That was 2011...in sport

THE world of sport has had to deal with a lot of aspects in 2011.  We said goodbye to some stars at their prime and other legends who had made their mark.  There were shocks, sensational returns to form and superstars who had years to remember.  Sport has seen some vintage moments in 2011, though for some – they would rather forget it ever existed.

BACKSEAT: Nadal has had to watch Djokovic take over in tennis

     The tennis year has been dominated by Serbian, Novak Djokovic.  Djokovic had an incredible season, which saw him rise to the top of the ATP rankings and win three of the four Grand Slams (Australian Open, Wimbledon and the US Open).  He became only the sixth individual in history to win three Grand Slams in a single year, only losing six matches in his season.  He also took control of the ATP tour, winning six events.  Rafael Nadal had to play second fiddle this year, but he was beaten in two finals by Djokovic at the Grand Slams and took his traditional title at Roland Garros.  This meant that for the first time since 2002, Roger Federer went through a season without a Grand Slam title.  Despite this, the Swiss Master still showed flashes of his best with an epic semi-final success over Djokovic at the French Open and winning the season finale ATP finals in London.  Andy Murray’s ATP season was inconsistent, littered with several early exits.  However, he did win the Aegon Championships at Queen’s and strung together his best ever Grand Slam season.  Murray reached three semi-finals and was a gallant runner-up to Djokovic in Australia.  However, he needs to raise his game otherwise he will be left behind by the three masters of the men’s game.  In the ladies singles, there were four different Grand Slam winners.  Kim Clistjers took the honours in Australia, before injury wrecked her season.  China made its breakthrough in the major honours, when Na Li overcame Francesca Schiavone to win the French Open.  At Wimbledon, the relatively unknown Petra Kvitova got the better of a rejuvenated Maria Sharapova to become the first Czech since Jana Novotna in 1998 to win the main prize.  Sam Stosur continued the run of maiden winners, when she was too powerful for Serena Williams at the US Open in Flushing Meadows.  However, this year belonged to Novak Djokovic.  

     Rugby union’s greatest showpiece took place in New Zealand during the autumn and produced a fairytale story.  New Zealand had suffered a devastating year, with the earthquake in Christchurch and the River Pike mining tragedy.  However, despite not being the greatest All Blacks side to ever take part in a World Cup, they were able to produce what many haven’t; win the Webb Ellis Trophy.  They beat France in a close final 8-7, allowing inspirational captain Richie McCaw to lift the coveted prize, their first success since the inaugural tournament in 1987.  Defending champions South Africa disappointed, but were unlucky to bow out to Australia 11-9 in the quarter-finals.  The 2011 tournament was a mixed bag for the Home Nations.  Scotland bowed out at the group stages after failing to score tries in three of their four pool matches.  Ireland shook the tournament up with a shock and deserved win over Australia in the pool stages, but came up short in the quarter-finals against Wales, who were the story of the tournament.  Warren Gatland’s young side came so close to defeating South Africa on the opening weekend and played some fantastic rugby en route to a heartbreaking semi-final defeat at the hands of the improving French.  Wales cause was not helped by the controversial red card of Captain Sam Warburton.  England’s 2011 year was a disaster.  It started well with success in the RBS Six Nations.  Even that was tempered by losing a chance at the Grand Slam in Dublin on the final weekend.  At the world cup, off-field antics got in the way of their playing performances.  They laboured to wins over Argentina, Georgia and Scotland and eventually, it was old enemy France who got the better of England in convincing fashion in the last eight.  The fallout has continued since returning from Down Under, with The Times publishing media leaks of confidential reports, Martin Johnson quitting as team manager and Johnny Wilkinson announcing his retirement from international rugby.  So, it was a year to forget for English rugby, but one that New Zealand will hail a new golden generation.

CHANGE: Long Run won both the King George VI and Cheltenham Gold Cup

     There has been a changing of the guard in horse racing, as Long Run has taken jump racing to another level.  He won the delayed King George VI at Kempton in January and then held off Denman to succeed in a thrilling Cheltenham Gold Cup in March.  Sam Wahey-Cohen nearly completed a unique double in the John Smith’s Grand National.  The amateur jockey was pipped into second place by Jason Maguire’s ride, Ballabriggs.  It was another triumph for the McCain dynasty, with Donald McCain training the winning horse in humid conditions at Aintree.  His father Ginger was there to witness it, but it would turn out to be his last attendance at the National.  He sadly passed away from cancer in September, two days before his 81^st birthday.  On the flat, the 4-1 second favourite Pour Moi won the Epsom Derby in June whilst Frankel was named Horse of the Year after stretching an unbeaten run to nine, which included success in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Royal Ascot.  The main storm in horse racing has come through an amended ruling on the whip system.  Leading jockeys included AP McCoy threatened to go on strike which brought the sport on a potential collision course with the authorities.  After some tough negotiating, the rules have been changed so jockeys can use the whip seven times in flat races and eight times over jumps.  Although the jockeys still weren’t delighted with the tweaks, they decided to agree reluctantly and carry on competing.  The year ended with Paul Nicholls announcement that Denman was to be retired after injury.  Despite a recent brilliant win at Newbury, his stablemate Kauto Star might also be bowing out soon after a year of fluctuating form.

SHOCK: Usain Bolt false starts in Daegu and is disqualified in 100m

     Daegu in South Korea was the setting for the IAAF World Athletics Championships during August and September.  With it came the biggest shock of the sporting year.  World record holder and defending champion Usain Bolt unbelievably false started in the final of the men’s 100m.  As he tore his vest off his torso, Bolt could only watch his training partner Yohan Blake collecting the gold medal.  In true Bolt fashion, he bounced back to win the 200m, and be part of the Jamaican team that broke a world record in the 4x100m relay.  It was a mixed championship for Great Britain, with the biggest success coming from Dai Greene, who won the men’s 400m hurdles and from Mo Farah.  Farah was pipped into second place by Ibrahim Jeilan in the 10,000m, but went one better in the 5,000m.  Pre-event favourites in the men’s triple jump and women’s heptathlon, Phillips Idowu and Jessica Ennis had to settle for silver, despite season bests and points records.  There was also a bronze for Andy Turner in the men’s 110m hurdles after Cuba’s Dayron Robles was disqualified for an infringement and Hannah England took a surprising and sensational silver medal in the women’s 1500m.  In all, the championships were a major success with London just a year away.  Next year’s Olympic host had more reason to celebrate when it was awarded the 2017 World Championships in November.

