MotoGP (and not only) in the field for 'Sic'

Tweet

In the frame of the stadium to Riccione Nicoletti, was held on Saturday, the first Memorial Marco Simoncelli . 'Sic' was in fact a big football fan, and the charity match wanted omaggiarne the memory off the slopes.

In the field, led by the National TV Gabibbo defied Minos System Team, led by pilot and friend of Simoncelli Mattia Pasini. Also present were Andrea Dovizioso and the former champion in the 125 and 250 Manuel Poggiali, among other member of the National Football 5 of San Marino . Before the kick off, his father Paul Simoncelli received a goalkeeper's jersey with the number 58.

For the record, the team's small screen is set to 3 to 2, but the competitive spirit has given way to solidarity. The proceeds were donated to the Foundation's Marco Simoncelli, young and already very active .

source: GP One

read more...

Pasini prepared for CRT debut

Tweet

The Speed Master rider concluded the Jerez Test with a positive evaluation of how the Aprilia CRT machine had developed in the lead-up to the start of the 2012 MotoGP™ season.

Mattia Pasini and his Speed Master team began the Jerez Test focusing on electronics on the ART machine it will race in 2012, and after getting in some wet set-up work on Saturday it concluded the three days on Sunday with overall set-up and tyre work.

Mattia Pasini:

"In general these three days went quite well. Friday started off with a shakedown of the second machine, which was new for us. We made a few minor modifications but mainly tried to complete as many laps as possible without worrying too much about the time we set or the final position on the timesheet. On Saturday we had a positive run on the wet track, we did a good job and now we have some important information for whenever it does rain. On Sunday we worked on the bike and its general setting, trying to improve it step-by-step. We put together a lot of data. It was a shame to crash at the end of the test, we could have done without that. We had started working in a new direction for the chassis which I believe could have helped us to improve. We'll now keep working in this direction, and on the whole I'm happy with our preparations for Qatar."

source: MotoGP Official

read more...

Pasini: "Our goal is to compete against the other CRTs"

Tweet

The Speed Master garage wrapped up the private test in Jerez satisfied with the progress made over the course of three days. From Monday to Wednesday, the Italian team carried out their work program in preparation for the 2012 MotoGP™ season.

Three days of private testing in Jerez gave Mattia Pasini a second occasion to work on the Speed Master team's new ART bike, the machine on which the Italian will make his debut in the premier class. After his first ride on the bike in late January at Valencia, Pasini focused on eliminating the minor problems present in the new prototype, then moved on to work on adapting and evolve his riding style to fit the bike.

"Today was kind of unusual because we had to try to solve all the little things that come with a new bike. This one is the final version of the bike that we are going to use this year," declared Pasini on Monday after his first day on the tarmac. "No doubt I'll have to work on understanding how to get the most out of it, and how to adapt my style to one that a MotoGP bike requires," said Pasini, whose best time on that first day was a 1’43.3 after 43 laps.

The real work, however, began on Tuesday when Pasini and his crew tackled the bike’s electronics, which the rider from Rimini considers most crucial. "We got some good work done here and I improved from yesterday. I'm happy because I’m gradually understanding this new category and the riding style it requires, and, above all, I am getting to know the electronics, which are key in a bike like this. They are what will allow you to make a difference."

Pasini is looking forward to the last test of the preseason, which is scheduled to take place in one month’s time at the same track in Southern Spain just two weeks before the first race of the year in Qatar. At this Official Test, he and the other CRTs will share the track with all the premier class riders.

"If we compare our times to Abraham and Barberá, we're not that far off, but I’m convinced that at this point they haven’t ridden to their maximum. We’ll have to wait until we are all together and running with all the others to see where we are. Anyway I think it’s pointless to kid ourselves right now: Our objective for now is to compete against the other CRTs. What happens after that, we’ll tackle step by step. In any case, I'm very pleased with how Jerez has gone."

source: MotoGP Official

read more...

Jerez test concludes with CRT improvements

Tweet

The private three-day test at the Circuito de Jerez concluded on Wednesday, with Randy De Puniet and Aleix Espargaró the fastest CRTs in the field on their Power Electronics Aspar bike. The Test also saw James Ellison and Danilo Petrucci wrapping up the first test on their respective machines.

