CAFÉ RACER 76: 10/02/14

jeudi 2 octobre 2014

Eugene Laverty rejoindra Drive M7 Aspar en MotoGP™ pour 2015 / Eugene Laverty joins DRIVE M7 Aspar Team for 2015

Le team Drive M7 Aspar a confirmé l'arrivée du Nord-Irlandais Eugene Laverty pour la saison 2015 du Championnat du Monde MotoGP™.

Actuellement engagé dans le Championnat du Monde Superbike, Eugene Laverty avait couru dans la catégorie 250cc des Grands Prix en 2007 et 2008. Originaire de Toomebridge, en Irlande du Nord, Laverty a été deux fois vice-Champion du Monde Supersport (2009 et 2010) puis vice-Champion du Monde Superbike en 2013. En six saisons passées en World Superbike, il a couru sur diverses machines et s'est imposé avec chacune d'entre elles, démontrant son talent et ses aptitudes.

Le team Drive M7 Aspar s'apprête donc à accueillir un pilote talentueux qui a suffisamment de potentiel pour continuer à progresser et est ravi de lui offrir l'opportunité de courir sur une Honda l'an prochain.

Jorge Martínez, le team manager, a déclaré : « Eugene Laverty est un pilote avec qui nous étions déjà en contact l'an dernier, nous n'avions pas réussi à le recruter mais c'était un pilote qui nous intéressait depuis longtemps. Je pense qu'il a un grand potentiel, il a fait des courses incroyables en Supersport et en Superbike et il compte beaucoup de victoires, avec des constructeurs différents, ce qui en dit long sur sa capacité à s'adapter. »

« Il n'a peut-être pas eu la chance dont on a besoin pour remporter un titre mondial mais je suis sûr qu'il se donnera à 100% avec Drive M7 Aspar. Je suis certain qu'il continuera à grandir en tant que pilote et qu'il a beaucoup à apporter à ce team. Il est prêt à franchir l'étape pour courir en MotoGP. L'an prochain, nous aurons une nouvelle Honda, plus compétitive, et j'ai beaucoup d'espoir pour notre projet MotoGP. Je suis sûr qu'ensemble nous pourrons obtenir de très bons résultats. »

Laverty a commenté : « Je suis très excité à l'idée de relever ce nouveau challenge. Mon voeux le plus cher était de courir en MotoGP et je vais maintenant le réaliser grâce au team Drive M7 Aspar. J'ai dû attendre longtemps mais j'ai finalement cette opportunité et mon rêve devient donc réalité. J'ai beaucoup appris la dernière fois que j'étais dans le paddock MotoGP mais j'étais très jeune à l'époque et je n'avais pas le bon matériel pour réussir. »

« Maintenant je reviens, dans la meilleure catégorie, avec une moto compétitive et un team expérimenté. J'ai dû faire preuve de patience mais maintenant je suis prêt. Depuis que je suis arrivé en Superbike, j'ai dû m'adapter à beaucoup de motos différentes et j'ai gagné sur chacune d'entre elles, ce qui a été une bonne expérience. Je suppose que ça peut-être un avantage quand on change de catégorie. L'une des principales raisons pour lesquelles j'ai signé avec Drive M7 Aspar est que Jorge et Gino (Borsoi) sont de grands professionnels, avec beaucoup d'expérience dans le meilleur championnat au monde. Avec eux, je suis sûr d'apprendre beaucoup de choses. »

Whilst the 2014 season heads into its decisive phase, the DRIVE M7 Aspar Team is already shaping its plans for 2015 and has confirmed the signing of Eugene Laverty for its MotoGP™ project.

The current World Superbike rider began his international career in Grand Prix, competing in the 250cc category in 2007 and 2008. Laverty, from Toomebridge, Northern Ireland, has twice finished as runner-up in World Supersport (2009 and 2010) and was also runner-up in WSBK in 2013. In six seasons of production racing the 28-year-old has ridden a host of different machinery for various manufacturers, winning races for all of them, showing his adaptability as a rider.

