Niccolò Canepa will stay on with Pramac Racing until the end of the year according to his squad, the Italian racer is excited to getting back on his Ducati engine in Portugal after rumours that Aleix Espargaró may take his spot was claimed untrue.

Canepa states, “It has not been an easy time. People have been talking about me a lot and I read the newspapers every day. There was a meeting with Ducati to clarify the situation, which the team owner Paolo Campinoti attended. Now all I can say is that I am happy I will be finishing the season on my bike.”

He adds, “No-one asked me to win the World Championship at the beginning of the year. I don’t think I have been as disappointing as people have said. I’ll finish the season and I am happy to be able to do so.”

Previewing the final four events of the year, Canepa explains, “I’ll do my best. It is a critical time with regard to the rider market for next year. Throughout the year I have been making progress in every race and I need to keep going like that in order to secure my future in the sport."

It is unlikely he will continue in the premier session of MotoGP next season, he admits,  “I don’t think I will be back in MotoGP. Riders such as Alex de Angelis and Toni Elías, who have been on the podium this year, still don’t have their rides for 2010 sorted. so I think that makes it even harder for me. Riding again in MotoGP is my dream for the future but maybe now it wouldn’t be bad to ride in another championship to gain more experience and fight for podium places.”

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Honda’s fresh VFR1200 V4 has been rumoured to be completely finished.  The first time it seems the production specification, colours and design of the motorbike have been seen in full force.

The bike was seen filming a Honda promotional video in the Alps and backs up the previous leaked images of the bike earlier in the year.

Up until now, only images of the bike riding were of a pre-production motorbike seen doing low speed fuel injection set-up in America.

Look out for the new look, arriving soon.

An American company named Solar Roadways is preparing to replace bitumen and asphalt with solar panelled roads.

Scott Brusaw, American scientist and founder of Solar Roadways, has been granted a large sum from the US Department of Transportation to progress further with the project.

Considering the energy generation of millions of square miles incorporating solar panels throughout the nation of the USA would create, Brusaw says they can supply America's electricity requirements three times over, the Solar Road Panels will also incorporate LEDs.

Instant traffic updates could be provided along with road signage, however in cooler climates, they are able to generate heat, minimising the amount of snow and ice on the road.

One of the concerns aout the Solar Road Panels was the surfacing as the top layer is a glass finish and traction may be affected.  Brusaw states this will not be the case as the glass is contoured "to the point that it provides at least the traction that current asphalt roads offer, even in the rain."

The method of solar-powered roads could de-centralise the power grid and minimise the requirement for overhead power lines.

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Chosen this year to be the sole tyre suppliers for the fresh Moto2 session beginning in 2010, Dunlop have been busy getting their product ready for the new 600cc 4-stroke engines.

Dunlop Motorsport boss Jeremy Ferguson explains how the current 250cc and 125cc suppliers are progressing and the key factors in developing a cost-effective and consistent Moto2 product.


What were the initial steps in the project from a technical perspective?
"It started as soon as BQR and Laglisse in the Spanish Championship and Moriwaki in Japan had Moto2 bikes. BQR were already a partner team of ours in the Spanish Championship as well as in MotoGP. In the initial stages there were no defined regulations about rim diameters or widths so we initiated the racing using what we used for Formula Extreme in Spain."


How do you ensure that costs are kept reasonable?
"We aim to keep costs down in several ways. First of all in terms of the actual quantities of tyres to be allowed at each race, which I think will be decided on in Estoril, and I think the quantities will be less than in MotoGP for example.
We have also decided to have a fixed rim width so that there is no possibility for teams to try different rim widths. There will be a 3.75″ (inch) front and 6″ rear in terms of widths and 17″ diameter front and rear, so there is no possibility of teams saying ‘we need to try a 3.6″ front or a 3.82″’ or any other funny number. So that is also part of the cost saving principal.
We will have two specs of slick tyre and only one spec of wet tyre per event. Performance has to be reasonable and there are certain circuits where, for safety reasons as well as performance, you need a certain specification to cope with the nature of the track, Phillip Island being the obvious one."


When will final products will first be available to teams?
"The intention is to have a finalised product for people to test and use in November. We are now finalising compound specification, as we have identified the physical dimensions and the construction, so we are sorting out the appropriate compounds for the different racetracks."


