Three Hyundais for Portugal / Trois Hyundai au Portugal

Hyundai Motorsport has confirmed it is sending three Michelin-equipped i20 WRCs to Portugal (April 3-6) for Thierry Neuville, Juho Hanninen and Dani Sordo.

It was in Portugal in 2013 that Volkswagen made its first appearance with three cars. This year, Hyundai Motorsport will do the same, putting an end to rumours that a third car would only be seen from the middle of the season.

Its objective for 2014 is to cover as many competitive kilometres as possible, but the year got off to a poor start when its two cars were eliminated from the Rallye Monte-Carlo on Day 1. In Sweden, Neuville and Hanninen both retired on Day 2 but were able to complete the event thanks to the Rally2 ruling.

“Having three cars at Rally de Portugal will be very positive for us,” says Team Principal Michel Nandan. “I think we will have a good line-up with Thierry, Juho and Dani – each of them will bring their experience.”

In Sweden, we saw Hanninen’s manager who said: “See you in Portugal.” As a result, news of the Finn’s participation in the fourth round came as no surprise.

Sordo’s entry can be explained by his performance on this rally in 2013 when he was one of only a few drivers to match Ogier’s pace until an ‘off’. Team leader Neuville and Hanninen have been nominated as eligible to score Manufacturers’ points in Portugal.

The Vodafone Rally de Portugal will begin with the traditional super-special in Lisbon on Thursday, April 3, followed by three days tackling the Algarve’s classic stages which will be globally shorter than in recent years.

Hyundai Motorsport will also take part in the previous weekend’s Fafe Rally Sprint (March 29-30). The third visit to the famous test – which includes the spectacular jump of the same name – will take place at night. Hyundai has not yet named its drivers for this popular competition.

The team has been busy testing this week ahead of the season’s first two gravel rallies. Chris Atkinson and Neuville each spent a day in the car at altitude near Almeria in southern Spain to prepare for Mexico. Thierry is currently working on set-ups for Portugal near Almodovar.

Hyundai Motorsport a confirmé l’engagement de trois i20 WRC/Michelin au Vodafone Rally de Portugal (3-6 avril) pour Thierry Neuville, Juho Hanninen et Dani Sordo.

En 2013, Volkswagen avait déjà choisi le Rallye du Portugal pour engager une 3^e voiture. Hyundai Motorsport fait de même cette année, alors que les rumeurs parlaient d’une 3^e i20 WRC possible à partir de la mi-saison seulement.

Pour Hyundai, l’objectif de l’année 2014 est de parcourir un maximum de kilomètres en course. La saison avait mal débuté au Monte-Carlo avec deux voitures out dès la 1^ère journée. En Suède, Neuville et Hanninen ont également abandonné le 2^e jour, mais ont pu repartir le lendemain grâce au Rally2.

« Engager une 3^e voiture au Portugal sera très bénéfique pour nous », a expliqué Michel Nandan, directeur du team. « Avec Thierry, Juho et Dani, nous avons un bon trio de pilotes mêlant performance et expérience. »

Lors du dernier Rallye de Suède, nous avions croisé le manager de Juho Hanninen qui nous avait dit « à bientôt au Portugal ». La participation de Juho, qui avait manqué ce rallye l’an passé pour des raisons personnelles, n’est donc pas une surprise.

L’engagement de Dani Sordo en Algarve se justifie aussi par les performances de l’Espagnol en 2013, un des seuls à avoir pu suivre le rythme d’Ogier avant une touchette. Finalement, Juho et Dani seront tous les deux au départ de cette 4^e manche de la saison, aux côtés du leader du team. Neuville et Hanninen ont été désignés pour marquer des points Constructeurs.

Le Vodafone Rally de Portugal s’élancera jeudi 3 avril de Lisbonne avec la traditionnelle Superspéciale. Les trois journées de course suivantes se dérouleront en Algarve sur des spéciales connues, mais globalement moins longues que les années passées.

Hyundai Motorsport va également participer au Fafe Rally Sprint le week-end précédent (29/30 mars) où l’on attend encore une foule énorme autour du célèbre jump. Le 3^e et dernier passage chronométré se déroulera en nocturne. Les pilotes Hyundai n’ont pas encore été choisis.

