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    dimanche 9 mars 2014

    Aleix Espargaro on top as 2014 MotoGP™ preseason concludes / Aleix Espargaró a le dernier mot au Test de Losail


    The final premier class test of the 2014 preseason concluded on Sunday night at the floodlit desert circuit of Qatar, with Aleix Espargaro the fastest rider in attendance – just ahead of his younger brother Pol who suffered a collarbone break in a late evening crash.

    Aleix Espargaro, NGM Forward Racing - Qatar MotoGP™ Test

    Over the last few months, during the preparations for the new MotoGP™ World Championship campaign, the elder Espargaro sibling has been the standout performer of the testing period – showing the potential of his ‘Open’ entry Yamaha for the NGM Mobile Forward Racing team.
    He set the best time of the three day Qatar test with a 1’54.874 circulation on the 19th of 47 Sunday laps. That time was less than 0.2s off Jorge Lorenzo’s 2013 pole lap at the Losail Circuit and Espargaro also looked strong in a race simulation which he carried out late on the final day.
    His brother Pol Espargaro, the Moto2™ World Champion and a rookie this season, was just 0.033s behind him in second place, but the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 youngster’s good preseason ended with an untimely collarbone fracture. He crashed at turn 6 and was taken straight to medical centre, with the extent of his injury still under examination – he faces surgery in Barcelona on Monday.
    On the other side of the Tech 3 garage, Englishman Bradley Smith has a year of MotoGP racing under his belt and having finished third at the test (+0.153s) one of his objectives will be to beat the Espargaro brothers in the opening Grands Prix of 2014. Smith escaped unhurt from a mid evening spill from his Yamaha YZR-M1.
    After the three Yamahas at the top of the timesheet, Honda riders Stefan Bradl and Alvaro Bautista were fourth and fifth respectively with similar lap times, the pair of them avoiding injury despite both crashing twice on Sunday. LCR Honda man Bradl notched a 1’55.187 best time, putting him 0.045s ahead of his GO&FUN Honda Gresini rival.
    Pramac Racing's Andrea Iannone was the faster of the two Ducati riders on track again, finishing 0.644s off the pace, whilst Energy T.I. Pramac Racing’s Yonny Hernandez (+1.182) was eighth on the 2013 Ducati bike.
    In seventh place meanwhile, Colin Edwards again chipped a few tenths off his previous day’s best and ends preseason lapping around a second slower than his Forward Racing colleague Espargaro. The experienced Texan puts the time difference down to riding style and aims to adapt to a Yamaha machine different to that which he has previously ridden.
    The top ten was rounded out by Drive M7 Aspar colleagues Nicky Hayden (+1.399s) and Hiroshi Aoyama (2.132s) on their ‘Open’ Honda RCV1000R machines. Hayden made a 0.65s improvement in outright pace on the final day and was generally pleased with his rhythm over race distance, but wants more competitiveness for Grand Prix competition.
    Scott Redding (GO&FUN Honda Gresini), Hector Barbera (Avintia Racing), Karel Abraham (Cardion AB Motoracing), Mike Di Meglio (Avintia Racing), Danilo Petrucci (IodaRacing Project) and Paul Bird Motorsport teammates Michael Laverty and Broc Parkes featured in positions 11 to 17 respectively.
    There is a Moto2™ and Moto3™ test this week at Jerez, completing the World Championship’s 2014 preseason – ahead of round one’s Commercial Bank Grand Prix of Qatar (20th-23rd March).


    Scott Redding, GO&FUN Honda Gresini - Qatar MotoGP™ Test

    Aleix Espargaró a conclu le dernier Test Officiel de la pré-saison MotoGP™ avec le meilleur temps dimanche au Circuit International de Losail, où son frère cadet Pol s'est fracturé la clavicule.

