MOTOGP: Trois pilotes en lice pour le titre de vice-Champion suite au sacre de Márquez / Fierce battle for second rages on behind phenomenal champion Marquez

Valentino Rossi, Dani Pedrosa et Jorge Lorenzo ne sont séparés que de trois points avant le Grand Prix Tissot d’Australie qui a lieu ce week-end à Phillip Island, une semaine après le sacre de Marc Márquez au Japon.

Suite à l’épreuve japonaise du week-end dernier, le MotoGP™ met le cap sur l’hémisphère sud pour le Grand Prix Tissot d’Australie, à Phillip Island, l’un des circuits les plus spectaculaires du calendrier et des plus populaires auprès des pilotes. 

Sacré Champion du Monde MotoGP™ 2014 au Twin Ring Motegi lors de la quinzième des dix-huit manches de la saison, Marc Márquez (Repsol Honda) n’a désormais plus la moindre pression et va pouvoir rouler avec le simple objectif d’ajouter une victoire à son incroyable palmarès annuel. L’an dernier, l’Espagnol avait été disqualifié en Australie, où il n’avait pas respecté le timing de l’arrêt aux stands exceptionnellement imposé par la Direction de Course. 

Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) et Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) sont à égalité de points à la seconde place du classement général. L’Italien a démontré qu’il avait bien récupéré de sa chute en Aragón en finissant troisième au Motegi, une demi-seconde devant Pedrosa, qui, contrairement à Rossi, ne s’est jamais imposé en MotoGP™ à Phillip Island.

Le titre de vice-Champion ne fait cependant plus l’objet d’un duel mais désormais d’une bataille à trois puisque Jorge Lorenzo (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) n’a plus que trois points de retard sur Rossi et Pedrosa après avoir remporté les deux dernières courses. Le Majorquin, sur le podium lors des sept dernières courses, avait gagné en Australie pour la première fois l’an dernier.

Derrière lui, Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati) est solidement installé à la cinquième place du classement général et continue sa progression, comme en témoigne sa pole position remportée le week-end dernier au Twin Ring Motegi, où Ducati et l’Italien étaient en tête de la grille MotoGP™ pour la première fois depuis 2010.

Aleix Espargaró (NGM Forward Racing) et Pol Espargaró (Monster Yamaha Tech3) se disputent quant à eux la sixième place du classement et n’ont qu’un point d’écart avant les trois dernières manches de la saison.

Andrea Iannone (Pramac Racing), Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda MotoGP) et Bradley Smith (Monster Yamaha Tech3) essayeront eux aussi d’améliorer leur classement dans le Top 10 ce week-end en Australie.

La premières séance d’essais libres de la catégorie reine au Grand Prix Tissot d’Australie aura lieu vendredi matin à 10h55, heure locale (GMT +11).

With the 2014 MotoGP™ World Championship title confirmed for Marc Marquez the Repsol Honda star arrives in Australia in a relaxed mood, but the fight for second place in the overall standings between Valentino Rossi, Dani Pedrosa and Jorge Lorenzo will continue to rage on at Phillip Island.

The picturesque Island circuit is a favourite for riders and fans alike and another exciting race can be expected on Sunday at the Tissot Australian Grand Prix, as MotoGP™ checks in straight from Motegi.

With the pressure off - Marquez secured the title on home territory for Honda with a calculated ride to second place in Japan – the newly crowned double MotoGP World Champion can ride freely as he goes in search of a 12^th victory of a remarkable second season in the premier class. Last year on the Island Marquez was disqualified for failing to respect the timing of a mandatory bike swap so he would love to make amends this time out.

Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s nine time World Champion Rossi and Marquez’s Honda teammate Pedrosa are joint second in the standings ahead of round 16 and both are determined to cement the runner-up position in the championship over the final three rounds.

Rossi demonstrated his fitness and pace again by finishing on the podium at Motegi after his big crash at Aragon, whilst Pedrosa crossed the line just 0.555s behind the Italian. Both have tasted victory at Phillip Island in their careers though in Pedrosa’s case not in the premier class.

One rider in great form heading to Australia is Rossi’s Yamaha colleague Lorenzo who has won back-to-back races at the last two rounds. He has been in great shape in the second half of 2014 so far and has notched up seven consecutive podiums – moving him to within three points of Pedrosa and Rossi in the standings.

Last year at Phillip Island Lorenzo took victory by seven seconds in a race which involved the riders changing bikes midway through due to tyre durability concerns and the Spaniard is also a former 250cc race winner at the venue.

Behind Lorenzo in the standings Andrea Dovizioso is having a good season in fifth place overall, the same position in which he finished Sunday’s race in Japan. Saturday saw Dovizioso take his and Ducati’s first pole position since 2010 and the experienced Italian continues to improve his team’s competitiveness on the evolving GP14.2.

