MotoGP : Márquez brille sur le nouveau tracé de l'IMS / Marquez shines on first day around new IMS layout

Marc Márquez a réalisé le meilleur temps de la seconde séance d'essais MotoGP™ vendredi à Indianapolis et a fini devant Andrea Iannone et Jorge Lorenzo.

Cinquième des essais libres de vendredi matin au Grand Prix Red Bull d’Indianapolis, Marc Márquez (Repsol Honda) a retrouvé sa place au sommet de la hiérarchie l’après-midi lors de la seconde séance d’essais et bouclé son dernier tour en 1’32.882. Sur un circuit dont la tracé a été modifié cette année et raccourci de 48 m, le Champion du Monde en titre a battu le record du tour qu’il avait établi l’an dernier en 1’37.958 de plus de cinq secondes et tentera ce week-end de décrocher une dixième victoire consécutive depuis l’ouverture de la saison 2014.

Andrea Iannone (Pramac Racing), confirmé dans le team officiel de Ducati pour l’an prochain, a été relégué à la seconde position en fin de séance et a terminé à 0.222s du leader du Championnat du Monde MotoGP™ tandis que Jorge Lorenzo, qui vient de prolonger chez Movistar Yamaha MotoGP jusqu’à fin 2016, complétait le Top 3, à 0.542s de Márquez.

Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati), qui testait un nouveau carénage et étrennera un nouveau moteur samedi, Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda), Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda), Yonny Hernández (Energy T.I. Pramac Racing), Aleix Espargaró (NGM Forward Racing), Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP), auteur du meilleur temps le matin, Bradley Smith (Monster Yamaha Tech3) et son coéquipier Pol Espargaró complétaient un Top 11 très serré en se classant tous à moins de trois dixièmes de seconde de la troisième position. 

Premier pilote sur Honda RCV1000R Open, Scott Redding (GO&FUN Honda Gresini) a réussi à finir devant Cal Crutchlow (Ducati) et Álvaro Bautista (GO&FUN Honda Gresini).

Egalement sur RCV1000R, Leon Camier, remplaçant de Nicky Hayden chez Drive M7 Aspar, a quant à lui fait ses débuts en MotoGP™ et a sans surprise fini dernier, en étant cependant à seulement une demi-seconde de Mike di Meglio (Avintia Blusens) et Broc Parkes (PBM).

Cliquez ici pour accéder aux résultats.

In FP2 for the premier class at the Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix, round ten of the 2014 MotoGP™ World Championship, Marc Marquez outpaced the rest of the field, whilst Andrea Iannone and Jorge Lorenzo were also in the top three around the modified IMS track.

World Champion Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) registered a 1’32.882 lap towards the end of FP2 to end the day on top, as he shaved more than 1.5s off his best lap from the morning. Iannone (Pramac Racing) and Lorenzo (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) were respectively 0.222s and 0.542s behind Marquez.

In the morning session as the riders got a feel for the slightly shorter new MotoGP Indianapolis layout – with several modified corners and a resurfaced infield area – a 1’34.535 lap had been enough to put Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) top of the timesheet. Rossi was ninth best in FP2, trailing pace setter Marquez by 0.716s.

The FP2 top five was completed by the experienced pair of Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) and Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team), both off them just over half a second off P1.

The Friday top ten was completed by Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda MotoGP), Yonny Hernandez (Energy T.I. Pramac Racing), Aleix Espargaro (NGM Forward Racing), the aforementioned Rossi and Bradley Smith (Monster Yamaha Tech3).

Standing in for Nicky Hayden, Leon Camier (Drive M7 Aspar) faced up admirably to the challenge of learning a new track, a new bike, new tyres and new brakes as he improved by more than 3.5s in FP2 from his FP1 best, though he was unsurprisingly at the bottom of the timesheet.

For full MotoGP FP2 results click here.

