VICTOIRE POIGNANTE POUR OGIER EN GRANDE-BRETAGNE / POIGNANT WIN FOR OGIER IN GB

AU TERME D'UN RALLYE DE GRANDE-BRETAGNE DISPUTÉ SOUS LES ORAGES, LE FRANÇAIS SÉBASTIEN OGIER A DÉDIÉ SA VICTOIRE AUX VICTIMES DES ÉVÉNEMENTS TRAGIQUES SURVENUS À PARIS.

Samedi matin, le triple Champion du Monde en titre avait songé à quitter la finale du Championnat du Monde des Rallyes de la FIA avant de finalement poursuivre. Il assurait alors sa huitième victoire de l'année avec 26.0s d'avance sur le Nord-Irlandais Kris Meeke.

"Sportivement, nous sommes ravis de finir la saison ainsi, mais nous n'avions pas vraiment la tête au GB ce week-end", témoignait Ogier. "C'était dur de poursuivre après une telle tragédie. Nous pensons fort aux victimes. Nous voulions nous imposer pour ceux qui ont été touchés et pour montrer que nous devons être plus forts."

En dépit d'une météo plus capricieuse que jamais, le Français a mené tout au long des trois jours. Ogier restait imperturbable face aux pluies diluviennes et aux rafales de vent frappant les forêts du Pays de Galles pour mener sa Volkswagen Polo R au triomphe.

Meeke réalisait également une prestation parfaite. Le pilote de la DS 3 refusait de tout risquer pour détrôner Ogier. Son approche permettait ainsi, avec la septième place de Mads Østberg, d'assurer à Citroën la deuxième place chez les constructeurs face à Hyundai.

La deuxième place de Meeke permet à Citroën d'être vice-champions

L'autre Polo R d'Andreas Mikkelsen complétait le podium. Une performance insuffisante pour déloger Jari-Matti Latvala du deuxième rang du championnat. Son équipier avait pourtant abandonné par deux fois lors des deux premiers jours avant de remporter les trois points bonus de la Power Stage.

Quatrième, Ott Tänak abandonnait sur accident dès la première spéciale dominicale. Dani Sordo en profitait pour récupérer sa place perdue hier dans un tête-à-queue. L'Espagnol terminait avec 9.2s d'avance sur l'i20 jumelle d'Hayden Paddon.

Elfyn Evans régalait ses fans en menant sa Ford Fiesta en sixième position, à 8.6s de Paddon et 1m20s devant Østberg. Un temps quatrième, le Norvégien rétrogradait avant une petite sortie dans le fossé et de nombreuses vidanges d'un habitacle envahi d'eau et de boue en raison d'un trou dans le plancher de sa DS 3.

Grippé, Stéphane Lefebvre plaçait sa DS 3 au huitième rang devant Robert Kubica et Lorenzo Bertelli.

Après son accident samedi, Thierry Neuville ne pouvait reprendre le départ dimanche matin, l'arceau étant trop endommagé pour poursuivre.

FRANCE'S SÉBASTIEN OGIER CLAIMED AN EMOTIONAL VICTORY AT A STORM-LASHED WALES RALLY GB ON SUNDAY AND DEDICATED HIS SUCCESS TO THE VICTIMS OF FRIDAY NIGHT'S TRAGIC EVENTS IN PARIS.

The three-time world champion considered pulling out of the final round of the FIA World Rally Championship on Saturday morning but decided to continue, and secured his eighth victory of the season by 26.0sec from Ulsterman Kris Meeke.

"We're happy to finish the season like that from a sporting view, but my mind wasn't really there this weekend. It was hard to carry on after the tragedy in France and our thoughts were with the people. We wanted this victory as our small sign for those who have been touched, and to show we must be even stronger against these things," said Ogier.

He led the three-day event from start to finish in some of the worst conditions of the year. Torrential rain and gale force winds pounded the forests of north and mid-Wales but Ogier never put a wheel out of place in his Volkswagen Polo R on treacherous gravel tracks.

Meeke also delivered a perfect performance. The DS 3 driver refused to risk all in chasing Ogier, preferring a more measured approach which, allied to Mads Østberg's seventh place, enabled Citroën to beat Hyundai for second in the manufacturers' standings.

