JAN KOPECKY SCORED HIS FIRST WRC 2 PRO VICTORY OF THE SEASON WITH A SECOND SUCCESSIVE SUPPORT CATEGORY VICTORY AT ADAC RALLYE DEUTSCHLAND ON SUNDAY AFTERNOON.
The Czech driver had more than half a minute in hand going into the final day’s four speed tests in the bumpy Mosel vineyards. He increased his margin to cross the podium at Bostalsee with a 1min 06.9sec advantage in his Skoda Fabia.
Kopecký took the lead on Saturday morning when team-mate Kalle Rovanperä twice went off the road and his only problem was a puncture late last night which halved his lead.
Eric Camilli finished second in a Ford Fiesta, despite incurring a 30-sec penalty today. Rovanperä completed the podium, to increase his championship lead, with Mads Østberg taking fourth.
Fabian Kreim scored his first WRC 2 victory when he headed a home 1-2. The German national champion in 2016 and 2017 finished 18.5sec clear of 2018 title winner Marijan Griebel. Both were at the wheel of Fabias.
German driver Fabian Kreim claimed the WRC 2 victory on the picturesque vineyard roads.
Kreim had the luxury of easing through the final leg, while keeping a watch on a terrific battle behind between Griebel and Poland’s Kajetan Kajetanowicz, driving a Volkswagen Polo.
Fastest time in the penultimate test promoted Kajetanowicz into second with a slender 2.0sec advantage, only for Griebl to respond in the closing test with a quickest time of his own to regain the runner-up spot by 3.0sec.
Fabio Andolfi crashed out of fourth in the penultimate test, allowing Simone Tempestini to come home 7.5sec ahead of Russia’s Nikolay Gryazin. Fifth was sufficient for Gryazin to take the championship lead of the absent Benito Guerra.
Germany’s Dominik Dinkel completed the top six in a Hyundai i20.
OTT TÄNAK WON HIS THIRD CONSECUTIVE ADAC RALLYE DEUTSCHLAND ON SUNDAY AFTERNOON TO TAKE ANOTHER HUGE STRIDE TOWARDS A MAIDEN FIA WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE. He survived a late scare to claim his fourth victory in five rounds, leading Toyota to its first clean sweep of the podium since 1993 and the first in the WRC since this rally four years ago.
Brake problems on his Toyota Yaris in the penultimate speed test forced Tänak to drive cautiously through the closing Wolf Power Stage. But he had enough in hand to head Kris Meeke by 20.8sec with Jari-Matti Latvala a further 15.2sec behind.
The Estonian extended his championship lead to 33 points with four rounds remaining. His Toyota Gazoo Racing squad closed to within eight points of leaders Hyundai Shell Mobis in the manufacturers’ standings after its 1-2-3 finish.
The four-day encounter was fought out on bumpy vineyard tracks in the Mosel, gruelling multi-surface tank training roads and smooth country lanes in the Saarland countryside.
Tänak gained control yesterday afternoon after a thrilling duel with title rival Thierry Neuville came to a premature end when the Belgian stopped to change a puncture on his Hyundai i20.
He admitted he had mixed feelings after being unable to attack for bonus points in the final test.
“We started to have some issues in the previous stage so I couldn’t push. We only had one brake at the front. I’m not really happy about that but we’re here and I am happy about that. The team has missed out on a 1-2-3 a few times so it is good to do that finally,” he said.
Dani Sordo purposely booked in late at the finish control to enable teammate Thierry Neuville to claim fourth.
Meeke and Latvala eased through the final leg among the Mosel grapes, content to hold their positions and guarantee a stellar result for the Japanese manufacturer.
Dani Sordo completed the stages in fourth, but the Spaniard sacrificed the place when he incurred a penalty by leaving the final service late to allow team-mate Neuville to move up from fifth and collect more championship points.
There were more team tactics behind. Esapekka Lappi was sixth, but adopted the same strategy as Sordo to enable Citroën C3 team leader Sébastien Ogier to climb from eighth to seventh. Lappi dropped two places and Andreas Mikkelsen also profited as he inherited sixth.
