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    dimanche 1 septembre 2013

    Jorge Lorenzo celebrates 'one of his best races' at Silverstone; Marc Marquez: '20 points feel like a win', Pedrosa disappointed with Silverstone result


    Yamaha 2013 Silverstone Race
    Jorge Lorenzo was able to break Marc Marquez’ winning spree with a stunning victory at Silverstone. The Yamaha rider and Marquez were in a league of their own as the two battled it out on the final lap, when Marquez made a move at Brooklands, but Lorenzo retaliated and barged past when Marquez left the door slightly open.
    To counteract Marquez’ never give up attitude, Lorenzo has been forced to become slightly more aggressive - less ‘butter’ and much more ‘hammer’ than he has been in the past.
    To celebrate his fourth victory of the season Lorenzo had his hair cut in a mohawk.
    “This was one of the best races I’ve ever had. I’m really happy and really pleased. It’s a very important win,” said Lorenzo. “I pushed from the beginning to try and open a gap, even more than in recent races but it was impossible. Marc never gives up, even if he’s a little bit injured after the warm-up. He overtook me three laps from the end so I studied him a little for one lap and I saw he was struggling in some braking so I overtook him on the corner where he crashed. pushed in the last lap to the maximum, I opened a little gap but I made a mistake in braking and almost crashed. When he overtook me three corners from the end I thought it was over again and second place but then he opened a little gap in the last corner so I thought ‘now or never’ and I tried and got it. To be honest I’m not thinking about the championship, I’m thinking just to enjoy this victory which was very special to get the focus on Misano.”
    Yamaha 2013 Silverstone RaceYamaha 2013 Silverstone RaceYamaha 2013 Silverstone RaceYamaha 2013 Silverstone RaceYamaha 2013 Silverstone RaceYamaha 2013 Silverstone RaceYamaha 2013 Silverstone RaceYamaha 2013 Silverstone Race
    For the third consecutive time Valentino Rossi finished in fourth place. Despite a promising start - he was up to third in the first corner - but as usual with a full fuel tank and some lack of confidence in pushing hard on the first lap sent him back to six, gobbled up the three Honda riders.
    Rossi was able to return and found himself battling with Alvaro Bautista again - he laughingly said its practice for when he will able to fight with the front runners - and pipped the Gresini rider again at the wire.
    The Italian described his fourth place ‘like going to a party and finding that they won’t let you in,’ and the Italian also had to be taken back to his garage by Cal Crutchlow after running out of gas on the cool down lap.
    “For me this result is a bit more positive than in Brno because this track is very difficult,” said Rossi. “Every time I come here I have a bad result, this time we worked in a different and better way but unfortunately it is not enough to stay with the first three guys. They were too strong. The fourth place is better than in Brno, but it is still a fourth place. I made a good start but in the first laps the other guys were a lot faster than me between the second and seventh lap, but the second half of the race was not so bad.
    When the rear started to slide it is like we put less pressure on the front, where we have some problem, and I could enter the corners faster, but it was not enough.
    “We will continue to work hard, we never give up and are not so far now. We have a constant pace and we are nearly there but we need to go a bit faster, we still have to work to improve our pace. We made a modification between warm up and the race that gave me a better feeling with the front. Now we have a week of rest after thre back-to-back races and then Misano, which I like a lot, my home grand prix, where I’ve been on the podium with both the Yamaha and Ducati. I’m always fast at that track so we have to try and improve the result.”
    Despite Lorenzo’s tremendous victory Rossi believes that the championship is out of his team mate’s reach as he would have to win the next six races against Marquez.
    “The difference now is 39 points. First of all, Yamaha have to bring the gearbox as soon as possible. I do not think it’s possible for Jorge to win six races and Marquez arrive second in six races. The championship has six races to go but it is impossible they arrive one-two every race. If you wanna bet with me, I can bet. It’s difficult because the gap is large and Marquez is very strong. The M1 is a little bit in trouble compared to the factory Hondas.”
    Repsol Honda 2013 Silverstone Race
    Following his crash during warm-up practice this morning their were some doubts that Marc Marquez could race after sustaining a dislocated shoulder - Andrea Iannone is still feeling the after effects of his Sachsenring shoulder injury - but when Dr. Costa said that the rookie arrived in the Clinica Mobile for treatment he was already chomping on the bit ready to return to action, you knew that Marquez was already in his never give up mode - and the hell with his injury after his left shoulder took a 22.55 g impact.
    On an adrenaline high he battled with Lorenzo for the victory, but running slightly wide and letting the Yamaha rider through, consigned him to a still an excellent second, and even more accolades over another stellar performance.
    “I’m very happy with how things went today,” said Marquez. “This morning when my shoulder popped out I thought that my weekend was over, but the doctors were able to put it back in place quickly and that allowed me to be up there at the front, fighting with Jorge.”
    “I didn’t feel much pain, because I received an injection to dull the pain, but I was lacking strength and was feeling tired by the end. Despite all this, I was able to battle all the way until the final corner with Jorge, who eventually emerged victorious today. Congratulations to him! For me these 20 points are like a win!”
    Repsol Honda 2013 Silverstone RaceRepsol Honda 2013 Silverstone RaceRepsol Honda 2013 Silverstone RaceRepsol Honda 2013 Silverstone Race
    For the second time this season Dani Pedrosa could not take advantage of a rivals injury and finish higher up on the podium. Uncharacteristically the Repsol Honda rider had a bad start and was forced to make up lost ground, punishing excessively his tires in the process which did not allow him to entry the fray between Lorenzo and Marquez.
    “I’m disappointed with the result today. I rode well but got a bad start and conceded a lot of seconds on the opening two laps, so I had to really push in order to recover ground,” said Pedrosa. “I gradually caught up with Marc and Jorge, but I wore my tyres out in the process and at the end of the race I lacked grip on the right-hand corners. I tried to calm down and slow my pace in order to lower the tyre temperature, although finally I wasn’t able to match their performance. That meant that when I attempted to pass the bike slid out a lot and I was unable to really get involved in the fight for the win. I will have to give it another go at Misano.”