The DRIVE M7 Aspar Team see him as a gifted rider with the potential to continue improving, and is pleased to offer him the opportunity to ride a Honda in MotoGP next season.

The Aspar team this week confirmed that in the smaller categories they will depart from Moto2™ at the end of this year and will have a renewed focus on Moto3™ in 2015 with Mahindra machinery being ridden by Juanfran Guevara, 2014 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup champion Jorge Martin and possibly a third rider.

The signing of Laverty in the premier class is another important step for the Valencia-based team as they prepare to embark on an exciting new chapter.

Team manager Jorge Martinez said, “Eugene Laverty is a rider we were already in contact with last year, we tried to sign him then and even though we didn't manage it at the time he is a rider we have been interested in for a long time. I think he is a rider with great potential, he has produced some incredible races in Supersport and Superbikes, and he has a lot of wins on his record with a lot of different manufacturers, which says a lot about his capacity to adapt.”

“Maybe he hasn't had the luck that you always need to win a world title but I am sure that he will give 100% to the DRIVE M7 Aspar Team. I am sure he will continue to develop as a rider and he can bring a lot to this team. He is ready to make the step to MotoGP. Next year we will have a new, more competitive Honda, and I have a lot of hope invested in our MotoGP project. I am sure we will achieve great results together.”

On the overall changes taking place for the team as they prepare for 2015, Martinez added, “We want to have winning projects and exciting projects. We have had a complicated and difficult year and now we want to concentrate more on our Moto3 project with Mahindra and to give 100% with our MotoGP team.”

Laverty, meanwhile, commented, “I am very excited to take on this new challenge. My greatest wish was to compete in MotoGP and finally it will be granted thanks to the DRIVE M7 Aspar Team. I have had to wait quite a long time but finally the chance is here and my dream has become a reality. I learnt a lot the last time I was in the MotoGP paddock, but I was very young back then and I didn't have the right material to succeed.”

“Now I am coming back in the top category on a competitive bike and with an experienced team. I have had to be patient but now I am ready for this. Since moving up to Superbikes I have had to adapt to lots of different bikes and I have won on all of them, which has been a good experience for me. I guess this can be an advantage as I switch categories. One of the main reasons I have signed with the DRIVE Aspar Team is because of Jorge and Gino (Borsoi), who are top professionals with huge experience in the best championship in the world. I am sure I will learn a lot from them.”

WRC, France : Latvala est bien là ! / Latvala lays down a marker

Jari-Matti Latvala (VW/Michelin) a dominé le Shakedown du Rallye de France-Alsace 2014. Kris Meeke (Citroën) a signé le deuxième meilleur temps devant Sébastien Ogier (VW) et Dani Sordo (Hyundai) qui n’ont pu se départager au 10e de seconde.

Le soleil n’est jamais parvenu à percer cette épaisse brume qui recouvrait la plaine autour du Zénith de Strasbourg ce matin pour la traditionnelle séance de mise au point. Malgré les températures fraîches, les pilotes Michelin avaient tous opté pour le nouveau pneu Pilot Sport H4 (hard).

Toujours candidat au titre 2014, Jari-Matti Latvala a plutôt bien démarré ce Rallye de France-Alsace. Il a signé le meilleur chrono à chacun de ses quatre passages et amélioré de 3s8 entre son 1^er et son 4^e run, soit exactement une seconde/kilomètre. « Je n’ai pratiquement plus aucune chance au championnat, mais mon rêve est de remporter un rallye asphalte. Je ne suis pas passé loin en Allemagne, alors on verra ici. VW étant déjà champion, il n’y a plus de pression de ce côté-là. »

En 2min36s, le Finlandais a devancé d’1s2 le Britannique Kris Meeke. Derrière, l’Espagnol Dani Sordo et Sébastien Ogier ont réalisé le même temps (2min37s7), chrono signé par le Français dans sa 3^e et dernière tentative. « Le Shakedown n’est pas très représentatif du parcours, mais il y a beaucoup de monde et c’est sympa », expliquait Sébastien Ogier, qui a avoué avoir vécu le rallye le plus intense de sa carrière ici l’an passé.

