ACE CAFE RADIO

    dimanche 3 août 2014

    WTCC ARGENTINE : LOPEZ survole les débats / Lopez triumphs on home soil

    Course 1 : López prophète en son pays2014_news_212
    « Pechito » López a fait ce pour quoi étaient vénus les milliers de spectateurs, massés dans les tribunes de Termas de Rio Hondo.
    L’Argentin a remporté la victoire avec autorité en Course 1, menant du premier au dernier tour après avoir réalisé un envol parfait depuis la pole position. Un excellent départ de Michelisz et Monteiro a animé cette phase de l’épreuve, mais les Citroën de Loeb et Muller ont vite repris l’avantage sur les Honda. L’autre héros du jour fut Norbert Michelisz qui est parvenu à maintenir un rythme de tout premier ordre et à contenir avec maestria Muller, Loeb et Monteiro.
    Tom Chilton termine 6e et meilleur classé des pilotes de Chevrolet Cruze. L’autre fait marquant, ce fut également la présence dans les points de deux LADA. Rob Huff coupe la ligne à une excellente 7eclasse grâce à une course solide devant Gabriele Tarquini et James Thompson. Le Britannique a en effet  délogé Tom Coronel dans le dernier virage.
    Franz Engstler, enfin, a remporté le TC2 devant John Filippi.
    Moments clés
    Départ – Loeb et Muller ne sont pas très prompts à l’extinction des feux et cela permet à Michelisz et Monteiro de les passer. Lopez, lui, a pris un envol parfait.
    Tour 1 – La lutte se siture entre Monteiro, qui que ne peut contenir Muller, et Loeb. Ils s’engagent dans une intense bagarre et le Français occupe la 4e place. Valente passe par le gazon après un contact avec Kozlovskiy qui parvient à éviter le tête à queue.
    Tour 2 – Lopez mène devant Michelisz, Muller, Loeb, Monteiro, Chilton, Huff et Tarquini.
    Tour 4 – Belle bagarre entre Coronel et Borkovic pour le gain de la 10eplace, avec deux pilotes qui ne cessent de s’échanger les positions. Mais c’est tout bénéfice pour Thompson et Morbidelli qui trouvent l’ouverture sur le Serbe.
    Tour 5 – Valente rejoint son box car son auto souffre de dommages survenus au deuxième tour.
    Tour 7 – Michelisz est sur un très bon rythme et ne concède que 2’’5 à Lopez, tandis que Monteiro et Chilton semblent se rapprocher de Loeb (4e)
    Tour 9 – Borković regagne son stand à cause d’une crevaison à l’arrière gauche. Echevarría s’y trouve également alors qu’il occupait la 3e place du TC2T derrière Engstler et Filippi.
    Tour 12 – Muller réduit l’écart sur Michelisz pour le gain de la 2e place, mais il n’est jamais en réelle position d’attaquer.
    Tour 13 – López s’impose confortablement Michelisz, Muller, Loeb et Monteiro, Chilton, Huff, Tarquini et Bennani, tandis que Thompson déloge Coronel de la 10e position dans le dernier virage.
    Course 2 : López récidive2014_news_213
    José María López n’a laissé plane aucun doute sur qui était le héros, ce week-end, à Termas de Rio Hondo !
    Le pilote argentin conclut un meeting en tous points parfaits en triomphant également dans la deuxième course sur ses terres. Il a cependant dû se battre pour s’extraire d’un groupe et prendre la tête aux dépends de Rob Huff dans le 9e tour. Le Britannique fut l’autre grand bonhomme de cette journée en plaçant sa LADA aux commandes pendant huit boucles et en ne concédant qu’une seconde à Lopez sous le drapeau à damier. C’est la toute première fois dans l’histoire du WTCC qu’une voiture du constructeur russe emmène la meute et terme sur le podium. L’équipe conclut par ailleurs cette excellente journée avec le point de la 10e place de James Thompson.
    Comme en Course 1, Yvan Muller termine en 3e position après avoir débordé les Honda de Tarquini et Monteiro, tandis que Franz Engstler et Camilo Echevarría ont réalisé le doublé en TCT pour le compte du Liqui Moly Team Engstler.
    Moments clés Départ – Bel envol du poleman Huff qui précède Bennani, Tarquini, Monteiro et Valente.
    Tour 1 – Belle bagarre dans le peloton, tandis que Muller et Loeb se touchent. Lopez croise le fer avec Coronel qui fini par mettre ses roues dans l’herbe. Morbidelli percute pour sa part Thompson qui sort large.
    Tour 2 – López appatait comme le meilleur représentant Citroën mais commet une erreur et voit passer Chilton et Valente. Mais le jeune français ne peut résister à López, Loeb, Muller et Michelisz.
    Tour 3 – Huff caracole toujours en tête devant Bennani, Tarquini, Monteiro, Chilton, López, Muller et Michelisz.
    Tour 5 – Bennani vire large et il est dépassé par Tarquini, Monteiro et Chilton, puis quelques instants plus tard par Lópezqui prend également la mesure de Chilton.
    Tour 6 – López passe Monteiro pour le gain de la 3e place tandis que Huff imprime toujours un rythme élevé aux avant-postes. Il est talonné par Tarquini.
    Tour 7 – López est 2e après que Tarquini a commis une faute à l’épingle. Et à l’issue d’une âpre bataille, Muller déloge Chilton de la 5eplace.
    Tour 8 – López revient sur Huff, dont l’avance n’est plus que de 1’’1. Chilton et Loeb se touchent. Morbidelli reçoit drive through pour l’incident avec Thompson dans le premier tour.
    Tour 9 – López déloge Huff du leadership au bout de la ligne droite.
    Tour 10 – Chilton s’arrête en bord de piste. Une lutte s’est ouverte entre Muller et Monteiro, l’avantage revenant au Français.
    Tour 12 – Muller déborde Tarquini et prend la troisième marche du podium.
    Tour 13 – López s’impose devant Huff et Muller.
    RACE 1 – LÓPEZ, PROPHET AT HOME
    Pechito López delivered what the thousands of his fans standing under the sun at Termas expected from him.
    The Argentine took an authoritative success in Race 1, leading from lights to flag after an impeccable start from the pole. An excellent start of Michelisz and Monteiro gave some emotion to the first phases, but soon the Citroën cars of the two Frenchmen repassed the Honda. The other hero of the day was Norbert Michelisz, who perfectly kept his second position showing consistent pace and managing to keep Muller, Loeb and Monteiro at bay.
    Tom Chilton finished 6th and best-placed of the Chevrolet RML cars, while another noticeable fact of the race was that two LADA cars finished in the points. Rob Huff took an excellent 7th, after a consistent race, just ahead of Tarquini, and James Thompson stole tenth in the last corner from Tom Coronel. Franz Engstler won again in TC2 ahead of John Filippi.
    Key moments Start – Loeb and Muller have a relatively poor start, which allows Michelisz and Monteiro to pass them, while López has a perfect kick-off.
    Lap 1 – The fight is between Monteiro, who cannot keep at bay Muller and Loeb and starts nice fight with Séb for fourth. Valente goes wide on the grass after a contact with Kozlovskiy who hardly avoids spinning.
    Lap 2 – It’s Lopez leading ahead of Michelisz, Muller, Loeb, Monteiro, Chilton, Huff and Tarquini.
    Lap 4 – Nice fight between Coronel and Borković for tenth, with the two passing each other. It’s all good for Thompson and Morbidelli who both pass the Serbian.
    Lap 5 – Valente stops in the pits with some issue following the incident on lap 2.
    Lap 7 – Michelisz has very good pace and is only 2.5 seconds behind López, while Monteiro and Chilton seem to be closing on Loeb (4th)
    Lap 9 – Borković pits with a punctured left rear tire; Echevarría pits as well from third in TC2T class behind Engstler and Filippi.
    Lap 12 – Muller is closing in on Michelisz for second, but is not in a real position to attack him.
    Lap 13 – López wins comfortably ahead of Michelisz, Muller, Loeb and Monteiro, Chilton, Huff, Tarquini and Bennani, while Thompson pips Coronel for tenth in the last corner.
    RACE 2 – LÓPEZ DOES IT AGAIN
    José María López left no doubts about who the hero was at Termas de Río Hondo.
    The Argentine rounded the weekend by winning also a very lively Race 2. He had to fight to extricate himself from the group and took the lead in lap 9 from Rob Huff, who was the other hero of the day. The Briton managed to have his LADA in the lead for eight laps and eventually was only second to López.
    It is the first time that a car of the Russian maker leads a WTCC race and finishes on the podium. The team completed the excellent day with another points finish by Thompson (10th).
    Yvan Muller was third, just like in Race 1, overtaking the Honda cars of Tarquini and Monteiro, while Franz Engstler and Camilo Echevarría made it a 1-2 in the TC2T class for the Liqui Moly-livered BMW cars.
    Key moments Start – Great start for poleman Huff who precedes Bennani, Tarquini, Monteiro and Valente.
    Lap 1 – There is great fight in the group, with Muller and Loeb touching each other, López duels with Coronel who runs wide in the grass. Morbidelli touches Thompson who goes sideways at the hairpin.
    Lap 2 – López emerges first of the Citroen cars but makes a mistake and is passed by Chilton and Valente. The young Frenchman though cannot resist to López, Loeb, Muller and Michelisz.
    Lap 3 – Huff is still in the lead, ahead of Bennani, Tarquini, Monteiro, Chilton, López, Muller and Michelisz.
    Lap 5 – Bennani slides down as he is passed by Tarquini, Monteiro and Chilton, and shortly afterwards by López, who passes Chilton too.
    Lap 6 – López passes Monteiro for third, while Huff is still in the lead with excellent pace, followed by Tarquini.
    Lap 7 – López is second after Tarquini makes a small mistake at the hairpin. Muller passes Chilton for fifth after a tough fight.
    Lap 8 – López charges on Huff, whose lead is now 1.1 seconds. Chilton and Loeb make contact. Morbidelli is given a drive through for the incident with Thompson on the first lap.
    Lap 9 – López passes Huff at the end of the back straight and takes the lead.
    Lap 10 – Chilton stops on the side of the track. Big battle for fourth between Muller and Monteiro, with the French emerging.
    Lap 12 – Muller takes third from Tarquini.
    Lap 13 – López wins ahead of Huff and Muller.



