WRC, Allemagne : Rallye, F1, Endurance…

                   

Dans un rayon de 100 km autour de Trèves, trois courses automobiles mondiales FIA vont se dérouler en deux semaines : l’ADAC Rallye Deutschland (WRC), le Grand-Prix de Belgique (F1) et les 6 Heures du Nürburgring (WEC).

Les massifs des Ardennes et de l’Eifel sont autant de terrains de jeu pour la pratique du sport automobile, circuit ou rallye.

A l’extrême ouest de l’Allemagne, coincé entre le Rhin et la Moselle, le massif volcanique de l’Eifel est aujourd’hui un univers de collines boisées, prolongement des Ardennes et du plateau de Haute Fagne. Jadis, l’Eifel était un désert économique. En 1920, le circuit du Nürburgring a été construit avec pour objectif de donner du travail et de faire venir de la main d’œuvre dans cette région de l’Allemagne désertifiée où même la terre n’était pas assez fertile pour l’agriculture.

Outre le Nürburgring, les routes sinueuses et vallonnées de l’Eifel sont aujourd’hui empruntées par de nombreuses épreuves routières, allant de rallyes historiques à l’ADAC Rallye Deutschland. Le terrain se prête parfaitement à de telles compétitions et le mouvement écologique n’est plus ce qu’il était à la fin des années 80. Lors du premier Rallye d’Allemagne en WRC, en 2002, le programme était carrément préfacé par l’ancien Ministre de l’Intérieur qui appartenait au parti politique « Grünen ».

En fait, c’est le succès de Michael Schumacher – et les 15 millions de téléspectateurs de F1, donc d’électeurs - qui a permis au sport automobile allemand de s’installer et de perdurer, même si cette année, le GP d’Allemagne n’est plus au calendrier de F1.

Le Rallye d’Allemagne a profité de cet élan. Si les « verts » étaient très influents dans la région du Saarland, les localités de Trèves et de la vallée de la Moselle se battent pour accueillir le rallye. Cette épreuve a connu différentes villes de départ (Francfort, Mainz) avant de s’établir définitivement dans la région, à St Wendel, Nürburg puis Trèves.

Il y a aujourd’hui une forte tradition pour les sports mécaniques en Rhénanie-Palatinat. Le très puissant automobile club ADAC (Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil-Club, 19 millions d’adhérents) est très actif dans cette région où il organise, entre autres, les 24 Heures du Nürburgring et l’ADAC Rallye Deutschland.

3000 bénévoles œuvrent au bon déroulement du Rallye Deutschland, dont 2000 commissaires adhérents à 18 clubs ADAC à travers l’Allemagne.

                        

Three major world class events are due to take place within a 100km radius of Trier over the next two weeks: the ADAC Rallye Deutschland (WRC), the Belgian Grand Prix (F1) and the 6 Hours of the Nürburgring (WEC).

                      

In western Germany, the volcanic Eifel Mountains form a forested extension of the Belgian Ardennes and Haute Fagneplateau. The region was formerly an economic backwater but, in 1920, the Nürburgring racing circuit was built there in order to create jobs and bring labour to this deserted part of the country where the land wasn’t fertile enough for agriculture.

In addition to the Nürburgring, the Eifel’s twisty roads are visited by a high number of historic and traditional rallies, including the ADAC Rallye Deutschland. The terrain lends itself perfectly to the sport and the green lobby is less active than it used to be towards the end of the 1980s. Indeed, the official programme for the first event to count towards the WRC in 2002 featured a foreword written by the ex-Minister for the Interior, a member of the ‘Grünen’ party. 

It’s the success of Michael Schumacher – and F1’s 15 milliontelevision viewers, who are also voters – which helped German motorsport to thrive once more, even though this year’s F1 calendar doesn’t include a German round.

Rallye Deutschland has capitalised on this and, despite the Greens’ former influence in the Saarland region, the city of Trier and the Mosel Valley region have fought to help the event prosper. Different locations were tried (Frankfort, Mainz) before the rally established itself for good in the area, initially in St. Wendel and Nürburg before it finally settled in Trier.

There is a strong motorsport tradition in this part of Germany where the powerful Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil-Club (ADAC, 19 million members) is particularly active as organiser of the Nürburgring 24 Hours and the ADAC Rallye Deutschland.

The latter’s smooth running is assisted by 3,000 volunteers, including 2,000 marshals from the country’s  18 ADAC clubs.

