Fiat Yamaha appoint new team director after Rossi exit

Yamaha World Superbike team boss Massimo Meregalli will become director of their MotoGP team next season.

This season the team had two managers because of the garage being divided between former champion Valentino Rossi and new champion Jorge Lorenzo.

Seven-time champion Rossi will leave to join Ducati at the end of the season, taking with him the man who ran his part of the garage, Davide Brivio.

The final race of the season takes place in Valencia this Sunday.

Meregalli will start his new job after Sunday's race, with the first testing session for 2011 taking place in Valencia on Tuesday.

He will work with team manager Wilco Zeelenberg.

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Genii Capital and Group Lotus form Lotus Renault GP Team

Written by David

Genii Capital and Group Lotus plc today announced the creation of Lotus Renault GP Team, the successor to the Renault F1 Team that will contest the 2011 FIA Formula One World Championship. This exciting announcement is made in the context of a strategic alliance between the two companies that will provide Group Lotus with significant technological and commercial opportunities for its range of road cars.

Following the return of the Lotus name to Formula 1 in 2010, under licence from Group Lotus, this historic announcement marks the complete return of the Lotus manufacturer to the sport, with the full backing of its parent company Proton. Group Lotus plc will become a major equity partner of Genii Capital in Lotus Renault GP, and the two parties have concluded a title sponsorship agreement that will run until the end of the 2017 season. With the continued support of Renault as a supplier of engines and technological and engineering expertise, Lotus Renault GP enjoys a strong, stable platform for future success.

“We are delighted that we can now go public with the news that we will be racing as Lotus Renault GP in 2011. It is extremely exciting to begin a new era for the team in partnership with Group Lotus, and we will continue to enjoy a strong relationship with Renault over the coming seasons. It is a tribute to the excellent work this year by the team in Enstone that we have been able to attract both major sponsorship and new investment for a very bright future,” said Gerard Lopez, Chairman of Renault F1 Team.

“I can think of no better platform for automotive brand communications than motorsport and F1 is the very pinnacle of open-wheel racing. We’re well aware that there has been a lot of controversy around the usage of our brand in F1 and I’m delighted to be able to formally clarify our position once and for all: we are Lotus and we are back,” added Group Lotus CEO Dany Bahar.

The new partnership has been enabled by Renault selling its remaining shares in the team to Genii Capital. Group Lotus plc will subsequently become a major equity partner in Lotus Renault GP, which it will co-own with Genii Capital.

Renault will continue its strong support of the team with which it won the 2005 and 2006 world championships, as a supplier of engines and technological and engineering expertise. Reflecting this technological support, Lotus Renault GP will continue to compete with the Renault chassis name and Renault will enjoy pre-eminent brand exposure on the livery.

For 2011, the Lotus Renault GP cars will race in a new interpretation of the iconic black and gold colours that were last used when Lotus and Renault joined forces in the 1980s. This livery, which has been on the drawing board for over two months in order to reinterpret its iconic graphic signature to suit modern media requirements, is sure to strike a powerful chord with the sport’s enthusiasts around the world.

The team scored a strong fifth-place finish in the 2010 constructors’ championship, which included three podium finishes for Robert Kubica. Next season, Lotus Renault GP is aiming to take another step forward which will see it competing regularly with the most prestigious names in Formula 1.

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Williams confirm Rubens Barrichello for 2011

Written by David

The Williams F1 team confirmed today that veteran F1 driver Rubens Barrichello will continue to drive for the team in 2011. The team’s second driver will be confirmed before the end of the year.

Barrichello enjoyed a successful first season with Williams, and his 18th in the sport. The Brazilian drove his FW32 into the qualifying top ten a total of 13 times and claimed 10 points scoring finishes over the year, all of which helped the team move forward to sixth place in the Constructors’ Championship at yesterday’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

The Grove based team announced also that Nico Hulkenberg will not contest the 2011 FIA World Championship with AT&T Williams.

Hulkenberg joined the squad as a rookie at the start of the season, following a dominating career in Formula 3 and GP2 supported by Williams. Convincing performances in his debut year in Formula One culminated in 14th place in the Drivers’ Championship and an undoubtedly bright future in the sport. The team thanked Hulkenberg for his dedication and team work over the past year, and for delivering a memorable first pole position in five seasons for the team at the 2010 Brazilian Grand Prix.

“First, I would like to thank Nico for his hard work this year, and before that in preparing himself for Formula One,” said Frank Williams upon the announcement. “We are very proud to have supported him as he secured the Formula 3 and GP2 titles and during his debut in Formula One. At Williams we have for many years tried to bring new talent into the sport, and we are convinced that Nico will go on to great things. We wish him well and hope that our paths will cross again in the future.”

“We recruited Rubens to Williams knowing that he would bring technical expertise, experience and passion,” continued Williams. “He has delivered everything we could have hoped for this season and we are delighted to confirm that he will drive for us again in 2011.”

