Indianapolis great KTM night: Musquin wins 250s; Dungey second 450s

The Red Bull KTM Factory team had reason to celebrate at the latest round of US SX racing in Indianapolis with French riderMarvin Musquin taking a second straight win in a row in the 250SX class East Coast competition and teammate Ryan Dungey finishing second in the 450SX class.

The KTM riders delivered great performances in front of 50,000 people at the Monster Energy Supercross at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Musquin started his night well with a clean start and second place when his heat gate dropped and moved into the lead in the first rhythm section. He led the remainder of the race to claim his first heat win of the season to claim the top qualifying spot for the main event.

When the gate dropped for the main event, Musquin had a reasonable jump out of the gate but got stuck behind two tuff blocks that were pushed into the first corner after a few riders went down. He rounded the next corner in dead last. The French rider then put down the hammer and four laps later he was into the top ten. With another three laps under his wheels he was trailing the fifth place ride of Vince Friese and then settled down to pick off the remaining top five riders. He was lying second in the last lap when leader Blake Wharton crashed in a rhythm section allowing Musquin to move into the lead. A few corners later and Musquin took his second straight win with a celebratory heel-clicker.

“I was really looking for a win tonight and when I got stuck behind the tuff blocks in the first corner I was so mad and it just made me fight harder,” commented Musquin. “I passed Wil Hahn early on and that made me happy as I need to earn as many points as I can on him. I fought really hard and was able to pass a lot of riders. I was able to capitalize on the crash of Blake to get the win. It is a lucky win but this is fantastic to get two in a row.” Musquin is now second in the points standings for the 250 class East Coast competition.

Dungey Finishes Second in 450 class
Musquin’s Red Bull KTM Factory teammate Ryan Dungey then followed up with second overall in the eleventh round of the 450SX Supercross Series to make it a great night for the factory team.

Dungey was placed in the first heat race of the night where he got a great jump out of the gate and came into the first corner in third position. But then he got pinched off in the second corner and dropped to seventh place. The next three laps he battled with the five riders ahead of him in an effort to advance through the pack. He swapped positions with Justin Barcia multiple times before making an inside pass stick on the fifth lap to take over fifth place. He then picked off Justin Sipes in the next lap before catching and passing Mike Alessi to finish third in his heat.

Dungey had a decent jump off the line in the main event and rounded the first corner in fifth position. He moved into fourth by the end of the second lap and began to reel in the top three riders. On the seventh lap of the race, leader James Stewart stalled in a corner allowing Ryan Villopoto to take the lead and Dungey to move into second position.
At the end of twenty laps, Dungeyhad closed onto the rear end of Villopoto but was unable to make the pass and held on to finish second.

On the podium, Dungey stated, “We made some adjustments in the afternoon practice sessions to get everything dialed in for the night show. The track was both slippery and tacky in spots and it made it a little tricky to determine the best bike set-up. In the end, I was able to pressure Ryan (Villopoto) throughout the race but couldn’t make the pass stick. I am happy with second tonight and am looking forward to Toronto.” Dungey is third in the points standings.

Next Event: Toronto Supercross – March 23, 2013

Overall Results  250s
1.    Marvin Musquin – KTM2.    Kyle Peters
3.    Wil Hahn
4.    AJ Catanzaro
5.    Blake Wharton
6.    Justin Hill
7.    Vince Friese
8.    Mitchell Oldenburg
9.    Gavin Faith
10.    PJ Larsen
11.    Steven Clark
12.    James Decotis
13.    Zach Bell
14.    Zach Freeburg
15.    Levi Kilbarger

Overall Point Standings  250s – 
1.    Wil Hahn – 112
2.    Marvin Musquin – 103 
3.    Blake Wharton – 92

Overall Results 450s
1.    Ryan Villopoto
2.    Ryan Dungey – KTM 
3.    James Stewart
4.    Davi Millsaps
5.    Justin Barcia
6.    Chad Reed
7.    Andrew Short – KTM
8.    Matt Goerke – KTM 
9.    Eli Tomac
10.    Weston Peick
11.    Broc Tickle
12.    Josh Hill
13.    Justin Brayton
14.    Phil Nicoletti
15.    Kyle Partridge

Overall Point Standings – 
1.    Ryan Villopoto – 227
2.    Davi Millsaps – 218
3.    Ryan Dungey – 210

  

Cudby Photos.from DERESTRICTED

Ostberg takes off / Ostberg s’envoie en l’air

On his return from Mexico, Mads Ostberg established a new record for the longest leap on snow in his Ford Fiesta RS WRC: 60.48 metres. That will perhaps help him to forget his Mexican disappointment.

