CAFÉ RACER 76

Enduro GP Grèce 2015 : que des doublés en Grèce /

Eero Remes (Sherco – Michelin), Pierre-Alexandre Renet (Husqvarna – Michelin) et Mathias Bellino (Husqvarna – Michelin) ont signé des doublés lors de la quatrième manche du Championnat du monde FIM d’Enduro (EWC).

En E1, le champion du monde en titre, Christophe Nambotin (KTM) a trouvé plus fort que lui en la personne d’Eero Remes (TM – Michelin). Le Finlandais a effet dominé les deux journées. Impérial, il revient à seulement quatre points de Nambotin que l’on pensait intouchable à l’issue des trois premières épreuves.

Remes s’impose devant Marc Bougeois (Yamaha – Michelin) et Nambotin, deuxièmes ex-aequo, lors de la première journée. Lorenzo Santolino (Sherco Michelin) a retrouvé de bonnes sensations en se classant quatrième alors que Simone Albergoni (Kawasaki) asigné un nouveau Top 5 devant Cristobal Guerrero (Yamaha) qui a de nouveau chuté sur son épaule meurtrie.

Nambotin a rallié l’arrivée de la seconde journée en deuxième position devant Danny McCanney (Husqvarna – Michelin) et Lorenzo Santolino.

Au classement général, Nambotin ne compte que quatre points d’avance sur Remes. McCanney est troisième à 45 points du leader.

Pierre-Alexandre Pelat (Husqvarna – Michelin) est revenu à son meilleur niveau en signant le doublé en E2. Extrêmement rapide le premier jour, Renet devance Antoine Meo (KTM) et Alex Salvini (Honda). L’Italien, seul capable de suivre le rythme imposé par le Français, a été victime d’une casse mécanique et a dû se contenter de la troisième marche du podium.

Renet a remis cela le lendemain en remportant sa deuxième victoire de la saison pour seulement 2,3 secondes d’avance sur Meo. Salvini complète à nouveau le podium. A noter le forfait de Johnny Aubert (Beta – Michelin) encore convalescent de sa chute en Espagne.

Meo conserve la tête du classement provisoire avec respectivement 13 et 24 points d’avance sur Renet et Salvini.

Régulier, Mathias Bellino (Husqvarna – Michelin) remporte une victoire importante en catégorie E3 lors de la première journée. Aigar Leok (TM), plus sérieux rival du Français, échoue à la deuxième place pour seulement six secondes. Matthew Philipps (KTM), handicapé par des problèmes mécaniques, réussit à accrocher la troisième place.

On assiste au même podium à l’issue de la seconde journée où Bellino a largement dominé. Revenu au top niveau après une année 2014 décevante, Leok se classe deuxième devant le champion du monde en titre, Philipps.

Grâce à ce doublé, Bellino conforte sa position de leader avec 143 points. Philipps est deuxième (121 points) devant Matti Seistola (Sherco – Michelin)

Intouchable samedi en Junior, le jeune prodige britannique Steve Holcombe (Beta) n’a pas connu la même réussite dimanche. Il a dû laisser la victoire à Jamie McCanney (Husqvarna – Michelin) qui accentue son avance au classement général avec 21 points de plus que Redondi (Beta – Michelin).

Prochaine épreuve : Grand Prix d’Italie, 20 et 21 juin

MOTOKOUTURE BUELL MK24 AP

I know we sound like a broken record but if you braved the crowds at Bike Shed London 2015 then you’ll have no doubt come across the Motokouture stand, along with it’s gregarious engineer and proprietor Steven. For the Paris show we were treated to the Blokbeest, a BMW R NineT based challenge of molten aluminium and sand. After a few beers Steven began to get animated about his secret new project, this, the Buell MK24 AP (Américain Préparé). How does steak tartare compare to a motorcycle? Well, raw, obvious and uncompromising in its constituent parts; but in this case no egg on top.

Erik Buell’s pen doesn’t exactly do subtle in the first place but Steven wanted to take the XB 12 Thunderstorm design a bit further, drawing influence from the American Northrop B-2 Spirit, or Stealth Bomber as it’s affectionally known. Let’s make no bones about it, those things were designed to search and destroy and the MK24 AP looks like it’s on a mission to do similar. Driving licences, speed limits, rear tyres, forearms, and ear drums may all be damaged at the hands of this v-twin monster, but unlike the inspiration there’ll be nothing stealthy when Steven rolls into town.

The beating heart is the tried and tested 1203cc Thunderstorm motor with Screaming Eagle components, kicking out over 100 wild stallions, and telling anyone within a 2 mile radius about it through the Zircotec coated exhaust. As if that wasn’t enough the K&N filter looks as if it sucks all the available fresh air from just under the rider’s chin, the intake roar must be stupendous to say the least.

The Buell signature rim mounted brake disc never really caught on, despite the obvious weight saving and stopping power. Erik Buell persisted with the concept and this build is all the better for it, that massive rotor looks so unequivocally purposeful. Progressive springs inside the forks keep the front tyre wedged firmly into the asphalt.

And before the health and safety brigade wheel out the high-viz soapbox, there is a headlight, just not in the usual position. Why would it be, look at the thing. Nothing says conformity quite like a big 7-incher up front and two sets of indicators. Buried in the throat of the beast, the air intake for the rear pot, is an array of high output LEDs, presumably to create a lovely affect in the sky as the MK24 wheelies into the darkness.

With so much aggression on show, the fiddly and more fragile components such as the wiring harness are best kept out of sight. Steven has buried the modified loom inside the frame with the only evidence of sensibility being the tank mounted rev counter; Motogadget of course, and a couple of flight deck style switches. A small-as-capable lithium battery is housed out back in the modified tail and subframe, not too far from the ECU to ensure the signal of “chuck more coal on the fire” is heard loud and clear. Awkward shaped relays, CDI units etc have been banished to a new home inside the swing arm.

Pushing the MK24 around Tobacco Docks the other week reminded me how diminutive Erik Buell’s creations are. As custom donors they are relatively inexpensive and the results can be quite staggering, as Steven has so clearly demonstrated. Motokouture can seem to do no wrong at the moment, experimenting and pushing the envelope with each build. We enjoyed looking at this one but unfortunately the fun police at Bike Shed London wouldn’t let us fire it up. Maybe we’ll get to hear it run this summer, Wheels & Waves perhaps…

For more on Steven and Motokouture follow their website and Facebook page.

Photography by David Marvier

via The Bike Shed

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