A new rider has come to further enforce the ranks of the Sidi champions who will be lining up at the starting post in the 2012 season. We’re referring to Bradley Smith, the Brit from Oxford born in 1990. Smith has renewed his contract for the next three years with the transalpine Tech 3 Racing team, with which he’ll ride one more season in Moto2 and then move on to Team Monster Yamaha Tech 3 MotoGP in the following two seasons, 2013 and 2014.

The career of this young British talent is off to a brilliant start, and he’s fast becoming one of the most interesting names to watch in the upcoming Moto2 championship series, the “cadet” category in which Smith and his team agreed he should stay in 2012 to gain some more experience and more importantly to try and capture the World Title before moving up to the reigning class of two wheel motor sports. This is an important goal.

In this new and exciting adventure in pursuit of success, Smith can count on the support of Sidi Sport, which has supplied him with their Sidi Vortice boots, which have proven themselves as the number one boot for the track and speed. Vortice is the top boot in the Sidi collection, a veritable technological and design gem with an attractive look that synthesizes cutting edge technology studied to provide maximum performance without sacrificing comfort and safety for the rider’s feet.

Enthusiasm and determination are the foundations of this guy’s personality; he’s as aggressive on the track as he is polite, cordial and approachable when he’s not on his bike. Like many of his colleagues, Smith also loves cycling; in addition to serving as a valuable tool in his physical training, it’s also one of his greatest passions. This is one more source of pride and satisfaction for Sidi, whose core business consists of cycling shoes as well as motor cycling boots. When his competitive schedule permits, Smith doesn’t miss a chance to hop over to the Dolomites to take on his friends in bike rides up the major climbs that have made history in the Giro d’Italia race.

Bradley Smith is a rapidly rising talent; in fact, in spite of his tender age, the young rider has already been standing out on the international scene. He debuted in the 125 class in the Moto GP in 2006 and stayed in this category until 2012, capturing three victories: two in 2009 which put him in second place in the final GP standings, and one in 2010. In 2011 he jumped up to the Moto2 category, which used to be the 250cc, proving his talent from the very start by making it to the podium three times, with a second and two third places; important placements that allowed him to close out the championship series in seventh place in the rankings and convinced him that he could go for the title in the next season, where he’ll be lining up at the start with the drive to win, together with his Sidi Vortice boots.

Source: SIDI

3 SIMONE CORSI ITA – IODA RACING PROJECT, IODA
4 RANDY KRUMMENACHER SWI – GP TEAM SWITZERLAND, SUTER
5 JOHANN ZARCO FRA – JIR Moto2, MOTOBI
7 ALEXANDER LUNDH SWE – MZ RACING TEAM MZ-RE, HONDA
8 GINO REA GBR – GRESINI RACING Moto2, MORIWAKI
9 KENNY NOYES USA – ARGUIÑANO RACING TEAM, TBA
12 THOMAS LUTHI SWI – INTERWETTEN-PADDOCK Moto2, SUTER
14 RATTHAPARK WILAIROT THA – GRESINI RACING Moto2, MORIWAKI
15 ALEX DE ANGELIS ITA – FORWARD RACING, SUTER
18 NICOLAS TEROL SPA – ASPAR TEAM Moto2, SUTER
19 XAVIER SIMEON BEL – TECH 3 RACING, TECH 3
24 TONI ELIAS SPA – ASPAR TEAM Moto2, SUTER
29 ANDREA IANNONE ITA – SPEED MASTER, FTR
30 TAKAAKI NAKAGAMI JAP – ITALTRANS RACING TEAM, KALEX
36 MIKA KALLIO FIN – MARC VDS RACING TEAM, KALEX
38 BRADLEY SMITH GBR – TECH 3 RACING, TECH 3
40 POL ESPARGARO SPA – PONS RACING PONS, KALEX
44 ROBERTO ROLFO ITA – TECHNOMAG-CIP, SUTER
45 SCOTT REDDING GBR – MARC VDS RACING TEAM, KALEX
47 ANGEL RODRIGUEZ SPA – SAG TEAM, FTR
49 AXEL PONS SPA – PONS RACING PONS, KALEX
57 ERIC GRANADO BRA – JIR Moto2, MOTOBI
60 JULIAN SIMON SPA – BQR, FTR
63 MIKE DI MEGLIO FRA – SPEED UP, FTR
71 CLAUDIO CORTI ITA – ITALTRANS RACING TEAM, KALEX
72 YUKI TAKAHASHI JAP – FORWARD RACING, SUTER
76 MAX NEUKIRCHNER GER – KIEFER RACING, KALEX
77 DOMINIQUE AEGERTER SWI – TECHNOMAG-CIP, SUTER
80 ESTEVE RABAT SPA – PONS RACING PONS, KALEX
82 ELENA ROSELL SPA – QMMF RACING TEAM, MORIWAKI
88 RICKY CARDUS SPA – QMMF RACING TEAM, MORIWAKI
93 MARC MARQUEZ SPA – MONLAU COMPETICION, SUTER
TO BE ANNOUNCED – SAG TEAM, FTR

