MotoGP - Japan - Motegi - 23/09/2007

The Ducati Marlboro Team enjoyed its greatest day in Japan today, Casey Stoner securing Ducati's first MotoGP World Championship and Loris Capirossi winning the race, run in tricky conditions on a drying track.

The result triggered scenes of unbridled joy in the Ducati Marlboro Team pit, in the more than one thousand fans who watched the race in the Borgo Panigale Factory with the CEO Gabriele Del Torchio among them and in all the Ducatistis around the world.

Australian genius Stoner had to finish today's race ahead of Valentino Rossi to wrap up the title with three GPs remaining, and he did that, no problem, finishing sixth after leading the early stages. The race couldn't have been more nerve-wracking: it started on a slightly damp track, most riders choosing rain tyres, then the circuit dried out enough for riders to swap to slick-equipped bikes.

Capirossi was one of the first riders to switch, at the end of lap nine, and his strategy paid rich dividends, the 2005 and 2006 Japanese GP winner going on to score a Motegi hat-trick, 10.853 seconds ahead of his closest rival.

Stoner swapped bikes at the end of lap 14 and maintained his renowned cool to become the second youngest premier-class World Champion, after American legend Freddie Spencer. So far this year Stoner has won eight races, taken three further podium finished and scored five pole positions.

CASEY STONER, 6th, 2007 MotoGP World Champion on 297 points
"At the moment it all feels a little bit unrealistic! I'm struggling for words, I don't think there's any feeling that can compare to this, but I think it's really going to sink in as the day goes on and heads into tomorrow. The race started out quite well, we were able to get up front quite early and I had a reasonably good feeling with the bike, I was in a happy position. But then my rain tyres started wearing out as the track dried, and Valentino and Dani (Pedrosa) came past.
I didn't really know whether to come in or not, then my team put 'box' on my pitboard, so I had a bit more confidence to come in. After I changed bikes there was something up with the steering damper, the bike wasn't allowing me to tip into corners, so I had to slow down to unwind it. Then I started to find more of a rhythm, Valentino had a problem and we managed to finish ahead of him. I guess that was the aim of the game today. Towards the end everything was creeping into my head, so I just tried to stay focused on the job in hand, I wanted to bring it home for my team. The whole thing is a bit overwhelming, because we didn't really expect to get the championship today, it's come on me quite quickly. There's a lot of people I have to thank: my parents, who have always been there for me, they've supported me throughout my career, my wife Adriana's who's been there this season and the past few and everyone else who's helped me along the way - Ducati, my whole team, Bridgestone tyres, a big thanks to everyone who's had anything to with my career - we finally did it!"

LORIS CAPIROSSI, winner, 7th in World Championship on 130 points
"We st-ruggled a lot this weekend and only yesterday did we find a better set-up solution. When I woke this morning and saw the rain I said 'wow, for sure this is going to be a difficult day'. We didn't know which would be the best tyres to use, so we started with medium rain tyres. At first it was really difficult, so I decided to pit early, and for sure my tactic was the best because I won my third consecutive race here, it's a great moment for me. It's also a great day for Casey, for Ducati and for the team. I congratulate Casey, he's a really strong rider, I'm very happy for him."

GABRIELE DEL TORCHIO CEO Ducati Motor Holding
"This success, besides its great strategic value, is the best demonstration of Ducati excellence, is a triumph of Italian intelligence, talent, competences and the warmth that is one of our country's most vital assets. It's an important and remarkable achievement, 34 years after the premier-class World Championship was last won by an Italian factory. It is a dream come true. We are speaking of a great feat realised thanks to Casey's commitment, bravery and team work, united with the work of our draughtsmen, technicians, engineers, team members, sponsors and everyone at the factory. They have all worked with great passion and great skill to obtain this championship win, a success emphasized by today's win by Loris, to whom we say a hearty thank you for the great job he's done these past five years. The joy and the pride of experiencing this historic championship result pay back all our efforts and can only encourage us towards even more important and remarkable goals, both in the sporting and commercial arenas."

CLAUDIO DOMENICALI, Ducati Corse CEO/Ducati Motor Holding product director
"It is a dream come true - a fantastic feeling, really fantastic. I don't have enough words to thank all the guys who have contributed to this incredible achievement, which shows that Italy is a nation whose passion and talent can succeed in a hugely technically advanced field. It's certainly a good reason for Italians to be proud - proud about the talent of our engineers and about the quality of our universities. It is also a sign that allows Italy to look to the future and into globalization with a pinch more optimism."

Ducati Corse

1. L.CAPIROSSI
2. R.DEPUNIET
3. T.ELIAS

MotoGP - Portugal - Estoril - 16/09/2007

Fiat Yamaha's Valentino Rossi took a wonderful win at Estoril this afternoon following a brilliant battle at the front with Repsol Honda's Dani Pedrosa - to temporarily put Casey Stoner's title celebrations on hold.

The bwin.com Grande Premio de Portugal saw Rossi duelling with Pedrosa throughout the final stages of the race, eventually crossing the line just 0.175s in front of the Spanish rider to claim his fourth victory of the season and his first win since Assen in June.

he result was great news for Yamaha with Rossi making the most of his recently updated M1 800cc prototype machinery - with its new pneumatic engine - answering the critics in style after his Misano setback.

Third placed Stoner will have to put the champagne on ice for now as he saw his advantage at the head of the general standings drop to 76 points, but the young Aussie nonetheless rode with great maturity to secure the final podium spot and he will still be confident of clinching the title over the next two rounds.

With pole man Nicky Hayden finishing fourth at the scene of his 2006 heartbreak, Michelin demonstrated improved competitiveness with three riders in the top four.

Another solid run from Honda Gresini's Marco Melandri resulted in a top five finish, whilst John Hopkins came home sixth having started in his lowest grid position of 2007 in tenth.

Spanish pair Carlos Checa (Honda LCR) and Toni Elias (Honda Gresini) were seventh and eighth respectively, with Ducati Marlboro's Loris Capirossi and Fiat Yamaha's Colin Edwards completing the top ten.

DORNA / CAPSIS International

1. V.ROSSI
2. D.PEDROSA
3. C.STONER

F1 Belgium GP - Race - 16/09/2007 Spa-Franc.

