HIGHEST MONEY EARNING SPORTSMEN IN THE WORLD | FORBES

The prestigious American Business magazine "Forbes" has published their list of the "Highest Paid Sportsmen in the Word" in the last year. The highest ranking Spaniard is Tennis Champ Rafael Nadal in 9th place with a cool 44,5M US$. The next Spaniard is F1 driver Fernando Alonso in the 21st place, followed by Basketball player Pau Gasol in 57th position & with Footballer Fernando Torres in 63rd place.

Real Madrid Portuguese star forward Cristiano Ronaldo is 2nd with 80M, only surpassed by American Boxing Champion Floyd Mayweather with a whooping 105M US$. 

Highest money earning Sportsman on Earth Forbes List:

.1. Floyd Mayweather (USA-Boxing) 105M US$
.2. Cristiano Ronaldo (POR-Football) 80M
.3. LeBron James (USA-Basketball) 72,3
.4. Lionel Messi (ARG-Football) 64,7
.5. Kobe Bryant (USA-Basketball) 61,5
.6. Tiger Woods (USA-Golf) 61,2
.7. Roger Federer (SWz-Tennis) 56,2
.8. Phil Mickelson (USA-Golf) 53,2
.9. Rafael Nadal (SP-Tennis) 44,5
10. Matt Ryan (USA-fútbol americano) 43,8
11. Manny Pacquiao (PHIL-Boxing) 41,8
12. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (SWE-Football) 40,4
13. Derrick Rose (USA-Basketball) 36,6
14. Gareth Bale (GBR-Football) 36,4
15. Radamel Falcao (COL-Football) 35,4
16. Neymar (BRA-Football) 33,6
17. Novak Djokovic (SRB-Tennis) 33,1
18. Matthew Stafford (USA-Amer.Football) 33
19. Lewis Hamilton (GBR-auto) 32
20. Kevin Durant (USA-baloncesto) 31,9
21. Fernando Alonso (SP-auto) 31
44. Sergio Agüero (ARG-Football) 23,3
45. Usain Bolt (JAM-Athletics) 23,2
57. Pau Gasol (SP-Basketball) 21,8
63. Fernando Torres (SP-Football) 21,3

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TENNIS BRAZILIAN OPEN | WELCOME BACK RAFAEL NADAL

Spanish Tennis ace RAFAEL NADAL has won the Brazilian Open at Sao Paulo this afternoon defeating Argentine DAVID NALBANDIAN 6 - 2 6 - 3 in the Final. The Brazilian Championship is not the main event, although important & another title for Rafa, the big news is that the Tennis player is back after a 7 month break healing a serious knee injury. 

Rafael Nadal has earned himself a place in Spanish Sport as its greatest Sportsman in History. The player stopped & withdrew from the World Tennis circuit when his knees said "stop". Doctors advised Nadal to halt all activities & heal his injured knees or perhaps risk never playing again. Tough decision, pain & months of rehabilitation suffering both psychically & emotionally to attempt to get back & play. Champions material & stuff indeed.

He himself has admitted that he cannot guarantee that he will regain his top level that lead him to win so many titles & put him in the Nº 1 ranking of World Tennis. The Spaniard has to take it game by game & tournament by tournament nursing his knees & choosing well his competition. Its not the same a clay court from a cement surface to a grass court.

Nadal this afternoon has made a step forward in his long road to recovery. From here we send out a big hug to Rafa & wish him luck in the next weeks & games. It is a happy day for Spanish Sport & we all should be happy as Spain regains one of its favourite sons & best ambassadors.
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MOTO GP SAN MARINO | SPANISH RIDERS WIN IN ALL 3 CATEGORIES

Excellent day at the track - Motorbike track - for SPANISH SPORTS with Spaniards proclaiming themselves winners in all three categories of the SAN MARINO MOTO GP. 

San Marino GP podium 2011

Current Spanish World Champ JORGE LORENZO put in a great race to win & cut back a few points in the World title table against Australian Casey Stoner. The Yahama team has worked hard to find some extra power for their bike & today Lorenzo showed how good he & his bike were from the start. Spanish Rider DANI PEDROSA came in a grand second after overtaking a tired team-mate Casey Stoner who himself claimed post-race that he has not been recovering from his tiredness these last days & that effected him today.