    Red Bull Drift Party in China’s Tianmenshan Mountains

    Red Bull Drift Show in Tianmenshan Mountain



    Sometimes it’s easy to forget that Red Bull is an energy drinks maker rather than a Formula One racing team and extreme sports backer. The Austrian energy drink maker’s name is linked to all sort of high energy and highly dangerous sports and activities like the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series, Red Bull X-Fighters and the Red Bull Air Race World Championship.
    The Red Bull Drift Party joins that list of events that grab headlines for the firm and produces great images. The event was arranged to showcase the abilities of Hong Kong based Red Bull drifter James Tang and Federico Sceriffo from Team Orange Japan. Although they’re not house-hold names that doesn’t matter because the most important part of the “drift party” is the beautiful scenery of the spectacular Tianmenshan Mountains, a natural arch cave mountain that’s five miles from the city of Zhangjiajie (formerly Dayong) in Hunan Province.
    Using an area that the local’s dub “Heaven’s Gate” was a great move and the 99 twisting and turning curves helped the drifters showcase their skills. Federico Sceriffo came out as the victor with a score of 96.5 out of 100 and a top speed clocked at 106mph. Afterwards he was awarded the title “Tianmenshan Mountain Drift King”.

    Red Bull Drift Show in Tianmenshan MountainRed Bull Drift Show in Tianmenshan MountainRed Bull Drift Show in Tianmenshan MountainRed Bull Drift Show in Tianmenshan Mountain
    Red Bull hasn’;t made any plans for a rematch but we’d like to think that James Tang will have a chance to claim the title at some point from Federico Sceriffo.
    Red Bull Drift Show in Tianmenshan MountainRed Bull Drift Show in Tianmenshan MountainRed Bull Drift Show in Tianmenshan MountainRed Bull Drift Show in Tianmenshan MountainRed Bull Drift Show in Tianmenshan MountainRed Bull Drift Show in Tianmenshan MountainRed Bull Drift Show in Tianmenshan MountainRed Bull Drift Show in Tianmenshan MountainRed Bull Drift Show in Tianmenshan MountainRed Bull Drift Show in Tianmenshan MountainRed Bull Drift Show in Tianmenshan MountainRed Bull Drift Show in Tianmenshan MountainRed Bull Drift Show in Tianmenshan MountainRed Bull Drift Show in Tianmenshan MountainRed Bull Drift Show in Tianmenshan MountainRed Bull Drift Show in Tianmenshan MountainRed Bull Drift Show in Tianmenshan MountainRed Bull Drift Show in Tianmenshan MountainRed Bull Drift Show in Tianmenshan MountainRed Bull Drift Show in Tianmenshan Mountain
    via EUROCARBLOG

    1988 Honda NX Dominator S1 by Sameiros Motors



    1988 Honda NX Dominator S1 by Sameiros Motors Sameiros Motors was born on January 1, 2013 in Portugal, two brothers who love bikes, first project, is this 1988 Honda NX Dominator S1, with the nickname “Lose the Wheels”,

    1988 Honda NX Dominator S1 by Sameiros Motors
    Sameiros Motors was born on January 1, 2013 in Portugal, two brothers who love bikes, first project, is this 1988 Honda NX Dominator S1, with the nickname “Lose the Wheels” with construction time of three months. Almost everything has been changed in order to be a ” Tracker”. The exhaust (Muffler Shorty) came from Denmark “Wrenchmonkees” the Tank was from a 100cc Terrot 1952

    WEC SAO PAULO : TOYOTA HORS DU COUP AVANT LE CAP DE LA 1ÈRE HEURE.



