According to Italian weekly MotoSprint Loris Capirossi’s new advisory job with Dorna will not only be regarding safety, rules and regulations but he’ll also liaison with the new CRT teams.

This is the provisional CRT list with Team Laglisse having yet to announce their rider.

Forward Racing Team: Colin Edwards (Suter / BMW)
Gresini Racing Team: Michele Pirro (FTR/Honda)
SpeedMaster Team: Anthony West (chassis to be announced / Aprilia)
BQR Team: Ivan Silva and Yonny Hernández (FTR/Kawasaki )
PBM Racing Team: James Ellison (to be announced/Aprilia) - but Ellison has revealed it will be an Aprilia chassis
IODA Racing: Danilo Petrucci (frame and engine to be announced ) - probably all Aprilia
Aspar Team: Randy de Puniet and Aleix Espargaró (chassis to be announced/Aprilia) probably all Aprilia
Team Laglisse: rider to be confirmed (Suter/BMW)

Many expect that when all ten CRT bikes are on the grid with the faster MotoGP bikes, it will be a three tier championship: factory, satellite and the much slower CRTs, but Capirossi says to have patience as MotoGP will “evolve over the next two years and it will be very different and very beautiful.”

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This was the last helmet design that Loris Capirossi wore during this year’s Valencia GP and it was a special and final tribute to his 22-year long career in Grand Prix racing.

Suomy has decided to honour the former three time World Champion with this limited and numbered ‘Grazie Loris’ edition designed by Starline. The Apex model will be produced in numbers from 0001 to 1000 and will be sold at a price of 400 euros.

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When Loris Capirossi announced at Misano he would be retiring from MotoGP racing we more or less knew that the former two time 125cc and one time 250cc World Champion would stay close to the GP world in some capacity and we’re betting that he would become a safety delegate (he and Valentino Rossi founded the Riders Safety Commission in 2003 after Kato’s death) and help Franco Uncini.

Dorna Sports has instead given the former rider a much vaster advisory role on matters relating to safety, the new regulations, the competition in general and the homologation of new tracks (he has already visited and given his opinion on the Imola and Abu Dhabi circuits) .

Twenty two years is a very long career in the GP championship series, so Dorna to honour Capirossi ‘outstanding contribution to the sport’ has requested that the FIM retire his #65 from racing.

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Tomorrow at Valencia Loris Capirossi will be starting from 12th from the grid and it be his 328th race start and the last of his 22-year old racing career.

The 38-year old Italian will be retiring on a bittersweet note, but with three world titles (two in 125cc and one in 250cc), 29 victories, 99 podiums and 41 pole positions, he can be more than satisfied.

Capirex will be wearing these white and black leathers highlighted by the colours of the rainbow with touches of gold and debut a special edition helmet design that tributes all the rides he has had in his long career from the Ducati Desmosedici, to the Aprilia 250, the 500, 250 e 125 Honda’s and Suzuki.

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With Loris Capirossi out of this weekend’s Japanese GP due to the shoulder injury that he picked up at Aragon, Pramac Ducati has decided to replace him with Damian Cudlin.

The 29-year-old Australian’s only experience on a MotoGP bike has been limited to testing the BMW/Suter CRT bike and he’s never raced at the Twin Ring.

“I’ve dreamed about starting in MotoGP since I was a boy, and until now it’s been just that- a dream. Now it’s become a reality and to be honest, I’m still in shock!mI’m under no illusions about how difficult this race will be. I’ve never ridden a real MotoGP bike before and I’ve never been to Motegi either, so realistically my expectations can’t be too high. I just want to do the best job I can, enjoy the experience, and just see what happens. I’ve really got nothing to lose, so why not? I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve this. I still can’t believe I’ll be replacing Loris Capirossi - I had posters of him on my wall as a kid!”

“I just want to thank Sito Pons for recommending me, the Pramac Racing Team for giving me a chance, and also my current BMW Team for allowing me to use this opportunity. I hope I can make everyone proud that they took a chance with a guy like me.”

