Valentino Rossi once again benefitted from Casey Stoner’s misfortune for a second consecutive MotoGP victory; crossing the finish line first at the Czech Grand Prix. The Fiat Yamaha rider’s top podium position, coupled with an early crash from his title rival, increased Rossi’s lead to 50 points in the standings and gave a significant boost to his World Championship hopes.
As mentioned yesterday, Sete Gibernau may be called on to replace Marco Melandri as a factory Ducati rider.
Today, Gibernau completed two days of testing for Ducati at Mugello with the Official Testers Vittoriano Guareschi and Niccola Canepa who will continue testing tomorrow for the final day.
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Tehama County Undersheriff Dennis Garton was seriously injured Friday while riding his 1991 Honda Goldwing on Interstate 80 near Winnemucca, Nevada.
Marco Melandri is forced to wait and see if he will return to Ducati for 2009 or if he will be replaced by another World Championship runner-up, Sete Gibernau.
After last week’s dismal performance, Michelin seems to have grown tired of being the #2 tire manufacturer in MotoGP. The french tire manufacturer has vowed to try to produce better tires for the upcoming Czech Grand Prix in Brno.
Here is the provisional calendar for the MotoGP 2009 series:
April 12 * - Qatar - Doha/Losail
April 26 - Japan - Motegi
May 3 - Spain - Jerez de la Frontera
May 17 - France - Le Mans
May 31 - Italy - Mugello
June 14 - Catalunya - Catalunya
June 27 ‡ - Netherlands - Assen
July 5 † - United States - Laguna Seca
July 19 - Germany - Sachsenring
July 26 - Great Britain - Donington Park
August 16 - Czech Rep. - Brno
August 30 - United States - Indianapolis
September 13 - San Marino - Misano
September 20 - Hungary - Lake Balaton
October 4 - Portugal - Estoril
October 18 - Australia - Phillip Island
October 25 - Malaysia - Sepang
November 8 - Spain – Valencia
*: Night Race
‡: Saturday Race
†: Only MotoGP class
KINGMAN, AZ - A woman convicted of driving under the influence, fatally crashing her car into a motorcyclist, and fleeing the scene of the crime was sentenced to ten and a half years in prison on Wednesday.
On Wednesday, Mohave County Superior Court Commissioner Lee Jantzen sentenced Marian Marlene Hoffman, 59, of Kingman to 10 years and six months in prison on manslaughter, leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death and extreme driving while under the influence of intoxicating liquor charges.
Jorge Lorenzo will be sporting a cast on his left foot for the next 10 days in order to recover from clean fractures he suffered during last weekend’s MotoGP race at Laguna Seca.
The Fiat Yamaha rider was taken directly to the USP Institut Universitari Dexeus in Barcelona upon his return from Laguna Seca in order to undergo examination by Dr. Xavier Mir.
In order to participate in track days or races on your bike, your bike must be tech inspected. One of the things the inspectors are going to be looking for is to make sure your oil drain bolt is properly safety wired.
Even if you don’t ever intend to race at all; safety wiring your oil drain bolt is very cheap insurance. A loose oil drain bolt has been known to cause some pretty horrific crashes when it starts spewing oil right in front of your rear tire.