                           

Rossi & Lorenzo : Retour à la case départ / All square and all to play for

            

Après 11 courses, 276 tours, 8 victoires et 10 autres podiums à eux deux, Rossi et Lorenzo repartent de là où il avaient commencé au Qatar…

Présent dans le paddock MotoGP™ depuis près de vingt ans en tant que reporter pour Motorcycle News, Matthew Birt rejoint l’équipe de motogp.com pour la saison 2015 afin de vous proposer une opinion venant du coeur du paddock.

                

À égalité de points en tête du Championnat du Monde MotoGP™ 2015, Jorge Lorenzo et Valentino Rossi sont voués à poursuivre leur duel pour le titre mondial jusqu’au bout de la saison.

Après une véritable démonstration de force de la part de Lorenzo à Brno, les deux pilotes ont encore sept courses devant eux pour se départager, remporter un nouveau titre de Champion du Monde aussi important pour l’un que pour l’autre mais aussi prendre l’ascendant au sein du team Movistar Yamaha MotoGP.

La course de Brno n’a rien eu de la bataille que l’on pouvait attendre entre Lorenzo, Marc Márquez et Rossi, qui étaient côte à côte en première ligne.

Lorenzo s’est en fait très vite imposé en tête de la course pour s’assurer la victoire mais aussi une belle revanche après avoir été battu par Márquez en fin de course à Indianapolis, où il avait pourtant mené durant presque toute l’épreuve.

Márquez espérait de nouveau suivre Lorenzo à Brno mais a vite été décroché par ce dernier, qui s’imposait en solitaire pour la cinquième fois de la saison au terme d’une course parfaitement contrôlée et vierge de la moindre erreur.

Comme lors de sa série de victoires qui s’était étendue de Jerez à Catalunya, Lorenzo a mené du début jusqu’à la fin et réalisé une performance démontrant l’efficacité des armes qui compose son vaste arsenal.

Le tout commence avec un départ parfaitement exécuté, suivi de trois ou quatre tours à la cadence la plus élevée. La régularité du rythme de Lorenzo n’a ensuite laissé aucune chance de contre-attaquer à Márquez et Rossi.

Du deuxième au neuvième tours à Brno, les chronos de Lorenzo n’ont varié que de 0.335s au maximum. Et entre le 14e et le 21e tours, lorsque la victoire lui semblait déjà promise, l’écart entre son meilleur temps et le moins rapide n’était que de 0.376s.

Lorenzo a aussi réalisé deux tours de plus que Márquez dans les 1’56 mais surtout cinq de plus que Rossi sous les 1’57.

Márquez et Rossi ont très vite reconnu leur défaite. Les deux ont admis avoir été battus par un pilote bien plus rapide mais cette défaite fut bien plus dure pour Rossi que pour Márquez.

Et l'Italien n'a pas pu le cacher.

Márquez demeure un outsider pour le titre et n'a certainement plus assez de courses devant lui pour revenir dans la lutte, à moins que ses deux rivaux ne commettent une grave erreur ou soient victimes de la malchance.

                  

Mais le langage corporel de Rossi en disait long. Ses dix podiums précédents avaient été célébrés avec joie et énergie. À Brno, Rossi a esquissé un sourire pour les caméras mais semblait abattu. 

Ce n’était pas seulement dû au fait qu’il ait perdu ses 13 points d’avance en l’espace de sept jours, il y avait aussi la manière dont Lorenzo avait repris l’offensive dès son retour de la trêve estivale.

L’importance de cette victoire n’a pas échappé à Lorenzo. Ses gestes et ses poings vigoureusement lancés vers le ciel sur son tour d’honneur parlaient d’eux-mêmes. Lorenzo retrouvait son attitude : le torse bombé, les mains sur les hanches, dressé sur le mur de pneus. Une attitude trop arrogante pour certains mais pour moi, elle montrait simplement l’importance que Lorenzo accordait à cette victoire.

Pour beaucoup d’observateurs, la course de dimanche dernier à Brno est apparue comme l’un des tournants de la saison, lors duquel Lorenzo aurait irréversiblement pris le pouvoir dans la lutte pour le titre.

Cette lutte est évidemment loin d’être terminée et annoncer que Rossi n’a plus ses chances serait un vulgaire manque de respect à son égard.

Lorenzo a remporté deux courses de plus que Rossi et mené durant 142 tours de plus que l’Italien.

