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Category: Moto GP

  1. Disappointment for F.C.C. TSR Honda France at the 6 Hours of Most

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    There was heartbreak in the Autodrome of Most today for the F.C.C. TSR Honda France as the team was forced to retire from the 6 Hours of Most in the last part of the race.

    Disappointment for F.C.C. TSR Honda France at the 6 Hours of Most
    However, the Japanese team showed another time an outstanding display of teamwork, spirit and determination during the last round of the 2021 FIM World Endurance Championship in the Czech Republic.

    F.C.C. TSR Honda France started from fourth place on the starting grid, based on the accumulative times achieved during the two qualifying sessions held on Thursday.

    An excellent start by French rider Mike Di Meglio immediately put the Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP in front of the race, and during the first two hours of the race, the Japanese team was placed in second place.

    The Fireblade was doing a very solid race with constant and good lap timings with 1.35 but just entering the third hour of the race, the Japanese rider Yuki Takahashi had a crash that forced the rider to enter the pits.

    Although an excellent work from the team to fix the bike, an extended pit stop of almost 17 minutes made the Honda #5 rejoin the race in 23rd position but unfortunately, the team was forced to retired after a technical issue resulting from the crash in the fourth hour when was in 21st position.

    Despite the result, Honda’s endurance specialists Josh Hook, Mike Di Meglio, and Yuki Takahashi and the entire team end the 2021 FIM EWC season with their heads high and showing superb teamwork throughout all the season.

    After a season of highs and lows for the F.C.C. TSR Honda France team, they finished the championship fifth with 91 points in total and are determined to come back stronger for the 2022 season.

  2. Christian Iddon makes it a hat-trick of podiums at Donington Park in mixed weather conditions

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    • Christian Iddon on the podium in all three races at Donington Park
    • Josh Brookes no longer in the fight for the 2021 British Superbike title
    • Tommy Bridewell re-signs with the Oxford Products Racing Ducati team for 2022

    Race 1
    Christian Iddon rode a great race at Donington Park on Saturday in cold, wet, and windy conditions. He had a poor grid position back in 17th after crashing his VisionTrack Ducati during qualifying. But a brave ride saw him climb though the field, and aided by fallers, he was up to second place by Lap 12 behind race leader Gino Rea (Buildbase Suzuki), with Kyle Ryde (Rich Energy OMG Racing BMW) battling him and Lee Jackson (FS-3 Racing Kawasaki) just behind and ready to pounce. 

    Meanwhile the treacherous conditions had ended in disaster for both Josh Brookes and Tommy Bridewell, after they both crashed out in separate incidents on Lap 5. 

    Brookes, who was running in second, ended up on the grass after saving a moment on his bike, but was unable to keep his VisionTrack Ducati upright. And just seconds later Bridewell, who was behind Brookes on track and momentarily promoted to up to second, crashed his Oxford Products Racing Ducati under braking in the poor conditions.

    The Ducati duo of Brookes and Bridewell were just a couple of many riders that fell victim to the atrocious conditions, with Title Fighters Glenn Irwin (Honda Racing), Danny Buchan (SYNETIQ BMW Motorrad) and Peter Hickman (FHO Racing BMW) all crashing out.

    Rea went on to win the race, with Ryde second and Iddon, the sole Ducati rider, finishing the race as the top Championship contender in third.

    Read more here 

  3. APRILIA RACING TEAM GRESINI - Americas Race

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    ESPARGARÓ'S GP ENDS ON THE NINTH LAP IN TEXAS

    ALEIX HAD MANAGED TO WORK HIS WAY UP SEVEN POSITIONS WHEN A CRASH ENDED HIS RACE

    A crash during the ninth lap with no physical consequences for the rider brought the GP of the Americas to an end for Aleix Espargaró.

    After starting from the seventh row - evidence of a consistently difficult weekend - Aleix began to move up through the positions. Even without pushing too hard, he had already moved up seven places all the way to twelfth when he fell victim to the crash. This ended a seemingly parenthetical weekend in an otherwise fantastic season for Aleix and his Aprilia RS-GP. But even on the only track on the calendar where he was never able to find that competitive edge, Aleix Espargaró was still riding a respectable race.

