2012 KTM 500 EXC by Cab Moto

Words by Ian Lee | Photos by Seth Beckton

When you grow up riding dirt bikes in Colorado, you get a good feel for what a decent bike is. That’s where the builder of this KTM custom started out, stirring up the dirt on the trails of the American wilderness. With a build brief based on a Roland Sands design, this 2012 KTM 500EXC has been given a full work over, while retaining the reputation this model has to be thrown around on the dirt. Built by Cab Moto for an ex motocross rider, as Casey the builder says himself ‘I have a tendency to want to turn street bikes into dirt bikes and dirt bikes into street bikes. I guess they turn out somewhere in the middle. Which is very functional for where I live’. This Austrian trailblazer definitely is the machine for taking on those dirt roads, as well as the ability to ride the tarmac to get to them.

The build began when Casey had his next door come over with a picture of the Roland Sands/Kurt Caselli KTM and a fresh 500EXC with only 20 hours on the clock. With the direction set for the way the build was to go, the practically new bike was stripped of it’s plastics and fueltank, then the factory sub frame given the heave ho. A new, softer angled sub frame was manufactured and mounted, along with new fenders and bracketry.

From there, Casey set about the task of fabricating a new fuel tank. Which turned out a little harder than he originally thought because he had never done a fuel injected bike before, due to a need for machined parts to complete the build process. Once the tank was mounted, a new battery and electrical junction box was fitted to the frame. The ubiquitous trimmer, Ginger of New Church Moto, produced the immaculate orange stitched leather cushion, sitting atop a seat pan of Casey’s own making.

In relation to performance this bike is a weapon, even in stock form. As Casey said about the build ‘I was really excited to start with something this awesome’, so performance upgrades have been kept simple. The air filter is now Uni open air intake, and the exhaust system is a Werkes setup from a Yamaha R6. Rolling stock are 18 runs laced up by Woody’s Wheel Works, running Excel rims on RAD hubs. The rubber chosen for the build is Mefo Super Explorer Rubber.

When it came to the paint job, Casey had a good idea of what he wanted, leaving the work in the hands of Wrench Face Motors. Thanks to their quality work, in the words of the builder ‘the work turned out better than I could have imagined’. An interesting touch to the build is that nothing has been changed that can’t easily be changed back to stock should the need/legalities arise.

Built on a solid platform, this KTM trail blazer is a part of an evolution of Cab Moto’s building style. From the CL360 that was featured here last on Pipeburn, you can see how the Colorado workshop is taking their builds new and exciting places. Just like you would if you owned this bike really.

via PIPEBURN

24h du Mans ; Journée Test : 64 voitures en piste / 64 cars for official Test Day

La Journée Test lance véritablement les 24 Heures du Mans. 64 voitures sont attendues dimanche pour huit heures de roulage sur le grand circuit des 24 Heures.

Le paddock du Mans s’anime peu à peu depuis la semaine dernière avec l’arrivée des premiers semi-remorques et le montage des immenses structures Audi, Porsche, Toyota et Nissan derrière les stands et au Raccordement.

Si 56 voitures maximum disputeront la 83^e édition des 24 Heures du Mans dans quinze jours, 64 véhicules sont attendus pour la Journée Test, dont les 34 engagés du FIA WEC. En attendant l’extension des garages, certains teams seront forcés de se partager l’espace.

Parmi les « invités pour l’apéro », le team LNT et ses deux Ginetta-Nissan/Michelin LM P3 uniquement admises aux tests. L’ancien champion cycliste Sir Chris Hoy va découvrir le mythique circuit du Mans, et trois pilotes officiels Nissan sont inscrits sur le second proto LM P3 (Chilton/Matsuda/Buncombe) + le vainqueur de la GT Academy 2013 Nick McMillen.

Ibanez Racing et KCMG sont attendus avec un second proto LM P2 chacun (Oreca-Nissan N°44 et Oreca-Judd N°49, 1^ère suppléante. En LM GTE Am, l’équipe réserviste Formula Racing fera rouler sa Ferrari 458 N°60 (Laursen/Jensen/Rizzoli), alors qu’AF Corse sera là avec deux 458 supplémentaires (7 en tout !) - la N°81 (Perrazini/Cioci) et la N°82 (Mallegol/Bachler/Blank/Mouez) - qui ne font pas partie des suppléants. La Porsche N°86 Gulf UK Racing réserviste sera également là dimanche.

