Jalopnik: motogp

MotoGP At Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca Mega-Gallery

Wes Siler — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 19:00:00 EDT

I spent the weekend at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca watching the fastest riders in the world tackling the Corkscrew, annoying cops, getting sunburned and pestering racers. Here's a mega-gallery of MotoGP action.

Photo credit: Grant Ray

Jorge Lorenzo just before the race, he finished third despite pre-race shoulder injuries.

The Kentucky Kid, Nicky Hayden, after finishing a disappointing fifth.

Racers tackling the Corkscrew during qualifying.

Loris Capirossi shrugs it off.

Dani Pedrosa entering the Corkscrew.

Nicky Hayden's bike catches a ride back to the pits after a crash in Saturday practice.

Yamaha M1 rearview camera.

Jaywalking on a crosswalk. Only in California.

Stoner in the Corkscrew.

Rossi's bike just before qualifying.

Lorenzo's garage.

Entering the Corkscrew.

Bad to the bone on Honda's new Fury.

Lorenzo flat out on the main straight.

Randy Mamola picking up chicks.

Colin Edwards talking to fans.

Valentino Rossi in action.

Gressini Honda.

Lorenzo and Toseland sign autographs.

BMW X6 M Paces Laguna Seca MotoGP Race

Ben Wojdyla — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 11:00:00 EDT

BMW supplied one of its new X6 M's for the MotoGP race at Leguna Seca over the weekend, further attempting to brand the segment-blurring tire-shredding-crossover-wagon-hatchback as a racy option for the confused and monied. So how'd it perform?

It appears as though the BMW X6 M handled its duties as effectively as one would expect of a twin-turbo 4.4-liter 555 HP V8-engined pace car at a motorcycle race. The only additions BMW appears to have made to the new car-wagon-und-sport-thing was a light-bar and some pretty stickers. [Autoblog]

Raffaele De Rosa's Epic MotoGP Save

The Auto Insider — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 08:40:00 EDT

Typically when you see a rider get the tail wagging in MotoGP you expect to see a violent crash with bike and rider sliding down the track. Not so much at last weekend's 250cc MotoGP race in Mugello.

[fastfever via Autoblog]

Monumental Games Working on Next MotoGP

Brian Crecente — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 14:40:00 EDT

A new MotoGP racing game is in development by Monumental Games for the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360, Capcom announced today.

Capcom says that the new, yet to be titled, MotoGP will take the series in a "totally new and exciting direction, whilst remaining faithful to the world's premier motorcycle championships." So I guess rocket launchers are right out.

"We're working very closely with Capcom to take the MotoGP franchise to new heights," said Rik Alexander, head of Monumental Games. "No-one would question the experience of our team - what's amazing is the sheer energy which they're bringing to the project. Like Capcom, they want this to surpass everything that's come before, and so far they're very much on track."

More details on the new game, developed under the exclusive, five-year agreement Capcom has with Doma Sports, is expected "shortly."

MotoGP Riders Complete First Ride of 2009

Ray Wert — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 14:45:00 EST

MotoGP's Stoner completes first ride of 2009. [PaddockTalk]

Michael Schumacher Rides Ducati At Valencia, Throws Down Stellar Lap Time

Ray Wert — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 09:15:00 EST

Schumi's got to have one of the busiest retirements we've ever seen. When the seven-time Formula One winner's not testing the 599 GTB on the Nordschleife, or spending time as the consigliere to the Ferrari F1 team, he's apparently having a go at other forms of racing. Like this past weekend when the legend of the prancing stallion brand took off two of his wheels to take some laps during a special guest ride on Casey Stoner's world championship-winning Ducati in Valencia. Although Schumacher's no stranger to MotoGP, he rode a 990cc Desmosedici at the Mugello circuit in Italy back in 2005, one still wouldn't expect the German F1 star-of-stars to have times approaching that of a MotoGP winner. Wrong. Schumacher completed 58 laps, including a fastest lap time of one minute, 37.89 seconds. That's just over five seconds outside Dani Pedrosa's new lap record, which the Spaniard set in winning the Valencia MotoGP on Sunday. Want to know what made ~~Bo Jackson's~~ Schumi's time so amazing? Hit the jump to find out.

