Seedorf Racing
Encyclopedia
Seedorf Racing was a motorcycle
racing team owned by Dutch
footballer Clarence Seedorf
. It took part in the 125cc World Championship
from 2003
until 2007
.
The team was founded in 2002 by Seedorf himself, as a project that he was undertaking to support young sportsmen. The first appearance was in the Spanish 125cc Championship
, with the rider Ismael Ortega. In the Australia
n Grand Prix, Álvaro Bautista
finished fourth, being the first Spaniard in the final classification. In the Valencian Community Grand Prix, Bautista managed to finish in sixth position. During the first half of the season the English
racer Christopher Martin rode the second bike, while Danish
racer Robbin Harms rode it during the second half. During the CEV Isamel Ortega was his partner, finishing fourth with two podiums.
In 2004, Brazil
ian footballer Roberto Carlos became a co-owner, and the team became Seedorf RC3. The team stayed in the 125cc World Championship in 125cc with Héctor Barberá
and Álvaro Bautista as riders, the first one earning the subchampionship. Barberá won a total of four races (Catalunya, Rio de Janeiro, Portugal and Valencia) and another three podiums (second in Germany and third in Jerez and Italy),while Álvaro Bautista was up at the top four times (second in England, and third in Qatar
, Malaysia and Australia
), occupying the seventh place of the final general classification.
In 2006, Seedorf Racing team up with the Racing World team of Stefano Bedon; the coalition became known as Seedorf Racing World, which raced under an Italian
license. Their riders were Fabrizio Lai
and Michele Conti and were on Honda
, the team's best achievement was in the French GP
with Lai taking third place. 2007 was the second year of pairing, but this time with the Gruppo Piaggio, as the team became the official factory team on board a Derbi
, and their riders are Lukas Pesek
winning two races in China
and Australia
while Spaniard
Nicolas Terol
, who is the only Spanish
Derbi representative this year, scoring small points.
2008 was a turning point for the joint team when they agreed to part ways with Piaggio
and Derbi
mutually due to some disagreements and problems. The team dropped the status as the works Derbi team and switched to KTM
. The team was on the provisional list as Seedorf KTM 125, but Seedorf and Stefano Bedon parted ways. Since Seedorf Racing was no longer run by Seedorf himself, the team was disestablished. Bedon continued his Racing World to run as I.S.P.A. KTM Aran.
- Seedorf Racing (Aprilia) Álvaro Bautista
= Place: 20th, 31pts. Robbin Harms = Place: 26th, 8pts.
2004
- Seedorf Racing (Aprilia) Héctor Barberá
= Place: 2nd, 202pts. Álvaro Bautista
= Place: 7th, 129pts.
2005
- Seedorf RC3 - Tiempo Holidays (Honda) Álvaro Bautista
= Place: 15th, 47pts. Aleix Espargaró
= Place: 16th, 36pts.
2006
- Valsir Seedorf Racing (Honda) Fabrizio Lai
= Place: 11th, 83pts. Michele Conti = Place: Not Classified, 0pts.
2007
- Valsir Seedorf Derbi Lukáš Pešek
= Place: 4th, 182pts. Nicolás Terol
= Place: 22nd, 19pts.
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
racing team owned by Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
footballer Clarence Seedorf
Clarence Seedorf
Clarence Clyde Seedorf OON is a Dutch footballer who currently plays as an attacking midfielder for Serie A club Milan. Seedorf is the first player to have won the Champions League with three different clubs - Ajax in 1995, Real Madrid in 1998 and Milan in 2003 and 2007...
. It took part in the 125cc World Championship
Grand Prix motorcycle racing
Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix is the premier championship of motorcycle road racing currently divided into three distinct classes: 125cc, Moto2 and MotoGP. The 125cc class uses a two-stroke engine while Moto2 and MotoGP use four-stroke engines. In 2010 the 250cc two-stroke was replaced...
from 2003
2003 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season
The 2003 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 55th F.I.M. Road racing World Championship season.-Season summary:Defending champion Valentino Rossi won his 3rd MotoGP championship in 2003, winning 9 races, highlighted by his win at Phillip Island where he was given a 10 second penalty for...
until 2007
2007 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season
The 2007 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 59th F.I.M Road Racing World Championship season. The 2007 season was significant as it introduced a new regulation which specifies that competitors in the MotoGP class can use up to 800 cc motorcycles; between 2002 and 2006, competitors had...
