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.

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.

Jorge Martinez Speaks Out On Talmacsi Situation

"I would like to make clear that the relationship between myself -both professionally and personally- and Gábor Talmacsi over these past three years has been excellent. I have absolutely no idea of why this decision has been taken at this stage of the championship, after just three races. Gábor is fifth in the standings, one point off fourth, in his first 250cc season.
Grupo Milton as our main sponsor and all the other supporters are delighted with the Balatonring Team project, and our feelings are the same. We think that this is a hugely solid project for Hungary, Gábor and the team, so for this reason it is a real pity that the interests of certain individuals -in this case the Manager of Gábor Talmacsi- have taken priority. It is honestly the first time in 28 years that I have witnessed a situation like this.
It is frankly incomprehensible that a World Champion can make a decision like this, putting his sporting career in jeopardy over a disagreement over image rights. It hurts me a lot, but I want to make clear that I would love to continue with Gábor Talmacsi as the Balatonring Team's rider. I consider the allegation made by Gábor's lawyer, regarding a supposed lack of material, unjustified.
We have an RSA factory bike that Bautista, Simoncelli and the other top riders have, and the championship results speak for themselves. During all the time that we have worked together the relationship has been magnificent, even up until the last race at Jerez. To find ourselves caught up in this situation just a week later is a big surprise for both myself and the team. I really don't understand it at all, and I think that it is clearly not a problem of the economic kind, nor in our working relationship, but rather a personal one on the part of Gábor's manager.
The most important thing is not to lose sight of our good relationship, which have taken us to a 125cc title in 2007 and third place last year. I have still been unable to talk to Gábor, and that saddens me most of all, because I consider that this situation has not been created by either him or ourselves."

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.

Jerez GP - 250cc Quotes after FP1

1st Álvaro Bautista 1.43.429 (22 laps)
"Setting the pace on Friday is the best way to start the weekend. I felt comfortable even though I didn't have the same feeling I had in the recent MotoGP test here. I was struggling to get into the corners and it all felt too slow, although the lap times weren't too bad. The track conditions are different to when we tested here because of the extra heat and maybe that's why we're having to work a bit harder to find the right setting. I'm satisfied with the setting we've found for the first day and with the lap time, so let's see if we can improve tomorrow and get back to the level we set here in the winter. We've still got a full day tomorrow and I'm sure the lap times will get closer. Aoyama is looking really strong and I'm sure he'll be one of my main rivals on Sunday."

5th Gábor Talmácsi 1.44.278 (18 laps)
"I think my position today is quite good and I'm happy with the lap time, although we did have some grip problems and I couldn't set a consistent pace. The main issue is with the rear and I can't open the throttle without getting the feeling I'm about to be thrown into the air. We didn't have the right carburetion settings at the beginning of the session but luckily we sorted it out for my final run. We have to reflect on the work we've done today so that we can set quick times tomorrow and a consistent rhythm."

7th Mike Di Meglio 1.44.385 (19 laps)
"It was a tough session because we struggled to get on the pace at the start although we weren't too far off by the end so I'm happy. I would have preferred to be a little closer to the top and a little faster but we've still got the whole of tomorrow to keep working. The grip levels are different compared to the last time we rode here at Jerez and the wind was a factor too. We tried a variety of rear compounds to try and improve traction and we've got a few more ideas for tomorrow. We used the set-up we found here in the winter and the results were good, but I hope that tomorrow we can take that little step forward we need to get closer to the front."

Jerez GP - Preview Quotes 250cc

Álvaro Bautista
“After the win in Japan I’m feeling happy, strong and confident about going to Jerez this weekend and picking up another good result. I hope that there can be a group of Spanish riders running at the front and putting on a good show for the home supporters. Discounting Qatar, where our performance was severely affected by the conditions, I think we’ve started the championship well and I’m convinced that all the set-up work we did in the winter will help us be competitive from Friday. Whatever happens, racing at Jerez is always special, I don’t know why but feeling the support from the fans in every corner somehow brings out the best in a rider and helps you to win.”

Mike Di Meglio
“We did a few preseason tests at Jerez and I think they really helped me to learn this new category. If we continue working as we have done up to now and put our hard work from the preseason into practice, I’m sure we can do well. I’m going to try and use my experience at Jerez to run at the top of the time sheets from Friday and try to get a good grid position that will allow me to compete in the race. Jerez is not one of my favourite circuits but I have good memories from the preseason tests there so I think we can run up front and put the fiasco in Japan behind us.”

