MotoGp: Valentino Rossi 2008 MotoGP World Championship
Valentino Rossi´s MotoGP World Championship season was not a matter of a straightforward title victory for the Italian. Follow his road to the 2008 crown in the accompanying video, reviewing the eight steps to the sixth premier class crown.
The action starts in preseason with the Fiat Yamaha sponsor rider´s first test with Bridgestone tyres, and continues up until Sunday´s A-Style Grand Prix of Japan, taking in plenty of thrills and spills along the way.
`Scusate il ritardo´ (Eng: Sorry for the delay) was the phrase emblazoned on Valentino Rossi´s celebration t-shirt in Motegi, referencing the two-year wait to regain the MotoGP World Championship. There was no waiting around for the Italian in Motegi, as he clinched the title on the first available opportunity afforded by his premier class rivals.
The competition has been fierce for Rossi in 2008, as he emphasised after his 70th race victory and confirmation of a sixth MotoGP crown. The Fiat Yamaha rider –the only man to win 500cc, 990cc and 800cc titles- put the most recent triumph at the head of the accolades taken in his illustrious career, alongside his maiden championship win for the Japanese factory.
`For sure it is a great achievement, maybe at the level of 2004 when I first won the title with Yamaha,´ said Rossi after beating rivals Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa to the win at the A-Style Grand Prix of Japan.
`The battle was very hard and the season was very long, so I´m very happy. We worked very hard with Yamaha and with all the team to be able to put in good speed at every track, under every condition. The race today was a great battle, like it has been all season with Stoner and Pedrosa.´
Rossi´s race win –his first on a four-stroke machine at Motegi- came with the customary Fan Club-assisted celebration, this time involving a desk, a camera-pen and a commemorative helmet. For the new MotoGP World Champion, sharing the glory only added to the moment.
`This occasion is always an excuse to have a laugh and a bit of a party with my friends,´ beamed Rossi after his jovial act of revery, as always remaining elusive as to the meaning behind the showmanship.
The 2008 title in the bag, there will be little time to soak up the glory for the new champion. Preparations for the defence of the crown begins on Monday, with the first test of the 2009 Yamaha M1 scheduled at Twin Ring Motegi. Rossi will be in attendance, but don´t expect him to be the first man to arrive at the track…
`Tomorrow I have a test, but I am fighting to make it start in the afternoon!´ concluded the 29 year-old, who could be permitted a party and a lie-in after the two-year wait for the title.
From: http://www.motogp.com
Sports Sponsorship : Champions League Final: 21 May 2008, Moscow Luzhniki
UEFA Champions League Final will take place in Moscow at Luzhniki stadium on 21 May 2008.
Luzhniki Stadium will host the Champios League Final for 2008 on 21 May.
The Grand Sports Arena of the Luzhniki Olympic Complex in Moscow, or briefly Luzhniki Stadium, is the biggest sports stadium in Russia.
Its total seating capacity is 84,745 seats, all covered. The stadium is a part of the Luzhniki Olympic Complex, previously called the Central Lenin Stadium.
Luzhniki Stadium has been scheduled by UEFA to host the 2008 UEFA Champions League final. The Luzhniki Stadium also hosted the final game of the 1957 Ice Hockey World Championship between Sweden and the Soviet Union, attended by a crowd of 55,000 and setting a new world record in Sports Sponsorship.
Motorsports, car racing : Woman driver makes racing history
Danica Patrick became the first female winner in IndyCar history after claiming the Indy Japan 300 race at the Twin Ring Motegi racetrack on Sunday.
The 26-year-old, in her 50th IndyCar race, finished 5.8594 seconds ahead of Helio Castroneves in Japan.
“It’s been a long time coming - this is fabulous,” said Patrick.
Patrick made her name in American motorsport by finishing fourth in the Indy500 in 2005, and came seventh in the overall standings last season.
“It was a fuel strategy race, but my team called it perfectly for me,” added Patrick, who drives for the Andretti Green Racing team.
“I knew I was on the same strategy as Helio and when I passed him for the lead, I couldn’t believe it.
“I knew there was a good reason for coming to Japan. I want to thank my team, the fans and everyone who supported me.
“I’ve been asked so many times when and if I could win my first race and finally, no more of those questions.”
Patrick took the lead from Castroneves on the 198th lap of the 200-lap race after starting in the third row.
“I think Danica is such a fantastic person and I’m thrilled for her that the monkey is finally off of her back,” said Michael Andretti, co-owner of Andretti Green Racing.
“We have all believed in her and she proved today that she is a winner. Frankly, I think this is the first of many.”
From BBC News
Mall Promotions Events: YAMAHA MotoPark Tour & GP Race FASTWEB Tour 2008
The Yamaha MotoPark tour got underway on March 7th from Pontecagnano. By June it will have taken in 9 cities and as many shopping centres in Italy, inviting the public to discover the world of Yamaha from a close-up perspective.
This In Mall Promotions events, produced and managed by RTR Sports Marketing in conjunction with nine of the eighty legs of the GP Race FASTWEB Tour 2008, of which Yamaha is a sponsor partner, transform the external areas of shopping centres into theme parks that provide a starting point for demo ride activities and a basis for riding courses on Yamaha motorbikes, under the patronage of the FMI (Italian Motorcycling Federation).
The Yamaha MotoPark tour has been devised to involve various sections of the public. Thanks to the sponsored demo rides, anyone aged eighteen or over with a current motorcycle licence will have the chance to choose one of the Yamaha models available, testing it for around 20 minutes over a predetermined route.
>> Read more about this Mall Promotions Events >>
GP RACE FASTWEB TOUR Sponsored by Yamaha, Acer, AMD and Bwin
Starting on Valentine’s Day, FASTWEB and Yamaha are back in the arcades of shopping centres throughout Italy with a promotional event conceived and produced once again this year by RTR Sports Marketing.
80 stages, with 4 stands operating concurrently, for a total of 240 days of activities: these are the numbers of the GP Race FASTWEB Tour which invites visitors to discover the world of FASTWEB and to be amazed by the new and surprising things it has to offer, including the chance for new subscribers to the service to win a BYE helmet every day and to enter the draw for 2 Yamaha scooters and 1 Yamaha FZ6 S2 personalised with the FASTWEB livery. However, the prizes don’t end there: it’s enough to visit the stand to receive FASTWEB reflective bracelets and take part in the entertainments laid on to win Yamaha T-shirts.