After World Superbike’s long hiatus, and recent round at the Nürburgring in Germany, we thought we’d update you on the points standings. Find them after the jump.
Race 2 continues World Superbike’s tour of Germany and the Nürburgring. With the balance of the Championship standings still tipping precariously after Race 1, Ben Spies and Noriyuki Haga were both looking for a victory that would give them a sure lead in the Championship points.
With the long summer break, everyone in World Superbike was waiting to see what would happen to the Championship Standings while at Germany. With two races on each race day, Ben Spies would have two chances to chip away at Noriyuki Haga’s 7 point lead, and finally take control of the series. With Haga still on the mend, the Nürburgring seemed like it would be hostile ground for the Xerox Ducati rider, but any thoughts of Haga being a push-over were quickly dispelled by his lightning Superpole performance.
MotoGP is at Misano, Italy today for the San Marino GP, where Jorge Lorenzo is looking to close in on his points deficit to leader Valentino Rossi. The week at San Marino has been a busy one, seeing the formal singing of Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso to another year with Honda Racing. We also saw the announcement that Ben Spies would remain in WSBK for 2010, and that Colin Edwards will more than likely remain at Tech3 Yamaha. Then of course, there is the race itself.
With Championship points on the line, all eyes were on Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi. But, wedged in-between the Fiat-Yamaha pair on the starting grid was Dani Pedrosa, who could showed at the Indianapolis GP that he is more than capable of throwing a wrench in Lorenzo’s bid to claw points away from Rossi.
The Buell XB12 series seems to have a few more gremlins than usual, as this is the 3rd time, in less than one year’s time, that the motorcycle has been recalled by Buell and the NHTSA. This is also the 2nd time that the XB12 has been recalled for a front-brake line routing problem, which could cause the line to rub against the front wheel, causing a hole to form, and a complete loss of front-braking power.
All the factory rides in MotoGP are now officially tied up as both Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso have signed contracts with Repsol Honda for next year’s MotoGP season. Specifically, Pedrosa has agreed to a one-year extension on his contract, while Dovizioso has signed a deal for 2010, with an option for the 2011 season.
Valentino Rossi is sporting another of his special helmets this weekend, for his home race at Misano. Designed by the Italian’s favorite designer, Aldo Drudi, Rossi’s new lid sports a large picture of a donkey’s face, and the words “The Donkey” written where normally it would say “The Doctor”. The helmet also features Rossi’s dogs wearing donkey ears, completing the donkey motif.
World Superbike action returns from its summer hiatus, and comes to you this weekend from the Nürburgring in Germany. With Ben Spies only 7 points behind the injured Noriyuki Haga, it appeared the American would take the Championship lead this weekend with little effort, as Haga would not be able to push himself to compete with the Texan. Nitro Nori would appear to have some gas still in his reserves, and has proven thus far that he won’t give up his lead without a fight.
With San Marino officially the third smallest country by territory size, the San Marino GP does not actually take place within the soverign’s borders. Instead, MotoGP action comes to you this weekend from the coastal Italian track of Misano, where a slew of MotoGP riders are looking for redemption from their performances at Indianapolis.
The track temperatures have been scortching hot all week, and even with a coastal breeze blowing through the course today, the ambient temperature was still over 98° F. With only 25 points now separating Jorge Lorenzo from Valentino Rossi, all eyes are on the Fiat-Yamaha pair to see who will take the MotoGP Championship.
In addition to the 2010 CBR1000RR, Honda has also announced the 2010 CBR600RR. Like the fireblade, the 600cc middleweight gets a revamping to its color choices.
Colin Edwards has announced he is close to inking a deal with Tech3 Yamaha to stay on for the 2010 MotoGP season. With today’s announcement of Ben Spies staying in World Superbike for next year, the prospect of possibly two seats at the most sought-after satellite team has surely gotten the silly season gears turning.