Hyper Pro Racer from Australia Puts Yamaha 450 WR Power on 4 Wheels

from by PAUL CROWE in MOTOR VEHICLES

Hyper Pro Racer with Yamaha 450 WR 5 valve engine

It's been a while since we talked about any motorcycle powered cars on The Kneeslider and I just got a note about the Hyper Pro Racer so I thought I'd take a look. The 5 valve Yamaha 450 WR engine is designed for dirt bikes, but the Aussies thought it would be ideal for their track car built for the Hyper Racer spec series where all cars are the same and the engine is sealed.

The car looks like a race cart on steroids with a full roll cage and 6 inch wheels, but don't let looks deceive you, the car lays down track times pretty close to the Porsche Cup racers who have to spend one helluva lot more money to do what these little guys can do. They're designed for the go kart racer moving up while keeping costs under control.

There's 4 wheel disc brakes, 5 speed gearbox, slipper clutch, Ohlins suspension, 6 point harness, all of the things you would want in a little road burner. They sell it fully assembled or as a kit, starting at $9995.

Looks like it would be a hoot out on the track and comparing time slips with that guy standing next to his Porsche would be priceless. Neat!

Link: Hyperracer

Hyper Pro Racer cockpit showing quick release wheel, hand shifter and surrounded by 4130 Chrome-moly chassis and roll cage

from http://thekneeslider.com/

Monster Energy to sponsor Yamaha Factory team

Following the rumors that Yamaha had bought out Jorge Lorenzo’s personal sponsor RockStar to make way for Monster Energy who wanted to co-sponsor the entire team, today Yamaha Factory Racing officially announced that they signed a two-year sponsorship and partnership agreement with the energy drink company.

Monster Energy branding will be visible on the Yamaha YZR-M1s and racing leathers of Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi as well as on all team clothing and all team equipment, with reigning MotoGP World Champion Lorenzo now having a personal engagement with Monster Energy and Yamaha included in the agreement. Valentino Rossi’s personal agreement with Monster Energy will be complementary to the agreement between Yamaha Factory Racing and MEC.

The agreement between the satellite Monster Energy Yamaha Tech3 team and Monster Energy will remain unchanged and is unaffected by the Yamaha – MEC agreement.

Lin Jarvis - Managing Director, Yamaha Motor Racing:

“We are very happy to be able to announce the start of a new chapter in the Yamaha – Monster Energy partnership. Monster Energy is already a major partner to Yamaha’s top global sports activities in many domestic and international racing activities around the world in Motocross, Supercross, Endurance and Superbike disciplines. They have also been the title sponsor of the Monster Energy Tech 3 Yamaha team for the past 4 years. The expansion to include the Yamaha Factory Racing MotoGP Team is a logical and prestigious expansion of the program.

This completion of the program permits Yamaha and Monster Energy to work even closer together to develop their sports marketing programs and to develop rider talent to continue to be successful into the future in all areas of motorcycle racing. For the Yamaha Factory Racing Team this new partnership will bring even more ‘energy’ into our racing program and Monster Energy will be a great supporter to further promote our Team and our riders’ performances around the world.”

Yamaha has not had a title sponsor since the end 2010 when Fiat abandoned MotoGP racing at the same time Rossi left Yamaha.

from TWOWHEELSBLOG

Le Pescarolo Team placé en liquidation judiciaire

Le tribunal de Commerce du Mans vient de mettre un terme à la procédure de sauvegarde qui pesait sur l'écurie depuis juillet dernier. Pas surpris par cette mauvaise nouvelle, Henri Pescarolo déclare que « tout reste ouvert » pour l'avenir.

Après plus de six mois passés sous procédure de sauvegarde, le Pescarolo Team vient d’être mis sous liquidation judiciaire. Une décision prise par le tribunal de Commerce du Mans, rapportent Ouest-France et Le Maine Libre. Tout comme en 2010, où Henri Pescarolo avait du vendre aux enchères Pescarolo Sport, le patron de l’écurie éponyme doit de nouveau faire face à cette situation très difficile…

Interrogé par le Maine Libre à la sortie du tribunal, Henri Pescarolo ne s’est pas déclaré surpris par cette décision de justice. « Le jour où notre nouvelle écurie-partenaire m’a laissé tomber en début de saison, je savais que nous aurions des problèmes après Le Mans. C’est logique après ces six mois passés sous procédure de sauvegarde. Depuis le mois de juillet j’ai regardé ce qu’il était possible de faire mais, dans le contexte économique actuel, c’est presque mission impossible. » Si l’écurie basée au Technoparc des 24 Heures du Mans a pu participer à l’épreuve sarthoise l’an passé, elle avait ensuite dû déclarer forfait pour le Championnat du monde d’endurance (WEC), faute de budget.