What makes his time all the more impressive was that Mikey wasn't even using super powerful carbon brakes. The F1 star instead decided to run steel brakes normally used in MotoGP in the rain because, you know, he enjoys the challenge. Schumacher insisted he had no desire to compete in a MotoGP race in the future — but we're thinking one should never say never! We're just waiting to see when he decides to jump into a Nastruck. (Hat tip to GT!) [news.com.au]

Photo Credit: Superbikeplanet

Oh My: Aprilia V4 Produces 220 Horsepower

Mike Spinelli — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 08:45:59 EDT

It's been the talk among kneedraggers since Aprilia announced its development last year. It's the moto maker's new, 1000 cc V4, and it's giving motorcycle- engine geeks a new reason to engage in cocktail-party speculation. The latest from Aprilia is that the V4 is undergoing durability testing in four tuning stages, from a spry 185 horsepower up to a hyperbole-defying 220. And the company says its first four banger will likely hit the track sometime in 2008. As for the street version, there's no word. But a 220-horsepower superbike for the street would skip right to the top of the class. Not to mention, the 2.0-liter V8 some joker is bound to build by fusing two of them together could be a bit of fun too. [Gizmag]

Jalopnik at MotoGP: Parade of Pit Bikes

Mike Bumbeck — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 14:40:00 EDT

With the crazed velocity that was MotoGP a wrap, we now bring you another sort of motorcycle spied at the big race. Getting around the pits is often as important as getting around the track. Shuttling tires, parts, and fuel around is often the task of the noble pit bike. Crew members spend countless hours in the off-season prepping their pit bikes for the show. Hustling among the pits are vintage Honda 50s, electric-powered contraptions, and few big ruckuses.

Gratuitous MotoGP Umbrella and Bikini Babe Gallery

Mike Bumbeck — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 12:30:00 EDT

Don't think for a second we forgot about booth and umbrella babes, or the needs of our readers while at the MotoGP. We just wanted to wait until Monday, so y'all could get in hot water for looking at squirt gun wielding bikini babes while at work. (This may not be safe for work!)

Moto GP at Laguna Seca: It's Over, and No Surprise

Mike Spinelli — Sun, 22 Jul 2007 19:54:15 EDT

Just when we though the deflating balloon of Valentino Rossi and the Yamaha team would give MotoGP a needed butt shot of nitromethane — and hand a few more victories to American homeboy Nicky Hayden — out pops 21-year-old Australian Casey Stoner to ride Ducati's labcoattails to superstardom. No surprises today at Laguna Seca, as Stoner broke a 12-race MotoGP pole-position curse to take the win — dominating the field and besting countryman Chris Vermeulen, who took second. Uncontested wins make us cranky, especially when we're braving the California sun, sidestepping sleeping drunks and barrel rolling atop spent air-horn canisters. Hayden's chances for a threepeat at Laguna were obliterated when the Kentucky Kid collided with fellow Yank John Hopkins on the first corner, an unfortunately pathetic cut-off display by Hopkins that Hayden really needed not to have happened. The incident sent a fissure through the field and sealed off those at the top of the grid from those below. Our hopes for a MotoGP renaissance now seem further away than ever. Yay, bikes!

MotoGP US Grand Prix Final:
1. Casey Stoner (Australia) Ducati 44:20.325
2. Chris Vermeulen (Australia) Suzuki 44:30.190
3. Marco Melandri (Italy) Honda 44:45.966
4. Valentino Rossi (Italy) Yamaha 44:50.989
5. Dani Pedrosa (Spain) Honda 44:55.947
6. Randy de Puniet (France) Kawasaki 44:58.631
7. Anthony West (Australia) Kawasaki 45:01.747
8. Makoto Tamada (Japan) Yamaha 45:02.680
9. Alex Barros (Brazil) Ducati 45:03.845
10. Roger Lee Hayden (U.S.) Kawasaki 45:04.045
11. Colin Edwards (U.S.) Yamaha 45:07.701
12. Shinya Nakano (Japan) Honda 45:13.173
13. Sylvain Guintoli (France) Yamaha 45:18.735
14. Carlos Checa (Spain) Honda 45:35.691
15. John Hopkins (U.S.) Suzuki +2 Laps