Mais ils ont tous les deux 211 points, un total que l’Italien s’est assuré en finissant sur le podium à toutes les courses.

La saison nous réserve très certainement bien d’autres rebondissements et l’historique de ces dernières années suggère que la lutte pour le titre ira jusqu’au bout.

Avant les sept dernières courses de la saison 2014, Rossi et Lorenzo n’étaient séparés que de quatre points et allaient tous les deux finir avec deux victoires, un abandon et quatre autres podiums. 

Place au spectacle !

                

So after 11 races, 276 laps, eight wins and 10 other podiums between them, Rossi and Lorenzo are back to where it all began in Qatar...

With nineteen years of experience reporting on MotoGP™ for Motorcycle News, MotoGP Commentator Matthew Birt knows the championship inside-out. For the 2015 season he joins the motogp.com team to bring you exclusive news and opinion from inside the paddock.

             

Locked together on the same number of points, neutral fans around the world remain none the wiser about who will eventually prevail at the end of a season in which the momentum has continually swung back and forth between the two.

After last weekend’s one-man demolition show by Lorenzo in Brno, it is now a best of seven to determine who will have the bragging rights and the biggest bonus at Movistar Yamaha.

Brno wasn’t the classic we’d all anticipated when a dream front row was completed by Lorenzo, Marc Marquez and Rossi in qualifying.

The hell-raising and nail-biting 22-laps we craved quickly became a relatively tame procession, as Lorenzo gained instant and sweet revenge on Marquez for his narrow defeat to the Repsol Honda man in a far more engrossing encounter at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway one week earlier.

Marquez huffed and puffed in the early stages before he was blown away by Lorenzo, who took a fifth runaway success of the season with another faultlessly executed performance.

And just as he did during a career best four-race winning streak between Jerez and Catalunya, he didn’t see the exhaust pipes of another rider, with a performance that perfectly showcased all of the key weapons in the Spaniard’s vast arsenal of talent.

A blistering burst of speed in the first three to four laps came after a trademark lightning start. What followed was a remorselessly consistent pace that inflicted a rare hammering on Marquez and Rossi.

From laps two to nine in Brno, his times deviated by just 0.335s.

And between laps 14 and 21 when the race was long over as a contest, just 0.376s split his laps.

He did two more laps in the 1.56s than Marquez, but more telling was that he managed five sub-1.57s more than Rossi.

Marquez and Rossi were magnanimous in defeat. Both conceded they had been well beaten by the much faster rider, but this defeat was way more damaging for Rossi than Marquez.

And it showed.

                 

Marquez remains very much a rank outsider for the title, with races running out for him to make any major impression on the top two unless bad luck or self-inflicted mistakes throw him a lifeline.

But Rossi’s body language said it all. His previous 10 podiums had all been celebrated with energy and elation. He cracked a smile for the cameras in Brno, but he looked as deflated as I’ve seen him on the podium for a long time.

It is not only the fact that Rossi has seen his 13-point lead wiped out in the space of seven days, but it is the manner in which Lorenzo has retaliated after a pre-summer break blip that will concern Rossi and the yellow army the most.

                 

The significance of his win was not lost on Lorenzo. His animated fist pumps on the slowing down lap showed how huge it was. The swagger was back, and his chest out and hands on hips pose on the tyre wall might have smacked of arrogance to some, but to me it showed just what the win meant for Lorenzo.

For many observers in Brno, Sunday’s race felt like a defining moment in the season where the power shifted irreversibly in favour of Lorenzo for the title.

Of course, the battle is far from over and it would be grossly disrespectful to Rossi to say his challenge is wilting like a dying flower.

Lorenzo has won two more races than Rossi and led for an astonishing 142-laps more than the 36-year-old.

Yet they sit together on 211-points because of the Italian’s remarkable record of finishing on the podium in every race.

You can’t help but feel there will still be plenty more twists to the plot in the final seven races and recent history suggests that the title race will go right down to the wire.

Go back to the last seven races of 2014 and Rossi and Lorenzo were separated by just four-points in favour of the latter. In that spell they both won twice, had one DNF and four other podiums. Game on, bring it on is what I say.

It is certainly going to make for a fascinating and tense climax in the last seven races.

For one it will be seventh heaven. For the other just hell and a long winter to ponder what might have been.

               

Ecuador with Bikes Part 1

This is part 1 of our motorcycle adventure through Ecuador.

