Honda refusing to get complacent, wary of Lorenzo

HRC principal Shuhei Nakamoto insists his team cannot afford to get complacent in the fight for the 2011 MotoGP World Championship, despite winning seven of the opening ten races this season.

Heading into the second-half of the year, Casey Stoner currently leads the standings with five wins, but his advantage is being pegged back at 20 points to Yamaha's Jorge Lorenzo, who has matched his rival for consistency, even if he has won just two races in comparison.

Indeed, though Honda is already enjoying its most successful MotoGP season since 2006 (when it won eight races over an entire year), Nakamoto remains wary of the threat coming from Lorenzo, labelling him as a 'tough competitor'.

“Honda has won seven out of ten races so far. Considering we only won four in the whole of the last season, you'd think we have it in the bag. But Lorenzo is a very tough competitor. He's not going to give up, and I think we will continue to see a pattern of wins and losses for the rest of the season.

“A single slip could upset the whole championship battle. We're going to be treating every race with the utmost seriousness, concentrating on avoiding any mistakes that could cost us points.”

Looking ahead to the remainder of the season, though Nakamoto is delighted with Honda's upturn in form this season, one that sees it occupy first, third and fourth in the standings, he is particularly eager to see an all-Honda podium before the year is out.

“We are facing some pretty strong competition so I can't say it [all-Honda podium] will be easy to pull it off. On the other hand, it's a dream we've been chasing for some time and we'll be going all out in the remaining races, to try and realise that dream as soon as we can, and also of course to take the Championship. I hope you all will keep following our progress and helping us with your support.”

Despite its success, Honda is tipped to return to a two-man factory Repsol team made up of Stoner and Dani Pedrosa in 2012, with Andrea Dovizioso switching to LCR Honda and Marco Simoncelli remaining at Gresini Honda.

Read More

Mapfre Aspar Team get back to work at Brno

After a two week break following their visit to the shortest circuit on the MotoGP calendar, the teams and riders this weekend return to action at one of the longest. They will need every bit of recharged energy as they look to tackle a challenging circuit over 5km in length that plays host to the eleventh round of the season.

Recovered, motivated and ready to continue with the excellent form that he signed off from the first half of the season with. That is the half-term report for Héctor Barberá, who showed a clear step forward in performance levels at Mugello, Sachsenring and Laguna Seca over the past three rounds. The MAPFRE Aspar rider is keen to continue that form at Brno, a talismanic circuit for the Spaniard, who finished a stunning fourth here during his rookie 125cc season back in 2002.

Héctor Barberá:
"Brno is a special circuit for me - I managed to finish fourth here in my first season riding in the 125cc World Championship after qualifying in ninth, which is still one of my best ever races and one I will always remember. We were riding on standard kit and managed to fight with the factory riders. I love Brno and I am perfectly prepared for this one. I have done a lot of physical training over the break and I am looking forward to giving 200% on track. There are a lot of fast corners which are good for me and the goal is to improve on my best finish this season, which was sixth at Jerez, and continue the good form we have shown at Mugello, Sachsenring and Laguna Seca."

MAPFRE Aspar press release.

Read More

Rossi and Hayden poised for return to business

The two-week break that followed the Laguna Seca Grand Prix gave Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden time for a short vacation that both riders spent close to home, though the American rider took a brief excursion to Indianapolis. Hayden spent August 5th at Indianapolis, splitting his time between promotional activities for the upcoming Grand Prix there and riding the track aboard a Ducati 1198 SP, using the opportunity to try out the new surface that was recently applied to part of the track.

This week the championship returns to action at Brno, the Czech Republic circuit that traditionally opens the second half of the season. It’s a popular round with all the riders because the track, which was constructed in the mid-’80s, offers a great mixture of turns and elevation changes, and is fast, flowing and very wide. Valentino Rossi has claimed four podiums and seven wins across all the classes, while Hayden has one podium.

