The guys trip is underway! They travel the Top of the World Highway from Chicken Alaska to the famous Dawson City Yukon in Canada. Lots of characters are found along the way as well as some history and little trouble. This trip is getting interesting!
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jeudi 13 mars 2014
Volkswagen pulling out a gap / Volkswagen creuse l’écart
With practically a quarter of the season completed already, Volkswagen Motorsport and its two drivers have amassed almost twice as many points as their rivals in their respective championships…
On Saturday evening, at a moment when he had a minute’s cushion over Jari-Matti Latvala, Sébastien Ogier pondered the question a short moment and then confirmed he would try to take maximum Power Stage bonus points in order to recover the championship lead, even if that would mean running first on the road in Portugal. “It might rain there, and the influence of ‘road sweeping’ won’t be as big as it is in Mexico.”
The Frenchman’s Power Stage victory took him three points clear of his team-mate. Mads Ostberg – who wasn’t eligible to score on the Power Stage – is third, 31 points adrift of Ogier. They are the only three drivers to have taken points on the three rounds contested to date, but the situation in their wake is somewhat scattered. Indeed, Bryan Bouffier is still provisionally sixth despite having only one finish to his name!
Meanwhile, Rally Mexico saw Volkswagen claim its fourth one-two finish in the WRC. VW Polo R WRC/Michelin drivers secured 16 fastest times from 22 and Latvala, who was first on the road on Day 1, showed his maturity by finishing in a safe second place.
Ostberg was the only person to challenge VW’s domination. Just as he did in 2013, the Norwegian even led before a small error which cost him dearly on SS12. He won five stages, while his Citroën DS3 WRC team-mate Kris Meeke won one, his third at this level. As in Australia in 2013, the Briton’s rally ended in tears when he ripped a wheel off his car on the very last stage, although this time there were mitigating circumstances.
The 2014 Rally Mexico will also be remembered for Hyundai’s first WRC podium thanks to Thierry Neuville who was only able to complete the final road section thanks to a bottle of Corona beer with which he was able to refill his leaking radiator. It was a rather fortunate top-three finish, however, since the Hyundai i20 WRC was cruelly down on power at altitude, but the Korean make was aided by the high attrition rate that was a hallmark of the week.
Although unable to challenge for the podium, Elfyn Evans (4th, Ford Fiesta RS WRC) picked up the best WRC result of his career which will boost his morale after his troubled run in Sweden. In the championship standings, he is even currently ahead of team-mate Hirvonen who took advantage of a favourable running order to figure as high as third overall before suffering an electrical problem.
After a poor start to the season, the consistent Martin Prokop was fifth in Mexico, ahead of local star Benito Guerra who was delayed by a loose steering column on SS3. Chris Atkinson’s start was even worse when he hit trouble after just 60 metres of competitive action, and it was a week to forget for Andreas Mikkelsen who used the Rally2 ruling twice on his way to 19th spot. From now on, with the exception of Germany, the Norwegian now has previous experience in the VW Polo R WRC of all the remaining rounds…
Près d’un quart de la saison a déjà été disputé. Volkswagen Motorsport et ses deux pilotes comptent près du double de points que leurs concurrents aux championnats Constructeurs et Pilotes.
Samedi soir, alors qu’il disposait d’une minute d’avance sur son équipier, Sébastien Ogier a réfléchi un bref instant puis nous a répondu qu’il irait chercher les points de la Power Stage pour reprendre les rênes du championnat, quitte à ouvrir la route au Portugal. « Il peut pleuvoir et le balayage est moindre qu’ici au Mexique. »
En remportant la Power Stage, Sébastien Ogier repart donc d’Amérique avec 3 points d’avance sur Jari-Matti Latvala. Mads Ostberg, qui n’était pas éligible pour « scorer » dans le Power Stage, est 3e à déjà 31 points d’Ogier et 28 de Latvala…Seuls ces trois pilotes ont marqué des points sur les trois 1ers rallyes disputés et, derrière, c’est pour le moins éparpillé. La preuve, Bryan Bouffier est encore 6e du classement avec un seul résultat enregistré…
Volkswagen a donc signé son 4e doublé mondial à l’occasion du Rallye du Mexique. Avec 16 meilleurs temps sur 22 spéciales, les VW Polo R WRC/Michelin ont dominé leur sujet. Victime de sa position sur la route le 1er jour, Jari-Matti Latvala a prouvé qu’il avait mûri en assurant les points (bonifiés) de la 2e place.
