samedi 5 octobre 2013
End of Day 2: Now it’s Latvala’s turn to lead! / Etape 2 : Et maintenant, Latvala !
Jari-Matti Latvala (Volkswagen/Michelin) won this evening’s super-special in Mulhouse to become the fourth different driver to top the leaderboard in Alsace. Early leader Thierry Neuville fell from contention on SS11, but the provisional top three – Latvala, Sordo and Ogier – are covered by just 1.5 seconds with one day remaining! Pontus Tidemand is the 2013 FIA Junior WRC Champion
Jari-Matti Latvala (Volkswagen/Michelin) a remporté la dernière spéciale du jour et devient le quatrième leader différent depuis le départ du Rallye de France-Alsace. Les quatre premiers du classement général – Latvala, Sordo, Ogier, Loeb – se tiennent en cinq secondes. Le Suédois Pontus Tidemand est Champion du monde Junior 2013*
The World Rally Championship has accustomed us to some thrilling fights at the sharp end in recent months. Some observers might suggest that has only been possible because superhero Sébastien Loeb is no longer part of the championship. But here we are in the Frenchman’s back garden, on asphalt and, judging by the speed he showed on Friday morning, he is clearly match fit, yet we’ve got one of the closest multi-driver scraps we have seen at this level for a long, long time.
Indeed, with one day of the 2013 Rallye de France-Alsace and 65 competitive kilometres remaining, four drivers still stand a very realistic chance of taking the top prize when the rally ends tomorrow afternoon (Sunday).
Jari-Matti Latvala put Volkswagen/Michelin in front for the first time this week thanks to victory on the Mulhouse super-special (SS14) which concluded today’s competition. He was understandably delighted at the Stop Control but acutely aware that three exceptionally gifted drivers are lined up behind him, with only 1.5s covering this evening’s podium…
“It’s really fantastic to see this fight,” he said. “I’ve never been involved in anything this close before. The conditions have been very difficult, but I haven’t made any mistakes. That’s the main thing. Perhaps I’ve even been a little too cautious at times…”
Despite being passed by the Finn, Dani Sordo (2nd, Citroën) said he’d had a great day, while Sébastien Ogier (3rd, VW) can hardly believe he is still in contention after the terrible start he made to the rally on Friday. Fourth-placed Sébastien Loeb (Citroën, +5.0s) reminded us that he was “still in the fight”, despite having been slightly distanced, although he hasn’t been entirely happy with the handling of his Citroën since this morning.
And while this foursome looks forward to an exciting showdown on Sunday, you have to spare a thought for Ford’s Thierry Neuville. Merely hours ago, he seemed to be in control with a 13-second cushion at today’s midday break. When action resumed this afternoon, however, his chances were annihilated when he span and punctured on SS11, conceding practically a minute-and-a-half to his pursuers.
Given the big gap which separates the leading pack from the rest of the field, he is still fifth overall – a little more than a minute down – but his only real chance of redemption will be if the fierce fight up front produces some collateral damage…
Today’s run hasn’t produced any changes to the order in the WRC-3 or WRC-2 classifications, with Citroën drivers Quentin Gilbert and Sébastien Chardonnet still in front in the former, and the WRC-2 pace-setter Robert Kubica (Citroën) still comfortably clear of Ford’s Elfyn Evans.
Coincidentally, it was 12 months ago that Evans clinched the FIA Junior title that would serve as an important springboard for his career. Today’s result in the Junior battle –which ended after SS14 – has handed the 2014 crown to the Welshman’s successor, 22-year old Pontus Tidemand from Sweden.
Le Championnat du monde des Rallyes FIA nous a habitués à quelques belles bagarres ces derniers temps. Certains disent que c’est parce que Sébastien Loeb n’est plus là. Faux : le nonuple champion du monde est de retour en WRC ce week-end, qui plus est sur ses terres et sur asphalte… Et la bagarre est extraordinaire depuis le départ entre quatre ou cinq pilotes et trois constructeurs différents.
Il reste une étape dans cette 11e manche de la saison et 65 kilomètres chronométrés, et quatre pilotes peuvent encore prétendre à la victoire demain après-midi.
Jari-Matti Latvala s’est hissé en tête grâce à son meilleur temps dans la Superspéciale de Mulhouse (ES14), la dernière du jour. Le Finlandais était forcément ravi au point stop, même s’il savait que trois autres concurrents étaient groupés en cinq secondes derrière lui !
