Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup: Alt's win, Baldassarri's Cup

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Only Arthur Sissis could challenge Baldassarri for the Cup going into the final event and for most of the race the 16 year old Australian was in the midst of the 4 man battle for the lead until he ran off the track on lap 14 when battling shoulder to shoulder with Baldassarri.

Over the last lap Baldassarri let frontrunners Oettl and Alt fight it out for the win when he saw the advantage he had. “It was a great race,” said Baldassarri. “Such a tough fight, the hardest race of the year. On the last lap I looked back and I could see that Arthur wasn't close, I knew I just had to finish 3rd to take the Cup.”

It was all on between Oettl and Alt with pole man Alt leading onto the final lap but that changed. “Philipp passed me out of the slipstream and there was nothing I could do about it,” explained Alt. “I did everything I could to get back in front but there was no chance. Coming out of the last corner, I was flat out, head down and the suddenly, I don't know why, he slowed and I was past. I won and that makes me happy however it happened.”

“I've nothing to say, the race was fine until the last few metres....” said Oettl, refusing to say that it was a premature celebration that cost him the win, shaking his fist in triumph well before the finish line and easing off enough for Alt to get past.”

He wasn't the only disappointed Rookie of course as Sissis had to accept that the Cup, the winner's KTM Duke 125, was in the hands of the Italian. Chasing Sissis across the line was Vavrous followed by Techer who already had 3rd in the Cup secure before the last race.

In all, 8 different riders won at least one of the 14 races with 16 of the 24 riders finishing on the podium during the season. The Selection Event for the 2012 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup is on October 10th, 11th and 12th where between 10 and 15 riders will be invited to join the 10 to 15 who remain in the Rookies Cup from this season. The 2012 Entry List will be announced in late October.

source: MotoGP Official website

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Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup: Baldassarri or Sissis

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Italian Baldassarri has his eye on a home win, but knows that a victory is far from assured as Sissis, the 16 year old Australian, is still an extremely strong threat. The pair will also be under tremendous pressure from the likes of Florian Alt, who was on pole in Brno and won the German Championship round at the Red Bull Ring in Austria the following weekend.

18 year old Czech Tomas Vavrous is just as strong a contestant, having claimed both podiums at Brno as is Alan Techer, who has 2 wins from the last 3 races. It’s the last chance for everyone in the field and it will be every man for himself. Catch the final race of the year at Misano, on Saturday September 3rd at 16.30 CET.

The Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup can be seen on TV stations around the world and by live webcast at www.redbull.tv with the shows beginning 10 minutes before the races.

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Crunch time in Czech Republic for Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup

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Lorenzo Baldassarri heads north from his home on the Adriatic coast with a 6 point advantage over Arthur Sissis. 16 year old Sissis had been leading the title chase from the second event in Estoril on, only to suffer disaster in the last round in Germany where he scored zero points due to a technical failure and a crash in the two races at the Sachsenring.

Sissis knows Brno well as it is his 3rd year in the Cup, though the Australian did not have much luck at Brno last year with a technical problem in Race 1 and an 11th in Race 2. Meanwhile Baldassarri has another track to learn, though new tracks have not been a problem with for the Italian.

Of this year's Rookies who competed in Brno last season by far the most successful was 16 year old South African Brad Binder. He was 7th in Race 1 and 4th in Race 2. He sits 5th in the point standings and has every chance of winning some of the remaining races.

Alan Techer and Philipp Oettl are 3rd and 4th respectively and both have a mathematical chance of taking the title. 16 year old Techer, who made his comeback at Brno last year from the broken arm he sustained in the 1st weekend of the season, is 45 points behind Baldassarri and is on form this year, having won a race the last time out in Germany. Oettl is 65 points behind Baldassarri, so with 75 on offer from the last races has a slim chance of the title but he, like Techer, scored a win in Germany so is very much on form. He was only 16th and 12th last year in Brno but 12 months on is a different rider.

All is ready for another 2 great races with Race 1 starting at 16.30 CET on Saturday, August 13th and Race 2 on Sunday at 15.30. The races can be seen on TV around the world and by live webcast at redbull.tv with the shows beginning 10 minutes before the races..

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