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Post by truenorth on Dec 3, 2023 9:11:18 GMT -8
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Post by truenorth on Dec 5, 2023 8:23:03 GMT -8
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Post by truenorth on Dec 5, 2023 8:33:58 GMT -8
Mat Oxley Trackhouse owner Justin Marks started thinking about owning a MotoGP team earlier this year. He attended the Austrian GP and was "blown away". He takes over the Aprilia satellite team from RNF. At the Milan launch with Dorna's Carlos Ezpeleta & Aprili Racing's Massimo Rivola.
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Post by truenorth on Dec 6, 2023 8:28:30 GMT -8
From the USA to MotoGP: welcome, Trackhouse Racing! New team. New approach. New chapter. MotoGP™ welcomes a fresh presence to the grid for 2024 Did you hear? 2024 will see a new team land in MotoGP™: Trackhouse Racing. Trackhouse have already enjoyed impressive success in the NASCAR Cup series, and now the American team will take their racing ambition onto two wheels as they join MotoGP™ as an Independent Team, partnered with Aprilia to run their RS-GP MotoGP™ prototypes. That special announcement we teased? It’s this! The presentation of the whole new team was made in Milan on Tuesday, with Trackhouse founder and owner Justin Marks joined on stage by Aprilia Racing CEO Massimo Rivola, Dorna Sports Chief Sporting Officer Carlos Ezpeleta and Dorna Chief Commercial Officer Dan Rossomondo. Trackhouse Racing will run two Aprilia RS-GPs, ridden by multiple-MotoGP™ winner #88 Miguel Oliveira and rising talent #25 Raul Fernandez. The full 2024 livery will be revealed early next season but as part of the launch, the team unveiled a symbolic American flag-liveried bike, paying tribute to both previous testing colours used by Nicky Hayden and to the incredible motorcycle racing heritage of the USA. Adding to that American heritage and writing a new chapter, with a new approach, is a key goal for Trackhouse and one MotoGP™ shares. The addition of an American team, representing one of the world’s largest markets, offers a wealth of opportunity to create an exciting new project from the ground up – built on foundations of established success. Hear from the key players below and get ready to welcome Trackhouse to the... track in 2024! Justin Marks, Trackhouse Racing Founder and Owner: “Joining the MotoGP World Championship is a very exciting moment for our young company. Trackhouse has worked from day one to recognize unique and compelling motorsport opportunities and being able to expand to a global series like MotoGP is a massive step in scaling the company. We believe deeply in the mission of Dorna and are committed to bringing something new and exciting to the championship while working hard to help grow and amplify this amazing sport to millions of new fans in North America and beyond.” Massimo Rivola, Aprilia Racing CEO: “We are happy and proud to welcome Trackhouse into the Aprilia Racing family. What they have been able to build in a very short time in NASCAR is an extraordinary presentation card, which anticipates the potential of this partnership. This is thanks to Justin Marks and his team, whom I got to know through my long-time friend PJ Rashidi, and with whom we were immediately in sync both in terms of technical ambitions and marketing and communication developments in such an important market as the US. Our commitment will increase significantly, a responsibility we gladly take on because, I am sure, it will allow us to grow even more.” Carlos Ezpeleta, Dorna Sports Chief Sporting Officer: “We’re super happy to welcome Trackhouse to MotoGP. We know this new team is a perfect fit for our sport: they’ve already shown they know how to win and arrive with a great personality. In the most competitive era the sport has ever seen, it’s even more vital than ever to have strong Independent Teams on the grid with solid projects. Trackhouse working with Aprilia, who will offer extensive support, is a really exciting prospect too. The RS-GP is a winning motorcycle and the combination of the bike, factory and Trackhouse’s approach with this team is something super exciting for MotoGP fans everywhere. We can’t wait to see Trackhouse come racing with us.” Dan Rossomondo, Dorna Sports Chief Commercial Officer: “Trackhouse coming to MotoGP is great news. They get it – the racing success, which they’ve had plenty of already – and the marketing and promotion that comes with running a top level motorsport team. That combination of operational excellence, paired with their expertise off-track, is a standard we want throughout MotoGP. We know Trackhouse’s influence will be positive and an ally for our business objectives.”
