WRC, Monte-Carlo : Avantage psychologique pour Loeb / Loeb claims psychological advantage

La saison WRC 2015 a démarré cet après-midi avec le Shakedown du Rallye Monte-Carlo remporté par un revenant, Sébastien Loeb (DS3 WRC/Michelin). On s’attend à un nouveau duel de Seb sur les routes verglacées du Monte-Carlo.

Un an déjà que le Rallye Monte-Carlo était de retour dans la région de Gap ! Le parc d’assistance, situé en bordure de la RN 85 vers Sisteron, n’a que peu changé depuis 2014, sauf peut-être le nombre de spectateurs. Cet après-midi, dès qu’il y avait un attroupement, on pouvait être sûr qu’il y avait un Seb ou la voiture d’un Seb dans le coin !

Cela faisait longtemps que nous n’avions pas vu autant de monde devant le paddock Citroën. Les spectateurs étaient groupés à côté d’une DS3 WRC avec les lettres L O E B sur les vitres latérales, dans l’espoir d’apercevoir le septuple vainqueur du Monte-Carlo (2003, 04, 05, 07, 08, 12, 13). Et à chaque fois qu’il apparaissait, on entendait Seb, Seb !

Il y avait du monde aussi devant le paddock VW Motorsport pour voir Sébastien Ogier. Le pilote Volkswagen n’a peut-être pas encore le même aura que son rival, mais il a grandi ici, dans la région de Gap. Ceci étant, on a entendu des gens murmurer « C’est lui ? » en montrant du doigt Julien Ingrassia, son copilote, ou Jari-Matti Latvala, son équipier !

Huit ans plus jeune que Loeb, Ogier a gagné deux fois le Monte-Carlo (2009/2014) et entend bien se rapprocher de son rival au palmarès. Les fans, eux, espèrent vivre un nouveau duel mémorable pour fêter le retour de Loeb.

Sébastien Loeb a officiellement mis un terme à sa carrière sur une sortie de route au Rallye de France 2013. Ironie du sort : c’est par une sortie de route, ce matin en reconnaissances, qu’il a marqué son retour en WRC ! Il aurait été distrait et aurait mal négocié une épingle…

Cet après-midi, le Shakedown nous a permis de jauger l’état de forme des pilotes. Sébastien Loeb a réalisé le meilleur chrono en 2min21s devant son équipier Kris Meeke (DS3 WRC), avec plus d’une seconde d’avance sur Ogier sur les 3,52 km de la spéciale. Le pilote Citroën n’a donc pas trop perdu la main et semble être en mesure de relever le défi que lui propose le double champion du monde, Sébastien Ogier.

Ce sera un duel à distance, toutefois, car jusqu’à dimanche matin, les deux hommes vont être séparés par 14 voitures (28 minutes) et il y a de fortes chances que cet espacement joue sur les performances de chacun. Mais en faveur de qui ?

On verra bien…

The 2015 WRC kicked off officially with this afternoon’s shakedown which was won by Sébastien Loeb who is making a one-off appearance this week. The result will obviously boost the Citroën/Michelin driver’s morale ahead of his eagerly-awaited clash with Volkswagen/Michelin rival Sébastien Ogier.

A year has passed already since we were last in Gap, shaking hands and wishing each other a Happy New Year after the winter break.

Little has changed since 2014 and, once again, there has been a healthy flow of spectators in the service park. And you can bet that where the crowds formed, there was a ‘Seb’ – or a ‘Seb-car’ – nearby!

It’s effectively been some time since we last saw so many people in front of the Citroën area. Unsurprisingly, they tended to gather at one end, near the DS3 WRC with the letters L-O-E-B on the side windows, hoping to catch a glimpse of the seven-time Monte winner (2003/04/05/07/08/12/13). Each time he did appear, the familiar chant of “Seb, Seb!” broke out spontaneously.

