US Superbike: Spies wins at Laguna Seca July 25, 2006
Team Yoshimura Suzuki’s Ben Spies battled record-breaking heat as well as the competition to win his eighth AMA Superbike race of the season and extend his points lead at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca on Saturday as team mates Aaron Yates and Mat Mladin took fifth and sixth.
“I really want to thank my team and credit the Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000,” said Spies of his first Laguna Seca victory. “I asked them to bring me a bike that we wouldn’t have to make too many changes on because we had so little track time and that’s exactly what they did — I …
MotoGP: Determination pays Dividends for De Puniet
Randy de Puniet rode what he referred to as the hardest race of his life to take 12th place in today’s US Grand Prix at Laguna Seca, after being left to fly the flag for Kawasaki alone when his teammate, Shinya Nakano, retired with a mechanical problem shortly before the halfway stage of the race.
A poor start from the fifth row of the grid saw de Puniet chasing the whole field into the first turn, but the 25-year-old Frenchman quickly got his head down to reclaim two positions, to move up to 17th place, by the end of the second …
MotoGP: Hayden and Honda Show The Way To Go In The USA
Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC211V) won his home race for the second consecutive year at Laguna Seca, his team-mate Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC211V) finished second and another Honda star Marco Melandri (Fortuna Honda RC211V) was third as the factory completed a clean-sweep of podium places.
This was an intense race. Intense because of the heat a 62-degree track temperature, intense because of the importance of this race in terms of where it falls in the World Championship calendar, and intense because of the nature of the track and the raw qualities needed to succeed.
This is the first time a …
MotoGP: Third straight Podium for Marco Melandri
The suffering heat that has been present throughout the three days of the US Grand Prix at Laguna Seca made things tough for the MotoGP field today but FORTUNA HONDA rider Marco Melandri came through it with a creditable third place finish, a result that moves him up to third in the overall standings on 150 points. Despite the tough conditions Marco’s great physical shape kept him going to the end and he was able to make the most of the great job done by his mechanics to set the bike up during practice. His team-mate Toni Elias, still suffering …
MotoGP: Rossi’s comeback thwarted at Laguna Seca
What looked certain to be another stunning race recovery from Camel Yamaha Team rider Valentino Rossi ended in disaster today as the reigning MotoGP World Champion retired from the US Grand Prix at Laguna Seca with tyre and engine troubles. After starting from tenth on the grid Rossi slowly worked his way through the field and with just five laps remaining he was on course for a valuable fourth place finish. However, with blazing sunshine bringing track temperatures up to a soaring 56ºC, the punishing conditions inevitably took their toll and Rossi’s rear tyre developed a problem, which forced the …
MotoGP: No podium for Suzuki’s Vermeulen at Laguna
Rizla Suzuki MotoGP racer Chris Vermeulen looked set for his first MotoGP podium at today’s Red Bull US Grand Prix from Laguna Seca, but the rookie Australian was robbed of glory by a mechanical issue.
Vermeulen started from pole position and began superbly, leading the field for the first half of the race. Unfortunately a fuel supply system issue possibly caused by the extreme heat at Laguna - made his Rizla Suzuki GSV-R lose power and he was overtaken by eventual winner and Championship leader Nicky Hayden. Although Vermeulen fought to preserve his podium position and looked certain to achieve …
MotoGP: Ducati end tough Laguna race with double top ten
The Ducati Team today ended a difficult weekend with a double top-ten result at searing-hot Laguna Seca, Loris Capirossi coming home eighth, team-mate Sete Gibernau in tenth as temperatures nudged 40 degrees.
The race was a gruelling endurance test for men, machines and tyres, especially for Capirossi and Gibernau who never managed to get the best out of their bike/tyre package at this unusual racetrack. More then 3.000 ducatisti watched at the race from Ducati Island tribune.
LORIS CAPIROSSI, finished eighth, fifth overall
“I think I rode a good race, a very good race considering what we had at our disposal. It was …
MotoGP: A suffered race for Tamada at Laguna Seca
Makoto Tamada’s American week end closed with a suffered race at Laguna Seca.
After having showed in the two days of practice that there was the potential to turn on the Californian circuit with a good rhythm, today Tamada could not race well because of the progressive pain increase to the left knee injured last week in Sachsenring.
The day was characterized by a slight, further temperature rise reaching 60°C in the second part of the race. The KONICA MINOLTA Honda Team rider, started from the fourteenth place in the starting grid, ended up the United States Grand Prix in eleventh position …
SBK: Disappointing day for Ducati at Brno
Ducati Xerox Team riders Troy Bayliss and Lorenzo Lanzi had two below-par races in the seventh round of the World Superbike Championship at Brno today. Bayliss was eliminated by Rgis Laconi in a first-corner first-lap incident in the opening counter, while Lanzi struggled with lack of grip in his front tyre and had to come into the pits for a change. Both riders then suffered with severe lack of grip in the second race and could only manage eighth and ninth. Troy Bayliss’s lead in the championship with five rounds remaining is now 73 points.
“The whole day had been going …
SBK: Nieto top Kawasaki Corse rider at Brno
Fonsi Nieto (PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse) scored two sixth place finishes at Brno after a highly positive end to his race weekend, despite niggling problems in race one. Chris Walker (PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse) scored a close seventh behind Nieto in race one, but slid back to tenth in race two.
Regis Laconi (PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse) scored no points in either 20-lap Superbike race, having been taken out by a first corner incident, which also saw championship leader Troy Bayliss falling out of contention.
FONSI NIETO: 6th & 6th - 81 Points, 10th Overall:
“I made a couple of OK starts but I have to qualify …