WSB BLADE ON THE ROAD LATEST MOTOGP TECH 10 INCREDIBLE YEARS
REAL ROAD, REA'S ACTUAL BIKE FACTORY SECRETS REVEALED IN WSB, MOTOGP, BSB + ROADS
THE BIKES | THE RIDERS |
'THIS IS THE SIDE OF ME NOBODY SEES'
THE ROSSI INTERVIEW
THE INSIDE STORY 'LORENZO IS DANGEROUS, STONER UNBELIEVABLE. BUT I ONLY RACE TO WIN'
SPRING 2010
MOTOGP | WSB | BSB | ROADS
HASLAM, TOSELAND, CRUTCHLOW, BYRNE, REA, CAMIER & SYKES
SEASON GUIDE 2010
ACCESS ALL AREAS WITH WSB'S BRIT PACK
£4.99
STONER'S GENIUS ROSSI'S HOLIDAYS MOTOGP 2012
THE ULTIMATE BIKE RACING PREVIEW
06 FREEZE FRAME
Defining moments in MotoGP, WSB, BSB and on the Roads
14 WHAT 2009 TAUGHT US
The stories that made the racing year
20 ROSSI EXCLUSIVE #1: THE INTERVIEW
The Doctor cures MotoGP and begins a quest for a wife
26 ROSSI EXCLUSIVE #2: INTIMATE PICTURES Rossi shares five stories from his life off the bike
MOTOGP
34 MOTOGP SEASON ANALYSIS
The year Rossi had to go flat out from flag to flag
41 ROSSI’S GREATEST RIVALS
100+ Grand Prix victories, eight great rivals
43 YAMAHA YZR-M1
The full tech stories behind the champion’s bike
44 ROSSI: EVOLVED
The nine-time GP champion’s new killer skills revealed
46 TOSELAND EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
The hundredths that cost British star JT his GP career
50 HONDA RC212V
The tech struggles behind Dani Pedrosa’s 800
52 SCHWANTZ ON SPIES
Former champ and Spies’ mentor on WSB’s golden boy
THIS YEAR HAS BEEN A fantastic battle for me and another incredible year for bike racing. As a Yamaha rider of course I am happy Spies won in World Superbikes, but as a race fan I’m glad Haga didn’t make it easy for him. But this is true of all bike racing, from the TT to MotoGP. The battles never let up. Just when you think you know who is on top there is another challenger and this is why it is a fantastic sport to watch. Always there are new rivals, higher speeds and harder challenges – this is why I look forward 2010.
54 DUCATI DESMOSEDICI GP9
Cool fuel, new fairing: the full technical lowdown
56 THE MAKING OF LORENZO
The brutal regime that’s turned him into MotoGP’s #2
60 SUZUKI GSV-R
Why Capirossi’s GSV-R underperformed – again
62 MOTOGP RIDER GUIDE
2010’s dozen to watch – and the reasons why
64 KAWASAKI-HAYATE ZX-RR
Melandri’s surprise package put under the microscope
66 SILVERSTONE BRITISH GP PREVIEW
Britain’s new Olympic-designed, faster GP cricuit
68 250GP: REST IN PEACE
MCN Sport says farewell to the perfect race bikes
70 THE WORLD’S FASTEST 600S
Say hello to MotoGP’s new little brother: Moto2
WORLD SUPERBIKES
74 WSB SEASON ANALYSIS
How one brave newcomer crushed a field of legends
80 YAMAHA R1 V DUCATI 1098R
Spies’ and Haga’s race bikes examined in detail
82 BIAGGI EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
Roman Emperor on life, passion and his 202mph RSV4
88 WORLD SUPERBIKES RIDDEN
Which would a road rider go fastest on?
98 BRITAIN’S ONLY WORLD CHAMPION
Crutchlow says he’s ‘not the most naturally talented’
100 WSB RIDER GUIDE
Our top dozen in another incredible line-up for 2010
BRITISH SUPERBIKES
104 CAMIER’S YAMAHA R1
The incredible story of the bike that blew BSB away
110 JOSH BROOKES: BAD BOY IN DEMAND From vilified madman to sought-after star
112 BSB RIDER GUIDE
MCN Sport’s top 12 challengers – and their prospects
THE ROADS
116 THE YEAR IN PICTURES
Incredible action shots, from the TT to the Ulster GP
124 MORE DOMINANT THAN ROSSI
And more wins than Joey: Ryan Farquahar interviewed
128 CONOR CUMMINS’ ZX-10R
The fastest bike on the fastest circuit in all bike racing
130 2010 RACE DATES
Because it’s never too early to block book your diary...
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MCN SPORT Editor Guy Procter Editor-in-chief Marc Potter Sports editor Gary Pinchin MotoGP reporter Matthew Birt WSB reporter Michael Guy Art editor Nick Lemon Production Simon Brown Simon Johnston Commercial director Gareth Ashman Group ad manager Sarah Nunn Marketing Nicola Pearson MD Motorcycling Will Hattam MD Rob Munro-Hall Printing Wyndeham Heron, Essex. MCN Sport is published by Bauer Automotive, Media House, Lunch Wood, Peterborough, Cambs, PE2 6EA, Tel: 01733 468000. Copyright Bauer 2009, ISSN1473-7680, Bauer Automotive Registered Office: 21, Holborn Viaduct, London, EC1A 2DY. Tell us what you think of MCN Sport: email mcnsport@motorcyclenews.com
CONTENTS WINTER 2009
DPPI
THE KING SURVEYS HIS KINGDOM Valentino Rossi onboard a private jet co-chartered by MCN. And where does the nine-times world champion head on his day off? To watch bike racing on the Isle of Man, of course. “You need to have two very big balls to go fast at the TT,” he said later.
