Thursday, 30 August 2012

Today in Australia, Repsol Honda Team's Casey Stoner received surgery to his ankle, which was damaged after his crash in qualifying for the Indianapolis GP 12 days ago.

The procedure was performed by Dr. Lam's team in Sydney's North Shore Private Hospital. Doctors are pleased with how the operation went, and now must wait during this initial recuperation period to see how the ankle is healing.

With no complications or need for Stoner to stay in hospital, he has returned home and HRC will endeavour to share information on Casey's recovery as it is known.

Posted by
Fariz Ananda Putra

Sunday, 19 August 2012

After yesterday's crash during qualifying practice for the Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix, Repsol Honda's Casey Stoner has been confirmed with a fracture and torn ligaments in his right ankle, which put him in doubt for today’s race.

Stoner had X-rays and an MRI scan on the right tibia and fibula, right ankle and right foot. It was confirmed he had suffered several small chipped bone fractures, a 10mm fracture on the talar dome below the tibia and fibula, contusions to the anterior tibia, posterior tibia and medial malleolus, and soft tissue swelling around the ankle. He has also torn his deltoid, anterior talofibial, calcaneal and fibular ligaments in addition to a high ankle sprain.

Hospital staff strapped the ankle for protection through the night and Stoner left the hospital at midnight. He will consult with the medical team before the race to assess the situation and decide if he is able to ride the machine safely.

Casey Stoner

"It's the first time in my career that I haven't been able to get up and walk away from an accident myself. As soon as I stood up, I looked down and saw my foot was at a strange angle to my leg. I had a shooting pain in my lower leg, then I felt a crack as my ankle popped back in. It was very painful and I was sure I had broken something. The local staff at the circuit Medical Centre were all very helpful and after taking some initial x-rays they agreed I should go to hospital for further checks. The team that looked after me at the Methodist Hospital were fantastic, so professional, attentive and incredibly helpful, I'd like to thank them all for taking good care of me. They confirmed that I had some chipped bone around my ankle and a small fracture, but I was concerned about the damage done to any ligaments so we did an MRI scan. This showed that I had torn almost every ligament in my ankle and heavily bruised my tibia. I need to see how I feel tomorrow morning to understand if I'm able to race. I am really disappointed as I felt we had the package for pole in this race and a strong chance for the win. Many other riders came off today, I hope they are ok. We'll see how we feel in the morning and will do all we can to be on the grid."

Posted by
Fariz Ananda Putra

Friday, 28 September 2012

On a wet first day at the Gran Premio Iveco de Aragón it was Yamaha Factory Racing’s Ben Spies who laid down the benchmark by setting the fastest time of the day in the afternoon practice session ahead of Dani Pedrosa and Jorge Lorenzo.

After a near-wasted morning session with a part-wet surface, riders were greeted with rain for their second run out where Spies’ time of just over two minutes relegated Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa into second, who left it late to post his best time. Third place went to Yamaha’s championship leader Jorge Lorenzo, although the Spaniard was almost half a second off the front.

Ducati Team’s Nicky Hayden finished the day fourth fastest, with the American benefiting from the wet condition as his right hand continues to heal from injury. In fifth, Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Andrea Dovizioso led the satellite machines, yet was over a second off Spies’ best time.

LCR Honda MotoGP’s Stefan Bradl ended the day in sixth, after looking strong all session on his RC213V machine. Seventh place went to Dovizioso’s teammate Cal Crutchlow, who had his fastest time cancelled at the end due to cutting the track. In eighth, Ducati’s Valentino Rossi couldn’t capitalise on his prowess in the wet, seemingly not finding a setting he looked comfortable with. He finished ahead of Cardion AB Racing’s Karel Abraham in ninth, who will be pleased at having finished narrowly behind his factory counterpart.

The top ten was completed by San Carlo Honda Gresini’s Álvaro Bautista, with the Spaniard hoping to try out some new Showa suspension before qualifying tomorrow. Power Electronics Aspar’s Randy de Puniet put in a solid performance to finish as top CRT machine in 12th, ahead of his teammate Aleix Espargaró. Turn 1 turned out to be a tricky spot for many of the riders, with numerous running off at the end of the straight as they pushed to improve their lap times.

Posted by
Fariz Ananda Putra

Wednesday, 29 February 2012

Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa had to sit out the second day of testing at Sepang waiting to get the all-clear from HRC after Pedrosa experienced an engine failure on the first day.

Due to an engine failure on Dani Pedrosa's RC213V machine yesterday, HRC sent the engine to Japan for analysis.

The feedback after the investigation was positive, however it arrived after lunch when the Sepang circuit was drenched by heavy rain, so unfortunately the Repsol Honda riders were unable to take to the track.

Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa will return back on track tomorrow and resume their testing programme.

Posted by
Fariz Ananda Putra

Monday, 27 August 2012

Following an eventful Brno race weekend Yamaha Factory Racing have successfully completed a one-day test at the Czech circuit.

Jorge Lorenzo spent the test sessions giving the first shakedown of the 2013 YZR-M1 prototype. The team also worked to find an improvement in the suspension on the front end of the bike to allow him to brake later on the 2012 machine. Teammate Ben Spies had less to test, the Texan spent the morning session working through different settings for the base set up of his 2012 M1 to improve general performance over the remainder of the season.