Ogier and Lappi both struggled with major understeer and world champion Ogier now trails Tänak by 40 points and Neuville by seven.
Gus Greensmith and Takamoto Katsuta completed the top 10.
A bike has to be pretty special to stand out at the annual Wheels & Waves festival in Biarritz: it’s the motorcycling equivalent of a beach full of French supermodels. But this lovely 1979 BMW R65 with a surfboard rack stopped passers-by in their tracks with its understated elegance.
It’s the work of Xabi Ithurralde, and it took him ten months to build. The slightly ungainly looks of the stock R65 are gone, replaced by the more athletic build of a scrambler: Xabi’s goal was to create “a narrow and light motorcycle to drive off road.” He chose a BMW R65 rather than a larger bike because the short-stroke boxer engine revs eagerly, and the weight—at just over 200 kg wet—is very manageable. A major consideration if you’re going to strap on a surfboard …
Everything has been slimmed down, from the headlight to the tank to the beautifully finished seat, which Xabi describes as une place et demi—a seat and a half, “for the best proportions.” The renowned tannery Rémy Carriat, which supplies Louis Vuitton and Hermès, did the leatherwork.
The bars are now high and wide for a comfortable riding position and maximum leverage, and the brake master has been relocated to underneath the tank. (It’s a BMW K1200LT unit for extra stopping power.)
If you’re a laidback kind of guy who likes the ride the waves as well as the roads, what could be better?
Head over to Xabi Ithurralde’s Atelier 11 website for more images.
Custom motorcycle builders in the USA and UK have relatively few restrictions on what they can and cannot do. Then you have countries like Taiwan and Germany, which force builders to abide by draconian regulations.
German bikes require approval from the TÜV authority—which ensures a high quality of work, but also adds complications for the builder. (And is one reason that the new wave custom scene in Germany has lagged behind other countries.) But there are a handful of German builders who are able to work within the restrictions, and get their bikes road-legal. One of those builders is Dirk Oehlerking, the founder of Kingston Custom and creator of this surprisingly radical BMW R75/6.
Oehlerking is an accomplished mechanic with a long history of wrenching on and racing bikes. (He was a German national enduro champion in 1985). He’s been operating Kingston Custom since 2010, creating a stream of mild-to-wild customs across several genres.
This R75/6 is a new approach for Oehlerking, though. “I wanted to build an old-school BMW with character,” he says, “using elements of the bobber and Brat styles.” Inspiration started with the tank, which comes from a 50 cc Yamaha ‘Mokick’ and adds an unusually svelte touch for a vintage BMW. The original front fender has been swapped to the rear.
Oehlerking has stripped down and completely rebuilt the motor, finishing it off with glass bead blasting for a factory-fresh finish. It’s now hooked up to a Norton-inspired exhaust system with a reverse cone muffler. The wheels are also bead blasted, and have been fitted with new Metzeler rubber—19” at the front, and 18” at the back.
In keeping with the low, bobber-style stance, the R75’s forks have been shortened by 88mm (3½ inches). The back end is suspended by a pair of authentic Sachs Hydro Cross shocks, a type popular with vintage dirtbike riders. The battery is now hidden next to the transmission in a custom made box, and the foot controls are also custom—crafted out of aluminum.
It’s one of the more unusual customs we’ve seen lately, with an original style and high-quality fabrication. For an insight into Oehlerking’s work and his background, check out this recent interview on Bubblevisor.
In the 12th arrondissement of Paris, home to the Bastille opera house, is a small workshop calledClutch Custom. It’s one of those places where you can buy old components, get a custom part machined up, and occasionally buy a complete motorcycle.
This is the latest bike to roll out of the shop, a mid-70s BMW R75/6. It’s a raw but elegant machine, designed for the rough-and-tumble streets of the French capital, where bikes collect scratches and parking tickets in equal measure.
