|
|
Stoner Lights Up Laguna
14 Minutes ago
World Champion Casey Stoner simply destroyed all the records and all the competition in the first day of practice for the Red Bull US Grand Prix in California today (Friday). The 22 year old Marlboro Ducati rider started where he left off in his last three successive grand prix victories by decimating his own pole time record in the morning practice in cool conditions round the demanding 2.243 miles circuit near the Californian Pacific coastline.
|
|
|
|
2008 AMA SBK Parts Unlimited & Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix
Yesterday
The AMA Superbike Championship presented by Parts Unlimited will contest the first of two rounds to be held this season at the famed Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca circuit in Monterey, Calif. The July stop has also become an annual meeting with the superstars of the MotoGP World Championship, widely considered the pinnacle of global motorcycle road racing. The MotoGP field boasts some of the AMA Superbike Championship's most decorated graduates, led by 2006 World Champion Nicky Hayden, a former AMA Superbike and Supersport champ. Hayden won the U.S. Grand Prix in 2005 and 2006. 1992 AMA 250GP champion Colin Edwards is another top MotoGP competitor with an AMA Superbike pedigree. The Texan has been performing impressively this season, regularly finishing in the top five and occasionally landing on the podium. Unfortunately, former AMA Formula Xtreme and Superstock king John Hopkins will be unable to compete in front of his home fans at Laguna Seca, ruled out by injury.
|
|
|
|
Bridgestone MotoGP Briefing - USA
3 Days ago
Fresh from a dominant performance at the Sachsenring in which eight Bridgestone-shod riders secured top ten positions, including the top four, and following a run of three consecutive race wins for Casey Stoner and Ducati, Bridgestone heads to the United States in buoyant mood and ready to face the challenges presented by the famous Laguna Seca Raceway. Laguna Seca made a welcome return to the MotoGP calendar in 2005 and holds its fourth consecutive United States Grand Prix this weekend.
|
|
|
|
Rizla Suzuki Heads Stateside in Upbeat Mood
4 Days ago
Rizla Suzuki MotoGP is off to Laguna Seca in California for the USGP this weekend in confident mood, boosted by the podium for Chris Vermeulen last time out at Sachsenring. The team has made the transatlantic journey direct from Germany to be ready for the sixth race in eight weekends this coming Sunday, which will bring to a close the first half of the season before all the teams take a well-earned break. Vermeulen is looking forward to Laguna following his success there in previous seasons. Last year he finished second and in 2006 he qualified on pole, only to be robbed of an almost certain podium position by a mechanical problem.
|
|
|
|
Toseland Seeks The Sun & Change of Fortune
5 Days ago
British MotoGP star James Toseland returns to one of his favourite circuits looking for a change of fortune and some Californian sunshine at the weekend. The 27 year old Yorkshireman last raced at Laguna Seca in 2004 when he was involved in a tremendous battle for the lead with another MotoGP star Australian Chris Vermeulen in the World Superbike Championship. It’s been a tough last three races for Toseland who finished 11th in the German rain after a wrong tyre choice but he still lies ninth in his debut MotoGP season riding the Tech 3 Yamaha. A good result on Sunday in the 32 lap race to consolidate or even improve that position is his aim before enjoying the long awaited summer break.
|
|
|
|
Bridgestone MotoGP Briefing - Germany
08 July 2008
Following two sets of back-to-back races in Italy, Catalunya, Britain and the Netherlands in June, MotoGP’s action-packed 2008 tour continues with a third consecutive double-header, starting with this weekend’s trip to Germany, another of motorcycle racing’s most frequented destinations. This year’s event will be the 23rd premier class event to be held at the Sachsenring, which hosted its first race back in 1961, but will be the 66th race in total to be held on German soil since the championship began back in 1949. Sachsenring held the East German GP uninterrupted from 1961-1972 on a closed-road circuit, but rejoined the calendar with a brand new circuit in 1998, where it has remained since. Loris Capirossi scored the best ever result at Sachsenring for a Bridgestone-shod rider in last year’s German GP, taking second place for Ducati in difficult conditions with track temperatures soaring above 50°C. Having enjoyed debut dry weather victories in Mugello, Donington and Assen in recent weeks, Bridgestone will be hoping to cross Sachsenring off its ‘to do’ list this weekend, but is aware of the technical hurdles that it must first overcome.
