MotoGP News - MotoGP's Iannone appeal rejected, anti-doping ban increased to four years
https://ift.tt/3n5hxWk Andrea Iannone's MotoGP career has been dealt a massive blow after his appeal to have an anti-doping ban overturned was rejected and increased to four years. Iannone was banned by the FIM at the end of last year when he was found to have tested positive for a banned steroid during the Malaysian Grand Prix weekend. The Italian had the 18-month ban upheld after an FIM hearing in March, but was deemed to have ingested the substance accidentally through contaminated food. Aprilia and Iannone appealed this ruling to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), believing the acquittal of other athletes over similar offences in the past provided a precedent. However, CAS rejected this appeal following a review of the evidence and have upheld the World Anti-Doping Agency's bid to have the ban increased to the maximum four years, starting from his initial ban on 17 December 2019. CAS also confirmed Iannone's MotoGP race results from 1 November 2019 through to his initial suspension are official disqualifications. The CAS panel found Iannone hadn't submitted the necessary evidence to back up the contaminated meat claim, having failed to establish the exact type of meat that he ate which was contaminated. Furthermore, Iannone and his experts couldn't present substantial evidence to suggest there was an issue of meat contamination in Malaysia with Drostanolone - the substance he tested positive for. As a result, the doping violation was upheld. Aprilia has publicly stuck by Iannone through this and repeatedly expressed a desire to retain him for 2021 if it could, assuming it could overturn his ban. However, Aprilia now needs to find a replacement rider to join Aleix Espargaro for 2021. Iannone is a one-time MotoGP race winner, having raced for Ducati, Suzuki and Aprilia since 2013. Motogp Motorcycle Racing News via MotoGP news - Autosport https://ift.tt/2uOa9Ei November 10, 2020 at 05:59AM
MotoGP News - Marquez will not return to MotoGP in 2020, switches focus to 2021
https://ift.tt/2Id6tId Marc Marquez will not return for the rest of the 2020 MotoGP season and will instead continue with his rehabilitation to target a comeback next year, Honda has confirmed. Honda cleared up speculation around six-times MotoGP champion Marquez returning for the final two races of the season by announcing Stefan Bradl will continue to be his replacement in both the Valencia Grand Prix and the Portuguese Grand Prix. Marquez suffered a broken right arm during the first race of the reshaped 2020 MotoGP season at Jerez in July and after undergoing surgery, he attempted to return the following week at the Andalusian GP but withdrew after practice. Marquez then had to undergo a second surgery in early August to replace the plate in his arm which had broken. In late August, Honda announced Marquez would be "out of action for two to three months", which suggested that the rider could reappear in the final stretch of the championship. But this possibility hasn't been reached amid his ongoing recovery and with Honda opting not to take risks as Marquez continues his rehabilitation, he will switch his focus to the 2021 season. "As his recovery continues, Marc Marquez and the Repsol Honda Team confirm he will not participate in the remainder of the 2020 MotoGP season and aims to return to racing in 2021," a statement from Honda said. "Working through his recovery programme and tracking the progress of his arm, Marc Marquez in conjunction with Honda, his team and multiple expert doctors, has elected to officially delay his return to action until 2021." With Marquez unable to return, Honda test rider Bradl will duly complete the 2020 campaign alongside Alex Marquez. PLUS: How Honda has fixed a bike that only Marc Marquez could ride The German rider has secured three points finishes during his stand-in role, with the highlight of eighth place in the wet Le Mans race. "First of all I want to wish Marc all the best in his continued recovery and thank HRC for giving me this opportunity," Bradl said. "We have made a lot of progress since Le Mans and I have felt my level increase with more bike time and working with the Repsol Honda Team. "The week of data will help us and the forecast is looking better at the moment. It's going to be a busy end to the year but I am looking forward to it." Motogp Motorcycle Racing News via MotoGP news - Autosport https://ift.tt/2uOa9Ei November 10, 2020 at 05:38AM
MotoGP News - Rossi explains why Suzuki's MotoGP package is so strong in 2020