Kimi Raikkonen dominated the 44-lap Belgian Grand Prix to record his third straight win at the classic Belgian venue. With Felipe Massa following home five seconds back to record a Ferrari one-two, the Italian team have wrapped up the 2007 constructors’ championship.

Starting from the pole position, Raikkonen was never seriously challenged but Massa at least kept the pressure on to the chequered flag. The result closes Raikkonen to within 13 points of championship leader Lewis Hamilton.

This weekend the McLaren Mercedes duo had no answer to the pace of Ferrari. Fernando Alonso finished a distant third with Hamilton ten seconds back in fourth position. The start of the Grand Prix saw Alonso and Hamilton run wheel to wheel exiting La Source and for a few seconds it seemed that Hamilton would try and go side-by-side through Eau Rouge.

Hamilton made the sensible decision and backed off and the order was set. Alonso’s third position moves him within two points of Hamilton with three races remaining.

Starting sixth, Nick Heidfeld got the jump on Nico Rosberg in the first round of pit stops and was able to finish in a lonely fifth position, half a minute behind Hamilton and 25 seconds ahead of Rosberg who again drove a fine race for the Williams Toyota team.

Mark Webber started and finished in seventh position, showing good race pace in the Red Bull Renault.

Team-mate David Coulthard’s RB3 suffered another hydraulics failure whilst running 12th.

he final point went to Heikki Kovalainen and Renault. The Finn, as expected, opted for a one stop strategy and despite massive pressure from Robert Kubica in the closing stages, held on to continue his run of top eight results. Giancarlo Fisichella did not have such a good day and retired at the end of the first lap after going off track and damaging his suspension. The Italian veteran had started the race from the pit lane in the spare Renault.

Kubica fought hard race-long and will be disappointed not to score a point. Starting 14th he made progress early on but could not find a way to get ahead of Kovalainen in the closing stages.

Toyota had hoped to score some much-needed points in Belgium with Jarno Trulli and Ralf Schumacher starting eighth and tenth. As is often the case, Trulli slipped back on the first lap and was unable to regain the ground. Schumacher finished tenth, 15 seconds clear of Trulli.

Tonio Liuzzi finished 12th for Toro Rosso Ferrari while team-mate Sebastian Vettel was an early retirement with a mechanical issue. Rubens Barrichello took the flag 13th for Honda while a hydraulics issue eliminated team-mate Button. Adrian Sutil ran 12th early on in the race in his Spyker Ferrari and put in a fine drive on a two-stop strategy to finish 14th in what has been his strongest race for some time.

Super Aguri Honda expected a tough race and they got it with Takuma Sato and Anthony Davidson finishing 15th and 16th ahead of Sakon Yamamoto in the second Spyker.

Alex Wurz was one of five retirements in his Williams Toyota and at a time when he needed a strong showing, his race was a disaster. Starting 15th the Austrian veteran spun to the back of the field and then later on had another off track moment before retiring from the event. With Rosberg showing so well, Wurz will be leaving Spa Francorchamps feeling the pressure.

So a red-wash in a less than thrilling Grand Prix. The title battle is closing up nicely however as the teams get ready for a trip to Fuji Speedway in two weeks…

Earl ALEXANDER
© CAPSIS International

1. K.Raikkonen
2. F.Massa
3. F.Alonso

F1 Italy GP - Race - 09/09/2007 Monza

Fernando Alonso dominated the 53-lap Italian Grand Prix to take his first win at the classic Monza circuit. Starting from the pole position, Alonso made a great getaway and was never seriously threatened by team-mate Lewis Hamilton who would take the chequered flag six seconds behind. Alonso’s fine victory closes the championship gap to just three points…

While Alonso did not put a foot wrong, Hamilton made life harder for himself than it had to be on his second stint as he dropped back from Alonso and found himself behind Kimi Raikkonen after his second and final stop. An audacious pass for position ten laps from home into the first chicane regained Hamilton the runner-up position.

Kimi Raikkonen started fifth in his Ferrari and immediately got the jump on fourth placed Nick Heidfeld on the run down to the first turn at the start and tucked in behind team-mate Massa. Running a one stop strategy, Raikkonen was unable to keep pace with the front runners, but his fourth place on track became third when Massa peeled off into the pits on lap ten.

It was the end of the road for Massa who went back out only to return to the pit and retire the F2007 with a suspension issue. Raikkonen kept the pressure on and almost snatched second position from the two-stopping Hamilton were it now for a very late lunge from the rookie to regain second position.

t was a pretty typical race for Nick Heidfeld as he had the pace to pull away from those behind him in his BMW Sauber, but did not have the pace to do anything about those in front. Heidfeld finished in fourth position, half a minute behind Raikkonen.

Robert Kubica had to work harder for his position and took fifth over all just four second behind Heidfeld. A problem with the front jack in his first pit stop cost him ten seconds resulting in Kubica falling behind Nico Rosberg and Heikki Kovalainen. The BMW racer would battle back and close down a 20 second deficit to Heidfeld in the closing stages.

Nico Rosberg drove a good race again for Williams Toyota. The German racer lost out to Jenson Button early on and lost time behind the leading Honda. Once clear, Rosberg was able to pull clear to finish sixth, five seconds behind Kubica.

Heikki Kovalainen started seventh and finished in the same position in the leading Renault, losing one position in the race to Rosberg, while Jenson Button ran a very long first stint and brought the Honda home in eighth position for his second point of the season.

Mark Webber finished ninth in his Red Bull Renault. Team-mate David Coulthard had a short race as he suffered a heavy shunt on lap two that brought out the safety car for seven laps. Coulthard clipped the back of Giancarlo Fisichella’s Renault at the first chicane and heading into the next turn – Curve Grande – the RB3 speared off the track as the front wing failed. Coulthard was unhurt.

It was another disappointing race for Jarno Trulli. Starting ninth the Italian veteran lost four positions on the opening lap and was never able to regain all of that ground. Trulli finished 11th, less than a second behind Barrichello.

Rubens Barrichello finished in 12th position, losing one position in the race to Mark Webber. Giancarlo Fisichella finished a lap down in 12th position in the second Renault. Alex Wurz was next up in the second Williams ahead of Anthony Davidson who battled hard early on with Fisichella.

