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  • Exclusive: Dave Tyson (Team Owner of Tempus MV Agusta) Q&A

    At Cadwell Park, I caught up with Dave Tyson – the Team Owner of the Tempus MV Agusta team. A fixture of the paddock, Dave has cut back his efforts in 2017 to focus on delivering Jack Kennedy a solid Supersport bike and so far, it’s worked well. In this exclusive interview, he talks to us about his season so far, his 2018 plans and why he believes there are other alternatives to bringing in Moto2.

    Sum up your season so far – a few dramas along the way but you’re back up there now.

    At round one, we probably weren’t at our best as we had a few things to sort out due to it being our first proper run at things. I think Jack needed a bit more time on the bike as well. After that, we persevered and every weekend, we have something new on the bike. We had changed to a different engine builder at Knockhill and that has really progressed the bike. We have a little bit more power and a bit more drive out of the corners so the results have started to come now.

    Jack has been going really strongly since Oulton Park, where he got his first podium of the season before he went off to the World Supersport championship. Since coming back, we’ve been on the podium in almost all the races.

    Did Jack going to World Supersport help him?

    Keeping him on a bike was a good thing and that was why we allowed him to do it. He was with a good team in Profile Racing and it’d make sense for him to do it, as going to WSS is a good step forward. He went to circuits like Donington Park and Imola so they were worthwhile circuits. Has it helped Jack? I think so, yes. It was more about him getting track time than racing in the world championship. The fact that he went so well was a massive benefit. He beat a former British Supersport champion who happened to be his teammate and has come back with a point to prove. He wants to be back in that series and he deserves to be there next year.

    Do you think his experience in British Superbikes with Team WD40 help him?

    I think when he was riding for WD40, it made him really appreciate a bike that works for him. Obviously, he had a tough couple of years but our bikes are working for him and he can extract the best out of it. He wanted to show everyone just how good he is and he is absolutely doing that with us, whereas he wasn’t able to on the WD40 Kawasaki for whatever reason. He came to us to show that the last two years aren’t the true Jack Kennedy and he’s already done that. A lot of people have criticised us and said that our bike isn’t good enough but, we’ve won more races than Kawasaki this year so yeah – I’ll go with that!

    Have you experienced any mechanical issues like the World Supersport MV Agusta teams seem to have?

    Personally, I believe that a lot of the problems are down to electronics. We tried to talk MV into using Motec because we tried a kit one and that was horrific. They chose not to use Motec and have gone down their own route. We obviously use Motec which works fantastically well. We don’t get too many issues with the bike – we had an engine problem on Friday at Cadwell Park but that’s our first since Assen last year. Overall, it’s pretty decent. We actually have to fly over to Italy very soon to spend some time with the MV factory with our engine specs and help them out a little bit. They’ve been very good to us over the years and I think we are in a position to repay them a little bit.

    Has cutting your effort from other support series to solely focus on Jack helped?

    I think it is the best thing we’ve done to be quite honest. We should’ve probably done it a few years ago. The MV in Superstock trim is the best bike there is. If you get the right team to run them, they could be a mega bike. They have 130BHP, quick-shifter, blipper, traction control etc. Would I go back to the other support categories? No I wouldn’t. I’d like to get another Supersport bike out but that won’t be happening this year. Our target at the beginning of the year was to have two of them out there, however, things transpired that actually, one was the final figure. I absolutely wouldn’t put one out now because the team is perfect and I wouldn’t want to bring in another variable with the potential of more stress, work and upset. If a rider is happy, he’s fast. That’s the case with Jack and we want to keep it that way. We bring new bits to the bike every weekend, some big, some little but they all help and we can quickly see if they work or not.

    A one bike set-up has been brilliant because we can spend all our time, resources and efforts on that one bike. If you look at the Appleyard set up, it work brilliantly because they have one bike in Supersport and one in Superstock 600. The rule used to be that you’d have a progression ladder if you were a top team. Now, because the money isn’t there to do that, teams just focus on what they want to be exceptional at.

    Is there a plan to return to BSB soon?

    I wouldn’t run an MV Agusta Superbike – that would definitely not happen. If we went down the Superbike route, we’d have to pick a different manufacturer. I don’t know what the future lies for us at the minute but if you’d have asked me when the Summer break came along and everyone else was at the TT, I would’ve said no because I didn’t expect to be sat here. That’s because our truck was broken in to. We’ve got to where we are off the back of a lot of hard work. The lads have been very good and we’ve been very fortunate. We have had a new sponsor come on board and they’ve put some money into the team and I hope that it can continue. In the next few weeks, we will make a decision on our 2018 plans.