Power Electronics Aspar riders De Puniet and Espargaró were the CRT pace men on the third and final day of private MotoGP™ testing , the Frenchman recording the best lap of 1'40.3. De Puniet’s time was three tenths off of the time set by the satellite GP12 of Héctor Barberá (Pramac Racing Team), who was in attendance for the last day of the test.

De Puniet spent the final day adjusting the electronics to improve suspension response and the rear grip of his ART, and reported being delighted with the potential of the bike overall. His pace set today was less than one second off the track lap record set by Pedrosa in 2010 (1’39.731), and with room for improvement still present, he expects the ART machines to continue their progress before the opening 2012 round at Qatar on April 8th.

Espargaró managed to lap within eight tenths of the top time set by his team-mate, declaring he didn't expect such a large improvement (1.5s) from day one. The Spaniard told motogp.com that additional room for improvement still remains with the bike’s set-up when using the hard compound Bridgestones, and that he was very satisfied with his final results of the three days.

Héctor Barberá concluded his one day test aboard the satellite GP12, the same test Ducati that caught fire as well as suffering significant additional damaged to the front end and chassis in Karel Abraham’s (Cardion AB Motoracing) crash yesterday. The Ducati technicians worked through the night and presented the Desmosedici to the Spaniard, who was then able to post a best time of 1’40.0 on the repaired machine.

James Ellison completed his first shakedown round on the Paul Bird Motorsport ART, concentrating on getting himself comfortable with the bike without pushing it to the limits. The Briton managed to lap just under two seconds faster than his best lap time yesterday and said that the bike will definitely further improve when the team receives additional parts they are waiting on.

In the Speed Master garage, Mattia Pasini concluded his second test on his team’s ART by shaving an additional seven tenths off his best run from Monday. The Italian told motogp.com that he is more than happy to have dropped nearly a second on each consecutive day of the test.

Danilo Petrucci was another rider to get his first taste of his 2012 race machine, concluding his first test on the Ioda Racing Project CRT with an improvement of 1.7 seconds over his time from yesterday. The Italian had a minor crash in the morning but was able to return to the track to resume working on electronic development of the Ioda bike.

The teams and riders now have one week to work with the data gathered before the next private test session on the 8th and 9th of March at Aragón.

Unofficial lap times Wednesday (recorded by teams):

MotoGP 

- Héctor Barberá, Ducati 1’40.0

MotoGP (CRT) 

1. Randy De Puniet, ART 1'40.3 (66 laps)

2. Aleix Espargaró, ART 1’41.1 (60 laps)

3. Mattia Pasini, ART 1'41.29 (47 laps)

4. Danilo Petrucci, IODA 1'41.6 (62 laps) 

5. James Ellison, ART 1'42.526 (53 laps)

source: MotoGP Official

read more...

First day of private testing in Jerez

Tweet

With the opening round of the 2012 MotoGP™ season just six weeks away, several MotoGP CRTs shared the Jerez circuit today in a private test that continues through Wednesday.

Monday at the Circuito de Jerez closed with a private test that saw several CRT (Claiming Rule Team) riders aboard the bikes that will debut in the MotoGP World Championship this season, including the first ride for Danilo Petrucci aboard his Ioda Racing prototype .

Power Electronics Aspar Team riders Alex Espargaró and Randy de Puniet were in attendance for their second shake down of the ART (Aprilia Racing Technology), focusing on a new frame and swingarm, and testing carbon brakes for first time. De Puniet expressed that he was happy to be testing on a track with other CRTs present, as well as with Abraham and Barbara on track with their satellite bikes, in order to able to gauge where the team is, saying "Today we worked on suspension and also on the electronics. I'm a little upset because I didn’t go as fast as in November, when we were here testing. But on the other hand, I’m not worried because we still have two full days of work left. This afternoon we will analyze the information extracted in the first day of testing to see how we can improve for tomorrow."

Meanwhile team mate Espargaró ended his day early due to not feeling well. "This morning I struggled a bit to get my pace here in Jerez, a faster track than Valencia. As the day passed, I started to feel terrible and I had trouble staying focused . We were able to modify some aspects of chassis, but I decided to end the day early. Now understand why I didn’t feel comfortable on the bike. I decided to come to the hotel, lie down and rest until morning."

Mattia Pasini completed first day of the second test for the Italian this year posting 7 tenths behind Espargaro as he continues to adapt to the ART CRT of the Speed Master team.