Ralf Schumacher finished 15th in the second Toyota ahead of Takuma Sato in his Super Aguri Honda. The Toro Rosso duo of Tonio Liuzzi and Sebastian Vettel took 17th and 18th ahead of the Spyker pair of Adrian Sutil and Sakon Yamamoto.

The teams now pack up and head to the Ardennes to prepare for the Belgian Grand Prix next weekend. In between, we have the crucial World Motor Sport Council hearing on Thursday in Paris. There is plenty to play for…

Earl ALEXANDER
© CAPSIS International

1. F.Alonso
2. L.Hamilton
3. K.Raikkonen

MotoGP - San Marino - Misano - 02/09/2007

The Misano MotoGP visit ended with Ducati Marlboro's Casey Stoner extending his World Championship advantage to 85 points with a plus four second victory at the Gran Premio Cinzano di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini.

The return of racing to Italy's Adriatic coast saw the unstoppable Aussie secure maximum points for the eighth time this year, controlling the race from pole, while his closest title rival Valentino Rossi disappointingly retired early on with engine problems after starting second on the grid.

It was also another fantastic day for the ever improving Rizla Suzuki team as they filled the other two podium spots – Chris Vermeulen in second place after starting on the third row, finishing 4.851s behind compatriot Stoner and 11 seconds ahead of team-mate John Hopkins.

There was frustration for Repsol Honda's Dani Pedrosa and Nicky Hayden on the very first lap, with Pedrosa's race ended by Kawasaki's Randy de Puniet as the pair collided and crashed out. Hayden had to steer round them onto the gravel run-off area and never recovered as he came home an unlucky 13th having started on the front row of the grid.



A brave ride from returning Honda Gresini rider Marco Melandri after a series of recent crashes, including a major accident on Saturday, saw him take fourth – while his fellow Italian Loris Capirossi (Ducati Marlboro) crossed the line fifth.

Another MotoGP veteran Carlos Checa (Honda LCR) finished ten seconds behind Capirossi in sixth, in front of compatriot Toni Elias (Honda Gresini) who continues his remarkable recovery from a broken femur.

The top ten was completed by Anthony West (Kawasaki), Colin Edwards (Fiat Yamaha) and Shinya Nakano (Konica Minolta Honda).

DORNA / CAPSIS International

F1 Turkey GP - Race - 26/08/2007 Istanbul

Felipe Massa declared himself 'proud' to score a second consecutive Turkish Grand Prix as the Brazilian closed the gap between himself and world championship leader Lewis Hamilton to just 15 points.

Massa's third win of the season also allowed the Ferrari star to re-establish himself ahead of his team-mate Kimi Raikkonen in the championship order, having played second fiddle to the Finn for much of the summer.

Massa described his fifth career victory as "amazing".

"This is second the race in a row here starting from pole and winning, it is really fantastic," he said.

"I love the track and I love the place. Here is when my career just made a switch and I started winning races and fighting with the front-runners.

"It is a very special place for me. It is difficult to find the right words."

Massa led from start-to-finish and remained in control despite coming under significant pressure from Raikkonen in the middle stint and suffering an unusual problem with his crash helmet.

"I had a crack on the cooling system on the helmet and I had a big turbulence," he said.

"On the straights my head was being pulled up and then pushed down under braking. I was losing a lot of concentration.

"So I used some strength, took it away, and made some strange behaviour on the straight! It cracked completely and then it was better."

To the surprise of many, Ferrari opted to start the race with the softer 'option' Bridgestone tyre, and the tactic paid off as Raikkonen swept by Hamilton's McLaren at the start.

Massa and Raikkonen quickly asserted themselves with the tyre advantage while McLaren proved unable to match the Ferraris through the race.

"On Friday we made a long run on both tyre types," explained Massa.

"It was pretty similar, there was maybe one or two tenths difference between the tyres on the long run and we knew Friday to Sunday the track improves a lot. So the softs would improve even more.

"We took a gamble a little bit but at least it was a safe risk.

"Especially for the start we knew that the soft tyres are always better."



1. F.Massa
2. K.Raikkonen
3. F.Alonso

MotoGP - Czech Rep. - Brno - 19/08/2007

World Championship leader Casey Stoner was in dominant form at Brno on Sunday afternoon as he earned his seventh win of 2007, riding to victory by a 7.9 second margin to extend his standings lead to 60 points with just six races to go.

The 21-year old Ducati Marlboro rider repeated his Laguna Seca trick at the historic Czech circuit of Brno, controlling the Cardion ab Grand Prix Ceske republiky race from start to finish - having started on pole for the third round in succession - adding to his championship advantage as Fiat Yamaha's Valentino Rossi could only finish seventh.

There was another great performance from Rizla Suzuki's John Hopkins who crossed the line second to secure his best ever MotoGP result, while third placed World Champion Nicky Hayden continued his recent improvement in form with his third podium in four races.

Hayden's Repsol Honda colleague Dani Pedrosa missed out on a podium finish himself by just under three seconds, while Rizla Suzuki's Chris Vermeulen was fifth and Stoner's Suzuki-bound Ducati colleague Loris Capirossi was sixth.


Behind Rossi, Kawasaki's Randy de Puniet (eighth), Pramac d'Antin's Alex Barros (ninth) and Carlos Checa completed the top ten, while a special mention must go to Toni Elias (Honda Gresini) who bravely finished 11th as he continues his recovery from his femur brake at Assen.

There was disappointment on both sides of the Fiat Yamaha pit box as Colin Edwards retired early in the race due to engine failure.

DORNA / CAPSIS International

1. C.STONER
2. J.HOPKINS
3. N.HAYDEN

F1 Hungary GP - Race - 05/08/2007 Hungaroring

Lewis Hamilton put aside all the trials and tribulations of the dramatic qualifying session yesterday to take victory this afternoon in Hungary. Starting from pole position the championship leader was under pressure throughout the 70-lap race, but took the chequered flag just under a second ahead of Kimi Raikkonen.

It was a tough race for Hamilton as he was not able to pull out any significant advantage from his Ferrari rival, but with team-mate Fernando Alonso finishing in fourth position, does extend his championship advantage from two points to seven.