    Aleix Espargaro, NGM Forward Racing - Qatar MotoGP™ Test

    Parmi les principaux protagonistes de la pré-saison 2014, Aleix Espargaró (NGM Mobile Forward Racing) a confirmé le potentiel de sa Forward-Yamaha Open en terminant le Test Officiel de Losail au sommet de la feuille de temps.
    Le Catalan a signé le meilleur temps en 1'54.874 sur le 19ème de ses 47 tours et était donc deux dixièmes de seconde en dessous de la pole position de Jorge Lorenzo de 2013.
    Son frère Pol Espargaró, le Champion du Monde Moto2™ 2013, a fini en seconde position, à seulement 0.033s d'Aleix, mais a terminé la pré-saison sur une mauvaise chute dans le virage n°6. Immédiatement transféré au centre médical du circuit, Pol Espargaró souffre d'une fracture de la clavicule et devra être opéré lundi à son retour à Barcelone.
    De l'autre côté du garage de Monster Yamaha Tech3, le Britannique Bradley Smith a signé le troisième temps et était aussi tombé, en milieu de soirée, dans un incident finalement sans conséquence.
    Derrière un Top 3 monopolisé par Yamaha, Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda) et Álvaro Bautista (GO&FUN Honde Gresini) ont respectivement fini aux quatrième et cinquième positions. Bradl a tourné en 1'55.187, soit 0.045s de mieux que son homologue espagnol.
    Andrea Iannone (Pramac Racing) a été le plus rapide des deux pilotes Ducati présents ce week-end au Qatar, à 0.644s du temps de référence, tandis que Yonny Hernández (Energy T.I. Pramac Racing) a fini huitième, à 1.182s du leader.
    En septième position, Colin Edwards (NGM Mobile Forward Racing) continuait de gagner quelques dixièmes de seconde et est revenu à une seconde du rythme de son coéquipier Aleix Espargaró. L'Américain devra toutefois continuer de travailler sur son pilotage pour s'adapter à sa nouvelle machine et se rapprocher du Top 5.
    Complétaient le Top 10 Nicky Hayden (+1.399s) et Hiroshi Aoyama (+2.132s) du team Drive M7 Aspar, sur leurs Honda RCV1000R Open. Hayden a gagné plus d'une demi-seconde lors de cette dernière journée d'essais et était satisfait de son rythme de course.
    Scott Redding (GO&FUN Honda Gresini), Héctor Barberá (Avintia Racing), Karel Abraham (Cardion AB Motoracing), Mike di Meglio (Avintia Racing), Danilo Petrucci (IodaRacing Project), Michael Laverty (PBM) et Broc Parkes (PBM) ont fini classés de la onzième à la dix-septième positions.
    Le pré-saison MotoGP™ est désormais terminée mais les catégories Moto2™ et Moto3™ seront de retour en piste à Jerez la semaine prochaine, pour un dernier test qui précèdera le Grand Prix Commercial Bank du Qatar (20-23 mars).
    Pol Espargaro, Monster Yamaha Tech3 - Qatar MotoGP™ Test

    Volkswagen/Michelin savours one-two success in Mexico / Doublé Volkswagen/Michelin au Mexique



