Indy GP - Preview Quotes 250cc

Álvaro Bautista: "After the last race where we struggled a lot during practice and really had to grit our teeth in order to win back some points in the championship, I feel highly motivated about the Indianapolis Grand Prix. I want to work well on Saturday and Sunday and make sure we don't have the same problems as Brno. I have sorted out my immediate and long term future now so I can focus solely on thje job at hand, because there is still a lot of work to do this season and we cannot afford to lose concentration for a single second. I know I feel more relaxed now and I think I can perform better. My objective will be the same as it was in the Czech Republic, which was to try and win but if it is not possible then just try to pull back points in the championship. We got knocked out of our stride by the cancellation of last year's race because we had gone there on the back of victory at Misano so I hope nothing strange happens this time around."

Mike Di Meglio: "Indianapolis is a circuit that nobody really knows that well because we haven't done many laps there in the dry. We're all starting pretty much from zero in terms of getting our reference points. The weekend went fairly well for me here last year until the race, when I had mechanical problems. I am very eager to continue my learning process on the 250 and I want to have a good race this Sunday. It is not one of my favourite tracks but it is a nice place and I know I can be fast there. I was running with the lead group in the Czech Republic until I ran off track so I hope I can finish with them this Sunday. We are working hard every weekend to get good results but small mistakes seem to be costing us dear. We need to make sure that doesn't happen this weekend but be careful at the same time because we have two races within a week."

Balázs Németh: "I have been watching last year's races from Indianapolis to try and get to know the circuit a little. I have never been to the United States before so everything will be new to me. From what I could see on the television the track looks wonderful and the atmosphere seems special, so hopefully I can use it to my advantage. It will be a proud moment for me to race in America and after scoring my first championship pointa in the Czech Republic I go there in the knowledge that I can compete at this level and my target is to continue scoring points until the end of the season."

Czech GP: 250cc Quotes after race

3rd Álvaro Bautista: “The only good session this weekend was the race. Fortunately everything worked out okay for us when it came to the crucial moment. It took just two laps for the tyres to degenerate, and that was a warning for me not to push things and look out for points. The weekend was a tough one for us, because we never had the right setup. I could have tried to follow Simoncelli and Pasini, but it looked to be too risky and I concentrated on Aoyama instead. I’ve closed the gap on him in the standings, and if we continue like this we can catch him. I left it until the warmup to choose my setting in the suspension, and I didn’t have as much chance in this race, so I’m happy with third.”

9th Mike Di Meglio: “I had a worse start than I was expecting, but I was still able to keep up with the lead group. I felt comfortable on the Aprilia, which was different to my feeling earlier in the weekend, so I tried to push for the best positions. My strategy was to learn from the leading riders. I tried to pass Aoyama but ran wide and had to straighten up in order not to fall. That run-off lost me a lot of time, and I think that if it weren’t for that I’d have placed in the top five. I was able to make up place, although ninth isn’t the result that I hoped for after al our hard work and potential over the weekend.”

14th Balázs Németh: “I am delighted with today’s result, and to finally have some world championship points. The start was better than any that I’ve done before; not losing a single position was a very positive point. I started overtaking other riders and on the second lap I was already fifteenth. I saw that there wasn’t much space between myself and the rider ahead of me, so I pushed to catch him. I felt very comfortable on the Aprilia and lap by lap was able to reduce my times, thinking about taking points for the first time. The bike worked fantastically well during the race, thanks to the work that my mechanics had performed throughout the whole weekend. I know that now I can ride quickly, and the goal from here on in is to keep up this kind of performance.”

Balazs Nemeth Looks Forward To Brno

"I'm really up for this race at Brno, because it's a track I know well and I am sure I'll be quicker there than at many other places. Additionally there will be lots of Hungarian support at the Czech race, so that's an extra motivation to try to show them the best of my capabilities. In the last race we were out in the early stages, so I hope that this weekend we can finish well and take home my first points in the world championship. During the time off I worked on recovery from my hand injuries in the gym, and now fortunately I am completely fit once again and have enjoyed the time around my family."

German GP - Quotes Friday

125cc

1st Julián Simón 1.28.594 (15 laps): “the truth is that we’ve taken a lot of positives out of today because this is a circuit I like a lot and I was highly motivated to do well. I was quickly able to tell that I was going to be able to enjoy riding the bike here and I was comfortable form the start, even though we still have some things to work on – in particular with the engine. We need to focus on adjusting the gear ratio to improve the acceleration and get out of the corners quicker. Hopefully the weather is better to us tomorrow so that we can everything sorted for the race. I’m happy with our performance in the wet because I did two laps and went pretty quick. I feel good one way or the other so we’ll wait and see what we can do tomorrow. I’d like to get the work done tomorrow that will allow us to fight for victory on Sunday because it is very important to hang on to the championship lead over these next two races.”

