled on though and scored 7 points on what must have been a disappointing night for him. However, he didn’t put his misfortune down to not being fully fit, he was left ruing a race with fellow Dane and ex Panther, Hans Andersen, which he believed cost him his place of making the semi-finals. It was also a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
"I shouldn’t have let Hans pass me in my first heat. I didn’t have the luck tonight with the draw. In the beginning of the meeting, I had the outside gates which no-one could make a start from.”
A below par peformance from the Slangerup rider has not diminished his hopes of still being crowned World Champion. Currently, Bjerre has slipped to fourth in the table, since a rostrum finish from Jason Crump has nipped him into 3rd place overall. Bjerre has a small advantage over new GP winner Chris Holder, Rune Holta and his fellow compatriots Nicki Pedersen and Andersen.
“I still believe I can be World Champion and I won’t give up until it’s no longer possible.”
It was the second half of the 2009 GP season that saw Bjerre come alive last season with three finals. The GP at Vojens will be one he will surely be eyeing for a potential victory in front of his home supporters. He also has the small matter of the Speedway World Cup to be raced at Vojens and he and his Danish team-mates will be looking to reclaim the silverware from the Polish contingent!
The start of the 2010 GP series must have been a dream come true for Kenneth Bjerre. Recording his debut win in Gothenburg, saw him rocket to the head of the standings.
Suddenly, all eyes were on the Dane and the talk was about whether the 26 year old could not just clinch further victories, but bag a championship title too.
The Peterborough racer was keep to play down any talk of winning the crown, repeatedly saying “It’s where I finish at the end that matters. It’s a long season. It’s nice to be leading now but I want to be leading after Bydgoszcz.”
Unfortunately, Torun was where his championship hopes came unstuck with scoring 4 points. It was worst result in his GP and even after the event, he and his team were baffled as to what had gone wrong for them that night.
Cardiff needed a big performance. However, in the lead-up to the event, he suffered a nasty injury to his knee whilst riding for the Panthers at Eastbourne. This was not what the Esbjerg man needed before the fifth GP.
The Wroclaw rider battled on though and scored 7 points on what must have been a disappointing night for him. However, he didn’t put his misfortune down to not being fully fit, he was left ruing a race with fellow Dane and ex Panther, Hans Andersen, which he believed cost him his place of making the semi-finals. It was also a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
"I shouldn’t have let Hans pass me in my first heat. I didn’t have the luck tonight with the draw. In the beginning of the meeting, I had the outside gates which no-one could make a start from.”
A below par peformance from the Slangerup rider has not diminished his hopes of still being crowned World Champion. Currently, Bjerre has slipped to fourth in the table, since a rostrum finish from Jason Crump has nipped him into 3rd place overall. Bjerre has a small advantage over new GP winner Chris Holder, Rune Holta and his fellow compatriots Nicki Pedersen and Andersen.
“I still believe I can be World Champion and I won’t give up until it’s no longer possible.”
It was the second half of the 2009 GP season that saw Bjerre come alive last season with three finals. The GP at Vojens will be one he will surely be eyeing for a potential victory in front of his home supporters. He also has the small matter of the Speedway World Cup to be raced at Vojens and he and his Danish team-mates will be looking to reclaim the silverware from the Polish contingent!
Handbags at Dawn in Cardiff SGP
http://www.worldspeedway.com/artman/publish/article_13278.shtml
The Speedway Grand Prix at Cardiff always brings that extra something. 2007 saw Chris Harris take his maiden win, an incredible achievement.
Then there was the year Tony Rickardsson famously rode “the wall of death” as he remarkably kept control his bike as he rode the fence! 2009 saw the bust up between Emil Sayfutdinov and Scott Nicholls which really sent the crowd into a frenzy.
What would 2010 bring? Luckily, a bit more of the same, this time we were nearly treated to two boxing matches! Ding Ding! Round 1 saw the match up between two Aussies, current World Champion, Jason Crump and newly emerging star, Chris Holder.
The relationship between the two had always been extremely positive with Crump being very supportive to the 22 year old and seemingly giving him his words of wisdom. After a “slight” clash between the two, Holder’s adrenalin was pumping and the anger towards his fellow compatriot was clear to see. A war of words erupted between the two whilst on their way back to the pits. No punches were thrown but clearly the Poole star was antagonised with the actions of the elder statesmen.
The two met again in the final of the illustrious GP at the Millenium stadium, this time Holder having the last laugh with taking his first victory. Crump was the first rider there to celebrate with the Torun rider and it was a nice moment to see. Holder was quick to apologise in the press conference for his actions, whilst Crump simply said “Chris had his skirt on and I had my handbag” laughing off the argument they had shared. The triple world champion’s body language perhaps showed signs of regret after the GP with being involved in this type of behaviour. Perhaps, the actions were more expected of Holder with being a newcomer to the series and more hot-headed, but it was surprising to see Crump caught up in the heat of the moment.
Round 2 saw a titanic fight between the two Danes, Nicki Pedersen and Hans Andersen. There is history between these two. Neither rider is perhaps achieving what they expect of themselves and are both being outshined by Kenneth Bjerre this season. After a close tussle in their heat, the Belle Vue star, got the better of the 2008 World Champion and on the final lap, Andersen gave the finger to his fellow Dane down the back straight. He then appeared to enjoy goading Pedersen across the line. This was something not picked up by the Sky cameras. As ever, the Gorzow star is normally at the centre of controversy and is portrayed at the pantomime villain, but on this occasion, I felt he was treated a tad harshly by Mr Andersen and by the spectators. Infact, I thought it was a fairly mature reaction by the 30 year old not to get involved in anything too physical after the encounter on track. He chose to have words face to face, helmets off. The old Nicki Pedersen may have found himself in more trouble but I was pleasantly surprised not to see it all kick off so to speak.
The Millenium stadium seems to stir up more emotions each year with the riders performing on the biggest stage in the sport. It certainly gives the fans a special treat and it was good to see no harm was caused in either incident with the Odense born rider later saying “Me and Nicki were just discussing sending each other Christmas cards”. Let’s see what 2011 brings!
The Speedway Grand Prix at Cardiff always brings that extra something. 2007 saw Chris Harris take his maiden win, an incredible achievement.
Then there was the year Tony Rickardsson famously rode “the wall of death” as he remarkably kept control his bike as he rode the fence! 2009 saw the bust up between Emil Sayfutdinov and Scott Nicholls which really sent the crowd into a frenzy.
What would 2010 bring? Luckily, a bit more of the same, this time we were nearly treated to two boxing matches! Ding Ding! Round 1 saw the match up between two Aussies, current World Champion, Jason Crump and newly emerging star, Chris Holder.
The relationship between the two had always been extremely positive with Crump being very supportive to the 22 year old and seemingly giving him his words of wisdom. After a “slight” clash between the two, Holder’s adrenalin was pumping and the anger towards his fellow compatriot was clear to see. A war of words erupted between the two whilst on their way back to the pits. No punches were thrown but clearly the Poole star was antagonised with the actions of the elder statesmen.
The two met again in the final of the illustrious GP at the Millenium stadium, this time Holder having the last laugh with taking his first victory. Crump was the first rider there to celebrate with the Torun rider and it was a nice moment to see. Holder was quick to apologise in the press conference for his actions, whilst Crump simply said “Chris had his skirt on and I had my handbag” laughing off the argument they had shared. The triple world champion’s body language perhaps showed signs of regret after the GP with being involved in this type of behaviour. Perhaps, the actions were more expected of Holder with being a newcomer to the series and more hot-headed, but it was surprising to see Crump caught up in the heat of the moment.
Round 2 saw a titanic fight between the two Danes, Nicki Pedersen and Hans Andersen. There is history between these two. Neither rider is perhaps achieving what they expect of themselves and are both being outshined by Kenneth Bjerre this season. After a close tussle in their heat, the Belle Vue star, got the better of the 2008 World Champion and on the final lap, Andersen gave the finger to his fellow Dane down the back straight. He then appeared to enjoy goading Pedersen across the line. This was something not picked up by the Sky cameras. As ever, the Gorzow star is normally at the centre of controversy and is portrayed at the pantomime villain, but on this occasion, I felt he was treated a tad harshly by Mr Andersen and by the spectators. Infact, I thought it was a fairly mature reaction by the 30 year old not to get involved in anything too physical after the encounter on track. He chose to have words face to face, helmets off. The old Nicki Pedersen may have found himself in more trouble but I was pleasantly surprised not to see it all kick off so to speak.
The Millenium stadium seems to stir up more emotions each year with the riders performing on the biggest stage in the sport. It certainly gives the fans a special treat and it was good to see no harm was caused in either incident with the Odense born rider later saying “Me and Nicki were just discussing sending each other Christmas cards”. Let’s see what 2011 brings!
Holder: I am speechless!
After the biggest moment of his career, realisation has yet to sink in for Chris Holder. After standing victorious at the Millenium Stadium, Cardiff, in front of 40,000 passionate fans, the moment he had dreamt of since childhood, had finally become reality.
The talk before the series had featured on what could this young Australian do? Exciting and fearless, it seemed he was likely to step up and be considered a contender for the top 8. After the accident in Torun where at first, it appeared he had a broken arm, it looked like he may lose serious points in the championship. However, a typical tough Aussie, he battled on and achieved more than many people expected at only his fifth GP!
A special moment for the 22 year old, watched on by his family. Unfortunately the celebrations that night were not going to be legendary, with a Polish fixture the following day!
He appeared lost for words in the post meeting conference and it was left to the elder statesmen, Jason Crump to do all the talking! It was nice however, to see a rider so ecstatic with taking his maiden victory as he said “I never wanted to leave the track, I could have stayed doing wheelies all night.”
The happiness amongst the whole SGP paddock was clear to see with so many riders joining in the celebrations and congratulations after the meeting. Clearly, a very popular winner and great for the sport too.
A week after the event at a vital fixture for his club Poole, in Elite League action at Peterborough, he said, I’m not back to earth yet. It was such a big night for me. I still shake my head when I’m reminded now. I just want to make sure I stay in the top 8, be consistent and move on from Cardiff. It can be so easy to drop back down the table so I mustn’t let that happen.”
He admits he was bowled over by the fanatical support in the GP. There may have been no Brits’ to cheer on in the rostrum but the noise when Holder crossed the line, was electrifying. “The crowd went crazy. It was awesome. I was so lucky to have my first win there.”
Holder thinks Gollob has the edge on this year’s title chase. “The points are still close, though Hampel and Gollob have edged away at the top. Both the Poles are so good but Gollob has ridden unbelievable in the GP’s as well as the Polish league. Hopefully, for him and his army of fans in Poland, he will win the championship, he deserves it.”
Now there is the summer break in speedway from the GP’s and attention moves to the annual world cup event. The Aussies will be racing at the Norfolk Arena, Kings Lynn against home favourites Team GB! They will be without their leader Jason Crump and also ex GP star Leigh Adams.
“I’ve not rode at Kings Lynn for two years. We will miss our two big guns. Just us young ones will have to go out and do the job. I don’t feel there will be so much pressure on us. We will just enjoy it. Without the World Champion riding in our team, we are the underdogs, so we will have a go.”
Holder will be racing alongside best friends and Poole stars, Darcy Ward and Dave Watt along with Peterborough stars Troy Batchelor and Rory Schlein. This surely will be an entertaining event with plenty at stake to reach the final in Vojens, Denmark.
http://www.worldspeedway.com/artman/publish/article_13277.shtml
The talk before the series had featured on what could this young Australian do? Exciting and fearless, it seemed he was likely to step up and be considered a contender for the top 8. After the accident in Torun where at first, it appeared he had a broken arm, it looked like he may lose serious points in the championship. However, a typical tough Aussie, he battled on and achieved more than many people expected at only his fifth GP!
A special moment for the 22 year old, watched on by his family. Unfortunately the celebrations that night were not going to be legendary, with a Polish fixture the following day!
He appeared lost for words in the post meeting conference and it was left to the elder statesmen, Jason Crump to do all the talking! It was nice however, to see a rider so ecstatic with taking his maiden victory as he said “I never wanted to leave the track, I could have stayed doing wheelies all night.”
The happiness amongst the whole SGP paddock was clear to see with so many riders joining in the celebrations and congratulations after the meeting. Clearly, a very popular winner and great for the sport too.
A week after the event at a vital fixture for his club Poole, in Elite League action at Peterborough, he said, I’m not back to earth yet. It was such a big night for me. I still shake my head when I’m reminded now. I just want to make sure I stay in the top 8, be consistent and move on from Cardiff. It can be so easy to drop back down the table so I mustn’t let that happen.”
He admits he was bowled over by the fanatical support in the GP. There may have been no Brits’ to cheer on in the rostrum but the noise when Holder crossed the line, was electrifying. “The crowd went crazy. It was awesome. I was so lucky to have my first win there.”
Holder thinks Gollob has the edge on this year’s title chase. “The points are still close, though Hampel and Gollob have edged away at the top. Both the Poles are so good but Gollob has ridden unbelievable in the GP’s as well as the Polish league. Hopefully, for him and his army of fans in Poland, he will win the championship, he deserves it.”
Now there is the summer break in speedway from the GP’s and attention moves to the annual world cup event. The Aussies will be racing at the Norfolk Arena, Kings Lynn against home favourites Team GB! They will be without their leader Jason Crump and also ex GP star Leigh Adams.
“I’ve not rode at Kings Lynn for two years. We will miss our two big guns. Just us young ones will have to go out and do the job. I don’t feel there will be so much pressure on us. We will just enjoy it. Without the World Champion riding in our team, we are the underdogs, so we will have a go.”
Holder will be racing alongside best friends and Poole stars, Darcy Ward and Dave Watt along with Peterborough stars Troy Batchelor and Rory Schlein. This surely will be an entertaining event with plenty at stake to reach the final in Vojens, Denmark.
http://www.worldspeedway.com/artman/publish/article_13277.shtml
Friday 18 June 2010
“It’s important how you finish, not how you start.”
“It’s important how you finish, not how you start.”
http://www.crash.net/motogp/news/160762/1/espargaro_important_how_you_finish_not_how_you_start.html
By Leandra Graves
A perfect way to sum up the 2010 season so far for Moto GP Pramac rider Aleix Espargaro. After a turbulent start to the season for the Spanish rider, he has found some consistency with solid points finishes and will be looking to improve on that form in this weekend’s AirAsia British Moto GP at Silverstone.
“Yes progression is coming. At the start of the season, we had a few problems with the bike and with finding the right set-up and I crashed a lot. Then we improved a little bit and we finish ninth in LeMans which is a very difficult circuit. It was a big step up and then we finished eigth in Mugello last time out. We must continue this way to make big steps.”
The new Silverstone track is of course a big discussion amongst the riders after the switch this year to the Norhamptonshire circuit from Donington. The 20 year old was full of praise for the new track, “The Silverstone circuit is very beautiful. I looked at the circuit yesterday and I did a few laps today. It’s completely different from all the other circuits we go too. There are so many fast corners.”