     By its high standards, football has had a quiet year, but that doesn’t mean nothing happened.  Manchester United made history by finally breaking Liverpool’s record of 18 league titles.  A 1-1 draw at Blackburn Rovers in May secured another Premiership title for Sir Alex Ferguson.  Their noisy neighbours, Manchester City currently lead the new title battle by two points and stunned United in October, with an amazing 6-1 derby victory at Old Trafford.  City also ended their long drought for silverware by beating Stoke City 1-0 at Wembley to win the FA Cup.  Birmingham City ended up as the surprising winners of the Carling Cup, with Obafemi Martins last minute winner meaning Arsenal went through another year without silverware.  Sadly, this wouldn’t have a happy ending, as Birmingham got relegated from the Premiership, along with Blackpool and West Ham United.  QPR and Norwich City returned to the top flight and a 4-2 success over Reading in the Championship play-off final meant Swansea City became the first Welsh club to reach the Premiership promise land.  Like Arsenal, Chelsea went trophy less, wasted £50million on Liverpool’s wantaway striker Fernando Torres and then sacked Carlo Ancelotti.  He has been replaced by Andre Vilas-Boas, who led FC Porto to Europa League glory in Dublin in May.  Arsenal sold Cesc Fabregas to Barcelona in the summer and it was the Catalan side who stole the football limelight.  They cantered to La Liga success again, won the FIFA World Club Championship in Japan recently and produced an exhibition masterclass at Wembley to beat Manchester United 3-1 in the UEFA Champions League final.  On the international scene, England qualified for Euro 2012 and went through the calendar year unbeaten.  The Republic of Ireland will also be at the major European party next summer.

TRAGIC: Simoncelli and Wheldon's deaths rocked motorsport

     MotoGP was meant to be saluting Casey Stoner for an incredible season, in which the Australian and his Repsol Honda team blitzed the opposition.  Stoner won 11 races and clinched the title in his homeland of Australia.  A week later, the sport was rocked by the tragic accident in Malaysia that robbed motorcycling of one of its brightest stars.  Marco Simoncelli crashed on the second lap and was struck by Colin Edwards and Valentino Rossi.  He died an hour afterwards from his injuries and his death sent shockwaves through motorsport.  Simoncelli’s flair will be missed in the paddock in 2012 and it came just a week after a dreadful pile-up at the IndyCar season finale in Las Vegas.  The 15-car crash claimed the life of British driver Dan Wheldon, who was only competing in his third event of the season.  Wheldon had won the Indianapolis 500 in sensational fashion earlier in the year.  Las Vegas may have lost its race next season, but it won’t bring Dan back.  Dario Franchitti’s third successive championship was made academic.  In Formula One, Sebastian Vettel was in a class of his own, winning 11 races, taking a record breaking 15 pole positions in a season and winning a second world championship.  In a year full of vintage races and countless overtaking, Sebastian stormed to success with a third place finish in Suzuka, Japan in October meaning he became the youngest back-to-back champion.  Britain’s Jenson Button won three events, including a sensational last lap triumph from the back In Canada and he was the runner-up in the final positions.  Fellow Brit Lewis Hamilton had a troubled year, which included a high-profile split from his girlfriend Nicole Scherzinger and many on-track altercations with Felipe Massa.  However, he won in China, Germany and Abu Dhabi to remind everyone of his capabilities.  Sadly though, 2011 will be remembered for tragedy rather than records in motorsport.

     In other sport, British golfers came of age in 2011.  Luke Donald became the world and European no.1, whilst there was an emotional and popular success for Darren Clarke at The Open Championship.  Having thrown away the US Masters at Augusta in April, Rory McIlroy produced a breathtaking display to win the US Open in June.  It was his first major and certainly won’t be his last.  Following their winter success in the Ashes, England’s cricketers had a summer to remember, recording a whitewash summer over Sri Lanka and India and establishing themselves as the no.1 ranked test team.  However, their performance at the Cricket World Cup was less impressive, which included shock defeats to Ireland and Bangladesh in the pool stages.  India won the trophy, beating Sri Lanka in a one-sided final.  For once, Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor was usurped in the PDC World Darts Championships, being knocked out in the quarter-finals.  Adrian Lewis won the tournament, beating Gary Anderson 7-5 in the final.  Green Bay Packers defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 31-25 in February to take the honours in Superbowl XLV.  Australian Cadel Evans became the first Wallaby to win the Tour de France since the war, but the headlines were made by Mark Cavendish.  The Brit won the most overall stages and ended up winning the prestigious green jersey at the end.  Boxing has had better years, which saw David Haye lose his World Heavyweight title to Vladimir Klitcshko, then retire from the sport and Amir Khan recently lose his titles in controversial circumstances to Lamont Peterson.  Lastly, John Higgins bounced back from a match-fixing scandal to win his fourth World Snooker championship, defeating Judd Trump 18-15 in a thrilling final.

     Sport has had its moments of controversy and surprise, its moments of triumph and tragedy and its moments where you will remember where you were.  2012 includes the Olympics in London and the European Football Championships in Poland/Ukraine, so it promises just as much as 2011 ended up delivering.                 

Famous faces no longer with us in 2011. . .

ONE month to go until the start of a new year, but whilst a load of us our getting ready to celebrate the Christmas cheer, some famous faces are no longer with us.  Here is my tribute to some of those who sadly will not be around during the festive season. . .

Gary Mason (British boxer) Died on 6 January, aged 48

Gary Mason was the British heavyweight champion in 1989 and one lost once, to Lennox Lewis in 38 professional fights.  He was part of a golden generation of British boxers around in the late 1980s and early 1990s.  He sadly was involved in a cycling collision with a van in South London on January 6, aged just 48 years of age.

