LA BUSCA MOTORCYCLES THE KRAKEN

La Busca Motorcycles, they must be some guys doing super cool stuff with bikes somewhere on the Iberian Peninsula right? Not quite, La Busca is a one man operation based in the green and pleasant land of Yorkshire, England. We first encountered Jez when he submitted pictures of a rare and lovingly customised Honda VRX400 to the ‘Shed, that was followed by a second VRX before Guzzi and Bonneville builds departed his stable. For his latest creation Jez has once again delved deep into the rare donor pool to give us this Suzuki Savage based bobber entitled, The Kraken.

In Español La Busca means “The Search” – Jez takes up the tale of his discovery of the Savage.

“On a cold and snowy December morning I was considering a Suzuki Savage Ls650, my head was saying ‘walk away, it looks like it’s been at the bottom of the sea, it’s too much work’ but my gut was saying ‘the motor’s real nice though’ . With a quick ‘what the hell’ The Kraken project was born.”

The plan was to do a simple classic looking bobber, neat and slick. Jez was in for the long haul with the Kraken, as other builds were worked on he kept this aside for a change of scenery.  The standout feature of the LS650 donor is the beautiful motor which was destined to headline the show.

“The engine on these bikes is a standout feature in both performance and looks and sits perfectly in the Savages frame. After an overhaul and valve setting it was put aside for painting. The carburettor was serviced and re-jetted to match the Pipercross filter and Tulip exhaust, opening up the super punchy engine these 650 singles possess.”

With the engine internals sorted the covers were stripped and powder coated satin black while the main body of the engine was re finished in aluminium. After receiving numerous alterations and tweaks from Jez the frame and swing arm were also dispatched to the powder coater along with a host of other parts for some fresh lustrous black adhesive dust.

“Next up it was into the loom and the electrics. The handlebar switches were disassembled and resident spiders evicted. I wanted a more stripped out look than I usually go for so all the major electrical components were re housed within the rear of the frame and a simple clamp style battery box fabricated to house a smaller lithium battery.”

Jez adapted a raw steel mudguard to get the classic hugger look and went for simple bicycle style fixings for the stays. The rear light and plate were positioned centrally to keep the bikes profile slim and new black progressive rear shocks were fitted to blend cleanly with the frame. A Harley-Davidson headlight with the tri-spoke lens adds a splash of chrome to marry with the bars and rims.

“Right from the start I knew what colour I wanted, unfortunately it’s a colour that only time produces. To be more specific the colour a Gibson Les Paul custom from the 70’s looks like now! After a lot of searching I went for a Volvo white from around the same era and for me, it hits the spot.”

“Road testing certainly had its highs and lows…. the drop in weight combined with the engine work meant the bike pulled like a train but pushing hard into corners revealed the bike’s rather wayward front end. I hadn’t come this far to leave it at that so some full length, heavy duty progressive springs were fitted to stabilize cornering and give more feel to the front end.”

Under Jez’s care The Kraken has arisen from the murky depths to reveal itself as quite the beautiful beast, but with that thumping motor at its core maintains the punch to live up to its monstrous name. The Kraken now temporarily dwells within the Bike Shed Custom Classifieds so if you like what you see get in quick.

via The Bike Shed

L'historique du WorldSBK au Qatar / Qatar in WorldSBK History

Doha est une destination assez récente du WorldSBK mais a accueilli plus grands moments de l'histoire du sport.

Le Qatar accueillit le WorldSBK pour la toute première fois en 2005. Assez incroyablement pour un circuit situé dans le désert, la pluie fut protagoniste de cette première épreuve. La pole position fut remportée sur piste sèche par Régis Laconi. Troy Corser et Yukio Kagayama signèrent un doublé dans la première course, avant que le Japonais ne s'impose dans la seconde et que Corser, qui allait être Champion cette année-là, termina troisième derrière Laconi.