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Post by truenorth on Dec 6, 2023 8:32:10 GMT -8
New concession system: FAQs A few commonly asked questions about the latest concession update – answered! MotoGP™ has announced a new system of “concessions” for manufacturers, designed to ensure we get even closer competition in 2024 – and beyond. Check out the articles in the links below and then read on for some of the most commonly asked questions so far… When does it start? Now! The first assessment was the end of the 2023 season, so factories have already gained – or lost – concessions in the new system. The next checkpoint for them to be reassessed is the start of 2024 summer break. Which factories are ranked A, B, C or D? Based on the first assessment at the end of 2023, Ducati are rank A, KTM and Aprilia are rank C, and Honda and Yamaha are rank D. Which points count in the ranking system? Constructor points, so the points scored by the top finishing rider on each machine. What does “free” testing mean? Any rider, any track, anytime. The only two limitations for factories in rank D with “free testing” are: - No one is allowed to test at a track within the two weeks before a Grand Prix at the same venue. This is a separate regulation and remains as true as ever - Test tyres – rank D gets the most, but they’re not infinite! Can Independent Teams on that machinery also test? Yes. It’s anyone on machinery from that factory – so Yamaha can have Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) and new teammate Alex Rins take part in the Sepang Shakedown test if they so choose. As can Honda with CASTROL/IDEMITSU Honda LCR riders. So we could get a super Shakedown in 2024 – it’s up to the factories who have the option, aka Honda and Yamaha in rank D. Here's a reminder of the system (below). For more information, links to the articles are above.
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Post by truenorth on Dec 6, 2023 8:34:22 GMT -8
Muir: "Great to see Razgatlioglu get on the bike… we’ve got an engine upgrade and other parts" Monday, 4 December 2023 Speaking on Sunday at Portimao, Shaun Muir gave the lowdown on Razgatlioglu’s arrival, new components and the late decision to amend their testing plans The Autodromo Internacional do Algarve is hosting some testing for some MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship teams, including the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team as Toprak Razgatlioglu makes his much-anticipated debut on the M 1000 RR. Originally slated to just test on Monday, the #54’s BMW career actually started on Sunday and you can read his thoughts here. Speaking on Sunday in Portugal, Team Principal Shaun Muir reflected on the 2021 Champion’s arrival, late decisions to amend their test programme and more as he praised BMW’s test team for the work they’ve done. HECTIC SUNDAY: “Great to see the #54 going down pitlane on the BMW” Razgatlioglu’s first taste of the BMW came on Sunday which wasn’t initially planned. Explaining his thoughts on seeing ‘El Turco’ on the bike, and the late decision to test on Sunday, Muir said: “It’s a bit of a surprise, we didn’t expect to be on track on Sunday. We planned for Monday, but we had an opportunity to get some track time, so we took that. We did a few installation laps. We literally had three or four 20-minute sessions. We did exactly what we wanted to do: get him on the bike, making him feel at home. We weren’t looking for anything more than that initial feedback. He’s certainly going to have a lot of things he’ll want to change because it’s completely new to him. All in all, it was well worth the opportunity we took.” “It’s nervous for everyone”, Muir added when talking about the team’s feeling. “We’ve been waiting for this time for quite a few months now. We would’ve hoped to have been on track earlier. We’re here in December and it’s not the best conditions. Of course, everyone’s excited. It’s great for the team. There was a little bit more pressure on Sunday morning, because we fully expected to be doing more promo and videos and photographs, but that didn’t happen. It was a mad four hours from when we decided we’d go for it. We had to mobilise quickly, get everything up to temperature, get the guys ready to roll and it was quite hectic! Because of the quick turnaround, it took away the nerves and we just got on with it. It was great to see him get on the bike and see the #54 going down pitlane on the BMW.” “THE FEEDBACK WE GOT IS WHAT WE EXPECTED” – no surprises for BMW A rider’s first thoughts on what their new bike can be crucial for both rider and team, but in this case, it seems like the Turkish star’s first thoughts were aligned with what Muir expected: “We saw what he was up against in 2023 here at this circuit, with his fight against Alvaro. The corners where he felt he was weak, he felt super strong. We know where we inherently are with this bike compared to the others on the grid. We know the strengths Toprak has, it’s engine braking, corner entry, hard