With the start of the 2010 MotoGP season that starts in April, the Repsol Honda Team held its official launch at the Palacio de Deportes in Madrid, Spain. In front of 7000 fans who were present for the penultimate round FIM Indoor Trial World Championship, Dani Pedrosa rode in on trials bike to present the 2010 Honda RC212V with it’s new chassis and swingarm that he and team mate Andrea Dovizioso will use to contest in the upcoming season.

Like last year, one of the riders was absent from the event, last year it was Pedrosa who was recuperating from injury and this year it was Andrea Dovizioso. The Italian rider was unable to attend the team launch because he is suffering from a bad case of the flu, prefering to sit out the promotional event in order to be healthy enough to take part in the final pre-season test that takes place in Qatar next week.

After the jump you can read what Pedrosa had to say and Dovizioso’s message, and you can watch the video of the team presentation in Madrid.

Continue reading: MotoGP: Repsol Honda 2010 Team Launch (w/video)

While the debate of the Rossi-Lorenzo data sharing occupied the pages of various forums, Repsol’s Honda Team Director Kazuhiko Yamano has admitted that like Yamaha riders Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo, Repsol riders do not share data information: “So, at Repsol Honda, since 2008, data has been separate in the pit garage. But development side the data is still shared. Yamaha is starting this year, but we started in 2008.”

The only novelty in this so called revelation is that the usually tight lipped Honda management has actually gone public with something, albeit with something we’ve already known.

Can anyone forget the Alberto Puig and Nicky Hayden media handbag fight back in October 2008?

Just to refresh your memories, Albert Puig told MotoGP.com: “All I can say is that Hayden may be bothered because now he can’t access information and telemetry data from Dani’s bike. With this information he was able to improve his riding, as he had all of Dani’s references and now he can’t use that any longer. He was simply copying as he never knew how to set-up a bike.”

Continue reading: Honda Admits No Data Sharing since 2008

MotoGP rider Dani Pedrosa underwent surgery in Barcelona on Wednesday to remove a screw from in his left hand.

The screw that was removed freed the adhesions that were blocking his extensor tendons that should allow the Spanish rider to improve mobility of his wrist.

Pedrosa was operated by the reknowned Dr. Xavier Mir, head Hand Surgery Unit, Department of Traumatology of the USP Institut Universitari Dexeus and was discharged from the hospital today and functional recovery should begin within two weeks.

Our best wishes to Pedrosa for a speedy recovery.

Source | motocuatro

Continue reading: MotoGP - Dani Pedrosa undergoes hand surgery

HRC Repsol Honda is readying itself for the upcoming 2010 season and is giving the team a partial makeover. After wooing away three techs from Yamaha (Andrea Zugna, Carlo Luzzi and Christian Battaglia) and Ducati’s Livio Suppo who will be their marketing director, they have now decided to have two separate team managers.

HRC will see the omnipresent Alberto Puig follow his protégé Dani Pedrosa, while Gianni Berti will be Andrea Dovizioso’s team manager. Berti followed the Italian when he left the now defunct JiR Scot Team for the factory Honda.

Peter Benson, Dovizioso’s former chief mechanic will be substituted by Ramòn Aurìn, who has been promoted from telemetry technician.

Source | bikeracing.it

Continue reading: Two Team Managers in HRC Repsol Honda

Casey Stoner took the top spot in today’s half day of testing at Valencia (to make room for the Ferrari Festa) with a best time of 1.31.899, that bettered Jorge Lorenzo yesterday’s top spot that was 1.31.939. Dani Pedrosa was second, continuing to get used to his Ohlin forks. Only 12 MotoGP riders were on track today with all the Yamaha riders having packed up yesterday as did LCR Honda’s Randy DePuniet.

Nicky Hayden has been having positive tests, was third, but the Kentucky Kid is still one second off his Ducati team mate best time.

