vendredi 24 juillet 2015
BLANCPAIN GT SERIES 24H Spa, Qualifs : Stippler et l’Audi R8 LMS/WRT en pole !
Superpole :
1 – Audi R8 LMS – Audi Sport Team WRT (Stippler) : 2.18.130
2 – McLaren 650S GT3 – Von Ryan Racing (Estre) à 17 millièmes
3 – Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 – Kessel Racing (Piccini) à 46 millièmes
4 – McLaren 650S GT3 – Von Ryan Racing (Parente) à 124 millièmes
5 – Bentley Continental GT3 – Bentley Team M-Sport (Soulet) à 220 millièmes
6 – Audi R8 LMS – Audi Sport Team WRT (Vanthoor) à 282 millièmes
7 – Mercedes SLS AMG GT3 – Black Falcon (Schneider) à 297 millièmes
8 – BMW Z4 GT3 – Marc VDS (Catsburg) à 321 millièmes
9 – Bentley Continental GT3 – HTP (Abril) à 352 millièmes
10 – Bentley Continental GT3 – Bentley Team M-Sport (Kane) à 362 millièmes
A noter que dix autos sont sous investigation pour le contrôle des limites de la piste : #5, #6, #8, #9, #11, #18, #21, #58, #59, #84.
Les chronos sont ici
Five different brands in six tenths during Superpole
Frank Stippler takes pole for Total 24 Hours of Spa
Frank Stippler (#2 Audi Sport Team WRT) proved to be the fastest qualifier during the Superpole Session for the 2015 Total 24 Hours of Spa. The German driver – the winner in 2012 - barely pipped the #58 Von Ryan Racing McLaren of Kevin Estre by 0.017 of a second, with Andrea Piccini in the #11 Kessel Racing Ferrari - fastest in the Pro-Am Cup - only 0.046 behind. Alvaro Parente in the second of the Von Ryan Racing McLarens completed the second row of the grid. With cars from Bentley and BMW in the top 10 as well, this meant five different brands on the first five rows of the starting grid for the 2015 Total 24 Hours of Spa.
Superpole is all about having a faultless lap, something which is hard to accomplish under normal conditions, and the added pressure did not make the challenge any easier. Laurens Vanthoor (#1 Audi Sport Team WRT) and Maxime Martin (#45 BMW Sports Trophy Team Marc VDS), the two Belgian favourites to take the pole, were not able to set a perfect lap and had to settle for sixth and tenth positions respectively.
Vanthoor's team-mate Frank Stippler had a near perfect run in the #2 Audi Sport Team WRT and managed to set a 2'18.130, the fastest lap in the GT3 era of the Total 24 Hours of Spa. The top three cars were separated by less than five hundredths of a second (and the fastest ten cars - representing five different manufacturers - by less than six tenths), another proof of the competitiveness of the Blancpain Endurance Series and the Total 24 Hours of Spa in particular.
So Frank Stippler and Andrea Piccini took pole in Pro Cup and Pro-Am Cup respectively, while the #24 Team Parker Racing Audi will be on pole for the Am Cup, after the #10 Akka ASP Ferrari lost its fastest lap and incurred a ten-place grid penalty after a yellow flag infringement during the night qualifying session on Thursday evening.
Tomorrow promises plenty of activities. When the cars of the Total 24 Hours of Spa are competing on track, the Lotto Village will be the epicentre of the off-track entertainment. The highlight is without a doubt Martin Solveig’s DJ Set, but before the Frenchman takes to the stage, other DJs will give their all as well, starting at 9pm. But the Lotto Village is worth visiting long before the concert starts. Fans of the Total 24 Hours of Spa can also admire the amazing riders from the Circus Trial Tour or the finalists of the Nismo GT Academy. There is plenty of activities for the whole family as well. Bumper cars, fairground rides, drink and food stands, merchandising shops: you can find everything in the Lotto Village. And do not forget the impressive fireworks on Saturday evening!
Tomorrow's action starts at 9am, with a twenty-minute Warm Up, followed by four support races: the Formula Renault 2.0 NEC, Trofeo Abarth Europe, Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo and Porsche Carrera Cup. The start of the 67th running of the Total 24 Hours of Spa will be given at 4.30pm.
Frank Stippler (#2 Audi Sport Team WRT): "The guys have done a great job in preparing the car for the Superpole. This was about the best lap I could do, I think. Of course I am proud of this achievement, but it is only a small step. Tomorrow we will see how competitive the car is over a long run."
Kevin Estre (#58 Von Ryan McLaren): "Yesterday I found it very difficult to drive the car, but during the night session we slowly managed to improve the car. For this Superpole the engineers decided to try something new and it worked out very well. Of course it is a bit disappointing to miss the pole position by just 17 thousandths of a second, but it still is a good starting position for the race."
