Gresini announced the re-signing of racer Michele Pirro, with a promotion from the Moto2 class to the premiere MotoGP class.
Pirro raced for Gresini in the Moto2 class in 2011, finishing ninth overall with a third place finish and a victory in the season-ending Valencia round. For 2012, Pirro will compete in the MotoGP class riding a CRT bike with an FTR chassis and a Honda CBR1000RR engine.
The International Motorcycling Federation announced a number of rule updates for the MotoGP World Championship including mandatory brake lever protection.
Lever protectors would stop the brake lever from being accidentally pressed in the case of a collision with another racer, preventing a sudden braking or lockup of the front wheel.
The new regulation leaves the design of the lever protector open; they may be bolt-on guards or even an extended fairing, so long as the technical director deems it safe.
The final entry list for the Moto2 race at the 2011 Indianapolis Grand Prix includes some familiar names for American racing fans. American racers JD Beach and Jake Gagne along with 2010 AMA Daytona Sportbike Champion Martin Cardenas are on the entry list for the Aug. 28 Moto2 race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The Mapfre Aspar Moto2 team has named Elena Rosell the replacement rider for the injured Julian Simon in the June 25 Moto2 race at Assen.
Rosell will become the first woman to ever race in the Moto2 class and the first in any Grand Prix road racing class since Katja Poensgen competed in the 250cc class during the 2003 season. Rosell regularly races Stock Extreme class of Spain’s CEV championship, currently sitting 11th in the standings.
Other female racers who have competed in the Grand Prix World Championships include Tomoka Igata, Taru Rinne, Nikoletta Kovacs and Marketa Janakova.
Rosell will have a tough job filling in for Simon, the 2009 125cc GP Champion and runner up in the 2010 Moto2 Championship. Simon suffered multiple fractures in his right leg after a crash at the Catalan Grand Prix. Simon currently sits 5 in the 2011 Moto2 standings despite the crash at Catalunya and missing the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.
Simon is expected to be out for a while longer but it isn’t clear if Rosell or another rider will fill in for other upcoming rounds.
[Source: MotoGP (Spanish)]
Dunlop has signed a deal with Dorna Sports and the International Road Racing Teams Association to supply tires for the Moto2 and Moto3 Grand Prix World Champions through 2014.
The new agreement extends Dunlops’ role as Moto2 tire supplier and adds the new Moto3 class to Dunlop’s duties. Dunlop has been the spec tire supplier for Moto2 since the class replaced the former 250cc class in 2010. The Moto3 class replaces the 125cc class next season.
“Moto3 is an exciting new Championship for Dunlop, our engineers and technicians and we relish the new challenge, and look forward to the progress in our understanding as we develop tires for the new 250cc 4-stroke powered racing machines,” says Jean-Felix Bazelin, general manager of Dunlop Motorsport. “The extension of our Moto2 contract is a strong validation of the good job we have done in that Championship, the results of which are clear to see.”
Bridgestone’s contract to supply tires for the premier MotoGP class also expires after the 2014 season.
[Soruce: MotoGP]
