Breslau Rally: Biggest European amateur rally only six weeks before the start.

No asphalt, no circuits, and no grandstands: The main focus during the "Breslau Rally" in Poland taking place from July 12-19 will be off-road racing, dust, water, mud, navigation, team-spirit and simply a "great adventure". What the "Dakar Rally" is for the desert, the Breslau Rally is for European fields. Off-road racers from several nations will meet for a motorsport competition through forests, military grounds and vast terrains in the west part of Poland.

In contrast to the Dakar, the Breslau is a licence-free and inexpensive rally, suitable also for beginners. For more than 20 years the rally is considered as the largest licence-free amateur off-road rally in Europe. The start this year will be in Poland, in the city of Zagan, situated about 40 km from the German border. From Zagan the rally will move to the north and pass near the cities Borne Sulinowo and Drawsko Pomorskie - the competitors have to handle more than 1,500 race-kilometers in total.

In the past, the Breslau Rally was a synonymous mainly with a "mud-battle" - in this year for the first time the race will also offer a fully cross-country class, which racing course will avoid the water- and mud-passages and focus on faster driving. Or to put it simply: The motto of the regular extreme class is primarily: "Reach the end", the cross country class is more about speeding and racing within the shortest time.

Like the rally itself also the competitors are varying from year to year. In the 2014 edition definitely the cars and trucks will dominate the starting-field - especially with competitors from France. The event is international: Participants from France, Poland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Latvia, Holland, Italy, Belgium, the United Kingdom and even Egypt will take part. Actually the rally counts 61 cars, 24 trucks, 6 side-by-sides, 5 quads and 17 motorbikes - the entries are still open.

Especially in the truck category, international "stars" of the scene have announced their entry. The most powerful giants are coming from Holland: The "Dakar-veterans" Wuf van Ginkel and Edwin van Ginkel will race with two GINAF trucks. GINAF is a small truck-manufacturer from Holland, specialized in heavy-duty trucks. Both will start in the cross-country class for heavy trucks; contrary to the African or South American desert the trucks have to demonstrate their skills in the narrow forests of Poland.

The German “airbrush-artist” and entrepreneur in the automotive industry, Peter Niedergesaess, will celebrate his "comeback" with a wonderful painted Scania prototype. Niedergesaess and his crew were very active in the Breslau in the mid to late 2000´s, in the end of this period the team also got some experience in the desert of Tunisia but then retired from the rallyraid sport for some years.

Also from Germany the locally famous truck-specialist Udo Heidenreich will be back with a "secret" truck-prototype. In the past he was not only the winner of the rally in the truck-category, he also participated in the German TV-show "Wetten Dass" in which he placed a special bet: To pass a river with a Mercedes Unimog - on steel-wires! The audience was impressed and he became the winner of the TV-show.

Rally Breslau 2014 Itineary

Saturday, July 12th
Show start in the city of Zagan

Saturday, July 12th
Leg 1 Zagan-Zagan, 80 km

Sunday, July 13th
Leg 2 Zagan-Zagan, 150 km

Monday, July 14th
Leg 3 incl. night special stage
Zagan - Borne Sulinowo, 400 km

Tuesday, July 15th
Leg 4 Borne Sulinowo - Borne Sulinowo, 120 km

Wednesday, July 16th
Leg 5 Borne Sulinowo - Borne Sulinowo, 200 km

Thursday, July 17th
Leg 6 Borne Sulinowo - Drawsko Pomorskie, 250 km

Friday, July 18th
Leg 7 Drawsko Pom. - Drawsko Pom., 200 km

Saturday, July 19th
Leg 8 Drawsko Pom. - Drawsko Pom., 120 km

Saturday, July 19th
Prize Giving Ceremony Drawsko Pomorskie 

via marathonrally.com

Japan trip

1972 Yamaha TX650

Written by Ian Lee.

After more than three decades in the motorcycle industry, you’re bound to pick up a whole heap of neat tricks. It also helps if you run one of the biggest motorcycle accessory houses in Europe, with a catalogue of over 6000 fibreglass molds and the know-how that attracts the attention of factory race teams. With access to so much awesome, you know whatever Kent Riches deems fit to lay spanners on is going to end up a feature bike somewhere. And that’s what Pipeburn is featuring today. Starting off with a ‘crusty’ 1972 Yamaha TX650, Kent Riches has raided the Yamaha parts bin and the parts catalogue from his business, AirTech Streamlining, to create a homage to the AMA Pro Twin racers of the 70s, to take the master bike builder back to where it all began for him.