The weather the first day as we set out from Quito was pretty nice actually. Until about an hour or so in when it started to slightly drizzle and then began to rain in earnest. To escape the rain, and also because it had been recommended to us by both the rental company and a friend who had lived in Ecuador, we stopped at a small café in Machachi that was painted like a cow. True to its reputation, the food was delicious, with some of the freshest ingredients we would taste on the entire trip.

After lunch it was still raining, but we had a schedule to keep so we set out on our soggy bikes anyways. Soon enough we found our turn off from the main road, set out on the Quilotoa Loop and began ascending into the mountains. It was beautiful but harrowing with hairpin turns, plenty of gravel, and wandering llamas and livestock relaxing in the road around every corner. It became even more perilous at some point between Lasso and Sigchos, as we found ourselves travelling these same looping roads but now with 11 km of thick, viscous fog which reduced our visibility to about a foot in front of us. Giant trucks heading in the opposite direction would frequently be in our lane as they came around corners and I heard Josh honk as aggressively as he could so we could avoid them.

Eventually we made it through the fog, but it slowed us down measurably and by the time we reached Sigchos we were hours behind schedule and dark was falling. We thought for a moment about staying there for the night, but we decided against that since we had already paid for our stay in Tigua as part of our tour. We assumed we could make it before the sun set. Little did we realize, the sun sets around 5 pm in Ecuador. As we pressed on the paved road suddenly ran out and we found ourselves traveling on a dicey dirt road in the dark. And then the fog came back. This reduced our speed yet again, and we were quickly becoming concerned about the cold, and where we would be sleeping tonight.

After about 20 km of this type of riding we came to the small town of Chugchilan, freezing and filthy, and we had a decision to make. Should we keep going and try to make our reservation in Tigua? Or should we find a place to stay in Chugchilan? Also, we were supposed to visit the Laguna Quilotoa on the first day, how would we see it in the dark if we pressed on?

While Josh and I debated the issue, our friend Lauren went off to investigate a hostel she had seen that we had passed when we first entered town. After about five minutes, Josh and I decided that it would be safest to stay in Chugchilan in any case and followed. We found Lauren, and as we rode into the gated hostel, they closed the doors behind us and locked them. Lucky us. They had rooms for $15 per person which included dinner and breakfast. We took it, not that we had a lot of other options.

Ecuador 2013 - Bikes Day 1 from adventuresofjb2 on Vimeo.

Part2 tomorrow...

From Sky to Shining Sea! Road Trippin a 1965 Dodge M37!

Fred Williams takes to the mountains of Mammoth in his 1965 Dodge M37 to try some snow wheeling away from the busy city. While in Mammoth, Fred meets up with his friend Shane and agrees to take him to the coast at Big Sur to go surfing. Along the way Fred decides to take Shane 4-wheeling in Hollister and even lets him drive "The Dumpster". Fred ends his journey on the towering sand dunes of Pismo Beach.

To the Pinnacle and beyond – RM’s three-part Pebble Beach sale

This year, RM will be the first of the ‘international’ auction houses to get proceedings underway in Monterey, as the Pinnacle Portfolio – special enough to warrant its own evening sale – will go under the hammer on Thursday, ahead of the traditional two-day sale on Friday and Saturday...

We first looked at the snappily titled Pinnacle Portfolio when it was announced back in early June. With a lotlist comprising some of the most collectable cars in the world, we expect the Thursday auction not only to set the tone for the rest of the week’s sales, but also to provide insight into the current values of models that haven’t been sold on the open market for some time. A prime example is the McLaren F1, the first to be offered publicly since Gooding’s unsold car last year – and although the LM-spec engine and GTR-spec aero might affect the sale price one way or another, it should give us a clue as to whether the supposed £8m private sale of Rowan Atkinson’s (twice-crashed) F1 earlier this year was representative.

Price barometers

Other potential price barometers for models rarely seen on the open market include the one-of-29alloy-bodied Mercedes 300 SL, one-of-20 Lamborghini Reventón, and one-of-19 Ferrari F40 LM. Regarding the latter, an example was most recently sold by Bonhams at Pebble last year for $2.2m; so, considering the rocketing values of standard F40s since, is RM’s $2m – $2.5m estimate for its also-unraced car a little conservative? We’ll also find out whether RM can sell a Toyota 2000GT for more than a million dollars for the third year in a row (estimate $1m – $1.3m), and whether the two notable Bugatti Veyrons for sale will finally signal the now-out-of-production model’s ascension into the collector-car stratosphere. Oh, and we mustn’t forget the three blue-chip Ferraris – a 250 LM, a 250 GT SWB Berlinetta Competizione, and an open-headlamp 250 GT LWB Cal’ Spider.

