Le leader du Championnat du Monde MotoGP™ et tenant du titre cherchera à s’imposer pour la douzième fois en treize courses ce week-end à Misano.
Marc Márquez (Repsol Honda) n’a manqué la victoire qu’une seule fois cette année et a immédiatement retrouvé le sommet du podium, en Angleterre, après sa quatrième place de Brno.
Après Silverstone, le Champion du Monde en titre tentera cette semaine de conquérir Misano en MotoGP™, sur un circuit où il avait gagné en 125cc en 2010, en Moto2™ en 2011 et 2012 et avait fini deuxième l'an dernier lors de sa première saison en catégorie reine.
« C’était bien de remonter sur la plus haute marche du podium à Silverstone et le team avait fait un excellent travail tout au long du week-end, » a commenté Márquez. « Maintenant nous allons à Misano, une piste plus petite et plus lente par rapport aux autres du calendrier. Nous allons travailler dur dès le vendredi afin de régler la moto pour les exigeants freinages de cette piste tortueuse. Espérons aussi que la météo soit bonne ! »
Son coéquipier Dani Pedrosa a de son côté déjà gagné à Misano en MotoGP™, en 2010, lorsqu’il avait signé victoire, pole position et meilleur tour en course. Il aura pour objectif cette semaine de retrouver le podium après avoir été battu par Valentino Rossi dans la bataille pour la troisième place en Grande-Bretagne.
« J’attends ce week-end à Misano avec impatience ! » a affirmé Pedrosa. « Il y a toujours beaucoup de spectateurs sur les trois journées et une excellente ambiance grâce aux fans italiens. J’espère que nous aurons du beau temps le vendredi, pour commencer à travailler dans la bonne direction. Le tour est assez court mais intense, avec beaucoup d’endroits pour dépasser. La piste est aussi assez bosselée et le set-up sera donc crucial. Espérons que nous aurons une course excitante. »
Having returned to the top step of the podium at Silverstone, MotoGP™ World Champion Marc Marquez aims to secure another win this weekend at Misano.
Marquez, winner of 11 of the 12 races held to date, gave no option of victory to his rivals at the most recent round in England and is back at his best heading to a track where one year ago he placed second.
The runaway series leader has won three times at Misano in the smaller classes and a MotoGP™ triumph on Sunday at the Gran Premio TIM di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini would edge him closer to defending his title.
“It was nice to be back on the top step of the podium in Silverstone, the team did a great job the whole weekend,” commented the Repsol Honda rider. “Now we head to Misano which is a smaller and slower track compared to others on the calendar. We will have to work hard from Friday to get the setup on the bike just right, to suit the demands on braking at this twisty track and let’s hope the weather is also nice.”
Dani Pedrosa, second in the overall standings, also knows what it takes to win at Misano, where he took the victory, pole position and fastest lap in 2010.
“I’m looking forward to Misano this weekend,” Pedrosa stated. “There is always a nice crowd over the three days and a good atmosphere with the Italian fans. Hopefully we’ll have good weather from the Friday and get things going in the right direction. It’s a short lap but intense with many overtaking points and it's quite bumpy, so set up is key. Let’s hope for an exciting race."
Le Rallye d’Australie a intégré le Championnat du monde des Rallyes FIA il y a 25 ans, en 1989. Cinq constructeurs y ont triomphé à trois reprises (Ford, Lancia, Mitsubishi, Subaru [4] et Peugeot) et quatre y ont été titrés (Lancia, Subaru, Toyota, Peugeot). Cette année, Volkswagen pourrait y décrocher son second titre mondial.
Organisé seconde moitié de saison mondiale, le Rallye d’Australie a souvent consacré des Constructeurs avant terme. En 1992, la victoire de Didier Auriol a assuré Lancia/Michelin d’un 6etitre consécutif – son dernier en WRC - face à Toyota dès le mois de septembre, le constructeur italien ayant déjà scoré ses sept résultats pleins.