La première course 2006 fut l'occasion d'une bataille imprévisible entre Kagayama, Corser, Noriyuki Haga, Andrew Pitt, Troy Bayliss et James Toseland. Kagayama et Haga semblaient avoir l'avantage mais ce dernier fut percuté par son coéquipier et la victoire revint à Toseland. La seconde course se résumé à un duel entre Troy Corser et Troy Bayliss, qui s'incline face à son compatriote australien malgré ses nombreuses tentatives de prendre l'avantage.

Le rendez-vous de 2007 fut marqué par les débuts de Max Biaggi en WorldSBK. Le quadruple Champion du Monde 250cc avait fait sensation lors des essais hivernaux et manqua la pole position de très peu face à Toseland. Les deux pilotes partirent large dans le premier virage mais revinrent ensuite sur Haga et Corser. Biaggi finit par s'emparer de la victoire, inscrivant son nom dans la liste des pilotes à s'imposer dès leur première course en WorldSBK.

En 2008, le Qatar fut aussi la première manche de la saison et Corser remporta sa 41 pole position, l'avant-dernière de sa carrière. Alors que Biaggi et Max Neukirchner se battaient au coude à coude, ce dernier perdit le contrôle de sa moto et Bayliss finit par s'imposer juste devant Biaggi, signant la première victoire d'une saison qui allait être celle de la domination de la Ducati 1098 R. La seconde course fut remportée par Nieto sur Alstare Suzuki, l'unique victoire de Nieto en WorldSBK avant son départ en retraite en 2010.

En 2009, Losail devint la seconde date du calendrier WorldSBK, derrière Phillip Island. L'Américain Ben Spies décrocha la pole position et s'imposa malgré un bien mauvais départ, qui l'avait relégué derrière Biaggi, Haga, Jakub Smrz et Shinya Nakano. L'Américain ne répéta pas son erreur dans la seconde course et parti en échapée dès le sixième tour pour s'imposer en solitaire.

Losail quitta le calendrier du WorldSBK après 2009 mais revint au programme en 2014, pour les toutes premières épreuves en nocturne de l'histoire du WorldSBK. Tom Sykes, alors Champion en titre avec Kawasaki, arrivait au Qatar pour la dernière manche avec l'avantage sur Sylvain Guintoli (Aprilia) dans leur duel pour le titre mondial. La pole position revint cependant à Davide Giugliano (Ducati), tandis que Sykes et Guintoli se qualifièrent respectivement aux troisième et cinquième positions. Le Français se retrouvait dans une situation délicate, d'autant plus qu'il devait viser une double victoire pour espérer décrocher le titre.

Mais les choses se compliquèrent rapidement pour Sykes, doublé dès le premier tour de la première course par son coéquipier Loris Baz, qui termina deuxième derrière un Guintoli intouchable. Sykes prit la troisième place en se défendant face à Jonathan Rea (Honda) tandis que Giugliano termina cinquième. Alors que son team lui avait clairement communiqué via le pit-board de perdre (LOSE) une position pour la laisser à son coéquipier, Sykes, Loris Baz décida de ne pas se soumettre aux consignes d'équipe, un choix dont il se justifia dès la fin de la première course. 

Sykes n'avait plus que trois points d'avance avant la seconde épreuve, la dernière de la saison, qui commença par une collision entre Leon Haslam (Honda) et Baz dans le premier virage. Rea mena durant un premier temps devant Sykes alors que Guintoli se situait à la quatirème place, derrière Giugliano. Le Français ne mit cependant pas longtemps à entamer une superbe performance, celle qui allait lui valoir le titre, mondial, en battant un à un ses adversaires pour à nouveau filer vers la victoire, tandis que Rea allait prendre le dessus sur Sykes en fin d'épreuve.

Guintoli remporta donc son premier titre mondial en signant le premier doublé de victoires de sa carrière, succédant à Raymond Rocha, qui était, 24 ans plus tôt, devenu le premier Français à remporter le titre en WorldSBK. Sykes ne parvint pas à cacher sa colère et s'engagea dans un regrettable échange verbal avec Baz sur Twitter pendant Guintoli savourait son titre de Champion du Monde.

