Baja Poland: Poland to welcome 112 competitors in Baja Poland this weekend.

As many as 121 cars, motorbikes, quads and trucks appear on the entry lists of BAJA POLAND 2014, the second-biggest marathonrally in Poland. Among cars there are 37 crews from 14 different countries fighting for points to the FIA World Cup for Cross Country Rallies.

23 crews will be allowed to score points for CEZ (Central Europe Zone), among them also some trucks. Baja Poland constitutes also a round of Poland Cup where we could admire 21 extra cars. Besides them, the cities Szczecin and Drawsko Pomorskie will host 40 motorbikes and quads. All entries can be seen HERE.

Among the drivers there are no missing names from the world’s top. The entry list is opened by the current FIA World Cup classification leader, Vladimir Vasilyev from Russia (X-raid Mini All4 Racing. However, actually it is Nasser Al-Attiyah (Overdrive Toyota Hilux) who is the most successful driver. Two weeks ago the Quatari competitor won the "Hungarian Baja" and is one of the main contenders to take victory in the FIA World Cup.

Al-Attiyah has a Dakar Rally win under his belt as well as the FIA World Cup triumph. He was also grabbed the title in the Middle East Rally Championship on nine occasions and is a bronze medallist at the Olympic Games in London in ... skeet shooting.

The Czech driver Miroslav Zapletal (Hummer H3 Proto) and the Dutchman Bernhard Ten Brinke (Overdrive Toyota) also aspire to top positions. Besides them there is also a strong pack of Polish drivers with Krzysztof Holowczyc (Mini), Martin Kaczmarski (Mini), Adam Malysz and Marek Dabrowski (both Overdrive Toyota).

There is also a sensational four-wheel debut from Tadeusz “Taddy” Blazusiak (Overdrive Toyota) – a star of the world’s enduro-cross scene and five time world champion in Super Enduro.

Among the motorcycles we will see the returning from injury Jakub Przygonski, who among the Alessandro Rusou from Italy, Adrien Mare from Monaco and Alex Zanotti from San Marino is one of the main contenders for victory in the FIM Cup for Bajas. Among quad drivers the main contenders are Alexandre Giroud from France and the Poles, Kamil Wisniewski and Zbigniew Zych.

In the heaviest category of trucks the Polish-Czech crew of Robert Szustkowski / Jaroslaw Kazberuk / Filip Skrobanek will be the arch rivals for the Kazakhstan crew leading by Artur
via www.marathonrally.com

HONDA XR650L BY DIGITAL DIRECTIV

The Honda XR650L is one of those big, bulletproof dual sport bikes that never seem to change. It’s tough and simple to fix, just like its evergreen competitors—the Suzuki DR650 and the Kawasaki KLR650.

With a 21-inch front wheel and a 37-inch seat height, the XR650L is not exactly custom-friendly. So this retro-inspired revamp from Joe Tessitore of Digital Directiv caught my eye.

“I’m not a big fan of commissioned builds,” says Joe, “but every once in a while someone proposes a project that sounds like fun. That was this bike.” It started life as a 2007-model XR650L, minus the generic red bodywork: the owner had pulled off the plastic in an attempt to find cleaner lines.

Known for its easygoing, torquey engine but far-from-fantastic looks, the XR would need a lot of massaging to reach the end goal—a Bultaco-inspired custom with a vintage supermoto flavor. “We wanted it to look like it could have come from the factory,” says Joe. “If supermotos existed in the 70s, we this is what they would have looked like.”

Joe replaced the ugly asymmetrical subframe rails with fresh, straight tubes and gussets to give an open and clean rear triangle. At the same time, he added a kicked-up hoop to support the abbreviated rear fender. The rest of the frame was smoothed and de-tabbed and under the seat is a custom-fabricated battery box, replacing the big plastic factory unit. The refinished engine stays with the vintage theme, thanks to a healthy dose of polished aluminum.

This XR650L lives mainly on the street, so the long and somewhat sloppy suspension travel wasn’t good enough. To tighten things up, Joe has braced the forks, lowered the ride height an inch and a half, and fitted Progressive Suspension springs. New wheels help the handling too: aluminum rims laced with stainless spokes from Buchannan’s and hooked up to freshly powdercoated hubs. The tires are Pirelli Scorpions.

“To say she handles the road better than her stock siblings would be an understatement,” Joe reports. “As for my favorite part: we removed two feet from the wiring harness, relocated the ignition, and tucked all the electrical components into the battery box and under the tank.”

Tony’s Customs and New Church Moto came through with vintage-styled paint and upholstery. And small but important details helped to complete the look, like CNC brackets from Motofactory and a reproduction Bultaco taillight from Spain.