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FREEZE FRAME Isle of Man TT | June 1981
Feuds of our forefathers A black-clad Ron Haslam (aged 24) and Joey Dunlop (29), along with fellow Honda rider Alex George (left), bask in the June 1981 sunshine. Their likely topic of conversation? How in the Formula One race Suzuki’s Graeme Crosby had been forced to start from the back of the field following chain problems, but with the clock running from the moment of his original time slot. How he’d finished third behind Haslam and Dunlop, only for Haslam to be stripped of his winner’s garland two hours later after Suzuki successfully protested Crosby should have been given a time allowance. It was sweet revenge for Crosby, who the previous year had himself been the victim of a stewards’ decision that went against him after it was alleged Honda’s Mick Grant had won the same race using an oversized fuel tank. What they probably wouldn’t have been discussing is the likelihood of one day having sons and nephews winning World Superbike races and TTs. But they do. Photography: www.photofinders.com N Leon Haslam interview page 106 N The Dunlops, page 146
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THE ROADS SECTION Starts p145
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THE ROADS SECTION Starts p115
FREEZE FRAME Mackney's corner. Cookstown | Cookstown Corner 100.Mackney’s April. 600 race. First of100 the25 year. And this is Michael April | 600cc race Dunlop easing himself into a newRoad season on his Yamaha R6. racing eases itself He clipped the privet hedge with hisa shoulder on every lap. into new season Good job he’s backed by local firm Street Sweep. It needed someone clean up after It’s the firstto Irish National event of the him! season and Michael Dunlop’s first 600
road race of the year. So you’ll forgive him for taking things a bit easy on his Yamaha R6. He brushed the privet hedge with his shoulder on every lap, good job he’s backed by local firm Street Sweep... Race fact: The Cookstown 100 in 2000 was the first time Michael’s uncle Joey rode the specially-prepared Honda SP1 the firm laid on after he threatend to quit over the poor state of that year’s Fireblade. Photography: Stephen Davison, Pacemaker
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ROSSI ON ROSSI
Valentino grants MCN Sport an exclusive look into life off the track for the most famous bike racer on earth
INTERVIEW MATTHEW BIRT
Tavullian boy “This was a great day relaxing in New York before the Indianapolis race in 2008. I remember this was a great time because it was a key point in the championship and I stayed for three days with some friends and had a brilliant experience. “It was my first time in New York and I’ve always been curious about how my life would be if I was born in a big city like New York, Barcelona or Milan instead of little Tavullia. America is great for me because it is one of the few places where I can go and be like a completely normal person. Sometimes I need to do this. “Last winter I went on holiday to America and I arrived on the beach staying behind everybody else, trying to hide. Day by day I understood that nobody knows me, and by the end of the holiday I’m standing in the middle of the beach thinking ‘f**k, still nobody knows me.’ At the end I was angry because I was thinking ‘I’m Valentino Rossi and nobody knows me!’[laughing]”
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W inning is a habit that Valentino Rossi is finding hard to break. Now 31 and already past the age where some feared he would have sought fresh challenges, Rossi’s recent admission he plans on racing until the end of 2013 shows his love affair with MotoGP is stronger than ever. Rossi doesn’t need to race on close to his mid-thirties. He’s rich beyond his wildest dreams, and if he retired tomorrow he’d be held in such high esteem that most would already consider him the greatest, ahead of giants like Agostini and Hailwood. The black armbands aren’t needed just yet though thankfully. Racing to win is a fundamental part of his DNA. It’s his reason for existing and what he does better than anybody else on the planet. “There is nothing that I love more in my life than racing motorcycles. And I love to win. Winning is the best thing that can happen to me and I’m still hungry to win more and more,” says Rossi, who is poised to embark on his quest for a tenth Grand Prix world title as a red-hot favourite in 2010. As much as he loves racing, it’s the winning and not the taking part that counts. “I plan to ride for three more years. In my mind I can stay on top for only three years. I don’t want to race for second or just because I like to race. I only race to win. And I think I can win for three years more and then probably it will be over for me. When I can’t win it will be Ciao.”
Lorenzo, dangerous; Stoner, ‘unbelievable’ In 2010, Rossi expects his toughest battle to date. Casey Stoner and Jorge Lorenzo provide formidable and fearless opposition that demand much more of Rossi’s focus than old adversaries Max Biaggi and Sete Gibernau ever commanded. The pair are pioneers of a new generation of riders who combine raw speed and aggression with a yearning to beat Rossi so much it almost hurts, and a refusal to accept any reason why they shouldn’t. Today. Inadvertently though they’ve become victims of their own skill and bravery.