The Australian still has a comfortable cushion in the World Championship points table & looks hot favourite with 5 remaining races. Said this, Lorenzo will take things race by race as anything can still happen.


MotoGP final race standings:
1. JORGE LORENZO (SP/Yamaha)
2. DANI PEDROSA (SP/Honda)
3. Casey Stoner (AUS/Honda)


MotoGP current World Championship standings:
1. Casey Stoner 259 pts 
2. Jorge Lorenzo 224pts
3. Dovizioso 185pts
4. Dani Pedrosa 135pts


Spaniard MARC MARZQUEZ again showed why many consider him the "next Rossi" with another victory that cuts back the lead from current WC table leader Bradl. A true exhibition of riding by the 18 year old that has GP team Honda seriously looking at the youngster for the following season. The next 5 races promise to be exciting as Marquez has the World Championship in his sights.


Moto 2 final race standings:
1. MARC MARQUEZ (SP/Suter)
2. Stefan Bradl (GER/Kalex)
3. Andrea Iannone (ITA/Suter)


Moto 2 current World Championship standings:
1. Bradl 213 pts
2. Marc Márquez 190pts
3. Iannone 112 pts


Spaniard NICO TEROL won the 125cc category in the very last breath after Zarco looked back before crossing the line - did something unexplained - to lose & give Terol the victory. The Frenchmen was asked post-race what he had done & Zarco responded "I dont know". Spaniard EFREN VAZQUEZ put in an excellent race & came in third.

NICO TEROL keeps looking ahead as he attempts to consolidate his WC table place in the next 5 races.


125cc final race standings:
1. NICO TEROL (SP/Aprilia)
2. Johann Zarco (FRA/Derbi)
3. EFREN VAZQUEZ (SP/Derbi)


125cc current World Championship standings:
1º Terol (Sp) 216 pts
2º Zarco 185 pts
3º Viñales (Sp) 161 pts


NEXT RACE: SPAIN - GP of Aragon - 18th of Septembre.

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MOTO GP CZECH REP 2011 | BAD DAY AT THE RACES FOR SPANIARDS

Spanish MotoGP riders had a relatively bad day at the Czech Rep Gran Prix in all categories disputed this afternoon. The highest placed rider was young MARC MARQUEZ in the Moto 2 category who took the flag to second place, while ALBERTO MONCAYO managed a third in the 125cc category.

Marc Marquez Moto 2

Surprisingly no Spaniard gained podium in the MOTO GP category after Dani Pedrosa fell off his bike & Jorge Lorenzo made a bad tyre choice & paid for it dearly finishing in fourth position. The winner CASEY STONER opens up a 32 point gap with Lorenzo which gives him a very handy & hard to get back lead for the World Championship title.

Here are all the category results & WC table standings:


MOTO GP final places:
1. Casey Stoner (AUS/Honda)
2. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA/Honda)
3. Marco Simoncelli (ITA/Honda)
4. JORGE LORENZO (SP/Yamaha)


MOTO GP World Championship classification table:
1. Casey Stoner (AUS/Honda) 218pts
2. JORGE LORENZO (SP/Yamaha) 186
3. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA/Honda) 163


MOTO 2 final places:
1. Andrea Iannone (ITA/Suter)
2. MARC MARQUEZ (SP/Kalex)
3. Stefan Bradl (GER/Kalex)


Moto 2 World Championship classification table:
1. Stefan Bradl (GER/Kalex) 183pts
2. MARC MARQUEZ (SP/Suter) 140
3. Alex De Angelis (RSM/Motobi) 95


125cc final places:
1. Sandro Cortese (GER/Aprilia)
2. Johann Zarco (FRA/Derbi)
3. Alberto Moncayo (SP/Aprilia)
4. Héctor Faubel (SP/Aprilia)
5. Sergio Gadea (SP/Aprilia)
6. Maverick Viñales (SP/Aprilia)


125cc World Championship classification table:
1. NICO TEROL (SP/Aprilia) 166pts
2. Johann Zarco (FRA/Aprilia) 154
3. MAVERICK VIÑALES (SP(Aprilia) 132


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SPANISH SPORTS | RAFAEL NADAL WINS HIS SIXTH FRENCH OPEN TENNIS TITLE

SPANISH SPORTS received another glorious historical moment this afternoon thanks to an extraordinary Spanish Sportsman. Spaniard & World Nº1 Tennis player RAFAEL NADAL won his 6th FRENCH OPEN title after defeating ROGER FEDERER 7-5, 7-6,5-7,6-1 in the 2011 Final in Paris France. The 25 year old Rafael Nadal equals the record feat of Bjorn Borg with six French Open titles,  & no one doubts that the Spaniard canfor nada surpass this record mark in the future.