Source: motogp.com

Smith, who finished seventh in his debut season in the Moto2 World Championship last year, is delighted to be joining the prestigious Dutch company.

Bradley Smith: “It was great to go over to Holland to see all the products and meet everybody and I’m totally convinced this is the start of a very successful partnership,” explained Smith who finished on the podium three times last season and will ride in the 2013 MotoGP World Championship.” Having total trust in your riding equipment is absolutely crucial to a successful season and I feel we already have that.”

Source: Rev’it

British Grand Prix star Scott Redding is looking to help young talent kick start their racing career by opening a new minimoto academy in 2012.

The Scott Redding Young Riders Academy will hold an open day at Minimoto Racing Ltd at Hullavington in Wiltshire on December 29.
The open day runs from 10am until 6pm where full details of the 2012 schedule will be unveiled.

Redding kicked off his racing career in mini-moto and the skills he honed helped him become the youngest rider in history ever to win a Grand Prix when he triumphed in the British 125GP at Donington Park back in 2008.
He is now one of the top riders in the ultra-competitive Moto2 class and has already been linked with a Ducati MotoGP ride in the future.

The 18-year-old said: “I wouldn’t have been able to get to the Grand Prix paddock without minimoto, so it’s helped my career a lot.

“I want to give youngsters the opportunity to gain experience and I will be available at all the Academy dates in 2012 to pass on my experience and advice, not just for the riders but also techincal advice for parents.”

For more details please contact Simon on 07776082384 or email slegallez@btinternet.com

Source: MCN

Having qualified in 10th place, Coghlan fought through to second place in the early stages of the race on the FOGI Racing M211 run by his former Championship-winning Joe Darcey Team.

Coghlan finished seventh in last week’s race at Valencia and ended the year in 11th place in the CEV Spanish Championship.

Kev Coghlan: “I’m really pleased to finish a difficult year back on the podium. And I like to thank everyone at FOGI Racing, FTR Moto and Joe Darcey for giving me the opportunity to race in the final two rounds of the Spanish series.”

Steve Bones, FTR: “It’s been great to work with Kev again and I’m sure he regained a lot of confidence by competing in the last two Spanish rounds. Kev performed well all weekend again and it was pleasing to see him at the top of the speed trap charts after the work we’ve put in on developing the aerodynamics in 2011 and for 2012.”

Source: FTR Moto
Photo: CEV Buckler

Scott and a young fan at the Motorcycle Live Show at the NEC

Scott, what’s your view of the season? Another year that’s not been easy?
The season was alright but it was hard. I just struggled a bit with the bike.
But overall it was another learning season. It didn’t go to plan but hopefully this following year we can get it right.

There’s been a lot of talk about possible advantages for Marquez regarding his bike’s chassis. How much of a difference did that actually make in your eyes?
Well, it definitely made a difference ‘cos no one got the same parts as he did although we were all on the same deal. You know, when someone gets something better and they’re already constantly fast, it just makes it harder for riders like myself, also with the weight. But the year is gone so we just gotta get on with it.

