Belle Vue open speedway season March 18.

BELLE Vue will roll back the years when they open their 2010 campaign with the War of the Roses match at Sheffield on March 18.
It is much more than a seasonal pipe opener for the Elite League Aces against their traditional rivals who now race in the Premier League.

Pride will be at stake for the teams and their supporters, not forgetting team managers Chris Morton and Eric Boocock.
They used to be track rivals in their racing days and Boocock was Morton's team manager at Belle Vue in the 1970s before they joined forces for a season at Kirkmanshulme Lane in 2007.

BMW make historic return to the Isle of Man TT Races Having recently re-joined the International stage, German manufacturer BMW has wasted no time in tackling the biggest test of all with the announcement that an official manufacturer supported team will be contesting the Superbike and Senior Isle of Man TT Races in 2010, further increasing the number of manufacturers participating in this year's event. It was only 12 months ago that the Bavarian giant entered the World Superbike Championship for the first time but now, fresh from a stunning fifth place at last year's Macau Grand Prix, German ace Rico Penzkofer will have a full Superbike-spec machine at his disposal for the two six-lap TT races.

Leon Haslam wins maiden World Superbike race in Australia opener

Riding the Alstare Suzuki, Haslam had set the standard across the weekend at the Philip Island circuit, claiming his first ever Superpole start and using that to good effect as he made the running in the opening race, leading throughout, and then just holding off the determined Michel Fabrizio in a photo-finish.

“It was such a close finish and I did not know that I had won for a while,” reflected Haslam who had seen the Italian’s team celebrate what had first been shown as a victory for Fabrizio.

However, within seconds, race officials had studied that footage of the two bikes crossing the line and Haslam was declared the winner by 0.004seconds, the closest ever winning margin in the series

Valentino Rossi dominates pre-season testing in Sepang

Valentino Rossi kept up his impressive pre-season form as he smashed his own pole-position record at the second test of the year at Sepang in Malaysia.

Having been fastest both days of the first test the reigning MotoGP world champion was again fastest on his Yamaha on both days of testing.

His time was two minutes 00.271 seconds with Casey Stoner second in 2:00.512.

Stoner's Ducati team-mate Nicky Hayden was third, with fellow Americans Colin Edwards and Ben Spies fourth and fifth.

Rossi's Fiat Yamaha team-mate Jorge Lorenzo, who was third fastest at the first testing session, was missing because of a hand injury

Injured Lorenzo could miss both remaining MotoGP tests Jorge Lorenzo could miss both remaining tests before the start of the new MotoGP season after seeing a specialist about his injured right hand. The 22-year-old Fiat Yamaha rider fractured his hand and displaced his thumb in a training crash last week. He was instantly ruled out of the test in Malaysia at the end of February but may now miss March's Qatar test too. "There are serious doubts whether Jorge will be fully recovered for the Qatar test," admitted his press manager.

Casey Stoner hails 'fantastic' switch to Silverstone

Ducati rider Casey Stoner says moving the British MotoGP from Donington to Silverstone is "fantastic".

Silverstone agreed a five-year deal last summer in the wake of Donington winning the Formula 1 grand prix, which it has subsequently lost.

"Silverstone is fantastic; the speed is a lot higher and the racing will be a lot better there," he told BBC Sport.

Stoner said his only regret was that revisions to the track layout would remove the flat-out Bridge corner.

"Unfortunately with Silverstone the best corner I was looking forward to - going underneath the bridge - at the last complex is not part of the circuit," the 24-year-old Australian said.

MotoGP champion Rossi sees future in rallying not F1

Valentino Rossi has told the New York Times he is committed to MotoGP despite links with Ferrari and Formula 1.

This week, Ferrari confirmed reigning MotoGP world champion Rossi would drive their F2008 car later this month but he said he does not see his future in F1.

"When I finish with bikes, I might want to see some seasons in rallying," said the 30-year-old, who has one year left on his contract with the Yamaha team.

"F1 would've been easier but when I finish MotoGP, I'll be too old for F1."

BELLE Vue have made the scoop signing of Danish World Cup captain Hans Andersen as their new No 1.

He will spearhead the bid by the One51 Aces to restore their fortunes as one of British speedway's big hitters.
Andersen, 29, is the biggest signing made by promoters David Gordon and Chris Morton since they took over the club, apart from when they brought Jason Crump back to the club late last season.
Andersen's signing, on loan from Peterborough, proves their commitment to move the club forwards and, now they have their No 1 in place, Gordon and Morton can work on slotting together the rest of the team.
Andersen said: "I've been in talks with the Belle Vue promotion at various times for the last two or three years. I have said before that I would like to ride for the Aces one day and now the chance to do that has come.
"I was planning the way I wanted to do my season in 2010 and I had always fancied riding for a Monday night track in the Elite League.
"I ride in Poland on a Sunday and Sweden on a Tuesday so I played along with the thought of Monday in England and the opportunity came along when Belle Vue got in touch with me.
"I had shown my liking for the idea of coming to Belle Vue for some time so it all happened fairly easily once I started talking to David Gordon and Chris Morton."
Promoter Gordon said: "Signing Hans brings us to the end of a search which is a lot more difficult that some people think.
"We have created a list of options and spoken to all the main contenders in the last few weeks to test the water. But there are so many things which can put a rider out of contention.
"People still think that the great Belle Vue name should attract riders but you can say the same about other clubs with good names.
"It's a long process but it has been worth it now we have signed Hans because I regard him as the perfect No 1.
"We have spoken to him in past seasons and he is on the record as saying he would love to ride for Belle Vue on day. Well, that day is here and we are delighted.
"We believe it is a move which will be good for Belle Vue and for Hans Andersen. He has been tipped as a future World champion in the past and has all the qualities to win it. And why not in 2010? Belle Vue has a great record for having World champions."

MotoGP Pedrosa takes second win of the season at Valencia

Victory on home soil saw Dani Pedrosa end the 2009 FIM World Championship on a high at the Gran Premio Generali de la Comunitat Valenciana, as the Repsol Honda man enjoyed a start-to-finish win in the final race of the 2009 season and Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo completed the podium.

The drama started before the race had even commenced, as pole position holder Casey Stoner's high-side crash on the warm-up lap meant he was unable to take his place on the grid. That allowed Pedrosa to lead the grid from second position on the front row, and after taking the holeshot he did not look back, sealing third spot in the overall standings in the process.

Tittle N0 9 for the Doctor as Rossi Wraps it up in Malaysia After another season of drama on the track, Valentino Rossi defended his MotoGP World Championship with one round to spare in Malaysia, but he will quite possibly mark the title win as one of his toughest yet. Under concerted pressure throughout from his team-mate Jorge Lorenzo as well as the constant threat of Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa, the man many believe to be the greatest motorcycle racer of all time once again rose above the rest to claim a ninth world crown (seventh in MotoGP). Son of Graziano, celebrated rider of the seventies, the charismatic Rossi entered Grand Prix racing with Aprilia in 1996, winning 125cc races in his first season. He went on to win the 125 world title in 1997, and after a move up to 250s with the Italian brand, collected the quarter-litre title in 1999. He then made the leap to the 500cc class in 2000 with Honda, challenging for the title in his rookie year whilst picking up two victories and second in the championship.