braking. That’s an area where we need to step up and that’s going to be our focus. The feedback we got is what we expected.” TWO VENUES, THREE DAYS: plenty to test including an engine upgrade BMW are the last factory outfit to test looking to 2024, with other factories testing in November. Muir expanded on BMW’s test plan following their late start, saying: “We’ve got a day on Monday and then two days at Jerez, which we’ll probably turn out to be 1.5 by the time we get there and get mobilised. We have an engine upgrade. We’ve got other parts which are also here which we’ll look at over the course of the three days. The test team’s done a lot of evaluation work. That’s creating great positives. A big thumbs up to the test team and guys that have put some hard miles in. We’re hitting the track with parts that are ready to go so that’s a big plus for us. Mainly, for Monday, it’s about extending what we’ve done on Sunday. Ergonomically, getting the bike setup for Toprak. Going back to Mickey’s side, we’re just building on what he’s been doing from the backend of last year. We can’t forget he’s had those two big injuries and almost wiped his season out. This is kind of day one for the 2024 season for Michael. Both of them have identical material to test. We’ll get feedback from both. It’s a little bit of a move forward from when Bonovo tested straight after Jerez too, so we’ve already got the information from that to work from. In terms of the workload we’ve got, the guys are going to be busy. We’d like to think we’d get those 60-80 laps a day in if the weather looks after us. Over the course of the next three days, there’s no reason why we can’t come away and tick that big box and get the guys working for the January tests.” TEST TEAM PRAISE: “Our time has to come… we’ve got the tools to do it and now’s the time” BMW have shown their commitment to creating a winning package by introducing a test team, something Muir showered with praise when speaking in Portugal. He said: “BMW’s commitment has never been in question, and I think it’s about having to step up again. We’re having to step forward and higher like everyone else is doing in the Championship. No matter what we do, the opposition are doing the same. In terms of the test team, it’s been in the pipeline all year. BMW Motorrad made that commitment over a year ago and things don’t happen overnight. It’s taken a lot of time to get that established. They’ve had some very positive track time already. We know what they’ve been doing, and they’ve been putting some really hard work in and we’re starting to see the benefits of that. When we turn up at these tests here, we want to be focusing on what we’ll be running for next year. We want to be working on parts that have already been tested. We’re just doing the final evaluation on that. The guys that are running that have been in the BMW family for quite a number of years. I only see that as an extension of what we have here. There’s quite a few overlaps and input from people working with us this weekend here, and during a normal WorldSBK round, already involved with the testing team. I can only re-emphasise that all we’re trying to do is keep that pressure on, moving forward and staying with the opposition. We’ve got four fantastic riders. I’m super happy that I’ve got Toprak and Michael, that’s my focus. I just want to be talking after Phillip Island, Barcelona, the next tests and already making those steps because our time has to come. We’ve got the tools to do it and now’s the time.”
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Post by truenorth on Dec 6, 2023 11:15:20 GMT -8
From a Deckchair on the Iceberg By the 30s, technology was ruining the sport "Foot controls? Rubbish! Hand shifting is an essential racing skill!" "Automatic spark advance? Lose the levers lose the fans, I say" "Is it even racing if you're not hand-pumping oil to the cam-box?"
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Post by truenorth on Dec 7, 2023 9:28:47 GMT -8
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Post by truenorth on Dec 8, 2023 9:03:04 GMT -8
BMW Motorrad Motorsport PRESS RELEASE: Sylvain Guintoli and Bradley Smith are joining the BMW Motorrad Motorsport factory rider family
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Post by truenorth on Dec 10, 2023 8:09:38 GMT -8
Rode the wheels off it Maxime Berger Donington Park
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Post by truenorth on Dec 12, 2023 14:49:17 GMT -8
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Post by truenorth on Dec 12, 2023 15:26:19 GMT -8
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Post by truenorth on Dec 14, 2023 9:55:57 GMT -8
