Bridgestone uses Estoril Test for 2012 work

Thursday, 5 May 2011

MotoGP’s official tyre supplier ran its developing compounds for next season at the one-day Test in Portugal on Monday.

Bridgestone made full use of the official one-day post-race Test at the Estoril circuit on Monday, supplying every rider with one test front slick tyre and two specs of rear slick in addition to the normal test allocation. The test was a valuable opportunity for Bridgestone to continue tyre testing, specifically with a view for the 1000cc MotoGP bikes next year.
Whilst the test was for the current 800cc MotoGP machines, fundamental future tyre development work continues but now with a specific practical focus towards tyres for next year’s new engine capacity regulations. As well as a wide operating temperature range, there is an added objective of improving feedback from the tyres and ‘rideability’.
Conditions at Estoril were good; much better than during the Grand Prix weekend. With only light rain falling overnight, the circuit was much cleaner and, with the extra rubber laid during the races on Sunday, grip was much better and this was reflected in the lap times.
Marco Simoncelli ended the test fastest, setting a best lap 0.7s under the lap record, just ahead of Jorge Lorenzo and Casey Stoner. All riders present at the Test dedicated time in their busy test schedules to use the new Test tyres, although Randy de Puniet and Héctor Barberá did not ride, and Nobuatsu Aoki took the place of Álvaro Bautista for the Rizla Suzuki team.
Tohru Ubukata – General Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development Department:
“I am very happy with the results of the Test at Estoril. Conditions were good and the lap times were very fast with Marco heading the field, 0.7s faster than the lap record. We brought one new front tyre and two new rear tyres for testing as we continue preparing for the new engine regulations next year. I must thank all teams and riders for their support in taking the time to test our tyres and provide to us very valuable data, in particular Casey who despite still suffering from back pain dedicated his afternoon’s running to tyre testing. Rider feedback was good, especially for the new rear tyres, so I can say we have identified the direction of tyre development for the next Test and preparation for the 1000cc era is going well.”

Paddock Girls from the bwin Grande Premio de Portuga

Monday, 2 May 2011

When MotoGP visited Estoril for the bwin Grande Premio de Portugal the eye-catching paddock beauties were of course in attendance.

MotoGP Paddock Girls in Estoril 2011

Enjoy this motogp.com video of the most beautiful Paddock Girls from the third round of the 2011 season, the bwin Grande Premio de Portugal in Estoril.

Lorenzo fastest in morning test session at Estoril

Monday, 2 May 2011

Championship leader Jorge Lorenzo (Yahama Factory Racing) led at the midway point of the MotoGP official test session held at the Portuguese circuit, following yesterday’s race. The test is split into two parts: 10.00 -13.00 and then 14.00-18.00 local time. Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) and Casey Stoner (Repsol Honda) was second and third quickest.

On a gloriously, warm day in Estoril, Lorenzo was the first rider to appear on track in the morning session. The reigning MotoGP champion’s quickest lap of the morning session was 1’37:170 which was 0.240s ahead of Edwards. The Spaniard was concentrating on new electronic components and working on the suspension. The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rider worked on the race setting from yesterday, as did Stoner. Edwards and his team were also trying to find more traction from modifications on the chassis.
Estoril race winner, Dani Pedrosa called an early halt to his test session after only completing a few laps. The Spaniard tried a new clutch and worked on the race setting, but was in too much pain to continue and will now rest in the lead up to the next MotoGP race in Le Mans. Pedrosa was fifth fastest, just over half a second slower than Lorenzo’s fastest lap.
The third Repsol Honda rider Andrea Dovizioso, was fourth fastest and he like his team mate Stoner, continued work on the race setting. Cal Crutchlow (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) and his crew worked on a different set-up to improve his riding style, as well as working on the chassis and electronics. The British rider was sixth after the first session, just over half a second off Lorenzo. Marco Simoncelli (San Carlo Honda Gresini Team) was seventh and concentrated on new settings for the clutch, whist his fellow San Carlo Honda Gresini Team rider Hiroshi Aoyama, spent time on improving the race setting and changes to the electronics, with the target of not completing too many laps to save the engine.
The leading Ducati was that of Nicky Hayden (Ducati Team) who was eighth, with his team mate Valentino Rossi tenth. Both the Ducati riders were testing two types of chassis and doing comparative runs, one bike with the chassis from yesterday’s race and one bike with the modified chassis (for each rider). They also worked on new electronic components.
Álvaro Bautista (Rizla Suzuki) finished the test early after riding for the first time this weekend after six weeks out after breaking his femur. After completing the race in 13th yesterday, the Spaniard worked on improving the feeling with the bike and the suspension. Nobuatsu Aoki has taken over for the afternoon session to work on the electronic settings.
Ben Spies Yamaha Factory Racing was ninth and tested a new swingarm and new suspension components. Loris Capirossi (Pramac Racing) was another rider working on improvements to the race settings, whilst Toni Elías (LCR Honda) took the opportunity to work on many elements of the bike, including: chassis geometry, suspension, breaking stability and increasing the heat into the tyres. Rookie Karel Abraham (Cardion ab Motoracing) who was suffering from pain in his elbow following his first lap incident in the race, found he was being hindered also by his injured fingers, worked on trying to find more grip in the rear tyre and improve the general race setting.