Raikkonen made the best of a slow start from Nick Heidfeld to grab second position into the first turn. The Ferrari driver was able to hound Hamilton race long, but such is the nature of the circuit, was never able to make a serious attempt at a pass.

Nick Heidfeld took the final podium position for BMW Sauber. It was a solid run from the German racer as he came under intense pressure in the closing stages from Fernando Alonso. Opting to run a three stop strategy, Heidfeld found himself only just ahead of Alonso in the final laps of the race, taking the chequered flag 1.7s clear of the McLaren driver. For Alonso, his race was compromised by a cautious opening lap that saw him initially lose ground to Mark Webber and Robert Kubica. Alonso soon regained the ground but would then spend much of the race stuck behind the Toyota of Ralf Schumacher. It was not until the final stint that he was clear of Schumacher and able to pressure Heidfeld.

Robert Kubica was fifth in the second BMW Sauber and like his team-mate used a three stop strategy. Ralf Schumacher had a solid run in his Toyota to finish in sixth position ahead of Nico Rosberg who will be disappointed with seventh position in his Williams Toyota. Rosberg ran fourth in the opening stages, but the team had opted for a very short first stint meaning a three stop strategy. This would lose him ground late in the race.

Heikki Kovalainen salvaged a point for the Renault team in eighth position ahead of Mark Webber in his Red Bull Renault. Jarno Trulli was never able to recover from a poor start and finished in tenth position in the second Toyota.

David Coulthard finished in 11th position in his Red Bull Renault ahead of Giancarlo Fisichella who was unable to make up the ground he lost with his qualifying penalty. It was a similar situation for Felipe Massa in the second Ferrari as he took the chequered flag in 13th position, underlining just how hard it is to pass at this circuit.

Alex Wurz had a low-key race in the second Williams as he took 14th ahead of Takuma Sato in his Super Aguri Honda and Sebastian Vettel in his Toro Rosso. Adrian Sutil was 17th in his Spyker Ferrari finishing ahead of Rubens Barrichello who had the most difficult race of his long career in the awful Honda RA107.

Sakon Yamamoto crashed out of his first race with Spyker early in the race, while an engine failure ended Jenson Button’s miserable day. Anthony Davidson and Giancarlo Fisichella battled hard on track and slight contact sent the Super Aguri Honda driver spinning out of the race.

Earl ALEXANDER
© CAPSIS International

1. L.Hamilton
2. K.Raikkonen
3. N.Heidfeld

MotoGP - USA - Laguna Seca - 22/07/2007

Ducati's Casey Stoner dominated the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix race at Laguna Seca from start to finish on Sunday to take his sixth win of the year - and extend his World Championship lead to 44 points ahead of the summer break.

In the Californian sunshine the Australian produced the goods yet again, eventually crossing the line just under ten seconds ahead of his compatriot Chris Vermeulen (Rizla Suzuki) to break the MotoGP pole jinx. Meanwhile the brave Marco Melandri (Honda Gresini) rode brilliantly from tenth on the grid to take third despite his injuries sustained in qualifying.

A dramatic incident on the first corner ruined the day for American pair John Hopkins (Rizla Suzuki) and Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda) when they collided and were immediately taken out of contention. World Champion Hayden's dreams of completing a hat-trick of home wins were dashed as he continued at the back of the pack before retiring with ten laps to go, while Hopkins eventually crossed the line 15th.

Fiat Yamaha's Valentino Rossi finished fourth, five seconds behind Melandri and a significant 30 seconds behind race winner Stoner - who appears to be running away with the title, just as he ran away from his rivals to take victory here. A further five seconds off Rossi was fifth placed Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda), while Kawasaki pair Randy de Puniet and Anthony West were sixth and seventh.


Dunlop Yamaha Tech 3's Makoto Tamada took his best result of the season in eighth place, Pramac d'Antin's Alex Barros was ninth and Kawasaki wildcard Roger Lee Hayden was remarkably the highest placed American as he completed the top ten.

Finishing 11th was Colin Edwards (Fiat Yamaha) who appeared to fade in the second half of the race, whilst Kurtis Roberts' (Team Roberts) retirement after just five laps meant the American fans did not have much to cheer if they were supporting the home riders only.

DORNA / CAPSIS International


1. C.STONER
2. C.VERMEULEN
3. M.MELANDRI

F1 Germany GP - Race - 22/07/2007 Nurburgring

Heavy rain at the start of the 60-lap European Grand Prix combined with a late shower combined to make a thrilling race for all those who survived the early carnage. Through it all came Fernando Alonso to record his first win since the Monaco Grand Prix in what was a tense end to the race as he caught and then passed Felipe Massa with five laps remaining.

Mark Webber secured his second career podium finish - his first for Red Bull Racing - with a fine run to third position, meaning that for the first time this year, Lewis Hamilton was not on the podium and in fact did not finish the race in the points. Along with Alonso, it was an eventful day for the championship leader.

Kimi Raikkonen started the race from pole position, but even at that early stage there had been a few spots of rain. As the race got underway the heavens opened and the race strategies could be thrown out of the proverbial window.

With heavy rain falling they all dived to the pits, but race leader Raikkonen slithered back out of the slip road and back onto the circuit. Next time around he made the pit entry move work and he dropped back to seventh position. It would all prove academic anyway as down at turn one, Jenson Button was the first of many to skate off the circuit and into retirement.

Tonio Liuzzi soon joined Button in retirement at the turn followed by Hamilton, Scott Speed, Nico Rosberg and Adrian Sutil.
Cliquez ici...
With the intermediate tyres not coping with the conditions and cars piling up at turn one, the race director put out the red flags and halted the race.

Hamilton had managed to keep his engine running and after being picked up by the crane and placed back on the circuit, he was back underway. The rain shower soon passed over and the circuit steamed in the summer sun. Marcus Winkelhock, making his race debut with the Spyker Ferrari team, had opted to start the race from the pit lane on intermediate tyres. The gamble paid off as he took over the lead as Raikkonen peeled into the pits and the red flags flew.