MotoGP™ Crew Chiefs: who's with who in 2024? Find out who will be sitting alongside each rider in the respective boxes in 2024 As we get set for a mouth-watering new chapter of MotoGP™ in 2024, we thought it would be useful to note who the riders have by their side in their respective garages - the Crew Chiefs. There have been some changes ahead of the 2024 campaign, so look at the table to get familiar – if you’re not already – with who will be with whom for the upcoming season. RIDER CREW CHIEF TEAM Francesco Bagnaia Cristian Gabarrini Ducati Lenovo Team Enea Bastianini Marco Rigamonti Ducati Lenovo Team Jorge Martin Daniele Romagnoli Prima Pramac Racing Franco Morbidelli Massimo Branchini Prima Pramac Racing Marco Bezzecchi Matteo Flamigni Pertamina Enduro VR46 MotoGP™ Team Fabio Di Giannantonio David Muñoz Pertamina Enduro VR46 MotoGP™ Team Alex Marquez Donatello Giovanotti Gresini Racing MotoGP™ Marc Marquez Frankie Carchedi Gresini Racing MotoGP™ Brad Binder Andres Madrid Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Jack Miller Christian Pupulin Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Augusto Fernandez Alex Merhand GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 Pedro Acosta Paul Trevathan GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 Aleix Espargaro Antonio Jimenez Aprilia Racing Maverick Viñales Manu Cazeaux Aprilia Racing Miguel Oliveira Giovanni Mattarollo Aprilia Racing Independent Team Raul Fernandez Noe Herrera Aprilia Racing Independent Team Fabio Quartararo Diego Gubellini Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™ Team Alex Rins Patrick Primmer Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™ Team Joan Mir Santi Hernandez Repsol Honda Team Luca Marini Giacomo Guidotti Repsol Honda Team Johann Zarco David Garcia CASTROL Honda LCR Takaaki Nakagami Klaus Nohles IDEMITSU Honda LCR *In bold, the new rider and Crew Chief pairings for the 2024 season
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Post by truenorth on Dec 15, 2023 10:50:50 GMT -8
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Post by truenorth on Dec 18, 2023 8:28:53 GMT -8
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Post by truenorth on Dec 18, 2023 13:17:28 GMT -8
1 1 Alvaro Bautista ESP Ducati Panigale V4R Aruba.It Racing - Ducati 2 11 Nicolo Bulega ITA Ducati Panigale V4R Aruba.It Racing - Ducati 3 55 Andrea Locatelli ITA Yamaha YZF R1 PATA PROMETEON YAMAHA 4 65 Jonathan Rea GBR Yamaha YZF R1 PATA PROMETEON YAMAHA 5 22 Alex Lowes GBR Kawasaki ZX-10RR Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK 6 47 Axel Bassani ITA Kawasaki ZX-10RR Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK 7 77 Dominique Aegerter SUI Yamaha YZF R1 GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team 8 87 Remy Gardner AUS Yamaha YZF R1 GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team 9 7 Iker Lecuona ESP Honda CBR1000 RR-R Team HRC 10 97 Xavi Vierge ESP Honda CBR1000 RR-R Team HRC 11 21 Michael Ruben Rinaldi ITA Ducati Panigale V4R Team Motocorsa Racing 12 9 Danilo Petrucci ITA Ducati Panigale V4R BARNI Spark Racing Team 13 31 Garrett Gerloff USA BMW M 1000 RR Bonovo Action BMW 14 45 Scott Redding GBR BMW M 1000 RR Bonovo Action BMW 15 54 Toprak Razgatlioglu TUR BMW M 1000 RR ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team 16 60 Michael van der Mark NED BMW M 1000 RR ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team 17 29 Andrea Iannone ITA Ducati Panigale V4R TEAM GO ELEVEN 18 5 Philipp Oettl GER Yamaha YZF R1 GMT94 Yamaha 19 28 Bradley Ray GBR Yamaha YZF R1 Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team 20 27 Adam Norrodin MAS Honda CBR1000 RR-R PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda 21 95 Tarran Mackenzie GBR Honda CBR1000 RR-R PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda 22 53 Tito Rabat ESP Kawasaki ZX-10RR Kawasaki Puccetti Racing 23 14 Sam Lowes GBR Ducati Panigale V4R ELF Marc VDS Racing Team
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Post by truenorth on Dec 19, 2023 9:14:48 GMT -8
Encouraging news continues to arrive from HRC_MotoGP, 2 days of testing in circuitodejerez with stefanbradl for prototype development 2024 and testing completely new parts arriving this Sunday from Japan
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Post by truenorth on Dec 19, 2023 11:24:36 GMT -8
2023 FALLS REPORT: who crashed the most in WorldSBK throughout 2023? Tuesday, 21 November 2023 After an incredible season, it’s time to look at the data to see which riders crashed the most, which circuits had the highest number of falls and which corners proved to be the most challenging… While the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship is on its off-season following 12 intense rounds of thrilling and non-stop action, it’s time to look back and analyse some of the data that came from the season. This time, we take a look at the 2023 Falls Report and see which rider crashed the most, which corner was the trickiest in terms of the number of falls and much more. OVERALL NUMBERS: fewer crashes in WorldSBK and WorldSSP300, more in WorldSSP In total, there were 523 crashes across WorldSBK, WorldSSP and WorldSSP300. These can be broken down by 172 in WorldSBK, 220 in WorldSSP and 131 in WorldSSP300. In World Superbike, the number was down from 217 last year, an average of 14 per event, while in WorldSSP it increased from 120 last year. In WorldSSP300, the number decreased from 143 in 2022 to 131 this season at an average of 16 per event in the eight rounds the Championship was at. THE RIDERS WITH THE MOST CRASHES: Lowes leads the way, Razgatlioglu with the fewest In WorldSBK, two factory riders lead the way in terms of crashes. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) went down 15 times this season, while Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) was only two behind. Third on the list went to Lorenzo Baldassarri (GMT94 Yamaha) with the Italian crashing 11 times, one ahead of Champion Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) with ten. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) recorded nine, while Championship runner-up Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) only went down twice. These were crashes in Australia, when he was caught up in a crash by Lowes, and Most, when a tyre failure forced him out of contention for a stunning victory. In WorldSSP, Bahattin Sofuoglu (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) recorded the most crashes with 15, closely followed by Glenn van Straalen (EAB Racing Team) with 14. Tom Edwards (Yart-Yamaha WorldSSP Team), Adrian Huertas (MTM Kawasaki) and Jorge Navarro (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) had 11 each. Ruben Bijman (Arco Motor University Team) led the way in WorldSSP300 with 12, with rookie Loris Veneman (MTM Kawasaki) on ten. Four riders finished with six falls each: Samuel Di Sora (ProDina Kawasaki Racing), teammate Mattia Martella, Fenton Seabright (Kawasaki GP Project) and Juan Pablo Uriostegui (Sublime Racing by MS Racing). CRASHES BY TRACK: Most the most challenging followed by Imola Two circuits recorded more than 60 crashes each in 2023. The Autodrom Most was top of the list with 65. WorldSBK and WorldSSP300 both recorded 23 of these, while WorldSSP made up the other 19. It was closely followed by the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari di Imola with 63. This time, they weren’t split as evenly. WorldSSP had 33 tumbles at the iconic circuit, with WorldSBK on 16 and WorldSSP300 on 14. The Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli” had 58 tumbles across all three classes, split fairly evenly: 21 in WorldSSP300, 20 in WorldSSP and 17 in WorldSBK. THE HARDEST CORNERS: first and last turns at different circuits With Most and Imola making up two of the top three circuits for crashes, it’s no surprise to see corners from these tracks feature here too. The second part of the Variante Bassa, Turn 22, at Imola had the most crashes, 17, closely followed by the right-hand hairpin of Turn 5 at Magny-Cours with 16. Two corners had 14 crashes each. These were Turn 1 at Most, the first part of the opening chicane, and Turn 10 at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. As always, we would like to send our thanks and gratitude to every single Marshal whose invaluable support throughout 2023 helped to keep our races, and our racers, as safe as possible. Without them, we would not be able to enjoy the sport we all love. Total crashes for WorldSBK riders in 2023 (wildcards and replacement riders not included) 15 – Alex Lowes 13 – Iker Lecuona 11 – Lorenzo Baldassarri 10 – Alvaro Bautista 9 – Loris Baz, Garrett Gerloff, Jonathan Rea, Michael van der Mark 8 – Michael Ruben Rinaldi 7 – Dominique Aegerter, Eric Granado, Xavi Vierge 6 – Axel Bassani, Remy Gardner, Oliver Konig 5 – Philipp Oettl, Scott Redding, Tom Sykes 4 – Andrea Locatelli, Tito Rabat, Bradley Ray 3 – Danilo Petrucci 2 – Toprak Razgatlioglu, Isaac Vinales
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Post by truenorth on Dec 19, 2023 11:27:29 GMT -8
A chapter closes: P. Espargaro bids farewell to MotoGP™... for now 30 Nov 2023 At the Valencia GP, the #44 took the chequered flag as a full time rider for the final time and is poised to move into a new role with GASGAS Tech3 from 2024 Amidst the heightened emotions of the title-deciding Valencia GP season finale and the subsequent thrill of rider debuts a few days later at the Test, a significant story evaded the limelight as 2023 drew to a close. The tumultuous journey of Pol Espargaro, marred by a brutal injury sustained during the opening weekend crash in Portimao, unfolded as a less-heralded but captivating tale. Enduring a protracted recovery process, the resilient #44 rider made his return to the track at the British GP, only to face another setback shortly after – the loss of his full time GASGAS Tech3 seat to Augusto Fernandez and Pedro Acosta. Despite rumoured interest from Repsol Honda, Espargaro is slated to transition into the role of the team's Test Rider from 2024. Consequently, the Valencia GP marked his final appearance as a full-time MotoGP™ rider.
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Post by truenorth on Dec 22, 2023 7:49:04 GMT -8
Paulo Ciabatti leaves motogp to run the off road racing project
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