Today marked the very first test for Danilo Petrucci aboard his Ioda Racing prototype CRT machine ahead of his first World Championship experience. The Italian tested out frames by both Ioda and Aprilia, posting his fastest lap aboard the Ioda chassis.

The Ducati test team was also on track with rider Franco Battaini working on electronic development for the GP12, though testing took place on an older version of the Ducati as the factory bike was not present at the circuit. Battaini also made with a few laps on the satellite GP12 as a shakedown for Karel Abraham who will be present tomorrow. Nicky Hayden had originally hoped to participate at this test, although his shoulder surgery performed earlier this month has left him unable to ride, though he is hoping to be ready for the next Official Test at the Malaysian circuit in 28 days.

Paul Bird Motorsport was present with James Ellison, though having just received the bike this morning the team spent the day working on an initial set-up and Ellison did not hit the track, though tomorrow the Briton will have his very first run on the ART bike ahead of his return to the premier class.

Tomorrow will also see Karel Abraham of CardionAB Motoracing joining the field of riders, with Hector Barbera of Pramac Racing riding on Wednesday, the final day of the private test.

Unofficial lap times Monday (recorded by teams):

MotoGP (CRT) 

1. Randy De Puniet, ART 1’41.6 (57 laps)

2. Aleix Espargaró, ART 1’42.6 (47 laps)

3. Mattia Pasini, ART 1’43.3 (43 laps)

4. Danilo Petrucci, IODA 1'43.3 (43 laps)

source: MotoGP Official

read more...

Valencia hosts first Test of the 2012 Championship

Tweet

Almost in parallel with the test that the majority of the MotoGP™ teams are attending in Malaysia—starting tomorrow at Sepang—the Ricardo Tormo circuit in Valencia today saw Aleix Espargaró, Randy De Puniet (Aprilia Aspar) and Mattia Pasini (Speed Master) take their first laps aboard their respective CRT machines, with several Moto3™ riders joining them.

The MotoGP™ season kicked off at the Valencia circuit with a private test that saw several CRT (Claiming Rule Team) riders aboard the bikes that will debut in the MotoGP World Championship this season. Aleix Espargaró was the first to take advantage of the sunny weather, taking to the asphalt around 11am aboard the ART bike of the Aspar Team.

The team led by Jorge "Aspar" Martínez is the most active at this test, with four riders present: Alongside Espargaró was Frenchman Randy De Puniet and the team’s two Moto3 representatives, Hector Faubel and Alberto Moncayo.

De Puniet, who sports the same number 14 that he rode with in 2011 during his time with Pramac Racing, waited until late in the morning take to the track on his CRT and immediately lapped faster than Espargaró.

With the rest of the MotoGP field preparing for the first Official Test at Sepang, Italian rider Mattia Pasini made his debut at Valencia in the premier class following the announcement last weekend of his move to MotoGP with the Speed Master the team. Pasini completed his first laps at the controls of the ART (Aprilia Racing Technology) bike, which included a minor crash shortly after his first outing.

Ajo Motorsports also had four riders present at the test: Zulfahmi Khairuddin riding for Air Asia Sic Ajo and the Red Bull KTM Ajo trio composed of Sandro Cortese, Danny Kent and Australian rookie Arthur Sissis (runner-up Red Bull Rookies Cup champion 2011).

Luis Salom (RW Racing), who suffered some technical problems throughout the session, his teammate Brad Binder (arriving in World Championship from the Rookies Cup) and Finland's Niklas Ajo—the only team representative from the TT Motion Events team—completed the group of the Moto3 riders present at this test.

Unofficial lap times Monday (recorded by teams):

MotoGP (CRT) 

1.- Randy De Puniet, ART 1.35.3 (38 laps)

2.- Aleix Espargaró, ART 1’36.7 (47 laps)

3.- Mattia Pasini, ART 1’37.8 (30 laps)

Moto3

1.- Luis Salom, 1’43.2 (32 laps)

2.- Alberto Moncayo, 1’43.3 (52 laps)

3.- Héctor Faubel, 1’43.7 (62 laps) 

3.- Sandro Cortese, 1’43.7 (48 laps) 

5.- Nikklas Ajo, 1’43.9 (50 laps) 

6.- Danny Kent, 1’44.6 (45 laps) 

7.- Zulfahmi Khairuddin, 1’45.4 (44 laps) 

8.- Arthur Sissis, 1’45.9 (45 laps) 

9.- Brad Binder, 1’47.2 (25 laps) 

source: motogp official

read more...