Lorenzo happy with valuable points, Spies disappointed

Sunday, 1 May 2011

Yamaha Factory Racing rider Jorge Lorenzo, extended his unbroken run of podium finishes today in the bwin Grande Prémio de Portugal, with second place in Estoril. Ben Spies failed to finish the race after a tool was left on his bike at the start, which compromised his riding. The American crashed out of a top ten place, scoring no points.

Having taken his fourth consecutive Estoril pole position in yesterday’s qualifying, the reigning World Champion retained the lead from the off. Lorenzo completed 25 laps in the lead, before relinquishing to Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda,) just three laps from the end, crossing the line in second place to take valuable championship points. The Spaniard leads the 2011 MotoGP championship by four points over his closest rival, Pedrosa.
Lorenzo’s team mate Ben Spies, was again denied the opportunity to complete the MotoGP race in Estoril. A tool used to temporarily block the fuel overflow pipe on grid was accidentally left in place for the race start, compromising the Texan’s ability to ride competitively. The tool’s location adjacent to the front brake lever made it impossible for him to brake effectively, ultimately affecting his concentration, which resulted in a crash with fifteen laps remaining of the race.
Jorge Lorenzo, Yamaha Factory Racing

“I made a good start and which I was really happy. I then pushed to my maximum to try to open up the gap to Pedrosa. Unfortunately today was not the day for that, he was too strong and consistent and at the end, he was maybe fresher to push. Second is a good result, we have a lot of points from three races, so I think we are in a good way to keep fighting for the championship. I want to thank my team who worked really hard this weekend to make sure we were as competitive as we could be.”

Pedrosa powers to first victory of the season in Estoril

Sunday, 1 May 2011

After a race long duel with fellow Spaniard, Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha Factory Racing), Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) raced to victory at the bwin Grande Prémio de Portugal and with it, claimed his first win at the Estoril circuit in any class. Third was Casey Stoner (Repsol Honda).

Estoril 2011 - MotoGP - Race - Full session

Pedrosa who only recently had surgery on his injured shoulder, had been seemingly pacing himself behind the leader, Lorenzo, until the final three laps, when the Repsol Honda rider, passed the Yamaha down the straight and then delivered a succession of fastest laps to pass the chequered flag first. Pedrosa finished just over three seconds ahead of the reigning MotoGP World Champion and closed the gap on Lorenzo’s lead in the standings to just four points. Pedrosa’s triumph also prevented the pole sitter clinching four successive victories at the Estoril circuit.
  Stoner had a lonely race in third and was over seven seconds behind his team mate who won the race. The former MotoGP World Champion has never won at Estoril (one of only five circuits the Australian has failed to clinch victory at). The eyes were all on the battle behind the Australian between Valentino Rossi (Ducati Team) and Andrea Dovizioso. The Repsol Honda rider stayed close to Rossi throughout the race and managed to snatch the fourth place on the very last lap as they crossed the start finish line, by a mere 0.025s. The nine time World Champion’ previous lowest result here in Estoril had been a fourth place from 11 starts, before the pass from his fellow compatriot over the line.
  It was a good day for the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 team. Colin Edwards arrived home in sixth position, two ahead of Cal Crutchlow. The British rookie had been involved in a tussle with Hiroshi Aoyama (San Carlo Honda Gresini), but the Japanese rider got the better of the former World Supersport champion. Crutchlow was one of many riders racing following an operation and has continued to pick up points in his first season in the premier class.
  Nicky Hayden (Ducati Team) was ninth, after racing with Ben Spies early on and the final place in the top ten went to Frenchman Randy de Puniet (Pramac Racing) who was recovering after an operation on his leg. Toni Elías (LCR Honda) who won here in 2006, was 11th after fighting with Loris Capirossi (Pramac Racing) and edging out the most experienced rider in the field, come the end of the race.
  In the first race of the season for Álvaro Bautista (Rizla Suzuki), after missing the opening two rounds, the Spaniard battled through the pain barrier to record 13th place and claim three points, just six weeks after breaking his leg.

