2013 WSBK: Tom Sykes does the double at Imola

The Imola track surface was hot (57°) and offered much less grip for the second race of the seventh round of the World Superbike championship, but this didn’t stop Tom Sykes from taking a dominating lights-to-flag and uncontested victory, with Jonathan Rea and Sylvain Guintoli - both making up their DNFs in race 1 - completing the podium, that heard the English national anthem played twice for the Kawasaki rider.

Imola was Sykes second double victory after Donington Park and his fifth victory of the season which allowed the British rider to move to the top of the standings with 235 points, six more than Sylvain Guintoli.

It was a bittersweet weekend for Davide Giugliano. After taking a second place in race 1, the Althea rider was on the tail of race leaderTom Sykes, but during the third lap he lost the front of his Aprilia at the Tosa and slid out and just two laps later the same happened to Eugene Laverty - 3rd in race 1 - as he crashed out at the Ravizza 2.

Marco Melandri with his BMW Goldbet machine took fourth in the only real exciting moment of the race, when his team mate Chaz Davies overtook him on pentultimate lap, but Melandri wasn’t happy and repassed the Welshman on the last lap at the Variante Alta as the two headed to the final turn only for Davies to have a big wobble in the corner and having to concede the spot to Melandri.

Taking a very distant sixth was Loris Baz who had to battle for the spot with Leon Camier, while Michel Fabrizio took 8th. There was a three-rider battle between Jules Cluzel, Leon Haslam and Ayrton Badovini for 9th, that went to the Pata Honda rider followed by Badovini and Cluzel.

Carlos Checa took 12th ahead of Max Neikirchner, Federico Sandi and Noriyuki Haga who will be taking to this year’s 8 Hours of Suzuka 2 points.

2013 WSBK Imola Race 2 results:

01- Tom Sykes – Kawasaki Racing Team – Kawasaki ZX-10R – 21 laps in 37’51.947
02- Jonathan Rea – Pata Honda World Superbike Team – Honda CBR 1000RR – + 5.032
03- Sylvain Guintoli – Aprilia Racing Team – Aprilia RSV4 Factory – + 10.201
04- Marco Melandri – BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK Team – BMW S1000RR – + 13.120
05- Chaz Davies – BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK Team – BMW S1000RR – + 13.630
06- Loris Baz – Kawasaki Racing Team – Kawasaki ZX-10R – + 23.949
07- Leon Camier – FIXI Crescent Suzuki – Suzuki GSX-R 1000 – + 25.420
08- Michel Fabrizio – Red Devils Roma – Aprilia RSV4 Factory – + 36.511
09- Leon Haslam – Pata Honda World Superbike Team – Honda CBR 1000RR – + 40.184
10- Ayrton Badovini – Team Ducati Alstare – Ducati 1199 Panigale R – + 41.100
11- Jules Cluzel – FIXI Crescent Suzuki – Suzuki GSX-R 1000 – + 42.888

2013 WSBK Imola Race 1 Results:

1. Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) Kawasaki ZX-10R 37′52.860
2. Davide Giugliano (Althea Racing) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 38′00.058
3. Eugene Laverty (Aprilia Racing Team) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 38′02.344
4. Marco Melandri (BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK) BMW S1000 RR 38′03.183
5. Michel Fabrizio (Red Devils Roma) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 38′11.557
6. Chaz Davies (BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK) BMW S1000 RR 38′12.391
7. Leon Camier (Fixi Crescent Suzuki) Suzuki GSX-R1000 38′15.272
8. Ayrton Badovini (Team Ducati Alstare) Ducati 1199 Panigale R 38′22.002
9. Loris Baz (Kawasaki Racing Team) Kawasaki ZX-10R 38′29.688
10. Leon Haslam (Pata Honda World Superbike) Honda CBR1000RR 38′30.367
11. Carlos Checa (Team Ducati Alstare) Ducati 1199 Panigale R 38′32.099

from TWOWHEELSBLOG

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