Marc Marquez will also be skipping the second official Moto2 test of the season at Jerez de la Frontera, scheduled from February 16th to the 18th.

Last year’s Moto2 runner-up underwent another check-up by his surgeon in Barcelona and despite evident progress following his recent eye operation has informed fans via his Repsol blog that he will also sit out the next testing session.

Marquez is now is expected to return to riding in March for a private test at the Autodromo do Algarve at Portimao, alongside Moto3 Monlau Competicion riders Miguel Oliveira and Alex Rins.

“Today I was with the doctor in Barcelona and everything is going according to schedule, that is I am healing as was expected. But for the time being the team and I will stay at home this week and we will not participate in the practice that will take place at Jerez. But I want you to know that we will not be on holiday taking it easy, nothing of the sort. The team is to be found planning the season and of course, each and every detail of the bike, the pits, the truck… You know, they take care of making sure that everything works perfectly during the season. But me I am working on my physical preparation, training flat out on a motocross bike and so I can’t wait to get back on my Moto2 bike.”

Last week’s three-day Moto2 test at Valencia was dominated by Scott Redding (Marc VDS Racing) on the first two days, while Pol Espargaró (Pons Racing) set the fastest time on the final day.

The FIM and Infront Motor Sports released a provisional homologation list for the Superstock 1000 Cup championship earlier last week and as many noticed that Ducati’s 1199 Panigale S wasn’t on it despite the fact that Superstock teams, Barni Racing, Effenbert Liberty and Red Devils Ducati Roma will be using the new Superbike in this season’s championship.

The mystery surrounding the reason of why the Panigale wasn’t listed was solved by the always well informed Italian website Gpone.com who found out that the FIM has yet to visit Ducati’s factory in Bologna and they’ll be doing that at the end of this month to check if the Italian manufacturer has fabricated the first 250 units of the 2000 required for homologation.

Ducati officially started production of the 1199 Panigale on January 24th of this year.

There are two famous ‘Mountains’ with the capital M in motorcycle racing: one of them is the famous Mountain section of the Isle of Man’s Tourist Trophy course, the other one is the Mountain of Cadwell Park, a motor racing circuit in Lincolnshire, England. Even if you are not into British Superbikes, if you have seen Cadwell Park’s Mountain by chance you surely remember it, there’s no two ways around it. If you are not familiar with it, here’s your chance to make up for it.

The Mountain of Cadwell Park is a natural hump covered in tarmac that riders have to face while speeding out of a tight left-right ‘S’, and it’s where bikes for a while can become airborne by up to several feet, for the delight of photographers and fans alike. The video above is a breathtaking compilation of slow-mo clips featuring comments - among others - from BSB stars a Joshua Brooks and Shane Byrne. The footage is indeed pretty amazing, and we are 100% sure that even if you already know the Mountain of Cadwell Park very well, you won’t miss the chance to check this out anyway.

Spanish petroleum giant Repsol has decided to back the 2011 125cc Rookie of the Year, Maverick Viñales in this season’s new Moto3 class.

The announcement was made ahead of the official Moto2 and Moto3 three day test that kicked off today at the Ricardo Tormo circuit in Valencia, and the Spanish teenager will be joining other Repsol sponsored riders like Miguel Oliveira and Alex Rins (who is currently injured) in Moto3, Marc Marquez in Moto2, Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa in MotoGP.

Viñales finished third in his debut season winning four races (Le Mans, Assen, Sepang and Valencia) and five other podiums while he was riding for the Blusens by Paris Hilton Team.

This season he’ll will be riding a Honda FTR M312 under the Avintia Competición (BQR) Racing banner, and it is almost certain that he’ll switch to Moto2 in 2013.

“I am very excited to be riding for a sponsor like Repsol this season, as Repsol have been a force behind a great number of victories in the World Championship,” said Vinales. “Many great riders have received their support and I am honoured to be joining this elite group. The big three current Repsol riders - Casey Stoner, Dani Pedrosa and Marc Márquez - have won titles, and this is my aim for 2012. I can only hope to follow the path that other Repsol riders have established in the World Championship and take many wins this year. Now it is time for me to test in Valencia and we will be trying out many of the improvements that have been made over the winter”.