Nat Lofthouse (Footballer) Died on 15 January, aged 85

One of Bolton Wanderers greatest ever players passed away in January, Nat Lofthouse.  He won 33 England caps between 1950 and 1958, scoring 30 goals and playing in the 1950 World Cup.  For club, he scored a staggering 255 goals for Bolton, captaining the team to success in the 1958 FA Cup final against Manchester United. 

Elizabeth Taylor (Movie actress) Died on 23 March, aged 79

It was a glittering movie career that made Elizabeth Taylor a star on the big screen.  She died from heart failure after a short illness in March.  Elizabeth won two Oscars for Best Actress and played a leading role in ‘Cleopatra,’ ‘Father of the Bride,’ and ‘Lassie Come Home,’ amongst other movies.  Her private life was also well documented; marrying eight times to seven separate husbands, but it is the movie memories that will remain with many.

Seve Ballesteros (European Golfer) Died on 7 May, aged 54

The game of golf was left rocked by the death of one of its most charismatic competitors in Seve Ballesteros.  Seve had a lengthy battle against illness over the past three years, but like all the time on the golf course, he took the battle to the bitter end.  Sadly, the brain cancer he had been diagnosed with was terminal.  He won the Open championship three times, was successful twice at the US Masters and captained Europe to Ryder Cup glory in his native homeland in 1997.  There is no doubt that he was a legend in golf and will always be one of the greats of the game.

Roy Skelton (Actor) Died on 8 June, aged 79

The name doesn’t stand out in the acting world, but Roy Skelton’s voice certainly did.  He had a showbiz career that spanned 53 years, with his last in February 2008, voicing two characters in the first episode of BBC series Ashes to Ashes.  Roy’s impact on television was as providing the voices of Zippy and George on the kids programme Rainbow from the early 1970s until 1992.  He passed away quietly in his home after suffering a stroke.

Betty Ford (First Lady) Died on 8 July, aged 93

Betty Ford was the first lady when Gerald Ford was president of the United States between 1973 and 1976.  She was a passionate individual, who devoted her time to raising awareness to issues such as abortion, equal pay and feminism.  She won the Congressional Gold Medal in 1998 for her hard work and became co-founder of the Betty Ford Centre in California in 1982, holding the role as president for 23 years.  Ill health in later years sadly took its toll on Betty, but she brought the role of being the president’s wife into prominence throughout the 1970s. 

Amy Winehouse (Singer) Died on 23 July, aged 27

The media has had plenty of field days in recent years, documenting the private life of Amy Winehouse all over the tabloid newspapers.  However, she did have a powerful and passionate voice, as was proven by hit songs such as ‘Rehab.’  She was found dead in her London flat in July, aged just 27 years old.

Janey Cutler (Singer) Died on 24 August, aged 82

Janey Cutler is another face whose career got a revelation in her later years of life.  She was one of the stars of the 2010 series of ITV’s summer reality hit, Britain’s Got Talent.  Despite some concern over her health, Janey finished a creditable ninth in the final, won by gymnast act Spelbound.  She then went on to perform on the BGT live tour and got to achieve her dream of singing infront of millions.

Ginger McCain (Horse Racing trainer) Died on 19 September, aged 80

Aintree will be missing something next year and that will be Ginger McCain’s presence.  Ginger lost his battle with cancer in September, just two days before his 81^st birthday.  He is one of the most successful trainers of all-time in horse racing and despite never winning at Cheltenham, formed a formidable partnership with Red Rum, as the greatest horse to have ever lived won three Grand Nationals in 1973, 1974 and 1977.  He took a fourth triumph with Amberleigh House in 2004 and this year, the dynasty continued in the McCain family, as his son trained Ballabriggs to glory in 2011.

Steve Jobs (Founder of Apple) Died on 5 October, aged 56

The world lost a genius in early October, when the founder of Apple, Steve Jobs passed away after a lengthy battle with pancreatic cancer.  Jobs was responsible for reviving Apple’s fortunes and spearheaded major technological change, such as the iPad, iPhone and iPod.  Apple will move on and continue, but the world will struggle to find another technological genius.

Dan Wheldon (Double Indy 500 winner) Died on 16 October, aged 33

Two-time Indy 500 winner Dan Wheldon was tragically killed in a massive 15-car pile-up during the IndyCar season finale in Las Vegas.  He was only competing as part of an incentive set by organisers to pass every car in the field and win a massive jackpot prize.  Having struggled to find a breakthrough in Europe, Dan moved to America in 1999 and had great success, winning the IndyCar title in 2005 and the prestigious Indy 500 race twice, most recently back in May.  He leaves behind a great legacy for both American and British motorsport.

Marco Simoncelli (MotoGP rider) Died on 23 October, aged 23

Marco Simoncelli had everything going for him as a MotoGP star of the future.  He had taken one pole position and two podiums this season for the Gresini Honda team and his flair and style on the bike meant life was never dull when Simoncelli was around.  He was killed at the penultimate event of the season in Malaysia, when he crashed and was struck by two fellow competitors.  The MotoGP paddock will be a poorer place next season without Simoncelli around.

Sir Jimmy Saville (DJ & Actor) Died on 29 October, aged 84

Television presenter, media personality and a massive fundraiser for many charities, Sir Jimmy Saville will be best known for being a long-standing host on Top of the Pops and for his own BBC television show Jim’ll Fix It.  He had been recently treated in hospital for pneumonia before his death.  Sir Jimmy though has left plenty of catchphrases and moments that people will never forget.

Joe Frazier (Former Heavyweight Boxing Champion) Died on 7 November, aged 67

Liver cancer may have claimed the life of Joe Frazier, but the memories will always remain of a glittering boxing career.  He won 27 fights in his career, only being beaten by two of the greats, Muhammad Ali and George Foreman along the way.  Joe was a true fighter to the end.

Gary Speed (Welsh football manager) Died on 27 November, aged 42

Gary Speed had a great football career and had a potential brilliant career as a manager ahead of him.  He was transforming the fortunes around of the Welsh national team and is still the leading outfield Welsh player to win international caps.  He played for Leeds United, Everton and Newcastle United amongst other clubs, winning the First Division championship in 1992.  Gary was found hanged in his home, just 24 hours after a positive appearance on the BBC’s Football Focus show.