    Sébastien Ogier and Jari-Matti Latvala provided Volkswagen with another one-two finish today in Mexico. For the Frenchman, it was his 18th world class victory and his second this season. Like last year, Thierry Neuville came third to collect Hyundai’s first ever WRC podium finish.
    Ogier won 14 of Rally Mexico’s 22 tests (which takes his score to 250 WRC stage victories) on his way to a dominating win on the year’s first gravel round in his Volkswagen Polo R WRC/Michelin.
    The Frenchman was the event’s early leader and he only relinquished top spot to Mads Ostberg (Citroën/Michelin) for four stages before the Norwegian was eliminated after an ‘off’ on SS7, at practically at the same spot as last year.
    That handed first place back to Ogier who defended it to the finish, pulling gradually clear of team-mate Latvala who had suffered from the handicap of running first on the road on Day 1.
    The result hands Volkswagen its seventh consecutive WRC win and its fourth one-two success at this level.
    Once again, Rally Mexico produced a high number of front-running victims, with as many as nine drivers failing to complete the first leg, including Andreas Mikkelsen, Kris Meeke, Mikko Hirvonen and Robert Kubica. They were all able to re-join the next day under the Rally2 ruling, but Mikkelsen had to resort to the same solution the following day, which meant he wasn’t eligible to score Power Stage bonus points.
    The final test was eventually won by Sébastien Ogier (three points), ahead of Latvala (two) and Mikko Hirvonen (one). Citroën’s Kris Meeke, who was running first on the road, hit a rock and was unable to reach the finish in Leon.
    After claiming his first stage win in 2012 and his first WRC podium last year, Neuville earned Hyundai’s first ever podium finish today. The Belgian took advantage of his rivals’ misfortunes to appear in third spot before pulling progressively clear of Rally Mexico rookie Elfyn Evans (Ford/Michelin) who will be delighted with fourth place. The Welshman nearly finished on the podium himself when the N°7 Hyundai i20 WRC developed a water leak on the final road section. However, thanks to the bottle of Corona beer he had in the car, Neuville was able to nurse his machine back to the finish…
    Martin Prokop produced a solid run in his privately-entered Ford Fiesta RS WRC to claim fifth place, ahead of Mexican Benito Guerra (Ford) who improved on the eighth place he secured on his home event in 2013. Australia’s Chris Atkinson (Hyundai) was seventh, ahead of Mikko Hirvonen (Ford, 8th) and Citroën-Total Abu Dhabi WRT’s Mads Ostberg (9th).
    The WRC-2 scrap saw Ott Tanak (Ford Fiesta R5) emerge in front early on after posting an incredible second-best time on the super-special in Guanajuato (SS1). The Estonian was eliminated on Friday, however, and he was soon joined on the retirements list by Nicolas Fuchs (Ford Fiesta R5) and Quentin Gilbert (Ford Fiesta R5). Lorenzo Bertelli (Ford Fiesta R5) appeared momentarily in front before being passed by Yuri Protasov (Ford Fiesta R5/Michelin after SS4, but the Ukrainian suffered transmission failure on the final morning.


    Sébastien Ogier et Jari-Matti Latvala ont offert un nouveau doublé à la marque Volkswagen. Le Français a remporté sa 18e victoire mondiale, la seconde cette saison. Thierry Neuville, troisième, a terminé à la même place que l’an passé et offre un premier podium à la marque Hyundai en WRC.
    En remportant 14 des 22 spéciales du Rallye du Mexique 2014 (250 en WRC), le champion du monde sortant a dominé la 3e manche de la saison et la 1ère sur terre au volant de sa Volkswagen Polo R WRC/Michelin.
    Premier leader, le Français n’a laissé les commandes du rallye que l’espace de quatre spéciales à Mads Ostberg (Citroën/Michelin), qui fut déjà son principal challenger de l’édition 2013. Mais comme l’an passé, et quasiment au même endroit, le Norvégien a dû se retirer suite à une touchette.
    Sébastien Ogier est donc repassé en tête à l’issue de l’ES7 et n’a plus quitté cette position, creusant peu à peu l’écart sur son équipier Jari-Matti Latvala qui ouvrait la route et balayait les pistes le 1er jour. Volkswagen s’est offert une 7e victoire mondiale consécutive et un 4e doublé en WRC.
    Les pistes mexicaines ont encore une fois piégé de nombreux concurrents : neuf pilotes n’ont pas pu terminer la 1ère étape, comme Andreas Mikkelsen, Kris Meeke, Mikko Hirvonen ou encore Robert Kubica. Tous ont pu repartir en Rally2 le lendemain, voire même en Rally2 le surlendemain pour Mikkelsen, mais ils n’étaient pas tous éligibles pour marquer des points de bonus dans la Power Stage.
    En effet, le règlement prévoit que seuls les pilotes n’ayant pas abandonné et ceux s’étant retirés le 1er jour peuvent « chasser » les points dans la Power Stage ! Cette dernière spéciale a été remportée par Sébastien Ogier (3 points), devant Jari-Matti Latvala (2 points) et Mikko Hirvonen (1 point). Premier sur la route, Kris Meeke (Citroën) a tapé une pierre qui se trouvait en pleine trajectoire et n’a pu rentrer au parc de Leon.
    Après une 1ère victoire de spéciale en 2012 et un 1er podium WRC l’an passé, Thierry Neuville a cette année offert un 1er podium mondial à la marque Hyundai malgré une grosse frayeur sur la dernière liaison suite à une fuite du radiateur. Le pilote Belge a profité des infortunes de ses adversaires pour se hisser à la 3e place et prendre l’ascendant sur le jeune Gallois Elfyn Evans (Ford/Michelin), 4e à l’issue d’un rallye qu’il découvrait.
    Martin Prokop a réalisé une très belle prestation au volant de sa Ford Fiesta RS WRC privée (5e), devant le Mexicain Benito Guerra (Ford), 8e l’an passé et 6e cette année. L’Australien Chris Atkinson (Hyundai) a terminé à la 7e place devant Mikko Hirvonen (8e, Ford), 1er des Rally2, et le pilote Citroën-Total Abu Dhabi WRT Mads Ostberg (9e).
    En WRC-2, Ott Tanak (Ford Fiesta R5) fut le 1er leader après un incroyable 2e meilleur temps scratch dans la Superspéciale de Guanajuato. Mais l’Estonien a dû se retirer le lendemain, tout comme Nicolas Fuchs (Ford Fiesta R5) et Quentin Gilbert (Ford Fiesta R5). Lorenzo Bertelli (Ford Fiesta R5) s’est hissé en tête avant d’être débordé par l’Ukrainien Yuri Protasov (Ford Fiesta R5/Michelin à l’issue de l’ES4, vainqueur malgré une transmission cassée dimanche matin.

