Bol d’Or (Qualifying): Honda Racing on provisional pole! / Honda Racing en pole provisoire

The first qualifying session for the 2014 Bol d’Or saw Honda Racing top the order with an average time for its three riders of 1m40.803s. GMT 94 (Michelin) was second fastest, ahead of SERT. The top three teams were covered by less than four-tenths of a second.

Today’s qualifying session could well end up being crucial since rain is expected to move in over Magny-Cours for the second run tomorrow (Friday).

Although, Grégory Leblanc (1m39.608s) was the fastest rider on the track, Kawasaki SRC has yet to officially qualify for the race since Matthieu Lagrive, who is still in hospital after his fall earlier today, was unable to take part in the session. On top of that, the team’s reserve rider Nicolas Salchaud has already stepped in to replace Fabien Foret! For information, the average time for Leblanc and Salchaud was 1m40.809s.

Honda Racing celebrated its official return to endurance racing by picking up provisional pole with an average of 1m40.803s for Julien Da Costa, Freddy Foray and Sébastien Gimbert who posted similar times, although Da Costa (1m40.382s) was the fastest of the three.

Another evenly-balanced trio was David Checa, Kenny Foray and Mathieu Gines who put the N°94 Yamaha-Michelin in second place, just 0.117s short of their Honda rivals. Kenny had the pleasure of securing the best time in the ‘white’ session (1m41.255s), 0.069s ahead of his brother Freddy.

The defending EWC champion SERT is third (1m41.130s) and the overnight top three is split by just 0.328s.

Suzuki Junior Team (1m41.956s) produced a good run to top the Superstock order and figure in fourth overall, ahead of Formula EWC runners National Motos (1m42.014s), Bolliger Team Switzerland (1m42.317s) and YART (1m42.370s). Second in Superstock is Penz 13 (9^th overall, 1m42.602s), ahead of Hall Moto 02 (10^th, 1m42.891s).

The night-time session, which starts at 9:10pm, will bring today’s action to a close, while the potentially wet second qualifying session is due to begin at 12:25pm Friday.

Au terme de la première séance d’essais qualificatifs du Bol d’Or, Honda Racing est crédité de la meilleure moyenne en 1.40.803. Le GMT 94 (Michelin) s’est classé deuxième devant le SERT. Les trois premières équipes se tiennent en moins de quatre dixièmes de seconde.

Cette première séance qualificative était importante compte tenu que les prévisions météorologiques annoncent de la pluie pour la journée de demain. Malgré le meilleur temps absolu de Grégory Leblanc en 1.39.608, le team Kawasaki SRC n’est officiellement pas qualifié pour la course. En effet, suite à sa chute aux essais libres en début d’après-midi, Matthieu Lagrive, toujours en examen à l’hôpital, n’a pu prendre à cette session. N’ayant pas de pilote remplaçant, seuls Grégory Leblanc et Nicolas Salchaud ont pu, pour l’instant, établir un temps dont la moyenne est 1.40.809.

Pour son retour officiel en endurance, Honda Racing rafle la pole provisoire en 1.40.803. Julien Da Costa, Freddy Foray et Sébastien Gimbert ont signé des temps très proches, Da Costa a été le plus rapide en 1.40.382. Très homogènes également, David Checa, Kenny Foray et Mathieu Gines ont hissé la Yamaha-Michelin n°94 à la deuxième place à seulement 0.117 seconde des polemen provisoires. Kenny a bouclé le meilleur tour de sa session en 1.41.255, 0.069 seconde devant son frère Freddy.

Champion du monde en titre, le SERT se classe troisième en 1.41.130. Ces trois premières équipes se tiennent dans un mouchoir de poche séparées seulement par 0.328 seconde.

Très belle performance du Suzuki Junior Team, première équipe Superstock, qui s’intercale à la quatrième place au général devant des teams engagés en Formula EWC avec une moyenne d’1.41.956. Derrière, on retrouve National Motos (1.42.014), Bolliger Team Switzerland (1.42.317), le YART (1.42.370). Deuxième machine Superstock, Penz 13 se classe neuvième (1.42.602) devant une autre équipe de la catégorie, Hall Moto 02 (1.42.891), qui complète le top 10 général.

Les essais de nuit à 21h10 vont clôturer cette première journée. La seconde séance qualificative est prévue demain à partir de 12h25 où la pluie pourrait être de la partie.

