The Race - 2013 ERC Geko Ypres Rally

Watch the highlights from the Geko Ypres Rally which was won by Freddy Loix (Skoda-Michelin).

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ICON TRIUMPH DAYTONA 675R DRIFT BIKE

How many motorcycle videos get more than ten million views? Not many, if any. But the first two Motorcycle vs. Car Drift Battle films from Icon Motosports got an incredible 13 million and 16 million views apiece.

The third film in the series will be released next Tuesday. So we thought we’d take a closer look at the bikes that will star in it, and the stories behind the builds. The guys doing the stunts on-screen are Ernie ‘E-Dub’ Vigil and Nick ‘Apex’ Brocha, and they’re heavily involved in the mods. After all, their careers—and even their lives—depend on being able to keep the bikes at the limit of control.

Ernie traces the inspiration for the Drift series to Aruba, a small island in in the southern Caribbean Sea just off the coast of Venezuela. “Entering into this whole Motorcycle vs. Car concept, we didn’t know what to expect. We’d done a show in Aruba and were blown away by what local riders were doing.”

While the US was obsessed with stunt riding, the islands were busy getting sideways. And Ernie and Nick liked the idea. For the first Drift video, they prepped a Kawasaki ZX-10 with an enormous 12-inch-over Roaring Toyz swingarm and 240-section wheel, matching what they’d seen in Aruba. “The longer the wheelbase, the easier the swing,” says Ernie, “and the longer it takes for a highside to set in.”

For the second video, they went with Triumph Speed Triples—mostly for more low-end grunt. The swingarms were cut down to a mere six inches over stock. “The added low end and shortened wheelbase did the trick but with the heavier weight of the Speed Triples they proved to be a little lethargic,” Ernie recalls.

This time round, Ernie and Nick chose the Triumph Daytona 675R for its light weight and top-notch suspension and brakes. There are two bikes, one red and one green, both sporting Myrtle West 4-to-6-inch over swingarms. “The smaller the wheelbase, the more violent the snap,” says Ernie. “We could take the easy way out with longer swingarms, but the feel you get when the bikes talk back is what gives us the rush.”

The only problem was grip on the track. The bikes had too much, making it hard to spin the rear tire free at 80mph. The solution was more power. “There’s no such thing as too much,” says Ernie. “We decided to add Garrett GT2052 turbos to the motors. Full boost comes on at around 5k and man, does it pull. The hit comes on like a freight train.”

Chris Hukill of Fuel Forged in Las Vegas fabricated the turbo plumbing from the exhaust manifold to the intercooler, with help from Nick Brocha. The bikes then went over to DynoJet for tuning. Interestingly, the motors themselves are 100% stock—without even upgraded pistons or head gaskets. On E85 fuel and with 10 psi of boost the bikes recorded 203hp.

The bikes were run hard during the making of the new film, but there were no breakdowns. “Of all the vehicles used, we were sure the bikes would be the first to go. Not the case. They’re still sitting here, ready to be fired up. Boost is now an addiction!”

Stand by for the third installment of Motorcycle vs. Car Drift Battle on Tuesday. It’ll be revealed on the Monster Energy YouTube page.

from BIKEEXIF

1963 Ducati 125 TS

This precious retro racer comes from a 1963 Ducati 125 TS donor Bike. Its frame has been converted to a cantiléver rear suspension system. The custom sub frame is new. The upside down fork is from a Derbi GPR 50. The mechanics is heavily modified and rebuilt with a Ducati 250 short stroke engine (ported heads, hi compression piston, lightened crankshaft, no alternator, straight cut gaer pinions lightened, metallic  outside oil lines, racing camshaft, big valves, dual spark) fuelled by an Amal 32 mm carburetor. The tank is from a vintage Ducati 160 Sport… But the list of changes and custom made components is endless… You can check it out on the Radical Ducati website. The final result? Espectacular! Pictures by Del Perro.

via inazumacafe

SPECIAL KIND OF LOVE: LAMBORGHINI ESPADA

I don’t know why, but I’ve always felt a need to direct my love for cars towards the more unique models in history. It’s so easy to like beautiful things, but it takes a special sort of love to feel attraction towards unique expressions of design. If I hear someone saying their favorite car is a Ferrari 250 GTO, a Mercedes 300SL or a Lamborghini Miura I can’t help but feel the need to vomit. It’s obvious everyone likes these cars; they are stunningly beautiful, they each define their respective manufacturer and are literally impossible to hate.