    Après 25 tours de course, le Toyota Racing est à la peine puisque Stéphane Sarrazin s'est accroché avec la Lotus Praga LMP2 de Dominik Kraihamer. Les deux autos ont terminé sous la pile de pneus. C'est lors d'une manoeuvre de dépassement que l'Alésien a touché la monture de l'Autrichien sans rien pouvoir faire pour éviter le contact. Dodo Kraihamer a été déséquilibré sur le vibreur avant de perdre légèrement l'arrière de la Lotus. Si la #32 est restée sur place, le pilote Toyota met tout en oeuvre pour repartir le plus vite possible avec l'aide des commissaires. Les deux flancs de la TS030 HYBRID sont touchés, la course étant neutralisée.

    Juste avant l'accrochage, la Toyota comptait une quinzaine de secondes de retard sur l'Audi de tête pilotée par Allan McNish, en tête depuis le départ. Marcel Fässler était à 7s de la R18 e-tron quattro soeur.

    En LMP2, Mike Conway mène les débats sur la ORECA 03/G-Drive Racing devant Nicolas Minassian (ORECA 03/Pecom Racing) et Bertrand Baguette (Morgan LMP2/OAK Racing). On notera le beau début de course de Bjorn Wirdheim sur la Zytek Z11SN/Greaves Motorsport, solide quatrième. Cinquième place pour Olivier Pla, sur la Morgan #35. Si G-Drive se comporte bien avec la #26, la #25 a été retardée. Chez Lotus Praga LMP2, la seconde auto est également dans le stand.

    Gimmi Bruni est en tête de la catégorie GTE-Pro sur la Ferrari F458 Italia/AF Corse avec deux secondes d'avance sur les Aston Martin Vantage/AMR de Turner et Lamy. Viennent ensuite Kobayashi (Ferrari/AF Corse) et Senna (Aston Martin/AMR). Porsche a déjà perdu du terrain avec la #91 de Marc Lieb qui a connu un souci à l'avant gauche au niveau de la roue suite à un contact avec une Ferrari. Aston Martin Racing est en tête du GTE-Am avec la #95 de Nicki Thiim devant celle de Hall et la Ferrari/8Star. La Corvette/Larbre Compétition s'est arrêtée assez longuement suite à des soucis électrique. Quant à la Ferrari F458 Italia du Krohn Racing, elle a dû marquer une pénalité de trois minutes pour avoir changé de moteur à l'issue des qualifications.

    Laurent Mercier(Endurance-Info)

    Chez Toyota Racing, on attendait beaucoup des nouvelles évolutions sur la seule TS030 HYBRID au départ des 6 Heures de Sao Paulo. Si le début de course permettait aux Audi de prendre assez facilement le large, Stéphane Sarrazin parvenait à combler l'écart avec les R18 e-tron quattro. Les pneus de la TS030 HYBRID fonctionnaient à merveille face à la concurrence au fil des tours mais l'Alésien a été pris bien malgré lui dans un accrochage fatal avec la Lotus T128 de Dominik Kraihamer. C'en était terminé des espoirs de seconde victoire d'affilée au Brésil pour le Toyota Racing. Sébastien Buemi et Anthony Davidson n'auront même pas pu rouler en course. Le pilote de la #8 a bien tout tenté pour ramener sa monture salement amochée mais en vain. « Je suis très déçu pour l'équipe » confiait Stéphane Sarrazin à son retour au stand. « Je suis navré car je roulais normalement en remontant sur une LMP2 dans un virage. Il a perdu le contrôle de sa voiture avant de venir s'écraser sur moi. Que pouvais-je faire ? J'ai vraiment fait de mon mieux pour ramener l'auto au stand mais c'était impossible. C'est une très mauvaise journée pour nous. Je suis très déçu car nous avions de quoi bien faire aujourd'hui. »

    La déception est la même chez Yoshiaki Kinoshita, Président du Toyota Racing : « Le sport automobile est parfois difficile et preuve en est faite aujourd'hui. C'est très décevant. L'équipe a fait du bon travail tout le week-end et nous nous attendions à une course passionnante face à Audi mais cela ne l'a pas été. C'est dommage pour les fans parce qu'il y avait une foule enthousiaste et malheureusement la lutte entre Toyota et Audi n'aura duré que 35 minutes. C'était un incident de course et Stéphane ne pouvait rien faire pour l'éviter. C'est le sport automobile et nous allons maintenant regarder devant nous. » Même si la lutte est intense en piste entre Audi et Toyota, cela n'empêche pas un respect mutuel entre les deux équipes puisque le camp Audi a de suite regretté cette fin de course prématurée.