Bol d’Or,(Free Practice 1): Kawasaki SRC set the pace / essais libres : Kawasaki SRC déjà devant

Kawasaki SRC – winner of the last two Bol d’Ors – topped the order in this afternoon’s Free Practice session at Magny-Cours, chased by SERT, Honda Racing and GMT 94 (Michelin).

At 2pm local time, the 45 bikes entered for this year’s Bol d’Or – the last to be held at Magny-Cours – pulled out of their pits for two hours of free practice as the morning’s mist made way for some welcome warm sunshine.

SEALINE CROSS COUNTRY RALLY 2014 (DAY 4)

Qatar’s Al-Attiyah and Abu Issa retain leads and spain’s coma tops the bikes in Sealine Rally

---

• Stage four wins for Al-Attiyah, Goncalves and Sonik
• Sunderland falls and sustains wrist injury; navigation takes its toll
• Final 362.97km selective section awaits in Qatar desert on Friday

SEALINE (Qatar): Qatar’s Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah and Mohammed Abu Issa retained their leads in the car and quad categories and Marc Coma regained a slender motorcycle advantage after a tricky navigational 404.18km fourth selective section of the Sealine Cross-Country Rally on Thursday.

Al-Attiyah and French co-driver Matthieu Baumel turned an overnight lead of 39min 38sec into an advantage of 1hr 05min 11sec over Polish Toyota Hilux driver Adam Malysz with one stage remaining in the fourth round of the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies.

“I am quite happy,” said Al-Attiyah. “I had no reason to push today. It is very easy to make a mistake here. Matthieu has been excellent all week. No problems with the car and we just have to do the same again one more time. This rally is now at a high level. The navigation is probably the most difficult of them all.”

Poland’s Krzysztof Holowczyc lost his chance of taking a top finish with overheating issues on Wednesday, but the Mini driver stormed back with a useful performance on day four. He was leading the stage all the way to PC5 before losing time with navigational issues. “This rally is very different,” said the Pole. “This is a co-driver’s rally. This is not for the driver. You push like hell for hours and then one mistake and it’s back to square one again.”


Toyota’s Marek Dabrowski claimed second position on the day and Overdrive team-mate Malysz took advantage of Vladimir Vasilyev’s lengthy navigational delays to snatch second overall by just 5min 20sec.
The dogfight between Honda and KTM continued into day four; overnight leader Joan Barreda, riding a Honda CRF 450, ceded the overall advantage to KTM’s Marc Coma for the second time in four days, although the stage win fell to Honda’s Paolo Goncalves.

The two leading Spaniards will now go head-to-head on Friday, with Barreda having the sizeable advantage of following the four-time Dakar winner and defending Sealine champion through the stage. Coma has a lead of 41 seconds and starts two minutes ahead of his rival.

“I know it’s going to be difficult now,” said Coma. “It was a very hard day with a very high level of navigation. I lost my rhythm a little towards the end and I now have to give it a go tomorrow. That’s all I can do.”

Goncalves was delighted with the stage win. “I have been recovering time since the first day and it was good to get back a lot of that time against my rivals today. It was a difficult and demanding stage. Tomorrow is the last day and I will need to concentrate and not make a navigation mistake. I have a chance still. You never know.”
Barreda admits that he needs to remain focused. “The strategy is working well. Now I need to keep my concentration and not make any navigational error. I will need to push and catch Marc and stay with him. That is the plan.”

After his navigational woes on Wednesday, Poland’s Rafal Sonik caught Abu Issa, the pair rode together and the Pole managed to win the quad stage by 5min 07sec. Qatar’s Mohammed Abu Issa takes a comfortable unofficial advantage of 29min 14sec into the final selective section on Friday and, barring a late disaster, should snatch the Sealine title from the defending champion.

THE LOW SEASON

Exactly a year ago I was traveling home from a shoot in Sri Lanka, and decided to have a stopover in India. I had a ticket booked into Delhi and plans to travel by train to the surrounding areas, but the region I really wanted to check out was Ladakh, an isolated mountain region in the most northern tip of India, between Pakistan and China. Just one problem: It was early April, the end of winter, and still very much so the Low Season.

Despite this, I changed my plans and booked a last minute flight into Leh, the largest city in the region. Half the town was still shut down for the winter, but I was able to find a shop to rent a 350cc Royal Enfield. The guest house I was staying at lent me some extra warm clothes and I was on my way. I spent the next week exploring the region, although due to it being the Low Season, many roads were closed, restaurants boarded up and mountain passes snowed over (including the famous Khardung La Pass, one of the highest road passes in the world at an altitude of nearly 18,000 ft, the apex can be seen at 1:32, taken right before I had to turn around due to ice). Despite all of that, or maybe because of the sleepiness, this ended up being one of the best trips I have ever taken.