Rafael Nadal with his 6th French Open

The road to the title has been difficult & hard worked for Nadal who came into this tournament with 4 straight Final defeats in the previous tournaments to rival Serb Novak Djokovic, in less than optimum form & with psychological doubts with his play. The response to all this has been an extraordinary effort to surpass himself in all aspects that once again highlights that we all are witnesses to a great Champion. 

Nadal & Federer 2011 French Open Final

The game started totally in Federer favour with an aggressive start that caught Nadal cold, off guard & in doubts. The perseverance of the Spaniard allowed the him to came back from  a 2 - 5 situation to take the first set 7 - 5. This was a key moment of the match & a psychological blow that Federer did not fully recover from totally although the Master came back in waves to show us some grand Tennis. The 3rd set was perhaps the Swiss best moment making a remarkable comeback from 2 - 4 to take the set 5 - 7. However, Rafael Nadal regained composure & kept his mind on the work still ahead to calm his nerves to breeze through the 4th s& winning set to become a French Open Tennis legend with his 6th title.

I have run out of words to describe both these gallant Sportsmen & Tennis players, but I choke to find more superlatives to add for Rafael Nadal. Without any doubt at all, Rafael Nadal is Spains greatest Sportsman in its History , & the man has only 25 years of age with more titles to win before he calls an end to his Tennis career.
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SPANISH MOTO GP 2011 JEREZ | LORENZO - TEROL WIN THEIR CATEGORIES

A wet & slippery Jerez circuit made todays SPAIN MOTO GP 2011 in all catagories exciting, controversial & with Spanish riders doing overall well. 

Jorge Lorenzo win Spanish MotoGP 2011

Current Spanish GP World Champion JORGE LORENZO managed to win in the GP category giving him the maximum points to take him into top spot of the current classifiaction table with 45 points. Secod place with 36 points is another Spaniard, Dani Pedrosa who came in second in  todays race infront of American Nicky Hayden who was third.

Rossi & Stoner incident 

Currently third on the World Championship classification table, Australian Casey Stoner did not finish due to a "race incident" with Italian Valentino Rossi when the latter slipped-slided in a risky curve manoeuvre that took out Stoner. Rossi managed to get back on his bike & he finished 5th, causing Stoners anger to explode even more after the Australian left  furious & latter applauded "ironcally" as Rossi rode pass.

Rossi visited Stoner in boxes after the race to excuse himself but Stoner looked extremely "pissed-off" as he did nt get any points due to Rossi´s very "aggressive riding" that cancelled him out & his chances to win todays race. 

Iannone wins Moto2

IANNONE won the Moto2 category ahead of Luthi with third place to Corsi. The best placed Spanish rider was SIMON who came in 6th in today's race. Promoted Spanish rider & last years 125cc World Champion Marc Marquez again failed to finish after a rider collided into his bike forcing Marquez to retire.

Spanish rider Terol wins 125cc

Big win for Spaniard TEROL who takes the lead in the 125cc World Champions table. The seconds place race winner today was Folger & third place went to Zarco

There will be a short break & MOTO GP returns the beginning of May with the Portuguese GP Tweet

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FORMULA 1 SEASON KICKS OFF | ALONSO 4TH - ALGUERSUAR 23RD

The Formula 1 season kicked off in Melbourne Australia with Current World Champion Sebastian Vettel starting as he finished last season; untouchable & winning the Australian GP 2011. Englishman Lewis Hamilton came in second & the surprise was Petrov with his third.

Fernando Alonso : photo Ap

However, although I congratulate the winners, the main concern here for obvious reasons is to describe how our Spanish Sportsmen & Formula 1 drivers – Fernando Alonso & Jaime Alguersuar – faired in the race.


Two time World Champion & Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso finished fourth & nearly managed to overtake third placed Petrov in a stunning last part of the race. The Spaniard admitted in the post race press conference that his main big mistake was at the start where he was 5th & due to “traffic” problems made a “wrong” situation decision that put him behind the “8 ball” for the rest of the race. The Spaniard then managed to maintain his position, get into 4th  & nearly finished on the podium.


