Road Racing: the main events of 2013

From Twowheelsblog 

Apparently, since the Mayans got it all wrong, next year we will be able to enjoy the magnificient show of the Road Racing once again. The events to mark on your calendar are always the same, and the most important of them all is obviously the Isle of Man TT, arguably the most prestigious motorcycle race in the world. The 2013 Tourist Trophy will take place from the 25th of May till June the 7th: one week of practice and then 9 races on the 37¾ miles (60.7 km) of the legendary ‘Mountain Course’. Hopefully, next year will also see the return of Senior TT after the first historic cancellation due to bad weather in 2012.

With 19 wins already under his belt, His Majesty ‘King of the Mountain’ John McGuinness will be once again the man to beat, and some of his most valuable opponents will be his newly appointed team mates, Michael Rutter e Michael Dunlop, who have just joined the ranks of the Honda TT Legends team. Other ‘eligible candidates’ for success on the Isle are New Zealander Bruce Anstey (9 wins so far), local hero Conor Cummins (who just joined William Dunlop in the Milwaukee Yamaha team), Cameron Donald, Ian Lougher, Adrian Archibald, James Hillier, Gary Johnson and the ‘rebellious’ Guy Martin, a rider with great talent and plenty of fans who has been chasing his first win at the TT for years.

Unfortunately, some of the crowd favourites won’t be part of the show next year: Ian ‘Hutchy’ Hutchinson (who collected an unprecedent ‘5-out-of-5′ at the 2010 TT) will be sidelined for the entire 2013 by yet another surgery to his battered left leg, while Farqhar Ryan announced his retirement after the tragic events of the 2012 Manx GP.

The North West 200 - the biggest outdoor event in Northern Ireland, which attracts over 100,000 visitors every year - will take place in May, from the 12th to the 18th. On the 8.1 miles (14 km) of the famous ‘Triangle’ course running between the towns of Portstewart, Coleraine and Portrush, there will be no less than 8 races divided into 4 categories (Superstock, Superbike, Supersport and Supertwin) and the man to beat will be Alastair Seeley, 8 times winner who got himself 3 more races at the 2012 NW200.

From August 12 to 17 it will be the turn of the Ulster Grand Prix, an event born in 1922 and staged as always in Dundrod, near Belfast. The favorite rider for this event must be Michael Dunlop (2 wins for him in 2012) along with the other winners of the last edition: his brother William, Guy Martin, Ryan Farquhar and Bruce Anstey.

As usual, the 2013 Road Racing season will come to an end at the Macau Grand Prix, in southeastern China, scheduled for November 14 to 17 on the famous Guia road circuit. Michael Rutter, who won the last two editions and is a 8 times winner between the typical black-and-yellow guard-rails of the race, has to be the favorite here, but look out for Scotsman Stuart Easton, winner of three editions and holder of the record lap, now fully recovered after the terrible accident of the 2011 NW200.

Road Racing - Main Events 2013

Scarborough Spring Cup (England): April 21
North West 200 (Northern Ireland): May 12 to 18
Tourist Trophy (Isle of Man): May 25-June 7
Scarborough Road Race Festival (England): June 15 to 16
Skerries 100 (Ireland): 5 to 6 July
Southern 100 International Road Races (Isle of Man): July 8 to 11
Cock ‘O The North Scarborough (England): July 20 to 21
Chimay Grand Prix de Frontieres (Belgium): July 27 to 28
Ulster GP (Northern Ireland): August 12 to 17
Manx GP (Isle of Man): 17 to 30 August
Scarborough Gold Cup (England): September 14 to 15
Macau GP (China): 14 to 17 November

Carlos Checa: Sykes will be the rider to beat in 2013

Carlos Checa was another rider that our guy over at Motoblog.it was able to interview during Nolan’s Christmas party last week.

The 2011 World Superbike champion turned 40 last October and has a few strands of white hair and a couple of wrinkles around his eyes, but what strikes the interviewer is his sheer steel determination of someone who never gives up, even if he’ll be the oldest rider in WSBK’s next season, now that Max Biaggi has retired.

Carlos you had a great start to the 2012 season [he won at Phillip Island and took a double victory at Imola] but then something happened. What went wrong?

“It was a very good year for us and we had a good season, but technically we were behind compared to the year that I won the championship and I made several errors and the opportunity to be first, which was our objective, passed us by. However we’ve learned from our mistakes.”

A couple of days ago you were at Borgo Panigale, how did it go?

“We had a Christmas party, and we also discussed the situation regarding the bike, the tests and the 2013 program. We know it’s going to be a tough year because our rivals in Superbike are much further ahead of us and we have to work to close this gap.”

Carlos don’t you ever get tired of racing?