It’s a family affair for Espargaro as his younger brother Pol races in the 125cc class and he is always on hand to help him, even if it’s in an unusual way with the role being Pol’s umbrella man! Aleix quipped, “I think I’m a better rider than umbrella girl. In the 125 race I try to be with my brother to help him a little bit and if I have to be his umbrella girl, then that’s what I do!
“I think I will finish the motogp race and get changed fast and then run to the grid to be Pol’s umbrella girll! It will be really strange to race for the first time before my brother. (As the race schedule for Sunday has changed as Moto 2 is the first race of the day, with the 125cc race after the Moto GP.)
The likeable Ducati racer certainly put some smiles on the hundreds of fans in the sunshine yesterday, when he auctioned off the team shirt he was wearing to raise money for the riders charity Riders.Org. However, he was then subject to some teasing on stage at the popular Day of Champions event on Thursday. With his national team Spain losing in their first World Cup fixture, he made the fantastic quote of, “It’s important how you finish, not how you start.” The same clearly applies to his Moto GP season and he will be hoping for a great result this weekend in front of the British fans.
http://www.crash.net/motogp/news/160762/1/espargaro_important_how_you_finish_not_how_you_start.html
By Leandra Graves
A perfect way to sum up the 2010 season so far for Moto GP Pramac rider Aleix Espargaro. After a turbulent start to the season for the Spanish rider, he has found some consistency with solid points finishes and will be looking to improve on that form in this weekend’s AirAsia British Moto GP at Silverstone.
“Yes progression is coming. At the start of the season, we had a few problems with the bike and with finding the right set-up and I crashed a lot. Then we improved a little bit and we finish ninth in LeMans which is a very difficult circuit. It was a big step up and then we finished eigth in Mugello last time out. We must continue this way to make big steps.”
The new Silverstone track is of course a big discussion amongst the riders after the switch this year to the Norhamptonshire circuit from Donington. The 20 year old was full of praise for the new track, “The Silverstone circuit is very beautiful. I looked at the circuit yesterday and I did a few laps today. It’s completely different from all the other circuits we go too. There are so many fast corners.”
It’s a family affair for Espargaro as his younger brother Pol races in the 125cc class and he is always on hand to help him, even if it’s in an unusual way with the role being Pol’s umbrella man! Aleix quipped, “I think I’m a better rider than umbrella girl. In the 125 race I try to be with my brother to help him a little bit and if I have to be his umbrella girl, then that’s what I do!
“I think I will finish the motogp race and get changed fast and then run to the grid to be Pol’s umbrella girll! It will be really strange to race for the first time before my brother. (As the race schedule for Sunday has changed as Moto 2 is the first race of the day, with the 125cc race after the Moto GP.)
The likeable Ducati racer certainly put some smiles on the hundreds of fans in the sunshine yesterday, when he auctioned off the team shirt he was wearing to raise money for the riders charity Riders.Org. However, he was then subject to some teasing on stage at the popular Day of Champions event on Thursday. With his national team Spain losing in their first World Cup fixture, he made the fantastic quote of, “It’s important how you finish, not how you start.” The same clearly applies to his Moto GP season and he will be hoping for a great result this weekend in front of the British fans.
Jorge Lorenzo: MotoGP is still the most exciting sport in the world!
Jorge Lorenzo: MotoGP is still the most exciting sport in the world!
Bradley Smith: I think MotoGP needs sprucing up!
http://www.crash.net/motogp/news/160772/1/lorenzo_motogp_most_exciting_sport_in_the_world.html
By Leandra Graves
Jorge Lorenzo was in doubt when asked whether Moto GP was still as enthralling to watch, compared to the lower 125 and Moto 2 classes. With just sixteen riders on the MotoGP grid in Mugello and the same for this weekend in Silverstone, there had been questions raised by many within the sport and by the paying fans about the excitement levels of the elite category.
The revised Moto 2 format has 41 riders on the grid and has been packed full of action, with countless overtaking throughout the field, as well as numerous crashes. Scott Redding said at the AirAsia Media Event held at Lords Cricket Ground on Wednesday, that it will be “crazy” to see 41 bikes on the new fast, flowing circuit in Northamptonshire.
The 125 category has also been extremely lively, as you would expect with so many eager and enthusiastic youngsters, once again with around 32 riders on the grid.
Lorenzo dismissed suggestions for more riders in the MotoGP category, firmly stating that he believed, “MotoGP is still the most exciting sport in the world!”
However, 125 cc rider Bradley Smith had more thoughts on the subject, “Unfortunately what happens in MotoGP” he sighs, “Is the technology is able to run so open and free, that you’re always going to have some races that the Yamaha will work on some tracks and the Honda will work better on the others. Unfortunately unless they cap it, within particular parameters, it’s always going to be like it is. When the bikes are as close as they are with the current electronic packages, you are talking about 0.1, 0.2 of a second, every single lap, it’s impossible to fight.
“That’s why we see such great races between Valentino Rossi and Lorenzo. But you will never really see a great race between Valentino and Dani Pedrosa (as he’s on the Honda). Ok we saw the good race in Laguna Seca in 2008, (Rossi against Stoner) but that was because Rossi was riding tactically to keep Casey and his Ducati behind him. Casey had half a second on Valentino, but if Casey hadn’t have passed him, he would have gone and left him and that would have been the end of the race.
“I think that’s the situation it is at the moment. It would be nice to spruce it up a bit. However, that would take Dorna to sit down and make new regulations to put their authority across, rather than letting the manufacturers run the show.”
Bradley Smith: I think MotoGP needs sprucing up!
http://www.crash.net/motogp/news/160772/1/lorenzo_motogp_most_exciting_sport_in_the_world.html
By Leandra Graves
Jorge Lorenzo was in doubt when asked whether Moto GP was still as enthralling to watch, compared to the lower 125 and Moto 2 classes. With just sixteen riders on the MotoGP grid in Mugello and the same for this weekend in Silverstone, there had been questions raised by many within the sport and by the paying fans about the excitement levels of the elite category.
The revised Moto 2 format has 41 riders on the grid and has been packed full of action, with countless overtaking throughout the field, as well as numerous crashes. Scott Redding said at the AirAsia Media Event held at Lords Cricket Ground on Wednesday, that it will be “crazy” to see 41 bikes on the new fast, flowing circuit in Northamptonshire.
The 125 category has also been extremely lively, as you would expect with so many eager and enthusiastic youngsters, once again with around 32 riders on the grid.
Lorenzo dismissed suggestions for more riders in the MotoGP category, firmly stating that he believed, “MotoGP is still the most exciting sport in the world!”
However, 125 cc rider Bradley Smith had more thoughts on the subject, “Unfortunately what happens in MotoGP” he sighs, “Is the technology is able to run so open and free, that you’re always going to have some races that the Yamaha will work on some tracks and the Honda will work better on the others. Unfortunately unless they cap it, within particular parameters, it’s always going to be like it is. When the bikes are as close as they are with the current electronic packages, you are talking about 0.1, 0.2 of a second, every single lap, it’s impossible to fight.
“That’s why we see such great races between Valentino Rossi and Lorenzo. But you will never really see a great race between Valentino and Dani Pedrosa (as he’s on the Honda). Ok we saw the good race in Laguna Seca in 2008, (Rossi against Stoner) but that was because Rossi was riding tactically to keep Casey and his Ducati behind him. Casey had half a second on Valentino, but if Casey hadn’t have passed him, he would have gone and left him and that would have been the end of the race.
“I think that’s the situation it is at the moment. It would be nice to spruce it up a bit. However, that would take Dorna to sit down and make new regulations to put their authority across, rather than letting the manufacturers run the show.”
Lorenzo: Right decision not to replace injured Rossi
By Leandra Graves
http://www.gpupdate.net/en/motogp-news/237277/lorenzo-right-decision-not-to-replace-injured-rossi/
This weekend sees Jorge Lorenzo as the sole Fiat Yamaha representative for the British Grand Prix due to Valentino Rossi’s broken leg. There had been many rumours circulating that the young British World Superbike rider, Cal Crutchlow, may have got the temporary ride during the Italian’s absence, but for Silverstone and Assen, there will be no replacement rider. Current championship leader, Lorenzo believes this is the right call by his team.
“I think they are doing right as they are showing their respect to ‘Vale’. He is in a bad situation at the moment and in a lot pain. It’s a gesture from Yamaha to be respectful of him. However, the limitations say we have to put another rider on the bike after two races and Yamaha will have to make their decision on who that will be. We don’t know yet which rider will be my partner. In some weeks we will know.”
Therefore, Lorenzo will have to fly the Fiat Yamaha flag alone and the team will only have one rider contributing to the valuable constructers points.
http://www.gpupdate.net/en/motogp-news/237277/lorenzo-right-decision-not-to-replace-injured-rossi/
This weekend sees Jorge Lorenzo as the sole Fiat Yamaha representative for the British Grand Prix due to Valentino Rossi’s broken leg. There had been many rumours circulating that the young British World Superbike rider, Cal Crutchlow, may have got the temporary ride during the Italian’s absence, but for Silverstone and Assen, there will be no replacement rider. Current championship leader, Lorenzo believes this is the right call by his team.
“I think they are doing right as they are showing their respect to ‘Vale’. He is in a bad situation at the moment and in a lot pain. It’s a gesture from Yamaha to be respectful of him. However, the limitations say we have to put another rider on the bike after two races and Yamaha will have to make their decision on who that will be. We don’t know yet which rider will be my partner. In some weeks we will know.”
Therefore, Lorenzo will have to fly the Fiat Yamaha flag alone and the team will only have one rider contributing to the valuable constructers points.
Monday 14 June 2010
Speedway Grand Prix: Unlucky Zorro.
You had to feel sorry for the hard done by Magnus Zetterstrom, at the Copenhagen GP.
Scoring six points after his four rides, he desperately needed a win to guarantee a semi-final spot. He had seemingly secured it, with leading over Danish favourite, Hans Andersen. It looked as though the likeable Swede was due to be another spoiler, until Tai Woffinden lost control of his bike and the race was brought to a holt.
As ever, in speedway, when a race is re-run, the result is never the same. The 37 year old could only manage a third place, costing him the chance of making the semi-final for the third time in four GP’s.
Speaking to the Indianerna racer before the meeting, his confidence wasn’t high, “It’s not a track I really enjoy racing. It’s a really short track and reminds me of Eastbourne and Lakeside. This style of race-track doesn’t really suit me, so I think tonight will be difficult to repeat the success I had in Prague.”
However, any negativity was put aside once the helmet was on and for a track that he’s not at his most comfortable, it was another impressive performance. It wasn’t all bad for the Gdansk rider as the seven points scored on the night, increased his championship position, moving him to 9th in the standings. Ahead of more established rivals, Greg Hancock, Freddie Lindgren and Rune Holta.
Zorro is riding consistently well in the Grand Prix and if he can maintain this form, he has a very favourable chance of finishing in the top eight and booking his place direct for 2011 series. Not bad for an old guy! I caught up with him after the GP.
“I’m really happy with the way I am riding in the GP’s. I made a mistake in the semi-final and that’s it but I am enjoying my racing. This series suits me.”
The following day saw the Swede score 13 points in Poland in for his league team Gdansk and he helped his team secure an important win. There had been some criticism aimed at Zorro, by his Polish fans who were unhappy with his league performance when he scored just four points after his marvellous display in Prague when he made the final. Hopefully the double figures have put the smiles back on the enthusiastic fans!
Article by and courtesy of Leandra Graves.
http://www.worldspeedway.com/artman/publish/article_12759.shtml
Scoring six points after his four rides, he desperately needed a win to guarantee a semi-final spot. He had seemingly secured it, with leading over Danish favourite, Hans Andersen. It looked as though the likeable Swede was due to be another spoiler, until Tai Woffinden lost control of his bike and the race was brought to a holt.
As ever, in speedway, when a race is re-run, the result is never the same. The 37 year old could only manage a third place, costing him the chance of making the semi-final for the third time in four GP’s.
Speaking to the Indianerna racer before the meeting, his confidence wasn’t high, “It’s not a track I really enjoy racing. It’s a really short track and reminds me of Eastbourne and Lakeside. This style of race-track doesn’t really suit me, so I think tonight will be difficult to repeat the success I had in Prague.”
However, any negativity was put aside once the helmet was on and for a track that he’s not at his most comfortable, it was another impressive performance. It wasn’t all bad for the Gdansk rider as the seven points scored on the night, increased his championship position, moving him to 9th in the standings. Ahead of more established rivals, Greg Hancock, Freddie Lindgren and Rune Holta.
Zorro is riding consistently well in the Grand Prix and if he can maintain this form, he has a very favourable chance of finishing in the top eight and booking his place direct for 2011 series. Not bad for an old guy! I caught up with him after the GP.
“I’m really happy with the way I am riding in the GP’s. I made a mistake in the semi-final and that’s it but I am enjoying my racing. This series suits me.”
The following day saw the Swede score 13 points in Poland in for his league team Gdansk and he helped his team secure an important win. There had been some criticism aimed at Zorro, by his Polish fans who were unhappy with his league performance when he scored just four points after his marvellous display in Prague when he made the final. Hopefully the double figures have put the smiles back on the enthusiastic fans!
Article by and courtesy of Leandra Graves.
http://www.worldspeedway.com/artman/publish/article_12759.shtml
Speedway Grand Prix: Polish Power!
The talk before the GP series was whether Jason Crump could retain his world championship crown despite his injury, or would we see the old Nicki Pedersen re-emerge back to his dominant self.
Or would the man who made all the headlines in his sensational debut GP season, Emil Sayfutdinov, be able to consistently fight for the top spot.
After Crump stormed to victory in Poland in the opening round of the series, it appeared a repeat of 2009 could be on the cards, but two Poles (and a Dane!) have proved to be this year’s surprise contenders. However, should we be surprised, especially by the power of the Polish riders? Jarek Hampel and Tomasz Gollob are both world class riders. Everyone knows the natural talent of Gollob and how dearly his hardcore fans would love to see him become World Champion. Arguably the best rider over recent years, currently in the GP series, that has yet to take the title. Could 2010 be the year he finally makes it? One win to his name after four rounds of the series, along with two second places, has been a fairly consistent one for the Gorzow rider.
Jarek Hampel, has always looked to be the natural successor to his fellow countryman, but perhaps he can achieve the ultimate goal that Poland has been demanding for many years. Under looked at the start of the season, Hampel finally got his first victory under his belt, along with two finals. A gutsy ride in the Copenhagen final saw him keep the feisty Gollob behind and gave him the lead of the championship. In superb form for his Polish club Leszno, he’s always been lightning away from the gate. This year he has excellent backing from a new sponsor – Exide, who used to sponsor Billy Hamill and Greg Hancock, back in their all conquering era of the 90s.
Hampel and Gollob have two Polish rounds of the GP series ahead of them, where you wouldn’t bet against a strong result for them both. Gollob is almost unbeatable around Bydgoszcz and for that to be the finale of the series, Gollob must be a serious threat come October.
