Marc Marquez runs away with Sachsenring victory

Without Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa in the 8th round of the MotoGP championship at Sachsenring and as highly expected - Marc Marquez took his second victory of the season - his fourth successive win on the German circuit - and moved to the head of the standings, with a hard-as-nails Cal Crutchlow taking second, and Valentino Rossi, third.

Marquez was the polesitter, but it was Rossi who got the holeshot with Stefan Bradl and and amazing Aleix Espargaro following in third ahead of Marquez, but after just a few turns on the first lap the LCR Honda rider grabbed the lead, to the joy and roar of the 85,000 plus spectators who came to see the event.

The first lap was highly exciting with the riders tightly packed, nosing around the tails of the bikes in front of them and during the second lap the Repsol Honda rider jumped Espargaro and began chasing Rossi and Bradl. as Cal Crutchlow and Alvaro Bautista passed the CRT rider.

Lap 5 saw Marquez overtake Rossi with paint stripping pass and set his sights on Bradl, and on the sixth lap saw the Italian have a huge moment which allowed Crutchlow - who had a few himself - to catch him and almost simultaneously Marquez took the lead from his satellite counterpart..

Rossi began chasing after the two Honda riders, dragging with him Crutchlow and he passed Bradl during the 9th lap and soon after the British rider did the same when the German who also had a moment, as Marquez began to speed away putting more than half a second between himself and the two Yamaha riders, which became more than 1.5 seconds on lap 13.

Lap 15 saw Crutchlow overtake a struggling Rossi, and immediately begin to distance the factory rider, whose tires began slipping - exactly as he predicted on the eve of the race.

For a few laps the positions remained frozen but with five laps left in the race, Crutchlow turned on the speed and began to try to chase down Marquez but the Spaniard controlled the lap times and would cross over the finish line with a 1.559 margin on the bruised, battered and cut Tech 3 rider, while Rossi was more seven seconds from Crutchlow and more than 9 from Marquez.

After a stunning first part of the race Bradl faded to fourth, followed by Alvaro Bautista and an impressive Bradley Smith who took a safe sixth.

Andrea Dovizioso was seventh and just managed to keep Aleix Espargaro at bay, while Nicky Hayden was 9th and a massive 45 seconds from the top of the timesheets, while Michele Pirro in his last race as a substitute rider for Pramac - at Laguna Seca Alex de Angelis will be riding in place of Ben Spies, was 10th.

2013 MotoGP Sachsenring race results:

01- Marc Marquez – Repsol Honda Team – Honda RC213V – 30 laps in 41′14.653
02- Cal Crutchlow – Monster Yamaha Tech 3 – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 1.559
03- Valentino Rossi – Yamaha Factory Racing – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 9.620
04- Stefan Bradl – LCR Honda MotoGP – Honda RC213V – + 13.992
05- Alvaro Bautista – GO&FUN Honda Gresini – Honda RC213V – + 21.775
06- Bradley Smith – Monster Yamaha Tech 3 – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 25.080
07- Andrea Dovizioso – Ducati Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP13 – + 30.027
08- Aleix Espargaro – Power Electronics Aspar – ART GP13 – + 30.324
09- Nicky Hayden – Ducati Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP13 – + 45.355
10- Michele Pirro – Ignite Pramac Racing – Ducati Desmosedici GP13 – + 47.142
11- Hector Barbera – Avintia Blusens – BQR FTR – + 47.824
12- Randy De Puniet – Power Electronics Aspar – ART GP13 – + 48.523

SuperMoto : wins for Hermunen and Thomas Chareyre in Italy / Hermunen et Thomas Chareyre s’imposent à Latina (Italie)

Victory for Thomas Chareyre (TM Factory Team) in Race 2 of Round 5 of the FIM SuperMoto World Championship in Latina, Italy, put an end to a sequence of nine straight wins for Mauno Hermunen (TM SHR). Adrien Chareyre (Aprilia-Team Fast Wheels-Michelin) was third and second, his best haul of the season.

En remportant la seconde manche de la cinquième épreuve du Championnat du monde SuperMoto FIM à Latina en Italie, Thomas Chareyre (TM Factory Team) met un terme à la série de neuf victoires consécutives de Mauno Hermunen (TM SHR). Adrien Chareyre (Aprilia – Team Fast Wheels - Michelin) signe son meilleur résultat de la saison en terminant troisième et deuxième.

