WHITW Honda Gold Wing Motorcycles, page #57

Moto blog

Lorenzo, Spies Call Test a Success Despite Crashes

Yamaha riders Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies each crashed but both riders deemed the third and final day of MotoGP testing in Malaysia a success. Lorenzo and Spies both crashed during the morning of the test but were unhurt. Despite the minor setback, both riders managed to get a lot done at the Sepang International Circuit.

Yamaha Tops Second Day of Sepang Test as Honda Twiddles Thumbs

Ben Spies topped the time sheets ahead of teammate Jorge Lorenzo as Yamaha continued its MotoGP pre-season testing in Malaysia. While their rivals at Honda were idled by an engine problem, the two factory Yamaha riders found improvement on their Day One times and gathered data about riding in both wet and dry conditions. Spies set the best lap time at 2:01.285 while testing different chassis settings in the morning.

Honda MotoGP Testing Idled By Engine Failure Investigation

A red warning light prevented Honda riders from taking part in the second day of MotoGP testing at Malaysia’s Sepang circuit. While its competitors were hitting the track, Honda was forced to wait for analysis on the engine of Dani Pedrosa‘s RC213V. A red warning light on the RC213V’s dash came on late in the first day of testing, indicating a potential failure.

2012 Honda CRF250L Announced for Europe But Not For America … Yet

Honda announced it will introduce the new CRF250L to Europe this year. North American availability has not been confirmed, though it appears the new dual-sport, which shares a similar engine to the Honda CBR250R, may soon be announced for these shores. While there’s no official word on the Honda CRF250L in the U.S.,the liquid-cooled dual sport has already appeared in North America, appearing last weekend at the Montreal Motorcycle Show.

Video: On-board with Stoner at Sepang

The story of MotoGP testing has so far seen Casey Stoner maintain his dominance on the Repsol Honda. At the first test at Sepang 26 days ago - where the above footage was recorded - the 2007 and 2011 champion was the only rider to break the two minute barrier at the Malaysian circuit, ending the two-days at the track with a best time of 1:59.607.

Stoner Tops Day One of Sepang Test – Video

It’s been about a month since Casey Stoner last tested the Honda RC213V racebike at Malaysia’s Sepang circuit but the defending World Champion remains the man to beat, setting the fastest lap at the first day of MotoGP’s February Sepang test. Heavy rain limited teams’ testing and Stoner only completed 16 laps but still managed to set a time of 2:01.761. Stoner was the only rider to lap under 2:02, though his Repsol Honda teammate Dani Pedrosa came close with a time of 2:02.005 while completing 36 laps.

AMA Supercross: 2012 Atlanta Results

Ryan Villopoto‘s winning streak was snapped, KTM scored its second series win and Cole Seely impressed as an injury replacement for Trey Canard as the 2012 AMA Supercross Championship landed in Atlanta, Ga. Racing for the American Honda Muscle Milk team, Seely nabbed the holeshot and led the opening seven laps before finally being overtaken by Red Bull KTM’s Ryan Dungey. Monster Energy Kawasaki‘s Villopoto had a poor start by his standards, finishing the first lap in sixth place.

WSBK: 2012 Phillip Island Results – Video

Max Biaggi won the opening race to the 2012 World Superbike Championship while defending champion Carlos Checa came back from a high-speed crash in the first race to win the second at Australia’s Phillip Island circuit. Reigning champion Checa of Althea Ducati had a stunning high-side crash while leading on the sixth lap of Race One. The WSBK paddock was already in shock with the death of 17-year-old Oscar McIntyre in the Superstock 600 race the day before but thankfully Checa was not seriously injured.

Repsol to Sponsor 15-Year-Old Female Racer

Spanish oil company and frequent racing sponsor Repsol has reportedly close to signing 15-year-old Red Bull Rookies Cup racer Maria Herrera to its stable of riders. Herrera, the 2011 Mediterranean PreGP Champion, is the first female racer to be selected to compete in the Red Bull Rookies Cup, a youth racing series held jointly with the MotoGP tour. Herrera also trains with MotoGP racer Alvaro Bautista.

AMA Supercross: 2012 Arlington Results

Defending champion Ryan Villopoto won his third consecutive AMA Supercross race in Arlington, Texas, but the victory was overshadowed by a season-ending injury suffered by one of his main challengers Chad Reed. TwoTwo Motorsport Honda‘s Reed trailed Villopoto in second place for the first six laps at Cowboys Stadium. Disaster struck on Lap 7 however as Reed crashed hard in the whoops.