racingmaniak

The second day of winter testing got underway this morning at Circuit de Catalunya with Pedro de la Rosa and Force India making headlines as the Spanish veteran tested with the Silverstone-based team for the first time.

De la Rosa - currently McLaren's test and reserve driver - has been linked to a seat with the team for next season, but at 37 years of age this seems an unlikely proposition. More likely is that the team will use de la Rosa's vast testing experience as they introduce McLaren-Mercedes components ahead of the 2009 season.

Back on track, all but the Toyota team were back in action with Takuma Sato's best lap of 1:20.763s recorded yesterday being beaten by Sebastian Vettel as he acclimatised to his new seat at Red Bull Renault. Vettel completed 70 laps, despite overheating brakes, with a best time of 1:19.751s. His best lap coming on his 51st tour of the day.

Behind Vettel, Toro Rosso Ferrari drivers aced positions two through four as the team continue to run a relatively standard-spec STR3 package. Sato impressed again for the team with the second fastest time while Sebastien Bourdais was less than two-hundredths of a second slower. Sebastien Buemi was fourth, a couple of tenths shy of Sato and Bourdais.

Gary Paffett split his programme with McLaren Mercedes today, as an oil leak forced the British tester from the KERS equipped MP4-23K to the standard package in the afternoon. Paffett's best lap placed him fifth overall.

BMW Sauber continued with the interim F1.08 featuring 2009 wings and slick tyres. Christian Klien today became the first driver to publically state what was is undoubtedly on the mind of anyone connected with the sport. The interim 2009-spec cars are really ugly... Klien was not running today however as the team relied on regular racer drivers Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld to post the sixth and 14th best times of the day.

Nico Rosberg took over testing duties in the interim Williams Toyota from tester Nico Hulkenberg. Rosberg was seventh best ahead of Jenson Button who tried out the new 2009-spec front wing and slick tyres for Honda.

Adrian Sutil led the way for the Force India Ferrari team with the ninth best time while de la Rosa was slowest on the day in 15th as he gets to grips with what is a new car to him.

Lucas Di Grassi was back out in the second Honda with Bruno on the sidelines today, recording the tenth best time ahead of Nelson Piquet in the trimmed out R28. Luca Badoer completed the most laps of the day in his Ferrari, 127, on the way to 12th ahead of fellow Ferrari tester Marc Gene.

2009 Yamaha WSB riders Ben Spies and Tom Sykes enjoyed a successful two day test at Portimao with their new team. The riders used the time to develop both their relationships with their new team and also to make a start on the development of the all-new 2009 Yamaha YZF-R1 race bike.

Day one of testing was spent mostly riding the 2008 WSB machines, giving both riders the opportunity to learn the highly technical Portimao circuit which opened for the first time last weekend for the last round of the 2008 World Superbike Championship.

Day two saw the riders lapping on the all-new for 2009 Yamaha WSB R1. The new 998cc bike, featuring a high tech powerplant closely linked to the M1 MOTOGP bike, is currently at the very beginning of its development for the 2009 WSB season and is still relatively close to production specifications. However with the 2009 production R1 crossplane crankshaft engine and a unique uneven firing order giving linear torque and greater traction rider Ben Spies was able to come within two tenths of the race lap record set by Troy Bayliss during the inaugural race weekend two days previously. In a validation of the team’s belief in the potential of the new bike both riders put in fast lap times, Ben Spies lapping consistently in the low 1.44s on the second day.

The Yamaha WSB team now move on to South Africa for the second test to take the next steps in the development of the bike.

2009 Yamaha WSB R1

So far the team’s minor modifications to the standard bike include a modified cam-shaft, an enlarged radiator for extra cooling and the addition of an oil cooler. The new bike has no rear sub-frame but incorporates a strengthened frame. The exhaust is unique, and was developed in partnership with Akrapovic. The standard fuel tank has also been replaced with an aluminium tank with increased capacity. The bike features the latest Magneti Marelli electronic systems. The new swing arm is also developed purely for the WSB race bike based on knowledge taken from the 2008 racing season.

