MotoGP

Dani Pedrosa has become the first rider to win two races in the 2013 MotoGP™ season, coming from sixth position on the grid in mixed conditions at the Monster Energy Grand Prix de France in Le Mans. He now leads the championship from Repsol Honda Team teammate Marc Marquez, who fought to the podium after a poor start as Britain’s Cal Crutchlow finished a GP career-best second.

For the second year in succession, the field was presented with a wet track for the start of the race, with all competitors duly electing to fit the soft compound wet weather tyres for both front and rear wheels, although this resulted in an extremely difficult final laps as the tarmac dried out.

Pedrosa’s ride to a first victory at Le Mans in the premier class was a calculated but exciting one. Having crashed in qualifying, he stayed out of trouble at the start and passed Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo. The Honda rider then caught Ducati Team’s Andrea Dovizioso, who had fought into the lead from a front row start and continually re-passed Pedrosa whenever the latter made a mistake. The final swapping of places came at half distance.

The weekend was a memorable one for Crutchlow. On Saturday the Englishman sustained a fracture to the top of his shinbone, causing immense pain in the knee, but from fourth on the grid he made the most of the mixed conditions and stormed passed old teammate Dovizioso in the closing stages. The Ducati rider led for a chunk of the race and ultimately just missed out on a rostrum result as Marquez fought back from a poor getaway and a selection of off-track moments. The Spaniard therefore maintained his 100% podium finish record for 2013.

Nicky Hayden confirmed Ducati’s strongest day of the campaign to date by finishing fifth from GO&FUN Honda Gresini’s Alvaro Bautista, but it was a somewhat disastrous afternoon for Yamaha Factory Racing. Lorenzo struggled to make an impression and slid down the order to seventh with major set-up issues, whereas Valentino Rossi – who had previously battled with his teammate – fell while under pressure from Hayden. The Italian recovered to 12th behind Pramac Racing’s Andrea Iannone, whose temporary teammate Michele Pirro rose to eighth ahead of Tech 3’s Bradley Smith.

LCR Honda MotoGP’s Stefan Bradl finished tenth after suffering a small fall due to issues with his visor and general visibility. Aleix Espargaro again celebrated the top CRT spot in 13th, although the Power Electronics Aspar rider had to fight past Came IodaRacing Project’s Danilo Petrucci and took advantage of a crash for teammate and local favourite Randy de Puniet. Gresini’s Bryan Staring, NGM Mobile Forward Racing’s Claudio Corti, Came IodaRacing Project’s Lukas Pesek and PBM’s Yonny Hernandez also all retired, but no rider suffered injury.

Moto2

Britain’s Scott Redding triumphed in Moto2™ for the first time as he won a rain-affected Monster Energy Grand Prix de France in Le Mans today. It was a one-two finish for the Marc VDS Racing Team as Mika Kallio finished second, but there was disaster for numerous championship contenders who slipped out of contention.

Redding’s emotional victory makes him the first British rider to win at Le Mans since Alan Carter took the chequered flag in the 250 race of 30 years ago; his own previous career win had been in the 125 class at Donington Park in 2008. This afternoon’s success was no easy feat, as at the start the 20-year-old had plummeted to ninth position off the wetter, right-hand side of the track following heavy rain overnight.

Takaaki Nakagami led in the early stages from Pol Espargaro, with both Espargaro and championship-leading Tuenti HP 40 teammate Esteve Rabat falling in harmony at Musee corner, dropping down the order on Lap 3. Nakagami was left with a three-second advantage, but the Italtrans Racing Team man lost control at the same corner just four laps later as sprinkles of rain made for a greasy track surface.

The intermediary conditions contributed to retirements for no less than ten riders, including Mapfre Aspar Tech Moto2 pairing Jordi Torres and Nico Terol, Interwetten Paddock Moto2 Racing’s Tom Luthi and the independently-funded Gino Rea, who had remarkably reached a high of 12th position from 31st on the grid.

A strong recovery ride from Redding saw him rise to the front on Lap 8, passing Johann Zarco who had delighted the French crowd by leading. Redding’s teammate Kallio looked to threaten as he typically grew stronger and pushed on in the second half of the race. Heavier rain towards the end threw a spanner into the works for Redding, but red flags flew on the 24th of 26 laps. As the result was declared at the end of Lap 22 (the last which all riders had completed), Kallio inherited second position despite being overtaken by Xavier Simeon before the stoppage. Nevertheless, the Belgian Desguaces La Torre Maptaq rider still achieved a first ever podium finish.

