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Further Improvements For Kawasaki
16 April 2008
Following a superb fifth place finish for John Hopkins yesterday at Estoril, the Kawasaki Racing Team concluded today's post-race test with more positive results. Both Hopkins and Anthony West improved on their race lap times, whilst making further set-up enhancements to their Ninja ZX-RR machines. Having achieved his best result so far for Kawasaki yesterday, Hopkins worked closely with Bridgestone to evaluate a series of rear tyre options. The 24-year-old improved his race pace around the 4.182km circuit using a new specification rear tyre, which he felt made a big difference to the handling of his machine.
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Ducati Marlboro Team End Portuguese Visit With Test
16 April 2008
The Ducati Marlboro Team ended a four-day spell at the Estoril circuit today with a testing session that took place in warm and sunny conditions, with track temperatures reaching 40ºC. Stoner worked hard all day and ended the session satisfied with his progress after setting a consistent pace in the 1'37s on race tyres and concluding an intense programme of development in positive fashion. The World Champion now returns home to Australia for a well-earned rest before heading on to China for the fourth Grand Prix of the season on May 4th.
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Repsol Honda Men Make More Progress
15 April 2008
Repsol Honda riders Dani Pedrosa and Nicky Hayden put in another day’s good work at sunny Estoril yesterday, testing Michelin tyres, fine-tuning machine setup and evaluating new chassis parts. The main focus of the post-Portuguese Grand Prix session was tyre testing, both riders trying a variety of different compounds. Joint World Championship leader Pedrosa used qualifying tyres to clock the fastest lap of the day while Hayden preferred to con centrate on riding in race trim with race tyres, recording the fastest lap of the day on race tyres and improving on his best lap during Sunday’s race.
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Valuable Day’s Work For Rossi
15 April 2008
After his hard fought third in Sunday's Portuguese Grand Prix, Fiat Yamaha Team rider Valentino Rossi was back out on track yesterday for a one-day test at Estoril. The team are anxious to take every chance to continue the crucial development process between the Yamaha M1 and the Bridgestone tyres and today’s test was focused on just this.
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Hopkins On A High After Estoril
14 April 2008
The Portuguese Grand Prix took place today at Estoril and Kawasaki rider, John Hopkins, claimed his best ever finish at the circuit. The 24-year-old Anglo American rode over the line in fifth position after 28 laps, giving him his first top five position at Estoril, which is famously hard on bikes, riders and tyres. However, Hopkins, his Ninja ZX-RR and the Bridgestone rubber he was running, all held up against the violent assault of the gruelling race. His ride also provided him with his best finish so far since joining Kawasaki, beating his previous highest placing, a seventh, at Jerez last month.
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First-Time Michelin Winner Lorenzo ‘In Heaven’
13 April 2008
Michelin men Jorge Lorenzo (Fiat Yamaha Team YZR-M1-Michelin) and Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC212V-Michelin) dominated this afternoon’s Portuguese GP to finish first and second and share the joint World Championship lead after three rounds of the 18-race World Championship. The two Spaniards spent the first half of the race disputing the lead with Valentino Rossi (Fiat Yamaha Team YZR-M1) in spectacular style but as the pace increased they left the Italian behind. The early laps had been particularly difficult, with light rain falling across the Estoril circuit, situated just a few miles inland from the Atlantic.
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Toseland & Webb Fly The Flag
13 April 2008
James Toseland and Danny Webb carried on where they left off in qualifying with brilliant performances where it mattered, in the races at the bwin.com Grand Prix of Portugal in Estoril this afternoon. Toseland, making his first appearance at the 2.599 mile Estoril circuit on the Atlantic coast was seventh in a 28 lap hectic MotoGP encounter despite a bad start from the second row of the grid. Twenty seven year old Toseland after just three MotoGP races is fifth in the Championship, only 11 points behind World Champion Casey Stoner.
