All posts tagged dorna
Valentino Rossi in Ducati to cause Dorna to sell MotoGP?
Is there no end to the effect that the Valentino Rossi-Ducati partnership will have on the world of the MotoGP? In rumours coming from London, it is said that Dorna could sell the MotoGP championship as it looks to cash in on the Rossi-Ducati partnership in the twilight years of the biggest drawing card the championship has ever seen - the career of the champion Italian rider.
The rumours state that Dorna, owned by Bridgepoint financier group, could look to sell the MotoGP series in the first half of next year after a four-year ownership of the sport. It originally acquired the MotoGP from CVC group for a sum reportedly around 450 million euros. The CVC group now owns the Formula 1 racing series.
In some ways, while the news seems almost unbelievable, if there were to be any sale it would make sense for it to happen in the near future: after the introduction of the Moto2 and Moto3 classes and the move to 1000cc engines from 2012. Incredibly though, one of the main reasons cited for the possible sale is that Dorna could profit handsomely from the new Rossi-Ducati team by selling now, making a healthy sale and whoever the new owners might be will be left with a couple of years of Rossi still on the grid, before the sport comes to a slight halt (if the tone of the reports is to be credited).
Continue reading: Valentino Rossi in Ducati to cause Dorna to sell MotoGP?
Dorna offers TV coverage of the MotoGP tests at Valencia
With more than half of the MotoGP grid changing teams onTuesday at Valencia, Dorna knowing how important it is for fans and playing up the importance of these tests, has decided to allow TV networks to show part of the testing.
Italia 1 will be going live for two hours Tuesday morning from 10:30 to 12:30 (you’ll easily find Italia 1 in streaming, even if you’ll have to put up with the blattering and hear Rossi’s name pronounced a million times) and you can watch Valentino Rossi on the Ducati, Casey Stoner on the factory Honda, Ben Spies on the factory M1, rookie Cal Crutchlow with the Yamaha Tech3, Toni Elias return to MotoGP, Loris Capirossi back on a Ducati, Randy de Puniet also on the Ducati, when Pramac final confirms him, and newbie Karel Abraham with his new MotoGP team.
British Eurosport will also offer feature coverage from the two day test next Friday at 4:45pm so you won’t miss a thing.
Dorna thinking of changing Australian GP race date
Dorna is thinking of revising MotoGP’s provisional 2011 calendar regarding the Australian GP which is scheduled for October 16th, the same date as this year, after renewed complaints by the Riders Safety Commission, lead by the outspoken Valentino Rossi.
Speaking to Sportmediset’s pitlane reporter Alberto Porta who interviewed Carmelo Ezpeleta reported that he’s already in talks with the track organizers to try to change the event to an earlier date.
Most the of the riders are convinced that the middle of October date is too late in the calendar considering the cold and unpredicatable weather conditions that hits the Island in Spring and would prefer an Australian summer race.
Changing the Australian GP won’t be an easy task, because the season opener contractually has to be the night race at Losail (March 20th in 2011) and even if they try to move it up earlier in the calendar, the riders will still find a cold and damp track unless they schedule an earlier start time, which the riders have already asked after this year’s numerous crashes, but this would wreck havoc with the prime time TV schedule in Europe. Another problem is not having the GP calendar clash with Formula 1, which as everyone knows has precedence on any other type of racing.
Source | mcn.com
Late Shoya Tomizawa awarded Metraux Trophy and his #48 to be retired
Dorna has announced that in memory of Shoya Tomizawa who tragically lost his life at the Misano GP two weeks ago, that his racing #48 will be retired from the Moto2 championship and has been posthumously awarded the Michel Metraux trophy for the best Moto2 rider of the year, as was suggested by Toni Elias in yesterday’s press conference and fellow riders have done so unanimously.
Tomizawa was laid to rest yesterday at Ashahi, near Chiba, Japan with more than a thousand people paying tribute to the Japanese rider that included Alain Bronec, owner of Technomag CIP Moto team, Noboru Ueda (Tomizawa’s manager), and several riders from Yuki Takahashi, Tomoyoshi Koyama, Youichi Ui and many others.
