Enduro : The Purple Forest

from Ben Gustavson: Made by a kid for the kids.Took a weekend to hang with my homies in the purple forest. Shot some film, 16mm, and digital, Hope you enjoy. - See more at: http://blog.derestricted.com/motorcycles/the-purple-forest-nick-batten-jason-klammer/#sthash.H22DOm5z.dpuf

Moto GP : Jorge Lorenzo disappointed with Brno result, Rossi 'we won't give up'

It was a highly disappointed Jorge Lorenzo who finished third at Brno. For the second consecutive race the Yamaha rider had a lightning start trying to break away, only to be hunted down by both Repsol Honda riders, Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa.

Lorenzo is still third in the standings but with a bigger disadvantage then before, as he is now 44 points from the phenomenal Marc Marquez, who is clearly looking to take this year’s championship, however Lorenzo hasn’t lost hope, even if the numbers are more truthful, but he did say that, “The championship is not lost yet, but it’s very difficult now.”

If we are to believe the Yamaha riders, the M1s are no longer the perfectly balanced machine that they once were when they forsake top speed for impressive corner speed, braking and handling, as Honda has not only caught up, but they have surpassed them, and the introduction of the seamless transmission at Misano may not be enough to wrestle back some important points.

Asked if he regrets not going to Honda, Yamaha rider said no and he added, “Yamaha is an unbelievable factory that is trying to reduce the gap to Honda. They are working 24 hours a day and I believe in them. I have all my confidence in the engineers.”

Yamaha will be staying in Brno for another test tomorrow.

I am really disappointed because now I feel I am in the best shape of my career,” said Lorenzo. “I got a good start and the first lap I was very fast, but I cannot do much to defend against the Hondas. Anyway we had fun today, with the fight with Marc. I tried to stay with them to the end and most importantly I’m proud because I’m doing the best job I can do.”

During this morning’s warm-up practice it seemed that Valentino Rossi could actually contest for a podium, but the three front runners are always faster off the grid - especially in the first lap - than he is and getting bogged down with continuously bad qualifying positions isn’t helping the Italian, who still has problems braking.

Asked if anyone can stop Marquez, Rossi laughingly replied only if Marquez decides to change sport, and maybe go to Formula 1.

“Today was better than Indy, especially because my disadvantage to the top is half. I wanted to do better; we have to try to do better,” said Rossi. “The first three guys are impressive, very strong; I want to stay closer to them. Unfortunately I was ten seconds back, another fourth place but I want to be closer so we have to work. We tried to improve this type of setting in the last two races but it looks like it’s not fantastic. Also today I suffered a bit too much at the beginning of the race. We won’t give up and we will try next week to make a better job.”

via TWOWHEELSBLOG

FINDING MAIN STREET

By: Matthew Ankeny

Three guys. Three bikes. Three projects. There’s an engaging symmetry to Finding Main Street’s (three words!) motorcycle roadtrip, and as they recently passed their halfway point, we dropped them a line to catch up.  

After driving 400 miles through the night, they’d reached the Atlantic at 5:30AM. It’d been 38 days since they left San Francisco, and they’d just finished their first Transcontinental leg. Here, we rested.

Finding Main Street’s a documentary film, photography project, and existential exploration of our generation’s USA. For the twentysomething bikers, the attitude’s more receptive than prescriptive. What they aim to find: America, and the spirit that makes this country great.

While the goal may seem slightly amorphous, this is a trip best left open-ended. After laying out the maps, tuning up the bikes (Maxim, Magna and Seca), and generating funding from Kickstarter, their plans were prepped. Without over-thinking, the three-friends took to the road.

For as much impulsiveness as a roadtrip requires, Finding Main Street has approached the trip with intentionality and maturity. Yes, they’ve thrown a wide net of trying to understand “America,” but they may just be qualified for the task. 

Wyatt McCall and brothers Brant and Dylan Ozanich grew up in small towns in Northern California. Early in their twenties, they moved to The City (SF). Both living experiences have give them a balanced perspective for their trip, and with their photographic and journalistic skill sets, these three friends are actually beginning to capture the elusive yet descriptive slices of American life.

Over the course of the trip, their musings have become more refined. At the halfway point, they’re now hit their stride. Reflecting on Detroit, they observed an urban city in touch with America’s rural side (well said). And, when entering Virginia, they noticed a change in the speech and attitude of the people.

As anyone with roadtripping experience knows, your observational tuning fork becomes more on pitch as the journey goes on. Finding Main Street’s has found their timbre.

In Travels with Charlie, Steinbeck does his usual routine—pinpointing the humanity we all know, but haven’t found the words to describe—while he travels cross country. More than fifty years later, Finding Main Street has attempted the same project, and hopes to unearth the thoughts and hopes of our generation.