Saturday’s two races were initially programmed for Saturday evening, but the circuit’s floodlighting was judged insufficient for the riders’ safety, so the action was finally brought forward to the afternoon.

Pole-winner Hermunen (TM SHR) took a hard-earned victory in Race 1 after Thomas Chareyre appeared twice in front. The Finn’s margin at the flag was only 0.34s. Adrien Chareyre was second after Lap 1 but was passed by his brother next time round. He was eventually third (+1.78s).

Thierry Van Den Bosch (TM) was fourth, ahead of Ivan Lazzarini (Honda-L30 Racing-Michelin) and Sylvain Bidart (Honda-Team Luc1-Michelin).

The second clash saw Thomas Chareyre take victory after emerging in front on Lap 1 when Hermunen made a mistake on the dirt portion. Adrien Chareyre, Van Den Bosch and Lazzarini all passed the championship leader, too, and the Finn took his worse result of the season to date (5^th). Sylvain Bidart was sixth.

Hermunen (241 points) continues to top the championship standings, ahead of Thomas Chareyre who has closed the gap to 22 points. Adrien Chareyre (182) is third and Lazzarini (176) fourth.

Les deux manches, initialement programmées en nocturne, se sont finalement déroulées samedi après-midi, l’éclairage du circuit étant jugé insuffisant pour garantir la sécurité des pilotes.

Qualifié en pole position, Mauno Hermunen (TM SHR) a remporté une victoire accrochée lors de la première manche où Thomas Chareyre s’est emparé à deux reprises de la tête de la course. Le Finlandais arrache son neuvième succès pour 0,34 seconde seulement. Deuxième à l’issue du premier tour, Adrien Chareyre rétrograde d’une place au tour suivant au profit de son frère. Il rallie l’arrivée en troisième position à 1,78 seconde du vainqueur.

Thierry Van Den Bosch (TM) se classe quatrième devant Ivan Lazzarini (Honda  - L30 Racing- Michelin) et Sylvain Bidart (Honda – Team Luc1- Michelin).

En seconde manche, Thomas Chareyre renoue avec la victoire en prenant les commandes dès le premier tour, profitant d’une erreur d’Hermunen dans la partie « terre ». Adrien Chareyre, Thierry Van Den Bosch et Ivan Lazzarini dépassent également le leader du championnat. Les positions se figent rapidement. Hermunen enregistre son plus mauvais résultat cette saison en terminant cinquième.  Sylvain Bidart est sixième.

Malgré son faux pas, Hermunen conserve la tête du classement général avec 241 points. Thomas Chareyre, second, revient à 22 points du leader. Adrien Chareyre se hisse à la troisième place avec 182 points et se détache de Lazzarini (176 points).

Résultats :

Course 1: 1. Mauno Hermunen (FIN-TM) 19:11.035; 2. Thomas Chareyre (FRA-TM) ; 3. Adrien Chareyre (FRA-Aprilia) ; 4. Thierry Van Den Bosch (FRA-TM) ; 5. Ivan Lazzarini (ITA-Honda) ; 6. Sylvain Bidart (FRA-Honda) ; 7. Christian Ravaglia (ITA-Honda) ; 8. Fabrizio Bartolini (ITA-Honda) ; 9. Andrea Occhini (ITA-Suzuki) ; 10. Uros Nastran (SLO-Honda)...

Course 2 : 1. Thomas Chareyre (FRA-TM) 19:05.672; 2. Adrien Chareyre (FRA-Aprilia); 3. Thierry Van Den Bosch (FRA-TM); 4. Ivan Lazzarini (ITA-Honda); 5. Mauno Hermunen (FIN-TM); 6. Sylvain Bidart (FRA-Honda); 7. Christian Ravaglia (ITA-Honda); 8. Andrea Occhini (ITA-Suzuki) ; 9. Fabrizio Bartolini (ITA-Honda); 10. Uros Nastran (SLO-Honda)...

Classement général : 1. Mauno Hermunen (FIN-TM) 241 points; 2. Thomas Chareyre (FRA-TM) 219 p.; 3. Adrien Chareyre (FRA-Aprilia) 182 p.; 4. Ivan Lazzarini (ITA-Honda) 176 p.; 5. Sylvain Bidart (FRA-Honda) 157 p.; 6. Christian Ravaglia (ITA-Honda) 125 p.; 7. Andrea Occhini (ITA-Suzuki) 111 p.; 8. Aurelien Grelier (FRA-Yamaha) 104 p.9. Uros Nastran (SLO-Honda) 102 p.; 10. Thierry Van Den Bosch (FRA-TM), 94 p

Prochaine épreuve : Sicile (Italie), 15 septembre

The Hamptons of the North: Muskoka, Central Ontario

The wildly romantic lakes north of Toronto are a well-kept secret. In the summer months, when the Hamptons or the Riviera feel just too crowded, the rich and famous find a haven here, away from the attention of the paparazzi. So far, anyway...

