ACE CAFE RADIO

    samedi 27 juin 2015

    WTCC ; La joie d’une pole à domicile pour Loeb / Loeb stuns for WTCC pole in France with sizzling sub-record lap


    Sébastien Loeb s’élancera en pole position de la JVC KENWOOD WTCC Race of France grâce à un tour impeccable réalisé en qualifications au Castellet.
    Flash qualifications : La joie d’une pole à domicile pour Loeb
    Loeb devance ses équipiers chez Citroën Yvan Muller, José María López et Ma Qing Hua. La marque d’une totale domination du constructeur français sur ses terres. Tom Chilton, au volant de sa Chevrolet privée, complète le Top-5 et domine le Trophée Yokohama.


    Sébastien Loeb will start his home round of the FIA World Touring Car Championship on pole position following a red-hot Qualifying for JVC KENWOOD WTCC Race of France at Circuit Paul Ricard this afternoon, during which the Frenchman showed why he is one of the most crowned champions in motorsport. Loeb also beat last year’s pole time by three-tenths of a second to underline his sensational performance for Citroën.
    Qualifying report: Loeb stuns for WTCC pole in France with sizzling sub-record lap
    In ambient temperatures of 32 degrees centigrade, Loeb, the nine-time world rally champion, stunned his Citroën team-mates and WTCC title chasers Yvan Muller and José María López to snatch his first top spot of the season, with Ma Qing Hua locking out the front two rows of the grid for the French make. Tom Chilton topped the Yokohama Drivers’ Trophy in fifth, one place ahead of fellow Chevrolet Cruze pilot Hugo Valente.
    Loeb has never previously started a WTCC race from the DHL-presented pole position, making his achievement particularly satisfying. It also came at the venue where he made his circuit racing debut in 1997.
    He said: “I certainly didn’t expect to be sitting on pole tonight when I woke up this morning. It was really intense, because we saw already from the start of Qualifying that it would be very, very tight – as we already knew it would be from before. You have to take a few risks and this is what I did. I made a little mistake in turn nine but in the end I actually gained some time because of that, as I pushed really hard in the entry. I made the difference in the last sector so maybe it was good to do it like this. It’s always difficult for me since the start of the season to fight with my two team-mates in qualifying because they are always able to put everything together and I am struggling. But today I was able to do it and I’m really happy for that.”
    Citroën drivers have now taken pole for all seven rounds of the season so far but with the performance gap between its different drivers shrinking all the time, as the balance of power shifts from race to race.
    Tom Chilton was fifth in his ROAL Motorsport Chevrolet as the top Yokohama Drivers’ Trophy contender, a result that delighted the Englishman. “At the start of the session I was a little bit nervous,” he said. “I thought there was a good chance we would be outside of the top 10. But then I saw that we were all separated by just tenths of a second – so I realised that we even had a chance of pole.”
    French up-and-coming talent Hugo Valente was sixth in a similar Chevrolet, ahead of two Honda Civic WTCCs driven by former F1 driver Tiago Monteiro from Portugal and Hungarian Norbert Michelisz. LADA’s Jaap van Lagen is ninth while P10 for Moroccan privateer Mehdi Bennani – albeit by 0.015s ahead of Grégoire Demoustier – means that he will start the reverse grid second race from pole for Sébastien Loeb Racing.
    A broken suspension part restricted Rob Huff to Q3 and caused the Briton to spin into a water-filled barrier. Stefano D’Aste and Nicky Catsburg also suffered off-track moments while Tom Coronel just missed out on a spot in Q2, as did Gabriele Tarquini. Honda Racing team Sweden’s Rickard Rydell was P17 ahead of his WTCC centenary race on Sunday afternoon. John Filippi completes the list of runners.
    Qualifying points: Sébastien Loeb (5pts); Yvan Muller: 4pts; José María López: 3; 3; Ma Qing Hua 2; Tom Chilton (1).

    16ÈME RALLYE TERRE DE LANGRES HAUTE-MARNE - ETAPE 1 ; Jean-Marie Cuoq reçu 4 sur 4 !


