Red Bull MotoGP Academy rider Jonas Folger took home his first World Championship points at Misano, in only his second race in the 125cc class.
The German made his debut at the previous round in Brno, and this
time out was able to finish a creditable fifteenth from the seventh row
on the grid. Folger´s cause was aided by a number of crashes in front
of him and a mature ride for the youngster, whose lap times got faster
as the race went on.
The 15 year-old will now continue his unique preparation project for
an eventual full-time arrival to the World Championship, with the
possibility of participation in some of the remaining five races of the
2008 season.
Russell Holland (HANNspree Honda Althea) talks us through his mid-season switch
0 Comment Author Tristan time: 9:25 PM
Australian rider Russell Holland has proved to be fast and competitive since the start of his new experience in World Supersport, despite having to learn a new track every weekend in his rookie season. After three races and one test session in Vallelunga with the experienced HANNspree Honda Althea team, Russell Holland illustrates his season so far and what the future holds for this promising young Australian rider."This year is certainly an initiation for me... new tracks and a new lifestyle in living in Europe by myself on top of World Championship competition has been a real challenge but I'm trying to appreciate this experience as I know everyone here has had to go through it and in the future I'll be laughing about the challenges along the way".
Tell us about the latest round at Brands Hatch, England..
"Well, this was a weekend to forget in many ways. For our team it is incredible the bad luck we had. But the circuit was amazing and I can say I really enjoyed riding it although it's a track that takes some time to link the turns together and get a flow going. On Saturday afternoon we caught the worst of a small rain shower that interrupted qualifying. I was on my best lap when the rain came and then in the final 5 minutes when the track had dried we just couldn't find a gap in the traffic and couldn't improve. So on Sunday we were set to start from 15th but on the warm-up lap I had a clutch failure, just pure bad luck. This forced us to start from the spare bike and from the back of the grid in 37th place. We got a great start in the race but from the third lap it began to rain and got heavier in the next 5 laps. On the 8th lap the race leader Robbin Harms crashed then I crashed on the same turn whilst in 15th place... The race was red-flagged immediately after this, my bike was too badly damaged to return to the pits as the rule says you must. Because of this I could not restart even on my spare bike. A frustrating end really".
About the loss of Craig Jones
"After retiring from the race in Brands I witnessed Craig's crash and you cannot imagine a crash like that happening, it was very strange. I knew him reasonably well and he was one of the boys and a nice guy. It is sobering when something like this hits someone you know. My heart goes out for the family and close friends of Craig".
Back to business, how did the partnership with HANNspree Honda Althea come about?
"I started the year in the Superbike class and we achieved some promising results early on when we had a chance to test on the circuits. I'm proud that we finished in the top ten (9th) at the 2nd round, my home race in Australia. It was not so easy as the championship moved back to Europe but we did manage three more point scoring finishes before the mid-season (13th Valencia, 13th Monza, 15th Utah). I'm now really happy to be competing in the Supersport class with HANNspree Honda Althea. It was strange to change classes mid season but my superbike team's future was not clear and the Althea team needed a rider after Tommy Hill was injured. This change was a positive one for sure because I can continue with Honda and the Althea team has experience running at the front in Supersport".
What was your debut like? How did you feel about the new experience?
"I think the debut at Misano was a good lesson in Supersport. Launching straight into a race meet and learning a new bike is pretty exciting. I was riding with too much of a superbike style initially. We just kept chipping away and by the finish of qualifying we were 7th... ok for the first go. Unfortunately in the race I crashed out being too eager to catch the leaders after a bad start. I lost the front end on a turn we'd had trouble with all weekend. Had I been more patient we probably could have made a great result there as the race pace was not so fast".
What about the Vallelunga Test, how much did it help?
"Obviously every track this year is new to me and Vallelunga was a very challenging circuit so I'm glad we could test there. The first part of the track reminds me of Assen a little with fast change of directions. We achieved a lot there with me adjusting to the bike better and just general set-up too".
Let's talk about Brno, your best finish so far this season...
"This year has been full of 'frustrating Fridays' for me as I learn a new track every weekend whilst trying to give constructive feedback to the team. Brno was just like this so it was really good to finish the race and get a good result for the team and myself (7th place). I didn't really get a good feeling with the front there but we made a fairly smooth race and moved forward in the final laps, to finish 7th in the second race with HANNspree Honda Althea was fairly satisfying and I feel it has set us up to finish the year well".
What are your expectations for next year and the rest of this season?
"This year was always going to be a learning curve. The rest of the year will be no different but I believe I can continue to improve my performances and I will be working hard to get on the podium this year! I know I can make a strong championship next year whether in Supersport or Superbike. I have not made plans for next season yet. I have a great team right now and I'll do my best to use that to my advantage".