    Highlights - 2014 WRC Rally Finland

    Enjoy the highlights from the Rally Finland which was won by Jari-Matti Latvala (Volkswagen - Michelin).


    Indian Motorcycle: The Spirit of Munro



    Between the years of 1926 and 1961, one man from a small town in New Zealand dreamed of setting a land speed record on a 1920 Indian Scout. In 1962 at the Bonneville salt flats that man's dream finally came true.

    To honor the past and power the future, Indian Motorcycle built the Spirit of Munro, an all-metal tribute bike which would house the new Thunder Stroke 111™ engine. On May 5, 2013 the bike was run on a dry lake bed in California. A tribute to the great Burt Munro, and a celebration of the Indian Motorcycle that is yet to come.

    ABOUT THE SPIRIT OF MUNRO:
    Fully custom-built, the Spirit of Munro is an all-metal tribute to the racers and mechanics throughout history who have collectively built the legacy of record-breaking racing performance and strength that is Indian Motorcycle.

    The motorcycle is named in honor of Burt Munro's "Munro Special," the historic 1920 Indian Scout that broke the under-1000cc land-speed record in 1967 at the Bonneville Salt Flats as famously portrayed in the motion picture "The World's Fastest Indian."

    The Spirit of Munro was constructed by Jeb Scolman of Jeb's Metal and Speed in Long Beach, CA. It was designed from the ground up to house the new Thunder Stroke 111™ engine and showcase its awe-inspiring power and performance.



