Dani Pedrosa obtained a well-deserved victory at Mazda Raceways Laguna Seca this weekend, after more than a year away from the highest position of the podium. He managed to keep Valentino Rossi behind while ’the doctor’ was about to pass him on the last straight. A few more laps and Rossi could have take the win. A fantastic race for Pedrosa.
Ducati presented at Mazda Raceways Laguna Seca a new version of their middleweight supersport model. The 848 Nicky Hayden Edition was unveiled by the Ducati Star itself and it will be produced in a limited number of 100 units and sold only in the USA.
What sets this bike apart from the standard model is the special Hayden paintjob and the pilot’s autograph on the gas tank, but also the $14,495 price tag (only $500 more than what you would pay for the regular version).
This bike is the first Ducati to receive an official racing paint job as far as we can remember. It does look very good, but we prefer our Ducati plain red, away from the busy Japanese paint jobs.
MotoGP has long inspired competing manufacturers to implement racing technologies on their road-going motorcycles, but nobody believed (although everybody thought at the idea at least once) that a MotoGP bike will ever be turned into a road-legal one and be sold to those willing to pay the big bucks. Ducati was the first, and currently only, to break the ice in 2007 with the Desmosedici RR, which was derived from the Desmosedici GP6 Grand Prix motorcycle, and in 2009 the world is still amazed of this even being possible, not to mention the bike’s evolution.
Full story
Valentino Rossi obtained last weekend at Assen his 100th Grand Prix victory as a professional pilot and became again the current leader of the provisory MotoGP top, after an easy race in which no pilot managed to seriously threaten his position. Lorenzo finished second and Stoner came in third.
The Catalan Grand Prix was a shot of adrenaline for the entire Fiat Yamaha Team as racers Lorenzo and Rossi fought for the first place on the podium. In the end, Rossi ended up drinking the winner’s champagne while Lorenzo came in second and Stoner third.
This has to be the greatest race of the season so far!
Get the detailed results and see the video after the break.
The qualifying round of the 250cc MotoGP race in Mugello saw Honda rider Raffaele de Rosa losing almost total control of his motorcycle after being thrown from the seat. We say almost because what looked like a serious crash transformed in one of the best motorcycle saves caught on tape in a while, if not THE best. The race rider remains calm, continuing to maneuver his bike after being hit two times in the chest and manages to get back on the seat after even missing the footrest once. Unbelievable!
World champion Valentino Rossi won yesterday’s Jerez race in front of a 120.000 person crowd, counting his first win of the 2009 MotoGP World Championship season, the Spanish Grand Prix.
Full story
These miniature radio controlled MotoGP bikes shown wheeling and power-sliding look like just as much fun as the full-sized bikes without the implicit risk of riding yourself. There are also onboard cameras so that you can watch the best scenes at the end of an enjoyable day down the RC track.
Because no Yamaha R1 fan is stranger to MotoGP, Yamaha Motor France offers, with the occasion of the Grand Prix of France (15-17 May), four limited edition replicas of the bikes raced by Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo.
Featuring nothing special apart from the racing paintjobs and a corresponsive free replica helmet, the bikes come with a price of 19,990 euros which translates into US$26,600.
