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    lundi 14 janvier 2013

    Dakar 2013, étape 9 : Peterhansel prend une option sur la victoire / Peterhansel takes a step closer to victory

    Although it was won by Spaniard Nani Roma, the longest leg of the 2013 Dakar saw Mini/Michelin’s Stéphane Peterhansel strengthen his overall lead after Nasser Al-Attiyah’s buggy sustained damaged.
    Remportée par l’Espagnol Nani Roma, la plus longue étape du Dakar 2013 a conforté Stéphane Peterhansel en tête du rallye sur sa Mini/Michelin. Nasser Al-Attiyah a endommagé son Buggy.
    Etape 9 : San Miguel de Tucuman-Cordoba (852 km)


    After pulling off Ruta 157 to the right, we still faced a drive of some 80km before reaching the end of Stage 9, the longest of this year’s rally (593km, including a 120km neutralisation). It’s here that we started to see the first roads signs indicating place-names like La Falda, Cosquin and Capilla del Monte, all of which are visited by the WRC’s Rally Argentina.
    Indeed, the Dakar resembled a WRC event today, with a menu of twisty, occasionally fast mountain stages which were technically challenging for the drivers. Orly Terranova, who was second on the road this morning, was the first driver to show at the finish control where he was noisily greeted by his home fans. “I had trouble overtaking Chicherit along a narrow, dusty portion. My brakes had a tendency to lock, reported the Argentine driver.
    It was a brake issue, too, that prevented Giniel de Villiers from taking today’s win. The intermediate classifications showed the South African Toyota Hilux driver in the lead before his front-right brake disc failed: “We didn’t have any spare rear discs, so we continued after isolating the rear brakes. It’s a shame because it would have been nice to earn a stage win for Toyota.”
    Despite his disappointment, the 2009 Dakar winner has emerged in second place overall after Nasser Al-Attiyah hit a tree with 100km remaining. Lucio Alvarez suffered the same misfortune and badly damaged his windscreen. “A branch entered the cabin, but we were lucky.” Guerlain Chicherit was also reported to have stopped with a damaged wheel by Carlos Sousa who was himself troubled by the smell of transmission oil.
    The day’s winner was Nani Roma who collected his second stage victory of this year’s event. “I spent more than 200km in Robby Gordon’s dust,” the Spaniard grumbled at the finish.
    “We were travelling at the same speed as him but we had to pass a high number of bike and quad riders at the same time. It wasn’t easy for anyone,” noted the American driver.

    Après avoir quitté la Ruta 157 sur la droite, il nous restait environ 80 km pour accéder à l’arrivée de cette 9e spéciale, la plus longue du rallye (593 km dont 120 de neutralisation). C’est là que nous avons vu les premiers panneaux - La Falda, Cosquin, Capilla del Monte – des hauts lieux du Rallye d’Argentine.
    D’ailleurs, le Dakar est passé en mode WRC aujourd’hui avec des pistes montagneuses, sinueuses, parfois rapides, en tout cas très techniques. C’est « Orly » Terranova, parti 2e ce matin, qui est arrivé le 1er à l’arrivée, sous les vivas de ses fans. « J’ai eu du mal pour doubler Chicherit, c’était étroit et poussiéreux. Mes freins avaient tendance à rester bloquer », expliquait l’Argentin.
    Les freins, c’est justement ce qui a privé Giniel de Villiers d’une victoire promise. Au volant de son Toyota Hilux, le Sud-Africain était pointé en tête aux intermédiaires jusqu’à la casse de son disque de frein avant droit : « On n’avait que des disques arrière en secours, alors on a continué ainsi en déconnectant le circuit. C’est dommage, j’aurai bien voulu offrir une victoire d’étape à Toyota. »
    Le vainqueur du Dakar 2009 accède malgré tout à la 2e place du général puisque Nasser Al-Attiyah a tapé un arbre à 100 km de l’arrivée. Même mésaventure pour Lucio Alvarez dont le pare-brise était carrément éventré à l’arrivée : « La branche a traversé le cockpit, on a eu de la chance. » Guerlain Chicherit était lui aussi signalé arrêté après une touchette et une roue endommagée, d’après Carlos Sousa, perturbé par une odeur d’huile de boîte de vitesses.
    Le vainqueur du jour est Nani Roma, qui remporte sa seconde victoire d’étape sur ce Dakar : « J’ai pourtant roulé plus de 200 km dans la poussière de Robby Gordon », pestait l’Espagnol à l’arrivée. « On roulait à la même vitesse et il y avait de nombreux quads et motos entre nous qu’il fallait doubler, ce n’était facile pour personne aujourd’hui », se défendait l’Américain.
    Classement étape 9
    1. Roma/Périn (Mini), 5h36min28s – 2. Peterhansel/Cottret (Mini), +6min54s – 3. Terranova/Fiuza (BMW), +6min54s – 4. Gordon/Walch (Hummer), +8min37s – 5. De Villiers/Von Zitzewitz (Toyota), +9min39s…
    Classement après étape 9
    1. Peterhansel/Cottret (Mini), 24:11:43 – 2. De Villiers/Von Zitzewitz (Toyota), +49min31s – 3. Novitskiy/Zhilstov (Mini), +56min03s – 4. Roma/Périn (Mini), + 1h34min16s – 5. Terranova/Fiuza (BMW), +2h01min08s…