    BSMC GEAR GUIDE #20


    Black boots, metal flake lids, denim caps, chunky rubber, and  thick steel rings make for an eclectic read in this week’s Gear Guide.
    CHIPPEWA-11-BLACK-ENGINEER-BOOT_1
    CHIPPEWA 11″ BLACK ENGINEER BOOT
    Original Chippewa is credited for inventing the Engineer style boot. An engineer boot is all-leather tall stovepipe shaft pull-on boot with buckled leather cinches at the ankle and knee. The Original Chippewa Engineer boot debuted in 1937 as a semi-dress type of boot engineers prefer for field work, or other outdoor workers, whose positions make a neat appearance necessary.
    The 1937 “The Original” 17″ Engineer was manufactured with Horween W.P. Chromexcel leather, Goodyear Welt Construction with plain toe,  and an English riding boot style profile. The outsole was heavy vicolized (oiled) single leather with top grade leather insole and hand pegged steel shank.
    CHIPPEWA-11-BLACK-ENGINEER-BOOT_2
    The classic 11″ Engineer with Logger Heel and exterior counter was first introduced in 1940 and quickly became popular with bikers. The boots’ lace-less tall shaft adds maximum protection to foot and shin while on the road. Outlaw biker films of the 1950s made Chippewa Engineer boots a famous motorcycle icon.
    The contemporary Chippewa engineer boot is made of black odessa leather, with a Goodyear leather welt. The lining is leather with a Texon insole. The shank triple ribbed steel, the sole being a rugged Vibram high performance rubber. They have Nickel Non Tarnishable Buckles. These are incredibly tough boots, and are fit for purpose. once worn in they’re incredibly comfortable, and if well looked after, will last alot longer than your bike!
    For more than 110 years, the Chippewa Shoe Manufacturing Company has been manufacturing top-quality rugged boots and shoes for every purpose. Chippewa products use only premium raw materials and are hand crafted in USA.
    To buy in the UK check out Surrey Speed Shop, in the US go to Chippewa’s website.
    BILTWELL-BONANZA-OPEN-FACED-LID_1
    PRODUCT REVIEW BILTWELL BONANZA OPEN FACED LID
    If there is one brand that has become synonymous with the new wave custom scene it is Biltwell. They make no nonsense products that shun the fussily designed and over engineered culture of the mainstream motorcycle industry, offering simple and classically styled products that are modestly priced.
    The Bonanza helmet has become the benchmark for open faces. A straightforward design with a slim profile it unashamedly harks back to an era when motorcycling was all about good cheap fun and wind in your face.
    BILTWELL-BONANZA-OPEN-FACED-LID_2
    The Bonanza is a comfortable lid with a hand-sewn brushed Lycra liner with contrasting diamond-stitched quilted open-cell foam padding lining, and the Injection-molded ABS outer shell with hand-painted finish conforms to DOT standards. It features moisture wicking brushed Lycra panels and open-cell foam padding for breathability and comfort.
    It comes in a bewildering array of colours and designs with rubber or chrome accent edging, ranging from stealthy matt black to chunky metal flake green. Whether you’re on an old school bobber, a city brat, a green lane scrambler or a classic cafe racer, there’s one for you. It’s not an expensive lid either, so if you’re working to a tight budget it’s ideal.
    BILTWELL-BONANZA-OPEN-FACED-LID_3
    I wore my wine red metal flake Bonaza to Wheels & Waves this year, and it was perfect for the long warm weather blasts through the mountains, and buzzing around the bustling streets of Biarittz.
    Unlike many other open face lids, it doesn’t rise when traveling at speed and it’s particular shape makes it easier than others to wear glasses with. When not wearing shades I snapped on a red tinted Biltwell bubble visor which worked perfectly.
    BILTWELL-BONANZA-OPEN-FACED-LID_4
    This a work-horse of a helmet, and a pretty filly at that.
    CONTINENTAL-TKC80-TWINDURO-TYRES_2
    PRODUCT REVIEW BY THE BSMC’S VERY OWN ALI LATIMER – CONTINENTAL TKC80 TWINDURO TYRES
    What Conti say:
    “The Conti TKC80 Twinduro provides the de-riguer finish to the adventure style motorcycle.”
    “The Conti TKC80 Twinduro delivers un rivalled on and off road performance, all season, all weather, in all terrain and every road condition, regardless of continent!”
    “Conti TKC80 Twinduro  World Conquering Grip, dont go exploring without them.”
    CONTINENTAL-TKC80-TWINDURO-TYRES_1
    What I say:
    One of the most important things on a motorcycle are the tyres, they need to do several jobs, they need to suit the bike aesthetically, allow the bike to travel the path chosen and most importantly, they must perform. Many things on the bikes we build and admire are a compromise for the aesthetic, tyres often are too, but I didn’t compromise, I have the TKC80’s on my 1983 Honda XL600R tracker, a fun trail bike that has been given the retro cool makeover, she wears these tyres so well, both on the road and off of it. In fact they impressed me so much that when I designed The Gambler, these tyres were a must and they’re one of very few that give you such an aggressive tread in ‘big bike’ sizes. The tracker wears 120/90/18 up front and 140/80/17 on the rear, but The Gambler ( A 1993 Honda VFR750 Scrambler) wears much bigger boots, 120/70/17 up front and 170/60/17 tearing up the earth behind you!
    CONTINENTAL-TKC80-TWINDURO-TYRES_4
    Now I was a little apprehensive when I first put them on the VFR, I thought they might struggle on the tarmac roads, but I can honestly say that I don’t feel any less confident with these than I do running a set of sport touring tyres, and when I give it a blat around the lanes I know they won’t let me down, I’ve even had the VFR banked over enough for knee down fun, albeit by hanging off the bike quite a bit, down on the farm they come into their own, the driveway and tractor paths are nothing to these boots and I’ve even gone across the fields on them with no drama!
