Ducati take back their turf as another 63 vs 20 chess match lights up Mugello, with Aleix Espargaro making another little piece of history in third. Pecco was stoked to take home the win after some unfamiliar names made their way to the front row of the grid on Saturday…
Read the full race reports from the weekend here…
Ducati take back their turf as another 63 vs 20 chess match lights up Mugello, with Aleix Espargaro making another little piece of history in third. Pecco was stoked to take home the win after some unfamiliar names made their way to the front row of the grid on Saturday…
FP1
LCR Honda Idemitsu’s Takaaki Nakagami dominated the final FP1 timesheets, four tenths clear, but it had been much closer than that. The Japanese rider was already fastest in a top four covered by just 0.031 seconds when he bolted on new medium compound Michelin slick tyres, front and rear, and put in a 1:46.662.
Before Nakagami’s rise, Bagnaia had been quickest on home soil for both rider and factory. He had clocked a 1:47.070 which Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) came so very close to matching when the Spaniard set a 1:47.071. Then, just before the half-hour mark, Aleix Espargaro did match it – a 1:47.070 exactly – before Nakagami moved the goal posts.
FP2
It wasn’t long until Nakagami’s 1:46.662 from FP1 was bettered by Zarco, who set a 1:46.381 on his Ducati, and Bagnaia would move into second spot at the halfway mark with a 1:46.604 and 1:46.538 on consecutive laps.
When the time attacks came in the final minutes, Bagnaia punched out a 1:45.940 to go to the very top, with Miller following him across the line to set a 1:46.313 and Zarco also in tow as he rolled out a 1:46.349. They were first, second, and third, with more Ducati riders also in fourth, fifth and sixth, but Aleix Espargaro had other ideas – he moved the marker to a 1:45.891 in the final three minutes, thanks in part to a slipstream from team-mate Viñales.
Friday Top Three (Full Results Here)
1 Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) – Aprilia – 1’45.891
2 Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) – Ducati- +0.049
3 Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) – Ducati – +0.422
Saturday
Gresini Racing MotoGP™ rider Fabio Di Giannantonio has the first premier class pole position of his career after a dream Q2 session for the rookie home heroes in the Gran Premio d’Italia Oakley. Di Giannantonio set a 1:46.156 with the chequered flag out to head up a front row comprised of three Italians from two Italian teams, riding Ducati’s Bologna bullets. Fellow rookie Marco Bezzecchi was second-fastest and his fellow Mooney VR46 Racing Team rider, Luca Marini, took third after rain came, faded and then left plenty up for grabs on full slicks in Q2.
Q2
Di Giannantonio came through Q1, when the arrival of light rain spiced up proceedings, but it was clear by the end of that session that slick Michelin tyres had to be the choice for Q2 despite the persistent threat of rain. That meant the battle for pole would be less about strategy and more about a straight fight to set the quickest pace in the hills of Tuscany…
After a red flag interruption for a Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) crash, rider ok, Di Giannantonio then kicked things off with a 1:49.124 before moving the marker to a 1:47.163 and then a 1:46.607 on his following laps. The Gresini rider continued to prove the pacesetter until Prima Pramac’s Johann Zarco put in a 1:46.875, but that time would not stack up as the pace continued to hot up.
Bezzecchi got in a 1:46.616, then Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) a 1:46.471 and Di Giannantonio a 1:46.410 just before the chequered flag, but Zarco wasn’t done yet. The Frenchman clocked a 1:46.383 to go to provisional pole, before it looked like being a VR46 one-two when Bezzecchi set a 1:46.244 and team-mate Luca Marini moved his time to a 1:46.327. The dream scenario did not quite come to pass for the VR46 squad though as Di Giannantonio subsequently found even more time to take it back.
MotoGP Front Row (Full Results Here)
1 Fabio Di Giannantonio (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) – Ducati – 1’46.156
2 Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) – Ducati – +0.088
3 Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) – Ducati – +0.171
Sunday
Pecco is back on top! In another classic 63 vs 20, Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) was back to his flawless winning ways at the front of the field in the Gran Premio d’Italia Oakley, bouncing back in style from a crash out in France. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) nevertheless gave it everything he had, stalking the Ducati rider for the majority of the race after the two picked their way to the front. In taking second, ‘El Diablo’ also extends his lead in the Championship.
Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) came through into third for his fourth podium in a row, giving Aprilia some home turf glory and becoming only the third rider on the grid, along with Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) and Andrea Dovizioso (WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP™), to have taken four or more premier class podiums in a row.
Ducati had swept the top five in qualifying but, rather than the slightly more accustomed Bagnaia being on the front row, it was rookie Fabio Di Giannantonio (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) starting from pole, fellow rookie Marco Bezzecchi sitting second and Mooney VR46 Racing teammate Luca Marini alongside. Di Giannantonio made a good launch and emerged with the lead from San Donato despite an attack from the VR46 duo, but Marini got past as they turned into Materassi as Bezzecchi slotted into third at the start of the 23 laps that lay ahead.
Bezzecchi overtook Di Giannantonio through Scarperia/Palagio, before Quartararo snatched fourth spot back from Aleix Espargaro on Lap 2 after the Aprilia rider had made a bold move down the hill on the opening lap. Quartararo was third when he slipped by Di Giannantonio at Scarperia/Palagio on Lap 2, but he had a serious challenge on his hands to try and keep the Ducatis at bay given the power they had on tap up the main straight.
A new Ducati threat then emerged when Bagnaia, who had been shuffled back to ninth on the opening lap, got through on Aleix Espargaro for fifth on Lap 4. However, Quartararo was also on the march as he slipped past Marini later on that same lap, promoting ‘El Diablo’ to second.
Bagnaia slipstreamed past Di Giannantonio as Lap 4 became Lap 5, and then pulled off a big move the next time he charged up the hill towards San Donato, passing both Quartararo and Marini to move into second. ‘Pecco’ was in the lead after he overtook Bezzecchi at the start of Lap 9, while Quartararo relied on superior turning to pass the VR46 Ducati rider at Scarperia, on Lap 11. The stage was set and so began the see saw at the front. 1.2, 1 second, 1.1, 0.9… the two pounded on at the front.
Meanwhile, Di Giannantonio’s charge began to fade and Aleix Espargaro again found himself in the top five, just behind a battle between VR46 teammates Bezzecchi and Marini. Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) and Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) caught that bunch around 13 laps in, but the former was then out of the race when he tucked the front through Materassi, on Lap 14. Rider ok, standings taking a dent.
Aleix Espargaro finally got back through to fourth as he went down the inside of Marini on Lap 14 at Correntaio, and Zarco relegated #10 to sixth position at the start of Lap 17. Then, Aprilia’s ‘Captain’ got ahead of the next impressive VR46 hurdle with a pass of Bezzecchi at Scarperia on lap 17.
While that was elbows out, Quartararo was starting to make inroads on Bagnaia’s margin. ‘El Diablo’ brought the gap back under a second with around half a dozen laps to go and was able to keep it there, but then the Ducati rider was able to respond. It was back out to 1.1 with a lap to go, and by the time he crossed the line for an emotional win, it was just over half a second. And those 25 points put Pecco fourth, 41 points off Quartararo.
Aleix Espargaro, meanwhile, finished just under two seconds further back, while Zarco passed Bezzechi on the final lap to claim fourth. Marini made it VR46 bikes fifth and sixth, while Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) proved once again that he is the ‘Sunday man’ by climbing from 16th on the grid to seventh all-told, and only a couple of tenths off the VR46 battle. Rounding out the top 10 were Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu), Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), and – in his last race before surgery on his right arm – Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team).
It took a video review to decide 11th position, in favour of Di Giannantonio, after he and Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) has initially posted identical race times. Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) finished 13th, Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol) took 14th, and Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) scored the last World Championship point in 15th. The non-finishers in addition to Bastianini were Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team), who crashed out on Lap 5, and Team Suzuki Ecstar duo Joan Mir and Alex Rins, who both went down in separate incidents on Lap 8. Rins’ crash was after contact with Nakagami, but the incident was reviewed and no action taken.
In the World Championship, Quartararo’s lead over Aleix Espargaro has crept up to eight points, while Bastianini is now 28 points off the pace in third spot. And Pecco is on the march… Can he make up more ground when MotoGP™ heads to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for the Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya? Find out next weekend!
Francesco Bagnaia: “Incredible. I’m already without my voice; I screamed loud and too much. it’s incredible. I think all of the team and me have really deserved this victory because we have worked a lot. Last week, we were as strong, but we were more unlucky. In any case, we worked so well during this weekend. The start was not my best start ever and in the first braking zone I was a bit late, but in any case, I’m very happy to have won this race at home, in front of our fans. It’s really great.”