    Dakar2013 - Leg 9: Despres strikes a blow


    Cyril Despres (KTM/Michelin) has made strong progress in the overall classification of the 2013 Dakar Rally today (Monday), by winning the ninth stage as rivals David Casteu, Olivier Pain and Chaleco Lopez all lost time. Ruben Faria has moved to the top of the leaderboard.
    Leg 9: San Miguel de Tucuman - Cordoba (852km)
    Between San Miguel de Tucuman and the heights of Cordoba, Ruta 157 is essentially a long straight line stretching some 500km across plains characterised by farming and cattle breeding. At Km280 (Recreo), where competitors paused after completing the first part of the stage, the tension was palpable...
    It was during that first section that leader David Casteu almost certainly lost all hope of victory by colliding with a cow. Suffering a shoulder injury in the impact and subsequently treated by the medical team at Recreo, the Nice-based rider bravely pressed on despite the discomfort. His team-mate Olivier Pain also fell, though thankfully less seriously, 370km into the stage, thereafter complaining of back ache. Another faller was fellow erstwhile rally leader, Chile’s Chaleco Lopez.
    Meanwhile, four-time Dakar winner Cyril Despres truly threw down the gauntlet to his adversaries today by prevailing to the tune of more than four minutes over Joan Barreda: "I need to thank both my physical trainer for helping me to develop solid legs and Michelin for supplying me with Bib Mousse-equipped Desert Race tyres. Without their help, I wouldn't have won this stage," declared the KTM rider after a magnificent 5h41m36s effort. "I had made a special note of this stage from the start, and I pushed hard from start to finish…”
    Despres has consequently advanced in the overall standings to now lie second behind his team-mate and new leader Ruben Faria, who remarked: "It was a long and difficult stage, with 90 per cent of the tracks running through the forest and countless turns. My mission is to help Cyril win his fifth Dakar Rally, and I have every intention of doing just that…”
    Behind Barreda, Alessandro Botturi was third-fastest, making it two Husqvarna/Michelins in the day's top three: "That reminded me of my time in Enduro," smiled the Italian at the stage end. Meantime, Portugal's Helder Rodriguez (fourth-quickest today) still has his sights set on a podium finish in Santiago.
    Stage 9 classification:
    1. Despres (KTM), 5h41min36s – 2. Barreda (Husqvarna), +4min03s – 3. Botturi (Husqvarna), +5min14s – 4. Faria (KTM) + +7min47s 5. Rodriguez (Honda), +8min47s...
    Provisional standings after Leg 9:
    1. Faria (KTM), 25:57:12 - 2. Despres (KTM) +5min23s - 3. Lopez (KTM) +9min03s - 4. Jakes (KTM) +16min56s - 5. Botturi (Husqvarna) +22min58

    Official lists for 2013 Manufacturers’ championships


    The FIA has published the official list of the teams which have registered for the 2013 'Manufacturers' and 'WRC Teams' championships. The list is not final, however, since the closing date for entries is May 21, 2013.
    With just days to go before the opening round of the 2013 season (Rallye Monte-Carlo), the team names, cars and number one drivers entered for the 'Manufacturers' championship have been released:
    - Citroën Total Abu Dhabi World Rally Team / Citroën DS3 WRC / Mikko Hirvonen
    - Qatar M-Sport World Rally Team / Ford Fiesta RS WRC / Mads Ostberg
    - Volkswagen Motorsport / Volkswagen Polo R WRC / Jari-Matti Latvala