En 1997, le succès de Colin McRae à Perth a permis à Subaru de décrocher le premier titre mondial de l’ère des World Rally Cars. Néanmoins, le constructeur japonais avait fait un grand pas vers son 3e titre consécutif lors de la manche précédente, le Rallye Sanremo, avec le doublé McRae/Liatti.
Deux ans plus tard, la 2e place de Carlos Sainz dans le Western Australia a suffi pour que Toyota remporte son 3e titre mondial en rallye dans une ambiance très douce-amère: après des ennuis mécaniques, Didier Auriol et Carlos Sainz ont laissé filer le titre Pilotes à Tommi Mäkinen (son 4ed’affilée, un record) et Toyota avait annoncé quelques mois plus tôt son retrait du WRC pour la F1.
L’année suivante, la fête d’après-rallye fut nettement plus joviale dans les rues de Perth pour les hommes de Peugeot Sport. Après la disqualification du vainqueur Mäkinen, Marcus Grönholm a hérité de la victoire australienne et offert le titre Constructeurs 2000 à Peugeot, le premier depuis le retour du Lion en WRC.
Contrairement à 2013 où le titre Pilotes pouvait être attribué à l’issue du Rallye d’Australie, il ne sera pas question de titre Pilotes en Australie, mais bien de titre Constructeurs.
Volkswagen Motorsport possède 167 points d’avance sur Citroën-Total Abu Dhabi WRT. Si le constructeur allemand repart d’Australie avec une marge de 129 points, il ne pourra être rejoint. Pour prolonger (encore) le suspense, Citroën devrait donc inscrire 38 points de plus que VW. Par exemple, en cas de double abandon pour Volkswagen (comme en Allemagne), les deux Citroën DS3 WRC officielles doivent être sur le podium final…
Après sa cruelle désillusion en Allemagne, Volkswagen devrait logiquement réagir et coiffer sa seconde couronne mondiale en Australie, en attendant qu’un de ses trois pilotes – Ogier, Latvala, Mikkelsen – le soit d’ici à la fin de saison, puisque le titre Pilotes 2014 ne peut échapper aux représentants de la marque.
Australia first counted towards the FIA World Rally Championship in 1989. Five makes have won the event three times (Ford, Lancia, Mitsubishi, Subaru [4], Peugeot) and four have actually sewn up the title there (Lancia, Subaru, Toyota, Peugeot). This year, it could be Volkswagen’s turn…
Australia’s round has frequently decided the Manufacturers’ world title. In September 1992, success for Didier Auriol secured Lancia’s sixth consecutive crown (its last in the WRC) against Toyota thanks to the Italian team’s score of seven victories.
Five years later, Colin McRae’s victory in Perth, Western Australia, earned Subaru’s first title of the World Rally Car era after a one-two for McRae and Liatti in Sanremo had nicely set up the Japanese firm’s third consecutive championship honours.
In 1999, second place for Carlos Sainz was sufficient for Toyota to claim its third world title, although mechanical problems for the Spaniard and Auriol allowed Tommi Mäkinen to collect a record-breaking fourth consecutive Drivers’ crown. A few months earlier, Toyota had announced its decision to switch from the WRC to F1…
The following year’s post-event party in the streets of Perth was a far merrier affair. The winner Mäkinen was disqualified, handing victory to Marcus Grönholm which was enough to deliver the 2000 Manufacturers’ title to Peugeot, the first since the French make’s return to the WRC.
This year, the Manufacturers’ top prize might be decided once again in Australia, since Volkswagen Motorsport has a 167-point lead over Citroën-Total Abu Dhabi WRT. If the German brand completes the event with a gap of 129 points over its chaser, the outcome will be settled for 2014. In other words, to prolong the suspense, Citroën will need to score 38 points more than VW. For example, if both German cars fail to finish (as they did in Germany) both factory Citroën DS3 WRCs will need to be on the podium.