The money would be on the veteran to finally make his dream come true for 2010, but will the pressure be too much for him? All eyes and expectations are on the more experienced Gollob, whilst perhaps Hampel can relax more, knowing he has more years ahead of him, to try and achieve his goal compared to the elder statesmen. The duel was clean and fair in Demark, but will the Vastervik racer be able to watch the young Pole take the glory ahead of him? Or will it turn nasty? A nation’s hopes rest on the two speedway stars and after an emotional year in Poland, will they have something to celebrate in October? We will soon find out…
Article by and courtesy of Leandra Graves.
http://www.worldspeedway.com/artman/publish/article_12758.shtml
Or would the man who made all the headlines in his sensational debut GP season, Emil Sayfutdinov, be able to consistently fight for the top spot.
After Crump stormed to victory in Poland in the opening round of the series, it appeared a repeat of 2009 could be on the cards, but two Poles (and a Dane!) have proved to be this year’s surprise contenders. However, should we be surprised, especially by the power of the Polish riders? Jarek Hampel and Tomasz Gollob are both world class riders. Everyone knows the natural talent of Gollob and how dearly his hardcore fans would love to see him become World Champion. Arguably the best rider over recent years, currently in the GP series, that has yet to take the title. Could 2010 be the year he finally makes it? One win to his name after four rounds of the series, along with two second places, has been a fairly consistent one for the Gorzow rider.
Jarek Hampel, has always looked to be the natural successor to his fellow countryman, but perhaps he can achieve the ultimate goal that Poland has been demanding for many years. Under looked at the start of the season, Hampel finally got his first victory under his belt, along with two finals. A gutsy ride in the Copenhagen final saw him keep the feisty Gollob behind and gave him the lead of the championship. In superb form for his Polish club Leszno, he’s always been lightning away from the gate. This year he has excellent backing from a new sponsor – Exide, who used to sponsor Billy Hamill and Greg Hancock, back in their all conquering era of the 90s.
Hampel and Gollob have two Polish rounds of the GP series ahead of them, where you wouldn’t bet against a strong result for them both. Gollob is almost unbeatable around Bydgoszcz and for that to be the finale of the series, Gollob must be a serious threat come October.
The money would be on the veteran to finally make his dream come true for 2010, but will the pressure be too much for him? All eyes and expectations are on the more experienced Gollob, whilst perhaps Hampel can relax more, knowing he has more years ahead of him, to try and achieve his goal compared to the elder statesmen. The duel was clean and fair in Demark, but will the Vastervik racer be able to watch the young Pole take the glory ahead of him? Or will it turn nasty? A nation’s hopes rest on the two speedway stars and after an emotional year in Poland, will they have something to celebrate in October? We will soon find out…
Article by and courtesy of Leandra Graves.
http://www.worldspeedway.com/artman/publish/article_12758.shtml
Saturday 22 May 2010
'Team Bjerre’ aiming for more glory tonight
By Leandra Graves
As published in the Peterborough Evening Telegraph 22/5/10
http://www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk/sport/speedway/team_bjerre_aiming_for_more_glory_tonight_1_637458
PANTHERS rider Kenneth Bjerre will be looking to repeat his Swedish GP success when he lines up for the third event of the season tonight.
Prague is the next meeting in the calendar and Bjerre and his team will be looking to increase their lead in the series.
A lot of effort goes into achieving a Grand Prix win as well as fighting for a World Championship and it’s the support of a strong team of people behind you that helps maximise your chances.
Neil and Barry Howlett, brothers from Crowland, have been working for ‘Team Bjerre’. Well known in speedway circles, there was as much joy for the two mechanics as there was for the rider.
Barry was working at his first GP for the Dane and was part of the team’s first victory. Bjerre said: “Barry had never worked at a GP before so he must have been a lucky charm for me! All riders need to have a good unit around them. You need people who can do the job and be trusted.”
Barry, who also works as a machinist at Perkins, was a happy man after being part of the pit-crew of the Huntingdon resident’s first victory.
He said: “My very first GP and we win! I was ecstatic. Once Kenneth reached the semis, I knew it was a meeting he could win. Once he picked gate one, nobody was going to beat him in the form he was in.”
The Panthers star clearly believes Barry can bring him some luck as he has asked him to be part of the team for this weekend in the Czech Republic!
Barry said: “I found working at a GP much more pressurised than a league match. I thrive under pressure so I enjoyed it. It’s hard work but it’s the same job as a league match, just with less sleep and more travelling.”
Older brother Neil has been working for 25 year-old Bjerre in the GPs since the start and has made the massive sacrifice of leaving his home in England to base himself in Denmark. Living in Esbjerg (Bjerre’s hometown) he works from April to October at Polish and Danish league matches, as well as the GPs.
It’s a busy schedule for him as he also mechanics for Lasse, Kenneth’s younger brother.
Neil said: “I first became a mechanic when one of my friends was riding for Peterborough Pumas in the Conference League and I offered to help him in the pits. That was around eight years ago.
“I then helped other riders in the Elite and Premier League. Soon after I began a partnership with ex-Panther Danny King and he asked me to work full-time for him in Poland for a season.
“Barry was then working for Kenneth as he was also letting him reside at his house in Crowland. The following season, Kenneth asked me if I would work full-time for him in Denmark.
“This is my life now. It’s something I am really happy to do. I get to see the world, it’s something I enjoy and know I’m good at. My aim is to help Kenneth become world champion and Lasse to become Under 19 champion.”
Working with a Danish rider, based in a Nordic country, you would think learning some basics in the language must be essential for the job.
Neil added: “I can certainly get by in Danish. I know some basics. It’s good to learn as it helps with the language barrier and of course helps within the team. It’s one of the hardest languages to learn though!
“It’s very easy to work for a rider like Kenneth and within the team. We all get on really well and pull together to work to our best. It’s perfect.”
After Bjerre finished eighth in his debut GP season, ambitions were high within the camp for more success this year. “I think he’s just riding with so much more confidence this season,” added Neil.
“He’s making excellent starts, the engine is working well and the whole package is just a great combination.
“A typical week for me in Denmark involves cleaning the bikes from Poland as well as building the bikes ready for the GPs. I mechanic for Lasse during the week. In the lead-up to Gothenburg, I spent Thursday washing the bikes and left home at 3am to make the trip to Sweden in the van with Kenneth’s dad Ivan. That was a six-hour drive from Esbjerg.
“GP practice is on Friday. On Saturday it’s team breakfast at 8am and then I am at the track by 9am. Myself, Barry and Ivan then clean the bikes and prepare for the GP. From 3.30pm, it’s machine examinations, tyre checks and warming up the bikes from 6.30pm.
“After the meeting in Sweden, there was no time to celebrate as we had a 12-hour drive to Poland for a Polish league match. The work never stops!”
Barry explained: “I don’t think people realise how tough the job of a mechanic really is. It takes four to five hours to clean one bike so I will spend a whole working day cleaning two bikes. With the fixtures in full flow, it’s extremely busy.”
The life of a mechanic is not always easy. However, this weekend ‘Team Bjerre’ will be looking to see if they can be top of the world, yet again!
As published in the Peterborough Evening Telegraph 22/5/10
http://www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk/sport/speedway/team_bjerre_aiming_for_more_glory_tonight_1_637458
PANTHERS rider Kenneth Bjerre will be looking to repeat his Swedish GP success when he lines up for the third event of the season tonight.
Prague is the next meeting in the calendar and Bjerre and his team will be looking to increase their lead in the series.
A lot of effort goes into achieving a Grand Prix win as well as fighting for a World Championship and it’s the support of a strong team of people behind you that helps maximise your chances.
Neil and Barry Howlett, brothers from Crowland, have been working for ‘Team Bjerre’. Well known in speedway circles, there was as much joy for the two mechanics as there was for the rider.
Barry was working at his first GP for the Dane and was part of the team’s first victory. Bjerre said: “Barry had never worked at a GP before so he must have been a lucky charm for me! All riders need to have a good unit around them. You need people who can do the job and be trusted.”
Barry, who also works as a machinist at Perkins, was a happy man after being part of the pit-crew of the Huntingdon resident’s first victory.
He said: “My very first GP and we win! I was ecstatic. Once Kenneth reached the semis, I knew it was a meeting he could win. Once he picked gate one, nobody was going to beat him in the form he was in.”
The Panthers star clearly believes Barry can bring him some luck as he has asked him to be part of the team for this weekend in the Czech Republic!
Barry said: “I found working at a GP much more pressurised than a league match. I thrive under pressure so I enjoyed it. It’s hard work but it’s the same job as a league match, just with less sleep and more travelling.”
Older brother Neil has been working for 25 year-old Bjerre in the GPs since the start and has made the massive sacrifice of leaving his home in England to base himself in Denmark. Living in Esbjerg (Bjerre’s hometown) he works from April to October at Polish and Danish league matches, as well as the GPs.
It’s a busy schedule for him as he also mechanics for Lasse, Kenneth’s younger brother.
Neil said: “I first became a mechanic when one of my friends was riding for Peterborough Pumas in the Conference League and I offered to help him in the pits. That was around eight years ago.
“I then helped other riders in the Elite and Premier League. Soon after I began a partnership with ex-Panther Danny King and he asked me to work full-time for him in Poland for a season.
“Barry was then working for Kenneth as he was also letting him reside at his house in Crowland. The following season, Kenneth asked me if I would work full-time for him in Denmark.
“This is my life now. It’s something I am really happy to do. I get to see the world, it’s something I enjoy and know I’m good at. My aim is to help Kenneth become world champion and Lasse to become Under 19 champion.”
Working with a Danish rider, based in a Nordic country, you would think learning some basics in the language must be essential for the job.
Neil added: “I can certainly get by in Danish. I know some basics. It’s good to learn as it helps with the language barrier and of course helps within the team. It’s one of the hardest languages to learn though!
“It’s very easy to work for a rider like Kenneth and within the team. We all get on really well and pull together to work to our best. It’s perfect.”
After Bjerre finished eighth in his debut GP season, ambitions were high within the camp for more success this year. “I think he’s just riding with so much more confidence this season,” added Neil.
“He’s making excellent starts, the engine is working well and the whole package is just a great combination.
“A typical week for me in Denmark involves cleaning the bikes from Poland as well as building the bikes ready for the GPs. I mechanic for Lasse during the week. In the lead-up to Gothenburg, I spent Thursday washing the bikes and left home at 3am to make the trip to Sweden in the van with Kenneth’s dad Ivan. That was a six-hour drive from Esbjerg.
“GP practice is on Friday. On Saturday it’s team breakfast at 8am and then I am at the track by 9am. Myself, Barry and Ivan then clean the bikes and prepare for the GP. From 3.30pm, it’s machine examinations, tyre checks and warming up the bikes from 6.30pm.
“After the meeting in Sweden, there was no time to celebrate as we had a 12-hour drive to Poland for a Polish league match. The work never stops!”
Barry explained: “I don’t think people realise how tough the job of a mechanic really is. It takes four to five hours to clean one bike so I will spend a whole working day cleaning two bikes. With the fixtures in full flow, it’s extremely busy.”
The life of a mechanic is not always easy. However, this weekend ‘Team Bjerre’ will be looking to see if they can be top of the world, yet again!
Friday 21 May 2010
BJERRE IN THE FORM OF HIS LIFE
By Leandra Graves
Championship leader, Kenneth Bjerre, goes into this weekend’s GP in Prague, riding in the form of his life. After winning his debut GP in Sweden just two weeks ago, he has continued to set the world on fire (literally in one case!) with some outstanding performances on the continent and at his home track Peterborough.
He broke the track record at the Showground last week against Wolverhampton and equalled his best time of 58.9 against Belle Vue on Thursday evening.
With time to reflect after his maiden win, what were the Peterborough rider’s thoughts about his race in the final at the Ullevi stadium, with Tomasz Gollob to clinch the winning trophy?
“When I made the start, I was in the lead but then I went so wide. Gollob was pushing me, it was a bit hard, but he could have been harder on me. That’s speedway racing though, it was fair, so it was good racing.”
“I don’t think I was on a high after the GP win, I had to go straight to Poland for another meeting and slept in the van. It was just another day at work on Sunday. I just enjoyed it that night. I just hope to keep getting big points in my league meetings and the GPs.”
There was also the surprise of his bike catching fire at Kirkmanshulme Lane two days after his historic victory in Gothenburg. It certainly has been an eventful time for the Huntingdon resident.
“I don’t know what caused the problem but my bike caught fire when I came out of the start. I actually made the start, then the bike stopped and then it all just caught fire. It came from the engine.”
Looking untouchable, can anybody stop the man from Esbjerg from winning again and increasing his lead in the championship?
The diminutive Dane was keen to play down any championship talk, “Everything is working at the moment for me, I just have to keep enjoying it. I just keep tying to make good starts, my bike is quick. I always believe I can win and even if I don’t make the start, I know I can still achieve victory in the race.”
There was certainly evidence of this on a warm, sunny evening at Peterborough. There may have been doubts from some supporters in the past of him not giving his full commitment to the Panthers, but this season, Bjerre has rode with passion and determination and has been mesmerising to watch.
With regards to Prague, the 25 year old is keen to treat it as another GP and reluctant to admit he is the rider that everyone should be watching and chasing for the crown.
“I am doing everything the same, I just want to win every race I’m in. Hopefully I will score enough points at the end of it, to be world champion.”
However, 1980 World Champion Michael Lee, a regular at Peterborough and GPs, is full of praise for the Wroclaw rider.
“I believe Kenneth can go all the way and win it. He’s flying right now, everyone can see that. He’s got great equipment and he’s fit for the first time in two seasons. I know from experience of riding like that, when you are in that form, you feel unbeatable and he’s in the form of his life right now.”
Can the Peterborough rider deliver the goods and go all the way? He is due to celebrate his 26th birthday on Monday, perhaps an extended lead in the standings will be the perfect present.
Championship leader, Kenneth Bjerre, goes into this weekend’s GP in Prague, riding in the form of his life. After winning his debut GP in Sweden just two weeks ago, he has continued to set the world on fire (literally in one case!) with some outstanding performances on the continent and at his home track Peterborough.
He broke the track record at the Showground last week against Wolverhampton and equalled his best time of 58.9 against Belle Vue on Thursday evening.
With time to reflect after his maiden win, what were the Peterborough rider’s thoughts about his race in the final at the Ullevi stadium, with Tomasz Gollob to clinch the winning trophy?
“When I made the start, I was in the lead but then I went so wide. Gollob was pushing me, it was a bit hard, but he could have been harder on me. That’s speedway racing though, it was fair, so it was good racing.”
“I don’t think I was on a high after the GP win, I had to go straight to Poland for another meeting and slept in the van. It was just another day at work on Sunday. I just enjoyed it that night. I just hope to keep getting big points in my league meetings and the GPs.”
There was also the surprise of his bike catching fire at Kirkmanshulme Lane two days after his historic victory in Gothenburg. It certainly has been an eventful time for the Huntingdon resident.
“I don’t know what caused the problem but my bike caught fire when I came out of the start. I actually made the start, then the bike stopped and then it all just caught fire. It came from the engine.”
Looking untouchable, can anybody stop the man from Esbjerg from winning again and increasing his lead in the championship?
The diminutive Dane was keen to play down any championship talk, “Everything is working at the moment for me, I just have to keep enjoying it. I just keep tying to make good starts, my bike is quick. I always believe I can win and even if I don’t make the start, I know I can still achieve victory in the race.”