MotoGP 2011 review - A season to forget for many

THE 2011 MotoGP season came to a conclusion in Valencia during last weekend and for many, it will be a season to forget.  Casey Stoner’s sensational domination will be remembered, as will the surprising struggles of Valentino Rossi at Ducati, but it was tragedy that will sadly be the overriding memory of the season.

LOST: The life of Marco Simoncelli will not be forgotten

       Marco Simoncelli’s death at the penultimate race in Malaysia brought worldwide shock to the paddock and the whole of motorsport.  His accident was a freakish one and it is a sight that no-one will want to see again for a long time.  The Italian was a flamboyant rider, a charismatic man who was full of flair and nothing was the ordinary for him.  He was coming into his prime within the sport, putting together a string of consistent finishes.  Let’s be honest, he didn’t do quiet.  His first podium in Brno was one of the highlights of the season and his ride to second place in Phillip Island a week before the fateful events in Malaysia underlined his quality.  The early season madness of Jerez, Estoril and Silverstone was nothing more than a distant memory.  The sport has been denied one of its greatest talents, but Marco’s legacy will remain for a long time.  Ciao Marco!

     However, sport moves on and a broken Gresini team have gone onto name Alvaro Bautista as Simoncelli’s replacement for next season.  Bautista has ended a two year stint at Suzuki, which was plagued by far too many injuries and accidents.  When he stayed on the bike, he showed his potential as a young talent coming through, underlined by a fifth place finish at Silverstone, but he made too many rash mistakes this campaign.  Bautista wasn’t the only rider to end up disappointing this campaign.  The Premac Ducati team had a nightmare season, with Randy de Puniet often finishing in the gravel and Loris Capirossi sadly soldering on through his final season in motorcycling.  At times, Hector Barbera outperformed the works Ducati’s with some excellent qualifying performances, but at other occasions, he disappeared into thin air.  Ultimately, his campaign will have to go down as a major disappointment.

     To be honest, Ducati had a miserable season altogether.  The team only managed two podiums all season.  Nicky Hayden came a fortunate third in the rain-affected Jerez event, whilst Valentino Rossi benefited from a controversial clash between Dani Pedrosa and Simoncelli in Le Mans to also net a third place result.  Their season ended miserably; both riders in the gravel in turn one in Valencia and Hayden missing the final season test through a fractured wrist.  Hayden’s season was a struggle, but he outqualified Rossi more often than not and got the bulk of Ducati’s strongest results, as third in Jerez and fourth at Silverstone would underline.  I was very surprised by Rossi’s struggles this season.  The Ducati is a very hard machine to set up and riders such as Marco Melandri and Hayden have struggled in the past, but Rossi really couldn’t seem to adapt as much as I thought he would.  Taking Stoner down in Jerez was one of the most dramatic moments of the season, but showed the issues he had with the frontend of the bike.  Plus, similar incidents later in the season would point that fact out.  Seventh place in the final standings is his worst performance since 2000 and The Doctor has a lot of soul searching to do over the course of the winter.

     Rossi’s replacement at Yamaha was the American, Ben Spies.  Spies produced a dominant performance in Assen to register his first MotoGP victory.  He also was a fine third at his home event in Indianapolis and nearly recorded another triumph in the final event at the weekend, but for poor traction off the final corner.  However, he will be glad for the break, having been battered and bruised throughout.  Spies crashed out in Portugal, Silverstone and Jerez and practice accidents ruled him out of the Australian and Malaysian events.  On his day, he proved his worth as a top rider, but was missing the consistency that Yamaha required.  Defending champion Jorge Lorenzo put up a brave fight throughout the season, on a bike that was nowhere near the fastest.  He won three times in 2011 and although he inherited the Jerez win, when Stoner and Simoncelli crashed, he put in some memorable performances to win against the odds, most notably in Mugello, on a Honda powered circuit.  However, his crash in the rain of Silverstone saw him lose the early advantage he built up in the championship and he would never regain it.  A nasty crash in warm-up for the Australian event saw Lorenzo’s finger needing surgery to prevent amputation and ended his charge three races early.  His class in 2011 did show through, and he will be keeping his remaining fingers crossed that Yamaha produce a better package for him next season.  On the customer Tech-3 bikes, Colin Edwards claimed a memorable podium at Silverstone, only eight days after breaking his collarbone in a practice accident for the Catalunya round.  Sadly, he was involved in the accident that claimed Simoncelli’s life and only time will tell next season to see how the Texan Tornado has been affected.  Rookie Cal Crutchlow was another rider to have his fair share of spills, but raced brilliantly at the final event in Valencia to secure fourth place, his best finish of a solid year, even if his promise was at times, unfulfilled.

     This leaves us with the Repsol Honda riders.  Dani Pedrosa suffered another injury-hit season and mysteriously disappeared from the action when he tangled with Simoncelli at Le Mans.  He broke his collarbone, but seemed to take longer than what was needed to return to racing.  Then, it was the same old story from Pedrosa, producing some stunning performances which brought victories in Portugal and Germany, along with times where he didn’t look interested such as Australia.  Although he didn’t win a round, Andrea Dovizioso produced a very consistent season, with many podiums and very few accidents.  He might have been the slowest of the works Honda riders, but fully deserved third place in the championship.  He has been dropped for 2012, but Honda’s loss will be Tech-3 Yamaha’s gain and Crutchlow will know that he must raise his game against the talented Dovizioso next season.

     However, the final word belongs to the dominant champion.  Casey Stoner left Ducati behind, as he was convinced that they didn’t have the necessary equipment to fulfil his needs.  The way Rossi has struggled to handle the bike suggests that the Australian must have been doing minor miracles in recent seasons.  On a Honda, he looked totally at ease and incredibly formidable.  From the moment he cruised to victory in the Qatar season opener, there was never any doubt he was going to end up as the no.1 at the end of the season.  When he could win, he would win and when the points were needed, he took the points such as second in Assen and third places in both Mugello and Portugal.  He is a deserved champion and a brilliant rider and the rest have a lot to do if they are to match him in 2012.