    1975 Honda CB500T 'Blackjack' - Gasser Customs


    By guest writer Ian Lee.
    This article involves climate change. Not global warming, but an extreme climate change nonetheless. From a location in the world where most people can only ride for half of the year due to the cold, to the tropical beaches of California,Gasser Customs has made the change from ice to nice. One thing hasn't changed though, they are still turning out sweet rides. Last time we caught up with Gasser he was based in Ontario, Canada, but looking to move south. Six months down the track and the Canuck bike builder is mixing it up with all Cali has to offer in custom bikes, and adding his own style to the scene.
    'Blackjack', the latest Gasser build started off with a simple idea, and built from there. The concept of twin overhead cams put visions of old school speed into Gasser's head, and the build was started. Taking a metallic purple Honda CB500T, the bike was stripped down completely, and no component left untouched. 
    The bare frame was double powder coated, and a custom hoop fitted to suit the fibreglass seat made for this build. A perforated stainless inner fender helps to save weight, showing one of Gasser Custom's signature build concepts, that of the art of the drill. The fuel tank was epoxy lined during the build, and a custom gauge cluster fabricated to suit the flowing lines of the bike. Gasser's trademark of polished highlights mixed with dark tones, is shown by mucho aluminium,  offset by satin black paint. 
    The powerplant has been treated to a full rebuild, with Gasser opting for oversized pistons on reassembly. With the cylinder head has been planed, and the valves cut, this helped the builder achieve his goal of boosting the power of the bike. The carburettors have been stripped down and rebuilt, a fully custom 2 - 1 stainless exhaust culminating in a Thruxton silencer at the rear of this drilled out machine.
    Bridgestone Spitfire are the tire of choice for this bike, wrapped around the standard rims laced with Buchanan stainless spokes. A progressive suspension system sits at the rear of the bike, allowing for a mix of riding styles depending on the mood of the owner. The front rotor had been cross drilled, the calliper rebuilt and new brakes fitted front and rear. 
    From the cold climate of Canada, to the sunny beaches of west coast America, Gasser Customs is showing it's capability as a custom bike builder. Gasser's build quality is right up there, with signature build concepts letting you know who customised the bike, and letting you know this bike isn't just for show. 'Blackjack' is heading north to be with it's new owner, who knows that with only 6 months of the year to ride, he is going to need something special to do it on. 

    via PIPEBURN

    Moto GP : Marc Marquez handed two penalty points for warm-up crash


    The Silverstone race direction has been very strict this weekend. After giving Andrea Iannone a penalty point on Friday for obstructing Andrea Dovizioso, they have now handed Marc Marquez two penalty points for not heeding the yellow flags following Cal Crutchlow’s crash during the warm-up session, that put in danger the marshals, but also the Yamaha rider.
    The FIM statement reads:
    Rider Marc Marquez (93) was riding in a section of the circuit where waved yellow flags were displayed due to an earlier accident. He continued at racing speed and did not slow down and be prepared to stop as required by the regulations. His subsequent crash at the same point as the previous accident seriously endangered the rider being attended and the marshals in the accident zone. This is an infringement of Article 1.22.2 of the FIM Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix Regulations. A Race Direction hearing was held at Silverstone on 1st September 2013 and the decision of the Race Direction is to impose two penalty points on the 2013 season total of the MotoGP rider number 93 Marc Marquez. No appeal has been lodged. The decision of the Race Direction is final.
    Marquez said that he did not see the yellow flags, “I know with a yellow flag you have to slow down and especially with an oil flag, you have to slow down a lot, but I didn’t see.”
    The Repsol Honda rider’s crash left him with a dislocated shoulder that was put back in place by the doctors of the medical center, but the injury din not hinder him one iota, as he finished a stunning second in a thrilling battle with Jorge Lorenzo in the final laps.
    The Penalty Point system was introduced this season and the Race Direction can sanction a rider with between 1 and 10 penalty points. Accumalating four points give a rider back of grid start, 7 points a pit lane start and 10 points a disqualification.
    Andrea Dovizioso and Hector Barbera were the first MotoGP riders to be punished with the new system at Assen after an altercation during qualifying.
    via TWOWHEELSBLOG

    VdeV Endurance Series ; EQUIPE PALMYR RAFLE LES 12H DE MOTORLAND ARAGON !