MotoGP Podium (Full Results Here)
1 Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) – Ducati – 41:18.923
2 Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) – Ducati – +0.635
3 Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) – Aprilia – +1.983
Moto2
There’s a new history maker in town, or more accurately, Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) has done it again. After crashing out the lead at Le Mans, the rookie sensation reclaimed that moniker in some style as he became the youngest intermediate class winner, pulling clear in the latter stages at Mugello to take back to the top step. The previous record holder? Marc Marquez. A group fight just behind saw Joe Roberts (Italtrans Racing Team) come home second and Ai Ogura (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) complete the podium.
In doing so the Japanese rider moves up to second overall but equal on points with Championship leader Celestino Vietti (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) after heartbreak at home for the Italian, with a technical problem taking him out the fight when sat behind Roberts. There was more drama too, with Aron Canet (Flexbox HP 40) sliding out of second earlier in the race, rider ok.
Canet had got the holeshot from pole position but Acosta outbraked him when they arrived at San Donato and he led the field down the hill for the first time. Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) went past Canet through the Casanova/Savelli complex on Lap 1 but the Spaniard returned the favour on Lap 2, and Lowes instead found himself in a battle with teammate Tony Arbolino over third spot for several laps.
Acosta rode a composed race, his only real blemish being when he ran wide exiting Arrabbiata 2 on Lap 3 and got loose on the kerb. That moment allowed Canet back past, but he held the lead only until #51 slipstreamed back in front at the start of Lap 4. They were still first and second, having pulled around a second clear of the chasing pack, when disaster struck for Canet on Lap 13. He tucked the front going through Bucine and went sliding into the gravel trap, marking the end of his afternoon but rider ok.
That incident left Acosta on his own at the head of the field, but there were battles aplenty going on not too far behind. In addition to the intra-team battle between Lowes and Arbolino, Roberts and Ogura were going hard it for fifth position initially, while Vietti was on the comeback trail after he was swamped at the first corner of the race and had dropped dwon to 10th.
The pre-race World Championship leader was back up to seventh, albeit one second from the group ahead of him, when he passed wildcard Mattia Pasini (Inde GASGAS Aspar Team) on Lap 6, before Ogura got himself into fourth position when he got by Lowes on Lap 9 at San Donato. The Japanese rider was third when he did likewise to Arbolino on Lap 10, but the Italian got back ahead a lap later.
Ogura overtook Arbolino once more into San Donato on Lap 13, just before Vietti picked off Lowes for sixth through Casanova/Savelli. With Canet out of the picture, Roberts and Vietti were third and fourth once they also got ahead of Arbolino, and then they went after Ogura. The American made a bold move at Palagio on Lap 14 which held up Ogura on exit and Vietti rode through the gap too, relegating the Honda Team Asia rider to fourth.
Meanwhile, the Marc VDS duo continued to lose touch with the four ahead as they sliced and diced with each other. Matters came to a head on Lap 19 when Arbolino had a dive at Turn 2, making contact with Lowes which caused his team-mate to crash. The Briton vented his fury from the gravel trap while Arbolino would soon be issued a long lap penalty.
It was looking like a solid recovery for Vietti, who would have extended his World Championship lead if he stayed ahead of Ogura, but then his bike suffered a problem less than three laps from home. Not only did he miss out on 16 points, the extra three which Ogura would collect by inheriting third position draws them level on points at the top.
There were no such dramas for Acosta. He continued to pull away and ultimately took the chequered flag 4.051 seconds up on Roberts. Ogura finished third, and Arbolino still grabbed fourth, though just 0.015 seconds ahead of Augusto Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) after a long comeback from outside the points after a tougher qualifying and then start for the Le Mans winner.
The rest of the top 10 was Jake Dixon (Inde GASGAS Aspar Team) in sixth, from Cameron Beaubier (American Racing), impressive rookie and new full-time rider Alonso Lopez (MB Conveyors Speed Up), Marcel Schrötter (Liqui Moly Intact GP), and Albert Arenas (Inde GASGAS Aspar Team). Somkiat Chantra (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) was a notable DNF after his spill at Scarperia on Lap 5.
Moto2 Podium (Full Results Here)
1 Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) – Kalex – 39’35.930
2 Joe Roberts (Italtrans Racing Team) – Kalex – +4.051
3 Ai Ogura (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) – Kalex – +6.749
Moto3
Sergio Garcia (Valresa GASGAS Aspar Team) came out on top in a last lap classic at Mugello, with plenty of drama as two title rivals failed to score and teammate Izan Guevara crossed the finish line first. The number 28 had exceeded track limits on the last lap, however, and forfeits the win to Garcia. Tatsuki Suzuki (Leopard Racing) completed the podium as his step back into frontrunning speed continued, the number 24 overcoming a Long Lap and still crossing the line almost in unison with the GASGAS duo.
Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Tech3) got the holeshot and after only a lap, there was a trio at the front: the Turk leading Guevara and Diogo Moreira (MT Helmets – MSI), with Andrea Migno (Rivacold Snipers Team) on the chase at the front of a freight train. It didn’t stay that way for long though, with a long snake of Moto3™ machines soon making their way round Mugello.
Drama then hit for Öncü as the fight lit up though, with contact from Suzuki seeing the Turk slide out. The Japanese rider was given a Long Lap to take, and Öncü was able to rejoin, facing a fight back from well outside the points.
Meawhile, Jamue Masia (Red Bull KTM Ajo) had a moment that dropped him down the order too, just as Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing) had taken up the mantle at the front, the Italian starting to build a gap. It wasn’t to be this time round though, with the number 7 crashing from the lead and Carlos Tatay (CFMoto PrüstelGP) avoiding that, just before some more drama as John McPhee (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) crashed and Daniel Holgado (Red Bull KTM Ajo) went down in the incident too.
The shuffle left a gap behind the leading six of Moreira, Garcia, Guevara, Ryusei Yamanaka (CFMoto PrüstelGP), Riccardo Rossi (SIC58 Squadra Corse) and Migno, with Suzuki then tucked in on a mission to tag back on after completing the Long Lap. And he did it, creating a seven-rider fight for the win by five to go and then taking the lead with four to go.
On the last lap, Guevara was leading Garcia leading Suzuki, with Migno looking to attack the Japanese rider. And in classic Moto3™ style it all went down to the final corner as Garcia headed up the inside and Guevara tucked into the slipstream, with Suzuki doing the same and getting some great drive to add to the grunt of his Leopard Honda.
It was neck and neck all the way to the line, but Guevara got there first… just. And then news came through the number 28 had exceeded track limits on the final lap and the victory slipped through his fingers, promoting Garcia to the win and the 25 points. Guevara is classified second, with Suzuki completing the incredibly tight podium.
Migno just lost out on home glory in fourth, with Yamanaka completing the top five and taking his best race result yet. Rossi was the last of the front group in P6 after a tangle with Moreira at the final corner. The two suffered some light contact and then, trying to recover, the Brazilian overgassed it and highsided out.
Five seconds back there was another incredibly close trio, with Ivan Ortola (Angeluss MTA Team) beating Elia Bartolini (QJMotor Avintia Racing Team) and Matteo Bertelle (QJMotor Avintia Racing Team) to seventh. Adrian Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) just pipped debutant David Muñoz (BOE Motorsports) to the top ten, with Joel Kelso (CIP Green Power) a couple of tenths back. Mario Aji (Honda Team Asia) takes P13, with Lorenzo Fellon (SIC58 Squadra Corse) dropping to 14th after a Long Lap.
The points were completed by Öncü as the Turk put the pedal to the metal on his comeback, with Kaito Toba (CIP Green Power) and Masia joining him in a three-way battle to the line. But Öncü took it, making Sunday at Mugello a 0 for both Foggia and Masia, and a day of big gains in the standings for GASGAS.
Moto3 Podium (Full Results Here)
1 Sergio Garcia (Valresa GASGAS Aspar Team) – GASGAS – 39’43.214
2 Izan Guevara (Valresa GASGAS Aspar Team) – GASGAS – -0.000
3 Tatsuki Suzuki (Leopard Racing) – Honda – +0.012
In volume one, Stuart interviewed his friends, Chris and Alex Pickett, about their first foray into racing on the roads at the Isle of Man. From there Alex went on to ride for a couple of well-known teams at the TT. Here’s how it went down.