There have been similar gatherings at Volkswagen Motorsport’s ‘garage’, in this case waiting to catch sight of Sébastien Ogier. The VW driver may not enjoy the same household reputation as his Alsace-bred rival, but here he is on home soil, since he was raised in the mountains north of Gap. That said, some of the local onlookers could be heard whispering “Is that him?” as they pointed to his co-driver Julien Ingrassia, or to team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala…

Eight years younger than Loeb, Ogier has won the Monte twice (2009/14) and is looking to take a step closer to his former team-mate’s record this week, but rally fans are hoping that their media-fuelled rivalry will produce a memorable battle to celebrate Loeb’s fleeting return from ‘retirement’.

The latter ended his formal WRC career with a roll on the 2013 Rallye de France. Funnily enough, he began his comeback event with another roll, this time on a road section during this morning’s recce! It appears he was distracted and slipped off the road negotiating a hairpin…

This afternoon’s shakedown was always going to provide an interesting indication of the pair’s current respective form and Loeb promptly posted the session’s best effort (2m21.0s). That was more than a second clear of Ogier over the snow-free 3.52km run!

Clearly, the Citroën driver hasn’t lost his touch and it seems we are effectively heading for the clash of giants everybody has been hoping for.

That said, the two Frenchmen will spend much of the rally running up to 14 cars apart on the road (with Ogier at the front of the field) and there is a chance that this difference will affect their stage times and tactics. But in whose favour? That remains to be seen and, to a large extent, will depend on how the week’s weather turns…

We shall see!

HAZAN MOTORWORKS

Since he was young he's been fascinated with putting things together - especially motorcycles. But he's much more than your typical "gear head." Max Hazan builds custom motorcycles -- by hand.

HAZAN MOTORWORKS from FADE IN: Creative on Vimeo.

Des conditions très « Monte-Carlesques » ; Perfect Monte Carlo conditions!

Comme les concurrents, nous avons effectué les reconnaissances des étapes 1, 2 et 3 du Rallye Monte-Carlo 2015. Il y avait 15 km de neige dans l’ES10 et nous n’avons pu franchir le Col de Fontbelle dans l’ES12… Ce Monte-Carlo s’annonce magnifique !

Il a neigé la nuit dernière sur Gap et la météo prévoit encore des chutes de neige jusqu’à samedi dans le Sud-Est de la France. Avec des températures positives en matinée, 2 à 4°C, la neige n’a pas tenu en plaine. Mais…

Le départ de l’ES10, Lardier & Valença-Faye, la plus longue spéciale du rallye (51,70 km) était sec. Mais après 10 km, nous avons trouvé les premières traces de neige à la sortie de Barcillonnette. Les 6 km d’ascension jusqu’au Col d’Espréaux, puis les 6 km de descente jusqu’à Châteauneuf d’Oze étaient complètement enneigés. Les 10 km suivants, très rapides jusqu’à Chabestan, étaient constitués de « patches » de neige. En tout, près de 50 % de la spéciale étaient donc enneigés.

Dans Sisteron-Thoard (ES12, 36,85 km), la neige a commencé à Authon, au km 20, et pour gravir le Col de Fontbelle, il fallait absolument être équipé de pneus cloutés car la neige recouvrait une route verglacée. Nous avons dû rebrousser chemin et contourner la spéciale par Sisteron et Château-Arnould pour nous rendre à Entrevaux, départ de l’ES1 programmée jeudi soir, à 20h21.

Cette première spéciale (21,31 km) entre Entrevaux et Rouaine, n’a plus été empruntée depuis 1983 ! Elle démarre sur une route très étroite et sinueuse, entre la falaise et le ravin, avec de grosses pierres au milieu de la chaussée. On se croirait dans les Gorges du Verdon voisines. Puis, après une dizaine de kilomètres, le rythme s’accélère avec des ciels à fond et des enchaînements rapides et bosselés jusqu’au Col de Laval. La dernière descente est sinueuse, sur asphalte lisse et humide, qui pourrait être givré de nuit.

C’est aussi les conditions qui attendent les concurrents dans l’ES2, le célèbre Col du Corobin entre Norante et Digne les Bains (19,68 km), avec un asphalte lisse et humide. Cette spéciale a toujours été difficile avec de nombreux changements de rythme et des freinages appuyés pour des épingles serrées.