Jason Crump crowned Speedway Champion in Bydgoszcz Crump landed his third World title in six years when he won Heat 13 ahead of outgoing champion Nicki Pedersen, Russian wonderkid Emil Sayfutdinov and Fredrik Lindgren. The 34-year-old Aussie star went into the meeting requiring eight points on the night to take the crown, and that was trimmed to six when main challenger and local hero Tomasz Gollob finished third in Heat 12. Crump, still nursing a painful arm injury that required a skin graft last month, had already gained five points from his first three rides, so only needed a point in Heat 13. He completed the job in style by winning the race after a jet-propelled start from the outside gate left Pedersen trailing in his wake

Stoner holds off Rossi in MotoGP Casey Stoner's dominance of his home circuit continued on Sunday as the Australian won at Phillip Island for the third year in a row, leading Valentino Rossi over the finish line by a margin of 1.935s. In his second Grand Prix back after a three-race absence, the 24 year-old celebrated his birthday weekend with an impressive win from pole position, his third race victory of the season, which took him to third in the championship standings. A frustrating weekend for Jorge Lorenzo was compounded when the Spaniard crashed out at turn one of the first lap after touching bikes with Stoner's Ducati team-mate Nicky Hayden. Having struggled through the practice sessions and qualifying with both rear-grip issues and illness, Lorenzo was unable to continue after sliding off, although Hayden climbed back aboard his Desmosedici GP9 to finish 15th.

Camier ends title winning campaign with fifth daily double

Final Round - 10/11 October - Oulton Park
MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship in association with Pirelli

Leon Camier enjoyed the victories in the final two races of his MCE Insurance British Superbike championship in association with Pirelli winning campaign at Oulton Park.

That stretched to 19 the record number of victories in the season by the Airwaves Yamaha rider and he enthused: "That was an awesome way to finish the season. It really has been a dream season for me - I could not have asked for anything more.

"I've had a strong team around me, and I owe so much to those guys for what they've done to help make his all possible for me," added Camier.

The only disappointment at the Cheshire circuit for Camier was that he had gone into the final showdown hoping to match the winning triple that he had scored at Brands Hatch back in August.

Crump back with the ACES BELLE Vue have made a sensational swoop to bring double World champion Jason Crump back to the club. He will return for the most crucial weekend in the club's hit-and-miss season which has seen them reach the last four of the Knockout Cup while struggling at the bottom of the Elite League table. Crump stunned the Aces at the end of last season when he told them he would not be riding for them this year as he wanted to give British speedway a miss in order to cut his commitments and concentrate on regaining the World title from Denmark's Nicki Pedersen. The 34-year-old Aussie will make his comeback in Friday's KO Cup semi-final first leg at Coventry and then he will ride in next Monday's home match against fellow strugglers Poole which could be the key to who finishes bottom of the table.

Rossi chalks up another win Valentino Rossi was never under any illusions that he would have it easy in his defense of the MotoGP world title, and once again the Italian was made to fight for glory at the Alice Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland. The Fiat Yamaha rider took the win at Sachsenring by just 0.099s from persistent rival Jorge Lorenzo in a breathtaking race to extend his lead in the World Championship. After starting from pole for the first time at the German track, Rossi took the lead of the race after thirteen laps. Both the Italian and teammate Lorenzo eked out an advantage to make it a two-way battle to the chequered flag, with a last lap battle reminiscent of the Barcelona round of the series one month ago. Rossi's definitive pass had come at the end of the home straight with two laps to go, and he brushed off the young pretender's overtures for his fourth win of the 2009 season.

Ellison, then Camier, take the victories in dramatic event

Round seven - 18/19 July - Mallory Park
ViSK British Superbike Championship in association with Pirelli

James Ellison took the victory in an incident packed opening race of the seventh round of the ViSK British Superbike Championship in association with Pirelli before his Airwaves Yamaha team-mate, series leading Leon Camier, took the win next time out in a rain aborted race.

Chris Walker made the early running aboard his Motorpoint Henderson Yamaha while pole-starter Camier was baulked as Richard Cooper tumbled in front of him at the first turn of the first lap. Camier, who all but stopped, carved through the pack from twenty third to be running in eighth place.

Walker was taken by MSS Colchester Kawasaki rider on the fourth lap, with Tommy Hill, on his debut with the Worx Crescent Suzuki team running third from Josh Brookes on the HM Plant Honda with Hydrex Honda's Karl Harris just ahead of Buildbase Kawasaki rider John Laverty.

Gran Premi Cinzano de Catalunya - Sunday 14 June Brilliant Rossi ousts Lorenzo on final Barcelona corner for win number 99 An amazing head-to-head battle between Yamaha teammates Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo saw the Italian take his 99th Grand Prix victory by a 0.095s margin at Barcelona. In front of nearly 90,000 fans the reigning World Champion battled with the young pretender to his crown throughout the 25-lap MotoGP race, securing the win on the last corner. Despite some slight cloud cover close to the Mediterranean coast, air temperatures of 40°C meant that it was a draining experience for the premier class riders. Rossi and Lorenzo threw everything into their duel, with ‘The Doctor’ executing a superb move right at the death to take maximum points.

2009 IOM TT

The greatest road race festival in the world will roar back into life on May 30th, 2009!

After the excitement of the 2008 Isle of Man TT celebrations, when fans were treated to some of the most competitive racing the event has ever seen, all eyes are now on TT2009.

The TT attracted tens of thousands of fans to the Island, with many more who following the action from home, and everyone enjoyed a feast of two-wheeled drama.

John McGuinnness overcame a disappointing start to the TT to record his 14th victory in the Dainese Senior TT on the last day of racing on the Mountain course.

Fast Freddie at Honda's 50th MotoGP Legend Freddie Spencer was present on raceday at Honda’s home GP, as the Japanese manufacturing giant celebrated the 50th anniversary of their first World Championship participation. The Polini Grand Prix of Japan was a big occasion for Honda, the company celebrating their 50th anniversary of Grand Prix participation in 2009. MotoGP Legend Freddie Spencer was on track before Sunday’s racing to help mark the event and found time to catch up with motogp.com after a brief demonstration ride on his old NS500. Spencer was joined by fellow former Honda World Championship riders Naomi Taniguchi (who rode for Honda in 1959) and Kunimitsu Takahashi (the first Japanese Honda GP winner, in 1961 in the 250cc class) on track, showing off their bikes to a delighted Motegi crowd.

Victory for Rossi & 1st win for Bradley

Valentino Rossi took his first win of the season at the Gran Premio bwin.com de España on Sunday, beating Dani Pedrosa to the line by a 2.7s margin in front of a huge Spanish crowd of more than 123,000 fans in Andalusia.

Pedrosa led for the first half of the race having made one of his trademark strong starts from second on the grid, but Rossi took the lead with ten laps to go and did not look back there and his triumph gives him an 11 point lead in the general standings.

The rostrum was completed by Casey Stoner, who trailed Rossi by 10 seconds - the Ducati Marlboro rider moving into second place in the championship. It was the Australian’s first podium appearance at the southern Spanish track on any category.

ViSK British Superbike Championship in association with Pirelli

2/3/4 May – Oulton Park

Leon Camier saved the best for last as he snatched pole start for the Holiday Monday second round of the ViSK British Superbike Championship in association with Pirelli at Oulton Park.

The Airwaves Yamaha rider returned to the Cheshire circuit with barely two minutes of the session remaining, but he made good use of the newly fitted rear tyre, bettering Stuart Easton’s scorching time to take the first pole of his Superbike career.
“It feels good and is something I didn’t expect,” admitted Camier who goes into these two races second in the title stakes, seven points down on Worx Suzuki rider Sylvain Guintoli.

Camier had been running fourth best but was sent back out in search of better things, as he explained: “My team boss Colin Wright was kicking me to get back out there as the clock was ticking down, and I had one shot to take pole.

Speedway : Bellevue Aces 45 Poole Pirates 43

UNLUCKY Billy Forsberg made his belated Belle Vue return last night - but it lasted for only five laps.

