Oschersleben 8 Hours: victory for SERT / 8 Heures d’Oschersleben : le SERT remporte la victoire

The Oschersleben 8 Hours saw SERT claim its first win of the year to strengthen its grip on the FIM Endurance World Championship (EWC) ahead of the final clash at Le Mans (24 Heures Moto) on September 21-22. The podium was shared by BMW Motorrad France Team Thevent and YART (Michelin).

Le SERT enlève son première succès de la saison en remportant les 8 Heures d’Oschersleben et conforte ainsi sa place de leader au classement général avant d’aborder les 24 Heures Moto, finale du Championnat du monde d’Endurance FIM (EWC) les 21 et 22 septembre au Mans. BMW Motorrad France Team Thevent et le YART (Michelin) complètent le podium.

It was SERT’s second straight victory in Germany and the pole-winning N°1 Suzuki of Vincent Philippe, Anthony Delhalle and Julien DaCosta clocked up 316 laps in the course of today’s race.

The French squad led from the start but briefly handed the lead to YART on Lap 19 before recovering its advantage after the first sequence of refuelling stops. SERT’s quick, business-like stints then laid the foundations for the team’s victory, two laps clear of its closest chaser.

The fight for second place produced a thrilling duel between BMW Motorrad France Team Thevent and YART who were running to different strategies.

BMW Motorrad France Team Thevent gambled on lower fuel consumption and one less stop than the Austrians. A safety car interruption in the fifth hour following a fall by the Superstock-leading Suzuki Junior Team nearly scuppered the Belgian team’s plan by allowing YART to pull out a sufficient gap to cancel out its extra pit stop. However, a small fire during the N°7 Yamaha’s penultimate stop saw it fall back to fourth, one lap down on the N°99 BMW.

Broc Parkes, the fastest rider in qualifying, then battled hard to retrieve YART’s footing on the podium. In the process, he recorded the fastest race lap (1m27.151s). His efforts weren’t enough, though, to prevent Sébastien Gimbert, Erwan Nigon and Damian Cudlin from claiming second place and bringing BMW Motorrad France its first points of the season.

Bolliger Team Switzerland was fourth, while GMT 94 fought back to move 31 places up the order after David Checa’s early fall and earn fifth place with nine minutes remaining. That knocked the Superstock-winner Penz13.com Franks Autowelt Racing Team back to sixth. 

The class’s silver medal went to last year’s Superstock victor Team Motors Events who finished seventh overall, ahead of DG Sport Herock.

The Honda TT Legends bike ran out of fuel just before its third pit stop and fell back to 17^th spot, but the British road-racing specialists bounced back to cross the line in ninth place. AM Moto Racing rounded off the top 10 and came fourth in the Superstock standings.

Oschersleben has not affected the championship’s provisional top three, although the gaps have widened: SERT (84 points) is now 13 and 24 points clear of YART and GMT 94 ahead of September’s decider at Le Mans.

Next (and last) round: Les 24 Heures Moto, Le Mans, France (September 21-22).

Le SERT empoche une seconde victoire consécutive en Allemagne. La Suzuki n°, qualifiée en pole position, emmenée par Vincent Philippe, Anthony Delhalle et Julien DaCosta, rallie l’arrivée avec 316 tours au compteur.

En tête dès le départ, le SERT a concédé la première place au YART lors du 19^ème tour avant de reprendre le commandement suite à la première vague de ravitaillements. Grâce à des relais rapides et des arrêts efficaces, le SERT a bâti sa victoire au fils des tours pour s’imposer avec deux tours d’avance sur BMW Motorrad France Team Thevent.

La deuxième place a donné lieu à une superbe bagarre entre BMW Motorrad France Team Thevent et le YART via des stratégies de course différentes.

Plus économe, BMW Motorrad France Team Thevent avait misé sur un arrêt de moins que le YART.  Mais l’intervention du safety-car après 4h20 de course suite à la chute du Suzuki Junior Team, alors leader de la catégorie Supertock, est venue perturbée le tableau de marche de l’équipe belge. Le YART en a alors profité pour creuser un écart suffisant pour pallier à un ravitaillement supplémentaire. Mais un début d’incendie lors de l’avant-dernier arrêt de la Yamaha n°7 l’a rétrogradé à la quatrième place à un tour de la BMW n°99.

