jeudi 22 mai 2014
Hyundai Motorsport se renforce / A new face at Hyundai Motorsport
L’équipe coréenne vient de nommer Nino Frison comme Directeur technique. Thierry Neuville, Hayden Paddon et Juho Hanninen, engagés au Rallye d’Italie-Sardaigne et au Rally Poland, sont actuellement en tests en Pologne.
Après un Rallye d’Argentine plutôt positif avec un meilleur temps et une 5e place pour Thierry Neuville, l’équipe Hyundai Motorsport a programmé une semaine d’essais en Pologne avec les trois pilotes engagés au Rallye d’Italie-Sardaigne et Rallye de Pologne : Thierry Neuville, Hayden Paddon, Juho Hanninen. Rappelons que Bryan Bouffier est quant à lui attendu au Rallye d’Antibes (29-31 mai) sur une Hyundai i20 WRC/Michelin. Dani Sordo sera au Festival of Speed de Goodwood fin juin.
L’équipe technique de Hyundai Motorsport se renforce avec l’arrivée de Nino Frison au poste de Directeur technique. Ce poste était jusque-là vacant, Michel Nandan ayant la double responsabilité de Team principal et de Directeur technique depuis la création du team.
L’Italien Nino Frison a travaillé en Formule Un (Ferrari, Benetton, Zakspeed, Lotus, Toro Rosso) et en Super Tourisme (German Touring Car et International Touring Car) chez AMG Mercedes. Il a aussi bossé en WRC, au sein du TTE (Toyota Team Europe), puis chez Seat Sport avant de rejoindre l’équipe Suzuki en WRC où il occupait le rôle de chef designer. Nino et Michel Nandan se connaissent donc très bien.
Toujours côté technique, le team a récemment fait l’acquisition d’un banc moteur ce qui lui permettra de mener différents tests et de développer le 1600 cm3 turbo de la Hyundai i20 WRC, actuellement le point faible de l’auto (surtout en altitude). Par ailleurs, Michel Nandan nous a confirmé en Argentine que le développement de la nouvelle Hyundai i20 WRC 2015 débutera cet été. Elle sera nouvelle à 95%, mais ne sera peut-être pas alignée sur les 1ères courses de la saison 2015.
Enfin, Thierry Neuville et Juho Hanninen seront consultants pour Eurosport respectivement au Geko Rally d’Ypres (une semaine avant la Pologne) et au 24 Rally Estonia (18-19 juillet), deux manches du Championnat d’Europe des Rallyes FIA.
The Korean team has recruited Nino Frison as Technical Director. Thierry Neuville, Hayden Paddon and Juho Hanninen, who will represent Hyundai at the WRC’s next two rounds, are currently testing in Poland.
Rally Argentina proved reasonably positive for Hyundai Motorsport who bagged fifth place with Neuville. Ahead of the WRC’s forthcoming visits to Sardinia and Poland, the team is testing for a week in Poland with the Belgian and his team-mates Paddon and Hanninen. Meanwhile, Bryan Bouffier is preparing to drive an i20 WRC/Michelin on the Rallye d’Antibes (May 29-31) and Dani Sordo will attend late-June’s Goodwood Festival of Speed.
Hyundai Motorsport’s technical squad has been reinforced with the arrival of Italian Nino Frison who will fill the vacancy of Technical Director which, since the team’s creation, has been one of the responsibilities of Team Principal Michel Nandan.
Frison previously worked in Formula 1 (Ferrari, Benetton, Zakspeed, Lotus, Toro Rosso) and touring cars (AMG Mercedes). His WRC experience includes Toyota Team Europe, Seat Sport and Suzuki where he was Chief Designer, so he and Nandan have known each other for some time.
The team has also acquired an engine dyno which will help it to test and develop the Hyundai i20 WRC’s 1,600cc turbocharged engine which is currently the car’s weak point, especially at altitude. In Argentina, Nandan conformed that development of the 2015-spec car will begin this summer. Its new challenger will be 95-percent new but might not be seen on next season’s early rounds.
The team also says that Neuville and Hanninen will be pundits respectively for Eurosport’s coverage of two FIA European Championship events: the Geko Ypres Rally (a week before Poland) and the 24 Rally Estonia (July 18-19).
TOP 5 YAMAHA SR400
It’s one thing to talk about the ‘enduring appeal’ of a motorcycle. It’s quite another for that appeal to translate into solid showroom sales, year after year.