    My Garage Jack Gratton ...........a great garage !!!


    KAWASAKI Z 750 BY HB CUSTOM


    Kawasaki Z 750
    One of the things I love most about the new wave custom scene is the healthy mix of professional and garage builders. While some use their craft to put food on the table, others hold down day jobs—slogging away at projects in their spare time.
    Holger Breuer is one such builder. Since 2009, he’s been creating beautiful customs after-hours under the ‘HB Custom‘ moniker, while earning a living as an electrician in a dairy. This 1983-model Kawasaki Z 750 B is the eighth build to roll out of his garage in Husum, Germany, and it exhibits a level of craftsmanship that you’d expect from a full-time outfit.
    Kawasaki Z 750
    Holger was initially building bikes for himself and friends, but in 2012 a Z 750 that he customised won first place in a competition run by Kawasaki Germany. The competition celebrated the 40th anniversary of the Z-series and the bike was displayed at INTERMOT, thrusting Holger into the spotlight. Since then he’s begun taking on commissioned work—such as this ‘Z.’
    Kawasaki Z 750
    It was sent to us by Fred Siemer, a motorcycle journalist who befriended Holger while writing an article on him for the German magazine Motorrad Classic. According to Fred, the Z 750 wasn’t very popular in Germany, making it hard to find a good condition donor. This particular one hadn’t run in ten years when Holger got his hands on it, so an engine overhaul was in order, which included new clutch linings, pistons and an electronic ignition.
    Kawasaki Z 750
    Holger also installed Mikuni TM34 carbs, fabricated new exhaust headers and fitted mufflers from Classicbike Raisch, which were originally designed for Triumph’s modern twins. He then shortened the subframe to house a hand-crafted alloy tail unit.
    Suspension upgrades include Wilbers springs in the stock front forks and Ikon shocks at the rear. The front brake is from a Kawasaki Z 650, with a Honda CBR600RR master cylinder. Holger’s opted for a sporty riding position—with Tarozzi rear sets and Tomaselli clip-ons.
    Kawasaki Z 750
    Since Holger’s an experienced electrician, the wiring has been neatened up significantly and a new Lithium-ion battery hidden inside the tail. The cockpit has also been cleaned up, with Motogadget‘s Motorscope Tiny speedo and m-Switch controls replacing the clunky stock units. The final finish is classic and elegant—gloss black with white striping and brown accents.
    “In the beginning, Holger said he was influenced by Wrenchmonkees,” says Fred. “In my opinion, you can still see it a little—but with this noble and even cool bike and its high end finish, he’s defined his very own style.”
    Visit Holger’s website at www.hb-custom.de to see more of his work. Photos by Timo Meinking.
    from BIKEEXIF