Auteur de la meilleure performance en qualifications, Broc Parkes a cravaché pour ramener le YART sur le podium. Il signe le meilleur temps en course en 1.27.151. L’équipe autrichienne  se classe troisième. Sébastien Gimbert, Erwan Nigon et Damian Cudlin offrent les premiers points de la saison à BMW Motorrad France en terminant deuxièmes.

Bolliger Team Switzerland est quatrième. Plongeant dans les profondeurs du classement suite à la chute de David  Checa dans les premiers tours, le GMT 94 est parvenu à remonter 31 places et arrache la cinquième place, à neuf minutes du drapeau à damier, à Penz13.com Franks Autowelt Racing Team, vainqueur de la catégorie Superstock.  

Victorieux en 2012, Team Motors Events se classe deuxième en Superstock et septième au général devant DG Sport Herock. Victime d’une panne d’essence précédant leur troisième arrêt, le Honda TT Legends a rétrogradé à la 17^ème place. Les Anglais, spécialistes des courses sur route, franchissent la ligne d’arrivée à la neuvième place. AM Moto Racing complète le Top 10 général et pointe à la quatrième place en Superstock.

Si les 8 Heures d’Oschersleben n’ont pas modifié les trois premières places du classement provisoire, seul l’écart les séparant a évolué. Avec 84 points, le SERT compte désormais 13 et 24 points d’avance sur le YART et le GMT 94. Le titre se jouera donc une nouvelle fois au mois de septembre lors des 24 Heures Moto.

Prochaine et dernière épreuve : les 24 Heures Moto (Le Mans), 21 et 22 septembre

A ride for Ogier in the Audi RS 5 DTM / Ogier au volant de l’Audi RS 5 DTM

The WRC pace-setter Sébastien Ogier and two-time DTM champ Mattias Ekström traded cars recently. Before beginning recce for the ADAC Rallye Deutschland, the Frenchman will watch this weekend’s DTM race at the Nürburgring as a guest of Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline.

Le leader du WRC Sébastien Ogier et le double champion DTM Mattias Ekström se sont échangés leurs voitures. Avant le début des reconnaissances de l’ADAC Deutschland Rallye, le Français assistera à la marche DTM du Nürburgring depuis le stand Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline.

After taking part in a round of the Mobil 1 Porsche Supercup, Ogier was recently given a chance of sampling one of the star machines of the highly competitive DTM.

The Frenchman completed five laps of the short Nürburgring (3.629km) in Mattias Ekström’s Audi RS 5 DTM Red Bull (V8, 460hp). Meanwhile, the Swede was given a chance to try the Volkswagen Polo R WRC on a perimeter road.

“It’s a great car,” reported Ogier. “I wouldn’t mind doing a proper test session in it. I have always been interested in the DTM and I was at the Nürburgring round with Audi last year. I could see myself in the DTM when my rally career comes to an end.”

Mattias Ekström was no doubt less surprised by the Polo R WRC since he has already started eight WRC rallies, chiefly in a Skoda Fabia WRC (10^th in Sweden in 2005, 11^th on the ADAC Rallye Deutschland in 2006). With four rounds of the 2013 DTM still to come, the Audi factory racer is currently seventh in the championship which is led by another Audi driver, Mike Rockenfeller.

Après la Mobil 1 Porsche Supercup, le Français a testé une voiture du très relevé championnat allemand DTM.

Sébastien Ogier a bouclé cinq tours du circuit de Nürburgring (3,629 km) au volant de l’Audi RS 5 DTM Red Bull (V8, 460 chevaux) habituellement pilotée par le Suédois Mattias Ekström. Ce dernier s’est installé aux commandes de la Volkswagen Polo R WRC sur une piste à côté du circuit.

« C’est une voiture fantastique », a commenté Sébastien Ogier. « J’aimerais désormais effectuer une vraie séance d’essais. Je me suis toujours intéressé au DTM et j’avais déjà assisté à la course du Nürburgring avec Audi l’an passé. Je me verrai bien en DTM après ma carrière en rallye. »

Mattias Ekström a sans doute été moins surpris par le comportement de la Polo R WRC puisque le Suédois a déjà disputé huit rallyes WRC, principalement au volant de Skoda Fabia WRC (10^eau Rallye de Suède 2005, 11^e à l’ADAC Deutschland Rallye 2006). A quatre manches de la fin du championnat DTM, le pilote officiel Audi est actuellement 7^e de la série. C’est un autre pilote Audi, Mike Rockenfeller, qui est leader du championnat.