The young Swede, who missed the start of the season because of a broken wrist, crashed heavily on his second ride on a track made very difficult by morning rain.

He was thrown heavily over the top of his bike before landing awkwardly and rolling across the track.

Forsberg had to be taken off by ambulance after lengthy treatment and was forced to withdraw from the meeting with the unusual injury of whiplash to his throat ligaments.

Lorenzo storms to victory and standings top spot in Motegi showdown

Jorge Lorenzo emerged victorious from a thrilling Polini Grand Prix of Japan at Twin Ring Motegi, the second win of his MotoGP career and a result that retained his 100% podium record in the 2009 season.

The Fiat Yamaha rider took little time in taking the reigns of the race, having started from the front row and showed no fear when faced with the likes of Dani Pedrosa and Valentino Rossi in front of him. However, despite a relatively comfortable advantage, Lorenzo was never quite able to pull clear of his rivals as the action heated up. He held on to cross the line with a gap of less than two seconds between him and second placed teammate Rossi.

Lorenzo moves up into first place in the overall classification, for the second time in his MotoGP career. The battle for second place in the race was MotoGP at its finest, as Repsol Honda man Pedrosa exchanged overtaking moves with Rossi in the middle third of the 24 laps. Pedrosa ultimately took third, having had a storming start from the fourth row of the grid.

WSB Assen, Simpley just stunning !!

Ben Spies (Yamaha World Superbike) and Noriyuki Haga (Ducati Xerox) continued their two-way domination of the 2009 Hannspree FIM Superbike World Championship at the Assen TT Circuit in the Netherlands by taking a win apiece in front of 76,000 spectators.


The Texan pulled out a fantastic pass on his Japanese rival to take a last-gasp win in the first race, but then crashed out of race 2 early on, leaving Haga the winner. Leon Haslam rode superbly to take home two podiums for the Stiggy Racing Honda team, while Jakub Smrz (Guandalini Ducati) scored his best-ever result with third in race 2. In the championship Haga now has a 60-point lead over Spies, 180 to 120.

Its that time again, MotoGP 09 As the action in the premier class of the 2009 FIM MotoGP World Championship finally got underway, at the spectacular Losail International Circuit on Monday night, it was Casey Stoner who took the headlines, completing a hat-trick of season-opening wins at the Commercialbank Grand Prix of Qatar. Following the exceptional postponement of the opening MotoGP contest of the year due to rain in the Arabian desert, Monday night witnessed the first race in the new single tyre supplier era, but it was a familiar story with Stoner crossing the line first, ahead of World Champion Valentino Rossi. A ruthless Stoner took the holeshot from pole and had built up a two second gap at the end of the first lap. The 2007 World Champion’s victory never looked in serious doubt as he controlled the race from the front, having been the fastest rider in every session over the weekend. His winning margin was more than seven seconds at the end of a brilliant performance, casting aside any doubts about his fitness after winter surgery on his left wrist.

BRITISH SUPERBIKE SHOWDOWN STARTS THIS EASTER WEEKEND AT BRANDS HATCH

Sylvain Guintoli and Leon Camier took the victories in the opening round of the ViSK British Superbike Championship at Brands Hatch but it was the Frenchman, making his debut into the series who took the lead, by seven points, in the title stakes.
Guintoli had not a raced a Superbike before, but he had shown the speed and style that had seen him build up a pedigree of 118 grand prix starts by claiming pole position at the first attempt, though he made a sluggish get-away that left him playing catch-up in the opener.

Stuart Easton made the early running in a race that was neutralised for four laps early on to enable marshals to clear the tangle at Clearways involving Matt Bond and Tom Tunstall. Then Glen Richards took the lead before his HM Plant Honda team-mate Steve Plater moved out front.

Belle vue Aces, Kick off the new season

BELLE Vue supremo David Gordon was delighted with his side's 54-42 home Elite League win over Wolverhampton on Good Friday but he is demanding more when they begin their Knockout Cup campaign next Monday.

The One51 Aces face Ipswich in the first round first leg tie at Kirkmanshulme Lane (7 30) and Gordon wants solid contributions from the whole team so they can take a handy lead to the return on May 28.

They beat Wolves and gathered their first league points of the season even though star men Kryz Kasprzak and Charlie Gjedde didn't hit their best scoring form.

The middle and lower order riders made amends, especially James Wright and Patrick Hougaard who raked in 23 points between them, but Gordon wants the whole team to be in peak form on Monday.

Final preparations set for Official MotoGP Test at Jerez

The MotoGP riders will undertake their final preseason test of 2009 this weekend, and the stakes are high as they head to the Spanish circuit of Jerez. Dubbed ‘GP Zero’ within the FIM World Championship paddock, the Official MotoGP Test gives competitors from all three classes the chance to finetune their machines ahead of a grueling eight months of racing.

Taking place from March 25th-March 29th, the Jerez visit unites the paddock in one location for the first time since 2008’s season-closing race at Valencia. Split into two parts, the Official MotoGP Test will open with three days of 125cc/250cc action, before the MotoGP premier class have the track to themselves on the Saturday and Sunday.

With some notable exceptions, the famous names and expected title contenders will be in attendance to put the finishing touches to their 2009 bikes, and top of the bill is MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi. The Fiat Yamaha rider has been one of the fastest riders over the course of preseason, and is in peak condition whilst some of his rivals are battling for fitness.

Buoyant British Superbike Championship confirms 30 strong line-up

The British Superbike Championship is set for another fiercely competitive season with a buoyant 30 strong starting grid, featuring leading British and International riders aboard machines produced by five of the world’s leading manufacturers, being confirmed by the race organisers, MSVR.

The series, which begins at Brands Hatch on Easter Monday, 13 April, has bucked the trend of other major championships by maintaining a high entry level despite the current economic downturn and it boasts four factory backed teams. Once again, BSB will be pioneering new elements with a three race format at the Brands Hatch GP event in August and at the Oulton Park finals weekend, complementing the three stage knock-out format which proved so popular when introduced in the latter half of 2008.

Much of the early season attention will be focussed on the Airwaves backed GSE team which this year has switched from the Ducatis which have powered it to three British titles to running the latest Yamaha R1s in the hands of James Ellison, a rider who won the Privateers Cup five years ago before embarking on MotoGP and then American action, and Leon Camier.

World Superbike 09 kicks into gear at Phillip Island

The 2009 Hannspree FIM Superbike World Championship switched up a gear today with the traditional pre-event media conference and official photos at the Phillip Island circuit, venue for this weekend's opening round, which gets underway with practice and qualifying on Friday.

Given the interest in this year's championship, the press conference was a crowded affair. 11 Superbike and 7 Supersport riders took the opportunity to chat with the national and international media about their chances for this year and their thoughts on this weekend's race.
With the retirement of Troy Bayliss, his fellow Aussie Troy Corser has now, affectionately speaking, become the senior citizen of World Superbike and the Phillip Island lap record holder showed that he has lost none of the determination of his earlier years as he lines up for the debut season of German manufacturer BMW.

MotoGP back on Eurpsport Full 2009 Race Calendar

MotoGP fans in the UK will be able to enjoy the most complete coverage ever of the sport, thanks to agreements for 2009 between the championship’s commercial rights-holders Dorna Sports and both the BBC and British Eurosport. More than 23 million UK viewers watched live coverage of MotoGP during 2008, and thanks to the combined efforts of the two networks to increase their broadcast hours in 2009, that figure is set to rise.