FINAL POINTS

Casey Stoner - The 2011 MotoGP world champion

Casey Stoner 350, Jorge Lorenzo 260, Andrea Dovizioso 228, Dani Pedrosa 219, Ben Spies 176, Marco Simoncelli 139, Valentino Rossi 139, Nicky Hayden 132, Colin Edwards 109, Hiroshi Aoyama 98, Hector Barbera 82, Cal Crutchlow 70, Alvaro Bautista 67, Karel Abraham 64, Toni Elias 61, Randy de Puniet 49, Loris Capirossi 43, Katsuzuki Nakasunga 10, Josh Hayes 9, Kousake Akiyoshi 7, John Hopkins 6, Shinchi Ito 3

Valencia MotoGP 2011: Perfect ten for Casey

TRIBUTE: Marco Simoncelli was remembered all weekend in Valencia

ON A tricky and poignant weekend for motorcycle racing, Casey Stoner produced the perfect finish to win the final round of the season in Valencia.  This weekend’s events were the first chance for MotoGP to remember the life of Marco Simoncelli, the charismatic Italian who lost his life at the last event in Malaysia.  Stoner produced a finish that Marco would have been proud of, by out accelerating the Yamaha of Ben Spies out of the final corner to snatch the win by 0.015seconds.  Third place for Honda’s Andrea Dovizioso saw the Italian wrap up third place in the point’s standings.

     This morning saw a fitting tribute to Simoncelli as all the riders from MotoGP, plus junior categories went out on a parade lap to pay their respects.  Former champion, Kevin Schwartz led them out on Simoncelli’s No.58 bike.  They met Marco’s family on the grid, before on the family’s request; a fireworks display was put on by the organisers.  In his final event after 22 years in the premier class, Loris Capirossi took the No.58 plate on his Premac machine.  Many of the other riders had tributes on their bikes and racing overalls to Simoncelli, who will never be forgotten in the paddock.

      However, the show must go on, but one thing that wasn’t required was a startline accident and that’s exactly what happened.  In tricky conditions, Alvaro Bautista dropped his Suzuki in the first bend and took out Randy de Puniet and both works Ducati’s of Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden.  Bautista blamed Dovizioso for squeezing him into the first bend but more importantly, it was a relief that all four riders got up from the gravel and walked away unscathed after recent events.  For Rossi, it cements him in seventh place in the finishing positions; his worst championship position since moving into the premier form of motorcycle racing in 2000. 

      Having started from his 12^th pole of the season, equalling Mick Doohan’s record yesterday, Stoner opened up a massive lead.  The crowd were entertained by a thrilling dice for second place between Honda team-mates Dovizioso and Dani Pedrosa and Spies.  Pedrosa backed out of the battle when conditions worsened, mindful of not picking up another damaging injury with testing for 2012 beginning on Tuesday.  Spies, nursing injuries from a spate of recent tumbles, moved into second place and closed in on the new world champion, who was taking it easy himself in the drizzle.  With three laps to go, Stoner selected neutral by mistake, ran wide and was passed by Spies.  However he had one final attack on the exit of the final corner and the horsepower of the Honda took him over the line just ahead of the American.  Dovizioso, who has been given his marching orders by Honda next season, came home in third, pleased to beat Pedrosa in the final standings.

       Not only did he take the rookie of the year prize, but Cal Crutchlow held off Karel Abraham and a slowing Pedrosa to take a career best fourth place finish.  In desperation to beat the fellow newcomer, Abraham crashed on the last lap, but still remounted to finish eighth.  An emotional Capirossi came through to finish ninth in his final motorcycling event, which has seen him finish with 329 Grand Prix, 99 podiums, 29 wins and 3 world championships, nine of those victories coming in MotoGP.

     For many personnel within MotoGP, 2011 will be a season that will never be forgotten, sadly for the wrong reasons.  Casey Stoner's dominance is my personal highlight and the struggles of Valentino Rossi surprised me.  However, it will be the legacy that Marco Simoncelli has left on motorcycling racing and his presence in the paddock will be sorely missed by everyone.  Hopefully, 2012 will produce a stronger and happier season for all.


Ciao Marco!

MotoGP shock as Simoncelli dies in Malaysia

LESS than a week after the tragic crash in IndyCars that claimed the life of British racing driver Dan Wheldon, motorcycling has its own shock to deal with.  Promising Italian rider Marco Simoncelli died from injuries sustained in a crash during the penultimate round of the championship this morning in Malaysia.

Marco Simoncelli: 20 January 1987 - 23 October 2011

     Simoncelli, 24, was riding for the Gresini Honda team when he came off his bike on the second lap.  The incident happened on turn 11 of the Sepang International Circuit.  He bounced back onto the road, only to be collected by two other riders; Yamaha’s Colin Edwards and the Ducati of Valentino Rossi.  Edwards also tumbled into the gravel and fractured his shoulder, whilst Rossi nursed his machine back to the Ducati pit.  The impact with the other bikes saw Simoncelli’s helmet ripped off and it soon became clear that this was a serious incident.  The race was stopped.

      Paramedics got the scene quickly to attend to the Italian, who is thought to have been in cardiac arrest when the medics got to the crash scene.  It soon became clear that the race was going to be abandoned.  Recently crowned champion Casey Stoner told the BBC of his fears when seeing the crash back on the world feed;

     “As soon as I saw the footage of it, it just makes you sick inside.  Whenever the helmet comes off, that’s not a good sign.” 

      When announcement of the decision to abandon the race came through, the crowd reacted with frustration and annoyance, although the organiser’s decision to postpone the event was hailed by many insiders within the paddock.  Simoncelli succumbed to his injuries around an hour later.  His fatality is the first in MotoGP since Japanese rider Dajiro Kato died at an event in Suzuka in 2003.