    Would you be looking to retain Jack Kennedy?

    It all depends on what we do. If Jack has a desire to get back to World championship level and if the guys at Profile Racing want to go ahead and have him do that, that’s fine. If we go back to Superbike and Jack wants to do that too, then we have to have a conversation about that progression. Whatever he wants to do, we will listen. We won’t stand in his way if he wants to go to another team. He’s a great person to work with, his dad is fantastic and hopefully, we will work together next year.

    Would you move to a Moto2 bike if the series goes full Moto2?

    I am not spending £50,000 to go and buy a competitive Kalex. I’m not against Moto2 at all, I understand why the organisers want to go to Moto2. My view on it is very simple. Supersport has only ever been three bikes. Over the course of the years, it’s been Yamaha, Kawasaki and Triumph. We had a bit of Honda in WSS and still do. Now, in the UK, we have few Triumphs. However, we have MV Agusta which is still available to buy, we have Kawasakis that are still competitive and Yamaha – who just brought out their new bike! We still have three manufacturers and OK, Kawasaki don’t make the ZX6 anymore. However, you also have Suzuki who still make their bikes and if you look at Lahti, I’d say the Suzuki is capable too!

    There may be a rule change that needs to happen to ensure that those three bikes remain competitive but to have three manufacturers building bikes, it is the same as we’ve always had. It’s no different. No disrespect to the Moto2 bikes in our races now but the one from Tony Scott is a bespoke built machine and not really a Moto2 bike. It’s a trick bike but it’s not a Moto2 bike. Calling it a Moto2 bike isn’t actually factually correct. It is a development bike for a championship.

    If you wanted to run a Moto2 bike, you’d need more people to work on the chassis dynamics because they’re very separate to what we have now. The electronics are all standard so nothing would change there. But, you can’t go and buy a new Honda engine for the bike so actually, it’s already dead before it has started. Instead of going down the Moto2 route, look at what we already have. Protect the three manufacturers we already have, engage with them properly and get them on board.

    The only reason that the Moto2 bike is there is because numbers were down at the start of the season. Martin Halsall was late to the party, Keith Farmer wasn’t in it and we hadn’t booked in either. Tony Scott proposes two bikes and Stuart Higgs can’t turn it down because it boosts numbers.

    The bigger question should be: why don’t we adopt a WSBK format? You have full blown Supersport bikes with an ‘Evo’ class, totally get rid of a separate Superstock 600 class and replace it with a Supersport 300 series. WSBK made a definitive move last year. Get rid of the Stock 600 and replace it with Supersport 300. This year, there’s 37 bikes on the grid. They’ve done something right!

    It offers low budget racing in Supersport 300 for the guys in the standard class Moto3 championship who can’t afford a £70,000 KTM Moto3. Surely that would be a better solution? You can run a Supersport 300 team on a very low budget. I think there are other questions to be had instead of everyone jumping on the band-wagon going ‘Moto2 this, Moto2 that’. All the keyboard warriors come out to play unfortunately.

    The Moto2 thing is going to happen but you must look at cost. There’s a three year-old Kalex on Ebay today, ex-MarcVDS and it is priced at £50,000. No team in this Supersport paddock would spend that amount of money on it. You’ve then got to buy a load of spares and the end cost will be around £100,000. For £100,000, I’d go and do Superbikes!

    You have to look at it logically. There’s a big field in Superstock 600. Amalgamate them with Supersport, create an ‘Evo’ championship for a couple of years and let that find it’s own natural progression. Suzuki are talking about bringing out their new 600cc bike, along with MV Agusta and the new Yamaha. If you have those three, then you have a great championship.

    Image by Gareth Davies of Full Factory Photography

  • Q&A with Nikolas Tombazis, ex Ferrari Chief Designer

    Nikolas Tombazis born in Greece on April 22nd in 1968, his father, Alexandros Tombazis was an architect. In 1989, Nikolas graduated from the Trinity College in Cambridge as an engineer, a few years later (1992) he completed his PhD in aeronautical engineering at the Imperial College London.

    Tombazis, entered to the Formula One world on November 1992, he became aerodynamicist at the Benetton Formula 1 team, a couple of years later he promoted to Head of Aerodynamics. In 1994, he was a member of the team, which celebrated Michael Schumacher’s world title. The following season Benetton won both the constructors’ and the drivers’ championships.

    In 1997, Tombazis followed Michael Schumacher and moved from Benetton to Ferrari. One year later he became Ferrari’s Chief Aerodynamicist and he was responsible for Ferrari’s dominance from 1998 to 2003, Nikolas celebrated six constructors’ titles and five drivers’ championships with the Scuderia Ferrari.