Andreas Mikkelsen completed the podium in another Polo R but it wasn't enough to secure second in the drivers' series. That went to team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala, who twice retired in the opening two legs before claiming maximum bonus points in today's live TV Power Stage.

Ott Tänak crashed out of fourth in today's opening stage, allowing Dani Sordo to regain the place he yielded yesterday by spinning into a bank. The Hyundai i20 driver finished 9.2sec ahead of team-mate Hayden Paddon.


Elfyn Evans delighted his home fans with sixth in a Ford Fiesta, 8.6sec behind the Kiwi and 1min 20sec ahead of Østberg. The Norwegian ran as high as fourth before sliding into a ditch, and spent much of the rally mopping up muddy water which entered his DS 3's cockpit through a hole in the floor.

Stéphane Lefebvre overcame flu to take eighth in another DS 3, with Robert Kubica and Lorenzo Bertelli completing the leaderboard.

Thierry Neuville failed to restart today after yesterday's crash. The roll cage in his i20 was too damaged to continue

.

LE WRC REND HOMMAGE AUX VICTIMES DE PARIS

LE CHAMPIONNAT DU MONDE DES RALLYES DE LA FIA A TENU À RENDRE HOMMAGE AUX VICTIMES DES ATTENTATS DE PARIS EN OBSERVANT UNE MINUTE DE SILENCE AU PODIUM DU RALLYE DE GRANDE-BRETAGNE

Les pilotes, les officiels, les équipes et les fans se sont réunis à Deeside pour rendre hommage aux 132 personnes qui ont perdu la vie et aux centaines de blessés lors de l'attaque terroriste survenue dans les rues parisiennes vendredi.

Les tenues des équipes ont été placées de manière à former le drapeau tricolore alors que les pilotes brandissaient l'étendard bleu-blanc-rouge pour envoyer un message fort de la part de la discipline.

La cérémonie du podium s'est poursuivie, mais les équipages récompensés n'ont pas sabré le champagne par respect.

Plus tôt, à l'arrivée de la Power Stage, le vainqueur Sébastien Ogier et son copilote Julien Ingrassia étaient sortis de leur Volkswagen Polo R pour draper leur pare-brise des couleurs françaises.

Triumph Castrol Rocket Unleashed: 233mph Ride-Along

Take a seat in the cockpit of the Triumph Castrol Rocket as it completes test runs up to 233 MPH at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, U.S.A., in July. Piloted by Jason DiSalvo, this Triumph motorcycle is gearing up to break world land speed records at one of the most coveted proving grounds in the world. Nine GoPro cameras inject the adrenaline directly into your bloodstream.

GEAR GUIDE #67

For the first Gear Guide to come out of our Shoreditch home we feature a shop floor favourite, the Twin jacket fromHelstons alongside a fine pannier from our friends up north at Down & Out Cafe Racers and a beautiful custom paintedDMD Rocket helmet from Italy. 

HELSTONS TWIN JACKET

I’ve been shamelessly flirting with numerous jackets in what seems an epic quest to find a quality all-round jacket that covers all my needs. I ride everyday, year-round and whatever the weather. With the majority of that being trips around London the need for alpine touring clobber isn’t necessary but it does need to be balanced by a level of weather hardiness and presentability that means I can stroll into work without looking like Pete Doherty after a heavy Glastonbury weekend.

What I immediately liked about the Helstons Twin was the simplicity of the styling; there are no extra panels or stitching cluttering up the design. There are nice details though, such as the double adjuster buckles at the waist and the extra padding with diamond stitch at key wear areas that add texture to what might otherwise be a heavy silhouette. The jacket sports two external pockets and two internal ones; perfect for keeping your phone and fags dry should God decide to rain on your parade. Combine all this with the waterproof membrane, an impressively warm (and removable) thermal liner and a set of proper CE armour (at shoulders, elbows and back) and I was sold!

The mandarin collar gives it a smarter touch compared to my traditional biker jacket and is deliberately cut low enough to allow plenty of head movement without choking yourself on it mid corner as if Christian Gray has slipped a dog collar on you. You’ll still have to visit Madame Spanky in Soho for that kind of discomfort because this jacket is well thought out. There are plenty of other well thought through details such as the long arm length, leaving your wrists covered when you reach onto the bars. Chunky YKK zips throughout are easy to work with gloves on without an explosion of expletives, and at the cuffs you can fasten them under the leather tabs to prevent scratching up your pride and joy. The A-symmetric main zip gives you an oversized flange: that’s not something you’ll need to see the doctor about but it will reduce the wind rushing onto you straight through the zip.