Alex: “I had become friendly with a local Isle of Man based team when I was at the Manx GP in 2013. TC Racing is a family-based team that specialises in up and coming racers, especially ones from overseas. Cam Donald and Dave Johnson both had their first TT starts with TC Racing. Often, over the years, you’d find the three of us Aussie riders chilling out in the TC tent. It’s a real family atmosphere and they are in fact still like family to me. All decisions within the team are made as a team and they approached me to ride for them in the 2014 TT, getting sponsorship from the IOM government. I had to get myself there and pay for tyres. Everything else was covered.”
Read volume one of Between The Hedges here…
Chris: “TC Racing is not only a great team but a great bunch of people. John and Liz Taubman, their daughters Alana and Sam Taubman and their partners Gas Knight and Mick Charnock. Mick himself was a very experienced roads racer but a couple of big crashes at the the TT stopped Mick’s career. They looked after us like family, even after my mate Dave dropped a brand new Magnesium Dymag rim on the ground. Dave is no longer with us, but gave us some great laughs at the TT in 2014. Little did we know he had a brain tumour at the time and was losing the plot a little.”
Alex had a full schedule at the 2014 TT.
Alex: “I was entered in all five races in 2014. I had a Honda CBR600RR for the Supersport class, a CBR1000RR superstocker and a full house CBR1000RR for the Superbike and Senior TTs. Practice week went ok, but not without a few dramas. The super stocker fried a fuel pump fuse and left me stranded near Sulby Bridge, and I crashed the same bike at Creg Ny Baa on another lap during practice week. I say crashed but it wasn’t as bad as that really. I had been on a flyer of a lap. I couldn’t understand why I was passing bikes so easily, thinking they were going slow. Turns out I was going fast, wheel standing everywhere and having a blast.”
“That bike was so easy to ride but as I hit the brakes for Creg Ny Baa I found I didn’t have any. All the wheel standing and head shaking had forced the front pads back in the calipers and by the time I realised what was happening I ran out of road, nose diving into the air fence at the pub on the corner. The bike plopped back down and fell over, breaking a brake lever. When I got back to the pits the team was jumping up and down, saying I was on for a 125mp/h lap until my little ‘incident’.
Chris: “Alex was going well in practice and qualifying but was struggling with the Superbike. It was a beast of a thing, with a 24-litre tank, lots of horsepower and a front end off Carlos Checa’s world superbike CBR. I think he was actually faster on the super stock 1000. A couple of times he came in with grass on the fairing where he’d nearly ran out of road, so that was a bit scary for me at least. Overall though, especially in the Supersport class, he qualified much higher than the start number the TT organisers had given him.”
Alex: “We were running hard compound Dunlops that year, they could do six laps. The top blokes had quick change rear axles so would change two rear tyres during the race. I had to manage my tyre wear. Turned out it didn’t matter in this race anyway. The six lap race started well but on the second lap I lost the front on a left hander just up from the Gooseneck. I was doing at least 160km/h at the time. I lost the front but managed to keep it upright, but then of course I ran out of road. I ran up the embankment and somehow managed to jump across a two car wide gap in the embankment where there was a gate for the paddock. Somehow, I managed to stay on and rode back to the pits. I was pretty shaken up but still managed a well over 120mp/h lap. There was grass and dirt everywhere on the bike, even between the tyres and the rim. How I didn’t crash I don’t know.”
Chris: “I was watching the pit crew getting ready for Alex’s first stop. Gaz Knight from TC Racing was next to me and said, “There’s something wrong”, as soon as Alex pulled up. You could see from his body language that his race was over then and there. To this day he doesn’t know if he hit something slippery on the road or just made a mistake. Luckily, he stayed upright. It was pretty scary for all of us.”
Alex: “The rest of race week was a shit-fight really. The team bent over backwards for me but we just had issue after issue. I was going great in the first Supersport race until the engine blew. In the Superstock race I was pumped up more than ever before. I was flying on the first lap but the fuel pump fuse blew again. We put a used stock engine from the wreckers in the CBR600RR for the second Supersport race and it held together. I came around 30th out of near 100 riders but I knew I could have gone better. The best bit was dicing with my mate Dominic Herbertson for the entire race. I had qualified one place ahead of him but we were evenly matched. Dom went on to be a well-known sponsored TT racer in the UK. We are both from ‘Newcastle’, on opposite sides of the world.”
“The last race of the week was the Senior TT, the one every rider wants to win. Of course that wasn’t going to happen for me but I wanted to give it everything. It all went well enough on a bike I struggled to tame, but I ended up around 50th place. Then it was all over for that year.”
Chris: “One of the highlights was seeing Alex get some good airtime on the TT coverage. He was flat out and Michael Dunlop eased past him on top of the mountain. The commentators gave him a big rap which was nice. FOX Sports usually runs the coverage of the TT but it’s a huge thing over there. ITV4 does the coverage and you see it each night. There are something like 300 people from ITV4 working on the TT, and the night’s show starts only one hour after practice stops, for example.
“Another surreal thing happened that year and a photo was taken of Alex that went viral. Guy Martin was chasing Michael Dunlop in one of the big bike races and Martin had an onboard camera. They both caught Alex near a big jump at Ballacrye. A still shot was taken from Martin’s bike showing Alex getting big air on the CBR1000RR. Fantastic stuff.”
Alex was disappointed with his results, though much of it was out of his control.
Alex: “I was very disappointed in my 2014 results. I feel I could have gone better, especially in the Superstock race. To this day that CBR1000RR is one of the best bikes I have ever ridden, if not the best. It was so easy to ride fast and I was on a mission that day until it broke down. That one, more than any of the others, really hurt.”
Chris: “Not much was on the radar for 2015 at the TT for Alex until I got an email from Paul Phillips, the head man at the TT, saying there could be something with Ice Valley BMW. We didn’t have the money to do something ourselves from this side of the world, so the deal was not a bad one for us. The ride was paid for by the IOM government and Ice Valley with us having to pay for tyres, getting ourselves there, and crash damage. What could go wrong I though. Lots as it turned out.”
Alex: “This was the team that gave Peter Hickman his start in 2014. He did a 129 or 130mp/h lap in his rookie year so the team had some pedigree. There were three riders in the team, myself, team principal Paul Shoesmith, and French rider Franck Petricola. All of us were on BMW S1000RRs with customer superbike kitted engines. They had around 215rwhp so were fast. It all turned to crap before practice week even started. We were at Jurby Airfield to get a feel for the bikes and I managed to highside the bike big time. I was pissing blood for a week and nothing went right after that. I knew the old man wasn’t happy when I was lying in the back of the ambulance and the door came flying open, him giving me a spray and slamming the door shut. The nurse said, “who’s that?” … “My Dad,” I replied.
Chris: “I could see someone was going to crash that day at Jurby. It was so cold and Alex was showing everyone he was the fastest. I wanted to grab the red flag and stop the session but sure enough, Alex had a massive highside. Sometimes you can see things happening before they do and that was me that day. I still maintain there was no point being out there in those conditions. The risk was much higher than any gains to be had. As they say, you can’t put an old head on young shoulders.”
Some tool time was required…
Chris: “Alex only had the one bike, which was now well damaged. I somehow became his default mechanic and had to borrow tools to get the bike back on track. From then on we chased electrical gremlins, that even factory staff from BMW head office in Germany couldn’t fix. It had a habit of cutting out and then chiming back in. We changed all sorts of stuff to no avail, so Alex had to practice on an older S1000RR while we tried to fix his bike, partly held up from waiting for parts from the mainland.”
Then practice week got worse.
Alex: “We were struggling to get our six laps of practice due to these bike issues and also poor weather. Finally I was able to get out on my bike after the team got it back together. I was running out of time to qualify so out I went. I nearly lost the front under brakes as I was braking for Ballaugh Bridge on the first lap. That was weird I thought and should have stopped to see what the issue was, but being under pressure to get my laps in I pressed on. Little did I realise my front tyre was going down. I got onto Sulby Straight and as I tipped into the right hand kink at the end of the straight I lost control of the bike. I remember just hitting the limiter in top gear as I tipped in, a millisecond before the bike went into a massive tank slapper.
“I was heading for the wall of a house and was about to jump off when the bike hit the kerb and bounced me straight. You can imagine how fast all of this happened, as I had just hit around 300km/h when I had the tank slapper. Somehow I held onto it and came to a stop at Sulby Bridge. By this stage the front tyre was off the rim.”