There was certainly evidence of this on a warm, sunny evening at Peterborough. There may have been doubts from some supporters in the past of him not giving his full commitment to the Panthers, but this season, Bjerre has rode with passion and determination and has been mesmerising to watch.
With regards to Prague, the 25 year old is keen to treat it as another GP and reluctant to admit he is the rider that everyone should be watching and chasing for the crown.
“I am doing everything the same, I just want to win every race I’m in. Hopefully I will score enough points at the end of it, to be world champion.”
However, 1980 World Champion Michael Lee, a regular at Peterborough and GPs, is full of praise for the Wroclaw rider.
“I believe Kenneth can go all the way and win it. He’s flying right now, everyone can see that. He’s got great equipment and he’s fit for the first time in two seasons. I know from experience of riding like that, when you are in that form, you feel unbeatable and he’s in the form of his life right now.”
Can the Peterborough rider deliver the goods and go all the way? He is due to celebrate his 26th birthday on Monday, perhaps an extended lead in the standings will be the perfect present.
HANS RIDING THROUGH THE PAIN BARRIER
By Leandra Graves
Belle Vue star Hans Andersen will ride through the pain barrier with his damaged hip, to face his rivals in the third round of the Speedway Grand Prix in Prague this weekend.
After an awkward fall in the home match against the Poole Pirates on Monday, Andersen withdrew from the meeting and looked unlikely to race again before the GP in the Czech Republic.
However, the Danish ace lined up against his previous club at the Showground on Thursday evening. Despite the agonising pain, he didn’t let the fans down, providing a good night’s entertainment.
Speaking to the fans during the meeting he said “I feel like a passenger at the moment. I didn’t want to let my team down, that’s why I am riding tonight. I can’t ride the outside, so I will be hugging the kerb a lot. It’s not ideal to ride in this much pain after Monday’s accident. My hip is swollen and it’s feels like it’s electrocuting me when I go into the corners. Hopefully it will get better!”
The Dackarna and Torun rider went on to finish with 9 plus one points, with some tough battles with Aussie Troy Batchelor. It certainly appeared the 30 year old wanted to remind him who used to be boss around the Peterborough track!
Andersen will be looking for a much improved performance on Saturday in the GP. Currently lying in 11th place in the standings and missing out on the semi finals in both GPs, he will want to bounce back to mount a serious charge on the title. There is also the small matter of the first leg of the Danish Final next Friday at Vojens…
Belle Vue star Hans Andersen will ride through the pain barrier with his damaged hip, to face his rivals in the third round of the Speedway Grand Prix in Prague this weekend.
After an awkward fall in the home match against the Poole Pirates on Monday, Andersen withdrew from the meeting and looked unlikely to race again before the GP in the Czech Republic.
However, the Danish ace lined up against his previous club at the Showground on Thursday evening. Despite the agonising pain, he didn’t let the fans down, providing a good night’s entertainment.
Speaking to the fans during the meeting he said “I feel like a passenger at the moment. I didn’t want to let my team down, that’s why I am riding tonight. I can’t ride the outside, so I will be hugging the kerb a lot. It’s not ideal to ride in this much pain after Monday’s accident. My hip is swollen and it’s feels like it’s electrocuting me when I go into the corners. Hopefully it will get better!”
The Dackarna and Torun rider went on to finish with 9 plus one points, with some tough battles with Aussie Troy Batchelor. It certainly appeared the 30 year old wanted to remind him who used to be boss around the Peterborough track!
Andersen will be looking for a much improved performance on Saturday in the GP. Currently lying in 11th place in the standings and missing out on the semi finals in both GPs, he will want to bounce back to mount a serious charge on the title. There is also the small matter of the first leg of the Danish Final next Friday at Vojens…
MAGNIFICENT MAGNUS MAKES SEMI-FINAL IN SWEDEN
By Leandra Graves.
Veteran Magnus Zetterstrom produced a stunning display on a very wet night in Gothenburg to reach the semi-finals of the Speedway Grand Prix! Whilst others around him failed to handle the difficult track conditions, Zorro shone and had without doubt one of the best moments of his career. After the meeting he revealed how pleased he was with his performance.
“I am satisfied with my night. I feel like a winner!”
To many, he was considered not worthy of his SGP place for 2010 even though he had earned it by winning the GP Challenge last September. The bookies were making Zorro a rank outsider with odds of 200/1 to win GP’s. After his first GP in Leszno, where he had scored four points, including a heat win, he had already silenced some critics.
“I’m not racing to prove the doubters wrong, but it’s certainly nice to ride like this and show everyone that I do belong to be here, riding with the best in the GP’s.”
At the Ullevi Stadium, the Eskilstuna star rode like a man possessed. He was lightning quick away from the gates and after three rides from everyone, his name was at the top of the scoreboard!
The crowd was electric, knowing their home rider had roared through to the semi-finals. The Swedish flags were flying high despite the atrocious weather and the fans were happy with some may say the surprise performance of the likeable Swede. He was watched on by his two children Kevin and Sandra, both who surely would have been very proud of their father on the big stage of the SGP series.
The dream didn’t continue however for the 38 year old. As the rain stopped, Zorro was off the unfavoured gate two in his last two heats, which had only secured one victory all night. He failed to score points from either race, meaning he had one of the last gate picks in his semi.
“There was so much material on the track at the start, gate two was just impossible to do anything with.”
The night ended with third place in the semi-final after Tomasz Gollob had found a way past the Swede. “I was pretty good in the beginning of the race but I couldn’t keep Gollob behind me.”
Finishing with nine points in front of a patriotic crowd was an amazing achievement, one he was not at all disappointed with. He took the applause from the ecstatic supporters after his final race and enjoyed every moment.
The Gdansk and Indianerna racer now has 13 points in the World Championship and lies 13th in the standings. He’s also ahead of his fellow countryman, Freddie Lindgren.
Veteran Magnus Zetterstrom produced a stunning display on a very wet night in Gothenburg to reach the semi-finals of the Speedway Grand Prix! Whilst others around him failed to handle the difficult track conditions, Zorro shone and had without doubt one of the best moments of his career. After the meeting he revealed how pleased he was with his performance.
“I am satisfied with my night. I feel like a winner!”
To many, he was considered not worthy of his SGP place for 2010 even though he had earned it by winning the GP Challenge last September. The bookies were making Zorro a rank outsider with odds of 200/1 to win GP’s. After his first GP in Leszno, where he had scored four points, including a heat win, he had already silenced some critics.
“I’m not racing to prove the doubters wrong, but it’s certainly nice to ride like this and show everyone that I do belong to be here, riding with the best in the GP’s.”
At the Ullevi Stadium, the Eskilstuna star rode like a man possessed. He was lightning quick away from the gates and after three rides from everyone, his name was at the top of the scoreboard!
The crowd was electric, knowing their home rider had roared through to the semi-finals. The Swedish flags were flying high despite the atrocious weather and the fans were happy with some may say the surprise performance of the likeable Swede. He was watched on by his two children Kevin and Sandra, both who surely would have been very proud of their father on the big stage of the SGP series.
The dream didn’t continue however for the 38 year old. As the rain stopped, Zorro was off the unfavoured gate two in his last two heats, which had only secured one victory all night. He failed to score points from either race, meaning he had one of the last gate picks in his semi.
“There was so much material on the track at the start, gate two was just impossible to do anything with.”
The night ended with third place in the semi-final after Tomasz Gollob had found a way past the Swede. “I was pretty good in the beginning of the race but I couldn’t keep Gollob behind me.”
Finishing with nine points in front of a patriotic crowd was an amazing achievement, one he was not at all disappointed with. He took the applause from the ecstatic supporters after his final race and enjoyed every moment.
The Gdansk and Indianerna racer now has 13 points in the World Championship and lies 13th in the standings. He’s also ahead of his fellow countryman, Freddie Lindgren.
Sunday 2 May 2010
PAIN IN SPAIN FOR PEDROSA
PAIN IN SPAIN FOR PEDROSA
By Leandra Graves
Dani Pedrosa led the race from the start in Jerez, only to be beaten on the last lap in a fierce dice with his fellow countryman, Jorge Lorenzo.
The 24 year old started the race in pole position and took a commanding lead over the Current World Champion, Valentino Rossi. He maintained a comfortable gap over the Yamaha and it appeared Pedrosa would be on his way to a magnificent win in his homeland.
However, the number 99 of Jorge Lorenzo had other plans to ruin Pedrosa’s day in the sun. Lorenzo had been the initial pace setter early on in the weekend, but after qualifying, it appeared Pedrosa had found that something extra that could take him to a vital 25 points.
The number 26 rider wasn’t exactly the happiest man after qualifying, admitting that “pole position doesn’t really mean anything to me.” Clearly the Spaniard was expecting a tougher race and wasn’t expecting his Honda to be able to control the race for a lengthy period.
He was however to be proved wrong and was looking like he had put all his troubles and disappointment behind him after a difficult start in Qatar. Lorenzo had made a poor start and was in a lowly fifth at the start of the race. Once he had passed the two Ducati’s and his Yamaha team-mate, he only had six laps to charge after the race leader. It looked as if the young Majorcan had left it too late to be considered a serious threat for the win and claw back two seconds but suddenly he was right on Pedrosa’s tail. He had slaughtered Pedrosa’s advantage.
What came next was a brutal battle. Pedrosa defended well and sent Lorenzo around the outside of him on several occasions, showing that he had no intention of making this easy for his compatriot. It was a tough battle, hard but fair, with neither rider wanting to give the other an inch. It was a classic final few laps, with it appearing that Pedrosa still had the better of Lorenzo, but "X-Fuera" produced some magic and snuck up the inside of the Honda, sending him out wide and stormed on to take the chequered flag.
It was heartbreak for Pedrosa in front of an adoring 120,000 patriotic fans, that were deliriously happy to see a Spanish one-two, but to lead the race from the start, only to have it snatched at the bitter end, from one of his arch rivals, must have been a cruel end to a dominant race.
Pedrosa managed to put a smile on his frustrations at the end of the race and even congratulated the race winner with a hug, having no bad words to say about an epic fight with Lorenzo.
“I’m exhausted, with ten laps to go, the gap over Rossi was pretty good. I said fuck when I could see Lorenzo was coming. We had a bit of a fight, I went wide and lost momentum and then I couldn’t catch him. I’m very happy though for me and my team with my result, especially after Qatar.”
Pedrosa’s second place put him third overall in the standings and must make him thirsty for his first victory this season, especially put one over his old adversary Lorenzo after today’s surprise ending.
By Leandra Graves
Dani Pedrosa led the race from the start in Jerez, only to be beaten on the last lap in a fierce dice with his fellow countryman, Jorge Lorenzo.
The 24 year old started the race in pole position and took a commanding lead over the Current World Champion, Valentino Rossi. He maintained a comfortable gap over the Yamaha and it appeared Pedrosa would be on his way to a magnificent win in his homeland.
However, the number 99 of Jorge Lorenzo had other plans to ruin Pedrosa’s day in the sun. Lorenzo had been the initial pace setter early on in the weekend, but after qualifying, it appeared Pedrosa had found that something extra that could take him to a vital 25 points.
The number 26 rider wasn’t exactly the happiest man after qualifying, admitting that “pole position doesn’t really mean anything to me.” Clearly the Spaniard was expecting a tougher race and wasn’t expecting his Honda to be able to control the race for a lengthy period.
He was however to be proved wrong and was looking like he had put all his troubles and disappointment behind him after a difficult start in Qatar. Lorenzo had made a poor start and was in a lowly fifth at the start of the race. Once he had passed the two Ducati’s and his Yamaha team-mate, he only had six laps to charge after the race leader. It looked as if the young Majorcan had left it too late to be considered a serious threat for the win and claw back two seconds but suddenly he was right on Pedrosa’s tail. He had slaughtered Pedrosa’s advantage.
What came next was a brutal battle. Pedrosa defended well and sent Lorenzo around the outside of him on several occasions, showing that he had no intention of making this easy for his compatriot. It was a tough battle, hard but fair, with neither rider wanting to give the other an inch. It was a classic final few laps, with it appearing that Pedrosa still had the better of Lorenzo, but "X-Fuera" produced some magic and snuck up the inside of the Honda, sending him out wide and stormed on to take the chequered flag.
It was heartbreak for Pedrosa in front of an adoring 120,000 patriotic fans, that were deliriously happy to see a Spanish one-two, but to lead the race from the start, only to have it snatched at the bitter end, from one of his arch rivals, must have been a cruel end to a dominant race.
Pedrosa managed to put a smile on his frustrations at the end of the race and even congratulated the race winner with a hug, having no bad words to say about an epic fight with Lorenzo.
“I’m exhausted, with ten laps to go, the gap over Rossi was pretty good. I said fuck when I could see Lorenzo was coming. We had a bit of a fight, I went wide and lost momentum and then I couldn’t catch him. I’m very happy though for me and my team with my result, especially after Qatar.”
Pedrosa’s second place put him third overall in the standings and must make him thirsty for his first victory this season, especially put one over his old adversary Lorenzo after today’s surprise ending.
LORENZO MAKES A BIG SPLASH IN SPAIN!
Jorge Lorenzo produced one of the races of his life beating Dani Pedrosa on a last lap thriller, to a scorching victory in Jerez. Lorenzo’s Yamaha team-mate, Valentino Rossi was 3rd.
The number 99 rider had been the pace setter early on in the weekend and few would have bet against him to romp home to victory in front of his adoring fans. However, after qualifying, his fierce rival and compatriot, Dani Pedrosa, took pole position and suddenly it looked like it might not be so easy for the young Majorcan.
Lorenzo starting second on the grid didn’t make the best get-away and was fifth after the last lap. He soon passed the Ducati of Casey Stoner and then took the charge to the American, Nicky Hayden. With 18 laps left of the race, the 22 year old passed Hayden and set his sights on the current World Champion Valentino Rossi, who was a few seconds down the road. Pedrosa and Rossi had pulled a significant gap of around three seconds advantage early on in the race, but after a motocross accident a few weeks ago, it appeared Rossi wasn’t able to put up as strong a fight, as he would have wanted. The gap became closer and Lorenzo produced a great manoeuvre past his team-mate to take second in the race.
From then, the gap towards Pedrosa looked unobtainable. A gap of around three seconds with six laps to go made the chance of a win look untouchable. This wasn’t to be the case. Lorenzo had said it was "his
dream” to win a Moto GP race in Jerez and a little rider such as Pedrosa, a fellow Spaniard, was not going to spoil the party Lorezno had planned for 120,000 crazy, patriotic fans.
In the last two laps, Lorenzo managed the unthinkable. He was up close and personal with one may say an arch rival of his (remember those two have history from their 250cc days!) and the battle commenced! With neither rider wanting to give an inch in front of their devoted, fanatical support, it was a hard fight with Pedrosa shutting the door and making Lorezno fight around the outside. It looked impossible for the Yamaha to get in front of the Honda with only a lap remaining but he pulled out a breathtaking pass up the inside of Pedrosa, giving him a little nudge and sending the 24 year old out wide and claiming a stunning victory on the very last lap!