    ‘70 Moto Guzzi V7 Special – Two Cats Garage


    02_03_2014_v7_guzzi_01
    You know what they say. “It’s the simple things in life that are often the best.” And nothing represents that more perfectly than today’s bike. It’s a beautifully simple, perfectly restrained Moto Guzzi from the land of the long white cloud, New Zealand. With not much more than a new seat and a perfect eye for clean lines, Michael Dobson from Raumati’s Two Cats Garage has helped this rather maximal Italian beast shed more than a few pounds and become the svelte, beautiful bike she somehow always should have been.
    02_03_2014_v7_guzzi_06
    “It’s a 1970 Moto Guzzi V7 Special, which was also called and Ambassador in US,” notes Mike. It’s actually our second Pipeburn appearance – we were luck enough to be featured previously for our 1986 BMW R80RTwe called ‘Bopper’. For this one Gary, the bike’s owner, came to us with the concept and we did the rest.”
    02_03_2014_v7_guzzi_05
    “Essentially, it’s a very simple update on a very bulky bike. Sure, it’s not radically and could easily be achieved at home… but that’s what we like about it. Half the work was already done by Moto Guzzi; it just goes to show that if you start with a good product you just have to reveal it. We were also amazed at just how much lighterthe bike looks. Like chalk and cheese.”
    02_03_2014_v7_guzzi_02
    “The main parts of the build include new alloy guards, the removal of the side covers, a new gel battery which we installed lying down and some subtle pod air filters. The crash bars were removed, a set of lower handlebars were added and an LED tail light was attached. Oh, and a clean, single seat. Obviously.
    Then there’s the 70′s Ural peaked headlight rim which gives that classic, forward attitude to the bike’s looks. The custom mufflers were made by Damon at Cycleworks. The battery’s leather belt picks up on the leather seat and the gold tank pinstripe as well. Overall, the look is the proven formula of black and chrome. There’s a good reason why it’s classic – and that’s because it looks so damn good.”
    02_03_2014_v7_guzzi_03
    “And we should probably mention that the bike will be featured at Polished Rockers ride-in bike show atTuatara Brewery on this coming Sunday, March 9th. Be sure and say ‘hi’ if you drop by.”
    02_03_2014_v7_guzzi_04
    [Photos by Ireen Demut]
    via PIPEBURN

    Heureux Rally2


    Sur les 26 partants de ce Rallye du Mexique 2014, 17 ont passé la première journée sans encombre et neuf ont recours au Rally2 pour poursuivre l’aventure. Ici, sans ce système de repêchage, tous les points Pilotes ne seraient peut-être pas attribués en fin de rallye.
    Compte tenu du taux d’abandon et du faible nombre de partants, il n’y aurait peut-être pas dix concurrents à l’arrivée pour marquer tous les points distribués au championnat. Hier, on a enregistré 35% d’abandon. Neuf concurrents n’ont pas bouclé la 1ère étape, dont quatre ont abandonné dans l’ES3 (Mikkelsen, Tanak, Gilbert, Fuchs), deux dans l’ES8 (Hirvonen et Meeke) et un dans la dernière Superspéciale (ES11), le malheureux Robert Kubica, parti en tonneau.
    Pendant que les 30 000 fans hurlaient pour encourager leur équipe face à celle de Veracruz, les mécaniciens travaillaient dur derrière l’Estadio Nou Camp de Leon pour remettre les voitures en état pour la 2e étape du Rallye du Mexique. Les délais impartis pour être accepté en Rally2 étaient très larges, jusqu’à 4h30 ce matin.
    Chez Citroën, les mécaniciens ont travaillé jusqu’à 22h30 sur la voiture de Kris Meeke, victime d’une petite touchette dans l’ES8 : « On a à peine senti le choc à l’arrière gauche, le pneu et la jante étaient intacts, mais on a perdu la roue au fil des kilomètres », racontait Kris ce matin. Le demi-train arrière gauche et le pont arrière ont été remplacés sur la DS3 WRC N°3, l’intervention a duré un peu plus de deux heures.
    Chez M-Sport, il y a deux autos en Rally2 : la Ford de Mikko Hirvonen, victime d’une panne l’alternateur – comme au Monte-Carlo – dans l’ES8, et celle de Robert Kubica, parti en tonneau dans la toute dernière spéciale du jour. « Robert l’a ramené lui-même au parc », nous a dit son chef-voiture. « On a changé le pare-brise, les suspensions arrière et il y avait aussi pas mal de carrosserie à réparer. On a fini à 22h45 je crois. » Les neuf voitures ayant abandonné hier sont toutes reparties ce matin en Rally2, y compris les trois Ford Fiesta R5 de Tanak, Gilbert et Fuchs.
    Le règlement dit que les pilotes en Rally2 s’élancent derrière les prioritaires 1 & 2 le lendemain. Or, Robert Kubica est 6e sur la route aujourd’hui, devant Latvala et Ostberg. Même s’il a ramené lui-même sa Ford au parc d’assistance hier soir, le Polonais est bien en Rally2 car les commissaires l’ont aidé à remettre la voiture sur ses roues dans la Superspéciales. Explication : il y a aussi un article qui dit que la règle du Rally2 s’applique avant les Superspéciales ! Pour l’ordre des départs de la 2e étape, les commissaires ont tenu compte de cet article. Compliqué, n’est-ce pas ?