    CONTINENTAL-TKC80-TWINDURO-TYRES_3
    Back to the XL600R though, the other week I ran it in the infamous Dirt Quake event, we experienced every condition, from a sodden circuit that was slippery as hell to a damp and sticky track and finally a dusty hard packed surface, the TKC’s didn’t fail me in any of the conditions, and they weren’t new, I’ve probably done about 1,500 road miles on them, so they’re well bedded in, they kept me upright, gave me amazing traction off the line and aided me to a 3rd place finish in the final show down, I feel the tyres had a big part to play, as I was only beaten by experienced racers!
    I don’t expect to getting millions of miles from them like a touring tyre, the aggressive nobblies are a compromise if you looking for longevity, but what they will allow, is a 4,000 mile trip with no restrictions on where you ride, and that’s worth sacrificing an extra few thousand miles in my book!
    Check out their sizes, they have quite a range and they must be the most imposing tyres for any street and dirt scrambler build:
    IRON-AND-RESIN-DENIM-TRUCKERS-CAP_1
    PRODUCT REVIEW – IRON AND RESIN DENIM TRUCKERS CAP
    The trucker cap is also sometimes known as a “gimme cap” or a “feed cap” because this style of hat originated as a promotional give-away from feed or farming supply companies to farmers and truck drivers. The original feed caps bore company logos on the front foam section of the cap, either printed or as a patch sewn on. These companies typically had a rural clientele, such as the local feed store or John Deer tractors.
    Trucker caps are a useful piece of kit for bikers. They’re light, can be clipped to your belt when riding, and whipped off and onto your bonce to tame helmet hair or for the aging grumps among us to conceal the bald patch or receding hairline.
    IRON-AND-RESIN-DENIM-TRUCKERS-CAP_2
    I personally love a truckers cap, they’re practical and look good. What I don’t like about some of them is the poor quality of materials used. Iron & Resin have manufactured a denim five panel cap that is a welcome alternative to the typical foam. It has the quintessential mesh back and snap back. The stitching is a contrasting yellow and it features the Iron & Resin Anchor Piston Flag patch. It’s well made and comfortable, and fits well. It’s worth the premium they charge for it.
    Iron & Resin is the brainchild of several friends who, “…after decades of collective experience building successful clothing brands, decided to turn back the clock and start anew.” The result is a small, hand built collection of goods that draws heavily upon the founder’s own lifestyles and experiences riding bikes and surfing.
    Forged in a blue collar beach town in California “… In a mass produced, disposable world, Iron & Resin is a product of “one-off” culture. Where men still build, by their own hands, the craft they ride.”
    I take my cap off to them!
    PRAGMASIS-PROTECTOR-19MM-CHAIN_1
    PRODUCT REVIEW – PRAGMASIS PROTECTOR 19MM CHAIN
    ‘If only, if only….” the words that keep coming from my mouth this week. If only I had a decent chain then my lovely bike wouldn’t have got nicked. The toe-rags simply snipped through my 12mm Oxford chain with bolt cutters and legged it with my bike.
    So I’ve learned my lesson, and I went in search of the toughest of tough chains. I discovered the Pragmasis Protector 19mm. These are off the scale, the bad-boys of all chains. These are made from high-grade European boron steel with specialist heat treatment and finishing in the UK to precise specifications.
    The Protector 19mm chain is a long-link design with the following link dimensions : 138 x 63mm outside; 100 x 25mm inside, throughout its length (an elongated end link is not required). It is constructed from 19mm diameter bar and all but the end links are surrounded with a protective fabric sleeve (to protect your bike/other valuables; not to protect the chain!).
    PRAGMASIS-PROTECTOR-19MM-CHAIN_2
    Normal stock lengths are 1.0m, 1.2m, 1.5m and 2.0m (with the option of custom-cut lengths from 0.7m up to 4.0m!). They weigh in at a whopping 6.2kg per meter, so are not practical to haul around with you, but ideal if it lives at home or work (where mine was half-inched).
    The Protector 19mm has been awarded Sold Secure Motorcycle/Caravan/ATV/Motor Scooter/Bicycle/Commercial Vehicles/Car & Van Gold (July 2012-June 2013) Police Preferred Specification. Sold Secure is an independent British security testing and approvals organisation that awards Gold standard to the highest security products, with Silver and Bronze for lower grade products. Motorcycle Gold is a higher rating than Bicycle Gold; Caravan Gold is a higher rating than Motorcycle Gold.
    The Protector 19mm won the RiDE Magazine Best Buy and Recommended awards RiDE Magazine March 2014, Locks & Chains Product Test. RiDE Magazine’s product test awarded a prestigious Best Buy for the Protector 19mm chain and Squire SS65CS-XLN lock for “its mix of usability and security”, saying “This is a lock set good enough to be issued to the Ministry of Defence.” “First stage attacks didn’t touch the chain or the lock. Our mechanical attacks did get through eventually but had to make a lot of noise for some time in order to do so.”
    The protector 19mm under the Police Apco Secured-by-design scheme. These are the only chains that are genuinely Police-approved.
    They’re sold separately or in packages with the Squire SS65CS-XLN lock, which is also a serious piece of kit. Hopefully they’ll do the business and deter the scumbags from trying to thieve my other bikes.
     via the bike shed

