Piers Ward straps himself into Citroen’s bonkers-looking electric supercar concept for a quick spin…
via topgear
samedi 5 janvier 2013
Dakar – Leg 1- Lima-Pisco (263km): Chaleco Lopez sets early pace
The first stage of the 2013 Dakar was won by Chile’s Chaleco Lopez (KTM 450 Rally/Michelin) ahead of Frans Verhoeven (Yamaha) and Pablo Quintanilla (Honda). Cyril Despres (KTM) was fifth, 13 seconds down.
After three days of scrutineering and document checks in Lima’s notorious ‘garua’ fog, the 2013 Dakar finally started today as competitors began to roll off the sea-front ramp this morning at 8am local time before a long, hot run down the Pacific coast.
The route took them south along the Pan Americana Highway to the first overnight halt in Pisco via the first competitive section of the 2013 event. The short but gruelling 13km loop through demanding sand dunes kicked off at 12:15 and produced an initial idea of this year’s pecking order before serious business gets underway with Sunday’s 242km stage.
The quad and bike runners began the stage in reverse order, which meant that the first competitor to be flagged away was the Argentine quad-rider Claudio Clavigliasso (Can-Am N°290) who started the test 45 minutes before the first biker.
The fastest time (7m51s) was recorded by potential winner Chaleco Lopez who was a second faster quicker than Frans Verhoeven (2nd). Quintanilla and Cabrera made it three Chileans in the top four which featured four different makes of bike.
Cyril Despres dropped 13 seconds but finished clear of David Casteu (6th, Yamaha) and Ruben Faria (7th, KTM).
The quad class was won by Peru’s Ignacio San Minario, ahead of Husseini and Patronelli.
Leg 1 positions:
1, Lopez (KTM), 7m51s. 2, Verhoeven (Yamaha), +1s. 3, Quintanilla (Honda), +5s. 4, Cabrera (Kawasaki), +11s. 5, Despres (KTM), +13s. Etc.
via motoracinglive.com
History of Royal Enfield
This was a film commission done for Three Fourteen Design(threefourteen.in/) as part of their Retail Space Identity Project for Brahma Motors.
History of Royal Enfield from Ram on Vimeo.
Title: ‘History of Royal Enfield’
Animation Film By : Ram Singh
Music Composer: Denys Rybkin
Animation Film By : Ram Singh
Music Composer: Denys Rybkin
KTM AT THE DAKAR 2013 WITH KÄRCHER : GREAT PICS !!!
The 34th edition of the Dakar Rally gets underway on January 5, 2013 in Lima, Peru. Kärcher is present for the first time as the official partner of the KTM Rally Factory Team, which starts the toughest rally on the planet with top favorite and title defender Cyril Despres.
For many KTM customers all over the world, the combination of orange and the Kärcher yellow is a natural thing. Now for the first time this partnership has been secured in the KTM factory team with a sponsorship partnership. So at the Dakar 2013 the factory bikes of Cyril Despres und Ruben Faria, Joan Pedrero and Kurt Caselli (the replacement rider for the injured Marc Coma) will feature the Kärcher brand directly under the KTM logo. The common goal for the partners: KTM’s twelfth consecutive Dakar victory!
Cyril, how do you rate your chances of being able to defend your title and take your fifth Dakar Rally victory without your team colleague and hardest opponent Marc Coma? “Well I would say they are as good as they have been on previous years. I have been training hard and although I didn’t do so many races this year I won both the big ones I entered. After that there are so many things that could happen, so many things that in a race like the Dakar you can’t predict, that I am always cautious. I always say that my biggest rival on the Dakar isn’t the other competitors but the desert itself. That is the thing on the Dakar that no one can master!”
What do you think is the secret of KTM’s success? After all riders on KTM bikes from Mattighofen have won every year for the past 11 years. “That’s a slightly easier question to answer. For a start their bike over this period have been the best and that is always a major factor. Then there is the fact that it has always been a priority for KTM. They put a lot of time, a lot of effort and a lot of money in to winning this race, it is the corner stone of their marketing strategy – they really want to win. Then of course now they have a lot of experience. There has been a lot of stability in the team – I have had the same mechanic now for the last 10 years! And that is a big bonus. There is no other motorcycle team in the bivouac with as much experience as we have. For 2013 I don’t think it will be quite as straightforward as there are some new pretty serious teams coming and for sure they are motivated. As always it will be an interesting race!”
Marc, you are unable to start in this year’s Dakar because your shoulder injury has not completely healed. But you are with the team for the start in Lima and you’re going to support them. So we ask you what roll does the technology play at the Dakar, in particular the cleaning and maintenance of your KTM 450 Rally bike after every stage? “Maintenance and reliability for the bikes is one of the most important factors. That is why the motorcycle must be checked and when necessary repaired every day. We wash them thoroughly in the bivouac and that makes it easier for the mechanic to recognize any parts that might be damaged and be able to replace them when necessary.”
Kurt Caselli comments on having the opportunity to join the factory team to stand in for the injured Marc Coma: “It has always been a goal in my career to compete in the Dakar. There would be no way possible for me to achieve this without the ongoing support of KTM. To be able to race the greatest off road race in the world aboard the best bike in the world is truly a blessing.“
All photos by Maragni.
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