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Rabu, 04 Mei 2011

Man Utd vs Schalke 4-1 Highlights Video Goals 2nd Leg Semi Final Uefa Champions League on 4 May 2011

Man Utd vs Schalke 4-1 Highlights Video Goals 2nd Leg Semi Final Uefa Champions League on 4 May 2011

Manchester United vs Schalke in the 2nd leg UEFA Champions League
Man Utd vs Schalke 04 Match Details:
Man Utd vs Schalke Semi Final
Man Utd vs Schalke 2011 Live
[UCL] Man Utd vs Schalke
Cup: UEFA Champions League
Stage: Semi-Final [2nd Leg]
1st Leg Result: Schalke 0-2 Man Utd
Date: 4 May 2011 (4.5.2011)
Kick Off Time: 7:45 PM BST
Stadium: Old Trafford

Big match today Man Utd vs Schalke 2nd leg semi-final. Man Utd vs Schalke 2nd Leg Semi Final UEFA Champions League (UCL) 2011 will be held in Old Trafford. Manchester United face Schalke04 in the second leg of the champions league semi final. Leading 2-0 from the first leg, Red Devils are now favorites to progress into the final of the biggest cup competition in club football.

Man Utd vs Schalke 4 May 2011. Manchester United (MU) vs Schalke be a surprise in the Champions League semi-final of 2011. The presence of Manchester United in the semifinals was a natural thing, but the presence of Schalke who became Manchester United in the semi-final opponent is a surprise this season. Manchester United, aiming for their third final in four years, have won their last four CL games, are unbeaten in 12 and have conceded a mere three goals in their 11 matches in the competition this season, a formidable record. Schalke, who need something of a miracle to reach their first CL final, are unbeaten in their last four CL away games and did win their quarter-final in Milan against title-holders Inter by 5-2 - a previous miracle.

MU were leading most of the time HT at Old Trafford this season, and if they could lead vs Chelsea, they can vs Schalke. With the 1st leg fcked up, they have no choice but try and score at least a couple of goals, so closing the game to avoid taking goals would be pointless. Guests will have to take risks, and United will certainly have a lot of chances.

Schalke was really bad in first leg. After their amazing quarter final win on Inter there was too much pressure on ther shoulders. This week maybe different schalke. I think they will score in first half, ManU too. Then Schalke is taking to much risk and ManU score two more goals.
Manchester United vs Schalke possible line up
Manchester United (4-4-2)
Van der Sar; Fabio, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra; Valencia, Scholes, Carrick, Park; Berbatov, Owen.
Schalke (4-4-2)
Neuer; Uchida, Howedes, Metzelder, Escudero; Farfan, Papadopoulos, Kluge, Jurado; Raul, Edu.
Manchester United vs Schalke Head to Head
UEFA Champions League ‎(UCL)‎ 26 Apr 2011 FC Schalke 04 0 – Manchester United 2

Man Utd vs Schalke Live Stream 2011. 4 may 2011 2nd league semi final The UEFA Champions League 2011 match today between”Schalke FC and Manchester United”. The best teams from the European Competitions will try to become the best of Europe in this Champions League (CL). “Man UN and Schalke” as always full of passion and a game you have to watch. The vectory day for Manchester United or Schalke who will win the UEFA Champions League 2nd Semi Finals match 4 May 2011. Watch Man utd vs Schalke 2nd Leg 4 May 2011 Live stream online for free HD tv coverage. Manchester United vs Schalke Live Streaming link here channel 1 / channel 2 . Have fun watching the game!

Man Utd vs Schalke 4-1 Highlights Goals Video 4 May 2011 2nd Leg Semi Final
Full Match Result Man Utd vs Schalke 4-1
Man Utd vs Schalke 26′ [1 - 0] L.A. Valencia
Man Utd vs Schalke 31′ [2 - 0] D. Gibson
Man Utd vs Schalke 35′ [2 - 1] J.M. Jurado
Man Utd vs Schalke 72′ [3 - 1] Anderson
Man Utd vs Schalke 76′ [4 - 1] Anderson





World's Richest Football Clubs

World's-Richest-Football-Clubs

Real Madrid's Richest Club in the World.
Real Madrid again ranks first as the world's richest club version of the Deloitte Football Money League. Spanish giants had become the richest club in six years in a row.

As reported by the Goal, but last season the Los Blancos perform in the Champions League is less satisfactory. El Real was eliminated in the last 16. Not only that, in the domestic league like La Liga, Real Madrid held only second place standings.

However, it did not affect Madrid in reaping the benefits financially. In their annual report recently, total kekayakan Madrid for £ 359.1 million or up 9.2 percent from the previous year amounted to £ 341.9 million.

They took advantage of the broadcasting rights of £ 129.9 million (€ 158.7 million). Obtaining it has exceeded the total cost of half of the top 20 clubs. Pengasilan advantage of the game could be up 27 percent, especially after they hosted the Champions League final.

In the second place, there is Barcelona. Madrid's eternal rival profit £ 325.9 million or up 4.6 percent from the previous year amounted to £ 311.7 million. Meanwhile, the third position is still occupied by Manchester United (MU) who benefit £ 286.4 million or up 2.8 percent from the previous year amounted to £ 278.5 million.

Here is a list of the richest clubs Deloitte versions:

1. Real Madrid: £ 359.1 million
2. Barcelona: £ 325.9 million
3. Manchester United: £ 286.4 million
4. Bayern Munich: £ 264.5 million
5. Arsenal: £ 224.4 million
6. Chelsea: £ 209.5 million
7. AC Milan: £ 193.1 million
8. Liverpool: £ 184.5 million
9. Inter Milan: £ 184.1 million
10. Juventus: £ 167.8 million
11. Manchester City: £ 125.1 million
12. Tottenham: £ 119.8 million
13. Hamburg: £ 119.7 million
14. Lyon: £ 119.6 million
15. Marseille: £ 115.5 million
16. Schalke: £ 114.5 million
17. Atletico Madrid: £ 101.9 million
18. AS Roma: £ 100.5 million
19. Stuttgart: £ 94 million
20. Aston Villa: £ 89.6 million

Selasa, 03 Mei 2011

Barcelona Win in Uefa Champions League 2nd Leg, Real Madrid Lose

Barcelona Win in Uefa Champions League 2nd Leg

Barcelona vs Real Madrid in Uefa Champions League 2nd Leg

Real Madrid finally eliminated from the Champions League 2010/2011. Step of Los Galacticos stopped in round semfinal after being held 1-1 draw with Barcelona in the second leg, Wednesday, May 4, 2011.

Compete at the headquarters of Barcelona, ​​Nou Camp, Real Madrid remained 0-2 in the first leg appear aggressive in the early minutes of stage I. Unfortunately, that was built by the army attack Jose Mourinho was not effective.

