2009

Year: 2009

Month: ALL

Flew back from Afghanistan for the Donny GP

17 August 2009 by Stitch Ritchie

Flew back from Afghanistan for the Donny GP

I have attached a photo of my two sons, Jordan and Kobey with a cracking mad bunch of Vale fans at Donington – what a day it was. I was back on R&R from Afghanistan and could not miss the last GP...

Racing results round-up: August 15-16

17 August 2009 by MCN Sports Desk

Racing results round-up: August 15-16

MOTOGP, BRNO, CZECH REPUBLIC, SUNDAY AMA SUPERBIKES, ALTON, VA, SATURDAY-SUNDAY ULSTER GP, DUNDROD, CO ANTRIM, THURSDAY DUNDROD 150, DUNROD, CO ANTRIM, THURSDAY ULSTER GP, DUNDROD, CO ANTRIM, SATURDAY...

Brno MotoGP test: Moto2 test rider breaks foot

17 August 2009 by Matthew Birt

Brno MotoGP test: Moto2 test rider breaks foot

Former MotoGP racer David de Gea has suffered a small break in his foot after crashing the new Blusens Honda Moto2 600cc machine in Brno earlier today. The Spaniard had clocked a best time of...

Brno MotoGP test: Mattia Pasini makes Ducati debut

17 August 2009 by Matthew Birt

Brno MotoGP test: Mattia Pasini makes Ducati debut

Mattia Pasini has made his debut on the Pramac Ducati GP9 at the Brno MotoGP test session in the Czech Republic this morning. The 24-year-old, who finished runner-up in yesterday’s 250GP, has...

Brno MotoGP test: Honda test Ohlins suspension

17 August 2009 by Matthew Birt

Brno MotoGP test: Honda test Ohlins suspension

Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso have started to assess Ohlins suspension during today’s at the Brno circuit in the Czech Republic. The factory Honda duo will run back-to-back tests against current...

Brno MotoGP: ‘Stupid’ to rule out Jorge Lorenzo says Valentino Rossi

17 August 2009 by Matthew Birt

Brno MotoGP: ‘Stupid’ to rule out Jorge Lorenzo says Valentino Rossi

Reigning MotoGP world champion Valentino Rossi said it would be stupid to rule out Jorge Lorenzo from the 2009 MotoGP world championship race. A 102nd victory for the Italian in Brno yesterday after...

Brno MotoGP: Jorge Lorenzo concedes title race is over

17 August 2009 by Matthew Birt

Brno MotoGP: Jorge Lorenzo concedes title race is over

Dejected Spaniard Jorge Lorenzo conceded his 2009 MotoGP title aspirations were all but over after he made another costly mistake in yesterday’s Czech Republic GP in Brno. Desperate to try and keep...

Brno MotoGP: James Toseland claims ‘lucky’ ninth

17 August 2009 by Matthew Birt

Brno MotoGP: James Toseland claims ‘lucky’ ninth

James Toseland admitted he was fortunate to claim a seventh top ten finish in 2009 in yesterday’s Czech Republic MotoGP race in Brno. The British rider ended the 22-lap race in ninth position after he...

Brno MotoGP: Mika Kallio slams Marco Melandri

17 August 2009 by Matthew Birt

Brno MotoGP: Mika Kallio slams Marco Melandri

Mika Kallio’s factory Ducati debut ended in disaster when he ended up in the gravel trap after a late tangle with Marco Melandri in a battle for sixth place. Kallio and Melandri were both hoping to...

Brno MotoGP: Dani Pedrosa urges Honda improvement

17 August 2009 by Matthew Birt

Brno MotoGP: Dani Pedrosa urges Honda improvement

Dani Pedrosa admitted Honda still has to make major improvements to its factory RC212V machine after the Spaniard claimed a lonely second place in the Brno MotoGP clash yesterday. Leading for a few...

Brno MotoGP: Chris Vermeulen out of Suzuki?

17 August 2009 by Matthew Birt

Brno MotoGP: Chris Vermeulen out of Suzuki?

Confirmation that Alvaro Bautista will join Suzuki’s factory MotoGP team in 2010 appears to have placed the future of Aussie rider Chris Vermeulen in serious doubt. Bautista has signed a two-year deal...

