British rider Cal Crutchlow wasted no time in getting back up to speed to clock the third fastest time on the opening day and he was one of the outstanding performers for the duration of the test.

Making only his second appearance on Yamaha’s 1000cc machine, Crutchlow worked through a range of set-up options to improve his speed and confidence with the all-new YZR-M1. He walked away unhurt from a small front-end crash at Turn 13 on the final morning and he eventually finished with a quickest time of 2.01.108.

The Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team continues its pre-season testing campaign back at the Sepang International Circuit for another three-day test, which commences on February 28.

Cal Crutchlow – 2.01.108:
“I am really pleased with the way things have gone at this test and it has been a really good confidence boost to start 2012. Sepang is a track I just don’t get on with or enjoy riding at but I was third on the first day and fifth on the second day. I’m sure I could have been fifth on the final day too but a couple of things didn’t go my way. I had a crash early on at Turn 13 when I basically ran wide and got on the dirty part of the track. It was my fault and that cost me a fair bit of track time and when I was confident I could go a lot quicker at the end it started raining. The pleasing aspect is my times have been consistent and that bodes well for the future. I’m not as fast as Stoner, Spies, Pedrosa or Lorenzo but for consistency I’m the best of the rest. The new 1000cc YZR-M1 has kept the strong points of the 800 with good corner entry and turning. But we do need to look at improving the bike on corner exit. Being in the top five on the first two days and not far away on the final day is a great start but I’m not going to get carried away. This is only the first test and while testing is really important, it is what happens in Qatar on April 8 that is really important.”

Source: Team Tech3

The new Claiming Rule Teams (CRTs) will compete alongside the regular factory teams in 2012, but are subject to different rules and in bright sunshine in Valencia, it was the Aspar Team that were the first to take advantage with Randy De Puniet setting the pace.

Former Pramac Racing rider, De Puniet got through 38 laps on board the ART bike and clocked an unofficial best time of 1m 35.3s, with fellow Aspar rider Aleix Espargaró clocking a best of 1m 36.7s (47 laps) and team mate Mattia Pasini recording 1m 37.8s (30 laps).

The Moto3 riders timings were led by Luis Salom, who recorded an unofficial best time from 32 laps of 1m 43.2s, ahead of Alberto Moncayo, with Red Bull KTM Ajo riders Sandro Cortese equal third and Danny Kent in sixth.

The third member of the Red Bull KTM Ajo team, Arthur Sissis, the Red Bull Rookies Cup runner up, returned a time of 1m 45.9s in his 45 laps.

MotoGP & Moto3 Valencia test – unnofficial lap times

MotoGP (CRT)
1.- Randy De Puniet, ART 1.35.3 (38 laps)
2.- Aleix Espargaró, ART 1’36.7 (47 laps)
3.- Mattia Pasini, ART 1’37.8 (30 laps)

Moto3
1.- Luis Salom, 1’43.2 (32 laps)
2.- Alberto Moncayo, 1’43.3 (52 laps)
3.- Héctor Faubel, 1’43.7 (62 laps)
3.- Sandro Cortese, 1’43.7 (48 laps)
5.- Nikklas Ajo, 1’43.9 (50 laps)
6.- Danny Kent, 1’44.6 (45 laps)
7.- Zulfahmi Khairuddin, 1’45.4 (44 laps)
8.- Arthur Sissis, 1’45.9 (45 laps)
9.- Brad Binder, 1’47.2 (25 laps)

Source: Red Bull

In between impromptu games of table tennis at Red Bull’s London HQ and fresh from a photoshoot, Danny Kent talked recently with his sponsors about the jump from 125s to 250s, a celebrity wedding, and having the confidence to drive hundreds of miles the day after passing your test…

What were your best and worst moments of last season?
Probably one of my good moments was finishing fourth in my second race, at Jerez, in my first year. One of the worst moments of last year? It’s a tricky one, that… I always find those a bit tricky…

Don’t worry if you can’t think of any bad moments!
No, I can’t really… it was a pretty good year. I had to learn most of the new tracks and stuff, so it was all right for a rookie year, all in all.