                                         Jean-Marie Cuoq reçu 4 sur 4 !
    Vainqueur des quatre spéciales programmées aujourd’hui, Jean-Marie Cuoq (Citroën C4 WRC) n’a pas fait de détails ! A l’issue de la première étape, il devance Lionel Baud (Ford Fiesta WRC) et Cyrille Féraud (Citroën Xsara WRC). En Championnat Deux Roues Motrices, c’est Jean-Paul Monnin qui mène la danse devant Emmanuel Gascou et Stéphane Consani, tous trois sur des Peugeot 208 R2. Révélation du début de saison en 208 Rally Cup, Jose Suarez continue sur sa lancée puisqu’il a dominé cette première étape de la tête et des épaules.

    Les pronostics n’ont pas été déjoués sur la première étape du Rallye Terre de Langres Haute-Marne ! Archi favori, Jean-Marie Cuoq n’a laissé aucune miette à ses adversaires en remportant les 4 spéciales du jour. Parti prudemment sur la première boucle pour ne pas se faire piéger en balayant, le pilote de la Citroën C4 WRC a haussé le ton dans l’après-midi pour augmenter son avance sur Lionel Baud. Troisième à Langres l’an passé, le Haut-Savoyard est pour l’instant en phase avec ses ambitions annoncées avant l’épreuve, à savoir faire mieux qu'en 2014 !

    Derrière ces deux hommes au dessus du lot aujourd’hui, l’écart est saisissant car Cyrille Féraud pointe à plus de 2 minutes de la tête de course. Auteur d’une course sage pour son deuxième rallye au volant de la Citroën Xsara WRC, Cyrille Féraud est solidement accroché à la troisième place.

    Alors qu’il regrettait l’absence d’Arnaud Mordacq lors de la conférence de presse, Stephan Codou n’a pas perdu le rythme malgré l’absence son adversaire favori ! Quatrième ce soir, le Gardois domine largement en Groupe N, malgré une petite erreur commise dans l’ES3 (tout droit).

    Brillant leader de la 208 Rally Cup, Jose Suarez occupe une superbe cinquième place au général devant Jean-Marc Falco (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo9), dernier pilote classé dans le top 10 au volant d’une 4 roues motrices !

    En effet, ce ne sont pas moins de 4 208 R2 qui complètent le top 10 ! Jean-Paul Monnin, qui occupe par ailleurs la tête en Deux Roues Motrices ce soir, est septième en devançant Emmanuel Gascou, Stéphane Consani et François-Xavier Blanc.

    Si Jean-Marie Cuoq et Lionel Baud ont tué tout suspense en ce qui concerne la victoire, en Deux Roues Motrices la bataille fait rage. Les 4 pensionnaires de la 208 Rally Cup cités précédemment occupent les quatre premières places en devançant Vincent Dubert (Citroën DS3 R3), leader du Championnat avant cette épreuve. Au terme de cette première journée, ces trois hommes sont regroupés en moins de 13 secondes, ce qui promet pour demain !

    Les réactions
    IMG_3307 copie

    Jean-Marie Cuoq (Citroën C4 WRC), leader : 
    « Avec une année de roulage, je connais désormais tous les réglages sur la Citroën C4 WRC. Cela m’a bien aidé aujourd’hui pour me remettre vite dans le bain ! On a creusé l’écart assez rapidement sur les deux premières spéciales. Les pistes étaient balayées au deuxième passage, le grip était bon et nous avons continué à attaquer pour augmenter notre avance. Demain, il faudra être prudent. »

    Lionel Baud (Ford Fiesta WRC), deuxième : « Malheureusement, je suis toujours deuxième derrière Jean-Marie ! Cet homme est redoutable avec sa C4 WRC. Je peux rouler plus vite je pense mais je n’aurai pas assez de marge de sécurité. Je dois améliorer ma prise de notes pour demain… »

    Cyrille Féraud (Citroën Xsara WRC), troisième : « Nous sommes troisièmes ce soir et c’est déjà très bien. En plus, nous avons pas mal d’avance sur nos poursuivants. Il faudrait essayer de se rapprocher un peu plus des leaders, mais je veux continuer à me familiariser avec la voiture… »

    Jean-Paul Monnin (Peugeot 208 R2), leader provisoire en Championnat de France des Rallyes Terre Deux Roues Motrices : « Ce soir, je suis deuxième en 208 Rally Cup où il y a un gros niveau ! Je vais tout faire pour terminer sur le podium de la formule de promotion. Si tout va bien ce serait également synonyme de victoire en Championnat Deux Roues Motrices ! On verra demain si on peut faire cette ‘double’ bonne opération ! »