Helstons, a French company from Franceland, have been well known for their bike gear and expertise in leather working for decades and they show this here with a heavily laundered bovine hide that gives the jacket a vintage appearance and a lovely suppleness usually compared to a babies backside. The Twin jacket is cut to the same fit as the original race jackets from the 70’s giving it a longer length and making it slightly more fitted on the trunk. With the extra parts of the armour and liner fitted it felt tight and I was initially unsure of the correct size for me. Match the jacket to fit to your shoulders and after a short wear everything will soften up nicely and fit perfectly.

All in all the Twin Jacket fits and performs great and I love the toned down styling. I’ve been a fan of Helstons gear for a while now and with a few of us in the ‘Shed having various bits of their gear we’re continually impressed with their quality, attention to detail and styling.
Reviewed by Rich “The Slinger” Gunn

If you are local come on down to 384 Old Street to try it out for yourself or if you dwell further afield see it on our web shop.

GET IT HERE

DOWN & OUT SADDLEBAG AND RACK

Sometimes you have just that little bit too much to stuff to take on a ride, and it leaves your jacket pockets bulging or gets crammed into too small a space under the seat. You could always take a rucksack or courier bag?, but if like me you are looking for a more stylish solution that stays on the bike, then the boys at Down & Out have an answer.

This nifty little canvas and leather saddlebag which is mounted to a custom made stainless steel rack and provides a very handy bit of storage space. The bag itself is a robust heavyweight canvas item, lined in leather and with nice leather strap fasteners, trim and loops. Inside it is divided into four sections, which can be removed if you want to change the layout, however this is a pretty permanent change as once you cut the threads, you’ll need to be handy with the needle and cotton to stitch them back in!

Having said that the compartments help to keep smaller items from rattling around. Its not intended to be waterproof, but i got caught in a shower on a sunday ride out, and the Cuban contents inside thankfully stayed nice and dry.

The rack itself is a very nicely made stainless steel item with a brushed finish. The bag is looped onto the frame and further secured to a flat tab on the frame itself. This means that the bag cannot be removed unless the whole rack is taken, which adds a little security. The racks have two mounting points, which vary depending on the bike, but they are usually the top shock mount and exhaust hanger.

Its a doddle to fit, and once mounted is very solid with no noticable wobble even at speed. Currently they are available to fit Triumph Bonneville & Scrambler, Kawasaki W650 & W800 as well as the Moto Guzzi V7 you see in the pictures, and are available for both right and left hand sides.

So if you want somewhere to stick your spare goggles, sunglasses, smokes, flask or sandwiches its up to the job. If you pack light there’s even enough room for a change of undies and a toothbrush for an overnight stay. Its tough, well made and should last a lifetime. Price for the standard bag and rack is £150.
Reviewed by Tony Walters

GET IT HERE

DMD ROCKET HELMET

Having had a lifetime of my head snuggly fitting into any Arai helmet carrying an M on the back lid choice was something I took for granted prior to the relatively newfound need to look like a 1970s F1 driver or Cali cool kid. I could walk into any mainstream shop, decide on which model and then choose the black one, or white one.

Nowadays such over-vented modernity will never do. Why have a steam free visor and clever patented latches when a simple press stud will do. I prefer a full-face to open, having a half a head of receding vibrant brown hair is bad enough and I’d rather not compound misfortune with a third breakage of my chin. New wave choices were until recently relatively limited.

One thing that sets older lids apart aesthetically is shell size, back in the day one’s noggin was lucky to be shielded by a couple of mill’ of fibreglass and some leather yet modern headwear all too often creates the Mario Bros. effect. DMD is one company set on retaining retro styling whilst incorporating up to date safety standards.

Being Italian, style is obviously of paramount importance so the engineers and designers have worked in unison to ensure the incredibly small carbon kevlar shell on the Rocket meets stringent crash test criteria. There in lays a bit of an issue for the on-trend bearded rider, one’s tash may be tickled by the chin guard which is a trifle distracting.