The fans went wild, as did Lorenzo himself. The ride of his life and surely that of someone who can mount a serious challenge for honours this season. What did the winner do to celebrate after? Jump into a lake of course, fully clothed in his leathers and helmet! His victory celebrations at the race track have always been “out there” but this time he really out-classed himself (and Rossi who normally knows a thing or two about unusual celebrations!). Luckily, Lorenzo was rescued from the water and arrived on the podium sopping wet with a massive grin and looking the happiest man on the world of Lorenzo’s Land!
There was sporting congratulations to his nearest rivals on the rostrum and it was nice to see a hug between him and Pedrosa after their amazing duel. Remember two years ago, King Juan Carlos of Spain had to make the two Spanish pretenders shake hands as they didn’t exactly have a warm friendship.
After the race Lorezno was hardly able to speak, full of pure emotion, "I have no words to describe how I feel. I am so tired. I did 100% effort today and that is my present. One of my dreams!"
It appeared that his present arrived early as he's due to celebrate his birthday in just two days time.
This enthralling race and victory put Lorenzo at the top of the championship standings, not a bad day’s work for someone who missed part of pre-season testing and suffered with a hand injury. Perhaps this season, Lorenzo’s Land really can rule the world? Next race is three weeks time (do we really have to wait that long!) at LeMans in France. Let’s hope it can be as exciting as this one. Now you will have to excuse me, I’m off to watch the re-run again and marvel at how Lorenzo stole the victory! Catalunya 2009, Rossi beating Lorezno at the final corner was awesome but today was something very special too…
By Leandra Graves
Wednesday 28 April 2010
TOUGH START FOR TAI
Unfortunately it wasn't the dream start for Tai Woffinden's Speedway Grand Prix campaign at the weekend. The eagerly awaited series kicked off in Leszno, Poland and was the first GP for Scunthorpe local Woffinden after being named as a wildcard over the winter.
The 19 year old had a difficult evening in what most people believe is the most competitive line up in the Grand Prix for a very long time. Woffinden picked up just the one point on the night but certainly showed good speed, but was let down by his gating which he admitted after the meeting cost him better results.
Leandra Graves caught up with the youngster after the meeting.
"It was what I expected tonight. I never got the opportunity to see any daylight and get to ride the lines I wanted too but it's always difficult when you're at the back. I was quite happy with tonight and I didn't end up with zero points so that was good. It was my first GP and I'm only young. I have got plenty more years at this level. I want to win every race I am in. In my first two races I didn't make the best of starts, so then we changed the bike a bit to help me get out the start and then of course I beat Chris (Harris). In my next one, I was off gate four and I was trying to get across them all at the start but me and Rune (Holta) had a bit of a coming together so that was that to that race. That's speedway for you. When you are riding for the world championship you know it's always going to be tough."
Finishing the evening with one point wasn't a true reflection of the effort he had put in. He was unlucky to lose out to fellow GP newcomer, Chris Holder, after a titanic battle but heat 9 was the race of the night for Woffinden. The Wolverhampton captain got the better of his Great Britain compatriot Harris after a stunning pass over the Cardiff GP winner from 2007.
Preparations for this weekend had been disrupted due to the problems faced with travelling due to the volcanic ash restrictions. Woffinden said, "I was supposed to be flying from Sweden to Poland but in the end in didn't happen so we had to drive out to Poland in my motorhome."
The GP was a lively encounter on an excellent track producing lots of passing. He was full of praise for the track conditions which in the past have often led to slick, processional races. "It was good with a bit of dirt on. I don't think anyone expected the track to be like this today. It was the same as a league match as I have rode here a few times in the Polish league. It was a perfect track, they prepared it really well."
There was no rest for Woffinden after the GP. Leaving immediately after the GP, he and his team faced a long journey to his Polish club Czestochowa to race Sunday. Then a quick return to England to ride for Wolves on Monday and Tuesday back racing in Sweden. The life of a GP rider is always very hectic!
http://www.speedwayplus.com/Leandra1.shtml
http://www.worldspeedway.com/artman/publish/article_12203.shtml
The 19 year old had a difficult evening in what most people believe is the most competitive line up in the Grand Prix for a very long time. Woffinden picked up just the one point on the night but certainly showed good speed, but was let down by his gating which he admitted after the meeting cost him better results.
Leandra Graves caught up with the youngster after the meeting.
"It was what I expected tonight. I never got the opportunity to see any daylight and get to ride the lines I wanted too but it's always difficult when you're at the back. I was quite happy with tonight and I didn't end up with zero points so that was good. It was my first GP and I'm only young. I have got plenty more years at this level. I want to win every race I am in. In my first two races I didn't make the best of starts, so then we changed the bike a bit to help me get out the start and then of course I beat Chris (Harris). In my next one, I was off gate four and I was trying to get across them all at the start but me and Rune (Holta) had a bit of a coming together so that was that to that race. That's speedway for you. When you are riding for the world championship you know it's always going to be tough."
Finishing the evening with one point wasn't a true reflection of the effort he had put in. He was unlucky to lose out to fellow GP newcomer, Chris Holder, after a titanic battle but heat 9 was the race of the night for Woffinden. The Wolverhampton captain got the better of his Great Britain compatriot Harris after a stunning pass over the Cardiff GP winner from 2007.
Preparations for this weekend had been disrupted due to the problems faced with travelling due to the volcanic ash restrictions. Woffinden said, "I was supposed to be flying from Sweden to Poland but in the end in didn't happen so we had to drive out to Poland in my motorhome."
The GP was a lively encounter on an excellent track producing lots of passing. He was full of praise for the track conditions which in the past have often led to slick, processional races. "It was good with a bit of dirt on. I don't think anyone expected the track to be like this today. It was the same as a league match as I have rode here a few times in the Polish league. It was a perfect track, they prepared it really well."
There was no rest for Woffinden after the GP. Leaving immediately after the GP, he and his team faced a long journey to his Polish club Czestochowa to race Sunday. Then a quick return to England to ride for Wolves on Monday and Tuesday back racing in Sweden. The life of a GP rider is always very hectic!
http://www.speedwayplus.com/Leandra1.shtml
http://www.worldspeedway.com/artman/publish/article_12203.shtml
Bomber – I ballsed it up!
Cornwall born Chris Harris, made it through to the semi-finals of the European GP in Poland, recording one of his best results over the last few seasons. After a difficult 2009 in the Speedway Grand Prix series, “Bomber” racked up two wins and snuck into the semi-final but missed out to Janusz Kolodziej and Jarek Hampel, both home club riders.
It was an up and down night for Bomber Harris that lacked consistency, two wins, including one over three times World Champion, Nicki Pedersen. A superb race by Harris to beat Pedersen that had the crowd on their feet! He also beat current World Champion, Jason Crump and Rune Holta in heat 17 to earn his place in the semi’s.
Bomber admitted, “I ballsed it up in the semi-final. We did all he hard work getting to the semis but it was always going to be a tough order to come from gate four. I’ve got to take a lot of positives from this first GP and carry them on to the next one.”
The demeanour of the Coventry captain appeared very relaxed and confident, with some very determined rides against classy opposition. This was a contrast to last season when he was struggling, perhaps a change in attitude? “I just changed a few things over the winter. I tried to sort my head out and I’ve only got the people around me I actually need. I’ve not got a big group of people here with me and it’s definitely working and helping me to focus.”
As for the majority of GP riders, the volcanic ash had disrupted many plans logistically in the run-up the to the Leszno GP weekend. This affected the 27 year old more than most, with him having to miss an Elite League fixture. “It has been tough. I had to miss riding for Coventry on Thursday unfortunately, as I had to drive to Poland after the match at Poole Wednesday night. Luckily Coventry won!”
There was praise for a track that produced excellent racing after many complaints of track conditions in previous GP seasons leading to processional races. “The track was a lot better tonight, a little bit more material than normal. It did get a bit slick towards the end but of course if you can make the starts, it makes life a lot easier.”
The next GP is on a man-made track in Sweden at the Ullevi Stadium. Bomber was already looking ahead to the next one to see if he could improve on his total of eight points that put him in equal eighth position with a handful of riders.
“I had two wins, I will chuck the other results away. I can now aim for the same and better in Sweden. Roll on Gothenburg!”
It was an up and down night for Bomber Harris that lacked consistency, two wins, including one over three times World Champion, Nicki Pedersen. A superb race by Harris to beat Pedersen that had the crowd on their feet! He also beat current World Champion, Jason Crump and Rune Holta in heat 17 to earn his place in the semi’s.
Bomber admitted, “I ballsed it up in the semi-final. We did all he hard work getting to the semis but it was always going to be a tough order to come from gate four. I’ve got to take a lot of positives from this first GP and carry them on to the next one.”
The demeanour of the Coventry captain appeared very relaxed and confident, with some very determined rides against classy opposition. This was a contrast to last season when he was struggling, perhaps a change in attitude? “I just changed a few things over the winter. I tried to sort my head out and I’ve only got the people around me I actually need. I’ve not got a big group of people here with me and it’s definitely working and helping me to focus.”
As for the majority of GP riders, the volcanic ash had disrupted many plans logistically in the run-up the to the Leszno GP weekend. This affected the 27 year old more than most, with him having to miss an Elite League fixture. “It has been tough. I had to miss riding for Coventry on Thursday unfortunately, as I had to drive to Poland after the match at Poole Wednesday night. Luckily Coventry won!”
There was praise for a track that produced excellent racing after many complaints of track conditions in previous GP seasons leading to processional races. “The track was a lot better tonight, a little bit more material than normal. It did get a bit slick towards the end but of course if you can make the starts, it makes life a lot easier.”
The next GP is on a man-made track in Sweden at the Ullevi Stadium. Bomber was already looking ahead to the next one to see if he could improve on his total of eight points that put him in equal eighth position with a handful of riders.
“I had two wins, I will chuck the other results away. I can now aim for the same and better in Sweden. Roll on Gothenburg!”
CRUMP WINS EUROPEAN GP!
Current World Champion, Jason Crump roared to victory in the opening round of the Speedway Grand Prix series in Leszno, Poland. The 34 year old secured 19 points overall to be leading the World Championship for 2010, an ominous sign to his fellow rivals. This was a fantastic performance by Crump considering he had been suffering with injuries sustained in October where he received severe burns and broken bones. Many had doubts whether he would be fit enough to race at the start of this season, including the Aussie himself.
“I didn’t expect to be here today, so it was a bit of a bonus really. At the end of last season, I thought I would be able to start defending the World Championship in about June if I was lucky. So it’s a big bonus to be here at the start of the season and an even bigger bonus to get into the final.”
He beat off fierce competition in the final from Leszno rider, Jarek Hampel, who had top scored through the meeting with 11 points and Russian Emil Sayfutdinov.
Crump explained: “I can run, but I can’t really lift anything heavy with my left arm. So I’m very fortunate and I’m really happy to be here. I’ve always put a little bit of pressure on myself to be the world champion, and I want to try and win again.”
Home town favourite Hampel was pleased with his performance in second place after a two year break from the series.
“That was a good place for the beginning of this season. I wanted to try and win the competition but Jason was very fast from gate one in the final. I tried to close him down, but he was in front of me and I couldn’t go any faster. I like racing in the Grand Prix and I hope I race even better next time.”
Three times World Champion, Nicki Pedersen didn’t set the night on fire with a disappointing night by his standards. He ended up finishing third in the semi-final behind Crump and Sayfutdinov with a tally of nine points.
The wild-card Janus Kolodziej who rides for Leszno, alongside Hampel, was 80/1 before the meeting. He stormed into the final hoping to cause an upset amongst the GP regulars and to the delight of the massive Polish crowd. However, he was adjudged to be at fault with an incident with Sayfutdinov and was excluded in the final, causing a re-run with just three riders.
The next GP is in Gothenburg, Sweden on May 8th.
HEAT SCORES:
Jaroslaw Hampel (3-1-2-2-3) 11
Jason Crump (3-3-3-1-0) 10
Emil Sayfutdinov (3-1-1-3-2) 10
Janusz Kolodziej (1-3-3-2-1) 10
Kenneth Bjerre (1-2-2-2-3) 10
Rune Holta (2-3-1-1-2) 9
Chris Harris (2-3-0-0-3) 8
Nicki Pedersen (3-2-0-0-3) 8
Freddie Lindgren (1-1-3-3-0) 8
Hans Andersen (0-2-2-3-1) 8
Chris Holder (2-2-0-2-2) 8
Tomasz Gollob (2-0-2-1-1) 6
Andreas Jonsson (R-1-1-1-2) 5
Greg Hancock (0-0-3-0-1) 4
Magnus Zetterstrom (1-0-0-3-0) 4
Tai Woffinden (0-0-1-0-0) 1
Semi-Final 1: Hampel, Kolodziej, Holta, Harris.
Semi-Final 2: Crump, Sayfutdinov, Pedersen, Bjerre.
Final: Crump, Hampel, Sayfutdinov, Kolodziej (exc, foul riding).
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS: 1 Jason Crump (19), 2 Jaroslaw Hampel (18), 3 Emil Sayfutdinov (14), 4 Janusz Kolodziej (12), 5 Rune Holta (10), 6 Kenneth Bjerre (10), 7 Nicki Pedersen (9), 8 Freddie Lindgren (8), 9 Hans Andersen (8), 10 Chris Holder (8), 11 Chris Harris (8), 12 Tomasz Gollob (6), 13 Andreas Jonsson (5), 14 Greg Hancock (4), 15 Magnus Zetterstrom (4), 16 Tai Woffinden (1).
“I didn’t expect to be here today, so it was a bit of a bonus really. At the end of last season, I thought I would be able to start defending the World Championship in about June if I was lucky. So it’s a big bonus to be here at the start of the season and an even bigger bonus to get into the final.”
He beat off fierce competition in the final from Leszno rider, Jarek Hampel, who had top scored through the meeting with 11 points and Russian Emil Sayfutdinov.
Crump explained: “I can run, but I can’t really lift anything heavy with my left arm. So I’m very fortunate and I’m really happy to be here. I’ve always put a little bit of pressure on myself to be the world champion, and I want to try and win again.”
Home town favourite Hampel was pleased with his performance in second place after a two year break from the series.
“That was a good place for the beginning of this season. I wanted to try and win the competition but Jason was very fast from gate one in the final. I tried to close him down, but he was in front of me and I couldn’t go any faster. I like racing in the Grand Prix and I hope I race even better next time.”
Three times World Champion, Nicki Pedersen didn’t set the night on fire with a disappointing night by his standards. He ended up finishing third in the semi-final behind Crump and Sayfutdinov with a tally of nine points.
The wild-card Janus Kolodziej who rides for Leszno, alongside Hampel, was 80/1 before the meeting. He stormed into the final hoping to cause an upset amongst the GP regulars and to the delight of the massive Polish crowd. However, he was adjudged to be at fault with an incident with Sayfutdinov and was excluded in the final, causing a re-run with just three riders.
The next GP is in Gothenburg, Sweden on May 8th.
