ERC ; Bouffier takes the spoils in Corsica / Bouffier s’impose en Corse

Former Rallye Monte-Carlo winner Bryan Bouffier (Peugeot/Michelin) has added success on another rallying classic – the Tour de Corse – to his record. Jan Kopecky consolidated his lead in the European Championship with second place, while Stéphane Sarrazin (3rd) came out on top after an exciting fight with Craig Breen.

Après avoir accroché le Rallye Monte-Carlo à son palmarès, Bryan Bouffier (Peugeot/Michelin) a remporté une autre épreuve mythique, le Tour de Corse. Deuxième, Jan Kopecky conforte sa place de leader du championnat d’Europe. Stéphane Sarrazin complète le podium après une belle bagarre avec Craig Breen.

The 56^th ‘Giru di Corsica-Tour de Corse’ took place in fast-changing weather which made tyre choices particularly complex, especially since the front-runners were competing on new tyres designed to meet new regulations introduced on May 1. Michelin’s partners were able to choose between the ‘hard’ (H) and ‘soft’ (S) versions of the WRC-type Pilot Sport.

Practically every time the drivers had to select tyres for the loops of two or three stages, it was raining at the service park, but the conditions had a tendency to dry quickly. The first three tests were won by Craig Breen (Peugeot/Michelin) before the Irishman clipped a bank and punctured on SS4. Poland’s Robert Kubica (Citroën DS3 RRC/Michelin) led after that, but he was halted by a fuel pump issue on SS6. That handed top spot to Bryan Bouffier who then relinquished it to Jan Kopecky on Friday’s final test.

Tyre choices were just as difficult for Saturday’s action, near Ajaccio. Bouffier won the day’s first two stages on ‘soft’ rubber to recover a lead of 10.7s over Kopecky by the lunch break. That slender gap pointed to a thrilling finale, especially as Bouffier opted for ‘hard’ tyres for the last competitive loop, whereas the Czech went for ‘softs’. In the end, the Peugeot driver succeeded in defending his advantage to win the 2013 Tour de Corse. “There aren’t many drivers who can claim to have won the Monte Carlo and the Tour de Corse, so I’m very, very happy. Hopefully, today’s success will open up new opportunities for me. Next week, I will take part in a rally in Poland in a Peugeot 208 R2. As things stand, I’ve only got two more ERC rounds on my programme.”

The final run-in for third place opposed Sarrazin and Breen who were split by just 0.6s ahead of the last two stages. In the end, it was the Frenchman who finished on the third step of the podium. “There was no question of me settling for fourth,” he said afterwards. “I gave it everything I had…”

François Delecour survived pressure from Julien Maurin to secure a top-five result. “Coming here was a last-minute decision, so fifth isn’t bad,” smiled the French veteran.

Victory in the Production Cup went to Andreas Aigner (Subaru), ahead of Renault’s Germain Bonnefils (Mégane/Michelin). Following Manzagol’s retirement on SS9, the best-placed Corsican driver at the chequered flag was Jean-Mathieu Léandri (8^th).

Le 56^e Giru di Corsica-Tour de Corse s’est disputé dans des conditions météo changeantes qui ont sérieusement compliqué les choix de pneumatiques alors que les candidats à la victoire découvraient justement de nouveaux pneus répondant à la réglementation entrée en vigueur le 1^er mai 2013. Michelin proposait à ses partenaires les pneus Pilot Sport H (hard) et S (soft) type WRC.

Il a pratiquement plu lors de chaque parc d’assistance où les pilotes choisissaient leurs pneus pour des boucles de deux ou trois spéciales à disputer sur des routes s’asséchant. L’Irlandais Craig Breen (Peugeot/Michelin) a remporté les trois premières spéciales avant de taper un talus et de crever au début de l’ES4. Le Polonais Robert Kubica (Citroën DS3 RRC/Michelin) s’est retrouvé en tête avant d’être stoppé par un problème de pompe à essence dans l’ES6. Bryan Bouffier prit alors le leadership avant de laisser Jan Kopecky conclure la première étape en tête.