Andreas Mikkelsen (VW), Thierry Neuville (Hyundai), Mads Ostberg (Citroën) et Robert Kubica (Ford) ont terminé dans la même demi-seconde. Pour ses débuts sur une Ford Fiesta RS WRC, l’Ukrainien Yuriy Protasov a devancé d’1/10^e de seconde le Gallois Elfyn Evans qui n’a effectué que deux tours. Deux petits tours aussi pour son équipier Mikko Hirvonen (Ford), devancé d’une seconde par Dennis Kuipers (Ford).

En WRC-2, Sébastien Chardonnet (Citroën DS3 R5/Michelin) s’est glissé parmi les World Rally Cars avec 2min42s4 à son 3^e run. Quentin Gilbert (Ford R5) a terminé à 4 secondes de son compatriote.

Après la conférence de presse à midi, les concurrents se rendront ensuite à Strasbourg pour une séance d’autographes et la cérémonie du podium de départ en fin d’après-midi.

Jari-Matti Latvala (VW/Michelin) topped the shakedown times in Alsace this morning. Kris Meeke (Citroën) was second, ahead of Sébastien Ogier (VW) and Dani Sordo (Hyundai) who were equal third.

The sun failed to break through the mist in time for the shakedown not far from Strasbourg’s Zénith entertainment complex this morning. Despite the early chill, all the Michelin WRC runners opted for the H4 (hard compound) version of the new Pilot Sport H4 asphalt tyre.

Latvala, who can still win this year’s Driver’s crown, kicked of the week with the best time on each of his four attempts and improved by 3.8s between his first and final passes. “I’m practically out of the running for the title but my dream is to win a sealed-surface rally. I came close in Germany. We’ll see how it goes here. VW is already the Manufacturers’ champion, so there’s no pressure on that side.”

The Finn’s best effort (2m36.0s) put him 1.2s clear of Meeke, while Ogier used his third pass to equal Sordo’s 2m37.7s. “The shakedown stage wasn’t really typical of the rally but there were lots of spectators, so that was nice,” observed the defending champion who admits that last year’s Rallye de France was the most intense of his career to date.

Andreas Mikkelsen (VW), Thierry Neuville (Hyundai), Mads Ostberg (Citroën) and Robert Kubica (Ford) were covered by half-a-second. Ukrainian Ford Fiesta RS WRC debutant Yuriy Protasov was one-tenth quicker than Welshman Elfyn Evans who only performed two runs. So did his Ford team-mate Mikko Hirvonen who was a second quicker than Dennis Kuipers (Ford).

The WRC-2 time sheet was topped by Sébastien Chardonnet (Citroën DS3 R5/Michelin) who got amongst the WRC drivers with a time of 2m42.4s at third attempt. Quentin Gilbert (Ford R5) finished four seconds short of his fellow Frenchman.

After the press conference at midday, crews will move on to Strasbourg city centre for an autograph-signing session and the late-afternoon’s ceremonial start.

El día de ''The Greasy Hands Preachers''

Des Bugatti au grenier…

Souvenez-vous, il y a un an, nous vous avions fait découvrir la Cité de l’Automobile– ou Musée national Automobile « Collection Schlumpf » - de Mulhouse. Et son directeur, Martin Biju-Duval, nous avait promis une petite surprise si on repassait dans le coin cette année…

Ce musée, où sont exposés 420 véhicules, abrite la plus belle collection de Bugatti au monde.

La marque est née au début du XX^e siècle. D’origine italienne, Ettore Bugatti n’a que 17 ans quand il conçoit ses premiers modèles. Il ouvre son usine à Molsheim (près de Strasbourg, sur le parcours du Rallye de France) en 1909. Ettore est un véritable génie : il dépose plus de 1000 brevets, dont certains, comme les freins à disques, sont toujours d’actualité plus d’un siècle plus tard.

