WRC, Wales Rally GB : La fin de saison… déjà ! / the season’s finale… already

Le Championnat du monde des Rallyes FIA 2014 touche à sa fin. Ici, au nord du Pays de Galles, tous les ingrédients sont réunis pour avoir un beau Wales Rally GB, ou presque. Pour l’instant, les prévisions météo sont plutôt clémentes pour vendredi, samedi ET dimanche. Bon, on verra…

Depuis que l’appellation officielle du rallye comprend le mot « Wales », l’épreuve s’est déroulée exclusivement au Pays de Galles. Jusqu’en 2012, le Wales Rally GB était basé à Cardiff, la capitale du Pays de Galles. Mais, avec les formats actuels plus compacts et la volonté de visiter un peu plus le pays, les organisateurs ont dû implanter l’épreuve plus au Nord l’an passé.

Bien sûr, la ville-hôte devait proposer une grande capacité hôtelière pour les teams, les organisateurs, les médias, les spectateurs. Le choix évident était donc Chester… sauf que Chester est en Angleterre ! Donc, hormis le fait qu’elle soit ville-dortoir, Chester n’a pas de liens directs dans le rallye.

Le parc d’assistance et le Rally HQ sont situés à 15 minutes de Chester, au sein de l’usine Toyota de Deeside Industrial Estate, Queensferry. C’est à quelques kilomètres de la frontière entre le Pays de Galles et l’Angleterre, côté gallois, ce qui explique pourquoi les panneaux sont en deux langues.

Les cérémonies de départ et d’arrivée se tiendront à Colwyn Bay et Llandudno, comme l’an passé. Vendredi, les concurrents feront une halte auremote servicede Newtown, au cœur du Pays de Galles. De son nom gallois, Y Drenewydd… Les concurrents traverseront également les célèbres forêts du nord du Pays de Galles, Clocaenog, Gartheiniog, Dyfi. Le parcours chronométré total est de 305,64 km.

Bien sûr, ça va être humide et sombre… On aura des moutons, et peut-être même des dragons… Mais, aussi surprenant que ça puisse paraître, il ne devrait pas (trop) pleuvoir sur l’ensemble du rallye.

Le service météo de la BBC prévoit du vent et de la pluie demain à Chester, juste pour nous rappeler qu’on est bien au Pays de Galles. Mais ensuite, d’après les experts, ça devrait rester sec, avec des températures relativement douces pour la saison ici, entre 10 et 12°C.

Mais, avec toute mon expérience du Rally GB, je ne parierai pas davantage sur des prévisions météo exactes que sur le vainqueur du rallye…

The 2014 FIA World Rally Championship draws to an end this weekend with Wales Rally GB. All the traditional ingredients are in place for the British classic, or almost. For the moment, forecasters are predicting dry, mild weather on Friday, Saturday AND Sunday. Could this be the driest Rally GB in history? Seeing is believing…

Ever since, the official appellation of Britain’s WRC round has included the word ‘Wales’, the event has been based entirely in the land of the red dragon.

Until 2012, the new-look event was hosted by the capital, Cardiff. However, the combination of today’s compact formats and the desire to share the action with the whole country led the organisers to switch their base to the north in 2013.

That obviously necessitated a venue with sufficient hotel capacity to accommodate the teams, organisers, media and spectators, and the obvious choice was Chester… except that Chester is in England, but only just. As a result, apart from its dormitory status, it has no official involvement in the rally.

Instead, the Service Park and Rally HQ are located 15 minutes away, beside the Toyota factory on the Deeside Industrial Estate, Queensferry. That’s a few kilometres over the Welsh side of the border, which is confirmed by the fact that all the road signs suddenly become bi-lingual…

Meanwhile, like last year, Thursday evening’s ceremonial start and Sunday’s podium festivities will respectively be in Colwyn Bay and Llandudno, on the North Wales coast. On Friday, competitors will also return to the remote service and regroup in Newtown which, despite its English-sounding name is still in Wales. It is known locally as Y Drenewydd.

As for the competitive action, all the famous North Wales forest complexes like Clocaenog, Gartheiniog and Dyfi are visited in the course of the event’s 305.64 stage kilometres.

As usual, they will be dark, damp and populated by sheep and dragons, but the big surprise is that we aren’t expecting rain for the entire weekend.

As things stand, the BBC weather service predicts wind and rain in Chester tomorrow (Thursday), just to get us in the right frame of mind. After that, though, experts say it will remain dry throughout, and daytime temperatures will apparently be relatively mild for the time of year, around 10-12°C…

From my experience of Rally GB, however, I am as unlikely to gamble on that forecast proving accurate as I am to bet on the name of the driver who will spray the champagne on Sunday afternoon!

