Moto GP; Dani Pedrosa leads tight warm up session at Brno

This morning’s MotoGP warm up at Brno was on a cold and a slightly damp track and several riders did their first lap scrubbing in their rain tires and then returned to track with their slick tires.

Repsol Honda duo Dani Pedrosa and Marc Marquez were the two fastest riders, separated by a mere 0.003s. followed by Valentino Rossi who had his M1 loaded a little more than on the front and this allowed his to finish third, just 0.098s from Pedrosa, an showing off an even better pace than the previous day.

Jorge Lorenzo fourth fastest rider after changing his setup once again, while today’s polesitter Cal Crutchlow was fifth and he was less than three tenths from Pedrosa.

Stefan Bradl also changed the setup on his Honda and his lap time showed a definite improvement, and Bradley Smith had another great session and even if he was 7th he was under half a second from the top of the timesheets.

Gresini’s Bautista who will take off in second on the grid was 8th followed by the usual Ducati duo Nicky Hayden and Andrea Dovizioso who were respectively 9th and 10th. The new engine that the Italian manufacturer brought to the Czech round, may have a softer delivery, but the laps times for the men in red are still far from the others.

Just a reminder, today’s MotoGP race will be run one hour earlier than usual so it doesn’t coincide with the Formula 1 race.

2013 MotoGP Brno warm up results:

01- Dani Pedrosa – Repsol Honda Team – Honda RC213V – 1’56.515
02- Marc Marquez – Repsol Honda Team – Honda RC213V – + 0.003
03- Valentino Rossi – Yamaha Factory Racing – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 0.098
04- Jorge Lorenzo – Yamaha Factory Racing – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 0.125
05- Cal Crutchlow – Monster Yamaha Tech 3 – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 0.259
06- Stefan Bradl – LCR Honda MotoGP – Honda RC213V – + 0.345
07- Bradley Smith – Monster Yamaha Tech 3 – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 0.447
08- Alvaro Bautista – GO&FUN Honda Gresini – Honda RC213V – + 0.601
09- Nicky Hayden – Ducati Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP13 – + 0.851
10- Andrea Dovizioso – Ducati Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP13 – + 1.755

via Twowheelsblog

The Quail 2013: Field of Dreams

The Quail’ could be seen as a private dress rehearsal for the Pebble Beach Concours on Sunday. Guests part with $500 for entry and as a result, it’s perfect for those who wish to gaze at classics – of both the two- and four-wheeled variety – in a more intimate setting…

With its military parade and patriotic get-together to sing the National Anthem, ‘The Quail’ could only be an American event. For 11 years, Hong Kong native Sir Michael Kadoorie has welcomed guests to the golf course of his Quail Lodge resort in the heart of Carmel Valley. Evil tongues suggest that the classics which gather here are not up to the rigourous demands of the Pebble Beach jury, but it seems some owners in fact prefer to showcase their machines in The Quail's more relaxed atmosphere.

As with most events this year, the anniversaries of Lamborghini, Aston Martin and the Porsche 911 brought out some rare treasures – including a DB4 GT Zagato and a gorgeous Miura S (which went on to win the Lamborghini class). However, standing out from its 125 peers to take the ‘Best of Show’ award was Larry Miller’s 1964 Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupé. Some would argue bias from the homeland, but its rarity (one of six), pedigree (wins at Le Mans, Daytona, Sebring and Goodwood) and unmolested condition spoke for themselves.

In the world of two wheels, an MV Agusta 125 GTL-S Carenata took the award for best bike of the show – and rightly so. Oozing with class, it was a perfect demonstration of why historic motorcycles are becoming increasingly popular with collectors. For further proof, one had to look no further than the USD 100,000 paid for a Vincent at Gooding’s Pebble Beach auction.

via Classic Driver

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