The new KTM looks really good, have you got to ride it?
No, I haven’t actually ridden it yet. We’ve got the first test on the 30th and 31st of this month, then we’ve got a three-day official test [in Valencia] on the 6th, 7th and 8th of February. As soon as I’ve ridden it, I’ll let you know!

Which of the tracks are you most looking forward to this year?
Obviously I’m looking forward to my home grand prix [the British round at Silverstone] because all the English fans will be there, and my family friends and sponsors. I won’t know what tracks will suit the bike best until I’ve ridden it.

You said last year that Moto3 would be a “level playing field” – do you still think that the new series will give everyone an equal chance?
Not straight away, I don’t think, as it’s going to be better for the people with more knowledge. But it’s a new class, so no one knows what to expect, really. It’s well known that KTM make a good bike, but until the rest of us have ridden it, only the KTM test rider knows how good this one is – we might get on it and find there are other bikes that are even better. You’ll start seeing what’s going to happen after the first couple of races.

Who do you think are your main rivals for the title?
The Spanish rider Maverick Viñales will be, and also my team-mate Sandro Cortese, who won races last year. Then you’ve got experienced riders like Hector Faubel, Luis Salom… I think there are at least six other riders who’ll be up there.

Who’s your money on for the MotoGP title this season?
I hate to state the obvious, but I think it’ll be Casey Stoner. He’s such a good rider, and Honda, last year, were just on a different level compared to any other bike out there. Unless Ducati can make a lot of difference with this year’s bike or, you never know, Valentino Rossi can pull something out of the bag… I do like Rossi, but then I admire all of them. I think what they all do is great, but I think it’ll be Stoner again at the end of the season.

It sounds as if you’ve been training hard in the off-season, what’s your daily routine like at the moment?
I wake up early in the morning, eat heathily, check my vitamins and go to the gym. I spend a couple of hours in the gym, sometimes twice a day. But after I’ve done whatever fitness training I need to, I do whatever a normal 18-year-old does – you know, go and see my girlfriend and stuff.

We hear you also passed your driving test recently – congratulations! Have you been very far yet?
Yeah! I only passed two days ago, so I had my first long drive yesterday, from Leeds [Danny lives in Gloucestershire, some 200 miles from the Yorkshire city…] and then up to London today [another 100 miles!].

Have you spoken to James Toseland since he announced he had to retire?
Yeah, I speak to James quite regularly. I think I’m going to go out to the Isle of Man, where he lives, and do some training with him before the season starts. He’s going to help me out quite a lot this year, as he’s got more time on his hands. He’s doing a bit more with music now… [Toseland is a talented piano player and singer with serious musical ambitions.]

I guess you’ve heard that James and Katie Melua have got engaged?
Yeah, he and Katie and are getting married in September.

Will you be going to the wedding?
Probably. Hopefully. If I’m here and not racing!

Interview source & photo: redbull.com

Much has changed since James Ellison’s first stint in MotoGP, a two year affair that saw the Brit aboard a WCM in 2005 and then a Tech 3 Yamaha the following year. Since then, Ellison spent a year in the American AMA Superbike series followed by four successful years in British Superbike where he claimed 17 podiums. He supplemented his British Superbike racing with wildcard appearances in World Superbike in 2008 and 2009, and in 2011 ran a full season of World Supersport along side his full time British Superbike ride.

Ellison now makes his return to the MotoGP paddock after signing with the Paul Bird Motorsport team for 2012 and 2013. The team will run a CRT bike and will make their first test with the bike on February 20th at Jerez, with further plans to test at Aragon and at the 3-day Official Test at Jerez in March.

Tell me about the team set up, you’ve got Mick Shanley (from the Swan Yamaha British Superbike team) as your crew chief.
“I’ve managed to get Mick back again, I’ve worked with him for a couple of years now but we’ve been mates for about 4 years. Phil Borley will be the team leader in charge of the bike’s technical preparations and I’ve got my number one mechanic from the 2009 GSE Racing team, Dave Parkes. I’ve got a crew behind me that I actually know really well, so that makes things easier. There’s still a lot of development work to be done, but one of the key risks—when the mechanic doesn’t know the rider and doesn’t understand him— is out of the way.”