Gábor Talmácsi
“Jerez is always a fantastic place to go racing – because of the fans, because my team is Spanish, because I love the circuit… so many reasons. We did a lot of testing there in preseason and it went well. I think we’re in much better shape now than we were back then and after the result in Japan I’m confident I can have a good race. My objective is still the same – to learn the new category and to hang with the front riders where possible. I had chance to spend two days at home after a tough week in Japan but every time I arrive at Jerez I feel really motivated to push for a top result and this year is no different. I know it will be tough because the level is very high in this class but we’ll be fighting to run up front.”

Japanese GP - 250cc Race Quotes

1st Álvaro Bautista
"It was a rather difficult race for us, because we had nearly no practice time on Friday and Saturday. I started quite badly and had some riders ahead of me on the opening corners, but soon I managed to get past and knew that I couldn't let Simoncelli escape. When I got up to third myself, Simoncelli and Aoyama were all together, and it was then that the wind picked up. Marco had a problem and that left myself and Aoyama, and I gave it my all to pass him. I am very satisfied with this result, and I think that it is an important victory that allows us to arrive at Jerez with our heads high. We have some good data for the race from preseason, and I hope to continue this way to give a win to the home fans."

4th Gábor Talmácsi
"I am very happy and I think that this is an incredible result. To tell the truth we had little time to prepare in either wet or dry conditions, and had near to no reference point for braking. Yesterday we made an important change in the practice session, but weren't able to try anything else when the qualifying session was cancelled. In the morning warmup we still had our doubts with the asphalt being a little wet, but I think that we made the right choice in the chassis setup. I felt comfortable when braking, and had a lot of fun Turing the race. I saw that Aoyama and Simoncelli were riding quickly, and I tried to keep up with their pace, but I had a scare at the same place that Di Meglio did, so I just tried to concentrate on my own race. I think that this is a satisfying result, and places us in a good spot in the standings, so that will help our morale when we get to Jerez."


Mike Di Meglio (DNF)
"I am a little disappointed with the crash, because I was feeling comfortable on the bike. After a good start I was convinced that I could have another great race, but I was unable to pass Gabor early on and when I did there was a damp patch on the track. My bike went out from under me, and there was nothing that I could do. It is strange, because right from the start I tried to concentrate and avoid making mistakes, but I suppose this shows my lack of experience. They are things that happen in racing, and now I just have to get back and try for a better result in Jerez."

Japanese GP, 250cc Quotes, Saturday

3rd Álvaro Bautista 1.53.836
"Whenever this happens you always regret not pushing harder in the first session but we’re on the front row and that will be important for us to make up positions in the first part of the race. I think we have a good setting for any condition so we just have to wait now and see what state the track is in tomorrow. I felt good in the wet practice this morning - I just had a visibility problem towards the end and couldn’t continue to improve my lap time, but the feeling with the bike was good. The objective will be to go out and give 100%, run at the front and take care to judge the track conditions correctly."

7th Gábor Talmácsi 1.54.594
"Our lack of experience in this category made it extra difficult for us in the wet today. We have only had one session in the dry but I’m happy because I think we can be competitive. The wet session this morning was quite tricky because we decided to make some changes to the bike and in those conditions it was difficult to draw any conclusions, which makes tomorrow’s race something of an adventure into the unknown. In any case I feel highly motivated and I’ll just aim to ride as well as I can out there. Personally I’d prefer a dry race so that I can continue to gather experience in this category."

Friday Quotes - Japanese GP, 250cc

3rd Álvaro Bautista 1.53.836 (18 laps):
"At the start I didn't feel too good on the bike and I couldn't brake hard in the slow corners. We improved in this area but on the cold track it was difficult to get a rhythm together. It was really cold today and we'll have to wait and see what happens tomorrow but we have to stay focused and put in 100% effort regardless of the conditions, there are no excuses.
The lap times aren't as fast as last year so there is plenty of room for improvement. It's the second race of the year and the goal is to pick up as many points as possible. With just one session on a Friday you have to work well, and quickly, and not take your eye off the ball otherwise you soon run out of time."