I wasn't planning to make a short film. I only had my 5d, a few lenses, a still photo tripod and myself. (a far cry from the average crew size and gear list I usually have) Yet the beauty, isolation and impression of the mountains of Ladakh didn't let that happen.

Whether your passion is motorcycles, snowboarding, surfing or just traveling, hopefully you will agree that this short sums up the beauty of the Low Season. But HURRY! Summer is right around the corner. Get out there now, while the roads are empty, the beaches are deserted and the trails are quiet. Get out there while it is still The Low Season!

THE LOW SEASON from Andrew David Watson on Vimeo.

Directed by Andrew David Watson andrewdavidwatson.com
Voice Over by Mark O'Neil
Sound Mix & Design by Julienne Guffain

Guzzi V50 Monza by Revival Cycles

At the Handbuilt Motorcycle Show in Texas last week, Revival Cycles unveiled its new custom café racer, the Moto Guzzi V50 Monza…

Designer Alan Stulberg and his Austin-based team at Revival Cycles created this beautiful custom motorcycle, based on a classic Moto Guzzi V50 and, allegedly, completed on a shoe-string budget. The original bike came from a friend of Stulberg’s, while the parts were mostly off the shelf – the fuel tank, for example, is taken straight from a Yamaha RD400. Fortunately, everything fitted together perfectly and, thanks to that beefier fuel tank, the battery and electronics are all tucked away underneath and out of view, so as not to clutter the V50’s simple design.

Raw metal and patination

Add in a new exhaust system, forks and a headlight, all raided from Stulberg’s Honda parts bin, and the result is really quite impressive. That raw metal bodywork is begging for some patination, as is the hand-stitched, brown leather seat, which we're sure will age brilliantly. Simply put, we really do envy the Monza V50's lucky new owner.

Numerous classic motorcycles can be found in the Classic Driver Market. 

The Golden Years of Kyalami

There was something very special about the original Kyalami circuit, used for Grands Prix from 1967 to 1985. Not that today’s replacement track (built in the early 1990s) is disappointing, exactly, but those who’ve known both say it isn’t a patch on the fast, sweeping and much longer circuit of old.

Perhaps part of it is that the guys who raced there recall the off-track activities, and the particular attractions of the Kyalami Ranch where so many of the drivers would stay when racing in South Africa. Many chose to stay on afterwards, rather than sprinting off to the next country and the next race, charmed by the laid-back atmosphere (and, just maybe, by the bikini-clad air-hostesses so often referred to in the drivers’ reminiscences). No wonder Emerson Fittipaldi, Niki Lauda, Jackie Stewart and the rest of them have such huge grins on their faces in our lead picture at the very top of the page, taken in 1973.

High jinks, high speeds

There's no shortage of rumours regarding what the drivers got up to at the Ranch, from the rubber snakes that were used to scare the life out of Fittipaldi (who has a real phobia where snakes are concerned, apparently), to James Hunt running naked round the gardens, terrifying (or thrilling?) the female guests. Plus there's the story about covering Niki Lauda's rental car in honey or - on a very hot day - pouring milk into Jacky Ickx's bed.

But when it came to the Kyalami circuit and the very high speeds that Formula One cars could reach on the wide, sweeping curves and ultra-long straight, there was tragedy as well as laughter. Famously, the very promising young Welsh driver, Tom Pryce, was killed there in the 1977 South African Grand Prix, when he crested an undulation on that long, fast main straight and collided with a marshal crossing the track. They were both killed instantly - Pryce by the fire extinguisher that the marshal had been carrying.

But what race circuit doesn’t have its own history of lost lives? Perhaps it’s better to remember the sunnier side of Kyalami, as it was in the 1960s and ’70s, which is so beautifully captured in these archive images. 

Photos: Getty Images / Rex Features

TOP 5 KAWASAKI KZ750S

from 

By Wesley Reyneke | Rather Be Riding

I’ll admit it, I didn’t know that Kawasaki made a twin-cylinder ‘Z’ until I came across the bikes we’ve selected below. It seems illogical that Kawasaki would release a twin when they had a great four-cylinder engine in their line-up, but they wanted a piece of the vertical twin pie. It meant going up against Triumph’s Bonneville and Yamaha’s XS650—so the Kawasaki KZ750 was born.

