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One Lap on the Mission Motors Mission R at Laguna Seca

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The Mission Motors crew was out at Laguna Seca this past weekend with the Mission R electric superbike. Taking part in the Refuel Time Trial, Steve Rapp piloted the Mission R around the historic coastal Californian track, clocking in a top lap time of 1:43.700 according to the Mission stopwatches. With that pace, it would put the Mission R as backmarker in the AMA Supersport race at Laguna Seca last year, and about 15 seconds off Steve Rapp’s own Daytona SportBike time at the same event.

While true sportbike parity isn’t here yet, this is to only the second time that Mission Motors has had the Mission R on the track (Mission somehow sneaked the Mission R onto Thunderhill Raceway without our Bothans informing us), which makes the lap a pretty impressive starting point for the design. Check the video after the jump.

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Racing

TTXGP & FIM Holding Three Joint Electric Races – Laguna Seca, Donington Park, & Le Mans

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The FIM and TTXGP have issued a joint statement today, declaring that the two rival electric racing series would collaborate on three races this season, plus the possibility of a season-capping championship race in October. As we broke the news a couple months ago, the two series have begun to patch-up their relationship, and are slowly working their way back into a merger.

Today’s announcement sees TTXGP adding its name to perhaps the FIM e-Power Championship’s crown jewel event: the Laguna Seca round, which will count towards the TTXGP’s North American Championship.

Other event collaborations include stops on the FIM e-Power calendar as well, as both Donington Park and Le Mans have been named in the press release. e-Power races to be held at those venues were to be run during the FIM Endurance World Championship, and now will include TTXGP riders as well, who will be receiving points towards their European Championship standings.

The announcement should mean the bolstering of riders at all the events, but we imagine it will affect the FIM’s European rounds the most, as the American race was well-attended last year.

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Racing

AMA Pro Road Racing Releases Shortened, Preliminary 2011 Calendar

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The AMA released a “preliminary” calendar for the 2011 road racing season Wednesday, consisting of just eight rounds.  After a much-ballyhooed rescheduling of the Daytona 200 to a night race, 2011 will again see the premier race of the season in the afternoon. With plenty of time between the currently scheduled races at Infineon Raceway, Miller Motorsports Park (the same weekend as World Superbike), Road America, Mid-Ohio, Laguna Seca (the same weekend as MotoGP), Virginia International Raceway, and New Jersey Motorsports Park, it does appear possible that the schedule could fill out as the off-season progresses.

The 2011 season marks the return of AMA road racing to Miller since 2008, and is only the fourth time the series has descended on the circuit. Roger Hayden, returning to AMA racing and riding for Michael Jordan Racing alongside Ben Bostrom in 2011, claims he is “probably the only person bummed not to see road Atlanta on the schedule,” according to his . It is surprising that Road Atlanta is not featured on the schedule, though the lack of racing at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California isn’t exactly shocking, as that round was never as successful as hoped. Since neither of those two races have been carried over from last season’s schedule, just over two months passes between the 200 and the next race at Infineon.

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AMA Pro Racing Will Continue as Support Class for MotoGP at Laguna Seca in 2011

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AMA Pro Racing will continue to field its three support races for the Laguna Seca GP during the 2011 season. The announcement made about the 2011 season makes for the seventh consecutive season that AMA Pro Racing has supported the sole MotoGP race at Laguna Seca. Unlike the Indianapolis GP, the Laguna Seca GP runs without the 125 GP & Moto2/250 GP support classes.

With the announcement of the Moto3 series replacing 125 GP in 2012, there’s been some talk about whether the other GP series will make the trek out to California. The answer, at least for 2011, is no, but with only a one-year renewal on the contract, 2012 could be another story.

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Racing

Question Marks for MotoGP in America for 2011

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Rumors have been swelling for the past few months about the state of MotoGP in the United States, as both Laguna Seca and Indianapolis Motor Speedway were up for contract renewal with Dorna and the FIM. Laguna Seca has always been the more popular American venue for MotoGP, and during the Red Bull US GP stop, the famous Californian track and the premiere motorcycle series again solidified their relationship, extending the GP’s presence at Laguna Seca into 2014. But what fate bestills IMS and the timing of the US GP weekends after 2010?

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Racing

A Postscript on e-Power at Laguna Seca

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Asphalt & Rubber got this email late last night from one of the competitors at the e-Power race at Laguna Seca this past weekend. It shows a rare glimpse into the electric racing scene, that even our own coverage can’t compare to in storytelling ability. The letter talks about sportsmanship: the sportsmanship that riders and teams share with each other, but also more importantly the sportsmanship that makes others take notice, and strive to be better. Read the letter after the jump.

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News

Riders for Health Day of Stars at Laguna Seca

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The USGP at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca kicked off on Thursday with the Riders for Health Day of Stars, a fundraising event that included a group ride along the scenic Monterrey Peninsula and private tours of the MotoGP pit boxes lead by American Grand Prix legend, Randy Mamola.

One of the highlights of the day’s events was the signing of the Rossi Yamaha M1. A project conceived by Daytona 200 winner Don Emde, the one of a kind street bike was signed by Valentino Rossi and will be auctioned this fall, all proceeds from the sale going to benefit Riders for Health.

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Banter

You’re Doing it Wrong!

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Emptying out the memory cards from the Red Bull US GP weekend, we came across a few blooper shots that we just had to share with you (like this one of Aleix Espargaró re-enacting “The Pass” that Rossi pulled on Stoner in the 2008 US GP). We often place MotoGP riders on a pedestal, looking to them as gods, but it’s good every now and then to remind ourselves that they are mortal men after all. Flip through this short series of photos after the jump for a couple of laughs.

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Racing

Hervé Poncharal of Monster Tech3 Yamaha Sits Down with Asphalt & Rubber at Laguna Seca

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During the Red Bull US GP weekend, Asphalt & Rubber’s Jensen Beeler got a chance to sit down with Hervé Poncharal, Team Manager of the Monster Tech3 Yamaha MotoGP team, and have a lengthy discussion. Sharing with us his insights into the race weekend, which for his riders was to a home crowed, Poncharal talks about the development of Ben Spies as a MotoGP rider, and role Colin Edwards has played in helping his teammate adjust to racing in MotoGP. Giving some insight about how the 2011 season will shape up for both Ben and Colin, Poncharal hints that we could see a British rider on the satellite team next year. Read the full interview transcript after the jump.

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Bikes

Up-Close with the Brammo Empulse RR

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Although it didn’t take part in the e-Power electric race at Laguna Seca, the Brammo Empulse RR was on display in the Brammo pit area during the weekend, and we got a chance to lay our hands on the bike for the first time. Based off the Brammo Empulse street bike, the Empulse RR comes packed with 12.5 kWh of battery power (same as the MotoCzysz E1pc), which according to Brammo makes it the best bike in the paddock in terms of power-to-weight ratios.

Coming together in just eight weeks, the Brammo Empulse RR still has some kinks to iron out, as the bike apparently cooked off its liquid-cooled motor during testing. While the Brammo team figures out its foray into liquid-cooled electric motors (the Brammo Enertia uses an air-cooled motor), the rest of the Empulse RR package looks very promising.

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