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Gleefully accepting the challenge, Rossi has responded by riding arguably better than at any other stage in his career. Looking to 2010 and where the danger lies, Rossi appraises Lorenzo as his arch nemesis. Having examined his riding at close quarters, Rossi can see many of his own traits in the Majorcan. “Lorenzo is the kind of guy who rides in the same mode as me. When he comes he wants to pass immediately. He doesn’t wait and he attacks like a lion. He comes to you and doesn’t wait and this is my way of riding. This is what makes Lorenzo very dangerous. “Casey is unbelievably fast and he is very instinctive. He can be on the pace in 100 metres and he is very strong. But for me I consider them my challengers in 2010 and I see them as the future of MotoGP when I stop.” Rossi knew Stoner and Lorenzo would flourish into his chief tormentors. Not only is he the most naturally gifted rider ever, he’s a student of the sport who has
‘PEOPLE DON’T UNDERSTAND THE WAY I PUSH MYSELF MENTALLY AND PHYSICALLY EVERY DAY’ grasped the strengths and weaknesses of his opponents way ahead of engaging them in serious combat. “This is one of my secrets. I want to know and understand their potential from when they are a rookie in 125s. I want to know what they are capable of in the future and this is why I follow their performance with data and timing and on TV. So when they grow up and come to MotoGP I am ready for them. I understand the way they ride and the way they race. I don’t know if it makes a real difference, but I want to do it.” Stoner and Lorenzo have elevated Rossi’s riding to a new level and pushed the 31-year-old into a gruelling mental and physical regime to remain the fastest man on the planet on two wheels. It’s a myth that Rossi doesn’t train. It’s also a serious misconception that he lives a playboy lifestyle of girls and nightclubs. Rossi still lives with his mother and only now is he using some of his personal fortune to have his own house built. He’s
become an obsessive trainer who prepares himself mentally and physically with military precision. “When I win I never sit back and think I am world champion and that is enough. I have to work more every year and I know I can do something more every year. People don’t understand the way I push myself mentally and physically every day. People think I go to the nightclub chasing girls but I’m in the swimming pool, running or in the gym. This is the side of Valentino Rossi, the dedicated and committed side, nobody sees.”
‘I like to fight like a boxer’ As elder statesman and chief protagonist in MotoGP, Rossi’s opinions carry serious clout. But not even his roars of condemnation can penetrate the corridors of power in Japan and Italy. Particularly when it comes to balancing the need for technical development against the fundamental requirement for a compelling show for the fans. To the manufacturers, having the fastest and most technically sophisticated bike is like having the biggest manhood. To Rossi though, the pursuit of sophistication for its own sake has been like the kick of a size 10 between the legs. As he’s got older, his bewilderment at the influx of rider aids and the killing off of overtaking as an art form has increased immeasurably. He fears now that MotoGP is as much a test of reliability as it is about cut-throat fairing-to-fairing racing. And he isn’t scared to vent his fury against his paymasters. Yamaha have contributed to the sterile racing as the manufacturers have embarked on a quest for technical perfection. The main culprits are the new generation 800s, electronics and supergrippy Bridgestone tyres, according to the nine-time champion. “Now the bikes are so fast in the corner and when you do that you kill the show. When Bridgestone came with a new project we could go into the corner with an incredible speed. That means you brake later and nobody can overtake. Everybody now is like riding on the railway track. With the engine management, engine braking and power delivery, now we all ride in the same way and that has killed the show.” As a result Rossi now spends more time with his head buried in a laptop analysing critical data than he does overtaking. Attention to minute detail has been intrinsic to his success as he now engages in meticulous planning to set-up his factory Yamaha YZR-M1. It challenges his brainpower sufficiently for him to want to continue racing, but he adds: “Now unfortunately you can’t win with overtaking, but you have to prepare your bike much better before. Until 2005 and 2006 you could start a race and no
P
ROSSI INTERVIEW Life’s a joke but the job’s deadly serious for Rossi, in conference with Jerry Burgess at March’s Losail test.
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ROSSI: EVOLVED The 800s’ electronics may have masked many of Rossi’s stand-out abilities, but beneath the surface he’s evolved a new set of killer skills.
Dancing feet
WORDS MAT OXLEY PICTURE MARTIN HEATH
Smoother corners
Rossi used to use the rear brake to keep the rear end settled during braking and corner entry, and on the exit to prevent wheelies. But electronics do that now. Traction control allows him to get on the throttle so early that it takes load off the front tyre mid corner, so he taps the rear brake to keep load on the front. As for the waving left foot – it somehow increases braking power, though even Rossi says he doesn’t know why he does it.
Bridgestone tyres have had a major effect on Rossi’s riding style. They feature a very stiff construction, so require huge loads to work the way they’re intended to. It’s all about loading the tyres to squash them into the Tarmac – expanding the contact patch for greater grip – and keeping that load constant through the corner. Rossi now segues entry, mid-corner and exit into a single sweeping cornering arc which stops the tyres deforming and reforming.