3rd Bradley Smith 1.29.423 (19 laps): “It was amazing how the conditions changed in just a matter of minutes. The good thing is that even though we didn’t have much time we were able to test things in the wet and in the dry. It is also good to have a basic idea about which direction to go in tomorrow, when we’ll be working a little more on the setting of the engine. It is a slow process so we have to work hard on making sure everything is right, without taking any risks because if not the race will be upon us before we know it. I’m happy because I know the team will be working hard on the bike tonight so that we only have small things to work on tomorrow.”

5th Sergio Gadea 1.29.776 (17 laps):“In general I’m very happy although we had a small carburetion problem in the dry - the bike was cutting out at the end of the straight, and it wouldn’t rev, especially at the top end. We were working hard on it and it seems as though we found a solution just before it started to rain. I felt comfortable in the wet and in the dry and I think we have a good base set-up, we just need to squeeze a bit more out of the engine now. I’m not obsessing about Sunday’s result – just making sure we work hard over the weekend as we have done so far and I know that will be enough to ensure we’re at the front in the race.”


250cc

5th Mike Di Meglio 1.25.493 (25 laps): “I am happy because I’ve spent the last couple of weeks relaxing and trying to prepare myself as well as possible to come here with my batteries fully charged and so far everything is going well. This is a tough circuit with the 250 but thanks to my mechanics, who did an incredible job, I was able to get a good feeling straight away. As the laps went by I found my reference points and worked out the characteristics of this track. The mechanics were on top of me throughout the session trying to find a chassis set-up that made the Aprilia feel as comfortable as possible. The engine worked well so basically as long as the weather is good tomorrow we’ll try our best to perfect the set-up for Sunday.”

8th Aleix Espargaró 1.25.771 (26 laps): “It was important for me to get a few laps in at the start of the session in order to get a feel for this circuit but the telemetry wasn’t working well and I had to do short runs, with several pit stops to try and solve the problem. I couldn’t get any rhythm together and when I did go out I got held up, so it was difficult. Thanks to the magnificent work by the mechanics we worked it out in the end and I was able to set four good laps. The truth is that once we found the solution everything was fantastic and I’m happy because I got my pace together and those four laps are the ones that count. I was a bit lost for the first part of the session but it’s fair to say I’m getting used to riding the 250 again. After a day of adaptation today, tomorrow will be when we really get to work. You spend virtually the whole time leaned over at this circuit so it will be important to get the Aprilia turning well.”

11th Álvaro Bautista 1.25.836 (30 laps): “We usually have set-up problems at this circuit and today I tried a couple of new configurations, one of which I like quite a lot. Being a second off the pace is a big gap but it could have been worse so we have to stay optimistic and be prepared to improve tomorrow. Sachsenring is a difficult circuit in that the faster you try to ride the slower you end up going, and you find yourself with more and more work to do. Let’s wait and see if we can improve things tomorrow, mainly on the front end. The key to it is in T2 and if we can improve through there we will be much closer. We knew things wouldn’t be easy here and now we’re even more determined to work at it tomorrow. I have confidence in the team and we’ll all give 100% to improve the set-up of the bike for the race.”

German GP - 250cc Results FP1

Held in dry conditions.

Pos. Rider Nation Team Lap time
1 H. BARBERA SPA Pepe World Team 1'24.951
2 M. SIMONCELLI ITA Metis Gilera + 0.461
3 M. PASINI ITA Team Toth Aprilia + 0.464
4 A. DEBON SPA Aeropuerto-Castello-Blusens + 0.530
5 M. DI MEGLIO FRA Mapfre Aspar Team 250cc + 0.542
6 R. LOCATELLI ITA Metis Gilera + 0.579
7 H. AOYAMA JPN Scot Racing Team 250cc + 0.769
8 A. ESPARGARO SPA Balatonring Team + 0.820
9 R. WILAIROT THA Thai Honda PTT SAG + 0.862
10 K. ABRAHAM CZE Cardion AB Motoracing + 0.883
11 A. BAUTISTA SPA Mapfre Aspar Team + 0.885
12 J. CLUZEL FRA Matteoni Racing + 1.119
13 T. LUTHI SWI Emmi - Caffe Latte + 1.293
14 H. FAUBEL SPA Honda SAG + 1.469
15 R. DE ROSA ITA Scot Racing Team 250cc + 1.537
16 A. BALDOLINI ITA WTR San Marino Team + 1.594
17 L. PESEK CZE Auto Kelly - CP + 2.460
18 S. TOMIZAWA JPN CIP Moto - GP250 + 3.153
19 I. TOTH HUN Team Toth Aprilia + 3.236
20 V. LEONOV RUS Viessmann Kiefer Racing + 4.151
21 V. DEBISE FRA CIP Moto - GP250 + 4.564
22 B. CHESAUX SWI Racing Team Germany + 4.652
23 T. MARKHAM GBR C&L Racing + 5.311
24 A. PONS SPA Pepe World Team + 5.569

