ThePitcrewOnline

Category: Crew On Two

  • Moto3 COTA review: Fenati stamps his mark on the 2017 championship

    Romano Fenati (Marinelli Rivacold Snipers) romped to his first victory of the season to announce he is ready to fight for the Moto3 crown once again.

    Pole sitter Aron Canet (Estrella Galicia 0,0) made a blinding start and looked to be streaking clear of the field, however the race was halted by the Red Flags which came out following a crash for Japanese rookie Kaito Toba (Honda Team Asia) at T14, who eventually walked away from the accident after being aided by medics on the track.

    Canet again grabbed the hole-shot from the restart and looked confident to leave the chasing pack in his wake, his practice and qualifying pace suggested he could easily clear off at the front. Fenati though had other ideas, the Italian managed to take the lead on the first lap, only for the Spaniard to retake the lead going up the hill into the first corner, a great jostle between the pair.

    The duo were shadowed by Fabio Di Giannantonio (Del Conca Gresini Moto3), Joan Mir (Leopard Racing), Jorge Martin (Del Conca Gresini Moto3), Nicolo Bulega (Sky Racing Team VR46) and Enea Bastianini (Estrella Galicia 0,0), who were unable to keep tabs on the front twosome.

    Disaster then struck for Canet. Pushing hard to create a gap, the 18 year old had a nasty highside coming out of the penultimate corner, leaving Fenati to control the race. The result means the controversial Italian is now fourth in the championship and only 13 points off the top spot, you’d be a fool to rule him out.

    The eight time grand prix winner eventually crossed the line 4.5 seconds clear of the two Del Conca Gresini Moto3 Honda riders, with Martin edging out his team-mate ‘Di Gi’ by less than a tenth of a second. This result meant that Martin continued his 100% podium record in 2017 and after the race he told MotoGP.com that “it’s important that we’re consistent.” He leapfrogs British Talent Team pilot John McPhee in the championship to go just six points behind series leader Mir, whilst Fabio sits sixth in the standings after picking up his first podium of the season.

    In arrears of the top three were Bastianini and Bulega, who both took their best results of the year by some distance, with the VR46 rider crossing the line as the leading KTM. Juanfran Guevara (RBA BOE Racing Team), also steering a KTM machine pipped Britain’s McPhee on the penultimate corner to clinch his best result of the year, leaving the Scotsman having to settle for seventh. Despite finishing off the podium for the first time in 2017, McPhee was still able to close the gap at the top of the championship as Mir was forced to settle for eighth.

    German Philipp Oettl (Südmetall Schedl GP Racing) collected some valuable points in ninth, with Darryn Binder (Platinum Bay Real Estate), brother to last year’s world champion Brad, rounding out the top 10. The South African lead a gaggle of riders past the checkered flag which included Gabriel Rodrigo (RBA BOE Racing Team), Andrea Migno (Sky Racing Team VR46), Jules Danilo (Marinelli Rivacold Snipers), Niccolo Antonelli (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and Livio Loi (Leopard Racing).

    Jerez is up next for the future premier class protagonists, a rider and fan favourite. With the championship tightened up, the battle in Europe will be an enthralling watch with Mir, Martin, McPhee and Fenati looking to take a stranglehold on the Moto3 world championship.

    Full results: http://www.motogp.com/en/Results+Statistics/2017/AME/Moto3/RAC/World+Standing

    Elliott York @journoyork

  • Moto2 GP Review: Morbidelli is the Lone Star in Texas

    Was it ever in doubt? Franco Morbidelli (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) became the first rider since the late Daijiro Kato in 2001 to win the opening three races in the intermediate class of the MotoGP world championship, a hugely impressive feat. This shows what a talent the Italian is and you’d have to be a very brave man to bet against him to take the 2017 Moto2 championship. He also became the first Italian to win the opening three races of the year in the intermediate class since Luca Cadalora in 1992 and when you think of the amount of top Italians who have come through that class (Capirossi, Biaggi, Melandri, Rossi, Simoncelli, Pasini and Iannone to name all but a few) then you realise just how incredible he is.

    Morbidelli was able to control the race from the front throughout, despite team mate Alex Marquez main title rival Thomas Luthi (CarXpert Interwetten), Takaaki Nakagami (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) and Mattia Pasini (Italtrans Racing Team) challenging the series leader in the opening stages. The 22 year old was able to break the chasing group mid-way through the race, with Luthi remaining his closest challenger. Pasini, on for his best result of the season, then crashed out at turn one leaving the birthday boy Marquez and Nakagami to fight it out for the final position on the podium.

    The 30 year old Swiss looked to be reeling Franco in at the front, but the former European Superstock 600 champion upped the pace to consolidate his lead and eventually took the flag by 2.6 seconds. 2nd place Luthi earned his 50th Grand Prix podium, whilst Nakagami was able to fend off Marquez to grab his second podium of the campaign.