It’s a beautiful, one-of-a-kind bike that Joe had a hard time letting go. “Almost every piece received personal attention, and there are more one-off mods than I can count,” he says. “I think Honda would have been proud to roll this one off the assembly line.”

Get in touch with Joe via the Digital Directiv website. And if you need any advice on electrical matters, check out his brilliant article on How To Wire Your Motorcycle.

via BIKEexif

Márquez sonne l’arrivée du MotoGP™ en Grande-Bretagne / Marquez brings London to a standstill on Millennium Bridge

Marc Márquez a eu l’occasion de faire rugir son RC213V sur le spectaculaire Millennium Bridge de Londres mercredi, lors d’un évènement organisé par Dorna Sports et BT Sport pour marquer l’arrivée du MotoGP™ en Grande-Bretagne.

Les Londoniens présents au pied de la Cathédrale St Paul et sur les bords de la Tamise ont pu assister à un évènement exceptionnel mercredi puisque le Champion du Monde MotoGP™ Marc Márquez était invité à traverser le Millennium Bridge à moto et devenait le premier homme à traverser l’emblématique passerelle londonienne sur un véhicule motorisé.

Après sa traversée, le leader du Championnat du Monde MotoGP™ a ravi les fans en réalisant de spectaculaires burnouts, avant de rejoindre les Britanniques Bradley Smith, Michael Laverty, Leon Camier, Sam Lowes, Danny Kent et John McPhee pour découvrir l’une des spécialités locales, lefish & chips, emballée, comme le veut la tradition, dans du papier journal. 

« C’était génial de devenir la première personne au monde à traverser le Millennium Bridge sur une moto, » a déclaré Márquez. « L’évènement était très important pour le MotoGP avant le Grand Prix de Grande-Bretagne et nous avons eu beaucoup de chance avec la météo, je m’attendais à ce qu’il pleuve ici en Angleterre ! Passer une aussi belle journée ici dans le centre de Londres, au bord de la Tamise et pour un évènement historique a été une expérience mémorable. Le revêtement métallique du pont ne m’a pas rendu la tâche facile mais je suis allé aussi vite que je le pouvais ! »

Márquez a continué sa visite de Londres mercredi après-midi avant de mettre le cap sur Silverstone pour le Grand Prix Hertz de Grande-Bretagne.

Marc Marquez’s record-breaking MotoGP™ season continued on Wednesday in somewhat unfamiliar surroundings. In an event organised by Dorna Sports and BT Sport, the Repsol Honda Team rider brought London to a standstill as he became the first person ever to cross the iconic Millennium Bridge with a motor vehicle.

In the shadow of St. Paul’s Cathedral and navigating his way across the River Thames, the British public enjoyed both the sights and sounds of MotoGP ahead of this weekend’s Hertz British Grand Prix, Round 12 of the World Championship.

The ride concluded with spectacular burnouts as fans flocked over the edges of office balconies and along the banks of the river, with Marquez then being joined by British riders Bradley Smith, Michael Laverty, Leon Camier, Sam Lowes, Danny Kent and John McPhee who introduced the Spaniard to fish and chips wrapped in newspaper.

"It was really nice to become the first ever person to cross the Millennium Bridge on a motorbike," Marquez smiled. "This event was really important for MotoGP ahead of the British Grand Prix and we were very lucky with the weather - I normally expect rain in England! So to be here in the centre of London on such a bright day, riding over the River Thames and making history was a memorable experience. The slippery metal surface of the bridge did not make it easy, but I went as fast as I could!"

Marquez continued to enjoy London on Wednesday afternoon before making his way towards Silverstone for this weekend’s action. Opening Free Practice will commence at 9:00am local time (GMT +1) on Friday with the Moto3™ riders first out on track, with Sunday’s MotoGP race beginning at 1pm.

24H Barcelone : 70 engagés représentant 18 marques ! / 70 teams on the provisional entry list for 24H Barcelona

Après un break estival, les 24H SERIES powered by Hankook 2014 effectueront leur rentrée à l’occasion des 24H BARCELONA, programmées du 5 au 7 septembre sur le Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya. La liste provisoire des engagés en vue de cette épreuve d’endurance réservée aux GT, voitures de Tourisme et 24H Specials compte 70 équipages, avec des pilotes venant de 25 pays différents, et pas moins de 18 marques représentées sur la grille de départ. Pas de doute, c’est à de la grande compétition que l’on peut s’attendre.