HEAT SCORES:
Jaroslaw Hampel (3-1-2-2-3) 11
Jason Crump (3-3-3-1-0) 10
Emil Sayfutdinov (3-1-1-3-2) 10
Janusz Kolodziej (1-3-3-2-1) 10
Kenneth Bjerre (1-2-2-2-3) 10
Rune Holta (2-3-1-1-2) 9
Chris Harris (2-3-0-0-3) 8
Nicki Pedersen (3-2-0-0-3) 8
Freddie Lindgren (1-1-3-3-0) 8
Hans Andersen (0-2-2-3-1) 8
Chris Holder (2-2-0-2-2) 8
Tomasz Gollob (2-0-2-1-1) 6
Andreas Jonsson (R-1-1-1-2) 5
Greg Hancock (0-0-3-0-1) 4
Magnus Zetterstrom (1-0-0-3-0) 4
Tai Woffinden (0-0-1-0-0) 1
Semi-Final 1: Hampel, Kolodziej, Holta, Harris.
Semi-Final 2: Crump, Sayfutdinov, Pedersen, Bjerre.
Final: Crump, Hampel, Sayfutdinov, Kolodziej (exc, foul riding).
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS: 1 Jason Crump (19), 2 Jaroslaw Hampel (18), 3 Emil Sayfutdinov (14), 4 Janusz Kolodziej (12), 5 Rune Holta (10), 6 Kenneth Bjerre (10), 7 Nicki Pedersen (9), 8 Freddie Lindgren (8), 9 Hans Andersen (8), 10 Chris Holder (8), 11 Chris Harris (8), 12 Tomasz Gollob (6), 13 Andreas Jonsson (5), 14 Greg Hancock (4), 15 Magnus Zetterstrom (4), 16 Tai Woffinden (1).
Monday 12 April 2010
RAMPANT ROSSI ROARS TO WIN IN QATAR!
Reigning World Moto GP Champion, Valentino Rossi, raced to victory in the first round of the inaugural Moto GP Championship. It was a Fiat Yamaha one- two as his team-mate, Jorge Lorenzo finished second, whilst Italian Andrea Dovizioso took third on the Repsol Honda.
Losail Circuit was the venue for the eagerly awaited series to return and the fans were treated to a spectacular race. Racing in the desert, the race last year had to be cancelled for freakish monsoon conditions, but this year the weather stayed perfect and the race took place at night time, adding to the colour and occasion.
Australia’s Casey Stoner on the red Ducati, appeared favourite to secure the win. He set a blistering pole position time on Saturday on a track he has dominated in the past. This weekend was expected to be all about the man on the number 27 bike and after a few laps he was pulling away into the lead, looking like a forgone conclusion of a win in the opening round.
However, Stoner slid off into the gravel on lap five of the 22 lap race, under pressure from a chasing Rossi. This wasn’t the first time Stoner has fallen whilst in front. Stoner is undeniably one of the fastest men in Moto GP but it was a sorry start to this season’s campaign when it was his race to lose. His pace had been pulverising those behind him and he had just recorded the fastest time before his race came to an untimely end.
A disappointed Stoner said, “Once I got to the front I started to get into my rhythm but I lost the front end a couple of times in long corners so I made the decision to try to ride a bit smoother and not put so much pressure on the front tyre with the full tank. Unfortunately that is what led to the crash because looking at the telemetry I didn’t have enough load on the front, so I guess in hindsight I should have stuck to the way I’d been riding all weekend. It’s my mistake and I apologise to the team because we’d done a great job this weekend and we leave empty handed.”
His loss was Rossi’s gain, as he then took control of the race. Dovizioso and Stoner’s team-mate Nicky Hayden, were then locked in a titanic battle for second place, which went to the wire. ‘Dovi’ had massive speed down the straight and with the advantage he had, he managed to remind Rossi he wasn’t going to have everything in his own way. Dovi overtook Rossi, only for ‘Vale’ to retake the lead. It certainly gave the number 46 bike the hurry up, as then Rossi delivered several faster laps in succession to build a larger gap.
It was the first time since 2005 that Rossi has won the opening race of the calendar and this will be an ominous sign to his rivals. Rossi enthused, “These 25 points at this stage are like gold dust, it's a fantastic result for the team to make a one-two at race one. Stoner was quite far ahead of me, I thought then that it was going to be hard to catch him!” explained Rossi. “Then he made a mistake and crashed, which was bad luck for him but crucial for us.”
Rossi’s team-mate Jorge Lorenzo had appeared to be having a lonely race in fourth position after making a bad start and suffering with a broken bone in his right hand from a crash a few months ago. Many doubted the Spaniard’s fitness, how would he manage in full race conditions? The number 99 rode a cautious first half of the race but then Lorenzo seemed to come alive with around seven laps left when he started setting fastest laps, reeling in the fighting duo of Dovi and Hayden. With two laps left, he passed the Ducati and then sent Dovi out wide to grab second place. A superb fight back from the injured Lorenzo who had appeared to be struggling after qualifying. “Today I had to disconnect my brain and just ride with my heart, and I am so happy about this second place,” said an overjoyed Lorenzo. “My hand was a bit sore but the bigger problem was the rear sliding, and early on with a full fuel tank I found it quite hard. My plan was to take it quietly and not risk too much, but after a while the adrenalin built up and I couldn't do that, I had to ride at the maximum!”
Whilst Lorenzo’s joy was clear for all to see after the race, celebrating his 20 point finish as if it was a win, Hayden must have considered himself the unluckiest guy on the track. Losing a precious finish on the rostrum, as on the last lap he managed to find a way past Dovi’s number 4 bike, only for Dovi to steal the final podium place from him as he rocketed passed him on the straight, taking the chequered flag ahead of him in a photo finish for third. The difference between the two was just one hundredth of a second, absolutely breathtaking!
It was only the third time in Dovi’s career that he had achieved a podium in the Moto GP class, so he was understandably overjoyed with what was one of the best races of his career. There had been many changes for the Italian over the winter including a new crew chief and after the first race and winter testing, he seems to have the upper hand on his more illustrious team-mate.
Dovi’s teamate, Dani Pedosa would not be one man smiling after a race of mixed emotions. Pedrosa made an incredible start and jumped up six places to take the lead into the first corner. He initially battled with Stoner and Rossi and looked in excellent form and set for a podium. His pace didn’t continue though and he fell into the clutches of the current World Superbike Champion, Ben Spies and LCR Honda’s, Randy De Puniet who both finished ahead of Pedrosa. It was a disappointing start for Pedrosa to finish in a lowly seventh by his standards. Over the winter, he had changed his race number from three back to 26. Perhaps, not a good luck charm for him!
Ducati were another team with no luck and had a bad day at the office. With the demise of Stoner, Hayden who eventually lost his shot at the podium, the two Pramac Ducati boys of Mika Kallio and Aleix Espargaro both left the race early with the Finn suffering a crash and the latter mechanical gremlins. Perhaps their new colour scheme of lime green should be reconsidered!
One man reaching a marvellous milestone was the likeable Italian, Loris Capirossi. Starting in his 300th race, for which he marked with a 24 carrot gold helmet design and 300 on the front of his bike. At 37, he proves there is life in the elder statesmen of the pack and finished with a solid ninth place result after duelling with Colin Edwards. It was a sad end to Alvaro Bautista’s Moto GP debut, when he crashed out on the final corner of the last lap after a battle with his 250cc arch rival Marco Simonchelli. Rookie of the day went to Hiroshi Aoyama with 10th place ahead of his bitter rivals from last season.
My Rider of the Day: Jorge Lorenzo. The boy is unlucky when it comes to injuries but he can turn the magic on and produce the goods despite the pain and the awkwardness of the broken bone/stitches. His last few laps when passing Dovi and Hayden showed remarkable confidence and pace and I believe a fully fit Jorge (if there ever is such one!) can really take the challenge to Rossi again this season. He has a new manager and despite limited testing compared to his counterparts, he still delivered a fantastic result, one who claimed “he was happier with this 2nd place, than some of his wins!
It had been a long wait during the winter for Moto GP to return but it certainly came back with a bang. Motegi, Japan in two weeks time is sure to be a thriller. Can Stoner bounce back from Qatar or will Rossi romp to victory again? I’m sure Lorenzo and co will have something to say about that…!
Losail Circuit was the venue for the eagerly awaited series to return and the fans were treated to a spectacular race. Racing in the desert, the race last year had to be cancelled for freakish monsoon conditions, but this year the weather stayed perfect and the race took place at night time, adding to the colour and occasion.
Australia’s Casey Stoner on the red Ducati, appeared favourite to secure the win. He set a blistering pole position time on Saturday on a track he has dominated in the past. This weekend was expected to be all about the man on the number 27 bike and after a few laps he was pulling away into the lead, looking like a forgone conclusion of a win in the opening round.
However, Stoner slid off into the gravel on lap five of the 22 lap race, under pressure from a chasing Rossi. This wasn’t the first time Stoner has fallen whilst in front. Stoner is undeniably one of the fastest men in Moto GP but it was a sorry start to this season’s campaign when it was his race to lose. His pace had been pulverising those behind him and he had just recorded the fastest time before his race came to an untimely end.
A disappointed Stoner said, “Once I got to the front I started to get into my rhythm but I lost the front end a couple of times in long corners so I made the decision to try to ride a bit smoother and not put so much pressure on the front tyre with the full tank. Unfortunately that is what led to the crash because looking at the telemetry I didn’t have enough load on the front, so I guess in hindsight I should have stuck to the way I’d been riding all weekend. It’s my mistake and I apologise to the team because we’d done a great job this weekend and we leave empty handed.”
His loss was Rossi’s gain, as he then took control of the race. Dovizioso and Stoner’s team-mate Nicky Hayden, were then locked in a titanic battle for second place, which went to the wire. ‘Dovi’ had massive speed down the straight and with the advantage he had, he managed to remind Rossi he wasn’t going to have everything in his own way. Dovi overtook Rossi, only for ‘Vale’ to retake the lead. It certainly gave the number 46 bike the hurry up, as then Rossi delivered several faster laps in succession to build a larger gap.
It was the first time since 2005 that Rossi has won the opening race of the calendar and this will be an ominous sign to his rivals. Rossi enthused, “These 25 points at this stage are like gold dust, it's a fantastic result for the team to make a one-two at race one. Stoner was quite far ahead of me, I thought then that it was going to be hard to catch him!” explained Rossi. “Then he made a mistake and crashed, which was bad luck for him but crucial for us.”
Rossi’s team-mate Jorge Lorenzo had appeared to be having a lonely race in fourth position after making a bad start and suffering with a broken bone in his right hand from a crash a few months ago. Many doubted the Spaniard’s fitness, how would he manage in full race conditions? The number 99 rode a cautious first half of the race but then Lorenzo seemed to come alive with around seven laps left when he started setting fastest laps, reeling in the fighting duo of Dovi and Hayden. With two laps left, he passed the Ducati and then sent Dovi out wide to grab second place. A superb fight back from the injured Lorenzo who had appeared to be struggling after qualifying. “Today I had to disconnect my brain and just ride with my heart, and I am so happy about this second place,” said an overjoyed Lorenzo. “My hand was a bit sore but the bigger problem was the rear sliding, and early on with a full fuel tank I found it quite hard. My plan was to take it quietly and not risk too much, but after a while the adrenalin built up and I couldn't do that, I had to ride at the maximum!”
Whilst Lorenzo’s joy was clear for all to see after the race, celebrating his 20 point finish as if it was a win, Hayden must have considered himself the unluckiest guy on the track. Losing a precious finish on the rostrum, as on the last lap he managed to find a way past Dovi’s number 4 bike, only for Dovi to steal the final podium place from him as he rocketed passed him on the straight, taking the chequered flag ahead of him in a photo finish for third. The difference between the two was just one hundredth of a second, absolutely breathtaking!
It was only the third time in Dovi’s career that he had achieved a podium in the Moto GP class, so he was understandably overjoyed with what was one of the best races of his career. There had been many changes for the Italian over the winter including a new crew chief and after the first race and winter testing, he seems to have the upper hand on his more illustrious team-mate.
Dovi’s teamate, Dani Pedosa would not be one man smiling after a race of mixed emotions. Pedrosa made an incredible start and jumped up six places to take the lead into the first corner. He initially battled with Stoner and Rossi and looked in excellent form and set for a podium. His pace didn’t continue though and he fell into the clutches of the current World Superbike Champion, Ben Spies and LCR Honda’s, Randy De Puniet who both finished ahead of Pedrosa. It was a disappointing start for Pedrosa to finish in a lowly seventh by his standards. Over the winter, he had changed his race number from three back to 26. Perhaps, not a good luck charm for him!
Ducati were another team with no luck and had a bad day at the office. With the demise of Stoner, Hayden who eventually lost his shot at the podium, the two Pramac Ducati boys of Mika Kallio and Aleix Espargaro both left the race early with the Finn suffering a crash and the latter mechanical gremlins. Perhaps their new colour scheme of lime green should be reconsidered!
One man reaching a marvellous milestone was the likeable Italian, Loris Capirossi. Starting in his 300th race, for which he marked with a 24 carrot gold helmet design and 300 on the front of his bike. At 37, he proves there is life in the elder statesmen of the pack and finished with a solid ninth place result after duelling with Colin Edwards. It was a sad end to Alvaro Bautista’s Moto GP debut, when he crashed out on the final corner of the last lap after a battle with his 250cc arch rival Marco Simonchelli. Rookie of the day went to Hiroshi Aoyama with 10th place ahead of his bitter rivals from last season.
My Rider of the Day: Jorge Lorenzo. The boy is unlucky when it comes to injuries but he can turn the magic on and produce the goods despite the pain and the awkwardness of the broken bone/stitches. His last few laps when passing Dovi and Hayden showed remarkable confidence and pace and I believe a fully fit Jorge (if there ever is such one!) can really take the challenge to Rossi again this season. He has a new manager and despite limited testing compared to his counterparts, he still delivered a fantastic result, one who claimed “he was happier with this 2nd place, than some of his wins!
It had been a long wait during the winter for Moto GP to return but it certainly came back with a bang. Motegi, Japan in two weeks time is sure to be a thriller. Can Stoner bounce back from Qatar or will Rossi romp to victory again? I’m sure Lorenzo and co will have something to say about that…!
Monday 5 April 2010
VETTEL THIRD TIME LUCKY IN MALAYSIA
Germany's Sebastien Vettel made it third time lucky in Malaysia recording a one-two finish with Red Bull team-mate Mark Webber. Nico Rosberg made it onto the rostrum recording the Sllver Arrows’ first podium finish.
In the hot, sticky conditions of Kuala Lumpur, everyone was waiting on the rain which had made qualifying the previous day a lottery. Surprisingly, the heavens didn’t open leading to more of a processional race like we had seen in Bahrain.
However, Vettel was one man smiling that the rain didn’t threaten his dominant race. Webber started from pole position, had made a good start over his team-mate, but chose to head into turn one on the racing line instead of taking a more defensive approach into the first corner Vettel didn’t hesitate and jumped up the inside into the lead and comfortably led Webber for the duration of the race.