Cudlin was previously a World Endurance racer and in 2010 was the IDM German Supersport Champion, and last year also took part in the Moto2 GP race at Sachsenring, filling in for injured Axle Pons, were he finished an excellent 7th.

Capirossi is expected to return for the final three rounds, before his retirement from racing at the end of the season.

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Loris Capirossi will have to miss his last ever race in Japan.. The Pramac Ducati rider re-injured himself during last weekend’s Aragon GP when he clipped Toni Elias’s Honda in an overtaking pass and crashed out together with the Spaniard, while Elias was unhurt, Capirossi dislocated his right shoulder.

Capirex was already carrying a similar shoulder injury from his highside during qualifying at Assen, which forced him to miss the Assen, Mugello and Sachsenring GPs and now Dr. Claudio Costa has advised him that if he wants to see out the rest of the season before he retires, he should skip the Motegi round.

“I wanted to race in Japan, one of my favorite tracks where I have achieved many good results and much satisfaction, but the doctors were more than clear,” said Capirossi. “After an initial consultation in Monaco, where it was recommended I immediately undergo surgery, which would have meant three months out and the end of my career, I went to Imola to see Dr. Costa. He is used to seeing other riders in these conditions, and I thought he might have other ideas. Unfortunately, he was also quite hard about it, and I was strongly advised not to take part in the Japanese race. My shoulder hurts, and it will take at least two weeks of full rest plus a week of rehabilitation. I regret this very much, but I think this is the best choice for ending my season, and my career, in the best way possible for the last three races in Australia, Malaysia and Valencia.”

Continue reading: Loris Capirossi to skip Motegi GP

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When Loris Capirossi clipped Toni Elias with just seven laps to go in the Aragon race, the plucky Italian who will be retiring after 22 seasons in GP racing, went down heavily hitting his already injured right shoulder and now may have to miss at least one of the last four races of his career.

The Italian is also expected to do some laps on every manufacturer’s bike (Ducati and Yamaha have already said yes) as a goodbye gift when the paddock hits Valencia for the final race of the season in November.

Capirossi dislocated his shoulder (the same that needs surgery) and sustained a concussion and a contusion to his elbow. With this new injury Capirex’s partecipation at Motogi is now in doubt.

“There’s little to say. I crashed on my ‘famous’ right shoulder and suffered another dislocation as a result. It hurts a lot, even with the pain-killer I received. After the Misano race, I wanted to try to at least finish the race, but instead things went like they did. At this point, my presence in Japan is in serious doubt, but I still hope to recover in time.” said Capirossi.

Randy de Puniet showed some flashes of brilliant riding this weekend with his Pramac Ducati, but the French rider who was 10th on the starting grid got caught up in Karel Abraham’s big crash on the first lap which left him behind and losing precious time from the rest of the field, even Valentino Rossi who was starting in the pitlane and with a 10 second penalty was able to get past him on the first lap.

“Once again I have to say that I’m disappointed after a race. I could have been in the top five or six positions, but instead I finished the race in twelfth place,” said de Puniet. “When Abraham crashed, I couldn’t do anything but go off, and after that I was able to make up a lot of seconds and some positions. I had almost caught the group in front and was pushing really hard when I made a mistake and lost everything I had gained. We’re not very fortunate, that’s for sure.”

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More than two decades in Grand Prix racing is a long time and when Loris Capirossi finally announced that he’ll be retiring at the end of this season, a lot of memories of what this pint sized Italian has done over the years must have come to mind to one hardcore fan because this tribute video is packed with some amazing footage of Capirex’s best years in racing.

Enjoy the video, we assure you it’s well worth four minutes of your time.

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After hinting several times that he was going to retire from MotoGP at the end of the season, Loris Capirossi has finally got around to announcing his retirement this afternoon during the pre-event press conference at Misano.

Capirossi, 38 received a standing ovation as he almost broke down in tears saying that it’s time that he retire after 22 years in motorcycle racing.