Ben Spies (1’43.9)

“The whole Superbike weekend has been great for me. Having my own crew chief here from the US joining the team is good, he really understands me and it’s great to see him working well with the Yamaha Motor Italia Technical Chief Silvano Galbusera. Getting out on Nori’s bike we made a couple of changes and got going, it answered a lot of questions for me on the different tyre manufacturer and riding new circuits. The 2009 bike is at the beginning of its development, but for where it’s at now compared to where we will be when we line up at Philip Island it’s hugely exciting. The team worked really hard on the bike this weekend and it’s just going to get better and better. I’m really looking forward to next year.”

Tom Sykes (1’44.5)

“For me it’s been a very good test. Having done two days I now feel fully part of the team. It was quite difficult arriving on Tuesday morning for the 1st day of the test, facing a new bike, a new circuit, and a new team. It was important to me to get it right from the start. We are developing well together and we have a good understanding. I was very happy with my time on the 2008 bike, and happy with a good race pace. For the 2009 bike, considering it’s at a very early stage of development, I think it’s a fantastic package. The feeling coming out of the corner is unbelievably smooth, the power is so controllable, the whole bike remains incredibly stable. There is still lots to be done but the outcome is already very good. All in all it was a great weekend for me, I was really happy to get started and learning, getting on with the new team and feeling part of it.”
2009 Yamaha WSB R1

Yamaha Motor Italia Team Manager Massimo Meregalli:

“As a first test, I think it went very well. We didn’t have any problems and both riders did a very good job. The test gave us a very good feeling because the bike is very good now and we know how we can improve it even more, there is still a big gap to where we can get to, so we are just very happy. Everything went very well with the riders and the team, there’s no better way to end a test for us, we are very excited about the next stage.”

Rizla Suzuki MotoGP racer Loris Capirossi had a successful rally debut yesterday as he drove his Suzuki Swift to third place in the Swift Sport Cup, and ninth position overall in the two-wheel drive section of the Tempest Rally.

Capirossi started the day steadily in his Group N car as he came to terms with the demanding 80km of special stages held in the forests and Military training grounds around the Hampshire town of Aldershot in England. As the day progressed, Capirossi became more confident with the incredible performance and handling of the Swift and moved through the field before eventually getting into the top-three in the later stages. He pushed hard as darkness fell, but couldn’t quite find the few seconds that he needed to progress further up the leader-board. With comprehensive assistance from experienced co-driver Craig Thorley, Capirossi brought his number 65 Suzuki Swift home in third place, just 14 seconds away from the eventual Swift Sport Cup rally - and championship – winner Mark Gamble.

Capirossi’s MotoGP Team manager Paul Denning was also competing in the rally, but he had a less successful conclusion than his Italian rider. Denning was in close touch with Capirossi and the leaders in the early stages, but a mistake at the end of a fast straight on stage four saw the Englishman slide off the road and into a ditch. He was unable to get his Suzuki back into the stage within the time limit and was disqualified. Denning and co-driver Jemma Bellingham did rejoin the rally for the four afternoon stages and restored some pride by recording some of the quickest times as the torrential rain and high winds battered the competitors.

Capirossi was on hand at the end of the rally to present the winners with their trophies and meet-and-greet his fellow drivers to discuss both the day’s events and the demands of their respective motorsport disciplines. Capirossi and Denning will now prepare for Rizla Suzuki MotoGP’s next winter test at Phillip Island in Australia later this month, when the evaluation of the 2009 Suzuki GSV-R will continue in readiness for next year’s assault on the MotoGP World Championship.

Loris Capirossi:

“It has been a great day and it was really fun to do the rally. I took my time in the early stages as I got used to driving on the loose surfaces and in the forests, it was certainly very different from the wide-open tracks that I am used to in MotoGP! As I got more confident with the car my times improved and I was able to go a lot quicker and I think if we could have done a couple more stages I might have caught the leader, but I am really pleased with third in my first rally. It was a shame that Paul crashed out, because I think our times were very close and it would have been good to have had that extra bit of competition with him, but I think I would have beaten him anyway! I want to say a big thank-you to Craig for some great co-driving and to the organisers for putting on such a good day, plus thanks to Suzuki for inviting me to take part in the event and giving me this opportunity to drive the fantastic Suzuki Swift in a rally.”

