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MotoGP
Jan 31, 2012 17:31:11 GMT 8
Post by Jack 900SS on Jan 31, 2012 17:31:11 GMT 8
As At 5pm 31 Jan SEPANG Circuit
Fastest Lap Prev. Gap Lead. Gap Laps 1 Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha Factory Racing 2:01.657 - - 30 2 Dani Pedrosa Repsol Honda Team 2:02.003 +0.346 +0.346 44 3 Cal Crutchlow Yamaha Tech 3 2:02.221 +0.218 +0.564 27 4 Ben Spies Yamaha Factory Racing 2:02.234 +0.013 +0.577 28 5 Valentino Rossi Ducati Team 2:02.727 +0.493 +1.070 31 6 Andrea Dovizioso Yamaha Tech 3 2:02.751 +0.024 +1.094 20 7 Hector Barbera Pramac Racing Team 2:02.773 +0.022 +1.116 35 8 Katsuyuki Nakasuga Yamaha Factory 2:02.829 +0.056 +1.172 29 9 Alvaro Bautista Honda Gresini 2:02.939 +0.110 +1.282 36 10 Stefan Bradl LCR Honda 2:03.668 +0.729 +2.011 38 11 Karel Abraham Cardion AB Motoracing 2:03.781 +0.113 +2.124 36 12 Nicky Hayden Ducati Team 2:03.969 +0.188 +2.312 23 13 Franco Bataini Ducati Team 2:04.986 +1.017 +3.329 26 14 Casey Stoner Repsol Honda Team 2:07.163 +2.177 +5.506 4 15 Colin Edwards NGM Forward Racing 2:08.240 +1.077 +6.583 18 16 Ivan Silva Avintia Racing 2:11.267 +3.027 +9.610 12 17 Jordi Torres Avintia Racing 2:12.652 +1.385 +10.995 33
After two months off the track, the MotoGP paddock was back in action on Tuesday as the first official Test of 2012 began at the Sepang International Circuit. In attendance were the factory teams getting underway with development work on the new 1000cc bikes in addition several new teams contesting MotoGP CRT machines.
A damp track in the morning had the riders waiting to make first contact with the track, until late morning when all but Casey Stoner made their first laps aboard their 2012 machines.
Leading the early pace at the top of the timesheet after the opening half of day one was Factory Yamaha’s Jorge Lorenzo with a fastest lap of 2’02.406 aboard his new YZR-M1, with Valentino Rossi making the long awaited debut of the new Ducati Desmosedici GP12 and lapping four tenths of a second behind Lorenzo, with Ben Spies following with a best lap of 2’02.930.
Alvaro Bautista made his first laps aboard the Honda of the Gresini Team in a strong debut to rank fourth for the morning, with Yamaha Tech 3’s Cal Crutchlow the second highest satellite team rider in fifth position.
Following in sixth was Dani Pedrosa, who arrived at the test with a custom chassis on his Repsol Honda RC213V, distinctly different than that of team-mate Stoner, who made sat out the morning due to a pulled muscle in his back, though the Australian did remark upon inspecting his new ride that changes made to the bike since the test in November were impressive. In his stead was Honda test rider Kousuke Akiyoshi who made 3 laps aboard Stoner’s machine.
American Nicky Hayden gathered his first impressions of the GP12, making 10 laps with a best time of 2’04.665, followed by Moto2 World Champion Stefan Bradl aboard the LCR Honda. Next in the rankings was a still recovering Andrea Dovizioso on the Yamaha Tech 3 machine, the Italian is recovering from surgery to plate his collarbone after an off season motocross incident and will use this test to familiarize himself with his new bike.
Hector Barbara set a fastest lap of 2’05.112 aboard the Pramac Racing Ducati, eight tenths ahead of Czech rider Karel Abraham, who will focus on setting up rider position and testing the electronics and tires on his new GP12 Ducati.
The new Avintia Racing team saw team rider Ivan Silva and replacement rider Jordi Torres lap in the 2’11 and 2’12s, respectively, ahead of Forward Racing’s Colin Edwards, who is hard at work developing the electronics of his Suter-BMW.