    Elsewhere in the race, there was a huge shunt at the first corner after Stefano Manzi (Sky Racing Team VR46) clattered into Julian Simon (Tech 3 Racing), taking both riders out of the race before completing a corner. The decision to put Manzi into the VR46 Moto2 team is looking increasingly like a mistake, with the young Italian failing to pick up any points in the opening three rounds. Another crash, this time at the end of the back straight saw Yonny Hernandez (AGR Team) make contact with Lorenzo Baldassarri (Forward Racing Team) and Jesko Raffin (Garage Plus Interwetten). The Colombian proving just how difficult it is to ride a Moto2 machine and be competitive, despite being used to much quicker MotoGP bikes.

    Dominique Aegerter (Kiefer Racing) crossed the line in a brilliant 5th place to get his and Suter’s best finish of the season. Not such good news on the other side of the garage though as Danny Kent announced he was leaving the team due to “irreconcilable differences.” A huge shame for the 2015 Moto3 world champion, the first British rider to win a Grand Prix world championship since Barry Sheene. Kent took to Twitter to express his feelings: “I’m still hungry & determined & believe I can be competitive in Moto2. I wish Kiefer Racing the best for the future.” It is believed that Kent’s management are looking for an alternative ride for the rest of the season, so let’s hope he can jump on a competitive bike and prove that he can mix it in the intermediate class.

    Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) continued his and KTM’s impressive start to the season, bringing home a solid 6th to put the Portuguese star 3rd in the championship to leave him 32 points behind Morbidelli. Simone Corsi (Speed Up Racing) claimed seventh on a track that has often been a good one for the Speed Up chassis, with the last non Kalex win coming at COTA in 2015 with Sam Lowes on board. Corsi finished ahead of Marcel Schrötter (Intact Dynavolt GP) whilst Tech 3 Racing’s Xavi Vierge continues to massively impress on the out-of-favour chassis, he now lies 5th in the championship.

    The battle for the top 10 saw Luca Marini (Forward Racing Team) beat Hafizh Syahrin (Petronas Raceline Malaysia), with Fabio Quartararo (Pons HP 40) staging an impressive comeback in the latter half of the race into P12, finishing as top rookie once again.

    Xavier Simeon (Tasca Racing Scuderia Moto2) led Brad Binder’s injury replacement Ricky Cardus (Red Bull KTM Ajo) home in P13, with Jorge Navarro (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) completing the point’s scorers after a late mistake saw him drop positions, despite some impressive pace on board Sam Lowes’ old bike.

    The field now head to Europe, as the ever popular Circuit de Jerez hosts the fourth round of the Moto2 world championship. Can anyone put a stop Morbidelli’s relentless title surge? For sure the Spaniards will be looking to claw back some of the deficit on home soil as it

    promises to be another fascinating weekend of two wheeled racing.

    Elliott York @journoyork

  • A Spartan’s Struggle

    It was the worst-kept secret in the MotoGP paddock last year: Triple premier class champion, Jorge Lorenzo, was leaving the all conquering Yamaha factory outfit for Ducati in 2017. Signed to deliver the red bike’s first World Championship since Casey Stoner exactly a decade ago.

    It has not gone as planned. Lorenzo’s results from the three opening fly-away races read thus:

    Qatar: P11 (Started P12), 5 points

    Argentina: DNF (Started P16)

    USA: P9 (Started P6), 7 points

    The warning signs had been evident for any rider joining Ducati: Just a few seasons after winning his title, Stoner became disillusioned with the team and defected to see out his racing days with Honda. Furthermore, since Stoner left in 2010, the Italian team have achieved victory in a grand total of two grands prix (Andreas Iannone and Dovizioso at Austria and Malaysia last season, respectively). Not even Valentino Rossi, with nine world titles to his name, could tame the Desmosedici-RR. The latter’s failure was perhaps Lorenzo’s real motivation for signing. Succeed where his arch rival could not.

    Winter testing was a disaster for both team and rider. Although it is always difficult to judge the real performance of riders and teams, as we are not privy to details such as fuel loads and tyre choice, Lorenzo was constantly in the bottom half of the timesheets throughout most of the sessions. This was also because of Ducati discovering that they had lost some ground on their rivals now that the winglets had been banned. The lack of such aerodynamic aids has undoubtedly hurt the cornering performance of the Bologna-based outfit. With this in mind, the Spaniard was clearly always going to be struggling to adapt from the start.

    However, in Ducati’s defence, their bike has always been much more physically demanding to ride than others. Therein lies the crux of all problems for the man known to his fans as ‘The Spartan’. Whilst the M1 has garnered the reputation of being arguably the most well balanced grand-prix bike to ever be built, the Ducati is the polar opposite. Designed around maximum straight line speed, the rider must be prepared to haul himself and the bike around every corner, combating the extreme levels of ‘chatter’ through the suspension, as the machine fights against every directional change. It takes an extraordinary rider to tame the beast. There is no place for finesse and smooth trajectories, which Lorenzo has built his career upon to date.