« Cette bagarre est vraiment fantastique. Je n’ai jamais été mêlé dans un tel match à quatre auparavant. Les conditions étaient difficiles aujourd’hui, mais je n’ai pas commis d’erreur. C’est le plus important. J’ai même été parfois trop prudent. »
Bien que débordé par le Finlandais, Dani Sordo (2e, Citroën + 0s4) était satisfait de sa journée, alors que Sébastien Ogier (3e, VW, +1s5) pouvait à peine croire qu’il était en lice pour la victoire après une première journée « catastrophique ». Sébastien Loeb (4e, Citroën, +5s) est lui aussi en course pour une dernière victoire en WRC, même s’il a semble-t-il un peu galéré avec les réglages de sa Citroën DS3 WRC aujourd’hui.
Derrière ce quatuor qui jouera la gagne demain, on n’oublie pas Thierry Neuville (Ford/Michelin) qui a mené l’épreuve une bonne partie de la journée. Mais le Belge a perdu le leadership dans l’ES11, la première spéciale de l’après-midi, après un tête-à-queue et une crevaison, lâchant presque une minute et demi à ses adversaires. Thierry Neuville est cinquième avec une bonne minute d’avance sur ses poursuivants.
Pas de changement en WRC-2 et en WRC-3 où Robert Kubica et Quentin Gilbert sont bien installés en tête. Il y a un an, Elfyn Evans, actuellement 2e de la catégorie WRC-2, remportait le championnat du monde Junior. Cette année, c’est le Suédois Pontus Tidemand (22 ans) qui va coiffer la couronne mondiale après avoir remporté sa 5e victoire de la saison.
*sous réserve de la publication officielle des résultats par la FIA
HARLEY PANHEAD BY NOISE CYCLES
It’s a little embarrassing to realize that we have not featured the work of Scott Jones before. Scott is the man behind California-based Noise Cycles, and he’s one of the most talented custom builders in the USA—if not the world.
This 1952 Harley Panhead won ‘Best in Show’ at Born Free 5, the top custom bike event in the States. And thanks to these exclusive shots from Jose Gallina, it’s not hard to see why. The stance, craftsmanship and aesthetic vision are off the scale.
Like most overnight successes, Jones’ has been a little while coming. His CV is impeccable: After 18 months honing his craft for Jesse James, he was snapped up by Ian Barry to work on the much-lauded Falcon Ten project. Jones spent two years remodeling classic British iron, and then set up his own shop on January 1, 2012.
The images tell the story, but here are a few details about the bike: the 88ci 1952 EL Panhead motor is sitting in a late Panhead swingarm frame. It’s fed by an S&S dual throat carb, and the power is harnessed by a Barnetts high performance clutch.
The handcrafted aluminum fuel tank is a quick-release fitment—as are the fuel lines—and the exhaust system is fabricated from stainless steel. There are too many one-off pieces to list, but the narrow 41mm trees are particularly notable.
Stopping power comes from a Yamaha Racing TD3 270mm four-leading shoe front drum brake, and the tires are Excelsior 400-19 at the front, Firestone 550-16 at the back. A touch of subtle, understated color was applied by L.A.-based Sonny Boy Paint.
The next stop for this Panhead will be the Mooneyes Show in Japan. Expect it to cause a stir, and keep an eye out for the Noise Cycles name. I think we’ll be hearing a lot more about Scott Jones in the years to come.
Thanks to Jose Gallina for the images. Head over to the excellent Mighty Motor for an in-depth profile of Scott Jones, and even more images of this Panhead.
via BIKEEXIF
BOARD TRACKER BY WOLF CREATIVE CUSTOMS
Wolf Creative Customs is a father and son team that have been consistently producing some of the coolest, function-first motorized bicycles we’ve ever seen. This board tracker inspired custom is their latest creation and for someone like me, who is slightly obsessed with board trackers, it represents a perfect meld between engines and bicycles.
That air-cooled, single cylinder engine has a 200cc capacity and is fed by a 22mm Mikuni carburettor. The exhaust is a straight pipe with no mufflery bits, meaning the engine can breathe to its full potential and the frame is a modified bicycle unit designed by Richard Nelson Helmutt.
To ensure it can stop it’s been fitted with front and rear disc brakes, the reduction drive system is based on the same design as the old board track racers (supplied by Sportsman Flyer). Jonathan tells me that the horsepower could be doubled with a few tweaks but he says it’s already a very quick bike and is a blast to ride.
If you’d like to see more from WCC you can click here to visit their Facebook Page, if you’d like to see our previous coverage of their other bikes you can click here to see the first, here to see the secondand here to see the fantastic DMB Speedster.
from SILODROME
Inscription à :
Articles (Atom)