    Chimay Open Trophy 2014 by martimotos


    Rally Finland : Jari-Matti Latvala (VW/Michelin) vainqueur à domicile / home joy for Latvala


    Le Finlandais Jari-Matti Latvala a remporté son second Neste Oil Rally Finland au terme d’un splendide duel avec son équipier Sébastien Ogier (2e, +3s6). Le Britannique Kris Meeke (3e, Citroën) signe quant à lui son troisième podium mondial cette saison.
    Leader depuis la 1ère spéciale, Jari-Matti Latvala comptait plus de trente secondes d’avance sur son équipier Sébastien Ogier quand un problème de frein sur la VW du Finlandais a réduit l’écart à 3s4 entre les deux pilotes Volkswagen au départ de la dernière étape.
    Mais Jari-Matti voulait tellement cette victoire, pour lui et pour tous les fans finlandais sevrés de victoire à Jyväskylä depuis quatre longues années, qu’il n’a pas tremblé dimanche matin. « J’ai réussi à gérer la pression, et c’est un des gros points positifs du week-end. C’est une de mes plus belles victoires. »
    Jari-Matti Latvala et Miikka Anttila ont remporté leur second Neste Rally Finland après 2010 et leur 3e succès de la saison avec 3.6 secondes d’avance sur Sébastien Ogier, soit le plus petit écart en WRC depuis le Rallye d’Argentine 2011. Volkswagen signe sa 12e victoire consécutive et son 5e doublé de la saison.
    Toujours très véloce en Finlande, Kris Meeke a confirmé son potentiel sur ces spéciales utra-rapides tracées entre lacs et forêts. Le pilote Citroën a constamment figuré sur le podium provisoire, à la 3e place puis à la 2e place devant le champion du monde sortant. Le Britannique a finalement conclu au 3e rang, décrochant son 3e podium de la saison (Monte-Carlo, Argentine). Son équipier Mads Ostberg se trouvait en bagarre pour la 4e place avant de devoir abandonner (arceau endommagé).
    Moins en verve qu’en Pologne, Andreas Mikkelsen (VW) a connu un début de rallye médiocre avant de s’assurer la 4e place finale samedi face à Mads Ostberg (Citroën) et Mikko Hirvonen (5e, Ford), vainqueur ici en 2009.
    Le Finlandais Juho Hänninen avait quant à lui pris un départ canon au volant de sa Hyundai i20 WRC/Michelin dotée d’une évolution moteur. Il pointait à la 4e place avant de partir en tonneau dans l’ES6. Relégué au 11e rang, le Finlandais est remonté à la 6e place finale après les ennuis de direction assistée rencontrée par son équipier Hayden Paddon (8e, Hyundai). Le Néo-Zélandais fut l’un des hommes forts de ce rallye. Comme Ostberg, Thierry Neuville fut contraint à l’abandon (fixation de siège endommagée).
    L’Estonien Karl Kruuda (Ford Fiesta S2000/Michelin) a remporté sa seconde victoire WRC-2 de la saison après la Suède. Il a hérité de la 1ère place après les déboires de Jari Ketomaa et d’Ott Tanak (Fiesta R5) qui complètent le podium.
    En J-WRC, Martin Koci (Citroën DS3 R3/Michelin) a mis fin à la domination de Stéphane Lefebvre. Le Slovaque s’est imposé devant Quentin Giordano et Molly Taylor, la 1ère femme sur le podium d’une série mondiale depuis des lustres. Troisième victoire consécutive de San Pärn (Fiesta R2) en Fiesta Trophy devant Quentin Gilbert.