Conversely, Barcelona just a few times managed to create a golden opportunity. Luckily, Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas is still performed brilliantly and managed to secure the net until halftime.

Entering the second half, Real Madrid Barcelona immediately kicked off the defense. In minute 47, Real Madrid striker, Gonzalo Higuain netted even managed to host Barcelona on goal.

Unfortunately this goal disallowed by referee Frank De Bleeckere because it occurred after Cristiano Ronaldo, who fell accidentally crashed into Mascherano. De Bleeckere regard the incident as a violation.


In the 54th minute, Barcelona goalkeeper just managed to break through the action of Pedro's Real Madrid. The Spanish player was able to finish with a perfect bait breakthrough Andre Iniesta and brought his team winning 1-0.

To catch up, Real Madrid's Gonzalo Higuain replace with Emmanuel Adebayor in the 55th minute. El Real is also interesting Kaka in the 60th minute and replaced by Mesut Oezil.

This strategy is bearing fruit. In the 64th minute, Real Madrid managed to equalize through goals Marcelo. The Brazilian was successfully utilize kick the ball rebounds from Angel Di Maria.

Entering the 74th minute, Barcelona starting line of defense. Barca coach Pep Guardiola decided to withdraw striker David Villa and replace it with a midfielder Seydou Keita.


On 64 minutes Di Maria to shoot at Barcelona and the results of the crossbar but forwarded by Marcelo, Real Madrid result can reply via kick goal barcelona marcelo.
With the score changed so a draw 1:1.

These results make Real Madrid knocked out of Champions League. Step of Los Galacticos stopped after 1-3 aggregate defeat of Barcelona. Barca will win the final deal between Manchester United vs. Schalke.

Composition Players
Barcelona: 1-Victor Valdes; 2-Daniel Alves, 3-Gerard Pique, 14-Javier Mascherano, 5-Carles Puyol / Eric Abidal, 16-Sergio Busquets, 6-Xavi, 8-Andres Iniesta; 17-Pedro/Ibrahim Avellay , 10-Lionel Messi, 7-David Villa / Seydou Keita

Real Madrid: 1-Iker Casillas; 17-Alvaro Arbeloa, 18-Raul Albiol, 2-Ricardo Carvalho, 12-Marcelo; 14-Xabi Alonso, 10-Lassana Diarra, 7-Cristiano Ronaldo, 8-Kaka/Mesut Oezil, 22 -Angel Di Maria, 20-Gonzalo Higuain / Emmanuel Adebayor

Referee: Frank De Bleeckere (Belgium)

The first round match Barcelona vs Real Madrid in the UEFA League 2nd leg Campion

The first round match Barcelona vs Real Madrid in the UEFA League 2nd leg Campion

Real Madrid take full points in this match. Most do not have to win this match by a score of 3:0.
Very hard for Real Madrid to obtain maximum results because the ball much controlled by the Barcelona players with statistics of 80%. Opportunities are owned messi, Vila and his colleagues very much.
Casilas Real Madrid goalkeeper played very well in Barcelona withstand attack.
Quickly adopted by the Barcelona Games. But the scores still survive a draw 0:0 for now. Given extra rounds wasitpun just 1 minute.
We await final outcome of this game later on whether Real can reply to the final defeat to barcelona Campion or who would survive to get a ticket to the final?


The first round match Barcelona vs Real Madrid in the UEFA League 2nd leg Campion casilas

Real Madrid goalkeeper, Iker Casillas performed brilliantly throughout the first round match versus Barcelona, ​​Wednesday, May 4, 2011. Until the break, the Champions League semi-final second leg 2010/2011 is still a draw 0-0.

Compete at the Nou Camp, Real Madrid and Barcelona are both appear open. But the attack that was built by the host is more effective than the visitors who lost 0-2 in the first leg last week.

Unlike when appearing at the Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid aggressive this time. Jose Mourinho's troops even several times to exert pressure on Madrid's defense into the area early minutes of the first half.

Unfortunately, none of golden opportunities can be created Madrid. Cristiano Ronaldo Attack cs still aground at the foot of Barca's defense.

The hosts almost break down Madrid's goal in the 21st minute header by Sergio Busquets. Lucky Madrid goalkeeper, Iker Casillas was in the right position so easily able to tame the ball.

Entering the middle of the first half, Barca dominated the match began to look after. Even in the 31st minute, Lionel Messi Madrid goalkeeper barely break through the hard kick from outside the penalty box.

This time, Iker Casillas again managed to save his goal of being broken. While jumping, the Spanish national team goalkeeper managed to stop the ball flowing into the right side of the net.

Casillas heroic action again able to break the hard kick David Villa who has been in a free position. Although the ball was released, Casillas was still able to capture it and secure the net.

In the 36th minute, Messi again received battlements. However, its action could be broken again by Casillas. Until the first half ended, both teams were only able to play a goalless draw 0-0.

Senin, 02 Mei 2011

Manchester United vs Schalke 2nd Leg UEFA Champions (Prediction)

Manchester United vs Schalke 2nd Leg UEFA Champions (Prediction)


Schalke's 0-2 defeat of Manchester United in the first leg at the Veltins-Arena. Schalke took the victory at least 3-0 in the second leg at Old Trafford (04/05/2011).



Manchester United vs Schalke 2nd Leg UEFA Champions (Prediction)

Data and facts Manchester United vs Schalke 04, as reported by Reuters:

* Manchester United, losing once in 31 home games in the Champions League. 'Red Devils' unbeaten for more than one goal at Old Trafford in 85 matches.

* Manchester United, issued four times in four German clubs in the Champions League meeting, they still have a pretty good record.

* Manchester United saw the third in four years. Previously, they also qualify for the finals in 2008 and 2009.

* Schalke needed a miracle to qualify for the Champions League final. They won a quarterfinal match against Inter with a score of 5-2.

* Schalke have never won in four previous visits to England and always conceded two goals or more in every game.

* Schalke hope to Raul Gonzalez. Raul Gonzalez will play 142 in the Champions League.

* Schalke have never recorded the clean sheet in six matches in the Champions League.

Who will qualify and will advance to the Champions League final? Manchester United or Schalke 04?

Prediction omagnews.com this time scores 2nd leg will be won by Manchester United with the score 1:0




UEFA Champions League: Barcelona vs Real Madrid, News 2nd Leg

UEFA Champions League: Barcelona vs Real Madrid, News Leg 2


UEFA Champions League between Barcelona against Real Madrid second round, who is the champion on 03-05-2011?

Real Madrid has a successful track record in Champions League history. The last time it happened was in 2002. Real Madrid successfully won their ninth title with the beat Bayer Leverkusen in the final with a score of 2-1.