The BBC coverage is the public broadcaster’s biggest ever offering of the world’s premier motorcycling championship, with all the scheduled 18 rounds of the MotoGP World Championship to be shown live on BBC television. Additionally, all the rounds from the ultra-competitive 250cc and 125cc World Championships will be shown live on the BBC’s Red Button, as well as full coverage of all three of Saturday’s qualifying sessions (MotoGP, 250cc and 125cc).

IOM TT 2009 The 2009 Isle of Man TT Races look set to be oversubscribed, with leading riders confirmed and large influx of newcomers keen to take on the challenge of the famous Mountain circuit. The closing date for TT entries is looming, race organiser ACU Events Ltd has warned. Riders wanting to take part are being urged to submit forms ahead of the February 27th deadline Steam Packet Holidays will again be operating the very popular TT Day Trips for the 2009 event. Trips are available from Heysham for all of the main race days 6, 8, 10 , 12 and 13* June with trips also available from Belfast on 6 and 13* June. Adults £59 Child (under 16) £39 Price includes return ferry crossings, £5 voucher for an on board meal plus coach transfer to/from a spectator vantage point to view the days races. To Book Call 0871 222 1 333

Aces 2009 fixture list BELLE Vue will have a busy opening to the new speedway season with seven Elite League matches in April, four of them away from home. One change from the list issued by the Promoters' Association is that the League match at Peterborough will be a week later on July 9. Key: ch: Challenge, KOC: Knockout Cup, ELA: Elite League round A, ELB: Elite League round B MARCH 22: Glasgow (a) ch, 26: Ipswich (a) KOC, 30: Glasgow (h) ch APRIL 3: Coventry (a) ELA, 4: Eastbourne (a) ELA, 6: Lakeside (h) ELA, 10: Wolverhampton (h) ELA 14: Wolverhampton (a) ELA, 20: Ipswich (h) KOC, 27: Poole (h) ELA, 30: Swindon (a) ELA

Silverstone to host MotoGP in UK from 2010 Silverstone Circuits Limited has signed a five year agreement with Dorna Sports, the commercial and television rights holder for MotoGP, which will see the Northamptonshire circuit host the British Grand Prix from 2010. Having hosted MotoGP between 1977 and 1986, Silverstone is no stranger to the top flight of two-wheeled sport, and the classic battle of 1979 between Kenny Roberts and Barry Sheene is one which sticks in many an older fan’s memory.Silverstone will host the British MotoGP from 2010 after signing a five-year deal to stage the event. "It is rich in heritage and unrivalled in terms of what it offers fans, teams and championships," said the venue's managing director Richard Phillips. "We are sure MotoGP's UK visits will continue to be successful when we go to Silverstone," said Carmelo Ezpeleta, head of the sport's promoters Dorna. Watch Classic Sheene v Roberts

Bellevue Aces get new Backer BELLE Vue have landed a substantial sponsorship with businessman-fan Mark Hennessey, whose family roots are steeped in speedway. He was born in Bristol but is now Managing Director of Bolton-based Autogate Systems Ltd, who specialise in automatic security systems. Mark has become a regular on the Belle Vue terraces to revive boyhood memories of when his late grandfather, Bill Downton, and uncle of the same name raced at Highbridge in Somerset. His parents took him all over the country to watch Bristol Bulldogs whose star man was Phil Crump, father of former Aces' captain, Jason.

Kawasaki pulls team out of MotoGP

Japanese manufacturer Kawasaki has pulled out of MotoGP to cut costs amid the global financial crisis.

"We took the final decision not to continue in MotoGP," said Kawasaki's Katsuhiro Sato. "It's something we have been considering since mid-December.

"In the current economic climate and unless the situation improves it is difficult to say if we will return."

Rossi lines up Ferrari Test drive 2008 MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi will be back behind the wheel of a Ferrari Formula 1 car before the end of the month, taking part in a private test at Mugello as reward for his title victory. Italian news agency ANSA report that the Fiat Yamaha rider will be using the F2008 car, as ridden by regular drivers Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen in races this year. The test will take place next Thursday and Friday (November 20th-21st), less than a week before Rossi returns to the more familiar world of two wheels for the MotoGP Official Test in Jerez.

Schumacher could join Superbikes Honda say they are ready to offer retired seven-time Formula One world champion Michael Schumacher a ride in the 2009 World Superbikes championship. Schumacher, 39, has raced in German superbike races with Honda this year. Honda Racing boss Carlo Fiorani told La Gazetta dello Sport: "Michael has not asked us to race in the worlds. But if he wants to, there is a way for him." Meanwhile, MotoGP world champion Valentino Rossi says he could switch to rallying when he finishes racing bikes.

Rossi set for Wales Rally drive Six-time MotoGP world champion Valentino Rossi will switch from two wheels to four next month when he drives in the Wales Rally GB. The 29-year-old will race in a Ford Focus which will carry logos in support of the BBC's Children in Need appeal. Rossi, who is said to be interested in a long-term switch to rallying, first raced in the Welsh Rally back in 2002. "I am hoping for a good result at next weekend's Monza Rally to prepare for the forests of Wales," said Rossi. "I'm also delighted to be supporting BBC Children in Need, which does such vital work in the UK.

Stoner strolls to sixth win in Spanish sunshine Casey Stoner ended the 2008 season as he began, victorious onboard the Ducati Desmosedici GP8. The Australian took the win at the Gran Premio Parts Europe de la Comunitat Valenciana in emphatic fashion, breaking away from pole for triumph number six of the year. Runner-up in the overall standings, Stoner was riding for pride in the final race of the campaign, once again competing through the discomfort of a scaphoid injury that will be treated almost immediately following Monday and Tuesday´s post-race test. Setting circuit records along the way, Stoner eventually crossed the line some 3.390 seconds clear of any challenge to his superiority.

Third Tittle for Baylis Troy Bayliss secured his third World Superbike crown with a third place and victory at Magny-Cours in France. The Australian, 39, who retires at the end of the season, sealed the title in race one when he finished behind winner Noriyuki Haga and Fonsi Nieto. The Xerox Ducati rider then celebrated his success by winning race two ahead of Haga and compatriot Troy Corser. Bayliss said: "We changed to a harder front tyre for race two. The grip was very similar but more consistent."

Home win for Stoner Casey Stoner led from the start to win the Australian MotoGP ahead of new world champion Valentino Rossi, who clinched second from 12th on the grid. Home favourite Stoner made light of his broken wrist to produce a flawless performance at Phillip Island. Rossi passed Nicky Hayden on the final lap, leaving the American to settle for the last place on the podium Britain's James Toseland finished sixth to equal his best finish in his maiden MotoGP season.

Japan 6th Heaven for Rossi With his eighth victory of the 2008 season, Valentino Rossi sealed his sixth MotoGP World Championship title , and eighth in all classes at the A-Style Grand Prix of Japan. The Fiat Yamaha rider proved unstoppable at Twin Ring Motegi as he relegated outgoing champion Casey Stoner to second place in the 24-lap race. Rossi had started from the second row of the grid, and looked to be on the back foot when Stoner took the holeshot and attempted to break away. The top three in the standings, Rossi, Stoner and Pedrosa became embroiled in an early battle for supremacy, narrowed down to a duel on lap five courtesy of a hard overtaking move by Stoner on his Spanish rival. The Ducati rider apologised for the pass, which took place on the run-up to the bridge section of the circuit, but still upped the pace in the ensuing laps –with Rossi hot on his tail.