    Today’s Neste Oil Rally Finland victory went to home-grown Jari-Matti Latvala after a tremendous scrap with Sébastien Ogier (2nd, +3.6s). Briton Kris Meeke (3e, Citroën) joined the VW/Michelin pair on the podium to claim his third top-three finish of the year.
    After emerging in front on SS1, Latvala went on to build up a handsome lead of around half-a-minute over Ogier when a brake problem slashed the gap between the Polo duo to just 3.4s at the start of the last day.
    The Finn was determined not to let this opportunity slip from his grasp, however, if only to make up for three years without a local driver finishing on the top step of the event’s podium. With plenty weighing on his shoulders, he didn’t put a step wrong today. “I managed to deal with the pressure and that’s one of the week’s big positives. This is one of my finest victories,” he said.
    It was the second Rally Finland win for Latvala and his co-driver Miikka Anttila who previously popped the champagne in Jyväskylä in 2010. Their third success of 2014 also produced the WRC’s smallest winning margin (3.6s) since Argentina 2011. On top of that, it was Volkswagen’s 12th straight world class victory and its fifth one-two finish of the season.
    Once again, Meeke showed impressive speed on Finland’s ultra-fast lakeland forest stages. The Citroën driver spent the entire rally on the podium and even briefly appeared in second place ahead of the reigning world champion before settling for third spot, his third top-three result of the year after Monte Carlo and Argentina. Meanwhile, his team-mate Mads Ostberg spent much of the rally battling for fourth before having to withdraw because of roll cage damage.
    VW’s Andreas Mikkelsen was less assertive than he had been in Poland and he got off to a hesitant start before securing fourth overall after an interesting fight with Ostberg and the 2009 winner Mikko Hirvonen (5th, Ford).
    In contrast, Finn Juho Hänninen got off to a quick start in his Hyundai i20 WRC/Michelin which was equipped with an evolution engine. Indeed, he was up to fourth overall when he rolled on SS6 and fell back to 11th place. He recovered to complete the event in sixth place, helped on his way when his impressive team-mate Hayden Paddon (8th, Hyundai) suffered power steering trouble. Like Ostberg, Thierry Neuville was prevented from continuing by the stewards (damaged seat mounting).
    Estonia’s Karl Kruuda (Ford Fiesta S2000/Michelin) picked up his second WRC-2 victory of the year following his class win in Sweden. He appeared in front after fellow podium finishers Jari Ketomaa and Ott Tanak (Fiesta R5) found themselves in trouble.
    The J-WRC victory of Martin Koci (Citroën DS3 R3/Michelin) stemmed the recent domination of Stéphane Lefebvre. The Slovakian finished ahead of Quentin Giordano and Molly Taylor, the first lady driver to claim a podium finish in world class motorsport for many years. Last but not least, San Pärn (Fiesta R2) claimed his third Fiesta Trophy victory, ahead of Quentin Gilbert.

    WTCC Qualifications ; “ Pechito” López brille à domicile / ‘PECHITO’ LÓPEZ SHINES AT HOME