How relevant is your 125cc/250cc data and the data you gathered in MotoGP until 2007?
"The circuits are the same, so we have all the Grand Prix circuit data, from the MotoGP class and from 250cc. The bikes are not the same as the 250cc bikes, we can see that from the ones that already exist, but that is ok because we can work on it. It is now just a case of making sure that you have the right combination of compounds for the individual and difficult circuits."

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If you are the owner of a Ducati and are after the red carpet treatment at the arrival of the 2009 Australian MotoGP at Phillip Island, you luck may be right here.

For an estimated value of $750, you will be able to be a Ducati VIP for three days.

The VIP ticket allow y ou a three day pass to the GP, including one free pit lane walk per day and access to the Ducati Champions Club over the three day period, which according to the Italian manufacturer "is specifically designed for Ducati owners to be up close to see, hear and feel the MotoGP bikes as they scream by at over 330kph on Phillip Island's main straight".

Grandstand seats are inclusive along with access to closed circuit TV coverage, plus morning and afternoon tea served daily. The bonus is alongside the light lunch on Friday, you also receive buffet lunches on the Saturday and Sunday.

Free (non-alcoholic) beverages are available to VIPs anytime, as is a barista coffee service, plus all Ducati VIP ticket holders will receive a 2009 Moto GP Ducati Champions Club Bag which may include stickers.

Previewing this years MotoGP World Championship, LCR Honda manager Lucio Cecchinello has clearly expressed an improvement in performance form when compared to last year, thanks to Randy de Puniet’s major forward step in results.

In 2008, De Puniet gained 61 points in 18 events, ending 15th overall, where this season he has been able to take a points total of 88 in the previous 13 events, positioning him at eighth in the rankings, despite a left ankle injury occurring from a summer motocross incident.

The training accident was a disappointment arriving just days after De Puniet had a stage appearance for the sole time since uniting with LCR at the start of 2008, he has since teetered on the edge of the top ten as he struggles to overcome the injury.

Cecchinello comments, “Looking at our results compared to last year’s, it’s fair to say we have improved a lot. This year we were even able to reach the podium and do some top five results, which is great for a team like ours. Of course, in the last few races we were unlucky with Randy’s results and at Misano again he was forced off the track by Alex de Angelis and came back on the track last.”

“In general we’re happy though. The one tyre rule works, we agreed with it and I think it’s a positive development for the World Championship. Talking about Randy, we saw that he’s improved a lot compared to last year and also appears much more mature, so we’re definitely keen to continue with him next year.”

On the highlight for the squad until now, the Italian boss explains, “For sure, the podium in Donington was the best moment of the season so far, getting third place there was really great for us and even if the conditions were special with the rain, it was like a dream made true.”

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It has been confirmed, the 2009 Australia Motorcycle Grand Prix held at Phillip Island this year has a new sponsor – Iveco.

With respect to the 'whats' and 'whys' of Iveco becoming a sponsor to the Australian round of the MotoGP, well they are an international transport group that has built thousands of trucks in Australia, and also service international markets.  They believe the MotoGP would be a great spot to advertise its name.

Iveco's Managing Director, Giorgio Gallia, was excited with the naming rights for the Phillip Island GP, stating "This sponsorship is a further commitment by Iveco to the Victorian economy and the people of Victoria."

Occuring at Phillip Island between October 16 to 18, the Australian MotoGP is adored by riders and fans alike for its fast flowing track that ensures massive overtaking opportunities.

The boss of the Australian Grand Prix Corporation, Drew Ward, commenting on Iveco's appointment adding, "We are delighted to be partnering with the global trucking icon Iveco as the major sponsor of the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix.

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Julián Simón’s choice to come back down to the 125cc session this year, following two years in the 250cc session, has gained huge dividends for the 22 year-old Spaniard, he has been victorious in four races so far this year and currently holds a 57.5 points advantage to his closest opponenet in the standings.

Simón arrived into the successful Bancaja Aspar set-up hoping for an excellent pre-season testing and his nine stage appearances in twelve events has placed him on the edge of claiming his first ever title. His dominance has been seen, Simón could claim the championship at the next event in Estoril with only three rounds left, dependant upon the results of his nearest opponents.

