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Car Accessories ? Pirelli P Zero Silver hard tyre makes its 2012 debut

Pirelli P Zero Silver hard tyre makes its 2012 debutWhats the story?The 2012specification of the P Zero Silver, the hardest and most durable tyre of Pirellis Formula One range, will make its debut at the Malaysian Grand Prix: a race that pushes tyres to the limits due to extremes of weather that frequently take in soaring temperatures as well as torrential rain.The Sepang circuit is characterised by an abrasive surface that adds to the demands placed on the tyres, which have to cope with two long straights as well as several hairpins that test traction.These extreme requirements make Sepang the ideal territory for the P Zero Silver, whose resilient qualities have inspired the recentlylaunched P Zero Silver road car tyre, which prioritises endurance as well as performance.Alongside the P Zero Silver hard, the P Zero White medium tyre has been nominated for Malaysia, which was also seen in Australia. This combination best covers the wideranging conditions seen in Malaysia, with the Cinturato Green intermediate and Cinturato Blue full wet also ready to deal with the torrential downpours that are a common feature of the track, located just north of the equator. Even when it is not raining, humidity remains at about 80%, increasing the physical challenge for the drivers.The increased tyre wear caused by the unique nature of Malaysia could lead to an increased number of pit stops, with three stops proving to be the winning strategy last year. However, the compounds used by Pirelli this year are generally softer and faster. The hard compound that will be seen in Malaysia this weekend is much closer in character to the 2011 medium compound, underlining the constantlyevolving performance of the P Zero covers.Pirellis motorsport director says:Paul Hembery: Malaysia is one of the biggest challenges that we will face all year, and that is simply down to the nature of the track and the weather. We can expect track temperatures of up to around 50 degrees centigrade and a similar performance gap between the two nominated compounds as we saw in Australia. Our target is still for that gap to be less than one second. Malaysia is good for overtaking, and that should fit in well with the characteristics of our P Zero tyres, which have been specifically designed to promote overtaking through a certain degree of deliberate degradation. Tyre strategy is going to be very important, particularly when it comes to looking after tyres at the beginning of a stint. Last year the battle for the podium places went down to the very last lap, and our objective for this years tyres is to encourage even closer racing, following the thrilling start we saw in Australia last weekend.The men behind the steering wheel say:Romain Grosjean, Lotus F1 Team: Sepang is a big challenge and it is also probably my favourite track of them all. I raced there in 2008 as part of the GP2 Asia Series and I really loved the circuit. Its nice and wide, with fast flowing corners and a lot of undulation which makes it great fun to drive. The last corner is a tricky one, but I enjoy everything about racing here. Maybe not the heat and humidity, but thats just another challenge. Im really looking forward to it so that we can capitalise on the potential we showed in Australia. I have some good memories of working with Pirelli in the past, when I was a test driver in 2010 at the time when they were coming back to Formula One. For me, back then, this was a fantastic opportunity to drive a Formula One car again and get to know the tyres, which were certainly very different to anything I had experienced before. My goal was firmly to get back to racing, which I was able to achieve, and I am sure that this experience with Pirelli helped. Since then a lot has happened: the moral for me is that you should never give up on your dream.Technical tyre notes: Although the surface in Malaysia offers plenty of grip, any rubber laid down on the track is frequently washed away by the heavy rain that falls most days, making the track green at the start of each session. The tyres on the left side of the car do the most work in Malaysia. The rearleft tyre is particularly stressed as it ensures traction, with its temperature rising to a peak of 130 degrees centigrade on the inner edge due to a lateral force of 3G. The Sepang circuit is 5.543 kilometres long, with 56 laps that total 310.408 kilometres. The circuit was inaugurated in 1999 on land that was formerly jungle. The track does not have many bumps, having been resurfaced in 2007, with a wide variety of corners that require a mediumdownforce compromise setup. The track layout is not dissimilar to Barcelona: one of the circuits where Pirelli has tested the most. Last year, Pirelli nominated the 2011 hard compound together with the soft compound, resulting in a difference of around 1.2 seconds between the two tyres. This year, the difference should be much less.The tyre choices so far: P Zero RedP Zero YellowP Zero WhiteP Zero SilverAustralia SoftMediumMalaysia MediumHardPirelli in Malaysia: Pirelli has been present in Malaysia for more than 30 years. The Italian firms main South East Asia office is in Singapore, less than 300 kilometres away. Pirelli tyres have had plenty of success in the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship, winning the title three times in a row with the Motor Image Racing team and Subaru driver Cody Crocker. Malaysian fashion model Ling Tang, born in Gombak close to Sepang, featured on the Pirelli calendar in 1997. The theme that year was women of the world, shot by celebrated American photographer Richard AvedonOther news from Pirelli: Gymkhana hero Ken Block took part in a Pirelli winter tyre demonstration at St Petersburg, Russia, last weekend. The American, who uses Pirelli tyres for his massively popular viral videos, was driving a Ford Focus WRC on Pirellis Sottozero tyres. The GP3 Series, which uses Pirelli control tyres, concluded its penultimate preseason test last week in Barcelona. Carlins Antonio Felix da Costa was quickest. This weekend is also the first round of the Pirelliequipped GP2 Series in Malaysia, the official feeder championship to Formula One. Esteban Gutierrez, who won the GP3 Series with Pirelli in 2010, was quickest at the final GP2 test.For further information please contact:Alexandra Schieren +33 607 03 69 03 alexandra.schieren pirelli.comAnthony Peacock +44 7765 896 930 anthony mediatica.co.uk***Francescopaolo Tarallo +39 334 684 4307 francescopaolo.tarallo pirelli.com (Head of Motorsport and Product Communications) PDF Version (52 KB)