After its cruel setback on home soil, however, Volkswagen has a strong chance of wrapping up the championship, while the 2014 Drivers’ crown is now sure to end up on the head of Ogier, Latvala or Mikkelsen.
Zagato Atelier has officially revealed the Aston Martin Virage Shooting Brake Zagato.
The second world premiere for Zagato in 2014, after the Lamborghini 5-95 Zagato, will be held at the Chantilly Arts & Elegance 2014 event and will mark the company’s 95th anniversary. The one-of-a-kind model was commissioned by an European customer who desired “an atelier-level, collectible modern car”.
Zagato explains the exclusive vehicle is “a modern interpretation with design cues of the Aston Martin V8 Vantage and Volante of the mid 80s” that “creates surprise and fascination with a new shape while maintaining Zagato and Aston Martin’s core design values”.
In terms of design, the Virage Shooting Brake Zagato features a sleek roofline with a shooting brake-style rear end, while at the back we find double exhaust pipes and stylish lights.
According to the company, this car completes the “Aston Martin-Zagato centennial trilogy”, which started in 2013 with the DBS Coupé Zagato Centennial and the DB9 Spider Zagato Centennial, developed to celebrate Aston Martin's 100th anniversary.
Penton: The John Penton Story is an upcoming film due to be screened at the NYC Motorcycle Film Festival (September 24th to the 27th in Brooklyn), the story of John Penton is a remarkable one but up until now it’s only really been known to motorcycle geeks and well informed KTM owners.
The full story of John Penton and his staggering ability to both ride and develop world-beating motorcycles is fascinating, realistically he’s a man who should be far more famous as one of America’s most successful sportsman/businessmen – he created a multi-million dollar motorcycle marque, a multi-million dollar apparel company and he travelled around the United States winning races and breaking records.
The world’s wildest Ford Anglia. That’s quite a statement – and one that, after reading this feature, I’m pretty confident you’ll agree with.
Why? How about I tell you this Anglia has been a dedicated racecar since 1973? Not enough? Well check out what lies beneath, this is where things get really interesting. Here you’ll discover Formula 1, Porsche, TOCA materials and components throughout, the engine? Well that’s a mutant, supercharged Volvo motor built by a genuine Grp A touring car engineer. You’ll have to read on for the rest…
I’ve contributed to Classic Ford magazine since 2001 and owned a modified Ford Anglia even before that. So I’ve seen my fair share of the ’60s Fords – from space-framed, engine swapped and turbocharged to carbon-clad clones. But the search for Anglia nirvana is found here in this original sinner and survivor, all twisted into one inspirational piece of motorsport hardware.
The 105E Anglia is defined by its profile – the distinctive sloping rear window, the small-finned rear end and its idiosyncratic shape. You can see the design origins in this picture even though the only original Anglia parts on this wild ride are its roof and pillars. Everything else was custom made in the shed in the background of the opening shot.
The story of how this racecar came to be starts in the mid ’60s when the parents of Leif Frykas, an engineer from just north of Gothenburg in Sweden, bought one. Things really got interesting when Leif’s parents passed the Anglia on to him when he started driving in 1964. When Leif decided to go motor racing with some friends in 1973, the small, light and rear-wheel drive Anglia was an obvious starting point.
Two years of blood, sweat and hard labour, and the racecar that emerged was Version 1.0 of this very same vehicle here. Yes, it’s a bit like a street sweeper’s broom that’s had 10 new heads and handles, but there are still a few parts that remain from that original build.
Like any good racecar, the Anglia continued to develop throughout the ’70s and ’80s. Having started out with Ford power, the Volvo engine swap arrived a few years after Leif had started working for the Volvo experimental department. The first motor was a B20 2.0-litre and then a B21 followed it in 1981 – both naturally aspirated.
Looking through the rear of the vented front wing at what remains of the original inner and the TOCA spec front suspension, it’s hard to believe that this has been an entirely privately funded, home-built exercise. But the reality is, when you’ve been racing and improving one racecar for over 40 years, the results can be incredible. Here you can just make out the ZF Alfa Romeo steering rack, which is connected to a Porsche 997 Carrera Cup electric power steering motor.