Paul Denning:

“The first thing I want to say is thank-you to everybody at Suzuki GB and the UK Rally Team for all their support and allowing us to take part and have such fun in the amazing Group N Swift. The car surpassed all expectations in terms of performance and especially strength. It was really rough out there today and the cars got a thorough workout and the performance never dropped off at all throughout the day. With Loris, I suppose it was slightly inevitable that one of us was going to crash trying to beat the other, and I think it was even more inevitable that it was going to be me! It was quite surprising - considering our lack of experience - that we were able to run so competitively and I think this is a testament to the experience of Jemma and Craig - our co-drivers – that certainly helped us all day long. Loris and I were very close to each other early on but I made a mistake and slid off the road so I wasn’t able to complete the whole rally – which was a great shame - but thanks to Ian Phillipson of the Swift Sport Cup and the rally organisers I was able to get back out for the afternoon stages and restore a bit of pride, so that made things a bit better. Well done to Loris for his podium position, it’s a good end to 2008 and I hope we taste some more champagne on two wheels in 2009!”

Suzuki Swift Sport Cup Tempest Rally Final Classification:

1. Mark Gamble/Steve Link 1:01’39
2. Niki Bjerg/Arly Larsen +0’04
3. LORIS CAPIROSSI/ CRAIG THORLEY +0’14
4. Nick Rowland/Tim Sturla +0’22
5. Gordon Nichol/Emma Morrison +0’30

londonbikers

A new row over money, with the Formula One teams on one side and the sport's ruling bodies on the other, looks set to intensify.

Britain's The Guardian newspaper reports that the teams, now allied together and pledging undying unity in the FOTA alliance, are angry about the huge debts being serviced by Formula One's owners CVC.

The newspaper said the more than $5 billion debts are requiring interest payments of more than $230m per year - with the teams suspecting that the FIA are in cahoots with CVC and Bernie Ecclestone amid the latest push to radically slash costs.

They are reportedly concerned that the annual debt payments total more than the commercial revenue they receive from CVC.

"We have had banks, oil companies, financial institutions and pharmaceutical companies with us as sponsors. We have raised this money. Why do we have to keep cutting costs?" a FOTA insider is quoted as saying.

"The sport earns a lot of money so let's look at our share," he added.


Ecclestone, CVC and F1's holding company Delta3 are, however, staying firm, insisting that teams receive more commercial revenue today than at any other time, even amidst a global financial crisis.

But another insider told The Guardian that the teams are keen to sit down with F1's commercial parties to renegotiate their share - also given Ecclestone's push into new markets that are willing to pay higher race sanction fees.

"(The calendar) used to be 12 races, then a maximum of 17. There used to be 80 percent of the races in Europe and now 80 percent are across Asia: the costs to the teams are much higher now," the insider said.

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Valentino Rossi, six times MotoGP world champion and one of the world’s best-loved sportsmen, will contest this year’s Wales Rally GB – the final round of the FIA World Rally Championship - in a car bearing support for the BBC’s Children in Need appeal. To be held from 4th–7th December, WRGB will see Rossi, 29, driving an M-Sport-run Ford Focus RS World Rally Car, co-driven by Carlo Cassina, aged 48.

“We’re delighted to welcome Valentino Rossi to this year’s Wales Rally GB,” explained Andrew Coe, chief executive of event organiser International Motor Sports Ltd. “He is a supreme ambassador for all forms of motor sport, as well as a remarkably-gifted sportsman. We look forward to seeing him take on the challenges of the Welsh forests.”

Rossi’s car will carry support for the BBC’s Children in Need charity, with the ever-smiling Pudsey adorning the wings of the M-Sport-developed Ford Focus. With Wales Rally GB running just two weeks after the nationally-televised BBC Children in Need event, the charity will be using Rossi’s involvement to lead one final push for donations.

Children in Need’s Marc Phillips, said:

“It’s a tremendous honour to have Valentino Rossi promoting BBC Children in Need. We have had a remarkable response to this year’s event on November 14th – and Wales Rally GB will be a fabulous final flourish for us. With a charity auction being held at the Service Park on the Friday night and volunteers collecting throughout the rally, it will be an important few days for us.”

Valentino Rossi commented:

“This is really exciting news. I’m looking forward to Wales Rally GB – and am hoping for a good result at next weekend’s Monza Rally in order to prepare for the forests.”

He concluded:

“I’m also delighted to be supporting BBC Children in Need, which does such vital work in the UK. It’s a great charity and one I’m very pleased to be involved in.”