Race tactics
Rider-friendly engines, grippy tyres and hi-tech electronics have had a huge effect on Rossi’s tactics. The 500s and 990s behaved differently through each stage of a race, as tyres got hot, grip waned and fuel loads went down. But now the bikes behave the same throughout, so there’s only one tactic with 800s: flat-out from start to finish. The competitive landcape’s a bit flatter than before then, but Rossi’s evolved fast enough to ensure he’s still the fittest.
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Retrained right hand
The 800’s traction control ensures the optimum level of torque is delivered at all times, so Rossi’s genius throttle control isn’t the killer skill it used to be. Now he uses his right hand on the front brake to damp out chatter. Certain corners can trigger this high-frequency vibration – which at best slows you down, at worst makes you crash – so Rossi drags the front brake through the corners, even with the throttle on!
ROSSI ANALYSIS Rossi’s ninth world title crowned a career marked by an amazing ability to adapt. But during his decade at the top the bikes have changed so much – from the scary 500 twostrokes to the big, wobbly 990 fourstrokes and to the ultra-smooth, hi-tech 800s – and Rossi’s technique has evolved to master them all.
Less movement
Rossi used to be famous for dancing all over the 500s and 990s, using his weight to load the rear tyre for more grip on corner exits or unload it for wheelspin to create oversteer. Rossi still moves around his 800, but more subtly. The M1’s electronics systems need a consistent machine to perform correctly, which Rossi’s smooth new riding style delivers. The electronics also do the job his backside used to – delivering optimum traction at all times.
Stronger than ever
Huge improvements in tyres and electronics mean Rossi no longer has to fight the bike to get it to do what he wants it to. Engine-braking controls stop the rear end stepping out into corners and it’s the same on the exits, where the latest traction control and tyres keep his 800 on rails – there’s no more opposite lock and wrestling the handlebars. It looks less physical, but the forces are much bigger, which is why he’s stronger than he’s ever been.
Always on
The fundamental secret to Rossi’s talent lies deep within his AGV. His intelligence and ability to think clearly at 200mph are his most important weapons. These days, what Rossi does in the pits is just as important as what he does on the track. The 800s are so hi-tech that machine set-up is trickier than it used to be, and there’s no room for error or mental rest during a GP weekend. Plenty of others are still racing on natural talent alone, brains riding pillion.
More lean
Have you noticed Rossi doesn’t hang off as much these days? The reason is that he leans so much through corners there’s no more room for him to hang off. MotoGP riders now lean more than 60° in corners which mean if things goes awry, there’s little chance of a save. It’s why he crashed more this year. He’s not getting blunter, he’s riding on a limit that’s gone from knifeedge to razor’s-edge. He uses 30% more kneesliders than on 500s, over ten a weekend.
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SO FA ST Traction Control Kid? Brave but brainless? Spoiled with horsepower? The critics will look anywhere rather than face the fact Stoner may be faster even than Rossi.
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THE GREAT DUCATI MYSTERY
FOR S O
FEW
It’s t era – he bigge that what is st myst crac makes it abou ery of th him t Sto k the e Mo WOR t DS M n h toGP D e e AT O r e o s o XLE n m r l Y PI the D y on osed CTU RES e i GOL a c ble t ucati i cod D AN D GO o e OSE ?
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V
alentino Rossi has already said it – he believes Casey Stoner will be the man most likely to stop him winning his tenth world championship in 2010. Stoner and Ducati’s wild and wonderful Desmosedici are an awesome combination, invariably the fastest partnership in MotoGP. But so far the Aussie has proved the only rider who can extract the maximum from the bike. When Stoner ruled the 2007 world championship on his rocket-fast GP7, half the MotoGP grid would have sold their grandmothers to get a Ducati ride. Maybe Marco Melandri didn’t go that far to get a Desmosedici for 2008, but he was the happiest man in MotoGP when he inked that contract. Melandri’s grin soon turned to a bewildered grimace when he got on the GP8 – and it’s been the much the same for every Ducati rider since. Nicky Hayden, Sylvain Guintoli, Toni Elias, Mika Kallio and Niccolo Canepa have all had some dire times on the Desmo. As 1993 500GP champ Kevin Schwantz says: “The Ducati has made some pretty dang good top-level guys look just silly”. While Stoner dazzles with devastating speed, his fellow Desmo riders complain of all kinds of difficulties. They say it’s tricky getting enough heat into the tyres, that the bike
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‘WHILE STONER DAZZLES WITH DEVASTATING SPEED, HIS FELLOW DESMO RIDERS COMPLAIN OF ALL KINDS OF DIFFICULTIES’ performs inconsistently from one lap to the next, that they can’t find the feel they need to know how far they can push, that there’s a marked delay in throttle response, that the engine is too aggressive, that the bike can be hard to turn and, perhaps most crucially of all, that the rear end pumps violently during acceleration. Stoner merely says: “The Ducati can be challenging, but when you ride it right it’s very rewarding”. Whenever you listen to another Ducati rider talk about the bike, Stoner’s achievements (one world title and 20 race wins) seem all the more remarkable. Ducati know very well how lucky they are to have Stoner and know they have a good chance of winning
this year’s title with him on board. But winning with Stoner isn’t their only focus. For the past two seasons the factory have been working hard to transform the Desmo into an everyman’s bike. They want more Ducatis running up front rather than struggling mid-pack. More crucially, they need to make the bike rideable for non-Stoners – if they don’t and Stoner is lured away by a rival factory, Ducati might as well pack up its MotoGP project and go home to WSB. Filippo Preziosi, the bike’s brilliant creator, has certainly made progress over the past year or so. When Melandri failed spectacularly in 2008, the factory blamed the rider. But when Hayden got on the bike last year and repeated many of Melandri’s complaints, they knew they had to do something. “I know it sounds crazy, but when I got on the thing last year it was so different from anything I’d ever ridden, it was really hard to get the feel,” says Hayden. “The bike earned its reputation – it can be hard to ride and really frustrating.’ One of Hayden’s and Melandri’s biggest complaints was that the Ducati would behave differently from lap to lap. “The bike was so unpredictable,” says Melandri. “From lap to lap and also from one run to the next – sometimes it was like you had taken your team-mate’s bike.’ Preziosi suspected the electronics. The
THE GREAT DUCATI MYSTERY
STONER: THE FACTS
Still disagree with him when Stoner says he’s underpaid? 1 win Capirossi
DUCATI’S 800CC WINS
20 wins Stoner
NUMBER OF POINTS
Above: Lead engineer Filippo Preziosi (left) is focused on making the bike more tolerant of other riders. Left: 2010’s champion? Stoner returned in ominous form at Phillip Island in 2009 after a long period of illness .