De retour du Mexique, le Norvégien a battu un nouveau record de saut en longueur sur neige au volant d’une Ford Fiesta RS WRC : 60,48 mètres. De quoi oublier un peu sa désillusion du Mexique avant le Rallye du Portugal.

Despite suffering mechanical trouble on three occasions in the WRC, the Norwegian’s Ford Fiesta RS WRC was in fine form as it was launched down the snowboard course in Trysil! It descended the 35% snowy incline before leaving the ‘launch pad’ at a speed of 145kph.

Ostberg’s fifth and last attempt produced a leap of 60.48 metres, which is eight metres better than he did in 2012. However, the world record for the longest jump established by Travis Pastrana (82m) in 2010 at Long Beach in a Subaru Impreza still holds. True, the American smashed into the barrier after landing!

After suffering a bitter disappointment in Mexico where he saw second place snatched form his grasp by an alternator problem, the jump was a bit of welcome fun for Mads Ostberg who was also affected by mechanical troubles on the Rallye Monte-Carlo and in Sweden. The youngster was so angry when his alternator failed in Mexico that he hurt his foot kicking out in frustration!

“Mexico was both encouraging and frustrating,” he said at the finish. “I managed to match Ogier on certain stages and the Ford is still competitive. They were the positives. Unfortunately, I had my third technical problem in as many rallies, and my second alternator problem. It’s not an M-Sport part, so nobody can blame the team, but we will need to find a solution soon…”

By posting the second fastest time on the Power Stage, Mads still salvaged two points from his transatlantic trip. He is currently fifth in the Drivers’ standings, just three points short of third-placed Mikko Hirvonen. Mads and his Qatar M-Sport WRT team-mates are looking forward to one day of testing each ahead of the Rally de Portugal which the Norwegian actually won in 2012.

Après trois ennuis mécaniques consécutifs en WRC, la Ford Fiesta RS WRC du Norvégien n’a cette fois pas tremblé en haut de la piste de snowboard de Trysil ! Elle a dévalé la pente neigeuse de 35% pour décoller à 145 km/h au bout de la rampe de lancement.

A sa 5^e et dernière tentative, Mads Ostberg a été mesuré à 60,48 mètres, soit 8 mètres de mieux qu’en 2012. Mais le record du monde de Travis Pastrana (82 mètres), établi en 2010 à Long Beach sur une Subaru Impreza, tient toujours ! Bon, l’Américain avait « crashé » sa voiture dans les barrières après la réception…

Ce fut donc un moment sympa pour Mads Ostberg après une terrible déception au Rallye du Mexique où la 2^e place était en vue jusqu’à une panne d’alternateur. C’est son 3^e pépin mécanique en trois rallyes cette saison, et le Norvégien était tellement en colère quand son alternateur a lâché qu’il s’est « fracassé » le pied en lattant sa Ford !