Technomag carXpert’s Dominique Aegerter and Came Iodaracing Project’s aforementioned Zarco were fourth and fifth from NGM Mobile Racing’s Mattia Pasini, JiR Moto2’s Mike di Meglio and Italtrans’ Julian Simon. Anthony West and Alex de Angelis completed the top ten for QMMF Racing Team and NGM Mobile Forward Racing, respectively, as reigning Moto3™ champion Sandro Cortese scored his first Moto2 points, in 13th place for Dynavolt Intact GP. In 15th, the final point was collected by Tech 3 Racing’s Frenchman Louis Rossi, who had won the Moto3™ race at Le Mans 12 months ago.

Moto3

Maverick Viñales won Sunday’s Moto3™ Monster Energy Grand Prix de France in Le Mans from pole position, thus becoming the first two-time race victor of the 2013 season. The well-judged ride saw the Team Calvo rider head up an all-Spanish podium from previous race winners Alex Rins and Luis Salom.

Rain had been forecast for the race, but ultimately no drops would fall over the course of the 24 laps. Viñales enjoyed a clean start this afternoon, but it was Mapfre Aspar Team Moto3’s Jonas Folger who – from a front row start – swept into the lead under braking for Turn 3.

It took Viñales two attempts to make the move stick, but he eventually edged back past Folger on the ninth lap. The German would soon drop to fourth place, behind Estrella Galicia 0,0’s Rins and Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Salom, as he overshot the Chemin aux Boeufs chicane. Rins’ teammate Alex Marquez finished inside the top five for the first time since Qatar, having overtaken front row starter Miguel Oliveira who lost control of his Mahindra Racing bike and crashed at the start of Lap 4. If any lap was a winning one for Viñales, it was the penultimate, as he delivered a scorching fastest lap of the race to extend the leading advantage to just under one second.

There were several touches between bikes and no less than seven riders failed to make the finish. Kiefer Racing’s Florian Alt fell just seconds after Oliveira had departed the race while GO&FUN Gresini Moto3 duo Niccolo Antonelli and Lorenzo Baldassarri, plus Marc VDS Racing Team’s wildcard Jules Danilo, made unforced errors. The biggest moment came on Lap 21, as Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Zulfahmi Khairuddin highsided at Chemin aux Boeufs while running seventh, landing across the bows of Avant Tecno’s Niklas Ajo and duly removing both men from the action.

The Khairuddin-Ajo incident very much shook up the running order. Jakub Kornfeil was sixth for Redox RW Racing GP as San Carlo Team Italia’s Romano Fenati and Ambrogio Racing’s Brad Binder were promoted to seventh and eighth places. In 15th, German Philipp Oettl fended off fellow rookie, Marc VDS’ Livio Loi, to score his first ever point for Tec Interwetten Moto3 Racing.

Source: motogp.com

Scott Redding secured his first win in the Moto2 World Championship with an impressive ride to victory in today’s French Moto2 Grand Prix, which was ended prematurely by the onset of heavy rain.

Scott’s victory, the first by an English rider in the intermediate class since Alan Carter’s win in Le Mans exactly 30 years ago, saw the 20-year-old Briton retake the lead in the championship standings with a 24-point advantage over Tito Rabat who, along with his Pons teammate Pol Espargaro, crashed out of today’s race in the difficult conditions.

Scott lost ground at the start but, together with teammate Mika Kallio, quickly fought his way back into the top five, as the tricky mixed conditions claimed a number of victims in the early stages of the race. The two Marc VDS riders eventually forced their way to the front, with Scott taking the lead and Kallio squeezing past Xavier Simeon into second place. And that’s how it ended, as the red flag was brought out with three laps to go due to heavy rain falling on what had been declared a dry race.

“It’s an amazing feeling to have taken the win today, in what were very difficult conditions,” declared Scott. “It’s a fitting reward for the team, who have all worked so hard for this win and, to them, I have to say a big thank you. I also owe a lot to Marc van der Straten for his support, so it was great that we had the chance to stand together on the top step of the podium today. The win also puts me back on the top of the championship standings, but this time with a bit more of an advantage, so I’m happy with that. Now we go to Mugello, where I’ll definitely be looking for more of the same!”

Source: Marc VDS Racing
Photo: motogp.com

MotoGP

Following scorching track temperatures and a racing temperament to match in Jerez, MotoGP™ ascends to Le Mans for the Monster Energy Grand Prix de France to continue on-track track rivalries.

After a dominant display in tricky conditions last time out, Repsol Honda Team’s Dani Pedrosa will be one of the favourites for this weekend, whilst many eyes will be peeled on how Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo will react to his now infamous last corner incident with Repsol’s Marc Marquez. With both riders separated by a tiny margin, any on track meeting is set to be a hard-fought affair.