    The list continues with the following teams which will battle for the 'WRC Teams' title:
    - Abu Dhabi Citroën Total World Rally Team / Citroën DS3 WRC
    - Lotos WRC Team / Mini John Cooper Works WRC
    - Qatar World Rally Team / Ford Fiesta RS WRC

    Qatar WRT will run two cars, although the rallies contested by each one are likely to be different. Meanwhile, Lotos WRC Team will be looked after by Motorsport Italia who will enter a single car for all 13 rounds.

    Last but not least, the crews officially entered by these teams for this week’s Rallye Monte-Carlo are…
    - Citroën Total Abu Dhabi: Sébastien Loeb/Daniel Elena and Mikko Hirvonen/Jarmo Lehtinen
    - Qatar M-Sport: Mads Ostberg/Jonas Andersson and Evgeny Novikov/Ilka Minor
    - Volkswagen Motorsport: Jari-Matti Latvala/Mikka Anttila and Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia
    - Abu Dhabi Citroën Total: Dani Sordo/Carlos Del Barrio
    - Qatar WRT: Juho Hänninen/Tomi Tuominen and Thierry Neuville/Nicolas Gilsoul
    - Lotos WRC Team: Michal Kosciuszko/Maciej Szczepaniak

    MotoGP: Valentino Rossi's 2013 Yamaha YZR-M1 renderings


    Rendering Yamama M1 MotoGP di Valentino Rossi by Samuxx
    A loyal reader of our twin site Motoblog.it, Mr.Samuel Laurora a.k.a. Samuxx, has sent us a couple of very interesting renderings that envision how the 2013 Yamaha YZR-M1 ridden by prodigal son Valentino Rossi could look like next year, in light of the new recently announced sponsorship agreement with Monster Energy Company.
    It goes without saying that what we are looking at here are a couple of shots in the dark, two wild guesses from the very talented Signor Samuxx, but nonetheless we cannot help but appreciate both graphic concepts, which are very professional and well made. The first one adopts a mainly black-and-white color scheme, which is somewhat reminiscent of the all-black livery of the Yamaha Tech3 satellite team. Since the latter is expected to retain the same graphics, we would expect the new M1 of the Factory team to use more ‘blue’ (though we are guessing as well). As for the second one, it is a very Valentino-oriented rendition that the Italian rider could use - hypothetically - on some special occasion, such as his home GP at the Mugello track. Sure thing we won’t see team mate and reigning World Champion Jorge Lorenzo riding anything like that.
    We will have to wait quite some time to see how the actual 2013 Factory Yamaha M1 will look like, but that’s not the case for its main rivals: the new livery of the Ducati Team should be unveiled tomorrow at the 2013 Wrooom - the traditional happening that takes place at the begining of every year and brings together the Ducati MotoGP and Ferrari Formula 1 teams as well as journalists from around the world in the popular winter resort of Madonna di Campiglio, northern Italy - while the new Honda RC213V will be introduced to the world the next 24th of January in Madrid.
    Rendering Yamama M1 MotoGP di Valentino Rossi by SamuxxRendering Yamama M1 MotoGP di Valentino Rossi by Samuxx
    with TWOWHEELSBLOG

    Marc Marquez finishes 7th in GSeries car race





















    As previously anticipated, this past weekend Marc Marquez took part in the second round of the 2013 GSeries BPA championship and the reigning Moto2 champion caused some surprise as he finished 7th overall in his first ever four wheel event.
    Driving a VW Golf GTI Mk1 in 2WD drive class at the Grandvalira Circuit in Andorra, the new Repsol Honda rookie rider managed an excellent control his car along the ice track to finish a close second in the first heat and third in the second, which qualified him on the front row amongst 17 partecipants.
    During the actual race Marquez slid out, but was able to rejoin and complete the race in 7th, not bad for a four wheel novice especially in those highly difficult racing conditions.
    Highlight video after the jump.

    from TWOWHEELSBLOG

    Iron and Denim at the Garage..