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MotoGP
Feb 1, 2012 7:17:18 GMT 8
Post by Jack 900SS on Feb 1, 2012 7:17:18 GMT 8
CRT and Moto3 at Valencia
The three riders piloting MotoGP™ CRT (Claiming Rule Team) bikes continued with development of the ART machine, with Randy de Puniet of the Aspar Team topping the timesheets with a best lap of 1’34.9, seven tenths better than his teammate Aleix Espargaró and nearly two seconds ahead of Italy's Mattia Pasini (Speed Master).
"Today the conditions were worse, the cold and wind have caused the track to have even less grip than yesterday, and it cost us more to catch up. Yet we improved our lap times, but I am convinced that we would have improved more if the conditions were better," said De Puniet. "Today we continued working hard on the electronics, and also on managing the engine braking and the clutch. We're leaving Valencia happy to have collected a good amount of information, and defined the next steps forward for the next tests at Jerez as well. The year has started great, I hope we continue in the same way. "
In the Moto3 category, reliability has been the key with the new bikes, and this seems to have been achieved by all the teams present, having completed the second day of testing successfully and with no major mechanical issues with the KTM powered bikes at the Cheste circuit. The fastest rider of the day was Sandro Cortese, with a time of 1’43.2 being the best of his 48 laps; while three tenths behind the German was Luis Salom, who recorded the fasted time on the first day of practice. Third was Hector Faubel, who finished just over half a second behind Cortese.
The Moto3 riders return next week along with the Moto2 field for the Official IRTA test at the Circuit de la Comunitat Valenciana Ricardo Tormo, from the 8th to the 10th of February, with free access for spectating fans.
Unofficial day two times provided by teams
CRT
1.- Randy De Puniet 1’34.9 35 laps 2.- Aleix Espargaró 1’35.6 46 laps 3.- Mattia Pasini 1'36.7 43 laps
Moto3
1.- Sandro Cortese 1’43.2 48 laps 2.- Luis Salom 1’43.5 31 laps 3.- Héctor Faubel 1’43.8 56 laps 4.- Niklas Ajo 1’44.0 50 laps 5.- Zulfahmi Khairuddin 1’44.1 43 laps 6.- Alberto Moncayo 1’44.2 52 laps 7.- Danny Kent 1’44.2 64 laps 8.- Brad Binder 1’45.7 49 laps 9.- Arthur Sissis 1’46.2 55 laps
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MotoGP
Feb 1, 2012 18:34:57 GMT 8
Post by Jack 900SS on Feb 1, 2012 18:34:57 GMT 8
MotoGP Sepang Test, Malaysia Session 2 as of 18:00 - 01/02/12 Pos Rider Team Fastest lap Prev. Gap Lead. Gap Laps 0 Casey Stoner 2:00.895 - - 29 1 Ben Spies 2:01.052 +0.157 +0.157 37 2 Jorge Lorenzo 2:01.068 +0.016 +0.173 40 3 Dani Pedrosa 2:01.508 +0.440 +0.613 35 4 Cal Crutchlow 2:01.565 +0.057 +0.670 42 5 Hector Barbera 2:01.788 +0.223 +0.893 50 6 Valentino Rossi 2:01.886 +0.098 +0.991 44 7 Alvaro Bautista 2:01.933 +0.047 +1.038 46 8 Andrea Dovizioso 2:02.160 +0.227 +1.265 42 9 Nicky Hayden 2:02.354 +0.194 +1.459 41 10 Stefan Bradl 2:02.414 +0.060 +1.519 41 11 Karel Abraham 2:02.598 +0.184 +1.703 66 12 Katsuyuki Nakasuga 2:02.941 +0.343 +2.046 40 13 Franco Battaini 2:04.311 +1.370 +3.416 38 14 Colin Edwards 2:05.603 +1.292 +4.708 37 15 Ivan Silva 2:10.297 +4.694 +9.402 16 16 Jordi Torres 2:11.893 +1.596 +10.998 2 17 Robertino Pietri 2:12.546 +0.653 +11.651 5
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MotoGP
Feb 2, 2012 7:20:20 GMT 8
Post by Jack 900SS on Feb 2, 2012 7:20:20 GMT 8
Casey Stoner 'back' on top at Sepang
"It was good to get back out on track and feel the wind in your face again" - Casey Stoner. After a delayed debut with the #1 plate on his Repsol Honda, Casey Stoner put his new RC213V on top of the timesheets during day two of the Sepang MotoGP test.