The excellent form of Nico Terol (Jack & Jones Squad) and Bradley Smith (Bancaja Aspar), is more than likely to have Simón keeping his concentration for a bit extra to complete the job.

Terol ensued with a slow beginning to the year but soon improvement following a strong second placing at Mugello. Since he has claimed a further three stage appearances, a race win at Brno plus eight consecutive top fives, putting him second in the overall rankings, only five points in front of Smith.

After firstly seeming like he may run fresh Bancaja Aspar colleague Simón close for the title, with the initial two victories in the opening five rounds (at Jerez and Mugello), Smith was disappointed by smashes at Sachsenring and then Donington at home.

Simón and Smith’s team-mate Sergio Gadea places fourth in the ranks having claimed a win at Assen, second place at Jerez and third at Le Mans, but was also taken aback by two crashes at Donington and Indianapolis, as well as a four finishes on the outer of the top ten.

Andrea Iannone began the year with outstanding form wining in a weather affected and shortened event in Qatar plus another win at Motegi, he has also claimed victory in Barcelona however his results have been inconsistent and he was let down with a ‘headbutt’ gesture and some coarse words to Pol Espargaró after the duo smashed together in Misano recently. Iannone was fined $5,000 by Race Direction and gave a full apology the following day.

Meanwhile, Espargaró sits sixth overall, just after Iannone in the championship, and having taken the initial win of his career at Indy, he was unfortunate to get caught up with the Italian when he seemed due for another victory at Misano.

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Australian Steve Martin has been victorious in the 2009 world endurance title following a 14th place end in the Bol'dor 24-hour event at Magny-Cours in France, but it definately did not arrive hassle free.

Sitting with a fourth placing after 21 hours, the Yamaha Austria Racing Team (YART) YZF-R1 Martin was contributing with Gwen Giabbani and Igor Jerman, started developing a chronic overhearing problem then electrical noises.

Having no opportunity of completing a further three hours straight, the YART engine went to the pits for an long overhaul, only to venture back out and finish the final lap, hence classification as an official end.

YART finished 713 laps in the 24-hour, one of them being the quickest lap of the event at 1:41.487. Suzuki Endurance Racing Team (SERT) was the beginning to end victor, taking out 815 laps in the tough challenge from GSR Kawasaki (808) and the Suzuki-mounted 18 Sapeurs Pompiers.

YART's lowly end was enough though to take the world title with one round left. YART has now forwarded on to 114pts ahead of SERT, Sapeurs Pompiers and RT Racing Suzuki are all equal on 57pts.

Only 15 squads finished the Bol'dor, with Australian brothers Alex and Damian Cudlin wedged in the huge attrition on their British Phase One Yamaha.

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After the Cinzano di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini from the weekend’s event at Misano, the main disappointment for San Carlo Honda Gresini squad manager Fausto Gresini was the harsh smash on the first lap for Alex de Angelis, which also took Nicky Hayden and Colin Edwards out of the contest.

The incident was devasting for De Angelis at his home event, finishing a leg of good results which had sent him up to seventh place in the rankings. Meanwhiel, for Toni Elías, he enjoyed three top ten results in the prior three sessions, finishing over the line in sixth after briefly heading the event early.

Gresini commented, “The De Angelis crash surprised us quite a bit because it was his first DNF this year, but these things happen. It was a shame that it also ruined the race for two other riders, as it happened in the first lap. Toni had a good race, although we were expecting he could even go better than that. Unfortunately the bike was not quite at 100% and we couldn’t show our true potential.”

Honda Gresini will apply a fresh new line up next season with Marco Melandri arriving to his former team and Italian Marco Simoncelli joining him from the 250cc class. Gresini still commands 100% effort from his current competitors in the final events of 2009.

Quoting with more depth on the season so far and reviewing the final four events, Gresini adds, “We have improved since the beginning of the current championship and we still hope for good results in the final four Grands Prix of the season. We want to be in the top six every weekend with our two riders and we want to finish the season on a high.”

“The first podium of the year for Toni at Brno was brilliant and then Alex’s podium at Indianapolis was a great bonus.

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Suzuki is supplying riders with the choice of its dual-purpose DR650SE, with two liveries now due for Australia’s top selling, big-bore trail motorbike.