    Fiesta Grande


    Le Rallye du Mexique n’est-il pas le lieu idéal pour parler de fiesta ? Pas forcément de la traditionnelle fiesta d’après-rallye prévue ce soir, mais plutôt de Ford Fiesta et du team M-Sport qui occupe la moitié du parc d’assistance.
    Hirvonen, Evans, Kubica, Prokop, Guerra, Protasov et Fuchs : sept Ford Fiesta sont alignées sous la structure M-Sport, plus deux (Tanak, Gilbert) à quelques mètres de là. Douze des 26 voitures admises au départ du Rally Mexico étaient des Ford Fiesta (RS WRC, R5, RRC ou ST). Dix voitures sont attendues sous la structure M-Sport en Argentine.
    Le modèle Fiesta RS WRC proposé à la location par M-Sport (8 sont disponibles) bénéficie d’un excellent rapport prix/performance. Depuis 2011, deux ou trois RS WRC sont régulièrement engagées sur chaque manche mondiale par des pilotes privés.
    Homologué le 1er juillet 2013, le modèle R5 connaît lui aussi un franc succès. A ce jour, M-Sport a enregistré 67 commandes fermes et 50 voitures ont été vendues. Un vrai succès commercial. Neuf mois après son homologation, la Ford Fiesta R5 n’a pas encore de concurrentes sur le marché. Les Peugeot 208 R5 et Citroën DS3 R5 n’ont pas reçu le feu vert de la FIA au 1er mars et la Skoda Fabia R5 est prévue pour 2015.
    La plupart des Ford Fiesta R2 utilisées depuis trois ans en Mondial par les Juniors auraient dû être vendues au Brésil pour une formule monotype. Elles resteront finalement en WRC dans le cadre du Drive DMack Fiesta Trophy. Des Ford Fiesta R2 roulent également dans de nombreux pays, comme en Espagne, en Finlande, Belgique, où sont organisés des Fiesta Sporting Trophy.
    La gamme Ford Fiesta est complétée par les modèles RRC, S2000, R1 (vendus dans 34 pays), une gamme qui s’est récemment enrichie d’une R5+ et d’une R200 destinées aux rallyes nationaux. M-Sport développe également une Ford Fiesta R5 roulant au LPG (gaz de pétrole liquéfié). La voiture n’est pas encore homologuée FIA mais elle devrait débuter la semaine prochaine au Rally Ciocco (Italie) avec Giandomenico Basso et en pneus Michelin.
    Tout cette activité permet au team britannique de poursuivre un programme officiel WRC avec deux voitures malgré la perte d’un sponsor majeur cette saison.

    TT !