What do you know about the bike so far, we know it’s an Aprilia engine but what about the chassis?
“The bike itself is going to be called an ART, the chassis is something they built specifically for MotoGP. As far as I’m aware, it’s something that they’ve developed for this engine, for CRT, and for the Bridgestone tyres.

So it’s the same bike that Team Aspar are running?
“I don’t know, the original plan was to use the Aprilia engine and build a chassis around it, but for Paul there wasn’t time. I think in the future he’d like to build his own chassis around the engine, but certainly for now, it’s probably best just to use what they’ve done.”

You’re not testing until 20th February, are you worried about the relative lack of testing time compared to MotoGP and some of the other CRTs?
“Not really. I don’t think any amount of testing this early on will make a difference anyway. The MotoGP factory bikes are pretty much developed, now they’re just fine tuning. It’s going to take years to get to where they are. As for the other CRTs, I’m assuming we’re going to share information if we are using the same bike. I would imagine it would be in Aprilia’s best interest to share a bit of information from the first test in Valencia [Team Aspar’s private test 30-31st January] when everybody else is in Sepang. With what they learn there, we might be able to take some of that information onboard for the next meeting.”

“So I’m not overly worried. We’re just going to have to accept the situation we’re in and do the best we can. I have to say we’ve got a good crew behind us, so I hope that everything normally learned at the first test with a new rider, a new team and new mechanics is all out of the way. We’ll just get on with tuning the bike to make it work.”

Obviously you’re not new to MotoGP, though much has changed since you were last here.
“Yeah a lot has changed. The first years I was in MotoGP I wasn’t actually riding a MotoGP bike, my R1 in BSB the same year was quicker, so my first experience wasn’t great to be honest. It should have been my best year, obviously you’ve got a lot of pressure being in a big team like that, but I was in way over my head. We were running Dunlop tyres and we were having problems with that chassis chattering, a problem that Rossi struggled with as well. I had the same chassis all year so we never really developed anything and I had the same problem every weekend. So it’s nice to have a second chance in MotoGP now, with a team that I know, mechanics that I know, the same tyres as everyone else and what looks to be quite an exciting GP bike.”

“I’m relishing the challenge to be honest, it’s a dream come true. I know it isn’t going to be easy, but all we can do is go out there and try to be a top CRT, that’s got to be our first goal and then see what happens from there.”

A few people have voiced concerns over the performance gap between CRT and factory bikes, what are your views?
“I imagine that the lap times from the factory bikes back in the day, when they first came out on track, weren’t that good either. It has taken years of development to get where they are now. I think the Bridgestone tyres making everything equal will help a lot. I don’t think they’re going to be as far off as everybody thinks, though I hope I’m not going to eat my words in a few months time. Certainly for the first few races, yes we’ll be off the pace but I think we’ll soon pick it up.”

It seems that this will be a transitional year.
“Definitely. I don’t think you can change the rules to put everyone on complete CRT bikes, that’s too big a move and for guys like Pedrosa, Stoner and the boys used to riding at the front, it would seem like a step backwards. But the way the economy is now, if you can’t afford to run the Championship fairly, then what’s the point in running it. So if the organisers can find a cheap way to get the same results and maybe even make it a little bit more exciting for the fans, then I’m all for it.”

“If we have a good season, as long as we don’t get lapped every 10 laps and as long as it looks like the bikes aren’t that far off, I think the other guys will come around a bit and realise that this is just the way that it has to be done, this is making it cheaper.”

The fact that we have 21 bikes on the grid and people like you are able to find a way back in MotoGP, that’s already a positive step.
“It’s an elite championship; it’s the best motorcycle championship in the world. There’s never going to be massive numbers but it’s starting to get a bit small and the standards are getting a little too high, because the factory boys up at the front are streets ahead of the guys at the back and that gap needs to close a bit. I don’t think the riders at the front have that much more talent than the riders at the back. Yes they are better, but I don’t think the gap is that huge. It has a lot to do with the machinery available. If that gap can be closed with machinery then I think there will be many more riders coming up that haven’t been able to prove their talent yet and it will make it more interesting.”