Andrea Dovizioso bettered yesterday’s time, despite a cracked bone in his hip, as did Marco Melandri. Team Gresini to distinguish the two Marco’s having taken to calling them Tall Marco (Simoncelli) and Short Marco (Melandri)

Toni Elías, who still has to been contracted with Gresini’s Moto2 Team, has been testing their Moriwaki Moto2 prototype along with Shogo Moriwaki, Mamoru Moriwaki’s son. Also working with Moto2 bikes were Ratthapark Wilairot, Héctor Faubel and Scott Redding ,Axel Pons on the Pons Kalex, Joan Olivé and Kenny Noyes with Promoracing.

Continue reading: MotoGP Valencia Tests Day 3 – Casey Stoner on top again

In the 17th and final round of the MotoGP season at Valencia saw an upset even before the race began with Casey Stoner who was hugely tipped to win, highsiding on the sighting lap, crashing, leaving his Ducati too damaged to restart.

Dani Pedrosa took off with another of his lightning starts got the holeshot and won the race flag to flag, his second of the season.

Toni Elias was another rider who had rocket start, and by the end of the first turn was second but it would last until the third lap when Jorge Lorenzo overtook him.

Valentino Rossi who was fourth quickly overtook Elias, hunted down his team mate and when Lorenzo’s Yamaha nearly discharged him from the seat, Rossi got past and was in second place with Pedrosa already more than 2.5s clear. It seems that Lorenzo’s Daniese air leathers deployed with the almost highside.

Continue reading: MotoGP Valencia - Pedrosa Classic Win, Stoner bins it on sighting lap

Casey Stoner took his third pole position of the season dominating the qualifying session at Valencia turning in a blistering lap of 1.32’256 and a couple of great slides. Stoner beat Dani Pedrosa who was second by 0.263s. Third went Jorge Lorenzo and the Spanish rider was just 0.018s behind Pedrosa.

The 2009 World Champion Valentino Rossi was only fourth, his best lap was 1.32’922 a massive 0.666s from Casey Stoner, but was enough to earn him the BMW that goes with the best qualifier of the year award. Colin Edwards took fifth position for the sixth time in the last seven races and was just 0.163s from Rossi.

Sixth went to Nicky Hayden who was the final rider within a second fron Stoner and 0.898s from his team mate. Seventh went to Randy DePuniet despite a crash early in the session and Toni Elias was eighth.

Continue reading: MotoGP Valencia Qualifying – Stoner Domination

Casey Stoner hit the top of the timesheets in today’s first free practice at the Valencia circuit putting in a best lap of 1.32′813 in the final minutes of the session and leaving Jorge Lorenzo in second at 0.382s from the Ducati rider.

Dani Pedrosa was third just 0.046s slower than Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi, the last of the fantastic four, who ran off track halfway through the session was down a huge 0.686sec from the top, confirming again that the Valencia circuit isn’t one of the Italian’s favourite tracks.

The best of the rest started with Randy de Puniet, who was fifth, just over one-second slower than Stoner, while Alex DeAngelis took sixth and Colin Edwards seventh and Andrea Dovizioso was eighth. Loris Capirossi finished in ninth and Nicky Hayden completed the top ten, 1.649s from his team mates first place.

Continue reading: MotoGP Valencia - Casey Stoner Tops in FP1

Today’s MotoGP race in Sepang was a wet thriller. It started with a delay as a torrential rain hit the circuit 25 minutes before the start and started half an hour later. Jorge Lorenzo’s number one bike had refused to start in the pits forcing him to switch to his spare bike and had to start from the back of the grid having failed to join his starting position on time.

Rossi starting in pole position, tried to out brake the field at turn one running wide and found himself in 10th position and the race was only into it’s 25th second. Lorenzo cannonballed throught the grid and was 11th, and by the end of the first lap had already passed Rossi and was eighth.

Up front Casey Stoner passed leader Dani Pedrosa and said good-bye to everyone and took a six second lead from Pedrosa after just four laps. Andrea Dovizioso was in third trying to shorten the gap between his team mate and himself.

It was in the middle of the field where the action was happening. Lorenzo passed Capirossi and Rossi photocopied Lorenzo’s move. Lorenzo moved up on Nicky Hayden who held on to his postion, offering resistance to Lorenzo’s overtaking passes, but the Spaniard finally made his move stick, leaving Hayden to Rossi. Lorenzo took fourth after passing Toni Elias on lap seven with Rossi copying all his passes. Rossi finally took fourth from his team mate on lap eight.

