Pole Position - Bol d'Or 2013

Découvrez les images de la pole position du Bol d'or décrochée par Kawasaki SRC.

Bol d’Or: Lavillenie aims to have fun / Bol d’Or : Renaud Lavillenie, « me faire plaisir »

Renaud Lavillenie’s first taste of the Bol d’Or as a rider included free practice, the night-time session and Qualifying 1. We caught up with him on Thursday evening…

Renaud Lavillenie a vécu sa première journée de pilote au Bol d’Or en participant aux essais libres, qualificatifs et de nuit. Il dresse le bilan de ses premiers tours de roues officiels.

« “It’s gone very well, thanks,” the Olympic pole-vaulting champion told us after finishing his day on the N°63 Suzuki-Michelin.

“When free practice finished, I thought the worst was over. There was so much traffic. It was quite tough at times and I couldn’t string any decent laps together. A weight came off my shoulders in qualifying, though. There were fewer bikes on the track and the session lasted 20 minutes. I was on the pace at once and I constantly managed to lap in the 2m1s bracket. I feel more and more comfortable. My aim is to lap in less than two minutes but I’ve already met my first objective, which is to have fun.”

“I started out with a tyre that wasn’t as stiff as the one used by my team-mates, but my bike was easy to ride. I feel I’m in control now. I think the second qualifying session will be even better.”

After the first qualifying session, AZ Moto Expert is 29^th, but a good grid position isn’t a priority. “The main thing is to have bike that is agile and easy for a 24-hour race, with a set-up that works for all three riders,” notes fellow AZ rider Stéphane Mezard.

Tout s’est bien passé, je suis super content » commentait Renaud en descendant de la Suzuki-Michelin frappée du numéro 63.

« Après les essais libres, je me suis dit que j’avais passé le plus dur. Ce n’était pas évident, il y avait beaucoup de trafic. C’était un peu la galère, je stagnais au niveau du chrono. Puis la séance qualificative m’a permis de me libérer. On était beaucoup moins nombreux en piste et je disposais de 20 minutes. Dès le premier, j’étais dans le rythme et j’ai réalisé un run constant en tournant en 2.01. Je me sens de mieux en mieux avec la moto.

Mon but est de passer en dessous de la barre des deux minutes mais j’ai d’ores et déjà atteint mon principal objectif, me faire plaisir.

Je suis parti avec un pneu dont la carcasse était moins rigide que celle de mes coéquipiers. La moto était ainsi plus facile et agréable à piloter. Je sentais que je la maitrisais bien. Je ne suis pas loin de toucher à mon but, ça devrait le faire demain lors de la seconde séance. »

A l’issue de la première séance qualificative, AZ Moto Expert pointe la 29^ème place. Les qualifications ne sont pas une priorité pour le team auvergnat. « L’important est d’avoir une moto facile et maniable pour les 24 heures de course et dont les réglages conviennent aux trois pilotes » souligne Stéphane Mezard, pilote et pilier de l’équipe clermontoise.

from motoracinglive

Dirt Rider Magazine’s 2013 Bike Of The Year

Will It Be The KTM 500 EXC or The Beta 300 RR?

The Dirt Rider Bike Of The Year award is one of the most exciting—and difficult—annual decisions that we as a magazine make. Starting with all of the new motocross and off-road machines from the model year, our team of editors and test riders methodically discusses and eliminates machines from the running until we are left with just one bike that stands above the rest in terms of performance, innovation or just simply making a splash in the two-wheeled world. Previous BOTY winners have included everything from a Cannondale to a Honda CRF450R, with the 2012 KTM 500 EXC taking top honors last year for being such a competent street-legal dirt bike.

For 2013, the choices were numerous and, in most cases, strong. We saw air forks and all-new designs in the moto world, while a few new machines and several competitive revisions to older ones bolstered the off-road segment. In the end, our decision came down to two bikes: the defending BOTY title-holding KTM 500 EXC, and the all-new Beta 300 RR two-stroke. Our team testing these motorcycles in a variety of settings and came away with several strong opinions on both bikes and how they work in a variety of conditions. We considered performance in all kinds of categories, but the essence of BOTY is about giving credit to a bike that we feel has and will continue to make an impact among customers.