Steven Spielberg spends summer vacations here, as does his friend, movie star Tom Hanks – while many internet millionaires whose faces are unknown and unrecognised have large estates in Muskoka. Early in the 19th Century, wealthy industrialists discovered the pristine beauty of this region of eastern Canada, named after the local Indian Chief Muskoka. In later years, American billionaires such as the Rockefellers, Carnegies and Mellons gravitated here, building – along the banks of the magnificent clear lakes – veritable palaces that they humbly called ‘cottages’.

Located just two hours north of Toronto, Muskoka – with its lakes, rocks and dense pine and maple forests – is a picturesque ideal of Canadian beauty that combines a pleasant degree of wilderness with golf courses, luxurious resorts and a lively cultural life. In early autumn, the Toronto Film Festival is a firm date for Hollywood stars who then go on to enjoy premieres and parties in the region.

It also attracts tourists and celebrity hunters with cameras at the ready, as Muskoka exerted a fascination for celebrities long before Spielberg & Co. In the thirties, Clark Gable was a regular at the legendary Bigwin Resort, while Ernest Hemingway showed enthusiasm for the fish population of Rosseau. In winter, too, there are the delights of skiing and ice fishing.

The New York Times dubbed Muskoka the Malibu of the North, but the Como of the New World would be equally appropriate, given the elegant motor yachts, sleek racing boats and tiny water racers – the ‘sea fleas’ – that you find around Gravenhurst and Bracebridge.

Those seeking civilised solitude would do well to try a visit to Muskoka. For a truly perfect stay on the edge of a lake, we’d recommend one of the so-called ‘cottages’ available to rent.

Photos: Ed Boutilier for www.cottageblog.ca

For those wishing to visit the Muskoka region we suggest renting a small house. Visitwww.colonialbay.com for further details.

Muskoka dweller Ed Boutilier writes a fascinating blog on life in the region. Seewww.cottageblog.ca.

Off Track: Driving the Abbot FV433 Self-Propelled Gun

By JASON HEATON

The mud pit looked impossibly deep, twin ruts at least two feet high and half full of a murky stew from the rainy spring. I hesitated a few yards shy of it and a tailwind blew a plume of diesel fumes across my face. “Does this thing ever get stuck?” I asked.

My driving instructor, Brendan, an Airborne infantryman a few weeks shy of entering Green Beret selection, smiled and said, “Nope, just keep her straight so we can keep some trees upright.”

I stomped my boot down on the massive gas pedal and the behemoth I was riding sprang to life. We roared through the mud pit, but where I expected a bronco ride with whining gears, it was smooth passage, the only evidence of the obstacle being a tsunami of brown water off the bow and a sudden cold wet sensation in my crotch. No, I hadn’t peed from fright. The cockpit floor of the Abbot FV433 Self-Propelled Gun had drainage holes in it, and now my trousers were the worse for wear. It suddenly made sense that I had been advised to bring a change of clothes.

120 clicks southeast of Minneapolis lies the sleepy burg of Kasota. The town gets its name from the Dakota word for “cleared place”, but it still seemed pretty wooded as we drove to the outskirts of town to the headquarters of Drive A Tank, one of the few places in the world where you can pilot a bona fide fighting vehicle without enlisting. We expected to find an eccentric mom-and-pop operation with a rickety vehicle or two to drive around a gravel parking lot. What we discovered was a massive hangar housing no less than a dozen military vehicles, ranging from an M1A1 Abrams, two Abbots, a couple of decked-out Humvees and the crown jewel, a Russian T-55 tank. But that wasn’t it. Outside, several more vehicles were parked in various states of assembly: personnel carriers, trucks and earth-moving equipment. Down a dirt track behind the hangar was the “battlefield”, 20 acres of muddy trails and bug-infested forest, and that’s where the fun started.