Produced from 1976 to 1983, the KZ750 was (at the time) a fairly modern motorcycle. At its heart was a 745cc vertical twin motor, with double overhead cams and chain-driven counter balancers, good for 55hp, and twin disk brakes. Testers reportedly loved the KZ750—and it was known for being extremely reliable.

These days it’s hard to find a decent condition KZ750 (or Z750B, as it was known in some countries). But, if you do manage to find one, there’s ample potential for using the ‘Z’ as a platform for a show-stopping custom—as proven by the five builders we’ve selected below. Wouldn’t you agree?

Valtorón ‘Vintage scrambler’ isn’t a style you’d normally see applied to the KZ750, but brothers Carlos and Pablo have pulled it off brilliantly. Together they run Valtorón, a foundry based in the Spanish village of Valdetorres del Jarama. Their passion for traditional metalwork is evident: all of the KZ750′s new bodywork was cast in aluminum in the foundry, including the fenders, side covers and tank, with a few bronze pieces acting as accents. The brothers also reinforced the frame, and grafted on a bunch of upgraded components from other bikes. These include 41mm Husqvarna forks, Suzuki triple trees, Betor shocks (from an Ossa Desert Fuego), vintage KTM GS 250 foot pegs, Bultaco Pursang handlebars and a Yamaha SR250 front brake. Valtoron’s unique take on the KZ750 oozes charm and screams fun. [More about this bike | Valtorón]

Photo (and header image) by Kristina Fender.

Chad Hodge’s KZ750 Chad Hodge is an industrial designer by trade, and it shows. This ’78 KZ750B (his first custom build) is loaded with clever features and tasteful design touches, exactly what you’d expect from the man who penned the Bell Bullitt. It’s also the first motorcycle Chad ever owned—he initially bought it when he was 18, couldn’t get it running properly, sold it, then bought it back and began customizing it.

After an engine rebuild, rewire and frame cleanup, Chad upgraded the suspension—with YSS shocks at the rear, and progressive springs and a fork brace up front. The stock tail unit was shortened and sent to New Church Moto for upholstery, and now houses the battery and tail lights behind a hand-made mesh cover. Reverse megaphone mufflers were fitted to the re-routed headers and wrapped in custom heat shields, with a lick of pipewrap for good measure. Chad had a color scheme in mind, but settled on black-and-metal when he stripped the tank’s paint off and saw how good it looked. [More about this bike | Chad Hodge]

Photo by Blaine Davis.

Wrenchmonkees This stunning Z750B was the pet project of Wrenchmonkees founder Per Nielsen, who set out to build “the perfect City-Dirt tracker.” In my opinion, he nailed it. It’s a bit more colorful than most bikes from the Danish workshop, but it still has that unmistakable Wrenchmonkees vibe. Most of the work happened under the hood though: the engine’s been bored out to 970cc, using mostly bespoke parts (aftermarket Z750B tuning parts are non-existent) including 89mm pistons made by Wössner in Germany.

Per also installed SR/XT Mikuni TM36 flatslide carbs and large K&N filters. The exhaust pipes, connected to SuperTrapp mufflers, have been rerouted through the frame to the left of the bike. 19” wheels wrapped in Maxxis dirt track rubber match the rest of the bike perfectly, and the orange, brown and green color scheme is simply inspired. [More about this bike | Wrenchmonkees]

HB Custom You wouldn’t say it looking at this über-clean 1983-model Z750B, but Holger Breuer has a day job—and it’s not building café racers. He’s been doing that in his spare time, racking up a rather decent catalog in the process, including a few Z750Bs—one of which even won a competition run by Kawasaki Germany.

This particular ‘Z’ was built on commission, and had been standing for ten years when Holger got it. So he overhauled the engine, fitting an electronic ignition and Mikuni TM34 carbs. He also fabricated new exhaust headers—adapting aftermarket Triumph mufflers from Classicbike Raisch to fit—shortened the subframe, and fabricated an alloy tail unit. Holger’s aforementioned day job is as an electrician, so he reworked the bike’s wiring, with a Lithium-ion battery hidden inside the tail, and installed Motogadget‘s Motoscope Tiny speedo and m-Switch controls. Other mods included upgraded suspension, plus Tarozzi rear sets and Tomaselli clip-ons for a sportier riding position. The Z750B’s classic lines are complimented by a classy black and brown color scheme. [More about this bike |HB Custom]

Photo by Timo Meinking.

