Back in 2009, Yamaha released an entertaining video featuring MotoGP racers Valentino Rossi, Jorge Lorenzo, Colin Edwards and James Toseland working on various mundane jobs at Yamaha Motor USA headquarters.

Three years later, Yamaha has released a follow-up featuring its current MotoGP lineup of Lorenzo, Ben Spies, Cal Crutchlow and Andrea Dovizioso (with King Kenny Roberts lunchbox in tow).

Tech3 Yamaha racer Crutchlow takes over his predecessor Edwards’ spot as a Yamaha security guard, but throws his own British spin on the job. The soft-spoken Spies tried his hand at Rossi’s former post as a receptionist but found it didn’t quite match his skill set. Tech3′s Dovizioso takes over for Lorenzo’s former position as janitor, and he takes to it much better than the 2010 MotoGP champion did. Lorenzo meanwhile landed a big promotion. Continue Reading »

Ducati has signed Nicky Hayden to a one-year contract extension, retaining the Kentucky native for the 2013 MotoGP season.

Hayden, who turns 31 on July 31, has raced for Ducati‘s factory team since 2009. During this period, Hayden has been somewhat overshadowed by his teammates, first by Casey Stoner and now Valentino Rossi. Nevertheless, Hayden retains a lot of support from fans, including those in the U.S. which has become Ducati’s largest market.

The Kentucky Kid currently sits eighth overall in the championship heading into the U.S. Grand Prix at Laguna Seca. Continue Reading »

MotoGP racer Ben Spies has announced he will not re-sign with Yamaha while hinting at an impending announcement for his plans for the 2013 racing season.

Earlier this week, Spies used Twitter (@BenSpies11) to hint at a change for next season. In an email to SuperbikePlanet, Spies confirmed he has decided not to remain with Yamaha for several unspecified reasons.

Spies did not leave many hints as to his plans for 2013, saying he will wait for the official announcement before commenting. Spies’ options include signing with another MotoGP team, returning to the World Superbike Championship and returning to race AMA in the U.S.

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Yamaha is giving away a 50th Anniversary Edition YZR-R1 autographed by current and former Grand Prix racers to benefit Bubba Shobert‘s Race 2 Embrace Crusade. The one-0f-a-kind R1 will be on display at the July 27-29 U.S. Grand Prix at Laguna Seca

The unique R1 is painted in Yamaha‘s 50th Anniversary colors and features autographs from legends such as Kenny Roberts, Eddie Lawson and Wayne Rainey, as well as current MotoGP racers Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies from the factory Yamaha team and Cal Crutchlow and Andrea Dovizioso from the Tech 3 Yamaha team.

AMA racing legend Shobert is the official ambassador for the Race 2 Embrace Crusade, a non-profit organization that assists children living in areas devastated by natural disasters. The organization provides goods and services including shelter, health care, nutrition, education and social and emotional assistance. Continue Reading »

Jorge Lorenzo has signed a contract extension with Yamaha that will see the 2010 MotoGP Champion riding the M1 through the 2014 season.

Lorenzo currently leads the 2012 MotoGP Championship points chase with 115 points and is looking for his second premiere class title. Through five races this season, Lorenzo has three wins and a pair of second-place finishes, matching his pace from his championship-winning 2010 season.

“I am extremely happy to have signed with Yamaha for two more years. They’ve made great efforts to retain me in the factory team so I want to thank all those involved at Yamaha for this,” says Lorenzo. “I’ve been treated like part of the Yamaha family since 2008 and I love working with them. It has always been my first option to stay here and so I’m happy that this important negotiation has finished with such a positive outcome. Now I can focus on the Championship and I’m looking forward to paying back Yamaha’s trust in me starting at Silverstone this weekend. I look forward to winning many more Championships together; my dream to finish my career with Yamaha is now closer to becoming a reality!” Continue Reading »

Former 500cc World Champion Kevin Schwantz headlines a star-studded group of racers taking part in a parade lap during the 2012 Isle of Man TT.

Schwantz leads the group of six racers, past and present, selected by helmet-maker Arai to take part in the parade lap of the Isle of Man’s Mountain Course. Schwantz has visited the Isle of Man before, but this will mark his first closed lap of the circuit.

Joining the 1993 World Champion will be fellow American Randy Mamola, former TT racer Phillip McCallen, former British and World Superbike Champion Neil Hodgson, eight-time TT winner Ian Hutchinson, and MotoGP racer Cal Crutchlow. Continue Reading »

Yamaha riders Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies each crashed but both riders deemed the third and final day of MotoGP testing in Malaysia a success.

Lorenzo and Spies both crashed during the morning of the test but were unhurt. Despite the minor setback, both riders managed to get a lot done at the Sepang International Circuit.

For Spies, it was his first opportunity to ride the 2012 Yamaha M1 in wet conditions. The texan used the opportunity to test suspension and electronic settings. His fastest lap of the day was clocked at 2:01.432, eighth best of all riders.

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Ben Spies topped the time sheets ahead of teammate Jorge Lorenzo as Yamaha continued its MotoGP pre-season testing in Malaysia.

While their rivals at Honda were idled by an engine problem, the two factory Yamaha riders found improvement on their Day One times and gathered data about riding in both wet and dry conditions.

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Yamaha MotoGP riders Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies tested new engine specifications for their YZR-M1 prototypes on the first day of testing at Malaysia’s Sepang circuit.

Wet conditions limited track time in the afternoon but Yamaha was able to get some data on the engine in the morning. Yamaha also worked on finding a solution to front end chatter problems.

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Pre-season test lap times aren’t a precise barometer for how the 2012 MotoGP Championship season will go, but Yamaha has to feel good about its results after this week’s testing at Malaysia’s Sepang circuit.

Last February at Sepang, Honda riders were the talk of the preseason session, taking three of the top four lap times on each day of the test. That pattern repeated itself in the final championship standings with Casey Stoner taking the championship, Dani Pedrosa finishing third and Andrea Dovizioso fourth. Yamaha’s Jorge Lorenzo finished second despite missing the last few rounds due to injury while teammate Ben Spies rounded out the top five.

This year, Stoner continues to look to be the man to beat but Lorenzo and Spies, along with Tech 3 Yamaha satellite rider Cal Crutchlow have also put up good lap times.

Continue Reading »