“Les 24H BARCELONA gagne en popularité chaque année’’, se félicite Gerrie Willems, porte-parole de l’agence néerlandaise CREVENTIC, qui assure la promotion et l’organisation des 24H BARCELONA en collaboration avec le Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya et le Royal Automobile Club de Catalunya (RACC). “Depuis que nous sommes partie prenante, l’événement s’est développé, passant d’une épreuve essentiellement nationale à une vraie course d’endurance internationale, similaire aux autres courses de notre 24H SERIES powered by Hankook. Pour nous, la collaboration avec nos partenaires du Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya et du RACC est toujours une expérience plaisante, et il est bien sûr agréable de constater que de nombreux teams qui nous connaissent pour avoir participé à d’autres événements organisés par nos soins sont devenus des participants réguliers en Catalogne. En outre, de nombreuses équipes nouvelles nous rejoignent cette année.’’

Le Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya, qui sert de cadre chaque année au Grand Prix d’Espagne de Formule 1 et à la manche catalane du MotoGP, est un exemple du genre en termes d’infrastructures, ayant pour autre avantage, et non des moindres, d’être situé à quelques encablures de la ville de Barcelone. “Et tout le monde adore Barcelone, où la météo est généralement très agréable, ce qui, combiné à une épreuve internationale de 24 heures, multiplie les plaisirs’’, pointe Gerrie Willems.

La Classe A6 compte une belle brochette de GT3, avec des Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 (la voiture lauréate des 24H BARCELONA 2013), Ferrari 458 Italia GT3, Lamborghini FL2 GT3, Audi R8 LMS et BMW Z4 GT3. De nombreuses Porsche Cup sont engagées dans la Classe 997. Dans la catégorie SP2, plusieurs Silhouettes sont annoncées, dont la GC Automobile 10 V8, qui vient de France comme la Renault Mégane Trophy, mais aussi l’australienne MARC Focus. La Classe SP3 reste la chassée gardée des GT4, incluant des BMW M3 et Z4, Lotus Evora et Aston Martin Vantage. Comme d’habitude, les catégories réservées aux voitures de Tourisme (Classes A5, A4, A3T, A2 et D1) comprennent des marques comme BMW, Honda, MINI, Nissan, Peugeot, Renault, Volkswagen, en plus bien sûr de la présence du constructeur local SEAT, dont les quartiers généraux sont situés à Mertorell, très près du Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya. Plus d’infos au sujet des 24H BARCELONA et les autres manches de la 24H SERIES powered by Hankook sur www.24hseries.com.

Engagés

after the summer break, the 2014 24H SERIES powered by Hankook returns to action with the 24H BARCELONA at the Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya coming up from 5 till 7 September. The provisional entry list for the international endurance race for GTs, touring cars and 24H Specials already includes 70 teams with drivers from 25 different nationalities and no less than 18 different car brands represented on the grid. Therefore, exciting competition with plenty of variety is expected.

“The 24H BARCELONA is getting more and more popular every year,” says Gerrie Willems on behalf of Dutch agency, CREVENTIC, promoters and organisers of the 24H BARCELONA in co-operation with the Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya and the Royal Automobile Club of Catalunya (RACC). “Since we came on board a few years ago, the event has developed from a predominantly national affair to a true international endurance race, similar to the other events of our 24H SERIES powered by Hankook. For us, the co-operation with our partners of the Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya and the RACC is always a pleasant experience and it is nice for us to see that many teams who know us from our other events have become regular competitors in Barcelona, too, plus, of course, the many new teams that are joining us every year.”

The Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya, best known as the venue for the annual Spanish Formula 1 Grand Prix and the Catalan round of the MotoGP series, is a state-of-the-art facility that has all the advantages of the nearby city of Barcelona as an additional asset. “Everybody loves Barcelona, the weather is usually nice and being able to combine that with the pleasure of an international 24-hour race is a great opportunity for everyone involved,” Gerrie Willems emphasizes.

The A6 class has a nice array of GT3 cars, such as Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 (the winning car of the 24H BARCELONA in 2013), Ferrari 458 Italia GT3, Lamborghini FL2 GT3, Audi R8 LMS and BMW Z4. Various Porsche Cup cars have been entered in the 997 class. The SP2 class caters mainly for silhouette cars such as the French GC Automobiles GC 10 V8, the Renault Mégane Trophy and the Australian-built MARC Focus. SP3 is the domain of GT4 cars including BMW M3 and Z4, Lotus Evora and Aston Martin Vantage. As usual, the touring car classes A5, A4, A3T, A2 and D1 include a variety of brands with BMW, Honda, MINI, Nissan, Peugeot, Renault and Volkswagen, plus, of course, a huge presence for local brand SEAT that has its headquarters in Martorell, very close to the Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya. More information about the 24H BARCELONA and the other rounds of the 24H SERIES powered by Hankook can be found at: www.24hseries.com.