The rumors launched by our French colleagues last week regarding Jules Cluzel having found a Supersport ride with PTR Honda have now been confirmed.

Cluzel, after being dumped by WTR Tent 10 Racing Team when they merged with Bike Service Team, will be now riding a Honda CBR600R in the one of PTR’s three Supersport teams along with Sam Lowes, Pawel Szkopek, Ronan Quarmby, Martin Jessopp, PJ Jacobsen and Mathew Scholtz.

“I am very happy to have secured a seat with PTR Honda, one of the front running teams in the World Supersport Championship – there are not many bikes that can win the Championship but I have one of them. I cannot wait to get to know the team and bike better in the Australia test and then see what we can achieve in the first race. I cannot wait to get started,” said Cluzel.

Simon Buckmaster, PTR Honda Team Manager: “It is very late in the day but we are delighted to welcome Jules to the team and are sure with his pedigree and proven speed that he will be an addition to an already strong squad. We look forward to seeing what he can achieve in this Championship with the experience at the top level he has already had, it will be exciting.”

Cluzel will be now joining the team for a two-day test at Phillip Island in Australia before the opening round of the Championship at the same track on February 26th.

Effenbert Liberty has decided to add another rider to their Superstock line-up. Team owner Dr. Mario Bertuccio and Superstock Team Manager Natale Egi have decided on CIV rider Federico Sandi.

If the last name sounds familiar it’s because Sandi is Max Biaggi’s former crew chief Giovanni Sandi’s son, and according to gossip the reason why Sandi left Aprilia in a huff after the Italian manufacturer refused to give his kid an RSV4. Sandi also tested Grillini’s Gapam CRT bike at Valencia.

Sandi spent a season riding in the Italian CIV championship with Althea Ducati Team, where he finished third overall and won a race in Vallelunga. He also has experience from participation in the World SBK Championship in Superstock FIM Cup in 2009 on an Aprilia and has taken up the challenge to race as a wild card rider on several occasions in Superbike Championship in 2010 and 2011. Last, but not the least, the eager youngster has raced in 125cc and 250cc classes in Moto GP world championship from 2005 until 2008.

Sandi will be teamed up with 2011 Canadian Superbike champion Brett McCormick and the team will have at their disposal the Ducati 1199 Panigale which will debut in Superstock this season before being used in World Superbikes in 2013.

“My goal for the season was to race with the new 1199 Ducati Panigale. The chances to fulfill this goal were very low because there are not going to be many teams having the Panigale available to them. I am delighted to have signed the agreement with the Liberty Racing Team from the technical standpoint as well as from the human one. I will do my very best to pay the team back for believing in me as I will be aiming for top positions,” said Sandi.

Natale Egi, Manager of the Superstock project of the Effenbert Team, who has over twenty years’ experience in racing, is looking forward to kicking off this new adventure focused on growing the potential of new talents.

“I’m really happy about the agreement we signed with Federico. I can see his motivation. In a few days, he will leave to Australia with us, where both him and Brett McCormick will have the opportunity to test the new bike during the private test at Phillip Island on 13th to 15th February .“

They say you’re good only as your last race or in this case a championship, but seeing three time British Superbike Champion Ryuichi Kiyonari, end up racing in the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship and in the 600cc class to boot, kind of breaks our hearts.

The Japanese rider won his third BSB title in 201o straight off, after spending two years in World Superbikes with Hannspree Ten Kate Honda and in 2011 continued riding for HM Plant Honda taking two wins and finishing 6th overall, but despite the previous title it wasn’t enough to keep his ride.

He will now be racing a Honda CBR600RR under the Boon Siew Racing team banner that is based in Malaysia. Even if we know that Asia is a enormous market for motorcycle manufacturers, but we kind of hope he won’t be joined by another Japanese samurai of slide, Noriyuki Haga, who has yet to announce his plans for the 2012 season.

Marc Marquez has decided to miss the first official 2012 Moto2 test scheduled for next week at Valencia. The young Spanish rider underwent eye surgery in January to correct the double vision problems in his right eye that he sustained during practice at the Sepang GP last October.