Yamaha’s Valentino Rossi will look to get back to his podium form he showed in Qatar, whilst Monster Energy Tech 3’s Cal Crutchlow will be aiming to beat the Italian at his team’s home Grand Prix. Crutchlow was in great form last time in Jerez despite suffering from pain after two heavy crashes, and will be an outside podium favourite. GO&FUN Honda Gresini’s Alvaro Bautista is currently winning the battle of the satellite Hondas, yet LCR Honda MotoGP’s Stefan Bradl will look to put last weekend behind him, and rediscover the front end feel he seeks to be competitive.

Tech 3’s Bradley Smith may get a boost from the team’s local support, whilst the Ducati Team of Andrea Dovizioso and Nicky Hayden will line up on their regular Desmosedici GP13s, despite trying the “lab bike” in the test after Jerez. Ignite Pramac Racing’s Ben Spies is still recovering from issues relating to his injured shoulder, and will be replaced by Ducati test rider Michele Pirro. Unlike in Jerez, Pirro will not ride the “lab bike”, but Spies’ actual GP13 machine. His teammate Andrea Iannone had arm-pump surgery last week, and has a slightly damaged knee, yet will hope to be close to 100 per cent for the French round.

Power Electronics Aspar’s Aleix Espargaro will be hard to beat as top CRT considering the form he is in, yet with teammate Randy de Puniet buoyed by his home support it could prove his toughest weekend yet. Fellow ART rider, Cardion AB Motoracing’s Karel Abraham, will have recovered sufficiently from his broken collarbone to take part, whilst final ART rider Yonny Hernandez aims to overcome the set-up issues which led to his crash in Jerez.

All other CRTs will be riding with the latest Magneti Marelli software upgrade brought to the Jerez test last week. This means that wheelie control and anti-jerk strategy will be improved for NGM Mobile Forward Racing’s Colin Edwards and teammate Claudio Corti, the Avintia Blusens pairing of Hector Barbera and Hiroshi Aoyama, Came IodaRacing Project’s Danilo Petrucci and Lucas Pesek, as well as PBM’s Michael Laverty and Gresini’s Bryan Staring.

Moto2

The Monster Energy Grand Prix de France in Le Mans sets the scene for another Moto2™ battle, as Tuenti HP 40’s Tito Rabat and Marc VDS Racing Team’s Scott Redding fight it out for top spot in the championship.

Rabat, fresh from his first ever victory last weekend, will be looking to continue that good form, though will be hard pushed by Redding, who is looking ever-more like one of the championship favourites. Whether Tuenti HP 40’s Pol Espargaro will be in podium contention remains to be seen, with the Spaniard not content with the new specification front tyre that was brought in from the Jerez round.

He will be hard pushed by Mapfre Aspar Team Moto2’s countryman Nico Terol, who will be aiming for his second victory of the season on the Suter machine. Technomag carXpert’s Dominique Aegerter has been a silent performer so far this season, and will undoubtedly be hovering close to a podium place, while Italtrans Racing Team’s Takaaki Nakagami will hope to take his outright pace in practice through to the race.

Redding’s teammate Mika Kallio, Desguaces La Torre SAG Maptaq’s Xavier Simeon, Came IodaRacing Project’s Johann Zarco and Terol’s teammate Jordi Torres will no doubt be top-ten contenders, whilst Tech 3 Racing’s Louis Rossi will hope to discover some of the magic that helped him win last year’s Moto3™ race in his home town. Gino Rea will be returning to the class as a wildcard with his own Gino Rea Race Team on an FTR, whilst Petronas Raceline Malaysia will field a wildcard in the form of Hafizh Syahrin, who did very well in the Malaysian GP last year.

Moto3

Le Mans is the setting for another round of on-track sparring as the Moto3™ grid arrives for the Monster Energy Grand Prix de France this weekend with Team Calvo’s Maverick Viñales leading the championship ahead of Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Luis Salom.

Viñales and Salom look in fine form, whilst Estrella Galicia 0,0’s Rins will be aiming to make up for his crash in Jerez. He will however remain the man to beat, having been one of the quickest men across the race weekends so far. Mapfre Aspar Team Moto3’s Jonas Folger, who scored a podium in Jerez, will be looking for more outright race-pace, as he felt his podium had been gifted to him, rather than his bike showing the competitiveness he seeks.

Salom’s teammate Zulfahmi Khairuddin will be aiming for his first podium of the year, whilst Ambrogio Racing’s Brad Binder comes off the back of his best result to date in fourth. The South African is looking strong so far this year, yet will face a challenge from Miguel Oliveira, who is currently spearheading the Mahindra Racing project in seventh in the championship.

