Nationwide Champ Brad Keselowski 'Will Live With' NASCAR's New Format

Filed under: Penske Racing, Chase for the Sprint Cup, Nationwide Series, NASCAR

TAMPA, Fla. -- Brad Keselowski arrived at Tampa's Busch Gardens theme park Wednesday to help promote the Feb. 20 Daytona 500 wearing a black jacket emblazoned with a NASCAR Nationwide series logo -- a proud nod to the series championship he won in 2010 but won't be defending in 2011.

In a posting on its official Twitter account earlier this week, NASCAR announced that drivers must declare themselves eligible for only one championship among its three national series, Sprint Cup, Nationwide and the Camping World Truck series.

That means Keselowski, who drives the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge for Penske Racing in the marquee Sprint Cup series, will race in multiple series but won't be able to simultaneously accumulate championship points in Cup and Nationwide as he did this season.

And while NASCAR isn't formally commenting on or confirming the format change yet -- President Mike Helton and Vice President for Competition Robin Pemberton will address it in a scheduled news conference next Friday in Daytona Beach -- Keselowski appeared resigned to his fate.

"There's a lot of different ways of looking at it,'' Keselowski said Tuesday. "Obviously NASCAR has an obligation of trying to do the best for the sport and everything and I respect and appreciate that.

"I still plan on competing even though I can't compete for the championship. I still plan on living up to the commitments that we've made for our sponsors and for our team. I've had the luxury of competing in both series last year and enjoyed it. We'll just kinda live with it and deal with it this year.''

 

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Source: http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2011/01/12/nationwide-champ-brad-keselowski-will-live-with-nascars-new-f/

Alex George Ezio Gianola Sete Gibernau Sebastien Gimbert

Rossi Evaluating Shoulder Recovery Aboard Ducati WSBK Machine At Misano

Question marks continue to hang over the Italian Dream combination of Valentino Rossi and Ducati, as Rossi's recovery from shoulder surgery is proceeding at a much slower pace than the Italian had hoped for. Rossi had voiced these fears at the Ducati's Wrooom! launch event in Italy two weeks ago, telling the assembled press that he did not expect to be at full fitness until the end of April at the earliest.

That would be a problem for Ducati, as the 2011 season is due to get underway with the first official test of the MotoGP test of the season at Sepang next Tuesday, and the first race of the season on March 20th at Qatar. There is still a lot of work to do between Sepang and Qatar, and Ducati are eager to hear from Rossi about the changes that have been made to the Desmosedici GP11 based on his input. But with Rossi's shoulder still questionable, there are doubts as to how much feedback Rossi can provide.

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MotoGPMatters/~3/rAFi5Y1AidA/rossi_evaluating_shoulder_recovery_aboar.html

Sergio Boroncini Gino Borsoi Luca Boscoscuro Gimmi Bosio

INDYCAR Unveils New Name, Double-File Restarts, Kids in the Garage

Filed under: IRL, Indianapolis 500

Speaking to racing journalists and industry insiders Tuesday in Indianapolis, INDYCAR CEO Randy Barnard revealed big changes for the series ranging from a new name for the sanctioning body -- INDYCAR -- to double-file restarts in oval races, to lowering the age for visitors in the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway garage area.

In his first formal "state of the sport'' address since taking over as CEO a year ago, Barnard (above) spoke about the responsibility and commitment to listen to open-wheel fans as he tries to reinvigorate the once-thriving genre. And that means, according to Barnard, a new name "to move the sport forward.''

One of the most visible changes announced Tuesday will be double-file restarts beginning with the May 29 Indianapolis 500, where, for the first time in the track's 102-year history, children nine years of age and older will be allowed in the garage on race day. The engine committee also revealed it will go with a smaller 2.2-liter engine for the new 2012 car, instead of the 2.4-liter originally approved for the cars. Honda, Chevrolet and Lotus have all committed to supplying engines.

"We're trying to increase the excitement and drama around the events," said President of Competition Brian Barnhart. "Much of it is a response to fans' expectations."

Earlier Tuesday, INDYCAR announced the opening of an office outside Los Angeles with the intent to integrate a Hollywood-feel within the series -- bringing the entertainment industry into the fold to help promote the sport.

