Promo for the Dirt Quake II, to be held at King’s Lynn, UK on 8 June, 2013. Chopper speedway oval insanity with added pie!
Dirt Quake II: It's coming from SIDEBURN on Vimeo.
Go to sideburnmagazine.com/dirtquake/ for more info.
vendredi 10 mai 2013
WSBK : Marco Melandri heads QP1 at Monza
World Superbikes’s first qualifying session at Monza was longly delayed as the track had to be cleaned up after Mitchell Carr’s Triumph leaked oil from the Serraglio to the Ascari chicane during Supersport qualifying.
The QP1 started with some sun and a dry track so lap times dropped with Marco Melandritaking over the top of the timesheets with a best lap of 1′42.883, even if their were some drops of rain during the halfway mark, which fortunately didn’t turn into a rain show.
Jonathan Rea also moved forward to take second in the finale, demoting Aprilia’s Sylvain Guintoli to third after he led most of the practice.
Tom Sykes was fourth and more than six tenths from Melandri and followed by three Aprilia riders, Althea’s Davide Giugliano, Red Devil’s Michel Fabrizio and Aprilia factory’s Eugene Laverty. Loris Baz was 8th fastest, while Fixi Suzuki’s Leon Camier and Jules Cluzel closed out the top ten.
Chaz Davies was only 13th but he crashed out in the first minutes of the session at turn 8 and was unable to return to track because his BMW was scattered in serveral pieces.
As expected on a dry track the Ducati riders were much slower, Carlos Checa and Ayrton Badovin, were 11th and 12 respectively losing more than 20km/h in top speed. Checa’s top speed on the Panigale was 311,2 compared to Marco Melandri’s 331,4.
2013 WSBK Monza QP1 Results:
01- Marco Melandri – BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK Team – BMW S1000RR – 1’42.883
02- Jonathan Rea – Pata Honda World Superbike Team – Honda CBR 1000RR – + 0.274
03- Sylvain Guintoli – Aprilia Racing Team – Aprilia RSV4 Factory – + 0.627
04- Tom Sykes – Kawasaki Racing Team – Kawasaki ZX-10R – + 0.638
05- Davide Giugliano – Althea Racing – Aprilia RSV4 Factory – + 0.740
06- Michel Fabrizio – Red Devils Roma – Aprilia RSV4 Factory – + 0.966
07- Eugene Laverty – Aprilia Racing Team – Aprilia RSV4 Factory – + 1.073
08- Loris Baz – Kawasaki Racing Team – Kawasaki ZX-10R – + 1.078
09- Leon Camier – FIXI Crescent Suzuki – Suzuki GSX-R 1000 – + 1.223
10- Jules Cluzel – FIXI Crescent Suzuki – Suzuki GSX-R 1000 – + 1.583
02- Jonathan Rea – Pata Honda World Superbike Team – Honda CBR 1000RR – + 0.274
03- Sylvain Guintoli – Aprilia Racing Team – Aprilia RSV4 Factory – + 0.627
04- Tom Sykes – Kawasaki Racing Team – Kawasaki ZX-10R – + 0.638
05- Davide Giugliano – Althea Racing – Aprilia RSV4 Factory – + 0.740
06- Michel Fabrizio – Red Devils Roma – Aprilia RSV4 Factory – + 0.966
07- Eugene Laverty – Aprilia Racing Team – Aprilia RSV4 Factory – + 1.073
08- Loris Baz – Kawasaki Racing Team – Kawasaki ZX-10R – + 1.078
09- Leon Camier – FIXI Crescent Suzuki – Suzuki GSX-R 1000 – + 1.223
10- Jules Cluzel – FIXI Crescent Suzuki – Suzuki GSX-R 1000 – + 1.583
from Twowheelsblog
1992 Honda CB250 - Rene9ade Custom Motorcycles
So, by now you'll all know about Throttle Roll, and if you're in Sydney next weekend you'd be crazy not to come along and join in the fun. But maybe you are crazy - crazy enough to ask ‘why?’ Well here's exhibit A in your mental health review. It's a unique take on a late model Honda CB250 from Rene9ade Custom Motorcycles, and it along with more than 40 other killer builds will be making an appearance at the show.
Ren de Haas is the boss and ‘Chief Awsomiser’ at Rene9ade. We spoke to him about his latest build. “The bike is a '92 CB250 twin. Internally, it's very ordinary and nothing much has been changed with power delivery or drive train. The bike was in a pretty rugged state on delivery, but it ran so it ticked all the boxes. Then we got to work.”