7th Gábor Talmácsi 1.54.594 (15 laps):
"It’s the first day, I’m seventh fastest and I think I need a few more laps to understand how the 250 behaves at this circuit and to get my reference points. The day went well despite the cold, although I still need to get more out of the Aprilia under braking. I’m happy because all the changes we made were for the better but we still need to analyse the data and improve further for tomorrow. If it rains then it will rain for everybody so we just have to stay focused, not make any mistakes and stick to the job at hand. I tried two different front tyres today and one rear – the results were good but we have another couple of things to try tomorrow, weather permitting."


8th Mike Di Meglio 1.54.595 (15 laps):
"It was so cold today that it was difficult to get the most out of the bike. I haven't ridden this bike here before so I had to get used to things lap by lap but I noticed that my Aprilia was moving around a lot under braking. It is strange to only have three practice sessions because it all goes by so fast and it's tricky to set the bike up. It looks like it's definitely going to rain tomorrow so it will be important to get a lot of laps in and gain confidence with this bike in the wet.
The cool temperatures today meant that we were a long way off the best times here but the riders at the top were close together so I want to keep gathering confidence tomorrow and get as close to them as I can."

Qatar GP - 250cc - Quotes Qualifying

1st Álvaro Bautista 2.00.677 (19 laps)
"I am happy to have got pole position despite the difficulties posed by the wind. At the start of the session it started to rain, and we didn't know if we'd have qualifying at all. We had a good pace but at the start I had to work a little bit. We tried a new tyre that didn't work out and then returned to what we had before. I was going round in a pace below 01. Tomorrow's race will be complicated, as Aoyama will be up at the front and Barberá and Di Meglio will also have something to say. I expect a difficult race, but I want to have fun with it, and the important thing is that we have everything ready. In any case, we'll have the warmup for some final adjustments."

3rd Mike Di Meglio 2.01.113 (18 laps)
"I am very happy because we worked to perfection in bad conditions. I tried to give my all on every lap, and felt progressively better with my Aprilia. Third place is satisfying, and I hope to be able to top the weekend off with a great race. It's my first race, so I will try to get as much experience as possible, and tomorrow we will decide the finetuning in the warmup. I will aim to get a good start and figure up front, and base my pace on the tyres. I hope I hold my nerve and ride well, as in the MotoGP test I was in the top five. A podium would be a fantastic result."

6th Gábor Talmácsi 2'01.693 (17 laps)
"I am happy with my first qualifying session in the 250cc class. It was a difficult run because of the rain and the delay, and we finished very late. In any case I don't think that I was at 100%, as the wind stopped me arriving at my true limit. I tried to keep focused though. The front end is still giving us problems, but we are confident for tomorrow. With a good warmup session we can make the final adjustments that will allow us to have a good race. It is difficult to make predictions, but in any case Álvaro and Aoyama are looking strong. It will be my first race in the class, and a top five finish would leave me very satisfied."

Qatar GP - 125cc - Bati on Pole!

The 250cc qualifying for the Qatar GP ended just as positively for the Aspar Team as the 125cc qualifying did, with Mapfre Aspar rider Alvaro Bautista taking the pole position. His teammate Mike Di Meglio also had a splendid session in the desert and will start his first 250cc race tomorrow from the first row. Fellow rookie Gabor Talmacsi had a good qualifying as well and will line up on the second row, having finished sixth quickest today.

Pos. Rider Team Lap time Gap
1 Alvaro BAUTISTA Mapfre Aspar Team 2'00.677
2 Hiroshi AOYAMA Scot Racing Team 250cc 2'00.777 0.100
3 Mike DI MEGLIO Mapfre Aspar Team 250cc 2'01.113 0.436
4 Hector BARBERA Pepe World Team 2'01.174 0.497
5 Hector FAUBEL Valencia CF - Honda SAG 2'01.636 0.959
6 Gabor TALMACSI Balaton Racing Team 250cc 2'01.693 1.016
7 Mattia PASINI Team Toth Aprilia 2'01.699 1.022
8 Alex DEBON Aeropuerto-Castello-Blusens 2'01.713 1.036
9 Thomas LUTHI Emmi - Caffe Latte 2'01.738 1.061
10 Roberto LOCATELLI Metis Gilera 2'01.839 1.162
11 Karel ABRAHAM Cardion AB Motoracing 2'01.872 1.195
12 Ratthapark WILAIROT Thai Honda PTT SAG 2'02.062 1.385
13 Jules CLUZEL Matteoni Racing 2'02.113 1.436
14 Raffaele DE ROSA Scot Racing Team 250cc 2'02.408 1.731
15 Lukas PESEK Auto Kelly - CP 2'02.567 1.890
16 Shoya TOMIZAWA CIP Moto - GP250 2'03.590 2.913
17 Alex BALDOLINI WTR San Marino Team 2'03.592 2.915
18 Imre TOTH Team Toth Aprilia 2'04.895 4.218
19 Axel PONS Pepe World Team 2'05.240 4.563
20 Vladimir LEONOV Viessmann Kiefer Racing 2'06.329 5.652
21 Bastien CHESAUX Racing Team Germany 2'07.096 6.419
22 Aitor RODRIGUEZ Milar - Juegos Lucky 2'07.701 7.024