867
798
No of points scored by Stoner from 49 starts
No of points scored by all other Ducati riders in 164 starts
DUCATI (WITHOUT STONER) v SUZUKI
Minus Stoner, Ducati still has 46% more 800cc starts, but 27% less success
11
8 Podium finishes
Podium finishes
CONSTRUCTORS CHAMPIONSHIP
Only in illness-blighted 2009 did Stoner fail to drastically alter Ducati’s fortunes
2008
181
315
Honda
402
Without Stoner
Ducati
Kawasaki
Suzuki
Honda
Yamaha
Suzuki
Kawasaki
Yamaha
88
88
129
181
321
315
Ducati
402
With Stoner
2007 Without Stoner
241
209
313
297
Honda
Yamaha
241
144
Ducati
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Kawasaki
Suzuki
Suzuki
Kawasaki
Yamaha
144
313
283
394
With Stoner
Honda
But even when a rider thinks he’s got enough tyre temperature, the Ducati can still bite. “I need more feedback,” Hayden said midway through last season. “Every time I feel good, I crash. You’re feeling good and you think ‘wow, I can go faster’ and then you’re down with no warning.” That’s a scary place for a rider to be. Pramac Ducati rider Mika Kallio had similar problems last year. He blamed lack of front-end confidence: “I wanted to push harder, but it felt like if I pushed more I would fall down”. This year Ducati have a new Ohlins fork which they hope will improve front-end feel. Obviously, Stoner doesn’t suffer from these problems. He has the confidence to put the hammer down the moment he leaves pit lane, and he can feel the limit because he happily walks that tightrope every race. Why? Possibly because he’s a genius rider with an intuitive understanding of machine behaviour. Ducati made inroads into the tyre and feedback issues last year, largely by changing the riding position. They raised P
Ducati
Ducati’s hi-tech management system has an auto-learning mode, in which the electronics adjust constantly according to rider input, so if there’s less grip available, the traction control automatically compensates. Halfway through 2009, Hayden improved his GP9 by turning down the auto-learning. “I got rid of some of that, so the bike would feel the same one lap to the next, so I could find the limit,” he says. He was rewarded by his first Ducati podium at Indianapolis. Meanwhile Preziosi found what he believes is the major cause of the inconsistency. “Riders found the bike difficult to understand, so they weren’t pushing hard,” he says, “and the tyres weren’t getting hot enough, so bike behaviour would change according to how hot or cold the tyres were.” Guintoli felt the pain of the Ducati’s sensitivity to tyre temperature several times in 2008. “You can get stuck in the bad zone,” he said. “Sometimes you go out and think ‘fuck, I don’t feel like I can go for it, there’s something wrong’. You never get out of that zone and you can actually crash while going slow.” Not enough heat in the tyres.