|
|
|
|
Vermeulen in Top 10 as Capirossi Crashes Out
26 June 2008
Rizla Suzuki MotoGP had a day of mixed fortunes at Assen in the Netherlands today as Chris Vermeulen showed promising signs for the weekend ahead, whilst Loris Capirossi crashed at high-speed, resulting in a visit to the medical centre for an operation to his right forearm. Vermeulen (P10, 1’37.282, 54 laps) lost a bit of time in the morning as his mechanics worked hard on getting the best engine set-up for the 4,555m long Assen circuit. Their dedication paid dividends as he improved on every run throughout the day eventually clocking a fastest time at the end of the second session – on worn race tyres - that was only 0.463 seconds away from second place.
|
|
|
|
Capirossi to Return to Rizla Suzuki for Dutch GP
24 June 2008
Rizla Suzuki MotoGP will be pleased to welcome Loris Capirossi back from injury for this weekend’s Dutch TT at Assen in The Netherlands. Capirossi was an enforced spectator at the last round in Britain following an accident at Catalunya earlier this month, which sidelined the Italian star with a broken hand. The injury has still not completely healed, but Capirossi is determined to get back on his Suzuki GSV-R this weekend and continue with the bike’s development and to demonstrate the will to succeed that he has shown so far this year. His replacement at the last round – Ben Spies – will also be supporting the team at Assen and later in the season will return to the GSV-R for wildcard rides at both American MotoGP rounds.
|
|
|
|
Vermeulen Splashes to Front Row at Donington
22 June 2008
Rizla Suzuki MotoGP racer Chris Vermeulen piloted his Suzuki GSV-R to his first front row grid position of the season, as he again showed his true class as one of the world’s best wet weather riders. Vermeulen (1’39.018, 29 laps) will start from third on the grid for tomorrow’s race at Donington Park after a near faultless performance on the wet 4,023m circuit that saw him in pole position several times in the hour-long session. Vermeulen had a crash in this morning’s practice that saw him lose valuable track time, but Suzuki’s Australian star was able to return to the track uninjured this afternoon and challenge for the front row, which leaves him well placed for tomorrow’s race – whether it is wet or dry.
|
|
|
|
Bridgestone Riders Lock Out Front Row in Donington
21 June 2008
Bridgestone-shod riders Casey Stoner (Ducati Corse), Valentino Rossi (Fiat Yamaha) and Chris Vermeulen (Rizla Suzuki) have locked out the three front row positions for tomorrow’s British Grand Prix after a highly competitive wet qualifying session at Donington Park this afternoon. Stoner has been on the pace all weekend in dry and wet conditions, and dominated the qualifying hour today, taking pole position by an impressive margin of almost seven-tenths-of-a-second. It is his second consecutive pole position of the season and the third consecutive pole position for a rider on Bridgestone tyres, after Rossi took the top spot in Mugello, and Stoner’s Catalan pole from two weeks ago.
|
|
|
|
Spies Shows Promise on Rizla Suzuki Debut
21 June 2008
Ben Spies made his Rizla Suzuki MotoGP debut at Donington Park in England today and settled into his new environment quickly, showing a marked improvement in his times during today’s two free practice sessions. Spies (1’30.766, 58 laps) is deputising for the injured Loris Capirossi at the British Grand Prix and the two-time AMA Superbike Champion spent the majority of the day learning the 4,023m English track. Spies knocked over a second off his lap-times between the morning and afternoon sessions as he finished the day in 17th place on the timesheets. He is confident of improving tomorrow and will be trying to move further up the standings.
|
|
|
|
Stoner on Flying Form in British Practice
21 June 2008
Bridgestone-shod Ducati rider Casey Stoner was in impressive form during today’s opening two free practice sessions for Sunday’s British Grand Prix. Stoner was the fastest man around Donington Park throughout both sessions leading his nearest rivals by over half-a-second. Stoner won last year’s wet-drying British Grand Prix using Bridgestone wet weather tyres. It was an encouraging day’s work for Bridgestone-shod teams with Fiat Yamaha rider Valentino Rossi in third place, San Carlo Honda Gresini duo Alex de Angelis and Shina Nakano in fifth and seventh places respectively, and Rizla Suzuki’s Chris Vermeulen in ninth.
|
|
|
|
Capirossi to Attend Donington MotoGP Race
18 June 2008
Loris Capirossi is on his way to join the Rizla Suzuki MotoGP team for this weekend’s British Grand Prix at Donington, despite being sidelined with a broken hand and not being able to race. The experienced Italian broke the fifth metacarpus of his right hand at the Catalunya GP just 10 days ago and has undergone intense physiotherapy since then to repair the injury. Capirossi is now demonstrating his professional attitude and passion for the Rizla Suzuki MotoGP team by joining his crew and the rest of the squad for the team’s home Grand Prix, even though he knows he will just be a spectator and not a competitor. Capirossi will be at trackside for Sunday’s race and will be available to offer any advice and assistance to regular team-mate Chris Vermeulen and replacement rider Ben Spies – who will be deputising for Capirossi and making his MotoGP debut at the English circuit.