RECALL: A BMW R75 DRESSED TO KILL

By Wesley Reyneke | Rather Be Riding

As classic BMWs go, the “slash-5s” are pretty sought after. They’re packed with little styling details that eventually fell away on later models—like the rounded air box, ‘peanut’ engine covers and the ‘toaster’ tank.

Add those details to a luscious old-school paint job, and you’ve got a winner. This is ‘Recall,’ an R75 from Portugal’s Ton-Up Garage, and it absolutely drips with vintage style.

There’s a sentimental story behind this particular R75/5 too. Its current owner effectively grew up with the machine, because it originally belonged to his stepfather. When it left the family, it stood neglected for many years before the owner got his hands on it again.

“He then saw our BMW R80 ‘Dark Law‘,” says Ton-Up’s Pedro Oliveria, “so he was comfortable with our experience customizing R-series BMWs. He asked us for a bike with refined lines and glamour.”

Reviving the old boxer involved a complete nuts-and-bolts rebuild. The entire engine was overhauled, as well as the carbs—which were re-jetted and equipped with cone filters. Ton-Up redid the wiring too, installing a new ignition and a Lithium-ion battery—the latter stashed in the now-disused air box.

The wheels were rebuilt with a new pair of 18” rims and stainless steel spokes, and are now shod with Pirelli MT43 trials tyres. The rims and hubs have been powder coated black, and the brakes have been refurbished.

The bike sits lower thanks to a new, shorter set of rear shocks and modifications to the front suspension. Ton-Up also built a new subframe and seat—shorter than stock, but long enough to accommodate a pillion. The fenders and exhaust system are also custom-made items.

One of the R75/5’s nicest features is its headlight, which houses the ignition, speedo and rev counter. Ton-Up kept it mostly original, but designed and fabricated a new speedo outer ring and fitted new dial hands. They also replaced the turn signals and tail light with neater items.

Further upgrades to the cockpit include a set of low-rise bars, Brooks leather grips, and new levers and switches. The wiring now runs inside the bars for a cleaner finish.

With so much work going into resuscitating the R75/5, the paint scheme had to be on point. “It was very important for us to keep the BMW identity,” says Pedro. “We wanted to combine colors that gave it a mature, glamorous look—and a vintage touch that would allow our client to travel through his memories and ‘recall’ them.”

The combination of dark grey, red and pearl white hits the mark perfectly. Ton-Up haven’t just put the old boxer back on the road—they’ve also managed to make it even more charming than it originally was.

Belo!

Ton-Up Garage website | Facebook | Instagram | Images by Aloisio Brito.

via BIKEExif

Royal Enfield Custom by Bambukaat MC

My first ride was on my dads Royal Enfield, the memory of this is one I will never forget. So it is understandable I was stoked to feature today’s build, a Royal Enfield custom aka “Porus” which takes me on a trip down memory lane.

Many successful custom motorbike builders have appeared on Moto Rivista with their first attempt, and we have been fortunate to see them grow and improve their skills. This Royal Enfield custom is the first attempt from Bambukaat MC and is a good start for the guys from India.

Shubhendu contacted us to share their story “People tend to talk about things that interest them & we are no different. We are 4 guys, all of us motorcycle enthusiasts. Whenever we would gather up for a “GEDI” (Definition: A leisure stroll or around town on a vehicle (mostly motorbikes) with friends. Usually young boys go for these “gedies” to hoot at girls, but the word is in common usage with both girls and boys) or at someplace, most of our talk was on motorcycling. One day we were discussing the custom motorcycle scene in India & we all stumbled upon the same thought. We should start customizing motorcycles.

We were all a bit skeptical about it at first until one of us bought a second hand Royal Enfield, then we knew there’s no turning back. We rented a good small workshop out from the city area. While we were hustling in & about the workshop we still couldn’t come up with a name. Many different names popped up, but one stood out BAMBUKAAT, an unofficial name from the old days in Punjab that was given to motorcycles because of the simplicity of the machine itself. We wanted to bring that simplicity back in trend. We started working on the design; we all contributed ideas and at last we had it finalized, it was absolutely perfect for the start.

