ERC : Valais victory for Lappi / Victoire de Lappi au Valais

The Rallye International du Valais, last round of the 2013 FIA European Rally Championship, was won by Skoda Motorsport’s Esapekka Lappi (Skoda/Michelin). The 22-year old Finn finished clear of local star Olivier Burri (Ford Fiesta RRC) and Irishman Craig Breen (Peugeot 207 S2000/Michelin).

Le pilote officiel Skoda Motorsport Esapekka Lappi a remporté le Rallye International du Valais, dernière manche du Championnat d’Europe des Rallyes FIA 2013. Au volant de sa Skoda/Michelin, le jeune finlandais de 22 ans a devancé Olivier Burri (Ford Fiesta RRC) et l’Irlandais Craig Breen (Peugeot 207 S2000/Michelin).

This time last week, Esapekka Lappi was on the other side of the planet winning the Asia-Pacific Championship’s China Rally Longyou. He arrived in Switzerland on Monday in time for recce for the Rallye du Valais… which he won today! It was his second ERC success after his victory in Poland in 2012.

Lappi may not have been the fastest driver on the all-asphalt event, but he benefited from the hefty time penalties that were dished out to Peugeot 207 S2000 drivers Craig Breen and Jérémi Ancian to complete Thursday’s action in the immediate wake of Andreas Aigner (Subaru).

The following day saw the Finn take advantage of drier conditions to ease past Aigner and ultimately defend his lead until this afternoon’s finish. “It’s been a positive weekend,” he acknowledged. “Not only is this my first win on asphalt but I gained a great deal of sealed-surface experience thanks to this weekend’s changing conditions. Apart from a spin on SS1, I didn’t make any mistakes and we always called our Michelin tyre choices correctly.”

This morning, Aigner went off on SS14 to hand second place to the multiple Valais winner Olivier Burri whose Ford Fiesta RRC completed the distance with a rather sick engine. Russia’s Vasiliy Gryazin (Ford/Michelin) seemed destined to collect his first ERC podium result at the tender age of 19, but an ‘off’ on SS15 handed an unexpected top-three finish to Craig Breen.

The fastest drivers on the Swiss stages were undoubtedly the Peugeot Rally Academy’s Breen and Jérémi Ancian (4^th). They led after SS2 but then took big time penalties (two and three minutes respectively) for early arrival at the start of SS3. Their ensuing fight-backs were hampered by a power steering problem for Breen and a puncture for Ancian, yet they finally succeeded in limiting the damage.

The local experts were less in form than usual. The 2013 Swiss champion Grégoire Hotz (Peugeot 207 S2000) retired on Friday afternoon (oil pipe), as did Sébastien Carron (Peugeot 207 S2000, accident). Nicolas Althaus (Peugeot 207 S2000) ended up in sixth place.

The Czech driver Tlustak (Skoda) also failed to reach the end (exhaust).

The 2014 FIA European Rally Championship will begin with early January’s Jännerallye in Austria.

Il y a tout juste une semaine, Esapekka Lappi était à l’autre bout du monde et remportait le China Rally Longyou comptant pour le Championnat Asie-Pacifique. Le Finlandais a atterri en début de semaine à Genève pour entamer les reconnaissances du Rallye International du Valais… qu’il vient de remporter !

A 22 ans, le pilote officiel Skoda Motorsport a remporté son second rallye ERC après une victoire en Pologne l’an passé. Esapekka Lappi n’était peut-être pas le plus rapide sur l’asphalte du Valais, mais il a profité des lourdes pénalités infligées aux pilotes Peugeot 207 S2000 Craig Breen et Jérémi Ancian pour se positionner dans le sillage du leader Andreas Aigner (Subaru) jeudi soir.

Le lendemain, sur des routes devenues plus sèches, le Finlandais n’a fait qu’une bouchée de l’Autrichien pour prendre la tête et la conserver jusque à l’arrivée. « Le bilan est très positif : non seulement je gagne mon premier rallye asphalte, mais j’ai aussi pris beaucoup d’expérience sur cette surface ce week-end avec les conditions changeantes. Hormis un tête-à-queue dans l’ES1, je n’ai pas fait d’erreurs et on a toujours effectué les bons choix de pneus Michelin. »

Victime d’une sortie de route dans l’ES14, Andreas Aigner a laissé sa 2^e place au multiple vainqueur de ce rallye Olivier Burri qui découvrait sa Ford Fiesta RRC laquelle a fini avec un moteur bien fatigué. Le Russe Vasiliy Gryazin (Ford/Michelin) allait monter pour la première fois sur un podium européen à 19 ans, avant une sortie de route dans l’ES15. Craig Breen en profita pour signer un podium inespéré.