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WORDS MIKE NICKS PICTURES 2SNAP/GOLD AND GOOSE
THE MAKING OF
LORENZO No girlfriend, no mobile, no email, no father: it took a kill-or-cure regime of isolation to turn Jorge Lorenzo into the only rider to challenge Valentino Rossi for the 2009 MotoGP title. DOWN ON THE RAMBLAS IN BARCELONA, where the English drunks bay into the night, the trainer Marcos Hirsch led his protégé Jorge Lorenzo to a wooden bench outside the Liceo theatre. “What are we going to do?” Lorenzo, 18 and disoriented, asked. The boy had won the first two 250cc grands prix of 2006 on his factory Aprilia RS250, but had suddenly lost focus and begun crashing all the time. His team were worried their rider, inexperienced at handling the pressure of leading a world championship, was going to seriously hurt himself. Hirsch gave unflinching advice. “If you want to be world champion, get rid of your girlfriend,” he said. “You can see her again at the end of the season.” The girlfriend, Eva, was Lorenzo’s childhood sweetheart from their adolescence in Majorca. But there was more tough love to come from Hirsch. “Drop your sports psychologist,” Hirsch advised. “And your father.” Girlfriend, coach, and the father who had
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mentored him for a decade – there wasn’t much more that Lorenzo could be expected to hack out of his life. But he did it – and went on to win six more GPs that year and his first world championship. Lorenzo retained his 250cc title in 2007, and was astutely signed by Fiat Yamaha for MotoGP in 2008, still only 21. He quickly scored three poles and a race win, and topped the championship table. Then, in a four-race spell, he suffered five huge crashes, two fractured ankles and concussion, before recovering to take the Rookie of the Year title and fourth place in the table. This year, after Casey Stoner missed three races through illness, Lorenzo was the only rider to challenge Valentino Rossi for the world title. He crashed four times to the 30-year-old Rossi’s three, but still finished the year as World No 2, at only 22 years of age, pricking his team-mate into some uncharacteristic grumbles along the way. It’s hard to figure out how Lorenzo has managed to pack so much into that brief span of years. His life is a rolling P
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MEN & MACHINE HONDA
➔
| SUSPENSION | ADJUSTING TO OHLINS
All Hondas now use Ohlins suspension, with the latest through-rod 48mm forks – apart from Randy De Puniet, whose LCR team have stuck with their ex-Ilmor 42mm units. This change seems to have caused No 1 Honda rider Dani Pedrosa some angst as the Ohlins have a markedly different feel to the Showas he’s used to. Honda says all customer bikes are now replicas of the Repsol bikes (apart from electronics) in a tacit admission that
➔ THE RIDERS DANI PEDROSA | 3
its top team may not have a monopoly on good ideas when it comes to improving the under-performing RCV.
?
Questions for the season
Q1 Will Pedrosa learn to love the Ohlins, or will they be the end of his works career? Q2 Can Honda at last make their 800 as good and as usable as their 990cc V5 was?
HRC is not a company famed for its patience, yet Pedrosa is about to embark on his fifth year having enjoyed (by Honda standards) minimal success. Maybe Honda is too scared to fire him for fear of driving away the Repsol millions (Pedrosa has a close affiliation with the Spanish fuel company which is the factory team’s title sponsor). It’s hard to fathom what makes Pedrosa tick. He’s constantly scrutinised for failing to deliver on vast promise by never seriously challenging for a MotoGP title. His aloof character makes him hard to warm to, and he’s become pigeonholed as something of a one-trick pony – lethal when on his own with clear track ahead, but timid during fairing-rubbing combat. Pedrosa remains in the considerable shadow of mentor and manager Alberto Puig. The phrase ‘my way or the highway’
could have been invented for Puig’s uncompromising management style. It must have repressed Pedrosa, who has become a divisive figure at Repsol Honda. Pedrosa is prone to the occasional charm offensive and at times can be a softly-spoken but engaging subject. But he’s yet to exhibit the leadership qualities and decisiveness that are needed to steer Honda back to glory.
ANDREA DOVIZIOSO | 4
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| CHASSIS | ALTERING FLEX
The bike has a completely new ‘open back’ style of chassis, mimicking the design Yamaha have used since Rossi joined them in 2004. This doesn’t use a cross-brace above the gearbox; instead, the rear shock is fixed directly to a special mount on the new crankcases. This makes the
rear of the chassis more pliant and forgiving at high lean angles. The bike’s weight balance isn’t yet right, with most of the Honda teams changing the position of the bearing cups in the steering head to move the front wheel forward or back, looking for a position that gives a weight distribution their rider likes.
Amenable but somewhat uninspiring in comparison to the likes of Rossi and Lorenzo, Dovizioso’s career is at a crossroads as the 2010 season looms large. He’s an assiduous worker, dependable character and popular with his crew, but the jury is still out on his prospects. The pressure is mounting as he desperately tries to retain his slot in Honda’s factory squad. Whether he has the mental strength to cope under such immense scrutiny will be a key part of the championship, but Honda management doesn’t seem particularly convinced that Dovizioso is the man who can return the glory days. Having an Italian ally in Livio Suppo in the senior management will at least make Dovizioso think his corner is being fought, and he seems to have removed
himself from getting too wrapped in the complexity of having Pedrosa as a team-mate. Dovizioso will at least feel content that Honda is giving him the tools he thinks he needs, having been influential in a big reshuffle of his squad over the winter. But failure to deliver in 2010 could put him in a vulnerable position.