Le Rallye Monte-Carlo 2015 débutera donc jeudi par deux spéciales piégeuses à disputer de nuit. Il ne devrait pas y avoir de neige, mais on pourrait s’attendre à du givre et du verglas. Les spéciales de vendredi, au nord de Gap, sont ultra-rapides. Quand nous les avons parcourues, hier, il y avait très peu de neige. Mais, à 1000 mètres d’altitude, elle pourrait tenir. Sébastien Ogier, serait alors très pénalisé. Règlement oblige, le champion du monde en titre doit en effet ouvrir la route jusqu’à dimanche matin. Il devra alors compter sur les concurrents en Rally2 qui feront la trace vendredi et samedi.

Like the competitors, we spent Monday and Tuesday visiting the stages that will feature on the first three days of the 2015 Rallye Monte Carlo. We found 15km of snow on SS10 and we were unable to reach the Col de Fontbelle mountain pass on SS12. This has the makings of being an exceptional Monte Carlo!

It snowed in Gap last night and more of the white stuff is expected to fall over southeast France between now and Saturday. With daytime temperatures of up to 4°C, it soon melted at lower altitudes but the wintry weather couldn’t have been better timed…

The start of this year’s longest stage (SS10, ‘Lardier & Valença-Faye, 51.70km) was dry but the first signs of snow were spotted exiting the village of Barcillonnette. The ensuing 6km climb to the Col d’Espréaux and the 6km descent to Châteauneuf d’Oze were completely snowy. The nest 10 kilometres – a fast section to Chabestan – were covered in patchy snow and only about half the total distance was totally clear.

On ‘Sisteron-Thoard’ (SS12, 36.85km), the snow started after 20km, in Authon, ahead of the climb to Col de Fontbelle. Studded tyres were essential because there was a layer of ice underneath, so we had to perform a U-turn and skip the rest of the test to travel to Entrevaux, the start of Thursday evening’s SS1 (8:21pm local time).

This 21.31km stage (Entrevaux-Rouaine) hasn’t been used by the Monte since 1983! It begins with an extremely narrow, twisty portion along the flank of a mountain, with big stones in the middle of the road. After 10 kilometres or so, the pace picks up with a number of blind flat-out corners and sweeping, albeit bumpy sections up to the Col de Laval. The asphalt of the twisty final descent was damp and slippery, and could well become icy after dark…

Similar conditions await competitors on SS2 (19.68km) which visits the Col du Corobin en route from Norante to Digne-les-Bains. This has always been one of the rally’s most challenging stages with several rhythm changes and some heavy braking for the tight hairpins.

The 2015 Rallye Monte-Carlo will consequently kick off on Thursday evening with two particularly treacherous night-time stages. The likelihood of snow there is low, but there is a high chance of frost and ice.

Friday’s stages north of Gap are very fast, too. There was very little snow when we drove them on Monday. However, at altitudes in excess of 1,000 metres, there could well be more by the end of the week. That would put the local star Sébastien Ogier, who will be first on the road, at a disadvantage. Indeed, the world champion could well find himself at the front of the field until Sunday unless Rally2 returnees end up running ahead of him to help clear some of the fresh snow…

History of the GS - Part Three

1970's G/S Prototypes

Throughout the 1970's BMW continued to be very successful in the dirt, which lead to the development of new off road designs.

At the time, small single-cylinder two-stroke Honda and Yamaha bikes were creating an Enduro craze in the USA, but BMW envisioned a new machine, with a four stroke engine and a suspension that was capable of riding over long distances without strain and so the idea of the large, comfortable endurance bike was born.

In 1978 the Italian company Laverda developed a prototype for BMW It was known as the GS 800.

The same year, BMW's test department built a prototype for cross-country moto-sport events. It was created without formal BMW approval and featured a single sided swing arm known as a monolever.

The following year a team of six BMW factory riders competed in several major off-road events. They were riding a GS 800 prototype with better suspension, a lighter frame and an 800cc motor assembled from various BMW parts.