    As a result, perhaps it should not have surprised us that the early stages of Lorenzo’s relationship with his new employers have been rocky. Both team and rider have had a stark reality check since joining forces. Ducati almost certainly won’t be able to win the championship this season, and Lorenzo has discovered how much he underestimated the challenge of riding the Ducati would be.

    Poorer than expected results, and a completely disconsolate Lorenzo after Argentina, led certain media outlets into speculating how quickly he might part ways with his team. It was telling that it was Lorenzo who moved first to clarify his situation before last weekend’s American Grand Prix: “I don’t want to think about what has happened. In the team we are all optimistic. We’re working well together and this difficult moment will be over soon.”

    Whilst ninth place will not bring home any accolades, it is proof that both the rider and team are improving. Lorenzo was understandably more buoyant speaking after the race. Additionally, there was more of a hint of the old bullish Jorge when on top form: “Today I was faster than ever on race pace. For sure we cannot be satisfied with our final position because our target is certainly much higher. We’re here to fight with Yamaha and Honda. But the positive is we’re much closer than before.”

    Now that does not sound like a man who’s giving up just yet.

    Eddie Hocknull @EddieHocknull

  • Moto3 Americas GP Preview: Mir wanting a Hat-Trick

    The Circuit of the Americas plays host to the third round of the Moto3 world championship, with three men dominating the opening two rounds. Joan Mir (Leopard Racing), after two expert victories in Qatar and Argentina, sits on top of the leader board with a perfect 50 points. The Mallorcan will be looking to become the second youngest rider to win three successive Moto3 races since MotoGP series leader Maverick Vinales managed it back in 2012.

    Hot on the heels of Mir is the most experienced man in the class, Britain’s John McPhee. The 22 year old, now racing with the newly formed British Talent Team with the favoured Honda package underneath him, has started the season fine form with two second place finishes. 2016 was a mixed year for the young Scot, despite picking up his maiden win in the monsoon like conditions in the Czech Republic. McPhee looks stronger than ever before in 2017, with factory backing from Honda and guidance from former MotoGP pilot Jeremy McWilliams, a genuine title challenge looks to be on the cards. His best result at Austin came in 2015 where he powered through from 15th on the grid to finish 6th, so if McPhee can replicate his Argentine pole, there’s no reason why we can’t see the determined Scotsman pick up his first win of the season.

    It has been a great year for the initials ‘J.M’ so far in 2017 as joining Mir and McPhee on the Moto3 podium on both occasions has been Del Conca Gresini Moto3’s Jorge Martin. His third place in Argentina has taken his overall podium tally to three, however his recent record at COTA has been disappointing, crashing out in his previous two visits to the circuit. We can expect the 20 year old to be fighting for the podium places once again, despite the KTM machines occupying four of the top five places in last year’s race.

    The J.M’s were the first riders to stand on the podium in the first two lightweight class races, in the same order, since 1972. (couldn’t find when it was last done in 3 races).

    However, there are a whole host of young, hungry and determined youngsters ready to end Mir’s domination. The returning Romano Fenati is the only rider on the grid to have picked up podium finishes in the previous four years in Austin. The Italian sits 5th in the championship and will be looking to add to his 5th and 7th place finishes in the states. Andrea Migno, the highest placed KTM rider in 4th will be hoping to break the Honda stranglehold. German Phillip Oettl is the next placed KTM in championship, lying in 8th position. The Südmetall Schedl GP Racing rider finished 4th in the USA in 2016, so expect him to be right up there this weekend.

    Pre-season favourites Enea Bastianini, Niccolo Antonelli and Nicolo Bulega will be hoping to kick start their seasons after a disappointing opening two rounds.

    It certainly promises to be another fairing-bashing race, with the big question being can anyone stop Mir and the Honda’s? Let’s hope McPhee can spoil the Spaniards party and carry on his title charge, whilst KTM will be looking to pick up their first rostrum of the season.

    Elliott York @journoyork

  • MotoGP Americas GP Preview: Time to make a Marc in 2017

    After two eventful opening races of the season, the MotoGP circus parades up to Texas, for the Americas Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA). Although having only been on the calendar since 2013, the premier class has been dominated by Marc Marquez – however, the five-time champion languishes in the championship, with just a 4th to his name so far. Can all that be changed in the states?

    Although we normally start our previews with the championship leader, we have to start this one with Captain America himself. Marc Marquez has won at COTA ever since it joined the calendar in 2013. He dominated proceedings last season whilst in 2015, he did have to scrap a bit with Rossi and Dovizioso. The stop-start hard breaking and tight turning obviously suits his style but unfortunately, that may not suit the Honda’s style. Marc’s form is a little bit left to be desired in 2017. A 4th and a crash out of the lead is not what he had in mind to start his title defence but he will be hoping to continue his domination around what has become his territory on the MotoGP calendar.

