Some riders find photoshoots tedious, but Guy Martin, Marco Simoncelli and Jorge Lorenzo seem to be enjoying themselves at Dainese’s headquarters, kidding around and showing off the Italian company’s newest Motorbike Collection.

Continue reading: Dainese Photoshoot with Martin, Simoncelli and Lorenzo

The San Carlo Honda Gresini Team’s official presentation took place yesterday at the Telenova studios in Milan, hosted by presenter Franco Bobbiese, during his show Griglia di Partenza ( our readers already know about this show) where Team Manager Fausto Gresini alongside the President of San Carlo introduced his all-Italian ‘dream team’ Marco Melandri and Marco Simoncelli to the world press (and Italian TV viewers last night).

Here’s what everyone said in the usual official press release, but the show was much more interesting with some clowining around and some cute anecdotes by short Marco and tall Marco, including the legendary Giacomo Agostini (via video) advising Simoncelli to take one step at a time after his big highside during the Sepang 2 tests.

Fausto Gresini : “Today was a really special day because a personal dream of mine has been fulfilled - having two top riders contest the MotoGP World Championship with my team and an Italian sponsor like San Carlo. I am proud to represent Italy around the world and I am looking forward to going racing this year - hopefully we can ensure that our flag flies high at circuits all over the world.”

Continue reading: San Carlo Honda Gresini presents his 'almost' All-Italian Team

Next time anyone scoffs about the idea of wearing a helmet, no matter what type of motorcycle or scooter he or she rides, show them this pic of Marco Simoncelli’s AGV helmet.

The Italian rider highsided at the Sepang 2 tests at the speed of 115 km/h and came out of the crash with a badly scraped lid and a couple of rips in his Dainese D-Air leathers. Simoncelli suffered a mild concussion after he hit his head and taking some bumps and bruises on his body, but he’s walking and talking and ready to get back in the saddle.

Would someone not wearing a helmet end up the same way?

Source | dainese

Continue reading: Marco Simoncelli's Lid and Leathers after Sepang Highside

A little track action from the first day of MotoGP Sepang testing that took place at the beginning of this month with Valentino Rossi coming out on top on both days.

For those of you who don’t know Italian and are interested, we’ve translated the two very brief interviews that Sportmediaset did with Valentino Rossi and disheveled rookie Marco Simoncelli.

VR: “Yes, the engine is the most important thing. Yamaha has worked very hard to try to have an engine that goes fast, but also at the same time that will also last a lot of kilometers according to the new rules, the first approach was positive because the bike is pretty fast, but we still have to work on it.”.

MS: “It wasn’t bad, I felt pretty good even if we’re still working to try the right set-up for the bike and understand the right geometry to go with.Yeah, I’m happy, both Aligi and I and the other guys of the crew are still learning and it’s important to work well.”

MotoGP testing will return to Sepang February 25-26th.

Continue reading: MotoGP Sepang Test: On track video

In the last ever 250cc race in motorcycling GP history saw Hiroshi Aoyama crowned the 2009 World Champion.
In an action packed, full of ‘mistakes’race it was Hector Barbera who actually won the race at Valencia.

Aoyama made the first mistake on lap 10 battling with the lead group and he tried an inside pass over braked and when for a long ride in the gravel trying to keep control and not fall over, he would then return to the race in 11th, a position that would let him take the title, even if closest rival Marco Simoncelli should win the race.

Simoncelli, was leading when Aoyama went off track, but the Japanese rider could breathe a sigh of relief when Simoncelli crashed out on lap 21. The Italian managed to save himself when his Gilera hit the white line, but just 30 meters later his front would fold and Simoncelli would slide into the kitty litter, handing Aoyama automatically the world title.

Continue reading: 250cc Valencia - Barbera wins and Aoyama is World Champion

Hiroshi Aoyama who turned 28 today, gave himself a fantastic birthday gift by winning today’s 250cc race at Sepang, putting one hand firmly on the World title with a 21 point lead.

Aoyama took off from first on the grid, but it was Jules Cluzel who go the holeshot and Marco Simoncelli who barreled out of his eighth place to take third while Aoyama dropped back to fourth after a mistake at the Langkwai. Simoncelli took the lead on lap three.

Cluzel would crash on lap 10 while the battle between Aoyama and Simoncelli continued with Hector Barbera sneaking up on the pair.

Aoyama took the lead on lap 15 and began to pull away. Within another two laps the Japanese rider already had a three-second lead while Barberá began his battle with Simoncelli.

Aoyama crossed the finish line with a 6.397s advantage while second place would be decided a photo finish between Simoncelli and Barbera, The Race Direction declared that it was a dead heat, but Barbera was awarded 2nd because of a faster race lap.

Simoncelli’s third place gave Aoyama another four points extending his lead to 21 points before the season final at Valencia in two weeks time. Aoyama needs just an 11th place to take the 2009 250cc World Championship.

Continue reading: 250cc GP – Birthday Boy Aoyama Wins, 2nd Place decided by Photo Finish

Marco Simoncelli who has had his car driver’s license pulled twice for speeding, loves to drift with his BMW.

In his autobiography Diobò che Bello!, SuperSic writes that he had two accidents in the same day while drifting his car on a dead end road and lucky for him his mechanic, who is also Graziano Rossi’s mechanic, is the best with BMW suspensions.