Blue-chips and rarities

It’ll come as no surprise that Ferraris head up the lotlist for the main sale, too. The 1950 Ferrari 275S/340 America Barchetta – one of nine Works-entry barchettas from the 1950s – is expected to fetch $7.5m – $10m, while the estimate for the 1956 Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta Competizionethat earned its brethren the ‘Tour de France’ sobriquet by winning the famous race is available ‘on request only’. Also co-headlining is an ex-Works Ecurie Ecosse Jaguar C-type (one of the three lightweight Factory cars), expected to fetch ¢9m – $12m. Meanwhile, other notable machines consigned include the ex-Onassis Bentley R-Type Continental, a one-of-three Jaguar XK120 Supersonic by Ghia, the Maserati Ghibli Spyder Prototype, the recently rediscovered and restored Bizzarrini P538, Zagato’s 2013 Aston Martin Centennial DB9 Spyder concept, an Aston Martin DB6 Shooting Brake by Radford, a Tatra T87, and the first McLaren P1 ever to be sold at auction – with a $1.9m - $2.1m estimate that suggests the owner is set to make a tidy 60% profit.

Photos: RM Sotheby's

The full lotlist for RM's three-part Monterey 2015 sale can be found in the Classic Driver Market.

What not to miss at Monterey & Pebble Beach Week 2015

Like the proverbial 'swallows returning to Capistrano' each year, tens of thousands of the world’s most rabid classic car enthusiasts converge on California’s Monterey Peninsula for the automotive equivalent of Woodstock…

  

It’s always the Summer of Car Love in central California for what used to be called 'The Weekend' but has grown to become 'The Week'.  And if you haven’t made your travel plans yet, best get Google fired up, because rooms, flights, and hire cars rapidly become fully booked – and at top dollar.

The Concours

The Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance has, for more than 60 years, been the epicentre of Monterey Car Week. Expect about 200 of the finest and rarest classics, arguably the best on any given single day, anywhere in the world. It happens on Sunday 16 August at the world-famous Pebble Beach Lodge, and highlights this year include an historic gathering of early Shelby GT350s, celebrating that seminal Mustang’s birth 50 years ago.  There are several special classes dedicated to Ferrari again this year, and expect a fly-by appearance of the 1955 Mille-Miglia-winning Mercedes-Benz 300SLR #722, along with its most legendary pilot, Sir Stirling Moss (a long-time Honorary Judge at Pebble Beach).  More additional special classes are dedicated to DuPont, Carrozzeria Touring, pre-WWII British, Cunningham, and the 75th anniversary of the original Lincoln Continental.

The Tour

The most hearty and knowledgeable types will show up at the field’s entrance at around 6:30am for the Hagerty Insurance-sponsored Dawn Patrol gathering to witness the entrants’ arrival onto Pebble’s vaunted 18^th Fairway.  If you’re in town as early as Thursday, pick a spot along the route of the Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance (we recommend arriving early in Carmel’s Ocean Avenue for prime viewing real estate), an 80-mile on-road run that puts the show on the road, and costs nothing to witness.

Auction action

Enjoy the frenzy of some of the world’s most expensive cars trading hands among skyrocketing bids and record-setting prices? Well there's plenty to choose from. Gooding & Company presents Pebble’s officially sanctioned two-day sale, while RM Sotheby’s also runs a multi-day dazzler in nearby Monterey. The RM Sotheby’s highlight this year is a single collection of sports and exotic cars judged to be among the best ever assembled, called The Pinnacle Portfolio. Meanwhile, Mecum Auctions has substantially upped its game with great offerings lately, this year including Steve McQueen’s last, bought-new, special-order 1976 Porsche 930 Turbo Carrera coupé. Bonhams is also back for its annual Quail Lodge sale.

The Quail

If you insist on “the right crowd and no crowding”, check out 'The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering' in Carmel Valley.  Ticket numbers are limited, helping to keep the crowd and parking more manageable, and your very expensive admission includes a day’s worth of fine international food and drink, and spectacular motors.  