    Maverick Vinales will be looking to become the first Yamaha rider since Kenny Roberts Snr in 1980 to win the opening three races of the year and the first Yamaha rider to win at the new venue. Vinales hasn’t finished outside the top 10 since coming to the track with the premier class, with 4th last year and 9th the year before. In 2014, he won his first Moto2 race and was 2nd in the first ever Moto3 race in 2013. Now he is on a winning bike and in good form, it may well be time to break Marc Marquez’ stranglehold on the circuit and take the honours for Yamaha. If he or Rossi take a victory at COTA, it will be Yamaha’s 500th in Grand Prix.

    Valentino Rossi comes to the United States of America in the same championship position as last year. 2nd in the world currently, the nine time champion will be looking to settle a score with what is statistically his worst circuit on the calendar. No win and just one podium hardly make for a Valentino Rossi love story in Austin. The scene was the start of his championship title unravelling last season when he crashed out and in 2014, 8th was all he could manage. Valentino hasn’t won in America since Indianapolis in 2008. There was a hurricane that day and I certainly wouldn’t put it past The Doctor causing a storm on Sunday. He’s come through the field twice already this year, so can it be lucky number three?

    Despite being wiped out in Argentina for the second consecutive season, Andrea Dovizioso comes into the Americas GP in third. The Ducati rider struggled in Argentina, finding himself in 13th on the grid. He was in 8th before he was unceremoniously helped to the floor by Aleix Espargaro. The Italian may not be looking forward to COTA given recent experiences. He was taken out at the first turn by Dani Pedrosa last year, although the season before, he was 2nd and in 2014, he was 3rd. With a 30 point gap to series leader Vinales, a win would be needed for the Ducati team, who have done anything but shine this season. Ducati haven’t won in America since Casey Stoner at Laguna Seca in 2007 and that is one drought that the team will want to end.

    In 4th position, Britain’s Scott Redding will be hoping for another top 10 finish. The Ducati rider has finished every race since Catalunya last year, although three of them were 0-point finishes. Redding was 6th in the Americas Grand Prix last year, meaning it was the first time that he had finished in the points at the track. There is also a psychological advantage to Redding, who is beating his teammate Petrucci, despite the Italian being on the Factory bike. The 24-year-old Brit will be hoping for his momentum to continue in the USA.

    Completing the top five is fellow Brit and double winner from 2016, Cal Crutchlow. The Brit took a stunning third place in Argentina to kick-start his season following a point-less Qatar. Crutchlow’s form in the Americas GP has been mixed, with 17th last year after a crash but a 7th in 2015 remains his best result on the Honda. However, it was 2013 where Cal got his best result at the track, with 4th. In 2014, he crashed at the fast turn two, suffering horrible hand injuries which hampered him for the first part of the season. Cal sits as top Honda in the championship and will be gunning for a top five at the very least. Who’s to say a podium would be too much to ask?

    Rookie Jonas Folger is the rider who occupies 6th place in the championship. The Tech 3 Yamaha rider has rode well so far in 2017, with two top-10 placings from his first two races. Folger’s best result at COTA remains a 4th in 2013 on a Kalex KTM, although last year he was 5th in Moto2. With a Tech 3 Yamaha that is obviously handling very sweetly, Folger may well be able to gel with the track on a big 1000cc bike. The last German rider to get a podium was Stefan Bradl in 2013 at Laguna Seca. Can the drought be ended in Texas?

    Jack Miller is 7th in the championship and the 2nd Honda. The Australian winner from last season has had a consistent start to 2017, with an 8th and 9th in Qatar and Argentina respectively. He didn’t start in the race last year but was 14th in 2015 and won the Moto3 race in 2014. The last Australian to win in the USA was Casey Stoner in 2007 at Laguna Seca, something that Miller will want to put right, even if the odds may not be in his favour. Don’t put it past him to put in another sterling effort for a top-10 finish.

    Keep your eyes on Alvaro Bautista this weekend, after an incredible ride in Argentina to finish 4th. The Spaniard has some tricky form at the track, with an 11th and 15th in 2016 and 2015 respectively, both on the Aprilia. He crashed in 2014 but was 8th when the paddock came for the first time. His 4th place in Argentina was the first time since Le Mans in 2014 that he had a top five result. He hasn’t had back to back top five finishes since Motegi and Valencia in 2013 and he has never had back to back 4th place finishes. Will he continue this stunning run of good form?