Real Madrid could also reflect on the results ahead of the game against Barcelona at the Nou Camp tomorrow in El Clasico last season. In 2002, Real Madrid won 2-0 at home to Barcelona, ​​and the result was also a shot Real Madrid for the game. At that time, Real Madrid could win 2-0 thanks to goals Zinedine Zidane and Steve McManaman.

Which then becomes the question, if Real Madrid can repeat that history?

"All agreed it would be difficult to realize, but not any of us who give up hope," said the Real Madrid to explain their expectations.

Almost all players agree to victory over Real Madrid Barcelona at the Nou Camp is not easy, but they look in the mirror with the ability to Barcelona won 2-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu in the first leg Champions League semi-final.

"So you'll never know what will happen is not it," said goalkeeper Iker Casillas tries optimistic about his team chances.

The problem, Real Madrid lost a number of pillars for this match. Pepe and Sergio Ramos certainly absent, as well as coach Jose Mourinho.

But Barcelona is not in fit condition. Especially at the back, Barcelona stock only Daniel Alves, Gerard Pique, Carles Puyol and Javier Mascherano. The rest bandaged injuries and only player from Barcelona B. But Andres Iniesta could re-appear.


UEFA Champions League: Barcelona vs Real Madrid, News Leg 2
Messi vs C. Ronaldo


Prediction Squad:
Barcelona: 1-Victor Valdes; 2-Daniel Alves, 3-Gerard Pique, 14-Javier Mascherano, 5-Carles Puyol, 16-Sergio Busquets, 6-Xavi, 15-Seydou Keita, 17-Pedro, 10-Lionel Messi 7-David Villa.

Real Madrid: 1-Iker Casillas; 17-Alvaro Arbeloa, 2-Ricardo Carvalho, 18-Raul Albiol, 12-Marcelo; 10-Lassana Diarra, 14-Xabi Alonso, 24-Sami Khedira, 23-Mesut Ozil, 7-Cristiano Ronaldo, 22-Angel Di Maria.

Prediction Results:
Barcelona 1-0 Real Madrid by omagnews.com

Juventus vs Lazio : Match Preview and Head to Head

Juventus vs Lazio : Match Preview and Head to Head

Although almost certainly fail to enter the Champions League zone, the club determined to shift its focus to finish the season in the zone of the European League. Even so, the threat Bianconeri not qualify for the European Club competitions are still very big.

Ranked seventh obviously will not make Juventus appear in Europe next season, unless the Coppa Italia finalists are teams finishing in the Champions League zone. Therefore, the main target in four games remaining Juventus are chasing top six are occupied Rome to get certainty.

Juventus chance to steal a victory is very small given the Lazio enclosure recent appearance was superior. In the most recent seven games, Edoardo Reja invincible army with only one draw.

Without a captain Stefano Mauri, who exposed suspension, coach Reja is likely re-use scheme 4-3-1-2 after previously appearing in two games with 4-2 formation fantasia.

History of meeting both teams have a balanced record. Juventus had won 25 times, but Lazio has also been reached for 24 victories. While 17 match ended a draw. The number of goals is also quite balanced, 89 versus 87 with Juventus is superior.

Lazio Last Five Matches
23/04 / '11 Inter 2-1 Lazio
17/04 / '11 Catania 1-4 Lazio
10/04 / '11 Lazio 2-0 Parma
03/04 / '11 Lazio 4-3 Napoli
19/03 / '11 Lazio 1-0 Cesena

Juventus Last Five Matches
23/04 / '11 Juventus 2-2 Catania
17/04 / '11 Fiorentina 0-0 Juventus
10/04 / '11 Genoa 3-2 Juventus
03/04 / '11 Roma 0-2 Juventus
20/03 / '11 Juventus Brescia 2-1

Head To Head
12/12 / '10 Juventus 2-1 Lazio
12/09 / '09 Lazio 0-2 Juventus
31/05 / '09 Juventus 2-0 Lazio
22/04 / '09 Juventus 1-2 Lazio
31/01 / '10 Juventus 1-1 Lazio

Approximate Composition of Players:
Lazio (4-4-1-2): Micol, Garrido, Dias, Prepaid, Lichtsteiner, Matuzalem, Ledesma, Brocchi, Hernanes, Zarate, Floccari.

Juventus (4-4-2): Buffon, Grosso, Chiellini, Bonucci, Motta, Marchisio, Aquilani, Melo, Krasic, Matri, Del Piero.

Prediction Juventus vs Lazio: Juventus wins by omagnews (60%)

Juventus Target Gilardino

Juventus Target Gilardino

Juventus ready to return to the addition of front-line players in the Old Lady, this time Alberto Gilardino were targeted in the transfer market this summer.

The Old Lady once closely associated with the former Italian national team striker, even more so after Gilardino to replace his agent at the end of this season.

The 28-year-old player said, is planning to consider his future at the end of this season, he was rumored to be refusing to do an extension with Fiorentina.

While Juve have a plan to build a team on the front lines they filled by Italian players, current players are already wearing Juve's Italy, among others, Alessandro Matri, Luca Toni, Fabio Quagliarella and want to also add to Alberto Gilardino.

As rumored La Gazzeta, Juve general manager, Beppe Marotta is planning to sell strikernya which this season begin to fade the game due to injury.

Although he has recovered from his injury, but never get the best performance, Amauri and will also dispose of other Italian striker who has eaten the age of Vincenzo Iaquinta.

Minggu, 01 Mei 2011

Rossi rues strategy, hard day for Hayden

The third round of the MotoGP World Championship, at the Portuguese circuit, saw Ducati Team’s Valentino Rossi finish in fifth place after being pipped by Andrea Dovizioso on the line of the very last lap. Team mate Nicky Hayden had a tough race after contact with fellow American, Ben Spies and he eventually finished in ninth.
Rossi rues strategy, hard day for Hayden

Rossi rues strategy, hard day for Hayden

Rossi started well from the third row and made up more positions on the first lap, bringing him to fourth place. From there, the Italian maintained a good rhythm for the entire race, holding off Andrea Dovizioso until the very end, when the Repsol Honda rider slipped by in the race to the line and finished in front of the Ducati by just twenty-five thousandths of a second.

Starting from the fifth row, Nicky Hayden also had a very strong launch, and the American was seventh after the first lap. A small shifting problem affected him a little, but it was mainly the contact with Spies that caused him to lose ground to the opposition in front. Tomorrow the Ducati Team will stay for a post-race test with the other MotoGP teams, the riders are hopeful for good weather for so that the team can continue its development of the GP11.