There will also be a memorial ceremony for Tomizawa during the Motegi GP -October 3rd.
Press release after the jump
Continue reading: Late Shoya Tomizawa awarded Metraux Trophy and his #48 to be retired
125cc to become Moto3 in 2012?
Matthew Birt of MCN ha revealed that the 125cc format may be on it’s way to extinction and the final species will probably exhale their last exhaust breathe at the end of the 2011 season.
The new series to be named Moto3 (what else could we expect after Moto2 and the 2012 1000cc series called Moto1) is now being discussed by Dorna and the FIM and it should be based on a 25occ four stroke single cylinder motor to replace the current 125cc two strokes. The bikes would be pure prototypes and would not have a single spec engine (powered by Honda) and a single clutch manufacturer (Suter) as in Moto 2.
As usual Honda has already had a head start on manufacturing a 250cc four-stroke single motor and have fitted it into a RS125 chassis and has tested it on the Motegi track where, according to rumours, is running 1.5 seconds faster than the current two stroke 125 GP bike.
Carmelo Ezpeleta has been talking about changing the feeder class ever since they brainstormed Moto2, but now several 125 teams want to make the jump to Moto2 where they would have more exposure and relatively lower costs and a cheaper 250cc four stroke championship could keep them from making the move to an all ready overcrowded and not so cheap as it seemed Moto2.
Source | asphaltandrubber.com
MotoGP: 270 Tonnes of Equipment will be in Spain on Monday
With the Grand Prix of Japan postponed due to the volcanic ash cloud that disrupted air travel across Europe, many we wondering if the Jerez GP would suffer the same fate, as all the equipment was packed up and flown out directly to Japan after the Qatar race. However Dorna’s head of logistics Carlos Jorba has reassured that that the Gran Premio de Espana will go ahead next week as scheduled.
“The Spanish GP at Jerez will take place regularly, declared Jorba “the 270 tonnes of equipment that’s at Motegi will arrive on time for the Spain GP.” The equipment will leave Tokyo on Saturday or Sunday and will be in Seville on Monday, at the latest.
The 270 tonnes of equipment that includes motorcycles, spares, tools, work benches and boxes, the official safety car and other BMW cars, television broadcasting equipement, timing systems, billboards and other adverstising material, computers and printers will be flown out on three Boeing 747 cargo planes.
Continue reading: MotoGP: 270 Tonnes of Equipment will be in Spain on Monday
MotoGP: Abu Dhabi in 2011? Stoner and Capirossi to give their opinion
Last month we reported that Dorna was extremely interested in holding another MotoGP race on the Gulf Coast, in the very rich United Emirates and were already in talks with the Abu Dhabi Yas Marina Circuit management.
We’ve found out from the Gazzetta dello Sport that after Sunday’s race in Qatar, Dorna’s CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta along with Dorna’s safety delegate Franco Uncini and FIM’s Claude Denis all flew to Abu Dhabi to visit the mega race track and that accompanying the bigwigs were top riders Casey Stoner and Loris Capirossi, who are both part of the Rider’s Safety Commission.
Apparently this visit is to check out what the two rider’s and Uncini think about the safety standards and if the circuit configuration meets the strict standards that MotoGP racing now requires.
If the Stoner and Capirossi should give their stamp of approval we could actually see Abu Dhabi on the calender in 2011 and we may loose one of the too many Spanish rounds, because we doubt that the Hungarian Balatonring circuit will be ever find the necessary funds to be completed in time for the 2011 season.
MotoGP vs WSBK: Dorna doesn't want Infront at Valencia
Dorna and Infront Sports are squaring off to have the exclusive rights to race at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit in Valencia. The World Superbike Championship has had Valencia on their calendar since the year 2000, but they may be forced to find another venue in Spain to run their rounds.
According to one of Italy’s most read motorcycle magazine Motosprint, Dorna is trying to pose a veto against Infront in renewing their contract next year with the highly lucrative Spanish circuit.
