Sunday, March 29, 2015
Valentino Rossi pulled off a sensational display of riding to claim victory in at the Commercial Bank Grand Prix of Qatar.
Thursday, March 26, 2015
Bradley Smith concluded the opening day of action under the floodlights in Qatar with a 13th placed finish in FP1.
The young Briton dug deep and completed a total of 20 laps, which was more than any other rider, as he began making the necessary steps and changes to his MotoGP bike. Smith produced his best time of 1�56.428 on his 11th lap which left him only 0.067s behind his teammate Pol Espargaro.
Bradley Smith:
"It�s good to get the first practice underway and be back riding again. The difference you feel when you are actually racing for real where it means something is amazing and you don�t get that sensation when testing. I think the track conditions today were a bit tricky and not ideal for the setting which we have in place at the moment. However, I know we will improve tomorrow when the grip level increases. My lap times were good and I actually rode a better time on the ideal laps, where I was more than three tenths faster than my final result which would have placed me well inside the top ten. We still need to work more with the rear of the Yamaha to make it easier for me to ride, as the bike is a bit nervous at the moment. In any case, it's nice to ride and just get a general feeling of the track as it's a quite tricky one and I'm already looking forward to the next two sessions tomorrow."
Scott Redding made his debut aboard the Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS Honda RC213V in Qatar this evening.
Redding finished the first MotoGP� free practice of 2015, the only session for the premier class tonight, in 12th position on the timesheet and just 1.093s off provisional pole. The 22-year-old Briton started the session on the hard option tyres, encountering some issues under braking and with the tank cover that was designed specifically to better accommodate Redding�s height.
Scott Redding:
�We had a couple of small issues with the tank cover and the brakes, so it wasn�t the perfect start, but it was better to get these issues out of the way now. We used the hard tyre at the beginning before switching to the soft at the end, which made a big difference to the lap time. We tried a few different things today that we couldn�t try at the test here because of the rain on the final day, so this was a bit of a last test day for us really. I�m happy enough with today, because we still have room for improvement, so tomorrow the work really starts.�
source : motogp.com
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
The Malaysian Moto3 outfit also announced they will be backed by the energy drink Drive M7, and will be officially registered as the DRIVE M7 SIC RACING TEAM this year.
With experienced team manager Johan Stigefelt at the helm, the team will have Malaysian Moto3 star Zulfahmi Khairuddin and Czech ace Jakub Kornfeil leading the team�s assault on the track.
Stigefelt said he felt the team was competitive enough to create some waves in Moto3. �I would like for us to reach some podiums and to be fighting within the top ten. I believe we have a strong team and two good riders that are determined to show what they are capable of. I think Jakub and Fahmi can do a great job. They get on very well and like to work together and I think this is another advantage for our team.�
�To have Drive M7 as our title sponsor means a lot to us. They bring a great profile to the team. It is a privilege to have them as our partner, I would like to also thank Dato� Razlan for trusting in me to bring this team together and SIC for allowing this opportunity. I hope to show our thanks and appreciation with good results.�
Zulfahmi, who is itching for action this season, said: �I have been racing in the World Championship for five years, so it is great that now I can ride for a Malaysian team. I�m also encouraged with the set-up we have now. I am very hopeful that it will be a better year than I have had in the past. One of my goals for this year is to be competitive from the first round and I know we have the package to do this.�
Kornfeil, who was 12th overall in the world championship last year, is thrilled with the opportunity that he has. �We have been here in Malaysia since 16 February and on our test days it�s been great to be able to use the track all day long in such good conditions. I must say a big thank you to SIC for this possibility. The hot conditions have allowed us to set-up the bike very well and I believe this will allow us to be better prepared at many of the other circuits too, where the temperatures are not as high.�
�It�s too early to say exactly what our goals are for the season but of course we will always aim to be at the front. I am feeling positive and am confident that we can do well.�
The Malaysian team opens their Moto3� campaign on March 29 in the season-opening race in Qatar.