    La course s'était en partie jouée dans les stands en fin d'après-midi et la mécanique a continué à s'inviter dans les débats pour les quatre dernières heures. Comme les machines, les hommes fatiguaient aussi à l'approche du dénouement de ces douze heures.

    Le début de soirée est l'occasion du premier véritable accrochage de cette course, avec la n°42 de Palmyr et la n°1 de CD Sport qui était alors aux avant-postes. Cette dernière réussi à rejoindre son box, mais les réparations à effectuer vont l'immobiliser pendant de très longues minutes. La Tatuus n°12 a, elle, quitté le top 5 suite à des problèmes d'accélérateur et les ennuis vont s'accumuler pour l'équipe officielle jusqu'à la fin de course. La n°3 de CD Sport, en lice pour le podium, ne ralliera hélas pas l'arrivée et CD Sport qui avait aligné ses pilotes dans le top 5 perd le bénéfice d'un excellent début de course. La n°4 est la seule à se maintenir en bonne place.

    Avec les 12 passages obligatoires par les stands, on assiste dans les deux dernières heures à un bal de voitures qui rentrent sans s'arrêter dans la pitlane afin d'avoir un nombre suffisant d'arrêts comptabilisés avant le drapeau à damiers.

    La Porsche d'IMSA passe à travers les embûches et pointe à la 4e place dès la 9ème heure de course. L'équipe rouennaise peut même espérer monter sur le podium. En tête, tout se joue entre la n°40 de Mondolot/Zollinger/Fargier, la n°4 de Bole Besançon/Taittinger/Bossy et la n°8 de Capillaire/Cavailhes/Gelin. On pense que la dernière heure va se dérouler sans encombre, mais dans ce trio de tête, la n°8 de TFT rentre dans son box avec des problèmes électriques, puis c'est au tour de la n°4 de CD Sport de rejoindre ses mécaniciens dans la dernière demi-heure avec des problèmes de freins !

    A 1h00 du matin, c'est le trio Mondollot/Zollinger/Fargier qui amène la Norma n°40 de l'équipe Palmyr sur la plus haute marche du podium. La Norma n°8 de TFT est seconde et la Norma CD Sport n°4 conserve la 3ème place malgré ses ennuis de la dernière demi-heure.

    Parcours quasi parfait pour IMSA Performance Matmut qui positionne sa Porsche GT3-R en tête des GT et à la 4e place du classement général. Gibon et Belloc confortent ainsi leur place de leader au championnat. La Ferrari F458 GT 2 de Visiom termine à la seconde place et 12e au scratch. La Porsche de Crubilé Sport complète logiquement ce podium GT et limite finalement les dégâts au championnat dans cette course au gros coefficient. La n°136 de Porsche Lorient Racing est 4e GT et première GTV 2, puisque la Mosler n°111 du V de V n'a pas terminé la course.
     
    Beaucoup d'ennuis mécaniques, mais finalement peu d'abandons sur ces 12 heures d'endurance. Toutes les équipes ont fait le maximum pour rejoindre l'arrivée de cette belle épreuve dans laquelle GT et sport prototypes ont cohabités parfaitement. Une grande et belle épreuve d'endurance avec ces 12H de Motorland-Aragon qui marqueront sans aucun doute cette saison 2013 des V de V Endurance Series.

    Le classement de la course est ici.

    Source : VdeV Endurance Series
    via Endurance-Info

    WSBK : Tom Sykes wins Nurburgring race 1 in dramatic countback - Rea fractures leg / Chaz Davies wins redflagged race 2 at Nurburgring



