Moto blog
Yamaha Reports 2011 Results
Wed, 15 Feb 2012Yamaha Motor Corp/ reported a net profit of 27 billion yen (US$345 million) in 2011, compared to a profit of 18.3 billion yen (US$243 million) year before. Overall net sales were down 1.4% to 1.28 billion yen (US$16.3 billion), but operating income rose 4.1% to 53.4 billion yen (US$682 million). The increase in operating income came despite the negative impact of last March’s earthquake in Japan and flooding in Thailand.
AMA Supercross: 2012 San Diego Results
Mon, 13 Feb 2012Ryan Villopoto captured his second straight victory, winning the San Diego round of the 2012 AMA Supercross championship. The Monster Energy Kawasaki rider now has three wins on the season, two more than anyone else, but his hold on the championship points lead has only increased to six points. Villopoto took the lead on the second lap of the main event after overtaking Brett Metcalfe of Yoshimura Suzuki who took the holeshot, with Villopoto‘s teammate Jake Weimer also in the lead group.
Haga Signs with Swan Yamaha to Race in 2012 British Superbike Championship
Mon, 13 Feb 2012Noriyuki Haga is headed for the British Superbike Championship after signing on with the Swan Yamaha team to replace the injured Ian Hutchinson. Haga had been a mainstay on the World Superbike circuit for over a decade but after being unable to find a team for this season, the 36-year-old veteran will be plying his trade in the U.K. Haga will ride the Yamaha R1 alongside teammate and defending BSB Champion Tommy Hill.
This is Jorge Lorenzo’s New Motorcycle: Yamaha YBR250
Tue, 07 Feb 2012You would figure a former MotoGP World Champion and one of the top motorcycle racers on the planet would have his pick for a streetbike. Not if he doesn’t have a motorcycle license and is practicing for his riding test however. In 2010 MotoGP Champion Jorge Lorenzo‘s case, his ride is the Yamaha YBR250.
AMA Supercross: 2012 Anaheim II Results
Mon, 06 Feb 2012The 2012 AMA Supercross season is shaping up to be a tight one, with four racers and former champions healthy and jockeying for position on top of the points standings. Ryan Villopoto, Chad Reed, Ryan Dungey and James Stewart have all claimed wins in the first four rounds. After the second Anaheim round, the four contenders, representing four different manufacturers, are separated by just 13 points.
Yamaha Wraps Up Sepang MotoGP Test
Thu, 02 Feb 2012Pre-season test lap times aren’t a precise barometer for how the 2012 MotoGP Championship season will go, but Yamaha has to feel good about its results after this week’s testing at Malaysia’s Sepang circuit. Last February at Sepang, Honda riders were the talk of the preseason session, taking three of the top four lap times on each day of the test. That pattern repeated itself in the final championship standings with Casey Stoner taking the championship, Dani Pedrosa finishing third and Andrea Dovizioso fourth.
Rossi Makes Progress but Hayden Suffers Shoulder Setback
Wed, 01 Feb 2012Ducati continues to develop its Desmosedici GP12 MotoGP race bike, setting modest goals while trying to establish a good setup. Already trailing the other factory teams in development time for its race prototypes, Ducati continued to try to find good base settings for the GP12. Valentino Rossi achieved the team’s goal of lapping under two minutes and two seconds with a time of 2:01.886 while completing 44 laps on the second day of testing at Malaysia’s Sepang circuit.
Spies Second at Sepang Test Day Two; Lorenzo Third
Wed, 01 Feb 2012Yamaha factory rider Ben Spies led for most to the second day of MotoGP testing at Sepang before settling for the second best lap the time sheets behind defending World Champion Casey Stoner. Spies rode 37 laps and recorded a time of 2:01.052, which stood as the fastest lap in the morning session. That time was surpassed later in the afternoon by Repsol Honda rider Stoner by 0.157 seconds.
Lorenzo Leads Sepang Test Day 1; Spies Fourth on 1000cc Yamaha M1
Tue, 31 Jan 2012Yamaha‘s Jorge Lorenzo topped all riders with a top lap time of 2:01.657 on the first day of pre-season MotoGP testing at Malaysia’s Sepang circuit. With reigning World Champion Casey Stoner ailing and unable to ride, Lorenzo produced the top time as the only racer to lap Sepang in under 2 minutes 2 seconds. Riding the 1000cc Yamaha YZR-M1, Lorenzo topped second-ranked Dani Pedrosa and his Honda RC213V by 0.343 seconds.
Rossi 'training' at his MotoRanch
Mon, 30 Jan 2012Like Kenny Roberts, Valentino Rossi has got his own ranch where he has built his own private motocross track and dirt oval. The above YouTube video shows Rossi training on the flat-track circuit that makes up his 'MotoRanch' located near his home town of Tavullia. He's shown riding a Yamaha, but that's probably because Ducati don't have themselves a scrambler.