The next year BMW sent two factory teams to the major races and won several titles with the GS 800.

With these victories fresh in mind, the GS 800 prototype set the stage for the introduction of a production model the following year.

On January 1st, 1979, a new management team at BMW was presented with the prototype as the basis for a new production model.

It combined components from the R80 road model with newly developed elements. A lighter rear end and larger front wheel formed the basis of its off road credentials, but the most outstanding innovation was a single swing arm on the rear wheel. The concept was approved and the development of the G/S went into high gear.

Initial tests of the new G/S were performed in Ecuador in January 1980. During the trip, the motorcycles and riders had to prove themselves in extreme climatic conditions. By that fall, just 21 months after the initial approval of the concept, BMW's first production enduro was ready to be released to the public.

Stay tuned for the fourth installment in our 'History of the GS' video series!

FORKS The Book by Allan Karl

FORKS The Book by Allan Karl from Allan Karl on Vimeo.

STEEL BENT TRIUMPH ADVENTURER

Well blow me down with a feather if it isn’t another T300 Triumph. After preaching the potential of the heavyweight Hinckley but not a week ago with Macco Motor’s Hustler, a bit of sibling rivalry has suddenly appeared. With the Legend having got all the attention, it’s now the turn of the Adventurer; this time put together by new wave veterans Steel Bent Customs. Led by Michael Mundy, the breadth of bikes they turn their hand to is vast, all put together with the same focus of clean lines and attention to detail.

The bike ended up being a sister-build to Black Betty (bam-ba-lam), that we featured all the way back in August 2012. Having seen it on social media, the client contacted Michael to commission a similar ride with a dose more Café and a little less Brat. Hailing from Oklahoma (where the wind comes sweepin’ down the plain) the bike would be shuttled out to the Sooner State once completed so a rugged donor was essential. Despite the rarity, a ’96 Triumph Adventurer was found just down the road from SBC in Tampa Bay; though presumably not in Tampa Bay, and provided the ideal base to build on.

Expunging all evidence of it’s relaxed roots, the bike now sits with a classically aggressive stance. Reworking the rear suspension linkage raised the back of the bike, to allow the rider to grapple with the new clubman bars in a more manageable manner. After a thorough examination and full service the mechanicals were given the A-O.K. and required no further fettling; though the engine received a set of freshly chromed covers, adding some classic shine to the shades of black. The requisite radiator side covers also got prettied up allowing the cooling system to shine rather than distract from the classic aesthetic.

Making the tall Triumph look lithe is no small achievement and SBC’s complete reworking of the seating arrangement makes all the difference. With the substantial sub-frame gone, the electrics were whisked away, tucked up between the seat frame rails, while a small-but-mighty battery now sits on the aluminium swingarm. Simple clean lighting is the order of the day, an LED enhanced unit shines a light on the black top ahead. Tucked further back between the stanchions than the original, it adds to the poise of the machine.

A key request from the client was the contrasting gloss black tank and glacier white wheels. The tonal pairing, put together by Craig Paints Bikes & Pro-Fab Powder Coat really makes the bike look light on it’s feet, despite carrying a heavyweight punch. A seat from their friend’s across the Bay, the classic Dime City item crowns the new sub-frame and is starkly different to the bulkier two-up original. It allows for a really neat setup. the cats-eye light peering out from underneath. Small mesh ’59’ side covers graciously nod back to bikes inspirational roots, without slapping you in the face with nostalgia.

To make the most of the torquey triple the powder-white rims wear a set of Avon Roadriders. These tyres are a great compromise, offering substantial performance with a tread pattern that isn’t jarringly modern. A 120 up front and a 150 out back balance plenty of rubber without dominating that slender rear end. The engine itself breathes in through pod filters, replacing the convoluted airbox assembly; the carbs having been rejetted to suit. Like Rodgers and Hammerstein at full pelt, the 885cc engine now bellows out through a 3:1 Cone Engineering across the prairie.

Collected by the delighted owner, she’s back in Oklahoma, sharing garage space with a Zero Engineering bobber; that sounds like a rather nice two-bike combination to me.