The video was filmed by Alex Hofmann, Aprilia’s test rider, former Motogp rider and sometimes MotoGP commentator for DSF German TV.

Continue reading: Marco Simoncelli Drifting with his BMW

Lucky for us the Flamini Brothers and Infront Motor Sports who run the WSBK series are less strict with Superbike footage, so this video probably won’t disappear like the MotoGP ones do.

Here’s Fabrizio Calia from Italian TV La 7 interviewing Max Biaggi after Race 2, the video is in Italian, but you check out Marco Simoncelli’s pass on Max Biaggi at the Variante Bassa chicane at Imola.

Here’s what Simoncelli had to say at about his pass:

“If I finish the race in the first five I would have been very happy. In the first race I was fifth but crashed, while in this race I started better than in the first and after some laps I kept a very good pace. In the chicane with my team-mate, I didn’t want to pass him, but I braked too hard and I thought either I hit him and we crash or I try to pass. I succeeded and I am very happy, a big thanks to Aprilia and my team. Today was a great big experience for me here in Superbike.”

Continue reading: Marco Simoncelli's pass on Max Biaggi

Italian machinery ruled again in race 2 at Imola. This time it was a Ducati Xerox 1 -2 with Michel Fabrizio who took first place followed by team mate Noriyuki Haga and wildcard Marco Simoncelli on the Aprilia RSV4 Factory, took third.

Noriyuki Haga took the lead early on in the race, ahead of Fabrizio and Max Biaggi, but Haga was unable to pull away from Fabrizio, who got past Haga on lap 13, pulled ahead and finished with a confortable 3.5s lead.

Marco Simoncelli got a better start this time and battled throught the field, passing Shane Byrne, Ben Spies and after an aggressive move on Max Biaggi at the Variante Bassa ,that made the Roman run wide into the path of Spies, forcing him off onto the gravel trap, took third, leaving Biaggi in fourth place.

Continue reading: WSBK Imola Race 2 - Michel Fabrizio Wins

Italy will have their dream team this weekend at Imola, because Marco Simoncelli has decided to take up the challenge and will make his World Superbike debut on the Aprilia RSV-4 alongside Max Biaggi.

“I’m very happy with this test and I was pretty fast and together with the bike managed to improve a lot, and I found it much better when I tried it at Valencia last year. We worked with the team to find the right set-up and at Imola it will be important to find a good set-up right as quick as possible that will make things easier.”

“I’d like to thank Aprilia for this great opportunity, I will be making my debut in a category and on a track that are completely unknown to me, the level of our rivals is very high and it won’t be at all easy to obtain a good result as I haven’t had much time on a four stroke and I’ve never raced with Pirelli tires, I’ve never even walked around Imola on foot.”

Simoncelli had all eyes on him today at Mugello, Aprilia bigwigs Gigi Dall’Igna, Giampiero Sacchi, Simoncelli’s current boss Gilera/Aprilia’s Luca Boscoscuro and even Simoncelli’s future boss in MotoGP Fausto Gresini was curious and showed up to see Marco Simoncelli in action on the Aprilia RSV-4. Simoncelli did at total of 91 laps with a best time of 1’53”55.

Max Biaggi was also testing at Mugello today, after his daughter’s birth yesterday at Montecarlo. Biaggi is just as curious as everyone to see how Simoncelli will do in this race because Simoncelli is also a 250cc World Champion, just like the Roman Emperor.

Continue reading: Marco Simoncelli says Yes! Will Race at Imola

Marco Simoncelli on his first day of testing at the Mugello with the Aprilia RSV4 lapped at 1′54,21, an excellent time considering that this is second outing on the superbike and that Xerox Ducati’s Michel Fabrizio who was present at Mugello, lapped more or less in the same times, while Mattia Pasini testing the Ducati GP09 did a best lap of 1.52.8.

According to Italian sources, Simoncelli used standard racing tires and did a series of ten runs for a total of 49 and was not looking to break records, but to gain confidence with the RSV4, since his debut test at Valencia last November, as the Aprilia that has undergone several development upgrades in these months.

Simoncelli will return to track tomorrow and at the end of tomorrow’s test will decide whether to race or not at Imola on Sunday, if he should refuse the job, Aprilia has their test rider Alex Hofmann already lined up, but Gigi Dall’Igna, Aprilia’s race engineer is certain that Simoncelli will accept the challenge.

The Italian rider wanted to race the Aprilia at the first two rounds of WSBK Championship at Phillip Isalnd and Valencia, but Aprilia was unable to provide a third bike for him.

Continue reading: Marco Simoncelli on the Aprilia RSV4 at Mugello

Surprising news is coming from Motosprint according to the Italian website 2250cc rider Marco Simoncelli seems to have accepted Aprilia Racing Team offer to race in this Sunday’s WSBK round at Imola.

Simoncelli has previously tested the Aprilia RSV4 Factory last November at Valencia, a gift from Aprilia and his Team Metis Gilera for his 2008 World title, but today he’s at the Mugello race circuit putting in some serious test time in order to prepare for Sunday’s race at Imola.

Aprilia called in Simoncelli to replace Shinya Nakano, who will not be riding in the next two races due to severe neck problems.

Source | motosprint

UPDATE:

According to Gpone, Simoncelli will be also testing tomorrow and will make a final decision tomorrow evening and Aprilia in the meantime has also called in Alex Hoffmann, their test rider.

Continue reading: Marco Simoncelli to Replace Nakano at Imola?