Two Wheels

[wino]

Sykes And Kawasaki Set The Fastest Ever SBK Top Speed

WSBK, Monza, Italy, 5 May 2012
At Monza today Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) just missed out on his fourth pole position start in a row but his Ninja ZX-10R powered him to the highest top speed ever recorded in SBK, 339.5kmph.

Sykes was fast all weekend irrespective of the ever-changing track conditions and will start second on the grid and this will be the first time he has not started from pole this season. Weather conditions on the opening day were largely perfect but Saturday saw rains come and go, and the day finished off with lighting storms close to the track and very heavy downpours after the Superpole sessions had been concluded.

The only dry qualifying session was on Friday, so Tom qualified for Superpole – conducted in two parts not the usual three as it was declared a Wet Superpole – thanks to his Friday time. He then went on to head the second free practice session this afternoon, then just miss out on the chance to use a slick rear in the final Superpole session, which may have promoted him from second on the grid to first.

Sykes still starts from an enviable front row position, while his riding partner at Monza, Sergio Gadea, found his first taste of SBK racing very challenging, particularly in the unpredictable weather conditions, but he qualified for the races on Sunday and will start 23rd on the grid.

Team Pedercini rider David Salom made it into Superpole and will start 15th on the grid, while his team-mate Leandro Mercado was 21st.

Team Pedercini Kawasaki Superstock 1000 FIM Cup rider Bryan Staring fell in final qualifying and broke both his small fingers. Despite qualifying fifth on the grid Bryan may not be able to race after more extensive medical checks have been carried out. Jeremy Guarnoni, his team-mate, was 10th in qualifying. Loris Baz took his MRS Kawasaki to 12th place.

Tom Sykes: “When I hit the new record top speed I could feel that the rpm was higher and I knew from the note of the engine that it was more than on previous laps. I could not have timed my run to get into Biaggi’s slipstream any better. I had a fantastic run out of Parabolica and I used Max’s draft all the way down the straight. If we had more time we could have come back in and gone with a slick rear or intermediate rear and made the difference, but it wasn’t to be. We did a great last lap on wet tyres and starting from second on the grid is not too bad. It is a front row start and that is the main thing. The competitive side of me for sure is disappointed not to keep the run of Superpole wins going but tomorrow is the one that counts. It’s great for Kawasaki and myself to be on the front row and it is a lot better starting slot for tomorrow. We have good pace in the dry and I do not think the wet will be an issue either. A dry race would be better for everybody.”

Sergio Gadea: ”I am happy because the bike is good but it is my first time in Monza, first time on a Superbike and obviously the weather has made it more complicated for me. But it is a nice experience and I enjoy riding the bike so much. I hope tomorrow to improve my performance and also enjoy the races. Thanks to Kawasaki and the team for giving me this opportunity.”

David Salom: “I’m happy with how the morning qualifying session and afternoon free practice went. The bike is working very well and we found a good setup for the dry track. In the afternoon free session, using slick tyres on a dry track, I reached fifth position and this is a great result. Unfortunately in the first session of the Superpole I used rain tyres but the track was not completely wet and after only two laps the rear tyre was finished and so I wasn’t able to reach Superpole two.”

Tati Mercado: “This morning I chose not to participate in the second qualifying session due to the damp conditions. The track was not completely dry and so it was impossible for me to improve on yesterday’s lap time and enter the Superpole. In the free practice preceding the Superpole I worked with my technicians to refine the set up of my Ninja ZX-10R and we found some good solutions for tomorrow’s races. The races will be difficult for me, because of my position on the grid, but I will try to do my best as always.”

 

[wino]

 

[wino]

Ask a motorcycle thief

So earlier this week, the guys over at RideIt had an idea: solicit a motorcycle thief to do one of their Ask Me Anythings. First answered by a cop in London and later an actual bike thief from the US, the results are positively illuminating. Here, we’ve edited the material into something linear and easily digestible. It’s a must-read if you don’t want your bike to get stolen.

The original Ask Me Anything request reads:

- what type of motorcycles did you target and why?
- what’s the best type of security system we can get for our motorcycles?
- how and where should we position chain locks on our bikes so you don’t take bolt cutters to them? how easy is it to cut high quality locks?
- what deters you the most? as in when you see a motorcycle and analyze it for a steal,
- what makes you go “no, not that one.”
- what does a gallon of bleach taste like after you swallow it?