Not a man to be classed a one trick pony, since his first appearance in the motorcycle world in 1977 Kent has road raced, drag raced and set 14 world records. On top of this, he endeavours to build a few custom bikes every year; “as an outlet for his creative energy”. Using the Bonneville inspired TX650 as the base for his race replica, Kent threw himself into the build, doing what he does best.

To ensure a race ready finish, the stock TX was stripped down completely, the bare frame detabbed and reinforced. The factory swing arm ditched, Kent fabricated a box style swing arm to suit the new look of the machine. The factory front end had been swapped out for an FZ750 front end, sporting Goldline race calipers mounted over ventilated discs.

While the bike was stripped, Kent took the opportunity to give the carbon copy Triumph engine a freshen up, as well as fitting 36mm carbs with the obligatory velocity stacks. Deciding the exhaust could do with the Riches touch,  a unique Magni style system was fabricated using a hydro forming process.

Quite a bit of effort and time went into giving the machine the aesthetic that Kent desired. Looking to give the midsize Yamaha a period style makeover, Kent massaged a TZ tank to a size that would fit the bike’s sturdy backbone. Mounted behind it is a TZ style seat unit, also modified to fit on the TX’s burly frame. Enveloping the aluminium clip-ons at the front end is a Formula 1 fairing assembly from the AirTech Streamlining catalogue, made to fit using custom bracketry.

With so many accessories and skills at his fingertips, it is easy to see how Kent Riches can create the art piece we are featuring today. With so much of the work carried out by the man himself, one only has to look at the paintjob that has been lovingly laid on the bike, as proof that this is someone who carries out quality work. With so much passion built into this bike, it definitely pays tribute to the men who inspired Kent Riches, so long ago.

via PIPEBURN

Un pro de Mountain Bike vs Renault Duster

RENAULT TV a entraîné le SUV tout-terrain de Renault, le Duster, dans un défi unique: une course en descente dans les montagnes autour de Rio de Janeiro face à un des plus grands rider mountain bike brésilien, Guilherme Renke.

WTCC : Morbidelli stoppe la série de pole de Citroën

Gianni Morbidelli décroche une superbe pole position sur le Salzburgring, devenant le premier pilote cette saison à briser l’hégémonie de Citroën dans cet exercice. Il avait été auparavant le premier à s’imposer face à elles.

L’Italien du ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport, qui a toujours figuré parmi les plus rapides depuis le début du meeting autrichien, a bouclé un tour parfait au volant de sa Chevrolet RML Cruze et fixé le chrono en 1’22’’137.

Il devance les Citroën d’Yvan Muller et Sébastien Loeb, Tom Coronel est 4^e pour le compte du ROAL Motorsport pour sa première apparition en Q3 cette année. José María López complète enfin le quinté de tête après s’être fait une chaleur en effectuant un spectaculaire tête à queue dans le virage n°9 lors de la Q1.

Morbidelli a démontré sa rapidité dès cette séance en devançant les trois C-Elysée de Muller, Loeb et Lopez, Borković au 5^e rang. La Serbe a cependant été l’une des nombreuses victimes du Turn 9 dès son premier tour en Q2. Par chance, la deuxième Cruze du Campos Racing n’a pas subit les mêmes dommages que la voiture sœur de Valente ce matin.

Yvan Muller se hisse au sommet de cette séance devant les Chevrolet de Coronel et Morbidelli, tandis que les Honda semblent délibérément rechercher la pole position de la Course 2 en s’approchant de la 10^eplace. Tarquini, Michelisz, Bennani et Monteiro trusteront ainsi les quatre premières places, demain, au départ de cette manche.

Franz Engstler s’offre une nouvelle pole position en TC2T, cette fois devant John Filippi.

Q1

Norbert Michelisz devance la meute après la première salve de chronos en 1’23’’259, plus rapide que le 1’23’’431 de Muller, le 1’23’’432 de Lopez et le 1’23’’474 de Morbidelli.

La deuxième tentative voit Coronel améliorer en 1’22’’960 devant Michelisz ‘1’23’’207), Morbidelli (1’23’’283) et Chilton (1’23’’354).

Le trio de Citroën améliore ensuite : Muller (1’22’’608), López (1’22’’619) et Loeb (1’22’’722). Mais Morbidelli se porte aux commandes en 1’22’’535. Quelques secondes plus tard, López part en tête à queue dans le virage n°9 mais évite l’accident et parvient à regagner son stand.