“The client was my long time upholsterer and one of the best fabric guys in the industry. He had this bike for years and decided on actually doing something.” Ren collected it thinking he was just fitting a longer clutch and accelerator cable, but he chatted with the customer and within minutes a new custom build was commissioned. “He had a tank and a seat already. Other than that, I was given full artistic license.”
“He told me I could do whatever I thought would look cool - as long as it was minimal, raw and a little rugged.” Ren mentioned some ‘ratting out’ would be cool, and he was duly given the thumbs up.
A lot of time went into making this thing look at ‘crappy’ as it does. “I wanted it to look old and ratty, but also on a second look, like it was not an old bike at all,” Ren states. “I am pretty sure we achieved this. It has a mix of old and new parts, lots of aged bike bits, some modern Dan Moto gizmos, and plenty of use for old welsh plugs here and there.”
“The frame was shortened, a plate fabricated up and fitted, custom seat mount, gauge mounts - the side-slung tacho is something love. A lot of wiring, welding and painting. And some messing around with acid to get the darn thing to rust up the way I wanted. Overall this was one fun build, my partner Mick and I had a ball creating this one-off piece and would love to take the rat look to the next level on a future build.”
If you're take by Ren's work, it's not exactly hard to catch the guy. See, as of right now Rene9ade has shops in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Jakarta. Drop by one of his shops and say hi, or better yet, why not catch up with him at the show?
from pipeburn
WSBK : Jonathan Rea tops FP1 in rain swept Monza
The fourth round of World Superbike
season at Monza kicked off with the first free practice at the temple of
speed on a rain swept wet track, which was less about top speed and
more about avoiding dangerous crashes in tricky conditions in the
various parts of the circuit.
Remembering all the controversy
surrounding last year’s wet/dry conditions at Monza and last year’s
intermediate tire that was blasted by riders, this year Pirelli has
disegned a new one especially for this round, the Diablo Wet.
Taking the top of the timesheets in
the first 45-minute session was Jonathan Rea who posted a best lap in
2.05.912 early on. The Pata Honda rider is debuting a new fuel tank to
optimise aerodynamics and better electronics.
BMW’s Ayrton Badovini jumped up to
second in the finale with his Panigale that now has a different air
restrictor and demoting Tom Sykes to third after the Kawasaki rider had
held the position for the entire practice.
Kousuke Akiyoshi, who is replacing
injured Leon Haslam seemed particularly at ease in the difficult
conditions as fourth fastest overall in his debut on Pata Honda’s
Fireblade.
Jules Cluzel was 5th and the last
rider to within a second from Rea, while Eugene Laverty, Loris Baz, Chaz
Davies, Leon Camier and Marco Melandri closed out the top ten with very
few completed laps around the circuit.
Missing from the grid is HTM Racing’s Ivan Clemente. The team has decided to sit out this weekend’s round
2013 WSBK Monza FP1 results:
1 J. REA GBR Pata Honda World Superbike Honda CBR1000RR 2′05.912
2 A. BADOVINI ITA Team Ducati Alstare Ducati 1199 Panigale R 2′06.166 +0.254
3 T. SYKES GBR Kawasaki Racing Team Kawasaki ZX-10R 2′06.347 +0.435
4 K. AKIYOSHI JPN Pata Honda World Superbike Honda CBR1000RR 2′06.598 +0.686
5 J. CLUZEL FRA Fixi Crescent Suzuki Suzuki GSX-R1000 2′06.632 +0.720
6 E. LAVERTY IRL Aprilia Racing Team Aprilia RSV4 Factory 2′07.142 +1.230
7 L. BAZ FRA Kawasaki Racing Team Kawasaki ZX-10R 2′07.840 +1.928
8 C. DAVIES GBR BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK BMW S1000 RR 2′07.910 +1.998
9 L. CAMIER GBR Fixi Crescent Suzuki Suzuki GSX-R1000 2′08.681 +2.769
10 M. MELANDRI ITA BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK BMW S1000 RR 2′08.781 +2.8693
2 A. BADOVINI ITA Team Ducati Alstare Ducati 1199 Panigale R 2′06.166 +0.254
3 T. SYKES GBR Kawasaki Racing Team Kawasaki ZX-10R 2′06.347 +0.435
4 K. AKIYOSHI JPN Pata Honda World Superbike Honda CBR1000RR 2′06.598 +0.686
5 J. CLUZEL FRA Fixi Crescent Suzuki Suzuki GSX-R1000 2′06.632 +0.720
6 E. LAVERTY IRL Aprilia Racing Team Aprilia RSV4 Factory 2′07.142 +1.230
7 L. BAZ FRA Kawasaki Racing Team Kawasaki ZX-10R 2′07.840 +1.928
8 C. DAVIES GBR BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK BMW S1000 RR 2′07.910 +1.998
9 L. CAMIER GBR Fixi Crescent Suzuki Suzuki GSX-R1000 2′08.681 +2.769
10 M. MELANDRI ITA BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK BMW S1000 RR 2′08.781 +2.8693
Lost and Found After 60 Years – A Truly Italian History
By Giuseppe De Angelis
Since the birth of the car at the end of the nineteenth century, cars have been a great passion in the De Angelis family. My grandfather and his brothers were founders of the local Automobil Club of Italy in our hometown of Ascoli Piceno. My father Francesco (born in 1923), and his brothers Vito (born in 1920) and Vincenzo (born in 1925) retained this interest in motoring and continued their pursuits in automobiles and racing cars.