The next major change came in 1986, when Leif decided to dissemble the Anglia and completely rebuild it around a space frame, which still lives on underneath the composite skin today. When it emerged in 1989, can you imagine how radical it looked? The wheels were smaller and the wings not so wide as they are now, but essentially what you’re looking at was born way back then.
Being a race car, it’s not surprising to hear that an engine blew up along the way. To be precise, Leif tells me that some conrod bolts let go at 8,000rpm and one of the pistons ended up on the floor. Hang on – 8,000rpm? Sorry, did I not mention that by then Leif was working for Volvo Penta in marine development, and also helped build the incredible Volvo 240 Group A touring cars of the mid-’80s?
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The life of this wild Anglia then progressed another generation when in 2009, Leif’s son Kjell became involved. Having been brought up on a diet of motorsport and engineering it’s no surprise Kjell has become a talented engineer himself. With Kjell’s assistance, the rebuilt Anglia remerged the same year – this time transformed into something even more incredible.
Kjell has worked with many forms of motorsport, so he’s been exposed to some interesting components that were duly integrated in to the Anglia project. We mentioned the rather radical steering setup in the last chapter, but here we’re looking in from the front end at the genuine TWR TOCA uprights they work with. The lower arms are homemade and hidden from sight, with some helicopter-spec roller bearings in the mix too.
The brakes are another custom mash-up of whatever worked best for their unique application. At the back, for instance, there are some modified 310x28mm Audi discs. Behind the wheels are Kjell-built Volvo S80 roller bearing hubs up with shock absorbers sourced from a JTCC (Japanese Touring Car Championship) BMW E36 318i.
The build becomes even more amazing when looking closely at the five-link back axle. It’s a Winters Performance item with their iconic quick-change diff setup, running a Detroit locker. This is the sort of thing you’d normally find in the back of a ’32 Ford! If you look carefully you will also see the propshaft-driven alternator too – an old trick to free-up belts and friction from the engine.
The Anglia’s skin itself is just as radical as what’s underneath. The dominant rear wing is constructed from TeXtreme, a material used by eight of the 11 teams in Formula 1 during the 2013 season. I don’t fully understand the ‘spread tow carbon fibre tape’ principle that it employs, but if it’s good enough for F1, it’s good enough for me!
Wherever you look there’s a wealth of experience and development waiting to be discovered. Leif and Kjell are the first to admit the paint finish isn’t the best and there’s always something they want to change. But for me that’s just a reminder that the Anglia is born out of a barn in Sweden!
So, what powers the Anglia now? It’s a four cylinder B230 Volvo block enlarged to 2,500cc and fitted with Volvo Penta marine pistons. The block is the same as I’ve got in my own Volvo 240 project, but all similarities end there. The biggest change here is that instead of a turbocharger, which is more commonly associated with Volvo, the pair have gone for a Vortech V5 supercharger. The most incredible part for me is the cylinder head, which has been made by slicing two heads horizontally down their entire length, then welding them back together to give a longer inlet track. And that’s before you get in to the larger valves and other flow work that has taken place.
Again, that head was built in the barn, so it should come as no surprise that the only things in this picture that were bought off-the-shelf are the steering wheel, Stack dash unit and TRS harness. Obviously, we’re including some buttons, knobs and general hardware, but Leif and Kjell have fabricated the rest. The semi-reclined driving position with the shifter for the Tractive six-speed sequential gearbox close to hand looks more like it should be found in a Group C race car, but then the almost upright angle of the screen gives the game away. It’s still an Anglia.
And that’s probably one of the best reasons to love this wild build – it still feels like an Anglia. The enlarged and aerodynamically-tuned bodywork and engine add to the bionic flavour, but somehow, even with only a few select elements of originality left, they keep the Anglia spirit alive.
That’s what happens when you race and continuously improve a car over four decades. You don’t erase the starting point completely – you build on and around it as over the years it evolves organically.