    If you are around Copenhagen during the Fashion week, or just in town for pleasure, please come visit us and our friends at the Garage Jan 31st - Feb 2nd..

    HARLEY XL1200 BY CRD


    Harley-Davidson XL1200
    Cafe Racer Dreams have made a name for themselves with classy Triumph and Honda customs. They’ve resisted the lure of Milwaukee so far, but as with most builders, there comes a time when you need to look at the Harley-Davidson Sportster.
    The Harley brand is strong in Spain, but most customs are of the fringed leather variety. So CRDmain man Pedro García decided to try a different approach, and at the same time, get the bike to corner well—by fitting 17” wheels. The result is CRD #21, nicknamed “The Stroke.”
    Harley-Davidson XL1200
    The base bike is a 2008 XL1200, but it’s now running a tank from Storz Performance. The seat is custom-made, and fitted onto a modified rear frame. Storz supplied the pipes too, with breathing enhanced on the inlet side by K&N filters. The suspension has been upgraded with Öhlins components and the controls and brakes are from Performance Machine.
    Harley-Davidson XL1200
    The headlight is now relocated well below the line of the bars, which sport LSL controls, and the foot controls are from Tarozzi. A complete repaint, including hand-lettering, finishes the job.
    Harley-Davidson XL1200
    The XL1200 now looks much more compact and muscular, with a nose-down visual stance and more focus on the engine. Is this the sort of Sportster that Harley themselves should be making, do you think?
    Previous CRD builds are in the Bike EXIF Archives. Keep up with CRD news on their Facebook page.
    Harley-Davidson XL1200
    from BIKEexif

    For Sale : Porsche RSK: Another step on the road to victory at Le Mans



    By the late 1950s, Porsche was a force to be reckoned with in international racing and rallying. Despite a cylinder capacity half that of its rivals from Ferrari and Aston Martin, light, aerodynamic roadsters such as the RSK picked up many podium places as well as wins at the Targa Florio and Spa-Francorchamps.

    The ultimate goal of victory at the Le Mans 24 Hours was to elude the Stuttgart marque until 1970. But third place overall in 1958, with the works RSK of Jean Behra and Hans Herrmann completing 2429.337 miles at an average speed of 101.222mph, wasn’t bad going. 

    Particularly when you consider its 1587cc, four-cylinder engine. 

    The RSK - to be accurate, the ‘Type 718’ - was a development of the company's first-ever purpose-built racing car, the 550 Spyder. Powered by an air-cooled flat-four, the early cars’ pushrod engines barely achieved 100bhp. As works or private-entry racing cars, though, the 550s achieved many fine results worldwide, particularly when fitted with the twin overhead cam, 110bhp engine. 



    The RSK made its debut at the 1957 Nürburgring 1000Km. It differed from the preceding 550A by having large-choke Weber carburettors (over 140bhp was now available at 7500rpm), a new space-frame chassis, lower, more streamlined bodywork with an Appendix C (to meet the governing body’s latest rules) windscreen, bigger brake drums and revised suspension front and rear. 

    The changes were enough to keep the RSK racing until early 1960, when it was replaced by the RS60. During that time, the RSK went through slight variations in engine size (to compete in different classes) and bodywork (another new windscreen of even greater height). 



    As well as factory entries, the RSK was a popular choice with Porsche’s enthusiastic privateers. Some 37 were sold and could be seen around the globe with a significant number raced in the States, helping Porsche’s reputation no end, and firmly establishing the marque in the world’s biggest market. 

    From 1958 to 1960, the RSK benefitted from a reduction in the maximum engine size permitted for ‘unlimited’ prototype sports cars. Ferrari, Jaguar and Aston Martin were restricted to engines no greater than 3000cc. 

    As a result, the RSKs moved even further up the results, leading many races and finishing first, second or third on many occasions. Star Grand Prix drivers to have driven the RSK include Graham Hill, Stirling Moss, Jo Bonnier, Jean Behra and Wolfgang von Trips. 