There are a handful of bikes that have stayed in production for decades, essentially unchanged—Royal Enfields and Urals spring to mind. But the king of that particular hill is the Yamaha SR400, a bike that has been punching above its weight for over 35 years.
Not surprisingly, there’s a huge array of aftermarket parts available for the SR400. It’s a mainstay of the thriving Japanese custom scene, and it’s now available again in the USA—this time with fuel injection. If you’re tempted to lay down some cash for a new model, or even dig out a secondhand one, take some inspiration from these five great recent builds.
Deus Grevious Angel Outside Japan, the Australian company Deus is probably the greatest exponent of the custom Yamaha SR400. ‘Grevious Angel’ is one of Deus’ signature builds, with looks that have scored it a place in Sydney’s Powerhouse museum. This SR400 is sporting a tweaked frame, an alloy bullet-style fairing, beadblasted engine cases, a CV carb and a K&N intake kit. The tank and ducktail seat unit are from the legendary Japanese brand Nitroheads, and the tires are classic Avon Speedmasters. Fans of Top Gear take note: James May has one of these in his garage. [Deus Customs]
Skull Motor Cycle No.19 With so many custom SR400s around, it’s hard to find one that’s truly different. This machine from a little-known Japanese workshop fits the bill, with radical hub-center steering and a pair of shocks tucked under the custom seat unit. The tank is from a Honda Dream 50 and the lovely pipe is from an XS650. Hiroshima-based Skull built this machine a couple of years ago as a showcase for their fabrication skills, and not surprisingly, it whipped the Japanese custom scene into a frenzy. [More about this bike | sr400times.com]
Gasoline Customs ‘Tomahawk’ Sometimes simple is best—especially if you’re after a daily rider, a role the SR400 fulfils admirably. We’re back to Australia for our third choice, this time to East Sydney’s Gasoline Customs, a workshop of some 20 years’ standing. There’s no rocket science in this build, but it’s beautifully judged—from the powdercoated XS650 wheels and brake rotors to the reworked frame and minimalist tail unit. The exhaust system is as simple as it gets, but adds to the industrial vibe of the machine. The tires, in case you’re wondering, are Shinkos originally designed for trials use. [Gasoline Customs]
Motor Rock SR400 #5 There’s relatively little ‘formula’ in Japanese custom building, compared to the West. You’ll often see the top workshops building a Kawasaki bobber one week, a Triumph café racer the next, and a Harley with skyscraper-high ape bars the week after that. Motor Rock of Nagoya is one such shop. Since opening for business ten years ago, they’ve built 20 Yamaha-based customs—most of them super-clean SR400s. Like many Japanese bikes, this one looks a little off-kilter to Western eyes. But it has a strangely appealing charm: there’s a hint of bobber styling at the back end, and a touch of café bike at the front. The detailing is beautiful, and the paint on the tank is to die for. [Motor Rock]
Boogie Single Racer SR400 At last year’s EICMA motor show in Milan, Yamaha Europe caused a splash by showcasing three ‘Yard Built’ customs. One came from the Wrenchmonkees, one came from Deus Milan, and one came all the way from Japan itself. ‘Boogie Single Racer’ was built by one of Tokyo’s top customizers—who officially remained nameless—and just drips with style. The forks are vintage Ceriani, the tank is immaculately cut-and-shut, and the rear frame loop isn’t simply chopped and tucked under the seat—it curves over the outside of the custom rear fender. There’s a vintage Honda drum brake up front and delicate filigree carving on much of the bare metal, including the wheel rims. Pure class. [More about this bike | Yamaha Yard Built Specials]
Last week’s Top 5 covered vintage Triumph hardtails.
via 
ARNOLDAS’ R100
If any proof were needed that the world rewards good people and hard graft, it is right here in the form of this lovely cafe racer Boxer. Arnoldas is a self employed tiler from Lithuania, when his elderly neighbour was moving house Arnoldas, being a damn fine human being, offered to tile his new place. After refusing to take any money for the work, his generosity was rewarded as his old friend pulled the sheets from a crusty old BMW that had hidden in the corner of his garage for the past 9 years and demanded Arnoldas take it as payment. Karma at its glorious best.