Brothers Aleix Espargaro (NGM Forward Racing) and Pol Espargaro (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) are locked in an intriguing battle for sixth place in the standings, with elder sibling Aleix one point ahead of Pol at present.

Also pushing for prominence in the top ten are the likes of Andrea Iannone (Pramac Racing), Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda MotoGP) and Bradley Smith (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) who will all be giving it full gas at Phillip Island from Friday to Sunday.

The first MotoGP™ practice of the Tissot Australian Grand Prix gets underway with FP1 at 10.55am local time (GMT +11), just after Moto3™ FP1.

NEW AND NOTED: MOTORCYCLE GEAR

This month we’re looking at a new helmet brand from England, a luxurious coffee table book on the chopper scene, new tees from El Solitario, and the latest riding gear.

Hide that credit card.

Hedon x 4h10 If you haven’t heard of Hedon before, that’s okay—the English brand is a new name on the open-face helmet scene. And it’s already providing stern competition for the likes of Davida. Our favorite model is the £395 “1971” limited edition, designed in conjunction with the cool cats from the French website 4h10.

Build quality is excellent: there’s a composite carbon and fiberglass shell and a perforated leather lining with anti-bacterial properties. The hardware is brass, the paint is deep and glossy, and the helmet meets the ECE 22.05 safety standard.

Only 100 copies will be made of the “1971” and each is individually numbered. Get yours from the Hedon website.

The Chopper Riding high on the success of our own book The Ride, the high-end publisher Gestalten has commissioned a sister volume. It’s written by Paul d’Orléans, the hardest working man on the custom scene. D’Orléans not only runs The Vintagentwebsite, but curates an annual exhibition at Sturgis, organizes motorcycle film festivals, and consults for the auction house Bonhams.

The story of the chopper is the story of popular culture, and D’Orléans knows his stuff. This is the first time that the complete history of the American icon has been told—ranging from the murky world of patched gangs in the US to contemporary Japanese motorcycle culture.

Buy yours direct from Gestalten’s webshop and you’ll get a limited edition slipcase (and your own patch) too.

Roland Sands Clash jacket Having scored a direct hit on the café racer market with theRonin jacket, RSD has gone for more of a rocker style with its latest release. The $650 Clash jacket has a discreet double-breasted design with an offset zipper and classy quilted padding on the shoulders.

It’s made from hand finished, oiled and waxed top grain cowhide, with a satin internal liner. The fit is designed for riding, with pre-curved sleeves, extra length at the back, and pockets for you to add shoulder, elbow and back protector armor. Available in classic black or a deep ‘oxblood’ color here.

New El Solitario tees The world’s most controversial custom bike builders have a sharp line in casual apparel too. Hot off the Galician presses is a new range of supersoft tees, and these two are our favorites.

Show your solidarity with the rebel cause via the ‘Making Friends’ tee (€32). Or hoist your flag to the Milwaukee mast with the voodoo-inspired ‘Pan Love’ design (€37).

Check out the full range in the El Solitario online shop.

Icon 1000 ‘Prep’ glove Portland’s finest iconoclasts have a knack for making good gloves, and the $150 ‘Prep’ is possibly their most stylish yet. The design hints at the classic driving gloves of yore, a trend that’s also popular on the Japanese custom scene.

As with all Icon gear, safety is top priority: you get D3O armor inserts under a full kangaroo leather chassis. And comfort is guaranteed with pre-curved and perforated fingers and expandable panels. We’ll take the Tan color, but you can also specify Black. Just gone on sale now.

Tank Moto magazine One of the best high-end custom car magazines out there is Fuel, published by former Aston Martin and Jaguar designer Luke Ray. Fuel now has a sister magazine for custom motorcycle fans, and its fifth issue has just hit the shelves.

Tank Moto is a wide-ranging and entertaining read, with terrific photography from the likes of Cam ‘Stories of Bike’ Elkins. Sizing is compact but hefty, with 144 pages in each issue.

Fourteen ounces of motorcycle goodness, four times a year, costs AUD$60 (around US$53). Subscribe at the Tank Moto website.

REV’IT! Rodeo boots Most motorcycle boots are a compromise between style and safety. These hit the sweet spot right in between, with vintage military styling and hidden armor.

The outer is crafted from strong, 100% water-repellent cowhide, and the thick rubber sole has an aggressive non-slip tread pattern. Protection comes from reinforced, thermoformed heel and toe caps. The $290 Rodeo won’t save you from a 300 kph MotoGP lowside—but for around-town riding, it’s as good as it gets.

Grab a pair here.

Our previous motorcycle gear guide covered a hooded motorcycle jacket, Kevlar tailoring for your favorite jeans, the amazing Skully AR-1 motorcycle helmet, and unusual motorcycle-themed jewelry.