Seul pour contrer les VW, Mads Ostberg n’a pas démérité. Comme en 2013, le Norvégien s’est installé en tête avant de commettre une petite faute lourde de conséquences dans l’ES12. Mads a remporté 5 spéciales et son équipier Kris Meeke a signé son 1er temps scratch sur la Citroën DS3 WRC et son 3e en WRC. Comme en Australie 2013, le Britannique a hélas conclu sur une mauvaise note en arrachant une roue dans l’ultime spéciale, même si cette fois, il n’y était pas pour grand-chose.
De ce Rallye du Mexique 2014, on retiendra évidemment le 1er podium mondial de Hyundai offert par Thierry Neuville, sauvé par une marque de bière appartenant au brasseur belge InBev. Cette dernière liaison vers Leon, avec un radiateur rempli de Corona, restera longtemps parmi les anecdotes du WRC… Un podium somme toute heureux car la Hyundai i20 WRC manquait cruellement de performances en altitude, mais le fort taux de retrait (Mikkelsen 2x, Hirvonen, Ostberg, Meeke) a joué en faveur de la marque coréenne.
Face à l’expérience de Neuville, Elfyn Evans n’a pu lutter pour le podium au volant de sa Ford Fiesta RS WRC. Le Gallois (4e) signe néanmoins le meilleur résultat de sa carrière et se relance après sa déconvenue suédoise. Il devance d’ailleurs son équipier Hirvonen au championnat. Le Finlandais bénéficiait d’une bonne position sur la route et pointait à la 3e place avant un problème électrique sur sa Ford.
Après un début de saison raté, le régulier Martin Prokop a pris une belle 5e place devant le Mexicain Benito Guerra, retardé par une colonne de direction desserrée dans l’ES3. Ça avait encore plus mal démarré pour Chris Atkinson, contraint de faire un « reset » après 60 mètres de course. Rallye à oublier pour Andreas Mikkelsen (19e), qui a confondu vitesse et précipitation. A partir de maintenant, le Norvégien connaît toutes épreuves mondiales sur sa VW Polo R WRC (hormis l’Allemagne).
Ducati 1198 SP custom aka Matador Racer
Stock Ducati motorcycles are good if that’s all you have seen. Then the minute you encounter this Ducati 1198 SP custom you realize there’s something missing from your stock bike.
There is no doubt that Ducati builds good motorcycles, but I don’t think a good motorcycle is enough for a die hard Ducati fan or a motorcycle enthusiast.
A great custom motorbike just doesn’t have to look good and feel great it also has to perform. Radical Ducati from Spain has just the right recipe, their latest creation a Ducati 1198 SP custom aka “Matador Racer” de toros is ready to rock the racing tracks.
This custom bike is packed with Radical Ducati’s innovative material selection (carbon fiber RAD), sensible construction techniques and modern aesthetics. The definition of Radical lies within each of Radical Ducati’s custom crafts.
Lets take a look at the build, based around the Ducati 1198 SP. This custom bike features a RAD 02 Aluminium frame, RAD 02 Aluminium sub-frame and a RAD 02 Aluminium swing-arm. The stock Ducati 1198 SP engine modification includes ported heads, lightened flywheel, EVR anti-hooping clutch and the exhaust is a 2 in 1 Super Mario system.
At the front this Ducati 1198 SP custom features an Öhlins front fork, RAD 02 ergal triple clamps yokes, Domino quick open gas throttle and RAD 02 ergal clip-ons. The front braking unit houses a Discacciati brake and clutch radial pump and Discacciati rotors. At the rear this Ducati 1198 SP custom features an Öhlins rear shock and Discacciati rear brake kit with support, 200mm rear rotor and four-piston caliper.
Lets not forget Radical Ducati’s signature carbon fiber essentials that include RAD carbon fiber bellypan, RAD 02 carbon fiber Corsa Evo solo seat and RAD carbon fiber mudguards. There is a lot more on this Ducati 1198 SP custom then what I have just described, launch the image gallery and let the pictures tell you the story.
Just like a real life Matador this Ducati 1198 SP custom has speed, maneuverability and a lot of guts!
Visit - Radical Ducati | Like Radical Ducati on – Facebook | Photos By - Del Perro
via http://motorivista.com
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