Aficianados unite, at Laguna Seca and beyond

Historic racing aficionados are likely to look in at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, for a weekend of classic tin running hard at the Rolex Motorsports Reunion. If you’re all about Porsche, check out the Porsche Club of America’s Werks Reunion programme on Friday 14 August.  And if you love seeing (and drinking) red, feast on the 'Celebration of Italian Style' that is Concorso Italiano (cars, bikes, boats, fashion, food) on the following day. Plus there’s a happy home for non-Porsche Germans called Legends of the Autobahn. Something else special and new this year is a celebration of the former Pebble Beach Road Races, formally dubbed the Del Monte Cup, that ran through the forests there from 1950 to 1956, prior to the opening of Laguna Seca Raceway in 1957.  This year, a group of historic racing Ferraris will retrace the original race route taken by winners that included Jim Kimberly and Phil Hill, the latter being the only person to win the Pebble Beach sports car races and Best of Show at the Concours.  

Photos: © Drew Phillips for Classic Driver / Bonhams, Gooding, RM Sotheby's

Want to find out more? Take a look at our article overview of the 2015 Pebble Beach & Monterey Car Week.

YAMAHA YARD BUILT: THE ROAD TO GLEMSECK

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If you’ve been following the custom scene for the past three years, you’ll know all about Yamaha’s ‘Yard Built‘ program.

It kicked off with the Wrenchmonkees’ brutal MonkeeFist XJR1300, and since then we’ve had top-drawer builds from some of Europe’s most exciting custom shops—including Deus, JvB-moto and It roCkS!bikes.

Yamaha has now handed the baton to its own dealers, who’ve been given a chance to show off their own skills and win a public vote. The bikes are all based on the Sport Heritage range, and the winner will be showcased at the Glemseck 101 café racer festival in Germany next month.

We’ve had a look the entries, and picked out an example of each model that caught our eye.

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XJR1300 ‘Klein’ by Motorrad Klein, Germany One of the most heavily modified bikes in the competition comes from Saarlouis, near the border with France. The XJR1300 engine hardly needs a power upgrade, so the dealer has focused on big dynamic upgrades to boost the riding experience.

We’re looking at an MT-01 fork, Öhlins shocks, and a swingarm and subframe from OVER Racing, both anodized in black. The brake system is a mix of Magura, R1 and OW01 parts, clamping onto high-spec wave discs. Other goodies include custom triple clamps, forged aluminum PVM wheels, and Brandy-Red paint inspired by the 1973 Yamaha RD350.

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XV950 ‘TB114′ by Twinsbike, Italy The Yamaha XV950—aka the Star Bolt—is usually given the standard cruiser custom treatment. After all, it’s a valid alternative to the Sportster 883. But Twinsbike of Milan has taken a most unusual tack, choosing to give the XV950 a flat track vibe.

The Twinsbike crew has MotoGP experience, and they’ve made an incredible transformation with a minimum of new parts. The stock fender and seat are gone, replaced by a custom unit that looks like a factory design—and completely changes the style of the bike. The SC Project exhaust system and the air intake are new too, but virtually everything else is stock.

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VMAX ‘The V-Speed’ by Liberty Yam, France The picturesque Dordogne is a favorite region of France for tourists who’ve had their fill of Paris. But there’s nothing pretty about this ‘café dragster’ VMAX from Boulazac dealer Liberty Yam.

The new bodywork is even more brutal-looking than the standard kit, with a half-fairing inspired by the MT-OS concept bike of ten years ago. This VMAX sits an inch lower than standard, and there’s a new aluminum subframe bolted on. It supports a stubby black leather seat designed to hold the rider in place during full-bore take-offs—which are helped by the oversized rear wheel.

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SR400 ‘Red Flake’ by Planète Yam, France The popularity of the evergreen SR400 shows no sign of waning. It’s a simple, reliable commuter bike that scrubs up well when the occasion requires. This elegant, BratStyle-inspired machine comes from the Yamaha dealer in Rennes, in northwestern France, but would look even more at home on the streets of Tokyo.

This SR has been lowered, with a new rear frame loop and a slim seat lowering the side profile even further. The tank has been remodeled, dropped, and painted a delicious candy red. The cockpit is cleaner too, with the ignition relocated alongside the kickstart lever and a simple Koso gauge fitted up front. On this machine it’s all about the visual flow, from the relocated headlight to the neat little aluminum fender over the rear wheel.

Check out the bikes in the Yard Built dealer competition here, and then vote for your favorite.

via BIKEexif