We named our first bike PORUS. King Porus was the ruler of the Paurava region in ancient India, which now happens to be Punjab. This was the perfect name for our first bike we all thought. (To give you little flashback the ancient Indian ruler King Porus fought against Alexander the Great)

In this Royal Enfield custom we’ve removed the stock wheels of 350cc standard. The complete headlight assembly has been changed. We have also extended the swing-arm. The wider custom handlebar features custom handle grips with no electricals on the handle except the horn. All the electrical components have been placed in a custom electrical box. The engine was cleaned and has been fitted with a megaphone exhaust. Other fabrication work includes a custom made fuel tank with 22L fuel capacity, custom rear fender and the brass accessories for a touch of class.

The build of this Royal Enfield custom took us one month, working almost every day and night. In the end it was all worth it. The bike has been showcased at many places and everywhere it has been getting a great response. The appreciation we have received makes us even more confident about the future of the custom motorcycle culture in India.”

via MOTOrivista

Queens of Trial - Women in Motorcycling

studieuse

Moto gp ; Márquez conclut le Test de Valence avec le meilleur temps / Marquez ends Valencia test ahead of MotoGP™ rivals

Le double Champion du Monde MotoGP™ a été le plus rapide mercredi à Valence, où se terminait le premier rendez-vous de la pré-saison 2015.

Marc Márquez (Repsol Honda) a aujourd'hui signé le meilleur temps de l'ensemble des trois journées du Test Officiel de Valence en 1'30.973, soit 0.146s de mieux que son coéquipier Dani Pedrosa, qui a fini quatrième sur le classement combiné des trois journées. Les pilotes du team Repsol Honda ont comparé les versions 2014 et 2015 de la RC213V et Márquez a fait son meilleur tour sur sa moto de 2014.

Jorge Lorenzo (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) était troisième mercredi et deuxième sur le classemant combiné après avoir tourné en 1'30.975 lundi dernier. Lorenzo et son coéquipier Valentino Rossi, sixième sur le combiné, ont concentré leurs efforts sur le châssis ainsi que sur des modifications du système d'échappement de la YZR-M1.

Pol Espargaró et Bradley Smith du team Monster Yamaha Tech3 participaient eux aussi à l'évalutation de nouvelles pièces amenées par Yamaha et ont respectivement terminé aux troisième et cinquième positions sur l'ensemble du test.

Chez Pramac Racing, Yonny Hernández et Danilo Petrucci étaient solidement installés dans le Top 10 aujourd'hui. Le Colombien roulait avec la GP14.2 sur piste sèche pour la première fois tandis que Michele Pirro poursuivait de son côté son programme d'essais avec Ducati.

Cal Crutchlow (CWM LCR Honda) a quant à lui terminé son premier test sur la RC213V à 0.8s de Márquez. 

Aleix Espargaró et Maverick Viñales ont pu continuer à accumuler les kilomètres avec la nouvelle Suzuki GSX-R. Espargaró a surtout travaillé sur l'ergonomie et sa position de pilotage après avoir roulé avec un pied droit trop proche du pot d'échappement lundi.

Jack Miller (CWM LCR Honda), Loris Baz (NGM Forward Racing) et Eugene Laverty (Drive M7 Aspar) poursuivaient leur apprentissage du MotoGP™ avec des conditions météo nettement plus favorables que celles de la veille, qui ont également profité à Álvaro Bautista et Marco Melandri du team Aprilia Gresini.

Suite à ce Test Officiel, seuls quelques pilotes rouleront à nouveau cette année lors d'essais privés qui auront lieu à Jerez ainsi qu'à Sepang avant le 1er décembre, date du début de la trêve hivernale.

On Wednesday afternoon at the Valencia circuit Respol Honda’s double-MotoGP™ World Champion Marc Marquez wrapped up three days of testing at the top of the timesheet with a best lap of 1’30.973.

Marquez was 0.146s ahead of his teammate Dani Pedrosa, who was second quickest on Wednesday with a time of 1’31.119 and fourth best over the three days of the test. The Honda pair undertook back-to-back comparisons with their 2014 and 2015 RC213V machines, Marquez’s best time registered on a 2014 prototype.

Movistar Yamaha MotoGP rider Jorge Lorenzo was third on Wednesday and second overall this week, with a best time of 1’31.164 from day three compared to his timesheet topping Monday best lap of 1’30.975. Lorenzo and colleague Valentino Rossi worked on testing chassis and exhaust upgrades, with Rossi completing the test sixth overall.

Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Pol Espargaro and Bradley Smith showed good pace over the three days with various 2014 factory parts filtering through from Yamaha for both riders. On the combined timesheets, Espargaro was third best and Smith fifth.

