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Post by truenorth on Oct 7, 2018 8:17:02 GMT -8
Dall'Igna: "Ducati will be competitive on PhillipIsland": The Australian round is the final hurdle for the 'Red': "If we are strong, we'll tackle 2019 with a more concrete mentality"
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Post by truenorth on Oct 7, 2018 8:22:27 GMT -8
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Post by truenorth on Oct 10, 2018 15:04:48 GMT -8
Yamaha: Japan race key for confirmation of improvements
Thailand signalled an upturn in form for Rossi and Viñales but the question remains as to whether they’ve made a step forward with the M1
The PTT Thailand Grand Prix signalled a turning point for Movistar Yamaha MotoGP after both Valentino Rossi and Maverick Viñales were able to challenge for the podium. Viñales didn’t finish a session outside the top four all weekend and took his first podium since the German GP in third, just 0.270 from the race win. On the other side of the garage, Rossi was able to stick his YZR-M1 on the front row of the grid for the first time since Brno, 0.011 off pole, eventually taking the chequered flag in fourth on Sunday.
So, was it a combination of the tyres, the Chang International Circuit and the Yamaha that saw an upturn in fortunes for the Iwata factory, or was it the intricate changes made on the bike that allowed them to challenge at the front?
“I don’t know, honestly. It should be like this every race but it seems somehow, this year, it’s been really difficult,” said Viñales after the race. “I hope it will be the change we did on the bike because for me it was really positive. I had really good confidence on the front, especially under braking so let’s see if we can manage well for the next races.”
On Saturday, Rossi confirmed Yamaha have been putting more resources into trying to fix their electronics, with Yamaha WorldSBK engineer Michele Gadda one of those helping the MotoGP™ setup since Silverstone: “It's true that recently, Yamaha have hired new engineers. Michele Gadda is one of them. The others are in Japan. This is indeed something that comes from the new working group. Yamaha seems to be putting more effort in the electronics field and that's what we need to fight against Ducati and Honda.”
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Post by truenorth on Oct 11, 2018 8:33:58 GMT -8
maverickmack25. Kid from his hometown needed €81,000 for a prosthetic after bone cancer, and he's covering the cost.
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Post by truenorth on Oct 11, 2018 8:43:10 GMT -8
Rossi: "Marquez can beat my records but I'm not worried": Valentino responds to fans' questions: "Agostini and Hailwood the greatest. My regret? The lost title of 2006"
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Post by truenorth on Oct 11, 2018 8:56:25 GMT -8
Pernat: Marquez and Rossi, two sides of the same coin: It's match point for Marquez at Motegi, as it was for Stoner in 2007. Casey, Marc and Vale: two generations of different riders, one exuberant, the other pragmatic: this is the reason for their hatred
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Post by truenorth on Oct 16, 2018 5:55:39 GMT -8
"it's been harder than expected. I’m realizing it’s not that you announce your withdrawal and everything is set. Certain emotions need time to change."
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Post by truenorth on Oct 16, 2018 6:11:09 GMT -8
Marc Márquez is on the verge of his fifth MotoGP title🏆 🇪🇸
This weekend in Japan, Marquez can become a five-time MotoGP champion, at Honda's home event.
He already has 2⃣ wins in 🇯🇵 in 2014 and 2016...