Avant Tecno’s Niklas Ajo, Redox RW Racing GP’s Jakub Kornfeil and Mahindra’s Efren Vazquez will also be ones to watch. Two Frenchman will be taking part as wildcards in the form of ACR’s Christophe Arciero on a Suter, and Marc VDS Racing Team’s Jules Danilo, who will line up next to regular Livio Loi.

Source: motogp.com

Source: Marc VDS Racing / Youtube

MotoGP

Dani Pedrosa clinched his maiden victory of this year’s MotoGP™ World Championship, winning the Gran Premio bwin de España on Sunday, as teammate Marc Marquez spiced up proceedings by barging past Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo for second place in the final corner.

Lorenzo had been the rider to beat for much of the weekend, comfortably sealing his second pole position of the season on Saturday, yet Pedrosa overtook him at the start of the 27-lap race. The lead was immediately snatched back, but Pedrosa made the move stick as he passed at Dry Sack on Lap 6. As the Yamaha rider dropped into the clutches of Marquez, Pedrosa maintained a steady pace en route to his first win since Valencia last year.

Marquez’s race was a dramatic one, having entered as the joint championship leader with Lorenzo. Having quickly demoted Valentino Rossi to fourth place after the Yamaha rider overtook at the end of Lap 1, the 20-year-old charged up to the back of Lorenzo and attempted several different lines in a bid to distract the current title holder. The eventual move came at the newly-named Jorge Lorenzo Corner at the end of the very last lap, where Marquez forcefully made his way past his compatriot, leaving the latter in a less than happy mood in Parc Fermé.

Rossi had a lonely ride to fourth place on the second Yamaha Factory bike, with Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Cal Crutchlow overcoming GO&FUN Honda Gresini’s Alvaro Bautista for a top five spot at the end of a difficult weekend, which featured two sizeable accidents on Saturday. Ducati Team duo Nicky Hayden and Andrea Dovizioso made the top eight while test rider Michele Pirro enjoyed a strong first ride of the campaign to 11th on the squad’s GP13 Lab chassis.

Hector Barbera and Avintia Blusens impressed by qualifying tenth on the lead CRT machine, but on race day the Spaniard fell to 12th as Power Electronics Aspar’s Aleix Espargaro took top CRT honours for the third time in as many races, finishing ninth from Tech 3’s Bradley Smith. As Avintia’s Hiroshi Aoyama tumbled to 18th in the closing stages, Michael Laverty scored the first points for PBM’s own-built bike by coming home 13th and ahead of Came IodaRacing Project’s Danilo Petrucci and NGM Mobile Forward Racing’s Colin Edwards, who also scored for the first time in 2013.

Five riders failed to make the end of the race, notably Stefan Bradl who compounded a tough three days for himself and LCR Honda MotoGP. The German, like Energy T.I. Pramac Racing’s Andrea Iannone, retired on the fourth lap. Iannone’s teammate Ben Spies did not compete, advised by doctors to rest and solve a problem with a pectoral muscle, while Cardion AB Motoracing’s Karel Abraham pulled out after Friday due to suffering too much pain with his broken right collarbone.

Moto2

Tito Rabat convincingly won his first-ever race at the Gran Premio bwin de España today, snatching the Moto2™ championship lead, after starting from his first pole position. Former points leader Scott Redding finished second as Rabat’s Tuenti HP 40 teammate Pol Espargaro stole the final podium position from Takaaki Nakagami.

Rabat held the advantage from Redding as the red lights went out, and went on to make the victory look easy as he won by over four seconds, despite the pressure of a home crowd. Redding’s ride to second place was a calm one, as the Marc VDS Racing Team rider looks to achieve consistency across the 2013 season. Espargaro, a pre-season favourite for many, was desperate to make up ground after crashing out at the Circuit of the Americas two weeks ago. Running fourth and catching Italtrans Racing Team’s Nakagami, the former was held up by QMMF Racing Team’s Rafid Topan Sucipto, who was running a lap down. He caught Nakagami again with only a handful of laps to go, passing on the penultimate tour as the Japanese rider made an unforced error exiting Michelin curve. After the race, Sucipto apologised to Espargaro for delaying his progress.

As Nakagami dropped to fourth and was unable to re-pass Espargaro, Texas winner Nico Terol ended the day fifth for Mapfre Aspar Team Moto2 while Desguaces La Torre Maptaq’s Xavier Simeon overhauled Aspar’s Jordi Torres to end a spirited battle in a career-best sixth position. Technomag carXpert’s Dominique Aegerter, Blusens Avintia’s Toni Elias and Desguaces La Torre SAG’s Marcel Schrotter completed the first ten, while Tom Luthi finished 11th on his return with Interwetten Paddock Moto2 Racing. Two places further back, Came Iodaracing Project’s Johann Zarco had fought up to 13th position from 30th on the starting grid.