Andrea Piccini (#11 Kessel Racing Ferrari): "After the qualifying session I promised I would try to beat Laurens Vanthoor and Maxime Martin - and I did - but these two guys proved to be even quicker. Our aim is to go for the Pro-Am Cup honours, my team-mates are in a good position for the championship, but if we can go for a good result overall, we will take that opportunity as well."
8 Heures de Suzuka : Team Green en pole provisoire / Team Green grabs provisional pole
Le team Green a créé la surprise en signant le meilleur temps des essais qualificatifs de la 38ème édition des 8 Heures de Suzuka, deuxième épreuve du Championnat du monde FIM d’Endurance (EWC). La Kawasaki n° 87 devance les teams officiels, Yamaha Factory Racing team et Musashi Harc-Pro Racing Team.
Les 8 heures de Suzuka dérogent au règlement du Championnat du monde FIM d’Endurance. Contrairement aux autres épreuves, on ne retient pas ici la moyenne des meilleurs temps des trois pilotes mais uniquement le temps du meilleur pilote.
Avec 84 équipes inscrites, les pilotes ont été partagés en deux groupes pour disputer les qualifications. Les cinq teams plus rapides de chaque groupe à l’issue des qualifications sont qualifiés pour disputer la Superpole, Top 10 Trial, qui redistribue les 10 premières places sur la grille de départ. Les teams choisissent deux pilotes pour un seul tour lancé. Le moins rapide part en premier.
L’étonnant Kazuki Watanabe a battu le record en endurance de Takuya Tsuda réalisé lors de la Superpole 2014 en 2.06.703. Watanabe a bouclé son meilleur tour lors de la deuxième séance qualificative en 2.06.656 et hisse la Kawasaki n°87 en pole provisoire des 8 Heures de Suzuka.
Yamaha Factory Racing Team (Espargaro/Smith/Nakasuga) pointe en deuxième position avec un chrono de 2.06.877 signé par le pilote japonais. Pol Espargaro a chuté lors de la deuxième session endommageant lourdement la Yamaha n°21 mais sans gravité pour l’Espagnol.
Le Team Kagayama (Kagayama/Kiyonari/Haga), Musashi Harc-Pro Racing Team (Stoner/Takahashi/Van Der Mark), YOSHIMURA SUZUKI Shell ADVANCE (Waters/Lowes/Tsuda), MotoMap Supply, Eva RT Test Type 01 Trick Star, FCC TSR Honda (Hookes/Aegerter/Smith), Honda Dream RT Sakuraï Honda et Toho Racing with MORIWAKI sont qualifiés pour la Superpole.
Sixième du groupe A et première équipe permanente, le YART (Parkes/Silva/Morais) qui a enlevé la pole position en 2012 et 2013, échoue de peu aux portes de la Superpole malgré un tour en 2.08.973 de Broc Parkes. L’équipe autrichienne s’est montrée cependant plus rapide que le quatrième du Groupe B.
Malgré une piste sèche, on dénombre de nombreuses chutes dont notamment celles de Takumi Takahashi, coéquipier de Casey Stoner sur la Honda officielle, Grégory Leblanc et Matthieu Lagrive (SRC Kawasaki), Bastien Mackels (BMW Motorrad France Penz13.com), Anthony Delhalle (SERT), Freddy Foray (Honda Racing Team).
Les dix premières équipes ont rendez-vous demain à partir de 15h30 (Heure locale, 8h30 heure française) pour disputer le Top 10 Trial.
Team Green was the surprise winner of qualifying for the 38th 8 Hours of Suzuka, round two of the 2015 FIM Endurance World Championship (EWC). The N°87 Kawasaki outpaced the Yamaha Factory Racing Team and Musashi Harc-Pro Racing Team machines.
In contrast to the other rounds of the EWC, the qualifying order for the Japanese classic is not based on the average of the three riders’ best laps. Instead, positions are simply dictated by the fastest time of each bike.
Given the 84-strong entry, the riders were split into two groups for the session, with the five fastest teams in each group going on to take part in Saturday’s Top 10 Trial shootout which will decide the first 10 places on the grid. Teams have to nominate two riders each for a single flying lap and the slowest of the pair starts the race.
The surprising Kazuki Watanabe established a new EWC track record by bettering Takuya Tsuda’s 2m6.703s set in 2014’s ‘super-pole’ session. His effort of 2m6.656s put the N°87 Kawasaki firmly on provisional pole.
Yamaha Factory Racing Team (Espargaro/Smith/Nakasuga) was second best with a 2m6.877s (Nakasuga), but Pol Espargaro fell in the second session. He escaped unhurt but the N°21 Yamaha sustained severe damage.