    Chaz Davies took his third victory of the 2013 World Superbike championship in a exciting race 2 at Nurburgring (where Davies took his first every SBK win) that like race 1 was red flagged with just two laps remaining in the race, and when Davies, Eugene Laverty and Marco Melandri (the other two podium finishers) were ready to rumble a few more times.
    This time the oil on the track surface was promptly spotted, after wwildcard Matej Smrz violently highsided from his Yamaha R1 at turn 1, leaving a big puddle of oil right in middle of the track.
    It was a battled race from start to the premature finish between Davies, Laverty and Melandri, with Tom Sykes marginally getting into the fray in the middle of the race, but his fourth place was good enough to take the lead of the standings by one single point over Sylvain Guintoli, who managed to finish 5th.
    It was Marco Melandri who got the hole shot and trailing behind him were Tom Sykes and BMW team mate Chaz Davies, while Eugene Laverty shot up to 6th trailing his Aprilia counterpart, but one lap later the Nothern Irishman was already ahead of his team mate, as Davies took second from Sykes at turn 1 and began chasing after his team mate.
    Laverty got past a lagging Sykes at the NGK chicane grabbing third - a big improvement from his first race when he hit his engine casing on the kerb that forced him to pit and return to finish 15th. On lap 7 Davies took the lead from Melandri and just a few minutes later Laverty would demote Melandri to third in his favourite braking spot, turn 1.
    For a long while it seemed that the three were biding their times, studying each other until Melandri made two bold passes in the same lap, first eliminating Laverty and then Davies With just four laps remaining Davies dives back in front his team mate at the chicane and then Laverty passed Melandri again at turn 1 to take the second spot.
    As the penultimate lap started, you could see the riders begin lining each other up for a last lap battle, only to have the red flag come out, giving Davies the victory.
    Loris Baz was unable to take part in race 2 after being diagnosed with the fractured vertebrae. Leon Camier was was airlifted to the Stiffungs Klinicum in Koblenz for further observations on potential neck injury. Dr. Corbascio of the Clinica Mobile confirmed that Jonathan Rea suffered a fractured femur was also airlifted out.
    2013 WSBK Nurburgring Race 2 Results:
    1. Chaz Davies (BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK) BMW S1000 RR 34′36.933
    2. Eugene Laverty (Aprilia Racing Team) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 34′37.065
    3. Marco Melandri (BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK) BMW S1000 RR 34′37.299
    4. Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) Kawasaki ZX-10R 34′38.122
    5. Sylvain Guintoli (Aprilia Racing Team) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 34′38.554
    6. Davide Giugliano (Althea Racing) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 34′40.166
    7. Ayrton Badovini (Team Ducati Alstare) Ducati 1199 Panigale 34′51.610
    8. Michel Fabrizio (Red Devils Roma) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 34′55.792
    9. Max Neukirchner (MR-Racing) Ducati 1199 Panigale 34′59.058
    10. Carlos Checa (Team Ducati Alstare) Ducati 1199 Panigale 35′00.761

    RACE1 
    World Superbikes race 1 at Nurburgring was run in dry and cool conditions and Tom Sykes was awarded the victory in a countback after a dramatic finale that caused the race to be red flagged on the penultimate lap, leaving Marco Melandri who had jsut taken the lead in second and team mate Chaz Davies completed the podium.
    Ayrton Badovini had the pole position, but it was Tom Sykes who got the holeshot followed by Marco Melandri and Chaz Davies.
    For almost the half race distance the three riders were separated by a few tenths as the rest of field lost contact, while Eugene Laverty who was rushing to try to catch the escaping group, crashed out. The Aprilia rider was able to remount, but was forced to pit with a crooked front rim, he would rejoin. but his race was over, but he was able to pick up a single point.
    Davies would take the second spot from Melandri, but the Italian would return the favour just a few laps later as the two would continue their chase after Sykes as Jonathan Rea joined the three frontrunners.
    On the penultimate lap Melandri lined up the Kawasaki and passed him and Rea was trying to line up Davies when disaster struck.
    Federico Sandi crashed out and his Kawasaki lost oil on the track, and Rea arriving in fourth gear and at 200km/h was caught out by the oily substance at turn 10 and arrived like a missile against the barriers, and just moments later, Leon Camier was caught out. He smashed into the barriers like a bomb, with his Suzuki flying over the barriers. Rea has fractured his left femur. Camier has neck injury (the Suzuki rider is awake and moving) that has to be further investigated.
    The red flag came out halting the race and the results were based on the countback giving Skyes the victory, his 11th of his Superbike career and he is now only one point from Sylvain Guintoli who couldn’t do better than fifth (fourth with the countback) and was never in contention for a podium finish.
    Loris Baz was unable to take part in race 1 following his huge crash in this morning’s warm-up. The Kawasaki rider was shipped off the local hospital for further x-rays on his back.