Let’s look at the responses from the cop first:

“The thing is security costs money. Its not a 100% guarantee but it gives your bike a fighting chance.”

Types of motorcycles: “The most popular bikes for thievery are sports bikes and those bikes which you see around more commonly. Reason being in an age of trackers, HPI checks and people knowing much more about how to be smart when they buy a new vehicle (so as not to buy a stolen one) its much simpler for the thief to break the bike up into parts and sell it for parts. In fact only a few weeks ago we raided a house and found 5 motorcycles in various stages of being stripped down.”

Best security: “The most common way of stealing a motorcycle is by lifting it off of the ground and loading into a van. Quick, easy, quiet, once the bike is in the van its invisible, riding it comes with a greater risk of being caught. Plus you don’t even need to know how to ride it. No need to override the ignition. It couldn’t be simpler. We have seen them in the past put a scaffold tube under the front forks and under the back of the bike near the shock and lift it between 4 of them. Even a big sports bike at 200kg is only 50 kg each.”

“For this reason your first priority must be to stop it getting off the ground. Only a good chain, lock and ground anchor will stop this. Ideally you need something which is hardened and 16mm diameter plus. Otherwise they may well be able to cut it with bolt cutters. Which for them is ideal because its quick and very quiet. A good lock is one which is hard to pick and very hard wearing. We don’t see many picking attacks at all, in fact I don’t think I ever have but for peace of mind I use an abloy on my bike.”

“Another good tip, always lock it off tight, don’t leave a lot of loose chain on the floor. If you do the the chain is vulnerable to freeze and sledge hammer attacks.”

“A decent ground anchor should be very solid indeed. The ones which you sink into concrete are best but not realistic for most people unless you’re putting concrete down anyway. A strong bolt down is mostly very efficient. Some are better than others. I’ve got a hardie ground anchor because you can lift a lorry cab up with it and it won’t break. Another great thing, disc lock alarms. I’ve got two, one on each wheel. If the bike starts moving they go off and make a right ruckus, just what the thieves hate. Also things like alphadot, smartwater, with visible stickers are deterrents too.”

“Ideally garage your bike. If its on a driveway then get one of those PIR security lights. The thieves do not want a “and by the light let your good work shine” type scenario. A dummy CCTV camera is good to, because a lot of thieves will be put off even if they think its a fake.”

“In terms of decent locks the very best padlock that I know of is the Abloy Protec 362. Its what I use. Its got a 15mm boron steel shackle, very heavy duty. Its military grade, used in bank vaults. The Squire 65CS is another good one, although not as hard to pick as the abloy. In fact the abloy is yet to be picked I believe. The abloy is very pricey. Look out for them on ebay. It will be a significant saving for you. Those locks are both very hard to bolt cut. The squire hides the shackle (shrouded). Makes it hard to get any sort of grip on it with bolt cutters. Often you can’t even see enough of it to put cutters on it. The weak point is normally the chain. A lot of manufacturers make lightweight chains you can use around town but are bolt cutter resistant, not proof.”

How to lock up: “Ideally not through a wheel. A wheel is easy to remove. Its great having a really secure wheel but like I say a lot of the time they get sold as spares so through the frame is great. You can’t do that with my bike so I’ve put it through the gap between the engine block and the down pipes then through the front forks which is either going to be quite time consuming (likely set the disc lock alarms off) or very noisy. Lock the chain off tight. What I mean by that is it shouldn’t have much slack between the bike and floor at all. You may have to make a cut in the chain sleeve in order to be able to do this. But its really worth it. If the chain is loose on the floor its much more vulnerable to sledge hammer attacks, freeze attacks, wedge attacks and bolt cutters.”

How to deter a thief: “The biggest deterrent is a secure motorcycle. Reason being there are lot of insecure ones out there and they will go for the low hanging fruit every time.”

“Remember what a thief doesn’t want is to be caught. Being caught is the biggest hazard in their line of business. Business is how most of them see it. Make your bike more risky than other bikes and they’ll go for easier pickings. Reminds me a while a go I was on foot patrol and saw a lovely Ducati 916 with a chain through the back wheel, not attached to anything. I did give the owner some advice and it was heartening to see that he did take it on board. Ultimately your goal should be making getting caught in the act as likely as possible and the maximise the time it would take to steal the bike.”

