Max Biaggi announces retirement

Two time World Superbike champion Max Biaggi has officially announced this morning in a press conference at the Vallelunga circuit that he will be retiring after 21 years of racing.

The Roman Emperor who is 41, has 63 victories to his name, 29 in 250cc with four World titles, 13 in MotoGP/500cc, and 21 in World Superbikes.

We’ve translated what Biaggi said:

It’s been the longest night, but I’m happy to leave now. I don’t want to be like politicians attached to the chair. I thought about it a lot, I said to myself do I continue for 1 or 2 years or do I stop? And I decided to leave now. My family counted in my decision. The time has come to spend a little time with my family. But I don’t want it to be a sad day. Unlike Doohan, I stopped because I want to stop and not because I wasn’t competitive. I have written important pages in the history of motorcycle racing. I had a contract if I wanted it, but I’m leaving with no regrets. Infact I’d thank all those who have accompanied me in these 20 years. It was still a very hard choice, but not forced by anyone, today I’m leaving standing on my two legs, while others have had serious injuries. I’m thinking of a collaboration with the Aprilia off track, you will soon read some news about it.

NON AU BRASSARD OBLIGATOIRE !

La FFMC appelle tous les usagers de deux ou trois roues motorisé à désobéir au decret stupide qui imposera le port obligatoire de 150 cm² de matière rétro-réfléchissante ou d’un brassard de surface équivalente. La FFMC dénonce cette surenchère réglementaire décidé par le précédent gouvernement à des fins de communication politicienne.

A partir du 1er janvier 2013, les motocyclistes et leur passager circulant sur des deux-roues motorisé de plus de 125 cm3 devraient, selon un décret paru le 3 janvier dernier, porter obligatoirement en toutes circonstances un brassard rétro réfléchissant si leur équipement d’origine n’est pas équipé d’éléments de rétro-réflexion équivalents.

La FFMC, engagée depuis trois décennies dans l’amélioration de la sécurité des usagers en deux-roues motorisés, dénonce cette ineptie :

• Inadaptée : les motards roulent déjà avec leurs feux allumés en permanence. En outre les éléments rétro réfléchissants sont inopérants en plein jour.

• Injuste : les automobilistes tenus de posséder à bord de leur véhicule un gilet de haute visibilité encourent une simple amende en cas d’infraction, alors que les motards risquent aussi un retrait de deux points s’ils ne répondent pas à cette obligation.

• Incohérente : cette mesure ne vise que les utilisateurs de véhicules de plus de 125 cm3, catégorie de conducteurs déjà la mieux équipée. De plus, contraindre plutôt que convaincre est contraire à une adhésion aux enjeux de sécurité routière.

Dans deux mois, s’il n’est pas abrogé d’ici là, le décret du 3 janvier 2012 obligera les motards à porter des éléments rétro réfléchissant supplémentaires sous peine être passibles de verbalisation et de perdre deux points sur leur permis de conduire. Pour alerter les motards sur cette mesure, la FFMC publie quatre affiches et lance une pétition en ligne.

racing Japan

KTM RC 250 R PRODUCTION RACER

In less than a year, KTM’s Moto3 program has developed into a world championship success story. KTM and Sandro Cortese on the Moto3 Grand Prix bike both secured the World Championship titles in Sepang, Malaysia with two rounds still in hand. Now for ambitious customer teams, KTM is sending the KTM RC 250 R, the company’s production racer on the starting line.

There was only seven months between the presentation of Moto3 winning aggregate in Hangar 7 in Salzburg, Austria at the beginning of October 2011 and Sandro Cortese’s premiere win on the KTM RC 250 GP in Estoril, Portugal. But this success is no mere product of coincidence but of the systematic implementation of the project. As well as the rider world title through Cortese and the manufacturer’s world title for KTM in the first year of the Moto3 competition, the results of the other four KTM riders and of the four KALEX-KTM riders was an impressive display of this knowhow.