“I now make my decisions on a yearly basis: for the upcoming season I saw a challenge that filled me with enthusiasm and I want to help Ducati with this new project, this new bike, and see where we can take it and then we’ll see. For me signing for more than a year would be too restraining. I want to be free.”

What will change with Dorna taking over?

“I know Dorna very well: on the TV and media level they’re very ahead, you just have to see the job they’ve done with MotoGP. I think that this will be very positive for Superbikes and it can get better in a lot of ways.

Do you mean on a visibility level?

“Yes, even if Superbikes in these last few years wasn’t bad and we can be satisfied on how it went, but you can always be better.”

Who will be the rider to beat in 2013?

“Sykes. And then Guintoli and Melandri.”

And Checa?

“I’ll do everything possible, but at the moment I have to think on developing the bike, and at the present we can’t compete against them.”

propos recueillis par TWOWHEELSBLOG

Rudy Banny’s '86 BMW R80RS - “Brafé Racer”

FR

Rudy Banny's college career began with Petroleum Engineering. That's the art of getting crude oil out of the ground and in to pipes. But that was only for about ½ a semester, after which he found out that several calculus classes were involved, and promptly dropped out. Amen to that. Afterwards, you could say he did complete u-turn and got into a little Petroleum Deconstruction. “I've always been a huge fan of Brat Style. After landing a job in advertising, I fell in love with BMW's when a buddy of mine let me ride his 1965 r60/2 and 1972 r75/5 for a week when I was shooting in LA. That was it. I fell in love with airheads. I wanted one, but just couldn't get into the purist mentality that seems so prevalent with Bimmer owners. I’m more of a custom guy. So, I started looking for the cleanest, most pristine airhead I could find, so I could deconstruct it.”

“I was intrigued by Nicholas Damen's Bee Emm Brat posted on Pipeburn, so I used it as my inspiration for this build, except I went ‘Brafé’ Style...”

The bike started out as a fully dressed 1986 R80RS. After stripping it down to a motor and a frame, Rudy started by powder coating the wheels, forks and driveshaft flat black. He then installed an Acewell Speedo, a new headlight and fork ears and brake lines from Spiegler Performance Parts and left the RS cafe bars in place.

“Because I removed the fork brace so I could put a fatter tire on the front, I replaced the stock top fork plate with an aluminum triple clamp from Boxerworks to keep the forks from twisting."

"When I decided to keep the cafe bars, I felt the need to get a nice rear set, which I picked up from Flatracer. I kept the stock pipes, wrapped them and capped them off with some sweet stainless steel reverse-cone shorties that I picked up from Dime City Cycles.”

“I had the tank painted flat black to match the wheels and slapped some new badges on it as well as a Monza gas cap from Flatracer.com. I cut down and narrowed the rear sub-frame to take the Nitroheads Bratstyle Thin Seat that I purchased from Pipeburn. And finally, I cut down and powder coated a steel rear fender and topped it off with an old school tail light from Dime City Cycles.”

Fromcpipeburn.com

- MOTO GRIGIO -

Woolie’s Workshop and the Deus Ex Machina-Emporium of Postmodern Activities present:
-MOTO GRIGIO-

Moto Grigio is Michael Woolaway’s latest addition to the Deus Ex Machina arsenal. The bike’s namesake is a vintage Ferrari paint called Grigio Scuro. A simplified translation of the term from Italian into English—dark grey—does the name little justice. It’s a complex hue that shifts from dark grey to near black in different lights. Pairing this color with the aggressive silhouette of Moto Grigio, the bike cuts an imposing figure.

Hand built in Woolie’s Workshop at The Emporium of Postmodern Activities, the Kawasaki W650 engine was punched out to 800cc, features FCR flat slide carburetors and stainless steel headers that flow into a Supertrapp exhaust kitted out with hand made hangers. The custom-made tank and seat marry ideas of new and old. The tank shape is inspired by classic TT style road racers while the seat models itself after current Moto2 bikes. The competition-spec inspiration extends throughout the build with a laundry list of race-ready parts. The wheels sport Sun rims, Buchanan stainless steel spokes and nipples, and knock off hubs from Durelle Racing. The adjustable offset triple clamps are also from Durelle Racing and link up with black anodized Ohlins forks that have been re-valved, re-lengthened, and re-sprung. A Motion Pro Revolver throttle, Brembo brake and ASV clutch lever call the Woodcraft clip-on bars home. The enormous flat track rear brake set-up incorporates a Grimeca caliper and Brembo master cylinder, while up front the Beringer six piston brake meets a Brembo rotor and lever for huge stopping power. A custom chromoly swingarm links up to Works Performance shocks. Finishing touches include a digital dashboard from Motogadget and custom seating from C&C Motorcycle Seats.

MUSIC: Rodrigo y Gabriela – Hanuman