Several riders were caught out, including Britons Danny Kent and Kyle Smith, but Mika Kallio’s fall was arguably the most significant. The Finn had been joint second in the standings heading into the race, but crashed his Marc VDS Racing Team bike at Dry Sack corner while involved in a multiple-rider battle over fifth position.

Moto3

Maverick Viñales has won for the first time this season, marking three Moto3™ victors from as many races. The Team Calvo rider, who overtook Alex Rins for the lead, was declared the winner when red flags flew for the second consecutive race.

On Saturday, Estrella Galicia 0,0’s Rins stormed to his second pole position in a row off the back of a maiden career victory in Texas. He defended from Viñales off the start line, but lost the lead when the latter slipped through at Dry Sack on the third tour. Pushing hard to stay in touch and doing so successfully until Lap 12, Rins lost the front end of his bike and crashed at Alex Criville corner.

This left Viñales in front with a small gap back to KTM Ajo’s Luis Salom, who had been joint championship leader with Rins heading into this weekend. The second of the pair caught the leader and looked set to make a move when the right moment came, but was left frustrated when the race was stopped at just past two-thirds distance. Less irritated was Livio Loi, as the Belgian scored on his debut with Marc VDS Racing Team less than two weeks after his 16th birthday.

The race-ending incident came on Lap 17, with the red flags flying for the second time in as many races while doctors attended to CIP Moto3’s Frenchmen Alan Techer. Estrella Galicia 0,0’s Alex Marquez, Mahindra Racing ‘s Miguel Oliveira, Caretta Technology – RTG’s Jack Miller, GO&FUN Gresini Moto3’s Niccolo Antonelli, Team Calvo’s Ana Carrasco and Kiefer Racing’s Florian Alt also suffered crashes or collisions, but all riders escaped unharmed.

Viñales’ victory is his first since Mugello last year and comes at the same track where he suffered the pre-season testing crash which injured his right hand. He now takes the championship lead, having led home Salom and Mapfre Aspar Team Moto3’s Jonas Folger who made up for his below-par performance in Qualifying on Saturday.

Ambrogio Racing’s Brad Binder was the main prophet of the Oliveira-Miller clash, finishing fourth from Redox RW Racing GP’s Jakub Kornfeil, who has enjoyed an extremely strong weekend considering that he missed all of Friday Free Practice in order to take compulsory exams. Avant Tecno’s Niklas Ajo avoided the trouble to finish sixth as Ajo’s Zulfahmi Khairuddin, Mahindra’s Efren Vazquez, San Carlo Team Italia’s Romano Fenati and Ognetta-Rivacold’s Alexis Masbou completed the top ten.

Source: motogp.com

Here’s a small selection of exclusive shots of them during practice and qualifying for the World Superbike Championship at Assen last weekend which turned out very successful for most of them with wins and podium positions and highly disappointing for others with Leon Haslam breaking a leg in a heavy practice crash.

Photo Copyright: Simona Vogel for Vroom Media

Photos: Agusti Nubiola / RSF ©

MotoGP

Following two thrilling opening rounds of the MotoGP™ World Championship, which has given a taste of the exciting season ahead, the grid now heads to Southern Spain to contest the Gran Premio bwin de España at the popular track in Jerez.

Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo, who endured one of his tougher races in recent times last time out in Texas, will be hoping to capitalize on the track’s layout, which should be more favourable to his Yamaha M1. However, all eyes will be on Repsol Honda Team’s young charger Marc Marquez, who two weekends ago became the youngest ever winner in the premier-class in only his second ever race. His teammate Dani Pedrosa, one of the pre-season favourites, will hope that his home support can rouse him sufficiently to record his first win of the season.

Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Cal Crutchlow, who put in one of the rides of his career in Austin, will aim to continue his podium charge, whilst competing with Yamaha’s Valentino Rossi. Rossi, who suffered an issue with a chipped brake-disc in Texas, will be one to watch, as he looks for the kind of form that put him back on the map in Qatar. LCR Honda MotoGP’s Stefan Bradl has looked continuously fast in both preceding race weekends, yet will be hoping to challenge the top riders a bit closer, whilst GO&FUN Honda Gresini’s Alvaro Bautista aims to overcome the set-up issues that hampered his charge in the US.