Chris: “I knew something had happened because live timing showed Alex hadn’t progressed beyond a certain sector of the course. Then he called me from a Marshall’s phone and told me he had a flat. We were able to borrow a van from James Whitham, ex WSBK/TT racer and TT commentator, and I went out with Dan Harrison, one of Alex’s mates from Australia, to pick him up. We had to wait until the roads were declared open and while we were doing this I got a text from Cam Donald, asking if there was anything he could do, just to ask. All good I replied, he’s just got a flat tyre. When the roads were opened up after practice we joined the course at Kirkmichael. As we came onto Sulby Straight Dan said, “someone’s crashed there, pointing to a hole in the hedge.” We only had to go another kilometre or so to get Alex but when we arrived he was very agitated, asking us how his team-mate Franck was (sadly, Franck had died as a result). Little did we know it was Franck who had crashed and created the hole in the hedge, and that was the bike Cam had seen. He thought it was Alex because all the Ice Valley bikes were painted the same.”
Alex: “That was hard to accept. Frank and I had gotten on very well and this was his first big race after crashing at the NW200 in Northern Ireland 12 months earlier. You could tell he wasn’t over his injuries as he was tired all the time. This had happened a couple of times now. In 2014 I had enjoyed a coffee with multi-British Supersport champion Karl Harris. He was a real friendly guy who had noticed me and wanted to give me some tips. I met his wife and kids and they were very nice and helpful to me. Later that day after our coffee together he was killed. We still don’t know what happened.”
“We still don’t know what caused Franck to crash either. In my situation we believe the gyroscopic forces of the wheel caused the valve to pushed down releasing air. In Australia we have to fit steel valve caps to prevent this but at the TT they use rubber caps with seals. When dad looked at the valve on my front tyre he noticed the cap was cross threaded and not on properly. Because I was riding for a well know team, Dunlop technicians would check our tyres before the race. They are no doubt under the pump time wise and to this day I believe that was the case with us. The cap wasn’t fitted properly. I should have stopped at Ballaugh when I had a big slide but I felt under lots of pressure to get a lap in to qualify so I pushed on. Then a photo of me turned up when my front tyre went flat, with me in a full on tank slapper, the actual rim on the road and the tyre only being held on by the fork leg. This caused a major stir around the paddock, including the course secretary.”
Race week was no better
Alex: “I was only doing the big bike classes in 2015 but never got to finish any of the three races, with a breakdown in the Superbike TT, and a crash in the Superstock TT. We’d had no end of electrical problems due to my crash at Jurby and the bike would cut out momentarily while you were on full song, then as you are shutting the throttle it would then chime back in, making it very difficult and dangerous to ride. As I was coming up to Black Hut during the Superstock TT, the bike had a hiccup again, I looked down for a moment and by the time I looked up again I had run out of road. I slipped the wall at over 200km/h and came off. I was apparently knocked out and slid for some 150 metres. I regained consciousness pretty quickly and was able to get off the track without being run over. I was lucky, only hurting my wrist and badly spraining my ankle. The bike didn’t get off so lightly.”
Chris: “That was pretty scary. I knew Alex should have come through by now, so something was wrong. I then saw one of the pit lane officials coming towards me, locking his eyes on me. I didn’t know what to think, but none of it was good. He got to me and said, “your rider’s down but he’s ok, he walked to the chopper and is heading to Nobles Hospital now.” And that was that for 2015. Alex convalesced in hospital for a few days, we flew home via Dublin where we did a tour of the Guinness factory and he managed to set his wrist bandage on fire in a pub. Then came the task of paying for the crash damage. I worked for a few months for free to pay that off.”
Had Alex run over a black cat? It certainly seems this way. He went it alone in 2016 to race in the Supersport class on his own Kawasaki ZX-6R and managed to win his class in the Classic TT that year too on a TC Racing owned Kawasaki ZXR750. Keep an eye out for the next volume of Between The Hedges…
Words: Stuart Woodberry
The FIM Enel MotoE World Cup returns this weekend to take on the new challenge of the Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello. It’s the Cup’s debut at the stunning Tuscan track, so there was plenty to talk about in the pre-event Press Conference, with points leader Dominique Aegerter joined by fellow Le Mans winner Mattia Casadei, 2019 Cup winner Matteo Ferrari, France podium finisher Niccolo Canepa and fellow home hero Kevin Zannoni.
Q: How are you feeling arriving at Mugello as the World Cup leader?
Dominique Aegerter: “For sure, I’m very happy to be leading the championship. We have already had some great races this season. My goal is always to fight for the victory, but in MotoE™, it’s seven or eight laps, and only six here, so it’s not so easy. But, we are always fighting in the front group, so when you make a small mistake or the tactics are not really going your way, it’s not so easy to win the race, but this is our goal. It’s very nice to be here in Mugello, in Italy. For sure, it’s a really fantastic track, there will be a lot of spectators cheering for us, and for the first time with the MotoE™ bikes. I hope we can get some dry track time tomorrow for a good qualifying session in the afternoon, and let’s see how it goes with MotoE™ around this track.”
Q: Will a new track be easier with a ‘different’ bike compared to last year?
DA77: “For every rider, it’s the same. We have the 20 minutes of track time, everybody has the same tyres, everybody has a fully charged battery, and then it’s just how fast you can adapt to the race track with the bike. Maybe your team can make some small changes to the suspension or with the gearing, and it’s just important to focus on your riding every lap, to find the limit of the bike on the track, and tomorrow we will see which rider can achieve this the best. For sure, in Le Mans and Jerez, we had a lot of track time and data from last year, but here everything is new, so we just need to go out and see how the bike reacts, and how the bike feels on this race track.”
Q: You took that long-awaited victory in France; what has made the difference this year so far?
Mattia Casadei: “Honestly, I don’t know! I was fast last year but in one race, I had COVID and couldn’t fight for the championship, but I finish only 20 points from the winner and it’s good. This year, it’s a new team and I am working very well with them. It’s fantastic, I am fast, and this is my goal. I’m very happy.”
Q: Have some of the performances on the grid surprised you this year?
MC27: “No, all these guys are fast, and whoever works better with the bike goes faster than the others. I have to work on the final lap of the race because, in Le Mans, after the first drop of the tyre, I’m not very fast. But now, we’re working on it, we’ll go better. I’ll try to get the best result here in this fantastic Mugello track. The Italian fans are fantastic and I’m happy to be here.”
Q: You are the MotoE™ king of Misano, but what do you expect from this very different fast, flowing Italian venue?
Matteo Ferrari: “It’s fantastic to be here for the first time. I was here in the World Championship in Moto3 in 2015, and it’s incredible, because the fans in the stands are incredible every day. I think it will be another feeling with MotoE, because the feeling when you go in a new track with MotoE is incredible, so I think that will also be the case here…”
Q: What is your goal to improve this weekend, after a good weekend in Jerez but a tricky one at Le Mans?
MF11: “I was fast on Saturday in Le Mans because I improved my lap time from last year, and also I had really good pace. I lost the grip on the rear on the first lap so I didn’t achieve the podium for this reason but I had a good race. In the second race, I lost a little bit of feeling with the bike, so I didn’t overtake too much during the race and I finished only seventh, but it was good points for the championship. Of course, here we have to improve a little bit in qualifying, because we started the first round on the second row, and the second round on the third row. So, I think we have to improve this for tomorrow, and then we’ll see in the race, because it’s only six laps this weekend and it will be important to start very fast like Mattia did in Le Mans.”
Q: It was a first podium in France, what made the difference for you?
Niccolo Canepa: “I feel like the team did an amazing job on the bike, on the set-up, and I felt like, from the beginning of the weekend, I was really strong and could be faster. Then unfortunately we had the accident with Torres crashing in front of me in the first race, and I lost so many positions, so the first race didn’t go as planned. But the second race went really well and I’m really happy because I also enjoyed passing, I made many overtakes and it was a really nice race for me. I have to say that I really enjoyed being on the podium and I will try my best to be on the podium again this weekend.”
Q: What do you expect from a MotoE™ bike here, given your Mugello experience?
NC07: “For sure, it will be really exciting to ride here on the MotoE bike. I think I’ve ridden here on any kind of bike since I was 12 years old, so I can say I have a lot of experience on this track as well, but it will be really exciting to try the MotoE™, to see what sort of lap time we can do, to see how fast we can be in the corners. I want to see how we will do the Arrabbiatta, Casanova, Savelli, these kind of corners that are unique in the world, and it will be really exciting for sure to see how we can ride the MotoE™ on this track.”
Q: You must be happy to have been at the front in France and show that speed, even if you just missed out on the podium?