The awesome street legal trail engine, the 2010 DR650SE now offers Black or White colour schemes and fresh graphics.

The choice of adventure riders nation wide, a 644cc, four-stroke, air-cooled motor allows the DR650SE excellent low-to-mid range power, while the sturdy, no-fuss performer includes Suzuki Composite Electrochemical Material (SCEM) coated cylinders to reduce wear.

The powerful, lightweight motor is also accompanied by an electric starter and a five-speed gearbox.

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Eighth position at Misano for Marco Melandri was not a fantastic result for the Italian competitor, however he was satisfied that he and his Hayate Racing squad were able to come out with another good job at round 13, after he began the event in twelfth spot on the grid and was able to work his way through early.

The 27 year-old previous 250cc World Champion attempted for much of the event to surpass Finn Mika Kallio, who was racing a factory Desmosedici as Melandri had last year, however the Ducati man was unable to pass the MotoGP rookie this time.

Commenting on the 28-lap contest, Melandri explains, “It was a tough race. I was lucky on the first corner because De Angelis made a mistake and brought down some other riders, but I had a good start so I was away from the crash. I was sixth after two corners but I couldn’t really push because the feeling with a new tyre is always very difficult, but after that things got better. I was following Kallio, but on some corners he was faster than me and in other places I was faster than him, so it was tough.”

“Every time I tried to recover time on him and pass him I made a mistake and the bike was quite difficult to ride, so I couldn’t catch the guys in front of me. Anyway overall it was a good race because we were not far away from the second group and that was my goal. I’m now already looking forward to the next round.”

Héctor Barberá got the better of home competitor Mattia Pasini after a fantastic challenge with the Italian at Misano on Sunday to finish over the line just 0.04s ahead of his opponent and claim his first victory since round one at the Losail International Circuit.

While the majority were in for a hard fight between World Champion Marco Simoncelli, who ultimately smashed, and championship leader Hiroshi Aoyama and Álvaro Bautista, who finally placed fourth and third respectively, it was Barberá and Pasini who became the protagonists.

Barberá, who will competein MotoGP next season on an Aspar Ducati engine, has appeared with flashes of excellent form over the year since his Qatar victory and it finally ensued for him on Sunday in Italy.

“I’m delighted,” he states following the event. “We knew it would be a tough, 26 laps in the heat, with the tyres taking a real pounding. But we were doing a good job in preparation and I was confident of a good result.”

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A dramatic ending to the 125cc event at Misano allowed the two leading competitors, Andrea Iannone (Ongetta Team I.S.P.A.) and Pol Espargaró (Derbi Racing Team), smash on the final corner to give Julián Simón (Bancaja Aspar) another vital victory.

From the beginning of the event Simón’s colleague Sergio Gadea escaped without injury from a vicious looking crash, with many racers have to swerve to avoid him as he lay helpless on the tarmac.

When the Gran Premio Cinzano di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini 125cc event settled into an easy rhythm, Simón and Lannone came to the front, only for Espargaró to unite with them in the ending phases, before his disappointing clash with Lannone.

Nico Terol (Jack & Jones Team) crossed the line with an unexpected second spot following Simón, while Bradley Smith (Bancaja Aspar) got a bonus with a stage appearance after having been in ninth spot with ten laps left.

Marc Márquez (Red Bull KTM) and Sandro Cortese (Ajo Interwetten) concluded the top five, while Stefan Bradl (Viessmann Kiefer Racing), Simone Corsi (Fontana Racing), Joan Olivé (Derbi Racing Team), Jonas Folger (Ongetta Team I.S.P.A.) and Danny Webb (Degraaf Grand Prix) all appeared in the top ten.

Repsol Honda competitor Andrea Dovizioso will apply Ohlins suspension on his RC212V at the San Marino Grand Prix this weekend and keep it for the remainder of the year. The choice to swap suppliers comes after the successful testing that occurred following the Grand Prix of the Czech Republic at Brno in mid August. Showa has nicely allowed their consent to the switch, which creates part of HRC’s continuing developments for the RC212V race engine.