Apart from that the fit is snug around the top of the head and firm on the cheeks, I’m no Billy Bunter though so if you like a pie with your curry maybe go up a size. I tried the large, 58cm according to DMD, and it compares to an Arai medium. The seventies porn set prop hanging from under the guard suggests protrusion of the chin, but this is not so. Unlike some other lids in this category vital parts of your face remain protected.

The visor is a simple affair held on by circlips and closed with poppers. I didn’t dare test my dexterity and risk pinging a clip off the mountain’s edge but it looks to be no more fiddly than the other Italian retro full-facer on the market. The poppers are firm to say the least and require a knack, which is to forget the ease in which normal modern lids flip open. The liner is fully removable, washable feels soft to the touch and is of a quality you’d expect at this price point.

This particular Rocket is a limited edition and hand painted. The finish is pretty good although tonally I don’t think it is the best colour choice for the follicly vibrant. There are more subdued schemes and completely plain ones if you’re a dab hand with a paintbrush.

So, if you’re after a traditional shell shape and prefer open face proportions the DMD range could be worth a look. And if you ride with ugly mates and are fed up with seeing too much face in their Bell Bulitts perhaps order them a Rocket for Christmas.
Reviewed by the follicly vibrant Ross Sharp.

via The Bike Shed

Harley Davidson XL 1200 – Hageman Motocycles

There’s something that always intrigues me about taking a Harley off-road. Like the James Bond Lotus that goes under water, or the Space Battleship Yamoto, there’s something unexpected yet just so very cool about the out-of-context-ness of the situation. For a bike that seems so much a part of America’s road culture, it’s off-road history is undeniable and despite the company’s current dirt shyness, it seems that the brand can do nothing to escape the call of the dust. In that spirit, he’s a man who really needs no introduction with a bike that probably does. It’s Hageman’s brand new Harley XL 1200 scrambler.

Note the elegant yet useful leather bags

“It’s a ‘04 XL 1200,” says Monsignor Hageman. “I wanted to build it so that it would be practical, useful and connect to the roots of the Sportster. Back in their early years, they weren’t just considered a street bike like they are now. Guys bought them and rode them anywhere. You didn’t buy one bike for riding in the woods and one for the pavement; you just had one bike that went everywhere.”

After doing a lot of research, Greg found a picture of a flat tracked ‘61 XLCH that caught his eye. He loved the look and it’s simplicity. It also had great paint and decal designs, so he chose it as inspiration for the build. “Originally, I had planned on number plates, tiny headlights and the rest, but I realized that’s not really practical for the road; they’d be more of a fashion statement than a useful addition. So I deleted everything I could while keeping the bike fully street-able with horn, turn signals and the like. My goal was to build a sportster that looked like a practical 1961 bike that had been transported forward in time.”

“The color the old XLCH inspired is a deep red candy flake with a gold base with off white accents similar to early Harley Birch White.”

A ride? Why, I don’t mind if I do…

The bike has Motogadget bar end signals, an LED headlight and taillight strip with some subtle, integrated signals. Then there’s the alloy Sun rims at 17×4.25 for the rear and a 19×2.75 front. After a bit of fussing, Greg chose Continental TKCs for the rubber. “Originally, I had planned on running some Avon Distanzias or Shinko 705s, but after riding with those on gravel, I found them both a little useless; it felt like I was riding on marbles. Great on pavement, scary off. Where as the TKCs work wonderfully both on and off pavement – but they are definitely not the off-road knobbies that many people assume they are. The seat is a throwback design to the aftermarket ones you’d buy in the AMF days; flat with a two-tone black and white colour scheme.”

For the bouncy bits, Greg has had the front forks resprung, valved and preloaded properly to match the new rear Hagon Nitro shocks. He’s planning to list this bike for sale on eBay this weekend. “As always (and sometimes unfortunately), this is a business. I wish I could keep them all, but it’s probably time to make another rider happy and for me to build another bike while also making a living.”

Burnt dinosaurs are removed from the donk with a two-into-one exhaust and then through a mellow-chambered muffler. Greg reports that it won’t be winning ‘loudest bike’ contests, and he seems pretty OK with that. It also has an alloy skid plate in front and an easily removable bag on the left side. “It’s not a huge deal, but it’s big enough to hold a liter of water, or fuel, or a few tools for fixing your friend’s bike.”