The other Spaniard Jaime Alguersuar finished 23rd after he collided with another car at the start that forced him into boxes which made it difficult to gain the lost time & places for points.


Next race: the Malaysian GP. Tweet

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F1 2010 | FERNANDO ALONSO FINISHES SUB - WORLD CHAMPION

Firstly, congratulations to SEBASTIAN VETTEL for winning the Abu Dhabi F1 Gran Prix & in doing so becoming the F1 2010 WORLD CHAMPION. The German becomes the youngest driver in F1 History to do so. Secondly, congratultions to Spanish two time World Champion FERNANDO ALONSO who finished sub - Champion just 4 points behind Vettel. The work & the season done with Ferrari has been extraordinary & above all expectations as Alonso managed to get to where he finished via his talent & not by his car that has been below the levels that we are accustomed from Ferrari.

Sebastian Vettel celebrates becoming 2010
F1 World Champion

In fact the better driver "overall" lost to the better car "overall". This & a bad strategic decision allowed Vettel to grab the World title when he did not even expect it before the start of todays race. The rival for Alonso was Webber & all of Ferrari´s plans were focused on staying ahead of the Australian , holding out & finishing 4th,  but no one took into account an accident by Schumacher that allowed in a "safety car" onto the track that changed things dramatically &  opened doors closed beforehand. 


Most started with soft rubbers with the idea of changing to hard in the 10th-15th lap. Webber was 5th behind Alonso (who Button overtook in the start & the Englishman decided not to stop at all) & with the safety car on the track Red Bull decided to pull in Webber & change to hard rubbers. Obviously Ferrari thought that they could not allow Webber to fly away & decided to follow the same idea. What happened is that Alonso found drivers -"obstacles" (others had decided too change as well) when he got back & a stubborn Petrov that did not allow him to pass & get back to the 4th position. In fact, Alonso was "trapped" until the end of the race behind Petrov.


The Red Bull team had sacrificed Webber, knowing Ferrari was thinking in him & not Vettel & played their cards that Vettel would escape & Alonso would be blocked below the 5th place that he needed to become World Champion. Ferrari should have not followed Webber, gone on further to secure places while others did rubber changes & then gone in to get back without "traffic" problems. Ferrari had fallen into the Red Bull trap - line, hook & sinker - as Ferrari had configurated Alonso´s car for a "defensive" strategy" & did not have the horse -power to overtake Petrov & win back places. The rest is now history.

Fernando Alonso - sub Champion F1 2010

The final F1 World Championship Table looks like this:

1. Sebastian Vettel (GER) – 256 pts

2. Fernando Alonso (ESP) – 252 pts

3. Mark Webber (AUS) – 242 pts

4. Lewis Hamilton (ENG) – 240 pts

5. Jenson Button (ENG) – 214 pts

Having written all of the above, merit cannot be taken away from the Red Bull whom were the far better team & deserved to win. Congratulations! Tweet

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MOTO GP 2010 | SPANISH WORLD CHAMPIONS IN ALL THREE CATAGORIES

Dream day for Spanish Sports & Motobikes as young 17 year old Spanish rider MARC MARQUEZ proclaimed himself 125 cc World Champion 2010. Marquez finished 4th in todays Valencia (Spain) race & securing the points necessary as he needed to finish in the top 8 places.

2010 World Champion 125cc - Marc Marquez

In Moto 2 , World Champion Toni Elias fell & in GP World Champion Jorge Lorenzo won in his catagory. As you may well have already figured all Three World Champions in each catagory are in fact Spanish riders. This puts Spain in the maximum level of the Sport with sub- Champions also Spanish riders in the mentioned catagories. Bright future & spectacular moment for the country . Congratulations to all Spanish riders & thanks for the wonderfull 2010 season.

Three World Champions 2010 - all Spanish - Elias (Moto2),
Lorenzo (GP) & Marquez (125cc)

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SPANISH SPORTS | JORGE LORENZO MOTO GP TONI ELIAS MOTO 2 WORLD CHAMPIONS 2010 | RAFAEL NADAL WINS TOKYO TENNIS TITLE

I am currently out of town in the countryside & have at my disposal  a primative "Wi-fi" which is very slow; thus it limits my availabilty to stay connected too long. Said this please excuse the shortness of the posts until I get back to the "big smoke".
_____________________________________________
Woke up this morning to find that SPANISH SPORTS has two new WORLD CHAMPIONS & that RAFAEL NADAL had won the Tokyo Tennis Trophy.