2007 MotoGP Standings
1. Casey Stoner (Australia) Ducati 221 points
2. Valentino Rossi (Italy) Yamaha 177
3. Dani Pedrosa (Spain) Honda 155
4. Chris Vermeulen (Australia) Suzuki 113
5. Marco Melandri (Italy) Honda 113
6. John Hopkins (U.S.) Suzuki 104
7. Colin Edwards (U.S.) Yamaha 93
8. Loris Capirossi (Italy) Ducati 77
9. Alex Barros (Brazil) Ducati 76
10. Nicky Hayden (U.S.) Honda 73
11. Alex Hofmann (Germany) Ducati 60
12. Randy de Puniet (France) Kawasaki 50
13. Toni Elias (Spain) Honda 49
14. Makoto Tamada (Japan) Yamaha 31
15. Carlos Checa (Spain) Honda 29

Casey Stoner has won the 2007 Red Bull U.S....

Davey G. Johnson — Sun, 22 Jul 2007 18:16:07 EDT

Casey Stoner has won the 2007 Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix at Laguna Seca. We can't believe we typed out that many words, just for that. Vermeulen was second, Melandri third, and Mister Rossi took fourth.

Pole-sitting Duc-mounted Casey Stoner put...

Davey G. Johnson — Sun, 22 Jul 2007 17:45:00 EDT

Pole-sitting Duc-mounted Casey Stoner put the knee pucks to the asphalt and dropped a Laguna Seca lap record in practice. The decimating digits? 1:21:975 [San Jose Mercury-News, Live lap timer at MotoGP.com]

MotoGP at Laguna Seca, 2007: Ready to Race

Mike Spinelli — Sun, 22 Jul 2007 16:04:56 EDT

Qualifications were in yesterday and practice runs wrapped earlier this morning, West Coast time, for today's Cali motofest at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Post for the MotoGP US Grand Prix is 2:00 and the AMA Superbike at 3:45. The MotoGP field is as about as tight as eight guys could be without a class ring — with the top eight splitting one second among them. Bumbeck was there with his lens and a talent for subterfuge to capture a gallery of practice runs earlier today. We're heading out to a decent vantage point, loaded down with SPF 1,092 and a camel. Click through for qualifying sets.

Top 10 Starters

MotoGP
1.) Casey Stoner - 1:22.292 (Ducati)
2.) Dani Pedrosa - 1:22.501 (Honda)
3.) Chris Vermeulen - 1:22.590 (Suzuki)
4.) Nicky Hayden - 1:22.624 (Honda)
5.) Valentino Rossi - 1:22.683 (Yamaha)
6.) Loris Capirossi - 1:22.914 (Ducati)
7.) John Hopkins - 1:22.933 (Suzuki)
8.) Colin Edwards - 1:22.943 (Yamaha)
9.) Shinya Nakano - 1.23.006 (Honda)
10.) Marco Melandri - 1.23:018 (Honda)

AMA Superbike
1.) Ben Spies - 1:23.409 (Suzuki GSX-R1000)
2.) Mathew Mladin - 1:23.828 (Suzuki GSX-R1000)
3.) Eric Bostrom - 1:24.425 (Yamaha YZF-R1)
4.) Jamie A Hacking - 1:24.505 (Kawasaki ZX-10R)
5.) Aaron W Yates - 1:24.507 (Suzuki GSX-R1000)
6.) Jake P Zemke - 1:24.560 (Honda CBR1000RR)
7.) Jason Disalvo - 1:24.640 (Yamaha YZF-R1)
8.) Neil Hodgson - 1:24.818 (Honda CBR1000RR)
9.) Tommy Hayden - 1:24.914 (Suzuki GSX-R1000)
10.) Jake Holden - 1:25.144 (Suzuki GSX-R1000)

Jalopnik at MotoGP: Happening Cam

Mike Spinelli — Sun, 22 Jul 2007 12:43:54 EDT

We're here for race day at the MotoGP US Grand Prix at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Riders are gearing up for practice laps this morning, before the Big Race(TM) kicks off at 2:00 pm West Coast. We'll be out taking proper photos and bugging the locals, but stay up to the minute with our MotoGP Happening cam. It's free, and it shows.