Certains teams ont ajouté un 4^e pilote à leurs équipages, comme le Japonais Kamui Kobayashi (pilote de réserve Toyota) sur la TS040 Hybrid N°1, et Frédéric Makowiecki engagé sur les trois Porsche 919 Hybrid LM P1. Le double poleman GTE Pro devrait donc boucler ses premiers tours manceaux en prototype.

Sven Muller a été ajouté aux deux équipages Porsche 911 RSR Manthey, et Stéphane Raffin complète l’équipage de l’Oreca-Nissan N°44 Ibanez Racing.

Cette Journée Test verra les premiers tours de roue officiels des nouvelles Rebellion R-One désormais propulsées par un moteur V6 turbo AER, ainsi que des très, très attendues Nissan GT-R LM Nismo officielles planquées dans le Kentucky depuis le début de l’année.

Les concurrents n’ayant jamais participé aux 24 Heures du Mans ou ne figurant pas sur la liste des pilotes confirmés depuis l’édition 2010 (381 pilotes), hors pilotes hors Platinium, doivent obligatoirement boucler 10 tours de circuit minimum lors de la Journée Test.

Contre un chèque de 11 500 € H.T., les teams pourront rouler pendant huit heures sur le circuit de 13,629 km. C’est l’unique opportunité d’évoluer sur le grand circuit avant la séance d’essais libres et les qualifs du mercredi après-midi.

The pre-Le Mans Test Day on Sunday, May 31, has attracted no fewer than 64 cars. Eight hours of track time are scheduled.

The paddock at Le Mans is getting gradually busier as the teams’ trucks park up and the huge hospitality facilities of teams like Audi, Porsche, Toyota and Nissan are erected behind the pits and at the ‘Raccordement’ turn.

Although 56 cars (maximum) will participate in the race itself in two weeks’ time, 64 entries have been accepted for the Test Day, including the 34 cars registered for the 2015 FIA WEC. Until building of extra pit garages is completed, certain teams will consequently have to share space this weekend.

The ‘additional’ cars at the Test Day include LNT’s two Michelin-equipped LM P3 Ginetta-Nissan prototypes, one of which will be driven by the former cycling champion and Le Mans rookie Sir Chris Hoy. There are three Nissan factory drivers listed for the other LM P3 car (Chilton/Matsuda/Buncombe), plus the 2013 GT Academy graduate Nick McMillen.

Ibanez Racing and KCMG are both expected to have a second LM P2 prototype each: the N°44 Oreca-Nissan and the N°49 Oreca-Judd, the first car on the reserves list. Formula Racing - also a reserve entry - will have its N°60 Ferrari 458 for Laursen/Jensen/Rizzoli (LM GTE Am), and AF Corse will have two extra 458s (N°81 for Perrazini/Cioci, N°82 for Mallegol/Bachler/Blank/Mouez) taking its total to seven cars in all! Gulf UK Racing’s reserve entry N°86 Porsche will also lap on Sunday.

Some teams have added a fourth driver to their line-ups, like Japan’s Kamui Kobayashi (Toyota reserve driver) in the N°1 TS040 Hybrid, while Frenchman Fred Makowiecki has been listed for all three Porsche 919 Hybrids. The two-time LM GTE Pro pole-winner is likely to get his first chance to drive an LM P1 prototype at Le Mans.

Sven Muller’s name has been added to the two Porsche 911 RSR Manthey line-ups, and Stéphane Raffin appears on the same line as Ibanez Racing’s N°44 Oreca-Nissan.

Meanwhile, the Test Day will mark the first public appearances of the new Rebellion R-Ones (now powered by an AER turbocharged V6) and of the eagerly-awaited Nissan GT-R LM Nismos which have been out of sight in Kentucky, USA, since the beginning of the year.

With the exception of the ‘platinum’ stars, those drivers who have never previously contested the Le Mans 24 Hours, or who haven’t appeared on the entry list since 2010 must contest at least 10 laps during the Test Day.

The chance to pound round the full 13.629km track may cost €11,500 but it’s the only chance teams will get of lapping the 24-hour circuit before official practice starts on the Wednesday of race week.