The double world champion had been forced to miss the entire opening day of 2012 testing following a back strain, while stretching in the pits yesterday morning. “It happens two or three times a year to me, but normally not around bikes and yesterday was far beyond anything I've ever had before,” explained Stoner. “I've had two or three scans on my back because of the [125cc] crash I had in 2003. I've had back problems ever since then, but the scans have never shown anything conclusive.
“We'll have another scan. I've still got to have a scan on my neck, from Assen last year. I haven't got full movement. So I have to get both of them checked out. It's quite frustrating, but it's just something that happens. It seems you have a good back or bad back. At least it doesn't affect me most of the time.”
Stoner used 'off the shelf' pain killing tablets to "take the edge off" the back problem on Wednesday and was able to ride for 29 laps, although the morning began worryingly when he tweaked another part of his back. “I could still ride well, just not do as many laps as I'd like,” said Stoner.
The loss of the opening day also meant Stoner couldn't waste any time in getting up to speed, but still enjoyed riding a grand prix prototype for the first time since November's Valencia test. “Your mind is one or two corners behind at first, but it was good to get back out on track and feel the wind in your face again,” he said. Stoner's best lap - his 19th - was a 2min 0.895sec.
After a false 1min 58sec time for Ben Spies had been corrected, Stoner finished the day 0.157sec ahead of the Texan, whose factory Yamaha team-mate Jorge Lorenzo - quickest on day one - was just 0.173sec behind in third.
“When I first saw Spies' [false] time I thought 'freak'! Then I looked again and thought 'hang on - 2.7sec quicker?' He should have gone a little slower and done a high 1m 59s!” joked Stoner. But false time or not, Stoner knows the M1 riders are looking much more competitive during preparations for the first 1000cc season.
“You saw yesterday that the Yamahas were fast immediately,” said Stoner. “I don't think there's too much difference between the bikes at the moment. The Yamahas are looking really strong and competitive.
“Considering Jorge has been off the bike for a long time he's doing a great job and Ben is starting the season strong. Hopefully he can continue like that.”
In terms of his own workload, Stoner mainly concentrated on back-to-back chassis testing. “We're pretty happy with everything we did,” he said “We were comparing the new chassis and the one we had in Valencia. We'd like to take some good things from one and put with the other, but we at least found a direction to go.”
Stoner confirmed that the main problem is still chatter. “We used the harder front tyre this afternoon and found that we had more chattering with that. So we tried to reduce that in the chassis we preferred, but by no means enough, especially if we go to a track like Brno which produces a lot of chatter,” he added.
Stoner's team-mate Dani Pedrosa was fourth fastest, +0.613sec.
The first Sepang test concludes on Thursday evening.
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MotoGP
Feb 3, 2012 19:23:06 GMT 8
Post by quattro750 on Feb 3, 2012 19:23:06 GMT 8
sub 2min ;D thanks for coming. roll on the season proper q
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MotoGP
Feb 8, 2012 14:50:21 GMT 8
Post by Jack 900SS on Feb 8, 2012 14:50:21 GMT 8
Casey Stoner - Q&A
A Repsol generated interview with MotoGP world champion Casey Stoner after last week's Sepang test
Reigning double MotoGP world champion Casey Stoner missed day one of the Sepang test due to a back strain, but returned to be fastest on the second and third days - setting an unofficial lap record of 1m 59.607s on his new Repsol Honda RC213V in the process…
Q: First of all, how are you doing? After the long winter wait to get back on the bike, you weren't able to ride on the opening day of the three in Sepang…
Casey Stoner: After the winter break and a long time off the bike, we were preparing in order to be ready for day one of testing. Unfortunately I had a problem with my back and we missed that opening day. We had our schedule planned out for the three days, but we were able to pack it all into two in the end. I was a little bit disappointed, but then I felt really good when I was able to get back riding and experience the feeling of being on track again. Everything went pretty well and I hope that we can improve.