Kevin Zannoni: “Yes, I’m very happy about Le Mans, because I was fast. Unfortunately, I did not finish on the podium, but I was fast all weekend, from free practice to the races. In Race 1, I tried to win but I crashed. In Race 2, Niccolo passed me very close to the finish line. But okay, we need to do another weekend like Le Mans here.”
Q: Did the weekend help you learn a lot?
KZ21: “Yes, I understand the bike better, race by race. Because I come from Moto3, last year was a little bit difficult for me, but the last race was not so bad. Every race, I can improve something and understand from the other riders. Here in Mugello, I know the track very well, because we race a lot here in the Italian championship. But with MotoE, for sure it will be different, because MotoE is heavy. So, the change of direction on this track, I don’t know, but for sure, it will be amazing.”
The Gran Premio d’Italia Oakley, Mugello is nigh and the pre-event Press Conference at Mugello saw Championship leader Fabio Quartararo joined by second on points Aleix Espargaro fresh from a contract renewal, Le Mans winner and home hero Enea Bastianini, Jack Miller and teammate Francesco Bagnaia to talk about the weekend ahead.
Q: What would represent a good result from Mugello and Catalunya?
Fabio Quartararo: “It’s difficult to say because it’s not bad tracks for us but if we are in bad positions then it will be bad, I would say if we get a great start and great first lap it can change our race, the qualifying and first lap. Let’s see how it goes but I think the next two will be tough.”
Q: What is it that you can make up with your style and what are the strong points of the Yamaha at this track that help you be strong?
FQ20: “I hope I will have more or less the same km difference than last year because we know the other manufacturers have improved a lot. I think Sector 2 and 3 are one of our strong points, our bike is really strong there and I feel good in these corners, putting yourself to the limit is a good help.”
Q: With this being Aprilia’s home Grand Prix and the next being yours, is this your most important week of the season so far?
Aleix Espargaro: “Yes, which means more pressure, but it’s okay. It’s two very important races for us. Mugello is very important for Aprilia, I’m very happy to ride in Italy in this way, with good results. We are actually leading the teams’ championship for the first time in Italy for Aprilia, so it’s fantastic and next week it will, be my home GP. It’s two very important races, but it’s 50 points, no more than Germany and Assen, for example, so I am trying to work in the same way as the previous weekends. I have the same feeling that Fabio does, that the first laps of the race will be very, very important, especially against the fast Ducatis here at Mugello with the long straight. So, trying to be focused from the first lap tomorrow morning will be very, very important.”
Q: Do you have new parts on the bike from the Jerez test, and how do you hope they will improve the RS-GP?
AE41: “Yeah, we have a couple of new things. We have a new engine for this weekend, we also have quite big aerodynamic things. I think I will not be the first one to test it tomorrow, maybe it will be Sava on the test team. But, it looks promising and I will try it tomorrow afternoon. Hopefully, it can give us some tenths to fight for the top.”
Q: How special will it be if you get that fourth victory this weekend?
Enea Bastianini: “Mugello is always special. This year again with a lot of fans is amazing for everybody and we will see how it is. We made a really good race in Le Mans but here is another story. We need to stay concentrated in the Free Practices, many riders are fast – Fabio and Pecco here – and Aleix is also very consistent this year. It will be really hard but I’m prepared and ready for this Grand Prix.”
Q: You’ve never had a podium at Mugello, do you think this weekend is the best chance of the first podium?
EB33: “We will try to be on the podium at my home Grand Prix. I’ve tried a lot but it’s not easy, we will see if we can do this but also to stay in the top five is a good result. We will see tomorrow.
Q: Is your best opportunity to put a Ducati on the podium at Mugello?
Jack Miller: “I’d like to think so. It’s kind of a love-hate relationship here. At least I finished the race here last year, so that’s nice, but not where we wanted to be. But we’ve been strong ever since Argentina, we’ve been there fighting for the podium every week, so we’re in good form. I feel like we’re at a really solid place with the bike and I feel like the improvements that we’ve made from the 21 to the 22 should really benefit us here in Mugello with a lot of fast changes of direction, a lot of fast corners. So, I’m excited for what the weekend holds, and having the fans back here should be really good.”
Q: Do you think your top speed record might go this weekend?
JM43: “I’d like to hope not. The jumps are already pretty scary, so we don’t need to be doing 365 over that thing, I don’t think. But, you never know, the bikes are getting faster and faster every year, that wall on the inside of Turn 1’s getting closer and closer every year, so it’s a possibility, but we have to wait and see. We talk about the Ducati speed and all that but it’s been equalled by KTM, so we’re not the only ones out there.
Q: How much are you looking forward to putting France behind you here?
Francesco Bagnaia: “Yeah it’s normal sometimes you can make mistakes and my one was a bit too big… I had time at home to learn from that and I think the best place to re-join is Mugello. I’m really looking forward to riding tomorrow, last year was good to me, everything went well apart from the race, but Sunday was one of the worst days we had during the season. Let’s think from the Championship and try to enjoy tomorrow.”
Q: How was it riding with the fans to Mugello?
FB63: “It was good but the only thing was we were too slow, we had three hours to arrive here in Mugello but it was good. It was the first time I did the Futa Pass and I enjoyed it.”
With many Australians showcasing their skills abroad in a range of disciplines both on-track and off-road, our new column focuses on how they’re faring battling it out with the best in their chosen classes against the best riders in the world… Words: Edward Stratmann.
Jack Miller – MotoGP
With speculation rife that Jack Miller could be losing his factory Ducati ride at the end of the season, the Australian’s brilliant second at Le Mans went some way towards blunting those rumours. Handling the treacherous track conditions in France superbly and not pushing beyond the limit, Miller’s accomplished display was littered with upside as many of the big guns crashed out.
Bagging his second podium and third top five of the season, there’s no doubting Miller has the speed to run upfront. But with him already crashing out twice and getting a 14th this season, the popular Aussie knows he can’t afford any more unsatisfactory weekends if he’s to remain in the title hunt and keep his ride. Miller’s current teammate Francesco Bagnaia offered the Ducati hierarchy some food for thought on who he prefers as his stablemate, emphatically standing in support of Miller. “He‘s been criticised too much lately, and I’m very happy for him too,” he explained to Sky Sport Italia.
“Keep him and touch nothing now that there is this perfect harmony? I feel very, very good with him; we also work a lot together, and I don‘t think we can do it with other riders.”
Currently 40 points behind Fabio Quartararo in fifth in the standings, how he fares in the next month will be pivotal in not only deciding how his season goes but also where his future lies. Miller ranks highest in the championship among Ducati riders on the GP22 bike.
Remy Gardner – MotoGP
Unable to get any sort of comfort on the bike and suffering a slew of crashes as a result, Remy Gardner’s finding things tough at present. Lacking in all areas and way off the blistering pace at the front, Gardner wasn’t shy in explaining the difficulties the KTM RC16’s throwing up, which have been exacerbated in the recent European rounds. “I’m not enjoying my life right now,” the MotoGP rookie asserted forcefully.
“Every week I have a new injury, the constant scrapes and burns are getting to me. Whenever I try to push, I end up in the gravel. I hope we get some updates for the bike soon.” Even if things are far from ideal for the reigning Moto2 champ, some encouragement can be extracted from his point scoring finishes at Qatar (15th in his MotoGP debut) and in Portugal (14th).
Joel Kelso – Moto3
Embarking on his first full campaign in Moto3, rookie Joel Kelso has shown some flashes of quality in what’s a highly competitive and combative class. Kicking things off with a solid 15th in Qatar, where he battled all race long for 12th, this offered him a good gauge of the level and pace required.
Really springing into life in Argentina, the teenager strikingly notched P5 in qualifying before crossing the line on race day in a credible 10th. When the series shuttled back to Europe, he marked this switch with his best effort yet by recording an accomplished ninth place at Portugal. His fortunes disappointingly took a turn in Jerez, however, with a nasty crash in morning warm up forcing him to withdraw from the last two rounds. But if all goes to plan, there’s every chance he’ll return to the fray this weekend at Mugello.
Oli Bayliss – World Supersport
Oli Bayliss’ debut effort in the World Supersport class couldn’t have gotten off to a worse start when he broke his right ankle in preseason testing. But since recovering, much reason for optimism has emerged, for he’s been getting better with every session aboard his Barni Racing Ducati.
After going 21-19 at Aragon in round one and 14-11 at Assen, round three at Estoril proved a massive step forward for him, as he went 12-6 to reward himself for all his hard work, determination and persistence. Moreover, how he held his own and battled in the top group in race two will have been a massive boost for him. Gaining vital experience running with the heavy hitters and handling the pace admirably, the fact he finished the race 4.7 seconds off first place underlined his outstanding effort.