Rallye Breslau 2014 Polen 2014

The First Seat

A rare 1959 Peerless GT that gets tracked at Laguna Seca for the Monterey Historic races.

Petrolicious has created a discernible style in their film productions that is the embodiment of the Drive Tastefully® ethos. Seeking out rare automotive gems and telling the tale from the unique perspective of the owner, the emphasis is always on the relationship we all have with these machines. It has become a body of work exploring a broad spectrum of petrolhead passions that we can all relate to. But boy, did this one catch me out…

It follows the Petrolicious pattern and tells the story of Ron and Paul Cressey, a father and son duo who share their automotive passion and regularly race against each other on track. It’s an interesting story as always but that isn’t what stumped me. I consider myself pretty knowledgeable when it comes to old jalopies but I had never heard of a 1959 Peerless GT. Gosh darn it!

So yeah, after watching the video I had to go and do some actual research on the British car company called Peerless Cars Ltd. which operated between 1957 and 1960 before closing and only produced 325 examples of the GT which featured Triumph TR3 running gear and…

Source – Petrolicious

Dernière course sur le sol américain pour Colin Edwards / Edwards on last U.S. race and the future of Americans in MotoGP™

Colin Edwards se prépare à disputer son dernier Grand Prix à domicile avant de mettre fin à sa carrière en MotoGP™ à l'issue de la saison 2014.

Après plus de vingt ans passés en compétition, Colin Edwards, arrivé en Grand Prix en 2003, s’apprête à mettre un terme à sa carrière de pilote professionnel cette année après la conclusion du Championnat du Monde MotoGP™ 2014.

Le Texan, qui courra aux Etats-Unis pour la dernière fois ce week-end, fait donc face à ses dernières courses avec NGM Forward Racing et a déclaré : « L’attitude n’a pas changé. J’ai annoncé mon départ pour la fin de l’année quand nous étions au Texas et je continue d’aborder chaque week-end avec l’envie de faire ce que j’ai fait pendant 22 ans. J’ai encore faim et j’ai encore la motivation mais on vieillit et on devient plus sage ! J’ai maintenant 40 et quand je tombe, ça fait plus mal que quand j’avais 20 ans ! »

« Nous sommes concentrés sur le développement et nous essayons de gagner un ou deux dixièmes de seconde à chaque tour. Dans mon cas, j’ai besoin d’une demi-seconde ici où là et j’essaye de faire en sorte que la moto fonctionne bien. C’est le plus important. »

Quant au fait qu’il se rende sur chaque circuit du Championnat du Monde pour la dernière fois, Edwards a ajouté : « Quand les séances sont terminées, je passe un peu plus de temps à saluer le public que d’habitude, parce que je sais que c’est la dernière fois que je suis au circuit sur une moto. Mais d’un autre côté, quand vous mettez votre casque et et que vous tombez la visière, peu importe l’âge que vous avez. »

Bientôt à la retraite, Edwards pense avoir, avec son compatriote Nicky Hayden, le devoir d’aider les prochaines générations de pilotes américains.

« En ce qui concerne les jeunes talents américains, j’aimerais avoir de meilleures nouvelles à donner, » a admis Edwards. « Je pense que Nicky et moi devons faire quelque chose ensemble. J’ai un programme d’entraînement au Texas Tornado Boot Camp. Nous devons faire quelque chose. Si vous voulez faire quelque chose dans ce sport, il faut aller dans le CEV (FIM CEV Repsol) afin d’être reconnu. Nous allons voir ce que nous réserve l’avenir mais ça fait partie du plan, aider quelques jeunes pour préparer l’avenir. »

As Colin Edwards prepares for his last Grand Prix in the U.S. the veteran rider provides an insight into his current approach to racing and his hopes for the future of American road racing talent.

After more than 20 years as a professional rider - and having raced in Grand Prix since 2003 - Edwards will bring an end to his successful and colourful career at the conclusion of the 2014 MotoGP™ World Championship.

