CAFÉ RACER 76

TRIUMPH TURBOCHARGED MOTORCYCLE

By Greg Williams | Modern Motorcycle Mechanics

Seems everybody has a taste for salt. Professional builders and home tuners alike are increasingly constructing machinery aboard which they hope to break speed records, racing only the clock on the Bonneville Salt Flats.

Derek Pauletto of Trillion Industries in Calgary, Alberta has never been one to attempt something easy. He tends to really think about what he’s doing—whether machining and assembling finely detailed Star Wars light sabers for his kids, or building a single-sided swingarm for a 1971 Honda CB500. So, when he decided to focus his energy in crafting a racer for the motorcycle-only BUB Speed Trials, he challenged himself.

Derek has one foot firmly planted in the modern motorcycle camp, with the other in the vintage camp. For this build, he reached back to the late 1930s, bringing Edward Turner’s parallel twin engine technology kicking and screaming into the 21st century with the addition of a turbocharger and fuel injection.

He based the build, which he’s dubbed Raquel, on the remnants of a 1970 Triumph Bonneville. In 2012 Team Trillion ran on the salt in the M/PBF (Modified/Pushrod Blown Fuel) class.

Raquel is based on the Triumph’s front frame loop, fork and engine, but everything was heavily modified. To the 650cc engine—running the standard-spec bore—he installed an aftermarket turbo for a 1.8-L Audi car, and modified throttle bodies from a 2003 Honda CBR for fuel injection.

Custom cams, pistons and crankshaft went in, and an HKS F-Con V Pro fuel management computer system was tricked into thinking it was running a two-cylinder Toyota Supra. Derek bent and welded tubes to form the rigid rear, fabricated the oil and gasoline tanks, and machined both wheels from solid billet.

With little running time on a local dyno, Derek loaded Raquel and made it to the Sunday tech inspection in Utah. “We were just happy to have made it through tech,” he says. Derek squeezed two qualifying runs (171.94 km/h – 106.838 mp/h and 172.28 km/h – 107.049 mp/h) out of the motorcycle before electrical gremlins left him sidelined.

Not entirely thrilled, Derek says he did learn some lessons. He is currently rebuilding the Triumph, wiring in a new computer system and installing a hydraulic clutch and inverted fork from a Honda CBR.

“Team Trillion will be back at Bonneville in late August,” he says.

Images courtesy of Kurtis Kristianson of Spindrift Photography.

from BIKEEXIF

Loris Baz in talks with Kawasaki for contract renewal

Chalk it up to the fact that Loris Baz likes the Silverstone circuit. That he is particularly good riding in very tricky conditions. Add that his place in KRT may be at risk because of other riders linked to his ride, which gives extra-motivation, the 20-year old French rider’s odds in remaining with the squad definitely went up after taking his second career victory earlier this month at the British circuit.

In an interview with the official SBK website confirmed that he is in talks with Kawasaki:

“Well, nothing is confirmed yet, we’ve just started to talk about it in Silverstone and I can say that the idea is from both parties to stay together for the next season. I would love to stay, as I believe this is the best we can do: all the work, developments and changes we’ve done until now will allow us to compete for the front row every race next year. We’ll see, maybe I will know something more in Nurburgring.”

After his Silverstone victory, ‘Bazooka’ is currently tied for 5th with Chaz Davies, and the Kawasaki rider wants to finish the season in that position and hopes that in the second part of the championship will see him more constant.

Silverstone is the best track for me in the championship, and I’m really happy because the work we’re doing with the team is paying on the track and this is not only good for me, but for everyone who’s been working hard from the beginning of the season. From my side, since the very first round I tried to be consistent and not to crash too much, learning from each session and race, step by step. I was starting to miss the podium a little bit (last time was in Assen) and it was really important to win a race before the break.

Yes, I’m fifth at the moment, tied in points with Chaz (Davies), and this is really important for the season as we wish to finish in the top-5, so we’ll do our best to stay in there.”

2014 will see new rule changes in World Superbikes - price capping and the EVO category that is expected to bring more bikes on the grid, and Baz sees it as a positive aspect for the championship.