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Marketing Support Vacancy at PT. Media Promosi Indonesia

PT. MEDIA PROMOSI INDONESIA is seeking female staff to fill the position for :

Marketing Support

with qualification requirement :

Female and single
Minimum S1 Degree
Age Maximum 26 years old
Min 1 years experience in advertising
Presentable appearance
Good command of spoken English (Active)
Computer Literate (Basic Microsoft, Photoshop, Corel, and Email)
Willing to work with ekstensif time
Driver’s license preferable
Good interpersonal skill, good looking, easy going, well organized & pleasant personality
Showing interest or passion for media industry
Benefit: Basic salary + annual bonus

All applications will be treated with most confidentially and only short listed candidates will be notified. Please APPLY ONLINE with your complete application with contact number & recent photograph or send via post to :

PT. MEDIA PROMOSI INDONESIA
MENARA JAMSOSTEK 14 Floor SUITE TA 05
JL. JEND. GATOT SUBROTO KAV.38
JAKARTA SELATAN 12710

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Chief Accounting Vacancy at PT. Interkos Jaya Bhakti

Chief Accounting (CA)

Work location : Jakarta
Level of education : min S1

Requirements :
Male/Female
Single, maximum age is 30 years old
Graduated from Bachelor Degree (Accounting) with minimum GPA 3.00
Has Tax Brevet A & B
Fluent in English is a must, able to speak mandarin is an advantage
Good communication and warm personality
Understanding basic accounting such as journal, financial statement and tax
Detail oriented and orderly
Having experiences more than 2 years is an advantage

Please APPLY ONLINE with your resume and application letter or send via post to:
Jalan Indokarya II Blok G No. 1, Sunter Papanggo, Jakarta Utara

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Casey Stoner: Honda and Ducati difference is extreme

By Matthew Birt

Casey Stoner reckons it is impossible to make a direct comparison between the Ducati he rode last season and the factory Honda RC212V he will campaign in 2011 because the differences are so extreme.

Stoner switched to Repsol Honda on a two-year deal for next season having opted to end his four-year tenure at Ducati where he became the only rider to enjoy major success on the Desmosedici machine.

The Australian rider has won more races than any other rider so far in the 800cc era with 23 and his performances completely overshadowed Loris Capirossi, Marco Melandri and Nicky Hayden.

Stoner has already been installed as many people’s pre-season favourite for 2011 now he’s moved to the vastly-improved Honda RC212V, which dominated a three-day test session at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia earlier this month.

But the 24-year-old says it is difficult to compare the Ducati against the Honda when asked his thoughts on recent comments made by Valentino Rossi.

After Rossi’s much-hyped Ducati debut in Valencia back in early November, he said the GP11 felt like a pure prototype developed solely for racing in MotoGP.

But the Italian reckons the Japanese factories have a different approach and their bikes are essentially production bikes made into racers.

When asked about his move the opposite way from the Ducati to a Japanese bike, Stoner said: “I had a stronger feeling when I left Honda in 2006 to move to Ducati.

"Then it was ‘what have I done?’ I really didn’t know the decision I made when I first rode the Ducati was the right one. I couldn’t believe the feeling of the bike. You feel the vibration and the gear change is aggressive but the bike works.

"It was a very strange feeling but after four years you become very comfortable with the bike and it becomes normal.

"So when I got back on the Honda everything felt so smooth to me and it felt completely different. It is difficult to even compare the two because the difference is so extreme.”

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Marco Simoncelli surprised to be fastest in Sepang

By Matthew Birt

Marco Simoncelli seemed as surprised as anyone to leave Kuala Lumpur with the fastest time at the end of this week's MotoGP test at the Sepang circuit.

Riding a full factory Honda RC212V machine, the Italian produced the first big shock of 2011 when a lap of 2.00.757 on the final morning secured him a morale-boosting place at the top of the timesheets.

He narrowly beat fellow factory Honda duo Dani Pedrosa and Casey Stoner as the new RC212V made a blistering start to 2011.

Four Hondas finished in the top five with only a flu-ridden Toni Elias blotting the Japanese factory's copybook as he finished last and way off the pace.

Simoncelli said his performance has come as something of a surprise but added his confidence had been boosted when he first rode the factory RC212V in Valencia back in early October.

The former 250GP world champion said: "I tested the new bike in Valencia for the first time and my feeling was good there. So through the winter I expected to be very fast, but maybe not the fastest. My best time on the first test last year was a 2.03.2. So I am 2.5s faster and no crashes. In the race last year I did a 2.02.8. From last year in the winter test the difference is generally me, the bike and the team and especially the experience we have got now. The bike for me is the package that has improved in every area and it is helping me the most. But the factory support from Honda is also very important."

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