Q: Does the riding style required change much with the switch from 800cc bikes to 1000cc bikes?
Casey Stoner: No, we haven't changed much in terms of riding style; with the 800cc we already had an abundance of power, so we had to learn to manage that in many ways. I think that the 1000cc has a lot more acceleration —which makes things more fun— but I don't have to change my style too much for that. The feeling is very similar to with the 800cc bikes and it seems as if everyone is adapting well.
Q: Have you made any changes in your winter training with the new bike in mind?
Casey Stoner: No, because I think that the physical demands will be very similar. It will be a little more difficult, but we were already training with the aim of being as fit as possible for any bike. It wasn't specific training for the 800cc before. In my opinion, I can't improve my fitness much more before the start of the season.
Q: Do you notice the 4kg difference between the bike used at Sepang and that used at Valencia?
Casey Stoner: Yes, and it is rather frustrating. We already had the bike developed and then they decided to change the regulations, so we had to add 4kg to the weight of our bike. This is a disadvantage for us, because the bike was already developed with a specific weight in mind, and now we have to add more. This affects the bike. It isn't something that you notice much in your general riding, but unfortunately you do feel it quite a bit mid-corner. We have to try to adapt a little more and overcome this, but it is disappointing that the decision was made so late on.
Q: With these more powerful, heavier bikes, you still have the same fuel capacity permitted. Do you follow the collaboration between Honda engineers and Repsol to provide Dani and yourself with the best fuel possible?
Casey Stoner: Of course, when you have more power there is a critical aspect involved: Obtaining the same performance with less fuel consumption. We have the same fuel tank capacity as with the 800cc bikes, only with a lot more power available, so it is going to be rather difficult to ensure that we can finish each race. That is why it is crucial that Honda and Repsol work together to find the best solution.
Q: You now have a blog and the fans are really pleased to read your thoughts. What do you think about this? Are you aware of how many people support you and will access this new platform for your opinion?
It is something that will let the fans learn more about what goes on behind the scenes and what I think about various subjects. It isn't something that I would have done before, but thanks to Repsol I am going to give it a go this year and see how it works out. I think that it will be something interesting for the fans to read.
Q: The old rider saying is that you lose a tenth of a second per lap when you become a father. Do you agree with that?
Casey Stoner: They also say that you slow down when you get married, but in my first year of marriage I won the title and when I found out that we were having a baby I won it a second time. I don't think that it is the case.
Q: If one of your children were to say to you in the future "Dad, I want to be a rider!" how would you respond?
Casey Stoner:[Laughing] We would definitely teach them from a young age, but the decision to be a rider or not will be completely down to them.
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MotoGP
Feb 8, 2012 14:54:12 GMT 8
Post by Jack 900SS on Feb 8, 2012 14:54:12 GMT 8
Anthony West considering BSB
“I have had some offers to ride BSB, AMA, IDM and endurance racing... I'm just looking for the best way to go, and a team that can win!” – Anthony West. Anthony West, whose planned return to MotoGP this season ended due to a lack of sponsorship, has given an update on his 2012 racing options.
In late January the former factory Kawasaki MotoGP rider, a race winner in 250GP and WSS, announced that he had lost out on the Speed Master CRT MotoGP ride, adding: “I will most likely not race anymore and will [return] to Australia to find a normal job.”
Fortunately, West now has a more upbeat view of his racing future and is considering offers to race in most of the leading national Superbike championships - plus endurance - with the aim of a world championship return in 2013.
Writing on his official Facebook page, West said:
"To keep people up to date, I have had some offers to ride BSB, AMA, IDM and endurance racing, of course I want to be in GP but all rides are taken and same in WSBK. I'm just looking for the best way to go, and a team that can win!!! And I will start now to try [to] raise the money to come back into GP or WSBK for 2013"
Of those categories, BSB is surely the most prestigious - especially in the eyes of the WSBK/MotoGP paddocks - and therefore likely to be top of West's list.