“The point is, the more trouble the thief has to go to the longer its going to take. The vast majority of thieves got for the low hanging fruit. This is about not making your bike the low hanging fruit.”

And here’s what the thief has to say:

“I’m not exactly sure how I ended up with this life. I was basically a normal American kid who was very shy and did well in school. My best friend was basically a dirtbag and he made it seem cool to be a dirtbag. I started off dropping him off at bikes to steal, then scouting out bikes for him to steal, then helping him steal bikes, then stealing them together.”

“I figured out quickly that the guys we sold the bikes to made more money and assumed far less risk so I saved my money so I could get on that end of things.”

“I considered myself small time but I was involved in the scene for over 10 years. While my name was brought up in investigations I was never charged with a crime related to this business and I never “informed” on anyone. I quit when I felt the risk exceeded the reward. Maybe it was the guilt, the shame, maybe I was just finally growing up. I lived a lie for a long time and even if no one knew it I was painfully embarrassed inside because of the life I had been leading. I love motorcycles and I was the man responsible for that sickening feeling you have when you wake up to realize your baby has been stolen and I was responsible for it A LOT. Towards the end I would sleep in sweat pants and a hoodie because I knew any day my door was going to be kicked in and I wanted to be comfortable as possible in jail.”

“I’ve been out of it all for 4-5 years and I still am trying to figure out how I became that guy.”


Types of motorcycles: “Mostly supersports. They are the most commonly crashed and generally the easiest to find (left outside in nice apartment complexes) Next would be Harleys and for a brief moment in time the high dollar choppers.”

Best security: “Never, ever, never never never, NEVER leave your bike outside at an apartment complex. Especially one with a gated parking garage. The gated parking garage in a mid to high rise apartment building in the nice part of a large city is the number one place for bike thieves to go ‘shopping.’”

“As far as passive devices go I like the NYC fughetaboutit chain/lock from Kryptonite, the thicker of the two. It needs to go through something like a braced swingarm whenever possible. If you absolutely have to put it through a wheel put it through the rear wheel. It takes much longer to swap than the front wheel. Any $100 disc lock will work well, again, rear wheel, locks on the front are more easily defeated, take my word for it. Cheaper disc locks can be quietly, well, we’ll leave it at that, cheap ones can be defeated in silence.”

“Lo-jack and Lo-Jack w/early warning are pretty good at recovering the bikes from amateurs and semi-pros, but someone who knows what they are doing will remove the lojack system quickly after clearing the area. Still someone even more professional (surprisingly rare) will have somewhere to check/store/breakdown the bike that is rf shielded. The problem with lo-jack is that it doesn’t keep someone from stealing the bike. Even if you get it back in one piece without the police crashing into your bike to catch the thief you’ll still likely have a broken upper triple, damage to the neck of your frame (Steering lock), damage to your ignition, damage to the tank lock, possible damage to the tank itself (rareish) possible damage to the trunk lock , and then your insurance company might **** you too. It’s much better to not get the bike stolen in the first place. So in addition to lo-jack you want some sort of VISIBLE passive devices to make the thief move on. The paging alarms are somewhat effective, but they aren’t linked to the police. Removing electronic devices is obviously more of a mental challenge than a physical one. The quality of the install is a huge factor here. Hide the lo-jack or alarm in or under the airbox and all the wiring within the factory looms and you’ll have a good set up. However, almost NO dealer tech is this thorough. It’s not his bike, why would he go the extra mile?”

Best locks: “Of the dozens of [thieves] I knew over the years I only came across one like this, but I knew someone that had a pair of bolt-cutters that weighed a lot, more than a 45lb plate at the gym, and had replaceable cryogenically hardened teeth. They cost several hundred dollars. The high dollar chain lock sets $150+ are worth it. Even the high dollar braided cable locks are good. They can be cut, but it’s a pretty time consuming process.”