The moment would not last long for Winkelhock, but to lead your second lap in a Grand Prix is something pretty special. The German found himself shuffled back down the order as the race resumed and he would later retire with a hydraulics issue. Quite a debut for a small team it must be said.

Felipe Massa led from the restart while Hamilton opted to take dry tyres. It was a bad move and he slipped even further back from which he would spend the rest of the day in recovery mode... Out front Massa set the pace and kept Alonso firmly under control while Raikkonen quickly worked his way back up to third position.

Raikkonen’s Nurburgring curse would intervene mid-race as he coasted to retirement on entry into the pit lane. For Ferrari, Massa seemed firmly in control, pulling out 11 seconds before the second round of stops.

Alonso kept the pressure on and reduced the gap to six seconds just before rain started to fall for a second time with 11 laps remaining. Everyone pitted and took intermediate tyres once again but Alonso pushed hard, caught and then made a sensational pass around the outside of Massa to take the lead and then the win five laps from home.

The calm before the storm….
Mark Webber was not a factor for the win, but he drove a great race to finish third and hold off a late charge from Alex Wurz in his Williams Toyota. David Coulthard made Red Bull’s day even better as he took the chequered flag in fifth position.

Nick Heidfeld had a poor race in his BMW Sauber. The start of the race saw him run into the side of team-mate Robert Kubica on the first lap and later on would repeat the move with Ralf Schumacher. Still, Heidfeld took sixth position ahead of Kubica in what is his home event.

The battle for the final points was a close affair. It shouldn’t have been really as Heikki Kovalainen ran a safe fifth until pitting three laps before the second rain show arrived. It was a gamble for glory, but it did not work as he finished eighth, holding off Lewis Hamilton for the final point on the final lap.

For Hamilton, ninth position was not a great result, but he put in a storming drive despite the odd error on track and with strategy. Giancarlo Fisichella finished tenth in the second Renault ahead of Rubens Barrichello, Anthony Davidson and Jarno Trulli.

A dramatic race, with a result that closes the championship battle right up ahead of the next race in Hungary.

Earl ALEXANDER
© CAPSIS International

1. F.Alonso
2. F.Massa
3. M.Webber

MotoGP - Germany - Sachsenring - 15/07/2007

It was a Repsol Honda success story at the Sachsenring in Germany this afternoon, with Dani Pedrosa taking his first victory in more than a year and Nicky Hayden recording another podium finish at the Alice Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland.

The Honda pair sandwiched Ducati Marlboro's Loris Capirossi on the podium as the Italian came home second, while Fiat Yamaha's Colin Edwards was fourth and Casey Stoner picked up more valuable championship points in fifth.

A fifth lap crash for Valentino Rossi ended his participation due to a damaged handlebar, the Italian attempting to remount after losing control when trying to overtake Kawasaki's Randy de Puniet for sixth place.

Things would have been worse for Rossi had Stoner achieved another victory, but when the Australian crossed the line fifth he nonetheless extended his title advantage to 32 points - while Pedrosa's success this afternoon takes him to within 20 points of the Italian in the standings.

Former 250cc World Champion Pedrosa rode an excellent race to lead from the first lap and secure his first win since Donington last year, his winning margin of 13.166s being the biggest in the MotoGP class this season.

Meanwhile Hayden came third for the fourth consecutive season at Sachsenring to boost his confidence again, after his Assen success, ahead of his home race next weekend.


There were more championship points for Gresini Honda's Marco Melandri, Rizla Suzuki's John Hopkins and Kawasaki's impressive Anthony West who were sixth, seventh and eighth consecutively, while home rider Alex Hofmann came home ninth.

Hofmann's Pramac d'Antin colleague Alex Barros crashed out on lap ten when in seventh position, while Dunlop Yamaha Tech 3's Sylvain Guintoli's race was finished on lap four as he suffered an accident. There was further French disappointment for Guintoli's compatriot De Puniet, who appeared to be experiencing a problem with his Ninja ZX-RR towards the end of the 30 lap contest and frustratingly retired on the final lap.

DORNA / CAPSIS International

1. D.PEDROSA
2. L.CAPIROSSI
3. N.HAYDEN

F1 Great-Britain GP - Race - 08/07/2007 Silverstone

Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen denied the sell-out Silverstone crowd the result they were yearning for by upstaging Lewis Hamilton and the McLarens for a perfectly judged victory in the British Grand Prix.

The home hero led the race’s early phase but fell back with a botched first pit stop, a handling imbalance and flat-spotted tyres, finally coming home a disappointed third behind team-mate Fernando Alonso.

Raikkonen kept within striking distance of Hamilton throughout the first stint and used a later pit stop to move ahead of the McLaren.

Alonso stopped later than both of them, however, and helped by a short-fill leapfrogged both Raikkonen and Hamilton to seize the lead.

Ferrari turned the tables at the second stops, however, as Kimi was able to stay out much longer than Fernando and lap a second quicker than his rival on a light fuel load.

Sure enough, Raikkonen emerged with a comfortable lead and controlled the race to the chequered flag.

Behind the top three, BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica staved off a fired-up Felipe Massa, who drove an inspired race after stalling on the grid and starting from the pit lane.

Nick Heidfeld came home sixth in the second BMW with Renault team-mates Heikki Kovalainen and Giancarlo Fisichella the final points finishers.

1. K.Raikkonen
2. F.Alonso
3. L.Hamilton

F1 France GP - Race - 01/07/2007 Magny-Cours

Kimi Raikkonen recorded his second win of the season this afternoon as he made best use of his two-stop strategy to vault ahead of Ferrari team-mate Felipe Massa in the final round of pit stops.

Starting from third position, Raikkonen got the jump on Lewis Hamilton and trailed Massa until the Brazilian peeled off to the pits. Raikkonen, with three laps more fuel on board and Massa now on the softer tyre for the final stint, was able to turn his two second deficit into a two second advantage.

With Raikkonen taking the win, he, Massa, Hamilton and Alonso now all have two wins each. For Massa, his second position will be a disappointment after leading much of the race, but the eight points are most welcome.

Hamilton was unable to make any real challenge on the Ferrari team. After losing a position at the start of the race he dropped back a little in each stint but significantly opted for a three stop strategy which dropped him back from ten seconds to just over 30 at the chequered flag.