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    José María López n’a pas manqué l’occasion de briller devant sa famille, ses amis et fans en décrochant sa quatrième pole position de la saison à l’issue d’une qualification disputée dans la chaleur (32°C) de Termas de Rio Hondo.
    L’Argentin s’est montré le plus rapide en Q2 et Q3 et s’est adjugé la pole position en 1’43’’766 pour devancer Yvan Muller et Sébastien Loeb, qui tous deux ont commis une erreur.
    Derrière le trio Citroën, les Honda ont montré être en grande forme même s’ils auraient expéré un meilleur résultat à l’issue des essais libres. Le plus rapide fut Norbert Michelisz, qui a pris part à une véritable mission pour parvenir en Argentine depuis l’Europe.
    Tiago Monteiro complète le Top-5, tandis que Gabriele Tarquini et Mehdi Bennani apparaissent parmi les huit premiers. Tom Chilton s’est classé meilleur pilote des Chevrolet RML Cruze, et Rob Huff s’élancera en pole position de la Course 2 grâce à sa 10e place en Q2.
    Quant à Franz Engstler, il décroche une nouvelle pole position dans la catégorie TC2T.
    Q1 - Les qualifications démarrent sous une forte chaleur et Norbert Michelisz décroche le meilleur chrono dans les premières minutes avec un chrono de 1’45’’139 devant López, Chilton, Loeb et Münnich. Quelques minutes plus tard, Bennani se hisse en deuxième position, avec deux Honda en tête, donc, tandis que les voitures d’usine de Monteiro et Tarquini ferment toujours la marche, ayant avorté leur tentative. Les choses changent dans la deuxième partie de la Q1, lorsque Muller (1’44’’962) puis Lopez (1’44’’795) prennent les devants, avec Monteiro 3e et Tarquini 5e. Michelisz met finalement tout le monde d’accord en 1’44’’696.
    Les pilotes qualifiés pour la Q2 : Michelisz, López, Muller, Monteiro, Tarquini, Bennani, Chilton, Münnich, Coronel, Huff et Valente.
    Camilo Echevarría a de nouveau été frappé par un problème mécanique et n’a pu boucler qu’un tour.
    Q2 - López domine dès le début de la séance (1’44’’128) devant Muller, Michelisz, Bennani et Monteiro, avant de passer sous le cap des 1’43’’. Avec un temps de 1’43’’813 dans sa deuxième tentative, il laisse Loeb à 315/1000e et Muller à 70/1000e de seconde. Michelisz conserve la quatrième place durant la majeure partie de la séance, tandis que la 5eplace revient à Bennani au détriment de Monteiro. Chilton et Tarquini ne parviennent finalement pas en Q2 tout comme Bennani, Valente et Huff.
    Q3 - Le dernier segment des qualifications reflète une certaine logique car l’ordre de passage coïncide avec le classement inversé de la séance. Monteiro est relevé en 1’45’’174, déçu d’une petite erreur dans le virage n°9. Michelisz est 4e  en 1’44’’408 et Muller 2e en 1’44’’194 à l’issue d’un tour qu’il décrit comme très prudent. Loeb prend la piste en quatrième position et échoue à 1/100e de Muller à cause de deux petites erreurs. López prend enfin la piste en dernière position et boucle le tour parfait en 1’43’’766.

    José María López didn’t miss the opportunity to shine in front of his family, friends and fans and signed his fourth pole of the season in an extremely warm (32°) afternoon in Termas de Río Hondo.
    The Argentine was fastest in Q2 and Q3, eventually taking the pole in 1:43.766, beating his team mates Yvan Muller and Sébastien Loeb, who both did some small mistakes in their decisive attempts, by over four tenths of a second.
    Behind the Citroën trio, the Honda cars showed good form although they could have hoped in better results after free practices. The fastest among the Japanese cars was Norbert Michelisz’s despite the Hungarian having missed the testing session on Friday because of an adventurous plane travel from Europe.
    Tiago Monteiro was fifth, with Gabriele Tarquini and Mehdi Bennani in the top eight as well. Tom Chilton was the fastest Chevrolet RML driver, while Rob Huff, who made it to Q2 with the LADA Granta, will start from the pole in Race 2 by virtue of his tenth fastest time in Q2.
    Franz Engstler repeated himself in the TC2 category, taking yet another class pole.
    Q1 - Qualifying started with hot weather and Norbert Michelisz putting fastest time in the initial stages, with a time of 1:45.139, preceding López, Chilton, Loeb and Münnich. After a handful of minutes, Bennani posted the second-fastest lap, putting two Honda cars on top, whilst the works Civic cars of Monteiro and Tarquini were still lying in the last positions, having both aborted attempts. Things went back to normal in the second half of the Q1, when Muller (1:44.962) and López (1:44.795) took control, with Monteiro (3rd) and Tarquini (5th) finally among the top five. But Michelisz put everybody behind with a last lap of 1:44.696.
    The following drivers advanced to Q2: Michelisz, López, Muller, Monteiro, Tarquini, Bennani, Chilton, Münnich, Coronel, Huff and Valente. Camilo Echevarría’s car was again plagued by misfiring problems and was able to complete only one lap.
    Q2 - López dominated from the beginning (1.44.128) ahead of Muller, Michelisz, Bennani and Monteiro, before breaking the 1:43. threshold with a time of 1:43.813 on his second attempt that left Loeb 315 thousandths behind and Muller a further 70 thousandths adrift. Michelisz kept fourth place for most part of the session, with the fifth place switching from Bennani to Monteiro in the dying moments.
    Chilton and Tarquini missed the cut just like Bennani, Valente and Huff; the latter winning pole for Race 2.
    Q3 - The decisive part of the session had an orderly development, with the top five going on track and finishing almost in perfect reverse order. Monteiro set a time of 1:45.174, being disappointed by a slight mistake done in Turn 9. Michelisz took fourth with a lap of 1:44.408, and Muller was eventually second with a time of 1:44.194 after a lap he described as ‘too cautious’. Loeb who took the track as fourth lost a little bit over one tenth from Muller, after two small mistakes. López took the track as the last one and put in a faultless lap to take pole in 1:43.766.

