MotoBrief

MotoGP is rolling into Indianapolis for the first world championship motorcycle race ever held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It’s also going to be the first MotoGP race that I attend.

When the MotoGP left Laguna Seca almost a decade and a half ago, I wasn’t a big racing fan. And since its 2005 return to California, I haven’t had the chance to go. Now I’m in Chicago and tomorrow I’ll be driving down to Indy. I can’t wait until practice starts on Friday.

I still have no idea what to expect. MotoGP coverage in the U.S. is pretty thin and doesn’t show much beyond the actual race. Faster, one of the best motorcycle documentaries ever made, did an awesome job of capturing the spectacle of MotoGP around the world. Still, I don’t know how that’s going to translate to the middle of Indiana.

But I’m going to find out.

We’re into the second week of the MCN Fantasy Road Race 2008, and I’m in second place. There are plenty of races coming up, so it’s not too late to sign up and try to win an Arai helmet. MotoBrief.tv will also be giving away a helmet camera to the second place finisher.

All you have to do to participate is go the the Fantasy Road Race website, create an account and pick your team, then send me an email and tell me your team name. I’ll send you the code necessary to join the MotoBrief.tv league and you’ll be in the running for a new (and pretty awesome) helmet.

For years I’ve been left out of fantasy sports. I just don’t care about football, baseball or basketball so there’s never really been much allure. But now MCN is hosting Fantasy Road Race 2008 and I’m ready to go. They’ve made it free to play. There are prizes for each round and a grand prize of a 2008 Kawasaki ZX-10R (although you are only eligible for prizes if you’re in the UK — tough luck for those of us in the U.S.).

You can also join private leagues to compete with other players. I’ve created a league for MotoBrief.tv and I’m going to figure out some decent prize for whoever comes out on top in the MotoBrief league. I can’t give away a motorcycle, but I promise it’ll be some neat gadget or piece of gear. So go create your team today and then join private league number 38.

UPDATE: Don’t forget that I don’t have anything to do with MCN, other than being a fan of the site. I won’t have any information about who you are when you join league 38, and I won’t have any way of contacting you should your team come in first.

So please, add a comment here telling me your manager name and your team’s name (and include an email address — it won’t appear with your comment and won’t be shared with anyone), or send me an email at tom@motobrief.com.

Casey Stoner locked up the MotoGP title yesterday in Motegi, Japan, coming in sixth against a thirteenth place showing by nearest contender Valentino Rossi. Finishing ahead of Rossi guaranteed that the Doctor could not earn enough points in the remaining three races to pass Stoner and clinched the title for the young Australian. Stoner’s title win overshadowed his Ducati teammate Loris Capirossi, who took first place in an impressive Motegi hat trick.

Rossi came on strong early in the race and was poised to take first place. As the track dried following morning rain, the racers switched from wet tires. Rossi and Dani Pedrosa chose to remain on their wet tires as long as possible while other riders went into the pits to switch motorcycles.

The decision proved disastrous for both of them. Rossi thought there was a problem with his front tire and went back into pits; his team didn’t find anything and it appeared that the tire just hadn’t heated up yet. Pedrosa crashed in the 15th lap, still riding on the wet tires.

Valentino Rossi took first place in yesterday’s Portugese Grand Prix in Estoril. This means that Casey Stoner, whom many expected to lock the title in this race, will have to try again another day. Stoner came in third behind Dani Pedrosa, leaving him 76 points ahead of Rossi overall.

Rossi dedicated the win to former world rally champion Colin McRae, who was killed Saturday when the helicopter he was piloting crashed on the grounds of his home in Lanark, Scotland.

Paul Denning, manager of the Rizla Suzuki team, announced his team’s fantastic double podium finish at Misano in Italy. He also has some very good things to say about the man who kept his guys from snagging first place, Australian Casey Stoner.

“Rizla Suzuki would also like to congratulate Casey Stoner on another unbelievable performance today. There has been a lot of nonsense spoken in MotoGP this year regarding tyre regulations, engine performance, etc. etc. I believe that the difference at the moment is Casey and we’re focusing our best efforts to improve our own performance to beat him and that’s what everybody should be doing at this time!”

Stoner has completely dominated this season and it’s cool and classy for the Suzuki team to acknowledge his outstanding performance. In a Reuters article on the Rizla Suzuki comments, Stoner said, “The more I ride my Ducati the more comfortable I become and the faster I become.”

Don’t even look back, man. Just go, go, go.

Photo: http://www.caseystoner.com.au/

Sports Illustrated reports that the folks from Geneva visited Indianapolis last week to check out the construction of the brand new, 2.6 mile course that will host MotoGP race on September 14, 2008.

The officials were reported to be happy with the progress and the work is expected to be completed on schedule. This is really exciting news and I’m definitely planning a trip home to the Midwest to catch this race. Of course, it’s typical that this happens after I leave Chicago.

The word’s out that MotoGP will be coming to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2008. More details are going to be announced July 16. This is fantastic news. Naturally, it happens after I’ve moved away from the midwest. I guess I’ll be taking a trip next summer.

The word’s out that 1993 MotoGP champion Kevin Schwantz wants back in the game. In a statement, Schwantz confirmed that he’s exploring management opportunities with the Suzuki team.

Schwantz racked up 25 wins during his Grand Prix career and currently runs the Kevin Schwantz Suzuki School at Road Atlanta. He was featured prominently in the 2003 documentary Faster, which can be found at Amazon.