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Valentino Rossi shocked by Ducati’s Michelin talks

By Matthew Birt
Valentino Rossi has admitted he was flabbergasted when he heard that fierce MotoGP rival Casey Stoner might have made a shock switch to Michelin tyres for the 2009 campaign.

Ducati seriously discussed the prospect of ditching Bridgestone in order to avoid the implementation of a controversial single tyre rule for next season.

Aussie Stoner, who was a pivotal figure in helping transform Bridgestone from occasional winners to the dominant tyre brand in MotoGP in 2007, was consulted about the move, which sent shockwaves through the paddock recently in Japan.

It was a move that left Yamaha rival Rossi, who orchestrated his own switch to Bridgestone on the back of Stoner’s success, absolutely stunned.

He told MCN: “I was very surprised. I say ‘incredible.’ It would have been a very strange manoeuvre but also it is true that in the past Ducati changed from Michelin to Bridgestone and it helped to grow up Bridgestone and now those tyres are better.

Maybe they thought it was possible to do this another time, but I was very surprised.”

Source:
http://www.motorcyclenews.com

Tech 3 Yamaha boss hoping for strong finish from James Toseland

By Matthew Birt
James Toseland’s Tech 3 Yamaha boss Herve Poncharal is hopeful the British rider can end his rookie MotoGP on a high after his stunning ride in last weekend’s Australian GP.

Toseland equalled his best result in Phillip Island with a superb ride to sixth place, slugging it out with eight-times world champion Valentino Rossi in an enthralling opening few laps.

Toseland then got embroiled in a titanic scrap with Jorge Lorenzo, Andrea Dovizioso and Shinya Nakano before settling for sixth.

It was a welcome return to form for the 28-year-old, who had endured a tough second half to his debut premier class campaign.

And now Tech 3 boss Poncharal is hopeful Toseland can build on his Phillip Island in the last two races in Sepang and Valencia later this month.

Toseland tested twice at Sepang during a hectic winter testing schedule and he’s vast experience of the Valencia circuit from his World Superbike career.

Poncharal said: “Hopefully after his incredible result he can finish the season strongly. He needed that result and I’m sure it has done a lot for his confidence. He knows Sepang and Valencia so we are hoping he can produce another performance like in Phillip Island.”

Poncharal was also full of praise for Toseland after his brilliant display in Australia.
“James was absolutely incredible and he could not have done anymore to get his best result of the season.

"It was a shame he was sixth again, but again he showed what a true fighter he is. He fought very hard with some of the top guys in this championship. His fight with Valentino was extra special and terrific to watch.

"Not a lot of guys get passed by Valentino and then pass him straight back so it was incredible to see him do this.”

Source:
http://www.motorcyclenews.com

Keegan 'Would Return' To Newcastle

League Managers Association chief executive Richard Bevan says Kevin Keegan is prepared to return to Newcastle United under the right structure.

Keegan left his position as Newcastle boss last month after being unable to work under the management set-up created by Mike Ashley.

The Magpies' owner has subsequently put the club up for sale following a fans' backlash in response to Keegan's exit from St James' Park.

Several consortiums have shown an interest in buying out Ashley, with some keen to reappoint Keegan for a third spell on Tyneside.

The former England coach is open to returning to the position, but Bevan insists there must be a change in the structure for that to happen.

"Numerous people, including a group of Newcastle supporters, have contacted Kevin and myself saying, 'Would he be interested in coming back?'" said Bevan in The Sun.

"Kevin didn't want to leave. He has a great passion for the club.

"But the structure has to be right. He doesn't want to go through that again.

"Kevin can't make any decision until the club has been sold."

Vice-president Tony Jimenez left his post on Thursday, while Joe Kinnear has taken interim charge while Ashley looks to sell the club.

Source:

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com

Smith joins Aspar Aprilia

British teenager Bradley Smith will bid for the 2009 125cc World Championship on an Aspar Aprilia after agreeing a deal with the Spanish team.

Smith, who previously raced for Repsol Honda before moving to Polaris World Aprilia for this season, will be joined by Spaniard Julian Simon who moves from the Repsol KTM 250cc team.

Smith decided to join the outfit run by Jorge Martinez after he was told his current team would not have the funding to race in 2009.

The Oxfordshire rider told Motor Cycle News: "The Aspar team is very good with a lot of experience and they have won numerous World Championships and numerous races.

"They have that experience of winning and maybe that's what I need to put in my riding and move on to the next level and win races."

Martinez added: "I am delighted to have signed these two riders for the team, because once again we are shaping a team that can compete for the title in 125cc.

"Both Julian Simon, two years ago, and Bradley Smith last year, were candidates for the team, and I am satisfied to have picked them up for 2009 and 2010.

"Julian is a clean rider with a great 2008 behind him, and I am convinced that a factory bike can put him in the fight for the World Championship.