Not classified
58 Marco SIMONCELLI ITA Metis Gilera Gilera

Qatar GP - 250cc - Results FP2

Mapfre Aspar rider Alvaro Bautista lead the second free practice in Qatar for most of the time and was the only rider who consistently clocked low 2'01 laptimes, but was relegated in the last minute to third position, right ahead of new teammate Mike Di Meglio. Fellow rookie Gabor Talmacsi finished in 7th position.

Pos. Rider Team Lap time Gap

1 Hiroshi AOYAMA Scot Racing Team 250cc 2'01.106
2 Hector BARBERA Pepe World Team 2'01.126 0.020
3 Alvaro BAUTISTA Mapfre Aspar Team 2'01.169 0.063
4 Mike DI MEGLIO Mapfre Aspar Team 250cc 2'01.486 0.380
5 Thomas LUTHI Emmi - Caffe Latte 2'01.607 0.501
6 Roberto LOCATELLI Metis Gilera 2'01.713 0.607
7 Gabor TALMACSI Balaton Racing Team 250cc 2'01.718 0.612
8 Raffaele DE ROSA Scot Racing Team 250cc 2'02.037 0.931
9 Mattia PASINI Team Toth Aprilia 2'02.161 1.055
10 Karel ABRAHAM Cardion AB Motoracing 2'02.177 1.071
11 Ratthapark WILAIROT Thai Honda PTT SAG 2'02.230 1.124
12 Hector FAUBEL Valencia C.F. - Honda SAG 2'02.301 1.195
13 Lukas PESEK Auto Kelly - CP 2'02.330 1.224
14 Marco SIMONCELLI Metis Gilera 2'02.400 1.294
15 Jules CLUZEL Matteoni Racing 2'03.227 2.121
16 Alex BALDOLINI WTR San Marino Team 2'03.679 2.573
17 Imre TOTH Team Toth Aprilia 2'03.720 2.614
18 Shoya TOMIZAWA CIP Moto - GP250 2'04.310 3.204
19 Axel PONS Pepe World Team 2'05.356 4.250
20 Alex DEBON Aeropuerto-Castello-Blusens 2'05.715 4.609
21 Vladimir LEONOV Viessmann Kiefer Racing 2'06.856 5.750
22 Aitor RODRIGUEZ Milar - Juegos Lucky 2'07.598 6.492
23 Bastien CHESAUX Racing Team Germany 2'07.933 6.827

Qatar GP - 250cc - Quotes FP1

1st Gábor Talmácsi 2.01.902 (16 laps)
"I am very happy because I improved my best time from the past week's test by a considerable amount. It is very positive, because the test hadn't been as productive as I had hoped. I think that it is a good time that signals that we should be at the front, but this is neither a qualifying session nor a race, just a good start that gives us the spirit to continue working hard. In this first session the track was dirty and had little grip, but I expect conditions to improve tomorrow and the others will come closer to my time. We have a good setting, so we'll carry on confident ahead of tomorrow's qualifying."

2nd Álvaro Bautista 2.01.943 (16 laps)
"We are a little far off the times that we did at the beginning of the week. The track isn't in the best of condition and this is definitely affecting our setting, as I haven't really felt comfortable on my Aprilia. It was vibrating a lot on the front when we entered the corners, so tomorrow I hope that when the other classes clean the track we can get a better grip from their rubber. The wind has also been a handicap. We all have good data from the test, so we've been able to ride in similar times, but we need to see who is able to carry on improving when the times really drop. Tomorrow we first need to check the state of the track, and then try to improve. If the track is as it was during the two days of testing, then we will be able to continue with our original setting."