Therefore, the Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix is the last ever home round for the popular Texan rider and he will be much missed by fans around the World, by American fans in particular and by his numerous friends in the paddock.

Regarding his approach to races this year with the NGM Forward Racing team Edwards states, “The attitude has not changed. I announced my retirement at the end of this year in Texas and I come here to race every weekend wanting to do what I’ve done for the last 22 years. I still have the hunger and the drive. But part of it is that you get a little older and a little wiser! I mean I’m 40 now, so when I hit the ground now it hurts more than it did when I was 20!”

“But we are focused on development and just trying to squeeze out that next tenth of a second or two per lap. In my case I need a half second here or half second there so I’m just trying to make the bike work. That has been the main thing.”

On the feeling of visiting World Championship venues for the last time as a rider and his last ever race at IMS, he says, “There are mixed emotions, usually when practices are over, I spend a bit more time waving to the crowd than I used to. Just knowing and understanding that this is going to be my last time at the track on a motorcycle. But on the other side, once you put your helmet on and your visor goes down it doesn’t really matter how old you are.”

Meanwhile, Edwards believes that he and fellow American Nicky Hayden have a duty to help bring through the next wave of young U.S. riders to the top level.

“On young American talent I wish I had better news for you,” he admits. “I think Nicky and I should get together and do something. I have the Texas Tornado Boot Camp training facility. We need to do something. If you want to make it in the sport it seems like you have to go over to the CEV (FIM CEV Repsol International Championship) if you want to get recognised. We will see what the future brings, but that is definitely part of the plan, to bring some young kids through for the future.”

surf !!!

OFFICINE ROSSOPURO TRIUMPH

Filippo Barbacane of Officine Rossopuro is renowned for his ultra-slick Moto Guzzi builds, have a look at his previously featured work here. This time he takes a break from the shaft-drive twins, hewn on the shores of Lake Como and plumps for an offering from the banks of the Ashby de la Zouch canal. As you are fully aware Triumph’s Bonneville is a platform much modded and customised, with varying briefs and degrees of subsequent appreciation. As with all Officine Rossopuro builds, the machine shop was set to work, flexing their engineering muscle and producing beautiful components.

Improved performance and handling is a natural by-product of shedding weight, and something Filippo takes very seriously. Starting up front, forks are adjustable Marzocchi 45s with billet yokes that retain the standard bar mounts although Tomaselli clip ons, adjustable of course, hunker the rider down and keep the cockpit neat. A single Motogadget digital tacho and speedo unit keeps distraction to a minimum. Billet bar end indicators blend nicely into the vintage style grips. The headlight has been pushed back between the fork legs on a bespoke bracket to shorten the overall look.

The wheels have been replaced by tubeless Italian made Alpinas, and the rear extended to take a 160 tyre. Great for a more varied tyre choice and reduced rotating mass, essential for making the most of the coast road from the ORP HQ in Pescara, Italy. Bi-Turbo rear shocks deal with the increased rider enthusiasm and reduced road maintenance budgets in the region. Floating brake discs are Alth, again Italian made and top notch, mounting to a bespoke hub and allow for fitment of Brembo’s Gold Series callipers. You may have noticed a theme here, Filippo likes to support his fellow countrymen and buy Italian. And why not, they produce some of the best motorcycle components money can buy.

An industry/scene standard now is to remove manufacturers lazy weld splatter and unnecessary tabs from the frame, this Bonnie is no different. One thing that isn’t obvious is the tank dimension, it has been split down the middle and reduced by 100mm and welded back together. Aesthestics conquer practicality though as the fuel pump still has a home inside the tank. A few coats of metallic black paint and a hand-pinstripe will have you looking twice to see if your eyes are deceiving you, perhaps distracted by the oil temp gauge grafted into the top.