Moto GP , Marc Marquez continues to lead in FP4 at Indianapolis

The fourth and final free practice at Indianapolis saw lap times slighty higher due to the warmer track temperatures and Marc Marquez continued his domination on the American circuit, as he laid down a best lap of 1.38.986, but Cal Crutchlow and Stefan Bradl were much closer to the rookie, separated by just 0.151s.

Stefan Bradl leaned his Honda a little to much and he slid out with five minutes to go, but his previous lap time was good enough for third.

Jorge Lorenzo was fourth fastest in front of his rival Dani Pedrosa and Alvaro Bautista. Valentino Rossi was just seventh, as he did the entire session on used hard tires concentrating on race pace rather than chasing hot laps.

Tech3’s Bradley Smith followed in 8th, with the two Ducati riders Andrea Dovizioso and Nicky Hayden paired up again in 9th and 10th.

Aleix Espargaro suffered a highside out of final turn. The Spaniard walked away from the crash and down the pitlane, but he was very dazed and later went to the medical center for a suspected hand injury.

2013 MotoGP Indianapolis FP4 results:

1 MARQUEZ M. Repsol Honda Team 1:38.986
2 CRUTCHLOW C. Monster Yamaha Tech 3 +0.128
3 BRADL S. LCR Honda MotoGP +0.151
4 LORENZO J. Yamaha Factory Racing +0.331
5 PEDROSA D. Repsol Honda Team +0.514
6 BAUTISTA A. GO&FUN Honda Gresini +0.595
7 ROSSI V. Yamaha Factory Racing +0.796
8 SMITH B. Monster Yamaha Tech 3 +0.992
9 DOVIZIOSO A. Ducati Team +1.185
10 HAYDEN N. Ducati Team +1.387

from TWOWHEELSBLOG

Ben Spies ruled out of Indianapolis GP

Ben Spies has been ruled out of this weekend’s MotoGP round at Indianpolis. The hapless Pramac Ducati rider suffered a horrific looking highside during the third free practice, hitting his shoulder first on his Ducati as it pitched him forward, and then on the asphalt, dislocating his left shoulder.

Indianapolis was supposed to be Spies comeback, finally fit after missing the last seven races due to shoulder and pectoral muscle issues, and he finished 11th and 13th in the first two sessions, but apparently Indy is not a Spies friendly track, as he also hurt his shoulder in last year’s qualifying session, even if he did race, but DNFd.

Spies will be returning to Texas to see the doctors that performed the surgery on his right shoulder last year and see if he will need another operation.

Unfortunately for the American, the new injury comes when MotoGP will have a set of back-to-back races, because after Indianapolis, there will be Brno next week and Silverstone, the week after.

Pramac Racing will therefore be fielding only Andrea Iannone, who is still painfully recovering from his own dislocated shoulder that he sustained at Sachsenring, which kept his out of the Laguna Seca round.

from TWOWHEELSBLOG

Oschersleben 8 Hours: a handsome lead for SERT at halfway point / 8 Heures d’Oschersleben : le SERT caracole en tête à mi-course

With four hours of the eight hours of the FIM Endurance World Championship’s penultimate round completed, the SERT Suzuki has pulled one lap clear of the N°99 BMW-Michelin and the N°7 Yamaha-Michelin.

Après quatre heures de course, le SERT est en tête des 8 Heures d’Oschersleben, avant-dernière épreuve du Championnat du monde d’Endurance FIM (EWC). La Suzuki n°1 compte un tour d’avance sur la BMW-Michelin n°99 et la Yamaha-Michelin n°7.

SERT took advantage of its position at the front of the grid to lead for the first 18 laps before handing top spot to YART. Broc Parkes (N°7 Yamaha) followed up his record qualifying time of 1m26.147s with a series of quick laps in an attempt to pull out a gap over the SERT bike. However, the Austrian Yamaha was the first front-runner to refuel and, in doing so, put SERT back into first place.

The combination of an excellent second stint by Julien DaCosta and some slick pit-work enabled SERT to re-join in front after its third stop.

BMW Motorrad France Team Thevent and YART have since been trading second place as a function of the timing of their respective pit stops. BMW Motorrad France Team Thevent, which has been running longer stints, is second overall at the halfway point but has made one less stop. This could be the key to a silver medal later this evening, but the YART bike trails by just 25 seconds.

Team R2CL and Bolliger Team Switzerland round off the top five, two laps down but separated by only 18 seconds.