    Nowadays, the Porsche RSK is a popular car among collectors and in historic racing, with values rising by the year. This example, to be offered by Gooding & Co. at its forthcoming Scottsdale sale, is estimated at $2,800,000 - 3,200,000. 
    Related Links

    This very car will be offered for sale by Gooding & Co. at its forthcoming 18 - 19 January Arizona sale. Please see: www.goodingco.com. A 1959 car, it is estimated at USD 2,800,000 - 3,200,000

    You can also search for classic Porsches in the Classic Driver Marketplace

    Text: Steve Wakefield (ClassicDriver.com)
    Photos: Mike Maez – all images copyright and courtesy of Gooding & Company

    Anthony West wins opening round of QIRRCH and renews Moto2 contract


    While most riders are still in training and preparing for the 2013 official tests to take place Moto2 rider Anthony West was in Qatar taking part in the second round of the Qatar International Road Racing championship, where not only did he qualify in pole position with a Suzuki GSX-R 1000 he also won both races of the double header from start to finish with a comfortable margin.
    Also partecipating as a wildcard in the race as part of his Middle East promotional tour was MotoGP rookie Bradley Smith who finished second in race 1 and DNF’d in race two due to mechanical issues on his Yamaha YZF-R1.
    Anthony West: ‘I had a good feeling and I tried to keep my rhythm and stand on the track as there was a horrible wind all day. I am happy that I didn’t had to fight too much because I got a good gap with the rest’
    Bradley Smith: ‘I had some clutch problems and my start was not good. I made a mistake in the first laps and I run off the track so I lost time to be back. Then I had a good battle with Alex and I hope to resolve the problems in the clutch and be closer to West in second race.
    Even if the Australian rider was already on the provisional 2013 Moto2 entry list, he officially renewed his contract with the Qatari team following his double victory at Losail.
    Anthony West QIIRC 2013Anthony West QIIRC 2013Anthony West QIIRC 2013Anthony West QIIRC 2013

    Anthony West QIIRC 2013Anthony West QIIRC 2013Anthony West QIIRC 2013Anthony West QIIRC 2013Anthony West QIIRC 2013Anthony West QIIRC 2013Anthony West QIIRC 2013Anthony West QIIRC 2013
    fromTWOWHEELSBLOG

    JEAN-KARL VERNAY REJOINT IMSA PERFORMANCE MATMUT.



    On connaît maintenant l'identité du dernier pilote du team IMSA Performance Matmut pour la campagne du Championnat du Monde d'Endurance (GTE-Am). Raymond Narac et Christophe Bourret seront épaulés par Jean-Karl Vernay. Le Champion en titre de la Porsche Matmut Carrera Cup reste donc dans le giron Porsche sachant qu'on le verra également en Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup.

    Franck Rava, Team Manager, est ravi de ce renfort de choix : « IMSA Performance Matmut est très content d'accueillir dans ses rangs un nouveau jeune talent issu de la filière de la Porsche Matmut Carrera Cup. Tout le team est très motivé pour l'aider à s'épanouir au volant de la 997 RSR en compagnie de deux pilotes qui connaissent déjà parfaitement la voiture. »

    Après avoir roulé auprès de nombreux pilotes Porsche, Raymond Narac va avoir à ses côtés une nouvelle pointure : « Jean-Karl connaît déjà très bien la 997 dans sa version cup. Il est rapide, intelligent, et commet très peu d'erreur. Il s'est très vite adapté à toutes les disciplines dans lesquelles il a couru, son palmarès le prouve. C'est une recrue de choix pour l'équipe, j'ai hâte de commencer à travailler avec lui. »

    Quant à Christophe Bourret, il va découvrir un nouveau coéquipier, lui qui compte une saison de Championnat du Monde d'Endurance derrière lui : « Je ne connais pas encore Jean-Karl Vernay. Je sais cependant qu'à 25 ans, son palmarès est déjà prometteur d'une belle carrière dans l'automobile. Raymond et moi sommes de la même génération, Jean-Karl par sa jeunesse va nous booster encore plus...la proximité que nous avons avec Raymond depuis plus de 7 ans permettra à Jean-Karl de s'intégrer dans le team très rapidement. Je souhaite pour cette saison en WEC que nous allons vivre ensemble avec Raymond et Jean-Karl que nous formions un team soudé et complémentaire où chacun apportera et partagera un peu de sa propre expérience avec un objectif : gagner ce championnat du monde dans notre catégorie. Fort d'une première saison en WEC en 2012, je sais que pour gagner , il faut être rapide, régulier et ne pas faire de faute..la saison est longue, les courses sont dures et la concurrence est là. Nous serons là !! Et, nous attendons avec impatience la première course sur le circuit mythique de Silverstone »