    Now the goal is to recover energy - both physical and mental - and to get back to the trend of positive growth that has characterised his season thus far in order to best tackle the final three races of the championship.


    ALEIX ESPARGARO'
    "I am truly disappointed. Not so much for the crash, which is always a possibility in racing, but certainly not when you’re riding with such high lap times. Unfortunately, something just didn't work this weekend and we need to take a deeper look at that. Until now, we have been competitive everywhere, with various results but consistently battling in the group of the best. I want to apologise to the team. Five crashes in three days are definitely not a good record and both they and the engineers have worked nonstop throughout the weekend. The goal was to stay calm and aim for the best possible result, which was the points zone for us today. We were doing just that before the crash, which fortunately came without any physical consequences."

  4. APRILIA RACING TEAM GRESINI - Americas Qualifying

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    DIFFICULT QUALIFIERS FOR ALEIX AND APRILIA AT COTA

    The Circuit of the Americas proves once again to be a tough nut to crack for Aleix Espargaró astride his Aprilia. Calling the asphalt bumpy would be a huge understatement and it keeps the Spaniard from exploiting the strong points of the RS-GP. Despite making considerable progress in terms of the settings, which was especially clear in FP4, a couple of crashes at decisive moments further complicated the day.

    For the first time this season, Aleix was unable to go through to Q2 due to finishing outside the top 10 in the first three sessions and not getting through the selection stage of Q1 due to a crash. These statistics confirm the abnormal situation generated by the Texan circuit in a season where Aleix is lying seventh in the overall championship standings.

    So, for a race that promises to be a complicated one, Espargaró will be starting from the best spot on the seventh row of the grid.

    ALEIX ESPARGARO'
    "This has certainly not been the best weekend for us so far. The RS-GP is competitive everywhere, but this asphalt that is in such bad condition really puts us in a rough spot. Not only do I not have the pace that I had been able to maintain until now, but as soon as I try to push, I risk crashing, like what happened today. I apologise to the entire team. They are already working hard to fix the bike for tomorrow. We’ll test a few things in the warm-up session as well to try to make the bike easier to ride and more stable. The track is the same for everyone, so it won’t be easy, but we’ll have to make a go of it and shoot for the best possible result."

  5. Aprilia RS 660's domination in MotoAmerica

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    THE MIDDLE CLASS OF THE AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIP DOMINATED BY KALEB DE KEYREL AND HIS RS 660

    10 WINS, 16 PODIUMS AND 6 POLES IN 13 RACES, 68 POINTS AHEAD OF THE SECOND PLACED RIDER: A SEASON TO REMEMBER


    The title was already in the bag after the penultimate round of the championship, given the advantage accumulated by champion Kaleb De Keyrel during the 2021 season of the MotoAmerica championship, Twins Cup category. Kaleb and the new Italian twin-cylinder Aprilia RS 660 dominated the season with 234 points, 68 more than his closest rival.

    But the overall numbers after the last race in Alabama are even more impressive. Aprilia's new lightweight sportsbike took victory in 10 of the 13 heats, spread over 9 stages. Added to this are 16 other podiums (9 second, 7 third places) and 6 pole positions. Podiums occupied entirely by Aprilia RS 660s were not uncommon, as in the debut race in Atlanta, in Monterey or in both races held in New Jersey.

    The Aprilia RS 660 proved to be a versatile bike, capable of winning on extremely different circuits and with riders with different riding characteristics. Even without particularly thorough preparation, since the MotoAmerica Twins regulations, recognising the Italian bike's great technical qualities already in the street version, apply a "balance of performance" system, limiting the interventions possible in all areas: chassis, electronics and engine.

    At the end of the season, it's already time to look ahead to the next championship, with a dual objective. While the aim is obviously to confirm the 2021 title, at the same time the number of riders and teams equipped with the Aprilia RS 660 will increase. But first, the winner Kaleb De Keyrel will face the specialists of the Italian Trofeo RS 660 in the last round at Vallelunga.