|
|
|
|
Toseland Chasing a British Dream
16 June 2008
It’s the weekend of the year that all British Motorcycle racing fans have been waiting for the bwin.com British Grand Prix at Donington Park. It’s the weekend when Britain’s MotoGP stars return home to race at the 2.50 miles Parkland circuit for their only British appearances of the season. Spearheading the British challenge is 27 year old Yorkshireman James Toseland who returns to the circuit where he won a World Superbike Championship race last year. Riding the Tech 3 Yamaha he’s made a superb start to his MotoGP career and after four sixth places in the opening seven rounds he lies seventh in his MotoGP debut season.
|
|
|
|
Capirossi Out, Spies in for Donington!
12 June 2008
Rizla Suzuki MotoGP will give reigning American Superbike Champion Ben Spies his MotoGP debut at next weekend’s British Grand Prix, following confirmation that Loris Capirossi will be unfit for the Donington race. The 23-year-old American from Longview in Texas was due to make his Rizla Suzuki MotoGP debut as a wildcard rider at next month’s USGP in California, but he has been drafted in early to replace Capirossi who suffered a broken right hand at Catalunya last weekend. Capirossi is now targeting a return at the following weekend’s race at Assen in The Netherlands and will continue to work on his fitness to try and achieve this goal. Chris Vermeulen will be returning to the scene of one of his podium successes in 2007 when he takes to the track at the 4,023m long Donington Park circuit. Suzuki’s Australian star finished third in wet weather conditions at the British venue last year and will be looking to continue with the improvement in form that both he and the Suzuki GSV-R have shown in recent races.
|
|
|
|
Mat Mladin Wins Road America 2nd Leg
12 June 2008
Rockstar Makita Suzuki Factory Racing's Mat Mladin captured the win in the second of two AMA Superbike races at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, on Sunday.
In spite of semi-wet conditions, six-time AMA Superbike Champion Mladin rode hard on his Rockstar Makita Suzuki GSXR-1000 and picked up his fourth win of the season and his 67th career AMA Superbike victory.
|
|
|
|
Record Breaking Win For Spies
10 June 2008
Rockstar Makita Suzuki Factory Racing's Ben Spies won Saturday's AMA Superbike race at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, which was a record breaking seventh AMA Superbike wins on the trot!
The two-time AMA Superbike Champion was the pole-sitter in this race, the first of two in the double-header weekend, and led all 16 laps to victory on his Rockstar Makita Suzuki GSX-R1000. In addition to this being Spies' seventh win of the season, it also marks his 25th AMA Superbike career win.
|
|
|
|
Ben Spies Wins Utah Superbike Double For Suzuki
02 June 2008
Rockstar Makita Suzuki Factory Racing's Ben Spies celebrated the end of an excellent AMA Superbike double-header weekend at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah on Sunday with a double victory for the GSX-R1000. The defending AMA Superbike Champion won Sunday's 14-lap race, after having already won Saturday's race - and capturing pole position for the weekend.
|
|
|
|
AMA Championship Preview : Miller Motorsports Park
28 May 2008
The AMA Superbike Championship will share the stage with an FIM world championship event for the first of two times this season on May 29-June 1 at Miller Motorsports Park, in Tooele, Utah. The unique four-day program will mark the first time in four years that the AMA Superbike series has run in conjunction with the Superbike World Championship, which is making its much-anticipated return trip to America with a first-ever trip to Utah.
|
|
|
|
Spies heads Suzuki One-Two again
20 May 2008
Rockstar Makita Suzuki Factory Racing continued to dominate in the AMA Superbike race series as defending AMA Superbike Champion Ben Spies and six-time AMA Superbike Champion Mat Mladin again finished first and second in the second AMA Superbike race of the weekend at Infineon Raceway in California on Sunday afternoon. Two-time AMA Superbike Champion started from pole position and led all 28 laps of the race to take the win. This victory is Spies' fourth consecutive AMA Superbike win of the season and his 22nd career victory. Team mate Mladin was right on Spies' tail for the entire race and brought home second place.
|
|
Tag Search
Here's a random selection of the latest hi-def images we have for this tag.
Tags relate items to each other by subject. This page shows the latest items we've published for 'Ben Spies'.
|
|
Tags: 