Pramac Racing pair Yonny Hernandez and Danilo Petrucci looked good inside the Wednesday top ten, with Hernandez enjoying his first dry session on the GP14.2. Ducati test rider Michele Pirro rode with a special mechanism to test swingarm torsion and ended Wednesday’s session in 12h place, 14th overall over the three days.

Cal Crutchlow’s first test with CWM LCR Honda on a factory spec RC213V concluded with him 0.8s off Marquez’s best time in 10th on Wednesday, with the Briton getting more laps under his belt on the final day.

Aleix Espargaro and Maverick Viñales continued their adaptation to the new Suzuki MotoGP GSX-RR bike, Espargaro working on getting ergonomics right as his foot was touching the exhaust on Monday.

Meanwhile rookies such as Jack Miller, Loris Baz, Eugene Laverty notched up further track time with their respective new rides. New team Factory Aprilia Gresini were working with new aluminium calipers with their two riders Alvaro Bautista and Marco Melandri gaining experience on the Italian manufacturer’s machinery.

Wednesday’s session wraps up the official MotoGP group tests for 2014, though further private tests at Jerez and Sepang are planned for some riders, before the winter test ban commences in December.

Les enjeux du Wales Rally GB

Si la plupart des titres 2014 ont déjà trouvé preneur, le Wales Rally GB ne sera pas dénué d’intérêt. Une douzième victoire de la saison pour Volkswagen ? Une première victoire britannique au Rally GB depuis 2000 ? Quelle équipe sera vice-championne du monde 2014 ?

Depuis 1973, le Wales Rally GB, ex-Rally GB, ex-RAC Rally, a toujours compté pour le Championnat du monde des Rallyes FIA et il clôture la saison WRC pour la 33^e fois en 41 éditions en Mondial.

De retour près de Chester l’an passé, le Wales Rally GB 2014 sera de nouveau basé au nord-est du Pays de Galles cette année avec un parc d’assistance installé dans les usines Toyota de Deeside. Le parcours est relativement classique avec une première étape vers Newtown, au cœur du Pays de Galles (Hafren, Sweet Lamb…), une deuxième journée vers Deeside et les forêts de Clocaenog, et une dernière étape plus au nord, sur les rivages de la Mer d’Irlande.

Parmi les enjeux de cette 70^e édition, l’équipe Volkswagen Motorsport va-t-elle remporter une 12^e victoire cette saison, ce qui constituerait un nouveau record en WRC (11 succès pour Citroën en 2005 et 2008). Sébastien Ogier, Jari-Matti Latvala et Andreas Mikkelsen, les trois pilotes qui composent le podium du championnat 2014, auront carte blanche sur les spéciales galloises.

Les deux dernières places du top-5 final du championnat Pilotes restent à attribuer et se joueront entre Mikko Hirvonen (Ford), Mads Ostberg (Citroën), Thierry Neuville (Hyundai), Kris Meeke (Citroën) et Elfyn Evans (Ford). On attend beaucoup (trop ?) des deux pilotes britanniques, battus sur leurs terres depuis 2000 et la victoire du regretté Richard Burns.

Côté championnat Constructeurs, le titre de vice-champion se jouera entre Citroën-Total Abu Dhabi (187 points), M-Sport WRT (180) et Hyundai Motorsport (175 points). Le Finlandais Juho Hanninen a été nominé par Hyundai au côté de Thierry Neuville pour marquer des points Constructeurs.

On attend aussi le dénouement en championnat WRC-2 où le titre Pilotes 2014 se jouera entre Nasser Al-Attiyah et Jari Ketomaa. Dans cette catégorie, on suivra bien sûr le retour de Matthew Wilson au volant d’une Ford Fiesta R5, les débuts mondiaux du multiple champion écossais David Bogie (Ford Fiesta R5), ainsi que les prestations de Tom Cave (Ford Fiesta R5), de Quentin Gilbert (Ford Fiesta R5) et du nouveau champion Junior Stéphane Lefebvre (Citroën DS3 R5).

A suivre aussi les parcours du nouveau prodige britannique Chris Ingram (Peugeot 208 R2) et du vétéran Tony Jardine (Mitsubishi), copiloté cette année par la ravissante top-modèle Peta Cavendish, épouse du « roi du sprint » Mark Cavendish.

True Adventure - Episode 1 / The Dream

Honda's own philosophy says, that to dream & never stop exploring is what makes us who we are...
The legend lives on. Winners of the gruelling Dakar rally in 1986, ’87, ’88 and ’89. Honda fuels the spirit of True Adventure.
True Adventure refelects our past glory but also encapsulates our future vision. 