Out of limit time
J. STENSMO SWE Nordgren Racing
M. BECKER GER Yamaha Road Racing Team
R. HALEN SWE Promotion Scandinavia AB

Dutch GP, Assen: 250cc Results FP2

Alvaro Bautista and Mike Di Meglio both crashed, but seemingly walked away uninjured.

Pos. Rider Nation Team Lap time

1 H. AOYAMA JPN Scot Racing Team 250cc 1'40.642
2 A. BAUTISTA SPA Mapfre Aspar Team + 0.234
3 M. PASINI ITA Team Toth Aprilia + 0.314
4 M. SIMONCELLI ITA Metis Gilera + 0.438
5 A. ESPARGARO SPA Balatonring Team + 0.865
6 K. ABRAHAM CZE Cardion AB Motoracing + 0.914
7 J. CLUZEL FRA Matteoni Racing + 0.986
8 A. DEBON SPA Aeropuerto-Castello-Blusens + 1.076
9 H. BARBERA SPA Pepe World Team + 1.148
10 R. WILAIROT THA Thai Honda PTT SAG + 1.296
11 R. LOCATELLI ITA Metis Gilera + 1.302
12 H. FAUBEL SPA Valencia CF - Honda SAG + 1.435
13 M. DI MEGLIO FRA Mapfre Aspar Team 250cc + 1.470
14 R. DE ROSA ITA Scot Racing Team 250cc + 1.559
15 T. LUTHI SWI Emmi - Caffe Latte + 1.641
16 L. PESEK CZE Auto Kelly - CP + 1.645
17 A. BALDOLINI ITA WTR San Marino Team + 1.983
18 S. TOMIZAWA JPN CIP Moto - GP250 + 2.167
19 A. PONS SPA Pepe World Team + 3.739
20 V. DEBISE FRA CIP Moto - GP250 + 4.020
21 S. BONSEY USA Milar - Juegos Lucky + 4.551
22 V. LEONOV RUS Viessmann Kiefer Racing + 4.782
23 B. CHESAUX SWI Racing Team Germany + 4.839
24 I. TOTH HUN Team Toth Aprilia + 4.889
25 T. MARKHAM GBR C&L Racing + 5.922

Dutch GP, Assen - 250cc Results FP1

Mapfre Aspar rider Alvaro Bautista again proved to be the fastest man of the field in the first 250cc practice today. After a slow start but with steady progress Alvaro Bautista finally snatched the top spot from Hector Barbera in the closing minutes of the session, held under sunny conditions. Teammate Mike Di Meglio made a good impression as well, finishing the day in third position with 0.655s off the leader.
Replacement rider Aleix Espargaro showed a great performance for the Balatonring Team, finishing in the Top 10.

Pos. Rider Team Lap time Gap

1 Alvaro BAUTISTA Mapfre Aspar Team 1'40.817
2 Hector BARBERA Pepe World Team 1'41.002 0.185
3 Mike DI MEGLIO Mapfre Aspar Team 250cc 1'41.472 0.655
4 Alex DEBON Aeropuerto-Castello-Blusens 1'41.680 0.863
5 Mattia PASINI Team Toth Aprilia 1'41.710 0.893
6 Lukas PESEK Auto Kelly - CP 1'41.832 1.015
7 Marco SIMONCELLI Metis Gilera 1'41.866 1.049
8 Hiroshi AOYAMA Scot Racing Team 250cc 1'41.941 1.124
9 Aleix ESPARGARO Balatonring Team 1'42.482 1.665
10 Thomas LUTHI Emmi - Caffe Latte 1'42.502 1.685
11 Roberto LOCATELLI Metis Gilera 1'42.539 1.722
12 Hector FAUBEL Valencia CF - Honda SAG 1'42.674 1.857
13 Karel ABRAHAM Cardion AB Motoracing 1'42.744 1.927
14 Raffaele DE ROSA Scot Racing Team 250cc 1'42.817 2.000
15 Alex BALDOLINI WTR San Marino Team 1'42.888 2.071
16 Ratthapark WILAIROT Thai Honda PTT SAG 1'42.890 2.073
17 Jules CLUZEL Matteoni Racing 1'42.900 2.083
18 Shoya TOMIZAWA CIP Moto - GP250 1'44.250 3.433
19 Imre TOTH Team Toth Aprilia 1'45.039 4.222
20 Stevie BONSEY Milar - Juegos Lucky 1'45.428 4.611
21 Axel PONS Pepe World Team 1'45.493 4.676
22 Vladimir LEONOV Viessmann Kiefer Racing 1'45.837 5.020
23 Valentin DEBISE CIP Moto - GP250 1'45.899 5.082
24 Toby MARKHAM C&L Racing 1'47.246 6.429
25 Bastien CHESAUX Racing Team Germany 1'47.530 6.713