    Le team rouennais communiquera d'ici la fin du mois ses autres intentions quant à un second programme d'envergure.

    by Laurent Mercier(Endurance-Info)

    ATJ’s CB400


    Adam & Tom Jasinski’s third contribution to the Bike Shed’s stable of featured motorcycles is this lovely CB400 in blue Gulf Racing inspired colours and styled as a practical street scrambler.
    Shortie pipes, drop bars and flat seat simplify the lines of the donor bike, although airbox is retained to keep the fuelling smooth.
    And the final touch of practicality to this build? A small screen to keep the flies outta the rider’s teeth.
    from thebikeshed

    Building the New Carrozzeria Touring Disco Volante: Part 1


    Carrozzeria Touring has granted Classic Driver full access to each stage in the construction of the first production Disco Volante – the exciting limited-edition model which will debut at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show. In 2012, the prototype stunned the crowds. This year, a handful of collectors will be able to order the gorgeous coupé. 



    Over the next few weeks, we will show you how craftsmen at the famous Milanese coachbuilder take an Alfa Romeo 8C coupé and clothe it in voluptuous bodywork penned by designer Louis de Fabribeckers. The new Disco Volante (‘Flying Saucer’) embraces the spirit of the famous Touring-designed, 1950s Alfa Romeo original.
    The car will only be built to order. The company estimates that up to six examples will be commissioned, all to the exact personal specification of collectors worldwide.
    The fully EU type-approved car takes approximately 4,000 man hours to construct, and will be completed in six months from the delivery of a donor 8C coupé.


    For those eager to be the very first owner of a 2013 Disco Volante, though, the Geneva show car will be for sale.
    De Fabribeckers' intention was to evoke the spirit of the futuristic 50s original, yet make the new car a practical one for ‘continental travel’. The extended tail, with a bigger luggage compartment, is an example. The car also has a panoramic glass roof that replaces the 8C’s solid one, necessitating further re-engineering but adding extra airiness and 'space'.
    It’s very much ‘Carrozzeria Touring’ by name, ‘Grand Touring’ by nature.
    But we are talking about the finished car – let’s start at the beginning of the process.


    The sequence of photos you see here shows a donor 8C arriving in Milan. It is completely disassembled – apart from the chassis, drivetrain and all mechanical parts. All components to be used later are carefully labelled and stored, and the wiring loom partially removed.
    It now enters the ‘surgery room’ where it’s subjected to a full scan after positioning on a reference platform. This ensures that everything to be removed is done so to the smallest possible tolerance. Cutting lines are traced on the bodywork and sections are then excised. The chassis will then be carefully modified, re-worked and strengthened as necessary.
    In parallel, a mock-up of the new coachwork in high-density resin has been milled to millimetre-perfection. It is then manually smoothed and finished, with the glazed areas filled with contrasting plastic.


    This is how the car will look, and it’s used by the panelbeaters as a reference for each hand-beaten section of aluminium.
    Certain parts are moulded in carbonfibre, but the majority of the new Disco Volante is made in the long tradition of Italian metalworking: by beating to shape (although nowadays a power hammer has replaced the famous mallet and oak tree stump of yore).
    It’s now time for the ‘reference cage’, a latticework structure in mild steel, to be welded up. This covers the mock-up’s contours precisely, and is then used as an exact guide for the final preparation of the chassis – ensuring all new and existing parts are ready to take the aluminium, carbonfibre and glass components that will form the svelte lines of the new Disco Volante.

    For the beating and fitting of the bodywork, readers will have to wait for the next instalment…
    For further information on the 2013 Carrozzeria Touring Disco Volante visitwww.touringsuperleggera.eu, or email info@touringsuperleggera.eu.
    Related Links

    The website of Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera www.touringsuperleggera.eu

    'Five questions to Louis de Fabribeckers, Head of Design Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera' in the Classic Driver Magazine

    'Geneva 2012: Disco Volante 2012 by Touring Superleggera' in the Classic Driver Magazine

    Text: Steve Wakefield (ClassicDriver)
    Photos: Carrozzeria Touring