    In 2004, the Greek designer, moved to McLaren, he remained in Woking for two years and then returned to Ferrari as Chief Designer. At that period Ferrari, won two constructors’ titles and Kimi Raikkonen won the drivers’ championship in 2007.

    Manor, was Tombazi’s final team in Formula One. Nikolas, joined Manor as Chief Aerodynamicist but he was unlucky as the team didn’t take part to the 2017 championship, due to financial problems.

    I have the honour to host an interview with one of the best Greek engineers, and the person who played a major role to Ferrari’s dominance.

    When did you realise that you wanted to interact with Formula One and what influenced you?

    I was hooked to this sport as a kid, when I was around 10 years old. In those days the TV did not show that many races, and of course there was no Internet, so finding all the information required quite a lot of research. These were also the years of the start of ground effect (Lotus 78 and Lotus 79) and the subsequent heavy emphasis on aerodynamics. So I guess that also influenced quite a lot the direction that I followed subsequently.

    What were your worst and your best memory during your years in F1?

    Best memories: championship wins… 2000 with Schumacher, 2007 with Raikkonen (my first car as Chief Designer), stand out. Most wins were very special, but these championships had something extra.

    For sure the worse moments were when a driver was killed. Senna’s death (which was very early in my career) shocked me even though I never had the luck to meet him. But there have been other difficult moments: periods when the car was uncompetitive, losing championships in the last race, retiring from races while leading…

    How much role plays the physical characteristics of a driver in the designing of a car?

    Depends exactly what you mean. If you mean his actual body dimensions (height, width, etc.) we do need to package the bigger / taller driver in our cars, and to make them comfortable. This is not a major exercise, but it has to be done.

    If you mean the driving characteristics, some times drivers have a particular sensitivity to a certain aspect of the car and we try to make sure that we do not design something that they will be uncomfortable driving. But this is not perhaps as frequent as it used to be: nowadays we rely a lot more on telemetry and measurements.

    In 1998 you became Ferrari’s Chief aerodynamicist, Scuderιa had not celebrated a title since 1983, how much pressure did you have and how easy was for you to keep “producing” a winning car for six consecutive years?

    The pressure was always high in Ferrari. The constructors’ championship in 1999 was bitter-sweet, because we had also lost the drivers’. The real special moment came in 2000, and I still remember the feeling when I saw Michael come out of his final pit stop in Suzuka ahead of Hakkinen.

     

    Who was the best driver that you have worked with and why?

    Schumacher and Alonso. Difficult to compare them, but their understanding of the car and their speed was on another planet. There were numerous other drivers I enjoyed working with (and most were very good) but these two were something special.

    What is your opinion about Halo and how much can affect the aerodynamics of a Formula One car?

    The aerodynamic effect is not massive, and the teams will do what they can to keep it to a minimum. Every time a driver has been killed or seriously hurt we wonder why we did not do certain things earlier. So while the aesthetics are clearly not its strong point, we need to do what we can to keep the drivers safe.

    They are saying that to be an aerodynamicist in Formula 1 is one of the most challenging jobs because you have to combine downforce with low drag. Which part of an F1 car is the most important and how long does it takes to design a car?

    The design of the car never really finishes, it is a continuous process of development. All the areas close to the ground are difficult, the front wing and the area between the diffuser and the rear wheels are particularly complicated.

    Being an aerodynamicist is very challenging (and also satisfying when things go well), but there are many jobs in Formula 1 which are very difficult and important for the final result.

    Many kids and students are dreaming to work in Formula One, what would you advise them?

    Work hard, take your studies at university seriously, participate in a Formula SAE or some other minor category, learn a lot of skills (CAD, CFD, simulations, etc.)

    At the beginning of the year, Manor’s staff posted a 50 percent scale model of the MRT07 as a goodbye to F1, how hard was that for you, and do you believe that Liberty Media should offer more funds to smaller teams in order to avoid situations like Manor’s?

    It was a shame that Manor collapsed, and that we did not see the fruit of our effort. There were a couple of hundred people who suffered this big disappointment, and all the difficulties being left without a job caused them.

    Formula 1 should become more sustainable both for the small teams but also for the big ones. How this will happen we just have to wait and see.

    With what are you working now?

    I am currently consulting a number of clients, and I find the varying range of problems very enjoyable. For reasons of confidentiality I cannot say who my clients are.

    Victor Archakis

    Twitter – @FP_Passion

     

  • Lack of straight-line speed gives McPhee ‘Difficult and frustrating’ race

    Britain’s John McPhee endured a disappointing home-land Grand Prix, as the former race winner battled to 13th place, despite starting from the front of row two. It is McPhee’s worst result on a Moto3 Honda at Silverstone.