Shakey wraps it up Shane Byrne sealed Bennetts British Superbike title glory with a comfortable ride into third place in a dramatic, incident packed opening race of the penultimate round at Silverstone. The Airwaves Ducati rider had begun the race knowing that a top nine finish would suffice to see him regain the crown he had first held won back in 2003 and Byrne was running eighth as the first of two telling incidents unfolded into front of him. Leon Haslam, the HM Plant Honda rider who had started with an outside chance of edging out Byrne in the title stakes, was sent tumbling at the chicane as Tom Sykes clattered into him, with the Rizla Suzuki later penalised for careless riding. Then a further two laps on James Ellison and Michael Laverty tangled at the same Woodcote section and Byrne was upto third: “I thought to myself, good result. All of that happening put me up to third and I was in a position to think about going for the win. “It was all about keeping it safe, keeping my concentration and not doing anything silly – I said to myself you’ve got a podium finish, you’ve got the title, stay as you are.”

IOM TT 2008 DVD

The official DVD review is a must for the estimated 40,000 fans who travelled to the Isle of Man for the ultimate racing festival, and for the many thousands more who followed the action around the world.

Following the Centenary of the TT in 2007, interest in the event is at an all-time high. The festival attracted media coverage in newspapers around the world, made headlines in the sport pages of several UK newspapers and has featured in lifestyle magazines as well as specialist motorcycle publications.

There has also been extensive TV coverage, reaching in excess of 900,000 viewers, including features on channels like Sky News, race coverage on ITV4, highlights on the BBC and more.
This media interest, coupled with some of the best racing the Isle of Man TT has seen, ensures the event has one of its strongest followings in its 101-year history.

The official review features high speed action from all nine races, including first time winners, record-breaking victories and the amazing Senior TT – described in Motor Cycle News as the greatest race the Isle of Man has seen for more than 15 years. Available now in our OnLine Store

Sheens Still the Hero Statues may be erected in honour of the great and the good, or buildings named after them, but surely the ultimate tribute is when your name enters everyday speech.

Bellevue 2010 Morton loved the Owlerton circuit in his racing days and held the track record there for many years. He says: "I'd love to jump back on a bike next week and do a couple of laps just for old time's sake. If I was going to do that anywhere, Sheffield is where it would me. But I'll resist the temptation and let the team get on with the job of riding the bikes." Morton, who finished his racing days with Sheffield in 1993, added: "I had the last meeting of my career there when I won the Northern Riders' championship. "It was always one of my favourite tracks so I am looking forward very much to going back there in what will be a great pipe opener to the season for the riders. "Not many of the team will have been there before but I know they will enjoy racing there. It was always fun to race at Sheffield. "I always said when I was racing that Sheffield was one of the easiest tracks to ride and one of the hardest to win at because just about everyone could ride it well. Sheffield was always a track where we were always extra keen to win." Boocock added: "Matches between Sheffield and Belle Vue always had an edge because of the Yorkshire - Lancashire thing and we will be really charged up to start our season on a winning note." The match will be in preparation for the opening of the Elite League campaign on Monday, March 29 when the Aces face Coventry at Kirkmanshulme Lane (7 30). New captain Hans Andersen misses the Sheffield match because he was pre-booked to ride at Swindon that night while Sheffield's Salford-based skipper Ricky Ashworth, who will double up with the Aces, will turn out for his parent club. BELLE VUE: P Karlsson, J Wright, P Hougaard, L Lanham, C Gjedde, J Grajczonek, W Lawson. A supporters' coach will be run by Eurorider to Sheffield and also to the League fixture at Wolverhampton on April 6. The Sheffield departure is 5.45pm and will cost £12 for adults and £8 for children under 12. The Wolverhampton coach goes at 5-0pm (adults £16, kids £10). To book call Ron Shaw on 0161 456 0469 or ron@eurorider.co.uk. Admission: Over 16 - £14, over 65 - £10, children 12 to 16 - £5, kids £1. The Aces hold their Press and Practice day next Monday, March 15 (10-30) when fans will be admitted. Riders will have their brains tested as well as their bikes as the day-long session on track will be followed by a quiz in the evening with the riders putting up two of the teams. The competition for the Belle Vue Quizmasters title will be held in the downstairs bar (7.15 start) with a maximum of 50 teams with no more than four people per team. It will cost £5 admission, which includes a hotpot supper, and £1 per person to enter the quiz. MARCH DIARY Monday, March 15: Belle Vue Press and Practice Day (10-30). Thurs, March 18: Sheffield v Belle Vue (War of Roses challenge, 7-30) Monday, March 29: Belle Vue v Coventry (Elite League, 7-30)

Rossi takes first blood !! It is still unclear if the Spaniard will be fit for the third and final testing session at Qatar on 18-19 March, only a matter of weeks before the 2010 championship starts at the same venue on Sunday 11 April. Lorenzo finished runner-up to rival Rossi in last year's championship, and if he were to complete only one test in the run-up to this year's championship, it would be a huge setback. The pair have confirmed they will continue to have a wall down the middle of their garage in 2010, a physical sign of the intensity of their rivalry. Lorenzo even spoke seriously about leaving the team last year, saying he did not always feel appreciated, before signing a new one-year deal. Rossi has hit back by making it clear he does not feel there is room for both riders in the team. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Malaysia MotoGP pre-season testing times: 1 V Rossi (Ita) Fiat Yamaha 2:00.271 2 C Stoner (Aus) Ducati 2:00.512 3 N Hayden (USA) Ducati 2:00.703 4 C Edwards (USA) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 2:00.988 5 B Spies (USA) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 2:01.014 6 L Capirossi (Ita) Rizla Suzuki 2:01.320 7 A Dovizioso (Ita) Repsol Honda 2:01.439 8 D Pedrosa (Sp) Repsol Honda 2:01.478 9 H Aoyama (Jpn) Interwetten-Honda MotoGP 2:01.692 10 A Bautista (Sp) Rizla Suzuki 2:01.732 11 R de Puniet (Fr) LCR Honda 2:01.980 12 M Melandri (Ita) San Carlo Honda Gresini 2:02.078 13 H Barbera (Sp) Aspar Team 2:02.080 14 M Kallio (Fin) Pramac Green Team 2:02.082 15 A Espargaro (Sp) Pramac Green Team 2:02.367 16 M Simoncelli (Ita) San Carlo Honda Gresini 2:03.689

WSB 2010

Superpole 2

The eight riders who missed final Superpole qualification were, in reverse order, Leon Camier (Aprilia Alitalia) who was 16th overall, Ruben Xaus (BMW Motorrad Motorsport), Chris Vermeulen (Kawasaki Racing Team), Troy Corser (BMW Motorrad Motorsport), Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team), Max Biaggi (Aprilia Alitalia), Noriyuki Haga (Ducati Xerox), and Lorenzo Lanzi (DFX Ducati).


Superpole 1

At the very start of the Superpole sessions, Roland Resch missed out on participation on his BMW Reitwagen machine after a big crash in qualifying, but of the 19 riders who competed in Superpole one, only his team-mate Andrew Pitt, Shane Byrne (Althea Ducati) and Max Neukirchner (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) did not progress to Superpole 2. Byrne was still battered after his big crash yesterday but battled through Superpole.


Times: 1. Haslam L. (GBR) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1'31.229; 2. Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1'31.245; 3. Crutchlow C. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 1'31.642; 4. Checa C. (ESP) Ducati 1098R 1'31.671; 5. Guintoli S. (FRA) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1'31.696; 6. Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098R 1'31.757; 7. Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 1'31.912; 8. Toseland J. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 1'32.019; 9. Lanzi L. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1'32.205; 10. Haga N. (JPN) Ducati 1098R 1'32.229; 11. Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 1000 F. 1'32.293; 12. Sykes T. (GBR) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1'32.398; 13. Corser T. (AUS) BMW S1000 RR 1'32.430; 14. Vermeulen C. (AUS) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1'32.561; 15. Xaus R. (ESP) BMW S1000 RR 1'32.842; 16. Camier L. (GBR) Aprilia RSV4 1000 F. 1'32.895


Race date


There will be two 22-lap Superbike races on Sunday 28th, the first at noon local time in Victoria, the second at 15.30.