Aleix Espargaro to ride in Assen

Spanish rider Aleix Espargaro, older brother of current 125cc rider Pol Espargaro, will replace injured Balasz Nemeth at Assen this weekend.
With Nemeth adviced to rest his injured hand for about a month, he'll not be able to participate in the Dutch GP, giving Espargaro a chance to ride a 250cc machine once more.
Espargaro was a part of the official Lotus Aprilia team last year which dissolved after the departure of Dani Amatriain. Due to the economic situatuon Espargaro was not able to find another ride for the 2009 season, but is currently riding the newly developed Promo Racing Moto2 machine in the Spanish Championship.



Aleix Espargaro: In Assen I rode a 250cc bike for the first time, everything was well and I have good memories of that first experience. At the moment I am involved in a project with a Moto2 and very satisfied, but this opportunity is a dream. It's been a while since I've ridden a 250cc bike, but I don't think they have changed so much in a year, so there will be a lot of work on Thursday and Friday to be competitive. I am very motivated, because I didn't participate in a world championship round since last season. It is early to give a prognosis, but to finish among the Top 6 would be a great result. I can't wait to arrive in Holland, meet the team and start riding."

Catalunya GP - 250cc FP1, Bautista just off the lead

The final practice of the day saw Mapfre Aspar rider Alvaro Bautista as the fastest man in 250cc for most of the session, only to get pushed off the top spot in the final minute when Alex Debon pulled one quick lap to finish the day only 0.038 seconds ahead of Bautista. Nontheless Bautista's team seems to have found a good setting already, allowing the Aspar rider to constantly clock fastest laptimes.
His teammate Mike Di Meglio also had a good session, the Frenchman still feeling the effects of the arm-pump surgery he had this week, but getting along well with his new Aprilia RSA machine.
Different fortunes however for Rookie Balazs Nemeth who finished the first day at the Catalunya track outside the time limit.

Pos. Rider Team Lap time Gap
1 Alex DEBON Aeropuerto-Castello-Blusens 1'47.291
2 Alvaro BAUTISTA Mapfre Aspar Team 1'47.329 0.038
3 Hiroshi AOYAMA Scot Racing Team 250cc 1'47.422 0.131
4 Mattia PASINI Team Toth Aprilia 1'47.454 0.163
5 Mike DI MEGLIO Mapfre Aspar Team 250cc 1'47.675 0.384
6 Thomas LUTHI Emmi - Caffe Latte 1'48.153 0.862
7 Marco SIMONCELLI Metis Gilera 1'48.160 0.869
8 Karel ABRAHAM Cardion AB Motoracing 1'48.191 0.900
9 Hector FAUBEL Valencia CF - Honda SAG 1'48.418 1.127
10 Ratthapark WILAIROT Thai Honda PTT SAG 1'48.519 1.228
11 Raffaele DE ROSA Scot Racing Team 250cc 1'48.640 1.349
12 Lukas PESEK Auto Kelly - CP 1'48.704 1.413
13 Roberto LOCATELLI Metis Gilera 1'48.978 1.687
14 Hector BARBERA Pepe World Team 1'49.432 2.141
15 Alex BALDOLINI WTR San Marino Team 1'49.791 2.500
16 Jules CLUZEL Matteoni Racing 1'49.795 2.504
17 Axel PONS Pepe World Team 1'50.479 3.188
18 Imre TOTH Team Toth Aprilia 1'50.766 3.475
19 Valentin DEBISE CIP Moto - GP250 1'51.764 4.473
20 Shoya TOMIZAWA CIP Moto - GP250 1'53.104 5.813
21 Vladimir LEONOV Viessmann Kiefer Racing 1'53.166 5.875
22 Stevie BONSEY Milar - Juegos Lucky 1'53.168 5.877
23 Bastien CHESAUX Racing Team Germany 1'53.640 6.349
24 Toby MARKHAM C&L Racing 1'54.678 7.387

Out of limit time

11 Balazs NEMETH HUN Balatonring Team Aprilia

Catalunya GP - 125cc FP1, Simon leads Gadea

Scorching temperatures and sunny skies greeted the MotoGP circus in Catalunya today. The first 125cc practice saw another Bancaja Aspar 1-2 finish with Julian Simon being around half a second faster than teammate Sergo Gadea. Bradley Smith struggled with the bike setup and stayed in the box for a long time, he will hope to have solved the problems until tomorrow.