    ‘80 Honda CB400 – Jasin Motorcycles


    Seems like everywhere you look lately, there’s death and destruction all over the news. This country hates that country or some such ‘us and them’ type disaster. Makes you wonder what we could all achieve if we just got along. What if we worried less about our differences and instead we looked for more ways we could work together? Take, for instance, the Jasinski brothers from Poland. They’ve found their good Slavic selves becoming obsessed with Japanese customs done in a British café racer style with a little good ol’ American flat track thrown in for good measure. How’s that for loving thy neighbour?
    “Hello again, Pipeburn. We are two brothers from Poland who really love vintage Japanese bikes. I’m Adam, and my brother’s name is Tom. You might remember our Honda CB 400 done up in Gulf colours that was on the site a while back. As you might have guessed, we prefer this model because they are pretty easy to get over here and their prices are still quite reasonable. Though that may not last much longer. This one is a 1980 model that we decided to make into our version of a café racer. We’re proud to say that it’s destined to take up residence in our own garage, too.”
    While the boys are more than a little open to improving international relations, that’s not to say that they aren’t ready to give a little leg-up to Mother Polska where appropriate. Hence their choice to paint their latest creation in Poland’s national colours, red and white. And a whole heap of black, too. Let’s face it – it’s a hard combo to beat. Just ask the Red Baron. Or Santa.
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    “As always, we redid or repainted every part of the bike, including a new seat finished with some good quality black leather in a diamond stitch. It’s mainly inspired by café racers, but you’ll probably notice the tracker influence – especially with the ‘bars and the seat. There’s also the flat-track inspired tank decals.”
    The boys handmade the gloss black air box boards and painted the rear arm to match the tank. On this they put some fairly hefty rubber boots to give the build that solid, meaty look. While they were down there they also added a custom exhaust to add a bit of go and to lovely up its sound. They also ditched the fenders in a well-proven ‘less is less’ parts selection process.
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    “The Honda rides so great that we can’t believe it has more than 30 years on the clocks. The engine has lotsof power. We were so impressed, in fact, that we decided to leave original filter box in place; this way we guaranteed that the bike would have a little more power in the lower rpm range; just what we wanted for around town.”
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    “The original CB400 isn’t that much of a looker. So every time we start a build with this model, we want to make something new and something refreshed. But mostly we want to make a bike that looks great. If you ride it and it isn’t grabbing everyone’s attention, we think that we probably haven’t succeeded.”
    “That probably explains why it has so much tracker in it; a lot of people think that a café racer should be only black or better still, matt black. But we want to make a our bikes more living and vibrant. We like it, and we hope you do too.”
    from PIPEBURN

    JAN SALLINGS’ HONDA 350


    Jan Sallings' beautiful Honda 350 cafe racer.
    Every now and then, it’s good to go back to the blueprint. And this is as good as you’ll get. It’s a textbook resto-mod of a classic 1970s Honda, dripping with charm and style.
    Builder Jan Sallings has an eye for detail—and the steady hand required for quality work. The mods he’s made to his 1973 Honda 350 are a great guide for anyone who wants to give their vintage bike a dose of café racer flair.
    Jan Sallings' beautiful Honda 350 cafe racer.
    The basics are all there: Jan has detabbed the frame and smoothed out the welds, and added extra bracing above and below the engine. The tank is a Benelli Mojave—probably one of the few remaining in the USA—and massaged to fit the frame. It’s topped off with a gas cap machined from billet aluminum.
    Jan Sallings' beautiful Honda 350 cafe racer.
    Up front are custom fabricated aluminum clip-on bars with wood grips, and the headlight from a 1960s Honda Scrambler 305. The controls are minimal, adding to the pared-back vibe of the bike.
    All components have been overhauled, and if they haven’t been painted in that lustrous red, they’ve invariably been polished to a deep sheen. That includes the fork legs, and the spokes and rims of the wheels. Look a little higher and you’ll spot chromed springs on the forks.
    Jan Sallings' beautiful Honda 350 cafe racer.
    To give the Honda a bit of extra zip, Jan has completely rebuilt the engine and carbs. With painted cases and polished covers, the powerplant now looks better than factory-fresh. But the pièce de résistance is the hand-made exhaust system, fashioned from stainless sheet and tubing, with highly polished headers and mufflers. Perforated and painted guards keep the rider’s thighs as cool as the bike itself.
    Out back is a custom cowl, which does double duty as a hiding space for the key electrical components. It’s finished off with a 1952 Chevy taillight with a blue dot center.
    Jan Sallings' beautiful Honda 350 cafe racer.
    Anyone else out there tempted to trawl eBay and Craigslist for an old Honda 350?
    via BIKEexif

    Return of the Lagonda super-saloon


    2015 Aston Martin Lagonda bespoke super saloon
    It’s back. In 2015, the Lagonda nameplate will once again be worn by a high-performance, luxury four-door, and will “draw inspiration from the highly sought-after William Towns-designed Lagonda of 1976”...
    The new Lagonda will be built in a strictly limited series and will only be offered for sale in the Middle East.

    reste une place