In terms of “a team that can win”, Swan Yamaha now needs a replacement for the injured Ian Hutchison, riding alongside the team's reigning BSB champion Tommy Hill.
Rumours of WSBK legend Noriyuki Haga switching to BSB have been circling for months and the Japanese would also be an ideal 'super-sub' for the Swan team.
It is estimated that TT star Hutchison will need three months to recover from his latest left-leg fracture and his main priority is returning to fitness in time for June's Isle of Man races.
Wet-weather ace West raced for MZ in Moto2 for the past two seasons, claiming a best finish of fourth. Italian Mattia Pasini has taken over the Speed Master (Aprilia) MotoGP seat.
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MotoGP
Feb 20, 2012 16:15:49 GMT 8
Post by Jack 900SS on Feb 20, 2012 16:15:49 GMT 8
HOW FUCKING IRONIC IS THAT ??
Casey Stoner becomes a father (on Rossi's birthday!)
February the 16th now a memorable day for two of MotoGP's biggest stars.
Reigning double MotoGP world champion Casey Stoner became a father for the first time on Thursday, when wife Adriana gave birth to a baby girl.
“We are very happy to announce Alessandra Stoner was born on the 16/02/2012 at 21:55 weighing 2.8kg. Mum & baby are both doing well!” said a message on the official HRC MotoGP Twitter account.
Crash.net sends its congratulations to the Stoner family!
February the 16th is also Valentino Rossi's birthday - the seven-time MotoGP champion celebrating his 33rd birthday on Thursday.
Stoner and Rossi will be back on track during the second official MotoGP test of 2012, which starts at Sepang on February 28.
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MotoGP
Feb 28, 2012 18:05:27 GMT 8
Post by Jack 900SS on Feb 28, 2012 18:05:27 GMT 8
MotoGP Sepang Test, Malaysia
Session 1 as of 17:00 - 28/02/12
Pos Rider Team Fastest lap Prev. Gap Lead. Gap Laps 1 Casey Stoner Repsol Honda Team 2:01.761 - - 16 2 Dani Pedrosa Repsol Honda Team 2:02.005 +0.244 +0.244 36 3 Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha Factory Racing 2:02.436 +0.431 +0.675 22 4 Ben Spies Yamaha Factory Racing 2:02.819 +0.383 +1.058 23 5 Alvaro Bautista San Carlo Honda Gresini 2:02.959 +0.140 +1.198 24 6 Nicky Hayden Ducati Team 2:03.132 + 0.17 +1.37 44 7 Cal Crutchlow Monster Yamaha Tech 3 2:03.213 +0.081 +1.452 27 8 Valentino Rossi Ducati Team 2:03.245 +0.032 +1.484 39 9 Hector Barbera Pramac Racing Team 2:03.612 +0.367 +1.851 24 10 Stefan Bradl LCR Honda 2:03.820 +0.208 +2.059 31 11 Andrea Dovizioso Monster Yam Tech 3 2:03.830 +0.010 +2.069 23 12 Franco Battaini Cardion AB Motoracing 2:05.563 +1.733 +3.802 11 13 Colin Edwards NGM Mobile Forward 2:05.686 +0.123 +3.925 16 14 Ivan Silva Avintia Racing 2:08.479 +2.793 +6.718 19 15 Yonny Hern?ndez Avintia Racing 2:08.767 +0.288 +7.006 16
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MotoGP
Mar 11, 2012 6:54:51 GMT 8
Post by Jack 900SS on Mar 11, 2012 6:54:51 GMT 8
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FONC (with the attractive cock)
Guest
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MotoGP
Mar 11, 2012 8:46:30 GMT 8
Post by FONC (with the attractive cock) on Mar 11, 2012 8:46:30 GMT 8
Certainly gave me a Sunday morning chubby. Bring it on!!!
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MotoGP
Mar 31, 2012 11:22:06 GMT 8
Post by Jack 900SS on Mar 31, 2012 11:22:06 GMT 8
ANT WEST - What next ??