There are currently four Superstock runners in the top 10. Their ranks are led by Suzuki Junior Team (6^th), a lap clear of Team Motors Events, DG Sport Herock and Penz13.com Franks Autowelt Racing Team.

David Checa (GMT 94) made a mistake on Lap 3 while trying to avoid the fall of Florian Marino on Team Louit Moto 33’s Kawasaki. The N°94 Yamaha-Michelin made a long stop before re-joining in 36^th position, five laps back. It has since climbed back to 10^th but is now six laps adrift.

The Honda TT Legends bike ran out of fuel just before its third scheduled stop and is currently running in 15^th place (+8 laps).

Qualifié en pole position, le SERT a conservé l’avantage au départ et a mené les 18 premiers tours avant de laisser le commandement au YART. Broc Parkes, au guidon de la Yamaha n°7, auteur d’un nouveau record en qualifications en 1.26.147, a enchaîné une série de tours rapides pour tenter de creuser un écart sur le SERT. Premier des top teams à plonger dans la voie des stands, le YART a cédé la première place au SERT.

Un excellent second relais de Julien DaCosta associé à des arrêts au stand optimisés ont permis au SERT de conserver la tête lors du troisième pit-stop. BMW Motorrad France Team Thevent et le YART s’échangent la deuxième place au gré des ravitaillements. Ayant opté pour une stratégie avec des relais plus longs, BMW Motorrad France Team Thevent, pointe en deuxième position avec un arrêt de moins à mi-course. L’équipe de Michael Bartholémy pourrait ainsi tirer profit de cette économie et accrocher la deuxième place. Mais le YART est seulement à 25 secondes derrière.

Le Team R2CL et Bolliger Team Switzerland complètent le Top 5 à deux tours du leader. Les deux équipes ne sont séparées que de 18 secondes.

Derrière, quatre équipes Superstock se hissent dans le top 10 général. Le Suzuki Junior Team, sixième, est en tête de la catégorie et possède un tour d’avance sur le Team Motors Events, DG Sport Herock et Penz13.com Franks Autowelt Racing Team.  

Ne pouvant éviter la chute de Florian Marino au guidon de la Kawasaki du Team Louit Moto 33, David Checa (GMT 94) est parti à la faute dès le troisième tour. La Yamaha-Michelin n°94 a rejoint la piste en 36^ème position à cinq tours du leader. A mi-course, elle est remontée à la 10^ème place mais compte six tours de retard

Victime d’une panne d’essence juste avant son troisième ravitaillement, le Honda TT Legends a dégringolé à la 15^ème place à huit tours du SERT.

Moto GP, Marc Marquez commands FP3 at Indianapolis as Spies dislocates left shoulder

Lap times tumbled in MotoGP’s third free practice this morning at Indianapolis as Marc Marquez once again headed the top of the timesheets.

The Repsol Honda rookie broke the the 1.39 barrier with a flying lap in 1:38.844, just 0.031s from Dani Pedrosa’s 2012 best lap, and leaving Stefan Bradl - who led for the most of session - in second and less than three tenths adrift.

Cal Crutchlow was the only Yamaha rider to break the Honda domination, as he was third fastest ahead of Alvaro Bautista who jumped to fourth and the Honda satellite rider was 0.031s faster than Dani Pedrosa.

Jorge Lorenzo, Valentino Rossi and Tech3 rookie Bradley Smith were 6th, 7th and 8th, respectively, even if the two Yamaha factory riders were right on Pedrosa’s tail, but more than seven tenths from Marquez.

Andrea Dovizioso completed the session in 9th while Nicky Hayden just made it into QP2 with his last flying lap demoting Andrea Iannone out of the top ten by a mere 0.017s.

After returning to track after missing almost the entire first half of the season an unlucky Ben Spies suffered a very ugly highside at turn four.

The Pramac rider was unable to take his helmet off as he held his left collarbone/shoulder (he had injured and underwent surgergy his right shoulder last year and had issues with his right pectoral muscle). Spies was later diagnosed with dislocated left shoulder, and it is unknown whether he can ride tomorrow.

Aleix Espargaro suffered an engine failure and had to return to track with his second ART machine where he had a frustrating moment with Karel Abraham who disturbed one of his flying laps while he was trying to enter Q2.

Unfortunately for the Spaniard he but missed out and will have to take part in QP1 behind an excellent Danilo Petrucci who was 12th fastest.