11th Mike Di Meglio 2.02.836 (16 laps)
"Today we had a complicated session, because the engine wasn't performing at its best. We didn't get a good lap in, but in any case it is a free practice and we still have tomorrow to find out how to continue facing our problems and what the solutions are. The team have worked hard all preseason, and tomorrow we will fine-tune to have a good qualifying session. I want to have some fun and see how we are going to be when the race comes around. The important thing now is not to worry too much and carry on learning."

Qatar GP - 250cc - Results FP1

Also the 250cc class finished the first practice with the riders of Team Aspar coming out on top. Class rookie Gabor Talmacsi lead the way by a small margin to second fastest Mapfre Aspar rider Alvaro Bautista. Current 125cc world champion Mike Di Meglio finished the first day in 11th position.

Pos No. Rider Bike Time Diff Diff Previous

1 28 Gabor TALMACSI APRILIA 2'01.902
2 19 Alvaro BAUTISTA APRILIA 2'01.943 0.041 0.041
3 75 Mattia PASINI APRILIA 2'02.196 0.294 0.253
4 4 Hiroshi AOYAMA HONDA 2'02.346 0.444 0.150
5 40 Hector BARBERA APRILIA 2'02.383 0.481 0.037
6 14 Ratthapark WILAIROT HONDA 2'02.383 0.481 0.000
7 12 Thomas LUTHI APRILIA 2'02.426 0.524 0.043
8 16 Jules CLUZEL APRILIA 2'02.701 0.799 0.275
9 52 Lukas PESEK APRILIA 2'02.764 0.862 0.063
10 55 Hector FAUBEL HONDA 2'02.782 0.880 0.018
11 63 Mike DI MEGLIO APRILIA 2'02.836 0.934 0.054
12 17 Karel ABRAHAM APRILIA 2'02.848 0.946 0.012
13 35 Raffaele DE ROSA HONDA 2'03.159 1.257 0.311
14 6 Alex DEBON APRILIA 2'04.085 2.183 0.926
15 15 Roberto LOCATELLI GILERA 2'04.126 2.224 0.041
16 58 Marco SIMONCELLI GILERA 2'04.876 2.974 0.750
17 48 Shoya TOMIZAWA HONDA 2'05.091 3.189 0.215
18 10 Imre TOTH APRILIA 2'05.172 3.270 0.081
19 25 Alex BALDOLINI APRILIA 2'06.476 4.574 1.304
20 7 Axel PONS APRILIA 2'06.830 4.928 0.354
21 56 Vladimir LEONOV APRILIA 2'07.082 5.180 0.252
22 8 Bastien CHESAUX HONDA 2'08.877 6.975 1.795
23 77 Aitor RODRIGUEZ APRILIA 2'09.985 8.083 1.108

Qatar GP - 250cc - Preview Quotes

Alvaro Bautista: "I think that we have had a good preseason. I had a bit of bad luck when I got hurt, but the recovery has been fast. I’m back to having a good feeling with the bike. After getting injured we were competitive in Jerez and Qatar, and I think that we are pretty clear about where we are for the first race. We can’t throw caution to the wind though, we have to be prudent. Our Friday work will be hard, because nothing comes for free in this class, so we’ll see whether we have the luck to start this year better than the last. I think that it will be fun, and that we will have a good result.”

Mike Di Meglio: "I have been able to enjoy two days of rest ahead of this race, and they have gone down well with me. Sometimes the last test can be unpredictable, but we have to maintain our concentration and concentrate on our hard work. I hope that conditions will be good. I went well in the last test, but I don’t want to say anything now, just that we should work hard and look for development. We don’t have much time to practice, so I can’t afford to make an error, but I don’t want to put more pressure on us than is necessary. It will be my first 250cc race, and I have a lot to learn still.”

Gábor Talmácsi: "We have been present at as many tests as possible, and the team have given me all the possibility of being ready for this first race. We are at a good level, but we still need to see where exactly we are and to what level we can set our goals. The 250cc class is a very competitive one, with lots of riders within a second of each other. We have been working all preseason for a good pace and that is more important than isolated Fast laps. We have done this, and we're fast, so if we can be like this then we will be competitive."