https://ift.tt/3peyzmZ Valentino Rossi says Suzuki team boss Davide Brivio's ability to "fuse" the Japanese factory with its MotoGP race team based near Milan is the reason for its stellar 2020 season. Suzuki is nearing victory in all three world championships this season, with Joan Mir needing just a podium finish in this week's Valencia Grand Prix to win the title after moving 37 points clear in the standings with his maiden victory in the European GP. The Japanese marque also leads the constructors' standings by seven points, and is 82 clear in the teams' rankings. Suzuki has won two races in 2020 and nine other podiums, while many riders have often cited the GSX-RR as the "perfect" motorcycle. When asked if he was surprised at the step Suzuki had made this year, Rossi said: "For me, Suzuki work very well because I think Brivio made a fantastic job because he's able to fuse the work from Japan with the very strong work in Italy. "Especially, he's able to convince the Japanese to work together to with the Europeans and the Italians, and he makes a very strong team. "And it's not a case that the bike is so fast and it improved like this. I think it's for this reason [I mention]." Yamaha by contrast has managed more wins, with its riders scoring six wins across the 2020 season. But all of them have lacked consistency, with Fabio Quartararo - who is still second in the standings - failing to score a podium outside of his three wins, while Rossi, Maverick Vinales and Franco Morbidelli have added just four other top three results to Yamaha's tally. Alex Rins sits joint-second with Quartararo in the standings and explained Suzuki's step forward with its bike has come from the Japanese manufacturer properly actioning the riders' feedback. "Well, the bike has changed a lot," Rins said when asked how far the bike has come since his debut in 2017. "2017 we took a bad engine option. Then we changed the engine, we changed the chassis, we changed a lot of things like the fairing. "They are really doing a good job, altogether with our comments, with our feedback to improve the bike. "And now you can see, we are leading the constructors', the teams' and the riders' standings, so I think we are on a good way." Motogp Motorcycle Racing News via MotoGP news - Autosport https://ift.tt/2uOa9Ei November 10, 2020 at 03:23AM
F1 News - Vietnamese Grand Prix dropped from 2021 F1 schedule
https://ift.tt/2Ua6vmj The Vietnamese Grand Prix has been dropped from the 2021 Formula 1 calendar, BBC Sport has learned. It raises doubts that the race, due to make its debut in April before it was called off because of the coronavirus pandemic, will ever take place. The date of the Vietnam race, 25 April, has been left blank on a 22-race 2021 schedule to be published on Tuesday. The calendar could extend to 23 Grands Prix - a new record - if F1 can find a replacement for Vietnam. The move has been triggered by the arrest on corruption charges of a key official responsible for the race in Hanoi. Hanoi People's Committee chairman Nguyen Duc Chung was arrested in August for alleged appropriation of documents containing state secrets. The case is not related to his involvement in the grand prix. However, Chung was the key figure in the race being introduced and championed it with the national government. His absence has led to a vacuum and Vietnamese authorities have told F1 that the government has other priorities, including key elections, the pandemic and recovery from a typhoon. Talks are ongoing with regard to a possible race in Vietnam in 2022, but the situation raises the significant possibility that the event will fail to materialise. Any replacement race would be at one of the tracks added to the calendar this year as a result of the pandemic, with Turkey, Italy's Imola and Portugal's Portimao the leading candidates. A spokesperson for F1 said: "Our calendar will be announced on Tuesday and we are not going to give a running commentary before its publication. It also needs to go to the FIA World Motor Sport Council for approval." The 2021 season, the schedule for which has been seen by BBC Sport, is scheduled to start in Australia on 21 March and end in Abu Dhabi on 5 December. The British Grand Prix at Silverstone is on 18 July and the new Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, announced last week, the penultimate race on 28 November. One key development is that the calendar features a race in Brazil, and that it is scheduled to be in Sao Paulo rather than Rio De Janeiro. The event is listed as provisional for now. The contract for Sao Paulo's Interlagos track, which has hosted the event since 1990, ended this year, and F1 has agreed a deal for a race at a new circuit yet to be built in the Deodoro area of Rio. However, the Rio track requires environmental approval as it involves the felling of a patch of forest. This has not yet been granted and the project is clouded in controversy and confusion, with world champion Lewis Hamilton among those indicating their opposition to the track being built. F1 is therefore planning to return to Sao Paulo - at least for 2021 and possibly for the foreseeable future. F1 has political complications in returning to Interlagos, as the sport's owner Liberty Media refuses to deal with the promoter at the circuit, who is close to former F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone. The race is likely to go ahead with a new promoter. Otherwise, the calendar bears a strong resemblance to the original 2020 schedule, which had to be restructured after the first 10 races were called off as a result of the pandemic. The biggest change is the moving of the Dutch Grand Prix from the spring to 5 September, where it follows a week after the neighbouring Belgian event. The race at the seaside town of Zandvoort had been due to return for the first time since 1985 this April, but was a casualty of the pandemic. F1 is confident that it will be able to run its calendar next year subject as long as the global pandemic does not significantly worsen. 