Garry McCoy is planning to make his return to motorcycle racing at the penultimate round of the World Supersport Championship at Magny Cours on 3rd to 5th October.Garry McCoy has been out of action for over a month after suffering a horrific crash during the Saturday Free Practice session at Brno, Czech Republic.
McCoy collided with Ten Kate rider Andrew Pitt and lost control of his SC Triumph Daytona 675 and hit the Armco barrier.
The Australian suffered severe injuries including a broken T6 vertebrae and three broken ribs which affected his internal organs.
After travelling from Andorra to attend Craig Jones’ funeral, McCoy said:
“I still can’t take a full breath because of the broken ribs. One of my ribs broke in three places which has caused a lot of pain. With the broken vertebrae I have to wear a body cast which doesn’t sound too bad but for the first six weeks I have to wear it day and night everyday.
"I’ve only taken it off to shower and when I sleep I have to wake up first before I turn over!”
“After the six weeks are up, I then need to wear it for another two weeks but only during the day. I’m already looking forward to getting on the bike again. In a way I feel ready now but I know I’ll have to wait.”
Following a difficult start to the year Toni Elias is one of the form riders in the MotoGP World Championship at present, with his Brno and Misano rostrum runs making him hot property in the rider market.The likeable Barcelona man initially struggled to settle with new employers Alice Team at the beginning of the year, as he – like fellow new arrivals at Ducati Marco Melandri and Sylvain Guintoli – failed to get to grips with the Desmosedici GP8 early in the season.
Disqualification in a difficult home GP at Barcelona was a low point for the former Honda Gresini man, but some long discussions with Ducati Corse boss Filippo Preziosi at the post-race Catalunya test and some subsequent machinery updates have turned Elias´ season around.
A good ride to seventh place at Laguna Seca has been followed up by two excellent showings at the last two rounds, moving Elias up to twelfth in the general standings with the top ten well within his grasp.
Alice Team boss Paolo Campinoti, who took over the reigns from Luis d´Antin earlier this season, is understandably delighted with the 25 year-old´s form.
The Italian manager commented, `Fortunately this good period we are having goes on and I hope we can continue this in the future. He is improving race by race and this was another good one. It was a good fight. It is very good for us to keep going in this way.´
On Elias´ upturn in form Campinoti added, `I think Toni is more confident on the bike and he has really improved. I think it is normal to have a few problems at the beginning so hopefully in the future he will continue like this.´
Elias has been linked with a possible move onto Kawasaki machinery in 2009 and himself joked, `I am free if somebody wants me´ after the race at Misano on Sunday, but Campinoti wants to retain his services if possible – whereas Sylvain Guintoli is unlikely to feature for the team next season.
Campinoti said of the situation, `It is not clear yet. I am doing my best to confirm Toni, but with the other rider it is too early to decide. It is not so probable that Sylvain will remain with us.´
The
Kawasaki Racing Team has taken delivery of a super-stylish John Hopkins
replica ZX-10R, kindly supplied by Motoradd Höly for display at each of
the remaining European Grand Prix races.
The road version of the extra special Kawasaki Ninja ZX-RR MotoGP
race machine features a custom paint job created by Lucas Designs and
has caused quite a stir around the paddock, where it is on display
outside of the team’s hospitality unit.
Motoradd Höly, one of Germany’s biggest Kawasaki dealerships, joined
forces with Lucas Designs to produce these special creations using many
of the road-going models in the Japanese manufacturer’s range. The
‘Hopper’ replica superbike features numerous upgraded parts along with
the Monster Energy race design in four different colours, including the
signature Kawasaki lime green.
Lucas Designs has supplied stickers and graphics for all of the
Kawasaki Racing Team’s vehicles for the past two years, which includes
the paddock scooters used by team members for getting around at each of
the European MotoGP rounds.
“The Ninja ZX-RR design looks really cool on a road bike,” said Hopkins. “There’s
been a lot of interest in it already and it looks exactly like my race
machine. The guys at Lucas Designs and Motoradd Höly have done a great
job in making these custom bikes,” concluded the Kawasaki MotoGP star.
Ronny Schnepf from Motoradd Höly also recently presented both of the
Kawasaki race pilots with a KX250F motocross machine, each complete
with customised graphics. Anthony West received his ‘trick’ off-road
bike at Sachsenring, and he was delighted with the ultra-cool design
based on his Ninja ZX-RR race machine.
If you're based in German then you can find out more about Motorrad
Höly’s range of Kawasaki road bikes, including the John Hopkins Ninja
ZX-RR replica, by logging on to their website at www.hoely.de.
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