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Stoner Rides Around Problems
13 April 2008
Casey Stoner produced another example of the class and maturity that made him World Champion as he overcame an unfortunate technical problem to salvage a worthy sixth place. Shortly after the start of the race a part of the on-board camera on Casey's GP8 came lose, flapping dangerously between his handlebars and front fairing. After dropping all the way back to eleventh place, Stoner showed great composure and skill to fix the problem himself before putting together a sensational comeback that saw him set the fourth fastest lap of the race on his way to sixth place. That was enough to seal 10 crucial points that keep the Australian holding firmly to fourth place in the championship.
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Steps Forwards For The Alice Team At Estoril
13 April 2008
At the third appointment of the season, after the difficulties met during the first two Grand Prix races in Qatar and Jerez de la Frontera, the Alice Team riders, Toni Elias and Sylvain Guintoli, have improved their performances. The end of this not-so-lucky period for the Hispanic-Italian Team is still far, but this can be considered as a good starting point. During the warm up, when the track was wet, Sylvain was at ease on the Estoril circuit, but, unluckily for him, in the first hours of the Portuguese afternoon, the track completely dried out. On the contrary, Toni, who encountered some difficulties in the 25 minutes of morning work concluding in 18th position, found a good setting of the bike in the afternoon and finished in 12th position.
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Fighting 4th for Edwards, Toseland 7th in Estoril
13 April 2008
Colin Edwards claimed his best result of 2008 with a determined ride to fourth place in Estoril today, while a hard fought seventh moved James Toseland into the top five of the MotoGP world championship standings. Lying sixth and tantalisingly close to the leading bunch for the opening nine laps, Edwards comfortably held onto the fourth place that he seized on lap 17 after a mistake by fellow American Nicky Hayden. He briefly threatened to close on Valentino Rossi in third as he posted his fastest lap on lap 19 of 28 with a 1.38.083, but settled for his best result since the German GP last July.
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Rossi Keeps Estoril Podium Record Intact With 3rd Place
13 April 2008
Valentino Rossi extended his Estoril podium record with third place today, meaning he has now finished on the podium at all of his nine career visits to the Portuguese track. The Fiat Yamaha Team rider played a key part in an exciting first half of the race but was unable to keep pace with his team-mate Jorge Lorenzo, who took his maiden premier-class victory today to make it a second consecutive double podium for the Yamaha pair. Rossi got a good start from third on the grid and managed to take the lead from Lorenzo at the end of the straight after one lap. Spots of rain complicated issues and it was a tense first few laps with Rossi leading and Lorenzo, Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso bunched together close behind him.
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Lorenzo Takes Spectacular Maiden Victory In Portugal
13 April 2008
Jorge Lorenzo topped off an incredible opening month in MotoGP with his maiden premier class victory today, his first ever career win at Estoril. After three pole positions and two podiums, the Fiat Yamaha Team rookie went one step further to win the Portuguese Grand Prix in fine style, taking joint first in the championship standings in the process. It was also the second double podium of the season for the team, with Valentino Rossi finishing third. The first lap was a close battle between Lorenzo, Rossi and Dani Pedrosa with Lorenzo just prevailing over the line. Rossi however then passed him into turn one and pushed on ahead, leaving his team-mate to defend second position from Pedrosa, who was right on his tail. It began to spot with rain but Lorenzo kept his head and kept in touch with Rossi, despite pressure from Pedrosa behind him.
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Repsol’s Pedrosa Second In Tricky Race
13 April 2008
Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa had a hard-fought ride to second place in tricky conditions at Estoril today while team-mate Nicky Hayden tumbled out of fourth place while sneaking up on the leading trio. The opening laps of the race were especially tricky because light rain showers had dampened several sections of the circuit. Pedrosa’s third successive podium finish from the first three races – third in Qatar, winner in Spain and second here in Portugal – makes him the equal points leader with today’s race winner Jorge Lorenzo.
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Rossi Claims Portuguese Podium for Bridgestone
13 April 2008
Fiat Yamaha rider Valentino Rossi took his second consecutive podium result using Bridgestone tyres in today’s Portuguese Grand Prix at the Estoril circuit. Having led the race early on, Rossi ultimately finished in third placebehind eventual race winner Jorge Lorenzo and second-placed man Dani Pedrosa. The result marks the sixtieth individual podium result for a Bridgestone-shod rider in MotoGP since its entry into the premier-class back in 2002.