"This will be a one-stop shop to pursue opportunities and make deals across multiple business lines and entertainment outlets,'' Barnard said.

 

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Source: http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2011/01/11/indycar-unveils-new-name-double-file-restarts-kids-in-the-gara/

David Whitworth Peter Williams Warren Willing Mark Willis

2011 WSBK Portimao Test Thursday Session 2 Times: Rea Back On Top

With the rain easing off since this morning, the afternoon saw most of the WSBK riders venture out on the second day of testing at Portimao. The two main exceptions were the factory Aprilia riders of Max Biaggi and Leon Camier, who, luckily as it turned out, had been booked to spend the day at a Piaggio event, before flying back to Portimao in the afternoon.

The afternoon saw Johnny Rea top the timesheets, after skipping the morning session, the Castrol Honda rider finishing ahead of Sterilgarda Yamaha's Marco Melandri, the Italian making significant progress at the Portuguese circuit. Carlos Checa was once again near the top of the timesheets, ending the day in 3rd, ahead of the Liberty Ducatis of Sylvain Guintoli and Jakub Smrz.

Testing concludes on Friday.

Results: 

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MotoGPMatters/~3/x--31sczumg/2011_wsbk_portimao_test_thursday_session.html_0

Eric Bataille Franco Battaini Gerhard Bauer Manfred Baumann

MotoGP World Champion Jorge Lorenzo confirms he will race with No 1

The status of reigning MotoGP World Champion gives the young Mallorcan rider the unique opportunity to change his racing number to No 1 as he defends his title this season. Lorenzo today confirmed his intention to run the coveted No 1 on his Yamaha Factory Racing M1 race bike, revealing a clever design incorporating his JL initials. This will be the first time a Yamaha MotoGP rider has worn the No 1 since Wayne Rainey defended his World Championship title in 1993 for the third consecutive time.

"Today I can reveal my No 1," said Jorge Lorenzo. "I am very proud because you have to work very hard to have the option to wear it. I have been lucky with my design because the No 1 works really well with my JL initials, maybe with different letters it would have been difficult to make it look right, I hope my fans will like it! I won't forget my No 99 this season, it will be there somewhere on my leathers because No 99 is in my heart. It was a difficult choice to change my number but I have earned the right for this unique opportunity to wear it."

Press release courtesy of Yamaha Factory Racing Team

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Source: http://www.zimbio.com/MotoGP/articles/FeXM4wiuMp0/MotoGP+World+Champion+Jorge+Lorenzo+confirms

Stefano Bianco Fabio Biliotti Wilf Billington Hartmut Bischoff

USGP: MotoGP from Laguna Seca 2009 Results

Source: http://sportbikeblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/usgp-motogp-from-laguna-seca-2009.html

Renato Magi Randy Mamola Tomomi Manako Anton Mang

Rossi's Verdict On Shoulder After Misano Test: Painful And Weak

Valentino Rossi took to the track today, to assess the state of his shoulder ahead of the resumption of official testing for the MotoGP class next week. Banned from testing a MotoGP bike, Rossi instead tested a WSBK-spec Ducati 1198SP, putting in a respectable 25 laps of the Italian circuit, just a few miles from his home, to judge his strength, mobility and fitness.

The verdict, according to a press release issued by Ducati Corse, is not good, but it is no worse than expected either. "It hurts a lot and isn't very strong," is how Rossi summed up the state of his shoulder after the test, though he added that the test "more or less confirmed what we expected." At Ducati's launch event in Italy, the Italian had told the press that he did not expect to be back at full fitness until May 1st, and this press release confirms those statements.

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MotoGPMatters/~3/v0TFdIXI8gU/rossi_s_verdict_on_shoulder_after_misano.html

Mike Baldwin Brian Ball Andrea Ballerini Kork Ballington

Starlane Engear Digital Gear Indicator w/Shift Light from Sportbiketrackgear.com

Starlane is an Italy based company that is more known for their highly developed GPS Style Lap timers and Digital Dashboards for many different motorsports. They have also developed a gear indicator that is a wire in and can be used on MANY motorcycles.