The reward for Arnoldas labour was a 1979 BMW R100RS with 90000 miles on its dusty clocks. After looking over the machine Arnoldas took stock of the work required before taking to the internet in search of stimulation. As a Bikeshed regular you will no doubt have some idea of the wealth of inspiration to be found when searching for custom BMW Boxers. Needless to say the beauty of the machines he found made Arnoldas an instant member of the Boxer fan club and compelled him to his shed.
Previous plans of a quick fix project were ditched in favour of a full restoration in the cafe racer style. “The easy part was to dismantle the bike,” says Arnoldas, then came the rebuild process. Arnoldas gives little information about what he actually did, but judging by the pictures he followed the tried and tested route of trimming weight, tidying the rear, ditching the side panels, giving everything a lustrous coat of black and throwing a smattering of new parts at what remained.
The seat is modelled in the style of a Champion framed flat tracker, slimming as it rises to a pillion perch and upholstered in a dark brown that matches the clip on gracing grips. Wrapped exhaust headers lead to matt black cans that tuck neatly beneath new rear sets.
An Acewell speedometer sits tightly in its custom made top yoke nacelle. The correct shape was determined by Arnoldas drawing circles around a variety of vodka glasses and tea cups until he found the correct fit. Who needs a compass anyway?
The tank was finished in classic black with a chequerboard stripe. The number 23 adds a personal touch as it reflects Arnoldas’ birthday and is also the name he gives to his steed.
With continual changes of design ideas the build took 14 months to complete, sandwiched between Arnoldas work commitments and his Wedding, which leads us to the greatest success story of the build… Arnoldas wife was so taken with the results of his work that she is happy for him to get another project on the go for next winter. Great stuff Arnoldas, keep up the good work and the good deeds!
the Bike Shed
Rossi : « J'aurais dû me battre avec Márquez quand j'avais 22 ans »
Valentino Rossi a fini deuxième derrière Marc Márquez à trois reprises en cinq courses depuis le début de la saison 2014. Au Mans, le pilote du team Movistar Yamaha MotoGP était en tête en début d’épreuve, jusqu’à ce que Márquez ne profite d’une erreur de l'Italien dans les Esses Bleu.
« Je suis dans une situation dans laquelle je veux évidemment gagner mais ce n’est pas un gros problème problème pour moi si j'y arrive pas, » a déclaré Rossi après la course. « Mes résultats étaient bien plus mauvais l’an dernier, encore plus les années d’avant, et je suis assez content de mon travail. »
« Vous savez… Márquez est sur un tout autre niveau. Je l’avais déjà compris l’an dernier et je m’étais dit : ‘Mince ! C'est difficile, j’aurais dû me battre avec lui quand j’avais 22 ans !’ Quoi qu’il en soit, le fait que le niveau soit aussi élevé est très motivant et pour le battre, il faut se donner à plus de 100%. »
Rossi a aussi discuté de son coéquipier Jorge Lorenzo, qui est à 80 points de Márquez après le premier quart de la saison 2014.
« Je comprends Jorge, » a affirmé Rossi. « Personnellement, je suis dans une situation différente. Pour moi, être sur le podium en étant derrière Marc est acceptable. Je sais que je peux essayer de me battre avec lui mais je suis plus détendu. C’est différent pour Jorge parce qu’il veut gagner. Jorge a réalisé des courses très impressionnantes l’an dernier, les meilleures de sa carrière, mais il n’avait pas pu remporter le Championnat. »
« Cette année, Marc a plus d’expérience, la Honda est légèrement meilleure que la Yamaha sur le plan technique et Jorge est un peu frustré parce qu’il sait que c’est presque impossible et qu’il ne veut pas être deuxième. Il n’est pas content et c’est peut-être pour ça qu’il a quelques problèmes. »
La prochaine manche a lieu la semaine prochaine au Mugello, où Rossi participera au 300ème Grand Prix de sa carrière depuis ses débuts en 125cc en 1996.
Paul Newman, Gentleman Driver
It was Steve McQueen who famously said, "Racing is life. Anything before or after is just waiting" - but it was his Hollywood contemporary Paul Newman who found the lure of high-octane motorsport so irresistible that he went as far as to turn it into a second career.
Getting hooked at Watkins Glen
Newman had been a lifelong fan of auto racing prior to signing the contract to play fictional driver Frank Capua in the 1969 movie 'Winning', but had virtually no track experience at all. That changed, however, when he was sent to the race school at Watkins Glen to develop a suitably plausible technique for the new role - and instantly became hooked.