For the championship, it was a good race for Hamilton however as Fernando Alonso finished just seventh so he therefore extends his championship advantage from ten to 14 points heading to the British Grand Prix next weekend.

Robert Kubica ran a solid two stop race to finish in fourth position in his BMW Sauber.
Team-mate Nick Heidfeld had an altogether busier time of it as he held back Alonso in each of his stints in what was some of the closest racing during the 70 lap event. Heidfeld took the chequered flag in fifth position extending BMW Sauber’s advantage over rivals Renault.

Giancarlo Fisichella finished in sixth position but for Alonso, brave driving which at times bordered on the reckless, two points is not a good result.

One point for Jenson Button and Honda however is a great result after a traumatic first half of the season. Starting 12th, Button made good use of a very long first stint to vault ahead of Nico Rosberg and Ralf Schumacher to claim Honda’s first point of the season.

Nico Rosberg started ninth and finished in the same position in what was a frustrating race for the Williams Toyota team. Team-mate Alex Wurz was never a factor after his poor qualifying run yesterday as he trailed home 14th.

Ralf Schumacher battled hard with Rubens Barrichello for much of the race and finally got ahead in the final set of stops. Schumacher finished in tenth position ahead of the second Honda.

For Toyota however it was not a good day as Jarno Trulli threw away his race on lap one as he drilled into the back of the unfortunate Heikki Kovalainen ending his day on the spot. Kovalainen would drop half a minute behind the field as a result and went on to finish a distant 15th. It was a bit of a non-event for the Red Bull Renault team with Mark Webber and David Coulthard unable to make any real progress on the way to 12th and 13th positions.

Takuma Sato finished in 16th position in his Super Aguri Honda. Team-mate Anthony Davidson eliminated himself and Tonio Liuzzi on the first lap as he tipped the Toro Rosso Ferrari into a spin and then struck the car as he went by. Scott Speed retired with a gearbox failure in his Toro Rosso.

Adrian Sutil was the final finisher in 17th position while Spyker Ferrari team-mate Christijan Albers retired after inexplicably leaving the pit with his fuel hose still attached…

It is the end of the road for Magny Cours in terms of hosting the French Grand Prix. Hopefully next season, France – with its impressive motorsport heritage - will be represented in the Formula One World Championship.

Earl ALEXANDER
© CAPSIS International

1. K.Raikkonen
2. F.Massa
3. L.Hamilton

MotoGP - Netherlands - Assen - 30/06/2007

Fiat Yamaha's Valentino Rossi emerged on top after another great battle with World Championship rival Casey Stoner this afternoon in a superb MotoGP race at the A-Style TT Assen.

The ninth round of the World Championship saw The Doctor come from 11th on the Assen grid to take victory over Ducati Marlboro's Stoner by just under two seconds and reduce the deficit at the top of the standings.

However, Stoner also had a good race and would have settled for a 21 point World Championship lead at the half way stage of the season had it been offered to him before the first race of the year in Qatar.

World Champion Nicky Hayden demonstrated that he really has finally found a comfortable race set-up for his Honda 800cc RC212V with a superb performance to finish third and earn the first podium of his title defence season, despite starting in 13th on the grid.

Hayden held off his Repsol Honda team-mate Dani Pedrosa for that podium position, the Spaniard finishing fourth, just ahead of Rizla Suzuki's John Hopkins (fifth) and Colin Edwards (sixth).

It was a disastrous afternoon for Kawasaki Racing's Randy de Puniet who dropped from third to 11th on first lap and then took out Suzuki's pole man Chris Vermuelen as the pair collided on lap 12 to immediately end the Frenchman's race – Vermeulen remounting to finish last in 16th place and sadly miss out on the points.

Pramac d'Antin colleagues Alex Barros and Alex Hofmann were seventh and eighth respectively, while another solid effort from Kawasaki newcomer Anthony West brought him home ninth - with Marco Melandri (Gresini Honda) rounding off the top ten.

DORNA / CAPSIS International

1. V.ROSSI
2. C.STONER
3. N.HAYDEN

MotoGP - Great Britain - Donington - 24/06/2007

Returning to the scene of his first ever road race appearance, MotoGP World Championship leader Casey Stoner took win number five of the 2007 season and his premier class career at the Nickel & Dime British Grand Prix.

The Australian extends his lead at the top of the standings to 26 points courtesy of a great performance at a tricky circuit, prompting Ducati MotoGP project manager Livio Suppo to describe his 21 year-old protégé as ‘a genius'. Like all genii, Stoner did things very much his way at Donington Park, having to make up a number of positions after an atrocious start.

Back up to seventh by the end of lap one, Stoner needed just three more laps to put himself amongst the podium spots during the ‘wet weather' stage of the proceedings, finally passing leader Colin Edwards at the halfway point. From there he never looked back; knowing when to back off as a dry line was established on the track and saving his tyres to take his Desmosedici GP7 through to victory.

Once again, the rider on pole failed to win the race, but Colin Edwards at least had a better race than at Le Mans where he took his maiden top spot. Finishing second in his best result of the past two years, ‘The Texan Tornado' will have confidence at an all-time high when he returns to Assen next Saturday to avenge some of his personal demons from 2006.

Having crashed three times over the course of the weekend, Chris Vermeulen rewarded the mechanics that he had kept so busy over the weekend with the final podium position. A fantastic start from twelfth on the grid gave the wet weather expert the chance to show his stuff, and he didn't disappoint with a masterful display.
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Overtaking seven-time Donington victor Valentino Rossi at the death, the second Australian on the rostrum held off any attempt at an immediate comeback from the Italian to earn his second top three finish of the year.

Rossi's tyres were destroyed at the end of the race, as the Italian pushed his Yamaha M1 to the limit, and he had to be wary of any mistake allowing the second Suzuki of Anglo-American John Hopkins to close him down.

Randy de Puniet followed up his fifth place at Catalunya with another top six finish onboard the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-RR. The Frenchman has had little time to recover from an operation on his knee, making his gritty showing all the more impressive.

Alex Barros took seventh on the last lap, ahead of 2006 race winner Dani Pedrosa. After a good start, the factory Honda rider was –in true British schoolyard style- bullied out into eighth by some of MotoGP's ‘bigger boys', as first the Suzuki riders and then Barros imposed themselves on the 21 year-old Spaniard.