Abbot FV433 Self-Propelled Gun

Manufacturer: Vickers (British)
Gross weight: 34,000 pounds
Engine: Rolls-Royce K60 diesel engine 240 hp (replaced by Cummins diesel)
Max speed: 29 MPH
Primary weapon: 105mm gun
Firing rate: 6-8 rounds/minute
Armor: 10-12mm steel
Max. crew: 4

Driving a tank is brutally easy to learn but difficult to master. The cockpit consists of a small capsule down into which you shimmy from the top deck. Amenities are sparse — no cupholders or USB ports here — and the space is cramped. There is only one pedal, the gas, sized for chunky military boots, and two joysticks, one for each of the tank’s linked tracks. Pull the left one back and it slows the left track, turning the vehicle to the left. As you might expect, pulling the right lever back does the opposite, turning you to the right. Pulling both back slows both tracks until the sheer weight of the tank overwhelms the engine’s idle speed, bringing it to a halt. A crude shifter goes from neutral to drive and off you go. Mash the pedal and try to keep things centered. Easier said than done, especially in a vehicle that is 10 feet wide — and you’re driving on the right (it is British after all).

The Abbot FV433 technically is a Self-Propelled Gun and not a tank, according to Drive A Tank owner Troy Borglum. It was deployed by the British military from 1965 to the mid-90s as a defensive vehicle that could travel short distances, hunker down in a ditch and lob shells hundreds of yard at the enemy. With fuel consumption decidedly below the gas guzzler limits, they were not like the tanks of old that would steam miles ahead of marching troops to clear trenches and push back the enemy. The Rolls Royce engine in my Abbot has been replaced by a more modern Cummins diesel, which is more reliable and easier to service, without the proprietary, rare and finicky components of the vehicle’s original power source.

ON MORE THAN ONE OCCASION, MY USUALLY QUIET DRIVING INSTRUCTOR WOULD START TO SHOUT AT ME FROM HIS PERCH BESIDE ME ON THE DECK, “GO LEFT! GO LEFT! GO LEFT!”

Driving the tank (we’re gonna call it that) was actually fairly anticlimactic. I expected a harsh, noisy ride and a surge of thrust. But once underway, with my head jauntily sticking out of the cockpit, it was a surprisingly smooth ride. I guess 34,000 pounds of steel will do that to a vehicle. While the Abbot has plenty of grunt off the line, top speed is less than 30 miles per hour, but feels faster, perhaps due to the trees flying by and the whine of the diesel. The massive gas pedal was hard to modulate. You either mashed it or were coasting; no feathering it to apply drift in the corners.

Speaking of corners, turning the monster proved most challenging. The trick is to take them wide, much wider than you think, to swing the massive rear end around without taking out trees, buildings, other tanks or the like. On more than one occasion, the usually quiet Brendan would start to shout at me from his perch beside me on the deck, “Go left! Go left! Go left!” But damn if I didn’t get that baby cornering like a Miata by the end of my one-mile lap. Or at least that’s what I’m telling people. Suffice it to say, no trees were harmed during my time behind the wheel.

Though I didn’t get to drive the T-55 (that’s reserved for the Five-Star General package), Troy was kind enough to fire it up for us. This symbol of the Cold War — think Prague, 1968 or Afghanistan, 1980 — emanated intimidation even standing still. Four feet wider than the Abbot and with much thicker armor, it is an imposing sight. As its 34-liter diesel coughed to life (yes, that’s 34 liters, without a decimal point), a cloud of black smoke billowed from the side-mounted exhaust port and unburned fuel dripped from the same orifice. If this monster didn’t kill you with its gun, it would pollute you to death. Troy took off around the dirt track, disappearing from view but always audible.

When the T-55 came around the last corner, preceded by plumes of exhaust, it was an awesome sight, branches crashing and the engine roaring. I felt like Jeff Bridges awaiting King Kong’s emergence from the forest. It churned past, its treads with distinctive widely spaced idler wheels spitting up mud, and came to a begrudging halt next to its one-time rival, the Abbot. Troy shut down the motor and climbed down. To the victors go the spoils.

While I would have loved another lap in any of the tanks, my day was done. A large group of new drivers was waiting back at the headquarters for their turn behind the wheel, er… control levers. Some who paid more would even get to crush cars in a testosterone-fueled frenzy. I bade my faithful steed farewell and climbed into a waiting desert khaki Humvee and left the battlefield for the drive back. Oh, and to answer the question everyone asks: no, I didn’t get to shoot the gun.

LEARN MORE: HERE

from gearpatrol