Valentino Rossi, Ducati Team

“Apart from Dovizioso, today went well! I’m joking, but Dovizioso obviously rode a race that was strategically perfect. I think he played with me a little, knowing that on the straight, he could probably beat me to the line. He couldn’t pass me because I was strong on the brakes, so he had me do all the work for 28 laps, before making his attempt, and he got me by twenty-five thousandths of a second. Apart from that, the team and I are very happy, because it was a nice race and this, for the time being, is the best we can do. I started well, I made up several positions, and then I was very consistent, with decent lap times. I practically did the same lap from qualifying 28 times, so it’s a good result. My only disappointment is that fourth would have been my best finish with the Ducati Team. Anyway, another positive is that I’m physically well, as I’m missing just fifteen percent of my strength, but I think I’ll be at 100 percent between Le Mans and Catalunya. As for the bike, there’s certainly still work to do, but we’re working together with the Ducati technicians. They’re pleased with the data they have, and I’m seeing that what I get from the racing department works. It will take some time, but we’re going forward. Tomorrow we’ll have some new things to try, so let’s hope that it’s dry, and we’ll see how it goes. We don’t expect to solve everything in seven hours, just to continue down the path we’ve started on together.”

Nicky Hayden, Ducati Team

“Starting from 13th, it was always going to be difficult for us, but the bike was good off the line and I got a good start. I made some early mistakes, but I was also recovering a few positions. I got into seventh, but I was having difficulty back-shifting. Already on the sighting lap, I knew it was an issue. On the grid, we talked about getting on the other bike, but we decided together, that it was better to stick with our bike and not start from the pitlane. It caused some difficulty, especially on corner entry, and some guys came past. Then Spies hit me pretty good and stood me up going into Turn 3, so I lost time to Hiroshi Aoyama and Cal Crutchlow. I’m really happy we have a test tomorrow. We’ve got some stuff to try, and hopefully we’ll get some good weather, because we lost some dry time this weekend with the rain. The bike was great in the wet—third Friday and fourth this morning—but we need to make it better in the dry.”

Sabtu, 30 April 2011

Lorenzo and Simoncelli lock horns after QP

Lorenzo and Simoncelli lock horns after QP
Jorge Lorenzo and Marco Simoncelli will line up alongside one another on the starting grid for the bwin Grande Prémio de Portugal on Sunday after taking the top two positions in Saturday’s qualifying session at Estoril, and following the hour-long session the pair were involved in a heated debate during the post-QP press conference.

The disagreement stemmed from comments made by Lorenzo about Simoncelli’s riding style, and with the media fanning the flames the duo were drawn into an open discussion which can be viewed in the attached video. Below is a transcription of what was said between the two…


Marco Simoncelli: “Yes, I read something he said about my riding style but I don’t know, for me he said some wrong things because he said that last year in Valencia I touched him and he almost crashed, but it was not true because I was in front and he tried to pass me and made a mistake. He touched me and his tyre was on my leathers, from the leg to the shoulder, so for me it’s not a correct example. Another thing is that some years ago he was disqualified by Race Direction for his aggressive riding style, so for me he said a wrong thing.”

Jorge Lorenzo: “For my part I think that yesterday I said the right words. For me it’s not a problem if it doesn’t happen, we’ll see what happens in the future.”

MS: “Yes, but you gave a wrong example, for me, from Valencia.”

JL: “I think you have touched with a lot of riders, no?”

MS: “Yes, but your example was wrong, for me.”

JL: “How many races have I not crashed in? I didn’t touch anybody.”

MS: “I said that your example was wrong, sorry!”

JL: “This is your opinion! But I think a lot of people here in the paddock, a lot of riders, have the same opinion as me.”

MS: “Try to ask.”

JL: “Ask (Andrea) Dovizioso, for example. Ask (Hiroshi) Aoyama, for example.”

MS: “Ask Dovizioso in 2005!!”

JL: “It doesn’t matter. If nothing happens in the future, it’s not a problem for me. But if something happens with you in the future, it will be a problem.”

MS: “Okay. I will be arrested!”

JL: “This question, everybody is laughing, but it’s not funny because we are playing with our lives. We are riding at 300km/h and we are on bikes which are very powerful and very heavy. It’s not minibikes. It’s a dangerous sport and you have to think about what you are doing. It’s okay, I am ready to fight with all the riders, but I don’t like to fight not clean. It’s the way. I injured myself a lot of times, I made De Angelis crash in Japan which was my fault, my mistake, so from that moment I’ve always tried to ride clean. I can make a mistake because I am human but normally when I am riding I think twice about things. I am not impulsive because it’s one thing to play with your health, and another thing to play with the other riders’ health.”

Hamilton wins the 2011 Chinese Grand Prix

2008 world champion Lewis Hamilton has won his first Grand Prix in the 2011 season, the eighth edition of the Chinese Grand Prix, ahead of Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel in a race where tyre degradation proved once again to be a key factor this year.
Hamilton wins the 2011 Chinese Grand Prix

Mark Webber drove an outstanding race to come from 18th on the grid to third in the second Red Bull, ahead of McLaren’s Jenson Button, Mercedes GP’S Nico Rosberg, Ferrari’s Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso, Mercedes GP’s Michael Schumacher, Lotus Renault GP’s Vitaly Petrov and Sauber’s Kamui Kobayashi.
2011 Chinese Grand Prix, lap by lap highlights:

The third race of the 2011 season is about to start in China’s Shanghai International circuit.

Reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel starts from pole position for the third consecutive time in the season after beating by 0.700 seconds McLaren’s Jenson Button during the qualifying session. Lewis Hamilton starts from the third spot of the grid in the other McLaren ahead of Nico Rosberg, Fernando Alonso, Felipe Massa, Jaime Alguersuari, Paul Di Resta and Sebastien Buemi.

Mark Webber faces a difficult race today as he starts from the 18th place after a disastrous qualifying on Saturday.

Formation lap: the grid clears ahead of the formation lap.

Race start: Race start at Shanghai! Into turn 1, Vettel down to third. Button P1, Hamilton P2. Massa P5, Alonso P6. Great start from Button.

Lap 2/56: Di Resta P7, Sutil P8, Schumacher P9. Webber passes Perez for P16.

Lap 3/56: DRS has been enabled. Kobayashi overtakes Alguersuari for P10.

Lap 5/56: Fastest lap for Button: 1:44.013. Webber is now up to 15th.

Lap 6/56: Di Resta reports over the team radio problems with the rear of his Force India.

Lap 7/56: Button P1, Hamilton P2, Vettel P3, Rosberg P4, Massa P5, Alonso P6. Petrov up to 11th after passing Alguersuari.

Lap 8/56: Drive through penalty for Liuzzi for jumping the start.

Lap 9/56: Perez passes Webber for P15.

Lap 10/56: Alguersuari pits. The Spaniard rejoins but his right rear wheel falls out at Turn 2. He’s out.

Lap 11/56: Schumacher pits from 11th. Webber pits. Maldonado pits.