In this video, we take you behind the scenes and out to the California desert for our final day of testing both of these machines. For the full BOTY feature story, be sure to catch our June 2013 issue of Dirt Rider, which will be on-sale beginning April 23rd. Also, head over to our Facebook page and let us know which bike YOU think deserves the nod as the 2013 Dirt Rider Bike Of The Year!

Marc Marquez leads slow Austin FP1

from Twowheelsblog

The first MotoGP free practice at the Circuit of the Americas at Austin was for the majority of the riders a very important 45 minutes trying to learn all the different type of corners, the braking points, and the different lines with their GP machines before starting the real work of finding a set-up for the race weekend, so lap times were very high and not even close toMarc Marquez’s Austin test third day benchmark of 2.03.28, but the track was much cooler this morning than during the March test, and the riders were having trouble putting heat in their rear tires and the lack of grip could be be the two reasons for the much higher lap times.

For the Yamaha Tech3, Yamaha Factory, LCR Honda and Cardion AB teams it was cautious approach following the fire that broke out the other night in Tech3’s garage and after having had to clean and dry everything out after all the equipment was coated in water and fire retardant powder, with worries that something could happen to the bikes electrics - LCR Honda had to send part of their equipment back to Japan and if they can’t repair it, Cecchinello will have to spend €50,000 to 60,000 to replace it.

While Marquez led the field with a best lap 2.08.756 while Jorge Lorenzo was within 0.253s from the Repsol Honda rookie and the only rider within a second from Marquez, and in the last useful lap of the session the reigning World champion was almost hit by PBM’s Yonny Hernandez who missed his braking mark.

Dani Pedrosa was third fastest and 1.6 seconds from his team mate, while Ducati duo Andrea Dovizioso and Nicky Hayden jumped to fourth and fifth in the dying minutes of the session and they were 1.9 and 2 seconds adrift respectively.

Valentino Rossi was in the top four for the most of the practice, but his last lap was ruined by home boy Colin Edwards and he finished sixth and two seconds adrift, and he was followed by Alvaro Bautista, Cal Crutchlow, Stefan Bradl.

At his home track Ben Spies closed out top ten and he was more than four seconds from Marquez and his Ducati billowed out some white smoke again. Andrea Iannone who went to Laguna Seca for a two day track experience and was black flagged several times due to noise from the exhaust of the Panigale was 18th and more than 6.1 second adrift, while CRT wildcard riders Blake Young for Attack Performance and Mike Barnes for GPTech were 25th and 26th respectively and more than 10 and 12 seconds off pace.

2013 MotoGP Austin FP1 results:

01- Marc Marquez – Repsol Honda Team – Honda RC213V – 2’08.756
02- Jorge Lorenzo – Yamaha Factory Racing – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 0.253
03- Dani Pedrosa – Repsol Honda Team – Honda RC213V – + 1.600
04- Andrea Dovizioso – Ducati Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP13 – + 1.909
05- Nicky Hayden – Ducati Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP13 – + 2.045
06- Valentino Rossi – Yamaha Factory Racing – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 2.072
07- Alvaro Bautista – GO&FUN Honda Gresini – Honda RC213V – + 2.154
08- Cal Crutchlow – Monster Yamaha Tech 3 – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 2.476
09- Stefan Bradl – LCR Honda MotoGP – Honda RC213V – + 3.173
10- Ben Spies – Ignite Pramac Racing – Ducati Desmosedici GP13 – + 4.057

Borile B450 Scrambler launched in Milan

from Twowheelsblog

Just a few days ago, at the ‘Spazio Acquadimare‘ in Milan, Italy, we attended the official presentation of the new Borile B450 Scrambler, the new model of the little but fierce Italian manufacturer which is blatantly inspired by the mighty Ducati Scrambler of the 70s. The bike is the latest creation of the brilliant Umberto Borile - founder, main man and mastermind of the house - whose genius this time went as far as to design the actual engine of the bike.