The modifications on this BMW are extensive, despite the burnished, mechanical look. The frame, swingarm and forks have all been reworked, and the bike has been lowered at the front to improve its stance.
The engine and 32mm Bing carburetors have been rebuilt, and K&N filters and a custom exhaust free up the breathing.
Although the R75/6 is around 40 years old, it’s unfettered by emissions controls: straight-line performance is similar to modern retro roadsters such as the Triumph Bonneville and Moto Guzzi V7, and ample for the twisty streets of the French capital.
The seat is hand-made but the tank is original—and judging by the kneepads, it’s the optional 5.8 gallon (22 liter) item. The wiring is new, hooked up to an LED Bates-style taillight and a Bates headlight. The levers are Tommaselli.
There are more images on the Clutch Custom website, which is in English. Prices are reasonable, we’re told, and the BMW is for sale.
If you live in mainland Europe and ride a motorcycle, you’ve probably bought parts or accessories from a company called Louis. The Hamburg-based company is Europe’s largest moto retailer, and it’s just celebrated its 75th anniversary.
To mark the occasion, Louis commissioned Marcus Walz to build a custom bike—and asked for ‘a machine that combines tradition and the future.’ It was also a collaborative project with Louis’ customers: In five stages, votes were taken on Facebook regarding the basic concept, the wheels, handlebar, instruments and the finish.
A Ducati Sport 1000 was chosen as the starting point. Walz rejigged the sheet metal to create a slim and wiry look: The tank, seat unit and rear bodywork were beaten by hand out of aluminum, and the rear frame was redesigned. Even the housing of the fuel pump is custom-built, also machined from aluminum and hidden from view by integrating it into the tank. An 800-gram lithium-ion battery is now concealed underneath the seat hump.
An Öhlins fork (from a Ducati 999R) is used at the front, and a custom-built height-adjustable suspension is used at the rear. The triple tree is made from billet aluminium: it weighs around 1.5 kg less than the original, and is three times as stable. The braking system is state-of-the-art, too: Brembo monoblocks together with Lucas ‘Wave’ discs.
The controls are from LSL—from the bars and grips to the clutch and brake levers. Brake fluid reservoirs now sit on their own specially developed mounts, tightly and inconspicuously up against the triple tree. The V-Rod-style headlight (from Louis’ own range) adds to the compact feel of the front end. Walz foot controls, machined from aluminium, are adjustable in all directions. The wheels have Akront flat shoulder rims, and are shod with Metzeler Racetec K3 tires.
The inner workings of the Sport 1000 engine are untouched, with the exception of a light Ergal clutch basket and an SBK clutch. But engine output is up by eight horsepower, thanks to the titanium exhaust system developed by Akrapovic. And to give the engine a tidier appearance, Walz replaced the original oil lines with those from a Ducati Hypermotard—which do not run over the belt cover.
With the help of further mods such as an ultra-light wiring harness, the Ducati lost almost 20 kg in weight in the course of the rebuild. The finish is a special paint from the Ducati factory called “Anniversario Rosso,” used exclusively for anniversary and presentation models. It’s covered by a matt clear varnish that Walz describes as a secret mixture—smooth and low-maintenance like a gloss varnish, but with a subtle degree of matting.
The Jubiläumsbike will soon go on tour around Louis’ stores, and then it’ll be auctioned off with the proceeds donated to a good cause. Any bidders?
If you live in Europe, check out Louis’ online store here. And see more of Marcus Walz’ work on theWalz Hardcore Cycles site.
Fabio Andolfi crashed out of fourth in the penultimate test, allowing Simone Tempestini to come home 7.5sec ahead of Russia’s Nikolay Gryazin. Fifth was sufficient for Gryazin to take the championship lead of the absent Benito Guerra.
Germany’s Dominik Dinkel completed the top six in a Hyundai i20.
He survived a late scare to claim his fourth victory in five rounds, leading Toyota to its first clean sweep of the podium since 1993 and the first in the WRC since this rally four years ago.