    Permalien de l'image intégrée

    Club Pont Grup Magazine. Issue 1


    Nicholas Mee & Co: Specialising in Heritage


    Having spent 16 years with Aston Martin from 1976 to 1991 – a large portion of that time reporting directly to then-CEO Victor Gauntlett – few know more about its cars than Nicholas Mee. Classic Driver visited the Heritage specialist outlet which he set up back in 1991…
    Using official parts is a vital factor that guarantees not only reliability, but also that all-important originality
    Fast-forward to today and his company has grown exponentially: it’s now made up of a 20-car showroom in a prime location in London (sales have doubled since its opening last year due to raised visibility), with a large purpose-built workshop located nearby dedicated to servicing and maintaining customer cars. It also houses an extensive stock of official Aston Martin Heritage parts, which are supplied to trade and private customers. Being one of only five official AM Heritage specialists in the UK, using official parts is a vital factor that guarantees not only reliability, but also that all-important originality.

    Prime examples from DB to Vanquish S

    The company aims to offer 15-20 cars for sale at any one time, all being prime examples – from the DB cars right up to the ‘New Era’ machines, including the previous-generation Vanquish S. The company has guided many cars through different ownerships over their lifetimes, with a hand in not only the buying and selling process, but also all aspects of servicing, maintenance and Aston Martin ownership in general.

    One of five official AM Heritage specialists in the UK

    “Our aim is to supply superior quality cars into our client park, and to encourage the owner to maintain them correctly in order to fully enjoy their ownership,” says Nicholas. “Beyond that, we welcome the owner and their car when they return – whether to exchange for a different model or just to sell – in the knowledge that we can offer an above-average price, and have another quality car to stock and re-sell. A win-win for all.” With the majority of customers becoming repeat buyers, this business model seems to be appreciated.
    Photos: Alex P. / Joe Breeze
    Nicholas Mee & Co's entire stocklist can be found in the Classic Driver Market.

    Leg 2 - 2014 WRC Rally Mexico


    YAMAHA DT50 MX BY HÅKAN PERSSON


    Yamaha DT50MX 2 Yamaha DT50 MX by Håkan Persson
    Håkan Persson is one of those curiously talented people that seems to be frustratingly good at everything he puts his mind to.
    dt50mx Yamaha DT50 MX by Håkan Persson
    Take this bike for example – it started life as a stock Yamaha DT50MX (pictured inset left) and despite the fact that this is only his second attempt at building a custom motorcycle, he managed to put together the extraordinary and unusual bike you see pictured above.
    The Yamaha DT50MX was originally released in June 1981 as a replacement for the DT50M, the design was so good that it remained largely unchanged for 15 years – when it was replaced in 1996 with the Yamaha DT50R.
    The rear suspension on the DT50MX has always interested me, it uses a ’Mono-Cross’ with a single, centrally mounted shock absorber – a practice that’s become an industry standard in the modern day.
    When Håkan acquired an old DT50MX it was in appalling condition, almost every part of the bike had to be replaced or repaired. Once it was in running condition, he added some frame reinforcements before adding a new fuel tank, sourced from a Crescent 1209. The base of the new seat was made out of an old skateboard and Håkan’s mother was kind enough to upholster it for him.
    For a slight performance boost, the piston was replaced with a high performance unit, the cylinder head was tweaked and the gearing was altered. A new head light was then sourced from his father’s old Fiat 125 and some graffitti artist friends set about giving the bike a unique decal on the fuel tank.
    The finished bike, named “Cocaine White”, looks to be just about the perfect urban scrambler/parkour motorcycle. In fact, I wouldn’t mind taking it for a spin myself, just to see how much trouble I could get myself into.
    Additional information via our friends at Pipeburn.
    cocaine white 5 Yamaha DT50 MX by Håkan Persson
    cocaine white 7 Yamaha DT50 MX by Håkan Persson
    cocaine white 8 Yamaha DT50 MX by Håkan Persson
    cocaine white 9 Yamaha DT50 MX by Håkan Persson
    cocaine white 11 Yamaha DT50 MX by Håkan Persson
    Yamaha DT50MX 1 Yamaha DT50 MX by Håkan Persson
    Yamaha DT50MX 3 Yamaha DT50 MX by Håkan Persson
    Yamaha DT50MX Yamaha DT50 MX by Håkan Persson
    Photographs by Carl Magnus – www.carlmagnus.com

    jungle !!