CRD #28 There’s not a lot to say about this KZ750—other than that it’s an archetypal Café Racer Dreams build. And that, in itself, is a huge compliment. The traditional CRD signature touches abound: Renthal’s Ultra-Low bars, lights and fenders from CRD’s own catalog, and an under-seat area devoid of any clutter. The subframe’s been shortened to accommodate a custom bench, and the exhaust headers have been rerouted to the same side with twin, blacked-out reverse cone mufflers.

Two-tone paint on the tank keeps things simple and monochromatic, and the vintage Kawasaki badges are a nice touch. Despite all the work involved (I’ve seen a photo of the donor bike and it’s a far cry from the finished product) the overall effect is understated and sublime, making this one of my all-time favorite KZ750s. [More about this bike]

Bol d’Or, dernière confrontation à Magny-Cours

La 78ème édition du Bol d’Or, la dernière sur le circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, s’annonce une nouvelle fois disputée. Les prétendants à la victoire ont remanié leur équipage et ont multiplié les essais hivernaux pour gravir la haute marche du podium dimanche 27 avril à 15h00.

Qui remportera la première épreuve du Championnat du monde d’Endurance 2014 ? La question est difficile tant une course de 24 heures peut réserver des surprises. L’incertitude du résultat peut persister jusqu’au drapeau à damier.

Vainqueur des deux dernières éditions du Bol d’Or et restant sur quatre succès consécutifs aux 24 Heures Moto, le team Kawasaki SRC est incontestablement le grand favori de cette première épreuve 2014. Mais à quelques jours du Bol d’Or, l’équipage de Gilles Staffler n’est toujours pas bouclé. En effet, si Grégory Leblanc et Matthieu Lagrive sont confirmés, la décision de Kawasaki Europe quant à la participation de Fabien Foret se fait encore attendre. La situation semble assez confuse. Présent aux essais pré Bol d’Or début avril Fabien est également engagé en Championnat du monde Superbike le même week-end à Assen (Pays-Bas).

Champion du monde en titre pour la 13^ème fois, le SERT (Suzuki) est également un sérieux candidat à la victoire. L’équipe de Dominique Meliand, composée de Vincent Philippe, Anthony Delhalle, Erwan Nigon et Damian Cudlin (pilote remplaçant), souhaite accrocher un 16^ème succès à son palmarès, le 11^ème à Magny-Cours.

Vice-champion du monde en 2013, le GMT 94 (Yamaha – Michelin) nourrit également de grandes ambitions pour cette saison 2014. Christophe Guyot a recruté Mathieu Gines et Lucas Mahias aux côtés de David Checa et Kenny Foray pour atteindre son objectif de champion du monde.

Le YART (Yamaha Austria Racing Team), champion du monde en 2009, rempile pour une nouvelle saison en endurance avec un équipage renouvelé à 75 % avec l’arrivée de deux australiens Wayne Maxwell, champion Superbike Australie en 2013 et Rick Olson pour épauler Igor Jerman. Cette édition 2014 marque également le retour officiel d’Honda Racing qui a réunit trois spécialistes français de l’endurance, Sébastien Gimbert, Freddy Foray et Julien Da Costa. L’équipe managée par Neil Tuxworth a multiplié les essais d’avant saison en France et en Europe.

Deuxième des dernières 24 Heures Moto, l’ambitieux R2CL (Suzuki) pourrait de nouveau créer la surprise en se hissant sur le podium. La Suzuki n°2 est confiée à Gwen Giabbani, Guy Martin et Gareth Jones.  Côté challengers, il y a également l’éternel Bolliger Team Switzerland (Kawasaki) capable de surprendre les équipes de pointe, la Yamaha du Maco Racing Team, la Honda National Motos qui rejoint le groupe des teams permanents et la Kawasaki du Team 18 Sapeurs Pompiers.

En Superstock, la lutte pour la victoire s’annonce aussi très ouverte. Le Team Motors Events April Moto (Suzuki), vainqueur de la Coupe du Monde FIM 2013, monte en Formula EWC et cède la place de favori à la BMW du Penz13.com Franks Autowelt Racing Team, vainqueur en 2012. Cette équipe allemande va devoir faire face au retour du QMMF Racing Team (Kawasaki), vainqueur de la Coupe du Monde FIM de 2008 à 2010.

Rendez-vous jeudi 24 avril à partir de 10h00 sur www.motoracinglive.com pour vivre en direct les essais libres de la 78^ème 

Read REVzine

Rockers and Greasers by Linden Adams

Small collection of my Photography and design highlighting the Rockers and classic bike scene in the UK. 



Further information please view my web site www.lindenadamsphotography.co.uk

hoot !!!