It is on the basis of the consistent speed of the nine KTM riders that the KTM racer is being further developed for 2013. Both the production racer and the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup bike will be on the start next season so that customer teams and up-and-coming riders are able to profit from this development in the future. Both machines are direct offshoots of the KTM Grand Prix motorcycle and both are developed under the technical direction of Wolfgang Felber.

 Wolfgang Felber (Head of KTM Customer Racing Sport): “The basis of the Production Racer is not much different to our Grand Prix motorcycle. The GP bike is only adapted to suit the current Moto3 regulations, for example it runs with the regulation Dell’Orto electronics unit, has a maximum of 14,000 revolutions and has an Akrapovic exhaust system that allows 115 dB. OZ magnesium wheels, a factory braking system with dual brake disks from Brembo in the front and WP Suspension elements all save weight – but basically these are also components that can all be fitted to the RC 250 R Production Racer!”

TECHNICAL DATA OF THE KTM RC 250 R (Production Racer 2013)

DRIVE
Motor: Single cylinder, 4-stroke motor, DOHC
Displacement: 249.5 ccm
Bore/Hub: 81/48.5 mm
Performance: min. 37 kW at 13.000 revs/min
Max. Torque: 28 Nm at 11.000 revs/min
Compression ratio: 14,5:1
Starter/Battery: External starter / 12 V 0.8 Ah
Transmission: Cassette transmission, 6 gears, 3 options
Mixture preparation: Oval throttle body, 2 injection jets, Ø 50 equivalent
Cooling: Water cooler + oil-water heat exchanger
Generator: 12 V / 70 W
Lubrication: Semi-dry sump, 1 pressure and 2 suction pumps
Primary drive: Straight toothed: 2 transmission options
Valve drive: chain driven, intermediate wheel, radial arranged valves and DLC coated rocker arms
Clutch: Multiple disk clutch in oil bath
Motor management/ignition: GET by Athena ECU, GET by Athena Software MAYA EVO, adjustable motor brake/traction control/launch control/fuel mapping/ignition mapping/pit lane limiter, automatic switch, Interface for data recording

CHASSIS
Frame: Steel tubular frame, steering head and adjustable swing arm pivot
Subframe: one piece Wethje carbon subframe
Swing arm: Upside down formed, welded aluminum
Handlebar: Full aluminum clamps, exchangeable handlebar
Front suspension: WP RCMA 3548 fork Ø35 mm, adjustable spring preload suspension, compression and rebound damping adjustable over 20 levels
Rear suspension: WP BAVP 4618 shock absorber, adjustable length, hydraulic preload adjuster, High-/Low-Speed- compression damping and rebound damping over 20 levels
Triple clamp: cast aluminum, adjustable, 28/30 mm offset
Front brakes: Brembo single disk braking system 290 mm, radial brake caliper and radial hand brake cylinder
Rear brakes: Braking-brake disks 190 mm, Formula radial brake caliper and formula brake cylinder
Front/rear wheels: OZ forged aluminum 2.5 x 17’’ / 3.5 x 17’’
Tires front and rear: Dunlop 95/75-R17 / 115/75-R17 Moto3 M Slick
Chain: 415 chain, rear sprocket 16 – 18T, rear sprocket 34 – 42T
Silencer: Akrapovic Full Titanium System with silencer 107 dB (open), additional dB killer 100/103 dB
Steering head angle: ± 1° with optional steering head insets
Steering head position: ± 6 mm with optional steering head insets
Wheel base: 1210 mm ± 35 mm
Ride height: adjustable ± 6 mm
Seat height: 760 mm, adjustable ± 6 mm
Tank capacity: approx. 10.5 l
Weight without fuel: approx. 82 kg

GENE
- GP125 (Geometry, ergonomic, aerodynamic components)
- MOTOGP-MOTOR (Layout cylinder head and throttle body)
- RC8 R SBK (Electronic, frame knowhow, materials processing)
- MX (lubrication system, transmission, clutch, Kinematic valve gear)

TECHNOLOGY
- WP Suspensions, WP Radiator, WP Performance
- KTM Technologies
- KISKA Industrial Design
- PANKL Racing Systems
- WETHJE Plastics technology