In what’s set to be a learning year in the class for the 18-year-old, all the early signs have been extremely positive that he can continue to go from strength to strength as he further adapts to life at this high level.
Jason O’Halloran – British Superbike
Running comfortably inside the top 10 for the first two rounds of the BSB season while he and the team got the Yamaha R1 sorted, all that work paid off handsomely at Donington Park for Jason O’Halloran. Producing an absolute masterclass to go 2-1-1 to accompany his pole position in qualifying, there was no denying the ‘O Show’ was the fastest rider and a deserved winner at round three. Now sitting second in the championship, the man who won more races than anyone else in 2021 appears destined for another title tilt this time around following his wizardry at the weekend.
Josh Brookes – British Superbike
Making a solid yet unspectacular start to his season, two time BSB champion Josh Brookes is yet to hit his usual lofty heights so far. Going 4-10-8 at Oulton Park at round two and 13-11-18 at a difficult round one, this left the 39-year-old back in 13th in the standings.
Hoping to breathe life into his season, his recent podium finish at the famous Irish street race, the North West 200, and solid 13-6-8 at Donington, might just be the catalyst he needs to return to the upper echelons where he belongs.
David Anthony – AMA Superbike MotoAmerica
Getting off to an encouraging start to his MotoAmerica season at Texas by virtue of an eighth in race one and an 11th in race two, Anthony left the opening round content. Next up was Atlanta and Virginia for the ADR Motorsports man, with a 9-DNF in the former and an 11-11 at the latter displaying his solid consistency.
Mitch Evans – MXGP
After missing the entire 2021 MXGP season with a troublesome wrist injury, it’s been terrific to see Team Honda HRC’s Mitch Evans back at the races.
While progress has been steady as he gets back to full fitness and regains his confidence, there’s been many glimpses that he’ll be back to his best in the near future. Catching the eye with a third in the qualifying race at Trentino, an eighth in Argentina and a ninth in the tricky conditions at Maggiora, this has provided tangible evidence he’s on the right path. Stating he should be back at a level resembling his best 10 rounds in, expect his trajectory to trend upwards as we approach this milestone.
Jed Beaton – MXGP
Although Jed Beaton hit the ground running in his MXGP debut by recording a brilliant sixth overall at Matterley Basin, he’s found life much more difficult thereafter, with a shoulder injury at round two in Mantova scuppering his campaign. Struggling with the pain, the Tasmanian valiantly battled to 13th in Argentina and a pair of 15th places in Portugal and Trentino before deciding to take time off to heal up.
Missing the last three GPs at Kegums, Maggiora and Sardegna, hopefully the F&H Kawasaki pilot’s ready for a return to action in Spain this weekend so he can get his debut crusade in the premier class back on track.
Jett Lawrence – AMA Supercross
What a series it was for young Honda HRC hotshot Jett Lawrence, as he claimed the 250 East Supercross title in dominant fashion to go with his 2021 AMA 250 Motocross championship. Joining elite company in the form of James Stewart, Ricky Carmichael and Ryan Villopoto to hold both indoor and outdoor crowns at 18, this serves as a testament to what a tremendous talent he is.
Clearly the fastest rider in the class, the gifted Queenslander rode with maturity, confidence and style on his way to winning four races to finish a whopping 34 points ahead of RJ Hampshire despite missing the final round.
Hunter Lawrence – AMA Supercross
Falling just short of making it a clean sweep for the Lawrence brothers in the 250s, Hunter was forced to settle for second in the 250 West standings, a measly 10 points behind Christian Craig.
Winning four races and standing on the podium at every round bar one when he suffered a DNF, Hunter showcased he has what it takes to duke it out for titles. Considering he now has two runner ups in 250 Supercross and finished third in 250 Motocross last term, the 22-year-old appears destined for glory sooner rather than later. A Lawrence brother claimed a podium at 16 of the 17 races.
Geran Stapleton and Jy Roberts – AMA Supercross
Another couple of Aussies that deserve mention are Geran Stapleton and Jy Roberts, who proved their SX skills, with Stapleton propelling himself into an impressive four main events and the late arriving Roberts making one.
Jay Wilson – Japanese Motocross
Jay Wilson continued his unbeaten start in the 250 IA2 division in Japan by winning round two at the Kanto track. After qualifying fastest, Wilson made it a perfect weekend on race day. Suffering early adversity in both motos due to getting terrible starts, he quickly got his head down and flexed his muscles to come out victorious again by going 1-1.
Extending his winning streak to five races on his Yamaha following his win in the opening round triple challenge format, the 27-year-old’s certainly going to be tough to stop in his quest for the title.
Wil Ruprecht – EnduroGP
Sitting pretty atop the FIM EnduroGP world championship at the completion of two rounds, Aussie Wil Ruprecht’s enjoyed a sensational start to his season. Backing up his fantastic 3-4 from the opening round with a sensational 1-1 in Portugal, Ruprecht’s handled the rugged terrain with aplomb so far.
Max Fricke – Speedway GP
Max Fricke roared into life at the FIM Speedway GP of Poland by producing a magnificent display in front of a packed house in Warsaw to claim a special victory.
Showing the die-hard Polish supporters why he’s such a formidable racer, the Victorian dynamo incredibly achieved the rare feat of winning a GP event despite not competing in Poland’s top flight (as he followed Zielona Gora down when they were relegated). Having scored just two points in round one, Fricke’s remarkable triumph now propels him right back into contention with the frontrunners in the championship hunt.
After a three-year wait, the North West 200 roared back into the coastal town of Portstewart this week, and it proved a dominant week of racing for METZELER riders, with seven wins coming from RACETEC RR Slick and road-legal RACETEC™ RR equipped riders across the Superbike, Supersport, Superstock and Supertwin races.
As the first major Road Race since 2019, the opening day of practice on Tuesday saw riders take time to dial themselves back into the high-speed nature of the 8.9 miles North West 200 circuit. With the weather remaining dry for qualifying on Thursday, it saw lap times tumble, and it was a clean sweep of pole positions for METZELER riders, as Richard Cooper topped the Supertwin qualifying, with Alastair Seeley taking Supersport pole and Glenn Irwin Superstock. In the blue-riband Superbike class, Irwin took that even further with an incredible ride to set the then fastest-ever lap to claim pole.
THURSDAY RACES
Cold and wet weather greeted the riders for the opening evening of racing, but despite the tricky conditions, North West 200 specialist Seeley dominated proceedings. The opening Supersport race saw him battling throughout the four-lap race, eventually taking the win by 1.984s. Fellow METZELER rider Jeremy McWilliams made it a memorable race, with the 58-year-old taking third place.
The Superstock race was a different affair, with Seeley controlling the race from the front, taking the win by 12.894s. Despite it only being his second year at the event, Cooper was able to claim third place to make it four podium finishes from the six available on Thursday. With the weather deteriorating, the opening Supertwin race was pushed to Saturday.
SATURDAY RACES
Thankfully, the main race day dawned with beautiful blue skies and warm weather, ensuring near-perfect conditions for the six races. Kick-starting the day in perfect style, Pierre Yves Bian took victory in the opening Supertwin race ahead of Paul Jordan, while Joe Loughlin would win the second race in the afternoon, joined once again by McWilliams in third.
The first of the Superbike races proved one of the best races of the week, with Irwin going head-to-head with Davey Todd, with the duo continuously swapping places throughout the six laps. Coming down to the final lap, Irwin found a way through at Metropole corner, seeing him become the first rider to win five North West 200 Superbike races in a row.
The second of the Superstock races saw a similar performance from Seeley on the IFS Racing Yamaha. Fending off an early race challenge, he was able to make full use of his road-legal RACETEC RR over the six laps to take his third win of the weekend and his 27th around the iconic course.
With the Superbike feature race being held over seven laps, safety concerns related to competitor tyres saw only METZELER riders advised to compete. Just as he did in the opening race, Irwin launched off the line to control the race from the front, being closely pushed by the impressive Cooper on the Hawk Racing Suzuki. The Honda rider was able to eventually pull away to take his sixth consecutive North West 200 Superbike win, with each victory coming on METZELER RACETEC™ RR Slick tyres. Completing the podium in third was Josh Brookes, who made his first return to the event since 2014.