2021 Formula 1 calendar21 March: Australia (Melbourne) 28 March: Bahrain (Sakhir) 11 April: China (Shanghai) 25 April: TBC 9 May: Spain (Barcelona) 23 May: Monaco 13 June: Canada (Montreal) 27 June: France (Le Castellet) 4 July: Austria (Spielberg) 18 July: Britain (Silverstone) 1 August: Hungary (Hungaroring) 29 August: Belgium (Spa) 5 September: Netherlands (Zandvoort) 12 September: Italy (Monza) 26 September: Russia (Sochi) 3 October: Singapore (Marina Bay) 10 October: Japan (Suzuka) 24 October: USA (Austin) 31 October: Mexico (Mexico City) 14 November: Brazil (Sao Paulo) * 28 November: Saudi Arabia (Jeddah) 5 December: Abu Dhabi (Yas Marina) * = provisional pending promoter agreement #F1 via BBC Sport - Formula 1 https://ift.tt/OHg7x6 November 9, 2020 at 03:36PM
MotoGP News - Tank Slappers Podcast: How Mir became MotoGP champion-elect
https://ift.tt/3kl217i Joan Mir's maiden MotoGP victory in the European Grand Prix came at a crucial moment, as it strengthens his championship lead to 37 points with two rounds to go. The Suzuki rider led home the Japanese marque's first 1-2 in the premier class since 1982, with team-mate Alex Rins now joint-second in the standings with Fabio Quartararo. The Petronas SRT rider crashed on lap one and could only salvage 14th, all but ending his hopes on a miserable weekend for Yamaha, which included a pitlane start for Maverick Vinales and a penalty being handed to the marque over illegal engines used at the Spanish GP. PLUS: Where it all went wrong for 2020's MotoGP title favourite In the latest Tank Slappers Podcast, Lewis Duncan and Oriol Puigdemont discuss the European GP, Mir's rise to become champion-elect and the incredible effort Suzuki has put in since it returned to MotoGP in 2015. They also dissect Yamaha's engine saga and assess its battered championship hopes, as well as Andrea Dovizioso's decision to take a sabbatical in 2021. Motogp Motorcycle Racing News via MotoGP news - Autosport https://ift.tt/2uOa9Ei November 9, 2020 at 11:17AM
MotoGP News - Espargaro thought Austria MotoGP form was not repeatable
https://ift.tt/2Ioi5Yg KTM's Pol Espargaro admits there was a point in 2020 when he thought his race-winning potential from the Austrian MotoGP races was unrepeatable. Espargaro enjoyed a strong August on the RC16, showing pace for victory at Brno before a collision with Johann Zarco, and scored a pole position at the Styrian Grand Prix before going on to fight for victory. Ultimately missing the win in the Styrian race after a final-corner pass from Tech3 KTM's Miguel Oliveira, Espargaro admits he left Austria 'really frustrated' as he was unsure he would be able to replicate that form in the remaining rounds. However, despite some inconsistent form, Espargaro managed third places at the second Misano round, the wet Le Mans race, and last Sunday in the European GP where he also started from pole. The Spaniard says those results made him realise it was possible to be a regular podium contender if KTM "works well" every weekend and if both parties can "trust ourselves" more. "After the two Austrian races especially, it's been very tough," he said. "We had a big chance to win in Czech Republic, but especially Austria, which is home for KTM and we couldn't make it. "We couldn't make it happen even if I was strong on the race pace, I knew I could do it. It did not happen, and this was really frustrating me, and at that time of the year it was not great for me. "I thought after Austria we could not repeat what was done in Austria, it would not happen again. "But Misano came and Aragon, the second race, and here and I realise I can do it every weekend if we work well and if we put on the table what we need to put. "Finally, four podiums in the season shows our performance is good, we are fast, we are strong, also the pole positions. "Why can't we repeat it next weekend? We need to trust ourselves a bit more." Espargaro admits he has "missed a lot of points" this season, but says he'd have accepted his haul of four podiums and two pole positions that he has currently tallied up if it was offered to him before the start of the campaign. "For sure we have missed some points during the season; in Czech Republic, it was not our fault, but I lost a lot of points there," he added. "And then the red flag in Austria, the second Austria [race] at the last corner. We have missed a lot of points in a couple of places - also the others have, I'm not the only one. "But if not for those moments, maybe we'd be a lot better in the championship. "But if someone came before the season and told me 'you're going to do four podiums and two pole positions' I'd take it, whatever the other results. So, I'm super happy." Motogp Motorcycle Racing News via MotoGP news - Autosport https://ift.tt/2uOa9Ei November 9, 2020 at 07:02AM