A road trip across South America by Land Rover Defender

Who hasn’t dreamed of jumping in their favourite classic car and heading off on a road trip across the stunning landscapes of South America? Munich-based filmmaker Vincent Urban and two friends did just that – and documented their experience in these glorious short films…

Through wild South America

“In early 2012, we started a journey to Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Uruguay, Paraguay and Southern Brazil in our old and rusty Land Rover,” explains Urban. With their digital cameras and other equipment stored in the 110’s voluminous rear, Urban and his travel companions Stefan Templer and Clemens Krüger set off across South America. Thanks to them, you can now experience the diversity of South America in less than six minutes – with sprawling deserts, bustling cities, undisturbed nature... and plenty of wind.

Untamed winds

If you were ‘blown away’ by Vincent’s videos, his Vimeo channel has several more high-quality ‘road movies’, including Oman, Turkey, Morocco, Thailand, and New England.

Videos: Vincent Urban

Why not buy yourself a classic Land Rover from the Classic Driver Market, hand in your notice and set off on a road trip of your own? Don’t forget the video camera…

Twinline Moto Shoot

Twinline Moto Shoot from Todd Blubaugh on Vimeo.

GARB: FREQUENT FLYER

J.Crew 484 Jean ($98). J.Crew Sun-Faded Sweatshirt ($70). J.Crew Ribbed Wool Watchman Cap ($40). Barbour Northolt Jacket ($549). Montague Leather Weekender ($475). Nike Vintage Collection Waffle Racer Sneakers ($88). J.Crew Vintage Oxford Shirt ($75). Ray-Ban Clubmaster Sunglasses ($145). J.Crew Cashmere Scarf ($98). Caputo & Co. Triple Wrap Bracelet ($85). Mougin & Piquard Grande Seconde Watch ($425). J.Crew Quilted Cotton Workshirt ($138). #59 Magazine ($45). The Kings County Distillery Guide to Urban Moonshining ($25).The Hillside Japanese Selvedge Chambray Pocket Square ($44).

MAGNI FILO ROSSO: A RACE REPLICA FOR THE ROAD

Vintage race bikes sound good in theory. But unless you’re handy with a spanner and have access to an underground parts network, they’re likely to drain your bank account faster than a weekend in Vegas.

So wouldn’t it be good if you could have a race replica that starts at the push of a button? And doesn’t require a fleet of mechanics to keep it running?

That’s the thinking behind the latest release from Giovanni Magni—son of the legendary MV Agusta engineer Arturo, and current custodian of the Magni factory.

The Filo Rosso is powered by the 3-cylinder MV Agusta Brutale 800 engine, encased in a classic double-cradle frame. It’s got 125 eager Italian horses on tap, and weighs only 145 kg (320 pounds). Which means it’ll be fast enough to embarrass all but the most exotic of modern machinery.

The rest of the spec sheet is equally mouth-watering. The forks are classic Cerianis, and the 18” wheels are magnesium alloy. There’s a twin-disc Brembo brake setup at the front, thankfully, and modern Dunlop rubber at both ends.

The star of the show is the bodywork, though. You’ll be able to specify the bike in “café racer” trim—minus the fairing—but we’ll take the extra metallurgy, thank you.

Being hand-beaten aluminum it won’t weigh much, and it looks simply stunning in the classic MV Agusta red and silver livery. Just like the original 500 Three racebikes did some forty years ago, fettled by Magni Snr and ridden by Giacomo Agostini to seven consecutive championships.

There’s no word on price yet, and some of the components may change before limited production starts. But the Magni factory has been producing delectable short runs of sporting machinery since the 1980s, so the project is in good hands.

Interested? Please form an orderly queue at www.magni.it.

via BIKEexif

STEVE’S K100

Friend of the Shed, Steve Heath from Dorset, has had a couple of a bikes featured so far this year, an R80 and anR100. The lairy Outspan orange R80 recently sold through the Bike Shed classifieds so Steve was positively swimming in two pence pieces. Anyone who’s built a bike and then advertised it will be aware that those who lambast them for a seemingly inflated price need to sod off to a cold outbuilding and try it for themselves. Unless you have a stopclock running like Gary Kasparov at the world championships, earning an easy crust from customising bikes is an unachievable utopia. Besides, Steve builds bikes for the love of it under his Soul’d Out banner.

Wanting to ride a fresh build to London’s Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride, Steve discounted the smaller capacity offerings in his donor range and opted for the visually challenging K100 that was languishing in the garage. Like the slightly out of favour, plump ginger girl at the school disco, a K100 just needs a bit of love and a dark corner. And lets face it, at least a K100 will put out on first date, unlike the slightly frigid and underwhelming K75.