And that makes me wonder – how it will look in another 40 years time? With its unrepeatable history, incredibly eclectic spec list and massively impressive engineering, will it still be the wildest Anglia in the world? You decide, but it gets my vote.
Suspension/Brakes ZF Alfa Romeo steering rack, Porsche 997 Carrera Cup electric power steering pump, TWR TOCA uprights, MacPherson strut with helicopter roller bearings, anti-roll bar, home-made lower arms, Racing Dynamic shocks with remote canister reservoir, 900lb springs (front), 600lb springs, five-link with Watts linkage mounted very low, Racing Dynamics shock absorbers from JTCC BMW 318, Volvo S80 front roller bearing hubs (rear), AP TOCA spec six piston calliper, 348mm vented discs and alloy bells (front), 310x28mm modified Audi discs (rear) braided lines, Girling master cylinder
Exterior Deluxe grille, standard rear lights, original Anglia roof/pillars, everything else is moulded from GRP, Opel three-speed windscreen wipers, 12V ceiling light headlamps, air jacks
Interior Personal steering wheel, Sparco harness, Stack dash unit, home-made seat, home-made dashboard
Thanks: Jan Andersson, Stefan Lindblom @ GIK Turbo Teknik for his help, Yvonne Frykas
Not so many moons past, a good friend of Deus Camperdown came to us with a special request. We had suspected this gentleman harboured a deep and abiding love affair with the internal combustion engine by the frequency with which he produced well thumbed pictures from his wallet of a race prep’d ’69 Camaro and 2 CBR1000 track-only Fireblades, high horse power puppies sporting eye-bleed bright colour schemes.
He’d seen our signature hardtail Kawasaki W650 on the floor and requested just such a steed to park in his own garage, but with a bit of glow-in-the-dark presence.
Jeremy set to work on a late model low mileage puppy stripping the bike into its component parts in a jiffy. The wheel set is now 21 inch front, 17 rear – laced in stainless with rims and hubs powder coated in a hue so intensely bright they can be seen from space.
Bates style head light, custom bars, and custom mirrors live amongst the top triple clamp. A customised Yamaha SR400 fuel tank nestles onto the square section back bone of the W, while a Verona electronic speedo fills the void and is surrounded by LED warning lights.
With the motor out for a splash of black satin, the chassis is placed in a jig to receive the Deus custom hard tail section. A custom battery box and air box eliminator kit allow the W to breath through K&N filters, while gasses exit via stainless 2 into 1 headers flowing into an open tulip style muffler. All of which is ceramic coated in brilliant white.
Fenders are bespoke units massaged into shape by Jeremy here in the House of Simple Pleasures. The steel base, coil sprung seat has hand stitched leather in black.
The colour is a perfect reflection of the owner, not only does the scheme match his pair of racing Fireblades with the fluorescent orange of the wheels, but the striking contrast of the black with white striping can be found on his Camaro.
OffBikes.com a rencontré Hervé Poncharal pour en savoir plus sur son rôle de Team Manager en MotoGP™. L’ancien pilote français, propriétaire de Tech3, revient sur son travail, sur l’évolution de son métier au fils de ans et discute aussi de l’avenir du MotoGP™.
Après Wilco Zeelenberg, Team Manager de l'équipe officielle Yamaha travaillant aux côtés de Jorge Lorenzo, OffBikes.com a retrouvé Hervé Poncharal, Team Manager de l'équipe Tech3 en catégorie Moto2™ et MotoGP™ avec Yamaha, pour une entrevue à propos de son rôle de chef d'équipe mais aussi celui du chef d'entreprise, qui le différencie du rôle de Team Manager dans les équipes officielles. Il nous propose sa vision de la MotoGP™ pour les saisons à venir et notamment à partir de 2016, saison du grand changement.
Quel est le rôle du Team Manager en MotoGP™ ?