MOTO GP 2010 World Champion JORGE LORENZO

Spanish MOTO GP rider JORGE LORENZO proclaimed himself mathematically MOTO GP WORLD CHAMPION 2010 after coming in third in todays MALAYSIAN GP race. The winner was Valentino Rossi followed by Italian Dovisioso, but Lorenzo only needed to come in the first 9 places to secure the title. He adds this grand title to his other two 250cc WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

Congratulations Lorenzo!

MOTO 2 2010 World Champion TONI ELIAS

Spaniard TONI ELIAS proclaimed himself mathematically MOTO 2 2010 WORLD CHAMPION after coming in second in todays race in the MALAYSIAN GP. Congratulations to Toni as well!

Finally, although the 125cc World Title is still up for grabs, another young Spaniard MARQUEZ won his race in Malaysia to get top spot on the classification ladder & open up excellent options to gain the title.Wish him luck.

RAFAEL NADAL wins 2010 Tokyo Tournament

Spanish World Nº1 ranked Tennis player RAFAEL NADAL won the 2010 TOKYO Tournament defeating Frenchman Gael Monfils 6-1 7-5.

Wish we - all Spaniards - wake up every Sunday with this great news for Spanish Sports always :O)
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TENNIS : RAFAEL NADAL DEFEATS DJOKOVIC IN 4 SETS TO WIN THE 2010 US OPEN

Many of us here in Spain have woken up this morning to read the best news to open a new day. That Spanish Tennis player RAFAEL NADAL finally managed to finish his rain interrupted match against Novak Djokovic in the Final of the 2010 US OPEN with a 6-4 5-7 6-4 6-2 victory.

The 24 year old World Nº1 Tennis Player becames a Tennis Legend to join the select group of Tennis players - seven - who have won all four Grand Slam titles. The US Open was the last & resisting competition that Rafael Nadal needed & he won it this morning (Sp time) in a convincing fashion.

The US Open Final was cancelled last Sunday by rain & was interrupted again yesterday by rain when Nadal was firing & ahead 6- 4 , 4-4. After the break Djokovic came out aggressive & took the 2º set 5-7, but Nadal regained his concentration & manage to win back the intiative the 3ºset & then won the 4ºset for victory. The match was not easy & was solidly fought out by Novak with more than three & a half hours of Tennis.

Historical victory for Spanish Tennis & for Spanish Sports as Rafael Nadal, in my opinion, continues demostarting that he is the "Greatest Spanish Sportman in HIstory". Said this, with 24 years of age there is still a big margen for more titles & more fabulous days of Tennis joy.

The US Open victory is his 9th Glam Slam Title & curiously becomes the first player ever to win 3 Grand Slam titles in a row ( French Open , Wimbeldon & US Open) on 3 different surfaces.

Rafael Nadal is currently 7th in the Historical Grand Slam rankings & no doubt will be climbing the table in the coming years:

1. Roger Federer (SWI): 16 (4 AUS, 1 RG, 6 WIM, 5 US)
2. Pete Sampras (USA): 14 (2 AUS, 7 WIM, 5 US)
3. Roy Emerson (AUS): 12 (6 AUS, 2 RG, 2 WIM, 2 US)
4. Rod Laver (AUS): 11 (3 AUS, 2 RG, 4 WIM, 2 US)
+. Bjorn Borg (SWE): 11 (6 RG, 5 WIM)
6. Bill Tilden (USA): 10 (3 WIM, 7 US)
7. Rafael Nadal (SP): 9 (1 AUS, 5 RG, 2 WIM, 1 US)
8. Andre Agassi (EEUU): 8 (4 AUS, 1 RG, 1 WIM, 2 US)
+. Fred Perry (UK): 8 (1 AUS, 1 RG, 3 WIM, 3 US)
+. Jimmy Connors (USA): 8 (1 AUS, 2 WIM, 5 US)
+. Ken Rosewall (AUS): 8 (4 AUS, 2 RG, 2 US)
+. Ivan Lendl (CH REP): 8 (2 AUS, 3 RG, 3 US) Tweet