New NEWS,, I am back in Moto2 riding for the QMMF team, What a crazy year and I have not even done 1 race yet, I am replacing DAMIAN CUDLIN after he and the team have decided to not continue working together. I have nothing to do with what happen with Damian but I wish him the best in what he does next. I know better then any one how hard it is to find and keep a ride as an Australian. I know this is a good move for me. After testing with my BSB team and seeing what the situation was I will have no regrets leaving the Supersonic team. I will miss not racing the BMW as it is a very good bike and in the right team can win races. I would also like to say sorry to Dave Allenby for leaving and not getting the chance to work together as he and his crew are really good guys. And wish them and Patrick Muff all the best for the session.
I have a hard road ahead but i am confident in the Moriwaki bike and know how hard the factory will work for me to help me get good results. I have a long history with Moriwaki doing my 1st ever road race in Japan on a Moriwaki MH 80cc at the age of 15, then going on to race for them on their VTR 1000 at the age of 16 in 1998. So I am really happy to return and race for them again together with QMMF. ;-)
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MotoGP
Mar 31, 2012 11:22:48 GMT 8
Post by Jack 900SS on Mar 31, 2012 11:22:48 GMT 8
Certainly gave me a Sunday morning chubby. Bring it on!!! OK FONC (with the attractive cock) - but could ya SEE it
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MotoGP
Apr 2, 2012 8:34:27 GMT 8
Post by Jack 900SS on Apr 2, 2012 8:34:27 GMT 8
Moriwaki GP3 bike a “Dream” come true - Team Gardner
Moriwaki Engineering’s Moto3 development rider Remy Gardner completed a three day test of the aptly named Moriwaki Dream (MD250) GP3 bike for the first time, at Suzuka Circuit in Japan this week. “We were so happy for Remy to finally be able to ride the MD250 in Japan. I am very proud of this machine and very excited to have Wayne [Gardner] back with the Moriwaki team, and to welcome Remy as a new member of the family,” said Mamoru Moriwaki. Day one of the official trial tested Remy’s wet weather riding skills as he saddled up in torrential rain on a cold and soaking track. “I couldn’t really assess the bike very well on the first day because I was learning the track and it had rivers running across it, but the bike felt pretty good even then,” said Remy. A wet track in the morning on day two didn’t dampen the team’s enthusiasm and as the surface dried Remy worked with Moriwaki’s engineers to get the bike set up to his requirements, making solid headway. Proud father Wayne Gardner said, “Remy did a great job in varying conditions, and worked very well with the Moriwaki team. Having the opportunity to test the bike on wet and dry tyres was actually good experience for him too.” Yesterday, the last day of the test went exceptionally well. With much better conditions and the set up fine tuned, young Remy grabbed the opportunity to give the “Dream” a good hard run getting right up to speed. “Remy’s approach and professionalism over the past three days has generated more respect and excitement from the Moriwaki crew,” said Wayne. An elated Remy added, “I can’t wait to test the bike at Jerez next week. It’s feeling really good and I know we can make it even better as the season goes on.” Team Gardner Racing have been appointed Moriwaki Engineering’s development team in Europe to help fine tune the Moto3 bike for entry into Grand Prixs later in the year. Remy will compete in the 2012 CEV Buckler Moto3 Championship in Spain, and will work closely with Moriwaki through the season to improve and develop the “Dream”. Representatives from Moriwaki will travel to Spain at the end of this week to join Team Gardner Racing at their first official CEV Buckler test at Jerez Circuit on 13-14 March, followed by the first race of the season on 30 March-1 April, also at Jerez. “I absolutely loved Japan. It was my first time there since I was a baby and I will never forget this trip. It’s a dream come true for me to be working with Moriwaki Engineering and racing in Spain. I sometimes can’t believe it’s happening to me,” said a grateful Remy Gardner.
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MotoGP
Apr 6, 2012 8:57:32 GMT 8
Post by quattro750 on Apr 6, 2012 8:57:32 GMT 8
RDP CRT only just faster than Luthi Moto2 20kmh slower than prototypes Hayden 3rd Rossi
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