But come on, you can do better than that. Challenge your senses, dig deeper into the depths of classic car history and at least attempt to dig out a car that stands out for something other than unquestionable beauty. Personally I have always respected any car maker that has had the balls to go out there and try something different…

… and come up with something that’s never been tried before and attempt to redefine what beauty is. Lamborghini has done this since its inception, Ferruccio wanting to confront and provoke Enzo with his own interpretation of what a sports car should be like. Ever since then Lamborghini has stood out for bold design and along the way has spawned a mix of pivotal cars – from the aforementioned and simply stunning Miura to the in-your-face LM002.

But it’s this car here, the Espada, that has always held a special place in my heart. Can we consider it as a beautiful car? Probably not, because it isn’t. It’s awkwardly styled and has strange proportions, but what it lacks in the universally accepted definition of beauty, it makes up with buckets of character. For me it has always defined the best of the ’70s: it was a subtle mix of supercar performance and everyday practicality that made it stand out in a decade full of automotive awesomeness. The other week while in Sweden for Gatebil, I had the chance to take a little detour on our drive up to the track and stop by the Classic Garage shop a short drive from Gröndal where we were shooting a few feature cars.

There, I was to shoot what has to be the cleanest, most original Espada I’ve ever seen…

… finished off in an unmistakably Lamborghini hue of orange…

… and sporting a contrasting set of white striped tires.

Tuck, ’70s style!

The tires are fitted onto 15-inch Campagnolo magnesium alloy wheels, the same design that was used on the Miura, and attached to the hubs with good old fashioned knock-offs.

You might describe it as a shooting-brake design in today’s lingo, but what made this car so special was that hatchback rear end penned by Bertone’s Marcello Gandini. That’s because the Espada – or sword in Spanish as further reference to Lamborghini’s attraction to bull fighting – was the first four-seater to come from St. Agata Bolognese and its design was sort of dictated by the number of seats in the cabin.

Just imagine how cool it must have been to drive one of these around in the ’70s – an Italian supercar for four, with 12 cylinders up front! As Oscar of Classic Garage told us, this is a 1971 model so an ‘S2′ in Lambo language, meaning it runs the more powerful 350hp version of the 4.0L V12 that was also used in the base Miura.

The sonorous V12 is fed by six side-draft Weber carbs. I was impressed at how easily the car started despite the damp and cold weather during the shoot. As Oscar said, this car has always ran beautifully.

Contrary to what you may think, the two air intakes on the massive front-hinged aluminum hood don’t feed the air boxes, but actually the cabin’s heater and ventilation system.

With such a big engine sitting up front – which is actually surprisingly well-positioned in the chassis for good weight balance – packaging various ancillaries must have been quite a challenge. I found the location of the brake master cylinder quite interesting, and just check out that agricultural-size radiator.

The V12 sings through this quartet of old-school exhaust tips…

… helping give a much more aggressive presence to the Espada’s rear. And it’s the rear view that I can’t help but find irresistible.

The rear trunk glass embodies everything that was right about the 70′s quirky design language and it’s helped to cement the Espada as a true classic – granted one that you will probably either love or hate.

There’s no hatch section, it’s just the glass that lifts helped by two struts, giving way to a pretty decently-sized trunk area.

Someone at Honda probably liked the ‘Gandini’ rear strip of glass because it was used in both the CR-X, the Insight, and now the CR-Z.

As you can imagine, with the seating arrangement sort of dictating the car’s looks…

… Lamborghini obviously put a lot of effort into making the interior a very special place to be. And like any well-kept classic, it’s the smell that first captivates you – a mix of leather-scent and real wood, and that faint smell of gas and oil vapours that any car with carburetors always seems to have.

The head unit is found on the passenger side of the dashboard and is quite a reach for the driver. That’s probably because there wouldn’t really be a need for it, what with a Lamborghini V12 providing the aural entertainment!

The center console merges onto an elevated transmission tunnel from which the five-speed gearbox selector sprouts from…

… continuing rearward in between the two rear seats. Just to emphasize the fact – this is a true four-seater, not a 2+2, those rear seats easily able to accommodate two adults with plenty of headroom.

I don’t even need to give reasons as to why Lamborghini should come up with a modern day interpretation of the Espada. This is a machine that manages to shine through the impressive line-up of cars it has created over the last 50 years, and that alone says a hell of a lot.

Dino Dalle Carbonare
Instagram: speedhunters_dino