     Tributes have poured in from around the racing world to the charismatic Italian; MotoGP fan and Red Bull Racing F1 driver Mark Webber tweeted; “RIP Marco.  A special talent that will be missed.  Thinking of your loved ones and all the MotoGP paddock.”  Honda’s Dani Pedrosa, who was on pole position for the shortened event had a publicised run-in with Simoncelli earlier this season in France; an incident that fractured the Spaniard’s collarbone.  However, he also was in severe shock at what happened to his colleague;

    “Many times, we ourselves forget how dangerous this sport can be and, when you lose people on the way, nothing has any meaning.  It’s clear we all do what we like, what we love, but on days like today, nothing matters.”

     Marco Simoncelli was one of the brightest stars in motorcycle racing, who seemed destined for great things.  He won the 250cc championship in 2008, claiming the title in of all places, Malaysia.  He joined the premier class of motorcycling in 2010 and had already achieved success this season; lying sixth in the standings before this event.  Marco took a pole position in Catalunya and two podium results.  That included a career best second place finish in the Australian round only last weekend.  He had just signed with the Gresini team again for next season in a factory deal and was expected to launch a severe championship assault to the likes of Stoner, the absent Jorge Lorenzo and Pedrosa in 2012.  Despite some criticism for his riding style from his fellow riders this season, Simoncelli had put aside the errors of judgement he made in Jerez, Estoril and Silverstone and was putting together a string of consistent points finishes. 

      At just 24 years of age, Marco Simoncelli had everything going for him.  The world of motorsport has lost another colourful and flamboyant figure for the second Sunday running and MotoGP will be a poorer place without the flair and style he brought to the class. 

Thoughts go out to his family and everyone in the MotoGP paddock.

Marco Simoncelli – 20 January 1987 – 23 October 2011, RIP

Australia MotoGP 2011: Super Stoner seals title on home soil

THE race for the 2011 MotoGP championship is over and it ended in style for Casey Stoner.  On home soil, he took the race win in Australia to seal his second title, four years after his last success on a Ducati.  It is his sixth victory in Phillip Island, giving him an unassailable lead over former champion, Jorge Lorenzo in the standings.

      Lorenzo didn’t race and will also miss this weekend’s event in Malaysia, after a nasty crash in the closing stages of Sunday’s warm-up session.  He came off his Yamaha at high speed, badly injuring his hand and was declared unfit to start.  With Ben Spies missing the event too, after he crashed heavily during qualifying on Saturday, the works Yamaha team had little to do for the race.  Lorenzo’s forced non-participation meant sixth or better was good enough for Repsol Honda rider Stoner, the class of the field in 2011 and that never looked in doubt.

      On his 26^th birthday, he cleared into the distance from pole position.  Attention quickly turned to a fierce battle for second place between Nicky Hayden, Marco Simoncelli, Alvaro Bautista’s Suzuki and Andrea Dovizioso.  Simoncelli eventually won this dice, before a bright sunny day turned into a damp event, as the unpredictable Phillip Island weather once again made sure all riders would have to keep their wits about them.  One who didn’t was Valentino Rossi, who passed Bautista, then promptly fell off to record his second successive DNF in what has been an incredibly frustrating season for The Doctor.  Later on, Bautista also became a victim of the tricky conditions, throwing away a certain fourth place.

      Ahead of them, Dani Pedrosa, who’d, had a very quiet weekend by his high standards, started to pressure Dovizioso for the final podium spot.  Eventually, Dovizioso, who is off to Tech-3 Yamaha for next season pulled clear of his team-mate and homed in on Simoncelli.  The pair entertained the excited crowd, having a clean and fierce fight in the dying stages for second.  By this stage, Stoner was already coasting towards another victory, his ninth of a dominant season to join a prestigious list of riders to have won two MotoGP titles.  Simoncelli held off Dovizioso’s late attack to finish second on his Gresini Honda; his best ever finish in the series.  Pedrosa trailed in a distant fourth, whilst both Colin Edwards and Randy de Puniet made the most of the unpredictable Australian micro-climate to finish fifth and sixth respectively.

CLASS: Stoner has shown himself to be the main man in 2011

       Australia and the motorcycling world has to hail Casey Stoner, who has shown this season, that with the top machinery in the paddock, he can win races and take titles for fun and I’d be surprised if this wasn’t his last championship.  The Repsol Honda team has been the class act and Yamaha and Ducati can’t make up any excuses.  They must respond in style over the winter, or Stoner and Honda will crush the opposition again.  Congratulations to Casey on a deserved 2011 MotoGP championship.

Dutch MotoGP 2011: Brilliant Ben dominates Assen TT

AMERICAN Ben Spies destroyed the opposition to win the famous Dutch TT at Assen on Saturday afternoon.  Spies took full advantage of another costly crash from Marco Simoncelli to record his maiden win in the premier class of motorcycling.  He is the first rider who came from World Superbikes to win a round of MotoGP since Troy Bayliss triumphed at the 2006 season finale in Valencia.

     Practice and qualifying was held in tricky weather conditions and all three Honda works riders had accidents in the early moments of qualifying.  Despite this, Casey Stoner still lined up on the front row, behind Simoncelli, who showed his raw pace against and Spies.  Yamaha were portraying a different colour scheme, to celebrate their 50^th year of Grand Prix racing.  Spies took off the startline fastest, but Simoncelli’s habit of crashing to the tarmac continued to haunt him at the third bend of the race.

     Like in Estoril, he pushed too hard on cold tyres and dropped his bike, taking out world champion Jorge Lorenzo.  Both managed to remount, but they lost loads of ground on the leaders.  The drama continued on the opening couple of circuits, with crashes from Karel Abraham and Randy de Puniet.  Abraham broke his little finger in his accident, whilst de Puniet’s tumble was the last thing the Premac team needed, as Loris Capirossi had crashed earlier in the weekend.  The veteran Italian fractured his shoulder, which ended his participation in the event early. 

MARGIN: Spies built up a healthy advantage throughout

     In all the confusion, Spies opened up a solid advantage over Stoner, enough to allow him to cruise through a dull second half of the event.  Stoner seemed content to settle for second, knowing that he was beating his title rival Lorenzo and extending his points advantage.  The only other incident of significance was a tyre problem for Cal Crutchlow.  Crutchlow, who qualified a tremendous sixth on the grid, despite having had major surgery on his collarbone earlier in the week, was a brilliant fifth when the rear Bridgestone tyre destroyed itself and forced him into the pits.