After the heartbreak for Vettel twice this season retiring whilst winning the GP, this was a man desperate to claim 25 points and make up for the disaster of the Bahrain and Melbourne. The new F1 points system for 2010 means that Vettel is now only 2 points behind the leader of the championship, putting himself right back into contention.
Vettel enthused, “What a day! At the start, I realised that I had a good start past Nico. I was then able to gain on Mark; it's a long sprint down to Turn one and I had an advantage, so I took the chance into Turn 1 and just made it through! Mark had a better exit out of Turn 2 though Turn 3, but it was very slippery and we both tried to push. We are here to fight, but you should always keep respect and I think we both had respect for each other. If Mark had been in my position I'm sure he would have done the same.”
Webber was reflective after the first corner judgement he made and maybe rues giving Vettel even an opportunity to pass. “I got a bit of wheel spin at the start and Seb got a tow into the first corner. I didn't know where Nico was, so I braked late. Both Seb and I were on the limit to make the first corner. I had a little bit better exit coming out of Turn 2 and the fight continued into Turn 4. We had a chat to Christian at the start of the race and he said ‘Boys, behave yourselves!’ and we did.”
After Rosberg’s first front row start in F1, a podium result for the 25 year old, was a welcome sight and puts him in a very strong position in the drivers championship, only 4 points off the leader. Consistency appears to be the key for the Mercedes driver and after being outgunned by the eventual race winner Vettel at the start, he held off Kubica and once again comphrensively beat his team-mate Schumacher. Schumi’s F1 season was not to improve in Malaysia. After making up two places at the start, the seven time world champ was in 6th position and suffered a rear wing failure on lap 10 putting an end to his race.
Of course there was a topsy turvy grid with both McLarens and Ferraris starting from 17th and below. Hamilton was the best of the bunch making an awesome start and gaining seven places on the first few laps. He had an exiting battle with young Russain driver Vitoly Petrov, though was warned over his excessive weaving down the straight after he appeared to block the Renault driver four times. Rules say you are only allowed to make 1 clear blocking move.
Renault boss Eric Boullier said the team complained to race control about Hamilton's actions during the race. "Very frankly, it is very clear in the regulations that you can have one change of direction, so when you do three in a row something is wrong. He got a warning for dangerous driving, but I am not sure it is enough. It is definitely clearly written in the regulations that you can not do any more than one direction change, and it is something you should not be doing. "However Boullier said they would not be pursuing the matter further, "No. A warning says that if you do it again you will be penalised."
Hamilton’s charge came to a halt when he caught his good friend Adrian Sutil and was unable to pass him. As they both use the powerful Mercedes engine, even the McLaren’s F-duct which helps increase speeds on the straights didn’t manage to allow Hamilton to squeeze by the Force India. The Stevenage born racer said, “I tried my best to get past Adrian, but he was very smart at getting clean exits and was simply too fast down the straights. He drove a fantastic race, actually; faultless, in fact. From 20th on the grid, I think sixth was a brilliant result.”
Race winner in Melbourne, Jenson Button didn’t have the dream start that Hamilton did and was tied up on a fight with both the Ferrari’s. He was chased until the end by Fernando Alonso finishing 8th behind Felipe Massa.
Alonso had what he described as the “hardest race of his life” when he had to drive with a broken downshift problem. He had bravely fought onto the back of Button’s McLaren in a 9th place, when he passed Button and then his engine exploded costing him two points after a difficult race. "This was a very difficult weekend. We made a big mistake in yesterday's qualifying and today in the race, I had to retire with an engine problem. My race was an uphill climb from the start: I found I had a problem with the gearbox right from the start and I had to drive without a clutch for practically the whole race.
"Trying to look on the positive side, at least the engine failure only cost me two points: it would have been much worse if I had been in the lead!”
Massa finishing in 7th place left Malaysia as the new leader of the driver’s championship.
The Torro Rosso boys provided the fans with some much needed passing. Buemi and Alguersuari drove great races after mediocre races in the first two. Alguersuari finished in 9th place, collecting his first ever points in F1. It was a great reward for the youngster’s drive in this category.
There was also delight for Lucas Di Grassi in the Virgin after finishing his first race for Virgin and in F1. It was a welcome sight to see the chequered flag. The Hispania Racing team also got both cars to the finish showing good reliability.
Next challenge for the F1 circus is China, will Red Bull continue to dominate or will the Ferrari and McLaren’s bounce back to fight for top spot?
Malaysia Race Results:
1. Sebastian Vettel Germany Red Bull-Renault 56 laps 1hr 33m 48.412s
2. Mark Webber Australia Red Bull-Renault +04.8s
3. Nico Rosberg Germany Mercedes-Mercedes +13.5s
4. Robert Kubica Poland Renault-Renault +18.5s
5. Adrian Sutil Germany Force India-Mercedes +21.0s
6. Lewis Hamilton Britain McLaren-Mercedes +23.4s
7. Felipe Massa Brazil Ferrari-Ferrari +27.0s
8. Jenson Button Britain McLaren-Mercedes +37.9s
9. Jaime Alguersuari Spain Toro Rosso-Ferrari +70.6s
10. Nico Hulkenberg Germany Williams-Cosworth +73.3s
Drivers Championship Standings after Race 3:
1. Felipe Massa 39pts
2. Fernando Alonso 37pts
3. Sebastian Vettel 37pts
4. Jenson Button 35pts
5. Nico Rosberg 35pts
6. Lewis Hamilton 31pts
7. Robert Kubica 30pts
8. Mark Webber 24pts
9. Adrian Sutil 10pts
10.Michael Schumacher 9pts
How did the team-mates fare? After 3 races?
Hamilton 1-2 Button, Massa 1-2 Alonso, Vettel 2-1 Webber, Rosberg 3-0 Schumacher, Kubica 3-0 Petrov, Barrichello 2 -1 Hulkenberg, Sutil 3 –0 Liuzzi, De La Rosa 2-1 Kobayashi, Buemi 3-0 Alguersuari, Glock 3-0 Di Grassi, Trulli 1-2 Kovalainen, Senna 2 – 1 Chandhok
In the hot, sticky conditions of Kuala Lumpur, everyone was waiting on the rain which had made qualifying the previous day a lottery. Surprisingly, the heavens didn’t open leading to more of a processional race like we had seen in Bahrain.
However, Vettel was one man smiling that the rain didn’t threaten his dominant race. Webber started from pole position, had made a good start over his team-mate, but chose to head into turn one on the racing line instead of taking a more defensive approach into the first corner Vettel didn’t hesitate and jumped up the inside into the lead and comfortably led Webber for the duration of the race.
After the heartbreak for Vettel twice this season retiring whilst winning the GP, this was a man desperate to claim 25 points and make up for the disaster of the Bahrain and Melbourne. The new F1 points system for 2010 means that Vettel is now only 2 points behind the leader of the championship, putting himself right back into contention.
Vettel enthused, “What a day! At the start, I realised that I had a good start past Nico. I was then able to gain on Mark; it's a long sprint down to Turn one and I had an advantage, so I took the chance into Turn 1 and just made it through! Mark had a better exit out of Turn 2 though Turn 3, but it was very slippery and we both tried to push. We are here to fight, but you should always keep respect and I think we both had respect for each other. If Mark had been in my position I'm sure he would have done the same.”
Webber was reflective after the first corner judgement he made and maybe rues giving Vettel even an opportunity to pass. “I got a bit of wheel spin at the start and Seb got a tow into the first corner. I didn't know where Nico was, so I braked late. Both Seb and I were on the limit to make the first corner. I had a little bit better exit coming out of Turn 2 and the fight continued into Turn 4. We had a chat to Christian at the start of the race and he said ‘Boys, behave yourselves!’ and we did.”
After Rosberg’s first front row start in F1, a podium result for the 25 year old, was a welcome sight and puts him in a very strong position in the drivers championship, only 4 points off the leader. Consistency appears to be the key for the Mercedes driver and after being outgunned by the eventual race winner Vettel at the start, he held off Kubica and once again comphrensively beat his team-mate Schumacher. Schumi’s F1 season was not to improve in Malaysia. After making up two places at the start, the seven time world champ was in 6th position and suffered a rear wing failure on lap 10 putting an end to his race.
Of course there was a topsy turvy grid with both McLarens and Ferraris starting from 17th and below. Hamilton was the best of the bunch making an awesome start and gaining seven places on the first few laps. He had an exiting battle with young Russain driver Vitoly Petrov, though was warned over his excessive weaving down the straight after he appeared to block the Renault driver four times. Rules say you are only allowed to make 1 clear blocking move.
Renault boss Eric Boullier said the team complained to race control about Hamilton's actions during the race. "Very frankly, it is very clear in the regulations that you can have one change of direction, so when you do three in a row something is wrong. He got a warning for dangerous driving, but I am not sure it is enough. It is definitely clearly written in the regulations that you can not do any more than one direction change, and it is something you should not be doing. "However Boullier said they would not be pursuing the matter further, "No. A warning says that if you do it again you will be penalised."
Hamilton’s charge came to a halt when he caught his good friend Adrian Sutil and was unable to pass him. As they both use the powerful Mercedes engine, even the McLaren’s F-duct which helps increase speeds on the straights didn’t manage to allow Hamilton to squeeze by the Force India. The Stevenage born racer said, “I tried my best to get past Adrian, but he was very smart at getting clean exits and was simply too fast down the straights. He drove a fantastic race, actually; faultless, in fact. From 20th on the grid, I think sixth was a brilliant result.”
Race winner in Melbourne, Jenson Button didn’t have the dream start that Hamilton did and was tied up on a fight with both the Ferrari’s. He was chased until the end by Fernando Alonso finishing 8th behind Felipe Massa.
Alonso had what he described as the “hardest race of his life” when he had to drive with a broken downshift problem. He had bravely fought onto the back of Button’s McLaren in a 9th place, when he passed Button and then his engine exploded costing him two points after a difficult race. "This was a very difficult weekend. We made a big mistake in yesterday's qualifying and today in the race, I had to retire with an engine problem. My race was an uphill climb from the start: I found I had a problem with the gearbox right from the start and I had to drive without a clutch for practically the whole race.
"Trying to look on the positive side, at least the engine failure only cost me two points: it would have been much worse if I had been in the lead!”
Massa finishing in 7th place left Malaysia as the new leader of the driver’s championship.
The Torro Rosso boys provided the fans with some much needed passing. Buemi and Alguersuari drove great races after mediocre races in the first two. Alguersuari finished in 9th place, collecting his first ever points in F1. It was a great reward for the youngster’s drive in this category.
There was also delight for Lucas Di Grassi in the Virgin after finishing his first race for Virgin and in F1. It was a welcome sight to see the chequered flag. The Hispania Racing team also got both cars to the finish showing good reliability.
Next challenge for the F1 circus is China, will Red Bull continue to dominate or will the Ferrari and McLaren’s bounce back to fight for top spot?
Malaysia Race Results:
1. Sebastian Vettel Germany Red Bull-Renault 56 laps 1hr 33m 48.412s
2. Mark Webber Australia Red Bull-Renault +04.8s
3. Nico Rosberg Germany Mercedes-Mercedes +13.5s
4. Robert Kubica Poland Renault-Renault +18.5s
5. Adrian Sutil Germany Force India-Mercedes +21.0s
6. Lewis Hamilton Britain McLaren-Mercedes +23.4s
7. Felipe Massa Brazil Ferrari-Ferrari +27.0s
8. Jenson Button Britain McLaren-Mercedes +37.9s
9. Jaime Alguersuari Spain Toro Rosso-Ferrari +70.6s
10. Nico Hulkenberg Germany Williams-Cosworth +73.3s
Drivers Championship Standings after Race 3:
1. Felipe Massa 39pts
2. Fernando Alonso 37pts
3. Sebastian Vettel 37pts
4. Jenson Button 35pts
5. Nico Rosberg 35pts
6. Lewis Hamilton 31pts
7. Robert Kubica 30pts
8. Mark Webber 24pts
9. Adrian Sutil 10pts
10.Michael Schumacher 9pts
How did the team-mates fare? After 3 races?
Hamilton 1-2 Button, Massa 1-2 Alonso, Vettel 2-1 Webber, Rosberg 3-0 Schumacher, Kubica 3-0 Petrov, Barrichello 2 -1 Hulkenberg, Sutil 3 –0 Liuzzi, De La Rosa 2-1 Kobayashi, Buemi 3-0 Alguersuari, Glock 3-0 Di Grassi, Trulli 1-2 Kovalainen, Senna 2 – 1 Chandhok
Monday 29 March 2010
Brave Button Wins Eventful Race In Oz!
Current World Champion Jenson Button raced to victory in Melbourne in a race that kept fans gripped to the very end. Polish star Robert Kubica and Ferrari’s Felipe Massa were 2nd and 3rd. After the procession in the opening race in Bahrain, Australia was just what the sport of F1 needed. This was a race packed with thrills and spills, when rain before the race forced everyone to start on intermediate tyres. A brave call from Button to come into the pits and change to slicks, when conditions were still damp, looked like it may have been the wrong decision when he slid off into the gravel. The McLaren then continued and picked up the pace, recording times six seconds quicker than his opposition. After the rest of the field had pitted for new tyres, he had jumped up to second place behind Sebastian Vettel who later retired with brake failure.
This was only Button’s second race for McLaren, so was an emotional and well deserved victory for the likeable man from Somerset. Button said, "I just want to run around and scream because this is the most amazing experience. For this moment in my career, it is very special and hopefully this is something we can build on for this year. The team has done a great job this weekend, we've made some good steps forward, but we are still not quick enough. We still want to be quicker than we are, but this is a great result and to win here with what we have is spectacular - and we have to keep building on this."
Many had questioned Button’s decision to jump ship from Brawn into the McLaren team which was so seemingly dominated around Lewis Hamilton. In Bahrain, Hamilton had the edge over his team-mate, so for Button to fight back and pick up 25 points, he has already established himself within the team in early stages of the season. The McLaren team actually thought Button had made a mistake on the decision to come in the pits so early to change to the slick tyre. Some may say it was a lucky call from Button, but its decisions like that which makes the difference between winning a championship. Martin Whitmarsh, Team Principal at McLaren declared, “Jenson's was a drive truly worthy of a world champion. First, he showed extreme tactical acuity and supreme strategic responsibility by personally electing to make the early call from intermediate to dry tyres, a move that moved him ahead of the pack and laid the foundation for this victory.”
Suffering contrasting fortunes, Vettel must have crossed many black cats recently as on lap 26 whilst leading from the start of the race, he retired with brake failure and ended the race in the gravel. Two races lost this season when in a position to score 25 points. It’s clear the Red Bull in the hands of the young German seems to have the quickest pace of everyone but reliability issues have cost him a chance to have 50 points in the bag. Vettel said, “I had huge vibrations building up and as soon as I touched the brakes, I had some sort of failure going in to Turn 13 and ended up in the gravel. There was nothing I could have done, I lost the car and that was it. It's a shame as I think we had the race in total control at every stage, even though the conditions were difficult. But to win you have to finish. It breaks my balls not to get the win, but there's still a long way to go in this Championship. We're working hard to get on top the reliability issues and we hope to have a solid race and see the chequered flag in Malaysia."