Alex Hofmann and Marco Melandri completed the top ten, with the latter only coming into form as the track dried to suggest that perhaps his tyre choice was not quite what was required.

Making his debut for Kawasaki in MotoGP, the Nickel & Dime British Grand Prix was Anthony West's first chance to show what the premier class has been missing over the past six years. The 25 year-old had been fastest in the warm-up, and was one of the outstanding riders of the day. Showing no respect for reputations, West passed the likes of World Champion Nicky Hayden, fellow Australian Vermeulen and five-time MotoGP title holder Rossi to ascend to fourth position in the early going, and almost impressed just as much after a crash soon after.

Dusting off his bike, West returned to the track and set about salvaging something from the race, eventually finishing a respectable eleventh.

1. C.STONER
2. C.EDWARDS
3. C.VERMEULEN

F1 USA GP - Race - 17/06/2007 Indianapolis

Britain's Lewis Hamilton won the United States Grand Prix on Sunday, underlining his extraordinary talent with a near-perfect display of racing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The rookie managed to resist a strong challenge from his Spanish McLaren teammate, and reigning world champion, Fernando Alonso and record his second consecutive victory.

Hamilton claimed his maiden win in Canada last weekend and has yet to finish off the podium after seven races.

The 22-year-old has also extended his lead at the top of the world championship to ten points from Alonso who was second, 1.5sec behind Hamilton who took full advantage of his pole position.

Brazilian Felipe Massa was third for Ferrari ahead of teammate Kimi Raikkonen.

Another Finn, Heikki Kovalainen, was fifth for Renault and Italian Jarno Trulli finished sixth in a Toyota.

The Indianapolis crowd was estimated to be over 100,000 and, judging by the amount of replica McLaren team uniforms on display, Hamilton has struck a chord with the American people.

Victory also increased Hamilton's chances of becoming the first rookie world champion since Italy's Nino Farina in 1950.

Hamilton worked hard to stay in front of his teammate but the major drama was further back where under-pressure Toyota driver Ralf Schumacher, Honda's Rubens Barrichello and Red Bull's David Coulthard all had their races ended prematurely by a crash.

The incident could be particularly damaging for Schumacher whose race seat is rumoured to be under threat after a poor season so far.

Much to the delight of American hip-hop star Pharrell Williams, who watched the race alongside Hamilton's father Anthony, Hamilton opened up a 2.2sec lead from Alonso after ten laps with Massa 4.5sec behind.

Hamilton continued to creep clear, regularly setting fastest laps before the first round of pit-stops after 20 laps.

After the cars emerged from their stops in the same order, Alonso began to attack Hamilton cutting the gap to under a second after 32 laps, Massa, in third, was now over 13 seconds behind the leaders.

Ferrari have been dominant in recent races at Indianapolis, winning six of the previous seven, but they never threatened the McLarens on this occasion.

Alonso pulled alongside Hamilton at the start of lap 38 but Hamilton dramatically, desperately, and skilfully, resisted his more illustrious teammate.

The leaders went into the pits for their second and final time on the 51st lap and once again the pit crew did their jobs well and there was no change in the running order.

Raikkonen closed in on Massa but could not quite edge past his teammate and on to the podium.

Up ahead Hamilton showed great composure to close out the race and force Alonso to settle for second.

It was McLaren's third win in a row (after Hamilton in Canada and Alonso in Monaco last month), their third 1-2 in a row and their 152nd grand prix victory.

1. L.Hamilton
2. F.Alonso
3. F.Massa

F1 Canada GP - Race 10/06/2007 Montréal

Take out no less than four safety car periods, two black flags, other problems for many in the 70-lap Canadian Grand Prix and Lewis Hamilton had no issues leading away from the Pole Position to secure his first Grand Prix win on what was just his sixth Formula One race start. It was a stunningly calm performance from the Rookie driver as Championship rivals Fernando Alonso, Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen all hit troubled of their own.

As a Grand Prix, the Canadian event was a real mess in terms of the calmly plotted strategies from the race teams. The only two drivers to avoid incident, accident or penalties in Montreal were the top two and it was Hamilton ahead of Nick Heidfeld in his BMW Sauber.

To run through the incidents and accidents and penalties will be a separate article as they are far to complex and as the author of this article minutes after the chequered flag, it need a calm couple of hours to watch the VT and understand exact why and how some people finished where they did!

Cutting to the chase and the main thing from the sixth round of the championship was the fact that Robert Kubica survived a massive accident with what seems to be minimal injury. The BMW Sauber driver had just pitted and got together with Ralf Schumacher before catapulting into the wall, shedding much of the F1.07 before coming to halt with just the safety call remaining at the Casino hairpin.

It was a terrifying accident and it is a testimony to the strength of the modern day Formula One car that he will be back in action before too long.


Back to the race and aside from Hamilton and Heidfeld who finished one-two, it was a real case of survival. Starting 19th, Alex Wurz finished third for Williams Toyota stopping just the once, ahead of Heikki Kovalainen who started the race from 22nd and last. Kimi Raikkonen was classified fifth in his Ferrari ahead of Takuma Sato and Fernando Alonso.

Alonso started the event as joint championship leader, but a mistake into turn one at the start saw the Spaniard run off track and drop behind Raikkonen. Alonso would take another two trips off track and was then awarded a penalty for stopping under the safety car. Back on track and with a damaged car, Alonso was unable to hold back the Super Aguri Honda of Sato and takes just two championship points away from Montreal.

Over at Ferrari and it was even worse as Felipe Massa was disqualified for leaving the pit lane with the red lights showing, a similar fate for Giancarlo Fisichella over at Renault, while Kimi Raikkonen lost ground in the pits under the safety car while he awaited Massa's service before he could take his own. Ralf Schumacher who took the final point for the Toyota team after an eventful Grand Prix.

The race result was determined by pit stop strategy and the call of the yellow flags for position three down to eighth, and one man that ran all weekend, Mark Webber, was out of luck as he finished ninth after running so well in his Red Bull Renault. Team-mate David Coulthard retired with a gearbox failure.