What makes you pass over a bike? “Personally, if it’s rashed up, looks cosmetically rough, but mechanically sound. Say grips are worn, been dropped on both sides, but the chain is clean and well-adjusted, tires worn hard on the edges, has any signs of safety-wiring for the track etc. It’s lack of value isn’t what I’m looking it. It would remind me of myself once upon a time. I think that’s probably all he’s got, his whole world, it’s not pretty, but he rides the piss out of it. He gets a pass.”

“More for most people, just what takes time. I’ve known very very few stone cold guys that can sit there for an hour working on a bike. Most people will give it a few seconds, maybe a couple minutes, and if they can’t get it they are gone. What is only seconds feels like an eternity when your freedom and life are on the line. Quality disc lock on the rear wheel, quality chain and lock, lockable bike cover and theft coverage on your insurance. For me, lo-jack isn’t worth the cost. It’s more expensive than theft coverage and after a thief has had his way with the bike I don’t want it back. All can fit in a back pack and aren’t much of a hassle to carry. Never leave it outside very long day or night.”

Security tips: “If you’re temporarily parked outside somewhere a good little FREE anti-theft trick, bring a stubby flathead with you and remove your clutch lever. No clutch lever and they aren’t riding anywhere. Of course if you do this every night outside your apartment they’ll just come back with their own clutch lever.”

“LOCK YOUR ****ING STEERING – DON’T LEAVE YOUR SPARE KEY IN YOUR TRUNK. I can open your trunk with a butter knife, don’t leave me your ****ing key in there, jesus. Happens more often than you think. Also, don’t leave your TITLE in the trunk, i’ve seen this too often too. Steering locks aren’t that hard to bypass, but they aren’t THAT easy either. Sometimes you get the freak one that doesn’t want to break and you’ll need to come back with a second person. In that time maybe the owner sees the bike and the thief doesn’t get it. Had it been unlocked the bike would be gone.”

“Again, if you park outside of an apartment and your bike gets stolen, rent a ****ing garage or self-storage unit near by to use as a garage. The thief is just going to wait a couple weeks for insurance to replace your bike and come back to check. If someone tries and fails to get your bike the same thing applies. Move it, they WILL be back.”

How much do you earn per bike? “It varies depending on yr/make/model/condition. About 10-12 years ago there was an out of state buyer we used to crate bikes to that had the ability to create titles for them who paid $3500 for near new 1000cc supersports. 1,000-1,500 is more typical for super sports. Harleys vary quite a bit depending on model and options, from 1,000 for a basic late model sportster to several thousand for a highly optioned fat boy, road king etc.”

Ride ‘em or van ‘em? “There is this common misconception that a few guys load bikes into trucks and vans. The people who get CAUGHT load bikes into trucks and vans. Your career will be very short if you’re loading a 185mph rocket (that likely has a tracking system) that will outrun the police into the back of an 85mph van that will take you to the scene of your arrest. If you can’t start the bike and ride off then you damn sure can’t find and remove lojack.”

“In 10-15 years I’ve known a couple dozen thieves and only one that was foolish enough to load bikes into a truck or van for any length of time. He learned to wire them after he was caught, twice, lol.”

“I was taught to never ride a hot bike anywhere you didn’t absolutely have to and to ride strictly by the letter of the law. You don’t get it if you don’t have somewhere to take it, you don’t ride like a jackass and risk your money/freedom, it’s not a bike, it’s a job, and it’s payday. Generally you got the bike, rode it straight to your destination, and broke it down.”

A final word: “The majority of thieves aren’t that smart and half of those are on drugs, please don’t be dumber than they are.”

 

[wino]