Lap 12/56: Di Resta pits from P10. Massa P5 and Alonso P6 now pressuring Rosberg. Rosberg pits from P4. Perez overtakes Buemi for P11.

Lap 13/56: Buemi has pitted.

Lap 14/56: Vettel pressuring Hamilton for P2. Vettel overtakes Hamilton.

Lap 15/56: Button and Vettel pit together. Vettel resumes ahead of Button, but replays show Button pitting in the wrong garage! Meanwhile Massa has passed Hamilton.

Lap 16/56: Massa and Hamilton pit. Sutil pits.

Lap 17/56: Alonso pits. Perez and Barrichello pit. Replays show Massa and Hamilton overtaking Heidfeld. Buemi pits again. Glock pits.

Lap 18/56: Petrov pits.

Lap 19/56: After the first pit stop, Rosberg is now leading the race ahead of Vettel, Button, Massa, Hamilton, Schumacher and Alonso. Pit stop for Heidfeld.

Lap 20/56: Kovalainen pits from P16.

Lap 21/56: Webber is up to 11th. Trulli pits.

Lap 22/56: Kobayashi has a slightly damaged front nose. Liuzzi pits.

Lap 23/56: Alonso is struggling to pass Schumacher for P6.

Lap 24/56: Rosberg P1, Vettel P2, Button P3, Massa P4, Hamilton P5.

Lap 25/56: Button pits from P3. He rejoins in P8.

Lap 26/56: Rosberg pits from the lead. Hamilton pits. Alonso has finally passed Schumacher. Webber pits. Maldonado pits.

Lap 27/56: Schumacher pits from P5.

Lap 28/56: Fastest lap for Button: 1:41.536. Fastest lap for Webber: 1:41.200. Rosberg passes Alonso for P3.

Lap 29/56: Button passes Alonso for P4. Glock pits.

Lap 30/56: Hamilton overtakes Alonso for P5. The Spaniard is clearly struggling with the degradation on his tyres.

Lap 31/56: Sutil, Kobayashi, Heidfeld pit. Massa closing in on Vettel.

Lap 32/56: Vettel pits for the second time.

Lap 33/56: Alonso finally pits for a new set of hard tyres. Di Resta pits. Alonso resumes in 10th. Schumacher made it past Petrov for P7.

Lap 34/56: Massa pits from the lead. He resumes in P5. Replays show Massa crossing the pitlane exit line. Buemi has pitted.

Lap 35/56: Rosberg P1, Button P2, Hamilton P3, Vettel P4, Massa P5, Schumacher P6, Webber P7, Petrov P8, Alonso P9.

Lap 36/56: Hamilton overtakes Button for P2.

Lap 37/56: Perez pits from 10th. Alonso makes it past Petrov for P8. Webber closing in on Schumacher for P6.

Lap 38/56: Button makes his third pit stop and rejoins in fifth. Petrov pits. Webber overtakes Schumacher for P6.

Lap 39/56: Hamilton pits for the third time and resumes in fourth.

Lap 40/56: Third pit stop for Rosberg. Schumacher pits.

Lap 41/56: Vettel P1, Massa P2, Rosberg P3. Webber pits from 6th. Hamilton P4, Button P5. Kovalainen and Glock pit.

Lap 42/56: Hamilton passes Rosberg for P3.

Lap 43/56: Fastest lap for Webber: 1:38.993. Trulli pits from P18.

Lap 44/56: Hamilton closing in on Massa (P2).

Lap 45/56: Hamilton passes Massa for P2. Rosberg and Button getting ready to pass Massa. Webber has passed Alonso for P6.

Lap 47/56: Vettel P1, Hamilotn P2, Massa P3, Button P4, Rosberg P5, Webber P6, Alonso P7. Replays show Sutil and Perez making contact at Turn 2.

Lap 48/56: Sutil pits. Hamilton is being told to lookout at his tyres.

Lap 49/56: Race control: drive through penalty for Perez for causing a collision.

Lap 50/56: Button passes Massa for P3.

Lap 51/56: Hamilton pressuring race leader Vettel. Replays show Rosberg passing Massa for P4.

Lap 52/56: Webber up to P5. Hamilton takes the lead of the Chinese Grand Prix.

Lap 53/56: Webber pressuring Rosberg for P4. Hamilton P1, Vettel P2, Button P3, Rosberg P4, Webber P5, Massa, P6, Alonso P7. Webber overtakes Rosberg for P4.

Lap 55/56: Webber now pressuring Button for P3. Webber overtakes Button for P3.

Last lap: Lewis Hamilton takes for first the chequered flag and wins the 2011 Chinese Grand Prix. Championship leader Sebastian Vettel finishes second ahead of team-mate Mark Webber. Fourth place for Jenson Button, fifth for Nico Rosberg, sixth for Felipe Massa, seventh for Fernando Alonso, eighth for Michael Schumacher, ninth for Vitaly Petrov and tenth for Kamui Kobayashi.

Schumi vows to see out his Merc contract

Michael Schumacher insists he is not ready to throw in the towel following another difficult start to the season.

A lot was expected of the seven-time World Champion when he came out of retirement in 2010 to sign a deal with Mercedes GP. However, he failed to live up to expectations last year and finished a disappointing ninth in the Drivers' Champions - 70 points behind team-mate Nico Rosberg.

Although there has been a marked improvement this year, he is still finding it difficult to match the performances of Rosberg.
Schumi vows to see out his Merc contract


There have been suggestions that Schumacher could pack it in before his contract expires in 2012, but he is having none of it.

"I will fulfil my three-year contract with Mercedes after which I will work as a representative of the team's brand," he told Germany's Bunte.

He added: "I am on a mission to take Mercedes GP to the top step of the podium. Fighting for 10th place is not always pleasant. I expect to be in a better position soon."

Although he is confident of improving, Schumacher also admits that being 42-years-old "is not the same as 25".

Jumat, 29 April 2011

Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden start well in Portugal

The rain that was forecast for the first day of practice at the Estoril Grand Prix arrived, but fortunately for the MotoGP riders, both sessions took place in dry conditions. After a nighttime shower, the weather granted a respite until shortly after the finish of the premier class’ 45 minute second free-practice session of the top class.

The rain that was forecast for the first day of practice at the Estoril Grand Prix arrived, but fortunately for the MotoGP riders, both sessions took place in dry conditions. After a nighttime shower, the weather granted a respite until shortly after the finish of the premier class’ 45 minute second free-practice session of the top class.
Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden start well in Portugal
It was a good day for both Ducati Team riders, with Valentino Rossi fourth and Nicky Hayden ninth, making progressive improvement from the morning to the afternoon. The Italian rider improved his time by approximately five tenths, while the American actually dropped a second and a half from his earlier time.