We’ve got Colin Edwards and Randy De Puniet coming from MotoGP, people like you who have been in MotoGP, some Moto2 riders and some from outside. What do you think of this mix that you will be competing against, at least at the beginning stages?
“I don’t know too much about the other riders. Yes you’ve got the likes of Colin and Randy on CRTs and I think that’s where the bar is going to be set. If we can run with those guys then we know we’re doing well. Everyone deserves a chance at the end of the day, if you work hard enough and the team has given them an opportunity to race in MotoGP, then why not?”

It could be an exciting new era.
“If it’s anything like Moto2, that’s what they’ve got to look at. I was pretty sure Moto2 was going to work out because of the (spec) engines and the prototype chassis, because there are a lot of good engineers out there. I was thinking ‘this is going to be good’ but then it was much better than I expected and it surprised a lot of people. I think CRT just needs to be proven first before people accept it. I think Dorna have definitely done the right thing. It might take some time for some of the riders and even some of the fans to accept it, but we just need to get a few races under our belt and prove that it was the right decision.”

Are you worried about how the technology of the bikes you’ll be competing against has changed in the time you’ve been away, or does coming in as CRT even that out a bit?
“I’m not worried as such. I’ve done a lot of development work in the past and I love it and that’s why I’m excited about working with Mick again, because we would spend hours at night in front of the computer and that’s how these bikes are run now, with electronics. I thrive on stuff like that so I’m excited about that side of it. I know that having Mick, Phil and the technical team there will be a big advantage because the bikes are fairly advanced at the front, so we need to do the best we can to get the best out of the machinery we’ve got. And having a good team around me will help.”

Source: motogp.com

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

1 CASEY STONER AUS – HONDA TEAM, HONDA
4 ANDREA DOVIZIOSO ITA – YAMAHA TECH 3, YAMAHA
5 COLIN EDWARDS USA – FORWARD RACING, SUTER*
6 STEFAN BRADL GER – LCR HONDA MotoGP, HONDA
8 HECTOR BARBERA SPA – PRAMAC RACING TEAM, DUCATI
9 DANILO PETRUCCI ITA – IODA RACING PROJECT, IODA*
11 BEN SPIES USA – YAMAHA FACTORY RACING, YAMAHA
13 ANTHONY WEST AUS – SPEED MASTER, ART*
14 RANDY DE PUNIET FRA – ASPAR TEAM MotoGP, ART*
17 KAREL ABRAHAM CZE – CARDION AB MOTORACING, DUCATI
19 ALVARO BAUTISTA SPA – HONDA GRESINI, HONDA
20 ALEIX ESPARGARO SPA – ASPAR TEAM MotoGP, ART*
22 IVAN SILVA SPA – BQR, BQR-FTR*
26 DANI PEDROSA SPA – HONDA TEAM, HONDA
35 CAL CRUTCHLOW GBR – YAMAHA TECH 3, YAMAHA
46 VALENTINO ROSSI ITA – DUCATI TEAM, DUCATI
51 MICHELE PIRRO ITA – HONDA GRESINI, FTR*
68 YONNY HERNANDEZ COL – BQR, BQR-FTR*
69 NICKY HAYDEN USA – DUCATI TEAM, DUCATI
77 JAMES ELLISON GBR – PAUL BIRD RACING, ART*
99 JORGE LORENZO SPA – YAMAHA FACTORY RACING, YAMAHA