Easy candidates for a diet are mudguards, standard mild steel is out, svelte aluminium is in. Rear sets, sprocket and chain guard are machined from billet aluminium and drilled, which always makes things go much, much faster. A lithium ion battery hides along with reduced wiring under the humped, leather clad seat. Cone filters and a Mass exhaust add a couple of ponies and make the most of the reduced heft.

Anyone who’s raced just about anything, or been involved at least, will know the importance of reducing weight. It’s such an important and often overlooked route to improved overall performance and I’m glad more builders are going to greater lengths to showcase their engineering capability. We look forward to what Filippo brings to the ‘Shed next time.

For those of you without a CNC mill in the corner, get some decent drill bits and start making speed holes, you’ll look faster, go faster, reduce fuel consumption and save the planet. The benefits are endless, provided you leave some metal behind.

To see what else Filippo has built check out his site Officine Rossopuro and Facebook page

via The Bike Shed

Honda CBX750 ‘M1-21′ by Kerkus Cycles

Written by Ian Lee.

It takes a true artist to see the true beauty in something that is otherwise unappealing. It may take time, it may take effort, but the final product is something that makes all the trouble worthwhile. Today’s feature bike is one such example, a bike that in standard trim would hardly warrant a second glance, let alone be the bike to consider as a platform for a bitchin custom. Coming from Kerkus Cycles, (by their own description) a backyard builder based in Kuala Lumpur, this CBX750 café racer is a stripped down mean ass version of it’s former self. Definitely a far cry from the police spec bike it started life as.

When the bike first rolled into the Kerkus workshop, there were doubts as to it’s credibility as a custom platform. An upright riding position, boxy tank and a whole lot of superfluous fairings made for an awkward looking ride. According to the crew at Kerkus: “stripping down the bike was quite fun, we kinda hated the unnecessary stuff fixed to that bike which also helps to reduced the weight of the bike.”

Once the bike was a bare frame and the nightmare wiring removed, the build could begin. A 1980 CB750C fuel tank was fitted in order to give a different set of proportions to the machine. This also worked out to help cover the box backbone of the 80s cop bike.  An alloy Monza flip up fuel cap was mounted in order to give that old school look to the machine. The police spec fairing was ditched, in it’s place a half fairing, enveloping the CNC clip-on handlebars mounted with bar end mirrors. Mounted in the fairing is a 6.5 inch chrome headlight, finished with a yellow tinted lens and black crossed tape to give it a racing aesthetic.

To keep with the café racer spirit, the front end has been lowered 2.5 inches to give it a more sporting stance. At the front end sits a 450-18 Firestone M/C blackwall, while at the rear is a 16 inch Shinko. Also in this mindset, a pair of shorty reverse megaphone mufflers in chrome finish have been fitted, with the exhaust headers and piping painted black so all the attention is drawn by those skyward pointing beauties. In the words of the builders: “the sound of the muffler itself roaring is orgasm, hard for people NOT to notice it.”

Once the bike was reassembled, it was shipped out to the Bigcat Motorart workshop where it received a new coat of silver, black and brass paint. The new air intake arrangement was mounted and the big 750 was ready to rumble. The owner, impressed with the hard work Kerkus put into the bike, is glad he persevered with build. And so are we.

via PIPEBURN

MOTO GP: Yamaha confirme Jorge Lorenzo pour deux ans de plus / Yamaha and Lorenzo confirm new two-year agreement

Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd et Jorge Lorenzo, pilote du team Movistar Yamaha MotoGP, ont le plaisir d'annoncer la signature d'un nouvel accord de deux ans grâce auquel le Majorquin courra pour Movistar Yamaha ces deux prochaines années.

Grâce à cet accord, Jorge Lorenzo réalise son souhait de continuer sa carrière dans la catégorie reine avec Yamaha, avec un partenariat qui passe de sept à neuf ans. Yamaha et Lorenzo espèrent tous les deux que leur collaboration mènera à un troisième titre mondial et continueront à travailler ensemble pour atteindre cet objectif.