    Other names include Andrea Iannone, who was somewhat unfairly penalised for apparently causing Jorge Lorenzo to crash at Argentina. Anyone blessed with eyesight could tell you that Lorenzo most certainly rode up the back of the Italian. Jorge Lorenzo is another big name who is languishing in the championship, in 18th with just five points to his name. A track he has never won at and with just two podiums to his name at COTA, it’s hardly likely we will see Jorge shine this weekend. But give him time.

    Johann Zarco got points on the board in Argentina, finishing a solid 5th. The Frenchman is 11th in the championship, behind Dani Pedrosa, who also sits on 11 points. Aleix Espargaro will be hoping to bounce back from his Argentina mistake with another top six. Danilo Petrucci missed the Americas GP last year but will be hungry to return to the track and get more points on the table after finishing 7th in Argentina.

    Loris Baz and Hector Barbera will be hoping for some big improvements to come their way to challenge for the top 10 once more, whilst fellow Ducati rider Karel Abraham is going to be hoping to be upset the front runners again, with another solid qualifying position – like in Argentina.

    The other two rookies – Sam Lowes and Alex Rins – are going to be looking to challenge for the points again. Rins’ fractured ankle will not be making his life pleasant whilst Lowes will be in search of his first points in the premier class at COTA, a track he has won at in Moto2.

    Both KTMs scored points at Termas and if they can do the same again in Texas then we know that they have got massive potential for the rest of the season. Tito Rabat’s double point scoring rides in the opening two races will be propelling the Spaniard in his challenge for a top 10.

    Kiko Giles @MotoGPKiko

  • Mossey Doubles Up, Byrne Falls and Bradley Ray Shines

    Race 1

    Venue: Brands Hatch (Indy Circuit)

    Weather: Dry, overcast.

    Starting Grid: Pole – James Ellison, P2 – Luke Mossey, P3 – Leon Haslam

    As the lights went out it was Leon Haslam (JG-Speedfit Kawasaki) who got the holeshot into Paddock Hill Bend off the line, but any hopes of an early lead were short lived by polesitter Ellison, who forced his way back on the final corner, and began to pull clear. With Ellison (McAms-Yamaha) clear early on, a chase group consisting of the JG duo of Mossey, Haslam and Tyco-BMW’s Christian Iddon formed to battle behind.

    However, it wasn’t to be glory for the leader Ellison when, on Lap 13, he lost the front wheel on entry to the Druids hairpin and came to rest unceremoniously in the gravel trap. With the Cumbrian out of contention, it was Mossey who inherited the lead and did not surrender.

    It was though a poor start to the race from 2016 champion, Shane Byrne. The BeWiser-Ducati ace dropped from his starting grid position of fourth on the opening lap, losing out to several places and had to fight his way through the mid-field. However, this only fuelled his fire as he carved his way back up into the top ten, and managing to close in on the race leaders in the latter stages.

    Terrific scrap over second and third place ensued when Byrne closed up to Haslam and Iddon. The trio swapping track position countless times during the exchange. Eventually it was 2016 runner-up Haslam who emerged victorious of the three, with Iddon producing a brilliant rearguard effort to fend off the Ducati on the last lap for the final place on the podium.

    Further down the field there were duels to be found across the track. One of the most entertaining of these was between Avil-TAG Yamaha’s Josh Brookes and Smith’s-Racing BMW’s Peter Hickman over ninth and tenth. With neither bike capable of keeping pace with the front group, the two competed in what can probably best be described as tag-team slipstreaming, as the pair towed each other away from the mid-field pack, before scrapping it out in the final laps.

    But the race belonged to Luke Mossey who claimed his first ever BSB race win. The 24-year old rode superbly, always having the measure of his more illustrious team-mate, Haslam, and took full advantage of Ellison’s misfortune to give JG-Speedfit Kawasaki their third straight win of the season.

    Race Results: 1 – Luke Mossey, 2 – Leon Haslam, 3 – Christian Iddon

    Race 2

    Weather: Dry, Overcast

    Starting Grid: Pole – Ellison, P2 – Mossey, P3 – Haslam

    There was drama even before the lights went out on the grid, as polesitter James Ellison suffered yet more misery. Visibly struggling on the warm up laps, he pulled into the pitlane and retired with what was reported to be a serious steering issue, thought to have stemmed from his crash in race one.

    Tyco-BMW’s Christian Iddon continued his solid weekend, forcing his way past Haslam’s JG-Speedfit Kawasaki for P2. The former British Supermoto champion backed up his impressive displays at Donington Park, earlier in the month, with back-to-back podium finishes here at Brands Hatch. The feat made all the more remarkable when one considers that the BMW machine has struggled to match the competitiveness of the likes of Kawasaki and Ducati in recent seasons. A testament to the riding talent of the Stockport ace.

