All the latest news from the team at Moto Rapido Ducati Racing currently competing in the British Superbike Championship under the Evo rules. http://www.motorapidoracing.com/ Tue, 9 Aug 2011 16:35:06 +0100 Tue, 9 Aug 2011 16:33:11 +0100 FeedForAll v2.0 (2.0.3.1) http://www.feedforall.com DIFFICULT WEEKEND FOR MOTO RAPIDO DUCATI

Moto Rapido Ducati had a difficult weekend at the Brands Hatch British Superbike triple-header with mixed conditions and clutch trouble hampering the team's performance on what isn't rider Scott Smart's favourite circuit on the calendar.

Friday saw an official test on the shorter Indy circuit where Smart was able to bed in some new parts ahead of a busy day on Saturday using the full GP circuit. Two free practice session saw the Maidstone rider make progress in terms of laptimes but as they went into qualifying, a technical difficulty saw Smart just fail to make the second group.

Race one, also held on Saturday, was run in mixed conditions and a less-than-inspired tyre choice saw Smart, among others, pull in early to change rubber only to go out again to set a time for the second race grid slot for Sunday and pick up some Evo championship points.

A dry and sunny Sunday saw Smart push through to 18th place overall in the first outing of the day and he followed that up with 20th place in the second where the overall pace was faster. He moves into fifth place in the Evo championship and now looks forward to Cadwell Park where Smart expects to be back on the podium.



"Brands Hatch has never been a good track for me even though it is my home circuit. I don't know why I don't like it, I never have and have never really gone well here. We picked up some good Evo championship points and now I can look forward to three races at Cadwell Park where I realistically expect to be at least on the podium three times." said Smart.

Team manager Steve Moore added: "We worked hard all weekend to get a good setup. We made a bit of an error with the tyre choice in race one but the rest of the weekend was good from a team point of view. We're looking forward to Cadwell Park now and getting some serious points."

]]> http://www.motorapidoracing.com/news/Round-8-Brands-Hatch-Proves-Difficult-for-Smart.php FB35C13E-D44D-4891-A0CF-7B18338F35E4 Tue, 9 Aug 2011 16:33:11 +0100 SMART TAKES FIRST WIN FOR MOTO RAPIDO DUCATI


Moto Rapido Ducati’s Scott Smart took his and Moto Rapido Ducati’s first win in the British Superbike Evo class at a soaking Oulton Park yesterday, passing championship rival Glen Richards on the last lap and also beating many full Superbikes in the process.

The Maidstone-based rider showed good pace in both wet and dry conditions over Friday and Saturday, with no sign of the engine problems that plagued the team at Snetterton returning, and qualified in 20th place overall and third in class after a dry session.

Come Sunday, however, the paddock awoke to heavy rain and Smart went out in the late morning warm-up to get a feel for the conditions. As the lights went out for race one, Smart got a lightning start and stayed out of trouble into the first corner where fellow Evo rider Patric Muff dived out of contention but was unhurt.

The race settled down with Smart slowly making his way towards the front, picking off bike after bike until the safety car was brought out for oil on the track at Lodge, the final corner. As it peeled back into the pits, Smart only had Richards to beat but managed to not only pass the Australian but also three-time BSB Champion Ryuichi Kiyonari and James Ellison to finish tenth overall.

“I’d had a pretty good ride through the field and I could see Glen in the distance. I was edging closer to him but it wasn’t enough so when the safety car came out it was a bit of a blessing. I had to pass another couple of Superbikes and managed to catch him at the Shell Hairpin,” said Smart.

“I thought to myself I had to have a go, so I went past at the next corner but my legs and hands slipped off as I had a bit of a moment. I had no drive but he had to roll off too. I was helped by the last corner being slippery so it was pretty-much one line through there. I’m over the moon to give the team their first win, they’ve worked so hard to get us here.”

Team boss Steve Moore added: “The team picked themselves up from a very disappointing Snetterton and to be rewarded with our first win here at Oulton is fantastic. It is a shame the second race was cancelled but it plays into Scott’s hands as we get three as Cadwell, which is his favourite track.

“I must thank team for all their hard work. We have been racing here since 2009 and it feels great to take our first win. I hope there are many more to come.”]]> http://www.motorapidoracing.com/news/scott-smart-takes-evo-class-win-at-oulton-park.php C0244A16-5B4C-45F3-B6C3-E3C9275C5FF6 Mon, 18 Jul 2011 17:20:42 +0100 MOTUL JOIN MOTO RAPIDO DUCATI IN BRITISH SUPERBIKES

Moto Rapido Ducati are delighted to announce Motul Oils have joined the team as a technical sponsor for the rest of the 2011 British Superbike season.

The firm have kept a close eye on Moto Rapido’s progress this year and, after rider Scott Smart’s double Evo podium at Knockhill, team principal Steve Moore and Motul’s UK and Ireland brand manager Nick Turner agreed to work together for the rest of the year.

“We are very pleased to be in partnership with Moto Rapido Ducati. Their move to the Superbike class has been impressive and Scott Smart has already enjoyed several podium places in the Evo field. Our partnership was born from Motul 300V being the lubricant of choice for the very technically-minded team and we are pleased to support this fast developing Ducati team,” said Turner.

Moore added: “We were very pleased when Motul expressed an interest in working with us as it is not every day a company with Motul’s reputation and experience offer to help you with your racing programme so we are over the moon and look forward to working with them and their product development teams.”
]]> http://www.motorapidoracing.com/news/motul-oils-and-moto-rapido-racing-partner-for-bsb.php 1B789930-48F2-42C0-9B16-D5A02C876093 Wed, 29 Jun 2011 14:25:39 +0100 DOUBLE PODIUM FOR MOTO RAPIDO DUCATI IN SCOTLAND

Moto Rapido Ducati’s Scott Smart scored a double British Superbike Evo podium at Knockhill yesterday, taking third place in the opening race and then going one better in the afternoon’s second outing.

