:: Racing.Blogsome.com ::

Despite missing the Jerez pre-season test, due to knee and forearm injuries that also hampered development of the factory Repsol Honda RC212V, Dani Pedrosa proved that last weekend’s surprise Motegi podium was no fluke by battling countryman Jorge Lorenzo for home pole honours at Jerez on Saturday.

Motegi winner Lorenzo prevailed, but only by 0.051sec over Pedrosa, who undoubtedly has a fighting chance of repeating his 2008 Jerez victory at a circuit where he has never finished lower than second as a MotoGP rider.

(more…)

Valentino Rossi will need to work hard if he is to extinguish team-mate Jorge Lorenzo’s fast growing momentum after the Spaniard followed up his first win of the season with his first pole position of ‘09, in front of his home fans at Jerez on Saturday.

Lorenzo raised eyebrows by catching and passing his fellow Fiat Yamaha rider for victory last weekend in Motegi, a result that also gave him the championship lead by one point over Rossi.

Rossi is still searching for his first win of the season after also finishing runner-up to Casey Stoner in Qatar, but managed just fourth place in Saturday’s qualifying session with a best lap time 0.709sec slower than the #99 - and The Doctor isn’t happy with his race set-up either.

(more…)

Fiat Yamaha rider sees ‘two riders a step above the rest’ after Qatar podium. Satisfied but not elated by a podium finish in Qatar, Jorge Lorenzo was analytical in his response to events on Monday evening.

Fiat Yamaha’s Spanish star was back on the rostrum at the scene of his first MotoGP top three finish, but felt that the gap between himself and racewinner Casey Stoner was more than the nine point difference suggested.

“It is a very good result, and the position is fine,” said Lorenzo. “However, the gap between myself and Stoner was too much. We have to work and work, because these problems need to be solved so that we get to Motegi with more of a chance.

“At the moment there are two riders who are a step above the rest,” he added, referring to Stoner and Fiat Yamaha teammate Valentino Rossi.

(more…)

Having finished fifth at the Losail International Circuit last year Valentino Rossi was pleased to have started the 2009 season - and his MotoGP title defence - with an improved second place in Qatar.

World Champion Valentino Rossi was unable to prevent Casey Stoner running away with a third consecutive season-opening victory at the Commercialbank Grand Prix of Qatar, but the brilliant Italian typically took the positives from his second place finish in the Arabian desert in Monday’s re-scheduled MotoGP race.

Rossi was amongst those who had stated after Sunday night’s rainfall that it was important to stay on at the floodlit Losail track to put on a show for the fans on Monday evening, and whilst he was unable to catch Stoner at the front of the race he did his level best at trying to hunt down the Ducati Marlboro poleman.

(more…)

After his horror crash in qualifying on Saturday at the Commercialbank Grand Prix of Qatar Nicky Hayden did well to come home twelfth on his Ducati race debut.

Nicky Hayden produced an impressive display in his first race for Ducati Marlboro coming from 16th on the grid at the Losail International Circuit in Monday’s re-scheduled MotoGP contest to finish in the points in 12th place, despite his back and chest injuries.

Controlling the awesome Desmosedici GP9 throughout the race cannot have been easy for Hayden after his big crash in qualifying on Saturday, given the badly bruised back and stitches in his chest which the American had to deal with.

(more…)

When Volkswagen hopped up a Golf back in 1976, it invented a niche that came to be known as the Hot Hatchback segment. With just 100 horsepower, it’s difficult now to think that was hot…but it was. Hey, it was 1976 and polyester, John Travolta and the BeeGees were cool, too.

(more…)

Formula 1 weekend in Australia starts with an interesting race between a BMW 135i Coupe with Performance parts on it, a BMW Sauber F1 monopost and a V8 Supercar.

Yes, we know, it’s not a fair race nor it was ever meant to be, but those comparisons are always more fun. And NO, the 135i Coupe tii branded, will not win this, but it gives us another chance to see car in action.

It is equipped with the BMW Performance Aerodynamic package,  performance brakes 18″ light-allow wheels. Carbon fiber side mirrors, boot lid and other elements, complete the image of a a car that many BMW fans have been fantasizing about.

Read Full Story

World champion Lewis Hamilton joined the criticism of Formula One’s decision to alter the way the title is decided.

Hamilton followed record seven-time champion Michael Schumacher in suggesting that awarding the title to the driver with the greatest number of race wins rather than the largest number of points was likely to do little or nothing to boost fans’ interest in the sport.

Had the new rule been in force last year, Ferrari’s Felipe Massa would have edged Hamilton for the title.

"It’s a shame what’s happening to F1,'’ Hamilton said in a statement provided by his McLaren team. "It’s hard to believe these recent decisions will improve things for the track-side spectators and TV viewers, who should always be our priority.'’

(more…)

The thing that’s always kept me from wanting a hybrid car is that they aren’t all that fast. And the ones that are fast cost too much money. That might change with Toyota’s MR2 Hybrid.

(more…)

(more…)