Michele Merlino (http://www.worldsbk.com)

Doha may be one of the newer destinations, but it has already racked up its fair share of World Superbike antiquity since 2005…

Qatar first hosted a WorldSBK race when it opened the season in 2005. Almost unbelievably for a desert-based circuit, rain proved to be a factor. Pole position had gone in dry conditions to Regis Laconi, while lap times in both races proved that the Suzuki GSX-R1000 K5 meant business. Troy Corser and Yukio Kagayama celebrated a one-two in Race 1, while the Japanese rider took the upper hand thanks to a better tyre choice in Race 2; Corser – that year’s World Champion – dropped to third behind Regis Laconi’s Ducati.

The maiden race of 2006 proved to be a battle royale, full of unexpected twists. In the early stages, Kagayama fought away with Corser, Noriyuki Haga, Andrew Pitt and Troy Bayliss, but James Toseland came from behind and was soon running third. It looked like Kagayama or Haga would take the win, but the latter hit his fellow Japanese rider on the final lap as Toseland graciously came through to pick up the pieces. The second race was Troy versus Troy; Corser initially led while Bayliss had to recover from fifth on the grid. Bayliss would take chunks out of his Australian compatriot, attacking relentlessly, but Corser bounced back on every occasion and was ultimately able to keep the charging Ducati at bay.

There were great expectations on the eve of the 2007 races. Four-time 250cc Grand Prix World Champion Max Biaggi had been rapid in testing ahead of his WorldSBK debut, just missing out on pole to Toseland. A first-corner incident saw both men run wide, losing the advantage to Haga and Corser, but both were back in contention and vying for victory in the closing stages. It was Biaggi who came out on top, cementing his name in the list of World Superbike winners in his very first race. The ‘Roman Emperor’ was back to winning ways, as his emotional side took over and tears were on display in Parc Ferme.

The 2008 season also began in Qatar. Corser delivered his 41^st pole position (the penultimate pole of his long career), but the lead of Race 1 was stolen by Germany’s Max Neukirchner. During the race, he and Biaggi came into contact; in his efforts to make his feelings to Biaggi clear, Neukirchner lost control of his bike. Bayliss would win the race en route to his third and final title, beating Biaggi by less than four tenths of a second to register the first race-winning success for what would prove to be the all-conquering Ducati 1098 R. Another challenge from Yamaha came in Race 2, but it was the Ducati Sterilegarda machines of Biaggi and Ruben Xaus which led the way, ahead of Bayliss and Fonsi Nieto. Six of the eventual top five proved to be Ducatis, but it was the Alstare Suzuki of Nieto which overhauled both Sterilegarda bikes on the 15^th and 16^th laps, respectively; this proved to be Nieto’s sole World Superbike victory prior to his retirement from racing in 2010.

For 2009, Losail shifted to the second spot on the calendar after Phillip Island. American Ben Spies clinched pole but his first start of the weekend was not his best, losing ground to Biaggi, Haga, Jakub Smrz and Shinya Nakano. On Lap 5 he regained two positions, passing both Nakano and Smrz into the first corner. He then caught Biaggi and Haga before waiting for the right moment. On Lap 13 came a spectacular manoeuvre: Spies overtook Haga while the Japanese was challenging Biaggi. He pulled away, leaving his rivals to fight for second; Haga would earn it, helped by a mistake from Biaggi on the last lap. Things were different in Race 2; having run third early on, Spies pulled away into the lead from Lap 6 onwards, leaving his rivals in his wheel tracks as he had already done earlier on.