.
The team was founded in 2002 by Seedorf himself, as a project that he was undertaking to support young sportsmen. The first appearance was in the Spanish 125cc Championship
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, with the rider Ismael Ortega. In the Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n Grand Prix, Álvaro Bautista
Álvaro Bautista
Álvaro Bautista is a Spanish Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. He currently competes in the MotoGP class of the Grand Prix Motorcycle World Championship...
finished fourth, being the first Spaniard in the final classification. In the Valencian Community Grand Prix, Bautista managed to finish in sixth position. During the first half of the season the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
racer Christopher Martin rode the second bike, while Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
racer Robbin Harms rode it during the second half. During the CEV Isamel Ortega was his partner, finishing fourth with two podiums.
In 2004, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian footballer Roberto Carlos became a co-owner, and the team became Seedorf RC3. The team stayed in the 125cc World Championship in 125cc with Héctor Barberá
Héctor Barberá
Héctor Barberá Vall is a Spanish Grand Prix motorcycle road racer competing in the MotoGP class aboard an Aspar Racing Team Ducati....
and Álvaro Bautista as riders, the first one earning the subchampionship. Barberá won a total of four races (Catalunya, Rio de Janeiro, Portugal and Valencia) and another three podiums (second in Germany and third in Jerez and Italy),while Álvaro Bautista was up at the top four times (second in England, and third in Qatar
Qatar
Qatar , also known as the State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its...
, Malaysia and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
), occupying the seventh place of the final general classification.
In 2006, Seedorf Racing team up with the Racing World team of Stefano Bedon; the coalition became known as Seedorf Racing World, which raced under an Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
license. Their riders were Fabrizio Lai
Fabrizio Lai
Fabrizio Lai is a Grand Prix motorcycle road racer from Italy.-Biography:He won the European Championship twice in succession in 1996 and 1997 while still a teenager, before winning the Italian championship in 2002...
and Michele Conti and were on Honda
Honda
is a Japanese public multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles.Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than...
, the team's best achievement was in the French GP
2006 French motorcycle Grand Prix
__FORCETOC__The 2006 French motorcycle Grand Prix was the fifth race of the 2006 Motorcycle Grand Prix season. It took place on the weekend of 19 –May 21, 2006 at the Le Mans Bugatti circuit.-Moto GP Classification:-250cc Classification:...
with Lai taking third place. 2007 was the second year of pairing, but this time with the Gruppo Piaggio, as the team became the official factory team on board a Derbi
Derbi
Derbi is a brand of motorcycles, scooters, and recreational ATVs produced by Nacional Motor S.A.U., a Spanish subsidiary of Piaggio & Co...
, and their riders are Lukas Pesek
Lukáš Pešek
Lukáš Pešek is Czech motorcycle racer. He is currently competing in the 250cc Grand Prix World Championship....
winning two races in China
2007 Chinese motorcycle Grand Prix
The 2007 Chinese motorcycle Grand Prix was the fourth round of the 2007 MotoGP championship. It took place on the weekend of 4 -May 6, 2007 at the Shanghai International Circuit.-Moto GP Classification:-250cc Classification:-125cc Classification:...
and Australia
2007 Australian motorcycle Grand Prix
The 2007 Australian motorcycle Grand Prix was the sixteenth round of the 2007 MotoGP championship. It was held over the weekend of 12–14 October 2007 at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, Philip Island, Victoria.-MotoGP classification:...
while Spaniard
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
Nicolas Terol
Nicolás Terol
Nicolás 'Nico' Terol Peidro is a professional motorcycle road racer. He currently races in the 125cc World championship, and was the final champion in the class, in . He began his professional racing career in 2005...
, who is the only Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
Derbi representative this year, scoring small points.