How did you find the test in Valencia then, do you like your new bike?
Oh I’m over the moon with the bike, the size and the way the bike is working, so overall I’m really happy and I’m glad we went with Kalex.

What’s your plan for the winter break? Have you got any holidays planned and what’s the preparation for next season?
No holidays really just training to lose some more weight. If I could get down to 70 kilos that’d be great. That’s 4 kilos now so it’d be hard to do. But if I could do it, it’d be amazing. And then get on and get testing done.

And what would the ideal season be next year?
Well, for me it’d be to just go race by race and see what we do. We can’t say “yeah we’re gonna go for the championship” because we’re not sure what the pace is like. But if I do the best I can do, we can see what comes out.

Thanks a lot for taking the time to talk to us Scott. We wish you all the best for next year!

Interview & photo by Michaela Genz for Vroom Media

In 125GP/Moto3 Alex Rins and Alex Márquez are separated by 12 points, the former holding the advantage over the latter, as the pair look to put the seal on a season that has combined moments of brilliance in the shape of superb victories with the kind of errors that have at times compromised their title hopes. The pair are being heralded as two of the hottest prospects in Spanish motorcycling in recent years, and either of the two could easily succeed Maverick Viñales.

At Jerez the evolution of the Moto3 machines will also continue, following the exciting scenes witnessed at Valencia where Miguel Oliveira started from pole position, set the fastest lap in the race and took victory. There can be little doubt that the Portuguese, riding a Honda, will be challenging for the top positions at Jerez. Whatever the Moto3 bikes achieve this weekend will not get in the way of the title fight between Rins and Márquez however, as the four-stroke machines cannot score points in the race.

Carmelo Morales’ crash on the last lap of the Moto2 race at Valencia, which resulted in an eighth-placed finish in the previous round, saw the closeness between he and team-mate Jordi Torres in the standings become less so. The difference between the pair is now 13 points in favour of Torres, whose chances of taking the title are much more favourable. The Moto2 class will field 42 riders this weekend, young German Jonas Folger one of the ones to watch.

Enjoying the same points advantage as Torres is Iván Silva, who leads the Stock Extreme category going into the weekend. After enjoying three consecutive victories, Silva arrives at Jerez 13 points ahead of Santiago Barragán. The man chasing Silva in the standings was the winner of the race held at Jerez back in April, when Silva finished fourth; a repeat of that result would hand Silva the title by just a single point.

Source: CEV Buckler

Scott recorded the third fastest lap time on the opening day, which was also the first time the 18-year-old Briton had tested the Kalex Moto2 machine. With track conditions deteriorating on the second and third day of the test, Redding switched his focus to refining a wet set-up on the bike and addressing some minor clutch issues.

Scott will be attending the Motorcycle Live show at the Birmingham NEC on Saturday 19th and Monday 21st November, before heading to Jerez with Marc VDS teammate Kallio to complete three final days of testing before the test ban comes into force on 1st December.

Scott Redding #45: 1’36.2
“I’m really happy with the Kalex bike. We changed very little during this test, basically I rode the bike as it was supplied, yet it felt good and the lap times on the first day came fairly easy. The bike is physically bigger, so I can get tucked in easier, and it turns in really well, which is a problem we’ve had in previous seasons. It’s already competitive, but I know we can improve things further once we really get to work on the set-up. Although the weather here has been a bit hit and miss, overall the three days have been extremely positive for us. Now it’s off to the NEC for Motorcycle Live, before heading back out to Spain for the final test of 2011 at Jerez.

Marc van der Straten: President, Marc VDS Racing Team
“The team as a whole has worked extremely well during the 2011 season but, unfortunately, this wasn’t reflected in the results. Scott and Mika are both capable of winning races in Moto2, but it seems there was something missing from the equation this season. While Scott and Mika will both stay with the team next year, we have made some significant changes in the Marc VDS pit box for 2012. The biggest of these being a switch to Kalex machinery, which we believe is better suited to both our riders. Equally important is the level of support we receive from Kalex, as this is critical in such a closely contested championship as Moto2. After an extremely successful first test with the Kalex Moto2 bikes here in Valencia, I am confident that we have made the right decisions with both our rider line up and our choice of machinery. Already I am looking forward to a much stronger championship challenge in 2012.”

