The third and final day MotoGP and Moto2 testing at Jerez wrapped up today ahead of the testing ban that will goes into effect on December 1st.

The field saw fewer partecipants as several teams decided to skip today’s test session and head home like NGM Forward CRT and Moto2 team, Pons Racing.

Scott Redding for the third consecutive day headed the top of the timesheets for the Moto2 category aboard the VDS Racing Kalex (check out the team’s videos after the jump) while Bradley Smith on the Tech3 Mistral made a big jump forward and ended up just one tenth of a second adrift from his fellow countryman. Mika Kallio also got closer to the top of charts and was three tenths from his team mate.

Yonny Hernandez and Ivan Silva took turns on the FTR Kawasaki. Hernandez posted his best time in the morning while Silva did his in the afternoon, with Hernandez being two tenths faster.

Randy de Puniet who was officially confirmed this morning to ride for Aspar Team Aprilia was also on track, with the hybrid RSV4, but today no lap times were reported. Franco Battiani continued his testing work on the Ducati GP12 by himself as Carlos Checa was in Moscow with the entire Infront group to promote next year’s World Superbike Russian round.

Continue reading: Final day of testing for CRT and Moto2 teams at Jerez

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After all the stinging criticism that Bridgestone has received lately regarding their tires which are difficult to bring up to temperature and cool down too fast, that have resulted in a rash of closed throttle corner entry crashes that according to Cal Crutchlow are to blame for at least 60 incidents in the last three years, the Japanese tire manufacturer will be bringing in a softer rear tire for at least three GPs.

This new tire option will be available for the Laguna Seca, Brno and Aragon races and possibily Motegi (if the riders decide to go) where colder temperatures and rain is more than likely expected. The new tire is even softer tire than the present one in use, and will substitute the current much harder option.

The new allocation has been met favourable the Safety Commission who are more than happy to sacrifice some race durability for tires that go into temperature earlier, even if the riders would have prefered a wider tire selection to choose from, but as they say beggars can’t be choosers since MotoGP is still in a cost saving mode.

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Remember Rizla Suzuki’s amazing one minute video of how to pack a MotoGP garage?

They’ve now released another video with an hour of last year’s Misano GP qualifying practice squeezed into sixty seconds, that shows what happens behind the scenes in those very frenetic sessions.

Like the first video, this one was also produced by Troy Lee Designs’ photographer Alex Boyce and as a reminder, Loris Capirossi managed an 11th spot, while rookie Alvaro Bautista took 16th on the qualifying grid during that weekend.

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With Bridgestone still unsure if they will continue to be the single tire supplier in MotoGP when their three year contract is up at the end of 2011, another manufacturer could show up and take their place for the 2012 season.

Giorgio Barbier, Pirelli’s Director of Racing Activities was spotted at Estoril this weekend and this could mean
that Bridgestone is indeed going to announce that 2011 will be their last season in MotoGP, as they have with their pull-out from Formula 1, with Pirelli will be taking their place.

Pirelli currently supplies all the tires in the World Superbike series and their contract is up at the end of 2012, when MotoGP will switch to the new 1000cc rules and adding MotoGP to their list could be another great marketing coup and making tires for an extra 17 and hopefully more teams, wouldn’t cause any problems to the Italian tire manufacturer, because according to Barbier, ” the differences between a superbike and a MotoGP isn’t that big, the two bikes are very similar.”

Apparently Bridgestone will announce their future plans in Valencia and also confirm if MotoGP teams will have to pay for their tires in 2011.

Source | moto.caradisiac.com

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Carlos Checa with Decidido, nos vamos a Estoril y a Xeste! (decided, we’re going to Estoril and Valencia) has unofficially confirmed via his Twitter page that he’ll be riding the last two races of the MotoGP season

Checa who was recently re-signed WSBK Althea Racing will be replacing Mika Kallio in Pramac Ducati for only two races as the Finnish rider has been struggling with a shoulder injury picked up at the Le Mans GP and is having trouble handling his GP10. Kallio is expected to be heading to Moto2 next season and is in talks with Ajo Motorsport and Thai Honda.

Pramac Ducati are expected to run Loris Capirossi and with a little help from Dorna, Moto2 World Champion Toni Elias, while rumors have Kallio’s team mate, Aleix Espargaro already signed up with Sito Pons’ team.

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If Valentino Rossi decides to skip the last two races of the season to undergo the much needed surgery on his shoulder, newly signed Yamaha Tech3 rider Cal Crutchlow could be called in for the Estoril and Valencia races.

Crutchlow opted for a private testing session on the Yamaha M1 in Japan instead of taking part at the final round at Valencia; but Yamaha believes that Rossi will miss the last two races has put the British rider on pre-alert and Crutchlow has confirmed that he’ll be ready to ride.