The start of the race proved chaotic when there was a “racing incident” between Button and championship leader Fernando Alonso, which also hampered Michael Schumacher. Alonso was left in last pace after facing the wrong way after a spin and having to allow the whole field past, whilst Schumacher was forced into the pits for a new front wing.
A spectacular crash involving Sauber's Kamui Kobayashi on lap one was frightening to watch after he had lost his front wing and veered across the track into the path of Niko Hulkenberg and Sebastien Buemi ending the races for all involved. They were all lucky to be able to walk away without injury.
Kubica in the Renault drove a superb race to pick up 18 points after making up places at the start due to the mayhem that surrounded him. He drove a faultless race and withstood immense pressure from the quicker cars of Hamilton and Massa.
Alonso produced a stunning race after he made a sluggish start and then must have believed his race was over after the contact with Button and Schumacher. The Spaniard was lucky to avoid any damage from the oncoming cars while he had to sit patiently and fall to last place. A true champions’ drive followed which showed the gritty, determined side of the Ferrari driver, which kept him busy in the early stages, progressing through the pack.
Alonso said, “I am extremely happy - especially how the race developed. Being last at the first corner, and then the reward at the end of the race has been much better than I expected. I was not convinced that I could recover the positions to get into the points," he added. "The first laps with the intermediate tyres, if you see the times I was like two seconds quicker than anyone because I was not caring too much. I thought maybe I will crash or maybe I will recover my position – so it was maximum attack. I was very, very happy and very confident with the car. I enjoyed it – and I prefer to start first and be bored until the end of the race, but it was an interesting race in terms of overtaking and in terms of battles."
When Alonso caught his team-mate, Massa, he appeared to be much quicker and have better handling of his Ferrari, but was unable to pass the Brazilian. Many may say it would have been in Ferrari’s best interests to “allow” Alonso to pass Massa to see if he would have been able to challenge Kubica for 2nd place. Perhaps with it only being the second race in the championship and for harmony to be kept in the Maranello camp, it was decided that they would let the drivers fight it out on the track and Massa took three points out of Alonso’s advantage in the championship. Alonso claimed, "I don't think at that time that I could do any more than that. I was more concentrating on Hamilton and Webber – who were coming behind, than attacking Felipe and Robert. I was super happy with fourth, so I stayed there."
It was not one of Massa’s finest weekends at a track he openly admits to struggling on. His previous best finish at Albert Park was a 6th place. He was clearly out performed in qualifying but after beating Alonso at the start and driving a smart race, a podium finish was a fine result for Massa giving him the best start ever to a F1 season.
Home town favourite, Mark Webber, was not Mr Popular after the race after running into the back of Hamilton with two laps left of the race. Webber had already tapped Hamilton earlier in the race and been driving very aggressively. He was in 6th place after he and Hamilton were chasing down the two Ferrari’s after their second pit stop. Whilst Hamilton went around the outside of Alonso’s car, Webber was caught out and crashed into the back of him and had to limp back to the pits for a replacement nose cone. Webber was later reprimanded for the incident. Webber explained, “At the end of the race we caught the leading guys, but then we had the incident. I apologise to Lewis about that. I lost all down-force in the front of the car when I got close to them, the car lifted and I slid into the back of him. Unfortunately it had looked like a good finish, but it's still very difficult to follow in these cars. I went down fighting.”
Hamilton was left seething not only with Webber for costing him a potential shot at 4th place, but also with his team for what he was claming over the radio was a “terrible idea” for him to be have called in for new tyres. Ultimately, Hamilton and Webber’s rostrum chances were wrecked by the decisions from their team to come in for new tyres. They caught the trio of Kubica, Massa and Alonso quickly with fresh tyres but once there, could do nothing about the defensive Alonso. A frustrated Hamilton revealed, “This was probably one of the drives of my life. Okay, it's possible that the decision to make a second tyre stop wasn't the right one, but my team are a brilliant bunch of guys and they usually get it spot-on. I think I deserved better though. I guess things can't always pan out right every time, but that's motor racing."
Other notable performances were Tonio Liuzzi in the Force India with a fantastic 7th place finish, scoring 6 points. Karun Chandhok must have also been one of the happiest drivers after completing the race in the Hispania Racing car after barely having any time in the cockpit in Bahrain. It was a wonderful finish from the Indian and for the rookie who must be relieved to have reached the finish and got some vital laps under his belt for himself and the team.
The drivers’ championship is already hotting up after just two races. Alonso still leads Massa, but the gap is now only 4 points. Button, after his win, is now only 6 points behind the leader. Malaysia is only a week away, will Vettel be third time lucky or will a new winner join the exciting battle to be a contender for this years Championship?
Race Results, Round 2, Melbourne - Australia.
1. Jenson Button Britain McLaren-Mercedes 58 laps 1hr 33m 36.531s
2. Robert Kubica Poland Renault-Renault +00m 12.0s
3. Felipe Massa Brazil Ferrari-Ferrari +00m 14.4s
4. Fernando Alonso Spain Ferrari-Ferrari +00m 16.3s
5. Nico Rosberg Germany Mercedes-Mercedes +00m 16.6s
6. Lewis Hamilton Britain McLaren-Mercedes +00m 29.8s
7. Vitantonio Liuzzi Italy Force India-Mercedes +00m 59.8s
8. Rubens Barrichello Brazil Williams-Cosworth +01m 00.5s
9. Mark Webber Australia Red Bull-Renault +01m 07.3s
10. Michael Schumacher Germany Mercedes-Mercedes +01m 09.3s
11. Jaime Alguersuari Spain Toro Rosso-Ferrari +01m 11.3s
12. Pedro de la Rosa Spain BMW Sauber-Ferrari +01m 14.0s
13. Heikki Kovalainen Finland Lotus-Cosworth +2 laps
14. Karun Chandhok India HRT-Cosworth +5 laps
Drivers Championship after 2 Races:
1. Alonso 37 pts
2. Massa 33 pts
3. Button 31 pts
4. Hamilton 23 pts
5. Rosberg 20 pts
6. Kubica 18 pts
7. Vettel 12 pts
8. Schumacher 9 pts
9. Liuzzi 8pts
10.Webber 6pts
How did the team-mates fare? After 2 races.
Hamilton 1-1 Button, Massa 1-1 Alonso, Vettel 2-0 Webber, Rosberg 2-0 Schumacher, Kubica 2-0 Petrov, Barrichello 2 -0 Hulkenberg, Sutil 2 –0 Liuzzi, De La Rosa 2-0 Kobayashi, Buemi 2-0 Alguersuari, Glock 2-0 Di Grassi, Trulli 1-1 Kovalainen, Senna 2 – 0 Chandhok
Posted by Leandra Graves
This was only Button’s second race for McLaren, so was an emotional and well deserved victory for the likeable man from Somerset. Button said, "I just want to run around and scream because this is the most amazing experience. For this moment in my career, it is very special and hopefully this is something we can build on for this year. The team has done a great job this weekend, we've made some good steps forward, but we are still not quick enough. We still want to be quicker than we are, but this is a great result and to win here with what we have is spectacular - and we have to keep building on this."
Many had questioned Button’s decision to jump ship from Brawn into the McLaren team which was so seemingly dominated around Lewis Hamilton. In Bahrain, Hamilton had the edge over his team-mate, so for Button to fight back and pick up 25 points, he has already established himself within the team in early stages of the season. The McLaren team actually thought Button had made a mistake on the decision to come in the pits so early to change to the slick tyre. Some may say it was a lucky call from Button, but its decisions like that which makes the difference between winning a championship. Martin Whitmarsh, Team Principal at McLaren declared, “Jenson's was a drive truly worthy of a world champion. First, he showed extreme tactical acuity and supreme strategic responsibility by personally electing to make the early call from intermediate to dry tyres, a move that moved him ahead of the pack and laid the foundation for this victory.”
Suffering contrasting fortunes, Vettel must have crossed many black cats recently as on lap 26 whilst leading from the start of the race, he retired with brake failure and ended the race in the gravel. Two races lost this season when in a position to score 25 points. It’s clear the Red Bull in the hands of the young German seems to have the quickest pace of everyone but reliability issues have cost him a chance to have 50 points in the bag. Vettel said, “I had huge vibrations building up and as soon as I touched the brakes, I had some sort of failure going in to Turn 13 and ended up in the gravel. There was nothing I could have done, I lost the car and that was it. It's a shame as I think we had the race in total control at every stage, even though the conditions were difficult. But to win you have to finish. It breaks my balls not to get the win, but there's still a long way to go in this Championship. We're working hard to get on top the reliability issues and we hope to have a solid race and see the chequered flag in Malaysia."
The start of the race proved chaotic when there was a “racing incident” between Button and championship leader Fernando Alonso, which also hampered Michael Schumacher. Alonso was left in last pace after facing the wrong way after a spin and having to allow the whole field past, whilst Schumacher was forced into the pits for a new front wing.
A spectacular crash involving Sauber's Kamui Kobayashi on lap one was frightening to watch after he had lost his front wing and veered across the track into the path of Niko Hulkenberg and Sebastien Buemi ending the races for all involved. They were all lucky to be able to walk away without injury.
Kubica in the Renault drove a superb race to pick up 18 points after making up places at the start due to the mayhem that surrounded him. He drove a faultless race and withstood immense pressure from the quicker cars of Hamilton and Massa.
Alonso produced a stunning race after he made a sluggish start and then must have believed his race was over after the contact with Button and Schumacher. The Spaniard was lucky to avoid any damage from the oncoming cars while he had to sit patiently and fall to last place. A true champions’ drive followed which showed the gritty, determined side of the Ferrari driver, which kept him busy in the early stages, progressing through the pack.
Alonso said, “I am extremely happy - especially how the race developed. Being last at the first corner, and then the reward at the end of the race has been much better than I expected. I was not convinced that I could recover the positions to get into the points," he added. "The first laps with the intermediate tyres, if you see the times I was like two seconds quicker than anyone because I was not caring too much. I thought maybe I will crash or maybe I will recover my position – so it was maximum attack. I was very, very happy and very confident with the car. I enjoyed it – and I prefer to start first and be bored until the end of the race, but it was an interesting race in terms of overtaking and in terms of battles."
When Alonso caught his team-mate, Massa, he appeared to be much quicker and have better handling of his Ferrari, but was unable to pass the Brazilian. Many may say it would have been in Ferrari’s best interests to “allow” Alonso to pass Massa to see if he would have been able to challenge Kubica for 2nd place. Perhaps with it only being the second race in the championship and for harmony to be kept in the Maranello camp, it was decided that they would let the drivers fight it out on the track and Massa took three points out of Alonso’s advantage in the championship. Alonso claimed, "I don't think at that time that I could do any more than that. I was more concentrating on Hamilton and Webber – who were coming behind, than attacking Felipe and Robert. I was super happy with fourth, so I stayed there."
It was not one of Massa’s finest weekends at a track he openly admits to struggling on. His previous best finish at Albert Park was a 6th place. He was clearly out performed in qualifying but after beating Alonso at the start and driving a smart race, a podium finish was a fine result for Massa giving him the best start ever to a F1 season.
Home town favourite, Mark Webber, was not Mr Popular after the race after running into the back of Hamilton with two laps left of the race. Webber had already tapped Hamilton earlier in the race and been driving very aggressively. He was in 6th place after he and Hamilton were chasing down the two Ferrari’s after their second pit stop. Whilst Hamilton went around the outside of Alonso’s car, Webber was caught out and crashed into the back of him and had to limp back to the pits for a replacement nose cone. Webber was later reprimanded for the incident. Webber explained, “At the end of the race we caught the leading guys, but then we had the incident. I apologise to Lewis about that. I lost all down-force in the front of the car when I got close to them, the car lifted and I slid into the back of him. Unfortunately it had looked like a good finish, but it's still very difficult to follow in these cars. I went down fighting.”
Hamilton was left seething not only with Webber for costing him a potential shot at 4th place, but also with his team for what he was claming over the radio was a “terrible idea” for him to be have called in for new tyres. Ultimately, Hamilton and Webber’s rostrum chances were wrecked by the decisions from their team to come in for new tyres. They caught the trio of Kubica, Massa and Alonso quickly with fresh tyres but once there, could do nothing about the defensive Alonso. A frustrated Hamilton revealed, “This was probably one of the drives of my life. Okay, it's possible that the decision to make a second tyre stop wasn't the right one, but my team are a brilliant bunch of guys and they usually get it spot-on. I think I deserved better though. I guess things can't always pan out right every time, but that's motor racing."
Other notable performances were Tonio Liuzzi in the Force India with a fantastic 7th place finish, scoring 6 points. Karun Chandhok must have also been one of the happiest drivers after completing the race in the Hispania Racing car after barely having any time in the cockpit in Bahrain. It was a wonderful finish from the Indian and for the rookie who must be relieved to have reached the finish and got some vital laps under his belt for himself and the team.
The drivers’ championship is already hotting up after just two races. Alonso still leads Massa, but the gap is now only 4 points. Button, after his win, is now only 6 points behind the leader. Malaysia is only a week away, will Vettel be third time lucky or will a new winner join the exciting battle to be a contender for this years Championship?
Race Results, Round 2, Melbourne - Australia.
1. Jenson Button Britain McLaren-Mercedes 58 laps 1hr 33m 36.531s
2. Robert Kubica Poland Renault-Renault +00m 12.0s
3. Felipe Massa Brazil Ferrari-Ferrari +00m 14.4s
4. Fernando Alonso Spain Ferrari-Ferrari +00m 16.3s
5. Nico Rosberg Germany Mercedes-Mercedes +00m 16.6s
6. Lewis Hamilton Britain McLaren-Mercedes +00m 29.8s
7. Vitantonio Liuzzi Italy Force India-Mercedes +00m 59.8s
8. Rubens Barrichello Brazil Williams-Cosworth +01m 00.5s
9. Mark Webber Australia Red Bull-Renault +01m 07.3s
10. Michael Schumacher Germany Mercedes-Mercedes +01m 09.3s
11. Jaime Alguersuari Spain Toro Rosso-Ferrari +01m 11.3s
12. Pedro de la Rosa Spain BMW Sauber-Ferrari +01m 14.0s
13. Heikki Kovalainen Finland Lotus-Cosworth +2 laps
14. Karun Chandhok India HRT-Cosworth +5 laps
Drivers Championship after 2 Races:
1. Alonso 37 pts
2. Massa 33 pts
3. Button 31 pts
4. Hamilton 23 pts
5. Rosberg 20 pts
6. Kubica 18 pts
7. Vettel 12 pts
8. Schumacher 9 pts
9. Liuzzi 8pts
10.Webber 6pts
How did the team-mates fare? After 2 races.
Hamilton 1-1 Button, Massa 1-1 Alonso, Vettel 2-0 Webber, Rosberg 2-0 Schumacher, Kubica 2-0 Petrov, Barrichello 2 -0 Hulkenberg, Sutil 2 –0 Liuzzi, De La Rosa 2-0 Kobayashi, Buemi 2-0 Alguersuari, Glock 2-0 Di Grassi, Trulli 1-1 Kovalainen, Senna 2 – 0 Chandhok
Posted by Leandra Graves
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