Moreover, this unit actually uses cylinder head and block provided by Ducati itself, which the genius of Mr.Borile aptly modified in order to match his own vision. The B450 Scrambler is therefore the motorcycles that inaugurates the partnership between Borile and the Borgo Panigale-based manufactuerer, which will go on to supply barrels, heads and valve gears of its 2-valve air-cooled 696 cc and 1100 cc units for future projects.

Back in 70s, Umberto Borile himself was the proud owner of a Ducati Scrambler 70s, and it is exactly the never forgotten passion for that machine that prompted the birth of this project. In the same fashion, good old Umberto badly wanted to put something markedly Ducati in the DNA of his new masterpiece, and so he got in touch with some of the top boys at Ducati, eventually signing an agreement for the supply but on one condition: they had to be the first to taste the fruit of his labor.

Umberto’s creative effort led to the birth of the B450 Scrambler, a motorcycle which can be considered for all intents and purposes as a modern-day reincarnation of the legendary single cylinder model that inspires it. The engine uses the rear vertical cylinder of theMonster 1100, with 98 mm of bore and 60 mm of stroke, 40.5 mm throttle body, Weber-Marelli fuel injection, six-speed cassette type gearbox, digital electric ignition and countershaft. The wheels are 19″ front and 18″ rear, both combined with single hydraulic disc brakes. The tank is located under the seat, while the air filter is right behind the headstock.

The model introduced in Milan is still the first prototype, and on its arrival at the ‘Spazio Acquadimare‘ (with Umberto Borile himself riding it) the terrifying roar of its single cylinder makes it clear rightaway that the Scrambler is yet to pass the scrutiny of the authorities for road use licensing, but at the same time the first resounding impact is simply bombastic.

Final specifications have not yet been formalized but Borile confirms that the power should eventually be in the 45 hp area. However, before landing in Milan, Mr.Borile kept his commitment and brought the B450 Scrambler to the Ducati headquarters, and this is what he said about the experinece:

“When the Ducati people saw and heard it, most of these young graduates looked at it with suspicion, pulling faces as to indicate its flaws, with the maintenance guys going as far as to say ‘this bike would never go past the checks’. But then we had the ‘old’ guys coming out of the factory in their mechanic’s overalls, hand on heart, saying things like: “We just have to leave now, otherwise we are gonna have a heart attack.” They hadn’t heard the sound of a single cylinder engine in there for something like 30 years, and you could just see how ‘touched’ they were… “

For more information on this and other Borile products, check out their official website.

Rolls-Royce Ghost Alpine Trial Centenary Edition announced for Auto China

 

Celebrates the 1913 Alpine Trial

Rolls-Royce is celebrating the 100th anniversary of their entry in the 1913 Alpine Trial by unveiling a new special edition at Auto China.
 
Designed to commemorate the company's completion of the grueling 1820 mile (2929 km) long course, the Ghost Alpine Trial Centenary Edition draws cues from James Radley's Silver Ghost which took part in the historic event. As a result, the car features a two-tone exterior with a black grille and black alloy wheels.
The interior celebrates the iconic rally by adopting a distinctive front veneer which is inlayed with a graphic that expresses the topography and distances of the Alpine route. There's also rear picnic tables and a revised clock that shows the timing of each stage of the original rally.
 
The Ghost Alpine Trial Centenary Edition will join Radley's Silver Ghost in a reenactment of the Alpine Trial that will start in Vienna on June 14th.

Source: Rolls-Royce
via Worldcarfans

Fast and Furious 7 confirmed for July 11, 2014

By Vin Diesel during CinemaCon

Vin Diesel has confirmed Fast and Furious 7 will hit worldwide theaters on July 11, 2014.

The announcement was made on stage at CinemaCon, a convention of movie exhibitors in Las Vegas. Vin Diesel was accompanied by F&F co-stars such as Paul Walker, Tyrese Gibson and Michelle Rodriguez. All of them said the movie franchise exceeded their expectations and they expressed their gratitude for being a part of the blockbuster series.