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FORMULA 1 | FERNANDO ALONSO WINS 2010 ITALIAN GP AT MONZA

Good news from Monza (Italy) the home of Ferrari & for Spanish Sports with the victory of Spanish Formula 1 driver FERNANDO ALONSO in the Italian GP. The Ferrari driver won his third F1 race this season putting in a fantastic performance after Button overtook him early in the start & then retook the lead after a dramatic & perfect pit stop that put Alonso back ahead & onto the victory. Part of the victory must go to the Ferrari team who put in a perfect job with the car, the strategy & the perfect pit stop.

Fernando Alonso also was favoured when Lewis Hamilton abandoned the race, did not finish thus did not gain any points for this race.

Fernando Alonso now gets back into World Championship Title contention with this victory as he is now third placed in the Classifications table & there are still 5 races left to battle for the points.

Today’s results:
1. Alonso (Sp) ; 2. J Button ( UK); 3 F. Massa (Bra)

Current World Championships Table:

1. M Webber (Aus) -187 pts
2. L. Hamilton (UK) – 182 pts
3. F . Alonso (Sp) – 166 pts

Next race - Singapur

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SPANISH SPORTS | TENNIS RAFAEL NADAL WINS HIS 5TH FRENCH OPEN | SPANISH RIDERS HIGH IN MOTO GP

Great & outstanding weekend for SPANISH SPORTS in two areas were Spanish Sportsman are traditionally strong: Clay-court Tennis & Motogp racing.

Spanish Tennis ace & World Nº1 , as of tomorrow, RAFAEL NADAL won his 5th FRENCH OPEN after defeating 6-4 6-2 6-4 Swede Robin Soderling. The Spaniard regains all the lost ground after suffrering a terrible year with injuries that showed by his tears of joy straight after winning the Final. The Tennis Champ commented the media after the game that this was his most emotional victory.

Rafael Nadal has won all the "clay-court" tournaments this season which apart from being extraordinary to say the least, confirms him as the "Best Tennis Player" on the surface. He now travels to London & changes surface for grass as he prepares for the Wimbledon tournament with his new Nº1 World Tennis ranking.

In MOTO GP celebrated in Italy today Spanish riders again had a fabulous day with wins & excellent positions in all catagories. The absence of Italian Champion Valentino Rossi was dearly felt & the track felt a loss of presence that from here we wish him a speedy & tranquil recovery.

In the MotoGP catagory Spanish rider DANI PEDROSA won from the start with Spanish rider Jorge Lorenzo second followed by Italian Dovizioso third. JORGE LORENZO maintains his top spot in the classification & is favourite to take the World title this season although today was not his day & Pedrosa put himself up as a potential candidate.

The current MotoGp World Championship table stands as follows:
1. J.Lorenzo 90pts; 2. D.Pedrosa 65pts; 3. Rossi 61pts

In MOTO2 Italian IANNONE broke the Spanish dominance with a grand race that had Spaniard GADEA second & CORSI third. Spaniard TONI ELIAS who had a bad race still maintains himself Nº1 in the current World Moto2 standing with 75 pts with a healthy gap over second placed Japanese rider Tomizawa.

In the 125cc catagory Spanish riders dominanted taking the all 3 Top positions : MARQUEZ, TEROL & ESPARAGO. This follows basically the trend in the current World championship table also dominanted by Spanish riders with 1. Terol 85pts; 2.Esparagó 79pts; 3. Marquez 57pts.

Next race : British GP

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GREAT SPANISH SPORTS WEEKEND: NADAL TAKES ROMA MASTERS 1000 & ALL THREE IN MOTO GP

Source: SFS Blog /
Great Weekend for Spanish Sports with Spaniards dominating Tennis & MotoGP.

Spanish Tennis Champ RAFAEL NADAL defeated another Spaniard David Ferrer 7-5 6-2 in the rain interrupted Final of the ROMA Masters 1000. This is the 5th straight win in Roma for Nadal & he equals Andre Agassi with 17 Masters 1000 titles.

Nadal reconfirms his status as the "Best clay-court Tennis Player in the World" & is setting himself up form wise for the soon French Open; while at the same time he cuts points from Nº1 Roger Federer.