IRTA Test Qatar - Day 1, Quotes 250cc

2º Alvaro Bautista 2.01.121 (58 laps):
"This first day has been a little complicated because the track didn't have much grip and it has taken us a little to get a good rhythm. While we were riding we finally found a solution for the front part of the bike, which really caused us the most problems. With some little variations we achieved great improvements, and progressively I've been able to ride more comfortable and the conditions of the track also improved. If we continue this line of work tomorrow then I am convinced that we will improve and I will gain confidence. Most important thing of today is that little by little I have found some feeling on the Aprilia, although there is still room to improve with the suspensions."

8º Gábor Talmácsi 2.02.278 (47 laps):
It has been quite a positive day although I still have some doubts. At the beginning of the session I had an incident with the gear lever and have spent a lot of time in the box, but the team has has done an awsome job and we have been able to continue testing things. With used tires I am able to get a fast rhythm, but with new tires I have much more problems which is really is not logical, so we will have to find out why. I think that with used tires I managed some fast laptimes, but we have to be able to be fast in any circumstances and condition and with the tire we have. Today we concentrated on evaluating the performance of the tires with each additional lap. At the end of the session I felt very comfortable riding the bike and I am satisfied."

10º Mike Di Meglio 2.02.469 (47 laps):
"This is a circuit I like much and I felt very comfortable on the Aprilia despite it being my first contact with the 250cc at night. I was very tired because we only arrived this morning and I believe that I was not at my maximum, but even so we have had fantastic a first day. We will try to continue improving tomorrow. Today we basically concentrated on working with the frame of the bike. I think that we found a good configuration of the chassis since I felt very comfortable riding the bike. We decided to finish the day a little ahead of the time so that I could rest a bit and will be able to return tomorrow with all my strength."

New sponsor for Talmacsi

Aspar rider Gabor Talmacsi is one of the many people in the paddock who really felt the impact of the financial crisis after almost all of his sponsors weren't able to continue the sponsorship. Luckly the celebrity status in his Hungarian home country meant he was able to find new financial support quickly, among others in the form of the Hungarian circuit Balatonring which was set to make a first appearance in the MotoGP calendar this year. However, after the Hungarian race was cancelled for this year due to delays in the construction of the circuit, Gabor will no longer have the Balatonring as his main sponsor. Instead he had Logistic Land on his bike during the last test in Estoril. The final main sponsor however will be decided by Team Aspar and probably revealed in the coming IRTA test in Jerez, starting on March 25th.

Bad news for Talmacsi

The Budapest Times report that Aspar rider and former 125cc world champion Gábor Talmácsi has lost all but one of his sponsors, forcing the team to restructure the budget for the current year. "We are mostly trying to save money on travel costs", Talmácsi’s manager Stefano Favaro told Inforádio last Thursday, adding that smaller companies were revoking their earlier promises one after another because of the global financial crisis. Favaro said that the only remaining sponsor for the motorcyclist is Hungarian oil corporation MOL, but Talmácsi’s team is in negotiations, so his circle of supporters could grow before the season starts in Qatar on 12 April.

We hope for the best for Talma and wish him successful negotiations with his sponsors, so we'll see him again at the start of the season.

Gabor Talmacsi in Valencia

Although the Aspar Team was not officially at the second two-day test in Valencia this week, Gabor Talmacsi was present nontheless to help out Rookie Johann Zarco who will start his first full 125cc season with the WTR San Marino Team on Aprilia.
Balatonring Aspar rider Talmacsi said that he was there to support Frenchman Zarco who's very quick and that whenever he needs advice with the set-up, Gabor helps him out and can use his good contacts with the Aprilia engineers.

Asked by journalists, Gabor also said that one has to maintain optimistic about the Hungarian GP this year. There have been rumours lately that the race in Hungary could be cancelled, because the track will not be ready in time. The former world champion admitted that there's a very tight schedule to build the Balatonring circuit, but at the same time noted that the F1 track in Valencia was built in only three months. Reminded by the interviewer that this circuit had already part of the infrastructure built beforehand, Talmacsi answered that this is right, but "my fans and I need this Hungarian GP!".
We hope for Gabor and the Hungarian fans as well as MotoGP fans worldwide that the new circuit can be finished in time and that we can see a new country added to the MotoGP calendar this year.