Source: Marc VDS Racing

The World Superbike stars will be out in force with Castrol Honda’s Jonathan Rea, BMW Motorrad’s Leon Haslam, Kawasaki’s Tom Sykes, newly-signed Crescent Suzuki rider Leon Camier and Effenbert Liberty Racing’s Sylvain Guintoli all making an appearance. Rea will attend on Sunday 20 November, Haslam will make a two-day visit on Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 November, Sykes and Camier will appear on Saturday 19 November and Guintoli will be present on Monday 21 November.

The Brits in the opening day line-up will take part in a celebration of the best of British racing talent to open the show, alongside 2011 World Supersport Champion Chaz Davies, 2011 British Superbike Champion Tommy Hill, Moto2 star Bradley Smith and MotoGP star Cal Crutchlow, who will be firing up his Yamaha M1 live on the Blackhorse Stage at 10.30am on Saturday 19 November.

Other stars to appear throughout the nine-day show include 125GP title contender Johann Zarco (Monday 21 November), young Brits Sam and Alex Lowes (Monday 21 November), road racing favourites John McGuinness (Sunday 27 November) and Guy Martin (Sunday 20 November) and MX stars Zach Osbourne and Arnaud Tonus (Saturday 26 November).

Source: Motorcycle Live

Miguel Angel Oliveira has the honor of being the first rider to get a win in the CEV Buckler riding a Moto3 bike. The race began with a big moment as the championship leader, Alex Rins, botched the start and was relegated to last, beginning a frantic comeback. Marquez also didn’t start well and was seventh in the first lap. At the front Oliveira and Josep Rodriguez began to fight for first place, while Marquez was fighting for third with Bagnaia and Rins was already up to sixth place halfway through the race. In the final part, Oliveira began to string together fastest laps to claim a spectacular victory, followed by Rodriguez and Marquez with Rins in fourth, minimizing the damage of his mistake at the start. Looking at the championship, Oliveira has not gotten any points, so Marquez takes the 20 points for second place and Rins 16 points for third and he goes to the final race at Jerez with a 13-point lead in the championship.

In Moto2 Isaac Viñales – Maverick’s cousin – has taken his first win in this category of the CEV Buckler, winning a race which may have decided the championship. The PromoHarris rider dominated the race from beginning to end, oblivious to the position changes in the large group behind him, consisting of Linfoot, Coghlan, Morales, Torres and Ramos. Torres was dedicated to stick with Morales, hanging on his rear wheel and following his actions. The track was drying up and they rode faster and faster, but at the expense of degrading the wet tyres quickly. With two laps to go and Viñales leading, Ramos topped a great comeback with going into second followed by Torres, shortly before Morales went off track and was relegated to eighth position in the end. This leaves Torres with an increased championship lead of 13 points ahead of Morales and one hand on the title.

In Stock Extreme Ivan Silva has once again demonstrated that he is the rider in best form and while Barragan dominated the start of the Championship, taking three consecutive wins, today Silva won his third consecutive race. The race didn’t have the thrill of the ones before, with well-established leading positions. Only the last lap offered some excitement with an intense battle between Fores and Barragan which was decided in favor of Fores and therefore leaves Silva with a 13-points lead before the last race. Alejandro Mariñelarena was sixth and is already the mathematical champion in the privateer category.

In the Kawasaki Ninja Cup it’s been victory and triumph for Adrià Araujo who throughout the race was in a close fight with Julio Palao and his main rival, Antonio Alarte, who he beat by only two tenths of a second.

The seventh and final round of the CEV Buckler 2011 season will be held next Sunday, November 20th, at the Circuito de Jerez.

Source: CEV Buckler