Source: motogp.com

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

3 LUIGI MORCIANO ITA – IODA RACING PROJECT, IODA
5 ROMANO FENATI ITA – TEAM ITALIA FMI, IODA
7 EFREN VAZQUEZ SPA – TEAM LAGLISSE, HONDA
8 JACK MILLER AUS – TECHNO RACING, HONDA
9 TONI FINSTERBUSCH GER – RACING TEAM GERMANY, HONDA
10 ALEXIS MASBOU FRA – TECHNO RACING, HONDA
11 SANDRO CORTESE GER – RED BULL KTM AJO, KTM
14 BRAD BINDER RSA – RW RACING GP KALEX, KTM
19 ALESSANDRO TONUCCI ITA – TEAM ITALIA FMI, IODA
23 ALBERTO MONCAYO SPA – ASPAR TEAM, KALEX KTM
25 MAVERICK VIÑALES SPA – BQR, FTR HONDA
26 ADRIAN MARTIN SPA – TEAM LAGLISSE, HONDA
27 NICCOLO ANTONELLI ITA – GRESINI RACING, HONDA
30 GIULIAN PEDONE SWI – PHONICA RACING, ORAL
31 NIKLAS AJO FIN – TT MOTION EVENTS RACING, KTM
32 ISAAC VIÑALES SPA – ONGETTA-CENTRO SETA, HONDA
39 LUIS SALOM SPA – RW RACING GP KALEX, KTM
42 ALEX RINS SPA – MONLAU COMPETICION, HONDA
44 MIGUEL OLIVEIRA POR – MONLAU COMPETICION, HONDA
51 KENTA FUJII JAP – TECHNOMAG-CIP, HONDA
52 DANNY KENT GBR – RED BULL KTM AJO, KTM
53 JASPER IWEMA HOL – MOTO FGR, FGR HONDA
55 HECTOR FAUBEL SPA – ASPAR TEAM, KALEX KTM
61 ARTHUR SISSIS AUS – RED BULL KTM AJO, KTM
63 ZULFAHMI KHAIRUDDIN MAL – AIRASIA-SIC-AJO, KTM
77 MARCEL SCHROTTER GER – MAHINDRA RACING, MAHINDRA
84 JAKUB KORNFEIL CZE – REDOX-ONGETTA-CENTRO SETA, HONDA
89 ALAN TECHER FRA – TECHNOMAG-CIP, HONDA
94 JONAS FOLGER GER – MZ RACING TEAM, MZ
95 MIROSLAV POPOV CZE – PHONICA RACING, ORAL
96 LOUIS ROSSI FRA – RACING TEAM GERY, HONDA
99 DANNY WEBB GBR – MAHINDRA RACING, MAHINDRA

Source: motogp.com

Taylor is the son of former Grand Prix rider and three-time British Superbike champion Niall Mackenzie, and both father and son are delighted to have secured the Mar-Train ride on Yamaha machinery, which Niall campaigned for a large portion of his career. Niall will work alongside his son in the Mar-Train squad next season as his main advisor. Taylor joins his younger brother Tarran in the British Championship paddock, who recently confirmed that he will line up in the British 125GP Championship with Redline KTM.

Taylor Mackenzie: “I’m really excited to be riding in British Supersport this season with Mar-Train. I had a tough season in Grand Prix last year, so it’s nice to have the deal completed and be able to concentrate on my training programme. I was at my limit on the ‘one-two-five’ last year size-wise: I was squashed onto it! At times I’d sore knees and was trying to stay as skinny as possible all year, but having ridden an R6 in Spain before the New Year it was so nice and comfortable to ride. The BSB calendar now has so many good tracks to race at and I’ve ridden at Assen this last three years, so that will obviously help. Having Jack in the team next year will be great, as I’ll have someone to learn from. I just need to concentrate on getting stronger now to ride the 600. I can’t wait.”

Niall Mackenzie: “We looked at what was possible and the plan was to stay in Grand Prix for one more season, but a number of things happened and we realised he’d have to move onto a 600 at some time. I’d spoken to a number of people that I know, but Tim’s team were recommended to me by a good friend in the business. Taylor was also keen on the idea and after that it all just unfolded. Taylor had five days in Spain at the end of last year and had time on an R6 road bike. He loved it and having grown a bit towards the end of last season, he was happy that he fitted onto it after being cramped on the 125. So just before the New Year we shook hands on the deal with Tim. I must admit I’m happy that Taylor’s on a Yamaha – it will suit the way he rides. There’s a bit of family history there obviously and I’ve a good relationship with Yamaha worldwide, so hopefully that will be good for us and the team.”

Tim Martin, Team Principal: “We are really pleased to welcome both Taylor and Niall to the Mar-Train team. We are well aware Taylor has limited experience on four-stroke machinery to date, so it will be a learning year for him, although I do believe Jack Kennedy is the perfect team-mate for him. Add to that the experience his father Niall has in racing and that can only be good for everyone involved at Mar-Train Racing. There will certainly be no pressure on Taylor for results, but take nothing away from him, he has a wealth of experience in British Championship for a young man and I’m sure he’ll make steady progress throughout the season on the R6.”

Source: BritishSuperbike.com
Photo Copyright: Simona Vogel for Vroom Media

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