After 2009, Losail had no place on the World Superbike calendar. Following four years of absence, it returned in 2014 for the championship’s first ever night races. It would become one of the most historic and memorable weekends in WorldSBK history. Now the final round of the season, Qatar welcomed title contenders Tom Sykes (the reigning World Champion on a Kawasaki) and Sylvain Guintoli (yet to win the title and riding an Aprilia). Pole went to Ducati’s Davide Giugliano, with Sykes third and Guintoli fifth; this was a difficult start for the Frenchman, who was realistically in need of two race wins in order to clinch the title.

Things were not easy for Sykes, either. On the opening lap of Race 1 he was overtaken by team-mate Loris Baz, who went on to finish second as Guintoli charged to victory. Sykes was third - just holding on from Jonathan Rea’s Honda - as pole man Giugliano dropped to fifth. Contentiously, Baz did not concede second position to Sykes despite an obvious ‘LOSE’ message displayed on his pit board; after the race, Baz made it clear that he had disobeyed team orders. Ahead of the final encounter, Sykes’ lead had decreased to a worrying three points. Baz quickly disappeared from the equation after contact with Leon Haslam’s Honda at Turn 1. Rea then led after passing Sykes, while Guintoli was circulating fourth behind Giugliano. The Frenchman proceeded to pick them off, one by one, with a double overtake on Giugliano and Sykes before quickly dispatching of Rea as well. In the closing stages, Sykes struggled with a distinct lack of grip, dropping to a final position of third behind Rea.

From that moment onwards, Guintoli was no longer troubled by his rivals. He rode on to his second victory of the night, his first WorldSBK double and a symbolic world title. He had become France’s second World Champion, with Raymond Roche having been the first 24 years earlier. Sykes was left to ponder over a massive case of what might have been; he and Baz would engage in a bitter war of words on Twitter, but Guintoli was World Champion.

 Michele Merlino (http://www.worldsbk.com)

World Supersport : Le titre Constructeur demeure en jeu avant Losail / World Supersport: Triangular Manufacturers’ shootout still to be sorted

Trois marques sont encore en lice pour le titre Constructeur en World Supersport.

Riche en émotion et en rebondissements, la saison 2015 du Championnat du Monde Supersport touche à sa fin et se terminera ce week-end au Qatar, suite à ce que Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) ait décroché son quatrième titre mondial en finissant deuxième à Magny-Cours. Le Turc détient le record du nombre de titres en World Supersport mais aussi de victoires, de podiums, de  participations, de meilleurs tours et de points marqués dans la catégorie. Seul un record lui résiste, celui des pole positions, qu’il pourra néanmoins atteindre samedi au Qatar avec une 23e pole.

Bien qu’il ait dû attendre la France pour son quatrième sacre, la lutte pour le titre s’était terminée dès Jerez, où Jules Cluzel (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) s’était blessé et avait déclaré forfait pour la fin de la saison après s’être battu dès la première épreuve, à Phillip Island, et avoir eu plusieurs victoires mais aussi de rudes bagarres avec le pilote turc. Ce dernier a lui aussi été frappé par le destin cette année avec la perte de son fils nouveau-né Hamza, à qui il a dédié son quatrième titre mondial.

Le troisième protagoniste de la saison 2015 a été l’Américain PJ Jacobsen, qui s’est révélé en rejoignant le CORE’’ Motorsport Honda Thailand en cours de saison et a remporté deux des trois dernières épreuves, dont celle de Magny-Cours. Le New-Yorkais est d’ores et déjà annoncé parmi les favoris au titre pour 2016.

Jacobsen et Sofuoglu devraient donc se disputer une dernière victoire ce week-end au Qatar, où aucun des deux n’était monté sur le podium l’an dernier. La victoire était revenue au Néerlandais Michael van der Mark, qui avait terminé la saison de son sacre avec un dernier triomphe devant Ratthapark Wilairot et Cluzel.

Le principal enjeu du week-end sera cependant le titre de Constructeur Champion du Monde, pour lequel Kawasaki a pour l’instant quinze points d’avance sur MV Agusta et vingt sur Honda.

La dernière manche du Championnat du Monde Supersport 2015 aura lieu dimanche à 20h30, heure locale (GMT +3).