    2013 WSBK Nurburgring Race 1 Results:
    1. Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) Kawasaki ZX-10R 32′38.184
    2. Marco Melandri (BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK) BMW S1000 RR 32′38.453
    3. Chaz Davies (BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK) BMW S1000 RR 32′38.898
    4. Sylvain Guintoli (Aprilia Racing Team) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 32′44.611
    5. Davide Giugliano (Althea Racing) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 32′46.710
    6. Michel Fabrizio (Red Devils Roma) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 32′51.418
    7. Leon Haslam (Pata Honda World Superbike) Honda CBR1000RR 32′52.002
    8. Jules Cluzel (Fixi Crescent Suzuki) Suzuki GSX-R1000 32′56.910
    9. Ayrton Badovini (Team Ducati Alstare) Ducati 1199 Panigale 32′59.233
    10. Carlos Checa (Team Ducati Alstare) Ducati 1199 Panigale 33′00.958

    12H SEPANG : VICTOIRE DE LA FERRARI DU CLEARWATER RACING



    Au vu des qualifications, on pensait qu'on allait peut-être assister à un troisième succès consécutif dans la Merdeka Millenium Endurance Race 2013 - MMER, les 12 Heures de Sepang- du Petronas Syntium Team dont les deux Mercedes SLS GT3 avaient monopolisé la première ligne de la grille de départ.

    En fait, il n'en a été rien, les Mercedes étant trahies par leur mécanique et n'étant pas à l'arrivée, et c'est une Ferrari 458,Italia, la n°7 du Clearwater Racing qui s'est imposée, avec un trio très international, composé de l'australien Craig Baird, du japonais Hiroshi Hamaguchi et du natif de Singapour Mok Weng Sun. Le Clearwater Racing est également basé à Singapour.

    Baird, Hamaguchi et Mok Weng Sun ont par ailleurs battu avec 323 tours couverts le record de l'épreuve détenu depuis 2011 par la Mercedes SLS Petronas Suntium de Nobuteru Taniguchi, Masataka Yanagida et Dominic Ang qui en avaient bouclé 321.

    Les GT italiennes ont dominé l'épreuve, la Lamborghini Gallardo n°23 du Lago Racing pilotée par Peter Kox, Roger Lago et David Russell terminant deuxième à six tours et la Ferrari 458 AF Corse de Mika Salo, Michele Rugolo et de Pasin Lathauras prenant la troisième place à sept tours des vainqueurs.

    Le départ de la course avait été donné sous le soleil à midi heures locales, sur une piste parfaitement sèche.

    Richard Lyons, qui avait été déjà le plus rapide lors des qualifications, prenait rapidement le commandement avec l'Aston Martin Vantage GT3 du Craft Racing, après avoir débordé dès le premier tour la Mercedes Petronas n°28 de Thomas Jäger.

    Lyons conservait la première place au terme de la première heure de course,  avec un peu moins d'une vingtaine de secondes d'avance sur la Ferrari Clearwater, suivies de près par les deux Mercdes SLS PST et la Ferrari 458 AF Corse.

    Lyons cédait ensuite le volant et lors de la deuxième heure de course la Ferrari AF Corse était à l'attaque et prenait le commandement devant la Mercedes n°28 et la Ferrari Clearwater.

    La Ferrari AF Corse maintenait le rythme ensuite et après trois heures de course elle avait un tour d'avance sur les deux Mercedes PST, suivies dans le même tour par la Ferrari Clearwater et la Lamborghini du Lago Racing.

    La Mercedes n°28 connaissait ensuite des ennuis mécaniques et perdait de nombreuses places, la Ferrari AF Corse restant en tête, devant la Mercedes n°1, revenue dans le même tour, et la Ferrari Clearwater, toujours en embuscade. La Mercedes n°1 était à son tour trahie par la mécanique et quittait les premières places, la Ferrrari AF Corse accentuant son avance sur la Ferrari AF Corse et la Lamborghini n°23. 

    Changement de leader à mi-course, la Ferrari Clearwater ayant profité de quelques petits soucis de la 458 AF Corse pour prendre la première place, les deux Ferrari restant cependant dans le même tour, suivies à deux tours par la Lamborghini.

    Le classement n'évoluait pas durant les deux heures suivantes, la Ferrari n°7 accentuant cependant son avance. Elle perdait à son tour un peu de temps au stand et la Ferrari n°3 revenait un peu plus au contact, les deux 458 étant séparées de 1'20'' après neuf heures de course.

    La dixième heure de course allait être fatale à AF Corse qui perdait huit tours à la suite d'un arrêt prolongé au stand. La voie était libre pour la Ferrari n°7 qui comptait désormais cinq tours d'avance sur la Lamborghini n°23 et huit tours d'avance sur la Ferrari 458 n°27 du Naza Nexus Racing, elle-même dans le même tour que la Ferrari AF Corse, quatrième.