« Le Mexique restera dans ma mémoire comme le rallye à la fois le plus encourageant et le plus frustrant », nous a déclaré Mads à l’arrivée. « J’ai réussi à tenir tête à Ogier dans certaines spéciales et la Ford est encore dans le coup, c’est le point positif. Pour le côté négatif, c’est mon 3^e souci technique d’affilée cette année, et l’alternateur pour la seconde fois. Ce n’est pas une pièce M-Sport, donc l’équipe n’est pas en cause. Mais il va falloir trouver rapidement une solution. »

Deuxième de la Power Stage, Mads a tout de même ramené deux points du Rallye du Mexique. Il pointe au 5^e rang du championnat Pilotes, à seulement trois points de Mikko Hirvonen (3^e). Mads et ses équipiers du Qatar M-Sport WART ont planifié une journée d’essais chacun avant le Rallye du Portugal, dont le Norvégien n’est autre que le vainqueur sortant.

from .best-of-rallylive

Yamaha Scorpio - Thrive Motorcycles

When you think of a great motorcycle to customize, the Yamaha Scorpio probably isn’t on the top of your list. But to thousands of Indonesians, it's one of the most popular bikes on the road today. Unfortunately, the Indonesians don’t have a huge choice of bikes, due to their strict low displacement regulations. Luckily for us, we get to see what they can do with this reliable little Yamaha. Now we have seen a lot of Scorpio’s over the years – especially from Indonesia – but none have ever looked like this. The bike is the handy work of Indra Pratama from Thrive Motorcycles in Jakarta and although it is his first custom build, this design has been floating around in his head for a long, long time. 

Like a lot of kids, Indra was obsessed by Japanese cartoons as a youngster, particularly the Kamen Rider. Instead of drawing the cartoon character, he would spend hours drawing all the mechanical things the characters would use – like bikes and cars. “Since then every reference when I drew vehicles always lead to the madness of Japanese designers, which at least for me, has always had a distinct impression, either the form, machines, and sound, it’s all like fantasy that has infinite space and time.” he says. 

In 2007 Indra had a chance meeting with an old friend that would change everything. You see, his friend had an old BSA and seeing it and hearing it made him want one badly. “At that moment I wanted to sell my little Yamaha and swap it with an English-made motorcycle, whatever type it is” he says. His dream was quickly shattered when he searched the internet and realised that their wasn’t many British bikes available in Jakarta, and if they did exist, they came at a price.

With desperation in his veins, he picked up his trusty old pencil and paper and started to draw a concept for his humble Yamaha Scorpio. He wanted to turn it into something special, something not seen before on the streets of Jakarta. Subconsciously he started to draw a Kamen Rider style bike, straight out of his childhood. “I decided to immediately implement the design from paper into a real build”. 

Indra was happy with his sketch, and got to work building this 'cafe street racer'. "I cut the rear frame and created a more café style" he says. "Leaving only part of the framework attached to the engine. I also shifted the triple tree about 5cm forward, to create a longer swingarm – making it longer and lower".

Then by hand, he made the stunning seat, gas tank and fairing out of galvanized steel. The seat was then covered by Indra using a sheep skin from a breed of sheep called the garut. The inspiration for the beautiful paint job comes from a Lamborghini Sesto Elemento, using a matte grey for the body, matte black frame and wheels, finishing it off with touches of red to highlight some of the details. A color combination that works so well.

Because most of the bike was built by hand, Indra had one last thing he wanted to do. He wanted to take it from a long ride and test his workmanship. "The test I did through 6 cities, a distance of approximately 600 km. With field conditions that can be said to be very challenging, through the road that should not be passed by a standard vehicle, especially a cafe racer with low handlebar". The bike and Indra made it back in one piece, and if you have ever ridden on an Indonesian road, that in itself is a big feat.

We love the low stance and seamless lines on this Scorpio, and we take our hat off to Indra and Thrive Motorcycles for the workmanship that has gone into the build. It might not have been on our list of great donor bikes, but we definitely won't look at Scorpio's the same way.

[Photography by Putra Agung]

Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus P 33 announced, to have 500 HP and 725 kg

Arriving at 2015 Geneva Motor Show

Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus (SCG) has announced plans to develop a new road car which will be unveiled in March 2015 at the Geneva Motor Show.

After the P4/5 Competizione, SCG is working a new model called P 33 which will be considerably smaller than the P4/5 by Pininfarina. Their plans are to make the chassis and body from carbon fiber to achieve a curb weight of only 725 kg (1,600 lbs). Power is expected to come from a twin-turbo V6 engine producing approximately 500 HP (368 kW).