Brno MotoGP: Alvaro Bautista left wheelie embarrassed

17 August 2009 by Matthew Birt

Brno MotoGP: Alvaro Bautista left wheelie embarrassed

This is new Suzuki MotoGP recruit Alvaro Bautista’s most embarrassing moment after he spectacularly looped a celebration wheelie in Brno. The Spaniard had just clinched third place behind Marco...

Ian Hutchinson smashes Ulster GP Superstock record

16 August 2009 by Gary Pinchin

Ian Hutchinson smashes Ulster GP Superstock record

Ian Hutchinson had to smash the lap record on the final lap of Saturday’s opening Superstock race at the Ulster Grand Prix to beat local favourite Ryan Farquhar. The race was run in two parts after a...

William Dunlop smashes Ulster GP Supersport record

16 August 2009 by Gary Pinchin

William Dunlop took his first-ever victory on a four-stroke machine in an international road race when he won Saturday’s second Ulster GP Supersport race. Dunlop had already won the GP250 race earlier in the afternoon, beating brother Michael, but was a class apart in the second supersport, winning by over four seconds on a day where close finishes had been the order of the day. Dunlop led...

Cummins and Martin share UGP Superbike honours

16 August 2009 by Gary Pinchin

Cummins and Martin share UGP Superbike honours

Manxman Conor Cummins proved that Thursday’s win and his new outright lap record in the Dundrod 150 Superbike was no fluke when he took the £4000 first prize in Saturday’s eight-lap Ulster Grand Prix...

Brno MotoGP: Rossi wins, Lorenzo crashes out

16 August 2009 by Liam Marsden

Brno MotoGP: Rossi wins, Lorenzo crashes out

Fiat Yamaha rider Valentino Rossi has won the Brno MotoGP race after team-mate Jorge Lorenzo crashed out of the lead. Rossi led unchallenged from the start, until Lorenzo caught up midway through the...

Brno MotoGP: Suzuki to confirm Alvaro Bautista signing

16 August 2009 by Matthew Birt

Brno MotoGP: Suzuki to confirm Alvaro Bautista signing

Suzuki will confirm they have signed Spaniard Alvaro Bautista later on today. The 250GP world championship contender shunned the chance to join Jorge Martinez’s Aspar Ducati MotoGP squad to accept a...

Brno MotoGP: Marco Simoncelli wins 250GP race

16 August 2009 by Liam Marsden

Brno MotoGP: Marco Simoncelli wins 250GP race

Reigning 250GP World Champion Marco Simoncelli took the win at the Brno MotoGP round after a race-long battle between several riders. Simoncelli eventually pulled away from the following pack but he...

Brno MotoGP: Terol takes 125GP win

16 August 2009 by Liam Marsden

Brno MotoGP: Terol takes 125GP win

Spaniard Nicolas Terol has taken the win at the Brno circuit in the 125GP class ahead of current championship leader and fellow Spaniard Julian Simon. The two Spaniards managed to pull away from the...

Meeting Agostini at Brands Hatch

15 August 2009 by zoe leuchars

Meeting Agostini at Brands Hatch

This is my partner Graham Bendall meeting the all time great Agostini and getting him to sign his number plate off his Suzuki GSX-R at Brands Hatch BSB.

Brno MotoGP: Valentino Rossi blames front tyre for crash

15 August 2009 by Matthew Birt

Brno MotoGP: Valentino Rossi blames front tyre for crash

Valentino Rossi blamed the poor performance of one of Bridgestone’s two front tyre options in Brno for his late qualifying crash today. The 30-year-old lost the front-end of his factory Yamaha YZR-M1...

Brno MotoGP: Jorge Lorenzo ready for tough battle

15 August 2009 by Matthew Birt

Brno MotoGP: Jorge Lorenzo ready for tough battle

Jorge Lorenzo believes he could face another epic clash with Fiat Yamaha team-mate Valentino Rossi in tomorrow’s Czech Republic MotoGP race. Lorenzo preserved his 100 per cent front row qualifying...

Brno MotoGP: James Toseland slumps to 14th

15 August 2009 by Matthew Birt

Brno MotoGP: James Toseland slumps to 14th

James Toseland gave himself a mountain to climb in tomorrow’s 22-lap Czech Republic MotoGP after he could only qualify in 14th position. The 28-year-old blamed set-up issues once he switched to the...