This unit is a very quick install and is useful when cruising around town and trying to avoid shifting into that infamous 7th gear. These are also a track day guys friend when cruising down the back straight wanting to know exactly how many downshifts he needs to make for the next corner. It is a nice tool to have and at an affordable price.

If you have any questions or would like to order a Starlane Gear indicator give Jason a call at 888-784-4327 ext 210, or e-mail Jason@sportbiketrackgear.com

These gear indicators come in a nice little box.

There are a ton of places to mount the gear indicator, on this particular bike we put it between the windscreen and the gauge cluster for easy view of the shift light and the gear.

The unit itself isn't very large, but the display takes up the whole thing. You can also see the bright blue LED spot.

They also include a piece of quality 3M tape to stick this anywhere on your bike.

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Source: http://www.esportbike.com/forums/showthread.php?t=144153&goto=newpost

Vincenco Cascino Dennis Casement Paolo Casoli Kevin Cass

Official FIM 2011 Provisional MotoGP Rider List - Not So Provisional At All

Below is the "provisional" MotoGP entry list issued by the FIM. Given the cost and complexity of a MotoGP entry, it should be regarded as anything but provisional, as all of the names are confirmed, and no new entries are expected, despite rumors that other manufacturers may make a surprise return.

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MotoGPMatters/~3/Y6LY7twyzsM/official_fim_2011_provisional_motogp_rid.html

Rolf Blatter Norman Blemings František Bartoš Loek Bodelier

Star-Studded Lineup For Rolex 24 at Daytona; Porsche Leads the Way

Filed under: Jamie McMurray, Jimmie Johnson, Daytona Int'l Speedway, Other Racing Series, NASCAR

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- The reigning NASCAR and IZOD IndyCar Series champions highlight a star-studded field for the Rolex 24 at Daytona, the Grand-Am Series' season-opener at Daytona International Speedway this weekend.

But it's one of sports car's more traditional names, Porsche, that both five-time NASCAR champ Jimmie Johnson and two-time IndyCar champ Dario Franchitti will be chasing when the green flag drops at 3:30 p.m. (ET) Saturday.

German Jorg Bergmeister will start the No. 45 Flying Lizard Motorsports Porsche from the pole Saturday in the twice-around-the clock event that has again attracted a Who's Who list of auto racing greats.

Three Indy 500 winners, defending Daytona 500 winner Jamie McMurray (above left) and a potent mix of current and former NASCAR, IndyCar and Formula One drivers are giving it a go against the best sports car drivers in the world on the 3.56-mile Daytona road course.

Johnson and McMurray are trying to join Mario Andretti and A.J. Foyt as the only drivers to win a Daytona 500 and Rolex 24 crown. Johnson will co-drive with former series champs Alex Gurney and Jon Fogarty in the No. 99 GAINSCO Chevrolet and will start 10th in the marquee Daytona Prototype class. They were fastest in Friday's final practice.

McMurray is part of an two-car wonder lineup for three-time Rolex winner Chip Ganassi Racing. He'll co-drive the No. 02 BMW with three IndyCar Series champs, Scott Dixon, Franchitti and open-wheel-to-NASCAR convert Juan Pablo Montoya (above, center, chatting with Memo Rojas). They will start fifth among the 18 prototypes .

The other Ganassi car features defending Grand-Am Series champs Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas along with Ganassi's newest IndyCar driver Graham Rahal and sports car veteran Joey Hand. It will roll off third.

 

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Source: http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2011/01/28/star-studded-lineup-for-rolex-24-at-daytona-porsche-leads-the-w/

Hans Becker Alex Bedford Günter Beer Albert Beirle

Ayrton Senna vs Juan Manuel Fangio | Champion of Champions

Juan Manuel Fangio handed Ayrton Senna the winners? trophy at the 1993 Brazilian Grand Prix. Senna climbed down from the top spot and embraced the Argentinian champion.

A touching moment between two of the sport?s legendary figures.

For decades, Fangio?s achievement of winning five world championship titles was the ultimate benchmark in Formula 1. Arguably, Senna and Alain Prost might have equalled him if they hadn?t had to race against each other.