    Jose Suarez (Peugeot 208 R2), leader provisoire de la 208 Rally Cup : « Aujourd’hui, j’avais un bon feeling avec la voiture. Je suis vraiment content car j’ai tout donné mais demain la journée sera longue. Il ne faudra pas de déconcentrer car derrière ça va très vite. Il faudra donc attaquer et ne pas baisser le rythme sous peine de faire une erreur… »

    Classement provisoire :
    1.Jean-Marie Cuoq - Marielle Grandemange (Citroën C4 WRC), A8W en 38:53:4
    2.Lionel Baud - Pascal Serre (Ford Fiesta WRC), A8W + 23:4
    3.Cyrille Féraud - Aymeric Duchemin (Citroën Xsara WRC), A8W +2:00:3
    4.Stephan Codou - Stéphane Triaire (Subaru Impreza), N4 + 3:11:1
    5.José Suarez - Candido Carrera (Peugeot 208 R2), R2 + 3:14:1
    6.Jean-Marc Falco - Jonathan Boheri (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo9), R4 + 3:31:7
    7.Jean-Paul Monnin - Franck Gilliot (Peugeot 208 R2), R2 + 3:47:6
    8.Emmanuel Gascou - Céline Chapus (Peugeot 208 R2), R2 + 3:52:7
    9.Stéphane Consani - Lara Vanneste (Peugeot 208 R2), R2 + 3:53:8
    10.François-Xavier Blanc - Gilles De Turckeim (Peugeot 208 R2), R2 + 3:55:8

    Meilleurs temps :
    Jean-Marie Cuoq (Citroën C4 WRC) : 4

    Leader :
    ES 1 à 4 : Jean-Marie Cuoq (Citroën C4 WRC)

    Principaux abandons :
    Laurent Fouques (Subaru Impreza) : Mécanique dans ES2
    Jordan Berfa (Peugeot 208 R2) : Suite sortie après ES2
    Kévin Bochatay (Peugeot 208 R2) : Mécanique dans ES3
    Jacky Chassaniol (Citroën Saxo T4) : Mécanique après ES2

    Yamaha Return to Wheels & Waves 2015



    Yamaha returned to Biarritz this summer to participate in the annual Wheels & Waves motorcycle and surf event for the second time. Bringing a host of new Yard Built motorcycles, including an XV950 Side Car from Deus Ex Machina and an XJR1300 from Numbnut Motorcycles. Yamaha also used the occasion to launch the Faster Sons concept with legendary Japanese custom bike builder Shinya Kimura.


    The Kings of Winter - Malle London


    While the rest of us wait for summer, a few men and their machines defy winter and take to the ice.
    We'd been tipped off about the race the day before - we traveled up to a huge lake 2 hours from the Canadian border - when the ice is thick enough a small group of motorcycle riders spread the word and meet in the middle of the lake. This is the story of that race.


    The Kings of Winter - Malle London from MALLE London on Vimeo.

    Find out more about the story in the Malle Journal at mallelondon.com/the-kings-of-winter