What they’ve found has lifted their (and our) spirits: above all, we have noticed a certain untouchable pride in people. 

When we heard from them, they were resting. Now, they’ve hit the road again, out to complete their journey back to the West coast. We’re looking forward to seeing where the road takes them, and to hear their thoughts (visually and verbally) as they soak up the people and landscapes that define our America.

To follow the journey, visit Finding Main Street or follow on Facebook.

All images by Finding Main Street.

via huckberry

Video: the highlights from Rallye Deutschland

Best-of-RallyLive brings you the highlights from 2013 Rallye Deutschland which was won by Dani Sordo (Citroën-Michelin).

THE BOOK OF BIKE EXIF IS NOW ON SALE

After hundreds of requests over the years, the big moment has arrived. Today we’re launching the ‘book of Bike EXIF’—the very first book to showcase the custom motorcycle scene that we all know and love.

The Ride has 320 deluxe pages of nothing but the world’s most exciting bikes, with full-color photo galleries and detailed technical breakdowns. You also get in-depth profiles and frank interviews with top builders from the new wave custom scene. They reveal what makes them tick, how they’ve turned their passion into a business, and how they built the bikes that made them famous.

All the big names are in there. That includes Cole Foster, Cafe Racer Dreams, Classified Moto and Deus. And DP Customs, El Solitario, Ian Barry of Falcon Motorcycles, Kaffeemaschine, Shinya Kimura, Roland Sands, Rough Crafts, Walt Siegl and the Wrenchmonkees. Plus, as they say, many more …

We’ve gathered a star line-up of writers: Paul d’Orléans (The Vintagent), David Edwards (former Cycle World editor, now running BikeCraft) and the top UK journalist Gary Inman (founder of Sideburn magazine and a regular contributor to Bike).

The roster of photographers includes Sam Christmas of Natural Habitats fame, Spanish gun-for-hire Kristina Fender, Dirk Behlau, Götz Göppert and Michael Lichter. Their work is showcased by spectacular design and production values—the skills that have made the publisher Gestalten famous across the book industry.

Deliveries of The Ride start today for European and ROW readers. The first shipment of the book has been sent to North America via airfreight and will be available for purchase around the first week of September.

When you order direct from the publisher, you’ll get a special luxury Collector’s Edition—complete with linen slipcase and an original embroidered patch designed by Corpses From Hell.

Place your order here for immediate delivery.

from BIKEEXIF

Deutschland: Sordo triumphs at last! / Sordo (Citroën/Michelin), enfin !

Citroën/Michelin’s Dani Sordo came out on top after a tense finale in Germany to claim the first world class victory of his career. The Spaniard kept his nerve to beat Belgium’s Thierry Neuville (2nd, Ford/Michelin) who delivered another mature performance to go clear second in the Drivers’ standings. Mikko Hirvonen was a distant third (+2m36s) but pocketed valuable Manufacturers’ points for Citroën. The French make also won the WRC-2 and WRC-3 battles, with Kubica and Chardonnet.

L’Espagnol Dani Sordo est sorti vainqueur d’un duel épique avec Thierry Neuville (Ford/Michelin) pour enfin remporter sa première victoire mondiale à l’ADAC Rallye Deutschland 2013 (Allemagne). Mikko Hirvonen complète le podium et marque de précieux points pour Citroën qui a également gagné les catégories WRC-2 (Robert Kubica) et WRC-3 (Sébastien Chardonnet).

The 2013 Rallye Deutschland produced an exceptional last day which was always going to see one man become the 72^nd driver to claim a WRC victory. When action resumed this morning (Sunday), Sordo and Neuville were split by just 0.8s, but the Spaniard took the spoils after the Belgian’s push resulted in a big ‘moment’ on the final sector. The final gap between the two was 53 seconds.

It was an emotional moment for Sordo, 30, who has waited 107 WRC rallies and seven years since his debut with Citroën for today’s success. Prior to this weekend, his record included 20 second places, including three in Germany where his speed even deserved victory over his team-mate of the day, Sébastien Loeb.

“I am really happy. It was a good rally and very close. I didn’t make any mistakes,” he smiled as he sipped champagne and shook hands with his mechanics and team. He seemed intent on sidestepping all questions about his long wait for this win, however.

Having felt victory within reach at one point, Neuville (Qatar WRT) was obviously disappointed after the extraordinary climax, but the result takes him clear second in the Drivers’ championship. It will also be a welcome breath of fresh air for the Malcolm Wilson-run Ford operation.

Meanwhile, Volkswagen Motorsport failed to add a home victory to its successful debut WRC season. Jari-Matti Latvala (7^th) and Sébastien Ogier (16^th) both crashed out of enviable leads, on Saturday and Friday respectively. The Frenchman salvaged the three Power Stage points and could well sew up the Drivers’ title in Australia (September 12-15).