In 1952 Francesco and Vincenzo began racing cars all around Italy, and entered that year’s Mille Miglia with a little Fiat 500 named Topolino. They finished in 228th place and 4th in class. The brothers also competed in the 1954 Mille Miglia (and other races) in the same Topolino.
The 1954 Mille Miglia saw the debut of a true racing car – the Giaur-Taraschi chassis BT004 and engine Giannini G1–085. This car was built by Taraschi in Teramo (close to Ascoli Piceno) during 1949 and 1950 before being sold new to Italo Arlini-Di Brigida from Pineto with licence plate TE 6004. He then ran the 1950 Mille Miglia with this car and then sold it in Grottammare (Ascoli Piceno) to Mario Gustavo Laureati in 1951. In the Giaur, Laureati ran the 1951 running of the Mille Miglia with Elio Celani from S. Benedetto del Tronto, and again in 1953 with Amedeo Francescangeli from Ascoli Piceno to finish 161st overall and 11th in class. It was then that my father Francesco finally bought the car.
My father soon raced the Giaur at Circuito di Macerata with race-number 24, finishing 3rd, then in the 1954 Mille Miglia, where he finished 156th overall and 12th in class. He actively campaigned the car, racing at Circuito di Salerno, Circuito di Terni, Vermicino-Rocca di Papa Hillclimb and other events. Then the car sat for much of 1955, as he drove a Fiat 1100 TV at the Mille Miglia. As usual, he drove with his brother Vincenzo, but a broken transmission prevented them from finishing.
Then, at the end of 1955 he traded the Giaur for an Alfa Romeo 1900 with Alfredo Tinazzo, a fine driver who later raced the Giaur in the 1956 and 1957 running of the Mille Miglia. In 1959, Tinazzo sadly died in a race at Monza. My family had always believed that Tinazzo was actually driving the Giaur at Monza, and therefore thought that it had been destroyed.
The Martini Porsche 935 and the World Speed Record for Cyclists
Don’t try this behind the No. 9 bus. In 1979, racing cyclist Jean Claude Rude wanted to be the fastest cyclist on Earth. Clearly, while his legs might have been up to the mark, there was a little matter of wind resistance at the anticipated 120mph+ speeds.
With Grand Prix and sports car driver Henri Pescarolo at the wheel of the mighty 935, Rude set off behind the windtunnel-tested rear enclosure of the Porsche. Note the roller at the rear to safeguard Rude touching the back of the car at speed. Also, the model’s legendary ability to spit gouts of flame on overrun was neutralised as the exhausts were re-routed to the side of the car. The idea was not only to receive the benefits of streamlining, but also to obtain a ‘tow’ from the massively fast racing car.
From a slow rolling start, Pescarolo gradually piled on the power until the combination was travelling at 100mph… when Rude’s rear tyre exploded. By smart riding – and no little good fortune – he managed to bring the bike to a safe standstill. Having ordered more durable tyres from Michelin, the attempt was repeated, sadly without success. And sadder still, the plucky Rude was killed on a later date when investigating the effect of cycling at speed alongside an express train. He was sucked into its path.
The current cycling World Record stands at 278.8km/h (167mph) set by Dutchman Fred Rompelberg in 1995.
Text: Steve Wakefield Classic Driver
Photo: Porsche Archive
Alfred Hitchcock and His Blondes
Whether it was the fact that in the era of black-and-white films, blondes photographed better, or that they were indeed "a symbol of the heroine", there’s no disputing that ‘Hitch’ included a fair percentage of fair-haired actresses in his work.
We consider, in no particular order, some of the best-known ‘Hitchcock Blondes’:
‘Dial M for Murder,’ ‘Rear Window’ and ‘To Catch a Thief’: Grace Kelly
In the space of just two years (1954 and 1955), Kelly starred in three of Hitchcock’s most famous films. A strenuous schedule but one that the tough actress took in her stride, such was her inner strength and ability to cope with the ever-demanding director.