The P 33 will feature a "three wing" design as three wings will be integrated into the car's shape; while the door's operation and cockpit will be inspired from the Ferrari 512 S Modulo concept (see attached photos).

Although they received several potential orders, for the moment this will remain strictly as a one-off.

Note: Ferrari P4/5 by Pininfarina pictured above

Source: ferrarichat.com via autoblog.nl and Worlcarfans

Toni Elias fastest on day of Moto2 testing at Jerez

from TWOWHEELSBLOG

While everyone was expecting to see Pol Espargaro lead the way on Day 1 of Moto2 testing at Jerez, this year’s title favourite got a little surprise from Toni Elias who posted the best time of the day.

The former Moto2 World champion and Blusens Avintia rider was able to lap in 1:43.365 with his Kalex and he proceeded Tuenti HP 40 duo Esteve Rabat (who led session 1) and Pol Espargaró by 0.059s and 0.286s respectively, in what turned out to be a very tight second session as there were 14 riders in less than a second.

Italtrans duo Takaaki Nakagami and Julián Simón were fourth and fifth fastest while Mika Kallio finished in sixth, making it six riders on Kalex’s in the top six.

Breaking the Kalex hegemony was Alex de Angelis on the NGM Forward branded Speed Up and he was followed by two Suter riders Nico Terol (Aspar Team) and Johann Zarco (Iodaracing Project), while Xavier Simeon closed out the top ten.

All the teams have finally received their spec 2013 Honda race engines that have been prepared and are supplied by Fundación Moto Engineering.

Jerez testing continues on Tuesday, but heavy rains are expected to hamper tomorrow’s full day of testing.

Moto2 Test Jerez - Day 1 results:

1 24 Toni ELIAS KALEX 1:43.365
2 80 Esteve RABAT PONS KALEX 1:43.424 0.059
3 40 Pol ESPARGARO PONS KALEX 1:43.651 0.286
4 30 Takaaki NAKAGAMI KALEX 1:43.664 0.299
5 60 Julian SIMON KALEX 1:43.747 0.382
6 36 Mika KALLIO KALEX 1:43.774 0.409
7 15 Alex DE ANGELIS SPEED UP 1:43.925 0.560
8 18 Nicolas TEROL SUTER 1:43.931 0.566
9 5 Johann ZARCO SUTER 1:43.996 0.631
10 19 Xavier SIMEON KALEX 1:44.029 0.664

Rickman Métisse: Mongrel on a diet

Brothers Derek and Don Rickman rose to fame in British motorbike racing circles during the 50s, and later applied their knowledge to custom-built motorcycles. One highlight was the ‘Métisse’, which saw a variety of engines used in a bespoke, lightweight frame.

From their racing experience, the brothers recognised that heavy stock frames were often the biggest hindrance in the quest for better performance. They began crafting their own bespoke frames with a two-goal focus: losing weight and increasing rigidity. Using engines from a variety of manufacturers (including Matchless, BSA and Triumph, as seen in this example), these early creations were humorously dubbed ‘Métisse’: French slang for ‘Mongrel’.



Word spread over time, and the brothers’ company began selling the nickel-plated frames and associated parts as kits, ready to accept a wide variety of engines. One of many innovations was getting rid of the oil tank; the oil was instead held within the frame itself, in a similar manner to some of the ‘liquid-in-chassis’ sports-racing prototypes of the 1970s. One devotee of this principle – and the Métisse as a whole – was Steve McQueen, who owned one with a 650cc Triumph engine installed. “The oil circulates through the tubes of the frame, which keeps it cool. That's especially important when you're racing or driving under hard conditions. It helps to avoid breakdowns and should make piston seizures quite rare,” he once remarked.



The example shown here was found in the Classic Driver Marketplace, being offered by English dealer Godin Banks. The 1965-built frame has a freshly rebuilt 500cc Triumph engine mounted within it.

Related Links Further information on the Métisse Triumph can be found in the original advert

Text: J. Philip Rathgen(ClassicDriver)
Fotos: Godin Banks

TankS Rally 2013 by Rallymedia

Tushek Forego T700 new details emerge

FSI V8 with 700 HP

Tushek has disclosed more details about the Forego T700, following a teaserlaunched last April.