Gardant ses locaux, Henri Pescarolo veut se donner un peu de temps pour réfléchir avant de prendre une décision pour l’avenir. « Rien n’est fermé, tout reste ouvert. Je suis surtout déçu pour mon équipe. La plupart des gars travaillent avec moi depuis plus de dix ans et la création de Pescarolo Sport. C’est là ma grande tristesse. Maintenant, à 70 ans et après cinquante ans passés les mains dans le cambouis, je vais m’accorder un peu de recul pour analyser la situation et reprendre mes esprits. » Si il est désormais certain que l’équipe tricolore ne pourra pas aligner de voitures lors des prochaines 24 Heures du Mans, elle pourrait en revanche continuer à jouer un rôle de préparateur, "une ou deux voitures pour une autre écurie".

Jérémy Maccaud(AUTOhebdo)

Watch the highlights from the fourth stage of Dakar.

Dakar 2013 – Leg 4: Al-Attiyah ramps up the pressure

Nasser Al-Attiyah (Buggy) dominated proceedings today as the Dakar Rally travelled from Nazca to Arequipa, depriving Guerlain Chicherit (Buggy SMG) of stage victory by 36 seconds. Stéphane Peterhansel continues to lead overall, however, whilst Sainz, Alvarez and Gordon found themselves out of luck…

Leg 4: Nazca-Arequipa (717 km)

“I know these dunes, but still I was fearful of getting lost in them today,” confessed Nasser Al-Attiyah, winner of the 288km special stage, half of which took place in the dunes. “I was on my own from start to finish; I didn’t see anybody else or know how my time compared. The navigation really wasn’t easy, so Lucas deserves considerable credit.”

Behind the Red Bull Buggy, Stéphane Peterhansel (Mini/Michelin) played it safe: “We took no risks and made no mistakes. That’s a sensible approach to adopt at this stage of the rally; we’ll see later on if we need to push a bit harder.” Trailing Al-Attiyah by 1m17s today, Peterhansel has maintained his overall lead, 5m16s clear of his Qatari rival.

Al-Attiyah remained in the interview zone for some time afterwards, nervously awaiting the arrival of Frenchman Guerlain Chicherit, who – according to the intermediary checkpoints – had set the pace for much of the stage. When the N°309 SMG Buggy appeared, however, there was damage to the front suspension: “I was driving in Nani Roma’s dust and clouted a hole at Km130.” That time loss proved critical, as Guerlain ultimately missed out on the stage win by just 36 seconds.

Giniel de Villiers (Toyota/Michelin) was fourth fastest through the stage, ahead of Nani Roma, whilst Russian Leonid Novitskiy was forced to stop to fix a fuel supply issue. At the end, missing in action were Lucio Alvarez (Toyota) – more than three hours late at the Passage Control –, Carlos Sainz (Buggy), who stopped several times and consequently dropped more than two-and-a-half hours, and Robby Gordon, who rolled his Hummer in a dune at Km29.

Stage 4 classification:

1, Al-Attiyah/Cruz (Buggy), 3h28m36s. 2, Chicherit/Garcin (Buggy), +36s. 3, Peterhansel/Cottret (Mini), +1m17s. 4, De Villiers/Von Zitzewitz (Toyota), +4m17s. 5, Roma/Périn (Mini), +7m27s. Etc.

Provisional standings after Leg 4:

1, Peterhansel/Cottret (Mini), 9h4m29s. 2, Al-Attiyah/Cruz (Buggy), +5m16s. 3, De Villiers/Von Zitzewitz (Toyota), +33m22s. 4, Notvitskiy/Zhilstov (Mini), +33m48s. 5, Roma/Périn (Mini), +39m6s. Etc.

Dakar 2013– Leg 4: stage victory for Barreda and a great day for Pain!