Les pilotes LADA tentent une dernière action de désespérée pour intégrer le Top 12 mais ils n’y parviennent pas et Tarquini sauve la 12^eplace pour moins de 2 dixièmes de seconde au détriment de Thompson.

Engstler domine le TC2T devant Filippi et Di Sabatino.

Les pilotes qualifiés pour la Q2 sont : Morbidelli, Muller, López, Loeb, Borković, Coronel, Bennani, Monteiro, Michelisz, Chilton, Münnich et Tarquini.

Q2

La séance de 10 minutes est rapidement interrompue par un drapeau rouge après que Borković soit resté bloqué dans le bac à gravier du virage n°9 dans son premier tour lancé.

Avant la neutralisation, Morbidelli est parvenu à réaliser le meilleur chrono provisoire en 1’22’’281, talonné par Muller ‘1’22’’368), Loeb (1’22’’371) et López (1’22’’471). Chilton occupe encore la 5^e place (1’22’’596).

Lorsque la session est relancée, Muller (1’22’’085) et Coronel (1’22’’168) se hissent aux 1et 2^e rangs, rejetant ainsi Chilton du Top 5.

Les quatre Honda de Monteiro, Bennani, Michelisz et Tarquini ne tentent pas d’améliorer et se focalise sur la grille inversée de la course 2 où elles monopoliseront les deux premières lignes.

Q3

López et Loeb sont les premiers pilotes à prendre la piste. Le chrono de l’Argentin (1’22’’507) est 0’’046 plus lent que celui réalisé en Q2, tandis que Loeb (1’22’’363) progresse de 8 dixièmes de seconde.

Morbidelli apparaît en troisième et pose les fondations, dans le premier et deuxième secteurs, de ce qui sera la pole position, en 1’22’’137. Coronel parvient pour sa part à devancer López.

Le dernier à s’élancer, Muller, est relevé en 1’22’’186. Une performance insuffisante pour battre Morbidelli, mais qui lui permettra demain de partir à ses côtés.

WSBK : Giugliano décroche la Tissot-Superpole à Donington

samedi, 24 mai 2014 11:45

Haslam et Melandri complètent la première ligne

Davide Giugliano (Ducati Superbike Team) a remporté la Tissot-Superpole samedi après-midi à Donington Park à l’occasion de la cinquième manche du Championnat du Monde eni FIM Superbike 2014. Sur une piste trempée qui avait piégé de nombreux pilotes dès la séance d’essais FP4 précédant les qualifications, l’Italien a tourné en 1’44.903 avec sa 1199 Panigale R et sera en pole pour la deuxième fois de sa carrière.

Seul Britannique en première ligne, Leon Haslam (Pata Honda World Superbike) a signé une excellente performance en s’emparant de la seconde position, sa meilleure qualification de l’année, et a échoué à seulement 0.106s de la pole sur son dernier tour. 

Marco Melandri (Aprilia Racing Team) a pris la dernière place en première ligne en terminant à deux dixièmes de son compatriote tandis que le rookie anglais Alex Lowes (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki), Sylvain Guintoli (Aprilia Racing Team), qui manquait la première ligne pour la première fois de la saison après avoir chuté en Superpole, et Loris Baz (Kawasaki Racing Team) se sont qualifiés en deuxième ligne.

Le Champion en titre Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team), double vainqueur à Donington l’an dernier, partira septième devant Jonathan Rea (Pata Honda World Superbike), le leader du classement général, qui a comme Guintoli perdu ses chances d’atteindre la première ligne en chutant. 

Toni Elías (Red Devils Roma) avait dominé la Superpole 1 et a finalement pris la neuvième position, devant Eugene Laverty (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki), Chaz Davies (Ducati Superbike Team) et Ayrton Badovini (Team Bimota Alstare), qui avait fini deuxième de la Superpole 1 et a chuté dans la deuxième partie.

Pilote EVO le plus rapide vendredi, Niccolò Canepa (Althea Racing) est tombé en Superpole 1 et sera seizième sur la grille de départ tandis que les Français Fabien Foret (Mahi Racing Team India), qui avait choisi de ne pas rouler, et Jérémy Guarnoni (MRS Kawasaki), tombé et non classé en Superpole 1, seront respectivement dix-neuvième et vingtième. Romain Lanusse (Team Pedercini), qui débute en WSBK ce week-end, partira juste derrière ses deux compatriotes, en septième ligne, pour les deux courses de 23 tours.