Leon Haslam: "You can get caught out quite easily in Superpole so we went out to go fast early in each session. We used a soft option race tyre for the first Superpole, didn't have any slides and felt really comfortable. When I put my first qualifier in I was sliding, so I was not sure which tyre to use in the final session, but we managed to go out there put a qualifier in and we put in a little bit of a quicker time. Sitting in the pit garage watching these guys go out to try and beat my time was probably more nerve-wracking than being out on the track. But it all ended up good and I got my first Superpole win."


Michel Fabrizio: "The second qualifying tyre we used worked the best of all the ones we had been trying and that was the one I scored the best time with. I am fairly happy in the hot conditions if that is the way things turn out on raceday."


Cal Crutchlow: "We made a good final lap but we made a small mistake in the second session, which made me run off the track. I had to use the two qualifying tyres we are given, which we could have used in the finals session. I then had to use a soft race tyre and we made it work, but I was pushing, no doubt about that. I hope I can maintain that position in the race and a front row start always helps."

Stoner Looks to the Future at Silverstone "So that's the only disappointing part, that we haven't got that corner there; it was a lot of fun. Rule changes will improve MotoGP - Stoner "For some reason Don(ington) has never agreed with me. The only part of the track I enjoyed when I was younger was the tight twisty section at the last bit, which everyone hates." Stoner, the 2007 world champion, also said he hoped he might receive a little more support from British fans following the change of venue. He received little crowd backing at Donington, despite doing much of his early racing in the UK. "I appreciate everyone's help that I had in the UK but for some reason I've got 70% of fans [against me]," he said. "I might have a few more fans there (Silverstone). To be honest I've never really enjoyed Donington." Stoner missed three races of last season after suffering from fatigue, but returned late in the season after a lactose intolerance problem was diagnosed and claimed three late wins including the last in Malaysia. Stoner explained: "It was a scare, it helped not to think about what people were saying. I think things will be a lot more even now "At one point we went to see so many doctors and nobody had an idea. They thought it might be the end of my career. If we hit another hot race I was going to be destroyed. "It was right to take that time off and it was huge decision and although I was not pressured into the decision I saw a lot of doctors only one came up with the fact that I was lactose intolerant. "He was the only one who looked at all the blood tests and saw that I was on the low side on all of them. He looked at all the different causes - glucose, lactose and salt intolerance and the mixture of salt and lactose was the answer - and we are very grateful to him. "It was great to come back to people with a reason." With his health restored, Stoner is excited by the prospect of significant changes having been made by Ducati for 2010. "The first two seasons the bike was basically the same - I certainly did not develop the bike," he stated. "I think they have done a very good job with this bike we have a lot more torque and a lot more engine and a lot more connection with the rear wheel." During the 2010 season riders will be limited to six engines for the season, a development Stoner favours. "It will be fun won't it? Everyone is in the same position and it might even things out in the long run so that factories with a lot of resources will not be able to just thrown a lot of resources at it," added Stoner. "All these people are saying that satellite bikes are not being competitive - I think things will be a lot more even now," Stoner added. "I think the one tyre rule did a lot it stopped a lot of complaining. Dani Pedrosa, Valentino Rossi, Jorge Lorenzo and Stoner dominated in last season but Stoner is backing Ducati team-mate Nicky Hayden to put his bad luck behind him to produce a strong challenge during this campaign. "I think there will be a similar four a the top but whether anybody else joins us is up to them, there are rookies coming in so we don't know where they will finish," Stoner added. "Nicky (Hayden) was taken out in three races last year which was pretty unlucky. Let's hope he can pick things up for this year."

Rossi keen on rallying On Wednesday, Ferrari team chairman Luca di Montezemolo confirmed that Rossi would be driving one of their cars in Barcelona, as a reward for winning his ninth world title last season. He also mentioned the prospect of running a third Ferrari in F1, and when asked if it might be driven by Rossi, he said "Never say never". "There has been a lot discussed about a third car and this could be a hypothesis of an interesting improvement for the whole world of F1, even more if as a result Rossi had the possibility to race in our sport." But the Yamaha rider's comments seem to rule out the possibility of anything long-term happening with Ferrari. "There are not many changes in a man's body between 22 and 34 so I still have some time left," he said. "I would consider shifting to cars, probably rallying, after that before I finally decide to take it easy." Rossi has competed in several rally events in the past, most recently in November when he finished second in the Monza Rally.

BSB 2010 "I have raced against him, and all of the boys before apart from Yukio Kagayama and Josh Brookes and I believe that we have the chance to shine - there is no clear favourite for the title, with all to play for and with factory parts we have a really strong package to fight for the title. "I know that the team have made some real steps forward over last year and I come back to familiar territory, knowing the tracks and the whole of the TAS team which has stepped up a notch from when I last raced it in BSB in 2008," added Laverty. Seeley is equally enthusiastic, having experience two outings in the top flight at the end of last term following on from his Superstock glory with the team: "It is a great opportunity for me to move up to Superbike. The team have a testing programme in place and it looks like that will kick off in March so now I am training hard with cardio and boxing to get myself in the best possible fitness before we begin testing." For both of them, the TAS team will be providing the latest factory specification bikes in a strong challenge to become the first Suzuki powered champions in the country's premier race series since 2004, but to acheive that they will have to overcome the sizeable threats posed by Worx Crescent Suzuki riders Tommy Hill and the returning force of Kagayama. HM Plant Honda boast the return of their double champion Ryuichi Kiyonari alongside Brookes while Motorpoint Yamaha have former British and World Champion Neil Hodgson in their ranks together with Dan Linfoot. MSS Colchester Kawasaki have Simon Andrews and Superbike Cup winner Gary Mason while the Buildbase team have John Laverty and Adam Jenkinson. Stuart Easton, one of only three riders to beat last year's champion Leon Camier, spearheads the Hydrex Honda challenge while the experienced Michael Rutter is back for more with Riders Ducati. The action begins at Brands Hatch on Easter Monday, 5 April, with the title decided over 26 races held at a dozen rounds on the country's leading circuits.

What a season !!

That was denied him by the determined Hydrex Honda riding Stuart Easton who snatched a dramatic last lap victory at Hizzy's chicane in Saturday afternoon's race.

The Flying threatened an action replay in the first of Sunday afternoon's races, again on the last lap, but Camier held him off to take the victory by a split second, reflecting: "I wanted that one.

"It feels awesome as the conditions at the start were not good. Everyone was all over the place, as you could not see where the circuit was wet," he added.

James Ellison, on the second Airwaves bike ran third ahead of Hydrex Honda's Tommy Hill and Sylvain Guintoli on the Worx Crescent Suzuki. John Laverty took sixth for Buildbase Kawasaki while Tommy Bridewell, riding the Team NB Suzuki, took the honours in the Mirror.co.uk Cup victory ahead of the champion Gary Mason.

The final race of the campaign was red-flagged as Simon Andrews crashed his MSS Colchester Kawasaki heavily at Cascades, suffering concussion, and when the action resumed Camier took charge.

Hill charged after him with Easton running third ahead of Ellison and Josh Brookes on the HM Plant Honda but on the fifth lap, Easton clipped the kerb at Brittens and tipped off and soon afterwards Ellison was slowing with a machine problem.