    ‘94 Suzuki DR650 – Blitz Motorcycles


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    Struggling to find a donor motorcycle for your next build? Asking prices for ratty old SR400’s making your shake your head? Refuse to spend all your time and money on a glorified old Honda commuter? Thankfully there are better starting points for your next project. Big bore trailbikes. They’re reliable, they’ve got a bit of poke and they’re still very affordable. So here’s a guide on how to turn an old chook-chaser into a blacked-out side street carver like this 1994 DR650 ‘Arsenale’, put together by French company Blitz, makers of some of the nicest switchgear you’ll ever mash your thumbs against.
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    Step 1. Ditch the old surf swirl graphics that keep the DR looking like it’s wearing an 80’s leisure suit. Gut the air box and break out the grinder, cutting off all unnecessary tabs and mounts hanging off the frame. And while you’re there cut down the rear subframe and weld in a loop, with dedicated holes to sneak in some LED brake and indicator lights. While the TIG welder is out and sparking make up a battery case under the seat to cradle a lithium-ion battery.
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    Step 2. If you haven’t already, form a relationship with your local powdercoater. They’re an odd bunch no matter where in the world you are. Try taking them a small present like meat, alcohol or an unwanted child. Then tear the rest of the bike apart and get everything blasted and powder coated gloss black. And I mean everything. The fork legs, engine covers, swing arm, side stand, hubs, foot pegs and triple clamps.
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    Step 3. While everything is off getting electrified, sprayed and baked, turn your attention to the key part of a good DR tracker build. Replace the huge 21” front wheel that makes DR650 cornering so lazy for something smaller. On this bike, Blitz are running 17-inch wheels on the front and back. It’ll make it turn in quicker and will offer a much better selection of rubber.
    23_05_2015_blitz_suzuki_05
    Step 4. Freshen up the engine. Cross yourself, look skywards and thank the flying spaghetti monster that you’ve decided to dedicate your attention to a single cylinder engine. One piston, one set of rings, some rockers and one bespoke stainless steel system is all it takes to get a DR drumming along nicely. At this stage, I’d recommend visiting a friend lavishing attention on an old Honda four watch them eat pot noodles for a month to afford the same set of parts.
    23_05_2015_blitz_suzuki_06
    Step 5. By now you should have gotten everything back from the powdercoater. Bolt it all up and admire the progress you’ve made. Swap the tank for something a little lighter, more beautiful and significantly less ‘dirtbikey’ than standard. An old Suzuki GT125 tank worked just fine for the guys at Blitz.
    23_05_2015_blitz_suzuki_07
    Step 6. Bolt everything back into the frame. Affix a small speedo keeping the front end looking nice and light. Find an old auxiliary headlight from a ‘70’s rally car to mount up and strip the loom back to its bare essentials. Install some lightweight, slim French-built controls from Blitz on a pair of old Triumph handlebars you have lying around. Step back and admire.
    23_05_2015_blitz_suzuki_08
    Step 7. (Optional) Lend your newly created pride and joy to one of the world’s most famous motorcycle racers when he’s in town and looking for a set of wheels. Someone like, say, Roland Sands. Then, at 20km/h and in first gear, let the man crash it on some light gravel right before its first public debut at the screening of a motorcycle film.
    And there you have it. You’ve got an affordable head-turner that’s quick, exotic and still manages to bark into life every time you thumb the starter. And if you do piece together a bike as cool as Blitz’s ‘Arsenale’ and can’t track down a former US #1 plate holder to drop it, I know of a semi-employed motorcycle journalist who would be happy to help.
    [Photos: Gary Jézégabel]
    via PIPEBURN

    Oliveira triomphe au Motul TT Assen devant Quartararo / Oliveira takes incredible Moto3™ victory


    Le Portugais s’est imposé juste devant Fabio Quartararo et Danny Kent samedi aux Pays-Bas.
    Quartararo partira septième à Assen
    Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) a remporté la seconde victoire de sa carrière en Grand Prix samedi au Motul TT Assen en sortant vainqueur d’un groupe de sept pilotes. 
    Devancé par Fabio Quartararo (Estrella Galicia 0,0) au milieu du dernier tour, le Portugais a finalement eu le dernier mot et s’imposait avec 0.066s d’avance sur le rookie français, qui montait sur le podium pour la deuxième fois. 
    Danny Kent (Leopard Racing) a pris la troisième place devant Jorge Navarro (Estrella Galicia 0,0), Romano Fenati (SKY Racing Team VR46), Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing Team Moto2) et Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo). 
    À vingt secondes du groupe de tête, Karel Hanika (Red Bull KTM Ajo) a fini huitième devant Niccolò Antonelli (Ongetta-Rivacold) et John McPhee (SaxoPrint-RTG), dont le coéquipier Alexis Masbou a été contraint à l’abandon. Jules Danilo (Ongetta-Rivacold) a de son côté manqué le point de la quinzième de seulement 0.070s.
    Cliquez ici pour accéder aux résultats.
    Deuxième pole consécutive pour Bastianini

    Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Miguel Oliveira takes his second Moto3™ victory in a simply sensational race at the Motul TT Assen.
     Oliveira takes incredible Moto3™ victory
    The packed grandstands at the legendary TT Circuit Assen bore witness to a incredible seven way battle for victory in an epic and dramatic Moto3™ race in which Miguel Oliveira claimed his second victory of the season by just 0.066s.
    The sun came out to play and track temperatures rose to 26°C before the start of what would turn out to be an incredibly dramatic race. A leading group of seven riders broke away from the rest of the field in the early stages to provide drama and excitement in equal measure as they fought tooth and nail for the victory.
    The lead swapped hands at almost every corner, as the riders in the leading group put move after move on each other, but it was Oliveira who timed his charge to perfection to snatch the lead just before the final chicane and held on across the line to take KTM’s 3rd win of the season ahead of 16-year-old Frenchman Fabio Quartararo (Estrella Galicia 0,0) and championship leader Danny Kent (Leopard Racing +0.117s).
    Jorge Navarro (+0.179s) had to settle for fourth ahead of the hard charging Romano Fenati (+0.252s) on the Sky Racing Team VR46 KTM, while the man who started form pole, 17-year-old Italian Enea Bastianini (+0.526s), crossed the line in sixth.
    Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) was the last man in the leading group in seventh, with his teammate Karel Hanika wining the battle for eighth in the chasing pack (+21.406s) ahead of Niccolo Antonelli (Ongetta-Rivacold) and John McPhee (SAXOPRINT RTG), who completed the top ten.
    RBA Racing’s Niklas Ajo crossed the line in 17th in remarkable fashion having lost control at the final corner in the battle for 8th and managing to hold on while hanging completely off the side of his bike to finish the race, eventually crossing the line on his knees.
    Maria Herrera looked on course for her first top-ten finish before Antonelli took her out after losing control under braking while she was leading the chasing group in 8th. Her teammate Isaac Viñales also crashed out after contact from Juanfran Guevara, while Efren Vazquez, Andrea Locatelli, Zulfhami Khairuddin, Alexis Masbou and Tatsuki Suzuki all failed to finish, with the latter suffering from a technical fault on the first lap.
    Kent managed to extend his lead in the championship standings once more, and is now 57-points clear of Bastianini, with Oliveira another 6-points back in third.
    Check out the full Moto3™ Race results, and the latest championship standings.
    Masbou : « Nous pouvons nous battre devant »

    Rossi remporte son duel face à Márquez à Assen / Rossi takes dramatic win after epic duel with Marquez


    L’Italien s’est imposé sur le tenant du titre après un contact dans la dernière chicane.
     Rossi takes dramatic win after epic duel with Marquez
    Qualifié en pole position pour la première fois de l’année, Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) a très solidement mené la course du Motul TT Assen jusqu’à ce que Marc Márquez (Repsol Honda) ne parvienne à revenir sur lui et à passer en tête pour se lancer dans un fantastique duel avec le nonuple Champion du Monde.
    Repassé devant l’Espagnol à deux tours et demi de l’arrivée, Rossi avait l’avantage en arrivant dans la dernière chicane mais a dû couper le dernier virage en passant par les graviers après avoir été poussé par Márquez. L’Italien remportait ainsi sa troisième victoire de la saison et repartait d’Assen avec dix points d’avance sur son coéquipier Jorge Lorenzo (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP). 
    Passé de la huitième position sur la grille à la troisième place en l’espace d’un tour, le Majorquin n’a pas pu prendre la roue des deux leaders et s’est contenté d’une troisième place en solitaire, loin devant Andrea Iannone (Ducati), Pol Espargaró (Monster Yamaha Tech3), Bradley Smith (Monster Yamaha Tech3), Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) et les deux pilotes du Team Suzuki Ecstar, Aleix Espargaró et Maverick Viñales.
    Loris Baz (Athinà Forward Racing) a décroché sa seconde victoire en catégorie Open en finissant quinzième, sa position de départ.
    Cliquez ici pour accéder aux résultats.

    Zarco s’impose à nouveau devant Rabat à Assen / Zarco wins showdown with Rabat in Moto2™