2013 MotoGP Indianapolis FP3 results:

01- Marc Marquez – Repsol Honda Team – Honda RC213V – 1’38.844
02- Stefan Bradl – LCR Honda MotoGP – Honda RC213V – + 0.281
03- Cal Crutchlow – Monster Yamaha Tech 3 – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 0.597
04- Alvaro Bautista – GO&FUN Honda Gresini – Honda RC213V – + 0.694
05- Dani Pedrosa – Repsol Honda Team – Honda RC213V – + 0.725
06- Jorge Lorenzo – Yamaha Factory Racing – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 0.753
07- Valentino Rossi – Yamaha Factory Racing – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 0.796
08- Bradley Smith – Monster Yamaha Tech 3 – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 0.921
09- Andrea Dovizioso – Ducati Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP13 – + 0.968
10- Nicky Hayden – Ducati Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP13 – + 1.045

via TWOWHEELSBLOG

Bentley Mulsanne Le Mans Limited Edition debuts at Pebble Beach

To celebrate a decade since its triumphant sixth Le Mans victory with the Speed 8 in 2003, and 90 years since the first running of the legendary race itself, Bentley has unveiled a limited edition Mulsanne to be sold only in America...

Just 48 Mulsanne Le Mans Editions will be built, available in six separate specifications each celebrating a different Bentley personality - all with at least one Le Mans win under their belts. So, will it be the Tim Birkin or the Guy Smith spec? We know which one we’d choose: the Glen Kidston edition, complete with Dark Sapphire paintwork and sumptuous Imperial Blue/Newmarket Tan leather.  

Features exclusive to all the Le Mans Editions include themed embroidery on all four headrests (there’s a numbered plaque, too), ‘quad-effect’ exhaust tips and 21-inch dark-tinted alloys.

In an interesting move, Bentley has decided to offer the Mulsanne LM exclusively in the United States, with the car debuting at this week’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Bentley is encouraging potential customers to register their interest in the car. With just 48 being built, we’d recommend doing this sooner rather than later. 

eBay replica Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato

eBay auctions have recently brought us a Honda NSX that the owner claims was once the property of Ayrton Senna and various replicas including a Ferrari F40, but none of the machines we’ve brought you so far have been as ambitious as this one. The auction for thiscustom-built 1960 DB4GT Zagato is now over with only two bids having come in, one for $3,200.00 and another for $40,000, which is hardly a surprise given the $2.4million “Buy it Now” price.

The seller’s advert claims 40 years of ownership of a car that takes “almost all of its cues from the classic DB4 Zagato.” A lot of work and a lot of expense when into the build, as the sellers Collector Motors LLC of Houston, Texas, note in their advert. “the frame was sent to world renowned coachbuilder, Clive Smart, at the Shapecraft facility in Newport Pagnell, England.” The work spanned “8 years, 2 continents, countless artisans and over 1 million dollars”.

This DB4 GT Zagato is powered by a supercharged inline six-cylinder taken from a 1997 DB7, which along with the frame and title are the only genuine Aston Martin parts in the car that was basically built from the ground up.

eBay replica Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato

Whether the car is “100% Aston Martin” as the owners claim or not is debated by some, but what can’t be denied is that this is a unique and very individual car so eBay probably isn’t the right place to try and sell it.

from EUROCARBLOG

750 HONDA by Carpys Cafe Racers

Project HONDA CB750 for sale

$2999

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=623063491056526&set=a.623063464389862.1073741827.146209045408642&type=1&theater

Randy de Puniet believes Suzuki should wild card in 2014

Aspar’s Randy de Puniet, who is also Suzuki’s development rider, believes that the manufacturer should do a few wild card entries next season in order to better prepare of their ‘debut’ in 2015.

The Japanese factory was expected to return to the championship in 2014, but decided to postpone their return until 2015, in order to continue development on their new inline four machine.

De Puniet took part in last week’s private test at Motegi to further develop one of the two chassis configurations and will test that chassis again next month in Misano, but the French rider believes to ramp up the manufacturer’s efforts they need to do a few select wild card appearances.

de Puniet told British website MCN.com: “I explained to Suzuki that it is good to race because you learn so much when you race. I am not the boss of Suzuki but if they are waiting until 2015 they need to make some wild card races next year to learn. It is not the same as just testing.”