Steve put the K on an Atkins diet with a strict burpees routine, stripping pounds wherever possible. The design boys from Bavaria clearly never had to push any of their efforts around the factory as the over engineering results in some spectacular obesity. The clocks for example weighed 3 kilos, which sounds like lots of pounds to me. A new subframe with seat base replaces the hefty factory fitted option, with a proper, comfortable saddle on top ready for 500 mile days.

Heavy mild steal exhausts fitted by manufacturers are not only an easy place to save some weight but the perhaps the single simplest way to create presence with anything powered by an internal combustion engine. Steve fabricated a 4-into-1 system, leading to a Moto GP style silencer, which rumbles nicely without attracting an ASBO. A race-spec fuel pressure regulator was fitted along with a new fuel pump to give the engine an uninterrupted source of the good stuff. Said motor was in fine fettle so didn’t need any drastic stripping down.

Yup, here’s another weighty machine fitted with Continental’s TKC80s. Yes, this choice of rubber is not going to be the thing that finally gives Guy Martin an Isle of Man TT win but they are good news for custom porkies like the K100. Steve has them fitted to his KTM Adventure and peg-scraping antics are no stranger to his Sunday activities. Forks are dropped in the yokes a few mm, fork oil is thicker and springs are stiffer to sharpen the handling; the rear shock is wound to max on the preload to ensure a purposeful stance and extra firmness.

Organic carrots taste better than the homogenous straight ones from Tescos and bare metal looks better without paint. Well, that’s completely my opinion but I like rawness. So does Steve so he stripped the aluminium fuel tank, buffed it a bit and coated with a few layers of lacquer to keep oxidisation at bay. Matching side panels suggest a smidgen of racing intentions, whilst covering up the wide-wasted battery.

Continuing with the lightweight theme, plastic mudguards keep the crud out of the radiator fins, and Steve’s teeth. A Koso digital gauge is slim and barely tips the scales, so one was fitted to the handmade aluminium dash.

With midnight oil burnt and time running out Steve put the finishing touches to the K100 on a dark Saturday evening. The following morning was damp and foggy but as the sun won the battle for the horizon, the slightly misfiring Beemer was already parked up under the Shard’s shadow in London’s Borough Market, awaiting the start of the 2014 DGR. Luckily BSMC’s Ali Latimer was on hand with his neatly arranged tool kit to ensure a smooth firing order resumed. After a glorious day spent with likeminded folk under tanzanite skies Steve completed his five hundred mile round trip back home and stood, for a moment, pleased with himself and his endeavours.

No doubt Steve will be back with another build before Christmas, if he can get his priorities in order and stop having inconvenient heart attacks! No pressure Steve 

via The Bike Shed

Chevignon, The Real Choice

Back in the French Days pour Chevignon dont la collection automne-hiver se twiste dans l'époque avec esprit. Tout droit sortis d'un 90's revisité et de leur street culture, teddys collège, bombers, doudounes et cuir, comme avant, se font signe de ralliement du clan. Riders ou bikers, toujours en bande, jamais loups solitaires, réinvestissant la ville et, de casses en parkings, de cafés en soirées, en font leur terrain de jeu. Crazy Ducks ou Canards Sauvages, reste à choisir son crew, sa loi. Et, avec eux tracer sa voie.



CREDITS : 
Réalistaion : Yan Morvan 
Directeur de la photographie : Martial Schmeltz
Stylisme : Marine Braunschvig
Set Design : Vincent Olivieri 
Chef Groomer : Sebastien Le Corroller 
Casting, Crazy Ducks : Yannick Mabille, Antonin David, David Prat, Gary Allemann, Romain Leclerc, Simon Andraca
Casting, Canards Sauvages : Ulysse Leverve, Melvin Israel, Eliot Leblane-Hartmann, Tom Hygreek, Rory O’Hara, Samuel Lhermillier 
Ingénieur Son : Rémi daru, Antoine Corbin
Musique : Tech N9ne « The Beast », Universal Studios
Conseil Purchase Musique : Olivier Kreis 
Making Of vidéo : Pedro Podestà
Direction Artistique, Production et Casting : Al Dente
Remerciements : La casse d’athis Auto Mons, le parking Saint-Georges, le bar Hotel de la poste 75019, Medialab, Vantage, Panalux, Bicycle Store, Animaux Aupetit, Françoise Bornstein

Rouge à lévres

Moto GP ; Baz : « Je suis satisfait, malgré mes deux chutes » / Two light crashes as Baz searches for wet limit

Contraint à poursuivre son adaptation au MotoGP™ sous la pluie aujourd’hui à Valence, le Français est tombé à deux reprises mais a pu continuer à gagner en expérience sur sa nouvelle moto.