    Shane Byrne, who had been struggling with a lack of traction on the BeWiser-Ducati in the first race, appeared to be having a much smoother ride second time out. Having made setup changes to compromise a little straight line speed for more corner stability, the 5 times British champion was finally able to compete at the front end of the field. Fighting Honda’s Jason O’Halloran for P4. However, disaster struck in the closing stages for the home favourite when, fighting for third with Haslam, he lost the front end at clearways, and finishing with a slide into the gravel trap.

    Behind the leading pack. TAG-Avil Yamaha’s Josh Brookes fought his way through the field and, following the carnage up the road, was rewarded with a fourth place finish. The Australian was pushed to the limit again to secure his finishing position, finishing ahead of Honda’s Jason O’Halloran by just 0.1 seconds.

    Perhaps the most spectacular ride was from Bradley Ray. He made two passes from a long way back at Graham Hill Bend, showing his class in his first year in the Superbike class. The crowd were rooting for him too. He really is a star of tomorrow!

    As with the opening race, it was JG-Speedfit Kawasaki’s Luke Mossey who claimed the top step of the podium. Back-to-back wins for the popular Cambridge man. Any doubts from spectators that he could hold race winning pace were obliterated.

    Race Result: 1) Luke Mossey, 2) Christian Iddon, 3) Leon Haslam

    We would also like to thank Gareth Davies of Full Factory Media and Photography for providing us with some stunning images yet again. You can contact Gareth here, regarding special prints, copies and all other things photography related.

    Eddie Hocknull @EddieHocknull

  • Two-In-A-Row for Mir as Battle Raged in Moto3

    After the rain of Saturday’s Qualifying, the riders were greeted with cool but dry conditions for Sunday’s race at the Termas de Rio Hondo Circuit in northwest Argentina.

    Everyone all made good clean starts as the lights went out. Britain’s John McPhee (Starting from pole position) initially lost the lead on the run down to turn one, but regained it quickly after profiting from a more than generous slipstream pulling him down the back straight into turn five. The lead would be disputed continuously throughout the race, as no rider has sufficient power to ever fully pull clear. With such small machines, and only around 40bhp, slipstreaming is a crucial element of racing in the ‘cadet class’. When a group of riders finally pulled away at the front, it numbered eleven competitors.

    The race-craft that was required and indeed displayed by these young riders was of the highest quality. Particularly for none more so than Qatar winner, Joan Mir. The Spaniard had looked competitive during Friday practice, but was amongst the riders caught out by the weather in Qualifying. As such, he had to fight his way through the field, having started from P16.

    He rode through the field and avoided the chaos which unfolded behind him as Niccolo Antonelli and Romano Fenati came to blows on the second lap. The former being forced to retire, and the latter earning an investigation from the stewards. There was also misfortune elsewhere as with just 10 laps to go, the hometown hero – Gabriel Rodrigo crashed out at turn five. Lorenzo Baldassarri and Fabio Di Giannantonio followed suit the very next lap.

    The racing was intense all throughout the field, as every position was fiercely contested. With the championship containing a staggering 31 riders, there is desperation everywhere from these youngsters (most of them between 16-19 years old) to be noticed and sought after by teams in Moto2. Riders who are only just starting their grand-prix careers – such as Kaito Toba and Tony Arbolino – were challenging and beating more seasoned competitors such as Niccolo Bulega, Jakub Kornfeil and Jules Danilo.

    And it is not just the boys taking the spotlight. 20-year old Maria Herrera fought her way up through the pack on her AGR-Team KTM machine to fifteenth place, and a coveted championship point. It has not been an easy road for the girl from Toledo, Spain. But having signed for a new team during the off-season now seems to be beginning to flourish in the Grand-Prix paddock.

    But it was fellow compatriot, Mir, who eventually claimed the spoils. Back-to-back victories and a maximum complement of 50 points from the two opening rounds puts him in early command of the championship. McPhee once again had to settle for the second step on the podium, again still defying much of the pre-weekend expectation. Jorge Martin, on the Del Conca Gresini Racing machine, the front runners more than honest. His podium finish a just reward for his efforts.

    Race Results – Top 10: (1) Joan Mir, (2) John McPhee, (3), Jorge Martin, (4) Phillip Oettl, (5) Andrea Migno, (6) Livio Loi, (7) Romano Fenati, (8), Tatsuki Suzuki, (9) Juanfran Guevara, (10), Kaito Toba

    Eddie Hocknull @EddieHocknull

  • Mackenzie On Fire In Supersport Opener

    Photo courtesy of Gareth Davies of Full Factory Media.

    Tarran Mackenzie kick-started his 2017 British Supersport campaign with a win in Sunday’s race, in a thrilling race-long battle with Alistair Seeley, Ben Currie, Andy Irwin, David Allingham and replacement rider, Keith Farmer.

    The McAms Yamaha rider was in the 4th and 5th for the majority of the race, as the Gearlink Kawasaki pairing of Ben Currie and Andy Irwin did battle with the Team Spirit Moto2 bike of Alistair Seeley, as the three swapped places numerous time each lap.