    “It was a difficult and frustrating race for me today. I’ve been strong all weekend and felt really good on the bike. In the race I was just lacking straight line speed which made moving forward almost impossible”, explained McPhee, who stayed 6th in the championship despite the poor result.

    “I pushed as hard as possible but in the end I could only maintain my position. Thanks to all the home fans for a great atmosphere all weekend and to my team for all their hard work. I hope to be back fighting for the win at Misano”.

    McPhee is five points off fellow Honda rider, Fabio Di Giannantonio on his Gresini Honda. The Scot is four points ahead of Spaniard, Marcos Ramirez – the first of the KTM riders. The British Talent Team rider now has a gargantuan gap of 130 points up to leader Joan Mir, who sits on 226 points with six races to go.

  • Dovizioso: We did the perfect race

    Andrea Dovizioso hailed his fourth victory of 2017 as “the perfect race”, as the Italian moves to the top of the standings ahead of Ducati’s home race at Misano.

    Having been part of the leading group for 17 laps, Dovizioso passed fellow countryman Valentino Rossi into Stowe corner with three laps to go.

    “I’m so happy about Sunday’s victory, my fourth this year, because every race we win is different from the others and this means that we are really strong and can fight for the championship”, began Dovizioso, who delivered Ducati’s 37th victory in Grand Prix racing.

    “It was a really tough race because all of our rivals were on top form. Today Marquez was unlucky, but we did the perfect race because, even though we were probably not the quickest outright. We were able to interpret the race in the best possible way and go on to win”, he continued.

    “This means that the work we did during the weekend was excellent, and so was my race strategy because I managed to get into the right position at the right time. This year, every race is a story in itself and the tyres are always a key factor. We are very focused on our working method which is producing results”, he concluded.

    Dovizioso’s win made it the first time since Casey Stoner in 2009 that a Ducati rider has won four races in a single year.

  • British GP: Moto2 Review – Nakagami Rules the Roost

    Japan had a Grand Prix winner once again as the intermediate class served up a thrilling race at Silverstone. With air and track temperatures considerably hotter than at any other point in the weekend, the riders had to balance racing on the limit and conserving enough precious life in their tyres.

    It was a case of ‘what might have been’ for Alex Marquez. Having dominated the early stages of the weekend, the Spanish rider began the race from the middle of the front row and dictated much of the early laps in the lead. With teammate, Franco Morbidelli, in tow, the MarcVDS team once again found themselves with a sizeable lead to the rest of the field. However, as has been the case on more than one occasion this season, the pressure of leading got to him and unceremoniously dropped his machine on the entry to the Wellington loop. Morbidelli inherited the lead, but could not hold out for long as first Mattia Pasini (Italtrans Racing Team) then Takaaki Nakagami (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) caught up and passed by, as his tyres slowly gave up the ghost. Third place was what the championship leader had to be content with this time.

    That left the Italian and the Japanese rider to slog it out at the front for top honours, and what a show they put on for the fans. Despite initially building a healthy lead, Nakagami was slowly closed down by Pasini as tyre wear became critical. Once back together there would never be more than 1 second between the pair, the final seven laps consisted of some of the most thrilling racing as Pasini desperately tried to find a way past an inspired Nakagami. Having distanced the rest of the field, the gloves came off and neither gave any quarter as man and machine were tested to the limit. victory was not secured until the final lap when Pasini overcooked his braking down into Stowe corner, giving the Japanese rider a priceless half second lead, which was all he needed. Both looked shattered in parc ferme afterwards. Nakagami stated that “I had never pushed so hard”, whilst Pasini declared it “The hardest race of my life”.  

    There was action further down the field as Francesco Bagnaia (Sky VR|46) led home a ferocious battle over 5th to 9th places. The Italian has impressed in his debut season in the Moto2 category and this was a further achievement added to his CV, holding off the likes of Simone Corsi (Speed Up), VR|46 teammate Stefano Mazi, and the KTM duo of Miguel Oliveira and Brad Binder.

    KTM had a mixed weekend. After a strong showing during Friday practice, the team found themselves going backwards through the field as the meeting progressed. Oliveira could only manage P8 in qualifying and had to ride out of his skin to finish in the same position. However, there was some cause for celebration as Brad Binder produced a very solid performance. The current Moto3 champion has endured a wretched season being plagued by injuries that simply refuse to heal up. Silverstone marked somewhat of a breakthrough for the South African who led his teammate for much of the race. A double points finish for KTM has been a rare occurrence this season, so this would have provided some consolation.

