Julian Simon, the reigning 125cc World Champion and one of the hotly tipped riders to rule in Moto2, got the chance to test an evo version of Ducati Desmosedici GP10 the other day at Jerez.

With Vitto Guareschi in Qatar with the Ducati team for the final pre-season test and new test rider Franco Battaini out due to a wrist injury, the Ducati management decided to contact Julian Simon’s team manager Aspar Martinez to ask if the Spanish rider could carry out two days of testing. The test was overseen by Filippo Preziosi who wanted to prove once again that the Ducati isn’t a one rider bike.

Simon did 115 laps and a race simulation with a best lap of 1′41.4, only 1.6s from Valentino Rossi’s lap record on this track.

The Aspar Mapfre rider will be back on track with his RSV always at Jerez for the official Moto2 test scheduled for March 27-29th.

Source | as.com

Continue reading: Julian Simon tests the Ducati D16

The second day of the Moto2 IRTA tests at Valencia, saw Julian Simon with the RSV on top of the chart with a best lap of 1’37”156, followed by Kenny Noyes of the Antonio Banderas team who was second and Toni Elias in third, Claudio Corti of Forward Racing in fourth and Yuki Takahashi in fifth with Herve Poncharal’s Tech 3 bike.

These five riders were separated by only 0.479s from Simon’s best time and overall the first nine riders are separated by less than one second and this includes Yonny Hernandez and Alex DeAngelis and Thomas Luthi who both made a big jump forward from Day 1, as did Fonsi Nieto who moved into the top 10.

Today will be the last day of testing at Valencia and the Moto2 riders will be back on track for more testing at Jerez on March 8th.

Continue reading: Moto 2: Julian Simon on Top on Day 2 at Valencia

Three days of official Moto2 testing got underway today at Valencia, with all the teams finally receiving the long awaited official spec engines signed, sealed and powered by Honda and prepared by Geo Technology that will have to last for the first three races.

Today’s testing saw reigning 125cc champion Julian Simon come out on top of the charts with his RSV and a best lap of 1.37”548 during the afternoon session pipping out former MotoGP rider Toni Elias of Gresini Racing by just 0.004.

Taking third was Claudio Corti on a Suter chassis bike (Forward Racing) who was 0.489s behind Simon and and another former MotoGP rider, Yuki Takahasi on the Tech3 bike in fourth.

Fifth was Yonny Hernandez who has taken Bernat Martinez place in the Blusens STX team. Anthony West was sixth with Ralf Waldmann’s MZ Racing Team is still on the reserve list.

The entry list for Moto2 has increased from 39 to 40 riders with the official admission of Marc VDS Racing Team’s second rider Vincent Lonbois. Also confirmed in Moto 2 is Simone Corsi with Japan Italy Racing that will ride a TSR alongside team mate Mattia Pasini, who will race with #3 as #24 is being used by Toni Elias.

All the official test times from Day 1 can be found here.

Continue reading: Moto2: Simon on Top on 1st day of testing

The final day of testing at the Catalunya race track saw a wet track and cold temperatures that hampered the morning session with only a few Moto2 riders willing to risk riding in tricky conditions.

With weather conditions improving in the afternoon, Raffaele De Rosa (Tech3) and Julian Simon (Mapfre Aspar) were the top riders, posting the exact same times 1’49.3, while Shoya Tomizawa (Technomag-CIP) did a 1’49.4 , the same lap time that saw him on top of the charts yesterday.

Anthony West who is on the Moto2 reserve list with the MZ Racing Team, also recorded the same time as Tomizawa.

All the teams are scheduled back for another official test in Valencia March 1- 3, where they should finally receive Honda’s 4-cylinder 600cc engine developed for the Moto2 class.

Continue reading: Moto2: DeRosa and Simon on Top on Final Day of Testing

After the first day of Moto2 testing at Montmelò that was virtually a washout due to bad weather, today it was sunny and cold, and full of spills.

The morning session saw several riders fall including Roberto Rolfo who dislocated his left shoulder and was shipped off to the Dexeus Clinic where it was put back into place and received a prognosis of 4 weeks, which will cut his testing short and he could also miss the upcoming tests in Valencia.

Alex Debon also crashed and may have fractured his left collarbone and Julian Simon (Mapfre Aspar), Thomas Luthi (Interwetten Moriwaki Racing), Fonsi Nieto (G22 HolidayGym), Raffaele De Rosa (Tech3) also went through crashes, but fortunately with no serious consequences.

It was Shoya Tomizawa (Technomag-CIP ) who set the fastest lap of the day, posting a best time of 1’49.4 followed by Jules Cluzel (Forward Racing) and Yonny Hérnandez (Blusens-STX), who both posted a 1’49.6.