Tech 3’s rookie Bradley Smith, like many others, is much more familiar with the Jerez track, which should see him climb up the rankings as he squeezes the most out of his M1, no doubt looking to battle with top Ducati Team duo Andrea Dovizioso and Nicky Hayden. Ducati will be buoyed by the fact that during testing at the circuit they had Michele Pirro running a full test schedule with three separate Desmosedicis, perhaps leading to a jump in form. Pirro will also be taking part in the race as a wildcard. Energy T.I. Pramac Racing’s Andrea Iannone will be the only lining up for the team, as Ignite Pramac’s Ben Spies misses out due to reoccurring injury issues – a trapped nerve in Texas – from his previous shoulder injury.

The CRT field has a big task on its hands as it challenges the current dominance of Power Electronics Aspar’s Aleix Espargaro, who has also been beating some of the prototypes so far. His teammate Randy de Puniet is edging ever closer, whilst NGM Mobile Forward Racing’s Colin Edwards will hope to overcome his disappointment from retiring in his home race in Texas. His teammate Claudio Corti will aim to do battle with the impressive looking Yonny Hernandez on his PBM ART, his teammate Michael Laverty on the PBM machine, Avintia Blusens’ Hiroshi Aoyama and Hector Barbera, as well as Gresini’s Bryan Staring. Came IodaRacing Project’s Lukas Pesek and Danilo Petrucci will hope for a turnaround in fortunes after a crash and retirement respectively in Austin. Cardion AB Motorracing’s Karel Abraham will not take part, as he sustained a broken collarbone after a crash in Texas, which an estimated healing time of three to four weeks. He should be fit for the following race in Le Mans.

Moto2

As the Moto2™ contingent heads back across the Atlantic to contest the Gran Premio bwin de España this weekend in Jerez it is tough to predict any favourite from the group that has proven itself full of contenders after the first two outings.

Mapfre Aspar Team Moto2’s Nico Terol, fresh from his maiden intermediate-class victory in Austin, will aim to carry that form through to one of his native tracks, though will undoubtedly be facing stiff competition from Tuenti HP 40 compatriots Pol Espargaro and Esteve Rabat.

Marc VDS Racing Team’s Mika Kallio, who fought his way to a podium last time out, will hope for much of the same in Spain, whilst his teammate Scott Redding, last race’s pole-sitter, will look to carry his outright pace through race distance. Technomag carXpert’s Dominique Aegerter has been a solid performer so far, finishing fourth in both races, and will be a thorn in the established top-runners’ side, as will Came IodaRacing Project’s Johann Zarco.

The NGM Mobile Forward Racing team is always one to watch, particularly as their Speed Up bikes showed great top speeds so far. Mattia Pasini did well to finish eighth in Austin, ahead of teammate Alex de Angelis, while Simone Corsi almost always proves a threat as well. QMMF Racing’s Ant West will hope to capitalise on his good form so far, along with the likes of JiR Moto2’s Mike di Meglio, Blusens Avintia’s Toni Elias, Desguaces La Torre SAG’s Marcel Schrotter and teammate Xavier Simeon on the Desguaces La Torre Maptaq machine.

Two Spanish wildcards will be taking part in the form of Targobank CNS Motorsport’s Alex Marinelarena and TSR Motorsport’s Dani Rivas.

Moto3

There will be a big fight on the Moto3™ riders’ hands as many will try to avoid and all Spanish affair as they line up for the Gran Premio bwin de España in Jerez this weekend.

Estrella Galicia 0,0’s Alex Rins, Team Calvo’s Maverick Viñales and Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Luis Salom all head into their home race favourites, after dominating proceedings last time out in Austin. Mapfre Aspar Team Moto2’s Jonas Folger will however have something to say about that, as he looks to get himself and his Kalex KTM back onto the podium.

Mahindra Racing will be aiming to continue the strong run of form it has had, with Miguel Oliveira doing very well on the relatively new machinery to come fifth last time out. His teammate Efren Vazquez on the other hand will be hoping to soak up home support to make up for a disappointing race in Austin by his standards.

Racing Team Germany’ Jack Miller put on a good show in Texas, and will aim to bring his Honda-powered FTR close to the front once more, whilst fellow Australian Arthur Sissis on the Red Bull KTM Ajo bike looks to improve on his 12th place in last race – albeit he was suffering from a slightly injured right wrist. His teammate Zulfahmi Khairuddin did well to finish seventh in the US, but the podium will once again be his aim in Spain.

The Moto3™ field also welcomes Marc VDS Racing Team’s Livio Loi this weekend, as he makes his debut in the World Championship after reaching the minimum age of 16. He looked strong in pre-season testing in Jerez, and will no doubt be hoping for a successful debut. Two wildcards will be taking part in the form of Thomas Sabo GP Team’s Kevin Hanus of Germany, and Spanish rider Jorge Navarro on board an MIR Racing machine.