METZELER UK Racing Manager Jason Griffiths: “A huge crowd witnessed this amazing spectacle on the North Coast today. Our thanks to the Metzeler riders for their fantastic performances. Alastair Seeley produced a masterclass of wet weather riding on Thursday night to take a double victory, while Richard Cooper showed his class across multiple classes and Glenn Irwin continued his domination of the Superbike class at the event, achieving a winning debut for the new Metzeler partnership with Honda Racing. The conditions encountered across the practice sessions and the races meant the full Metzeler racing range was in action this week. Taking all the pole positions in itself was an achievement and the race results are, of course, incredible. The quality work carried out by the R&D team and of course the Metzeler manufacturing facility cannot be overlooked. A real team effort.”
Head here to see all the results from the 2022 North West 200…
Back in 2005, Jeff Ware and Peter Pap arranged, with the help of Phillip Island and MotoGP, for Wayne Gardner to ride Max Biaggi’s Repsol Honda RC211V, check out what he though compared to his old NSR500. And by the way, he was only three seconds off Max’s times… Photos: Keith Muir, Peter Pap & Trevor Hedge
“The acceleration is what really shocked me. Compared to the NSR, the RCV is amazing. It’s just phenomenal.” Those are the words of 1987 world 500 grand prix champion, Wayne Gardner – who was still sweating after a sliding, wheelstanding, wheelspinning ride on Max Biaggi’s Repsol Honda RC211V. It had been 13 years since the 18-time GP winner had ridden a grand prix bike, his last world championship race being the South African Grand Prix, 1992, aboard an NSR500.
Read Mossy’s test of Rossi’s RC211V here…
Fittingly, and by pure chance, his return to the Honda garage was under the watchful eye of Erv Kanemoto – who was also there for Gardner’s last GP. “Walking into the pit garage and seeing Erv was great,” said Wayne, “It wasn’t planned that way and it was very fitting that my return to riding a grand prix motorcycle was with Erv. “As soon as I walked into the pits those 13 years seemed to disappear. I felt like I hadn’t left, although I am older and fatter now! But the feeling was still there. It was very emotional for me.”
It was the Australian Grand Prix – an event that was built from the foundations laid by Gardner back in the late ‘80s – and a fitting place for WG to give his fans a buzz. It was also an opportunity for Phillip Island to say ‘Thank you’ to the man that put Aussie motorcycling on the map. As Gardner caught up with old mates in the Honda camp, his 1987 NSR500 was wheeled out into pit lane and placed alongside the #3 RCV of Biaggi.
Check out our other racer tests here…
The crowd began to stir as images of the old Rothmans Honda were shown on the screens around track. You can bet that most of the crowd are hardened GP goers. Punters that were there for Gardner’s gutsy wins in 1989 and 1990. The NSR’s livery was bringing back memories. The crowd was starting to rumble…
“The build-up to the ride was amazing. It was an experience I’ll never forget. As I was gearing up in the change room I just couldn’t believe it’d been 13 years. The routine was the same. Leathers on. Then boots. Stretching. Walking into the garage and getting the rundown from Erv. Earplugs in as the bike is being warmed up. Brap. Brap. Brap… “Checking the monitor, cleaning my visor. Checking my helmet strap and then, finally, getting the nod from Erv. You’re up!”
“The first thing I noticed about the RC211V is the size,” admits Wayne, “Although it looks very tight and compact, Biaggi’s bike is actually quite roomy. The reach to the ‘bars is further than the old NSR and the seat-to-footpeg distance is also roomy. There’s plenty of space to move around on the bike.”
With 250-odd horsepower on tap and, err, a fair gap between rides, it was no surprise that the Repsol Honda garage began to stir and break into a group cold sweat as Gardner rolled out into pit lane and began his trip to the pit lane exit. All eyes turned to the monitor and Erv Kanemoto was at the front, joined by team manager Tanaka-San. Silence was followed by bursts of nervous laughter as Wayne wheelstood out of pit lane and onto the track…
“As soon as I clicked first and started to ride away I thought, ‘I remember how to do this. I know how to ride a GP bike,’ so I pulled a wheelie straight away!” The plan was for WG to do a sighting lap and two flying laps, so there was no rush to set the world on fire in the first corner. Still, once a racer…
“I was supposed to wave at the crowd, just do some demo laps. I took it easy for the first few corners, then I made a decision – bugger waving at the crowd, I’m going to have some fun on this thing!” With a lifetime of experience on wild NSR500s it is no surprise that Gardner found the RCV to be smooth and rideable, comparing it to one of his favourite bikes, the Suzuka 8-hour RVFs that he enjoyed so much success on.
“The RC211V is very rideable. The power curve is really, really good – just like a roadbike but much more powerful. Initially I made the mistake of riding the bike a bit too much like a two-stroke, keeping it in the high rpm. The result was lots of wheelstands and wheelspinning, but I soon figured out where to short-shift and how to ride the torque. The V5 is amazing. It pulls from quite low in the rev range and it’s nice through the bottom-end and mid-range. From 9000rpm the bike really starts to accelerate hard and to 17000rpm it is just amazing.
“The V5 is amazing. It pulls from quite low in the rev range… From 9000rpm the bike really starts to accelerate hard and to 17000rpm it is just amazing.”
“The gearbox is terrific. Biaggi has his shifter set very sensitively and you only have to touch it to change gears. The ratios are wider than the old two-strokes and I think this is a motorcycle that could benefit from overgearing – because of the torque curve. It’s very useable. “I liked the clutch set-up, with the back-torque limiter. I tried it out into Honda hairpin and the rear tyre just skipped a little. It is set just right.” Wrestling the NSRs of 1985 to 1988 was hard work (they improved in 1989), and Gardner developed a very aggressive point and shoot riding style, steering with the rear wheel out of necessity.
The modern grand prix motorcycle is, however, much more refined in the chassis department. “I can’t believe how well the RCV handles,” admits WG, “Turn-in is very light, very easy, accurate and predictable. The motorcycle is extremely stable, even through the fast sections, and the brakes are fantastic. They are so, so hard hitting once they’re up to temperature. Really amazing. There’s good feel and feedback from the chassis, it’s very neutral and reasonably light – but it does feel heavier than the 500.”
“Max likes to ride with lots of corner speed, so he runs the front very stiff and the rear quite soft. That didn’t really work too well for me as I’m more aggressive on the throttle off the turns, so a few times on my last lap the rear squatted and the bike ran wide off the turn – but that’s only a setting issue.”
NSR500 vs RC211V
“Wow. I really don’t know where to start with the differences – the NSR just seems so old, a bit like it’s rider!” Gardner spent some time sitting on his 1987 NSR after the RC211V ride – and he couldn’t believe the difference. “I didn’t realize that the NSR had aged so much but I guess it is almost 20-years old now. It’s just so small, it feels like a mini bike!”
With a weight limit of only 115 kilograms compared to the RCV’s 148 kilograms and no bulky electrics it’s no wonder the NSR500 feels so small. It is. The seat height is much lower than the RCV, the NSR is narrower and the bike is generally pretty bare bones by today’s standards.
“Still, millions of dollars were spent developing the 1987 NSR500 and it was a very, very fast motorcycle – plus it won the world championship. But I wouldn’t say it was a good motorcycle at that stage in its development. The ’86, ’87 and ’88 NSR500s were very, very difficult to ride.” Although the brutish NSR got a new chassis for 1987, a new V angle of 112-degrees and a conventional crankshaft rotation (clockwise), the V4 500 was still a handful, and didn’t like to go around corners. “The only way to turn the NSR was with the rear wheel – and you have to work hard to do that for 30-laps on a 190-horsepower bike with a 4000rpm powerband.
“500s are very physical to ride over race distance, and mentally draining. Keeping them on the pace is tough and they are easy to over ride and crash on. The RC211V felt much easier to ride and I think that, over race distance, the four-stroke would be easier than the two-stroke. In saying that, these guys are doing an amazing job riding at the level that they are. Rossi seems to be the only rider taking a four-stroke beyond its limit day-in-day-out but the others are still very fast.”
“The RCV felt much easier to ride and I think that, over race distance, the four-stroke would be easier than the two-stroke.”
“Technology has come a long way since the NSR days, and it shows when you look at the fundamental components of each of these factory bikes. The NSR wears cast-iron rotors with conventionally mounted four-piston calipers. The RC211V has carbon rotors with radial-mount calipers. The NSR has conventional forks – the RC has huge inverted items. The list goes on.”
