HRC confirms three-bike team for 2011
Honda Racing Corporation has confirmed it will field three works bikes in the 2011 season, with Andrea Dovizioso staying on to partner Dani Pedrosa and Casey Stoner.
Lorenzo quickest in Valencia test
MotoGP world champion Jorge Lorenzo set the pace on the opening day of post-season testing at the Valencia circuit on Tuesday.
[U]<font color='purple'>Valencia MotoGP Test Day 1</font>[/U]
Pos Rider Time Laps
1. Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha 1m32.012s 38
2. Ben Spies Yamaha 1m32.878s + 0.866s 42
3. Andrea Dovizioso Honda 1m33.190s + 1.178s 35
4. Casey Stoner Honda 1m33.261s + 1.249s 27
5. Dani Pedrosa Honda 1m33.336s + 1.324s 26
6. Colin Edwards Tech 3 Yamaha 1m33.513s + 1.501s 49
7. Marco Simoncelli Gresini Honda 1m33.578s + 1.566s 39
8. Valentino Rossi Ducati 1m33.882s + 1.870s 46
9. Alvaro Bautista Suzuki 1m33.921s + 1.909s 39
10. Nicky Hayden Ducati 1m33.998s + 1.986s 35
11. Hector Barbera Aspar Ducati 1m34.110s + 2.098s 54
12. Randy de Puniet Pramac Ducati 1m34.142s + 2.130s 45
13. Hiroshi Aoyama Gresini Honda 1m34.181s + 2.169s 49
14. Loris Capirossi Pramac Ducati 1m34.631s + 2.619s 53
15. Cal Crutchlow Tech 3 Yamaha 1m34.924s + 2.912s 40
16. Toni Elias LCR Honda 1m35.808s + 3.796s 45
17. Karel Abraham Cardion AB Ducati 1m37.434s + 5.422s 30
Spies: Works bike clearly a step up
Ben Spies said it was immediately clear from his first test day on the factory Yamaha that the works bike was better in 'every way' than the satellite machine he had used at Tech 3 in his rookie season.
Stoner keen to choose Honda direction
Casey Stoner is keen to make sure his new Honda team has a clear sense of where he wants to head with the 2011 bike's development by the end of today's Valencia test.
Ducati already impressed with Rossi
Ducati sporting chief Filippo Preziosi said Valentino Rossi made a huge impression on the Italian squad on his first day of testing at Valencia yesterday.
Hayden leaning towards 'big bang'
Nicky Hayden has hinted that he wants Ducati to retain the 'big bang' engine configuration for the 2011 season after the first test of its engine options at Valencia.
Stoner tops second day at Valencia
Casey Stoner was quickest for his new team Honda on the final day of MotoGP running in 2010, although world champion Jorge Lorenzo's Tuesday lap remained the best of the Valencia test.
[U]<font color='purple'>Valencia MotoGP Test Day 2</font>[/U]
Pos Rider Team Time Gap
1. Casey Stoner Honda 1m32.066s
2. Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha 1m32.179s + 0.113s
3. Ben Spies Yamaha 1m32.322s + 0.256s
4. Marco Simoncelli Gresini Honda 1m32.497s + 0.431s
5. Dani Pedrosa Honda 1m32.497s + 0.431s
6. Nicky Hayden Ducati 1m32.583s + 0.517s
7. Alvaro Bautista Suzuki 1m32.738s + 0.672s
8. Randy de Puniet Pramac Ducati 1m32.836s + 0.770s
9. Andrea Dovizioso Honda 1m32.912s + 0.846s
10. Hiroshi Aoyama Gresini Honda 1m33.105s + 1.039s
11. Hector Barbera Aspar Ducati 1m33.168s + 1.102s
12. Colin Edwards Tech 3 Yamaha 1m33.325s + 1.259s
13. Cal Crutchlow Tech 3 Yamaha 1m33.483s + 1.417s
14. Loris Capirossi Pramac Ducati 1m33.740s + 1.674s
15. Valentino Rossi Ducati 1m33.761s + 1.695s
16. Karel Abraham Cardion AB Ducati 1m33.793s + 1.727s
17. Toni Elias LCR Honda 1m34.800s + 2.734s
Ducati 'must improve for Rossi'
Ducati's sporting boss Filippo Preziosi says it is already clear that the team needs to make changes and improvements to its bike to ensure new signing Valentino Rossi can get the most out of it.
Crutchlow satisfied with early progress
Cal Crutchlow declared himself very satisfied with his pace at the end of his first two days of MotoGP testing.
Abu Dhabi targets MotoGP round
Yas Marina circuit boss Richard Cregan has targeted a MotoGP round to boost the racing calendar at the Abu Dhabi track.
Pedrosa will not need further surgery
Dani Pedrosa will not need any further surgery on his injured collarbone, but has been advised to rest for four weeks to allow the issues that surfaced in the final races of the season to heal properly.
Rossi undergoes shoulder operation
Valentino Rossi had surgery on Sunday to resolve the shoulder issue that hampered much of his 2010 season.
Burgess: No panic over Rossi test pace
Valentino Rossi's chief engineer Jeremy Burgess says the Italian's slow times in his maiden test for Ducati are no cause for panic.
Rossi: Shoulder worse than expected
Valentino Rossi has revealed that his injured shoulder was in much worse condition than expected before surgery was carried out last weekend, but says it is now 'as good as new'.
Spies eager to learn from Lorenzo
Yamaha's new factory MotoGP signing Ben Spies says he wants to learn as much as possible from his world champion team-mate Jorge Lorenzo and is keen to work closely with the Spaniard.