“I think with these changes all teams can be more competitive and I’m pretty sure this is a positive thing for the championship. As I understand this would bring more bikes on the grid and this is good for the show, our fans, and for the riders, as well. It’s a shame that BMW has left as an official team, but maybe they will have more - and competitive - bikes on the starting line.”

from TWOWHEELSBLOG

Jaguar C-X75 Prototype: Air Force run

This wasn’t a test drive we were about to refuse: not when it involves a prototype Jaguar on a runway. Under such conditions, the Jaguar C-X75 is a little like a Lear jet with its wings clipped, says Classic Driver’s Mathias Paulokat...

Remember the C-X75, which Jaguar unveiled in 2010? An expressive vision of a hybrid supercar – with micro gas turbines to recharge the batteries, four electric motors (one for each wheel) and a stunning wow factor of a design. Designed as a concept car (‘C’) of a purely experimental nature (‘X’), proudly paying homage to the 75^th anniversary (‘75’) of the marque from Coventry, the super-Jag disappeared after the celebrations, despite praise from pundits and press around the world. There was also the matter of the new Jaguar F-Type to demand everyone’s full attention. Originally intended for a small-series production run, in late 2012 Jaguar announced that due to global economic worries the C-X75 project would be cancelled.

But did the story end there? No – five prototypes were developed, to an engineering brief that sounds almost impossible. It went something like this: “Build a super-sportscar that looks as breathtaking as the C-X75.” Okay! “It needs to have the values and driving abilities of a Bugatti Veyron.” Er… right. “And it should have the fuel economy of a Toyota Prius.” Sorry, what?! “Oh, and an electric drive with the same range as the Chevrolet Volt.” Yes, of course – anything else you’d like, while we’re about it? “Yup. You need to have the project completed within a year. Off you go then, guys.”

To cut a long story short, a year later and the prototype Jaguar is here – and by all accounts, the car fulfils the brief. The first thing to hit you is the way this super-Jag looks: damn good – so that’s Challenge 1 dealt with. If you happened to have a tape measure, you’d find that the prototype has virtually the same dimensions as the concept car, differing only where the functionality requires it – air-intakes, headlights, mirrors, wheels, and so on. But what about performance? Well, with 862HP and 1,000Nm of torque, the C-X75 catapults to 62mph in around 3.0 seconds and can manage a top speed just shy of 220mph. Not too shabby, then.

And how about the Chevy Volt and the Toyota Prius? Incredible as it might seem, for economy and emissions this hypercar matches them. As Jaguar developed the car as a feasible ‘plug-in hybrid’, the gas turbines were discarded. The C-X75 you see here now has a Formula One-inspired, turbocharged and supercharged, 509HP 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol engine. When combined with the twin electric motors (totalling 300kW) and high-performance batteries, massive combined power is matched by amazing efficiency. It is complex, and the whole system relies on very advanced electronics and engine management. Running on electric power alone, the car has a range of 60 kilometres (around 37 miles). From an efficiency viewpoint, the car’s consumption is 3.8l/100km with CO2 emissions of 89g/km. This, by itself, is spectacular – and we have not yet described the driving experience.

Inside the cockpit, the driver is met with some familiar Jaguar instrumentation and an F-Type steering wheel. It’s a little cramped and claustrophobic but no dark cave, even wearing the mandatory helmet, and I am sitting 8 inches from the Tarmac. In ‘E-mode’ the Jaguar rolls smartly away, then the engine kicks in and it really goes forward. It’s brutally quick, insanely fast. Using the paddle-shift I flick the seven-speed gearbox through the gears, always shifting up at 10,000rpm. Each time the engine pulls the car along faster and faster.

It seems almost in an instant that the speedo is showing 180mph. The end of the runway is hurtling towards me, so I get on the brakes. Fast. In braking, the C-X75 is as impressive as when accelerating. And don’t forget that it’s more than capable of breaking the 200mph mark – even, maybe, 220mph. And, as an engineering project, it’s only 50 per cent finished. Anyone who thinks the XJ220 supercar of the 1990s was Jaguar’s final effort to join the ranks of the hypercar makers is mistaken. The C-X75 beats it, hands down. Porsche, Ferrari and McLaren, watch out. If this Jaguar hypercar goes into production, it won’t be just the makers of super-economical hybrids that have serious competition on their hands.

Photos: Jaguar