After being delayed by a damaged wheel on Monday, Spain’s Joan Barreda (Husqvarna/Michelin) bounced back to record today’s fastest time, ahead Olivier Pain and David Casteu. The latter two riders are now first and second overall after Cyril Despres dropped 17m35s.

Leg 4: Nazca-Arequipa (717km)

The finish of SS4 – one of the 2013 Dakar’s toughest challenges – was situated near Jacqui, a handful of kilometres from the Pan American Highway. Despite the breeze blowing in from the Pacific Ocean, the heat in the middle of the Peruvian dunes was searing. By 10am, the ground temperature was a cool 42°C as the first bikers showed up at the control.

Husqvarna riders Paulo Gonçalves and Alessandro Botturi arrived at the same time as the Honda 450 CRF of Gerard Farres Guel who has been running with a replacement engine since Leg 2 (15-minute time penalty). “The navigation was difficult,” reported Botturi as he pulled off his helmet.

Cyril Despres was next to show: “Like yesterday and the day before, I ran ahead of the pack, but they passed me a few kilometres from the finish. That’s the way it is…” The four-time Dakar winner clearly isn’t happy with his role as the ‘hare’!

He ended up in 15^th place today, more than 17 minutes behind the stage winner Joan Barreda Bort (Husqvarna/Michelin) who was helped by his running order. “It’s been a perfect day,” smiled the Spaniard. “It was a magnificent stage, with lots of navigation, some impressive downhill sections and a flat-out portion along the beach.”

Barreda was fastest up to all the passage controls and eventually beat Yamaha/Michelin riders Olivier Pain and David Casteu. “I didn’t take any risks and just tried to concentrate on my navigation”, said the new leader, Pain, modestly. With Casteu up to second overall, the only problem for Yamaha was the mechanical trouble encountered by de Frans Verhoeven (fuel system) who was running together with Pain.

The factory Honda riders recovered from their problems on Monday, with Farres Guel and Helder Rodrigues both finishing in today’s top five.

Stage 4 classification:

1, Barreda (Husqvarna), 3h41m9s. 2, Pain (Yamaha), +8m23.3s. 3, Casteu (Yamaha), +10m42.4s. 4, Farres Guel (Honda), +11m40.5s. 5, Rodrigues (Honda), +11m43.6s. Etc.

Provisional positions after Leg 4:

1, Pain (Yamaha), 10h10m38. 2, Casteu (Yamaha), +2m24s. 3, Despres (KTM), +3m9s. 4, Barreda (Husqvarna), +5m38.5s. 5, Viladoms (KTM), +7m22.6s. Etc.

SLAMMED SOCIETY Japan

SLAMMED SOCIETY JAPAN
FUJI SPEED WAY

Mixed By DJ Blaqstone
Soundcloud soundcloud.com/djblaqstone

TEEKAYDEE SLAMMED SOCIETY Japan from teekaydee on Vimeo.

Kintoko’s Ex-Police CB650

This ex Indonesian Police CB650 was sent in to us by Kintoko Adeji who picked the bike up in very rough condition, and still in full Police trim, where it served the force in the 1980s. It ran badly, the exhaust leaked and it was covered in rust.

Here’s how she arrived…

At first it was going to be a restoration project and Kintoko sent it to a small garage in Jogjakarta, Tendjo, Klasyk Kustom (I’ll let you do your own translation), but after they rebuilt the engine Kintoko had a change of heart and set his sights on a Cafe/Brat having seen a few bikes from the Wrench Monkees.

His budget was tight and he had to use as many original parts as possible, although it did get custom exhaust pipes, seat, rear fender, clock mountings, new wheels and a host of the usual cafe/brat must-have parts..

And the end result? As Kintoko puts it; “Good bye heavy looking police bike and welcome the new simple look.”

Awesome.

Featured Listing – 1967 Austin-Healey 3000 Mk. III

The Austin-Healey story hardly needs introduction here. The joint venture of British Motor Corporation’s Austin division and the Donald Healey Motor Company proved to be one of the most important partnerships in the history of the sports car, and resulted in one of the most iconic, representative British automobiles of the postwar sports car craze. The Austin-Healey 3000, introduced in 1959, was the last, most refined, and arguably best known of the “Big Healeys”. This 1967 3000, a Mark III, is from the car’s last year of production and therefore the last batch of six-cylinder cars built by the Austin-Healey partnership. After Donald Healey went to join Jensen in 1972, the Austin-Healey name was a thing of the past.