Motorcycle News - Knox Shield Spectra Jeans
https://ift.tt/36pfoym One of our favourite advancements in motorcycle riding gear in recent years is the development of single layer riding jeans. By weaving abrasion-resistant fibres into traditional denim – manufacturers have managed to create not just protective motorcycle jeans, but jeans that look and wear like regular jeans. One brand who have been honing their single-layer denim range in 2020 is UK outfit, Knox. The latest addition to their single-layer denim range, the Knox Shield Spectra Jeans, are at the top of their game. Motorcycles via Return of the Cafe Racers https://ift.tt/2M9riRb November 9, 2020 at 06:00AM
MotoGP News - Dovizioso set to take MotoGP sabbatical in 2021
https://ift.tt/2IgrJfR Outgoing Ducati MotoGP rider Andrea Dovizioso is set to take a sabbatical in 2021 and won't become a test rider, Autosport understands. Dovizioso's future was placed into uncertainty during the Austrian Grand Prix weekend in August when he announced he would not be renewing his contract with Ducati for 2021, bringing an end to an eight-year partnership which yielded 14 victories. At the time, Dovizioso admitted he didn't have a plan B for his future, while his manager Simone Battistella conceded a sabbatical was an option. Recently, Autosport revealed Dovizioso was in discussions with Yamaha about a test rider role in 2021 and appeared to be nearing a switch to the Japanese marque in place of Jorge Lorenzo. Dovizioso also spoke with Honda and KTM about test rider roles, while he was never interested in an Aprilia option despite links suggesting he was. However, Autosport understands Dovizioso has now abandoned plans to become a test rider and will take the year off. Dovizioso will focus on his passion of motocross racing and his intention is to stay in shape for a potential return to the MotoGP grid in 2022. Numerous contracts will be up for grabs at the end of 2021, with big changes expected on the grid in 2022 when the contracts between the manufacturers, the independent teams and Dorna Sports come up for renewal. However, Dovizioso will be 36 years old by the time of the 2022 season, making a sabbatical something of a risk. But for the past three seasons the Ducati rider has proven to be Marc Marquez's closest challenger in the championship, and his experience of Honda, Yamaha and Ducati machinery would prove invaluable. Dovizioso is expected to make his decision public in the coming days. The Italian still mathematically has a chance at winning the 2020 world title, but an eighth-place finish at the European Grand Prix amidst a difficult campaign means he is 45 points adrift with just 50 up for grabs in the final two rounds. It is unclear what impact Dovizioso's decision will have on Lorenzo's negotiations with Yamaha about remaining its test rider in 2021. The three-time MotoGP world champion admitted recently he also had an option with Aprilia to become its test rider, though his priority was to stay with Yamaha. Motogp Motorcycle Racing News via MotoGP news - Autosport https://ift.tt/2uOa9Ei November 9, 2020 at 06:05AM
MotoGP News - Morbidelli left in "safety mode" by European GP tyre pressure woe
https://ift.tt/2IgWNvN Petronas SRT's Franco Morbidelli says he was forced to ride in "safety mode" to 11th in the MotoGP European Grand Prix due to a "sky high" front tyre pressure. The Italian started from eighth in Sunday's race at Valencia, but was unable to get close to the podium battle in the early stages and soon found himself slipping to the fringes of the top 10. Morbidelli says the pressure in his front hard tyre rocketed while he was riding in a group, which forced him to change tact and bring his Yamaha home in the "safest way possible". Having put himself into title contention with his victory in the Teruel GP, Morbidelli's disappointing Valencia finish means he's now 45 points adrift of European GP winner Joan Mir, with two rounds left to go. PLUS: Has Aragon revealed Yamaha's true MotoGP title challenger? "It was a difficult GP for us, very difficult," he reflected. "I was struggling a lot because when we are riding in a group there is this problem we have where the front pressure goes sky high and the front gets really, really difficult to ride and really, really difficult to manage. "You just have to go into safety mode and bring the