Stoner takes championship lead with win at Estoril


Sunday, 6 May 2012
Repsol Honda Team’s Casey Stoner made it two wins in a row to take the lead in the MotoGP™ championship with victory at the Grande Prémio de Portugal Circuito Estoril.
The Repsol Honda Team pair of Dani Pedrosa and Stoner gave the crowd action from the start, as the two touched fairings going into turn one, with Stoner taking the lead into turn two. Factory Yamaha Team’s Jorge Lorenzo took full advantage of this to sneak into second to hunt down the Australian, who was soon pulling out a gap.
Lorenzo’s teammate Spies, who had been in fourth, ran wide early on to drop back down the order into seventh, with Ducati Team’s Valentino Rossi on his tail. Meanwhile, four laps in, Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Andrea Dovizioso pushed past his teammate Cal Crutchlow to go into fourth place behind Pedrosa.
With 21 laps to go, Lorenzo and Pedrosa were chipping away at Stoner’s lead, as they closed the gap to just under one second. On the same lap, Crutchlow ran wide in the first turn whilst trying to outbreak his Italian teammate, yet managed to retain his position, as the pair continued their lonely battle for fourth.
With 16 laps to go Speed Master’s CRT entry Mattia Pasini crashed out as he lost the front of his ART machine, while at the same time Avintia Blusens’ Iván Silva retired after suffering too much pain from his warm-up crash.
At the halfway point of the race, Lorenzo had closed in on Stoner, while his Yamaha teammate made it past LCR Honda MotoGP’s Stefan Bradl to take eighth. Avintia Blusens’ day went from bad to worse, as Yonny Hernandez crashed out with 11 laps to go, yet walking away unscathed.
Paul Bird Motorsport’s difficult start to the season also continued, as Briton James Ellison pulled into the pits nine laps before the end with a mechanical issue on his ART bike. Cardion AB Racing´s Karel Abraham suffered a crash five laps from the end, making this the third Grand Prix in succession he has not been able to finish.
With the battle between the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 pair hotting up towards the end, Crutchlow was desperate to get past the Italian, but once again forced his bike off track. Further down the field, Bradl had re-taken Spies for eighth, though the American soon fought back.
Three laps before the end, just as Lorenzo seemed to be catching Stoner, the Australian put the hammer down to open the gap to more than a second once more. At the end it was Stoner who took the checker flag in front of Lorenzo and his Repsol teammate Pedrosa. Stoner has now won a race at every single track on the MotoGP calendar in the premier-class.
Andrea Dovizioso held off the late charge from Crutchlow to take fourth, finishing in front of his teammate for the first time this season. San Carlo Honda Gresini’s Álvaro Bautista put in a solid performance as he held sixth position from start to finish, in what was a lonely race for the Spaniard. Valentino Rossi claimed his best finish of the season in seventh, beating Yamaha’s Ben Spies, who did not manage to recover from a difficult start to the race. LCR’s Stefan Bradl finished in ninth, whilst Pramac Racing’s Héctor Barberá rounded out the top ten. Power Electronics Aspar’s Espargaró took top CRT spot for a second race in succession.
The MotoGP grid will be out on track at Estoril tomorrow morning at 10am local time for the first in-season test of the 2012 MotoGP World Championship.



Sykes Takes A Spectacular First Win Of The Season
WSBK, Monza, Italy, 6 May 2012
There was no stopping Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) at Monza as he scored a clear win in the only SBK race to be completed today, thanks to weather conditions that constantly changed.

With the first race cancelled, the second race was delayed to let the track dry in some sections but at the green light Sykes set an unmatchable pace and soon put half the length of the straight between his Ninja ZX-10R and his pursuers. By the time the rains came back and the red flag came out to stop the race Tom had amassed a 9.709 second lead over a six rider group behind him.

Tom’s victory goes down in history as a full and well-deserved one, but because of the shortened race distance only half points were awarded to all the riders who scored today.

Sykes and his team had opted for a slick tyre set-up on the drying track, soft on front and rear, and the choice worked perfectly. This was Sykes’ second victory for Kawasaki in SBK racing, and his first in the 2012 season. The final result of his Monza win is that he closed up on the championship leaders, and is now only six points behind Max Biaggi, and four behind Carlos Checa.

New rider for Monza, Sergio Gadea (Kawasaki Racing Team), fell in the attempted first race after the rains started and his bike was damaged enough to not make it to the second race.

Team Pedercini Kawasaki rider David Salom suffered what was at first thought to be a broken left collarbone when he crashed in the first running of the cancelled race one, but it was later diagnosed as a dislocated left shoulder. His team-mate Tati Mercado scored 16th place in the race and just missed out on a points score by a tenth of a second.

Kawasaki secured a podium in the first race of the day, the Superstock 1000 FIM Cup, thanks to Christoffer Bergman (BWG Racing Kawasaki), who finished second. Team Pedercini Kawasaki Superstock 1000 FIM Cup rider Bryan Staring did not make the race after suffering little finger injuries on Saturday, but Jeremy Guarnoni, his team-mate, scored a strong ninth. Loris Baz fell from his MRS Kawasaki and no-scored.