If Suzuki should take up their test rider’s suggestion, they would have to field Nobuatsu Aoki (his last appearance in MotoGP was in 2008) as de Puniet would be otherwise busy riding his Power Electronics ART bike.

via TWOWHEELSBLOG

Besi Kz200 Sweet Cafe Racer

The KZ200 isn’t a motorcycle we see often here on The Bike Shed, but in Indonesia the 0.2 litre Kawasaki holds a special place for bikers, as it was the first official ‘big’ cc bike to be imported into the country, so it represented a certain coming of age, and if you had one, you were the man.

This passion has remained with Mahatma of Besi Moto Project and he has turned several of these iconic machines into lovely customs, covering flat trackers, cafe racers and brats.

Besi means Iron in Bahasa, Indonesia, and Mahatma’s vision was to “blend and tame cold hard iron into moving art on two wheels”.

This cafe racer build is a 1980 bike, wearing a Yamaha LS3 tank and custom seat and has been called “The Sweetest Thing”. The overall look and feel, the paint and the headlamp style are a slight departure from their usual House style. The bike took two and a half months to build and Mahatma is rightfully pleased with the result.

Here are a few more bikes – mostly Kz200s – from Besi Moto Project in Bahasa, Indonesia…

Below – TVS Apache (Indian Made)

Follow Besi Moto Project on their website.

via the Bike Shed

Irvine Laidlaw racing collection to be a highlight of RM’s 2013 London sale

Describing himself as not a car collector but a “car enthusiast who wants to exercise his cars regularly”, Baron Laidlaw has decided to thin out his racing stable. So, this September, RM’s London sale will include some of the finest.

And when we say ‘finest’, we don’t simply mean the pick of the Conservative life peer’s extensive garage. No, when speaking of such cars as the ex-Camoradi Maserati Tipo 61 ‘Birdcage’, one has to say that these are best-of-the-best, Premier Cru lots with a virtually open entry to any one of the world’s best events.

Joining what many consider to be the finest-ever front-engined sports-racer are six other superlative machines. The 1958 Maserati 250S, chassis no. 2432, is an ex-Carroll Shelby and Jim Hall car. The long-nose Jaguar D-type was a factory entry at Le Mans in 1955, then sold to the Ecurie Ecosse team in whose hands it finished sixth at Monza in 1957.

Likewise, both the 1966 Ferrari 275 GTB/C and 1965 Porsche 904/6 have impeccable histories including the Le Mans 24 Hours. And the two Chevrons (1970 B16 coupé and 1971 B19 spider) also have extensive period racing credentials. They are also beautifully prepared - like all Laidlaw cars - and ferociously fast.

Sure to be an action-packed event, RM’s London sale will take place over two days, 8-9 September 2013.

Photos: RM Auctions

You can view early entries to RM's 8-9 September sale in the Classic Driver Marketplace

Valentino Rossi talks about Yamaha's seamless gearbox

Obviously one of the topics that came out during the pre-event press conference at Indianapolis, was the seamless gearbox that Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi tested at Brno last week, since Yamaha did not offer any insight into the test.

Lorenzo admitted that the gearbox is still an evolution and not ready to be used, while Valentino Rossi was much more specific about it, adding that the first sensations were positive, but he too said it isn’t ready to used in a race situation, and that there is still work to do on it, and has no idea if the seamless gearbox can be fitted on the engines that they are already using.

Rossi also said they had to be 100% sure that it worked before introducing it - during the Brno test Rossi apparently had issues with it - but he brushed it off jokingly saying, “just that I was tired and - and I don’t have enough power for to come back in the pit.”

Here’s what the Italian had to say:

Yeah, so for me in one lap doesn’t change a lot. I mean about the lap time. We try, we try to make some comparison. A lot of people speak about two-tenths for a lap - I think is less than two-tenths. But the big improvement is I think in the 20 or 30 laps because the bike become a lot more easier to ride, more stable, more stable in acceleration, but also more stable in braking, in the next braking,” said Rossi.

“For me, it’s better for the tires, less stress for the tires, and also is very good for the riders because the bike become more easy to bring at the limit and more difficult to make a mistake. So I think it’s something very important for the race distance more than for one lap.

The feeling is fantastic. It’s a great emotion to ride with the gearbox, and acceleration is very good. When we can use, you say? Sincerely, I don’t know. Me and Jorge push a lot for to have as soon as possible because is very good. And now it’s a little bit bad feeling to come back to the normal one because the normal one feels very fast before you try the seamless. But the Japanese say that we have to be quiet, the gearbox is a critical point. We have to be ready 100 percent, but I hope as soon as possible during the season I hope, yeah.”

from TWOWHEELSBLOG

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