Team Kagayama (Kagayama/Kiyonari/Haga), Musashi Harc-Pro Racing Team (Stoner/Takahashi/Van Der Mark), YOSHIMURA SUZUKI Shell ADVANCE (Waters/Lowes/Tsuda), MotoMap Supply, Eva RT Test Type 01 Trick Star, FCC TSR Honda (Hookes/Aegerter/Smith), Honda Dream RT Sakurai Honda and Toho Racing with MORIWAKI also earned a ticket for the Top 10 Trial.
The best-placed EWC-registered team was the race’s 2012 and 2013 pole-winner, YART (Parkes/Silva/Morais). Broc Parkes’ lap of 2m8.973 was the sixth-fastest in Group A, spelling the end of his team’s qualifying bid, even though the Australian would have come fourth in Group B!
Despite the dry conditions, there were several falls. Main victims were Casey Stoner’s factory Honda team-mate Takumi Takahashi, SRC Kawasaki’s Grégory Leblanc and Matthieu Lagrive, Bastien Mackels (BMW Motorrad France Penz13.com), Anthony Delhalle (SERT) and Freddy Foray (Honda Racing Team).
Saturday’s Top 10 Trial will start at 3:30pm local time (GMT+7).
RUA MACHINES #6
That’s it, I am moving to Portugal. We have for a while now been banging the drum proclaiming the glory of the machines coming out of the Iberian Peninsula and yet there seems to be no let up in the flow of utterly gorgeous motorcycles. This little 1974 Honda CB360 is the latest head turner to reach our digital shores, courtesy of the gentlemen at Rua Machines.
Armando Fontes, Marco Mendes and Victor Rocha founded Rua Machines back in 2011.Many nights spent nostalgically musing over their two wheeled childhood day dreams convinced them that an outlet was required for their pent-up creativity and thus Rua was born. The Bike Shed was founded that very same year but it was not until February this year that our paths crossed. RUA #7, a beautiful Kawasaki Z650, was soon followed up with pictures of Armando’s personal steed, RUA #1, an elegant Suzuki GS450. Now circuitously we find our pages graced by RUA build #6.
The little Honda had been left forgotten in a Garage for 11 years before it found salvation in it’s present owner that cherished it for a further twenty before rolling the now dishevelled machine through the doors at Rua headquarters.
Armando takes up the story.
“When he contacted us to transform the bike, he wanted one like RUA #1. But we were thinking of a different thing, we did not want to undress very much the 360 personality, we did not want to remove the side covers. Our idea was to take advantage of all of her personality and make a scrambler with caffeine and blood of dirt.”
Armando takes up the story.
“When he contacted us to transform the bike, he wanted one like RUA #1. But we were thinking of a different thing, we did not want to undress very much the 360 personality, we did not want to remove the side covers. Our idea was to take advantage of all of her personality and make a scrambler with caffeine and blood of dirt.”
The small Honda twins, be they CB or CJ, 350 or 360, always seem to come out of a customisers hands looking just right. The proportions of the original machine are spot on and the engine is a simple, handsome lump. A little nip and tuck in all the right places produces as pure and simple a motorcycle as you could possibly wish for, Rua’s version offers further proof.
They started by subtly altering the stance by raising the original rear suspension close to 2 cm to give a slight forward slope, the tilt in the tank line lending the CB a more purposeful intent. The engine was thoroughly worked over and received hours of arduous cleaning and a splash of satin black. The electrical system and all running gear also received a thorough refresh. Tyres are matching Heidenau K67 4.00-18s front and rear.
The beautiful tailpiece was crafted in steel, wrapping the taillight like a vintage american car. For the paintwork an understated bronze was chosen with flat black panels, the slice of black through the tail unit elegantly extends the visual lines of the bike whilst giving away Armando’s day job as a fashion designer. A subtle number six in those lovely original side panels designates its place in the Rua bloodline.
The seat is finished in waterproofed Alcantara adding a further texture to the ensemble of matte, shiny, exhaust wrap and rubber. A Motogadget Tiny speedo, Biltwell grips, underslung mirror, a 6′ headlight with custom rim, custom mudguard and bars from a ’72 CB125 complete the details. Rua also changed the starting process so that it starts off the key to keep the bars tidy.
The little Honda was presented at the last Art & Moto event in Lisbon, which judging by what we have seen of the scene in Portugal must have gathered one fine collection of motorcycles. Time to start learning the language I reckon, starting with Rua – Street. This is going to be easy…
via The Bike Shed
Yamaha XSR700 - Born tomorrow
The first production motorcycle defined by Yamaha’s Faster Sons philosophy has arrived. Taking everything cool from Yamaha’s rich heritage of iconic machines, including the legendary XS650, the XSR700 adds cutting edge technology to the mix for an amazing riding experience. If you want the best of both worlds, the XSR700 is here to deliver.