Tom Sykes: “My second win for Kawasaki but my first this year and it was nice to get that one under the belt. It is a shame that it is only half points but we put on a good show in eight laps and I hope I put on a good show for the Italian fans. This was my first podium at Monza so that is good and the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R has been working fantastically well. Conditions have often been very bad so there has been a lot of talk and other things going on but it has been my job to keep focused. From the green light the feedback on my bike was fantastic and I was able to go about my business in a good way and keep out of trouble. I had a great start and got myself into the lead and as Elvis once said, “It’s now or never." We went for it and every lap the bike was getting better, the track conditions better and I was confident with our package today that we could do a good race distance.”

Sergio Gadea: “My first time on a 1000cc bike and I was very happy with the team, the bike and all things. The bike is very powerful. I enjoyed racing in this championship. I fell in the first race on lap three when it started to rain and we could not get out again for race two.”
Sofuoglu Ten Points Clear After Podium At Monza

WSS, Monza, Italy, 6 May 2012
Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki DeltaFin Lorenzini) survived an early scare and a treacherous track surface to take third place at Monza, and in doing so put himself into a clear championship lead.

Sofuoglu fell on the wet warm-up lap and had to compose himself before the 16-lap race got underway. Despite having less than perfect preparation for full wet conditions he rode with confidence, despite slipping back at the halfway point, but he hunted down Imre Toth to secure his podium and 16 very welcome points.

He is now ten points ahead of Sam Lowes, who was second today behind race winner Jules Cluzel, with 61 points to the English rider’s 51. Former joint leader Fabien Foret (Kawasaki Intermoto Step) was only 12th today in truly horrible track conditions and this Fabien is now third in the points, with 49.

Sheridan Morais (Kawasaki DeltaFin Lorenzini) was in a good position until a slippery patch claimed him and he was highsided off. He was lucky to not be injured as his bike bounced back out onto the track after hitting the barriers and he will be ready to race again at Donington next weekend. Sheridan is now 13th in the points, with 17.

Kenan Sofuoglu: “I was happy in dry conditions and everything was perfect with our set-up for that. We did not make a really wet practice; only for the last five minutes when the track was wet. We tried something in the morning for those conditions and it worked out. I was just hoping we could get really good points before the race, even in wet conditions, but then I crashed on the warm-up lap. I crashed too easily and I was thinking that there was no grip on the track. At the beginning of the race I was too slow, after half the race I was getting the speed up but already Cluzel and Lowes had pulled a big gap. I knew third position was possible so lap-by-lap I caught up with Toth and passed him for good points. I think we should be quite happy to get this kind of results in these conditions.”

Sheridan Morais: “It was dodgy conditions but the thing we are worried about the most was standing water, but that did not seem to be much of a problem. We had only been able to do a few laps in wet conditions but in the race there we not too many issues. Unfortunately I had a bit of a highside and that put me out but I was feeling pretty good before that. The bike came back out of the barrier and hit me pretty hard, so I am banged and bruised up but luckily nothing is broken.”

 

[wino]

nice save on the CRT bike

 

[Anon420x]

Stoner takes first ever Jerez victory in epic race

-Sent from my Desire HD-

 

[sincisor]

 

[wino]