However Crutchlow won’t be riding Rossi’s Yamaha, but theTech3 bike, the honour of riding the official factory bike would fall to Ben Spies, if having now partecipated in 13 races he should no longer runs afoul of the demential rookie rule.

Source | motosprint.it

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Now this is what we really call silly season. Sportmediaset through their daily TV sports show Studio Sport is reporting that World Superbike Ten Kate Honda rider Max Neukirchner may be heading to MotoGP next season with a German backed team.

The new team has an important sponsor that has very deep pockets and willing to shell out, not only 3 million euros for a Ducati Desmosedici, but also support the team in a big way if Dorna approves the entry (they’re probably jumping with joy and preparing the red carpet) and this could mean we may be seeing seven Ducati’s on the grid in 2011.

Even sillier is the rumor that Francis Batta could be switching his Suzuki team lock, stock and barrel from WSBK to MotoGP.

Continue reading: Max Neukirchner in MotoGP on a Ducati and Alstare Suzuki to replace Rizla Suzuki?

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When Dorna renewed an one year extension with the Indianapolis Motors Speedway, rumors immediately started up that the Grand Prix circus was keeping the Indy track on the calendar while the new F1 circuit in Austin, Texas is being built.

The 900 acre, $200m track that will be designed by circuit designer Hermann Tilke and financed by private investors, also sees motorycle legend Kevin Schwantz acting as a consultant to the USGPF1 organization.

With the Texan on board and advising on the requirements that are needed for motorcycle racing, we could actually see MotoGP races deep in the heart of Texas someday soon.

Source | crash.net and asphaltandrubber.com

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Check out this promo video by the Motorland Aragon circuit to promote the 13th round of this year’s MotoGP championship.

The Spanish track located near Alcañiz, has a five-year deal with Dorna as a reserve circuit and is replacing Balatonring after the Hungarian track suffered financial set backs. Aragon will also host a round of the FIM Superbike World Championship for the next three years.

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Spanish Inmotec has withdrawn its idea of debuting their GPI10 prototype during the Aragon GP in September due to to sponsorship problems, but is still hoping to be present at the final round of the season at Valencia.

Managing Director of Inmotec, Oscar Gorria, said “It’s a question of economic resources, because of budget problems with our sponsor. The development of the bike is 60-70% complete, but not as far as we expected it to be. We’d like to carry out a test at Alcañiz and then decide if whether we will be in Valencia. We want to work with humility and without making big announcements, and only confirm when we are ready to race.”

The Spanish engineering firm has confirmed that will keep developing their own engine based on the new MotoGP 2012 rules: “We will continue with the development of our own V4 engine, but not a 1000cc. displacement and we are well underway in making changes to adapt the engine to the new regulations,” said Gorria, who also confirmed that they have dropped the option of working on another marques engine.

Source | motoworld.es

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Double take. While we thought Norton wanted to return to racing through the BSB and/or WSBK championships with their 210hp rotary engine, it now seems that they are looking to make a much bigger step by entering MotoGP when the series returns to the 1000cc displacement in 2012.

According to Gunther Wiesinger of the German language Speedweek who leaked the news, Norton’s CEO Stuart Garner has already signed an agreement with Dorna’s Carmelo Ezpeleta to field a two man team on the 2012 grid.

Returning to racing through MotoGP is part of a long-term and ambitious marketing plan by Garner, (who bought the legendary Norton marque in 2008 which is now based at Donington Park) who wants to introduce a brand new range of high-tech road bikes in the future and MotoGP Championship is the high profile platform which to do it from.

Whether Norton will be entering a full fledged factory prototype team or a CRT team will be up to the Grand Prix Commission to decide under the new FIM rules issued at Brno and we could see two more bikes on the grid and English made ones at that and hopefully they won’t be a chimera like FB Corse.

Source | speedweek.ch via motomatters.com

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If you don’t follow AMA Pro Racing the name Elena Myers may not mean anything to you, but this pretty and very spunky 16 year girl is currently second in the SuperSport West Division (Joey Pascarella has already won the division title) made history earlier this year by being the first female rider to win a AMA Pro motorcycle race with her Suzuki GSX-R 600 during the Infineon round.

Myers was at Laguna Seca during the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix and took a fourth spot in her race and during the weekend she was invited to visit the Rizla Suzuki garage, where she met Loris Capirossi and Alvaro Bautista and the rest of the Suzuki crew and got to sit on the GSV-R and rev the throttle during the warm-up procedure.

Her enthusiasm caught the attention of team manager Paul Denning who has offered Myers the opportunity to do some laps on one of the bikes at the end of the MotoGP season at Valencia on November 8th. Denning explained that it wouldn’t be a test, but just a chance for Myers to experience riding a MotoGP racebike.

Continue reading: Elena Myers to Ride Suzuki MotoGP at Valencia Test

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