WSBK : Les statistiques avant l’épreuve de Sepang

WorldSBK.com vous fournit les données les plus intéressantes avant la première venue du Championnat du Monde eni FIM Superbike à Sepang.

Ces deux dernières années, Tom Sykes est toujours monté sur le podium lorsqu’il a eu à apprendre un nouveau circuit. Il s’était imposé et avait pris une seconde place en Russie il y a deux ans et avait fini troisième puis second à Istanbul l’an dernier, en partant de la pole.

Jonathan Rea avait manqué les premières épreuves organisées à Aragón en 2011 puis à Istanbul en 2013, pour cause de blessures. Il était présent en Russie en 2012 mais avait fait concédé la troisième place suite à un faux point mort. Il avait fini septième de la seconde course après avoir été gêné par la moto de Laverty alors qu’il était quatrième.

Sylvain Guintoli avait fini 19e en 2007 et 13e en 2008 à Sepang en MotoGP. Il a aussi couru à Sepang en 250cc, de 2001 à 2006, et avait pris une septième place en 2006. Sur les nouveaux circuits introduits au calendrier WSBK à partir de 2011, Guintoli n’est monté sur le podium qu’à Istanbul l’an dernier, en finissant troisième de la seconde course.

Chaz Davies était 17e sur la grille et à l’arrivée à Sepang en MotoGP en 2007, avec Ducati. Il avait couru à Sepang en 250cc de 2003 à 2005 et en 125cc en 2002. Il avait terminé troisième de la seconde course de 2012 à Moscou lors de l’entrée du circuit russe en WSBK.

Marco Melandri a participé à huit courses MotoGP à Sepang. Son meilleur résultat date de 2007, une seconde place derrière Casey Stoner. En 2002, il s’était qualifié en seconde position derrière Fonsi Nieto en 250cc mais avait dû abandonner en raison d’un problème électronique. L’Italien était présent à Sepang pour le premier Grand Prix organisé sur le circuit malaisien, en 1999, et s’était qualifié en dixième position sur la grille 125cc mais n’avait pas pu participer à la course en raison d’une fracture du scaphoïde. Il avait aussi couru en Malaisie en 1998, à Johor. Sur les « nouveaux » circuits du World Superbike, Melandri est monté sur le podium cinq fois sur six : Il s’était imposé en Aragón en 2011 (Course 1) puis à Moscou en 2012 (Course), avait pris la seconde place en Aragón en 2011 (Course2) et à Moscou en 2012 (Course 2), avant de terminer deuxième et quatrième à Istanbul l’an dernier.

Davide Giugliano avait fini cinquième et neuvième à Istanbul l’an dernier et avait chuté et fini sixième en Russie en 2012.

Leon Haslam a couru à Sepang pour la dernière fois en 2002, en 250cc. Il s’était qualifié en 20e position et avait fini 17e. Il avait pris la 15e place en 500cc l’année d’avant, sur Honda NSR-V. En 2000, il avait fini 19e en 125cc. 

Eugene Laverty a couru à Sepang en 2007, en 250cc, et avait fini 17e. L’an dernier, il s’était imposé lors des deux premières courses WSBK organisées à Istanbul.

Toni Elias a couru six fois en MotoGP à Sepang et avait obtenu la sixième place en 2007, sur Honda. Il a aussi couru à Sepang deux fois en Moto2, en 2010 et 2012, trois fois en 250cc, de 2002 à 2004, avec une victoire depuis la pole en 2003, et deux fois en 125cc, en 2000 et 2001.

Niccolò Canepa a fini septième de la première course à Moscou en 2012 et avait abandonné dans la seconde.

Ces trois dernières années, Leon Camier était présent à chaque fois qu’un nouveau circuit a été introduit. Il avait fini sur le podium en Aragón en 2011 (Course 1), derrière Marco Melandri et Max Biaggi.

Claudio Corti était 13e sur la grille MotoGP et en course l’an dernier à Sepang. Il avait aussi couru à Sepang en Moto2 en 2010 et en 2011.

Ayrton Badovini est le seul pilote actif qui a participé à toutes les introductions de circuit depuis 2008 : Miller et Algarve en 2008, Aragón en 2011, Moscou en 2012 et Istanbul en 2013.

Imre Toth a couru à Sepang trois fois en 250cc, de 2007 à 2009. Il avait fini 15e en 2008. Il avait aussi couru cinq fois à Sepang en 125cc.

Bryan Staring s’était qualifié 21e et avait fini 18e de la course MotoGP à Sepang l’an dernier.

28th attempt by Daritz Design

DJERBA Vintage Rally

Club Vintage Rally

OK, it's DJERBA VINTAGE RALLY . To relive the adventure !