Modèle phare de la marque, la Bugatti Type 35 est présentée en 1924. Elle remporte plus de 2000 courses (Targa Florio, Grands-Prix, 24 Heures du Mans…) ce qui en fait la voiture la plus titrée de tous les temps. L’accident tragique de Jean Bugatti (fils d’Ettore) en 1939, puis la Seconde Guerre Mondiale et la disparition du fondateur Ettore Bugatti en 1947 précipitent la chute de cette marque prestigieuse.

« En 1957, l’industriel Fritz Schlumpf a racheté tout le stock de Bugatti alors en faillite, ainsi que tous les documents, les plans... Aujourd’hui, 135 Bugatti sont dans le showroom, mais ce n’est pas tout », nous confie Martin, le directeur du musée, en nous entraînant dans un bâtiment annexe en brique. Photos interdites.

« Nous voici dans l’atelier de restauration et au-dessus, il y a deux étages de réserves. Aucun visiteur n’est autorisé à visiter ce bâtiment ». En ce moment, Bertrand et Brice bichonnent une Serpollet type H à vapeur de 1902, une Lambert vainqueur du Bol d’Or et une Pegaso.

C’est en fait pour visiter les réserves que nous sommes revenus cette année. Le monte-charge nous hisse au 1^er étage où des dizaines de Bugatti roupillent sous des linges blancs en attendant d’être restaurées, ou pas. « Hélas, la plupart ne le seront pas car on ne peut pas pousser les murs du musée et les coûts d’une restauration sont très, très élevés. Notre dernière rénovation, une Bugatti Atalante, nous a coûté environ 120 000 € et nous avions toutes les pièces. »

« Il y a ici des modèles uniques comme le seul châssis Bugatti à 4-roues motrices qui était destiné à la compétition juste avant la faillite de la marque. Toutes ces voitures sont classées aux Monuments Historiques. On ne peut pas les vendre, on peut seulement les restaurer à l’identique ou utiliser les pièces pour les modèles qui sont exposés en bas. »

Quelque 200 véhicules – complets ou incomplets - occupent ces deux étages, « dans leur jus » : des Bugatti, Alfa-Romeo, des Rolls-Royce, mais aussi une des toutes premières Peugeot, des Hispano-Suiza... On a aussi déniché une des 200 Citroën BX4TC fabriquées pour pouvoir homologuer la version Gr.B en 1986, et un modèle unique, une Bugatti EB 218 de 1999 (moteur 18 cylindres !) jamais commercialisée.

La marque Bugatti appartient au groupe Volkswagen AG depuis 1998. Le siège et le site de production sont toujours basés à Molsheim.

EXESOR MACHINE

Having just enjoyed a completely splendid day riding the London DGR with some of the finest classic motorcycles from many decades ago, I was reminded what exactly it is about the machines themselves that sets my pulse racing. It’s the engineering. I want to see how my steed is propelled forward, and to what lengths the machinist or designer went to in order to ensure lightness and performance remained of paramount importance. Christian Schwarzenlander of ExesoR Motorcycles shares my enthusiasm, as demonstrated with his previous build we featured, the Café Racer.

Starting out with a bag’o’nails is Christian’s favoured foundation, knowing that he will be remaking virtually everything anyway. The ExesoR Machine was no exception, €200 was exchanged with a mate for a Yamaha SR500 rolling chassis and an engine in a box. 12 months and a dollop of “Dieselpunk” later, here you have the latest creation.

The exquisite hand-formed aluminium bodywork and fuel tank was produced by Omega racing, before being handed over to Bernhard Naumann, AKA Blechmann, the world renowned and award winning craftsman and bike builder, for modification. Christian machined the fuel filler cap. Whilst at it, Blechmann made a seat unit, again from aluminium which Christian had upholstered in aged cow hide.