     Andrea Dovizioso continued his consistent run of points finishes, ending up third, whilst Valentino Rossi came up to fourth from a lowly 11^th on the grid, on a brand new Ducati bike.  Lorenzo did brilliantly to recover to sixth, behind the second Ducati of Nicky Hayden.  Colin Edwards was seventh, ahead of Hiroshi Aoyama, who had an unspectacular run on the third of the works Honda bikes.  Dani Pedrosa, still mysteriously missing is expected back in the saddle for the Italian round at Mugello this weekend.  A devastated Simoncelli came back to ninth, but faces a race ban, if he doesn’t calm down on his over-exuberant riding. 

    This was a deserved win for Ben Spies and it was nice to see a different winner in MotoGP, but ultimately, the big winner again was Casey Stoner, who extended his already healthy margin at the top of the championship.   

Catalunya MotoGP 2011: Another cruise and collect for Casey

SPRAYING: Stoner sprays the bubbly after a comfortable win

AUSTRALIAN Casey Stoner closed the gap on Jorge Lorenzo at the top of the MotoGP standings, after cruising to victory in Catalunya.  It is the Repsol Honda’s third win of the 2011 season from five starts, and he now only trails defending champion Lorenzo by seven points.

     Stoner dominated the entire weekend, but was pipped to pole position in the dying stages of qualifying by a fired-up Marco Simoncelli.  The charismatic Italian earnt his first MotoGP pole position, but was never a factor in the race.  Simoncelli was gobbled up on the rundown to the first corner and then rode a rather low-key ride to sixth place; probably best for him after all the controversy of the recent races.

     Once again, Lorenzo won the race to the first corner, but the power of the Honda saw Stoner overhaul the Yamaha rider on the start-finish straight at the beginning of the second lap.  Although Lorenzo was able to keep him in touch for the majority of the race, Stoner never looked like he was going to be beaten.  Injuries continue to decimate the field in the premier class of motorcycling.  Dani Pedrosa was declared unfit to ride following the clash with Simoncelli in Le Mans last month, which saw the frail Spaniard suffer a fractured collarbone.  Colin Edwards would join him on the casualty list.  The ‘Texan Tornado,’ went down heavily in practice, and despite being desperate to race, was told not to on medical grounds.  It was the first race the American missed since he broke into MotoGP in 2003.

     Behind Stoner and Lorenzo, Ben Spies earnt his first rostrum as a factory Yamaha rider.  2011 has been a tricky season for Spies, as he has struggled to provide consistency and a stern challenge to his highly-rated team-mate.  Hopefully, Barcelona is a turn in the right direction for him.  The second Honda of Andrea Dovizioso was beaten into fourth place, despite his best efforts to overcome his equivalent in the Yamaha team.  Ducati’s Valentino Rossi was a solid fifth, ahead of Simoncelli, Britain’s Cal Crutchlow and the sister Ducati of Nicky Hayden.  It was another bad day for Randy de Puniet.  The likeable Frenchman was taken out in the early stages by Hiroshi Aoyama.  Fortunately, both got up from the gravel pit unhurt.

     Already, the 2011 MotoGP season is starting to look like a battle between two men for the title.  Silverstone this weekend should be interesting. . .  

France MotoGP 2011: Stoner romps to French glory

CASEY Stoner romped home to his second victory of the 2011 MotoGP season on Sunday.  However, his dominance was overshadowed by a contentious collision between his team-mate Dani Pedrosa and Marco Simoncelli, which has left the luckless Pedrosa with a broken collarbone.

    The controversial incident happened with 11 laps to go in Le Mans.  Simoncelli had caught up to second-placed Pedrosa and passed the Repsol Honda rider into the tight Garage Green bend.  Pedrosa got the run out of the corner and pulled alongside the Grissini Honda rider approaching the next tight chicane at the French Grand Prix.  Under-braking and it seemed that Pedrosa had the racing line.  However, Simoncelli, who has few friends in the paddock anyways, refused to budge and turned across Dani at a very late stage.  Consequently, contact was inevitable.  Simoncelli, subject to an official complaint about his riding style from Stoner and world champion Jorge Lorenzo before the race began, survived with a trip across the grass.  Unfortunately, Pedrosa wasn’t so lucky.  He crashed out of the race and walked away, wincing in pain.  He suffered a broken collarbone for the second time in seven months, having just fully recovered from a similar injury that finished his championship hopes during practice for last year’s Japanese Grand Prix.  His participation in next month’s Catalunya Grand Prix in Barcelona is now in severe jeopardy.

     Although the accident was more the fault of young Italian Simoncelli, many observers thought it was a racing incident.  Race stewards took matters into their own hands and handed Simoncelli a barbaric and ridiculous ride-through penalty with five laps to go.  Reviewing the incident after the race would have been far fairer, and when you consider that Valentino Rossi escaped scot-free from his move that took Stoner out of last month’s Spanish Grand Prix, it shows the deep inconsistency that is plaguing the world’s premier bike series when it comes to steward’s decisions.  It cost Simoncelli a shot at his first ever MotoGP podium finish.

WHEELIE: Stoner shows off after cruising to success in France

     Stoner was in formidable form all weekend.  The Australian was fastest in every single session and grabbed his third pole position from four races.  Although Pedrosa got the jump on him at the start, Stoner made his move on the third circuit and disappeared into the distance, winning by 15 seconds.  Andrea Dovizioso held off a late attack from Rossi to make it a Honda 1-2.  However, it was Rossi’s first podium for Ducati and will give the under pressure Italian team some fresh encouragement.  Lorenzo had a quiet ride to fourth, nursing a damaged hand from a practice crash earlier in the weekend, whilst Simoncelli battled back past Ben Spies on the last lap to claim fifth.  Britain’s Cal Crutchlow crashed out early on, as did french favourite Randy de Pruniet.  However, it will be ‘that’ move that will dominate the talking and the harsh words will no doubt roll into Barcelona.