Rally , Raid , Travel, " Ride”. The range of the events related to off-road "adventure" background is too wide, and the events so many. The contents of these events are all based on the original event that gave the start to the evolution of it , but they reproduce just minimally the original spirit .

Djerba Vintage Rally "cuts-off" this trajectory of uncertain and " misleading " evolution and sets the goal of a return to the origins of "species", in order to permit its participants to live those travel and “competition” scenarios that were the soul of the adventure. To do this, it traces the lines of a substantially new and original event with a strong call to "Ancient times", to Legend . Let’s "ban" the new competition bikes and ler’s go with the "Dantan bikes", no more sophisticated tools and navigation systems, away from all the comforts accessories, but not necessary, to go to find the basic elements of an authentic and genuine adventure-journey in the spirit of the original Rally -Raid. And so also put away the “racing” component as we understand it today. Rally was created to bring an adventure to life. Today, this "philosophy" is repeated in an event that has all the features of the authentic Rally, but is dedicated to an audience of amateurs. And for Desert Racing legend lovers.

Maps, compass , manual odometer, essential road book and not "scrambled" . Navigating back to being subjected to the use of simple tools and old bikes and return the absolute protagonists of an Age . In this way DVR wants to " replay " faithfully the spirit of the first , adventurous Rally , and make understand how you could get in trouble in the first African rallies , even for a small mistake in the interpretation of the road-book , for the approximate mileage provided by the instrument of the time, or the limits of the bikes that often were not the most appropriate for a way to "travel" that at that time had never existed .

Djerba Vintage Rally brings back to reality those unforgettable moments and that way of living the adventure of the great "journey" in the big rally , through the proposal of an event that is able to renew and translate on the level of reality that dream whose testimonies are only now, in the old videos.

The scenario of the 1st Djerba Vintage Rally is Tunisia, with a program of 6 stages over the Gateway to the Sahara, from November 15th to 23rd 2014.www.djerbavintagerally.it Read more .

Djerba Vintage Rally , to relive the adventure . With the "tools " of the old era and the spirit of the Legend !.

Thanks
Piero Batini
Press DVR14

TOP 5 MODERN MOTORCYCLES

By Wesley Reyneke | Rather Be Riding

It’s a widely held opinion that contemporary motorcycle design isn’t quite what it used to be. The sense of nostalgia that fuels the custom scene is often associated with the belief that motorcycling’s golden age preceded 1980. Bikes looked better, had more class and were built simpler, devoid of modern amenities such as fuel injection and ABS braking.

But owning a vintage motorcycle isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. By modern standards, older bikes have poor brakes, soft suspension and require more maintenance—and not everyone has the skill or patience to address these issues.

Thankfully, there are some manufacturers who still produce beautiful motorcycles—whether they are neo-classics, or modern designs that evoke emotion. Even better, major brands have begun to recognize the custom scene as a legitimate market, and have started supporting it.

So here are five modern motorcycles that we love. These are bikes that look great right off the showroom floor, but also have tons of potential as bases for custom projects. Let us know if we’ve piqued your interest with our selection. Which one of these lookers would you choose?

BMW R nineT BMW put smiles on the faces of many motorcyclists when they launched the R nineT. A nod to the venerable 90-year-old boxer, it also signaled BMW’s recognition of the burgeoning custom scene. Ola Stenegärd and his team even involved four of the world’s foremost builders in the launch, giving each an R nineT to customize as they saw fit. The bike itself encourages personalization: the rear part of the subframe is removable to allow for multiple seat configurations, and BMW have already released an array of bolt-on parts.

At a glance: $14,900, 110hp, 119Nm, 489lbs (curb weight) What we’d do: Fiddle with the subframe until we’ve figured out what we like most. Or we’d send it to: Roland Sands, with a note attached reading, “The Concept 90 (below) was great—how about a repeat performance?”

Ducati Monster 1200S Miguel Angel Galluzzi’s original Monster design remains iconic to this day. And, while it’s evolved over the last eleven years to adopt more radical and aggressive styling, its original DNA is still present in the current Monster model line. The sport-bike tail, hunched tank and trellis frame are all there to remind us of its parts bin origins. At the top of the current range is the Monster 1200S, boosted to a whopping 145hp by Ducati’s Performance Package, and equipped with Brembo brakes, Öhlins suspension and a discreet styling touches to set it apart from the regular Monster 1200.

At a glance: $15,995, 145hp, 124.5Nm, 461lb (curb weight) What we’d do: Nothing more than a few trick bits from Rizoma to tidy it up. Or we’d send it to: Radical Ducati, if they were still around, given their record with custom Monsters like the one below.