bike home in the safest way possible. "Looking at that, I'm happy I was able to get some points and able to get the bike to the finish line with some points. "The championship chances are almost gone, we are much further from Joan, who looks definitely to deserve this championship more than anyone else. "But the gap between me and the second got smaller, so we're still in play for that." Morbidelli says he had the same tyre pressure issue during the Aragon GP, where team-mate Fabio Quartararo also suffered a similar fate and plummeted out of the points to 18th. But Morbidelli is unsure if the problem is a general issue of riding in a pack, or if it's an issue which impacts Yamaha harder. "I don't know, physics is the same for everybody and science is the same for everybody," he said when asked by Autosport if the problem is unique to Yamaha. "I suppose with the temperature also other bikes suffer from this air expansion in the tyre. "But I don't know how much how it affects other bikes and I don't know how much it expands in their tyres." Morbidelli was the only rider on the grid to go for the hard front and rear tyre combination, having spent the entirety of warm-up on the hard rear, but was unsure if this choice was a gamble because his front tyre pressure issue meant he couldn't evaluate it properly. He also refused to blame his struggles on the limited dry running at the weekend, as the situation was the same for everybody. "I would like to say it affected me a lot, but I cannot because it was like this for everyone," he added. "So, it affected me, but it affected everyone else. For sure we were not at our prime today, but no-one else was at their prime. "Well, they [Suzuki] were not at their prime but they were still faster than anybody else." Motogp Motorcycle Racing News via MotoGP news - Autosport https://ift.tt/2uOa9Ei November 9, 2020 at 05:37AM
MotoGP News - Rossi: 2021 MotoGP engine freeze "not an excuse" for Yamaha
https://ift.tt/35dDqww Valentino Rossi insists the freeze on engine development for the 2021 MotoGP season is "not an excuse" for Yamaha and its problematic motors. Due to cost-saving measures brought in as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, all manufacturers (except KTM, who is allowed to build a new engine after losing its concessions) must start the 2021 campaign with their current engine specification. After the first round, normal update rules apply, meaning all but Aprilia will be unable to develop their engines for the rest of the season. Yamaha has been beset by problems with its engines this year, with its motors regularly the slowest through the speed traps and also fragile, with three of its four riders - including Rossi - losing an engine to mechanical issues after the Jerez rounds. The engine freeze looks like it will impact Yamaha the hardest, but Rossi insists there are other avenues related to engine performance the Japanese marque can look into. "The engine is frozen [for 2021], but it's not an excuse," Rossi said after his European Grand Prix ended with an engine issue. "In MotoGP now, you can make a lot of things around the engine to improve the performance, from the electronics side, to the way to [keep] fresh the engine, to keep the engine temperature low, and from the exhaust [side]. "So, also if you can't go inside the engine [to improve] you have a lot of different issues that you can improve. "So, for me, if Yamaha can work well and in the right direction, we can do better." Rossi's first race since his return from COVID-19 ended after just five laps, when an "electronic problem" in the engine forced him to park up. Rossi noted it seems the other manufacturers out-developed Yamaha in the pre-season and ultimately moved ahead as the campaign progressed - but stressed the biggest issue is still the engine. "It's true that like a lot of times, we are ready, we are fast at the beginning of the season," he added. "And then it looks like the other manufacturers bring a lot of new things, so they need some races to fix and at the end of the championship they are very strong. "But it also depends on race by race, last week Franco [Morbidelli] won and here in Valencia it's difficult for all the Yamahas. "I think and I always said to them the engine is a big problem for us because we are always the slowest on the straight, but at the same time we have reliability problems. "So, we have a lot of problems to finish the season with five engines. So, we don't have enough performance, but we also don't have enough reliability. "Also, the engine character that was for a long time was the strong point of Yamaha, now it looks like the other engines are also smoother in acceleration than us. "If you put all the problems together this is the place where we have [to improve]." Motogp Motorcycle Racing News via MotoGP news - Autosport https://ift.tt/2uOa9Ei November 9, 2020 at 05:01AM |
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