Hyundai était en tests cette semaine pour préparer les deux 1^ers rallyes terre 2014. Chris Atkinson et Thierry Neuville ont roulé un jour chacun sur une base en altitude près d’Alméria (Sud de l’Espagne) en vue du Rallye du Mexique. Thierry roule en ce moment près d’Almodovar pour préparer le Portugal.

la Multiuso de Borile débarque en France

Elle s’appelle Multiuso et vient de débarquer en France. Une petite Borile a pris place dans le magasin de l’importateur Paradise moto, avenue de la Grande Armée à Paris.
Et sa « gueule » particulière ne laisse pas indifférent, ses deux phares ronds et sa taille ultrafine la démarquent directement des autres. Un monocylindre 4-temps de 229,5 cm3 propulse cette petite machine bonne à tout faire. Il promet une puissance maximum de 15 ch atteints à 6.200 tr/min pour un couple de 16 Nm à 5.500 tr/min. Largement suffisant pour mener cette Multiuso qui affiche un poids plume de 84 kg en ordre de marche.
Côté partie cycle, la Borile est équipée d’une fourche Marzocchi de 40 mm. Le freinage est assuré par un simple disque de 220 mm pincé par un étrier à 2 pistons. Même combat pour l’arrière avec un seul disque de 200 mm. Le réservoir, quant à lui, n’affiche que 5 litres de contenance.
Seule ombre au tableau, le prix un peu élevé : 6.557 € (frais d’import inclus). Les plus fâcheux diront « trop cher ! ». Mais c’est là le prix d’une fabrication italienne et de l’originalité. Conçue pour être à la fois une moto citadine, tout-chemin et utilitaire, la Multiuso devrait attirer un client aisé qui veut se rendre au travail avec une moto qui sort de l’ordinaire.
Toutes les infos sur le site : www.paradise-moto.com

HARLEY-DAVIDSON WLA

The Harley-Davidson WLA is one of the most important models ever made by the Milwaukee-based motorcycle manufacturer, it saw a production run of over 90,000 units during the Second World War and earned itself the nickname “The Liberator” during the latter part of the war, when Allied forces were chasing the German armed forces back across Europe – the WLA would often be the first Allied vehicle to make it into freshly liberated towns and villages.

The WLA was directly based on the WL model, the addition of the “A” just meant “Army”. The engineers at Harley-Davidson were careful to keep costs low and build the WLA to be as reliable and cheap as possible, most of the chrome and nickel-plated parts was replaced with much cheaper (and less shiny) painted components, the engine was modified to make it run at a compression ratio of 5:1 – remarkably low by modern standards but this low compression ratio gave the WLA the ability to run on the exceedingly low quality fuel that was being used throughout the European and Pacific theatres of war.

Famously, the WLA relied on an antiquated side-valve system which meant that they weren’t particularly efficient or performance oriented, however they were very reliable and required only minimal maintenance. The somewhat excessive size of the original WL fenders was reduced considerably to lower the amount of mud and debris that would build up in the wheel arches, although after the war many of the WLAs were converted back to civilian specification, which would usually result in the addition of the larger fenders that were favoured in the post war era.

The model you see here has been in the ownership go the same family since 1972, it was civilianised after WWII but has remained in surprisingly original condition – it’s never been restored or rebuilt. The engine still runs without missing a beat and the transmission clicks through the gears as though it rolled off the production line yesterday, they might not have built these bikes for speed but they certainly did a good job of building them for longevity.

Currently listed for sale via Luxury Brokers International the time-capsule-condition 1942 Harley-Davidson WLA, has a detailed write up here and LBI invites interested parties to contact them with further questions.

via SILODROME

Superbike : Jules Cluzel takes the MV Agusta F3 on the top step after unpredictable race

The Frenchman comes out on top, Sofuoglu and van der Mark out.

Jules Cluzel (MV Agusta RC – Yakhnich Motorsport) has written a new page in the history of motorcycle racing, winning the first world championship race for the iconic Italian brand MV Agusta since Giacomo Agostini's victory at the Nurburgring in 1976.

The race was red flagged during the eighth lap due to the technical problem suffered by Jack Kennedy (CIA Insurance Honda) and the oil laid on track by his CBR 600 RR. A bitter end of a difficult round for the Irishman, who took part in the race despite a fractured right talus bone.

A new 5-lap race startedafter the track cleaning procedures were completed, with Kenan Sofuoglu(Mahi Racing Team India Kawasaki) immediately taking the lead at turn 1. The three time World SupersportChampion, along with Michael van Der Mark (Pata Honda World Supersport), crashed during the second lap out of five, with only the Dutchman able to rejoin the race, although at the back of the field.

With two of the favourites out of the race, a spectacular 5-way battle for the win took place up to the finish line, with Jules Cluzel edging Kev Coghlan (DMC-Panavto Yamaha) and Raffaele De Rosa (Core PTR Honda), second and third respectively. Just outside the top-3 were Florian Marino (IntermotoPonyexpres Kawasaki), fourth, and Roberto Tamburini (San Carlo Puccetti Racing Kawasaki), fifth.

1.	J. CLUZEL	MV AGUSTA	25
2.	K. COGHLAN	YAMAHA	20
3.	R. DE ROSA	HONDA	16
4.	F. MARINO	KAWASAKI	13
5.	R. TAMBURINI	KAWASAKI	11
6.	K. WAHR	YAMAHA	10
7.	G. GOWLAND	TRIUMPH	9
8.	R. RUSSO	HONDA	8
9.	F. MENGHI	YAMAHA	7
10.	C. GAMARINO	KAWASAKI	6