    Dès lors, Baird, Hamaguchi et Mok Weng Sun contrôlaient la course et n'étaient plus inquiétés ppur la victoire alors qu'après un beau duel avec la Ferrari n°27, Salo, Rugolo et Lathauras prenaient la troisième place.  Mok Weng Sun remportait ainsi son deuxième succès dans la MMER
     

    Top 10 
    1.Mok Weng Sun/Hiroshi Hamaguchi/Craig Baird (Ferrari 458 Italia GT3) 323 laps 
    2. Roger Lago/David Russell/Peter Kox (Lamborghini LP560-4) 317 laps
    3. Mika Salo/Pasin Lathauras/Michele Rugolo (Ferrari 458 Italia GT3) 316 laps
    4. Adrian D'Silva/Earl Bamber/Alif Hamdan (Ferrari 458 Italia GT3) 316 laps
    5. Darryl O'Young/Vuthikorn Intharaphuvasak/Siu Yuk Lung (Porsche GT3R) 314 laps
    6. Katmusasa Chiyo/Wolfgang Reip/Mark Shulzhitskiy (Nissan GTR Nismo GT3) 308 laps
    7. Jeffrey Lee/Marchy Lee/Adderly Fong (Audi R8 LMS Ultra) 306 laps
    8. Jacky Yeung/Alex Yoong/Ashraff Dewal (Audi R8 LMS Cup) 303 laps
    9. Frank Yu/Alain Jacques Gilbert Li/Richard Lyons (Aston Martin Vantage V12 GT3) 281 laps
    10. Ren Wei/Sun Bo/Yang Xi/Wu Zhou (Audi R8 LMS Cup) 275 laps

    Le classement complet est ici

    Claude Foubert (Endurance-Info)

    Moto GP : Jorge Lorenzo wins last lap thriller against Marquez at Silverstone


    Jorge Lorenzo has taken his fourth victory of the season, after his last win was at Catalunya in June. The regning World champion won an incredible Silverstone GP in a nail biting race and last lap thriller that saw a crocked Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa complete the podium.
    Jorge Lorenzo got the holeshot from pole sitter Marc Marquez ,who had dislocated his shoulder just hours before during the warm-up practice. The Yamaha and Repsol Honda rookie were immediately head and shoulders from the rest of the field as after just one lap they already had a 1.4/% second margin over the rest of the riders.
    The two riders were riding separated by just a few tenths, as Dani Pedrosa had an unusually bad start dropping to sixth, but the Spaniard was a man on a mission. In just two laps he had already put behind him Alvaro Bautista, Valentino Rossi and Stefan Bradl behind him and in just three more - and more than two seconds behind - caught the two front runners and began following them.
    One or twice Marquez would try to get his nose ahead of Lorenzo, but with just three laps left, the rookie pushed ahead of Lorenzo at the Brooklands, but the Yamaha rider retorted and put himself back in the lead trying to push to the limit, but Marquez wasn’t allowing it as he came back at him, but the Yamaha rider desperately wanted the win as he returned the favour - and the two touched - at the Luffield, as Lorenzo would come out ahead and win by 0.081s!
    Dani Pedrosa made a stunning comeback, but it wasn’t enough to enter the real battle between the two in front him, as he had burned out his rear tire.
    Valentino Rossi took another fourth place as he and Alvaro Bautista battled for the position, swapping the position, to the joy of the English crowd, with the Italian crossing over the finish line ahead of the Gresini rider with a 0.065s advantage, while Stefan Bradl would once again ride to a lonely sixth.
    Three crashes, a swollen arm and abrasions, strongly conditioned Cal Crutchlow’s home race. The Yamaha Tech3 rider dropped to third to seventh at the start and he kept that position up to the finish line. Nicky Hayden finished in 8th after team mate Andrea Dovizioso crashed out in the final lap, giving Bradley Smith the 9th spot, while Aleix Espargaro with his fractured pinky finger closed out the top ten ahead of Pramac Ducati riders Andrea Iannone and Michele Pirro.
    2013 MotoGP 2013 Silverstone Race Results:
    01- Jorge Lorenzo – Yamaha Factory Racing – Yamaha YZR M1 – 20 laps in 40’52.515
    02- Marc Marquez – Repsol Honda Team – Honda RC213V – + 0.081
    03- Dani Pedrosa – Repsol Honda Team – Honda RC213V – + 1.551
    04- Valentino Rossi – Yamaha Factory Racing – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 13.233
    05- Alvaro Bautista – GO&FUN Honda Gresini – Honda RC213V – + 13.298
    06- Stefan Bradl – LCR Honda MotoGP – Honda RC213V – + 20.227
    07- Cal Crutchlow – Monster Yamaha Tech 3 – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 26.299
    08- Nicky Hayden – Ducati Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP13 – + 35.993
    09- Bradley Smith – Monster Yamaha Tech 3 – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 36.119
    10- Aleix Espargaro – Power Electronics Aspar – ART GP13 – + 53.196
    via TWOWHEELSBLOG