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‘NOW FOR THE FIRST
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T
he Italian restaurant where we’re meeting Max looks busy and we’ve just been told there are no tables. It seems the well-dressed population of Monaco is out in abundance enjoying the winter sun and this is the place to go for good food. Two minutes of waiting on the pavement later and the four-time world champion comes to a stop right next to us riding a white Vespa. It’s not easy to look cool on a scooter, but Max Biaggi pulls it off. He’s got a smile on his face and says ‘Ciao tutti’ as he shakes my hand. He’s curious why I’m not inside, and I explain as he parks the Vespa and walks to the door. Inside he’s greeted like a long lost son by the owner Raffaele and we’re quickly ushered through to a table at the back of the restaurant. “This is what I like about Monaco – the people,” he explains. “It’s a good place to live, it’s safe and since becoming a father it makes even more sense. It’s just easy to get things done and everything is close. I’ve been here for 19 years now, since before I was a professional racer.” There’s no menu, instead Raffaele chats with us explaining what they have. Instead of individual dishes he brings us a selection of freshly prepared pastas and we dig in. With the WSB season only just finished the starting point of our interview is Max’s remarkable year on the all-new factory Aprilia RSV4: “It’s great that Aprilia is back. In the middle of 2008 season the factory started to talk to me, but it was at a really early stage. They didn’t even know if it was going to be ready for 2009 or 2010, but said that if they had me onboard it would race in 2009. “When a team talks in this way you know very well they are not ready. It was a gamble for all of us whether we could be competitive. We had the hope, but we had no idea, no data, nothing. It was like stepping into the dark.” Yet it’s fair to say that Max and the factory have enjoyed a year illuminated by success and the promise of more to come – fourth overall behind two factory Ducatis and new champion Ben Spies, and the fastest top speed of the year, 202.242mph. He was also one of only five riders to win in 2009, with nine podiums and a fastest lap to his credit.
Re-uniting his 250GP team “The team I had around me was a major factor in me signing for Aprilia. I had a lot of success with these guys in the past and working with them was part of my deal. When the top guy from Aprilia spoke with me the first thing I told him was the group of people I wanted. To start with he said it
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wasn’t possible because they were involved in 250GPs. So I said OK, sorry, and after a few minutes they agreed and we continued talking. Now I have the best team of my career. It’s mostly guys from when I was in 250GP; they know me, how I work and we understand each other very well.” The success of the Aprilia project is two-fold. First Biaggi plays a vital role as a perfectionist and developer; second, Aprilia has a rich racing heritage which has brought its GP work ethic to WSB. Max continues: “The feedback I give is the same as what they see on the data so they know they can trust my comments. The development of a new bike can be like a winding road, but with my experience and the trust we have within the team, we have made this road like a straight line. “I think it’s the most beautiful bike on the grid. When you see the Aprilia compared to the other bikes in WSB they look like they are from the past. I’m sorry to the other guys, but the Aprilia looks so advanced.” At 38, Biaggi is the oldest man in the class. Despite racing at the highest level for almost two decades he still has an insatiable desire to compete. He shares a passion and lust for life with any of the motorcycling greats and it’s this that sets him apart from the crowd. “For sure I am older now, but I don’t feel it is time to think about doing something different. I still enjoy my racing, this year more than any other time in my Superbike career. My bike is competitive, my team is good and it feels good to be in a project that is growing up. My engineers work very hard so I am not the only one giving 100%. “Superbike has been very good to me, but I don’t think many people in MotoGP would reach 35 years old and then decide to come to WSB to try to do something good.” On 22 September he became a father for the first time with the birth of his daughter Ines Angelica.
Above: Cruising the harbour in Monaco on his Vespa, Biaggi is constantly recognised. Right: Off-track Max is no longer a playboy, investing in property rather than planes. When he wants a yacht, he rents. “The birth of my daughter was incredible but it hasn’t changed me as a racer. All it has done is given me more energy. Since I became a father I’ve been on the podium at least once at every round. There is no time to think about her when I am racing, but it hasn’t slowed me down.” After coffee we leave the restaurant. We haven’t paid – it’s on the house. We’re minutes away from the seafront so we head there to check out the yachts gracing the harbour. As we walk I ask Max about next year and whether there’ll ever be a fifth star to join the four on his leathers representing his 250GP titles. “Who knows? If you look at the last three years in WSB then next year will be my best opportunity. If the season started tomorrow then for sure we would have a chance to play for the win, but right now we do not know the potential of the other teams for 2010. If I have to choose one goal for 2010 it is to win more races than I did in 2007 [three]. “2010 will be very intense. It will be a true year because the new manufacturers BMW and Aprilia will have a year’s experience. Plus the riders that raced this season with no pressure, such as Fabrizio, Rea and myself know there is now the pressure and expectation to challenge for the title.” It’s clear his aspirations are high and his motivation is unequivocal. I’m curious how a man who has won four world tittles, raced and beaten the best, owns a multi-million dollar house in Malibu and has just had a baby with a former Miss Italy, stays fired up: “After so many years, 20 years no stop – I think is it part of me.
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BIAGGI INTERVIEW
‘SINCE I BECAME A FATHER I’VE BEEN ON THE PODIUM AT LEAST ONCE AT EVERY ROUND’
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WORDS MICHAEL GUY PICTURES GOLD AND GOOSE / THE BRITS
THE BRITS ACCESS ALL AREAS
Ride hard, play hard, take the piss but no prisoners: it’s our strongest year in WSB ever and it’s all thanks to these guys IN 2010 THE BRITS ARE TAKING WSB BY storm. The magnificent seven are fast, determined, aggressive and above all unfazed by the competition. If riders like Max Biaggi or Troy Corser think their numerous world titles are going to earn them some breathing space and respect they’d better think again. This is the new breed of Brits out for
one thing – WSB glory. For sure they want to beat each other, but that’s just part of it. They all believe they can win and whoever does it’s going to be a stonker of a year to be a British bike race fan. Armed with MCN Sport disposable cameras, they take us along as the whole magnificent caper gets under way at Phillip Island, while we assess their chances.
