September 15th, 2008 by R.J.

Ducati Corse announced today that Nicky Hayden will join its factory MotoGP team for 2009. The 27-year-old from Owensboro, Kentucky, will line up alongside Casey Stoner and will make his debut on the Desmosedici GP9 on the 27th October in a test immediately following the Valencia Grand Prix.

Hayden joins Ducati after spending six years in MotoGP with Honda, the highlight coming in 2006 when he was crowned World Champion, his aggressive riding style and amenable character have made him an extremely popular rider - both on the track and off it.

“We are really happy to have Nicky join us,” declared Claudio Domenicali, Ducati Corse CEO and Ducati Motor Holding Product Director. “We are certain that his never-say-die attitude, riding style and character will be great additions to our team in 2009. I would like to thank HRC for allowing Nicky to start testing our bike immediately after the Valencia Grand Prix. I would also like to thank Marco Melandri for his professionalism during a difficult year, which was below all our expectations. Unfortunately his feeling with the Desmosedici was never good enough to allow him to ride as well as he can. We wish him all the best for the future.”

September 14th, 2008 by R.J.

The race has been called once again. Valentino Rossi has won. Nicky Hayden got saved by the race officials. Jorge Lorenzo got shafted. And that’s all folks.

September 14th, 2008 by R.J.

After calling the race, it looks like they are going to restart the race for another 8 laps… We’ll see how this goes.

September 14th, 2008 by R.J.

That race was barely even worth watching.

Congratulations to Rossi for the amazing ride in terrible conditions…

But I find it really odd that they red flagged the race just as Hayden was about to get passed by Lorenzo. What transpired in those 30 seconds that caused them to red flag the race that hadn’t already been happening for the last 10 laps? Nothing that I could tell.

Must be one of those conspiracies you always hear about…

September 14th, 2008 by R.J.

The race is on right now… I can’t believe how God-awful these announcers are. They can’t even get the rider’s names right. Terrible.

September 13th, 2008 by R.J.

Valentino Rossi came on strong in qualifying for the Indianapolis MotoGP to take the pole for tomorrow’s race and break Casey Stoner’s streak of 7 consecutive pole positions.

Rossi was less than a tenth of a second faster than Stoner, who joins his tital rival on the front row of the grid in the 2nd position. Thanks to some last minute heroics by Jorge Lorenzo, Valentino Rossi’s teammate, Lorenzo was able to take the third spot and relegate local favorite Nicky Hayden to row 2.

Hayden leads off row 2 in the fourth position, with another American favorite, Ben Spies right beside him. I don’t think anybody thought Spies would do so well in qualifying, this being only his third race on a MotoGP bike; but as I mentioned before: he is the only rider to have experience on an 800cc machine at Indianapolis. I hope he does well.

Randy De Puniet was the fastest Honda rider on a satellite team and he rounds out Row 2.

Anthony West, who was the fastest rider in both practice sessions in the rain, qualified dead last on the dry qualifying track.

Here are the results:

1 - Valentino Rossi - Fiat Yamaha - 1:40.776
2 - Casey Stoner - Ducati Marlboro Team - 1:40.860
3 - Jorge Lorenzo - Fiat Yamaha - 1:41.177
4 - Nicky Hayden - Repsol Honda - 1:41.271
5 - Ben Spies - Rizla Suzuki MotoGP - 1:41.464
6 - Randy De Puniet - Honda LCR - 1:41.492
7 - Andrea Dovizioso - JIR Honda Scot - 1:41.744
8 - Dani Pedrosa - Repsol Honda - 1:41.754
9 - Toni Elias - Alice Ducati - 1:41.886
10 - James Toseland - Yamaha Tech3 - 1:41.897
11 - Colin Edwards - Yamaha Tech3 - 1:41.934
12 - Alex De Angelis - Honda San Carlo - 1:41.969
13 - Loris Capirossi - Rizla Suzuki MotoGP - 1:42.305
14 - Sylvain Guintoli - Alice Ducati - 1:42.405
15 - Chris Vermeulen - Rizla Suzuki MotoGP - 1:42.551
16 - John Hopkins - Team Kawasaki - 1:42.673
17 - Shinya Nakano - Honda San Carlo - 1:42.732
18 - Marco Melandri - Ducati Marlboro Team - 1:43.807
19 - Anthony West - Team Kawasaki - 1:43.931

September 13th, 2008 by R.J.

