Speed Dating: May 4 – May 10, 2009

May 4

Happy birthday to Jorge Lorenzo (ES), who was born on this date in 1987. The 2006 and 2007 250cc world champion scored a total of sixteen victories in the 250cc class, more then any other Spanish rider. Lorenzo began his MotoGP career last year with the Fiat Yamaha team. He took three poles and a victory at Estoril to begin the season, but his season was sidetracked by injuries, beginning with a horrific high-side at the Chinese Grand Prix and followed by crashes at the three subsequent races. Lorenzo finished the year in fourth position, but is off to another strong start in his 2009 season: he has a victory at Motegi and sits third in the championship, though he crashed out of yesterday’s race in Jerez.

Gary Mason (UK) was born on this date in 1979. Mason has competed mainly in the British Supersport and Superbike championships since 2000, though he also had a short-lived AMA Supersport stint with Corona Honda in 2007. He has raced for a variety of the series’ top teams, including Virgin Mobile Yamaha, Stobart Honda, and Hydrex Honda. This season, Mason is competing in the British Superbike Championship as a privateer. He’s a leading competitor for the Mirror.co.uk Cup, given to the series’ top privateer.

Umberto Masetti (IT)was born on this date in 1926. Masetti began his Grand Prix career in 1949 with Moto Morini in the 125cc class. In 1950, Masetti took his first world championship with the 500cc title, riding for the Gilera team. He became the first Italian to ever win the premier-class crown, and would win the championship for the team again in 1952. Masetti moved to the MV Agusta factory team in 1955, and after four seasons with the team, retired in 1958. Masetti died in 2006.

On this date in 1975, Hideo Kanaya (JP) became the first Japanese rider to win a 500cc Grand Prix, during the Austrian round at the Salzburgring. Kanaya also took a win in the 350cc class at the event, the first and only Japanese rider to win two classes in one Grand Prix event. Kanaya would finish the year third in the 500cc standings, but 1975 would be his last year in the world championships.

May 5

Freelance photographer Andrew Wheeler (UK) was born on this date, but he isn’t telling us what year. He has the unfortunate assignment of attending and photographing MotoGP and WSBK races from around the world, as well as AMA Pro Road Racing events. His stunning images can be seen in Road Racer X, as well as many other publications around the world, and he’s a talented writer as well. Wheeler is also a leader in the field of horse and equestrian photography.

Libero Liberati (IT) was killed on this date in 1962 while testing his race bike on public roads. Liberati, the 1957 500cc world champion, won six races in only fifteen Grand Prix appearances.

May 6

Robertino Pietri (VE) was born on this date in 1985. Pietri, the 2006 FMV Venezuelan Superbike champion and the 2006 FIM Latin American Superbike Champion, has been competing in AMA Pro Road Racing since 2006. He currently rides for Team E.S.P. Yamaha in the Daytona Sportbike class.

Happy birthday to Chris Carr (US), who was born on this date in 1967. Carr is a seven-time AMA Grand National dirt-track champion, who took five consecutive championships from 2001 to 2005. Carr also spent three seasons road racing in the AMA Superbike series, where he won Rookie of the Year honors in 1995. In 2006, Carr made his way into the motorcycle land-speed record books, piloting the BUB Number 7 Streamliner to a two-pass average speed of 350.8 mph. The record was broken last year by Rocky Robinson and his Top 1 Oil Ack Attack Streamliner, which Robinson drove to 360.913 MPH.

May 7

World Superbike rider Yukio Kagayama (JP) was born on this date in 1974. The Suzuki Alstare Brux rider has competed in WSBK since 2001, and has a total of four wins. Kagayama currently sits twelfth in the standings after four rounds of the 2009 series.

Happy birthday to 2009 Daytona 200 winner Ben Bostrom (US), who was born on this date in 1974. Bostrom, who began his career on dirt tracks, holds the distinction of winning the 1998 AMA Superbike Championship without a single race win. Bostrom would go on to have a largely successful foray in the World Superbike series, taking six wins for Ducati in 2001. Bostrom won the 2008 AMA Supersport championship while riding for Graves Motorsports Yamaha. This year, Bostrom rides for the factory Yamaha team in the American Superbike class, where he sits fifth in the standings after four rounds.

Erv Kanemoto (JP) was born on this date in 1943. Kanemoto began his career as a race mechanic with Kawasaki in 1968, and helped Gary Nixon to the 1973 U.S. Road Racing National Championship by tuning the decidedly evil H2R 750cc two-stroke. With a move to Honda in 1982, Kanemoto found a place for himself on the Grand Prix circuit, helping Freddie Spencer, Eddie Lawson, Luca Cadalora, and Max Biaggi to Grand Prix championships, first as a crew chief and later as a team owner. Kanemoto continued his involvement in racing as a consultant to Suzuki and later Honda.

RRX editor Chris Jonnum (US) was born on this date in 1968. Jonnum has served as the editor of RRX since its first issue in 2003. He also authored the definitive book on the Hayden brothers, The Haydens: Nicky, Tommy, & Roger, From OWB to MotoGP.

RRX intern Matt Coffey (US) was born on this date in 1987. While his accomplishments on the racetrack are limited, he once rode in a laundromat dryer on spin cycle for twenty seconds to claim a one-dollar bet. And yes ladies, he’s single.

May 8

Michael “Mick” Doohan (AU) suffered a career-ending crash on this date in 1999 at Jerez. He shattered his leg in several places during qualifying for the Spanish Grand Prix, and announced his retirement soon after. The five-time 500cc world champ (1994-1998) ended his career with fifty-four wins and five consecutive championships, a feat later equaled by Valentino Rossi (2001-2005) and bettered only by Giacomo Agostini’s seven consecutive titles from 1966 to 1972.

Colin Edwards (US) scored his first ever World Superbike Championship win on this date in 1998 at Monza.  The Honda RC45-mounted Edwards followed up his Race 1 win with another victory the following day. Edwards would go on to take a third win later that year at Brands Hatch, and he finished 1998 fifth in the championship.