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Excellent Performance From Dovizioso Despite Crash
13 April 2008
The Grand Prix of Portugal ended today for Andrea Dovizioso in a crash, which was poor reward for the effort and skill he displayed during the first half of the race. Dovi started well from seventh on the grid to battle through his fellow competitors to join the lead group of four riders, which soon pulled away from the chasing pack. Andrea and his Honda RC212V were not dropped by the Yamahas of Jorge Lorenzo, Valentino Rossi or the Honda of Dani Pedrosa, showing that Andrea was able to maintain an excellent rhythm, even if the track was not in the best condition thanks to the overnight rain and the spots of rain which arrived during the race.
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Double Top-10 for Rizla Suzuki in Tough Estoril Weekend
13 April 2008
Rizla Suzuki MotoGP racers Chris Vermeulen and Loris Capirossi raced to eighth and ninth places respectively during today’s Portuguese Grand Prix at Estoril, to earn valuable points in the race for the championship. Vermeulen got off to a great start from his 13th position on the grid and was up to eighth by the end of lap one. Suzuki’s Australian star then traded places with a number of riders before bringing his Suzuki GSV-R home for his highest placed finish of the year so far.
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Fighting Race For Yuki Takahashi
13 April 2008
After a battling 26-laps at the 250cc Portuguese Grand Prix, Yuki Takahashi finished the race in sixth position. Starting from fifth position on the grid, Yuki was baulked for the early laps as he got caught up with some slower riders. Eventually the Japanese rider caught up with the leading group and slotted into third place, but Yuki was soon caught and passed by KTM’s Mika Kallio leaving the JiR Team Scot rider to battle with Mattia Pasini and Hiroshi Aoyama. With ten laps to go Yuki began to push hard once more, but was caught by Thomas Luthi. By now Yuki’s front tyre was giving him less grip so his Honda was unable to hold onto the podium place and he finished the race in sixth place. The result gives Yuki fourth in the championship still near the championship leader Kallio.
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Michelin Men Dominate First Three Rows
13 April 2008
Michelin riders were able to dominate this afternoon’s Portuguese GP qualifying session, the French tyre brand’s seven MotoGP riders filling seven of the first eight places on the grid. Most impressive was dazzling rookie Jorge Lorenzo (Fiat Yamaha Team YZR-M1-Michelin) who swept to his third successive pole position, maintaining his 100 per cent pole record by cutting almost six tenths off last year’s pole time. He was chased hard by Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC212V-Michelin) who ended the session just two tenths behind his compatriot to repeat the pair’s one-two qualifying performance at last month’s Spanish GP.
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14th For Elias, Guintoli In 6th Row
13 April 2008
Toni Elias, Alice Team rider, has concluded the third qualifying session of the season in fourteenth place, the same of his best performance conquered at the first race of the season in Qatar. In the other side of the garage Toni’s teammate, Frenchman Sylvain Guintoli, has slipped in the official session after the first few laps. After having concluded the session, the French rider went to the mobile clinic to check the situation of his injury, but, luckily, it doesn’t seems a worrying situation. Sylvain has slightly twisted his left ankle and he shouldn’t have any complication for Tomorrow’s race.
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Capirossi Confident Ahead of Portuguese GP
13 April 2008
Rizla Suzuki MotoGP racer Loris Capirossi is positive he can deliver a good result from tomorrow’s Portuguese Grand Prix despite qualifying on the fourth row after a big crash at Estoril today. Capirossi (P12, 1’37.786, 22 laps) was on his first qualifying tyre when he made a mistake going into a fast right-hand turn and lost traction, causing him to crash very spectacularly at high-speed. The gutsy Italian picked himself up and managed to get back to the pit-box to continue with the session, but he was unable to better the time he had set previously on race tyres. Capirossi and his crew had made big improvements to his Suzuki GSV-R during the early part of the qualifying session and was on a competitive race-pace towards the top of the time-sheets, which is certainly an encouraging sign for tomorrow’s 28-lap race.
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