Lorenzo snatches pole position at Estoril

Saturday, 30 April 2011

Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha Factory Racing) took his first pole position of the season for the bwin Grande Prémio de Portugal after Marco Simoncelli (San Carlo Honda Gresini Team) had looked the likely pole sitter until a late crash. Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa took the last spot on the front row.

With dark clouds looming over the circuit, it was race winner from Jerez, Lorenzo who claimed his 17th MotoGP pole and the 43rd in his career. The Yamaha rider’s win in Spain was the 15th time he had stood on the top step on the podium, matched Alex Criville’s record of the most wins by a Spanish rider in the premier class. This is a circuit where the Mallorcan has won the last three races from pole position.
The pole position lap time of 1’37.161 was just over one tenth faster than his nearest challenger Simoncelli. After dominating both Friday practices, the Italian rider had continued to lead the timing screens throughout the qualifying hour until he was pipped by the reigning World Champion in the final five minutes. Simoncelli then was on a lap which was a third of a second up on the Yamaha when he crashed into turn 7 which ruled out the possibility of the 24 year old fighting to regain top spot.
The top four riders were separated between 0.223s, with the Repsol Honda duo of Pedrosa and Casey Stoner in third and fourth. The Spaniard’s second place in Jerez was the 90th time he has stood on the rostrum in Grand Prix racing where as Stoner was victim to a much publicised crash at the previous race. The Australian crashed out of this race last season whilst hunting down the leading pack and will be looking to get back into contention for this year’s title in the race tomorrow.
Lorenzo’s Yamaha Factory Racing team mate Ben Spies was fifth fastest, ahead of the third Repsol Honda rider, Andrea Dovizioso on the second row. The Italian won here in 2006 in the 250cc category and was on the rostrum here last season.
The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 duo of Colin Edwards and Cal Crutchlow were seventh and eighth respectively on the third row. The American was seventh in Portugal last year, but less than four seconds away from a spot on the rostrum. Crutchlow was only a tenth off his team mate on his first appearance at the Estoril circuit in his debut MotoGP season.
The highest placed Ducati was the rider with the best record at the circuit. Valentino Rossi (Ducati Team), who has had ten podium finishes here, was ninth quickest and just edged out the second Ducati of Héctor Barberá (Mapfre Aspar Team). The top ten riders were within 1.202s of each other. Rossi’s team mate

The 'Federação de Motociclismo de Portugal' rewards Carmelo Ezpeleta

Friday, 29 April 2011

The 'Federação de Motociclismo of Portugal' which celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2010, had the pleasure of presenting the Medal of Merit motorcycles to Mr. Carmelo Ezpeleta during the second European round of the 2011 FIM MotoGP World Championship in Estoril.

The Portuguese Motorcycling Federation wishes to thank the key international leaders for their support in organizing successful motorcycle events in Portugal.
Jorge Viegas, ‘Federação de Motociclismo de Portugal’ President said:" Our Federation and the Estoril Circuit are indebted to Carmelo Ezpeleta, who has helped and supported us since 1999. He has greatly contributed to the success of our MotoGP events in Portugal. On behalf of 'Federação de Motociclismo de Portugal', I am proud and pleased to present the Medal of Motorcyclist Merit to Carmelo Ezpeleta for his support throughout these years. To give him this award here in Estoril is also symbolic, as it was with a round of the FIM World Road Racing Championship here that we reopened this circuit in 2000".
Carmelo Ezpeleta, Dorna Sports SL CEO, said: "It's a great honour to receive this prestigious medal of merit from the Federação de Motociclismo de Portugal. Working alongside the Federação has been instrumental in making the Portuguese Grand Prix a great success, with crowd figures continually increasing since the first edition of the event. The 20th anniversary of the FMP is the perfect opportunity to highlight the excellent work done in Estoril - the circuit has provided some great action to all MotoGP fans. I’m thrilled with this award and look forward to another successful race this weekend."