Portugal MotoGP 2011: Proud Pedrosa scores amazing tactical triumph

SUCCESS: Pedrosa records victory at Estoril

SPAIN’s Dani Pedrosa sent a warning to his closest challengers for the MotoGP title, after recording an impressive tactical victory in the Portuguese Grand Prix.  Pedrosa, 25, rode past Estoril master Jorge Lorenzo with four laps to go and surged clear on his Repsol Honda to record his first win of the season.  Despite ultimately finishing a distant second, Lorenzo holds on to a slender championship lead.

     After all the controversy and drama of the last race in Jerez four weeks ago, Estoril produced a calm and quiet race, possibly something the paddock needed after all the drama and squabbling behind the scenes.  This continued in the Saturday evening qualifying press conference, which saw Lorenzo and fellow front-row starter Marco Simoncelli, almost come to blows over Simoncelli’s aggressive riding style.  Although it was a funny disagreement, it did feel a bit silly, especially as Casey Stoner and Valentino Rossi are still sniping at one another after their confronton in Spain last time out. 

     On a bone dry track, Lorenzo made the best start from pole position and led Pedrosa into the first corner.  As the tyres weren’t at their optimum temperatures, both Simoncelli and Stoner had massive moments exiting the first corner.  At turn four, Simoncelli had another twitch, but this time – his mistake was costly.  He ended pitching off the bike stage right into the gravel pit.  That was bound to put a smile underneath Lorenzo’s crash helmet.  His closest challenger for most of the weekend was out already.  Marco wasn’t the only one, as Hector Barbera joined him in the sandpit and rookie Karol Abraham was soon out of the proceedings too.  Lorenzo led Pedrosa, Stoner, a fast-starting Valentino Rossi and the second Yamaha of Ben Spies.

     American Spies was soon out of the equation though, as he ran wide at turn nine and lost four places.  In his desperation to move up the order, he clashed with the Ducati of Nicky Hayden.  Hayden survived the incident to finish a tame ninth, but Spies ended out of the event again.  Britain’s Cal Crutchlow produced another strong performance and finished a very creditable eighth, on a circuit he had never seen before Friday practice. 

     Out infront and Lorenzo seemed to be making lightweight work of the Portuguese track.  Although Pedrosa stayed in his two throughout, he never looked likely to pull off a move.  However, Dani turned up the heat with four laps to go and surprised the world champion with a brilliant out braking pass into the first corner.  Lorenzo had nothing left and feel back rather rapidly, allowing Pedrosa to rattle in some blistering laps in the closing stages and win as he pleased.  Stoner was mysteriously off the pace all weekend and finished a lonely third.  There was an exciting tussle for fourth between Italians Rossi and Andrea Dovizioso.  Dovizioso mugged the Ducati on the very last corner by two hundredths of a second to seal a 1-3-4 for the Honda team.  Texan Tornado Colin Edwards was a solid sixth on his customer Yamaha bike.

     A rather mundane race then, but a dramatic conclusion as the MotoGP circus heads to the historic Le Mans circuit in France, in a fortnight’s time.

Spain MotoGP 2011 - Lorenzo survives in the Spanish rain

WORLD MotoGP champion Jorge Lorenzo survived an attrition-packed Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez to claim the points lead.  Lorenzo beat countryman Dani Pedrosa, on a Honda by nearly 20 seconds with Ducati’s Nicky Hayden finishing third.  However, it was clash between Pedrosa and Hayden’s team-mates that made all the headlines after the event.

     At a grey and damp Jerez, Casey Stoner got off the line perfectly from pole position to lead Lorenzo and Marco Simoncelli in the early exchanges.  Team-mate Pedrosa had an awful lap.  He slipped from second to tenth, as he struggled with a bugging arm injury.  After starting a dismal 12^th, Valentino Rossi took full advantage of the dismal conditions to move quickly into fourth place, showing his formidability on a wet track.  Meanwhile, countryman Simoncelli was right at home, as he managed to usurp a careful Lorenzo and Stoner to snatch the lead.  Rossi eased past Lorenzo for third before the moment of the race.

TANGLE: Rossi's ambitious move took Casey Stoner out

     The Italian attempted a move on Stoner for second spot.  It was ambitious to say the least and the result was Rossi went down at the first corner, and took the unfortunate Stoner with him.  It was an unbelievable moment and shows that even world champions can make a hash of overtaking attempts.  Rossi was pinned under the bikes, whilst Stoner got up quickly, ready to remount.  However, the Repsol Honda team were furious that the marshals only seemed interested in helping Rossi and not their Australian championship leader.  The Ducati of Rossi rejoined well down and field and Stoner had been cruelly eliminated through no fault of his own.

     Pedrosa started to move his way back through the field, having now got a feel for the equipment he had underneath him.  He sliced his way back upto third, but that was to become second on lap 11 when disaster struck Simoncelli.  He was pulling away from Lorenzo and the race was his for the taking, until he got a high-side on at Turn One and dropped the bike.  He was out and Lorenzo had been gifted the lead.

     Britain’s Cal Crutchlow had been having a good run and was keeping Hayden in his sights, when he became another victim of the tricky conditions.  He was fifth before falling off his Tech Speed Yamaha, eventually remounting to finish ninth.  With four laps to go, American Ben Spies passed Pedrosa to make it a Yamaha 1-2.  Pedrosa had no response, as his tyres were absolutely finished.  Luckily for him, Spies went into the gravel on the very next lap and out of the race.  This allowed the likeable Colin Edwards onto the podium, but the Texan Tornado’s bike packed up and left Colin stranded on the last lap.  

ODD: Lorenzo's celebrations seem to get more strange with each race

     Ahead of all the drama, Lorenzo took the chequered flag at the end of a thrilling race.  Pedrosa and Hayden completed the rostrum, whilst Rossi somehow recovered to fifth, before going to apologise to Stoner for their crash afterwards.  This was the case of last man standing in Jerez and Jorge Lorenzo came out on top.  If this is anything to go by, MotoGP 2011 has all the ingredients to be a very special season.