Mattia Pasini takes over Speed Master MotoGP ride

Tweet

Speed Master has announced that Mattia Pasini will replace Anthony West as its MotoGP rider for the 2012 season. 

On Friday, West revealed that he has been unable to find the funding needed to take up the ART (Aprilia) CRT ride with Speed Master - and may even retire from racing altogether. 

That statement was followed by an announcement from Speed Master, revealing that former 125 and 250cc grand prix winner Pasini is to take over the seat, for what will be the team's first season in the premier-class. 

Although Pasini has struggled in Moto2 he claimed 11 poles, 26 podiums and 10 wins in the two-stroke classes. The Italian also performed admirably during a test for Pramac Ducati in August 2009, which prompted a full three-day test with the factory Ducati development team a month later. 

Pasini's best lap at the Mugello test was 0.2sec slower than experienced Ducati test rider (and now team manager) Vittoriano Guareschi, although Pasini felt he could have gone much faster without a fall. 

“I didn't injure myself too badly but hurt my neck which perhaps affected my riding; I think that otherwise I would have been able to drop another second before the end of the day,” he said. 

Prior to his grand prix debut in 2004, Pasini suffered a serious arm injury on a motocross bike, which prevented him racing for two seasons and was rumoured to mean he wouldn't ever have the strength to ride a MotoGP machine. 

Ducati Corse general director Filippo Preziosi felt that, during the lengthy Mugello test, Pasini had proved MotoGP is possible. 

“During this test I was able to personally verify that Mattia is capable of riding a MotoGP bike despite the difficulties”, said Preziosi. “This is possible only thanks to his unnatural talent and extraordinary determination. 

“Today we have learned a lesson that goes deeper than the, albeit interesting, technical data that we've collected thanks to Mattia's comments. I am certain that we'll remember this test for a long time to come.” 

Despite those encouraging words, Pasini remained in the intermediate grand prix class, which became Moto2 in 2010, and struggled to replicate his two-stroke form.

Pasini announced he had 'signed' for 2012 on Facebook, but kept the team identity secret, prompting many to believe he was heading for the SAG Moto2 project. 

The 26-year-old will make his Speed Master ART debut at the Valencia test, on January 30-31, where most of the new CRTs not travelling to Malaysia for official testing will take to the track. 

Speed Master will also continue in Moto2 this year, with race winner Andrea Iannone. The Pasini announcement made no mention of West, who had been named with Speed Master on the provisional entry list just two weeks' ago. 

source: Crash.net

read more...

Mattia Pasini 'signs' for Moto2

Tweet

Mattia Pasini appears to have solved his sponsorship difficulties and will race in Moto2 this year, according to a brief posting on his Facebook page stating that he has now “signed”.

The Italian, who has 10 grand prix victories in the 125 and 250 classes to his name, was reported to have been in Spain two weeks ago to talk with Stop and Go Racing (SAG), which still has one rider slot to confirm in Moto2. 

Pasini's announcement did not include the team name, but he has few alternatives to SAG and is therefore expected to appear with the team in the official test at Valencia on 8th February.

If confirmed, both Pasini and SAG will be looking for big improvements in the class. In 2011 Pasini scored 28 points and SAG had a single finish in the points when Ratthapark Wilairot finished 12th at Jerez.

source: crash.net

read more...

No money, no rides for Yonny Hernandez, Mattia Pasini and Sergio Gadea

Tweet

In the world of GP racing most riders are paid decent wages, some like the ‘aliens’ get stratospheric pay checks with sponsorship deals rounding out their bank accounts in some tax haven, while others have to struggle to find the money to sponsor their own ride and the situation over the past years has constantly gotten worse due to the global economic climate.

Such are the cases for Anthony West, who put out an ad in a newspaper to find sponsors, Mattia Pasini who was in Spain offering his services to Stop and Go but said he too needed money. 125cc/Moto2 rider Sergio Gadea on Twitter said he’s been offered several rides, but he ‘no tenga dinero,’ so no money no ride for the 2012 season, now Yonny Hernandez who should be in MotoGP and riding for Avintia Racing has revealed that he needs € 250,000 to complete his budget in order to race their CRT bike or his partecipation will be in doubt.

We understand the need that GP racing has to become less expensive, but should the riders really be shouldering that burden?

source: twowheelsblog

read more...