2008 was a turning point for the joint team when they agreed to part ways with Piaggio
Piaggio
Piaggio based in Pontedera, Italy encompasses seven brands of scooters, motorcycles and compact commercial vehicles. As the fourth largest producer of scooters and motorcycles in the world, Piaggio produces more than 600,000 vehicles annually, with five research and development centers, more than...
and Derbi
Derbi
Derbi is a brand of motorcycles, scooters, and recreational ATVs produced by Nacional Motor S.A.U., a Spanish subsidiary of Piaggio & Co...
mutually due to some disagreements and problems. The team dropped the status as the works Derbi team and switched to KTM
KTM
KTM Sportmotorcycle AG is an Austrian motorcycle, bicycle and moped manufacturer.The company was founded in 1934 by engineer Hans Trunkenpolz in Mattighofen. It started out as a metal working shop and was named Kraftfahrzeuge Trunkenpolz Mattighofen...
. The team was on the provisional list as Seedorf KTM 125, but Seedorf and Stefano Bedon parted ways. Since Seedorf Racing was no longer run by Seedorf himself, the team was disestablished. Bedon continued his Racing World to run as I.S.P.A. KTM Aran.
Team history
20032003 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season
The 2003 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 55th F.I.M. Road racing World Championship season.-Season summary:Defending champion Valentino Rossi won his 3rd MotoGP championship in 2003, winning 9 races, highlighted by his win at Phillip Island where he was given a 10 second penalty for...
- Seedorf Racing (Aprilia) Álvaro Bautista
Álvaro Bautista
Álvaro Bautista is a Spanish Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. He currently competes in the MotoGP class of the Grand Prix Motorcycle World Championship...
= Place: 20th, 31pts. Robbin Harms = Place: 26th, 8pts.
2004
2004 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season
The 2004 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 56th F.I.M. Road racing World Championship season.-Season summary:At the end of 2003, HRC and Valentino Rossi had parted ways, and HRC held Rossi to the letter of their contract which stipulated he could not ride another manufacturer's machine...
- Seedorf Racing (Aprilia) Héctor Barberá
Héctor Barberá
Héctor Barberá Vall is a Spanish Grand Prix motorcycle road racer competing in the MotoGP class aboard an Aspar Racing Team Ducati....
= Place: 2nd, 202pts. Álvaro Bautista
Álvaro Bautista
Álvaro Bautista is a Spanish Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. He currently competes in the MotoGP class of the Grand Prix Motorcycle World Championship...
= Place: 7th, 129pts.
2005
2005 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season
The 2005 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 57th F.I.M. Road racing World Championship season.-Season summary:The 2005 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season began on April 10 at Jerez and closing on November 6 at Valencia...
- Seedorf RC3 - Tiempo Holidays (Honda) Álvaro Bautista
Álvaro Bautista
Álvaro Bautista is a Spanish Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. He currently competes in the MotoGP class of the Grand Prix Motorcycle World Championship...
= Place: 15th, 47pts. Aleix Espargaró
Aleix Espargaró
Aleix Espargaró is a Spanish motorcycle road racer.-Career:In 2006, Espagaró moved to the 250cc class of Grand Prix Motorcycle World Championship racing mid-season, from the 125cc class...
= Place: 16th, 36pts.
2006
2006 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season
The 2006 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 58th F.I.M. Road racing World Championship season.-Season summary:The 2006 MotoGP season was one of the closest battles and most thrilling in recent memory in which Honda's Nicky Hayden didn't claim the championship from Valentino Rossi until the...
- Valsir Seedorf Racing (Honda) Fabrizio Lai
Fabrizio Lai
Fabrizio Lai is a Grand Prix motorcycle road racer from Italy.-Biography:He won the European Championship twice in succession in 1996 and 1997 while still a teenager, before winning the Italian championship in 2002...
= Place: 11th, 83pts. Michele Conti = Place: Not Classified, 0pts.
2007
2007 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season
The 2007 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 59th F.I.M Road Racing World Championship season. The 2007 season was significant as it introduced a new regulation which specifies that competitors in the MotoGP class can use up to 800 cc motorcycles; between 2002 and 2006, competitors had...
- Valsir Seedorf Derbi Lukáš Pešek
Lukáš Pešek
Lukáš Pešek is Czech motorcycle racer. He is currently competing in the 250cc Grand Prix World Championship....
= Place: 4th, 182pts. Nicolás Terol
Nicolás Terol
Nicolás 'Nico' Terol Peidro is a professional motorcycle road racer. He currently races in the 125cc World championship, and was the final champion in the class, in . He began his professional racing career in 2005...
= Place: 22nd, 19pts.