Les choix de pneumatiques furent tout aussi compliqués le lendemain, du côté d’Ajaccio. Chaussé de pneus « soft », Bryan Bouffier a signé deux meilleurs temps d’affilée pour reprendre les rênes de ce 56^e Tour de Corse. A mi-journée, le Français disposait de 10s7 d’avance sur le Tchèque. Les deux dernières spéciales s’annonçaient passionnantes, d’autant que les deux leaders ont pris deux stratégies différentes : pneus « hard » pour Bouffier, pneus « soft » pour Kopecky. Le pilote Peugeot est parvenu à contrôler son adversaire pour gagner le Tour de Corse 2013. « On n’est pas beaucoup à avoir épinglé Monte-Carlo et Tour de Corse à notre palmarès, alors je suis heureux, oui ! J’espère que cette victoire va me donner de nouvelles opportunités. La semaine prochaine, je serai en Pologne pour un rallye avec une Peugeot 208 R2. Pour l’heure, j’ai deux autre épreuves ERC à mon programme cette saison. »

Derrière, le match pour la 3^e place fut tout aussi splendide entre Stéphan Sarrazin et l’Irlandais Craig Breen : 6/10^e de seconde les séparait avant les deux dernières spéciales. Le dernier mot est revenu au pilote de la Mini RRC/Michelin Stéphane Sarrazin. « Il était hors de question que je finisse 4^e. J’ai tout donné en fin de rallye. » François Delecour est parvenu à contenir les assauts de Julien Maurin pour terminer dans le top-five. « Cette participation s’est décidée au tout dernier moment, alors le résultat n’est pas si mal », commentait Delecour à l’arrivée.

Andreas Aigner (Subaru) s’est imposé en catégorie Production Cup devant le pilote Renault Germain Bonnefils (Mégane/Michelin). Après l’abandon de Manzagol dans l’ES9, Jean-Mathieu Léandri termine meilleur pilote corse à la 8^e place du classement général

Moto GP : Dani Pedrosa takes second win in a row, Cal Crutchlow second at Le Mans

With TWOWHEELSBLOG

Today’s MotoGP race at Le Mans started under the pouring rain and turned out to be an exciting, action-packed crazy and thrilling race that included unexpected surprises, a great duel and a stunning comeback.

The winner of the race was a highly impressive and aggressive Dani Pedrosa who took his second consecutive victory taking a dominating victory and the lead in the standings, but only after battling with a very incisive and suprising Andrea Dovizioso for the first fourteen laps only to clear out an win with a highly comfortable margin that was up to 7 seconds before he slowed down administering his lead.

A heroic and stoic Cal Crutchlow gave his French based Yamaha Tech3 and Monster Energy sponsored squad (and the French GP sponsor) a fanstastic second place, especially considering his precarious physical conditions, and he was the only Yamaha rider on the podium, beating both Yamaha factory riders that both suffered an unexpected debacle.

Jorge Lorenzo after eight laps into the race began to visibily fade, suffering important technical or tire issues to end up a lowly 7th and a massive 28 seconds from Pedrosa. Worse happened to Valentino Rossi who crashed out of fourth during the 17th lap, while he was gaining on Cal Crutchlow who had overtaken him four laps before. The Italian was able to rejoin with a banged up Yamaha and finish down in 12th.

Marc Marquez was as usual his phenomenal self as he took the third spot, after a bad start and an error fraught race mixed up with stunningly fast laps that were one second faster than the front runners. The MotoGP rookie with and extraordinary comeback back from 11th to overtake Andrea Dovizioso in the penultimate lap and take the last spot on the podium.

That Ducati is good on the wet is a known fac, and Andrea Dovizioso amply proved it by taking the hole shot and lead the race for a good nine laps and battling with Pedrosa, exchanging the lead several times. Once Pedrosa was able to make his pass stick, the Ducati rider rode in an impressive second only to be passed by Crutchlow when his tires began to fade on lap 23 as the track dried out and then get passed by Marquez in the finale and finish still and impressive fourth.