A very special wristwatch
Within a couple of years, Newman had acquired several race cars, entering his first professional event in 1972 at the Thompson International Speedway. To mark the occasion his wife, Joanne Woodward, gifted him a Rolex Cosmograph Daytona wristwatch which he is said to have worn regularly for the rest of his life. The version she chose was a Reference 6241 with an 'exotic dial' - it was produced for only two years (1969 and 1970) and came to be known as the now highly collectible 'Paul Newman' model.
From Le Mans to Daytona
The star continued racing for the next 30 years, often in major international events such as the Le Mans 24 Hours, in which he and team mates Rolf Stommelen and Dick Barbour achieved second place behind the wheel of a factory-specification Porsche 935 in 1979. From the mid-1970s until the early 1990s, however, Newman mainly raced Datsuns for the Bob Sharp team in the Trans-Am Series - even becoming the oldest driver to be part of a winning team in a major race when, at 70, he took a class victory at the 1995 24 Hours of Daytona.
A history of frequent victories
Newman's love of the sport also extended to forming his own professional race team, which he set up with Can-Am and Indy Car specialist Bill Freeman. 'Newman Freeman Racing' became a force to be reckoned with in the North American Can-Am series, fielding Budweiser-sponsored Spyder NF-10s and winning the team championship trophy in 1979. With drivers such as Keke Rosberg, Patrick Depailler and Bobby Rahal in the team, victories were frequent, inspiring Newman to co-found the celebrated Newman/Haas ChampCar team in 1983 (along with Carl Haas), which went on to secure eight drivers' championships.
Newman's last race outings took place in 2004, when he contested the Baja 1000, and the following year when he competed for a final time in the 24 Hours of Daytona, just three years before his death at the age of 83. The end marked a sad goodbye to a hero of the movie screen and the race track - and a man who could certainly never be accused of 'just waiting'.
Photos: Rexfeatures
This article is part of the 'Gentleman Drivers' feature series that is presented and supported by EFG Bank.
Pharaons Rally: Navigation day in the first stage of the Pharaons Rally Egypt
Overall results after SS01 Tuesday BIKES top 10
| PL | DRIVER | BIKE | TIME | DIFF |
| 01 | Salvatierra, Juan Carlos (BOL) | Speedbrain 450 Rally | 03:04:07 | 00:00:00 |
| 02 | Chiussi, Stefano (I) | KTM 500 EXC | 03:12:55 | 00:08:48 |
| 03 | Cardona, Nicolas (VEN) | Yamaha WR 450F | 03:20:59 | 00:16:52 |
| 04 | Turchi, Stefano (I) | KTM 690 Rally | 03:26:12 | 00:22:05 |
| 05 | Eraso, Rafael (VEN) | Yamaha WR 450F | 03:27:44 | 00:23:37 |
| 06 | Sabbatucci, Paolo (I) | Yamaha WR 450F | 03:34:11 | 00:30:04 |
| 07 | Sonik, Rafal (PL) | Yamaha Raptor | 03:39:19 | 00:35:12 |
| 08 | Dalla Valle, Stefano (I) | Freeracing SMC | 03:49:38 | 00:45:31 |
| 09 | Biondi, Tommaso (I) | KTM 690 Rally | 03:50:17 | 00:46:10 |
| 10 | Napoli, Giulio (I) | Beta Atacama | 03:50:17 | 00:46:10 |
Overall results after SS01 Tuesday CARS top 10
| PL | DRIVER / NAVIGATOR | RALLYCAR | TIME | DIFF |
| 01 | Al-Rajhi / Gottschalk (KSA/D) | Overdrive Toyota Hilux | 01:59:41 | 00:00:00 |
| 02 | Vasilyev / Zhiltsov (RUS/RUS) | X-raid Mini All4 Racing | 02:03:31 | 00:03:50 |
| 03 | Van Loon / Rosegaar (NL/NL) | X-raid Mini All4 Racing | 02:09:02 | 00:09:21 |
| 04 | Al Attiyah / Baumel (QT/F) | X-raid Mini All4 Racing | 02:12:30 | 00:12:49 |
| 05 | Sazonov / Moroz (KZH/KZH) | Hummer H3 Evo | 02:18:09 | 00:18:28 |
| 06 | Zapletal / Marton (CZ/PL) | Hummer H3 Proto | 02:19:15 | 00:19:34 |
| 07 | Dabrowski / Czachor (PL/PL) | Overdrive Toyota Hilux | 02:20:08 | 00:20:27 |
| 08 | El Erian / Etman (EGY/EGY) | Rahhala Buggy | 02:33:34 | 00:33:53 |
| 09 | Saidan / Lichtleuchter (KSA/F) | Toyota Land Cruiser | 02:57:21 | 00:57:40 |
| 10 | Benoit / Ganache (F/F) | Isuzu D-Max | 03:30:18 | 01:30:37 |
View all results: Please [ CLICK HERE ]
View all results: Please [ CLICK HERE ]
| |
 | |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
|
"The beginning of the stage is tough because one mistake means you end up in the wrong canyon," organizer Abdelhamid Abouyoussef says. "The only solution is to go back all the way to a point that you know, and find the way from there. You cannot cut, the canyons are too steep."