The pressure is off, apart from in the World Supersport Manufactures’ standings…

The 2015 FIM Supersport World Championship has been a season full of raw emotion, on the track as well as off it. After two seasons off the top spot, Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) is back in business with a record-extending fourth world title, thanks to the second place finish he collected at Magny-Cours in France two weekends ago. The stunning 31-year-old from Turkey is the most successful World Supersport rider by some way, not just in terms of world titles but also for race wins, podium finishes, front row starts, fastest race laps and total points scored. There is just one small detail to take care of: the pole position record of 23, which can be clinched should Sofuoglu top the qualifying session this coming Saturday.

Arguably, the championship for riders was realistically over in Jerez. Jules Cluzel (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) was a season-long challenger after winning the opening at Phillip Island plus several more successes and some very hard-fought battles with Sofuoglu; however, in Spain the Frenchman picked up injuries that ended his season prematurely. Sofuoglu also suffered an ordeal this year, with the death of baby son Hamza. Emotionally, the title has been dedicated to Hamza, whose life was helplessly cut short so soon.

The third huge element in this year’s title battle was American PJ Jacobsen. Since switching to the CORE’’ Motorsport Honda Thailand outfit, the New Yorker has been on scintillating form which continued with his second victory from three races last time out in France. He now aims for a third success of the season prior to an even fiercer title challenge in 2016, with this year having been disrupted by an unscheduled team move mid-season.

Neither Jacobsen nor Sofuoglu saw the Qatar podium in 2014. That was occupied by Dutchman Michael van der Mark, ending his title-winning campaign on the top of the Doha rostrum, as Thailand’s Ratthapark Wilairot and France’s Cluzel completed the top three.

The top three fight on which all focus is centred this weekend will be that of the Manufactures’ Championship – the last title to be decided in WorldSBK this year. Japan’s Kawasaki holds a sizeable lead of 15 points over Italy’s MV Agusta, with Honda another Japanese marque still in contention and 20 points in arrears of the leader.

The last World Supersport race of 2015 begins on Sunday at 8:30pm local time (GMT +3).

The Baillon Collection – our book on the barn find of the century

In December 2014, Classic Driver broke a sensational story – photographer Rémi Dargegen had captured almost 100 forgotten classics at a French castle, in what proved to be the ‘barn find of the century’. Now comes our book, documenting the fabled Baillon Collection...

A sensational barn find

News of the Baillon Collection proved sensational, quickly spreading around the world. In the grounds of a French castle, almost 100 abandoned classic cars were discovered, including Bugattis, Hispano-Suizas, Delahayes, Delages and a Maserati, all caked in rust, dust and cobwebs. And sleeping under one pile of magazines lay the jewel of the collection – Alain Delon’s Ferrari 250 GT California Spider. Parisian auction house Artcurial was charged with selling the cars at Rétromobile early this year, and we were given exclusive rights to photograph the barn find. Who better to document this stunning discovery than Rémi Dargegen, a man with an extraordinary eye for detail. Within just a few days, our story became the most read in Classic Driver’s history, and no less impressive was the auction itself. Almost every lot well exceeded its pre-sale estimate, and the Ferrari fetched a simply staggering 16.3m euros. 

The book on the Baillon Collection

In collaboration with Dargegen and publisher Delius Klasing Verlag, Classic Driver has produced a small but gorgeous photo-book of the Baillon Collection, which visually retells the story of this outstanding discovery, preserving the magic for generations to come. 

You can find more information about our book, titled 'Baillon Collection – A sensational barn find' and published in English and German, at delius-klasing.de.

cuir........

The Ride - Sailor Jerry - Round-up

The Ride - Sailor Jerry - Round-up from Sailor Jerry on Vimeo.

Triumph with RCM ...nice !!

A journey to the picturesque mountains of Leh with Rajputana Customs motorcycles and Triumph motorcycles. 

