Lorenzo prend l’avantage à Phillip Island

Le Champion du Monde en titre Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha Factory Racing) aura passé une première journée idéale au Grand Prix Tissot d’Australie et a dominé les deux premières séances d’essais du week-end en profitant de bonnes conditions météo. Le Majorquin a progressé de deux dixièmes de seconde l’après-midi en FP2 pour signer le meilleur temps de la journée en 1’28.961. Sur une piste renovée l'an dernier, Lorenzo n’était qu’à trois dixièmes du record absolu de Phillip Island, réalisé par Casey Stoner en 2008. 

Tombé en arrivant au sommet de Lukey Heights, Marc Márquez (Repsol Honda) était le seul pilote du Top 10 à ne pas progresser lors de la seconde séance d’essais. Le leader du classement général s’est rapidement relevé d’une chute qui aurait pu lui coûter cher et demeure deuxième sur le classement de la journée, à 0.294s de Lorenzo, grâce à sa performance du matin.

Álvaro Bautista (GO&FUN Honda Gresini) est lui aussi tombé mais s’est montré très convaincant lors de chacune des deux séances d’essais et complète le Top 3 de cette première journée, à 0.477s du temps de référence et avec 0.040s d’avance sur Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda), qui a dû s’arrêter en bord de piste en raison d’un problème technique sur son RC213V.

Valentino Rossi (Yamaha Factory Racing) et Cal Crutchlow (Monster Yamaha Tech3) sont les deux seuls autres pilotes à moins d’une seconde de Lorenzo tandis que Bradley Smith (Monster Yamaha Tech3) était septième à 1.204s du leader.

Après un week-end décevant en Malaisie, Randy de Puniet (Power Electronics Aspar) semble bien parti pour se relancer ce week-end en Australie, où il court désormais à domicile, et a réalisé une excellente performance en se classant à seulement 0.050s de Smith, avec près de quatre dixièmes de seconde d’avance sur les Ducati de Nicky Hayden, Andrea Dovizioso et Andrea Iannone (Energy T.I. Pramac Racing). Son coéquipier Aleix Espargaró est treizième, derrière Colin Edwards (NGM Mobile Forward Racing.

Présent en FP1, Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda) n’a pas reçu l’autorisation de reprendre la piste suite à une seconde visite médicale, en raison de sa récente opération de la cheville droite, mais pourrait demander à être réexaminé par les médecins officiels samedi matin pour éventuellement participer à la FP3 et aux qualifications.

via MOTO GP.com

Five questions to: Hans Herrmann, Le Mans winner

Hans Herrmann, together with Richard Attwood, gave Porsche its first overall victory at Le Mans. Classic Driver's Mathias Paulokat spoke to the legendary German driver about his motorsport history and fabulous triumph in 1970.

"We all had trouble keeping a car of almost 600HP on the track"

Mr Herrmann, at 85 years old you can look back on an incredible career in motorsport. How did you start racing?

I was infected with a love of cars from childhood. At school, most boys longed to be engineers, to work with ships or planes, but all I wanted was to be a racing driver. Carracciola and Rosemeyer were my great idols; but how would I ever get there? As I was born in 1928, I initially feared that I'd be drafted into the Army but I managed to pass my driving test in 1946 and so I started my own small trucking company. My first car was a Wartburg with a 0.8-litre engine: imagine that today! But I loved driving and the small business flourished. By 1952 I was able to buy my first racing car: a Porsche 356.

So did you choose Porsche, or did Porsche choose you?

Both are true. I entered some endurance races that year with my own car, and Porsche started to notice my success. Then a factory works driver dropped out and I was hired to race at Le Mans in 1953. From today's perspective, it sounds incredible, but that's what happened: the second works Porsche at Le Mans was driven by Gloeckler / Herrmann. I was so lucky.

And Mercedes quickly recognised your talent, too – but you returned to Porsche. How was it for you at Le Mans in 1969?

It was motor racing at the limit. Not because the cars were unreliable, but because the race was so fast and the 908's aerodynamics not properly sorted. We all had trouble keeping a car of almost 600HP on the track. At the end of the race, Jacky Ickx's GT40 and I had a razor-sharp duel. For an hour and a half we passed each other, several times a lap, my front brakes suffering from the rigours of the race and no longer fully functional. That was tricky, but then I'm sure Jacky had his own problems to contend with. We both persevered and stayed on track till the end, when he won by 1.5 seconds. After 24 hours of full-on driving on the absolute limit.

And a year later, how did it feel to take the starting line in a 917?

At first, it was a wonderful feeling. The short-tail Porsche 917 was very well prepared and had previously proved reliable. However, my confidence quickly faded. Why? Well, the weather was a disaster. Constantly changing, with sudden rain and a wet track, then sun. Then two hours of rain. At least all the teams had to face the same weather.  The Porsche team was constantly changing the tyres and, in the end, the conditions favoured Richard Attwood and me. We succeeded, winning the race in car number 23. My goodness, Porsche's first outright victory!

And you finished your motorsport career on this high. Looking back, Mr Herrmann, what was the best racing car you ever drove?

Yes, after almost two decades of achievements, but also some serious accidents, I didn't want to tempt fate. What could top an outright victory at Le Mans? I started at Le Mans, and here I wanted to end my career - with this victory. As for the question about the best car, I can only answer it by saying that it's really very simple: the best car is always the one that wins. 

Photos: Frank Ratering, Porsche

via classicdriver

SOULFUEL

170 Hi-Res Photos of the BMW R nineT

BY JENSEN BEELER

The final realization of the BMW LoRider concept, a modular roadster design project, the BMW R nineTdebuted in Munich today as a commemoration of 90 years of BMW motorcycles.

Powered by the German company’s venerable air-cooled 1,170cc boxer twin, the nineT is likely the last motorcycle in the OEM’s range to use the motor, as BMW Motorrad shifts its attention to its new “precision-cooled” boxer. That nostalgia probably only adds to the retro roadster’s mystique though, and if our comments section is any indication, people are likely what they see here.

Built with customization in mind, BMW has gone to some length to make a chassis that builders and hobbyists can easily build-off of to suit their individual tastes — a basic tenet of the original LoRider concept.nIt doesn’t hurt of course that BMW has a litany of genuine accessories and parts to help in that endeavor as well.

Because we know you just can’t get enough of this bike (we certainly like it, though the name is a bit cumbersome), we have 170 high-resolution photos for you after the jump. Enjoy!