Les plus performants ce week-end furent incontestablement les pilotes de la Peugeot Rally Academy Craig Breen (3^e) et Jérémi Ancian (4^e). Ils étaient d’ailleurs leaders à l’issue de l’ES2 avant d’écoper de lourdes pénalités pour pointage en avance au départ de l’ES3 (respectivement 2 et 3 minutes). Leur folle remontée fut contrariée par un problème de direction assistée (Breen) et une crevaison (Ancian), mais ils sont tout de même parvenus à « sauver les meubles ».

A domicile, les pilotes suisses ont moins brillé que d’habitude. Le champion 2013 Grégoire Hotz (Peugeot 207 S2000) a dû se retirer vendredi après-midi (durit d’huile), idem pour Sébastien Carron (Peugeot 207 S2000, sortie de route). Nicolas Althaus (Peugeot 207 S2000) a conclu à la 6^e place. Abandon aussi pour le Tchèque Tlustak (Skoda, échappement).

Le Championnat d’Europe des Rallyes FIA reprendra début janvier sur les routes du Jännerallye.

MotoGP™: Le record du circuit et l'avantage psychologique pour Márquez

World Champion Lorenzo broke Pedrosa’s pole record of 1’30.844s from 2012 with a 1'30.645 lap on his first attempt, but was troubled by engine problems with his number one bike and eventually he finished 0.34s behind Marquez in second, on bike two.

Completing the front row is that man Pedrosa, and like Valentino Rossi – who qualified fourth, 0.7s off pole – he could have a big say in the title battle on Sunday if he can get in front of Lorenzo or Marquez in the race.

The likes of Cal Crutchlow, on his last weekend with the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 team, and colleague Bradley Smith, are unlikely to fight for victory at the final round but they will try to challenge for top five or even podium positions. They both qualified within a second of Marquez on row two.

Heading the third row is GO&FUN Honda Gresini’s Alvaro Bautista who crashed out but walked away unhurt. He starts just ahead of LCR Honda’s Stefan Bradl and Ducati Team’s Andrea Dovizioso.

For his final appearance on a Ducati Nicky Hayden qualified tenth. Meanwhile, Italians Andrea Iannone and Danilo Petrucci were the two riders to make it through from Q1, but could not challenge the top 10.

The best of the rest from Q1 were Hector Barbera, Aleix Espargaro and Claudio Corti who will therefore line up on the fifth row.

Star de la saison MotoGP™ 2013 et leader du classement général avant la dernière course de l’année qui aura lieu demain à Valence, Marc Márquez (Repsol Honda) s’est offert une neuvième pole position en dix-huit courses samedi après-midi au Circuit Ricardo Tormo, dont il avait battu le record le matin et a signé une nouvelle référence absolue en qualifications, en profitant d’excellentes conditions météo.

Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha Factory Racing) avait été le premier à se lancer à l’assaut de la pole et à passer sous le nouveau record du tour, avant que Márquez ne réalise un exceptionnel chrono d’1’30.237 sur le septième de ses neuf tours pour battre le Champion du Monde en titre de plus de trois dixièmes de seconde. Ce dernier était rentré aux stands en urgence sur son dernier run en raison d'une soudaine perte de puissance sur sa première moto et n'a pas réusi à rivaliser avec Márquez une fois passé sur sa seconde machine.

Pour rappel, Márquez deviendra automatiquement Champion du Monde MotoGP™ s’il parvient à terminer dans le Top 4 dimanche après-midi, quel que soit le résultat de Lorenzo, qui compte treize points de retard avant cette dernière épreuve.

Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) s’est assuré de partir en première ligne avec ses deux compatriotes en refaisant surface en fin de séance et a fini à 0.426s de la pole et 0.086s de Lorenzo. 

Valentino Rossi (Yamaha Factory Racing) pourra de son côté être satisfait d’avoir repris le dessus sur de très compétitifs Cal Crutchlow (Monster Yamaha Tech3) et Bradley Smith (Monster Yamaha Tech3), qui partiront avec l’Italien en deuxième ligne et sont les deux derniers pilotes à moins d’une seconde de Márquez.

Álvaro Bautista (GO&FUN Honda Gresini), qui est tombé en fin de séance, Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda) et Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati) s’élanceront quant à eux de la quatrième ligne, devant Nicky Hayden (Ducati), Andrea Iannone (Energy T.I. Pramac Racing) et Danilo Petrucci (Came IodaRacing Project), premier pilote CRT sur la grille de départ. Absent de la Q2, Aleix Espargaró (Power Electronics Aspar) partira quatorzième, derrière Héctor Barberá (Avintia Blusens), tandis que Randy de Puniet (Power Electronics Aspar) n’a pas fait mieux que le vingtième temps.