Lin Jarvis, Managing Directeur de Yamaha Motor Racing Srl :

« Je suis très heureux que nous ayons trouvé un accord pour que Jorge continue en tant que pilote de Movistar Yamaha MotoGP. Ce nouvel accord prolonge les sept années de partenariat de Jorge avec Yamaha. Il avait commencé avec nous en 2008 et ensemble nous avons obtenu beaucoup d'excellents résultats, 31 victoires et deux titres de Pilote Champion du Monde MotoGP™ en 2010 et 2012. La saison 2014 a été difficile pour lui jusqu'ici mais j'espère que cette annonce va lui fournir la sérénité nécessaire pour qu'il puisse concentrer 100% de son énergie sur les prochaines courses. L'an dernier nous avions pu voir de quoi il était capable dans des situations difficiles, il avait réussi à contre-attaquer après ses blessures de mi-saison et nous espérons donc qu'il fasse une bonne deuxième moitié de saison en 2014. Pour 2015, nous savons que Jorge sera un bon candidat au titre et nous ferons de notre mieux pour lui founir le matériel et le soutien dont il aura besoin pour atteindre nos objectifs communs. »

Jorge Lorenzo, Pilote de Movistar Yamaha MotoGP :

« Je suis très content d'enfin pouvoir faire cette annonce. C'est un soulagement parce que je peux maintenant complètement me concentrer sur le reste de la saison 2014, en sachant que notre partenariat continuera pour les deux prochaines saisons. Mon souhait a toujours été de poursuivre ma carrière avec Yamaha et je crois fermement que nous pouvons nous battre pour un troisième titre. Cette saison a été très difficile après un départ compliqué mais nous allons continuer à avancer course par course et à nous donner à 100% jusqu'à Valence. Je tiens à remercier Yamaha pour leur confiance et tous les fans de Yamaha à travers le monde pour leur soutien continu. Après la trêve estivale, je suis impatient de retrouver mon team à Indy et pleinement concentré sur la tâche qui m'attend. »

Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd and Movistar Yamaha MotoGP rider Jorge Lorenzo are delighted to announce that they have signed a new two-year agreement that sees the Mallorcan complete the Movistar Yamaha line up for the next two seasons.

The agreement realises Lorenzo’s wish to continue his premier class career with Yamaha, extending the relationship from seven to nine years. Both Yamaha and Lorenzo are confident that the partnership has the potential to deliver a third title and will continue to work towards this goal.

 

Lin Jarvis, Managing Director of Yamaha Motor Racing Srl

"I am very happy we have reached an agreement for Jorge to continue as a Movistar Yamaha MotoGP rider. The new agreement extends Jorge’s seven-year partnership with Yamaha. He started with us as a rookie back in 2008 and together we achieved many great results including 31 GP victories and two MotoGP Rider World Champion titles in 2010 and 2012. The 2014 season has been a tough one for Jorge so far but I am hoping that the confirmation of this new agreement will give him the peace of mind to be able to focus 100% of his energy on the remaining races. Last year we saw what he was able to do when the going was tough and he was fighting back from mid-season injuries so we know that the potential is there for a strong second half to the 2014 season. For 2015 and beyond we have no doubt that Jorge will be a strong title contender and we will do our very best to provide him with the materials and the support he needs to be able to realize our shared ambitions."

 

Jorge Lorenzo, Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Rider

"I am very happy to finally be able to make this announcement. It is a relief to be able to now completely focus on the remainder of the 2014 season in the knowledge that our relationship will continue for the next two seasons. It has always been my wish to continue my career with Yamaha; I strongly believe we can fight for a third title together. This season has been very challenging after a difficult start, however we will continue to take it race by race, giving 100% until Valencia. I want to thank Yamaha for their continued belief in me and all the Yamaha fans around the world who continue to support me. After the summer break I’m excited to be back at Indy with my team and focused again on riding."

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