Pedrosa will choose to stay with Showa suspension, which he has deemed as very successful following his MotoGP debut in 2006, which incorporates seven premier class victories.  The final one at the US Grand Prix in July. Pedrosa’s excellent forme this year, united with the fact that wet weather at Brno reduced the testing time available, makes it an easy choice for the Spaniard to stay with Showa.

The huge Australia based Peter Stevens Motorcycles business is growing, with a brand new store opening in Melbourne at Ferntree Gully.

To celebrate the event, an amazing sale over two days will be held on September 4th and 5th, with deals on Kawasaki and Yamaha motorbikes plus personal watercraft.  Specials also available on a variety of accessories.

Yamaha's factory motocross competitors, Jay Marmont and Cheyne Boyd, will also be there to sign autographs and have a chat.

The sale begins at 5.00pm on Friday 4th September and continues from 9.00am-5.00pm on Saturday. The store is situated at 1821 Ferntree Gully Road, Tel (03) 9757 6000.

A rare smash from Valentino Rossi in Sunday’s Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix gave his colleague Jorge Lorenzo a chance in the title challenge, but the heroic Italian was not too unhappy about the crash at The Brickyard.

After Dani Pedrosa’s fourth lap smash, it seemed that Rossi and Lorenzo could be headed for another battle as the World Champion tried to repeat his 2008 Indianapolis victory. Unfortunately a crash from nowhere after Rossi lost the front end on lap nine gave Lorenzo the win and now the Italian hero is down to only a 25 point lead with five rounds left.

The start of those remaining events is at Misano next weekend, where Rossi also claimed victory last season headed to his sixth premier class title and possibly where he will enjoy massive support from the crowd.

Commenting on race day at Indianapolis, Rossi says, “Today is a disappointment of course. We struggled here with the setting all weekend but we made an improvement today and I got a good start and was able to stay in touch with Pedrosa. Once he fell, I knew it would be between Jorge and I, but I honestly don’t know how it would have finished, because Jorge was very fast today.”

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The challenge for the 2009 World Championship was opened wide on Sunday at the Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix as Jorge Lorenzo claimed a fantastic victory although his Fiat Yamaha team-mate Valentino Rossi gained his sole ever DNF of the season.

Lorenzo finally finished over the line with a 9.5s margin to put Rossi’s championship lead from 50 to 25 points, with only five races left.

Following Lorenzo was a good performance from San Carlo Honda Gresini’s Alex de Angelis who helped his chances of staying in MotoGP in second spot, claiming his first ever premier class stage appearance from fourth on the grid.

Nicky Hayden also raced well with a sixth placing, repeating his 2008 Indianapolis stage in third place this time, this is his best current result with the Ducati team. Hayden progressed over Andrea Dovizioso, although suffering a stiff rival from the man who took his place in the Repsol Honda squad, the Italian unable to beat fourth spot yet again on the final lap.

World hero Valentino Rossi smashed the ground on lap nine when fighting for the lead with Lorenzo, the Italian was able to regroup and continue on, only having to retire a few laps later because of the injuries to his M1 engine. 

Early on, there was a smash for Dani Pedrosa on the fourth lap when he was leading. He courageously picked up his bike and rejoined in final place, actually doing quite well to end in 10th position.

Extra US representations for Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) who ended up in fifth place, while a late smash occurred from Marco Melandri (Hayate Racing) when challenging James Toseland (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) for sixth place. Melandri’s incident allowed the Englishman to equal his best ever MotoGP score.

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Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa had seemed to be in excellent form at the Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix as he dominated the event in the tricky conditions on Friday and Saturday, however there was disappointment on Sunday as his smashed out on lap 4 from leading the event.

With the absence of Casey Stoner and with Valentino Rossi claiming his first DNF since 2007, this was definately a missed opportunity for the Spanish challenger.

However, Pedrosa attempted to remain serene and positive when he reflected on the event, apologising to his squad after courageously battling back to tenth place from the final position after the crash.

“This result was a real shame, but sometimes it happens,” he explains. “We did a great job all through practice and qualifying, I was confident for the race and of course I was hoping to win today. I was pushing very hard at the start of the race and perhaps I pushed too much. There was some cloud cover today and maybe the front tyre was a little cooler than before, but whatever the reason, I made a mistake and lost the front. I’m sorry for the team because they’ve worked really hard for me, and also to the fans who’ve given me great support.”

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