A test will take place on the Monday after the Grand Prix, and the Ducati Team will dedicate that day to working on the 800cc machine.

Valentino Rossi:
“After Laguna I took a few days of vacation, at the beach close to home. It was a short break but enough to recharge the batteries following an intense period. Now we’ll spend a nice mid-August at Brno—classic! Seriously, I’m always happy to go there. I like the track not only because it’s very nice, wide and fast, and I’ve always gone well there, but also because it’s a special place for me since it’s where I earned my first pole, my first win and my first world championship. During both the race weekend and the Monday test, we’ll continue concentrating on the bike’s setup, with the goal of reducing the gap to the lead group.”

Nicky Hayden:
“It’s been a bit of a break, but fortunately not all of it was away from bikes! On August 5 I had an opportunity to ride a Ducati 1198 SP at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where the entire infield section has been resurfaced, from Turn 5 to 16, in order to eliminate the bumps that used to limit our line options. Indy was already a great track, but now it’s safer and even more fun. A big thanks to Ducati North America and IMS for all the hard work to make the test possible. I’m ready to get to Brno now. It’s a very different circuit to what we’ve been to for the last two races at the Sachsenring and Laguna Seca. Those are tight with short lap times, and Brno is definitely a big, open track. We know it won’t be easy, but we’ve just got to keep chipping away. It’s clear that everybody at Ducati is doing the maximum, so we’ll go there and try to get a good result. Obviously the test on Monday will be really important for us. I’ll probably just ride the GP11 on the race weekend and then test the new bike on Monday.”

Vittoriano Guareschi, Team Manager:
“After Laguna Seca the team had the chance to rest for a few days, even though the work at Ducati never stopped. The Test Team tried some electronics updates at Mugello, and we’ll use them in the post-race test at Brno to continue improving the setup and reduce the gap to the lead group. Filippo [Preziosi] will be on hand Monday, and we’ll continue the development work on the GP11.1 with both Valentino and Nicky.”

Ducati Team press release

Read More

Bridgestone tyre allocation changes explained

It was confirmed on Thursday by the FIM that with immediate effect – in time for this weekend’s Cardion ab Grand Prix Ceské republiky – the tyre regulations for the MotoGP class would change.

Bridgestone’s preview of the Brno round explained the new regulations, which will see riders offered a greater choice of softer compounds, and the tyre manufacturer’s press officer Tom Tremayne detailed the changes in an interview with motogp.com which you can watch in the attached video.

“Bridgestone has worked very closely with the FIM, Dorna, the riders and the teams to bring about a raft of regulation changes to the tyre allocation system,” said Tremayne. “This means that instead of riders receiving eight front slick tyres of two compounds, they now get nine (tyres) of three compounds with a softer compound being introduced.”

“They still get ten rear slick tyres, of two compounds, but these two rear compounds have been made softer and they also get a choice now of the compound split – so five and five, or six of one and four of the other. This is specifically to address the issue of warm-up performance and to answer the requests and comments of riders in the last six months or so.”

Read More

Kisumu Toyota Motor Dealership Sales and Store Clerks Jobs in Kenya

We are currently accepting applications for energetic and hardworking male / female candidates to join a world - class brand - Toyota, at our Kisumu Toyota motor dealership.

Positions:

Sales Executives

Parts Sales Executives

Parts Store Clerks (with EPC knowledge)

Eligibility

Eligible candidates will have worked in the motor industry in the above positions for at least 12 months, have a proven track record, possess good communication and written skills, have great networking skills, and possess End-to-End business closure skills to promote the products and services that we offer.

Send us an email with your Photo - CV and Personal Profile that should tell us why you are exceptional and how you can make a positive difference to our Kisumu Toyota dealership in 250-words max.

info@crater-group.com

Only shortlisted candidates will be invited for the interview process.

