Moto2

Barcelona WorldSBK Test Day 2 Times: Rea And Redding Battle It Out For Top Spot

Submitted by David Emmett on

Jonathan Rea has ended the Barcelona WorldSBK test at the top of the timesheets, after a battle of wills with Ducati's Scott Redding. The pair chased each other to impressive heights during the morning session, throwing new tires at fast times until Redding decided that focusing on used tires was a more productive use of his time than continuing to chase Rea's fast time. "It was fun, it was spicing up the day, but I said, OK, one of us is going to end up with a big crash, because we keep going faster and faster and faster!" Redding commented afterwards.

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Barcelona WorldSBK Test Day 1 Times: Redding Leads Rea, As Baz Is Fastest Yamaha

Submitted by David Emmett on

Testing is underway again for the WorldSBK series, with the main protagonists assembled at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo, near Barcelona. Scott Redding ended the day as fastest, the Aruba.it Ducati rider getting up to speed quickly again, finishing nearly two tenths faster than reigning champion Jonathan Rea on the Kawasaki.

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Austin Round of MotoGP At The Circuit Of The Americas Canceled

Submitted by David Emmett on

The Grand Prix of the Americas will not happen in 2020. Today, in a post on social media which has since been deleted, the Circuit of The Americas announced that the Austin round of MotoGP had been canceled, and a date set for the 2021 edition, to be held on April 18th.

The news hardly comes as a surprise, given the recent spike in COVID-19 cases in Texas, and the growth in cases in the US in general. That has prompted the EU countries to put the US on a list of countries from which all non-essential travel is still banned, with no sign of that being lifted.

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Two Riders To Face FIM Stewards Over Training Infringements

Submitted by David Emmett on

Two unnamed riders have been caught infringing the Grand Prix testing and practice regulations. In a press release issued today, the FIM announced that breaches of the rules had been reported, which would be investigated during hearings to be held at the (re)opening of MotoGP at Jerez, on July 19th.

Though neither the names nor the specific infraction were mentioned in the press release, the wording of the announcement makes clear that the incident involves either Moto2 or Moto3 riders, and that they are accused of having used bikes which were not eligible to be used for training.

Since circuits opened again, and training restarted, riders have flocked to tracks all over the world to get back the feeling of speed. They have taken every opportunity to ride at tracks like Barcelona, Misano, and Jerez, to prepare for the restarting of a packed schedule.

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Dorna Press Release Debrief: Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta on the 2020 calendar

Submitted by Press Release on

After the news of the MotoGP and MotoE calendars was announced, Dorna issued the following press release, containing an interview with CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta, in which he explained some of the background to the calendar, and how he sees 2020 going ahead:

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2020 Version 2.0 - Provisional MotoGP Calendar Features 13 European Races At 8 Circuits

Submitted by David Emmett on

There is a plan for the 2020 MotoGP season. With the COVID-19 outbreak receding all across Europe, Dorna have been given a second chance at setting a calendar for the 2020 MotoGP season.The newly published calendar will see 13 races held at circuits in Europe in the first instance, with the possibility of four overseas races being tacked on at the end of the year, if conditions permit. The calendar is explictly still provisional, subject to local rules and regulations concerning the COVID-19 pandemic.

The races will be held at 8 different circuits in 6 countries, with a number of circuits hosting races on two consecutive weekends, to maximize the number of rounds held, and minimize logistical complications. The races planned in Europe will all be held behind closed doors, with no fans or media present, and a very restricted number of paddock staff present.

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Gossip Moves The Market: How Rider Managers Maximise Earnings

Submitted by Steve English on

Picture the scene. The sun is setting over the hills that surround the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The day has been fierce and the weekend is only going to get hotter. Keeping a cool head, keeping your eyes on the prize will be crucial but all you can hear is talk of chatter.

Chatter is a paddock keyword. You hear about it all the time. You hear it a lot more in June because this isn’t chatter on the bike. It’s chatter inside the paddock.

Rumours become fact very quickly in the MotoGP and WorldSBK paddocks. All it takes is a chance photograph for a story to suddenly have legs and suddenly half the paddock is running around and chasing their tails looking for quotes and concrete information.

The rider market. The silly season. The rumour mill. The fools errand. Trying to keep abreast of the market is an important part of paddock life. Rumours are currency and having good sources gives you a lot of information to trade with people. Trying to report it? If you’re hitting more than you're missing it’s a very good batting average, and people remember the wild swings more than the home runs.

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Dorna Press Release Debrief: Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta on 2020, Racing Overseas, And The Future

Submitted by Press Release on

Dorna today issued a press release with a debrief with Carmelo Ezpeleta, in which he explains what the current state of planning for 2020 is, and what plans Dorna has for MotoGP races outside of Europe:

Debrief: Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta on the future, racing outside Europe and how the paddock could look in 2020
Wednesday, 03 June 2020

Dorna Sports CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta once again sat down with motogp.com recently, debriefing developments and outlining a glimpse of what the 2020 season may look like as we get closer to the possibility of getting back on track.

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Motegi Round Canceled As MotoGP Prepares For A European Season

Submitted by David Emmett on

After last week's announcements that the Silverstone and Phillip Island MotoGP rounds were canceled, today, the Japanese round of MotoGP joined the list of cancellations. The race at Motegi has been called off, and will not take place this year, despite the importance of the race to the Japanese manufacturers.

Today's announcement was the last step in a general clearing out of the schedule to allow for a calendar of races which could feasibly be held for 2020. The plan, as Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta pointed out in the press release, is to do as many races in Europe as possible, and only heading overseas after that, if international travel is still possible. "For this reason, the FIM and Dorna, in consultation with IRTA and MSMA, have decided that, until mid-November, MotoGP will remain in Europe to do as many European MotoGP events as we are able to. Therefore, overseas events, if at all possible, should be scheduled after mid-November – which would be too late in the year for the Motul Grand Prix of Japan to be held," Ezpeleta is quoted as saying.

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Grand Prix Commission Gives Hint Of Size Of Calendar With Engine Allocations

Submitted by David Emmett on

Today, the FIM announced that the Grand Prix Commission had decided on revised engine allocations for both the MotoGP and Moto3 classes. And in doing so, they gave a hint at how many races a 2020 MotoGP calendar might contain.

The GPC announced that in the MotoGP class, concession manufacturers (Aprilia and KTM) would be allowed 6 engines per rider for the season if the season consists of 11 races or less, and 7 engines if the season consists of up to 14 races. Non-concession manufacturers (Honda, Ducati, Suzuk, Yamaha) would have 4 or 5 engines in the respective cases.

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