Casey Stoner doubts 1000cc bikes will increase overtaking

By Matthew Birt

MotoGP world championship leader Casey Stoner fears the switch to a 1000cc format for 2012 will not increase overtaking and make racing a much more exciting spectacle than the current 800cc bikes.

With more horsepower and more torque available with the new generation 1000cc machines, fans are hoping more overtaking opportunities will arise.

But Repsol Honda rider Stoner, who heads into this weekend’s German MotoGP round at Sachsenring holding a 19-point lead over Jorge Lorenzo, said: "I think it’s not the bikes that are reducing the passing, I think it’s just become such a professional sport that riders don’t make mistakes like they used to. Everyone has to train their butts off now just to ride these bikes. In the past, if you go back long enough, people were smoking before they got on the grid and they weren’t tired at the end of the race."

"These bikes physically take a lot more out of you. And I think the level of rider, in comparison with another era, has just picked up, because everyone knows what you need to do now. And so you’re not seeing people run wide and other people duck up in the inside. They’re making the line, they’re hitting their points, and they’re not having the problems like they used to. So, I don’t really think it’s going to change a lot. Even Dani (Pedrosa) on the same bike as me is able to out-accelerate me just because of the way he rides. So that strength is his. But then he’s got some weaknesses in his way of riding.

"So there's a lot of different ways to ride, different techniques to use, but I think racing in general was always going to develop and go in this direction. Even in motocross, you're struggling to see people pass each other any more. There seems to be one line in motocross. Everyone's getting it that right. You have to go out on a limb to pass and do something and take a line that no one else can do or hasn't tried or is unexpected. But it’s a big risk.

"It's the same in MotoGP. You have to take a big risk to get past now, because motorsport has just gone that little bit further. The way people ride has become that more developed that I think it’s just the way to the future. Younger kids than us will come through and do stuff that we hadn’t even dreamed of, so it's going to be the same sort of thing."

Source: http://www.motorcyclenews.com

RI to field three teams in President Cup 2011

Jakarta - The Indonesian contingent which is ambitious to become the overall champion of the President Cup 2011 boxing championship will be represented by three teams, each consisting of eight male boxing athletes and six female boxing athletes.

Setya Novanto, Executive Board chairman of the Indonesian Amateur Boxing Association (PB Pertina) made the statement after meeting with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at the presidential office here on Thursday.

"We want to become overall champion, so that boxing can create a good image to the nation," Novanto said.

According to him, around 260 athletes from 29 countries will participate in the championship.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is scheduled to open the amateur boxing tournament President`s Cup XXI at Gelora Bung Karno indoor tennis stadium in Jakarta on Monday, July 4, 2011.

The host Indonesia provides three teams, namely Garuda, Rajawali, and Elang, each with eight male and six female boxers.

"The boxing championship was held back after a vacuum for seven years and as a preparation for the upcoming SEA Games," he said.

In the meantime, Youth and Sports Minister Andi Mallarangeng who accompanied President Yudhyohono in the meeting with the Executive Board chairman of the Indonesian Amateur Boxing Association said that the president welcomed the boxing championship.

"Implementation of the president cup becomes grand boxing event, since the 1970s which had turned out the national and even the international level boxers for example Elyas Pical and Thomas Americo," Novanto cited.

Setya Novanto in meeting with the president was among others accompanied by chairman of the President cup organizing committee Serta Ginting. (Uu.B003/HAJM/F001)

Source: http://www.antaranews.com

Probe into Dutch stadium partial roof collapse starts

The Hague - Dutch police and the city of Enschede launched an investigation Friday into the partial collapse of a roof at FC Twente`s football stadium which killed one and injured 15, a city spokeswoman said.

"The investigation into the safety of the building`s construction has started involving the police and technical experts from the Enschede municipality," Patricia Claassens told AFP.

One person, identified by Dutch daily Algemeen Dagblad as construction worker Dave Nijkamp, 31, died and 15 others were injured when the roof at De Grolsch Veste stadium collapsed around noon on Thursday.

At the time, construction was going on to increase seating space inside the stadium of the popular Dutch first division club, situated in Enschede, about 160 kilometres (100 miles) east of Amsterdam.

Claassens stressed Friday`s investigation would focus mainly on the immediate safety of the stadium`s structure to determine whether clean-up operations could begin.

She added an investigation into the accident`s cause would start later, but she could not say exactly when.

Eight injured people remained in hospital, Claassens said, one of whom was still in a critical condition.

Enschede`s mayor Peter den Oudsten said Friday he had seen video footage of the collapse.

"But I find it hard to interpret the images. I think it`s wiser that the images become part of the investigation," he told Dutch public television NOS.

FC Twente plays in the Dutch first division, and were league champions last year. (U.C003)

Source: http://www.antaranews.com

Brno: Biaggi's World Superbike Empire

Max Biaggi has more than luck at Brno in the Czech Republic where round eight of the 2011 World Superbike Championship occurs this weekend.

It's more like complete domination at Brno - the "Roman Emperor" Biaggi has been on the Brno podium 17 times since 1993 across three MotoGP classes (250cc, 500cc, MotoGP) and World Superbike. Included in this tally is an impressive 10 wins.

And for 2011, Biaggi returns to Brno aboard the Alitalia Aprilia RSV4 coming off his first win of the season at the Aragon debut three weeks ago. Besides this momentum, Biaggi had a 2-1 finish at Brno last year.

Alitalia Aprilia says Max Biaggi is 100-percent focused and in top physical condition. The hard work of the Team and the RSV4's progress complete a promising picture; the important thing now is that Biaggi and his teammate Leon Camier are placed in a position to be able to express their full potential in this decisive phase of the season.