The Slovenian company will launch its new supercar sometime this year and is expected to weigh 1,000 kg (2,204 lbs) thanks to a carbon fiber / titanium body and a carbon fiber monocoque construction.

Power will come from a V8 FSI engine producing 700 HP (515 kW), making it a lot more powerful than the firm's Renovatio T500 which has 450 HP (331 kW). While the T500 was a roadster, the new Forego T700 will be a coupe and should be faster than the Renovatio's 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) sprint in 3.7 seconds and will probably reach a top speed of more than 193 mph (310 km/h).

Source: gtspirit.com

via Worldcarfans

UNVEILING THE BMW Z4 GTE – ALMS – OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE NEW

-FEBRUARY 14, 2013-

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4:00 AM came earlier than expected. We were 2500 miles away from home, en route to the Daytona International Speedway for the grand unveiling of the all new BMW Z4 GTE, long before the sun had even considered making an appearance. The track sat silent and empty, and BMW's crew had yet to arrive. Tucked away in the paddock bays sat BMW's lineage of race cars, ranging from the Donohue E34 M5 to last year's ALMS E92 twins. In the furthest bay sat the BMW Z4 GTE, tucked under an opaque black cover, waiting to see the light of day. 2013 has marked the end of the E92 M3 GT's ALMS campaign; with the E92 M3 at the end of its production cycle, and its race car counterpart burdened by restrictions that have killed its competitive edge, BMW has been hard at work on its replacement for the upcoming season. Despite its great victories, every hero's tale must come to and end, and with every end marks a new beginning.

For those keen to BMW's current racing lineup, it will come as no surprise that BMW is replacing the M3s with it's more recent racing platform, the E89 Z4 Coupe. The Z4 GT3 chassis has held its own on more than just a few laps on countless foreign circuits, including a win at the 24 Hours of Dubai in 2011. However, America's BMW Z4 GTE is a ground-up redesign of its GT3 counterpart. Little remains the same, as regulations and standards set by IMSA, ACO, and others require more than just a set of intake restriction plates. Extensive windtunnel testing  has brought about an entirely new body, molded from carbon fiber and glossed with bright white and the renowned Motorsport stripes.The wide arches, front and rear, hang over the faintly visible factory lines in a display of immense width and true racing pedigree.

The front is reminiscent of the outgoing M3 GT; the arches roll off the front bumper and then angle in to meet the body after the arch closes, butting up against the ALMS position lights that reside on each fender. The true departure is at the tail of the car: the capacious flares widen the car almost a full eight inches. Following the redesign from the GT3, the lines are all-new, and more radical than ever, with the shape of the tail lamps being held out to the edge of the car, and a tail width that makes the GT3 seem rather scrawny. Tucked under the tail end is a massive diffuser, spanning the full width of the car, paired with a massive spoiler up top to create as much downforce as possible. In a sport as fast as this, aerodynamics play a crucial role in shaving those vital seconds off of the total race time.

Under the carbon fiber heavily-ducted bonnet rests a newly-designed 4.4-liter variant of its GT3 counterpart. The 32-valve aluminum V8 pushes out a restricted yet visceral 473 horsepower and 354lb-ft of torque, thanks to a pair of 29.4mm restrictors tucked behind the kidneys. The power is delivered to the rear wheels through a six-speed sequential manual gearbox, and delivered to the tarmac through a pair of 18x13 forged BBS monolug wheels. Up front, 18x11s hug the ground, shod in  300-680-18s. 310-710-18s wrap the rears, proudly displaying the new tire sponsor for team RLL. Dunlop has pulled from ALMS to focus on its European racing, and in its place, Michelin has moved in. However, the new tires come with a warm welcome.