Smart showed good pace during free practice and qualifying, which were all in wet conditions, but come Sunday the heavens remained shut and both races were held on a dry track.

Race one saw the 36-year-old Maidstone rider get a good start and give the full-spec Superbike men a hard time but a small error dropped him down the order at the end. He was still over the moon with third place as there was no dry weather data to use for the race so he and the team were using best guesses.

In the second leg, Smart fought his way into the Evo class lead, and close to the overall top ten, but lost his rhythm mid-race and couldn’t find a way past Dan Linfoot’s non-Evo machine. Simon Andrews found a passing place at McIntyre’s and got past them. Smart eventually passed the young Yorkshireman but ran out of laps to chase down Andrews, who took the win.


“It was easily the best weekend we have had so far and I should have won the second race. I just lost my way mid-race and then I just could not find a way past Dan Linfoot. The only place it was close was where his full Superbike had the advantage over our Evo bike but I got past eventually,” said Smart.

“By then, Simon had gone. I’m kind of ruing that mistake but two trophies and big bag of points is a great result for the whole team and me. It makes the long drive here and back worth it.”

Team manager Steve Moore summed up: “Knockhill has always been a good track for Scott but we weren’t expecting two big trophies. We had to gamble with setup for the first race as we only had a few laps in warm-up to gather any data but it paid off.

“Scott rode well in both races, the bike didn’t miss a beat and we are over the moon to be going home with a brace of podiums. It’s a great reward for all the hard work put in by the team and the faith shown by our sponsors.”]]> http://www.motorapidoracing.com/news/double-podium-at-Knockhill.php 9C4B6436-9503-43FC-AB65-B6343250264D Wed, 29 Jun 2011 13:58:47 +0100 Gremlins put paid to strong weekend for Moto Rapido Ducati

Moto Rapido Ducati’s Scott Smart was forced to watch the second British Superbike race at Croft from the sidelines on Sunday after a technical problem on his Ducati 1198 forced him to retire early following a strong showing in the first outing.

Smart, who hails from Maidstone, had ridden his Evo-spec machine from 19th on the grid up to 14th place in race one, his vast experience and smooth style enabling him to makes up places over full Superbikes using slick tyres on a damp track. A minor error, though, saw Smart crash but he was able to re-mount, finishing the race in 21st and seventh in class.

Race two saw another strong start from the 36 year-old but his progress was halted after seven laps when a sensor which has been damaged in the crash falsely warned Smart he was about to do serious damage to his engine so with discretion being the better part of valour, he pulled off the track.

“I hadn’t expected this weekend to be so tough and I am gutted, so to speak. I had made some serious progress in the first race and the choice to run slicks on a drying track was easily the right decision. A damp patch on the way into Tower caught me out though and did some hidden damage,” said a disappointed Smart.

“I managed seven laps of race two, also making up places from my grid slot, when the main warning light appeared on my dash. This is usually terminal so I pulled straight off but it turned out to be a false alarm.”

Team manager Steve Moore summed up: “It had looked to be a good weekend for us. Scott has been strong here for the last two years and we were going well in race one until his spill.

“There isn’t much to say about the second race other than it is one of those things. We will re-group and go to Thruxton with a positive attitude. It is the team’s home race so we want to put on a good showing. I must say thanks to all our existing sponsors for their help and hello to some new ones.”]]> http://www.motorapidoracing.com/news/moto-rapido-croft-race.php CBCAABC2-FA23-43D9-9281-1171A0C1BB8E Wed, 29 Jun 2011 13:57:04 +0100 DOUBLE PODIUM AT OULTON FOR MOTO RAPIDO DUCATI

Moto Rapido Ducati’s Scott Smart took two second-place finishes in yesterday’s British Superbike Evo Championship double header at Oulton Park which means the team march into second place in the series points table ahead of the next round in a fortnight’s time.

The Maidstone rider slowly chipped away at chassis and engine settings over the Bank Holiday meeting, qualifying fourth in class at the Cheshire circuit on Sunday before making additional alterations to the motor and suspension ahead of the two races.

"Both races looked like they were going to be a bit messy and one was subject to the safety car after a Suzuki got launched into the next county. Safety cars are usually good for races but this was bad for me as it negated the seven-second gap I had built to the guys behind me," said Smart.

"It turned into a fight with a few people heading across parts of the track they shouldn’t but at the end, I crossed the line in second for the first time this year. For race two, we made a couple of changes and the bike was even better. Again, I got caught in a group but worked my way through and ended up in a fight with some full Superbike, two of which I got the better of.

"A great weekend, all in all, the team worked really hard to give me a good bike, we have got a few things to change for Croft and a couple of small tweaks to make which, obviously, we’re not going to tell anyone about it. Looking forward to it already."


Team manager Steve Moore added: "For this season, our first in British Superbikes, we scaled the team down to one bike, one rider and three people in the crew in order to be as focused as we can, and it has paid off.

"Brands Hatch was something of a public test session for us but we have made some great strides in the last week and Scott rode well all weekend. We are second in the Evo Championship, which is a just reward for the work that has been put in."

"I need to thank our main sponsors Solent Scientific, Key 2 Group and Ducati and all the guys in the shop who built the bike. We are still searching for new partners to join this front-running BSB Evo team."]]> http://www.motorapidoracing.com/news/double-podium-at-oulton-park.php D00155D7-F930-4056-9C25-455F081B023D Wed, 29 Jun 2011 13:38:58 +0100