Valentino Rossi:
“I’m pretty satisfied with how the day went. Let’s start with my physical condition, which I’m very happy with: I was obviously aware of being a little better when I arrived here, but I wanted to wait until I tested my shoulder on the track, which confirmed that I’m able to ride well and have fun. It still hurts a little, and I’m missing a little strength, but the difference compared to my left shoulder is less. I can concentrate on riding the bike, and when watching myself on television, I can see that my style is starting to be a little more normal. Naturally, we’re also working on the bike. Today we used a different weight distribution and some changes to the electronics that worked well. For the first time, we went faster in the afternoon session than in the morning. We dropped almost half a second, getting us closer to the top. I still have some problems with rear grip, so tomorrow we have to do better, but I’m happy for now.”

Nicky Hayden:
“This morning was not a good session at all, but the afternoon was a lot better. We had a problem with one bike in FP1. I’m not sure what happened, but we’ll send the engine back to Bologna to check it out. I went back out at the end, but we used hard tyres because I didn’t want to waste another soft tyre, since it looks like it will be a soft-tyre race this weekend. Also, I had just gone out with a new setting, and since I only did about four corners, we got no information on that. We lost some valuable time, but this afternoon went better—not spectacular, but pretty steady. I was in the top ten for most of the session, and I had a decent feeling with the bike—I would say better than what the lap time shows. I’m sure everybody thinks they can do better tomorrow, but I feel like we can do a good job and try to get in a good lap in qualifying, which is going to be really important.”

Simoncelli happy after topping the timesheets on day one

San Carlo Honda Gresini Team’s Marco Simoncelli was fastest in both practice sessions on Friday for the bwin Grande Prémio de Portugal, despite a crash in the afternoon.

After the disappointment of crashing whilst leading the race in Jerez, the 24 year old dominated both first and second practice, to finish ahead of fellow Honda riders Dani Pedrosa and Casey Stoner. Simoncelli was consistently quick on a circuit where he has enjoyed good results in the past. His best result of his debut season was here at Estoril with a fourth place. The rider from Cattolica was happy with his set-up after improvements were made from earlier in the day and is confident of continuing enhancements throughout the weekend.
Simoncelli happy after topping the timesheets on day one

Marco Simoncelli, San Carlo Honda Gresini Team

”Yes today is a great day of course for me because I started the morning very fast. We continued this into the afternoon. We did some work on our set-up and made some modifications to the chassis and everything is working good. We still need to improve the grip in the first corner for the maximum angle, this is the main problem. This morning we had some problems with the brakes but we solved the issue, not completely but a very good step forward. I’m happy and confident with the set-up of my bike.”

Simoncelli fastest again in FP2

San Carlo Honda Gresini Team’s Marco Simoncelli was quickest for the second practice for the bwin Grande Prémio de Portugal after also topping the timesheets in FP1. The Honda rider got the better of reigning World Champion Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha Factory Racing) and Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda).

The Italian lost the front end of his Honda going into turn 3 midway through the session so had to jump onto his second machine but he was never headed. The 24 year old has won at this circuit back in 2009 in the intermediate class and will be aiming for his maiden victory/rostrum after missing out on the opportunity in Spain.
Simoncelli fastest again in FP2

The second practice of the day was run in much hotter temperatures underneath the Portuguese sunshine. The MotoGP class just missed out on the rain which began to fall at the end of the forty five minute practice. All 17 riders were separated by 2.510s.

Lorenzo who has recorded three pole positions here in the premier class, was consistently quick throughout FP2 and finished with a deficit of just 0.061s behind Simoncelli. The 23 year old was 0.003s faster than his rival Pedrosa in third. The Repsol Honda rider has yet to win in any category at this circuit. It’s only one of only four venues the Spaniard has been unable to achieve victory at.

Finishing on identical lap times of 1’38:102 were Valentino Rossi (Ducati Team) and Casey Stoner (Repsol Honda) after their much talked about coming together from the last race in Jerez. The Italian has had five wins here in the premier class. The Australian spent a large portion of the session in the pits as he did in the morning. Stoner claimed his maiden victory in the intermediate category back here in 2005.

Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) was again solidly in the top ten, keen to put the disappointment of Jerez behind him. The American has had two fourth places here in 2006 and 2008 which are his best results at this circuit. Rookie Karel Abraham (Cardion ab Motoracing) was seventh quickest in only his third race of the MotoGP campaign. The Czech rider finished in 10th place here last season.

Ben Spies (Yamaha Factory Racing) has not had a happy time so far at this venue after crashing on the sighting lap here in 2010 and therefore was unable to take part in the race. After a run off in first practice this morning, the Yamaha rider was eighth fastest, 0.900s off Simoncelli’s best time.

The final two places in the top went to two Ducati machines. Ninth was Nicky Hayden (Ducati Team) who will be hoping to achieve the first win for Ducati at this circuit. Héctor Barberá (Mapfre Aspar Team) who had his best ever finish in MotoGP after his sixth place in Jerez was tenth quickest in FP2. The ten riders were covered by less than a second.

Jorge Lorenzo

Jorge Lorenzo

Spanish rider Jorge Lorenzo has been a force in MotoGP since his 2008 debut, becoming one of the most dominant Grand Prix riders in the paddock with his 2010 MotoGP championship victory.

Jorge Lorenzo stormed onto the 125cc scene in 2002 and worked his way up to being a title contender after only three seasons. He moved up to the 250 MotoGP class for 2004, finishing fourth in the championship that year. He went on to become one of the most dominant 250 riders over the next two seasons, and picked up a pair of 250 titles in '06 and '07. After proving his skills in the 125 and 250 class, there was only one thing left for him to do: Step-up to the big leagues.

For 2008 the Spanish sensation moved up to the MotoGP paddock in order to see where he stood amongst the world's best. In his MotoGP debut with the Fiat Yamaha squad, Lorenzo was paired with teammate and five-time MotoGP Champion, Valentino Rossi. Yamaha was nice enough to build a wall in the garage between the two teammates, as it was widely rumored the two did not get along.
Jorge Lorenzo

Jump in the air like you just dont care! Rookie Jorge Lorenzo celebrates his first MotoGP victory.
It was a very up and down rookie year for Lorenzo. He started well, taking a victory in his third race and claiming a number of poles and podium finishes. However, he also experienced a lot of crashes.

Lorenzo set out to make 2009 a new era for his racing career, switching management and changing his longtime number of 48 to 99. The Mallorcan landed on the podium 12 out of 17 rounds, earning him second in the championship.

The following year proved to be a defining moment in the Spaniard's career. Lorenzo snagged a total of nine wins, seven pole victories and another seven podium finishes throughout the season. After only missing the podium twice, Lorenzo captured the 2010 championship and set a record for the largest points haul in a single season.