Nico Rosberg should have and probably could have finished well into the points but he pitted under a caution periods when the pits remained closed and dropped to tenth ahead of Anthony Davidson in his Super Aguri Honda - who pitted late in the race to find no one ready to service him. The final runner was Rubens Barrichello who would have finished much higher up were it not for a late pit stop. The non-finishers were numerous as just 12 drivers took the chequered flag.

Jarno Trulli ran well and was in the points before he nosed his Toyota into the tyres exiting the pits. Tonio Liuzzi hit the wall in his Toro Rosso; Felipe Massa was disqualified as was Giancarlo Fisichella. The Spyker duo of Christijan Albers and Adrian Sutil both crashed out in separate events, Coulthard had a gearbox problem while Speed crashed out and Kubica had his massive accident. Jenson Button suffered a mechanical failure at the start and did not take part in the race.

All credit to Hamilton who dominated the event while Alonso was never able to recover from his lap one error. Ferrari were never a factor for the win and took themselves out of contention.

A confusing race but there is no denying the fact that Lewis Hamilton has made his mark on Formula One. The rookie driver has 48 points heading to Indianapolis, eight ahead of Alonso. Felipe Massa remains on 33 points while Raikkonen now has 27. McLaren Mercedes meanwhile have extended their advantage over Ferrari to 28 points.

Earl ALEXANDER
© CAPSIS International

1. L.Hamilton
2. N.Heidfeld
3. A.Wurz

MotoGP - Catalunya - 10/06/2007

Casey Stoner took his fourth victory of the 2007 season this afternoon at the Gran Premi Cinzano de Catalunya after an immense battle with Fiat Yamaha's Valentino Rossi, in front of a crowd of more than 110,000 spectators at Barcelona - with local hero Dani Pedrosa finishing a close third.

The young Ducati Marlboro rider produced one of the best performances of his career on a hot Spanish afternoon, closely contesting the race lead with five-time former premier class World Champion Rossi in an enthralling duel – the Australian eventually crossing the line just 0.069s ahead of the Italian.

MotoGP's current pole jinx sequence extended to nine races as Rossi was unable to take advantage of starting at the front of the grid, having seen Catalan Repsol Honda rider Pedrosa delight the crowd at the first corner to take the hole shot.

Pedrosa may not have won a Grand Prix for nearly a year but he is finding form at present and was ready to pounce in the event of any errors from the leading pair – ultimately finishing just 0.390s behind Stoner, who increased his World Championship lead to 14 points.

There was another decent points haul for Rizla Suzuki's John Hopkins who repeated his fourth place from Catalunya last year, while a brave ride from Kawasaki's injured Randy de Puniet saw him secure his best ever MotoGP result in fifth as the top five comprised riders representing five different constructors.


There was disappointment for the Catalan supporters who had hoped to see home rider Toni Elias challenging for the podium as the 24 year-old Honda Gresini man retired due to engine failure when in sixth place with ten laps to go.

An excellent ride from Stoner's Ducati colleague Loris Capirossi saw him exorcise the demons after his 2006 crash at this venue, as the Italian came from 17th on the grid to finish in sixth place.

Suzuki's Chris Vermeulen, Pramac d'Antin's Alex Barros, Honda Gresini's Marco Melandri and Fiat Yamaha's Colin Edwards completed the top ten - whilst World Champion Nicky Hayden will be frustrated to have crossed the line 11th after qualifying seventh.

DORNA / CAPSIS International

1. C.STONER
2. V.ROSSI
3. D.PEDROSA

MotoGP - Italy - Mugello - 03/06/07

Valentino Rossi set yet another record in his extraordinary racing career today, becoming the first rider in the history of the sport to take six consecutive wins at his home circuit. The 85,480 adoring fans who had braved the threat of rain and turned the green hillsides of the Mugello valley bright yellow were rewarded in style as the Italian scored an emphatic and emotional victory, his fourth here for Yamaha and eighth in total from twelve years of racing.

Under miraculously dry skies, the Fiat Yamaha Team rider got a poor start from third on the grid and found himself down in eighth position at turn one. Once he had built up enough heat in his Michelin tyres however he set out in earnest, picking off riders one-by-one and moving up to second behind Dani Pedrosa by lap seven of 23.

Two laps later Rossi made his move on the Spaniard and from then on the pair were racing just a few tenths of a second apart, with Rossi extending the advantage around the twistier parts of the circuit and Pedrosa closing it slightly down the long home straight.

Little by little however Rossi began to pull away and he eventually crossed the line 3.074 seconds ahead of Pedrosa. A late pass by Alex Barros on series-leader Casey Stoner for third place helped Rossi's points deficit and he now lies just nine points behind Stoner in the standings, with some of his favourite races coming up in the next few weeks.

It was a less successful day for Rossi's team-mate Colin Edwards, who despite showing a strong race pace in the dry today was heavily penalised by starting from the sixth row of the grid. The Texan has yet to enjoy a successful race at this circuit and was only able to make up a few places on his starting position, finishing 12th and slipping one place in the championship standings down to tenth.

1. V.ROSSI
2. D.PEDROSA
3. A.BARROS

F1 Monaco GP - Race 27/05/2007 Monaco

Fernando Alonso on Sunday returned to the lead of the world championship by comfortably heading a dominant McLaren one-two ahead of his rookie team-mate Lewis Hamilton on the streets of Monaco.

The back to back title winner's victory - the 150th for Woking based McLaren - is his second successive win from pole in the Principality, and he also set the fastest lap of the race.

Alonso's ten points draws him level with Hamilton in the drivers' points standings with 38 points, but the Spaniard grabs top spot by virtue of his wins.

Felipe Massa, a full minute behind, completed the podium ahead of Renault's Giancarlo Fisichella, who was lapped. Massa now has 33 points, five shy of the McLaren duo.

The closest Hamilton got to his Spanish rival was in the closing stages, when some observers expected that Alonso had deliberately dropped his pace. The final margin was four seconds, after Hamilton also cruised for the line.

Kimi Raikkonen salvaged one point with a run to eighth and is now a distant fourth in the standings with 23 points.

1. F.Alonso
2. L.Hamilton
3. F.Massa