Camier maintained his pace, taking the victory by 3.734secs, ahead of Hill with Brookes finishing his season with a third place. Ian Lowry came through in fourth ahead of Guintoli with Julien da Costa sixth.

Bridewell completed a daily double in the Mirror.co.uk Cup as he again headed off Mason with Tom Tunstall taking third place in class.

Steve Plater, with his fourth victory of the season, clinched the Fuchs Silkolene British Supersport title for HM Plant Honda.


Top ten finishers -
MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship in association with Pirelli
Race one - 12 laps
Stuart Easton (Hydrex Honda) 19m 21.434secs
Leon Camier (Airwaves Yamaha) +0.208s
Tommy Hill (Hydrex Honda) +0.222s
James Ellison (Airwaves Yamaha) +0.331s
Sylvain Guintoli (Worx Crescent Suzuki) +13.129s
Simon Andrews (MSS Colchester Kawasaki) +13.129s
Julien Da Costa (MSS Colchester Kawasaki) +13.599s
Ian Lowry (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) +13.837s
Chris Walker (Motorpoint/Henderson Yamaha) +14.771s
John Laverty (Buildbase Kawasaki) +14.815s

Race two - 16 laps
Leon Camier (Airwaves Yamaha) 26m 17.122s
Stuart Easton (Hydrex Honda) +0.080s
James Ellison (Airwaves Yamaha) +0.743s
Tommy Hill (Hydrex Honda) +1.953s
Sylvain Guintoli (Worx Crescent Suzuki) +4.042s
John Laverty (Buildbase Kawasaki) +7.721s
Josh Brookes (HM Plant Honda) +8.092s
Michael Rutter (Bathams Ducati) +12.441s
Simon Andrews (MSS Colchester Kawasaki) +15.175s
Glen Richards (HM Plant Honda) +15.328s

Race three - 12 laps
Leon Camier (Airwaves Yamaha) 19m 17.097secs
Tommy Hill (Hydrex Honda) +3.734s
Josh Brookes (HM Plant Honda) +10.904s
Ian Lowry (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) +15.398s
Sylvain Guintoli (Worx Crescent Suzuki) +15.707s
Julien Da Costa (MSS Colchester Kawasaki) +20.009s
Chris Walker (Motorpoint/Henderson Yamaha) +20.967s
Glen Richards (HM Plant Honda) +24.402s
Tommy Bridewell (Team NB Suzuki) +25.830s
Gary Mason (Quay Garage Honda) +26.012s

Final championship standings:
Leon Camier (Airwaves Yamaha) 549.5
James Ellison (Airwaves Yamaha) 413
Stuart Easton (Hydrex Honda) 374
Josh Brookes (HM Plant Honda) 188
Ian Lowry (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) 170

Rossi & Lorenzo at it !! Britain's James Toseland claimed another top-10 finish, coming home in ninth place after Mika Kallio and Marco Melandri, who were both ahead of him, took one another out with two laps remaining. Rossi and Lorenzo were involved in a cat-and-mouse battle, taking it in turn to break the lap record, until Lorenzo briefly took the lead. Afterwards, reigning world champion Rossi told BBC Sport the 102nd victory of his career had been a near-perfect race. "For us it was a great race," he said. I rode a perfect race - Rossi "After the warm-up we made some modifications to give me more feeling in the front, and I made a perfect race," he said. "I pushed very hard and made Jorge work hard. He was in good shape and very fast - when he overtook me I thought 'ok, now we start the battle'. "Unfortunately he crashed, but it's good for us - 50 points is a big lead, we are happy." Toseland admitted to being extremely frustrated, despite his top-10 finish. Mixed emotions for Pedrosa and Elias "It was a really tough weekend, we had a problem from Friday which we haven't been able to get rid of it and it put us up against a brick wall," he told BBC Sport. "All excuses aside, it's been a tough weekend - it was really costing us. "I got a bit fortunate with the Kallio incident, but I'll take every point I can. "Getting in the top 10 after a weekend like this, I'll take it but it's certainly not ideal. "I've got to work it out for the next race at Indianapolis - if we can improve just slightly, we're in the ballpark." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Czech Grand Prix result: 1 V Rossi (It) Fiat Yamaha 43min 8.991 sec 2 D Pedrosa (Sp) Repsol Honda 43min 20.757 sec 3 T Elias (Sp) San Carlo Honda Gresini 43min 29.747 sec 4 A Dovizioso (It) Repsol Honda 43min 30.409 sec 5 L Capirossi (It) Rizla Suzuki 43min 30.529 sec 6 N Hayden (US) Ducati 43min 34.535 sec 7 C Edwards (US) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 43min 34.667 sec 8 A de Angelis (RSM) San Carlo Honda Gresini 43min 43.100 sec 9 J Toseland (GB) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 43min 44.608 sec 10 R de Puniet (Fr) LCR Honda MotoGP 43min 48.815 sec 11 C Vermeulen (Aus) Rizla Suzuki 43min 49.767 sec 12 N Canepa (It) Pramac Racing 43min 59.652 sec 13 G Talmacsi (Hng) Scot Racing Team MotoGP 44min 08.179 sec World championship standings: 1 V Rossi (Ita) Yamaha 212 points 2 J Lorenzo (Spn) Yamaha 162 3 C Stoner (Aus) Ducati 150 4 D Pedrosa (Spn) Honda 135 5 C Edwards (US) Yamaha 112 6 A Dovizioso (It) Honda 107 7 R de Puniet (Fr) Honda 80 8 M Melandri (Ita) Kawasaki 79 9 L Capirossi (Ita) Suzuki 77 10 C Vermeulen (Aus) Suzuki 72 11 A de Angelis (RSM) Honda 68 12 T Elias (Spn) Honda 63 13 J Toseland (GB) Yamaha 62 14 N Hayden (US) Ducati 57 15 M Kallio (Fin) Ducati 34 16 N Canepa (Ita) Ducati 32 17 S Gibernau (Spn) Ducati 12 18 Y Takahashi (Jpn) Honda 9 19 G Talmacsi (Hng) Honda 8