The Mk. III, or BJ8 version of the popular 3000 was introduced in 1963 and had a longer production run than its Mk. I and Mk. II predecessors, with almost 18,000 made. Power was rated at around 150 from the venerable BMC C-Series straight-six. The Mk. III was also the most refined of the Healeys, with more standard luxurious creature comforts and 2+2 seating. This particular 3000 is really about as nice an example as one can expect to find. With a “believed” 18,053 actual miles and reportedly only one owner from new, this West Virginia-kept Big Healey was recently restored to its simply stunning present condition. With the blue on blue and excellent wooden dash, this car absolutely screams classic, open-top British motoring, and its condition, along with a clean history, will almost certainly bring pretty serious money. Find the 1967 Austin-Healey 3000 Mk. III here at the Mecum Kissimmee auction taking place between January 18 and 27, 2013.

via sportscardigest.com

Budget Brawler – 1967 Triumph TR4

They say there’s no cheap way to go racing, but the car featured here, located in McDonough, Georgia, comes pretty close. Introduced in 1961, the TR4 was a worthy bearer of the Triumph name, sporting an improved version of the Ferguson tractor-derived engine on previous TRs and a more modern body styled by Michelotti that still looks handsome from any angle. Like other TRs and like so many of its peers in the small British sports car realm, the TR4 was equally at home on the race track as it was on the roads. TR4s scored class wins in international competition at Sebring and won the SCCA’s D and E-Production championships. E-Production TR4s were competitive in the SCCA long after production of the car stopped, racking up wins in the 1980s and 1990s in the process.

This particular TR4 is a nicely presented car with a lot of appeal for the aspiring vintage racer. It has no reported race history, and is advertised as a “Vintage Race Car Replica w/ Modifications for Weekend Track Days”, but, judging from the pictures, it would not take a lot to make this a full-on track car. With the cost of even more modest vintage racing cars getting on the high side, this clean old Triumph offers up a lot of fun and a lot of character for a fair asking price. Check out the 1967 Triumph TR4 here on eBay, where the “Buy It Now” price is set at $13,500.

via sportscardigest.com

Range Rover tows an Airstream from English Lake District to Morocco and back

A 2013 Range Rover was able to tow an Airstream 684 Series 2 from English Lake District to Morocco.

For this adventure Land Rover selected the Autobiography variant fitted with the SDV8 engine producing 339 HP (249 kW) and 700 Nm (516 lb-ft) of torque. The aluminum travel trailer was hitched to the SUV's electrically deployable tow bar and was transported from Airstream's European home in the English Lake District to the Atlas Mountains in Morocco and back.

In 11 days the Range Rover towed the 2,399 kg (5,289 lbs) Airstream for 3,676 miles (5,916 km) on just about any type of terrain possible. The SUV was driven for at least 12 hours every day during the trip, from Spain's empty motorways to the difficult hairpins of the High Atlas.

Source: Land Rover

Latvala testing for 2013 Rallye Monte-Carlo

Best-of-RallyLive brings you the footage of Latvala testing with Volkswagen Motorsport for the Rallye Monte-Carlo.

DAKAR 2013 ; VIDEO STAGE03

the new one !

Dakar, étape 3 : Peterhansel en tête

Leg 3: Pisco-Nazca (343km)

Nasser Al-Attiyah a offert une 3e victoire consécutive au team Qatar Red Bull en remportant la spéciale du jour devant Robby Gordon et Stéphane Peterhansel (Mini/Michelin) qui prend les commandes du classement général. Carlos Sainz a connu des ennuis mécaniques
.Nasser Al-Attiyah handed Team Qatar Red Bull its third straight 2013 Dakar stage win by winning today’s competitive section ahead of Robby Gordon and Stéphane Peterhansel (Mini/Michelin). Carlos Sainz was delayed by mechanical trouble, however, and Peterhansel now tops the provisional order.