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Post by truenorth on Oct 16, 2018 6:21:31 GMT -8
Nakagami confirmed at LCR for 2019
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Post by truenorth on Oct 16, 2018 6:25:28 GMT -8
Marquez: Motegi? If I can't win I'll settle: First match point at the TwinRing for Marc: “We'll need to work hard to be at Ducati's level, this is a real stop and go track”
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Post by truenorth on Oct 17, 2018 6:34:11 GMT -8
A. Espargarò: "Motegi? Aprilia will have many strong points ": The Spaniard confident for the round of the Twin Ring, Redding:" In Japan I want to regain the same confidence of Thailand "
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Post by truenorth on Oct 17, 2018 7:41:21 GMT -8
Rossi: “I'm optimistic, I can be fast at Motegi too”: Vinales seeks confirmation at the Twin Ring: “We'll see whether the Yamaha has really grown or not”
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Post by truenorth on Oct 17, 2018 7:55:46 GMT -8
Maverick Vinales Details What Led To His Improvement In Thailand Roadracing World Publishing MOVISTAR YAMAHA TRAVEL TO JAPAN TO START TRIPLE-HEADER After an encouraging race in Thailand slightly less than a fortnight ago, the Movistar Yamaha MotoGP team is highly anticipating the first of the other three flyaway races, at the Motul Grand Prix of Japan, Yamaha‘s home race. Motegi (Japan), 17th October 2018 The Movistar Yamaha MotoGP team is greatly motivated to tackle the next challenge at another significant round. They will start the triple-header of consecutive overseas races with a home Grand Prix for Yamaha at the Twin Ring Motegi circuit. With a busy schedule ahead of him, Rossi is more than happy to come to Japan and looks forward to meeting the passionate local fans. He still holds third place in the championship with a 22-point gap to second, and with three races in three weeks he has all to play for. Feeling in top shape, the Italian again aims to fight with the front-runners this weekend. He narrowly missed out on a podium spot in Buriram, but he fancies his chances in Motegi, a track where he stood on the rostrum on numerous occasions. He graced the premier class top step at this Japanese circuit in 2001 and 2008, he scored second place in 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2009 and 2015, and achieved third place in 2010 and 2014. Two weeks ago Viñales returned to the podium in Buriram. Thanks to this strong ride he currently holds fourth position in the championship standings and arrives in Japan ready for action at Yamaha's home race. Since the Spaniard began his Grand Prix racing career in 2011, he has visited the Motegi podium four times, securing two second places at the Japanese Grand Prix in Moto3 in 2012 and 2013, a second place in Moto2 in 2014, and a third place in the MotoGP class in 2016. This year he hopes to reach the top step of the rostrum and add 25 points to his tally, thereby narrowing the 26-point gap that separates his fourth place from third in the championship standings. The Twin Ring Motegi circuit was built in 1997 for test purposes. It was first visited by the MotoGP circus in 1999 for the Japanese Grand Prix. A year later it hosted the Pacific Grand Prix and it remained a major attraction for motorsports fans ever since. Its 4.8km lay-out features six left and eight right corners, and various hard braking and acceleration areas. In 2004 Motegi replaced the Suzuka circuit on the MotoGP calendar, to once again become the host of the Japanese Grand Prix and keep up its status as a circuit that produces lots of memorable and exciting racing moments as the end of the season draws near. MASSIMO MEREGALLI TEAM DIRECTOR It's always nice to go to Motegi, because it's like a home race for us, as a Yamaha team. However, the triple-header also means the end of the season is nearing and that we have to keep focused 100%. These next few weeks will be very demanding for our riders and their crews. Both our guys are in fine shape, so I feel positive we can do some exciting racing in front of the Asian and Oceanian fans, who always make this part of the MotoGP calendar very special. Though Motegi's stop-start character doesn't traditionally play in our favour, Vale and Maverick like the track a lot, so we look forward to starting work on Friday in the first practice sessions. VALENTINO ROSSI MOVISTAR YAMAHA MOTOGP RIDER After the Grand Prix in Thailand I went back to Italy, because I didn't want to stay away for five consecutive weeks. So I went back to Italy for one week and stayed at home and trained to get ready for the three races in a row. I came to Japan feeling quite optimistic that I can be strong here too. Usually Motegi is a good track for me, I like it. I hope it will be dry, because last year was a nightmare, it was always wet. We'll see what happens at the upcoming three races, not just this one in Japan. If we really improved the bike last time round, we should be competitive at the next three GPs. MAVERICK VIÑALES MOVISTAR YAMAHA MOTOGP RIDER After the GP in Buriram my thoughts were that a race and a weekend like the last one should be normal for us, we were back where we should be. We had made a positive change to the bike and I felt very good, and the team has worked well. I think we're finally getting the results after much hard work. The small changes in the bike are finally paying off. In Thailand my strong points were corner speed and I was also very fast at the turn-in. Then again, the tyres that were brought to Buriram were different from the usual ones, that could have helped me too. On the other hand, we made a change in the weight distribution, which also played a part. I'm very curious to get to Motegi and find out if it was the tyres or the new configuration that made the difference. Motegi is a very special circuit for us because it's Yamaha‘s home Grand Prix. It will be very important to do a good performance in Japan in front of all our managers and our wonderful fans, who are always supporting us. I can‘t wait to be there.