Pos. Rider Team Lap time Gap

1 Julian SIMON Bancaja Aspar Team 125cc 1'52.311
2 Sergio GADEA Bancaja Aspar Team 125cc 1'52.806 0.495
3 Nicolas TEROL Jack & Jones Team 1'53.098 0.787
4 Pol ESPARGARO Derbi Racing Team 1'53.207 0.896
5 Lorenzo ZANETTI Ongetta Team I.S.P.A. 1'53.220 0.909
6 Sandro CORTESE Ajo Interwetten 1'53.307 0.996
7 Marc MARQUEZ Red Bull KTM Moto Sport 1'53.316 1.005
8 Scott REDDING Blusens Aprilia 1'53.374 1.063
9 Randy KRUMMENACHER Degraaf Grand Prix 1'53.565 1.254
10 Andrea IANNONE Ongetta Team I.S.P.A. 1'53.683 1.372
11 Bradley SMITH Bancaja Aspar Team 125cc 1'53.824 1.513
12 Stefan BRADL Viessmann Kiefer Racing 1'53.871 1.560
13 Tomoyoshi KOYAMA Loncin Racing 1'53.963 1.652
14 Esteve RABAT Blusens Aprilia 1'54.095 1.784
15 Joan OLIVE Derbi Racing Team 1'54.200 1.889
16 Lorenzo SAVADORI Fontana Racing 1'54.243 1.932
17 Johann ZARCO WTR San Marino Team 1'54.251 1.940
18 Efren VAZQUEZ Derbi Racing Team 1'54.256 1.945
19 Takaaki NAKAGAMI Ongetta Team I.S.P.A. 1'54.536 2.225
20 Dominique AEGERTER Ajo Interwetten 1'54.607 2.296
21 Danny WEBB Degraaf Grand Prix 1'54.828 2.517
22 Jonas FOLGER Ongetta Team I.S.P.A. 1'54.850 2.539
23 Simone CORSI Jack & Jones Team 1'55.147 2.836
24 Jasper IWEMA Racing Team Germany 1'55.772 3.461
25 Cameron BEAUBIER Red Bull KTM Moto Sport 1'55.798 3.487
26 Alberto MONCAYO Andalucia Aprilia 1'56.469 4.158
27 Lukas SEMBERA Matteoni Racing 1'56.479 4.168
28 Sturla FAGERHAUG Red Bull KTM Moto Sport 1'56.586 4.275
29 Luis SALOM SAG-Castrol 1'56.650 4.339
30 Luca MARCONI CBC Corse 1'57.126 4.815
31 Johnny ROSELL Blusens BQR 1'58.090 5.779
32 Luca VITALI CBC Corse 1'58.658 6.347
33 Alexis MASBOU Loncin Racing 1'59.038 6.727
34 Jordi DALMAU SAG-Castrol 2'12.197 19.886

Newsflash: Talmacsi to Scot Honda

Former Balatonring Aspar rider Gabor Talmacsi has found a new ride in the MotoGP championship and will be joining Yuki Takahashi in the Scot Honda Team this weekend.
What's more, Gabor will take Takahashi's place from Assen onwards, leaving the Japanese without a ride.

Balatonring Team: Balazs Nemeth Looks Ahead To Catalunya

"I hope I can find a good feeling for my Aprilia from Friday and continue to learn what is a completely new category for me. The understanding with the team has been excellent from the first minute and it is thanks to them that my education has got off to a good start. If we keep working well I doubt it will be long before we start improving my speed and I'll soon be challenging for better positions, even though I must say I was satisfied with my debut. The differences between a two-stroke and a four-stroke are considerable, which is why I am training hard to make sure I'm in the right shape to make the transition as easy as possible. I'm really happy to have this opportunity and I can't wait to get to Montmeló and ride again."

Team Toth joining Team Aspar?

