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WRC ;Finlande / France : match nul !Equal WRC success for Finland and France!

Pilotes finlandais et pilotes français ont remporté chacun 172 victoires en Championnat du monde des Rallyes FIA depuis 1973. Sébastien Ogier vient d’égaliser avec sa victoire au Rallye du Mexique.

Le week-end dernier, Sébastien Ogier a remporté sa 27^e victoire en WRC, offert une 26^e victoire à Volkswagen et un 279^e succès mondial à Michelin. Mais il a surtout permis à la France de rejoindre la Finlande en tête du classement par nation.

En effet, après 534 rallyes WRC organisés depuis janvier 1973, France et Finlande sont ex aequo avec 172 victoires chacune ! A eux deux, ces pays ont gagné près de 65% des épreuves mondiales.

Les 172 victoires finlandaises ont été remportées par 14 pilotes différents. Marcus Grönholm (30), Tommi Mäkinen (24), Juha Kankkunen (23), Markku Alèn (19), Hannu Mikkola (18), Mikko Hirvonen (15), Jari-Matti Latvala (12), Timo Salonen (11), Ari Vatanen (10), Timo Mäkinen (4), Henri Toivonen (3), Harri Rovanperä (1), Pentti Airikkala (1) et Kyosti Hamalainen (1).

Les 172 victoires françaises ont été remportées par 18 pilotes différents : Sébastien Loeb (78), Sébastien Ogier (27), Didier Auriol (20), Bernard Darniche (7), Gilles Panizzi (7), Jean-Pierre Nicolas (5), Jean-Luc Thérier (5), François Delecour (4), Michèle Mouton (4), Jean Ragnotti (3), Jean-Claude Andruet (3), Bruno Saby (2), Philippe Bugalski (2), Alain Ambrosino (1), Bernard Béguin (1), Guy Fréquelin (1), Alain Oreille (1) et Patrick Tauziac (1).

France et Finlande sont loin devant les autres nations puisque la Suède est 3^e avec 43 victoires, le Royaume-Uni est 4^e avec 36 devant l’Italie avec 30 victoires. L’Argentine, le Canada et le Portugal ferment le classement avec une seule victoire chacun.

Seulement 16 pays sur les 197 reconnus par les Nations Unies ont gagné en WRC !

Finnish and French drivers have secured 172 world class victories for their respective countries since 1973. Sébastien Ogier put the two nations level in Mexico.

In addition to taking Volkswagen and Michelin’s scores to 26 and 279 world class victories respectively, Sébastien Ogier’s 27^th WRC win in Mexico has taken France level with Finland in the nations’ classification.

Of the 534 world championship rounds organised since January 1973, French and Finnish drivers have won 172 wins each and have together topped almost 65 percent of the WRC’s fixtures to date.

Finland’s 172 victories are the work of 14 different drivers, namely Marcus Grönholm (30), Tommi Mäkinen (24), Juha Kankkunen (23), Markku Alèn (19), Hannu Mikkola (18), Mikko Hirvonen (15), Jari-Matti Latvala (12), Timo Salonen (11), Ari Vatanen (10), Timo Mäkinen (4), Henri Toivonen (3), Harri Rovanperä (1), Pentti Airikkala (1) and Kyosti Hamalainen (1).

Meanwhile, there have been 18 French victors: Sébastien Loeb (78), Sébastien Ogier (27), Didier Auriol (20), Bernard Darniche (7), Gilles Panizzi (7), Jean-Pierre Nicolas (5), Jean-Luc Thérier (5), François Delecour (4), Michèle Mouton (4), Jean Ragnotti (3), Jean-Claude Andruet (3), Bruno Saby (2), Philippe Bugalski (2), Alain Ambrosino (1), Bernard Béguin (1), Guy Fréquelin (1), Alain Oreille (1) and Patrick Tauziac (1).

The third-placed nation is Sweden (43 wins), followed by Great Britain (36) and Italy (30). Argentina, Canada and Portugal can lay claim to just one victory apiece.