    A final mention goes to the British riders. Jake Dixon road as a wildcard for the Dynavolt Intact team and finished in P25. The rising British Superbike star had never ridden a Moto2 machine prior to this weekend and met the team’s target of not finishing in the bottom three positions. Keifer Racing’s Tarran MacKenzie continued his baptism of fire in the class. Having lost the front end early in the race, all he could do was keep the engine running and complete his home round in 30th.

    The race and the day belonged to Nakagami. He had faced much criticism in the build up to the British Grand Prix, following the announcement that he would be joining LCR Honda in MotoGP next year. This result was the perfect response.   

    Race Results

    1: Takaaki Nakagami – 38:20.883

    2: Mattia Pasini – + 0.724

    3: Franco Morbidelli – + 2.678

    4: Thomas Luthi – + 4.645

    5: Francesco Bagnaia – + 9.515

  • F2 Spa: Double disqualification and a debut win in Belgium

    F2 Spa: Double disqualification and a debut win in Belgium

    In true Spa-Francorchamps fashion, Friday’s qualifying for this round of the FIA Formula 2 championship was a washout. But that didn’t stop Charles Leclerc from collecting his seventh pole position of the season, proving that Prema have magnificent one lap pace no matter what the conditions are. It was a top ten starting position for all three championship contenders, ensuring that they would all be up there on Saturday. After adding Nyck de Vries to their line-up, Racing Engineering had one of their best qualifying performances all season, with both of their drivers making it into top ten as well.

    Before the race even started it was disappointment for DAMS’ Nicholas Latifi, who, after securing his first front row start in Formula 2 and out qualifying his teammate, was forced to the pit lane, and ultimately failed to get his car going at all. DAMS team boss Francois Sicard would later cite a broken valve as the cause of his woes. It was bitterly frustrating for the Canadian who has been having an outstanding season so far.

    Photo: Zak Mauger/FIA Formula 2.

    With the DAMS driver missing, it was a frenetic opening lap in Saturday’s feature race. Leclerc only just managed to fend off his main championship rival, Oliver Rowland, after a poor start, and their fellow championship contender Artem Markelov made up four places almost immediately to begin lap 2 in fifth place. There were cars making contact up and down the field, most notably between the brand new Racing Engineering teammates, with debris littering the track, and damage for many of the drivers. It was ART’s Nobuharu Matsushita that brought out the Virtual Safety Car after he stalled on the grid.

    After racing resumed on lap 2, Leclerc got to work with putting distance between himself and the second placed Rowland, his Prema machinery running almost a second a lap faster than the DAMS. Russian Time’s Luca Ghiotto was proving that he could be just as aggressive a driver as his teammate as he took third place from Antonio Fuoco, and it was the Russian team’s cars who were making up the most ground, steadily cutting through the field.

    Rowland and DAMS attempted the undercut on lap 7, but few of the other front runners followed suit, and when Leclerc made his stop on lap 11 and came out ahead, it was clear that the French team had lost the strategy game.

    But the British driver did not give up his chase easily. He put on a real display of attacking driving, particularly his fantastic overtake on Norman Nato. However, his pace was simply no match for Leclerc’s, who was speeding away in a league of his own. It was Russian Time who called their strategy perfectly, aided by Markelov’s uncanny ability to manage his tyres. When he pitted on lap 16 of the twenty-five lap race and came out in fifth place, his penchant for aggressive driving and fresher tyres made for a killer combination as he tore through the competition.

    It was déjà vu when the Russian came up against Rowland in his pursuit of second place. In a move reminiscent of their clash in Hungary, Markelov had more success this time when he overtook Rowland around the outside at the Bus Stop, in one of the most thrilling moments of the race which saw him take second place by less than a tenth of a second. The second and third placed drivers in the championship had to be content with letting the dominant Leclerc stand upon the top step of the podium as he finished an eye watering twenty-six seconds ahead of the field.

    Photo: Zak Mauger/FIA Formula 2.

    But the drama didn’t stop at the chequered flag. Late on Saturday night, news came that both Leclerc and Rowland had been disqualified from the feature race for the same technical infringement – excessive wear to the underfloor plank of their cars.

    The title rivals were therefore sent to the back of the grid for the sprint race on Sunday while Markelov inherited the race win and his teammate Ghiotto found himself in second. It also meant a second podium of the season for Prema’s Antonio Fuoco, and an even better result for new Racing Engineering teammates Gustav Malja and Nyck de Vries who took fourth and fifth place. Reverse grid pole was given to Norman Nato, just behind Robert Merhi and Sergio Sette Camara, a welcome promotion for two drivers who scored their first points of the season. Trident’s Santino Ferrucci and Campos Racing’s Robert Visoiu were promoted to the final points paying positions as well.