Nicky Hayden ended up fifth, but the Ducati rider was in the thick of things with Rossi and Crutchlow, until Rossi’s crash and error make him lose touch. Sixth went to Alvaro Bautista who found himself battling with Lorenzo.

Michele Pirro who was replacing recovering Ben Spies brought home the Pramac Ducati in 8th and he was followed by Bradley Smith and Stefan Bradl.The German rider crashed out immediately before Valentino Rossi during the 17th lap he was able to rejoin and close out the top ten.

2013 MotoGP Le Mans results:

01- Dani Pedrosa – Repsol Honda Team – Honda RC213V – 28 laps in 49’17.707
02- Cal Crutchlow – Monster Yamaha Tech 3 – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 4.863
03- Marc Marquez – Repsol Honda Team – Honda RC213V – + 6.949
04- Andrea Dovizioso – Ducati Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP13 – + 10.087
05- Nicky Hayden – Ducati Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP13 – + 18.471
06- Alvaro Bautista – GO&FUN Honda Gresini – Honda RC213V – + 23.561
07- Jorge Lorenzo – Yamaha Factory Racing – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 27.961
08- Michele Pirro Ignite Pramac Racing – Ducati Desmosedici GP13 – + 40.775
09- Bradley Smith – Monster Yamaha Tech 3 – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 41.407
10- Stefan Bradl – LCR Honda MotoGP – Honda RC213V – + 1’00.995
11- Andrea Iannone – Energy T.I. Pramac Racing – Ducati Desmosedici GP13 – + 1’05.110
12- Valentino Rossi – Yamaha Factory Racing – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 1’16.368

The World’s Fastest Indian

The Spirit of Burt Munro By MATT NEUNDORF

Speed takes time. The Bonneville Salt Flats, dubbed the fastest track in the world, is an extremely tricky race surface to figure out. Optimal conditions roll in around the end of summer, after the ridged and rigid crust has been appropriately baked by Utah’s summer sun. Unlike asphalt, that crust could quickly give way to a softer powdery bed below if it hasn’t had its time in the oven. Jumping on the power too early and creating too much torque or adding one too many spoilers for down-force could spell doom — especially for motorcycle riders chasing a land speed record — by swallowing or re-directing a wheel before a rider has time to react. So you see, going fast takes time — and for some, a lifetime.

Burt Munro set his first speed record in New Zealand in 1938. He was riding an eighteen-year-old motorcycle that was factory built to top out at 55 MPH. Burt clocked 120.8. That sort of bump doesn’t happen on its own. When it left the assembly line, Burt’s Indian Scout was powered by a side-valved 600cc V-Twin complete with a mechanical oil pump and helical gear transmission, a very advanced system for the time. The tinkering began almost immediately, and the speeds increased.

By the time Burt began his top-end conversion to an overhead valve assembly he was hitting 90 MPH. With the help of a kerosene blow-lamp and hand-built castings, new pistons were forged to fit the over-bored cylinders, bringing the total displacement to 1000ccs. Those were connected to a larger crank pin via connecting rods that normally saw duty in Caterpillar tractor axles. The dry-sump system from the larger-engined Indian Chief was swapped in to meet the oiling demands, and those helical gears gave way to a chain driven primary, complete with homemade sprockets. With the bottom-end now built, an extra set of cams were introduced to allow for finer tuning during valve adjustments, and finally, the clutch was beefed up through the addition of extra springs to handle the extra power going to the 3-speed gear box. Built by his own hands in his own shed and seemingly held together with tie-wire and gaffer-tape, his 1920 Indian Scout was very much like the man himself: rough around the edges, but purpose built.