To keep the tires planted, the Z4 GTE's suspension is once again all-new. McPherson struts up front and wishbones front and rear provide the handling BMW is known for. AP Racing provides the stopping power once again, utilizing  monobloc multi-piston light alloy brake calipers, inner-vented steel brake discs, and brake-balance adjustment available to the driver at any time, front and rear. Unlike the GT3, however, the GTE is not allowed any electronic driving aids, such as antilock brakes, stability, or traction control - a pivotal reason for much of the redesign. So how does the GTE stack up to the production model?  At 4 inches lower, 6 inches longer, and as mentioned before, 8 inches wider thanks to the gargantuan fenders, the GTE  fits more into the category of "muscular cousin" instead of "sister" to the road-going Z4 3.5iS. It's also, staggeringly, 700lbs lighter, totaling 2744lbs, thanks to ACO stipulations.

To pilot the cars to victory, much of last year's team is back. Bill Auberlen heads the list, embarking on his 17th year with BMW. Having driven BMWs in more races than any other driver in the world, Auberlen is as synonymous with BMW's racing success as history's greatest -  Paired with Auberlen is newcomer Maxime Martin from Belgium. While young, Maxime's success is nothing to balk at - and the pairing of the two is sure to bring trouble to BMW's competitors. For the sister car, Dirk Müller is back, along with America's own Joey Hand and the new team youngster, John Edwards. At just 21 years old, John already has several championship wins under his belt and is sure to be a solid addition to Team RLL. It will be interesting to watch as the newcomers and team veterans work together in their pairings to navigate the Z4 GTE duo around the ALMS courses.

With their new car in front of them, the drivers took some time to familiarize themselves with the cockpit where they’ll be spending countless hours in the coming months. Stories of lessons learned in the M3s were traded as they all looked over the Z4 in anticipation. Over the course of our trip, it was clear that an enthusiastic energy existed throughout the BMW Motorsport and Team RLL camps. It’s nearly time for them to get behind the wheel for another season of racing and they all hold high hopes for the races that lie ahead. In a team meeting, Auberlen expressed his enthusiasm for the coming season, “Every time a new car comes out, it renews hope. I didn’t need much more hope after the M3 because it seemed like it was ready to win everything, but whenever it comes to BMW and a new car, I think you’re going to see it on the victory podium and I’m very excited.”

After unveiling the car, Joey Hand took to the track for a quick, albeit short pair of laps for a brief demonstration, as the team was imited to just two laps at a time to avoid any penalties for "testing" the car. Dirk Müller is the only driver with serious seat time thus far - the Z4 GTE began as a mere blueprint only seven months ago. Developed in just six short weeks, the car was disassembled and shipped to Ohio where the Team RLL Headquarters resides. While car #55 was unveiled to the press, #56 is busy with testing in Spain. To add to the stress of preparing, the cars premiere at their first race in just a month.

The race? The 12 Hours of Sebring; one of racing's most prestigious races and one of the three legs of the "Triple Crown of Endurance Racing" alongside the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 24 Hours of Daytona. The Z4 GTE will go head-to-head with last year's champions, Corvette, as well as the likes of Ferrari, Aston Martin, Porsche, and SRT's Viper, and the grueling race will truly push the newborn GTE to its limit. With just one month to prepare, there's no telling how the pint-sized BMW may fare. Rahal considers this season a "developmental" one, as it's unlikely that the car won't have some kinks to work out. However, after BMW's 20-year hiatus from DTM, Bruno Spengler won the 2012 DTM Driver's championship, allowing BMW to take home the Driver's, Team, and Manufacturers Championship titles in the inaugural year of the M3 DTM. Perhaps similar early success isn't too unrealistic; after all, while the GTE is all-new, the BMW has extensive practice and research under their belt regarding the Z4 has a whole.

With the M3 GTs sent off to to be little more than museum pieces, brought out for track days on rare occasions, it's now time for the Z4 GTE to shine. It's a mere 30 days until the pair of GTEs take on the 61st 12 Hours of Sebring, and with a bit of luck, perhaps we'll see BMW take home yet another victory. Until then, we wish Team RLL the best in preparation and testing for the big day, and we hope to see some StanceWorks fans there as well.

 from stanceworks