Marquez was advised by his surgeons and in agreement with his manager Emilio Alzamora, to skip the tests and continue his recovery process, and hopefully with another two weeks of rest he’ll be fit enough for the next Moto2 tests that take place February 16th to 18th at Jerez de la Frontera.

According to our French colleagues at Motosblog.fr, former Moto2 rider Jules Cluzel may be riding in the 2012 World Supersport after all and with one of the biggest squads that competes in the championship, PTR Honda.

The French rider had happily announced that he would be riding with debuting WTR Tent 10 Racing Team, but the Italian squad made a last minute merger with Bike Service Team due to the usual budget reasons and decided to keep the more experienced Massimo Roccoli, leaving Cluzel high and dry and searching for another team.

PTR Honda is run by Simon Buckmaster and in 2012 will be fielding five riders under three different team names, Bogdanka PTR Honda (with Sam Lowes, Mathew Scholtz and Pawel Szkopek), PTR Honda (with Patrick ‘PJ’ Jacobsen and Ronan Quarmby) and Riders PTR Honda (Martin Jessopp) and probably adding another rider won’t be a big problem, if Cluzel has come up with the € 350,000 that Buckmaster was asking for to ride in WSS.

Since its start in 2010 Moto2 has been a virtual merry-go-round of riders, with riders being moved around like pieces on a chess board, even during the season because of lack of results, sponsors who don’t pay or even because they don’t have the proper appeal to the team’s sponsors.

So after the recent announcement that Ricky Cardus lost his QMMF ride to Damian Cudlin we now get that Kenny Noyes has lost his ride with Arguiñano Racing Team that he had signed up for last November, and you guessed it, the ride was given to Cardus.

Apparently Cardus has come up with an energy drink sponsor (and I’m betting on Rock Star) and that according to the Spanish press will cover almost all the Cardus’ racing budget.

With the season to kick off in two months, we could still see other changes to the Moto2 entry list.

Source | motocuatro

Just yesterday we mentioned that Moto2 team Stop and Go (SAG) had yet to complete their line-up and today the team has announced that next to Angel Rodriguez they will be fielding Marco Colandrea.

The 17-year old youngster who has typical Italian name is actually Swiss, and has signed a two year deal with the team run by Eduardo Perales. Last season Colandrea took part in three races as a wildcard in the 125cc class, but has already experience riding a 600cc motorcycle as he’s already competed in the Italian CIV and the German IDM.

“I am very excited about this opportunity. I’m young but I know that it will be necessary to take the maximum advantage of this period and be smart on the track not to lose sight of my goal which is simply to learn from the stronger riders and do better race after race. I want to thank my family, my manager Paolo Mora of All Sports Consulting and Edu Perales for this great opportunity,” said Colandrea.

Edu Perales: “Marco may be young rider, but has a lot of talent and determination to ride in Moto2 and has to realizethat the team will give him the maximum to put him in the condition to do well. I hope that that this will be lasting and fruitful union.”

Source | motogp.com and infomoto2.com

Moto2 is still playing musical chairs and the season hasn’t even started yet. The latest news coming out of Spain is that Ricky Cardus (Jorge Lorenzo’s BFF) has lost his ride with QMMF Moto2 team and will be replaced by Damian Cudlin.

Cardus made the jump to Moto2 GP after a few replacement rides and spent the full 2011 season with the Qatari team finishing 31st overall and was to be fielded with the newly signed Elena Rosell this 2012 season, however the Spanish rider got the bad news just a week ago. At the moment it isn’t known if Cardus lost his ride due to the ‘usual’ sponsorship problems.

Damian Cudlin made his appearance on the GP racing scene last season when he substituted for injured Loris Capirossi at Motegi and Hector Barbera at Phillip Island but had to withdraw from the Australian GP following a hip injury sustained during practice.

Cardus’ last chance in finding a ride could be with the Stop & Go Team who has yet to announce their second rider, but according to the latest rumors, the rider will not be of Spanish nationality.

Source | motociclismo.es via motocuatro.com