The team will now enjoy a one-week break before moving to Aragon to test again on the 4th and 5th September.

Jorge Lorenzo

"We tried the 2013 bike today, for the moment it’s a prototype so not the final one. The engineers will now take the data away to prepare for our next test. We also worked on braking which was where I struggled with Dani during yesterday’s race. We found something a bit better which should help us gain some tenths of a second."

Ben Spies

"There was not so much for us to do today, we spent some time this morning working on the base set up of the bike which completed our test schedule. We’ll go to Aragon next week to continue and see if it helps us for the next race in Misano."

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Fariz Ananda Putra

Tuesday, 25 September 2012

The Ducati Team is preparing to return to the track at the Spanish Aragón circuit for the fourteenth round on the championship calendar, where it hopes to cement its new found form it showed last time out in Misano.

In the final five races, Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden will look for confirmation on the recent progress made with the development of the Desmosedici, as they’ll put the new chassis to the test on a series of very diverse tracks within a relatively short period of time. The American, who finished on the podium at Aragón in 2010, will be able to more thoroughly analyse the new components, having had the opportunity to allow the injury to his right hand to recuperate more than had been possible for the post-race test at Misano. Rossi on the other hand, will be hoping to repeat his Misano podium, with Aragón one of only two current tracks on the calendar where he has not finished on the podium; the other being Silverstone.

Valentino Rossi

“We come to Aragón with a positive outlook after the Misano result, even if we also know that every race has its own story. It will be our first chance to check if the progress we’ve made will also be confirmed at this track, which is very different from Misano. It’s fast and challenging, and managing the tyres at lean angle is very important. Concerning that, during the test after the last race, we tried a swingarm that I liked as it provides a bit more grip with the bike leaned over and stresses the tyres less. Anyway, we’ll see. It will be a chance to understand if we’ve really improved.”

Nicky Hayden

“For me, Aragón is a fun circuit. I like tracks that have a bit of elevation change, and Aragón definitely has some ups and downs. There are also some blind parts that make it technical but also enjoyable, as well as some good places to pass. I’m looking forward to seeing how much better my hand will be than it was at Misano, and also to having the new chassis. I definitely had a little bit better feeling with it at the test, so it will be nice to go there and start with it. I’m sure we’ll need to make a couple of adjustments to the set-up, but I’ll be interested to see how we can get on there.”

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Fariz Ananda Putra

Thursday, 27 September 2012

As the MotoGP™ grid descended on Spain once more for the 14th round of the world championship at the Gran Premio Iveco de Aragón, Yamaha Factory Racing’s championship leader Jorge Lorenzo was joined by Dani Pedrosa, Cal Crutchlow, Valentino Rossi and Álvaro Bautista at the Thursday press-conference kicking off the event.

Lorenzo, who is currently 38-points ahead of Repsol Honda Team’s Pedrosa, is cautious not to get carried away and highlighted that racing is not just about points: "There are five more races until the end and 125 points to take, and yes, the situation is much better than before Misano. But there is still a lot of pressure, so we have to be concentrated in every practice and every session. For me it’s not very comfortable [thinking about points]; I don’t like to think about the points and mathematics. I like to go fast."

The Spaniard, who undertook a private test at Aragón before the Misano round with Yamaha along with the Repsol Honda team, said that it was important to gain further information on the track: "It’s quite new [the circuit], so we don’t have a lot of information like we do at other tracks. [The test] was a big help, for getting the right setting for the bike."

Pedrosa, who’s race in Misano was cut short due to being taken out in the first set of corners is keen to put those thoughts behind him, and, like Lorenzo, does not want to dwell on points alone: "The past is in the past. If you stick in the past, you can’t move forward. I’m trying to keep focussed on every session, every lap. We hope the bike is working well. I like to enjoy my riding, but obviously the championship is there. It is not such a good feeling when you only think about the points."

Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Crutchlow is also looking to put his Misano weekend behind him, and get back to the good run of form that saw him take the podium in Brno: "I don’t think Misano could have gone any worse. The next race will be crucial. If I do well here we’ll head into the next races [triple header] with confidence. We’re trying to take positives from the last race." And speaking about the Aragón track, the British rider said: "It seems a difficult circuit for me, I don’t know why. I could have done with a test here, but we were unable to come [when the Yamaha and Honda factories tested here]."

Ducati Team’s Rossi, fresh from his second place finish in Misano, is keen to verify the team’s progress once he heads out on track: "It is a big test for us this weekend to understand our level a bit better. We have to see here, and in the next four races, if it was a step forward. I like this track, but it’s difficult to go fast. I need to improve my line and my style." With regards to the post-Misano test he carried out with the team the Italian commented: "We found something that I didn’t like, but also something that is better."

San Carlo Honda Gresini’s Álvaro Bautista, who scored his first ever podium in the last race, would welcome a continuation of this form, and will test some parts in practice to help him achieve this: "For sure it’s a big test. But the weather forecast is not the best to test our new Showa parts. I will again try and stay in the fight for the podium. In the past I did two good races here, but I’m on a new bike with new suspension now." Much speculation has surrounded the Spaniard’s future with the team next season, to which he said: "At the moment I can’t say anything about next year. Nothing is clear."

Posted by
Fariz Ananda Putra