‘Vertigo’: Kim Novak
Novak was just 25 when she played the dual roles of Judy and Madeleine in the 1958 film ‘Vertigo’. Her blonde hair is a key part of the plot – at one point 50-year-old James Stewart asks Judy to don a blonde wig to represent Madeleine, the deceased woman that so obsesses him.
‘The Birds’ and ‘Marnie’: Tippi Hedren
Another actress employed by Hitchcock in two films over two years (1963 and 1964), Hedren had previously acted only in commercials. In ‘Marnie’, the film broaches the daring-for-the-time subjects of rape, prostitution and sexual frustration. A bold decision by Hitchcock.
‘North by Northwest’: Eva Marie Saint
In a typical Hitchcock tale of mistaken identity and treachery, initially duplicitous Eva Marie Saint plays Eve Kendall opposite Cary Grant’s Roger O. Thornhill. By the time the famous ‘crop duster’ scene appears towards the end of the film, the couple are lovers. Hitchcock insisted that Saint had her waist-length hair cut: "Short hair gives Eva a more exotic look, in keeping with her role of the glamorous woman of my story. I wanted her dressed like a kept woman - smart, simple, subtle and quiet. In other words, anything but the bangles and beads type."
‘The Man Who Knew Too Much’: Doris Day
Animal-loving girl-next-door Doris Day was an unlikely choice for the leading lady in a sometimes edgy Hitchcock movie. But, in ‘The Man Who Knew Too Much’ (1956), she rises to the occasion, accompanying James Stewart as the pair is unwittingly involved in an adventure in Morocco.
Text: J. Philip Rathgen (Classic Driver)
Photos: Getty Images
Tough Watches: 'If they're too tough, you're too weak...'
Watches are like a little window into the wearer’s personality – from sporty to sophisticated; from elegant to casual. The strong-minded man needs a watch that reflects his mindset, so we’ve picked some ideal examples from the forthcoming Sotheby’s sale in Geneva.
Porsche Design P'6910 Indicator
Launched in 2010, the Porsche Design P’6910 Indicator was an instant hit. Within the 49mm-diameter housing was a mechanical stopwatch able to count up to 9:59 minutes, an innovation made possible by the advanced movement. This ‘mini-monster’ sits particularly well on a strong wrist.
Estimate: CHF 18,000 to 25,000
Slam Dunk: Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore 'Shaquille O’Neal'
Audemars Piguet wasn’t the first to dedicate a timepiece to basketball legend Shaquille O’Neal (that accolade goes to Swatch), but we’d recommend the Royal Oak Offshore to men of a similar stature (7”1’). Note the ‘2’ and ‘3’ numerals, inverted to highlight the jersey number of the towering superstar.
Estimate: CHF 18,000 to 25,000
Richard Mille RM 025
With a diameter of 50mm, it’s not the largest watch here – but it certainly has the most visual impact. A skeletonised dial opens up the inner workings of the diver’s watch, perfect for showing friends the robustness of the high-tech materials used.
Estimate: CHF 180,000 to 250,000
Related Links Further information and all lots of the Sotheby's auction in Geneva can be found by visitingwww.sothebys.com. |
Text: J. Philip Rathgen Classic Driver
Photos: Sotheby's
BLITZ BMW R100RT ‘LA PARISIENNE’
If you visited the BMW Museum in Munich a few months ago, you might have noticed an interloper: a brawny custom with a Yamaha XT500 tank. Sharing space with a BMW concept car and an immaculate 1982 R100 RT, the custom looked like a pit bull amongst immaculately coiffed poodles.
The juxtaposition was not as incongruous as it seemed, though. The ‘Yamaha’ was actually a BMW R100 RT, just like its neighbor on the stand, albeit in disguise. It was built by the controversial French workshop Blitz Motorcycles and is called ‘La Parisienne.’
Confused onlookers who failed to recognize the bike can be excused—this R100 has been customized almost beyond recognition. The rear frame is completely new, and fitted with a bespoke seat and a mono shock. The frame and forks have been powdercoated in dark gray, and the engine, bars (from an R100 RS) and wheels powdercoated in a sinister black.
The bike has also been rewired with simplified electrics; a compact li-ion battery now hides in a box under the transmission. Mini switches control the blinkers and the digital speedometer display, and the engine start button is screwed into the bracket of the front brake lever. The levers (shortened) and brake master cylinder are from a Yamaha R1.