There’s no motorhomes or hospitality units in Australia so you have to make yourself at home in the portakabins at the back of the garages. I shared one with Sylvain - the cabin, not the bed. I’m a good sleeper and with the jet lag you need a place to crash - Leon
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WSB DREAM TEST
‘SPIES’ R1 PITCHES INTO CORNERS WITH THE SPEED OF A RABBIT CHASED INTO A HEDGEROW’
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BEN SPIES’ YAMAHA WSB YZF-R1 ou can have half a tin of anti-perspirant clagging every armpit pore, but if there’s one sight in the world to cause the sticky mess to blow out it’s the intense stares of a race team manager and his dedicated not-so merry men. And who can blame them? After all, they’ve laboured all year on their bike to make it a winning machine in the right hands not to pander to a no-hoper getting to do something most of them won’t. But if there was a bike to make you feel instantly at home the R1 is it. The riding position instantly feels natural. CNC-machined pegs sit high and the reach to the wide-placed clipons isn’t extreme. My arms are bent enough to allow flex under braking and exert the steering input I’ll need for the first gear, uphill, off-camber turn I thruppeny-bitted on the Ducati. I can even move on the seat pad. Earplugs and the noise from the R1’s 3000rpm tickover make even shouted commands difficult to hear. The man holding the bike upright is trying to tell me which of the many flickering LCD numbers is the temperature readout. A gloved finger points and leads the way to more confusion in my head. The technician’s velvety Italian accent turns into a bark: “Issa race pattern gear shift. Donta touch no buttons…” The games console controller bolted to the left clip-on is as important to the rider as the tyres beneath him. These coloured buttons access traction control, different map settings to allow for tyre wear, fuel payload and much more. I can’t help thinking piloting an Apache attack helicopter would be easier. But within half a lap I know I’m wrong. Ben Spies’ R1 is and isn’t a typical factory racing Yamaha. It pitches into corners with the speed of a rabbit chased into a hedgerow. Every gram of the bike’s aluminium, carbon and titanium feels like it’s placed around the headstock. There’s so much
feedback from the front end. From upright to scraping toe-slider lean it’s so blindingly quick. So far this is all so sweet, and so typical. What isn’t typical is the poised, stable almost serene feel though the turns. If this is the result of the crossplane crankshaft I can’t wait for Kawasaki, Honda et al to spring their versions. It entices, shouts and begs for the throttle to be wound on harder, faster and even before the apex. And you do it with no sense that the increase in speed threatens the feelings of joy and security you get with the bike on its ear. That’s far from true with previous R1s, and indeed other Yamaha race bikes. By the last lap I throw caution completely to the wind. OK, so this is the championship-winning bike, but it’s only a bike and needs to be ridden with resolve, not reverence. I grab the throttle like it’s the scruff of its neck. Here comes some hint of raggedness, surely. But if I was expecting to punch through the R1’s composure, I was deluded. Yes, the front end starts to flap and the chassis writhe with the full thrust of the unrestricted motor flowing through it. But the numbers keep spinning up with no feeling of me having taken charge, or prospect of the bike shutting up with its constant question: ‘Are we going to start going fast soon? Are we?’ To ride the R1 or any grade-A bike to its best we all know the rider has to be at a matching peak. Knowing where and how to work the throttle for maximum advantage; working out track positioning well in advance because you arrive at that point so much quicker than you could ever believe possible. Braking at the maximum without a fraction of a second’s delay and knowing that a nanosecond separates rostrum from hospital. The R1 can do amazing things in the hands of Ben Spies. If I was in the same league as him I’m sure it would be the weapon of choice. But given that I’m not, it’s not the bike I’d choose to chase him on.
A happy union of crossplane crank and silky electronics mean Yamaha have delivered a bike that corners with clinical ease. They even overshadow the role of the once be-all and endall Ohlins.
Power 215bhp+ Power 158bhp Speed 198mph Speed 183mph Weight 162kg Weight 193kg RACE
ROAD
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ROAD RACING A YEAR IN PICTURES Records broken, Rossi at the TT, unimaginable skill and bravery: a vintage year on the roads
WORDS GARY PINCHIN PICTURES STEPHEN DAVISON, PACEMAKER
1. Cookstown, Apr 25 Michael Dunlop clips the bank on his 250cc Honda, under the noses of the spectators, on his way to victory at the Cookstown 100 2009, the opening meet of the Irish road racing season.
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2. Tandragee, May 2 Ryan Farquhar (#77, KMR Kawasaki) and Keith Amor (#24, Wilson Craig Honda) lead the pack off the line in the Open race at the Tandragee 100. The Irishman and the Scotsman were at the focal point of battles throughout the Irish National season.
3. North West 200, May 16 Dan Kneen kicks up the gravel as he uses every inch of the North West 200 course during the Supersport race. The North West is the premier Irish road race, attracting 100,000 race fans to the infamous coastal road. Isle of Man resident Kneen’s season came to an abrupt end when he broke his leg in a crash at the Isle of Man TT in June.
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