Haslam and Melandri at BMW in 2012

Leon Haslam believes the arrival of Marco Melandri will be a positive boost for both himself and BMW as he begins his preparations for the 2012 World Superbike Championship season.

Haslam, runner-up with Suzuki in 2010, scored three podium finishes on the way to fifth place in the final standings, but struggled to be a consistent front-runner aboard the temperamental BMW S1000RR.

However, Haslam is feeling confident about his chances ahead of 2012, insisting BMW has implemented many of the changes he felt were required to make the bike a stronger package.

He is also pleased to have a strong team-mate in Melandri, the Italian, who finished second to Carlos Chec last season, switching to BMW following Yamaha's withdrawal from the series

"I have known him for years and he used to live nearby me in England," he said. "We used to ride motocross together as well. I am happy to have Marco as a team-mate. The opinions he has given about the bike are the same ones I had last year. Marco brings a lot of experience and it is good to have a fast team-mate as well."

"We have got a lot of the changes to the bike that we were asking for year last year, some new staff and a new structure. I still have my crew chief Giacomo Guidotti, plus two new mapping and data analysis guys, Bruno and Stefano. The main factors we have improved with the package are electronics, engine management and machine rideability."

Having made a handful of post-season test outings last year, Haslam will return to the track next week at Valencia before flying out to Australia to prepare for the opening round of the season.

"We are going to Europe to test next week, at Valencia, then we will be heading to Australia for some track time with lots of other teams, and then the official tests before the first race. The testing ban has made it a very long winter so I am really eager to get back into it again."

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The Marco Simoncelli Foundation

"The Marco Simoncelli Foundation" began as an idea of Carlo Pernat (Simoncelli’s manager) and was immediately embraced by the Simoncelli family, who worked quickly to make the foundation a legal reality.

"We completed all of the paperwork in a very short time," said Paolo Simoncelli, "and we are ready to start work." The president of the foundation will be Marco’s mother Rossella, while Paolo Simoncelli’s sister Angela and Dr. Arnaldo Cappellini will sit on the board of directors. Sister Martina and girlfriend Kate, with assistance from Carlo Pernat and Paolo Beltramo (Mediaset MotoGP journalist and friend) will offer their assistance.

"We already have several initiatives underway. For example, on January 20 an event titled 'Happy Birthday Sic' will be held at the 105 Stadium in Rimini, an evening designed for fun as my son would have liked. There will be comedians from the TV show Zelig on stage and many of Simoncelli’s friends from the GP paddock are also expected to show up. We are also working on an exhibition dedicated to Marco in the City of Coriano, managed directly by the Foundation. We are just getting started and we're surrounded by positivity that was so typical of Marco, positivity that affected everyone around him and made him an extraordinary person."

"The basic premise of the Foundation," explained Paolo Simoncelli, "is that through keeping the memory of Marco alive we can help alleviate suffering of those who are worse off than us. It is hard for me to say where and how the funds raised will be distributed, since I cannot assess how much we will have available as time goes by. One thing is certain; I will try and manage all this as a good father."

"We received a huge number of messages of affection for Marco" added Paolo Simoncelli, "and this has helped and continues to help us overcome the difficult times that we live with daily. Seeing how many people loved our son has helped us go on and we believe that ‘The Marco Simoncelli Foundation’ represents the best way to remember him in the future."

Reference: http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2011/Marco+Simoncelli+Foundation

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Jorge Lorenzo News: Recovery progressing well on finger injury

This week the Spanish rider started rehabilitation for the finger injury he sustained at Phillip Island just over three weeks ago, and hopes to be able to return to gym work on Monday.

Having missed the last two rounds of the season and this week’s Valencia Test after injuring a finger on his left hand on a warm-up session crash at the Australian GP on October 16th, Jorge Lorenzo is almost ready to return to full physical activity.

The Yamaha Factory Racing rider underwent surgery on the finger immediately after the injury, and this week began his rehabilitation. On Monday he expects to be able to start working in the gym, as the progress of his recovery takes another step forward.

Lorenzo will take part in the All Stars GP Karting Indoor event on December 18th in Barcelona, alongside F1, Indy Car and Rally drivers.

The Spaniard will next be back on his factory 2012 M1 for the Official MotoGP Test at Sepang, which is scheduled for January 31st to February 2nd.

Resources:

http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2011/lorenzo+phisycal+condition+update

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