The bike weighs in about 480Lbs (215 kilos) with an almost perfect front/rear weight distribution that makes it handle pretty bloody well on and off-road. The pegs are in the stock location, but it’s using lowered Knight Design jobbies for a little more room. As you can probably see, it’s also been converted to a chain drive with gearing identical to the 883 model.

“After reading the keyboard critics comments on my last Sportster scrambler, I took some of their advice to heart. Lower bars, Biltwell trackers, more seat cushion, a longer rear fender and a 4″ rubber extension on the rear to make it period correct. The speedo is up front and off to the left to move it as far away from your leg as possible while still being easily visible. Sure, this bike may not be for you. It won’t out handle or out perform a modern plastic dirt bike or road bike, but it does have what it takes to deliver lots of smiles. I don’t build bikes to ride to the extremes, because that’s not my riding style. I ride for fun and enjoyment. It’s like life – it’s not always a competition.”

Greg jumps for joy after finishing the build

[Photos by Erick Runyon] via PIPEBURN

The Fondazione Prada in Milan celebrates the geometry of speed

Once a motorcycle sidecar racer, now a sculptor, Gianni Piacentino is one of the most famous advocates of Italian minimalism. The Fondazione Prada in Milan is showing numerous works inspired by his technique and his fascination for speed…

You don’t have to be an art critic to recognise that the 71-year-old artist Gianni Piacentino gets excited about automobiles, motorcycles and aeroplanes. Many of the works showing in the newly opened Fondazione Prada in Milan, from 7 November 2015 to 10 January 2016, are reminiscent of purist design models and prototypes from the early decades of the engine. The exhibition sheds light on the career of Piacentino with more than 100 works created between 1965 and 2015. While he merrily joined the disciplines of pop art, minimalism, action painting and Arte Povera, he remained fascinated by the industrial aesthetic of speed – a preference he shares with such contemporaries as Billy Al Bengston, Craig Kauffman, John McCracken and Joe Goode. 

“The work of Piacentino comes from a grey zone between art and design, craftsmanship and manufacturing, the useful and the useless, and singularity and seriality,” explains Germano Celant, the curator of the exhibition. “The originality and singularity of his work lie in the dialectic between these two polarities. Since 1965, his sculptures have achieved results transcending the functional object, even though, from tables to portals, it remains recognisable as a possible industrial entity.” 

The exhibition of the work of Gianni Piacentino takes place from 7 November 2015 until 10 January 2016, at the Fondazione Prada in Milan. You can find more information here.

KTM.......

Reimagining The Fiat 500, Maxi-Style

It was probably 15 years ago that a little Fiat 500 emitting the most unnatural of sounds overtook me coming out of a Shuto-ko toll booth. There was a big ‘Powered by Honda’ sticker across the back window, which I believe explained why it sounded exactly like a high-revving Japanese bike engine. It was so fast off the line and it just machine-gunned through the gears leaving me absolutely stunned.

I’ve never seen that car again, nor have I been able to track it down online. But now I think I’ve found the next best thing: the Team Ciociaro Corse 500 Maxi.

This is the automotive equivalent of putting a car on a strict diet of anabolic steroids and cocaine-laced slabs of meat. And that meat will have to be accompanied by a spicy Wasabi sauce, as this particular machine has been given a bit of a twist thanks to the man that imports the model into Japan, Takada-san.

So what are we exactly looking at here?

In essence, it’s beautifully simple – the nostalgic 1950s lines of the original Fiat 500 mated to a chassis and power-train developed for high speed corning. It’s called the 500 Maxi.

Despite having road registered the Maxi in Japan, Takada-san primarily uses it for hill-climb events, and with 180hp in a 630kg body with widened front and rear tracks, you can imagine how much of a little weapon it is!

As you might expect, there’s very little that is carried over from a production-spec 500. In fact, it’s only the front windshield and lights that remain, as the entirety of the FRP exterior is custom-built in two large main pieces that are moulded to resemble a muscular take on the 500 body shape.

The front end sports a large air dam and grille section, while a pair of quick-release pins keep the composite bonnet in place. The roof scoop is purely to supply air into the cabin, and if that isn’t enough you can slide open Lexan side windows for extra cooling. As they are in many vintage race and rally cars, Vitaloni mirrors are held in position with a support bar, otherwise they’d fold downwards at speed as the hinge isn’t strong enough to hold them up. That’s Italian engineering at its finest right there!