    David Allingham battled with EHA Yamaha teammate Ross Twyman until he broke clear and bridged the gap to the leading group. Jack Kennedy on the MV Agusta also came through the pack and joined the crew at the head of the field.

    On the penultimate lap, all hell broke loose as Seeley and Irwin went side by side through the Old Hairpin and Starky’s before Tarran Mackenzie took both of them into McClean’s. Into the Melbourne Loop, Irwin nearly knocked Mackenzie off as he went for the inside, whilst former Superstock 1000 champion Keith Farmer barged his way through past Seeley.

    On the final lap, Tarran Mackenzie capitalised on the shenanigans between the Gearlink riders and broke clear by over a second to secure victory on the last lap, ahead of Seeley and Irwin, although Seeley didn’t score any points. Currie held off Allingham and Kennedy whilst the aggressiveness and flamboyancy of Keith Farmer only managed to get him 7th on the road. Ross Twyman, Joe Francis and newcomer Keenan Armstrong rounded out the top 10.

    A scintillating race in the Supersport class made up for the disappointment and sadness of Saturday, following the cancellation of their sprint race due to the untimely death of Ducati Tri Options cup rider, Mick Whalley. The sun-soaked crowd got a treat as Supersport provided some seriously entertaining racing.

    The action and drama continues in a fortnights time at Brands Hatch Indy where you can expect a fast and furious pace as the riders tackle what is one of the most physically demanding tracks on the calendar. Will Tarran Mackenzie repeat his efforts of round one and take victory or will the opposition fight back to restrict him an early lead in his bid to retain his Supersport crown? Only time will tell.

     

    Kiko Giles @MotoGPKiko

  • Hickman Hopeful of ‘Strong’ Year Ahead

    Photo courtesy of Gareth Davies, of Full Factory Media.

    Road Racing specialist and BSB race winner Peter Hickman is hoping for strong season ahead after a good start to the year at Donington Park. I caught up with him briefly in the paddock as he joins his third team in as many seasons, with Smith’s BMW.

    How have you fitted in so far with your new team?

    I’ve moved to the Smith’s BMW Racing Team and everything’s going alright so far. Testing went really well, although testing is one thing and racing is another. The first day on track in England with everyone else and hopefully we can have a strong year.

    Does riding the BMW in 2015 give you an advantage?

    Actually, it’s completely different to be fair. The bike is meant to be the same but everyone has a different idea of how they want to build it. Each bike you ride, although the manufacturer might be the same, it’s actually very different. We’re running Ohlins suspension which no one has run on a BMW in the UK. It is very different but I am happy with it all so far and we will just have to wait and see.

    What is the plan with you regarding road racing in 2017?

    I will be doing the roads with this team, all of them too. We will be riding the Triumph in the Supersport category and the Smith’s BMW in the Superbikes class, which I’m really looking forward to.

    Can we expect to see you in the Showdown?

    Haha! Well that is definitely the plan and that’s what we are gunning for. The championship gets stronger every year; we say that year on year but it just seems to be the case with the new additions. I think we will be in for good year this year.

    Kiko Giles @MotoGPKiko

  • Halsall: I wasn’t enjoying BSB

    Martin Halsall left the BSB class last season but is more than up for success on the roads and in British Supersport, with William Dunlop and Joe Farncis respectively. Again, a thoroughly entertaining interview with an owner who is without doubt one of the friendlies and most accessible in the paddock.

     

    Well it was a bit of a long way around really, to come back to where we started. Obviously, we decided not to do BSB, which was fine in 2016. We built an R6 anyway, for William (Dunlop) doing the roads. So, we ended up with the bike being surplus to requirements. We’d made the decision to come away from Superbikes, enter Supersport with a bike, which was, like I say, surplus to requirements. Joe (Francis) used to work with one of our mechanics last year with TTC Yamaha. I’ve had my eye on Joe for 2 or 3 years as I know Roger Marshall. We chatted about Joe moving forwards and the conversation came up of running him in Supersport. The fact that we had a bike ready to go made perfect sense to do it here. We’re back in the paddock and the main reason I got into bike racing was to help young riders in Supersport and to enjoy it. We’ve chosen to go back to where we started; it’s a good move and this year I expect to be getting podiums and maybe a challenge at the championship. Joe is an extremely talented rider.

    Did you offer Tommy Bridewell a ride in the Supersport class?

    No. Obviously, from finishing in BSB, we had to let Tommy go. We had numerous conversations out of season about us doing something and we made the decision not to. The communication as far as Tommy riding our bike finished there really. We’re still in contact with him which is good, as it wasn’t a fall out.

    Do you regret not holding out a bit longer for the new Suzuki having seen how competitive it is?