By the time he made it to Bonneville, everything had been changed in one way or another; most people wouldn’t dare swing a leg over his machine for fear it would fall apart, or worse, blow up with them on it. Despite the sport’s “grassroots” style, most other land-speed record seekers piloted machines that were team built, with professionally manufactured parts and in some cases, factory support, even back then. While other competitors were escorted to the staging lanes by their entourage of support staff and mechanics, who were also ready to change factory-finished parts if necessary, Burt usually had to ask folks for a push just to get his bike going. When asked in 1971 by then Bonneville chief referee Earl Flanders when he was going to wash that same (now fifty-one-year-old) machine, Munro replied confusedly, “Wash it? With water? Oh, I ‘aven’t ‘ad time to polish mine. It’s been nine months and nine days on that engine last year, and three minutes to three on a Saturday six weeks ago I got it to run right. New cylinders, new pistons, new cam rod, new cams — eight of ‘em — eight new pistons, new valves, all new eccentric tappets and guides. I wasn’t idle. I had three hours off on Christmas Day. In the middle of the day, when they eat”.

“WASH IT? WITH WATER? OH, I ‘AVEN’T ‘AD TIME TO POLISH MINE.”
- BURT MUNRO

Munro’s story as the rider of the World’s Fastest Indian gained worldwide recognition when Sir Anthony Hopkins famously portrayed Munro in the movie of the same title. It was a heart-warming summary, one that really highlighted the manner in which Munro approached problems: namely, getting to Bonneville, being allowed to race and logging a legit run. In life, Munro made the trek to Utah ten times, racing there on nine occasions and setting three different land-speed records in the process — the most famous of which occurring in 1967 when the Munro Special registered 183.586 MPH, a class record for engines under 1000 ccs in displacement that still stands today.

ANOTHER LEGEND IN THE MAKING

Rather than take his chances on the salt, Utah native Ken Merena took to the two-lane blacktop for his high-speed run. Back in 2008, at the age of 60, Ken (who already held the record for the fastest run on the highway at 241 MPH) tried to clock the fastest speed anybody on two wheels had gone: 270 MPH. Although not a backyard build, his bike is equally Frankensteined with go-fast bits, including a turbo charger. Ken didn’t hit 270 MPH (he barely broke 220), but it’s obvious that the relentless pursuit of speed is alive and well, on all surfaces and in all corners of the globe — especially Utah.

Burt has gone even faster on his Munro Special. “At the Salt in 1967 we were going like a bomb. Then she got the wobbles just over half way through the run. To slow her down I sat up. The wind tore my goggles off and the blast forced my eyeballs back into my head — couldn’t see a thing… we were so far off the black line that we missed a steel marker stake by inches. I put her down — a few scratches all round but nothing much else”. He topped out at over 200 MPH, but that spill meant the run remained unofficial. He even made runs without the safety of aerodynamic bodywork, wearing only an open-faced Bell helmet and a pair of goggles, at the age of 72, but his quest to repeat 200+ MPH remained elusive. Had he not suffered a career-ending stroke in 1977, we’re sure he would have kept pushing the envelope with his trusty steed — and succeeded.

To commemorate his unwavering dedication to speed and his personalized Indian Scout,Indian Motorcycles recently released The Spirit of Munro. Built as a one-off custom to showcase their new Thunder Stroke 111 engine, America’s oldest motorcycle company looked to Long Beach metal fabricator Jeb Scolman to build the bike. The all-metal streamliner was designed to pay homage to Munro and other races of his ilk who helped cement the racing legacy of the Indian brand.

Stunningly crafted, the Spirit of Munro is also a runner, featuring custom exhaust and intake manifolds to allow it to fit within the body work and a final chain drive with extra tall gearing to challenge for a high speed run. Commemorative badging and a beautiful cork stopper serving as a gas cap truly complete the package. While it would no doubt bring a tear to Burt’s eye if he were still around to see it, he’d probably find it far too neat and tidy to trust on the track and opt to swing a leg back over his own creation. Such was the spirit of Munro.

from GEAR PATROL

Triumph "Jump Over" by Dino Romano

Foto: Facebook (Dino Romano MOTODALCUORE) via Racing Café