After signing a two-year contract with the Factory Yamaha team, Lorenzo will return in 2011 to defend both the Rider and Manufacturer titles. The Mallorcan will be joined by MotoGP rookie phenom, Ben Spies.

Marco Simoncelli

Marco Simoncelli profile

Marco Simoncelli stands out in a crowd. The 2008 250cc world champion stands 183 cms tall, but it’s the wild hair that brings to mind the late rock star Jimi Hendrix that has become his signature feature. That and seemingly endless tenacity, ferocity, and determination to race a motorcycle. “Sic,” as he’s known, (SIC is how his name is abbreviated on the timing monitors) will again have to stand tall on the San Carlo Honda Gresini RC212V as he joins close friend Valentino Rossi and a host of others in the pinnacle of road racing in 2010.

The 22-year-old Italian splashed onto the racing scene by finishing second as a nine-year-old in the Italian Minimoto Championship, a stepping stone that many Italian riders have taken to the World Championships. Even then Simoncelli stood out, the preternaturally tall rider all knees and elbows on the tiny machines. His size was never an impediment and he concluded his apprenticeship in the series by beginning an extraordinary run of four titles in a row.

He followed up the 1999 and 2000 Italian Minimoto Championships by riding a Honda RS125 to victory in the Italian 125 Championship. Expanding his reach, Simoncelli then won the European 125 Championship on an Aprilia. He also prepared for a full assault on the 125 World Championship by racing in six GPs.

The 2003 season would be his first full year in MotoGP. But it was the 2004 season where his talent would begin to shine. Simoncelli swept to the pole position and his first GP win in the second race of the season. Inconsistency plagued the rest of his year and he finished 11th. The next year he again started strong, winning the season-opener in Spain, and carded five more podiums. Though not a consistent championship threat, his aggression and occasional brilliance earned him a seat on the Metis Gilera factory 250 team in 2006.

Having outgrown 125’s, he was a more natural fit on the larger 250. His rookie season of 2006 was a mixture of promise and frustration. Of the races he finished, all but one netted top ten results. But he also had four non-finishes. He had a nearly identical 2007 season; all but one top ten results, though now five non-points paying finishes. Certainly there was nothing in the season to suggest what was to come.

A newfound maturity, and machine help towards the end of the season, turned his career around, but not before a rocky start. Simoncelli failed to finish the first two races, then went on a tear. He followed a second in Portugal with a fourth in China, then second in France before a popular breakthrough win in his home grand prix at Mugello. Winning became contagious and he stopped crashing. He won again in the next race in Catalunya and over the next three races was never off the podium, including his third win in Germany. Gilera equipped him with a more powerful RSA machine for the final push. He put it to good use. Simoncelli cemented the crown by winning three of the final four races, and clinched the title with a third in the penultimate round in Malaysia.

The defense of his world championship was less than successful as he was again victimized by his own inconsistency. The season again started badly-no points in the first two races-then came podiums in every race he finished but one, including a class leading six wins. But there were also a further three DNF’s, including one in the final race of the season while in the lead. Well before then it had been announced that he’d be moving to the senior class with the San Carlo Honda Gresini team The Gresini Honda team is known for nurturing young talent-Marco Melandri, who rejoins the team in 2010, finished second in his first year with the team-and the all-Italian squad is the perfect fit for Simoncelli to make a smooth transition to a rough class. .

Simoncelli, who still lives in his hometown of Cattolica, just down the road from Misano Adriatico, credits his parents’ sacrifices for his success. Though aggressive on the bike, the Italian is playful and humble away from the track. He prefers beer over wine, the country over the city, passion over reason, and listening over speaking.

valentino rossi

valentino rossi profile

Famous as : motorcycle racer
Birth Name: Valentino Rossi
Populer Name: Valentino Rossi
Nickname: Valentinik, Rossifumi, The Doctor, The ‘GOAT’
Birth Date: February 16, 1979
Birth Place: Urbino, Italy
Nationality: Italy
Height: 1.78 m
Weight: 76 Kg
Favorite color: fluorescent yellow
Favorite football team: Internazionale Milano FC

Valentino Rossi Career
Occupations: motorcycle racer
Years active: 1996–present
*    1996 – 1997
Class: 125cc World Championship
Team: Aprilia
Championships: 1 (1997)
*    1998 – 1999
Class: 250cc World Championship
Team: Aprilia
Championships: 1 (1999)
*    2000 – present
Class: MotoGP World Championship
Team:     – Honda (2000 – 2003)
- Yamaha (2004 – 2010)
- Ducati (2011 – present)
Championships: 7 (2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2009)
Current team: Ducati Marlboro Team
Bike number: 46
Website: valentinorossi.com

Valentino Rossi Family
Father: Graziano Rossi
Mother: Stefania

Hopefully, Valentino Rossi Profile will be useful, thank you. Warm Regards.

Valentino Rossi starts his fourth campaign as a Yamaha Factory Team rider in 2007 with the clear target of recapturing the MotoGP World Championship title after being dethroned by Nicky Hayden last year. After winning two consecutive World Championships with Yamaha in 2004 and 2005, following on from three previous back-to-back title successes, Rossi finished runner-up to the American despite scoring ten podiums and winning five races – more than any other rider. Now the record-breaking Italian, widely regarded as the finest motorcycle racer of his generation, starts the season without the crown to defend for the first time in five years.

Rossi’s five wins in 2006 took his premier-class career tally to 58, leaving him within striking distance of the legendary Giacomo Agostini’s all-time record of 68 – another enticing target for the 2007 season. For the third consecutive campaign Valentino will be ably assisted by his trusted team-mate and great friend Colin Edwards, as the pair apply their highly effective development partnership to Yamaha’s all-new 800cc machine and attempt to regain the Manufacturers’ and Teams’ titles they won together in 2005.

Rossi’s World Championship debut came at the Malaysian Grand Prix in 1996 and he finished his first international season in 9th place with one race win. The following year he became the youngest ever rider to win the 125cc World Championship, winning eleven races along the way with Aprilia. The pattern continued when he moved into the 250cc class, taking second place in his first year before becoming World Champion in 1999, once again with Aprilia.
In 2000 he entered a new phase of his career when he joined forces with Honda in the 500cc class. He proved his worth once again by finishing second, before becoming the last ever 500cc World Champion in 2001. Rossi held onto his crown four the next four consecutive seasons, taking the MotoGP World title in 2002 and 2003, before moving to Yamaha and winning again in 2004 and 2005.

Rossi made history by moving to Yamaha in 2004 and winning the season-opening Grand Prix in South Africa, becoming the first rider in the history of the sport to win back-to-back premier class races for different manufacturers. He went on to win nine out of 16 races, finally clinching the World Championship title, Yamaha’s first for 12 years, with victory at the penultimate Grand Prix in Phillip Island. A final win at the Valencia Grand Prix also ensured that the Yamaha Factory Team won the team title.  Rossi followed up that triumph with a season of unprecedented success in 2005, when he successfully defended the title once again with a total of eleven race wins and five pole positions – only finishing off the podium once.