The SR500 frame has had the unnecessary fixings and tabs removed, and the subframe shortened; with LED indicators grafted into the frame rail ends. Machined from billet aluminium side panels cover a small portion of the rear triangle and avoids that gaping look. Porsche Seal Grey coats the frame and extended swingarm. The battery, relays and unsightly wiring are hidden from view under the seat. Only when wiring is of aesthetic interest should it remain on show. Case in point is the naked ignition coil with its custom made copper windings laid bare.

The wiring loom is all new and custom made, retaining just the basics and disposing of unwanted heft and complication. As is the norm now, low-load LEDs light the way ahead and warn those behind. The speedo is by Daytona, mounted in custom bracketry, with turned brass warning lights, again with tiny LEDs inset. The clipons are by Fehling with in-house CNC machined brake fluid reservoir cap and aluminium grips, finished in brown leather.

The engine was 90% complete when Christian got his hands on it, so a complete overhaul seemed the right thing to do. Whilst the head was off, speed holes were machined into the cooling fins. Nothing says vintage racer quite like speed holes. Velocity stacks feed air in and stainless steel drag pipes by Two Hands Motorcycles blurt it back out.

Forks feature upgraded Wirth springs and the stanchions have been shortened 50mm, further speed holes attached to the legs add to the top speed potential. At the rear bespoke Hagon shocks with reduced travel were fitted, to compensate for the longer swingarm.

Christian must have stocked up on cutting tips and worked his lathe hard as there are custom brass fastenings from nose to tail. Rearsets are a bit of a pain to manufacture, especially when companies like LSL produce such fine components; so a pair of these were fitted.

About the only thing standard on this bike are the wheels, painted in antique copper. Avon tyres maintain a period look and avoid any visual clashes with the rest of the bike.

David Matl managed to commandeer a steam train museum for the shoot, nice touch. See more of David’s work on his Facebook page.

Christian is hunting now for another budget donor on which a new project will be based, to see his previous work and to keep on eye on the next build head to his website.

via The Bike Shed

1952 B.S.A. A10 Golden Flash

Story by Greg Williams; Photos by Amee Reehal

Resurrecting Rust

It’s easy to see where some motorcycles get their name.

Take, for instance, the B.S.A. A10 Golden Flash. Introduced late in 1949 as a 1950 model, B.S.A.’s Golden Flash was the first 650cc parallel twin in the company’s range. And, it was finished in a sandy beige – almost gold – colour. This was at a time when most other British motorcycles came in dour black on black.

The A10 was a logical progression from the B.S.A. A7, a post-war 500cc parallel twin motorcycle that was designed by Val Page and Herbert Perkins. Launched in 1946, the A7 was by all accounts a solid and staid mount, but was saddled with lacklustre performance.

When news broke in 1949 that B.S.A.’s competition, Triumph, was developing a 650cc twin the Birmingham Small Arms company had to respond. B.S.A. designer Bert Hopwood was given the task. He engineered the 646cc A10 powerplant with overhead valves and single camshaft – this placed behind the cylinders. The A10 had to be ready in a few short months, and to shave development time the 35 horsepower 646cc engine simply bolted straight into the A7 chassis. The frame, fork and wheels of the 500cc machine were more than strong enough to handle the extra power output of the new and larger 650cc engine.

By 1950 both the A7 and A10 featured plunger rear suspension. Prior to plunger suspension, the B.S.A.’s had a rigid rear frame. Simply stated, plunger suspension sees the axle of the rear wheel mounted between an upper and lower spring in a pair of towers either side of the rear frame, thus effecting a form of suspension. However, plunger-style rear suspension did not last long. In 1954 a more modern full swingarm setup with dual shocks was introduced to both the A7 and A10 range. The A10 carried on with the Golden Flash, and other variants such as the Super Flash, until 1963.