JPN MONOCOQUE BY PETER WILLIAMS

Back in 1973 a motorcycle rolled out of a garage in England, it was to be just one of four ever built, and it was going to shake the world of professional motorcycle racing to its core. The bike in question was the John Player Norton Monocoque, it had been designed and built by Peter Williams – a man who was both a motorcycle engineer and a talented racer.

Williams had been given access to the already outdated, pushrod Norton engine of the era. The 750cc parallel twin was woefully slow next to the modern two-stroke bikes that were rising to prominence. He knew that in order to compete at the 1973 Isle of Man he was going to need something genuinely remarkable, so he set out creating a monocoque chassis that held the oil and fuel, an advanced aero-fairing and a perfectly tuned set of suspension – he also made the first foray into cast wheels (rather than the traditional spokes).

Peter Williams went on to win the Isle of Man TT, and he did it at an average speed of 107.27mph – a staggering feat even today. Skip forward in time 40 years and Williams is back at the drafting table preparing to create 25 John Player Norton Motorcycles, each of these bikes will use the classic Norton 750, the bullet-proof monocoque frame and each one will cost far less than the £250,000 originals.

So if you’ve got £65,000 to spare and fancy picking yourself up a piece of motorcycling history, you can visit Peter Williams Motorcycles to place your order. If you don’t have £65,000 to spare, you can hit play on the video below and relive one of the most memorable moments in Isle of Man history.

Full Press Release

40 years ago this week Peter Williams, road race legend and motorcycle development engineer accomplished a unique achievement winning the Isle of Man TT on a motorcycle of his own design. Peter’s engineering designs gave him the advantage on the race track and set the trend for what motorcycles are today. Now exactly four decades later, the highly limited edition Peter Williams Motorcycles’ Replica will celebrate and commemorate Peter’s legendary victory.

Peter Williams Motorcycles is now taking orders for replicas of his 1973 F750 TT-winning John Player Norton. Just 25 of the monocoque-framed Commandos will be built. The original monocoque has passed into biking lore as the machine Williams won the 1973 F750 TT on, lapping at 107.27mph, just off Mike Hailwood’s 1967 outright record on a works Honda. Impressive stuff from an air-cooled, push-rod Commando engine. He was also the highest points scorer in that year’s victorious Transatlantic Trophy team. An innovator throughout his career, Williams can be credited with introducing and establishing the viability of many of the things we now take for granted, including cast wheels, disc brakes and beam frames.

A stainless steel chassis that formed the fuel tank as well as the frame lent the bike its ‘monocoque’ name. The new replicas will follow the layout of the 1973 bikes, however whereas each original monocoque frame took 12 man-weeks to construct, this time CAD design and CNC laser cutters will improve accuracy and hasten the production process. Engines will be built by renowned Norton specialist Mick Hemmings using all new parts, including Peter’s own cam design. The replicas will feature a host of bespoke parts such as cast magnesium wheels and forks, created from the original ‘70s drawings. Where drawings were not available, new parts have been created by referencing and digitising two of the original race bikes.

PWM hope that the first of the monocoque replicas will be ready for production in 2013, the 40th anniversary of Williams’ epic Isle of Man win. Just four originals were built and are now valued in excess of £250,000 apiece, putting Williams’ expected £65,000 price tag for the replicas into perspective.

The JPN project was conceived to raise working capital and as a showcase for investment into Williams’ pet project – a modern motorcycle with a carbon-fibre monocoque chassis. He produced the first prototype in conjunction with Lotus, proving the concept. Development is now underway of a new model for low volume production.

Peter Williams Motorcycles Ltd. comprises the man himself, Greg Taylor of motorcycle engineering firm GTME and Mark Wells & Ian Wride of design consultancy Xenophya Design. Williams said: “Working with the team brought fresh ideas and a different perspective on how to make the whole monocoque chassis motorcycle project a reality. Starting with the replicas of my 1973 TT-winning bike, we will show investors what we are capable of, and present collectors and enthusiasts with a unique opportunity. “With the 40th anniversary of the TT victory, we have the ideal opportunity to bring the JPN replica to market. We already have a number of interested purchasers. The ‘designed for manufacture’ version will be of equal elegance and efficient function of the original JPN monocoque. As soon as we receive firm orders we can press the button and the new bikes can be created.

via SILODROME

Moto Snowy Ridgeline

Shot 100% on the HD HERO® camera from http://GoPro.com.

Chris McMahan threads a snowy ridge in Grand Junction, CO.