    There was much anticipation surrounding Sunday’s sprint race with the grid shaken up and several of the frontrunners starting from the grid, and as ever, Formula 2 did not disappoint.

    It was a blistering start from MP Motorsport’s Sergio Sette Camara, who immediately improved from third to first, putting the more experienced Merhi and Nato behind him. The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps was proving to be something of a dream track for the young Brazilian who had not scored points prior to this weekend.

    As expected, both Leclerc and Rowland were quickly making up ground, with the Yorkshireman gaining a one place advantage over his rival after Leclerc ran off the road early on lap 1. The DAMS driver was up to twelfth place by the end of the first lap, with Leclerc powering past Matsushita on the inside up Eau Rouge to take thirteenth place.

    Photo: Alastair Staley/FIA Formula 2.

    Despite fierce battling between Rowland and Leclerc, the Brit couldn’t keep him behind for long, and pretty soon the Ferrari junior driver was putting cars between his nearest title rival. In just a handful of laps he was back into the points, a brilliant recovery for the back row of the grid. But he wasn’t quite finished yet.

    Leclerc ran into some trouble when trying to pass his teammate Fuoco and the promoted race winner from the previous day, Markelov. Ultimately, he found a way past both of them as Markelov began to fade, dropping back, and eventually retiring with a suspected engine issue on lap 13.

    It was Matsushita’s nasty crash at Raidillon on lap 15 that sealed the result of the race. The Japanese driver thankfully walked away unharmed, but the damage from his crash meant that the race finished under safety car conditions and Sergio Sette Camara held on to score his first win in single seater racing. And it was a well deserved victory too after such an impressive start and withstanding pressure from de Vries for the duration of the eighteen lap race.

    An improvement of fourteen places was the best Leclerc could do, though it easily could have been more had the safety car not been deployed. DAMS teammates Rowland and Latifi also recovered from their poor starting positions, coming home in eighth and ninth, the Canadian unlucky to finish just outside of the points. It could have been a very different weekend for all three drivers had they not found themselves on the wrong side of misfortune. The trio’s nearest competitors, teammates Ghiotto and Markelov tried their hardest to capitalise on their hard luck, and the former’s double podium promoting him to fourth in the drivers’ standings ahead of Latifi.

    Photo: Zak Mauger/FIA Formula 2.

    After such a disappointing season before the break, Racing Engineering seem to be recovering some of the form we expected from them at the start of the season, with solid points finishes from both their drivers. Whilst his teammate was grabbing the headlines once again – though not for all of the right reasons – Antonio Fuoco had his second best weekend of the season with a decent qualifying performance and two points finishes. It still isn’t quite the superhuman feats of Leclerc, but it does prove that his early season struggles may have been something of an adjustment period. And the Italian is beginning to look more like the title challenger we saw in GP3 last year.

    Thanks in part to the double disqualification from the feature race, the points situation as we head to Monza in a week’s time is much the same as it was coming to Spa, with Leclerc leading by fifty-nine points. Though now Rowland is just nine points ahead of Markelov after the Russian’s stunning drive on Saturday.

    Prema and Leclerc’s pace still reigns supreme, and around the team’s home track, the Autodromo Nazionale Monza is the last place anyone should underestimate them.

  • British GP: Moto3 Review – Canet Wins Crazy Curtain Raiser

    The Moto3 class has a reputation for intense, wheel-to-wheel, “do or die”, “win it or bin it” racing. The 2017 British Grand-Prix was no exception. From lights to flag it was frantic, pulsating, truly thrilling motor racing. Overtaking was to be had at every corner and on every straight. The layout of the Silverstone circuit is ready-made for lightweight motorcycle racing, with very few heavy braking areas enabling the field to stay closely compacted together.

    Aaron Canet (Estrella Galicia 0,0) emerged triumphant, but he had to put in the performance of his life. A disastrous showing in Saturday’s qualifying session meant the Spaniard began the race from P16. As the lights went out, he got a super start, making up places with ease. It was not a reckless charge – rather a calculated progression – with every manoeuvre and overtake clean and decisive. Not once was there a moment when Canet looked out of control, or was ever taking unnecessary risks with his opponents or machine. It is true that his bike is one of the best in the field but that cannot take away from the display of exceptional race-craft that the 17-year-old produced.

    The lead of the race changing hands more times than there were laps raced. The usual championship suspects came to the fore. Romano Fenati (Marinelli Snipers) bullied his way to the front during the opening laps, whilst series leader Joan Mir (Leopard Racing) and wounded warrior Jorge Martin (Del Conca Gresini) were constantly snapping at the heels of any rider who was ahead of them. The latter continues to amaze all and sundry – both in the paddock and those spectating from afar – as he can still barely walk following serious injury sustained during practice for the German Grand Prix back in July.