Vintage-style lights add a retro touch, along with 18” Coker rubber. The carbs sport handcrafted intakes and the shorty muffler is painted a high-temperature black on the outside and red on the inside. And yes, the tank really is from vintage Yamaha XT500 enduro—mounted on the frame exactly as it was found.
The effect is brutal and even disorientating. But it still caught the eye of the BMW museum curators. Maybe the Teutonic purveyors of motorcycling efficiency do have a sense of humor after all.
Head over to the Blitz website to see more of Fred Jourden and Hugo Jezegabel’s builds. And follow the news from the 17th arrondissement via the Blitz Facebook page.
from BIKEEXIF
KAWASAKI KZ750 BY VALTORON
Valdetorres del Jarama is a small village in Spain, half an hour from the center of Madrid. It’s also home to a sculptor’s foundry called Valtoron, named after the local river.
The foundry is run by two brothers with a passion for traditional metalwork. In their free time Carlos and Pablo live and breathe motorcycles, and occasionally, their two worlds collide. Over the years they’ve been quietly using their skills to create some remarkably original motorcycles, which were revealed in public for the first time at the 2012 Mulafest show in Madrid.
The reaction of the audience at the show convinced Carlos and Pablo to disclose more of their two-wheeled work—which includes this 1977 Kawasaki KZ750, repurposed into a vintage dual-sport machine. (If you haven’t heard of the KZ750, that’s understandable: it was designed to compete with twins like the Triumph Bonneville and Yamaha XS650, but despite having the requisite simplicity and character, it never really took off.)
Valtoron started by modifying the KZ750’s chassis for strength, and grafting on uprated components better suited to offroad use—including 41mm Husqvarna forks slotted into Suzuki triple trees, and Betor shocks from an Ossa Desert Fuego. The footrests are now from a vintage KTM GS 250, and the bars from a Bultaco Pursang—now fitted with Renthal grips. The front brake is from a Yamaha SR250.
Valtoron used their casting know-how to produce the bodywork, creating a look we haven’t seen before. All the panels were cast in aluminum in the foundry, from the fenders to the side covers to the tank, which was designed and shaped using clay. The gas cap has been cast in bronze.
It’s an unusual approach, as befits an isolated workshop operating outside the mainstream of custom motorcycle builders. But it ‘works’, to put it bluntly, and Valtoron is a name worth keeping an eye out for. You can follow Carlos and Pablo’s progress via theirwebsite and Facebook page: they don’t speak English, but the pictures speak a thousand words.
Images courtesy of Kristina Fender. Thanks to David Borras of El Solitario MC for the tip.
from BIKEEXIF
Can You Handle Our Top 5 Off-Roaders?
Defenders and G-Wagons are often the tools of choice when the going gets tough, but what if you’re looking for something a little less predictable? We look at some of the more unusual marauders of the mud.
#5 Jeep Cherokee Chief
For those seeking G-Wagon virtues (V8 brawn, no-nonsense aesthetics and a touch of luxury) in a distinctly more Western package, a late 70s Jeep Cherokee Chief might be the answer. A world away from its modern counterparts, it does off-roading the old-school American way.
Buy this car in the Classic Driver Marketplace >>
#4 VW Type 82 'Kübelwagen'
Resembling a bathtub on wheels, it’s little wonder the Porsche-designed Type 82 was given the nickname ‘Kübelwagen’ – directly translated as ‘tub-truck’. The Beetle-derived mechanicals proved solid during their service in WWII but, should you get stuck, you could always liberate your mount the old-fashioned way: using the accompanying shovel.
Buy this car in the Classic Driver Marketplace >>
#3 Citroën DS 21 'Rally'
A heavy, ambling saloon might not jump out at you as an ideal rallying candidate, but in period it soon became very successful – no doubt owing much of its success to the pioneering suspension system. With the road-going DS already widely regarded as ‘sub-zero’ cool, rally versions scarcely register on the thermometer.
Buy this car in the Classic Driver Marketplace >>
#2 Porsche 911 Safari
The 911 almost certainly has the most successful racing provenance of any sports car – and its success even extends to rallying. Raised suspension and the deletion of all but the essentials meant the 911 'Safari' was a match for the toughest of stages.
Buy this car in the Classic Driver Marketplace >>
#1 Lamborghini LM 002 "Ex-Rally-Dakar"
Ferruccio Lamborghini famously shielded his cars from the callings of competition; but when he left the company, the new owners decided it was time to showcase the talents of the LM002 by producing a rally variant. Based on the standard chassis, it shed 500kg and gained a host of rally-spec modifications in preparation for the gruelling Paris-Dakar.
Buy this car in the Classic Driver Marketplace >>
Text: Classic Driver
Photos: Classic Driver dealers
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