Moto Guzzi V7 Stone Outside Europe, Moto Guzzi’s V7 seems to fly under the radar. But we think it’s a great bike (our editor rides one and digs it). It’s a sweet-handling motorcycle with retro styling that has almost single-handedly revitalized the fortunes of the Moto Guzzi brand. The V7 Stone is the cheapest and most understated of the range; available in only plain black or white, with no graphics other than Guzzi logos, it’s the polar opposite of the higher-end, chrome-tanked V7 Racer. Which is exactly why we love it. It’s the perfect blank canvas for customization, while still being incredibly classy in stock trim.

At a glance: $8,490, 50hp, 58Nm, 395lbs (curb weight) What we’d do: In Europe, we’d turn it into a subtle street scrambler, Cafe Racer Dreams style (below), or send it to Officine Rossopuro. In the USA, we’d entrust the job to Revival Cycles.

Triumph Scrambler It would be silly of us not to include one of Triumph’s ubiquitous modern classics in this line-up. Alongside the Bonneville and Thruxton, the Scrambler has enjoyed consistent popularity since it launched, thanks to its desert sled styling and pseudo-McQueen heritage. Owners looking for off-the-shelf parts to personalize their Hinckley Triumphs can choose from Triumph’s own extensive aftermarket catalogue, or from a growing list of third party Triumph specialists. Many Scrambler owners are just happy to stick on some knobbly tires and call it a day, though.

At a glance: $9,099, 59hp, 68Nm, 472lbs (curb weight) What we’d do: Raid the Dime City Cycles or British Customs online stores. Or we’d send it to: Mule Motorcycles for a retro custom job like the ‘Catalina‘ (below).

Yamaha SR400 As much as we love its unpretentious ’70s styling, the SR400 is a bike we’d buy just to tear into. Sure, it’s a 35-year-old cult classic (that still has a kick starter), but it’s just begging to be personalized. Yamaha themselves pitch it as a great base for custom projects—including it in their awesome Yard Built program. The fact that it’s affordable and has a simple, air-cooled, single cylinder motor doesn’t hurt either.

At a glance: $5,900, 23hp, 27.4Nm, 384lb (curb weight) What we’d do: Grab some Wrenchmonkees parts from the German KEDO store to build our own Gibbonslap (below).Or we’d send it to: Japanese master Go Takamine for a dash of Brat Style.

Motorcycle specs are manufacturers’ figures. Last week’s Top 5 covered the bestConcept Motorcycles.

via BIKEexif

Glöckler-Porsche 356 Coupé: The oldest Carrera of them all

Built specifically for the 1954 Mille Miglia, and incorporating the new, state-of-the-art ‘Carerra’ engine, the Glöckler-Porsche 356, otherwise known as the Glöckler Coupé, was the last of its kind. We look back…

The Glöckler years

The Frankfurt motor dealer Walter Glöckler lived out his passion for both car and motorcycle racing in the 1950s by building his own sports car. As an official representative for Porsche and Volkswagen, he was able to take components straight from the manufacturers' shelves and combine them with his own, specially constructed tubular-frame chassis.

A total of six models emerged between 1948 and 1953, the first of which – constructed before he became involved with Porsche – used Hanomag technology, while the following custom builds were equipped with VW and Porsche parts. The Glöckler series culminated in 1953 with the Porsche 1500 Super. Before long, the folks at Porsche had heard about the light and successful racing cars from Frankfurt, and Glöckler was entrusted with taking over the development of the new 550 sports car and building the first few examples. Thus today, the 1500 Super is still considered to be the predecessor of the famed 550 Spyder.

The exceptional seventh model

The story didn’t end there, however. A seventh model emerged, named the Coupé, built specifically for the 1954 Mille Miglia. It was exceptional in many ways, not least for its nigh-on vertical headlights, large sweeping wheel arches and unconventional tailfins. It had doors that protruded into the roof, presumably to make getting in and out easier while wearing a crash helmet, and a vast, panoramic rear window (one of the car’s most distinctive features), designed to keep those in pursuit firmly in sight. After all, most racing cars were open at the time – the Coupé, therefore, was built with the competition in mind.

Ernst Fuhrmann’s brand-new vertical-shaft engine – later to be used in the Porsche 356 ‘Carrera’ – sat in the rear of the car. But the Glöckler Coupé would never be let loose on the gruelling Mille Miglia, as it was designed to be. Sadly, it wasn’t completed in time and could only compete in the Liège-Rome-Liège endurance event, where Helm Glöckler (Walter’s cousin) and Max Nathan were just able to nurse the car home, despite technical problems at the finish.