Max Biaggi (Alitalia Aprilia RSV4 World Superbike) says: "It's no mystery that I like the Brno track very much. I have many times here in all of the categories. I have a particular feeling with this track which really suits my riding style well. But the last thing we need is to think that this will be a simple weekend.

"Each Superbike race writes its own history and our rivals have also demonstrated that they ride well here - especially Ducati and Yamaha. I can say with certainty that I feel like I'm in good shape. The weekend at Aragon showed that we have in no way backed down and that we'll work with the usual dedication right from the start, hoping to find a nice bike/tire package. I hope that the fun part of the championship is about to start."

Lenovo IdeaPad K1

Specifications
Lenovo IdeaPad K1
Network2G
3G

HSDPA 2100; CDMA2000 1xEV-DO
SizeDimensions
Weight
Display
264 x 189 x 13.3 mm (10.39 x 7.44 x 0.52 in)
750 gram
TFT capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
800 x 1280 pixels, 10.1 inches (~149 ppi pixel density)
MemoryPhonebook
Call records
Internal
Card slot


16/32 GB, 1 GB RAM
microSD, up to 32 GB
DataGPRS
EDGE
3G
WLAN
Bluetooth
Infrared port
USB


EV-DO Rev.A 3.1 Mbps, HSPA
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, hotspot
v2.1 with A2DP, EDR

microUSB v2.0
FeaturesOS
CPU
Messaging
Alert
Browser
Radio
GPS
Games
Camera
Video
Colors
Java
Android OS, v3.1 (Honeycomb)
Dual-core 1.0 GHz Cortex-A9
Email, Push Email, IM
Vibration; MP3, WAV ringtones
HTML, Adobe Flash

Yes
Yes
5 MP, autofocus, LED flash
720p
Black, white, brown, red
via Java MIDP emulator
- Loudspeaker with stereo speakers
- Multitouch
- 3.5mm jack
- Geo-tagging
- Accelerometer, compass (sensors)
- HDMI port
- MP3/WAV/WMA/AAC player
- MP4/H.264 player
- Document viewer
- Organizer
- Predictive text input
- Clock
- Calendar
- Alarm
Battery
Stand-by
Talk time
Non-removable Li-Ion 7400 mAh battery
Up to
Up to 10 h

Image: http://www.gsmarena.com/lenovo_ideapad_k1-pictures-4443.php

Lenovo ThinkPad

Specifications
Lenovo ThinkPad
Network2G
3G

HSDPA 2100
SizeDimensions
Weight
Display
260 x 181.7 x 14 mm (10.24 x 7.15 x 0.55 in)
730 gram
IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
800 x 1280 pixels, 10.1 inches (~149 ppi pixel density)
MemoryPhonebook
Call records
Internal
Card slot


16/32/64 GB, 1 GB RAM
3-in-1 card reader
DataGPRS
EDGE
3G
WLAN
Bluetooth
Infrared port
USB


HSPA
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
v2.0 with A2DP

microUSB v2.0, USB 2.0
FeaturesOS
CPU
Messaging
Alert
Browser
Radio
GPS
Games
Camera
Video
Colors
Java
Android OS, v3.1 (Honeycomb), upgradable to v4.0 (ICSandwich)
Dual-core 1.0 GHz
Email, Push Email, IM
Vibration; MP3, WAV ringtones
HTML, Adobe Flash

Yes
Yes
5 MP
Yes
Black

- Loudspeaker
- Multitouch
- 3.5mm jack
- Corning Gorilla Glass (protection)
- Accelerometer, gyro, compass (sensors)
- HDMI port
- MP3/WAV/WMA/AAC player
- MP4/H.264 player
- Document viewer
- Organizer
- Predictive text input
- Clock
- Calendar
- Alarm
Battery
Stand-by
Talk time
Non-removable Li-Po 3250 mAh battery (24.1 Wh)
Up to
Up to

Image: http://www.gsmarena.com/lenovo_thinkpad-pictures-4444.php

Racing for 4th Win, Stoner Looks to Smoke Rivals in Dutch Tilt

Assen, the Netherlands - Australia’s 2007 world champion, Casey Stoner, goes into Saturday’s Dutch MotoGP looking to make it four wins on the bounce and cement his place at the top of the standings.

The Honda rider, who won at the Assen circuit three years ago, leapfrogged defending champion Jorge Lorenzo to take over top spot in the title race after winning the British GP at a rainy Silverstone on June 12.

“We will work hard to get the set up right on the bike and hope to challenge for another win,” Stoner said.

Lorenzo crashed out at Silverstone to end a run of 25 top four finishes, ranking 18 points behind Stoner. But the Spaniard is eager to mark Yamaha’s 50th anniversary of grand prix racing with a win at a circuit where he triumphed a year ago.

“Assen is my favorite track where I’ve won in all categories and also last season,” Lorenzo said. “Now we are in second position in the championship, we come here looking to put pressure on the leader.”

The Stoner-Lorenzo duel will be shadowed closely by Italian pair Andrea Dovizioso (Honda) and Valentino Rossi (Ducati), who lie third and fourth in the championship and are in need of some serious points if they are not to be dropped from the title race.

Rossi still hasn’t won a race this season, but enjoys the track, known as The Cathedral to fans, having won there five times.

“It is going to be difficult. We know it will be some time before we see the full potential of this machine but we are motivated,” Rossi said.

One major absentee from the race will be Stoner’s teammate, Dani Pedrosa, who broke his collarbone in a fall at the French Grand Prix last month.

Agence France-Presse

Source: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com

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