"Bradley has shown that, despite his age, that he could not have adapted better to the RSA (Aprilia). He has been fast all year, and now has the maturity to be world champion."
Sporting Life / Eurosport

Source:
http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com

Pedrosa eyeing return to form

Dani Pedrosa is still feeling the effects from his tumble during the Australian Grand Prix ahead of the penultimate round at Sepang.

Dani Pedrosa admits he is not feeling in peak physical fitness ahead of the penultimate MotoGP round of the season in Sepang following his fall last time out at Phillip Island.

Coming to the end of a season beset by various injury woes, most notably as a result of his accident in Germany, Pedrosa hurt his knee when he came off the Repsol Honda on the opening lap of the Australian Grand Prix.

Even so, the Spaniard is confident he will be fully fit in time for the Malaysian Grand Prix, not least because one more slip up could see him firmly in the clasp of fast catching countryman Jorge Lorenzo.

"We were not so lucky at Phillip Island, sometimes you have some bad luck in racing, but already we are looking forward to Malaysia where I am determined to make up for the mistake I made in the last race.

"I had a very good feeling at Sepang in pre-season testing before the crash. I had a good pace from the beginning and I hope to start this weekend in the best way with the new bike and tyres. I've got still some pain from the accident, my left knee is a bit swollen, but I hope I will soon be in perfect condition."

Labelling Sepang as an 'interesting track', Pedrosa points out that the venue lacks the atmosphere of other races due to its comparatively modest spectator figures.

"The circuit of Sepang is an interesting track. It is quite long with a good combination of right-handers and left-handers, many of which are quite long. The motorcycle needs tyres of a tough compound for this race, and tyres play a very important role in the heat.

"Both the front and rear tyres are of a similar compound because they both have to work very hard: there is a lot of heavy braking at Sepang, which asks a lot of the front end, and there is a lot of hard acceleration, which affects the rear.

"The track has a lot of different corners and sections, so the riding style you use is quite varied. It is a physically demanding track because of the heat. Compared with many of the other places we go to, you don't get such a big crowd there and so this race doesn't usually have a lot of atmosphere."

Source:
http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com

Hayden: I saw Rossi on TV...

After struggling to extract performance from his Repsol Honda for much of the 2008 MotoGp season, Nicky Hayden took his second podium finish in three starts with his best ride of the season so far at Phillip Island on Sunday.

The American got a great start from third on the grid, blasting past Jorge Lorenzo and almost got the better of Casey Stoner, before slotting in behind his 2009 Ducati team-mate.

"I got a really good start and I thought was going to lead," said Hayden. "Things felt pretty good early on, I went a lot faster in the race than I went all weekend. The bike and everything was working pretty good, and I was able to stay with Casey for a while, I felt comfortable there."

As at Indianapolis, where Hayden finished second in a storm-shortened race, Nicky went against the advice of his Michelin technicians by opting for a softer tyre compound than they suggested.

"Nicky chose a medium tyre, not the harder tyre we had suggested," confirmed Jean-Philippe Weber, Michelin's director of motorcycle racing. "He did this because he felt more confident with the medium tyre which gave him more grip early on.”

As at Indy, the tactic allowed Hayden to set a scorching early pace. Hayden recorded the fastest lap of the grand prix on lap 3 of 27 and hounded Stoner until lap 10, when the Australian began to edge away.

By that stage, Hayden had built a 6.6secs lead over third placed James Toseland, but his soft rear tyre was starting to get "a little loose". "Once [Stoner] started to pull away I had some issues, I just couldn't keep the corner speed I had early on," he said.

During the final few laps Hayden came under pressure from newly crowned world champion Valentino Rossi, who was charging forwards from twelfth on the grid. Rossi snatched second place from Hayden at the start of the very last lap. Hayden then tried to counter attack at Honda hairpin but ran wide and had to settle for third.

Source:
http://www.crash.net

BMW Sauber retain Heidfeld and Kubica for 2009

BMW Sauber confirmed on Monday that current line-up, Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld, will continue to race for the team next season. With continuity being BMW Sauber’s watchword for 2009, third driver Christian Klien will stay on too.

"We see Nick and Robert as a strong driver pairing and Christian as an experienced test driver,” explained BMW Motorsport director Mario Theissen. “We are in no doubt that we will again achieve our ambitious aims with them in the team's fourth year."

So far this season, Kubica and Heidfeld have scored 120 world championship points for the team. The Pole clinched the outfit’s maiden Formula One victory at June’s Canadian Grand Prix, while Heidfeld has scored four second-place finishes to date in 2008.

The German joined the team from Williams in 2006 for BMW’s first season as a works squad. Kubica made his Formula One test debut that year too and was subsequently promoted to a race seat, alongside Heidfeld, for the final six rounds of the ’06 season, after replacing Jacques Villeneuve.

Source:
http://www.formula1.com