‘81 Yamaha XV750 – DS Design

It’s difficult not to love Yamaha’s timeless XV750. It’s a bike that was intended as a cheeky Japanese tilt at America’s star-spangled Harley market, but now-a-days it can take on pretty much any custom role assigned to it with mucho aplomb. Café racer? Bobber? Tracker? The bike’s been there and done that. And add that to the fact that the bike used an engine-as-stressed-member design, a rear mono shock and adjustable pneumatic suspension and you have a bike that was light years ahead of its competition. Speaking of which, it’s time to meet the builder of this rather charming ride. Introducing New Zealand’s David Sinfield and his very clean DS Design ‘81 XV.

“My background is not in the motor or mechanical world,” says Dave. “I am a graphic design from New Zealand who is totally inspired by the beautiful works of art that I have seen on sites such as Pipeburn. It all started with buying motorcycle fuel tanks and airbrushing them just as a hobby. In the commercial world of digital graphic design, we seem to be drawn back to the tactile way of making and producing things; it’s a kind of ying and yang from mind to hand. That has led to this, my first build – and most certainly not my last.”

Dave found this mono-shocked ‘81 XV750 and thought it would make a good introduction to the world of customs as his very first build. “I wanted to keep this relatively simple and clean. It’s pretty much stock, with a few new twists such as the single seat, stainless steel exhaust and rear to front wheel conversion. This was a total strip down and rebuild with every nut, bolt and screw replaced as I wanted it to be like a new bike.”

“I wanted to stay in control and to do all the work myself from welding, fabricating, electrics, painting the tank and upholstering the seat. It’s the Kiwi way. Everything you see on this bike has been designed and made by me, although the rear to front wheel conversion was bought online. In a commercial world I know this makes no sense, but for a project builder like me it challenges and pushes you to the limits, and at the end of the day you can look back and be proud of what you have produced.”

[Photos by David Sinfield]

via PIPEBURN

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The Formula Racing Seat Leon Racer has won the first-ever Maxi Endurance 32 Hours

Autódromo Internacional do Algarve: The Formula Racing Seat Leon Racer has won the first-ever Maxi Endurance 32 Hours, held at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve in the south of Portugal. The finish came at 17:04, marking a historic milestone—the longest fully international endurance race. The winning car was started at 9:04 on Saturday morning by Portuguese star Jose Antonio Monroy. The rest of the roster featured an all-Danish lineup of Le Mans series veterans Mikkel Mac, Bo McCormick, Johnny Laursen and also Lars Steffensen.

Second overall and also second in the Maxi Sport category was the BMW M3 CSL of British team, Intersport Racing. Team leader Kevin Clarke started the car and was spelled by Adam Hayes, Simon Atkinson, Fiona James, and another Le Mans veteran, Ian Donaldson. Fiona James was the top finishing female driver among several women who featured very strongly in the race. The female contingent included rising Spanish star Zihara Esteban and also saw Spain’s Balba Camino come out of retirement to help make history.

The Cor Euser Racing BMW 120d won the Maxi Touring category and finished third overall,a spectacular result for the smallest car in the field. American Jim Briody was competing in his 75th race of 24 hours or more and his steady work along with fellow American Hal Prewitt, New Zealand’s Maurice O’Reilly, Germany’s Jörg Chmiela and Dutch team owner Cor Euser brought the experienced international crew to the line just ahead of the charging Dodge Viper of Bolido Racing. The very fast American built car had led overall at various stages but suffered engine problems as well as an off-course excursion. While they were unable to capture the last overall podium spot the crew led by Spanish driving ace Jose Manuel de los Milagros and race organizer Jesus Diez did win the Maxi Cup class. The last few hours featured a stirring chase as the Viper worked to make up lost ground.

One of the most inspired efforts came from the Veloso Motorsport Seat Leon Racer. They suffered an ECU failure as the car headed to the starting grid and spent the first 3-1/2 hours of the race in the pits. Henceforth the Mikel Azcona and Jordi Oriola led car had a near flawless run, rising to fifth overall and third in Maxi Sport at the finish.

The Team Icer Brakes Wolf-Honda GB 05 proved to be one of the fastest cars on the circuit and led for most of the night. However, a break in the suspension and a subsequent accident for driver Jose Luis Abadin put them into the garage. They were still awarded with victory in Maxi Prototype. The late afternoon finish came under clearing but cool and windy conditions. For much of the night there was a persistent light drizzle that created considerable challenge to each team’s strategy. However, the race was run clean and nearly incident free.

It was a tremendous pioneering effort to venture into the realm of extreme endurance racing for the highly professional teams and organizers. There was a general feeling of accomplishment for all in what was a very strong collaborative effort from the management of both the Portuguese and Spanish motor sport federations and several other major racing organizations. Now that the groundwork has been laid, the people at Maxi Endurance look forward to even greater success at future rounds.

Porsche 911 2.4T "Gentleman Driver"

This yellow Porsche 911 2.4 T has an interesting history: in 1972, it was bought by an American Army officer in Stuttgart, who drove it during his eight or nine years in Germany before taking it home to the US. Now, the classic has arrived back in its homeland.



The Porsche 911 2.4 T was never restored and consequently has a marvellous patina. It’s now for sale in the Classic Driver Market from Portuguese dealers Cool & Vintage.