Pour mémoire, les chronos réalisés lors de la Journée Test 2014 :

LM P1 : 3min23s014 – Toyota TS040 Hybrid (Buemi)

LM P2 : 3min37s795 – Morgan-Nissan (Rusinov)

LM GTE Pro : 3min57s260 – Porsche 911 RSR (Makowiecki)

LM GTE Am : 3min57s403 – Ferrari 458 Italia (Ruberti)

BMW 328 ‘Hommage’

No, you’re not seeing double, there really are two ‘m’s in the name of BMW’s latest styling exercise, a two-seater roadster debuting at Villa d’Este. A sort of ‘Hommage’ by name, ‘homage’ by nature, if you like, as the new car is dedicated to the famous BMW 328 which celebrates its 75th anniversary this year.

The Bavarian company is justly proud of its heritage, though BMW is stretching the point somewhat to describe its pre-War 328 as one “considered the most successful and best-looking sports car of the 1930s”. Alfa 8C or Bugatti Type 57, anyone? It was a very modern design, that’s true, with a beautifully engineered straight-six that saw racing service well in to the 1950s and in coupé form won the 1940 Mille Miglia – which lends the ‘MM’ to the new car’s name.

Villa d’Este, the world’s most exclusive concours d’elegance, coming just a week after the running of the modern retrospective Mille Miglia event, was the perfect venue for the striking design created by a team led by top designer Adrian van Hooydonk. “Carbon is the material of the future,” he said, and extensive use is made of what was once a space-age material but is now seen in greater quantities throughout the automobile industry.

Many styling cues from the 1930s original are reprised in the Hommage. It has a strikingly vertical and pronounced twin-kidney grille. The wheels are two-part with ‘cooling holes’, and the windscreen is asymmetric; split and curving its centre, with the focus on the driver.

Unpainted, the carbonfibre bodywork has natural-colour leather ‘straps’ as if tying the bonnet down. It also features round headlamps, each divided into four individual bulbs with a ‘cross’ effect imitating the plastic tape used on racing cars in the 30s, 40s and 50s. There are no doors.

Inside the cockpit, only round instruments can be seen, many having a retro ‘stop watch’ look and feel. The instrument panel is fitted with two iPhones located in special holders. These offer additional display functions for the driver and co-driver.

The concept is all about style and possible future trends for the innovative Bavarian company – little is known about the running gear apart from the engine being a 3.0-litre straight six. What else.

Photos: BMW

A Bull At The Gate: Mad Mike’s 26B-TT MX-5 Has Arrived

There are numerous reasons why people are drawn to drifting. The action element is undeniable of course, and the competition itself provides no shortage of excitement – especially when two evenly-matched drivers go head-to-head in a final battle. Then there’s the style aspect, which over the years has transcended down to street level with visual cues and direct links to the motorsport. But in bringing you this story on one of the most highly anticipated drift builds of recent times, it’s innovation that I want to talk about today.

Drifting is one of very few motorsports where creativity has few bounds. Sure, the rulebook dictates things that can and can’t be done, but for the most part, if you can dream it, there’s a good chance you’ll be able to run it.

Of course, you’ve got to build it first though, and if you’re talking about an ultra-competitive Formula Drift Pro spec machine, that’s going to take a lot of know-how, a lot of work, and enough funding to see it through.

There’s risks associated with doing something different of course, but in my mind, for the betterment of the professional side of the sport it’s good to have guys like Mad Mike Whiddett who are prepared to break tradition. And in the case of his latest and greatest creation, also test that fine line between genius and insanity.

If you’re a regular visitor to Speedhunters, or follow the exploits of the Kiwi drifter through his various social channels, I’m sure you’ll be familiar with his most ambitious drift car build to date.

It’s been a while since I first laid eyes on the stripped-down chassis that would form the basis for the project, but I remember the day well. It was the day I questioned if Mike had actually gone ‘Mad’.

As it turned out – and as always seems to be the case with Mike and his cars – the beginnings of this build involved a fair amount of chance.

Yes, he had always dreamed of slapping a high-horsepower rotary motor into Mazda’s iconic drop-top sportscar and going nuts, but prior to pulling the trigger on this build, it seemed more likely that Mike would make his return to the Formula Drift Pro Championship in 2015 behind the wheel of another RX-8.