    No. No, definitely not. The reason I came into BSB was to enjoy it and I was getting to a point in BSB where I wasn’t enjoying it. Last year, we were promised the bike on three occasions and we knew when the bike came, that it would be a good one. We’re not saying that potentially in the future, we wouldn’t run a Suzuki because if they’re a competitive bike then I’m keen to put riders on competitive bikes. As a privateer team, that’s what that gives you – the opportunity to be competitive against the factories. With the Suzuki last year, we put a lot of work and a lot of effort into 2015 and 2016 but unfortunately it wasn’t to be. We had good seasons and Tommy did well to get two podiums last year but I don’t regret waiting. I’m happy with where we are and let someone else have a stab with it.

    Are you already planning on heading back into the BSB class, when you say, “in the future”?

    The thing that I needed to do was get out of it, regroup and start fresh again. Fortunately, now we are in a good position in Supersport with Joe and I can see us doing something Superbike wise in the future, we’re just not sure when.

    Yamaha are one of a few manufacturers producing new Supersport bikes but you’ve opted to stay with the old Yamaha 600cc machine. Why is that?

    The reason for that is because Joe was consistent last year on the R6. He rode it very well last season. We know there’s a new R6 but we aren’t going to change, we are going to stick to what we’ve got. We know it’s strong enough. Whilst other teams may opt for a new bike and try and find their feet there, they’re taking a big risk. You could hit the ground running and be lucky or you could have a bike that’s difficult and be unlucky.

    Who are your sponsors?

    Movuno.com are an online estate agents. The way I see it is that estate agents are predominantly online anyway with Right Move and Zoopla. They offer the same package as a high-street estate agent but with a fixed price of £599 instead of paying a percentage fee on the price of your house when selling it. They’re fabulous to work with.

    How is Joe to work with?

    A complete idiot (Joe just came into the truck). No, he’s brilliant! Even over the weekend, he’s acknowledged that whilst being faster in sectors one and two, he has been a bit slack in sector four. This morning, he went fastest in sector four and that shows me something within a rider that he has the ability to adapt. He has the brains to focus on where he’s not so strong. He thinks ‘I won’t focus on one or two because I’ve done that, but I’ll focus on the sectors I’m not perhaps as good at’. So, if you look at that moving forward, then you’re there or there abouts. So yes, it’s all good.

    At what point did you know that BSB wasn’t happening in 2017.

    There’s obviously a high level of investment needed for a Superbike team. Bennetts had pretty much chosen that they were going to go and talk with Hawk Racing to follow the Suzuki brand. So, it left us without sponsors. I’m quite happy to fund some of the gap but I’m not prepared to fund all of the gap. We did have conversations with Josh Brookes and Tommy Bridewell but to put a structure together and be competitive at that level, I wasn’t prepared to fund it all myself.

    Do you therefore feel let down by Bennetts?

    No, not really – business is business at the end of the day. They’ll go with whatever brand they want to. The way I run a team I would hope is very professional, well presented and we do things properly. We’ve always built good bikes. There’s not a lot more we can do on our side.

    Can you win the Supersport championship and be successful on the roads this season?

    Yes, we can. I think that there’s a main combination to win championships. The rider has to be right, the bike has to be right and the team have to be right with the right structure and I do think we have that. Joe is an extremely talented rider who will go a long, long way. From what I’ve already seen, he has an amazing attitude towards racing and an amazing attitude to growing within racing. The rider is the right rider. The bike is competitive and proven. The team is a great team and we all work very hard. Within all that as well, you put all that effort in and hopefully get a little bit of luck too. I think the roads will be a little bit different. It’s the same combination as on the short circuits. William is an extremely talented rider, whether he will be there winning at the TT, I’m not so sure. That’s not me not having belief in my rider – I do have belief in my rider but I’m also realistic. I know who else is out there in the competition. My choice with William was ‘potentially he isn’t going to win it but he’s a great brand to have on board’ and that’s the choice we made.

    Do you miss Tommy Bridewell?

    We miss Tommy massively. He’s a very close personal friend and he’s been up to the house and spent the day with us, with his wife Stacey. We are extremely close to Tommy and Movuno are still sponsoring him personally. He is an extremely talented rider. Last season, we were on an old bike and he proved what he could do. Back to the three combinations, the thing that was missing was the bike because it was an old bike. No problems with the team or the rider, the problem primarily was the bike. If Tommy has the full package then I think he could really show what Tommy Bridewell is made of.

    Did you have an idea about coming down to Supersport with two riders?

    Originally, it was only going to be the Road Racing with William but through circumstances with the R6, we had a conversation with Joe. I didn’t think to do Supersport, it was just we had a bike that was surplus to requirements and that we may as well give Joe a chance. There was a chance to look at putting William on the short circuits but we haven’t followed that up and he will be remaining on the roads.

    Photo credit to Gareth Davies of Full Factory Media.

    Kiko Giles @MotoGPKiko