Source: motogp.com

Wayne Ryan, Xavi Fores, Alejandro Mariñelarena and Adrian Martin take the first wins of the championship on the Catalunya Circuit wet tarmac.

The first races of the 2013 CEV Repsol were held on Sunday under a steady rain that accompanied the start of this series at the Catalunya Circuit. Under those conditions, the three categories had their first winners of the season, Wayne Ryan in Moto3, Xavi Fores in Stock Extreme, Alejandro Mariñelarena in Moto2 and Adrian Martin again in Moto3 – as this category had two independent races.

Moto3

Wayne Ryan dominated the first Moto3 race. Under the rain, the British rider was able to stay on the bike during a race rich in crashes ─Adrian Martin, who started from pole, crashed in the first lap ─. Lap after lap, Ryan kept increasing his advantage until passing the chequered flag with an advantage of more than ten seconds. Fabio Quartararo ─the youngest rider of the CEV Repsol─ took the second step of the podium after overtaking Gabriel Rodrigo just some metres before reaching the finish line.
In the second Moto3 race, Adrian Martin was able to take advantage of the pole position he set yesterday and took the victory, while it was the winner of the first race, Wayne Ryan, who crashed in the second corner. The rider from Valencia recovered from his first result with a brilliant race, crossing the finish line alone, followed by Bryan Schouten and Kyle Ryde.
After the two races held at the Catalunya Circuit, Schouten and Quartararo are tied in the lead with 30 points, followed by Martin and Ryan, also tied with 25 points.

Moto2

Alejandro Mariñelarena was the star of the Moto2 race. In his second year in the category he won after dominating the race from flag to flag with a huge advantage. Roman Ramos, who crossed the finish line more than ten seconds behind, was second, while Russell Gomez finished third, 30 seconds away.

Stock Extreme

In the Stock Extreme category, Xavi Fores completed a great weekend after taking the pole position and the win, which places him as the first leader of the CEV Repsol. During the race, Ivan Silva was his main rival until some trouble with the tyres and the overtaking of the last riders prevented Silva to keep the pace of the race leader and he finished in second. The third step of the podium was for Santi Barragan.

Wayne Ryan – Moto3 Race 1 Winner
“The race went well. The tarmac was very slippery and I was not sure I could keep the lead, but I was able to push and keep the first position until the end. I think in the next round I will have to fight with more rivals. I don’t know where the crashes were, but I expected a toughest battle for the first positions”.

Adrian Martin – Moto3 Race 2 Winner
“It wasn’t a comfortable victory because conditions have been bad all weekend, but I tried to focus as much as possible. It was hard because laps felt endless. I am very happy that the day finished like that. I learnt for the mistake in my first lap and I leave very satisfied with the work done by my team, as we arrived here with very little time. I want to thank the support of the mechanics, the sponsors, my family and all my friends. I want to dedicate this victory to all those who supported me in the bad moments”.

Race 1 – Moto3
1. Wayne Ryan Great Britain 36:23.275
2. Fabio Quartararo France +10.101
3. Gabriel Rodrigo Spain +10.146
4. Marcos Ramírez Spain +12.713
5. Fraser Rogers Great Britain +19.625
6. Bryan Schouten Netherlands +22.171
7. Bradley Ray Great Britain +55.943
8. Kenta Fujii Japan +59.785
9. Alejandro Medina Spain +1:00.265
10. Livio Loi Belgium +1:01.334

Race 2 – Moto3
1. Adrian Martin Spain 36:24.549
2. Bryan Schouten Netherlands +5.630
3. Kyle Ryde Great Britain +5.928
4. Luca Amato Germany +5.955
5. Marcos Ramírez Spain +23.314
6. Fabio Quartararo France +32.081
7. Alejandro Medina Spain +32.311
8. Andrea Migno Italy +36.158
9. Bradley Ray Great Britain +42.518
10. Livio Loi Belgium +49.246

Championship – Moto3
1. Bryan Schouten Netherlands 25 points
2. Fabio Quartararo France 20 points
3. Adrian Martin Spain 16 points
4. Wayne Ryan Great Britain 13 points
5. Marcos Ramírez Spain 11 points
6. Kyle Ryde Great Britain 10 points
7. Gabriel Rodrigo Spain 9 points
8. Alejandro Medina Spain 8 points
9. Bradley Ray Great Britain 7 points
10. Luca Amato Germany 6 points

Alejandro Mariñelarena – Moto2 Winner
“This year we are trying to take things easier. It is my second year in the class, there were not very big changes and we know the bike and the tyres better, so are more familiar with everything. Today we didn’t expect to take the win but we knew we could fight for a podium place”.