    The race also provided a welcome return to form for Canet’s teammate and class veteran, Enea Bastianini. The Italian threw caution to the wind and produced a vintage display, reminding us all of his race-craft and why he was once tipped as the ‘next big thing’ in MotoGP. His second place finish behind his team-mate (his first podium of the season) was celebrated by his team as much as Canet’s victory.

    Unfortunately, fans were denied a grandstand finish as, on the penultimate lap, Juanfran Guevara (RBA Boe Racing) suffered a heavy crash which left him lying unconscious at the side of the track. The red flag had to be shown, as an ambulance was required at the scene. The Spaniard was taken to hospital with concussion but it is believed that the rider sustained no serious injuries.

    The red flag was a double-blow for the RBA team, as it had potentially cost their other rider, Gabriel Rodrigo a maiden Moto3 victory (who was demoted from 1st to 4th due to the lap-count-back rule). The Argentine has been the most improved rider this season, shaking off the unwanted title of ‘crash kid’ from last year. A regular at the sharp end during both qualifying and the races in 2017, there is no doubt that Rodrigo will start to win GPs sooner rather than later.

    However, it was a truly wretched day for British Talent Team’s John McPhee. Despite qualifying on the second row in P4, a bad start off the line saw him consigned to scrap for the minor points places. The Scotsman has endured some terrible luck this season and after such a strong showing in the build up to the race, finishing in P13 will be a bitter pill to swallow.

    Honorary mentions go to the two British wildcard riders – Tom Booth-Amos and Jake Archer (CityLifting RS Racing). Both riders have been running away with the Motostar series, which supports the British Superbike Championship, this year. Before Friday, neither had any first-hand Grand Prix experience, or ridden on Dunlop tyres. Across the weekend, both riders turned heads with immaculate displays. Unfortunately for Archer, his race was cut short with a technical problem 3 laps from the end. Booth-Amos however secured P21, finishing ahead of series stalwarts such as Jakub Kornfeil, Jules Danilo and Maria Herrera. It is hard to imagine that the British Grand Prix will be their last appearance in the class.

    Race Result:

    1: Aron Canet 35:53.028

    2: Enea Bastianini + 0.063

    3: Jorge Martin + 0.111

    4: Gabriel Rodrigo + 0.232

    5: Joan Mir + 0.455

    The 2017 Moto3 World Championship resumes at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, September 8th-10th.

    Report by Ed Hocknull – @EdHocknull

  • Rossi: ‘Good weekend… We have to do better’

    Valentino Rossi celebrated his 300th premier class start with his 190th premier class podium at Silverstone on Sunday and whilst saying it was a “good weekend”, the Italian said that he and his team “have to do better” if they stand a chance of victory.

    “I‘m satisfied because it was a great race for me. I was able to ride really well after a great start and I stayed in front and rode on the limit without making mistakes, so I enjoyed it a lot for 17 laps”, began the Italian – who led the majority of the British Grand Prix.

    “I think this is a good way to celebrate my 300th race in MotoGP‘s premier class. There remains a bit of frustration, because I knew on the last laps I would suffer a bit with the degradation of the rear tyre, but I think this weekend we improved a lot”, he continued.

    Yamaha’s main problem has been rear tyre grip in the latter stages of races, which has so far plagued them at Jerez, Catalunya and again in Austria.

    “We‘re still not at the top, we have to do better if we want to try to win, but it was a good weekend”.

    Valentino closes in on the championship lead, from 33 points behind to just 26, as he heads to his home race of Misano in two weeks time. Yamaha recently completed a “successful” one-day test at the circuit.

  • Fourth Win for Dovizioso as Marquez Retires

    Andrea Dovizioso has taken his fourth win of the 2017 MotoGP season in a scintillating British Grand Prix at Silverstone, which saw Cal Crutchlow finish fourth, Valentino Rossi lead for the majority of the race and Marc Marquez retire with a suspected engine failure.

    Into turn one on the first lap, Valentino Rossi led and instantly pulled away from the chasing pack. Marc Marquez and Cal Crutchlow were in behind, whilst Dovi and Maverick Vinales battled it out over fourth and fifth. Jorge Lorenzo was also a fast starter, occupying sixth.

    By the end of the first two laps, Rossi had a lead of over a second. Whilst Vinales was able to get to second, he was only able to close Valentino down in the final sector, with the gap hovering at around 0.8 seconds.