Rossi turned 28 in February 2007 and remains the youngest rider to have won World Championships in all three classes. He continues to have the support of his long-standing Crew Chief, Jeremy Burgess, who moved from Honda to work with him at Yamaha Factory Racing.

One of the most popular members of the paddock, ‘The Doctor’ has a wide fan base all over the world. A keen football fan and an accomplished rally driver, he is based in London between races.

Kamis, 28 April 2011

Estoril press conference reunites MotoGP frontrunners

Valentino Rossi, Dani Pedrosa, Jorge Lorenzo, Casey Stoner and Álvaro Bautista were the riders in attendance at the Thursday press conference ahead of the bwin Grande Prémio de Portugal.

After an almost four-week break the 2011 MotoGP World Championship resumes on Friday, when the opening practice sessions for the bwin Grande Prémio de Portugal get underway, and the pre-GP press conference on Thursday set the scene for Round 3 of the campaign.

Leading the early standings after just two rounds – including a victory last time out at Jerez – and with a formidable premier class record at the Estoril circuit, Yamaha Factory Racing rider Jorge Lorenzo was first to speak as he got the press conference underway.
Estoril press conference reunites MotoGP frontrunners

“It’s a track I love. I’ve won three times here and took my first MotoGP win here too,” said Lorenzo. “But this year is different, in theory it’s a tough year for us. We are leading the Championship because we have had two fabulous races, but now the circumstances are different and it’s a different year.”

Looking ahead to the official Test on Monday, Lorenzo added: “I think the bike needs to improve quite a lot and especially this year, but we don’t have a bad bike, we can fight for the podium and I think this is what we need to fight for the Championship. I would like to fight for the same wins as last year, but maybe it’s going to be hard so our target is to be as close as we can to first position.”

Dani Pedrosa used the extended interval which followed Jerez to undergo surgery and remove the metal screws in his collarbone. The Repsol Honda rider has had admirable results in the two opening rounds (third and second) and hopes that with an improved physical comfort he can make further strides.

“The surgery was successful, and now we must see how much I can improve here,” said Pedrosa, who has finished on the podium three times in the premier class at Estoril. “I’ve had a lot of rehabilitation, which included ten days of doing nothing. It’s been tricky, because I had to exercise to be able to be here, but I couldn’t push too hard.”

He added: “It’s still a bit sore and stiff, but I hope I can test it here, get a good feeling and see if I can improve.”

All eyes were on Casey Stoner and Valentino Rossi following their coming together at Jerez, and both appeared fully focused on this weekend’s race.

Repsol Honda rider Stoner said: “I’ve done lots of training and work and it’s been a long break, which has been really nice. It’s quite early to have that in the season but very enjoyable. It also gives a lot of motivation for the rest of the season.”

The Australian is more than eager to recuperate the points lost in Spain in the last round, and said of his record at Estoril: “I’ve always been fast here, the last few years haven’t gone the best, but in general we’ve been quite competitive here and this year with the Honda it should be easier. All we need to do now is accumulate points and get our Championship on track.”

Ducati Team rider Rossi has had huge success at the track during his career, finishing on the podium ten times from 11 premier class races with five victories included.

“In the past I’ve had some good races and a lot of points, it’s a difficult track but I love it,” said the Italian. “We have worked a lot (on the bike) and have tried to improve some areas of it, but I think for the weekend the bike will remain more or less the same except for something on the electronics to improve the character of the engine. The Test on Monday will be very important.”

Making his return from a broken left femur is Rizla Suzuki’s Álvaro Bautista who will test his fitness in Friday’s first practice session, after which he will take a decision on whether he will continue this weekend.

“The crash in Qatar was horrible and it’s been very hard, every day working 24 hours on the injury to improve and now I am here. Tomorrow I’ll try with the bike. At the moment I’m very confident,” said the Spaniard. “I rode a supermotard yesterday and didn’t feel too much pain, but a MotoGP bike is very different and we’ll see what happens.”

“After first free practice I will make a decision if I continue. It’s very important, it’s not just the injury but I also have to rediscover the feeling with the bike,” he concluded.

Selasa, 26 April 2011

Repsol Honda raring to go at Estoril

After a three-week break riders Dani Pedrosa, Andrea Dovizioso and Casey Stoner are all more than ready to get back to action at the bwin Grande Prémio de Portugal this weekend.

Dani Pedrosa, second in the Championship and nine points behind leader Jorge Lorenzo, will get back aboard his Honda RC212V after his surgery on April 6th. Last week the Spaniard had the stitches removed from his left collarbone and despite not being 100% physically will fight for another podium, as will team-mates Casey Stoner and Andrea Dovizioso who are both aiming to score points after a hard race in Jerez.
Repsol Honda raring to go at Estoril


Dani Pedrosa:
“I did what I had to do in these three weeks off and I look forward to getting back on the bike after this period, which has been good for me to undergo surgery and start rehabilitation. Last week I had the stitches removed, so everything is still very fresh and I don’t know how I will feel in Estoril, but I’m excited to see if everything went well and if I can put the issues aside once on the bike. I want to make the most of the four practice sessions to prepare for the race. It would help if we have good weather, as this year we race in April, but you can never trust the weather there having the Atlantic Ocean so close. With regards to the circuit, Estoril has heavy braking zones and it will be important to find traction to take advantage of the good acceleration we have.”

Andrea Dovizioso:
“I am looking forward to the race in Estoril, it’s a track where I have had very good results in my career. I arrive motivated, and want to get back to form after the Jerez weekend with a good race and to show the results of all the positive work done with the team. I think that we will be competitive at Estoril. The circuit is very slow and it’s not the best to ride with a MotoGP machine, in fact, one of the more difficult tasks is to manage the power of the RC212V on this slow track. We will have four practice sessions to work on the set-up and it's important to start well from the first day. After this long break, I’m happy to return on track. I have enjoyed this period at home with my family, having time to relax but also time to dedicate to training and to prepare for the coming races. Now it’s time to jump on the bike.”

Casey Stoner:
"I had a good rest in Switzerland and I feel very good at the moment. I'm looking forward to Portugal after a difficult last race in Jerez, we were looking for a good result in Spain after positive practice sessions and qualifying so we are happy to get back on track. Estoril is not one of my favourite tracks but we have had good success there in the past. We will be looking to get back some points against Lorenzo as he has been the strongest there in the past three years. I think our bike should work quite well at this circuit as it has some tight turns with exits onto big straights so I hope to find some good traction in these points and be competitive from the first day.”