In the Spanish MotoGp held in the Spanish city of Jerez, Spaniards were winners in all of the 3 catagories:
In 125cc - Pol Esparago
In Moto 2 - Toni Elias
Moto GP - Jorge Lorenzo (below) with second to another Spaniard Dani Pedrosa, with Rossi third.

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FORMULA 1 | 2010 | FERNANDO ALONSO 4TH PLACE IN CHINA GP

Spanish Formula 1 Driver FERNANDO ALSONSO has finished 4th in the 2010 CHINA GP in rainy conditions & an accidental race that gave us an authentic dance of changing positions. The other Spaniard who got a place was JAIME ALGUERSUARI who is quickly learning & catching the eye of many, while Spanish veteran driver DE LA ROSA didn´t finish.

Alonso was sanctioned for a starting violation that possibly cost him an achievable podium position (forced to do a “drive-through via pit lane). However, the merit must all go to the winner Button (McLaren) who did an excellent race, along with Hamilton who finished second & took it all to the edge, risking himself with sanctions for pit stop entry violations (some think he escaped again from them thanks to favouritism) , & third placed Rosberg.
The F1 World Championship calssification table current looks this way:

1. Button 60 pts
2. Rosberg 50pts
3. Alonso 49 pts
4. Hamilton 49pts

Just to finish off, once again we saw subtle signs of the uneasy relationship between Ferrari team-mates Alonso & Massi. As written here weeks back, their is a tense “calm” awaiting to explode, as both are under strict orders from Ferrari not to illustrate to the “open World” any conflict. However,several pit lane manouvers today makes one think how long this “artificial” relationship will last before it explodes.

Next race: SPAIN Tweet

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FORMULA 1: FERNANDO ALONSO FELIPE MASSA - A "HAPPY" TEAM-MATE RELATION FULL OF "INCIDENTS"

Source: Spanish Football Sports Blog /
Theses two "happy" team-mates are NOT friends. Spanish two time F1 World Champion FERNANDO ALONSO & Brazilian Sub-World Champion FELIPE MASSA have been joined together by “destiny” to represent the famous colours of Italian racing car legend FERRARI. As professionals, & under strict orders from their Italian employers, they are “forbidden” to voice &/or express any divergent disagreement in public. The powerful Ferrari Public Relations team is in charge to give us all the image that they are happy mates at the team & only super competitive on the track – "competition is healthy" is the saying.

But don’t be fooled. Both have their egos the size of the “Empire State Building” & both wish to be World Champions; the Brazilian was a “hairs breath” away in season 2008 were he privately still blames Renault, & indirectly Alonso as a co-conspirator, for losing the F1 World Title in the 2008 Singapore F1 “Pique Incident” which starved Massi out of points that would cost him dearly. But the Massa – Alonso clashes (or Alonso – Massa) come from way back. In 2007 in another “incident”, both accused each other of dangerous driving & attempting to take out the other off the track in the Europa F1 race. The verbal attacks straight after the race were televised & very public.

What raised eye-brows of an a persistent ingrained suspicion from the Brazilian was the public comments that Massa made straight after it was made official that he would be sharing team with Alonso, again recalling the “Singapore” incident & Alonsos involvement, which he later “rectified” by order of Ferrari.

Yesterday in the Malaysian F1 race, we again witnessed “vibrations” that both don’t share a beer in their time off when Massa manoeuvred, or protected his advantage, while Alonso climbed the classification standings lap after lap before the Spaniard blew out his engine. This unfortunate “incident” should have given Massa a smile as Alonso did not score any points, & thus facilitated that the Brazilian became the provisional leader of the World Championship table after only three races. The Ferrari Public Relations team flooded the press with great pictures of hugs & ...“bad luck mate” next time.

How long will the peace all last? Both are extreme professionals who know perfectly well the “brand” they represent, & that they are the public image of Ferrari throughout the World. Both will follow orders, but the season is long & many strange things happen throughout its course. Now that things are relatively on course with team objectives everything is fine, but if Ferrari cannot solve their apparent motor anomalies? If Alonso doesn’t win races as expected or Massa doesn’t get podiums? He they - God forbid - get involved in a "racing incident"? Plenty of work for the Ferrari Public Relations team I would suspect, they may be hoping that they won’t have to do long & difficult extra-hours. Tweet

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