Fangio?s rivals were in awe of him, to the extent of not wanting to stand in the way of the success they felt ?the maestro? deserved.

Compare that with the intense, bitter rivalry between Senna and Prost and you can appreciate the enormous changes in Formula 1 between the eras of Senna and Fangio.

The two were once interviewed together and the interviewer remarked that between them they had eight world championships. Fangio remarked: ?Ayrton is still very good and still very young. He has still many years to keep racing.?

Sadly, he did not. We?ll never know if Senna might have matched Fangio?s five world championships. Some who knew him felt his respect for Fangio would have kept him from trying to win more.

It?s down to you to pick which of them belongs in the Champion of Champions final.

Compare their career stats below and vote for which you think was best. Tell us who you voted for and why in the comments.

¹ How many points they scored in their career, adjusted to the 2010 points system, divided by the number of races they started
² The percentage of races in which they were not classified due to a mechanical failure
³ How many points they scored in their career, adjusted to the 2010 points system, divided by the number of starts in which they did not suffer a race-ending mechanical failure

Quarter-final

• Ayrton Senna eliminated Jack Brabham
• Juan Manuel Fangio eliminated Jackie Stewart

Round two

• Ayrton Senna eliminated Graham Hill
• Juan Manuel Fangio eliminated Emerson Fittipaldi

Round one

• Ayrton Senna eliminated Damon Hill
• Juan Manuel Fangio eliminated Mike Hawthorn

This poll remains open until February 4th.

You need an F1 Fanatic account to vote. Register an account here or read more about registering here.

Read the F1 Fanatic Champion of Champions introduction for more information and remember to check back tomorrow for the next round.

Have you voted in the previous rounds of Champion of Champions yet? Find them all here:

Champion of Champions

• Ayrton Senna vs Juan Manuel Fangio
• Michael Schumacher vs Alain Prost
• Ayrton Senna vs Jack Brabham
• Juan Manuel Fangio vs Jackie Stewart
• Alain Prost vs Niki Lauda
• Jim Clark vs Michael Schumacher
• Jack Brabham vs Lewis Hamilton
• Ayrton Senna vs Graham Hill
• Kimi R�ikk�nen vs Jackie Stewart
• Juan Manuel Fangio vs Emerson Fittipaldi

Browse all Champion of Champions articles

Images � Williams/Sutton (Senna), Daimler (Fangio)

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/f1fanatic/~3/L6Ix9K9zUqU/

Gerard Choukroun Pieraldo Cipriani Claudio Cipriani Denis Clancy

2011 WSBK Portimao Test Wednesday Session 1 Times: Rea Starts Out On Top

The World Superbike machines are back on track after a long winter lay-off, at the first day of the official WSBK test at Portimao. Fastest man on track on Wednesday morning was Castrol Honda's Johnny Rea, the Ulsterman taking an early lead and not relinquishing it. The margin of his lead was cut drastically: Rea had over a second and a half early in the session, but by the time the checkered flag fell, Liberty Ducati's Jakub Smrz had cut that back to under six hundredths of a second. 

Reigning World Champion Max Biaggi was also back on form, setting the third fastest time of the session, a third of a second behind Rea, and over four tenths faster than lone Suzuki rider Michel Fabrizio. The Kawasaki made good on its off-season promise, Tom Sykes setting the 5th fastest time ahead of Rea's Castrol Honda teammate Ruben Xaus and Pata Aprilia's Nori Haga. Haga in turn was faster than the second factory Aprilia of Leon Camier, the young Briton ending over 1.1 seconds behind Rea.

The most disappointing of the debuts were for the Yamahas, with Eugene Laverty and Marco Melandri finishing near or at the very bottom of the pile. Laverty was 1.8 seconds off Rea, while MotoGP refugee ended the day over two and a half seconds behind the Ulsterman, though in the Italian's defense, this is Melandri's first visit to the stunning Portuguese circuit.

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MotoGPMatters/~3/Y4as-Z1gHJg/2011_wsbk_portimao_test_wednesday_sessio.html

Esteve Rabat Wayne Rainey Michael Ranseder Phil Read