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Post by truenorth on Oct 17, 2018 7:59:00 GMT -8
Dovi: ”I like the Japanese track a lot and our Desmosedici is always efficient there, so I can’t wait to get out on track and try and get payback on Marquez“ Jorge: ”I absolutely want to race in Japan because Motegi is one of those circuits where I think I can do really well, and so I hope that the injuries won’t give me any trouble“
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Post by truenorth on Oct 17, 2018 8:01:26 GMT -8
The next stop for the Idemitsu Asia Talent Cup sees the grid head for Japan for the penultimate round
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Post by truenorth on Oct 18, 2018 9:04:38 GMT -8
Gavin Emmett So Lorenzo99 telling us that a new scan on his radius shows a “complete” fracture. Will give it a go in FP1, but admits he risks more damage by doing that. Foot not a worry.
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Post by truenorth on Oct 18, 2018 9:14:39 GMT -8
Tardozzi: "For Ducati the future is Dovizioso, not Marquez": The team manager of the redhead says: "Marc is not unbeatable, we have already shown. He and Andrea are champions and always look beyond Tomorrow "
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Post by truenorth on Oct 18, 2018 9:19:49 GMT -8
Crutchlow: You can't compare my career to Rea's Jamie Klein Cal Crutchlow says it’s impossible to compare his career to that of World Superbike champion Jonathan Rea, after the latter claimed he could have done “better” in MotoGP. Rea recently told Motorsport.com that he feels he could have enjoyed more success than three-time MotoGP race winner Crutchlow if he had got the chance to race in grand prix racing’s top tier. The pair last raced together over a full season in 2010, during Crutchlow’s only campaign in WSBK before he left the production-based series to pursue a career in MotoGP with Tech 3 Yamaha. Rea, meanwhile, stayed in WSBK, making a pair of MotoGP starts for Honda in 2012 as a substitute for Casey Stoner before going on dominate the Superbike championship with Kawasaki starting in 2015. The Northern Irishman recently picked up a record-equalling fourth WSBK title and this year has also broken records for most race wins in total and consecutively. Crutchlow initially refused to comment on Rea’s opinion, but when pushed further, he quipped: “He would [beat me], he’d beat everyone in MotoGP. But we’re never going to get to see it, are we?” He then added: “First of all, I don’t know what he’s talking about. But at the end of the day, he’s done a great job, he’s won the championship [in WSBK] again. “I don’t think you can compare our careers at all, in any way, shape or form – or our lives.” Crutchlow recently signed an extension to his factory contract with Honda, but says his approach to this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix at Motegi will be no different to other races despite it being the home race for his paymasters. “This weekend we have to take like any other,” he said. “Of course it’s Honda’s home Grand Prix and we all want to push, but it doesn’t mean we suddenly start flying this weekend. “We’ll give 100 percent, the same they’re giving us on and off the track. We did an event in Tokyo this week, then we went to the R&D department today and the support we got was phenomenal. “Last year we had a bad race, and also in Thailand [two weeks ago], so hopefully we can do better.”
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Post by truenorth on Oct 18, 2018 10:11:51 GMT -8
Mat Oxley Such a pretty bike. New aero intro'd at Buriram will be important here - lots of low-gear acceleration, so more front downforce is vital because the unified anti-wheelie programme is pretty useless (cos AW is a performance thing, not a safety thing)
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Post by truenorth on Oct 18, 2018 10:15:04 GMT -8
Motegi: Marquez challenge Dovizioso and also Lorenzo: at Twin Ring Marc has the great opportunity to overcome the number of victories of 99, whose participation in the race remains in strong doubt
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