“It’s difficult for me to say this, because after 22 seasons this will be my last race in Italy because at the end of the year, I will retire. It’s not been an easy decision, but I think it’s the right time to stop. I’ve said to myself ‘yes, no, yes, no’ many times, but this is the right decision.I want to say thank you to everybody who has supported me and who has given me rides. I’ve always tried to do my best and I’ve had a fantastic time,” said an emotional Capirex.

The veteran rider is a triple world champion (two titles in 125cc in 1990 and 1991 and one 1998 in the 250cc class) has 29 race wins to his credit (7 in MotoGP) and 99 podiums (26 of which in MotoGP) and has a record 324 grand prix starts, asked the other riders present at the conference (Rossi, Pedrosa, Stoner, Spies) to help him get his 100th podium before he leaves the series.

Capirossi said he received other offers to continue to ride (in MotoGP with CRT bikes and Superbikes) however other rumors have him heading towards a management job in Dorna to work alongside Franco Uncini as a safety delegate.

Source | eurosport.yahoo.com

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The Brno GP will be another tough weekend for Pramac Ducati team. Their garage will still look like a clinic for the walking wounded, because both Loris Capirossi and Randy de Puniet are still carrying previous injuries that will no doubt hamper their performances in the Czech Republic, and with another two races (Indy and Misano) in the next three weeks, their physical situation won’t have time to improve.

Capirossi, who should finally get around in announcing whether he’ll be retiring at the end of this season, has still persistant shoulder problems that he picked up at Assen after a qualifying crash that ruled him out of both the Mugello and Sachsenring rounds, but he was able to ride at Laguna Seca despite now admitting that he’ll need shoulder surgery.

“Unfortunately, the shoulder problem is persisting. The doctor said I should undergo surgery, but I’ll only consider that after the championship. For now I’m undergoing therapy every day. For Brno I hope to continue improving my physical condition,” said the feisty MotoGP veteran. “I’ve rested during this two-week break, which I really needed. I want to ride well and to finally have a good result. The Czech track is one of my favorites, so hopefully I’ll manage that.”

Team mate de Puniet isn’t in much better shape. The French rider who is rumored to make the move to World Superbikes next year, suffered a crash during the Laguna Seca qualifying session picking up fractures to two of his vertebrae that ruled him out of the race, however he’s now confirmed that he didn’t sustain any pelvic fractures, but still has persistant pain.

Continue reading: Loris Capirossi and Randy de Puniet still carrying injuries

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Pramac Ducati’s garage will look like a clinic for the walking wounded when they start warm-up practice at Laguna Seca.

Randy de Puniet who has had a horrid season so far with the Ducati GP11 (he’s finished 4 races out of 9), suffered an early session qualifying crash at turn 5 and despite getting up and limping away from the incident it was immediately suspected that he had sustained some sort of fracture and follow up tests have unfortunately confirmed it.

The French rider has been diagnosed with a fracture of the transverse process at L3 and L4 on the right side and and has a suspected fracture of the pelvis on the right side, and despite these injuries, he has been given permission to try to test out his fitness during warm-up practice and then he’ll decide if he can hold up for the long 32 lap race.

Continue reading: Randy de Puniet suffers vertebrae fracture - will try to ride at Laguna Seca

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Loris Capirossi attempted a return to action during this morning’s free practice at Sachsenring after sustaining rib and shoulder injuries during qualifying at the Assen GP, and after testing his physical condition and finishing last and 3.5 seconds off pace, has decided to pull out the German GP.

The Pramac rider, who is expected to make an announcement regarding whether he’ll retire or not at the Brno round in mid-August, will be substituted by Sylvain Guintoli, who was already on standby in the event that Capirex couldn’t ride, despite the Italian’s “only I ride my Desmosedici” words.

Guintoli, who was a Pramac rider back in 2008 before turning to Superbikes, has already tested the Ducati GP11 during the official MotoGP tests at Mugello on July 4th, where he refreshed his knowledge of MotoGP machine and finished five seconds from Casey Stoner during the test.

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