Les pilotes du KRT affirment leurs ambitions pour le Qatar / Plenty for KRT riders to play for in Qatar

Sykes visera le titre de vice-Champion, Rea le record du nombre de points marqués en une saison.

Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team), le nouveau Champion du Monde FIM Superbike, et son coéquipier Tom Sykes auront tous les deux des objectifs distincts ce week-end au Circuit International de Losail, où auront lieu en nocturne les deux dernières courses de la saison 2015.

Après avoir obtenu son premier titre mondial à cinq courses de la fin de la saison, Rea peut encore étoffer son palmarès et visera le record absolu du nombre de points marqués par un pilote en une seule saison en WorldSBK. Pour ce faire, le Nord-Irlandais devra simplement marquer un minimum de 25 points sur l’ensemble des deux courses. Il totalise actuellement 528 points alors que le record avait été fixé à 552 par Colin Edwards en 2002.

Sykes tentera pour sa part de reprendre la seconde place du classement général des mains de Chaz Davies, sur qui il compte cependant 16 points de retard. Le Britannique a fini premier ou deuxième du Championnat du Monde Superbike ces trois dernières années et sera donc extrêmement motivé à quitter la troisième position. 

Jonathan Rea :

« J’ai été comme sur un nuage depuis Magny-Cours puis la présentation de la nouvelle Ninja ZX-10R. Le feeling que j’ai eu en repartant de Magny-Cours avec 50 points en plus était incroyable. Le Qatar est une piste que j’ai beaucoup aimée l’an dernier et je suis vraiment impatient de voir comment sera la ZX-10R là-bas. Losail est un circuit que j’adore et qui va vraiment bien à mon pilotage. C’est aussi un tracé qui donne lieu à de belles courses. Je suis impatient d’attaque le week-end et de finir ce qui a été une incroyable saison pour moi, pour le team et pour Kawasaki. Pour moi il va être important d’aborder l’intersaison avec beaucoup de motivation et beaucoup de bons souvenirs de cette année. Je vais donc essayer de faire en sorte que nous passions un très bon week-end. »

Tom Sykes :

« L’objectif est de finir second du Championnat. D’un point de vue personnel, ce sera bien parce que j’ai toujours été dans le Top 2 avec Kawasaki ces trois dernières années, en étant proche du titre. Nous n’avons manqué deux fois le titre pour très peu de points. La meilleure façon de finir deuxième serait de remporter les deux courses mais ce n’est jamais facile. Le Qatar est un circuit que j’attends avec impatience. J’adore l’ambiance et le fait de courir le soir. C’est un peu étrange parce qu’on peut se détendre le jour mais quand tout le monde commence à fermer boutique, c’est là que nous sortons sur nos motos. Le circuit est un lieu incroyable. Courir sous les projecteurs est assez unique. »

Sykes looking to salvage runner-up spot as Rea goes for outright WorldSBK points record.

2015 FIM Superbike World Champion Jonathan Rea (KRT) and serial race winner Tom Sykes (KRT) are each chasing their season-end ambitions at the final round of the championship, which for the second year in succession will be held under floodlights at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar, this coming weekend.

Having secured the championship for the first time in his first season as an official Kawasaki rider, with five races to spare, Rea will be out to secure the all-time points score in a WorldSBK season by going for two wins at the 5.380km circuit.

For Sykes his personal goal, after contributing much to the Manufacturers’ Championship win for Kawasaki, is to finish second in the championship standings. He will have to overturn a 16-point deficit to current second placed rider Chaz Davies over the two floodlit races on Sunday 18th October.

Rea’s season will become the best ever in terms of outright points scores if he gathers 25 or more over the two 17-lap Losail races. He currently has 528 points, while all-time record holder Colin Edwards set a total of 552 back in the 2002 season.