    An early retirement was Britain’s Sam Lowes, having crashed his Gresini Racing Aprilia. The former World Supersport champion leaves MotoGP at the end of the season to join the Interwetten Moto2 team, who currently field Tom Luthi. Teammate Aleix Espargaro also retired later on.

    With seven laps to go, Valentino Rossi had been virtually caught by the chasing quartet which consisted of Dovizioso, Marquez, Vinales and home-hero, Cal Crutchlow. However, approaching Stowe corner, Marc Marquez suffered a suspected engine failure as a cloud of smoke billowed from the factory Honda. A rare occasion to see a HRC machine blow up, with one other notable incident being in 1998, in World Superbikes with Aaron Slight suffering similar fate in the closing stages at Monza.

    Dovizioso moved through to take the lead at Stowe with three laps to go. Rossi initially trying to fight with his fellow countryman but having to settle for 2nd. Then, later in the lap, Maverick Vinales powered ahead his 38-year-old teammate going into Brooklands.

    Despite the Yamaha duo’s best efforts, they were forced to stay as they were as Ducati’s Andrea Dovizioso took his second consecutive victory, his fourth of the year. Vinales and Rossi completed the podium with Crutchlow fourth. It was Valentino Rossi’s 300th premier class start and he celebrated it with his 190th premier class podium. Dovizioso gave Ducati their 37th victory in MotoGP.

    The Italian now leads the series as MotoGP heads to Ducati’s backyard at Misano, some 85 miles away from the manufacturer’s home city of Bologna. Valentino Rossi also heads home, as the nine-time champion lives just 10 miles away from the Misano circuit.

    Top 5: Championship Standings after 12 races

    1.) Andrea Dovizioso,  Ducati,    183

    2.) Marc Marquez,     Honda,       174  +9

    3.) Maverick Vinales, Yamaha   170  +13

    4.) Valentino Rossi,    Yamaha,  157 +26

    5.) Dani Pedrosa,        Honda,      148 +35

  • British GP: Moto2 Preview – Tightening at the Top

    The championship battle in the intermediate class has properly begun to heat up as the Grand Prix circus heads to Silverstone in Northamptonshire this weekend.

    Having looked almost like running away with the championship just a few rounds ago, championship leader Franco Morbidelli has seen his lead in the standings slowly diminish to his rivals. Admittedly, the MarcVDS rider has a 26 point buffer to his chief rival, Interwetten’s Thomas Luthi but the Swiss has once again shown himself to be one of the most consistent competitors – scoring points at ten of the eleven championship rounds so far – including victory at Brno three weeks ago. How far Luthi can push Morbidelli for the title will be fascinating both this season and beyond – the pair will be team-mates next season at MarcVDS-Honda in MotoGP.

    Whilst it is still mathematically possible for Morbidelli’s current team-mate, Alex Marquez to take the Moto2 crown, it is looking practically ever more unlikely. With 153 points, the Spaniard will need a miracle to overhaul the deficit. Race wins are now the priority and after Friday’s practice sessions at Silverstone, he looks set to be targeting just that – finishing the day as the fastest man in the Moto2 field. With his team-mate departing for the premier class in 2018, the time has come for Marquez to lay down a marker for next season as the man to beat on a 600cc prototype machine.

    Another rider who will be targeting podiums and victories during the latter part of this season is KTM’s Miguel Oliveira. The former Moto3 winner has had a superb maiden season with Aki Ajo’s factory supported team, notching up five podium finishes so far. The team entered the class at the start of this season with the ambition of emulating their successes from the junior category and so far, they’re not doing bad. Olivera’s reputation has grown considerably this season, leading to expectations from many onlookers that the Portuguese rider will – sooner rather than later – progress to the MotoGP paddock with the Austrian team. A victory here at Silverstone would further strengthen his claim to a place in the premier class and seek to be Portugal’s greatest motorcycle racer.

    As it’s the British Grand Prix, the Moto2 class is the recipient of a wildcard entrant. None other than the flamboyant British Superbike race winner, Jake Dixon, who is swapping his RAF Regular and Reserves Kawasaki machine for a ride with the Dynavolt-Intact team, alongside Sandro Cortese. His appearance means British fans now have two native riders to cheer on Sunday, with fellow compatriot (and regular Moto2 entrant) Tarran MacKenzie riding for Kiefer Racing. There is much hope for a good result from the young Brit this weekend, as he gets the chance to race at a circuit he’s already familiar with. With both riders coming from the British series, it highlights just how competitive and strong our domestic championship is.

    The Moto2 race gets underway on Sunday at 14:00 UK time. 

    Ed Hocknull – @EdHocknull