Continue reading: Moto2: Shoya Tomizawa on Top at Montmelò

Once and awhile it’s nice to make fun of motorcycle racers with a little irreverent humor and irony and this is what Spanish website Solomoto is doing with their poll ‘Orejas de Burro’ (Donkey Ears) which is more or less, who had the most embarrassing moment or made a stupid mistake and deserves to receive the ‘Donkey of the Year Award’.

We already know that Colin Edwards wanted to give Rossi’s special edition Donkey helmet and ears to Alex DeAngelis for taking him and Nicky Hayden out on the first lap at Misano, we’ve got some ideas from SoloMoto, but we’ve added a couple of our own.

1. Julian Simon, the 125cc World Champion, who was already celebrating his win at Barcelona, but it wasn’t the last lap.
2. Alvaro Bautista was celebrating his third place podium at Brno on the cool down lap with a wheelie, flipped and totalled his Aprilia.
3. Ducati, Casey Stoner and Nicky Hayden who used full wet tires at Donington when everyone was on slicks and got lapped.
4. Casey Stoner who binned his Ducati on the warm up lap at Valencia.
5. The Yamaha Sterilgarda team; who forget to re-fill Ben Spies’ gas tank at Monza. The America was leading the race on the final turn of the last lap and ran out of fuel leaving him running on empty.

Continue reading: Who deserves to win Rossi's Donkey helmet and ears?

Over 10,000 people turned out to see Valentino Rossi’s event Motocross dei Campioni, 30 anni più tardi (Motocross of the Champions, thirty years later). The fund raiser was organized to help kids suffering from leukemia at the Pesaro Hospital and the public was treated to an exciting day, that saw Andrea Dovizioso take the most points and win the race.

The first heat was won by Spanish rider and this year’s 125cc Champion Julian Simon, followed by Andrea Dovizioso and Marco Melandri, while Rossi was sixth after falling in the third lap but was able to finish.

The second heat finished in the same manner with Rossi taking fourth. Julian Simon could not take part in the third as he had a plane to catch, so the podium saw Dovizioso, Rossi and Melandri, with Dovizioso winning the event with the most points.

“It was a great race,” said a satisfied Rossi at the end of the show: “we had over 10,000 paying spectators and this was our goal, to help the AIL ( Italian Leukemia Association) and the children.”.

After the jump you can check out Marco Melandri in action at Cavallara.

Continue reading: Andrea Dovizioso wins at the Motocross dei Campioni

Julian Simon who was crowned the 2009 125cc World Championship last week at Phillip Island has confirmed that he’ll be riding with his present Aspar team, but in the new Moto2 series next season.

“Yes I will be in Moto2. I am happy to go to a new category again. Last year I came back to 125 and now I have the opportunity to go back up to Moto2. I hope I can stay strong, have a good bike and make the best of it. I’m really looking forward to learning to ride in a new category and especially to riding a four-stroke. Like everybody, one day I would like to reach MotoGP.”

Simon’s team mate Bradley Smith, who would like to move to Moto2 next year, has yet to decide if he’ll remain with Aspar in 125cc series or make the jump to Moto2.

Source | teamaspar

Continue reading: Julian Simon stays with Aspar Martinez, but goes to Moto2

Julian Simon won his fifth race of the 125cc season with a spectacular last lap pass at Phillip Island on Bradley Smith and won the 2009 125cc World Championship title with two races to spare.

Simon, who was third on the grid, after the first lap found himself in eighth position had to work his way down the field to catch his rivals. Smith took the lead on lap 10 and on lap 13 Simon caught up with Smith and the two team mates put up an exciting duel.

With Smith in the lead on the last lap, Simon dived up the inside at the MG turn and took the win. Sandro Cortese took an excellent third place after he was 17th at the end of the first lap.

Continue reading: 125 cc Julian Simon Wins Race and Title - Last Lap Video

You guys know the score by now, the video lasts until Dorna’s watchdogs start scouring YouTube.

Andrea Iannone and Julian Simon had been fighting it out for most of the Misano125cc race until Pol Espargaro who had made a brilliant comeback from twelfth place on the grid, inserted himself between the riders and joined the battle for first place. Iannone took a last chance desperate pass and dived up the inside of Espargaro’s Ongetta Aprilia, but lost his front taking them both out.

Julian Simon couldn’t believe his luck as he cruised to victory, while the young Spaniard confronted Iannone in the gravel trap, some pushing and shoving followed before Iannone head-butted Espargaro, a childish move since both were wearing helmets.

Iannone was completely furious when interviewed by Italia 1 saying that Espargaro went to him and that he wouldn’t have touched him or his bike, but Espargaro broke his windshield with a punch and he found this utterly disgusting adding that with the Spaniards it’s always this way … Iannone’s rant was put to a stop when the interviewer pulled the mike away.

The rivalry between hot blooded Italian and Spaniards riders has been escalating over the years, with several Italian riders indirectly accusing Dorna of playing favorites.

The Race Direction would later fine Iannone $5000 for his actions.

Continue reading: Misano 125ccGP - Italy vs Spain, Again