Jonathan Rea: “I have been on cloud nine since Magny-Cours and then joining in with the excitement of the new Ninja ZX-10R. I was lucky enough to ride it last month so it was nice to see the enthusiasm about it from everybody else. The feeling I had leaving Magny-Cours with another 50 points was amazing. Qatar was a track I really enjoyed last year so I am really looking forward to seeing how the Ninja ZX-10R operates around the track; then making a really good plan for each session with my crew chief Pere Riba to make sure we arrive on Sunday in a strong position. Losail is a circuit I love and it suits my style. It also provides good racing as well. I am excited to go and finish off an amazing season for me, for the team and for Kawasaki, having already secured the Riders’ and Manufacturers’ Championships. It is important for me to go into the off-season with great motivation and great memories of the year, so I am looking forward to trying to make sure we have a really nice weekend.”

Tom Sykes: “Ideally the aim is to finish second in the championship. From a personal point of view it would be nice because in the previous three seasons we have always been inside the top two with Kawasaki, and so close to the championship wins. We had only missed out on two more world championships by a few points. The best way to try and finish second overall is to go and win both races, for sure. It is never easy but Qatar is a circuit I am really looking forward to. I really enjoy the whole atmosphere and racing in the evenings. It is quite strange because you are able to relax and enjoy yourself during the daytime but then when everybody starts shutting down for the day we go off and race motorcycles. The circuit itself is such a great venue. Under the floodlights it is quite unique.”

VW Fun Cup Anneau du Rhin

IS THIS THE FIRST JAPANESE DRIFTING VIDEO EVER MADE?

by Michael Banovsky (Petrolicius) It’s difficult to trace a line through history back to a single artifact, but I can at least say that Keiichi Tsuchiya’s illegal street racing film, known as Pluspy, arrived before a lot of other things that help define my generation of “Millennial” enthusiasts. Tsuchiya himself honed his skills doing deliveries for the family metal shop, and was very much an “everyman” driver as his racing career began in 1977. I’m not sure what compelled him to strap a camera to a Toyota AE86 and head through a touge (mountain road) at breakneck speed, but the resulting 1987 video release, Pluspy, got him suspended from racing and helped spark an incredible chain of events. After Pluspy, he served as the inspiration for the main character in the Initial D manga. He was a consultant and star in the (initially banned) Megalopolis Expressway Trialfilms, was the title of one of the very first—and most influential racing video games—Shutokō Battle '94 Keichii Tsuchiya Drift King, and was a longtime host of the Japanese VHS car magazine Best Motoring. Founder of the world’s first drifting championship, too. These things matter, because they’ve influenced everything from how car magazines look to what angles cameras use when video taping cars—even in slow-motion. Sure, cameras have been strapped to vehicles for years, but Tsuchiya’s projects featured some of the first “professional amateur” footage of cars, even graphic overlays and picture-in-picture footage of the pedal box. And between all of this, he was able to continue as a legitimate racer, finding time to race in Nascar, SuperGT, and for both Honda’s NSX GT2 and Toyota’s GT-One Le Mans efforts. So if you’re ever wondering who the modern master of showboating for the cameras is, why “pedal cams” look so awesome, or why the Ford Focus RS has a “Drift” mode, there’s a good chance you’re not many degrees of separation from the name Tsuchiya.

Note: Above are two Honda NSX race cars that Tsuchiya drove in period, however neither features him at the wheel

Image Sources: carview.co.jp, blogimg.jp, knowledge-works.co.jp, sinaimg.cn, collection-hall.seesaa.net, amazon.com, kingofeurope.net

VITOR’S T120R BOBBER ‘ELVIRA’

For those of a certain age, the name Elvira will bring about fevered memories of favoured mammaries. But for those of you missing context, the ‘Mistress of the Dark’, was the buxom star of a self-titled gothic, horror comedy film from back in the seemed-like-a-good-idea-at-the-timeties. A one hit wonder, a cult star of it’s time, perhaps now we should repurpose the moniker.