    Le Français a doublé le Champion en titre à deux tours de l’arrivée pour s’offrir une seconde victoire consécutive, sa troisième de l’année.
    Suite à un bien mauvais départ, Johann Zarco (Ajo Motorsport) a de nouveau réalisé une superbe fin de course pour aller chercher la victoire devant Tito Rabat (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) au Motul TT Assen, dans une course réduite à seize tours suite à un drapeau rouge. 
    Devancé par Jonas Folger (AGR Team) et Rabat au départ, le Français est patiemment revenu sur ses concurrents et s’est emparé de la première place devant Rabat à deux tours de l’arrivée pour immédiatement faire le break et prendre une troisième victoire et cinq points de plus que le Champion en titre, qu’il devance désormais de 45 points.
    En tête durant toute la première moitié de la course, Folger a perdu en rythme sur la suite et a fini septième tandis que Sam Lowes (Speed Up Racing) s’emparait de la troisième place devant Álex Rins (Páginas Amarillas HP 40), Tom Lüthi (Derendinger Racing Interwetten) et Xavier Siméon (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2).
    Cliquez ici pour accéder aux résultats.
    Zarco wins showdown with Rabat in Moto2™
    Moto2™ World Championship leader Johann Zarco came out on top in duel with rival Tito Rabat in a re-started race at the Motul TT Assen.
    Ajo Motorsport’s Zarco took victory in front of the passionate Dutch fans that had flocked in to see his showdown with title rival Tito Rabat at the TT Circuit Assen in conditions that improved as the race went on, with the sun coming out and track tempereatures rising to 28°C. The re-started race was reduced to 16 laps because of a red flag on the very first lap during the original race, after an incident between Marcel Schrotter, Anthony West and Luis Salom that saw the latter crash out and his bike catch fire, leading to oil on the track.
    During the re-start Zarco got bogged down off the line while AGR Team’s Jonas Folger led into the first corner, and built up a lead of almost a second over Tito Rabat in second. Zarco picked his way through the field and attempted to make a move on Rabat for second on lap 4, with the two rivals making contact and Zarco running wide.
    It didn’t take long for Rabat to close down Folger and take the lead on lap 8, with Zarco also passing the German shortly afterwards. Rabat the built a 0.5s gap at the front, before Zarco started to hunt him down. Zarco timed it to perfection as he took the lead with three laps to go, giving Rabat a ‘nudge’ in the process, and went on to win his third race of the season by 0.757s. Rabat had no answer to Zarco’s pace, and had to settle for second, with Speed Up Racing’s Sam Lowes (+2.080s) crossing the line in third after an excellent ride for his 3rd podium of the season.
    Paginas Amarillas HP40’s Alex Rins (+03.738s) crossed the line in fourth ahead of Thomas Luthi (+4.530s) on the Derendinger Racing Interwetten Kalex and Federal Oil Gresini Moto2’s Xavier Simeon (+5.045s) in sixth.
    Folger faded after his excellent start to the race, eventually finishing in seventh, with Mika Kallio (Italtrans Racing Team) in eighth and rookie Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) equalling his career best Moto2™ finish in ninth.
    Athina Forward Racing’s Simone Corsi completed the top ten as his teammate Lorenzo Baldassari crashed out of the race in an incident with Anthony West. Louis Rossi, Ricky Cardus and Florian Alt also recorded DNF’s, with Luis Salom not able to take his place on the grid for the re-started race due to the damage to his bike from the red flag incident.
    Zarco (159pts) has now extended his Moto2™ World Championship lead over Rabat (114pts) to 45 points, with Sam Lowes (96pts) consolidating third a further 18 points back.

    A Guide to the ’60s Style of Grand Prix

    Grand-Prix-Style-Guide-Gear-Patrol-Lead-Full
    When John Frankenheimer’s ’66 film Grand Prix debuted in theaters, the film wowed audiences and critics alike with its front-seat cinematography and dramatic portrayal of global sports stardom. In the real world, Formula 1 was entering its prime, an unprecedented spectacle of glamor, prestige and danger. Frankenheimer, who would later direct Ronin, famously shot Grand Prix with Super Panavision 70 in an effort to capture the visceral spirit of the sport, going on to win three Academy Awards in the categories of sound and editing. Considered one of the greatest car movies of all time, it also happens to be a menswear reference guide for cosmopolitan cool, when racers matched their sweaters to Ferraris and kicked back with the likes of Françoise Hardy. Formula 1 has never looked so good.
                                                  Grand-Prix-Style-Guide-Gear-Patrol-5
    Buck Mason Natural Crew Pima Tee ($28) | Hedon Hedonist Empress (~$471) | Hermes Clous de Selle ($810)
                                        Grand-Prix-Style-Guide-Gear-Patrol-3
    Quixotic The July Pocketsquare ($45) | Apolis Washed Linen Civilian Blazer ($298) | Baracuta G9 Jacket ($390)
                                                 Grand-Prix-Style-Guide-Gear-Patrol-1
    Warehouse Lot 4601 Pocket T-Shirt ($58) | Levi’s 501 CT Slim-Fit Jeans ($80) | Schott Lightweight Cafe Racer Leather Motorcycle Jacket ($750)
                                                Grand-Prix-Style-Guide-Gear-Patrol-2
    J. Press Lightweight V-Neck Cotton Sweater ($109) | J. Crew Bowery Classic Pant in Wool ($128)
                                                      Grand-Prix-Style-Guide-Gear-Patrol-4
    Wood&Faulk D-Ring Belt ($98) | Gant Yale Pinpoint Gingham Regular Button Down ($115) | Unis Gio ($198) | Rancourt & Co. Shell Cordovan Pinch Penny Loafers “Caramel” ($650)