“The 500 was very mechanical – no quickshifter, no rider aids such as traction control, back-torque limiting, or even telemetry! It was still very much seat of the pants riding, right down to jetting the four 36mm Keihin carburettors and picking gearbox ratio’s – which was absolutely crucial on the 500. “Riding the RC211V was a hell of an experience. But I have to say, nothing beats the excitement of a 500cc Grand Prix two-stroke!”
The RC211V engine is a direct descendant of a V6 Honda engine called the FXX, which was designed in the late ’80s to optimise mass centralisation and compactness. The engine was successful, but never put into production – despite out-performing the RC30’s V4. RC211V project leader, Tomoo Shiozaki, was part of the team that developed the FXX, and the influence of that engine shows in the RCV’s V5. The V5 was chosen to avoid the 10kg penalty a six-cylinder would incur – plus Honda though it would be a good challenge…
ENGINE: Liquid- cooled, DOHC, 20-valve, 990cc, 75.5-degree V5 four-stroke, 72.3mm × 48.2mm bore x stroke, Multi-injector programmable EFI, digital ignition, Six-speed cassette-type gearbox
CHASSIS: Twin-tube frame, Telescopic forks at the front, unit pro-link rear suspension, twin radial-mounted four piston calipers with carbon discs at the front, Michelin tyres all round, 17in at the front, 16.5in at the rear, 2050mm length, 600mm width, 1130mm height, 1440mm wheelbase, 130mm ground clearance..
PERFORMANCE: 240hp (increased to 256hp in 2004), 148kg wet weight, over 330km/h top speed.
OWNER: Honda Racing Corporation, Japan
An exciting weekend in France for MotoE. It went down to the wire in an all-Italian duel, Casadei took home his first win, with Aegerter and Okubo ultimately completing the podium in race one. Aegerter gets back on top and denies Casadei, with Canepa taking a first MotoE podium in third in race two…
Mattia Casadei (Pons Racing 40) is now an FIM Enel MotoE™ World Cup race winner! The Italian veteran saw off a serious challenge from compatriot Kevin Zannoni (Ongetta SIC58 Squadra Corse) in Race 1 at the SHARK Grand Prix de France to take his maiden win in the Cup. Zannoni threw everything into his bid for victory, but hit the deck on the final lap when he asked too much of his front tyre at Turn 13. Nevertheless, the speed was a warning shot for Sunday…
After that drama ahead, Dominique Aegerter (Dynavolt Intact GP) took second place and a valuable 20 points, with Hikari Okubo (Avant Ajo MotoE) completing the podium in a first rostrum finish for the Japanese rider.
There was drama as soon as the race started when Casadei’s team-mate and reigning Cup winner Jordi Torres fell in the pack as the they exited the Turn 3/Turn 4 chicane. Neither Niccolo Canepa (WithU GRT RNF MotoE™ Team) nor Xavi Fores (Octo Pramac MotoE™) were able to fully avoid the stricken Spaniard, but after a check up at the medical centre Torres was confirmed with a broken fibula; unfit but otherwise ok.
The net result of that opening lap was that Casadei led Zannoni, Okubo and Aegerter, with Casadei looking like he might break away. However, he was reeled in by Zannoni as the eight-lap contest reached its halfway mark.
After biding his time for a handful of laps, the SIC58 rider then had a big look at race leader as they sped through Turn 1/Turn 2 for the final time. Casadei fended off that attack but Zannoni did not give up, pusing to the limit and then sadly just over it as his challenge came to an end at the penultimate corner when he folded the front. Rider ok, and surely eager to recharge for a Race 2 charge.
Up ahead, Casadei won unflustered by 0.8 seconds, while Aegerter had hustled past Okubo at Turn 3 on the second-last lap. Okubo was a maiden podium finisher in third though, just ahead of Matteo Ferrari (Felo Gresini MotoE™), Hector Garzo (Tech3 E-Racing), Miquel Pons, and Eric Granado. The latter two, team-mates at the LCR E-Team, had managed to stay upright despite contact exiting Turn 14 in the closing stages of the race.
MotoE Race One Podium (Full Results Here)
1 Mattia Casadei – Pons Racing 40 – Energica – 13’54.984
2 Dominique Aegerter – Dynavolt Intact GP MotoE – Energica – +0.826
3 Hikari Okubo – Avant Ajo MotoE™ – Energica – +1.223
Race Two
Dominique Aegerter (Dynavolt Intact GP MotoE) is back on top in the FIM Enel MotoE World Cup! The Swiss rider put in a masterclass at the SHARK Grand Prix de France to take his first win in the Cup since 2020, and in doing so put himself back on top in the standings, too. The fight for victory went all the way down to the final lap, with Aegerter passing Mattia Casadei (Pons Racing 40) for the lead and affording the Italian no right to reply. Joining them on the podium for the first time in MotoE came Niccolo Canepa (WithU GRT RNF MotoE™ Team), with the Italian beating compatriot Kevin Zannoni (Ongetta SIC58 Squadra Corse) to the line by just 0.008 seconds.
Casadei took the spoils in Race 1 on the afternoon prior at Le Mans and, from pole position, he took the early lead in Race 2 as well. Aegerter lost two positions off the start before getting both back, the Swiss rider passing of Hikaro Okubo (Avant Ajo MotoE™) and then Zannoni at Turn 3 on Laps 2 and 3 respectively. That put him in clear air behind Casadei, beginning to chip away at the Italian’s one-second lead.
There was plenty of shuffling for position behind, but Aegerter was on a singular mission at the front and with a couple to go, the number 77 was right on Casadei to make it a duel for the win. By the time the two were approaching Turn 3 on the final lap, it was go time and Aegerter struck with a decisive move for the lead. Casadei stayed close but couldn’t quite bridge the gap back, with the Swiss rider keeping it pinned for his first MotoE™ win of the year and first since 2020, just over half a second in hand at the flag.
While the contest for victory was only settled late in the race, the final podium position was not even locked in until right at the finish line. In the early stages, it was pre-race points leader Eric Granado (LCR E-Team) on a charge, dropping as low as eighth on Lap 1 but getting into the top five when he passed Matteo Ferrari (Felo Gresini MotoE™) at the start of Lap 4. On Lap 5, he used a cutback to overtake Okubo for fourth spot as they accelerated off Garage Vert, but then the Brazilian found himself under threat.
Canepa took advantage of Okubo’s attempt to immediately hit back at Granado, and the Italian picked the Japanese rider’s pocket at Chemin aux Boeufs to set off a duel with Granado. The battle was settled by a decisive move from Canepa on the penultimate lap as the Italian just edged away, next locking onto the back of Zannoni up ahead and the final place on the podium.
The number 7 just got it done and stayed ahead, joining Aegerter and Casadei on the podium by just a few thousandths of a second. Zannoni was denied the rostrum once more but took a much bigger chunk of points from Race 2, with Granado completing the top five.
Okubo and Ferrari crossed the line just behind in sixth and seventh, with Hector Garzo (Tech3 E-Racing) moveing up from his grid position to eighth. Xavi Fores (Octo Pramac MotoE™) and Xavi Cardelus (Avintia Esponsorama Racing) were ninth and the tenth at the flag but both took three-second penalties for a shortcut and failure to comply with a Long Lap penalty, respectively, so the top 10 was rounded out by Marc Alcoba (Openbank Aspar Team) and Miquel Pons (LCR E-Team).
Jordi Torres did not start the race after sustaining a broken left fibula when he crashed on the opening lap of Race 1, but was in good spirits as he stayed at Le Mans to cheer on Pons Racing 40 team-mate Casadei… saying he is hoping to be back at Mugello.
Granado won both races when the season began in Jerez, but Aegerter’s first MotoE™ win since 2020 has helped him go to top of the standings, with an eight-point margin over the Brazilian. Casadei, who matched Aegerter’s 45 points for the Le Mans weekend, is nine points further behind in third. That’s it from Le Mans, but the FIM Enel MotoE™ World Cup is back again in just a fortnight as the Gran Premio d’Italia Oakley lights up the spectacular Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello.
MotoE Race Two Podium (Full Results Here)
1 Dominique Aegerter – Dynavolt Intact GP MotoE – Energica – +0.826
2 Mattia Casadei – Pons Racing 40 – Energica – +0.567
3 Niccolo Canepa – WithU GRT RNF MotoE™ Team – Energica – +1.688
Beast mode was ON at Le Mans as Enea Bastianini took a stunning third win of the season, with an all-Italian bike lock out on the rostrum. Not only that, Bastianini stormed through on Friday to break the lap record only to be broken again by Bagnia on Saturday! Miller was also finally back on the podium…
Read all the race reports from the weekend here…
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