If you haven’t seen today’s British GP at Silverstone, stop reading this article, and go watch your Tivo right now. We can hardly contain ourselves after watching the race, so we’ll keep this intro short. While the race winner is not going to surprise too many GP race fans, it’s the rest of the finishes that had us jumping up and down on our chairs. Spoilers after the jump.
In an effort to get to know Team Texas a bit better, BBC Sport sat down Monster Yamaha Tech3 riders Colin Edwards and Ben Spies, and had the veteran rider question the MotoGP newcomer about issues on and off the track. Team orders? Rituals? Mustard or ketchup? The pair cover all the bases on what makes Team Texas truly Texan, and at the end of the interview, Edwards even dives into silly season speculation, and asks Rossi or Lorenzo? Check it out after the jump.
Bad news for Ben Spies today, as the American rider finds himself a member of prestigious, yet dubious group of MotoGP riders. After losing a case over un-paid commissions, an arbitration panel has ruled that Speez Racing, LLC (the management company for Ben Spies) and Spies himself have failed to compensate Spies’ agent, and must pay Spies former agent, Doug Gond of Protac Inc., $1.9 million in damages and arbitration costs.
In order to get ready for MotoGP’s stop at Le Mans in two weeks, Yamaha France has released a special promotional package and four (both in variety and total production) race replica motorcycles on its website. We’ve already seen the American Fiat-Yamaha R1 LE, with its race livery and fake Rossi signature, but the new race rep’s from Yamaha France will feature paint schemes from both the Fiat-Yamaha and Monster Tech3 Yamaha teams. For the added €1,000 price tag the race replica’s demand, they’re actually a pretty good value, especially when compared to the American YZF-R1 LE. More on that after the jump.
After his race as a fully-inducted MotoGP racer, OnTheThrottle got a chance to talk to Ben Spies about his first race under the lights of Qatar and as a full-fledged GP racer. Spies talks about qualifying etiquette, the difference in style between WSBK and GP bikes, and how he feels he’s stacking up against the competition. See Ben explains all this and take questions from OTT’s live audience in their video interview after the jump.
MotoGP action is finally back and the 2010 season was underway at Qatar this weekend. With three-time Qatar GP winner Casey Stoner sitting on the pole position, and all eyes were on the Australian for a fourpeat. But with the Fiat-Yamaha contingency on front row with Stoner, the Ducati was sure to have some competition. Stoner would find pressure from all corners though, as riders from the second and third row would shine under the Losail circuit lights during this season opener. Click through for a full race report.
Yamaha has released for us to enjoy, and this time it features Team Texas: Colin Edwards and Ben Spies. The story is set with the Texan Duo heading out in a station wagon in order to have a “mancation” filled with bonding and other manly stuff. With inside jokes, casual references to prior racing seasons, and flahbacks to previous videos by Yamaha, we think someone in the Yamaha marketing department deserves a cookie. Check past the jump to get your laugh on Texan style.
MotoGP testing has concluded at the Losail International Circuit just outside of Doha, Qatar, and sees Casey Stoner making a late push to take the top spot at what has become one of his top tracks in the past years. There was some doubt with Stoner though, as Rossi lead almost all of Thursday’s sessions, and was biting on Stoner’s heels today. Surprise appearances from the test come in the form of Ben Spies, Andrea Dovizioso, and Randy de Puniet. Spies finished Thursday third quickest, and was the fourth quickest rider overall. Dovi took the honors as the fastest Honda, but was challenged by de Puniet on Thursday for that spot. Thursday the French rider was 5th quickest, and managed to keep his shirt on despite the hot weather in Doha.
Friday saw Nicky Hayden make progress with the Ducati Desmosedici, while Colin Edwards slipped down the overall grid Friday, despite his strong numbers Thursday and consistent runs during both test days. Lorenzo and Pedrosa were both present for the track test, but not in spirit. Both riders were suffering from injuries, and it showed in their performance under the hot desert lights. Check past the jump for a full timing sheet.
The crew over at On The Throttle TV have been doing a multi-part interview with AMA legend Mat Mladin. OTT asked Mladin what he thought about former rival Ben Spies as a racer. Mat’s response: the best rider of our time, or not far behind Rossi himself. That’s high praise a from a six time AMA Champion, and even higher praise from the Aussie rider. You can find the whole interview here, and the clip after the jump.
For the third and final installment of its One on One series with Ben Spies and Eddie Lawson, Yamaha asks the riders about their competitive nature both in training and on the track, the teams that supported them in their endeavors, what its like to ride the 500GP bikes, and Eddie leaves us with a closing story about some of his old antics. Like the second part of this series, this video is a nine minute insight into a top-level racer’s mindset, and speaks to the hard work that goes into being a champion. Watch it after the jump.
After what felt like a thinly veiled R1 commercial in part one, Yamaha has released the second installment of its One on One series with Ben Spies and Eddie Lawson. The two famed Yamaha riders talk about what makes a professional motorcycle racer tick, including their competitive nature, reaction to fans, and being called a Champion. We’d say the first clip is a pass, but this second video is pretty insightful, and worth the 7 minutes of your time. Video after the jump.