WSBK ; Ducati disaster at Istanbul, Carlos Checa to leave at the end of the season says manager

The World Superbike Istanbul round for the three Ducati riders, Carlos Checa, Ayrton Badovini and satellite rider Max Neukirchner was disasterous, and for the first time in eight years there were no Ducati riders on starting grid in race 2, after Friday the 13th left its nefarious bad luck mark on the riders.

Checa suffered a highside at Turn 2 and was diagnosed with a contusion to chest as well as a fracture to his left scaphoid. Team mate Ayrton Badovini crashed out at turn 12 and the incident left him with stretched ligaments in his left ankle and severe swelling due to a hematoma. MR Racing’s Max Neukirchner broke several bones in his right hand that required surgery, and it is the same hand that forced him to withdraw from the Moto2 championship in September 2012.

Only Badovini got the all clear to race, and despite gritting his teeth for race 1 he was forced to pull out due to technical difficulties on his Panigale - after billowing smoke. The Italian then opted out of race 2.

The Istanbul round was probably the last straw that confirmed Carlos Checa decision, apparently made at Nurburgring to leave the team at the end of the seasonm and look for more greener and better perfomance wise pastures with another team, or he could decide to retire from racing alltogether. Checa is 41.

According GPone.com who spoke with to Checa’s manager Alberto Vergani (also Nolan boss and manager to Melandri), the Spaniard is still in talks with Kawasaki to replace Loris Baz in 2014, but if the deal should fall through, Checa could hang up his lid for good.

via TWOWHEELSBLOG

Maccomotors 3 “Dusty Pearl”

This is Jose & Tito’s Macco Nº3, a Triumph Bonneville SE otherwise known as Dusty Pearl, now that it’s had the Maccomotors touch applied.

The owner, Juan Manual, bought the bike in standard trim without knowing anything about the custom scene until he stumbled across Maccomotors Nº1 and got in touch with the guys to get his bike completely overhauled. His brief was to combine industrial looks with a retro feel.

The cast wheels were dumped for wire-spoked hubs and rims – 18″ front and 17″ rear, followed by a whole host of quality parts, including Rizoma 22mm bars with polished shortie levers and Thomaselli grips. A single speedo, a 5 ¾ inch Bates headlight,  Rizoma front brake and Wilber progressive fork springs complete the front end. Tyres are a mix of a Metzeler Tourance 140 rear and Dunlop 110 front.

The sidepanels were made by Maccomotors, the ignition was relocated and racing footpegs were fitted. At the back, the subframe was chopped so support the rear seat, also by Maccomotors, Bitubo WME shocks replaced the OEM items, and the rear end was tidied up. The Exhaust is a Supertrapp.

Thanks to Jose & Tito of Maccomotors for sharing, you can see more of thier work on their Facebook Pages andWebsite, and thanks to Sergio Ibarra from Semimate for the photos.

from The Bike Shed

MOTO GUZZI “SUZUKA 8 HOURS” RACER

The custom scene is awash with concepts and Photoshop renders and imagined bikes. But designer Davide Caforio, who flits between Milan and Rome, has turned an inspired idea into reality.

Caforio is an accomplished Moto Guzzi builder, and well known within his native Italy. He’s now created a tribute to the endurance machines that fought at the Suzuka 8 Hours in the 80s, racing through the night with headlights blazing.

Caforio describes his Le Mans Mk IV as having a “false history.” It’s a motorcycle from a parallel universe, one that pitched the Mandello Del Lario factory against the Suzukis of Wes Cooley and Graeme Crosby, or Wayne Gardner’s Honda.

It’s not a cosmetic job. The engine is heavily modified, bored out to 1150 cc with twin spark heads, big valves and uprated cams. Everything is balanced and the flywheel has been lightened to sharpen response. Fuelling comes from Dell’Orto-PHM carburetors.

The frame has been modified and lightened, and the aluminum swingarm is hooked up to a race-spec WP monoshock. Up front are a set of new Marzocchi 41.7mm forks, with steering aided by a Bitubo damper. The wheels are race-spec too, 18” at the back and 16” at the front, shod with Avon tires. The brakes are Brembo Serie Oro.

Caforio has nailed the look of the typical 1980s endurance racer with his custom fiberglass bodywork, which is loosely modeled on the Yamaha TZ750 two-stroke. The aluminum tank houses a vintage Bimota filler cap and the rearsets are replicas of classic Bimota items. The paint is unapologetically patriotic, using the colors of the Italian flag, with a sprinkling of decals for authenticity.

It’s not elegant, and there’s little delicacy to be found in the lines. But there’s an appealing brutality about this machine that gets me thinking, “What if?”

Head over to Davide Caforio’s website Ruote Fiere for more Moto Guzzi goodness.

from BIKEEXIF

Toni Elias shines in World Superbike debut at Istanbul

Toni Elias jumped into the deep end of things when he debuted in World Superbikes this weekend at Istanbul replacing axed rider Michel Fabrizio in the Red Devils Roma team.

With no prior experience on the Aprilia RSV4 nor with the Pirelli tires and with no Superpole experience and missing two sessions due to rain, the former 2010 Moto2 World champion and MotoGP rider definitely held his own in both races finishing sixth - after a contact on the final corner with fellow Aprilia rider Davide Giuliano in race 1 and taking fifth in race 2.

Elias also proved his worth against former Gresini team mate Marco Melandri keeping him a bay for a long period of time in race 2 with his hard braking skills and he also managed to pip other BMW rider Chaz Davies on the final lap.

Elias’ has high hopes after his first outing with the team and wants to continue in World Superbikes in 2014 and talking about his debut said, “I am really happy with my first week end in Superbike. With such little experience I could not ask for more, even if now I’m thinking about improving my results. In race one I had a soft approach but I managed to recover at the end and then I fought until the finish line.”

Race two went differently. I found my old determination back and I made an aggressive start. Lap after lap I’m now knowing how to manage my bike and, I must say, even other riders’ approach.

“Starting from Laguna Seca I hope to show something more. I thank again all my team and Andrea Petricca for the possibility they have offered me. I’ll promise to prove that I’ve deserved it.”

Elias will have a certain advantage at the Mazda Speedway has he knows the track having raced at Laguna Seca while he was in MotoGP, and his best result was a 6th place in 2009.

from TWOWHEELSBLOG