In the Manufacturers’ standings, Citroën has closed the gap to VW to 26 points thanks to Mikko Hirvonen who was a passive third in Trier today.

Qatar M Sport WRT’s nominated drivers Mads Ostberg and Evgeny Novikov were both relieved to put Germany behind them. The Norwegian never found the secret of a good set-up for his Fiesta WRC and he ended up crashing on Saturday afternoon, while his team-mate went off on SS1. The Russian re-joined on Day 2 thanks to the ‘Rally2’ ruling but his heart was never in hit.

All this enabled the Czech Republic’s reliable Martin Prokop (Ford) to equal his best ever WRC result (fourth).

The many incidents enabled the top WRC-2 runners to emerge in prominent positions. Robert Kubica (Citroën) and Elfyn Evans (Ford) were fifth and sixth overall respectively after a duel that saw them trade the class lead several times. The Pole ended up claiming his third WRC-2 win of the season after a big push on the last day. However, the Welshman will be able to tell his friends that he put a Formula 1 Grand Prix winner under pressure all the way to the flag!

There was little suspense in WRC-3 which was won with ease by Sébastien Chardonnet (Citroën). The Frenchman completed the last stage well clear of second-placed Keith Cronin (+3m45.6s!), while Christian Riedemann (3^rd) and Quentin Gilbert were delayed by a variety of problems.

The top Junior-WRC prize, which ended on Saturday, went to the promising Pontus Tidemand (Ford) who was threatened by Jose Suarez until the Spaniard crashed.

La dernière journée du Rallye Deutschland 2013 fut exceptionnelle d’intensité avec deux hommes pouvant devenir le 72^e pilote à remporter un rallye mondial. Au départ de cette dernière étape, Dani Sordo et Thierry Neuville étaient séparés par 8/10^e de seconde. C’est finalement l’Espagnol qui s’est imposé après une petite touchette de Neuville dans la toute dernière spéciale.

Dani Sordo (30 ans) a dû attendre 107 rallyes WRC et sept longues années passées au volant de World Rally Cars pour enfin décrocher son premier succès. Avant ce week-end, il avait terminé vingt fois à la deuxième place, dont trois ici au Rallye Deutschland où il a toujours été très rapide.

« Je suis vraiment très heureux. C’était un très beau rallye, très serré jusqu’à la fin. Je n’ai pas fait la moindre erreur », a-t-il sourit en sirotant un verre de champagne au stand Citroën-Total Abu Dhabi WRT. »

Thierry Neuville (Qatar WRT) a touché sa première victoire mondiale du bout des doigts. Il était forcément un peu déçu à l’arrivée mais ce résultat lui permet de s’installer à la deuxième place du championnat Pilotes. C’est aussi un grand bol d’air frais pour l’équipe M-Sport de Malcolm Wilson.

Après six victoires en huit rallyes cette saison, Volkswagen n’a pas réussi à remporter l’épreuve qui se jouait à domicile. Sébastien Ogier (16^e) et Jari-Matti Latvala (7^e) furent tour à tour en tête avant de sortir de la route, respectivement vendredi et samedi. Le Français est parvenu à remporter la Power Stage et pourrait être titré au Rallye d’Australie (12-15 septembre). Au championnat Constructeurs, Citroën est revenu à moins de 30 points de Volkswagen grâce à la troisième place de Mikko Hirvonen ce week-end.

Les pilotes du Qatar M-Sport WRT Mads Ostberg et Evgeny Novikov vont devoir oublier ce rallye. Le Norvégien n’a jamais pu trouver les bons réglages sur sa Ford Fiesta RS WRC et a fini par sortir de la route samedi après-midi. Son équipier russe était lui aussi sorti de la route dans l’ES1.

Toutes ces péripéties ont permis au Tchèque Martin Prokop (Ford) de terminer à la quatrième place, un de ses meilleurs résultats en WRC, et de propulser le vainqueur de la catégorie WRC-2, Robert Kubica (Citroën/Michelin) à la cinquième place du classement général.

Le duel entre Kubica et le Gallois Elfyn Evans (Ford) fut de toute beauté et les deux hommes se sont fréquemment échangés la première place. Le Polonais a remporté sa troisième victoire WRC-2 de la saison après avoir tout donné lors de la dernière étape. De son côté, le Gallois pourra se vanter d’avoir poussé un pilote de F1 dans ses derniers retranchements !

Il y eût moins de suspense en WRC-3 remporté par Sébastien Chardonnet (Citroën). Le Français s’est imposé devant Keith Cronin (+3min45s6), alors que Christian Riedemann (sortie) et Quentin Gilbert (faisceau électrique) ont été retardés. En Junior-WRC, le Suédois Pontus Tidemand s’est de nouveau imposé.