As a reminder, the sixth installment in the Fast and Furious franchise will arrive on May 24. The movie was filmed in various locations across the world like Los Angeles, London, Scotland, Liverpool and the Canary Islands.

Another car-related movie out next year is Need for Speed which will air on March 14. Until then, this September Ron Howard's Rush movie will be launched, a movie about the Niki Lauda and James Hunt rivalry from the 1976 F1 season.

Source: insidemovies.ew.com

via Worldcarfans

Hinckley Bonneville by Sparks

Found of Return of the Cafe Racers, Belgian outfit Sparks Bonnie Cafe Racer. Great first build.

from straightspeed.

Jalopy Dust Up 2013. Hot rod dirt track racing! from Cal Thorley on Vimeo.

Kawasaki W650 - Hurricane Jane by Maria Riding Company

 






via straightspeed

When it comes to modern supercars, one turbo is no longer enough. We dropped the roof of the new McLaren 12C Spider to enjoy the twin-turbo V8 engine note to the full – with the Black Forest as our sounding board.

Emotionless, sterile, a soulless machine with the driving dynamics of a PlayStation sports car? Some of the harshest allegations thrown at the McLaren MP4-12C after its launch two years ago must have been deeply painful for its makers. And arguably untrue. In a short time and with a relatively small budget, McLaren had created a challenging mid-engined sports car that could compete with the top dogs – and in the same breath created a whole new brand of supercar. It was a duel with Ferrari, Italy against England, emotion versus precision. So it was inevitable that sparks were bound to fly and in the eyes of automotive journalists whose salaries depend on pithy headlines and operatic, testosterone-laden opinions, the cards were stacked in favour of the Ferrari 458 Italia.


But Woking-based McLaren had the answer – and the coupé has now evolved into a dramatic Spider. They’ve not only removed the roof, they’ve even cut off half the dull and dry model name. Technically, however, it’s the same (excellent) package: in the rear sits an impressive 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8 with 616bhp, pushing the two-seater to 62mph in 3.1 seconds. In terms of its architecture, the McLaren is again a match for Ferrari with, instead of a soft top, a lightweight retractable hard top that opens in just 15 seconds.


Our trip begins in Zurich, in typical April weather – sun and rain alternating by the minute. We drive on highways to the north, to the Black Forest, and discover that in ‘normal’ mode the McLaren feels meek, comfortable and almost inconspicuous – bad for small egos, but perfect if you simply want to cruise along with the traffic. But then the roads become narrow and curvy, dark firs to each side of us and the occasional, sudden patch of fog. We tighten up the suspension, switch the seven-speed gearbox to manual mode and, with roof still up, we lower the rear window (a special McLaren trick) and start to playfully explore the characteristics of throttle, brake and steering.


All at once, with that rear window open, we’re surrounded by the roar of the engine, from the whistle of the turbo to the scratching and hissing on downshifts. Wiper blades working, rain pattering on the roof, and as the V8 comes slowly up to ideal operating temperature, the cool, forest-scented air flows into the cockpit. The McLaren is easy to direct with smooth precision – light inputs from your fingers and toes are enough to thread the car through the bends. Even under 2000rpm, there is huge torque available – and perhaps you can start to see why the coupé was sometimes criticised as ‘too perfect’. Then, as the first rays of sunlight break through the branches, we finally lower the roof.
On highways and at high speeds (the Spider can top 200mph), it might well be stormy in the cockpit – but this is part of the emotion that the coupé’s critics claimed was lacking. We find a long, deserted straight on which to try full acceleration from rest. As the Spider shoots forward, V8 roaring and tyres biting the road, there can be no more talk of soullessness: this is the real thing.

Related Links Configure your McLaren 12C Spider at www.mclarenautomotive.com Many classic and modern McLarens can be found in the Classic Driver Marketplace

Text & Photos: Jan Baedeker (Classic Driver)