Continue reading: MotoGP Sepang – Casey Stoner dominates in Wet Race Thriller, Rossi 3rd, clinches Title

Valentino Rossi looks like he wants to take his 9th Symphony in Sepang with a win. The Italian rider took his 7th pole position of the season, equaling Mick Doohan’s 58 pole record and the Sepang circuit lap record with a blistering lap of 2’00”58 breaking his own 2006 record (2:00.605 on a 990cc with supersoft qualifying tires).

Jorge Lorenzo was second at 0.569sec from Rossi with grip troubles, while Dani Pedrosa took third at 0.736. A frustrated Casey Stoner was left in fourth, a massive 0.937s behind the Italian rider.

Loris Capirossi instead was happy with his fifth place on the grid, after his disastrous Australian GP race at Phillip Island and the Rizla Suzuki team being penalized for going over the engine limit. Toni Elias took sixth and Nicky Hayden will start from seventh, half a second behind Stoner.

Randy de Puniet who is still having swelling problems with his ankle that he injured during the summer break was eighth. Colin Edwards abdicated his usual fifth to end up ninth. Alex DeAngelis was tenth and Andrea Dovizioso on a factory Honda was only eleventh.

Mika Kallio was twelfth, while Aleix Espargaro who’ll be riding for Pramac Ducati next year and subbing at Sepang for Niccolò Canepa took 13th and putting behind him Chris Vermeulen, Marco Melandri, James Toseland and Gabor Talmacsi.

Qualifying Times and quotes from the Fantastic Four after the jump:

Continue reading: MotoGP Sepang Qualifying - Valentino Rossi Pole and Record

In the opening free practice at the Sepang circuit in Mayasia it was Jorge Lorenzo who topped the time sheets followed by a very close Casey Stoner who was just 0.064s from the Fiat Yamaha rider.

Dani Pedrosa took third place with a time of 2.02.758, 0.578s from Lorenzo, while Valentino Rossi who’s looking to win his seventh World Championship (9th in his career) this Sunday, was only fourth and a massive 0.684s from his team mate.

Rossi needs a fourth place or better to take the 2009 title.

Andrea Dovizioso took fifth and was the last rider to be within one second from Lorenzo. Loris Capirossi took sixth and Toni Elias, who has signed with Pons’s Moto2 team next year, was seventh. Nicky Hayden 8th and strangely enough Colin Edwards was 9th instead of his usual fifth and Chris Vermeulen closed out the top ten.

Aleix Espargaro who is substituting for injured Niccolò Canepa was last, but just 0.047sec behind Gabor Talmacsi.

Rider quotes and free practice times after the jump.

Continue reading: MotoGP Sepang FP1 - Jorge Lorenzo strikes back

Casey Stoner, during the Australia Grand Prix at Phillip Island, silenced any of his final critics taking his third win of this season, more than five months from his last, and winning his home race for the third year in a row, which also took him to third in the championship standings.

It was Dani Pedrosa that got the hole shot with Casey Stoner, with his special one off livery, hot on his tail and Valentino Rossi following, while Jorge Lorenzo taking off from fourth, crashed out at the first turn.

Lorenzo was passed by both Nicky Hayden and Mika Kallio and going wide lost control of his M1, clipped Hayden, who managed to stay on his Ducati and return to the race. Lorenzo would end up with a broken pinky finger, a scraped nose and giving Valentino Rossi at 38 point lead in the standings.

Stoner took the lead from Pedrosa on the second lap after exchanging paint a pair of times then Rossi overtook Pedrosa who would eventually fall to third and a massive 22.618s from Stoner.

Rossi would follow Stoner for the rest of race looking like he could overtake the Aussie rider, but would finally settle for second place and crossed the finish line 1.935s behind the Aussie rider. The two fastest riders on track would give us a show that we hadn’t seen in a long, long time, some fantastic slides.

Alex de Angelis rode to an excellent fourth place that may convince the government of San Marino to back him for a MotoGP ride in Team Scot.

Continue reading: MotoGP Phillip Island - Casey Stoner Wins and hat tricks the Island