Seeing Raffaele de Rosa’s name on the 2012 WSBK provisional entry list roster was a suprise and seeing that Pro Ride Motorsports is finally going to be on the grid was another big surprise.

de Rosa competed in Moto2 for the last two years and has had a hard time coming to grips with the 600cc bikes. In 2010 he was the top crasher when he was riding for Herve Poncharal’s Tech3 Moto2 team and in 2011, after just four races was axed by the Desguaces La Torre G22 team run by the Nieto brothers and replaced by Carmelo Morales who was more appealing to their sponsors (G22 has now pulled out of the championship). The Italian rider, who was one the late Marco Simoncelli’s BFFs (he used to drive Marco around when he had his driving license suspended twice for speeding) the spent the rest of the season playing substitute rider for Sag Racing, Mapfre Aspar Team Moto2 team and then went to ride for NGM Forward Racing.

Now de Rosa is looking ahead to the new challenge and a completely new championship:

“I am very happy to be part of this project, I like the way Marco Nicotari thinks and I believe in the way he wants to manage the team and on the conditions his company offered to me. I found at Pro Ride a family rapport and this is something elementary but unusual inside the pit garage and until now this was missing element for me. Changing championship does not scare me at all. I do not expect to be fast at the very first moment, but for sure I am looking for results and satisfaction. I would like to be one of the first among the “rookies” of 2012 and honestly I think this can be done. But as the World Superbikes is a new situation for me, I do not have much idea of the way the other bikes behave and the challenges I’ll face ahead. But I believe that Marco, with all his experience, together with the team, will be able to help me to take the best from our Honda. It would be perfect if Honda, with whom I made my best results on the 250gp – could give us some support. I am ready to Phillip Island: as it is one of my favorite tracks, I am coming motivated to take the best of my Fireblade!”

Continue reading: Raffaele de Rosa in World Superbikes with Pro Ride Motorsports

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Alex Baldolini and Raffaele De Rosa will close their difficult 2011 Moto2 season at Valencia - Baldolini will be riding for the Nieto’s G22 team, while De Rosa will continue with Forward Racing.

The Moto2 class which is between 38-39 riders strong is hard to follow between riders getting the axe and injury substitutions, and Raffaele De Rosa and Alex Baldolini are probably the two riders who have played muscial chairs the most often this season.

De Rosa started the season with the Desguaces La Torre G22 (Moriwaki) only to be axed after just four races, he then subbed for Santi Hernandez in Sag Racing (FTR) at Silverstone and then at the Mugello raced for Mapfre Aspar Team Moto2 team (Suter) and then found a more or less stable home with NGM Forward Racing (Suter).

Badolini’s situation wasn’t much better, he started the season with NGM Forward Racing until Brno, where he then went to Pons HP 40 (Kalex) team to sub for injured Axel Pons for three races. He ended up without a ride after the Aragon GP and now will take part in the final Moto2 race at Valencia subbing for injured Sergio Gadea with Desguaces La Torre G22 team run by Pablo and Gelete Nieto, who according to the latest rumors will not take part in the 2012 season.

Source | motoworld.es

Photo Source | motogp.com

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With only four races completed in the Moto2 championship, the axing has already started. The first rider to get chopped is Raffaele de Rosa.

De Rosa who hasn’t scored a point so far this season, will be replaced by 32-year old Spanish rider Carmelo Morales for the rest of the championship.

The news wasn’t exactly unexpected as Morales was called in to test Team G22’s Moriwaki during the private Moto2 test that was held at the Motorland Aragon circuit just the other day and now has been officially confirmed by the Nieto brothers, who need a high profile Spanish rider to satisfy their sponsors.

Nieto talking to the MotoGP.com website “There haven’t been any problems with Raffaele De Rosa and we’ll do everything to help him find a new team.” but the chances of De Rosa finding a new team are next to none.

Morales was a replacement rider in Moto2 for Pons Kalex and Racing Team Germany last season but is also Suter’s test rider for the 2012 Suter/BMW Moto1 bike and is currently leading the 2011 CEV Moto2 championship with Gigaset LaGlisse team. Morales has already two titles in CEV Extreme, two in the European Championship Superstock and won last year’s CEV Moto2 championship.

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Crashing unfortunately is part of motorcycle racing, and this year’s not wanted title of being the top crasher, goes to Moto2 rider Raffaele de Rosa.

De Rosa rode for Herve Poncharal’s Tech3 Moto2 team this season (and will be with G22 Racing Team in 2011) racked up the record of 22 falls between practices, qualifying and races taking the 1st spot.

Second place goes to Malaysian Air Asia 125cc rider Zulfahmi Khairuddin who crashed 17 times, and the third spot goes to MotoGP rookie Marco Simoncelli with his 13 crashes.

So just how many crashes were there in 2010? According to the unofficial stats, 825, up 182 from 2009’s 642, with this year’s rainy Estoril slewing up 130 crashes in the entire weekend, but the 2008 GP racing season still holds the record with 876.

Source | as.com

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Raffaele de Rosa through his personal website has officially confirmed that he’ll be in Pablo Nieto’s Moto2 G22 Racing Team for the 2011 season.

The 23-year old Napolitan rider who raced for Herve Poncharal’s Moto2 Tech3 team in 2010, will be fielded alongside Fonsie Nieto, will be riding a Moriwaki bike, that he already tried out in the recent Valencia tests and confirms that the Moriwaki MD600 is much easier and smoother to ride than the Mistral 610.

“This season wasn’t very good, but I never stopped believing in my abilities. I’m looking to the future with optimism, and I’m ready to write an important chapter of my career.” said De Rosa, whose best result was a 6th place at Estoril. “I was struck by how easier it was to ride (Moriwaki) than my previous bike, it’s more balanced while the engine seems to be better developed. I can’t wait to develop it in the upcoming tests.”

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Yesterday at the Ledenon circuit in the south of France, finally saw the first debut on a race track of Tech3’s Moto2 bike. The chassis was designed and built by chief engineer Guy Coulon who switched from Yamaha Tech3 MotoGP team to Moto2.

Instead of the official riders, Yuki Takahashi and Raffaele de Rosa doing the shakedown, the bike was ridden by French rider Florian Marino. The shakedown didn’t last very long because the bike suffered an elettrical problem that will be resolved before the official tests on December 9th at Valencia.

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Daniele Romagnoli, Jorge Lorenzo’s ex-team manager has found a home in Herve Poncharal’s Moto2 team, Tech3.

Romagnoli made the shock announcement at the Sepang GP citing that he wanted to return to the more technical aspects in a team.

The French Manager has hired 250cc rider Raffaele DeRosa (and Marco Simoncelli’s close friend) and will see the return to racing of Yuki Takahashi, who was axed from Scot Racing’s MotoGP team in favour of Gabor Talmacsi.

Romagnoli will crew chief for DeRosa, while Gary Reynders, the apple of discord between Colin Edwards and James Toseland has been moved to the Moto2 team to make room for Ben Spies crew chief, Tom Houseword.

Houseworth has been with Spies since his days in Yoshimura Suzuki (AMA) and followed the Amercian rider to WSBK’s and now in MotoGP. Spies has also brought to Tech3 his mechanic Gregory Wood.

Photo by Motogp.com

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If you missed the 250cc qualifying session, then you missed one of the best saves ever and it’s being compared to Randy Mamola’s 1985 save at Misano, even if Mamola was on one of the meanest 500cc bikes.

Check out the video before Dorna removes it, and watch an incredible Raffaele De Rosa from Scot Racing fall off his Honda, continue to hold on the handlebars, get dragged on his knees for a couple of hundred meters and then climb back on.

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