Simoncelli leads a Honda top three in FP1

Friday, 29 April 2011

San Carlo Honda Gresini rider Marco Simoncelli made a positive start to his weekend for the bwin Grande Prémio de Portugal by setting the early pace in the first practice at Estoril. Repsol Honda riders Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa were second and third quickest in a closely fought session.

Estoril 2011 - MotoGP - FP1 - Highlights

The Italian was fastest after his disappointment of crashing out whilst leading the wet race in Spain. The 24 year-old’s best time of 1’38.032 was an advantage of 0.209s over the Australian after collecting the quickest time of FP1 in the dying moments.
At the undulating circuit in Portugal, the weather predictions had suggested variable conditions but the first practice of the weekend for the MotoGP class was run in cloudy and humid conditions. After a three-week break after Jerez, many riders were returning to the track following surgery from injuries.
Stoner had a problem with a loose cable in the early stages of the first practice which saw him sitting in the pits whilst it was fixed. The 25 year-old clawed his way to the top of the timesheets with a few minutes remaining but was edged out by his fellow Honda rider. After surgery on his shoulder, Pedrosa completed 19 laps to finish 0.227s off Simoncelli’s best lap.
Fresh from claiming his first ever wet race victory, Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha Factory Racing) was fourth fastest after leading the session early on. The reigning World Champion’s deficit to Simoncelli was 0.381s on a circuit where the Spaniard has won for the past three seasons.
Valentino Rossi (Ducati Team) was the quickest Ducati in the first practice ahead of fellow compatriot Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda). The Italian duo were 0.537s and 0.749s respectively off the top time.

After retiring on the final lap in Jerez whilst in a podium position, Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) was seventh fastest, ahead of Ben Spies (Yamaha Factory Racing). The Texan had an excursion into the gravel at Turn 6 in the first part of the practice but was able to continue after the bike was repaired. Rounding out the top ten places were the Ducatis of Héctor Barberá (Mapfre Aspar Team) and Randy de Puniet (Pramac Racing). The top ten riders were within 1.749s of each other.
Nicky Hayden who took the first Ducati Team podium of 2011 in the last race, suffered a mechanical problem in the last ten minutes of the session and had to stop the bike and make his own way back to the pits. The American was able to rejoin on his second bike and finished in 14th place.
Álvaro Bautista (Rizla Suzuki) who on Thursday was passed fit to ride this weekend after breaking his left leg in the season opener at Losail finished in 17th place, 3.002s off the pace after confirming he was going to use FP1 to test his fitness back on the bike. The Spaniard completed 20 laps.

MotoGP action back on at Estoril

Monday, 25 April 2011

After an extended break in the MotoGP calendar the premier class returns to action at the bwin Grande Prémio de Portugal this weekend, and there is plenty to watch out for at Estoril in Round 3.

Almost four weeks after the Jerez round – the extended break being due to the postponement of the Japanese GP until October – the MotoGP World Championship returns to action at Estoril this weekend, where the bwin Grande Prémio de Portugal hosts Round 3 of the 2011 season. This will be the 14th occasion that there has been a Portuguese GP.
There was no shortage of talking points following Round 2 in southern Spain, where defending World Champion Jorge Lorenzo took his first win of 2011 in the wet, and was followed onto the podium by a Dani Pedrosa struggling with his recovering left arm and Nicky Hayden. Casey Stoner’s inability to finish the race after being taken down in an incident involving Valentino Rossi, the latter of whom managed to remount his bike and finish fifth, merely added to what was a highly eventful race at Jerez.
Yamaha Factory Racing rider Lorenzo has a formidable recent record at the Estoril track, having won for the past three consecutive seasons from pole position. The Spaniard has now finished inside the top four for 22 straight races, and leads the early Championship standings by nine points ahead of rival Dani Pedrosa. The Repsol Honda man arrives in Portugal hopeful that surgery immediately after Jerez will have eased the discomfort caused in his left arm, and despite that he secured a 90th GP podium in the last round making him only the tenth rider to reach the milestone in the World Championship’s 63-year history.
Stoner will be eager to put the DNF from Jerez firmly behind him and regain the momentum he has established in the early stages of the season. The Repsol Honda rider has twice stood on the Estoril podium in the premier class but is yet to win there in MotoGP (he has a 250cc victory to his name), and will view such a result as the perfect response. Nicky Hayden is the highest placed Ducati rider in the standings after two rounds, with factory team-mate Rossi close behind. The Italian has only once finished off the podium at the circuit in the premier class, and counts five victories amongst his haul of rostrum results there.