Drivers from only 16 of the 197 countries recognised by the United Nations have won a WRC round.

‘81 Yamaha XV920R- Hageman Motorcycles

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Most custom bike shops would gnaw off an arm to build a ride for biking royalty like Billy Joel. It’s the kind of job that can really put a shop on the map. So it says a lot about a builder when they not only complete such a feat, but then set themselves the task of going one better – just because they can. Welcome to the mind ofGreg Hageman; one of the world’s greatest Yamaha customisers and builder of today’s gobsmackingly classy XV920R.

“It’s an ‘81 XV920R,” mentions ‘the Hage’ as we chat to him on the other side of the world. “I picked it up over a year ago and developed a plan in my head for it. I wanted something similar to the Vinago bike I built for Billy Joel, but maybe a touch simpler, lighter, faster and a little more gritty. A bike that was kind of showing its age, but in a graceful way.”

Greg built this bike for himself, so he had an enviable amount of control over the design and engineering. “I shaved close to 150lb/70kg off of the original bike; if it wasn’t needed it was gone, including a section of frame in front of the swing arm. I had been wanting to do this mod for years and have been following a builder and racer in Germany named Sepp Koch who has mastered this weight-reducing tweak.”

“If you look at the Viragos he builds and races, you’ll see he shaves every possible ounce of weight off of these bikes; then he actually takes them to the track.” Sep assured Greg that the frame mods would still leave the bike plenty strong, as the original design used the engine as the stress member that the rest of the bike then hangs off. “It also gives the bike more of that Vincent look. You’ll note I drilled the heck out of this bike, too. I like to think that it looks like some alloy-eating termites have got to it.”

The bike’s suspension up front is includes progressive fork springs, a re-valve and a dropped stance. The rear consists of a special Hagon shock made to Greg’s specifications. The wheels are a 19 x 1.85 for the front and an 18 x 2.15 out the back, with new alloy-shouldered rims and stainless spokes. The tires getting their push on are Dunlop K75s. “I wanted retro-style tires, but not some useless old bricks. With the power to weight ratio of this thing, the rear tire will still break loose shifting into 3rd, so rubber connection is crucial.”

Unsurprisingly, Greg chose his favourite Virago carbs; a set of Minkuni VM34s with velocity stacks, nylon filters and brass screens. Next, the exhaust. ‘It’s a modified Mac with a repro pea shooter muffler. The handlebars are clip-on Tarozzis with shorty levers. The electrical set-up is pretty sparse; there’s only an LED headlight, tail light and stoplight. There’s no horn or signals, just the basics to keep things simple.” Amen to that.

The seat is a design Greg came up with to try to emulate a little touch of Black Shadow styling. By the looks of it, he’s hit the nail square on it’s little HRD head. The Fenders are stainless steel for both the front and rear. And from all reports, the bike ended up being a blast to ride. It also looks beautifully different from most of what’s being put out right now. “It’s very quick and hopefully just a little classy,” says Greg.

“Unfortunately, like all the bikes I build for myself, I come to the point where bills need to be paid and garage space runs out. So I sold the bike to a buyer in Denver, Colorado. I have to keep the business moving forward and don’t have the luxury of constant cash inflow, as I’m a one man show.”

One man or one hundred, if a shop turns out builds like this as regularly as our Mister Hageman, we’re pretty sure their future’s going to be looking bright. We look forward to his next build, which should be along any minute now…

[Photos by Erick Runyon & Gears and Glory] via PIPEBURN

Murph Returns! Exploring the Arctic Circle in a BMW R 1150 GS Adventure

 Murph, who set off 3 years ago to ride his BMW R 1150 GS Adventure motorcycle around the world. Since Murph lives on his motorcycle and was planning to drive in snow and ice, the bike had to be modified to the extreme. Added was a Mobec Duo-Drive 2wd Sidecar for carrying all of his possessions as well as tons of other custom bits to deal with the freezing cold. With his new kit assembled, Murph decided to spend the winter exploring the Arctic Circle.