Wildcard for the historic Mille Miglia

The Coupé might not boast a fantastic racing history, but it does serve as a reminder of the successful Glöckler era. It’s now been restored and is being offered for sale by Classic Driver dealerC.F. Mirbach near Munich, complete with a FIVA passport and a well-documented history. Those wishing to campaign their classic in the Mille Miglia shouldn’t worry, either. Although the car never actually entered the race, each year unusual vehicles without direct provenance from the event are considered as wildcard entries. We’re sure the truly unique Glöckler Coupé would be more than welcome on the starting ramp in Brescia next year.

Photos: Stefan Bogner / Curves magazine  for Classic Driver © 2014.

The Porsche-Glöckler 356 Coupé is currently for sale in the Classic Driver Market.

WRC, Italie : Se hâter lentement…/ WRC (Italy): nice and slow!

Le Rally Italia-Sardegna est une des épreuves les plus lentes de la saison mondiale et marquera la fin de l’épisode « lenteur » cette année. Car à partir du Rallye de Pologne, les vitesses moyennes vont fortement augmenter…

En 2013, Sébastien Ogier a remporté le Rally Italia-Sardegna à moins de 90 km/h de moyenne (89,99 exactement). Ce fut l’une des plus basses moyennes de la saison, avec le Rallye Monte-Carlo (80,12 km/h), le Rallye d’Argentine (88,64 km/h) et le Rallye du Mexique (89,64 km/h). Le verglas/neige, le brouillard et l’altitude peuvent expliquer les faibles moyennes sur ces trois rallyes. En Sardaigne, c’est davantage le profil du tracé, sinueux et étroit, qui conduit à de tels chiffres.

En 2004, la 1^ère édition avait été remportée à 81 km/h de moyenne par la Subaru de Petter Solberg. Puis, grâce à une meilleure connaissance des spéciales et le développement des voitures, la moyenne a grimpé à 90 km/h en 2007, puis à 90,3 km/h en 2011, l’édition la plus rapide. Juste pour l’anecdote, le dernier équipage classé en 2013 a bouclé le parcours à 55,4 km/h de moyenne !

Mais les choses vont bientôt changer. Après cette 6^e manche de la saison WRC 2014, les fans de vitesse vont se régaler, à commencer par le Rallye de Pologne remporté à 112, 67 km/h de moyenne en 2009. Puis ce sera le « Grand-Prix de Jyväskylä », le Rallye de Finlande, temple de la vitesse WRC, remporté par Ogier à 119,21 km/h de moyenne l’an passé. Rappelons que le record mondial avait été établi en Finlande par Sébastien Loeb à 122,89 km/h de moyenne en 2012…

Pendant la seconde partie de saison, du Rallye de Pologne au Wales Rally GB, les pilotes devraient vivre à plus de 100 km/h de moyenne, que ce soit sur terre et sur asphalte.

Rally Italia Sardegna is one of the slowest rounds of the WRC. From Rally Poland, however, average speeds will soar once again…

Sébastien Ogier won last year’s Rally Italia Sardegna at an average speed of 89.99kph which made it one of the slowest events of the year after Monte-Carlo (80.12kph), Argentina (88.64kph) and Mexico (89.64kph), which are inherently slow because of factors like ice, snow, fog and high altitudes. In the case of Sardinia, the phenomenon is more due to the rally’s narrow, twisty stages.

The 2004 event was won by Petter Solberg (Subaru) at an average of 81kph but speeds began to climb as the drivers became more familiar with the terrain and as the cars improved, peaking at 90.3kph in 2011. For the record, the last classified crew in 2013 completed the distance at an average speed of 55.4kph!

Things will change after the championship’s sixth round, however. The 2009 Rally Poland was won at an average of 112.67kph, while the famously fast Rally Finland was won by Ogier in 2013 at an average of 119.21kph. The same event saw Sébastien Loeb clock up the WRC’s record average of 122.89kph, in 2012…

All the events from Poland to Wales Rally GB – whether on dirt or asphalt – will probably produce average speeds in excess of 100kph.

Bentley 'sees the light' ahead of 2016 SUV launch

The long-awaited Bentley SUV is heading towards its 2016 release date at a rapid pace, and this video drops a few hints as to what it will look like…

In the video, Bentley claims to have seen the light. We’re assuming the business case for a super-luxury SUV is rather strong (Rolls-Royce is said to be considering the option, too), so as long as “we don’t see lines” reminiscent of the ill-received EXP 9 F concept, Crewe should be onto a winner – especially considering the success of other SUVs with Volkswagen-based underpinnings.

You can find classic and modern Bentleys for sale in the Classic Driver Market.

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