Bautista on course for Estoril return

Tuesday, 26 April 2011

The Rizla Suzuki rider plans to take to the track at the bwin Grande Prémio de Portugal for the opening practice session – pending a medical review at the circuit on Thursday – having been given the all-clear by Doctor Villamor in Madrid on Tuesday.

Rizla Suzuki rider Álvaro Bautista hopes to be able to make his return to MotoGP action at Estoril this weekend, just 42 days after breaking his left femur.
On Tuesday the Spaniard received the go ahead from Doctor Ángel Villamor of the Hospital USP San José in Madrid after undergoing a medical review of his condition, and will now be subject to a medical check by the circuit doctor at Estoril on Thursday.
Bautista plans to take to the track on Friday morning for the first practice session of the weekend, and has been undergoing intensive physiotherapy to ensure his fitness is at its highest possible level. If he is unable to ride at a competitive level, Rizla Suzuki will have Factory test rider Nobuatsu Aoki on standby to take over if Bautista has to withdraw from the event.
“I have been working very hard to be back in time for Estoril and I believe I will be able to take part in the race,” said a highly motivated Bautista. “I know it will be difficult, but I think the sooner I can get on the bike the more it will aid my total recovery and help my way to full fitness. I have travelled over 4.5km with many journeys to the hyperbaric chamber in Madrid to assist with my healing. I have now finished the rehabilitation phase and started on the physical preparation; this involves a lot of swimming, cycling and other fitness programmes to build up the strength so I can ride again.”
Bautista is under no illusion as to the task which awaits him, and added: “It is going to be really tough, but I am totally focused on being on the GSV-R in Portugal, it’s all I can think about at the moment and that is my first goal. After that we’ll see what happens and take everything one step at a time.”
Also in place this weekend will be a new logo on Rizla Suzuki's GSV-R – ‘Change and Challenge’ – which is used by Suzuki in the Asian regions to promote its new range of motorcycle products in these markets.

Red Bull Rookies up for Estoril

Wednesday, 27 April 2011

The third and fourth races of the 2011 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup will take place at this weekend’s bwin Grande Prémio de Portugal.

The bwin Grande Prémio de Portugal this weekend sees the third and fourth races of the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup take place at the Estoril circuit, and the participants will head to the track confident in the circuit knowledge they gained in a three-day pre-season test back in March.
Bad luck has struck for two of the Rookies however, who must sit out the Estoril races. Cup points leader Philipp Oettl will be absent due to a broken collarbone, which the youngster sustained testing his German championship bike on April 9th. Frenchman Florian Alt will also not be present, as he continues to recover from a finger injury picked up at the opening weekend in Jerez. Xavier Pinsach and Javier Orellana, who both injured shoulders at Jerez, are due to be fit for Estoril.
In Oettl’s absence Arthur Sissis, Aaron Espana and Brad Binder, who trail him in the table, will aim to cut down the German’s advantage. Sissis won race two at Jerez and was fastest at the Portugal test in both wet and dry conditions, and currently trails Oettl by ten points.
With 44 TV broadcasters around the world showing the race action there is ample opportunity to follow the young heroes and for those not covered by the spread of live TV the live race feed can always be seen on www.redbullrookiescup.com, where the latest news and information can also be found.
There will be three practice sessions for the Rookies on Friday, with first race scheduled for Saturday at 16.30 CET and race two for Sunday at 16.00 CET.