JOHAN’S Z650

While most students are getting in another round of Sambucas, Johan Persson, a Mechanical Engineering student from Stockholm, Sweden is saving up for grinding discs and welding wire.  ”Geek” I hear some some say, couldn’t be further from the truth, Johan has his priorities right and must surely be the coolest guy in class pulling up on this 1977 Z650.  Unless his lovely girlfriend is reading this, then he is working on other people’s bikes in order to buy you a diamond encrusted unicorn.

Skills picked up spattering for two years at Triumph have paid dividends on this and the previous two builds and enabled Johan to fabricate most parts himself on budgets that don’t seem possible.  The rolling-resto job was picked up for $350 which included the thoroughly overhauled engine, jackpot!  But unfortunately it had been left standing for nearly a decade, money pit!  After skipping college to go and pick it up the first job was, you guessed it, a frame loop to prop up the new seat, which was upholstered for the princely sum of a beer by his mate Björn Persson.  They’re not related, just the Swedish lack of surname diversity.  The frame was painted matt black, from a tin, and looks just fine from over here.

Johan’s eBay and Blocket (Swedeish Craigslist) accounts took a pounding as new parts were not a financial option. Front and rear Bates lights, a Bonneville front fender used on the rear, clip-ons, Öhlins shocks and CB750 brake master cylinder were all sourced for bargain prices.  He then got all carried away and had a decedent moment, splurging hard currency on a brand new ignition system. This left nothing in the pot for replacing the starter motor so that’s been blanked off.

The fuel tank is now devoid of fancy paint and the scratched-up, raw steel ‘n ‘ clear-coat suits the bike perfectly. Wiring is hidden beneath and as much as possible has been snuck away out of sight leaving the cockpit clean enough to keep most Scandinavian minimalists happy.  A cycle computer is fastened on for the annual Mot-type inspection but apart from an oil pressure light there are no instruments or lights, or front fender for that matter.  Johan figures that if blue lights flash in the mirror he’s going too fast and if his chin is wet then it’s raining and the subway will get him home dry.  The grips are hockey tape and must give plenty of feedback, and buzz.  Fork internals are now 50mm shorter for a purposeful stance and sharper handling.

Minimalism has taken president over safety up front, with one of the brake discs being sidelined for a future project. Endos are passé anyway.  The original 4-into-1 exhaust was rusted to pieces so what could be welded to was kept and mated to a hand-rolled silencer and packed with, well silencer packing.

Being kickstart only the electrical system doesn’t need much juice so the standard battery was replaced with a much smaller scooter version, strapped to the swingarm with a 1960s Swedish Army belt. Ring ring, ring ring, “Hi, is this MacGyver?  There’s a dude from Stockholm after your job!”

Although the clip-ons look the part they aren’t the most comfortable for long riding trips with his buddies, so a set of touring specification motocross bars leaning in the corner of the garage might be added in the near future.  And riding his creations is exactly what Johan focuses on, he’d sooner have a cheap rat of a bike that can be thrashed, bashed and locked up in town, than a show pony requiring a warm stable and a blanket.

This build exemplifies what can be achieved on a micro budget, with minimal tools and a skill set in its infancy.  If this isn’t motivation enough to start plundering the piggy bank, surfing eBay and making some room in the shed, back garden or parents dining room then you need to start thinking about your own priorities.

Johan has bought a super-cheap BMW R75 for this winter’s budget build so we’ll see him here in the spring with the result. We love your work, gold star and a smiley face on your coursework so far.

KAWASAKI W650 BY REVIVAL CYCLES

Revival Cycles is a long time favourite of ours, the team of custom motorcycle builders based in Austin, Texas have produced some of the most eye-catching American customs in recent history. When we discovered they’d been hard at work on a Kawasaki W650 we were understandably intrigued and so emails were exchanged and the images you’re seeing here today are the result.

The Kawasaki W650 is a carburettor-fed, parallel-twin that Kawasaki introduced in 1999, it’s clearly taken its design inspiration from the 1960s Triumph Bonneville – which is no bad thing. Some have gone so far as to call the W650 the most reliable British bike Japan ever produced, which seems to poke fun fairly at both nations – Britain for building unreliable bikes and Japan for copying the designs of others.

Following in the footsteps of the Yamaha SR400, the W650 has rapidly become one of the most popular targets for customisation both inside and outside of Japan. The simple, reliable parallel twin coupled to a simple frame, twin rear springs and huge aftermarket for parts has led to a massive number of wildly varied designs.