    Honda ‘Mad Dax’ – Ed Turner Motorcycles


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    Being the Japan-o-philes that we are, we’re usually the first ones to put up our hands when the eccentric Japanese bikes are wheeled out of a builder’s shop. Whether it be the Motocompo, the Monkey, or the Dax – if it looks manga, we’re usually gaga. So imagine our reaction when we first laid eyes the very latest build from tré cool builder Karl “Ed” Renoult and his ‘Ed Turner’ Motorcycles. A Honda XLS 500 that’s been customised to look like a Dax? I’d be lying if I told you that we put on giant robot costumes and danced crazily to J-Pop, but I really wished we had.
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    Play nice – it’s Karl’s sister on the bike
    The story starts as many labours of love often do. The unloved ‘79 Honda XLS 500 in the back of the shop that Karl just couldn’t figure out what to do with. Then it hit him; the power of a big single matched with a tough but playful aesthetic would kill it. Sure, the chassis would require a lot of attention and those ridiculously skinny wheels do really sting the eyes, but still. “I had zero time, and zero budget,” says Karl. “So naturally I started immediately.”
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    “Once the frame was naked, I was surprised to find some rather attractive curves. For once, the rear part of the bike’s frame will be kept, although i’ll admit to modding it just a little.” But the major frame work came from a rather unexpected source –  Karl’s first ‘front loop’. The idea was simple. Channel the spirit of the original Dax, but up the ante with an adult-sized machine.
    So while E.T.’s trainee Alexis was working hard to resuscitate the engine, Karl bent and assembled the bike’s first new tubes. A few hours of welding later, the engine was on and the bike has been shod with solid and polished HD wheels. “It already looked good and won all the votes in the workshop.” Next up, the forks. “Rummaging around, we finally decided on a set of BMW R65 tubes in Yamaha XV750 sheaths, with home-made fork bridges and a Ténéré caliper. It worked, and it cost exactly nothing.”
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    The light, supplied by Karl’s buddy Joe, was free-of-charge. And the rear light? “It was offered by the prison administration and mounted on a skate truck that was wrestled from a kid on my street last season,” And no, we have no idea what he means by ‘prison administration’ means, either. Those crazy French!
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    Potato sack, minus the potatoes
    “The engine received all the necessary care before a coat of Ford V8 blue. Then we added a few parts for a ‘drag’ feel: a hand-made exhaust pipe, some aluminium controls, a sprocket cover with a flame cut and a bike’s pedal as a kick starter.”
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    Then, after making the hidden fuel tank (see the last pic), Karl whipped up the Dax-like poly half-shell fairings that are directly inspired by the helmet gifted to the shop by hip Brit helmet makers Hedon. A few Googles revealed that the material Hedon used was prohibitively expensive and very difficult to obtain. The obvious alternative? A potato sack. “It was much more in tune with my finances. So the model, mold and poly were again made by Joe. The guy knows resins very well, but he’d never tried using burlap – until now.”
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    Please tell us they took it down the slide
    “We purchased the stuff in a much more feminine store than we were used to. We had a good laugh when the saleswoman yelled ‘MIREIIILLLE! DO YOU STILL HAVE SOME BURLAP FOR THESE TWO YOUNG MEN?’ across the store.”
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    The final touches were simple – some black satin epoxy on the chassis and assorted parts, two beautiful Avon tyres and a few small handles to complete the overall vintage look. And what a look it is. Now if anyone wants us, we’ll be taking this to the beach and reenacting our favourite bike scenes from Fury Road.
    [Photos by Pierre Le Targat]
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    Side car ..........