For Vitor Saraiva, the name (hopefully) conjures up different thoughts. Whilst ‘the sassy lassy with the classy chassis’ could describe both the eponymous character and this stunning build, to Vitor the name is that of his childhood nanny. And the sheer class of this Triumph Bobber ensures this gal won’t end up doing a sexy song and dance number on a Las Vegas stage any time soon.

It was the classic Triumph bobber style that tickled Vitor’s fancy, and so back in 2012 he was on the lookout for a Meridan Triumph that could be the perfect donor. The search uncovered a 1971 Bonneville T120R up in Oxford and Vitor spent a magnificent summer of 2012 getting to know his new steed. She’d led a travelled life, having been exported to Europe, before coming back to Scotland and then southward bound to where Vitor found her.

Going home to London, Vitor’s home for the last decade, the plan was hatched for yet another big trip for Elvira. But this time, there would be a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Arriving at a shed at in Vila do Conde, Portugal, Vitor’s Father Antonio was waiting, spanners in hand.

Enthusiast is not a strong enough word for Antonio Saraiva.  Putting aside his own NSU bikes, he applied his talent for metal manipulation and spent 2 and a half years of his spare time creating this piece of art. Vitor had a scrapbook of ideas, collected from countless hours of research and between them, they adapted each component to suit their taste and needs.

It was only upon dissection that Vitor realised his Triumph was an oil-in-frame model. Traditionally considered more of an ugly duckling than the earlier models thanks to the large spine frame, Mr Saraiva relished in the challenge. It certainly makes for a more interesting result than the regular bolt-on bobber frame kits abound, providing a robustness to the silhouette of the bike.

It’s no surprise to learn that more than 1500 hours of work went into the bike. The details are far too numerous and far too rich to mention in this mere article, but the passion and skill Mr Saraiva put into the is clear to see in the photos. From the stance setting hardtail, to the exhaust pipes, handle bars, levers, internal throttle, oil filter mounting, foot-pegs, headlight mounts and countless more, each item was carefully hand crafted.

Though a radical departure from the original bike, Vitor wanted to retain as many of the key components as he could. The original hubs, petrol tank and forks were refurbished and modified to suit. Once polished, Antonio carefully built the wheels back up on the conical hubs. Taken to a mechanic to true, he was suitably impressed at how little work there was to do before fitting the tyres.

With the rear wheel dressed in a 500×16” Firestone Deluxe Champion and the front with a slinkier Avon Speedmaster MKII the bike combines two of the most iconic bobber tyres in one refined package.

Elvira is a home-built project created with a clear love and passion for bikes, obvious in the details captured by Rui Bandeira’s lens. But it’s also a bike to be ridden, a functional piece of art. At it was put to the test in no small way a couple of weeks ago when Vitor rode Elvira all the way back from his Father’s to London.

4000 winding kms back through Spain, past Barcelona  and up the east Coast of France to northern Italy. Across the Swiss mountains, over the fast motorways of Germany, along the flat roads of Holland and finally back to France before catching the boat from Calais to the UK. A test for any bike and rider combination, let alone a freshly acquainted man and his new custom.

Both the bike and the trip are an outstanding achievement, proving that it’s the connection between man and machine that counts. And just when you thought you needed a fancy name and a logo to be able to build a bike, the holy trinity of experience, skill and perseverance come back to kick that idea into touch.

Thanks to Vitor and Antonio Saraiva for sharing their story and Rui Bandeira for the great photos.

via The Bike Shed

This is how you drive a classic Porsche 911

In this video, driver and presenter Tim Schrick proves that you don’t have to drive a classic Porsche 911 as though it were as fragile as an egg, by drifting the air-cooled, 980kg, 360HP monster around the port of Rotterdam….

Admittedly, this isn’t any classic 911, rather one that’s been extensively modified with new technology and design elements by Porsche specialist Lightspeed Classic. While we’re purists at heart and would take an original car every time, Lightspeed’s 911 does look like a honey to drive. 

You can find hundreds of Porsche 911s, ready to be tamed, listed for sale in the Classic Driver Market.