MonsteRob
08-23-2010, 04:18 PM
I wonder if anybody went?
American riders Roger Lee Hayden, Jason DiSalvo and Kenny Noyes began to get familiar with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway during testing Aug. 19-20, preparing for the Red Bull Indianapolis GP on Aug. 27-29.
All three riders will compete in the new Moto2 class during the annual Grand Prix motorcycle race at IMS. Moto2 replaced the 250cc class this season. Riders compete on bikes with 600cc Honda engines and Dunlop tires, with the emphasis placed on lower costs and rider skill.
Hayden, from Owensboro, Ky., turned the most test laps on the No. 34 Team Honda/Moriwaki machine that he will race as a wild-card entry. Legendary 1993 500cc World Champion Kevin Schwantz is the team manager.
Full-time World Superbike rider Hayden is the younger brother of 2006 MotoGP World Champion Nicky Hayden, who has finished on the podium in each of the first two Red Bull Indianapolis GP races.
“The track is really nice,” Roger Lee Hayden said. “We’d like to get a top 10. It’s not going to be easy. It’s going to be difficult. We’re going to have to do our best, riding my best ever. The bike’s going to have to be performing well, but that’s our goal.”
Di Salvo, from Stafford, N.Y., turned laps on the No. 42 FTR M210 that he will race as a wild-card entry. Longtime American Motorcyclist Association standout DiSalvo has made two Grand Prix starts during his career and also started this season in World Supersport, so he has experience competing at the world level. But he realizes that racing in front of Grand Prix team bosses next weekend is a big opportunity.
“I just want to try to come and validate the performances we had in World Supersport this season,” DiSalvo said. “The bike we were on, we felt wasn’t quite what it should have been, so subsequently we’re not with the team anymore. But it’s cool because it gives us an opportunity to do some fun and really exciting stuff like a wild card at the American Grand Prix. I just want to put on a good show for everyone and try to make the American fans proud and just have a good result.”
Full-time Moto2 rookie Noyes, from Borrego Springs, Calif., tested on a Kawasaki 600 instead of his regular No. 9 Jack & Jones by A. Banderas Moto2 bike. MotoGP rules prevent full-time series riders from testing on their race bikes outside of official series tests.
“It’s the coolest thing,” Noyes said. “I’ve come here to the Brickyard to come to the Museum when I raced dirt-track, and to actually be racing here in the World Championship, representing the United States, is an awesome feeling.
“It actually seems more of a simple track on paper than when you get out there. It’s got some corners where it’s really important to line up for the next transition. It’s a really good thing that we got out here and got to see it so on Friday we’re not so far behind like we’ve been at so many other places. A great opportunity.”
The new Moto2 formula has attracted grids of 40 motorcycles or more at nearly every race. One of the most exciting moments of any MotoGP event weekend is watching at least 40 bikes pile-drive into Turn 1 on the first lap of the Moto2 race, with bikes sometimes spread five- and six-wide to get the edge into the first corner.
Moto2 riders practice from 1:55-2:55 p.m. Friday, Aug. 27, with another practice from 9:55-10:55 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 28. The 26-lap Moto2 race is scheduled for 1:15 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 29.
American riders Roger Lee Hayden, Jason DiSalvo and Kenny Noyes began to get familiar with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway during testing Aug. 19-20, preparing for the Red Bull Indianapolis GP on Aug. 27-29.
All three riders will compete in the new Moto2 class during the annual Grand Prix motorcycle race at IMS. Moto2 replaced the 250cc class this season. Riders compete on bikes with 600cc Honda engines and Dunlop tires, with the emphasis placed on lower costs and rider skill.
Hayden, from Owensboro, Ky., turned the most test laps on the No. 34 Team Honda/Moriwaki machine that he will race as a wild-card entry. Legendary 1993 500cc World Champion Kevin Schwantz is the team manager.
Full-time World Superbike rider Hayden is the younger brother of 2006 MotoGP World Champion Nicky Hayden, who has finished on the podium in each of the first two Red Bull Indianapolis GP races.
“The track is really nice,” Roger Lee Hayden said. “We’d like to get a top 10. It’s not going to be easy. It’s going to be difficult. We’re going to have to do our best, riding my best ever. The bike’s going to have to be performing well, but that’s our goal.”
Di Salvo, from Stafford, N.Y., turned laps on the No. 42 FTR M210 that he will race as a wild-card entry. Longtime American Motorcyclist Association standout DiSalvo has made two Grand Prix starts during his career and also started this season in World Supersport, so he has experience competing at the world level. But he realizes that racing in front of Grand Prix team bosses next weekend is a big opportunity.
“I just want to try to come and validate the performances we had in World Supersport this season,” DiSalvo said. “The bike we were on, we felt wasn’t quite what it should have been, so subsequently we’re not with the team anymore. But it’s cool because it gives us an opportunity to do some fun and really exciting stuff like a wild card at the American Grand Prix. I just want to put on a good show for everyone and try to make the American fans proud and just have a good result.”
Full-time Moto2 rookie Noyes, from Borrego Springs, Calif., tested on a Kawasaki 600 instead of his regular No. 9 Jack & Jones by A. Banderas Moto2 bike. MotoGP rules prevent full-time series riders from testing on their race bikes outside of official series tests.
“It’s the coolest thing,” Noyes said. “I’ve come here to the Brickyard to come to the Museum when I raced dirt-track, and to actually be racing here in the World Championship, representing the United States, is an awesome feeling.
“It actually seems more of a simple track on paper than when you get out there. It’s got some corners where it’s really important to line up for the next transition. It’s a really good thing that we got out here and got to see it so on Friday we’re not so far behind like we’ve been at so many other places. A great opportunity.”
The new Moto2 formula has attracted grids of 40 motorcycles or more at nearly every race. One of the most exciting moments of any MotoGP event weekend is watching at least 40 bikes pile-drive into Turn 1 on the first lap of the Moto2 race, with bikes sometimes spread five- and six-wide to get the edge into the first corner.
Moto2 riders practice from 1:55-2:55 p.m. Friday, Aug. 27, with another practice from 9:55-10:55 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 28. The 26-lap Moto2 race is scheduled for 1:15 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 29.