Both the front and rear cowls have integrated blistered and vented fenders to contain the increased tracks and tiny O.Z. Racing wheels (14-inch front and 15-inch rear).

These are shod in Continental Sport Contact 2 tyres, 195/40 at the front and 225/40 at the rear for massive levels of grip.

RADICAL TIMES

We spent 2 days hanging with snowboarder Kezin Vuylsteke, riding his chopper and vintage dirtbike for Quiksilver Dark Rituals.
Taking us along his favorite trails in the dirt and the woods of the legendary Battle at the Bulge.

RADICAL TIMES from Co11ectif on Vimeo.

SUPER GT Motegi, Qualifs : La Lexus/KeePer TOM’S se joue de la pluie

                     

par Laurent Mercier (Endurance-Info.com)

Avec six GT500 dans la même seconde à l’issue de la Q2 du dernier meeting SUPER GT de la saison à Motegi, la course longue de 250 km s’annonce pour le moins serrée avec la pluie en arbitre. Sur les terres de Honda, la pole est revenue à la Lexus RC F/KeePer TOM’S de Ryo Hirakawa et Andrea Caldarelli en 1.49.738. La seule auto équipée de gommes Dunlop a profité des conditions difficiles pour se montrer en dépit d’une saison compliquée. Bertrand Baguette a placé la Honda NSX Concept-GT/Nakajima Racing en haut de la feuille des temps avant que Daisuke Nakajima ne décroche le 2ème temps à 0.125s de la Lexus de tête.

Une deuxième Honda s’élancera de la 2ème ligne avec la #100 du Team Kunimitsu de Yamamoto/Izawa à 0.243s. Elle aura à ses côtés la Lexus RC F/Petronas TOM’S de Rossiter/Ito. La Nissan GT-R/Team Impul de De Oliveira/Yasuda qui mène le championnat s’élancera de la 3ème ligne avec le 5ème chrono à la clé pour la #12.

Sur les huit GT500 à être passées en Q2, aucune des deux Nissan GT-R équipée de pneus Michelin qui peut jouer la couronne n’y est parvenue. La #1 de NISMO partagée par Tsugio Matsuda et Ronnie Quintarelli n’a pu faire mieux que le 12ème temps, devant sa plus proche poursuivante au championnat, à savoir la #46 MOLA de Yanagida/Motoyama.

Yasuda/De Oliveira comptent 66 points, Matsuda/Quintarelli 64, Tachikawa/Ishiura 53 et Motoyama/Yanagida 50.

Domination Toyota en GT300 grâce à la Prius de Koki Saga et Yuichi Nakayama en 2.00.602. Le tandem de la #31 a nettement dominé la concurrence avec près de 2s d’écart sur la Mercedes SLS AMG GT3/Gainer de Björn Wirdheim et Katsuyuki Hiranaka. La 2ème ligne sera partagée par la BMW Z4 GT3/Goodsmile Racing Team Ukyo de Taniguchi/Kataoka et la VivaC G86 MC de Tsuchiya/Matsui. 

Andre Couto, sacré champion GT300 2015 depuis la dernière manche, n’a décroché que le 8ème chrono au volant de la Nissan GT-R GT3 NISMO qu’il partage avec Katusama Chiyo. Le Japonais pointe à 20 longueurs de son coéquipier. La Nissan GT-R GT3 NISMO/NDDP Racing, deuxième du classement teams de la catégorie,  est bien plus loin dans la hiérarchie.

Chris Collard Class of 2015

Chris Collard’s achievements are not only based on awards, trophies or certificates but in his words and photos that have been published around the world. He brings enthusiasm to the world of off-road 
journalism, and a high level of integrity and credibility. His coverage of events and four-wheel drive adventures is authentic and inspiring. Chris has focused on telling stories, bringing off-road competition 
and 4WD expedition travel to the public’s front door. Print media coverage includes competitions such as the Australian Safari and Outback Challenge, Outback Challenge Morocco, and the SCORE Baja series. He was also a member of the Expeditions 7 team, which is believed to be the first Americans to cross Antarctica by four-wheel drive vehicles.