Front row for Bradley Valentino Rossi was never under any illusions that he would have it easy in his defense of the MotoGP world title, and once again the Italian was made to fight for glory at the Alice Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland. The Fiat Yamaha rider took the win at Sachsenring by just 0.099s from persistent rival Jorge Lorenzo in a breathtaking race to extend his lead in the World Championship. After starting from pole for the first time at the German track, Rossi took the lead of the race after thirteen laps. Both the Italian and teammate Lorenzo eked out an advantage to make it a two-way battle to the chequered flag, with a last lap battle reminiscent of the Barcelona round of the series one month ago. Rossi's definitive pass had come at the end of the home straight with two laps to go, and he brushed off the young pretender's overtures for his fourth win of the 2009 season. Starting from eighth on the grid, Dani Pedrosa had established his credentials in the dry with the best lap in the morning warmup. He had another storming start at Sachsenring to move up to the lead group, and put up a bold fight both amongst and behind the Yamaha duo. The Repsol Honda rider completed the podium with a race time under three seconds down on the top two. Early leader Casey Stoner's stamina lasted longer than he had expected in the dry race, and he was able to mount a serious challenge for the win. With five laps to go, however, he was passed by Pedrosa going into the first turn, and one lap later a sit-up meant that he lost touch of the Spaniard. Alex de Angelis and Toni Elías had a successful salvage operation for the San Carlo Honda Gresini team, placing fifth and sixth, respectively. Elías was particularly impressive, having started from last place. The only retirees from the race were Randy de Puniet - who crashed on the opening lap - and Andrea Dovizioso. The latter fell victim to excessive front tyre wear and was forced to call it a day before the end of the 30-lap Grand Prix. Marco Simoncelli kept his title challenge alive with a win in the 250cc contest, his second victory of his World Championship defense. As in 2008, the Metis Gilera rider broke free from the pack in the early going. This time, however, he had Álex Debón along for the ride. Simoncelli couldn't shake the Spanish veteran despite his best attempts, although he had enough breathing space to prevent any overtaking moves. Debón held on to second place, his first rostrum of the 2009 season, whilst behind him a fierce battle developed for the final podium spot. Álvaro Bautista took the trailing group up to his countryman on the final lap, but was unsuccessful in making a move on Debón despite putting in a circuit record lap. He did, however, get past title rival and series leader Hiroshi Aoyama to cut the gap in the standings to ten points. The race had been restarted after an initial lap when rain fell on the Sachsenring, but during the wait between starts the track was deemed to have dried sufficiently for the majority of riders to change back to slick tyres. Julián Simón extended his lead at the head of the 125cc World Championship classification, meanwhile, with a runaway win. The Bancaja Aspar rider had been the standout rider in every wet practice session for the German date, but proved equally adept in the dry on race day for a second triumph of 2009. An all-Spanish podium saw Simón's teammate Sergio Gadea extend his podium run to three races with second place, also allowing him to become the closest rival for Simón in the overall standings. Belson Derbi's Joan Olivé completed the podium with his first rostrum of the season, following the battle of the race between himself, fourth placed Nico Terol and Marc Maquez. A clash of fairings between Olivé and Marquez led to the latter taking a huge highside on the final lap. The 2009 FIM MotoGP World Championship continues at a rapid pace with the British Grand Prix taking place at Donington Park next weekend (24th-26th July).

Roll up, Roll up, For the Greatest show on Earth It was dramatic battle throughout the six lap race, with Cameron Donald putting the outright lap record holder under severe pressure. Despite finishing runner-up in the Senior, it was an incredible TT for young Australian Donald, who claimed victory in the Dainese Superbike and Scottish Life International Superstock races. There was also a maiden win for Steve Plater in the first of the Relentless Supersport TT races, with veteran Kiwi Bruce Anstey taking the victory in the second Supersport race. Plus, it was all action in the Sure Mobile Sidecar TT races, with Nick Crowe and Mark Cox recording a double TT win. Chair legend Dave Molyneux was unable to finish the first Sidecar race, but he and Crowe put on the race-long battle everyone had longed for in the second race, and was just pipped at the line. The Sidecar races were also notable for the performances of John Holden and Andrew Winkle, who took two podium places, and World Champion Tim Reeves, who took a third place finish with Patrick Farrance in his very first TT race. As if that wasn't enough, 2008 also saw the return of the Ultra-Lightweight and Lightweight TT races, running on the Billown Circuit in the south of the Isle of Man. The races, held the day after the Senior, saw Chris Palmer and Ian Lougher add to their tallies of TT wins after two dramatic and fascinating competitions. TT 2009 promises to be another amazing TT, with big names, major manufacturers and more of the greatest road racing on Earth all set for the Isle of Man.

First Win for Bradley

As was the case in the 250cc and 125cc races, the Spanish rider who got underway in pole position crashed out in MotoGP. Fiat Yamaha’s Jorge Lorenzo lost control riding in fourth place with three laps to go, losing ground in the championship race after coming into the weekend as the series leader.

An excellent performance from Randy de Puniet, meanwhile, saw the Frenchman bring his LCR Honda satellite machine home in fourth place, having qualified in fifth, to give himself a confidence boost ahead of his home GP at Le Mans in two weeks time.

Another fine run from Marco Melandri gave the Italian another good points haul in fifth, improving upon his good result from last weekend in Japan for the Kawasaki-equipped Hayate Racing team.

Rizla Suzuki’s Loris Capirossi rode steadily from sixth on the grid to maintain the position meaning that five different manufacturers were represented in the top six.

Monster Tech Yamaha’s Colin Edwards crossed the line seventh, whilst Andrea Dovizioso did well to finish eighth in his third ride for the factory Repsol Honda team -having left the track at one stage due to a lack of grip. Toni Elías was the second best Spaniard in ninth for the San Carlo Honda Gresini team, with the top ten completed by Suzuki’s Chris Vermeulen.

Sete Gibernau -on his return to Jerez for his first race at the track since 2006- could only manage 11th for the Grupo Francisco Hernando team, whilst former World Champion Nicky Hayden (Ducati Marlboro) crossed the line 15th.



There was a brilliant battle between four riders at the front of the 250cc race, with Scot Racing team’s Hiroshi Aoyama ultimately emerging on top, holding off the advances of Álvaro Bautista right at the death.

The lead changed hands continuously throughout the race between Aoyama, Bautista and Metis Gilera’s World Champion Marco Simoncelli – the Italian falling away slightly in the final laps to eventually come home third.

Aoyama outfought Bautista on the very last corner, the Japanese rider beating the Spaniard in his home race just as the Aprilia man had done to the Honda equipped Aoyama last week at Motegi. Aoyama now holds the championship lead by four points from Mapfre Aspar rider Bautista.

As the front four crossed the line within three seconds of each other, Simoncelli completed the podium ahead of fourth placed Héctor Barberá (Pepe World Team Aprilia), the Italian finishing 0.063s ahead of the Spaniard. A close battle for fifth place was won by Thomas Luthi (Emmi – Caffe Latte) who beat Mattia Pasini (Team Toth Aprilia) to the line by 0.004s.



Bancaja Aspar’s team Bradley Smith earned his first ever win on the 50th time of asking in the 125cc class.

There was heartbreak for poleman and home rider Julián Simón who suffered a nasty highside on lap five when running in second place and an accident on the first lap for series leader Andrea Iannone (Ongetta Team I.S.P.A) meant Smith went unchallenged en route to victory.

Behind Smith there was a superb race-long battle for the podium with his team-mate Sergio Gadea eventually edging out Marc Márquez (Red Bull KTM) to make it a great day for the Spanish team and for those two Spanish riders in front of the home fans.

The top five comprised only British and Spanish names in fact as Scott Redding (Blusens Aprilia) and Efrén Vázquez (Derbi Racing Team) crossed the line fractionally behind Gadea and Márquez.

The World Championship returns to action at the Grand Prix de France in a fortnight’s time.

Fast Freddie Spencer

Having declared his “Isle of Man TT race challenge” to his employees in 1954, Soichiro Honda saw his dream become a reality as the firm first competed in a GP under the management of Kiyoshi Kawashima at the challenging British race meeting in 1959.

In 1983, Spencer won Honda’s first world 500cc riders’ and constructors’ titles since the company’s return to GP racing after withdrawing briefly in the late 1960s, riding the NS500. The American went on to win the 1985 championship with seven victories from 11 races, again with Honda.

Asked for his thoughts on the 1959-2009 Honda anniversary, Spencer commented, “To be a part of it is incredible and Mr Honda’s dream was to race at the Isle of Man TT and to compete in the World Championship when he started in his garage. To ride out there with Takahashi and Taniguchi and to have won Honda’s first 500cc title is a special and humbling experience, so I feel very fortunate.”

Giving his view on the current factory Honda presence in MotoGP Spencer added, “Dani (Pedrosa) has shown that he can win races but unfortunately he has been injured recently and with the young rider Andrea (Dovizioso) stepping up this year I think he is showing he has the speed. The confidence and the communication of the team, the riders and HRC is getting better and that is how you improve the equipment and improve your performance.”