When it comes to finding and restoring a motorcycle there are easy ways and hard ways. The easy way is to restore a complete machine. The harder way is to take on a basket case project, one where the previous owner has dismantled the bike. And one of the hardest ways is to pick up bits and pieces, eventually building a complete motorcycle from parts.

And that’s how in 2003 B.S.A. fan Grant Sauerberg of Calgary acquired this project. He rescued a derelict and slowly rusting B.S.A. A7 chassis – exactly the same as an A10 frame — from under the back porch of a house. Lacking an axle the front wheel was loosely held in the forks with an oversized Philips screwdriver shaft. In the garage of the same house were several pieces of A7 and A10 motorcycles, but the only semi-complete engine was a 1952 model year 650cc A10 powerplant. Included in the package was one brand new B.S.A. Golden Flash gas tank that had never seen the light of day and a new old stock dual saddle.

While those brand new pieces made the package rather attractive, Sauerberg still had his work cut out for him. Several key parts were missing including the correct front fender, oil tank, headlight and instruments, controls, chainguard and air box. The engine was minus the cylinder head, carburetor, clutch and primary covers.

But for Sauerberg, it is the hunt for elusive and critical components that he enjoys. “I’d rather build a bike up from parts than do a complete motorcycle – there’s a lot more pride when you’re all done. I enjoy starting with the worst, and making a silk purse out of a sow’s ear; I do like the serious challenge.”

With his B.S.A. project home in his garage Sauerberg got to work stripping the sub-assemblies down and taking stock of the parts he did have. A list of missing pieces was drawn up, and Sauerberg contacted many of the British parts suppliers in Canada, including British Cycle Supply, Motoparts, Moto Montreal and Walridge. He found some used parts such as the correct front fender locally, and a fellow B.S.A. enthusiast in Crowsnest Pass supplied the correct headlight, engine pushrods and springs for the rear plungers. What he could not find, he made, and that included the air filter/battery box.

What was left of the engine came apart, and the cases were cleaned up with soda blasting – a less aggressive form of grit than glass or sand. The engine was rebuilt with all new bearings, and the crank was turned and fitted with undersized shells. The cylinders were bored and new pistons and rings fitted, and the head – which he located at a Red Deer swap meet – was treated to new guides and valves. Ignition is by Lucas K2F magneto, and he took what he had on hand apart and installed new bearings and spark shields. When he was done, the mag threw a good, strong spark.

“I wasn’t building a race engine, but I wanted a good, sound motor,” Sauerberg says of the rebuild. The gearbox was opened up, but was found to be in decent nick, so was not completely disassembled.

Sauerberg ordered new rims and spokes for the wheels. The rim centres were painted gold to match the colour of the bike, and the hubs cleaned, painted, and fitted with new bearings. He laced and trued up the wheels, and had the rims hand striped in red paint to separate the gold centre from the chrome rim. As luck would have it, Sauerberg had a complete set of front forks that he had rebuilt for another project, but he had gone in a different direction with that particular B.S.A. So, the hydraulic forks were surplus to requirements, and they were put into service in the Golden Flash.

The frame required little attention save for some work to the springs in the rear plungers. Paint was computer matched to the colour of the new old stock gas tank, and Sauerberg painted most of the machine himself. He did, however, have the front and rear fenders and the toolbox professionally sprayed. Assembly of the B.S.A. was smooth and straightforward, and the project was topped off with a brand new AMAL pre-Monobloc carburetor. According to Sauerberg, this instrument was the single most expensive component he bought for the motorcycle.

“This was a very lovely bike to work on,” Sauerberg says of the Golden Flash. “It didn’t seem to fight me as much as other projects I’ve done.” And, hot or cold, the B.S.A. is a one-kick starter. When he had only 35 miles on the clock Sauerberg took the machine on a 450 mile Geezers on Wheezers tour in northern Alberta. Nothing broke, and the machine required very little fettling. Now, the B.S.A. has logged some 2,200 essentially trouble-free miles.