Arrivé dans le team NGM Forward Racing lundi pour ses débuts en MotoGP™, Loris Baz a dû composer avec une météo peu clémente aujourd’hui mais a tout de même couvert 32 tours. Le Français s’est classé neuvième avec un chrono d’1’46.143 et a apprécié sa seconde journée au guidon de la Forward-Yamaha Open, malgré deux chutes.

« Ma première impression sur piste mouillée était bonne, » a affirmé Baz. « Je voulais savoir comment les pneus allaient se comporter sur piste mouillée et j’ai donc profité de la pluie pour le faire. Je dois encore gagner en confiance avec les freins mais nous continuerons à travailler demain. Je suis satisfait, malgré mes deux chutes. »

« Tout va bien et ce n’était qu’une erreur en descendant les vitesses. C’était juste une erreur idiote. Je ne suis pas encore complètement à l’aise sur ma position de pilotage et ça vient peut-être de ça. Quoi qu’il en soit, je me sens bien et aujourd’hui il ne s’agissait que de faire quelques tours pour mieux comprendre la moto et les pneus. »

The second day of MotoGP™ testing in Valencia was made trickier by the rain on Tuesday at the Spanish track but Loris Baz was one of several riders adapting to new machinery this week who took the opportunity to try his bike in the wet.

The Frenchman completed 32 laps, setting a best time of 1’46.143 and finishing in ninth position. Two small crashes in the afternoon, without consequences for the rider, did not stop Baz from enjoying his second day on the Forward-Yamaha MotoGP bike.

The Frenchman said, “The first impression in the wet is good. I wanted to know how the tyres work on the wet so I took advantage of the rain to test. I still need to gain more confidence also with the brakes but tomorrow we will continue to work. Despite the two crashes, I’m satisfied.”

“I’m ok and it was just a mistake in shifting down. It’s just a silly mistake. I’m still not 100% comfortable with my position on the bike so maybe it came from that. Anyway, I’m feeling good. I was just doing laps today to understand the bike and the tyres.”

Robbie Maddison’s Drop In

A jump for the record books, Robbie “Maddo” Maddison also known as the modern-day Evel Kneviel attempts yet another death defying aerial feat-as he takes over the Utah Olympic Park in Park City, Utah, a setting that is more improbable, and impressive, than ever. “Maddo” teamed with Skullcandy and Red Bull Media House’s On Any Sunday, The Next Chapter to show the world what it truly means to DROP IN. Get behind-the-scenes of this colossal project at: http://bit.ly/DropInRobbieYT

GARB: COLD COMMUTE

Timberland Earthkeepers Goose Eye Mountain Down Parka ($228). Timberland Abington Waterproof Hiking Boots ($230). Timberland Six-Panel Cuffed Winter Beanie ($18). Timberland Duxbury Leather Tablet Sleeve ($68). Timberland Duxbury Belt ($58). Raleigh Denim Jones ($285). Richard James Crew Sweater($1,085). Topo Designs Camp Blanket ($169). Apolis Transit Issue Key Chain ($38).Thermos Stainless King Bottle ($27).

This edition of Garb is presented by our friends at Timberland.

Melandri revient en MotoGP™ avec Aprilia / Melandri to race with Aprilia in MotoGP™ in 2015

Présent en piste lundi au Test de Valence, Marco Melandri sera de retour en MotoGP™ l’an prochain pour courir sur Aprilia chez Gresini Racing, aux côtés d’Álvaro Bautista.

Après avoir terminé sa saison 2014 dans le Championnat du Monde Superbike avec Aprilia Racing, Marco Melandri a signé aujourd’hui avec le constructeur italien pour faire son retour en MotoGP™ l'an prochain. 

Vainqueur du Championnat du Monde Superbike avec Sylvain Guintoli cette année, Aprilia a aussi remporté un titre Constructeur auquel Melandri a largement contribué, avec un total de 11 podiums dont 6 victoires. Aprilia se prépare maintenant à faire son retour en MotoGP™ avec un projet qui sera géré par Gresini Racing ces quatre prochaines années.