« Aujourd'hui, le Team Manager, que ce soit en MotoGP™ en Moto2™ ou en Moto3™, a le rôle du chef d'orchestre. Certes, en MotoGP, tout est plus gros que dans les autres catégories, mais dans tous les cas, il est le patron. Après, le titre de Team Manager veut à la fois tout et ne rien dire : Team Manager dans une écurie officielle, c'est une personne salariée par un constructeur pour gérer un team ; Team Manager comme moi, par exemple, c'est entrepreneur – dans mon cas, je suis responsable et propriétaire de l'équipe, qui est une société avant tout. Si l’on prend le cas des Yamaha en MotoGP, il y'en a quatre : deux officielles et deux satellites. Dans le team des deux machines officielles, que pilotent Valentino Rossi et Jorge Lorenzo, tous les employés sont salariés de Yamaha Japon. Chez Tech3, nous faisons également rouler des Yamaha M1, mais elles sont gérées par une structure privée, la mienne. »
« Dans l'équipe Yamaha officielle, on a du mal à distinguer qui est le Team Manager : il y a le Président de Yamaha Japon qui, forcément, est Japonais ; puis il y a Lin Jarvis, Team Manager ; mais il y a aussi un Team Manager par pilote, comme Wilco Zeelenberg pour Jorge Lorenzo. Chez Tech3, mon rôle est le même que celui de Lucio Cecchinello, d'Aspar Martinez, ou de Gresini, c'est-à-dire que je suis chef d'entreprise, gérant d'une société qui fait de la compétition. À la différence d'un salarié qui est payé à la fin du mois, je dois faire exister ma structure, trouver un budget et intéresser des sponsors. Je leur propose, pour cela, un package, un plan : des machines Yamaha M1, pilotées par des pilotes qui présentent de l'intérêt en raison de leur potentiel, ou en raison de leur nationalité, car certains sponsors aiment que le pilote réponde à leurs marchés. Une fois que j'ai le budget, je vois ce que je peux acheter, car évidemment tout dépend de ça. Si tu as le budget pour une Citroën, tu ne vas pas faire ton shopping chez Ferrari. C'est le même principe. »
« Pour résumer, mon rôle consiste à trouver un budget, sécuriser un choix de pilotes, et verrouiller des partenariats. Bien souvent, tout est lié, parce que si demain j'ai une ART, je n'aurai pas le même genre de pilotes que si j'ai une M1, et mes sponsors ne vont pas me donner le même budget si je fais rouler Pol Espargaró et Bradley Smith que si je fais rouler les pilotes de l'équipe gérée par Paul Bird, par exemple. Évidemment, ce n'est absolument pas péjoratif, c'est simplement la logique du système. »
« Après les machines et les pilotes, il faut constituer un staff. Dans notre cas, cela fait une trentaine d'années que Tech3 existe, donc c'est beaucoup plus facile maintenant que les premières années : une bonne partie de l'équipe rempile d'une année sur l'autre, certains membres sont même là depuis la création de la société. En tant que Team Manager propriétaire d'une équipe, le gros du travail a lieu à la mi-saison : je commence à établir les contacts pour renouveler les contrats, ou en trouver de nouveaux, à contacter les pilotes, à bétonner les programmes techniques et à valider les équipes techniques. En fin de saison, tout doit être verrouillé pour les essais hivernaux. En hiver, je m'occupe surtout de remettre la logistique à jour, les couleurs des machines, des box, les designs à envoyer aux marchands de cuirs, l'hospitality, les contrats du staff, des sponsors. Il y a une énorme part d'administratif, mais aussi beaucoup de négociations et de déplacements. Le but est d'attaquer sereinement les essais hivernaux, puis le premier GP de la saison. »
Australia first counted towards the FIA World Rally Championship in 1989. Five makes have won the event three times (Ford, Lancia, Mitsubishi, Subaru [4], Peugeot) and four have actually sewn up the title there (Lancia, Subaru, Toyota, Peugeot). This year, it could be Volkswagen’s turn…
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