As usual, make sure you’re following Steel Bent on Facebook for all their latest endeavors, or get in contact via their site if you fancy something to stick in your own garage.

via The Bike Shed

ADRENALINE MACHINE URBANUS

There was a time when we were receiving several BMW Customs a week through the Shed, but things have slowed down a little over the past couple of months, they are still coming through, I think they will always be a popular donor and lets face it, they don’t die and BMW built loads of them, so they will continue to appear as long as people continue to customise them, but for now; we’re getting picky about which ones make it online, with the amount we see; they need to be done right, when I first saw this one it looked pretty simple, but simple is seldom… simple, so we asked for better photographs and sure enough, this is a lovely take on the classic BMW Boxer.

This particular build is from Adrenaline Machine, a custom shop that specialises in restoring and customising any brand of bike, but has worked with the BMW Boxer more than others, AM are based in a charming village on the outskirts of Madrid called Alcobendas and have been operating as a full time professional shop for the last 2 years, they prefer to work with vintage bikes and their aim is to design and create reliable custom motorcycles, hence the use of the ever reliable agriculturally natured BMW’s, but vintage and reliable can be hard to combine!

With a pool of talent at their disposal, including design, mechanics, fabrication, upholstery and paint, Adrenaline Machine still insist on trying to use only the best donors, this 1978 R100RS was sourced for its impeccable service history and overall quality and it was from trusted seller. Once the R100 was in the workshop, the extensive and laborious task of stripping her down took place; everything except the engine and chassis were removed, checked and replaced, the engine and frame were treated to bead blasting, then the frame received a high finish oven baked paint job.

The aim was for a sleek look, so the fuel tank from an R75/6 was chosen to replace the original, it was then painted in a deep triple coat and heavily lacquered and buffed for a gloss finish with infinite depth. The highest quality leather seat was fabricated and the addition of the leather tool roll helps give the brown solid rights within all the black and silver. As for logos, this is a BMW, so it wears its BMW badge with pride, it may get an Adrenaline Machine logo in the future, but you can be sure that it’ll be simple, sleek and subtle.

The sub frame was fabricated with meticulous detail to acquire the best riding position possible, so the Renthal bars were fitted, people had to perch, fabricators had to measure, cut, probably measure again and cut a few more times; then electrical heat fused those perfectly cut sections to give the most ergonomic riding position possible, it looks simply; but as I said, simple looks are often complicated to achieve!

Once the sub and main frames were sorted, it was time to design and mount exhaust supports, fender and speedo brackets and a battery box, then the original wheels were replaced with spoke ones, with polished rims, new stainless steel spokes and the wheel hubs were cleaned with micro sphere brushes. A new 16cm diameter headlamp replaces the original and the old speedometer has made way for the Motoscope Classic from Motogadget.

Hagon rear shocks support that new rear end, they’re great quality, affordable and most importantly; reliable. Original R100RS exhausts have been used, but they are brand new and they match the proportions of the bike perfectly. AM tells us that she rides superbly; she has much more stability thanks to the removal of the excess weight of the original bike, so the centre of gravity is lower; that coupled with the refreshed and replaced suspension, I bet she rides like a new bike, after all; that’s pretty much what we have here.

So very soon this wonderfully simple piece of automotive art will be looking for a new home, maybe you will be the old boxers future guardian, get in touch with the guys at Adrenaline Machine if you’re interested, or maybe they will have something else that you like, we hear they have also just finished 2 R100GS Scramblers, one named ‘Brava’ and another named ‘Dynamite’ as well as an R65 Bobber named ‘The Bicyle’, other builds from Café Racers and restorations are ongoing.

Huge thanks to the guys other at Adrenaline Machine, we look forward to seeing more of your work in the year ahead.

via The Bike Shed

The Ducati Scrambler is so 2015 – meet 2017’s pair of Husqvarnas

Husqvarna, the Swedish motorcycle manufacturer inextricably linked with Steve McQueen, has announced it will put the pair of classy 401 concepts it revealed at EICMA 2014 into production…

No doubt inspired by the success of not only its own pair of concepts, but also another pared-back nod to the past – the revived Ducati Scrambler – Husqvarna has cited 2017 as the expected year of arrival for the ‘productionised’ pair of 401 concepts. Going by the names ‘Vit Pilen’ and ‘Svart Pilen’ (White Arrow and Black Arrow respectively), the bikes are inspired by the Silver Pilen of the 1950s.

