Nicky Hayden's Motegi race was cut short on Sunday, The former world champ barely lasted one lap before an over excited rookie Japan's own Yuki Takahashi crashed into the back of the Kentucky Kid and bringing his race to an abrupt end.

Nicky Hayden was not in the mood for hearing Yuki Takahashi’s side of the story in the heat of the moment.

Hayden had this to say on the inceident  “In the gravel trap I tried to ask Takahashi what he was doing; I guess he apologised, but I’m not too big on ‘sorrys’. I know that it’s a home race, and that there’s a lot of pressure, but that’s no excuse for trying to be a hero and take somebody out. It’s a race, and we’ve all done it,” said the Ducati Marlboro man, he further went on to say “It was exactly what we didn’t need. I got a decent start, then just going into the hairpin I just felt somebody hit me and that was it. We could have done with the experience, more than anything, as I need some laps on this bike.”

We look forward to round 3 at Jerez where the Kentucky Kid will be back to full fitness.  

The first free practice sessions at Motegi are to get underway on Friday afternoon.

As usual the 125cc riders will be the first out on track for their opening practice run at 1.05pm, they will then be followed by the MotoGP riders at 2.05pm and finally the 250cc riders at 3.05pm. But with Mixed weather reports suggesting a high chance of rain over all three days of the Grand Prix of Japan.

Riders such as Nicky Hayden, Dani Pedrosa and Sete Gibernau will all be ready to test their physical conditions on Friday, with all riders mentioned recovering from various injuries sustained or aggravated early in 2009.

Honda will be celebrating their home Grand Prix in their 50th season of World Championship participation with acts over the weekend, which will include a special dinner on Friday night at the Twin Ring circuit. During the 2009 World Championship all Honda machines will be carrying a sticker marking their half century of Grand Prix activity.

It has been seven months since the previous visit  but MotoGP makes its annual journey to Motegi for the Polini Grand Prix of Japan. The scene of the past two title victories in the premier class, the Motegi circuit has been a vital location for MotoGP in recent years, the race this year has the potential to have a direct influence on the final standings for the season.

The Motegi track was originally built as a Honda test track, thus providing the Honda factory’s riders with added motivation for good results on the 50th anniversary of the manufacturer’s entry in the World Championship. Repsol Honda’s Andrea Dovizioso  and Dani Pedrosa lead the Japanese brand’s lineup, home representation comes from Scot Racing’s Yuki Takahashi.

The Polini Grand Prix of Japan will be the 700th premier class race. All the fun kicks off with practice  on Friday April 24th and the race on Sunday April 26th.

According to The Age article on April 9, 2009, reports from the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI), motorcycle sales are down by 15% in the first quarter of 2009.

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Out performed by his new team mate Alex de Angelis at the Qatar Grand Prix on Monday, Toni Elías is looking for better than ninth placed finishes this season on a factory RC212V but after he struggled with the set-up of his Honda machine all weekend in Qatar the Spaniard was still upbeat about the result.

Alex De Angelis’ run to sixth place in the desert will have caught Tony Elías’ eye as he crossed the line just inside the top ten with the next round in Japan he will be on a mission to beat the man whom he has joined in the paddock this season.

Tony Elías new team mate rides a satellite Honda, but team manager Fausto Gresini has negotiated factory support for the 26 year-old in 2009, this means that he may get help from HRC before next week’s Polini Grand Prix of Japan, although of course the pressure is on the rider himself to perform and achieve results.

2007 World Champion and Casey Stoner has won the first race of the 2009 MotoGP season in Qatar with a dominating performance, the Australian now has a hat trick of victories at the Losail circuit.

After the race was postponed due to thunderstorms and a heavy rain down pour making track visibilty low, Monday evening produced the first race in the new one tyre manufacturer era with bridgestones, but the result however was a familiar one with Casey Stoner finishing first, ahead of reigning World Champion Valentino Rossi.

A ruthless Casey Stoner took control from the beginning jumping out and building a two second gap at by the end of the first lap. The 2007 World Champion’s victory never looked to be in any serious doubt as he controlled the race from start to end.

Also on the podium behind Stoner and Rossi was Valentino Rossi’s Fiat Yamaha team mate Jorge Lorenzo, Jorge repeated great his result from his MotoGP debut in the opening race of 2008.

With the excitement and hype building ahead of the Commercialbank Grand Prix of Qatar this weekend Loris Capirossi and his team-mate Chris Vermeulen are desperate for the competitive action to commence, after big steps in winter testing.

After successful preseason tests in Qatar, Spain and Malaysia with the GSV-R800 confirmed by both riders, with the last test at Jerez in Spain resulting in Capirossi and Vermeulen finishing third and fifth respectively in the BMW M Award showdown session.

Capirossi and Vermeulen both struggled for consistency in 2008, with competitiveness in the latter stages of races a predominant problem, this weekend will give both Suzuki riders a chance to see how far their overall race package has actually improved since the 2008 season came to and end.

Chris Vermeulen and Loris Capirossi were amongst the top riders on a regular basis at all of the 2009 preseason practices, but that will count for nothing if they are unable to get some good points at the first race of the 2009 season.

American Motorcycle giant Harley-Davidson Inc announced on Monday that its chief executive will be stepping down May 1 and that he will be replaced by an executive from the car battery and interiors maker Johnson Controls Inc.

Mr James L. Ziemer, is retiring after 40 years at Harley-Davidson and four years as its CEO, Mr Keith E. Wandell, 59 will be his replacement.

MR Wandell is the current president and chief operating officer at the Johnson Controls, where he has been working for the past 21 years. Mr Wandell said some of his first priorities for the job are establishing long-term goals for the 106-year-old legend.

After the Official MotoGP Test last weekend in Jerez, Ducati team-mates Casey Stoner and Nicky Hayden popped into a Shell petrol station in Madrid for a photo, marking the ten year anniversary of Shell’s technical partnership with the Italian giant Ducati.

Nicky Hayden decided to take up the offer to be a pump attendant for the day, filling up the bike of a Ducati fan with Shell V-Power road fuel, footage will be shown in a behind the scenes event.

Suzuki will be helping out the communities that have been affected by the devastating Victorian Bushfires, Suzuki will hold an online auction, with the net proceeds going towards the Australian Red Cross.

An extensive range of experiences and motorcycle merchandise and memorabilia signed by a host of Australian stars including  Mat Mladin, Chris Vermeulen, Shawn Giles, Chad Reed and Suzuki World Champions of the past, including Kevin Schwantz, Joel Robert and Roger DeCoster will be available to enthusiasts worldwide to bid on.

Suzuki Victorian Bushfire Charity Auction, will run on eBay from Thursday 23 April until Sunday 3 May and will be open to bids around the world.

Be sure to get in early and happy biding to all.

 The 2009 Harley-Davidson Springer review.