Pour son retour sur le Dakar, Carlos Sainz vit un début de course tourmenté. Après avoir remporté la 1^ère spéciale, l’Espagnol avait perdu près de 20 minutes dans les dunes hier mais il fut repêché par les commissaires et finalement déclaré vainqueur de la 2^e étape. C’est donc en leader du Dakar qu’il s’est élancé ce matin à l’assaut de la 3^e étape entre Pisco et Nazca, en tête du cortège auto devant Peterhansel.

Mais l’Espagnol a vécu une journée galère, rythmée par des coupures électriques sur son Buggy qui lui ont coûté une demi-heure. Son équipier Nasser Al-Attiyah s’est arrêté pour lui prêter main forte, mais rien à faire. Le Qatari a donc poursuivi sa route et remporté la 3^e spéciale devant Robby Gordon et son Hummer toujours très performant dans les dunes.

Des dunes, il y en avait au programme de cette journée, et certains cordons – le premier par exemple - n’étaient pas faciles à franchir. Lucio Alvarez (4^e), Nani Roma (5^e) et Leonid Novitskiy (6^e) s’en sont plutôt bien sortis, Giniel de Villiers s’est égaré au km 65 et a perdu une trentaine de minutes. Héros de ce début de rallye, Ronan Chabot (Buggy) a perdu 40 minutes après un problème de moyeu avant au km 80.

La chaleur fut intense aujourd’hui sur le Gran Tablazo d’Ica, 50°C au sol et…. beaucoup moins dans l’habitacle de la Mini ALL4 Racing de Stéphane Peterhansel ! L’équipe X-Raid a enfin accepté d’installer la climatisation dans ses Mini/Michelin. C’est donc un Peterhansel pimpant et heureux d’avoir pris la tête du classement qui s’est présenté aux interviewes après l’arrivée.

Seul hic aujourd’hui pour l’équipe allemande, la sortie de route de la Mini n°310 en début de spéciale. Krzysztof Holowczyc et Filipe Palmeiro ont été évacués vers l’hôpital de Pisco pour examens.

Carlos Sainz’s reacquaintance with the Dakar has been one of ups and downs so far. After claiming SS1, the Spaniard dropped almost 20 minutes in Monday’s dunes but his day was salvaged by the stewards who ended up declaring him to be the winner of SS2. The overnight leader consequently started today’s leg from Pisco and Nazca at the front of the ‘car’ field, ahead of Peterhansel.

Sainz had another run to forget today, however, including an electrical problem with his Buggy’s engine which kept cutting. The issue cost him around half-an-hour, and even the assistance of his team-mate Nasser Al-Attiyah, who stopped to provide help, couldn’t cure the trouble. The Qatari consequently continued the stage and went on to win SS3, ahead of Robby Gordon and his Hummer which was as competitive as ever in the dunes.

Indeed, sand dunes were the day’s biggest difficulty, and the first of them figured among the toughest challenge. Lucio Alvarez (fourth), Nani Roma (fifth) and Leonid Novitskiy (sixth) coped well, but Giniel de Villiers got lost at Km65 and dropped some 30 minutes. Meanwhile, the rally’s early hero Ronan Chabot (Buggy) lost 40 minutes because of a hub problem at Km80.

Despite ground temperatures of up to 50°C at Gran Tablazo de Ica, Mini ALL4 Racing’s Stéphane Peterhansel was able to stay cool thanks to the air conditioning system fitted to the Team X-Raid Mini/Michelins. The Frenchman looked perfectly refreshed as he answered the media’s questions at the end of the stage after taking the lead.

The only problem for the German squad today was the accident early on the stage of Krzysztof Holowczyc and Filipe Palmeiro (Mini N°310) who were taken to Pisco Hospital for tests.

Etape 3 : Pisco-Nazca (343 km)

Classement étape 3

1. Al-Attiyah/Cruz (Buggy), 2h30min14s – 2. Gordon (Hummer), +1min18s – 3. Peterhansel/Cottret (Mini), +3min52s – 4. Alvarez/Graue (Toyota Hilux) + 9min36s – 5. Roma/Périn (Mini), +12min20s…

Classement après étape 3

1. Peterhansel/Cottret (Mini), 5h34min26s – 2. Al-Attiyah/Cruz (Buggy), +6min53s – 3. Alvarez/Graue (Toyota), +18min11s – 4. Notvitskiy/Zhilstov (Mini), +21min00s – 5. Sainz/Gottschalk (Buggy), +21min16s…