Brno MotoGP: Medicine mistake fails to slow Colin Edwards

15 August 2009 by Matthew Birt

Brno MotoGP: Medicine mistake fails to slow Colin Edwards

British GP runner-up Colin Edwards failed to let illness cost him the chance of equalling his best qualifying result of the season in Brno today. The Texan was left struggling well below 100 per cent...

Brno MotoGP: Valentino Rossi claims pole despite late crash

15 August 2009 by Matthew Birt

Brno MotoGP: Valentino Rossi claims pole despite late crash

A late crash failed to prevent Valentino Rossi from ending Jorge Lorenzo’s early domination of the Czech Republic GP weekend when he stormed to his third straight pole position at the Brno circuit...

Rossi at Donington Park

15 August 2009 by Anonymous

Rossi at Donington Park

Is Vale looking at me or eyeing up my wife? Donington 2009

Brno MotoGP: Bradley Smith misses front row

15 August 2009 by Matthew Birt

Brno MotoGP: Bradley Smith misses front row

Bradley Smith will start tomorrow’s Czech Republic 125GP from fifth on the grid after today’s qualifying session at a hot and sunny Brno circuit. The British teenager, who was quickest yesterday in...

Brno MotoGP: Gresini Honda confirm Marco Melandri deal

15 August 2009 by Matthew Birt

Brno MotoGP: Gresini Honda confirm Marco Melandri deal

Marco Melandri’s return to the Gresini Honda squad has been confirmed in Brno this morning. In a move widely expected when it became apparent Kawasaki would cease supporting the Hayate team at the end...

Carl Fogarty at the Ulster Grand Prix

14 August 2009 by james fleming

Carl Fogarty at the Ulster Grand Prix

I met Carl Fogarty at the Ulster Grand Prix.

Brno MotoGP: Valentino Rossi content with ‘tired’ Yamaha engine

14 August 2009 by Matthew Birt

Brno MotoGP: Valentino Rossi content with ‘tired’ Yamaha engine

Valentino Rossi declared himself happy with his performance on the opening day of practice in Brno, the Italian finishing second fastest using Yamaha’s longer life YZR-M1 motor for the first time.

Brno MotoGP: James Toseland gains front-end confidence

14 August 2009 by Matthew Birt

Brno MotoGP: James Toseland gains front-end confidence

James Toseland solved some front-end-handling issues to move to the fringes of the top ten in Brno today, the British rider ending opening practice in Brno today with the 11th best time. The British...

Brno MotoGP: Mika Kallio thrilled with seventh

14 August 2009 by Matthew Birt

Brno MotoGP: Mika Kallio thrilled with seventh

Mika Kallio’s first day as a factory Ducati rider ended in morale-boosting fashion as the Finn beat Nicky Hayden on his way to setting the seventh quickest time in Brno. Replacing Aussie Casey Stoner...

Mason: "It's getting tougher"

14 August 2009 by Gary Pinchin

Mason: "It's getting tougher"

Gary Mason came out top in three races of the BSB Cup competition at Brands on the Quay Garage Honda but had to be content with 13th, 14th and 15th in the overall BSB results. Earlier in the season...

Dundrod 150 superbike race

14 August 2009 by Phil Wain

Dundrod 150 superbike race

The Dundrod race circuit in Northern Ireland has re-asserted itself as the fastest road race circuit in the world today when Conor Cummins lapped at an unbelievable speed of 133.282mph in Thursday...

Brno MotoGP: Fiat Yamaha dominate first practice

14 August 2009 by Matthew Birt

Brno MotoGP: Fiat Yamaha dominate first practice

Fiat Yamaha duo Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi dominated the opening Czech Republic MotoGP practice session in Brno this afternoon. Lorenzo, who will definitely stay at Yamaha in 2010, was in...

Brno MotoGP: Bradley Smith quickest in 125GP practice

14 August 2009 by Matthew Birt

Brno MotoGP: Bradley Smith quickest in 125GP practice

Bradley Smith underlined his determination to forget a disastrous recent spell by clocking the fastest time in today’s 125GP practice session in Brno. The Oxfordshire rider’s world championship...