No reasons have been given on why Dorna is taking this stance, though many are thinking that the problem may be stemming from the upcoming MotoGP 2012 series and that Moto2 is is running the same Honda CBR engine that’s in Supersport.
If Dorna is able to oust Infront out of Valencia, will they try to do the same with Phillip Island, Assen, Misano Adriatico, Silverstone and Brno racing circuits who host both MotoGP and WSBK rounds?
Source | motosprint.it
MotoGP: FB Corse Testing in Valencia
On Monday, Garry McCoy and the FB Corse team began their three day private test at the Ricardo Tormo circuit in Valencia. This important test is the first official outing of the FB01 machine on a race tack and by the end of tomorrow’s testing, we’ll know if the team will be given a place on the MotoGP grid this season.
The three cyclinder bike designed by Oral Engineering will undergo a timing test on Wednesday that will be overseen by Dorna’s safety delegate and former racer Franco Uncini and and an IRTA delegate who will check the work of the team.
The timing test, contrary to what we stated previously, does not forsee that McCoy reach a minimum lap time and so the test will not be based solely on the FB01’s track performance, but according to Uncini on the bike’s reliability and safety.
No lap times have been revealed from these last two days of testing.
Abu Dhabi to Host MotoGP?
MotoGP is hot item for track organizers and after Qatar whose night race now traditionally opens the championship season, Abu Dhabi, capital of the UAE and largest of the seven Emirates Gulf Coast countries is also vying to host a MotoGP round.
Abu Dhabi Motorsports Management who wants to make Abu Dhabi a motorsport capital and runs the Yas Marina Circuit where they already have international events like Formula 1, GP2 Asia Series, Australian V8 Supercars, FIA World GT1, an International Drag Racing Festival and would like to add premier motorcycle racing to their calendar and have already talked with Dorna, as confirmed by AMM CEO Richard Cregan:
“MotoGP boss Carmelo Ezpeleta was here last year and the track designer Hermann Tilke will be coming up with a proposal in the next couple of weeks. But it will take time. We are looking at a time-frame of maybe two to three years when Abu Dhabi will be able to hold a MotoGP round.”
Ultra modern circuit, but will they able to fill the stands like they do at Mugello or Jerez de la Frontera?
Source | khaleejtimes.com via bikeracing.it
MotoGP: FB Corse gets Waiver, McCoy to Test
According to the FIM MotoGP rulebook, even riders for new teams are not allowed to test outside the official testing calendar decided by IRTA, and this was a big hurdle for FB Corse, who has yet to turn a wheel of their 3 cylinder bike designed by Oral engineer Mauro Forghieri, on a race track.
It was believed that Luca Cadalora would be giving the FB01 its first shakedown, however FB Corse after long talks with Dorna and the FIM, has received a waiver on this rule which will allow team rider Garry McCoy to put the bike on track.
The waiver is valid till the 28th of February, after which the team will have to fall back on Cadalora to bring the new machine up to a minimum of racing standards, and allow Dorna to judge, stopwatch in hand, if the bike can be safely and be competitive enough on track to test in the official Qatar tests that take place March.
Source | mediaset
MotoGP Sepang Test: First Meeting for 1000cc Rules
We’ll not only see MotoGP track action at the Sepang test these next two days, but as Dorna’s CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta mentioned during the Wrooom Ducati launch last month, there should also be the first of two important meetings between Dorna, MSMA (Motorcycle Sport Manufacturers Association) and FIM to draft the new technical rules that will be the basis of the return to the 1000cc format.
We already now that the basic concept for MotoGP racing in 2012 will be a maximum displacement of 1000cc, a maximum of four cylinders and a maximum bore of 81 mm, so the outcome of this meeting should give us a little more technical info on what the manufacturers have decided.
Another matter on the agenda could also be the contract renewal between the manufacturers and Dorna that expires at the end of the 2010 racing season, that could see different scenarios in 2011, if the economic crisis should continue.
There’s also been speculation in the last few weeks that we could actually see the 1000cc class in action as early as next season, but we won’t hold our breathe on this one.
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