MotoGP Fans Descend on Cannery Row

Mike Bumbeck — Sun, 22 Jul 2007 12:00:00 EDT

After a couple days at the MotoGP we've talked to people who rode motorcycles from all over the country and further. Cannery Row is the place to be Saturday night, regardless if you came in on a dresser, sportbike, chopper, or classic. Had Ed Ricketts somehow managed to witness this mob, Doc may have suspected the delirium tremens.

Stoner! Pedrosa! Vermeulen!

Mike Spinelli — Sat, 21 Jul 2007 18:57:00 EDT

The intense qualifying battle between Casey Stoner, Dani Pedrosa and Chris Vermeulen ended with the favorite Stoner taking pole position in this year's MotoGP US Grand Prix. Stoner turned in the fastest lap at 1:22"292, followed by Pedrosa at 1:22"501 and Vermeulen at 1:22"590. Kentucky's homeboy Nicky Hayden pulled up in fourth, while Valentino Rossi ended qualifying in fifth. We'll see tomorrow how starting position translates into race results. [Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images]

Speedymoto Midway

Mike Bumbeck — Sat, 21 Jul 2007 18:00:00 EDT

There are some pretty sweet cycles hanging out in the Moto GP midway. This particular model is a worked version of a Ducati Sport 1000 by Speedymoto. More examples of custom cyclery in their [Gallery]

MotoGP at Laguna Seca, 2007

Mike Spinelli — Sat, 21 Jul 2007 13:43:02 EDT

We've shed two wheels for the weekend and spirited northward from the Jalopnik Los Angeles compound to California's Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca to catch the 2007 Red Bull US Grand Prix. We spent yesterday sampling two of Ducati's latest — a Monster 695 and a Sport1000 Monoposto, the company's throwback sportbike — on some of Bumbeck's favorite haunts like State Route 154. We also dodged landscape trucks on the 101 and hippie vans on the coast highway, following a risky stop for Oxacan food in San Luis Obispo and an encounter with some portly creatures of the deep near Big Sur. Difficulty level: A-ok. Now we're listening to the latest round of MotoGP free-practice sessions and stuffing ourselves with double espressos and Jimmie Dean food products. We'll be here all weekend, catching the latest chapter in Casey Stoner's rise to stardom, Valentino Rossi's slog back to superstardom and Nicky Hayden's bid to make Kentucky the new Motegi. Catch our field reports on the MotoGP tag or RSS feed.

MotoGP or Bust!

Mike Bumbeck — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 13:00:00 EDT

After a bit of clutching around in Los Angeles traffic and enjoying some nightlife, we're loaded up and ready to roll a pair of Ducatis up the coast to the big Moto GP race at Mazda Laguna Seca Raceway. On deck are a Monster 695, and a Sport 1000 Monoposto. We'll be coming to you as live as technology allows from the event. We're hoping a Volare wagon with a candy striped canvas top will pick us up trackside, and bring us to Ducati island.

MotoGP Coming to Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Mike Spinelli — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 07:17:29 EDT

Think back to August, 1909. You just caught a clown act at the Hippodrome, went for a boysenberry phosphate at Spunk's Unguents and Ointments and nearly got flattened by a runaway fish cart. Meanwhile, in Indianapolis, a motorcycle race just became the first motorized event at the new speedway. Ninety-nine years later, the MotoGP will stop at the brickyard, commemorating the original event, in 2008. The exploits of Nicky Hayden, Casey Stoner, Valentino Rossi, et al will replace the US Grand Prix, sunk when Bernie Ecclestone put Tony George's walnuts in a vice and started cracking. IMS track president Joie Chitwood made the announcement yesterday, that the MotoGP will be held on the speedway's 2.66-mile road course, which will be modified with extra turns for the two-wheelers. [via Autosport.com]