Don't call them ‘retro’...

In an interview with Swedish magazine Bike, Husqvarna MD Reinhold Zens confirmed a 2017 launch, stating that time was necessary to make the bikes fit for the road. “They [the production versions] might not look exactly the same, as the concepts are design-based dreams, while a finished model must follow laws and regulations, but they will definitely have the same style.” However, despite their obvious links with the past, he’s quick to avoid ‘retro’ connotations. “Retro motorbikes often have old technology and redundant engines. We look at the very best technology we have, including brand new engines, while maintaining the link to the classic and the brand’s heritage by design.” In two years, we’ll find out just how successful that transition from concept to customer proves to be.

Photos: Husqvarna

You can find numerous classic motorcycles for sale in the Classic Driver Market.

2002 Suzuki TL1000R

Written by Marlon Slack.

Incredibly, in stock trim the Suzuki TL1000R is as ugly as it is torquey. With its rounded, fat fairing and ungainly looking seat, in the bike symbolizes much of what was wrong with the late 90s – along with Balkan ethnic cleansing, mass flooding deaths in China and the rise of ska music. Nick O’Kane – powersports sales manager at K&N air filters – saw the potential hidden underneath all the bulbous plastic of a 2002 model TL and put together this gorgeous custom that looks great, handles beautifully and has the powerplant to match.

Powered by the extremely capable 996cc V-twin engine, the TL was released in 1998 to tackle the incredibleDucati 916. But, plagued by average race results and mediocre sales figures the heavy, awkwardly-handling TL was pulled from World Superbikes after just one year and Suzuki went back to what they did best – producing bland inline fours. Despite this less-than-stellar showing, over the years the TL has developed a dedicated fanbase who love the affordable, reliable horsepower that the Suzuki offers. But they’ll be the first people to admit the TL does have some problems.

The main issue with the TL1000 is the much-vaunted rear rotary damper. The fat, square little unit combined spring and dampening functions, designed to make the best use of the limited space at the rear of the v-twin engine. A great concept – except the damper quickly overheated and heavy braking would lead to pretty serious cases of bucking, chattering and death. Nick was quick to replace the rotary damper with a Hyper-Pro unit that vastly improved the handling. To match the rear some GSXR1000 forks were installed in the stock triple clamps. R6 calipers, EBC pads and stainless Goodridge brake lines round out the impressive list of suspension modifications that will stop the curious sensation TL owners often experience – of the bike trying to spit its owner off around corners.

And it sounds like that’s what happened to Nick’s 2002 TL1000R. Picked up as a wreck for $800 the bike was in very rough condition. It had a busted frame, it was covered in dust and had scratched and broken plastics. To tidy it up the swingarm, wheels and frame were powdercoated and the gauge mount, seat pan and top triple tree were modified in a backyard workshop. Once the fairings were removed the wiring loom of the fuel-injected Suzuki had to be trimmed back – all 400 miles of it. After an agonizing few days of cutting and soldering Nick was able to fit most of the stock connectors into the Ducati Monster headlight and the remaining wires tucked up alongside the stock airbox.

The gorgeous exhausts were provided by Roland Sands Design, air filter supplied by K&N, a power commander was fitted and the bike spent some time on the dyno to ensure the TL’s engine was drumming along comfortably. The Wes Cooley race replica paint scheme came to life through MotoGP Werks in California – and the matching patterns on the rims are a nice touch. The chequered solo seat was completed by Saddleman and there’s a myriad of aftermarket parts here too – RSD handlebars, PSR grips, gas cap and levers and VooDoo rearsets.

Ken’s created a modern, reliable bike that was affordable to build, looks tidy as hell and, with its excellent engine and new suspension, would be fantastic to ride.

via pipeburn

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