Source: http://kenyanjobs.blogspot.com
Read More

Switch Engineer Job Vacancy in Kenya

Our client comprises of three operating businesses in Kenya and one in Zimbabwe.

The business of the organization is information technology, with particular emphasis on electronic (e)-business solutions in the banking sector.

They operate with a simple goal of delivering added value to customers through solutions by which technology may enhance efficiencies.

Whilst its primary skills are technology- based, the success of their company is built upon recognizing the value of relationships and thus management and people skills are considered critical.

The Switch Engineer is responsible for effective provisioning, installation/configuration, operation, and maintenance of Switch and POS systems hardware and software and related infrastructure.

This individual ensures that switch system hardware, operating systems software systems and databases are functioning and able to deliver for the business.

This individual would participate in technical research and implementation to enable continuing innovation within the infrastructure.

Primary Responsibilities

The incumbent will be accountable for the following systems: Windows, Solaris, Oasis switch, POS software, FreeBSD, and Redhat Linux. The Switch Engineer will also be required to have proficiency in Oracle/ Informix/ MS SQL and any other duties as allocated.

The individual will be required to manage and configure switch servers, configure hardware, peripherals, services, settings, directories, storage, etc. in accordance with standards and project/ operational requirements
Install and configure a new switch system as required
Develop and maintain installation and configuration procedures
Contribute to and maintain system standards
Research and recommend innovative, and where possible automated approaches for switch tasks

This individual could also assist project teams with technical issues in the initiation, planning and implementation phases in required projects.

Qualifications and Requirements

BS/BA Degree in Computer Science or equivalent experience preferred. Alternatively;

Cisco Certified Network Associate
Cisco Certified Network Professional
Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer

4 to 6 years experience with Windows, Oasis switch, POS software, Solaris (Unix, FreeBSD), Linux, Oracle/ Informix and Cisco routers and Switches

How to Apply

Interested candidates holding the necessary requirements, good performance and / or references are encouraged to apply with detailed CV’s, inclusive of names and contacts of 3 referees, current telephone number and email address by mailing them to recruiter@personnelresource.com.

Only short listed candidates will be contacted.

“Personnel Resource is an equal opportunity employer”

Source: http://kenyanjobs.blogspot.com
Read More

Two NTB runners move to Vietnam Open finals

Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara - Two athletes from Indonesia`s West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) province moved to the finals of the Asian athletic tournament Vietnam Open 2011 which opened in Hanoi on Wednesday (August 3), their coach said.

The two NTB athletes who managed to proceed to the finals were Rostina in the women`s 100-meter event and Abdul Razak in the men`s 400-meter event, coach Bagus Wiredharma said here Thursday.

"The two athletes are among five from NTB reinforcing the Indonesian team at the Vietnam Open 2011 in Hanoi," Bagus said.

On the tournament`s second day on Thursday (August 4), West Nusa Tenggara`s female runner Mariyati who is a national gold medalist from Jakarta would run in the qualifying round of the women`s 200-meter hurdle event, he said.

"We are hoping Mariyati will perform as excellently as her compatriots who earlier moved to the finals," he said.

Bagus also hoped the five national athletes from West Nusa Tenggara could show the best performance for Indonesia as the event is considered a warming up for the Sea Games 2011 in Jakarta.

The five athletes from West Nusa Tenggara are among 22 national athletes from different provinces who reinforce the Indonesian team to the Vietnam Open 2011 which is participated in by a number of Southeast Asian countries.

The five athletes are Nurul Imaniar (women`s 100-meter event, 200-meter event and relay event), Mariyati (200-meter hurdle event), Rostina (women`s 100-meter event), Abdul Razak and Arif Rachman (both in the men`s 400-meter event).

"The Vietnam Open 2011 could serve as a means of selection and evaluation for the Indonesian team which is being prepared for Sea Games 2011 in Jakarta," he said. (Uu.KR-LWA/HAJM/B003)

Source: http://www.antaranews.com
Read More

Archive