"We took the wrong track," says Matthieu Baumel, Al Attiyah´s co-driver, "We noticed the canyon was different from the roadbook and we decided to turn around. I don't like to lose time like this!" Nasser Al-Attiyah tried to find a route off piste but in the end the only option was to turn around and go back, with a fourth place as result. Nasser: "We lost some time but it is good to have some competition."
Wouter Rosegaar loved the stage today, navigating Erik van Loon in the Mini to a third place. It was a good challenge for this young and experienced navigator. "We had to find the route ourselves, I could not see anything in this terrain." Erik and Wouter choose the wrong canyon once, but found a way out. "I kept an eye on the bearing, as we were still going in the right direction I decided to keep going," Wouter explains. "Luckily we found the waypoint, I was very happy when the GPS showed it!"
"We went off-piste to find the right track today, but I overlooked a hill," Tarek El Erian and Mohammed Etman flew with their buggy long enough to count the seconds. "After we landed everything seemed ok but we stopped for 5 minutes to check the car. I only lost some of the polyester, everything else was fine!" Tarek has built his two-wheel drive buggy in Egypt, and is proud of it. "It's the first time someone builts a car like this in Egypt. We finished it 3 months ago and had a good test in the El Gouna Rally. Now we are happy to be here amoung the top drivers."
Yasier Saidan is here to win the T2 class with his Toyota Prado. "Last year we won the Worldchampionship in the T3 class, this year I want to be the fastest T2 driver. It is a big step from the Polaris to this car, I feel very comfortable in it. Still the stage today was hard for us, with all the rocks in the first bit. The temperaturre was so high I had to slow down the car, it was a tough day."
Polish quaddriver Rafal Sonik leads the quads and raced together with a group of bikers, chasing each other between the rocks and on the sandy tracks in the second part of the stage. "The first time they overtook me, but then the first rider made a mistake in the roadbook. Then I was in the wrong valley, I went back to look for the track and they had me again. It was a very emotional stage and a great race."
"Finding the first waypoint was not easy, but I managed," Alfredo Procacci is with a group of Italian riders. "The view on the descent was just perfect, I love the landscape in this rally.' In the second part of the stage Alfredo spend some time searching the right path through a big Oued. "I ride carefully so I have time to look and find the way. Maybe I will push more in the last days when everybody is tired."
Wessel Bosman is happy with the attention he gets for his project. "Today I rode as carefull as possible. I am not a rider but an amateur and I try not to damage myself or the bike." Riding with time on your side means you can help others as well. "I met an Italian rider who had problems with the GPS and we rode to the finish together. The Pharaons Rally has a great atmosphere, it is good to be here."
"The most tricky part is to survive in the desert," says Stefano Chuissi, who started his career as a wild rider and is first in his class on the Pharaons. "First all I wanted was good results, the podium. Now I work to improve myself. Rallyraid for me is a fight with myself, raising the bar on each event. I accept my own pace and focus on myself instead of on the ranking. Look at today, at the start I was looking at other bikes, thinking I might fancy having a new one. But during the day I realized how lucky I already am to be here, as a competitor."
Wednesday is the longest day of the Pharaons Rally, with 362 kilometers of special stage and 273 kilometers of liaison to the first desert bivouac in Dakhla. "We go into an area called 'No Mans Land', which is a name I really like." Mahmud Nour el Din made the stages and is happy yto go into the desert again. "At the end of the stage we will have the first dunes, so be prepared."
Inscription à :
Articles (Atom)