The first day of action at Indianapolis for MotoGP riders saw attention turning away from the new circuit and towards the skies, as torrential rain hit the track during the 800cc practice sessions at the Brickyard.

No rider was immune from the weather, but of those least affected was Kawasaki’s Anthony West onboard his Kawasaki Ninja ZX-RR. The Australian star has been known for his ability to perform during downpours, and it was no different today as he took fastest lap with a 1:53.034 in his opening session.

West was also fastest in the second session under even heavier rain, but with a slower time.

The Kawasaki rider is competing for a ride in 2009, and he’s doing it in impressive fashion. With rain in the forecast for Sunday’s race, West could be one of the key players.

The top 3 fastest riders of the day were Anthony West, Alex De Angelis, and Casey Stoner - who crashed yet again in the morning practice session.

September 12th, 2008 by R.J.

After one season together in MotoGP, Alex De Angelis and Fausto Gresini have recently signed a new contract for the upcoming 2009 MotoGP World Championship season.

De Angelis’ confirmation as a rider of the Faenza-based team is the result of their strengthened relationship and mutual confidence that has developed during the 2008 season. It has been a year in which Alex has demonstrated his potential, his willingness to gain experience and to grow in the top class of Motorcycle racing, achieving two fourth place finishes in Mugello and at the Sachsenring Grand Prix.

Alex De Angelis will be a name you will be hearing time and again in the upcoming season, you can count on it.

September 11th, 2008 by R.J.

As we head into round 14 of the 2009 MotoGP season, which is being held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the very first time, Kawasaki’s John Hopkins and Anthony West are in an optimistic mood.

West, who has recently struggled with front-end issues aboard his Kawasaki race machine is looking to gain a strong result at this new circuit. The 27-year-old Australian, who scored a career best Grand Prix finish with a fifth place at Brno, has been working closely with his crew to improve the set-up of his Ninja ZX-RR to give him more confidence into the turns.

Although the recent post-race test at Misano didn’t completely abolish the problem, he believes that steps forward have been made and he can continue his progression this weekend.

“Indianapolis is a new challenge for everyone as no-one knows the track. I’m hoping this will give us a little bit of an advantage, as it should be more of an even playing field”, commented West. “At Misano we struggled with the front-end of the bike, and although we managed to make some improvements in the post-race test, there is still work to do. I stayed in Italy following the event where I’ve been doing a lot of cycling and training ready for this weekend, so I’m feeling relaxed and ready for the challenge. We’ll go and try to get as many laps under our belt on Friday to put us in the best possible position for the race, and it will be a case of trying to capture as much data as we can, then going from there. I’m looking forward to it and I hope we can get a strong result.”

Hopkins is looking forward to racing his Ninja ZX-RR at his home event this weekend; especially after missing out on the Laguna Seca round due to injury. The 25-year-old Kawasaki pilot is hoping to make amends in front of a home crowd, especially after making further improvements to his race machine at the Misano post-race test.

Hopkins had this to say:
“I’m really excited about Indianapolis as it’s my second home round and unfortunately I missed Laguna Seca because I was injured. Not only that, but I grew up around the racing world, and although two-wheeled motorsport is my favorite, the family would all get together to watch races like the Brickyard and the Indianapolis 500 at this track”, he explained. “It’s a very special feeling to be racing in MotoGP there, and although I’m not familiar with the circuit, I’m incredibly motivated for this event. I’ve been studying the track layout and Olivier tested the Ninja ZX-RR earlier this year, so we have a little bit of feedback from that, but being in front of my home fans at such an incredible place is going to be fantastic - I just can’t wait to get out there.”

September 10th, 2008 by R.J.

The upcoming round of the MotoGP championship will see an exciting new track join the calendar, with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway hosting its first ever World Championship race. The Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix is by far one of the most eagerly awaited events this season. It will be the second and final time this season that a championship race will take place in the states.

Taking place on September 14th, the Indianapolis race promises to be a late-summer blockbuster, with the previous thirteen rounds having provided some exciting and unpredictable action. With the 2008 world title still up for grabs, the riders will, as always, be going all-out for victory in addition to the honor of becoming the first winner of the Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix.

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