There are rumours going on that the Hungarian Team Toth and the Balatonring Aspar Team could be joining forces for the rest of the season, combining sponsors and support and possibly even sharing a box.
After the departure of Gabor Talmacsi the new Hungarian rider in the Balatonring Team is Balazs Nemeth, but the struggle with sponsors continues. Also Team Toth seems to have some problems with financing their campaign, so a combined "Mega-Hungarian" Team might be the solution for both teams.

On a sidenote it appears that Mike Di Meglio will now use the vacant Aprilia RSA from Gabor Talmacsi while Rookie Balazs Nemeth will ride the RSW machine.

Italian GP - Mugello - Pole for Bautista

Mapfre Aspar rider Alvaro Bautista won his third pole position of the season in a closely fought battle with Simoncelli and Barbera who will start tomorrow's race from 2nd and 3rd on the grid. Current second-placed rider in the championship, Hiroshi Aoyama, took the final spot of the front row. With all four riders having won one race each it is likely that the Italian GP will see the first double winner of the season.
Bautista's teammate Mike Di Meglio continued to struggle with the setup for the Italian track and finished the qualifying only in 14th position.
Hungarian rider Balazs Nemeth qualified 22nd and will be happy about that achievement, riding the 250cc Aprilia only the second day ever.

Pos. Rider Team Lap time Gap

1 Alvaro BAUTISTA Mapfre Aspar Team 1'52.804
2 Marco SIMONCELLI Metis Gilera 1'52.818 0.014
3 Hector BARBERA Pepe World Team 1'52.842 0.038
4 Hiroshi AOYAMA Scot Racing Team 250cc 1'53.050 0.246
5 Alex DEBON Aeropuerto-Castello-Blusens 1'53.573 0.769
6 Thomas LUTHI Emmi - Caffe Latte 1'53.702 0.898
7 Ratthapark WILAIROT Thai Honda PTT SAG 1'53.811 1.007
8 Mattia PASINI Team Toth Aprilia 1'53.875 1.071
9 Raffaele DE ROSA Scot Racing Team 250cc 1'53.941 1.137
10 Roberto LOCATELLI Metis Gilera 1'53.988 1.184
11 Karel ABRAHAM Cardion AB Motoracing 1'54.052 1.248
12 Jules CLUZEL Matteoni Racing 1'54.211 1.407
13 Hector FAUBEL Valencia CF - Honda SAG 1'54.351 1.547
14 Mike DI MEGLIO Mapfre Aspar Team 250cc 1'54.363 1.559
15 Lukas PESEK Auto Kelly - CP 1'54.375 1.571
16 Shoya TOMIZAWA CIP Moto - GP250 1'54.992 2.188
17 Alex BALDOLINI WTR San Marino Team 1'55.461 2.657
18 Imre TOTH Team Toth Aprilia 1'56.201 3.397
19 Axel PONS Pepe World Team 1'57.574 4.770
20 Valentin DEBISE CIP Moto - GP250 1'57.699 4.895
21 Vladimir LEONOV Viessmann Kiefer Racing 1'58.464 5.660
22 Balazs NEMETH Balatonring Team 1'59.132 6.328
23 Daniel ARCAS Milar - Juegos Lucky 1'59.513 6.709
24 Bastien CHESAUX Racing Team Germany 1'59.617 6.813

Italian GP - Mugello - 250cc Results FP2

Results of the second free practice in Mugello with perfect warm and sunny conditions.
Mapfre Aspar rider Alvaro Bautista struggled to find the same pace as yesterday while his teammate Mike Di Meglio managed to move up the ranks a bit.
Balatonring Racing Team's new addition Balázs Nemeth improved considerably in his first ever 250cc outing and even left some regular starters behind him.

Pos. Rider Team Lap time Gap
1 Marco SIMONCELLI Metis Gilera 1'52.589
2 Hector BARBERA Pepe World Team 1'53.217 0.628
3 Karel ABRAHAM Cardion AB Motoracing 1'53.463 0.874
4 Hiroshi AOYAMA Scot Racing Team 250cc 1'53.682 1.093
5 Alvaro BAUTISTA Mapfre Aspar Team 1'54.107 1.518
6 Alex DEBON Aeropuerto-Castello-Blusens 1'54.153 1.564
7 Ratthapark WILAIROT Thai Honda PTT SAG 1'54.306 1.717
8 Mike DI MEGLIO Mapfre Aspar Team 250cc 1'54.373 1.784
9 Roberto LOCATELLI Metis Gilera 1'54.505 1.916
10 Lukas PESEK Auto Kelly - CP 1'54.771 2.182
11 Raffaele DE ROSA Scot Racing Team 250cc 1'54.900 2.311
12 Mattia PASINI Team Toth Aprilia 1'54.948 2.359
13 Shoya TOMIZAWA CIP Moto - GP250 1'55.196 2.607
14 Hector FAUBEL Valencia CF - Honda SAG 1'55.278 2.689
15 Thomas LUTHI Emmi - Caffe Latte 1'55.409 2.820
16 Alex BALDOLINI WTR San Marino Team 1'55.635 3.046
17 Jules CLUZEL Matteoni Racing 1'56.729 4.140
18 Imre TOTH Team Toth Aprilia 1'57.237 4.648
19 Valentin DEBISE CIP Moto - GP250 1'57.887 5.298
20 Vladimir LEONOV Viessmann Kiefer Racing 1'58.133 5.544
21 Balazs NEMETH Balatonring Team 1'59.498 6.909
22 Axel PONS Pepe World Team 1'59.540 6.951
23 Bastien CHESAUX Racing Team Germany 2'00.002 7.413