EXTRA LEAN: ROUGH CRAFTS’ HARLEY XR 1200
Our favorite customs usually leave us scratching our heads: do we want to stare at them all day, or ride the pants off them? Winston Yeh has a knack for building such bikes.
The latest offering from the Rough Crafts stable is no different. It’s called ‘Rusty Slider,’ and it’s a decidedly leaner take on the Harley XR 1200.
In theory, the XR 1200 had everything going for it when it launched: notably a punchy motor and flat-track styling. Except it was a bit on the porky side, and the looks didn’t quite hit the mark. But that wasn’t a a problem for Winston, who’s whipped the XR into shape like few can.
Winston’s plan was to take the XR back to its flat-track roots, but with a more street-orientated slant. “The old XR 750 racer is simply one of the coolest bikes ever,” he says, “so the direction was clear: turn a 2010 XR 1200 into an XR 750-style street tracker!”
The wheels are matching 19” x 3.00 Roland Sands Del Mar items, wrapped in Maxxis dirt track rubber. They’ve been upgraded with a custom braking system consisting of Performance Machine calipers and Lyndall Racing composite rotors.
Other Rough Crafts catalog parts include the grooved clutch cover, lighting, handlebars, risers, grips and filler cap. The foot and hand controls are a mix of Roland Sands, Performance Machine and Rough Crafts bits.
The exhaust system’s a one-off, with an interesting history. Winston tells the story: “The Supertrapp two-into-two tracker pipe has always had a place in my heart. So when one of my friends sold his a couple of years ago I couldn’t help myself, and I bought it for no reason and with no idea what to do with it.”
“Now I had the chance, but I couldn’t bring myself to just bolt it on. So I massaged the rear header to turn and join the front header, and made a whole new megaphone and billet end cap.”
The idea started when two of Winston’s friends—the proprietors of Taki Design andProvider Production respectively—teamed up with Dickies on a project. Both guys already owned Rough Crafts bikes—so when the owner of Dickies Taiwan crashed his 2010 XR 1200, it was the ideal opportunity to hook him up too.
Winston’s plan was to take the XR back to its flat-track roots, but with a more street-orientated slant. “The old XR 750 racer is simply one of the coolest bikes ever,” he says, “so the direction was clear: turn a 2010 XR 1200 into an XR 750-style street tracker!”
The project ran parallel with Rough Crafts’ ‘Hooligan Tactics’ Sportster Forty-Eight build, so Winston used the Forty-Eight’s forks and swingarm to give the XR a more vintage feel. The forks have been black titanium coated, and are mounted via custom triple trees. A set of Progressive 970 Series shocks are mounted out back.
The wheels are matching 19” x 3.00 Roland Sands Del Mar items, wrapped in Maxxis dirt track rubber. They’ve been upgraded with a custom braking system consisting of Performance Machine calipers and Lyndall Racing composite rotors.
Winston picked a Sportster tank for the bike; it’s been stretched by almost 2” and narrowed. The tail’s a prototype Rough Crafts part, identical to the one on ‘Hooligan Tactics.’
Other Rough Crafts catalog parts include the grooved clutch cover, lighting, handlebars, risers, grips and filler cap. The foot and hand controls are a mix of Roland Sands, Performance Machine and Rough Crafts bits.
The Harley’s been converted from belt to chain, and it’s no longer fuel injected. “The stock Harley XR 1200 has an EFI system which was a headache for us,” says Winston, “so we changed it to Mikuni HSR42 carbs, running our velocity stacks.”
The exhaust system’s a one-off, with an interesting history. Winston tells the story: “The Supertrapp two-into-two tracker pipe has always had a place in my heart. So when one of my friends sold his a couple of years ago I couldn’t help myself, and I bought it for no reason and with no idea what to do with it.”
“Now I had the chance, but I couldn’t bring myself to just bolt it on. So I massaged the rear header to turn and join the front header, and made a whole new megaphone and billet end cap.”
For paint, Winston wanted to carry across Dickies’ ‘work wear’ ethos, without the XR feeling like a theme bike. So he pulled in regular Rough Crafts collaborater, Air Runner, to execute a slighty ‘rusted’ bare metal effect. CT-Garage handled final assembly.
It’s another outstanding addition to the Rough Crafts portfolio. So, which would you do: ogle it, or ride it?
Rough Crafts website | Facebook | Instagram | Store | Images by JL Photography | Dickies Taiwan
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