Race – Moto2
1. Alejandro Mariñelarena Spain 37:16.516
2. Roman Ramos Spain +10.747
3. Russell Gomez Spain +32.874
4. Santiago Hernandez Colombia +37.315
5. Daniel Rivas Spain +51.957
6. Luis Mora Spain +1:23.100
7. Elena Rosell Spain +1:28.320
8. Jesko Raffin Switzerland +1:31.150
9. Andres Gonzalez Spain +1:31.231
10. Jorge Arroyo Spain +1:33.220

Championship – Moto2
1. Alejandro Mariñelarena Spain 25 points
2. Román Ramos Spain 20 points
3. Russell Gomez Spain 16 points
4. Santiago Hernández Colombia 13 points
5. Daniel Rivas Spain 11 points
6. Luis Mora Spain 10 points
7. Jesko Raffin Switzerland 9 points
8. Andres Gonzalez Spain 8 points
9. Jorge Arroyo Spain 7 points
10. Jesús Alconchel Spain 6 points

Xavier Fores – Stock Extreme Winner
“I am very happy because it was my first race with this bike and my new team and to start the Championship with a victory is always important. It is also true that the wet track benefited me a bit. At the beginning I was a bit scared because there was a lot more water than yesterday. I saw Ivan Silva overtake me quickly and followed him. We both rode at a similar pace and we started to pass the last riders and I took advantage of it to overtake him. When passing the finish line I saw in the board that I had a difference of seven seconds and then I tried to manage that advantage in the last three laps”.

Race – Stock Extreme
1. Xavier Fores Spain 36:15.857
2. Ivan SIlva Spain +8.316
3. Santiago Barragan Spain +9.072
4. Adrian Bonastre Spain +11.991
5. Carmelo Morales Spain +15.573
6. Hector Faubel Spain +19.530
7. Enrique Ferrer Spain +55.221
8. Francisco Alviz Spain +1:29.954
9. Mathieu Dumas France +1:35.254
10. Roberto Pietri Venezuela +1:43.240

Championship – Stock Extreme
1. Xavier Fores Spain 25 points
2. Ivan SIlva Spain 20 points
3. Santiago Barragan Spain 16 points
4. Adrián Bonastre Spain 13 points
5. Carmelo Morales Spain 11 points
6. Hector Faubel Spain 10 points
7. Enrique Ferrer Spain 9 points
8. Francisco Alviz Spain 8 points
9. Mathieu Dumas France 7 points
10. Roberto Pietri Venezuela 6 points

Source: Repsol Media

4 chances to win our prize draw for Repsol Honda Team iPad/Tablet bag, HRC Repsol lanyard, Repsol Honda Team exclusive notebook/factbook, Repsol Honda keyring and a Repsol Honda bike-shaped USB drive.

THIS COMPETITION IS OPEN WORLDWIDE

We’re celebrating the start of the European leg of the season with a special prize draw – and it’s so easy to be in with a chance (or up to 4 chances!) of winning a lovely prize: a special bundle of exclusive Repsol Honda Team goodies…

• Repsol Honda Team iPad/tablet carry bag
• HRC/Repsol lanyard
• Exclusive Repsol Honda Team notebook/factbook
• Repsol Honda keyring
• Repsol Honda bike-shaped USB drive

The iPad/tablet carry bag and the USB drive are exclusive goodies from the Team’s 2013 launch event in Madrid and the notebook/factbook is also a special piece stuffed with rider and track facts as well as blank note pages and was a special giveaway from the 2012 MotoGP season.

Up to 4 chances to WIN!

All you need to do is to FOLLOW @vroom_magazine on Twitter for one chance to win, and LIKE our Vroom Magazine Facebook Page for a second chance to win, FOLLOW @motogpbrits on Twitter for a third chance to win, and LIKE our MotoBrits Facebook Page for a fourth chance to win.

It really is that simple. We will pick the winner at random from a full list of all our Vroom Magazine Twitter followers, Vroom Magazine Facebook likes, MotoGP Brits Twitter followers and MotoBrits Facebook likes at 4pm, UK time, on Sunday, May 19th 2013 – raceday at Le Mans.

We will notify the winner early the following week and we will post the prize to the lucky winner wherever they may be in the world.

 
Following Vroom Magazine will keep you in touch with all the news of all Spanish riders in MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3, whilst following MotoGPBrits will keep you in touch with all the news of all Brit riders in MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3 – both contain extra special content and dedicated special features.

The will be packaged carefully and sent by post with due care. The competition is open to anybody anywhere in the world. The draw will be made randomly and the judges’ decision is final.