Marc Marquez wins 4th consecutive race at Brno

Marvelous Marc Marquez. The Repsol Honda rookie took his fourt consecutive victory - his fifth of the season and taking with another two records, as he equalled Kenny Roberts Sr. record of the most wins by a rookie rider (4) and also Mike Hailwood’s record as the youngest rider to have won four consecutive races.

Marquez finished ahead of team mate Dani Pedrosa and Jorge Lorenzo, a repeat of the Indianapolis podium.

Cal Crutchlow was sitting in pole position, but Lorenzo had a sensational start - as in Indianapolis - as he lead the raced followed by Marquez, Pedrosa and Crutchlow.

In just one lap the Yamaha factory rider gained more than a one second advantage, as the two Honda riders tried to reel him in, as Martin Bauer crashed out at the end of the first lap (he later rejoined) and then Hector Barbera lost control, clipping the rear end of Claudio Corti’s NGM Forward maching and taking out the hapless Italian, while Lukas Pesek crashed out just one lap later.

Cal Crutchlow and Alvaro Bautista began battling for fourth, as Marquez and Pedrosa were catching the tail of Lorenzo as Bradley Smith crashed out on lap 5, and then disaster again struck Yamaha Tech3 squad as Crutchlow who had shaken of Bautista was trying to bridge the gap with the three front runners when he lowsided out. He was able to rejoin, but in 20th, which ruined his very competitive weekend as he finished 17th and outside the points zone.

With the British rider out of contention Rossi who was sixth caught Bautista and passed him. While up front the three were circulating on the tail of each other, as a few drops of rain hit the track, but lap times remained the same, with no one even thinking of pitting to change their bikes.

Marquez made his move on Lorenzo at turn 3, but the Yamaha rider responed and held on to the outside line. The rookie tried again in lap 15 and at turn 11 going into Horsepower Hill and this time his attack was hard, but Lorenzo wasn’t giving up and retook the lead in lap 18, as Marquez finally made his decisive pass with just three laps remaining began to put half a second, between his rivals, as Pedrosa also disposed of Lorenzo.

The Yamaha rider no longer had the pace to stay with the two, having spent everything in the first half of the race and fending off the attacks.

Valentino Rossi would take fourth after racing Bautista to the wire, and the two were well ahead of Stefan Bradl who took a lonely sixth. This time there was no clash between the Ducati factory riders as Andrea Dovizioso finshed ahead of his team mate and a battered and bruised Andrea Iannone and Aleix Espargaro.

2013 MotoGP Brno Race Results:

01- Marc Marquez – Repsol Honda Team – Honda RC213V – 22 laps in 42’50.729
02- Dani Pedrosa – Repsol Honda Team – Honda RC213V – + 0.313
03- Jorge Lorenzo – Yamaha Factory Racing – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 2.277
04- Valentino Rossi – Yamaha Factory Racing – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 10.101
05- Alvaro Bautista – GO&FUN Honda Gresini – Honda RC213V – + 10.178
06- Stefan Bradl – LCR Honda MotoGP – Honda RC213V – + 19.807
07- Andrea Dovizioso – Ducati Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP13 – + 35.015
08- Nicky Hayden – Ducati Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP13 – + 35.354
09- Andrea Iannone – Energy T.I. Pramac Racing – Ducati Desmosedici GP13 – + 51.149
10- Aleix Espargaro – Power Electronics Aspar – ART GP13 – + 56.392

CAR MOVIE POSTERS – ILLUSTRATIONS BY JESÚS PRUDENCIO

• POSTED BY MOTO VERSO
 

Two of my favourite thing combined into one post, these stunning car movie posters have been designed by Jesús Prudencio from Seville, Spain. With posters from some of the most icon films ever made not to mention a few new entries like the legendary Drive and Death Proof this is a really cool series. A simple block colour background along with clean cut simple text enables the main feature the car to really stand out and look cool. I’d love to see a few more old films like Bullet and the amazing Vanishing Point added to the collection but that’s a project for the future. Great us of modern typography with inspired colour selection adds to the quality of the prints. A really cool well thought out collection.

How cool would these look all next to each other? It’s modern art and a really nice talking point, they would transform any white space into a really nice place. Such a amazing set of posters!

The cars have so much detail especially the Ghost Busters and Back to the Future Posters, these really would look cool on the wall. It’s also the little touch that I like, Pulp Fiction poster has the blood in the back windows and the Mr Bean poster has his famous teddy in the back. This is a really cool series and I hope that he continues to add to them as he has done over the last few months.

I really should feature more design and print work on Moto Verso, still feature thing’s with wheels, but cool stuff.

Website: carsandfilms.com

Behance: behance.net/jesusprudencio