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DTM : La Finale à Hockenheim – les derniers enjeux

 

 

 

 

par Claude Foubert  (Endurance-Info.com)

La dernière manche du Championnat DTM 2014 aura lieu le week-end prochain sur le circuit de Hockenheim. Si pour le titre pilotes la décision est déjà faite depuis l’antépénultième course du Lausizring et le titre acquis à Marco Wittmann et la BMW M4 DTM n°23 du Team RMG, cette dernière équipe étant assurée de remporter le titre teams –Marco Wittmann faisant équipe chez RMG avec Maxime Martin-, il reste quelques enjeux.

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Pilotes

Derrière Wittmann, les places sur le podium sont encore en suspens. Trois pilotes peuvent encore prétendre être les dauphins du pilote BMW, deux pilotes Audi et un pilote Mercedes-Benz.

Mattias Ekström (Audi RS 5 DTM Abt Sportsline n°7) est actuellement deuxième du classement avec 81 points (alors que Wittmann en compte 146). Le pilote suédois est le seul à avoir fait triompher une Audi cette saison, lors de la dernière manche à Zandvoort.

Christian Vietoris (Mercedes-Benz AMG Class-C Coupé Original-Teile n°5) est troisième avec 69 points, soit 12 points de retard sur Ekström. L’allemand a également une victoire à son actif cette saison, dans la deuxième manche à Oschersleben, dans des conditions météo particulières certes, mais l’ex-Champion F3 EuroSeries est régulier et peut parfaitement refaire son retard.

Edoardo Mortara (Audi RS 5 DTM Abt n°15), quatrième avec 68 points, juste derrière Vietoris, peut coiffer ses deux rivaux. L’italien a des résultats en demi-teinte, mais il est tout à fait capable de faire un coup d’éclat à Hockenheim.

Constructeurs

BMW est premier avec 362 points contre 341 points à son second, Audi, alors que Mercedes-Benz, troisième avec 206 points, ne pourra rattraper ses rivaux.

21 points en la faveur de BMW, cela peut sembler beaucoup alors qu’il ne reste qu’une course, mais ce delta de 21 points a déjà été dépassé à quatre reprises cette saison –deux fois en faveur d’Audi sur BMW, à Oschersleben et sur le Norisring, et deux fois en faveur de BMW sur Audi, à Moscou et sur le Red Bull Ring de Spielberg-, donc tout est encore possible…

UNKILLABLE: GINGER MCCABE’S XS400

If you’re a motorcycle builder in the States and you need a custom seat, you know who to call: Ginger McCabe.

Ginger runs Portland, Oregon-based New Church Moto. She’s the go-to girl for workshops like Revival Cycles and Crowe Customs, plus top-flight restorers like New York’s Moto Borgotaro. So we were curious to see what she rides, when she’s not working on other people’s bikes.

Turns out it’s this very sharp-looking 1977 Yamaha XS400, which has survived two big crashes. “It’s been through hell and back with me the last six years,” says Ginger. “Started out as bone stock, but now the original owner would hardly recognize it.”

Ginger bought the XS400 from a co-worker, when she was cutting her teeth at Langlitz Leathers. She promptly stripped the bike back to basics, and rode it around for two summers until she got hit by a car. That accident bent the swingarm, so a rebuild was called for.

Then Ginger got T-boned again, this time from the other side—and much harder. The bike was wrecked.

Most folks would have given up at this point, but not Ginger. “I got pretty smashed up and couldn’t walk for about six months. Sad to say, the bike sat out in my yard because I had no money to rebuild it and couldn’t even ride. It was pretty much a bummer year.”

“When I was back on my feet and working, I managed to get it out of the yard and into a few different garages. It finally ended up in G & H Cycles.” Casey at G & H set to work, and the result is the little cracker we see here—which has already proven its worth on the flat track.

It’s now sporting Progressive Suspension shocks, a vintage aluminum fork brace, and custom drilled brake rotors hooked up to stainless lines. The headlight is from a Honda Elsinore MR250, with a neat cage, and the rubber is classic Dunlop K70—“the perfect highway-and-backroad riding combo,” says Ginger.

Casey also bumped up the racebike vibe with a 2-into-1 exhaust from Jones Racing and Development, and Tommaselli bars with a slight rise. He’s reshaped the rear end with a custom hoop and fender, and made a new seat pan.

The highlight is that beautifully painted tank, a deep gold sparkle set off with Euro style graphics—and matched to equally sparkly gold grips. The pleated seat looks pretty good too, with discreet gold stitching.

No prizes for guessing who made that, though.

Images by Kris Regentin | The Yamaha is now for sale. Contact Ginger via the New Church Moto website | Facebook | Instagram

via BIKEExif