This W650 has been tastefully modified into a timeless cafe racer, a drum brake has been added at the front and a new fuel tank, seat and rear cowl have been bolted into place. Clip-on handlebars, a scrambler-style exhaust and a new headlight complete the bike, and a grey/sky blue paint scheme has been applied to the tank and rear cowl.

Sadly, Kawasaki was forced to discontinue the W650 and its little brother, the W400, in 2008 due to emissions regulations. By 2010 popular demand for the bikes led Kawasaki to develop and begin selling the all-new, fuel-injected W800 – a bike we’re seeing become increasingly popular with custom bike builders.

If you’d like to see the build process of this Revival Cycles W650 you can click here, you might also want to take a look at their back catalogue of customs – it’ll occupy you for at least one full afternoon.

BMW AIRHEAD BY AUSTIN PAINTWORKS

Once in a blue moon, a bike comes along from a workshop I’ve never heard of, and blows my socks off. This is one such bike: a Rennsport-inspired BMW airhead from Bill Twitchel and Matt Musial of Austin Paintworks, Texas.

AP is primarily a paint and motorcycle restoration shop, but I have a feeling their clientele is about to change. Bill and Matt occasionally take on special projects, and that’s how this 1977 R60 became a tribute to the glorious Rennsport RS54 racers of the mid-50s. BMW built very few of these ‘factory racers,’ and today they fetch over $140,000 at auction.

Matt Musial takes up the story: “Our customer Doug Hector bought the R60 frame, engine, tank and forks from a collector several years ago. We restored a 1958 Cezeta scooter for Doug last year and he was pleased with the results, so he asked us to take the R60 parts and build a Rennsport-like rider.

Although the airhead engine and frame are from the 70s, Bill and Matt have captured the spirit of the original factory race machine. It helped that they had only two mandates: make the BMW both track and street legal—hence the headlight behind the front number plate—and keep the project within budget.

With the help of mechanic David Martinez, the bike was completed after 180 hours of work. And that work was considerable, including modifying the frame to receive Earles-type leading link forks and a stiffer, racing-style rear end.

The tank is from metalworking genius Evan Wilcox. Once in Texas, it was brushed and painted blue-grey with old school lacquer, and pinstriped by hand in black. It’s finished with hand-formed aluminum badges, again painted with a brush. The wheels and hubs are just as immaculate, sanded and painted to a better-than-new finish.

The engine has been upgraded with Mikuni carbs and velocity stacks—rarely seen on a vintage airhead—and the airbox has been removed to make space for a modern battery, refinished to match the classic vibe.

Fashions come and go in the motorcycling world, but this is the kind of build that will never lose its appeal. Keep an eye out for the Austin Paintworks name—I’m sure we’ll be hearing a lot more about Bill and Matt’s work in the years to come.

Images © 2014 Jake Herrle. Contact Austin Paintworks via their website or Facebook page.

via 

HARLEY-DAVIDSON 883 BY TJ MOTO

It isn’t everyday we get an email from a new custom motorcycle builder based in India, despite the fact that the country has a billion-plus residents and an enormous motorcycle culture – most of the more creative Indian customs don’t make it beyond the country’s borders. That said, I think this bike is destined to be an exception.

It was built by Tushar Jaitly, the owner and head builder at TJ Moto based out of Delhi. Tushar just graduated from an automotive design school in Italy, he moved back to Delhi to begin to apply his newly acquired skills to a line of unique, handcrafted motorcycles. This bike, called Nadia, is his first creation. It was completed at the end of September this year and if first impressions are anything to go by, I think this motorcycle might just launch him to the forefront of the Indian custom motorcycle scene.

Click here to Like Silodrome on Facebook and never miss another story.

Nadia is based on a Harley-Davidson 883, though most of the original bike has been removed and replaced with new components. In fact, Tushar only really carried over the down-tube, engine and engine mounts from the original motorcycle. A new hard-tail frame was fabricated with an interesting top tube that runs over the fuel tank, giving it an almost board-tracker look.

Firestone Deluxe Champion tires were added front and back and the fenders were removed, a new sprung seat was added and a fuel tank was handmade to slot in between the top tube and the engine. Once all the major work was done, Tushar settled on a British racing green paint job and then set it off with leather and brass accents, giving the bike a timeless, almost steampunk feel.

I suspect that we’re going to see a lot more from Tushar over the coming years, in the meantime if you’d like to stay up to date with the new creations from TJ Moto, you can click here to Like their Facebook Page or visit his website here.

garage