Out of limit time
37 Daniel ARCAS SPA Milar - Juegos Lucky Aprilia

Profile: Balazs Nemeth

Name: Balazs Nemeth
Birth date: Budapest, 1988.
Weight: 60 kg
Height: 168 cm
Outstanding results: Hungarian Junior Champion, Superstock World Championship points scorer.
Outstanding Titles: Most talented junior sportsman Award (2003)

Balazs was born in Budapest and was only six when he first rode a motorbike. After just couple of weeks practice had won the first race of his life.
At the end of the nineties he won the majority of junior championships.
2005 brought his real headway: having started his career in Superstock 600 he earned stunning results -in his second race he finished in the first three among the Hungarian contestants. Then in the Alpok-Adria cup - organized at Hungaroring - he finished third among the international field and won the Hungarian Championship the same year.
In 2006 he changed to Superstock 1000 and managed to earn two first and a third position in the Alpok-Adria cup, and also participated in the Suzuki GSXR Cup.
He also ventured to Supermoto where he won nearly all races and was selected as the most talented junior racer.
In 2007 - already in the colours of Full Gas Motorsports Club - he took part in the Superstock 1000. In 2008 he also raced in Supersport 600.


CAREER STATS:

SUPERSPORT World Championship (2008)
Nürburgring 16.
Brno 19.
Magny Cours 19.
Donington 21.
Brands Hatch 23.
Vallelunga 25.
Portimao 19.

SUPERSTOCK 1000 World Cup (2007)
Brno 13. position
Valencia 14.
Vallelunga 15.

ALPOK - ADRIA Championship
Superstock
2008. Pannonia-ring 2. position
2007. Hungaroring 1.
2006. Hungaroring 1.
2006. Brno 1.
2006. Pannonia-ring 3.
2006. overall 4.

SUZUKI GSXR CUP (600 cc)
2008. Rijeka 1. position
Rijeka 1
2006. overall 2

Hungarian National Championship
Open cathegory
2008. 1. race 1. position
2008. 2. race 1.
2008. 5. race 1.
2006. overall 2.

Italian GP - Mugello - 250cc Results FP1

Mixed fortunes for the 250cc Aspar riders on the first day in Mugello. While championship leader Alvaro Bautista dominated the second half of the first practice session, constantly lapping similarly fast times, his teammate Mike Di Meglio struggled with the Italian track and only finished the first day in 13th position.
New addition Balázs Nemeth still needs to get used to the 250cc machinery and didn't make it over the 107% limit time.

Pos. Rider Team Lap time Gap

1 Alvaro BAUTISTA Mapfre Aspar Team 1'53.814
2 Hiroshi AOYAMA Scot Racing Team 250cc 1'54.058 0.244
3 Hector BARBERA Pepe World Team 1'54.272 0.458
4 Alex DEBON Aeropuerto-Castello-Blusens 1'54.374 0.560
5 Raffaele DE ROSA Scot Racing Team 250cc 1'54.584 0.770
6 Karel ABRAHAM Cardion AB Motoracing 1'54.661 0.847
7 Ratthapark WILAIROT Thai Honda PTT SAG 1'54.712 0.898
8 Marco SIMONCELLI Metis Gilera 1'54.845 1.031
9 Mattia PASINI Team Toth Aprilia 1'55.120 1.306
10 Hector FAUBEL Valencia CF - Honda SAG 1'55.442 1.628
11 Thomas LUTHI Emmi - Caffe Latte 1'55.519 1.705
12 Roberto LOCATELLI Metis Gilera 1'55.581 1.767
13 Mike DI MEGLIO Mapfre Aspar Team 250cc 1'55.978 2.164
14 Lukas PESEK Auto Kelly - CP 1'56.104 2.290
15 Jules CLUZEL Matteoni Racing 1'56.299 2.485
16 Alex BALDOLINI WTR San Marino Team 1'56.591 2.777
17 Shoya TOMIZAWA CIP Moto - GP250 1'57.242 3.428
18 Imre TOTH Team Toth Aprilia 1'58.473 4.659
19 Valentin DEBISE CIP Moto - GP250 1'59.652 5.838
20 Axel PONS Pepe World Team 2'01.677 7.863