Né en 1982, Melandri avait commencé la compétition dès le plus jeune âge, en minimoto, et avait remporté le titre du Championnat d’Italie en 1992 et 1994. Champion d’Italie de la catégorie 125cc en 1997, Melandri allait prendre la troisième du Championnat du Monde 125cc l’année suivante puis le titre de vice-Champion du Monde 125cc en 1999. Melandri finit ensuite cinquième de la catégorie 250cc pour ses débuts sur Aprilia 250cc 2-temps en 2000, troisième en 2001 puis Champion du Monde en 2002, avec neuf victoires et deux autres apparitions sur le podium en seize courses.

Arrivé en MotoGP en 2003, Melandri prit le titre de vice-Champion en 2005. Son palmarès en Grand Prix, toutes catégories confondues, comprend 22 victoires et un total de 62 podiums. 

Au cours de son histoire, Aprilia a remporté 54 titres mondiaux, 38 en Grand Prix, 7 en World Superbike et 9 dans d’autres disciplines. La marque italienne s’est imposée en Grand Prix avec de nombreuses stars dont Max Biaggi, Loris Capirossi, Valentino Rossi, Marco Melandri, Marco Simoncelli, Casey Stoner et Jorge Lorenzo.

Romano Albesiano, Directeur de Aprilia Racing : « Marco Melandri est la dernière pièce du puzzle que nous devions résoudre pour préparer la participation d’Aprilia à la prochaine saison du MotoGP. Ces derniers jours ont été très excitants puisque nous sommes passés de la dernière manche du Superbike, à Losail, à cette nouvelle aventure en MotoGP. Nous sommes ravis d’annoncer la signature de Marco parce qu’il complète notre team à la veille d’un nouveau challenge. Nous arrivons en MotoGP un an plus tôt que prévu, avec l’enthousiasme que nous ont donné nos deux titres dans le Championnat du Monde Superbike. Nous avons décidé d’accélérer notre programme parce que nous souhaitons mettre à l’épreuve notre travail sur les circuits les plus exigeants et dans le championnat le plus compétitif au monde. Aprilia a remporté 54 titres mondiaux, des centaines de victoires à travers le monde et cela prouve que nous avons les capacités techniques et l’attitude nécessaire pour courir dans la compétition la plus prestigieuse. »

Marco Melandri : « On m’a proposé l’opportunité de développer un projet entièrement nouveau et c’est quelque chose que je n’ai pas encore fait dans ma carrière puisque j’ai toujours ‘hérité’ des motos que j’ai pilotées. Je suis pour cette raison curieux de relever ce défi. Je travaille avec une entreprise et un département compétition qui sont venus me chercher et avec lesquels je souhaite continuer à travailler. Aprilia Racing a déjà démontré sa capacité à produire d’excellentes motos et à les développer. Je vais faire de mon mieux. Notre objectif est assez ambitieux : développer une moto mais aussi un nouveau prototype avec lequel nous courrons en 2016. Ce sera une saison exigeante et nous aurons beaucoup de travail mais nous sommes prêts pour ce challenge. »

The lineup is complete for the team that will take Aprilia into the 2015 MotoGP™ World Championship. After the announcement of Alvaro Bautista’s signature earlier in the year Marco Melandri has officially been confirmed by the Italian factory for a MotoGP ride.

Melandri returns to Grand Prix fresh from the conclusion of the 2014 Superbike season, also with Aprilia Racing, where he took six wins and another five podiums which contributed significantly to the WSBK Manufacturer Title that the brand won.

As announced at the beginning of September, Aprilia Racing has signed an agreement with Gresini Racing, based on which Gresini will manage the Aprilia bikes on the track in the MotoGP class for four years - beginning with the 2015 season.

Romano Albesiano, Aprilia Racing Director, commented: "With Marco Melandri the last piece of the puzzle has been put into place for Aprilia's participation in next year's MotoGP season. These have been very intense and exciting days where in just a few hours we went from the last round of Superbike at Losail to this new adventure in MotoGP. We are very pleased to announce Marco's signing because this completes our team in the best way possible on the eve of a great challenge.”

Melandri added, "I was offered the chance to develop a completely new project and it is something that I have not yet done in my career since I have always had 'inherited' bikes. Precisely for this reason I am very intrigued by this challenge. I am working with a company and a racing department which sought me out and with which I want to continue to work in order to develop and grow a great project. Aprilia Racing has always demonstrated their ability to make great bikes and make them fast. I'll put in my efforts. Our goal is quite ambitious, to grow a bike and at the same time to develop a new prototype that will race in 2016. It will be a demanding season and a lot of work but we are ready to take on these challenges.”

Soul motor co. 08

Soul motor co. 08 from Rodrigo Tuero on Vimeo.