Source: http://www.zimbio.com/MotoGP/articles/n7m464ZZf1i/Car+Accessories+Pirelli+P+Zero+Silver+hard

Jaromir Cizek Guy Cooper

Interview: AMA Women's Motocross Champion Jessica Patterson

Jessica Patterson is the 2010 AMA Women's National Motocross Champion. Here is Supercross.com's latest interview with JP$.

Jessica, congratulations on your 2010 AMA Women's National MX Championship. You walked away with some amazing trophies from this summer's race wins .... where do you put all those great awards, and what does it mean to you when you see them?

Thanks Annj. I usually go straight to my parents house and drop them all off and let my mom decorate the house with them. But recently she told me that I have started to bring home too many, and to figure out where to put them at my place because her place is now full.

Her suggestion to me was to rent a storage unit if I didn?t want to keep them all over the house. They are all just hanging out at her house right now, and eventually when I decide where I want to move, then I will take them with me and start the decorating.

To see the trophies is pretty cool. It is what I have been working so hard for, and after struggling for for two years and now coming back and winning the championship in 2010, it makes it that much better. Seeing that I have all those number 1 trophies from each race except for two, it reminds me of how good of a year it really was, so it makes me really happy and makes me want to keep pushing.

Source: http://www.supercross.com/mxgirls-feature/interview-ama-womens-motocross-champion-jessica-patterson

Rex Staten James Stewart Jr

RJ Says: Phoenix Supercross 2012 thoughts, Los Angeles Supercross preview

 

First off, I want to congratulate KTM, Roger De Coster, and Ryan Dungey for KTM's first Supercross Class main event win. It's huge. I know of all the work they have done in the past few years in developing winning machines, teams, and more. Look at what they did with Stefan Everts and Pit Beirer in developing the 350 SX model - two world championships so far with Antonio Cairoli.

KTM in America has been working on the new 450 that Ryan races. It's a new effort, on a new bike. For Ryan Dungey, his win last Saturday in Phoenix goes a long way in many areas, but I feel the most important is that it adds confidence to the team and Ryan.

Source: http://www.supercross.com/rj-says/rj-says-phoenix-supercross-2012-thoughts-los-angeles-supercross-preview

Michael Byrne Antonio Cairoli

Gino Rea Finally Confirmed With Gresini For 2012 Moto2 Campaign

One of the longest-running rider signing sagas has finally reached the conclusion that everyone expected. On the eve of the final Moto2 test of the preseason at Jerez, Gresini has at last confirmed that they will be fielding Gino Rea in the 2012 Moto2 championship. Rea had been testing the Moriwaki with the Gresini team for months now, yet an official announcement of the contract was not forthcoming. On Sunday, the team finally issued a press release naming both Ratthapark Wilairot and Gino Rea as the teams riders in Moto2.

Rea and Wilairot will be competing under different colors. Wilairot will be riding with backing from AP Honda, distributor of the manufacturer in his native Thailand. Rea will be racing in the colors of Indonesian oil company Federal Oil - another Indonesian brand being added to MotoGP, showing the shift in sponsorship eastwards - and will be supported by the Ukrainian Crimea Grand Prix circuit.

Below is the press release from the Gresini Moto2 team, containing the official announcement.

TWO LIVERIES, ONE GOAL FOR TEAM GRESINI MOTO2

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MotoGPMatters/~3/UNJ5Q25l_8E/gino_rea_finally_confirmed_with_gresini_.html

Damon Bradshaw Goat Breker

First Day of Gresini's CRT Shakedown: Pirro Off the Pace, But Just 20 Laps Done So Far

The final CRT machine has at last taken to the track. Today at Imola, Michele Pirro took the San Carlo Gresini FTR Honda machine out on track for the very first time, putting in some 20 laps of the Enzo e Dino Ferrari circuit. The test was very much a shakedown, Pirro and his crew focusing on making sure that everything worked correctly before starting work on setup from tomorrow.

The times were a long way off the pace that will be required, GPOne reporting that Pirro lapped some 4 seconds slower than the World Superbikes do at Imola. But lap times were not at stake on Friday: this was the first time the bike saw the track, the first time Pirro had ridden the bike, and the first time Pirro had ever used the MotoGP Bridgestone tires. Setting the times of a rookie rider on a brand new bike and unknown tires against a series which races regularly at the track does not make for a particularly accurate comparison. With Pirro due to work on his riding position, the ergonomics of footpegs, seat and bars, and the first few steps on the Cosworth Pi electronics, the bike should make some progress over the next couple of days.

Source: 

http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2012/Pirro+debuts+on+Gresinis+CRTFTR

http://www.gpone.com/index.php/en/201203166319/Pirro-Honda-CRT-un-diaman...

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MotoGPMatters/~3/t9D1o_xFdKY/first_day_of_gresini_s_crt_shakedown_pir.html

Rui Goncalves Josh Grant