Out of limit time
8 Bastien CHESAUX SWI Racing Team Germany Honda
56 Vladimir LEONOV RUS Viessmann Kiefer Racing Aprilia
37 Daniel ARCAS SPA Milar - Juegos Lucky Aprilia
11 Balazs NEMETH HUN Balatonring Team Aprilia

Balázs Németh replacing Gabor Talmcsi

It's now been confirmed that Balázs Németh will take over Gabor Talmacsi's place in the Balatonring Team for the rest of the season.
The 20-year-old rider from Budapest is registered for the Italian GP this weekend and will ride for the first time in a 250cc race. So far it seems like he will continue the season with the latest Aprilia RSA.

Németh has been riding Supermoto, Endurance and Superstock in recent years. After a visit to World Supersport in 2008, he went back to the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup this year.

Balatonring Team Issues Statement Over Talmacsi

The Balatonring Team has issued a statement following yesterday's shock announcement of the withdrawl of Gabor Talmacsi from the squad...

Balatonring Team - Le Mans Circuit - 15/05/09

BALATONRING TEAM DISAGREES WITH THE SITUATION PROVOKED BY GÁBOR TALMÁCSI AND HIS ENVIRONMENT

The news has been unexpected for Balatonring Team, which is already in France since yesterday to take part in Grand Prix of France.
After recent news in the media accusing Balatonring Team for breach of the contractual relation with pilot Gábor Talmácsi, the Hungarian team denies these accusations. In fulfilment with his sports obligations, the team has moved the team staff and infrastructure to Le Mans Circuit, to take part in the Grand Prix of France, which will begin tomorrow.
The news has been unexpected for the whole Balatonring Team, which is already in France since yesterday. The team considers groundless the accusations alleged by their pilot Gábor Talmácsi regarding this season's limited provided material due to several reasons:

One of them is summarized in the excellent results achieved by the pilot during the first three tests of the championship, something impossible to obtain achieve if he is not provide with the appropriate material. The second reason regards the confidence placed in him by the leader of the project Balatonring Team, Jorge Martínez "Aspar", who decided to choose the Hungarian pilot in 2007 despite his dicreet performance in the previous world championship, and put at his disposal the means of one of the World Championship's most experienced structures -the Aspar Team - to make him World Champion.
The last reason shows again the confidence of Jorge Martinez in pilot Gábor Talmácsi, searching for a reputed sponsor for this campaign - Milton Group- to create a team exclusively designed for the former World Champion. Thus, Balatonring team finds enough reasons to be in total disagreement with the attitude taken by the Hungarian pilot and his environment, and feels deeply disappointed to be led to such a situation.

Balatonring Team wishes to thank the tremendous support provided by Milton Group and its main representative, Bence Kovács, who despite the incidents has not turn his back on the team and continues to rely on the experience of Jorge Martinez to take the Hungarian project forward.

Jorge Martínez said "The truth is that I did not expect this reaction in any way. This year we had created a new team exclusively designed for Gábor. It has been hard to take the project forward, but we have never surrendered or stopped fighting to offer the best material and support. I feel a tremendous disappointment to be involved in this situation, and I hope that when everything is over, Gábor will realize how much he had bet on him. Of course I completely disagree with his statements and if we cannot manage to cordially reach an agreement, I will proceed as necessary to defend our interests."

Talmacsi replaced by Rodriguez

In a shock press notice today the management of Gabor Talmacsi announced that the Hungarian will not participate in the French GP this weekend and furthermore will part ways with the Aspar Team due to apparent contractual disagreements.
According to the press release the Hungarian rider has not yet received the promised second bike and certain rights have been sold to third parties which should have been negotiated with his management first.
Jorge Martinez is said to talk about the matter in a press conference tomorrow as the team does not seem to agree with the statements made in the press release of Talmacsi's management.

As a replacement rider for Gabor Talmacsi the Spanish Supersport champion Angel Rodriguez will fly to France on short notice tonight and participate in the first practice tomorrow.


Updates on the matter as soon as news emerge.