Vermeulen in for Edwards at Le Mans


Wednesday, 9 May 2012
Australian Chris Vermeulen has been confirmed as the rider replacing the injured Colin Edwards at the forthcoming Le Mans round of the MotoGP™ championship for the NGM Mobile Forward Racing team. Edwards is set to return in four weeks time at Catalunya.
Vermeulen, known for his wet weather prowess, has four years previous experience in MotoGP with the Suzuki factory team from 2006 until 2009, during which he achieved three pole positions, and took Suzuki’s only premier-class four-stroke win at Le Mans in 2007.
Edwards, who broke his left collarbone during a crash in Estoril qualifying last weekend, has left the Instituto Unversitario DEXEUS in Barcelona after successful surgery, and is on his way home to the USA. His consulting surgeon Doctor Javier Mir has advised him to not race again until the Catalunya Grad Prix (1st to 3rd June). This is in part due to the American having broken the same bone four times before, meaning that the recovery should not be rushed. He will begin physical therapy in about a week.
Chris Vermeulen
“First of all I would like to wish Colin a speedy recovery. I am grateful to have the opportunity to race back in MotoGP with the NGM Mobile Forward Racing team. I am looking forward to my first time on the bike being at Le Mans, a circuit that holds great memories for me including a Victory in 2007. I am excited to be racing at the top level of motorcycling again and look forward to working with the team.”
Marco Curioni – Managing Director
“In this unfortunate situation that sees Colin Edwards unable to race until the Catalunya GP, we take the opportunity to involve Chris Vermeulen in the team for the Le Mans GP. Several members of the team have previously worked with him and I believe that Chris will immediately find a good feeling with the team. Vermeulen is an expert rider in MotoGP with experience working with the electronics and the correct use of the tires, which are two areas in which we are currently working. Chris has previously won at Le Mans and knows the track well. I would like to wish Chris good luck and send all my best wishes for a quick recovery to Colin, who is on his way back home.”

 

[wino]

another pole yeah great. Lets see some wins FELLA !!

Four To The Floor As Sykes Gets Into Gear Again In Superpole

WSBK, Donington Park, Europe, 12 May 2012
Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) took his fourth Superpole win of the 2012 season today at Donington after setting a new track best lap of 1’27.716 in Superpole Three.

Sykes has only had to relinquish the Superpole prize once this season and put his latest success down to his team finding the right set-up on his Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R for Tom to make the best use of a qualifying tyre in the very last session of the day.

In terms of race pace Sykes is happy with his machine set-up and feels he can make two good races on Sunday, irrespective of which tyre he and his team opt to use.

Loris Baz, Tom’s new team-mate, had a good introduction to the highly competitive Superbike World Championship in practice and qualifying, and only missed out on qualifying for Superpole by two places and a coupe of tenths of a second. He was just less than 1.5 seconds from the very best combined qualifying time and now starts the races on Sunday from 18th grid spot, with five riders starting behind him.

Kawasaki Team Pedercini regular rider Leandro Mercado qualified 22nd after falling in the second qualifying session while his new team-mate for the weekend, Gary Mason, was 23rd. This is Mason’s first SBK race experience.

Tom Sykes: “I am looking forward to tomorrow and we can use any rear tyre. It is just a matter of how we feel, what the conditions are and we will take it from there. The track here feels bumpier this year, some of the white lines are greasy, and it feels like more of a challenge. At the start of the weekend we had quite a harsh feeling with the set-up on the bike but we have improved it. You have to get every last bit out of the motorcycle. I was missing a bit of feeling but we kept working in Superpole 1 and 2, making some very small changes and finally in Superpole 3 those changes made all the difference. Small things make a difference at this level. I’m confident with the race set-up and hopefully we can have some good consistent weather to put on a good show for spectators. It was also nice to get the pole award from Roger Burnett who scored the first ever SBK pole right here at Donington. Twenty-five years on it’s happened to me!”

Loris Baz: “I think things have gone quite well so far and step by step I have been learning the bike. It took some time to get a good feeling on the Superbike, especially from the front, but I found it today. Qualifying went well, I think. I was 18th and only 1.5 seconds from the fastest lap after combined qualifying, so I think that is really good for my first time at a race on the bike. In the final free session I matched my fastest time from the morning qualifying session and then we put on a harder rear tyre, but I crashed in the last corner. That is a shame as I feel I could have improved my best time again in that session. I have no objective for raceday, if I finish 20th I will be happy and if I finish 15th or better I will be really happy!”

 

[wino]

 

[wino]

if you watched the races above you will know just how good a pic this is.

 

[wino]

http://www.leonhardtweb.de/en/gunbus/design.htm

 

[wino]

MOTOGP »

Suzuki-powered CRT for Indy MotoGP
Second CRT wild-card entry announced for Indianapolis MotoGP
A Suzuki-powered CRT machine has been granted a wild-card entry for August's Indianapolis MotoGP.

The entry has been announced by GPtech, which has contracted BCL Motorsports to design a frame with Vesrah Suzuki/MCJ Motorsports a technical partner on the project.

The frame is manufactured from billet aluminum and designed to accept a Suzuki GSX-R 1000 engine.

The project has been in the works since January and, 'quietly moving forward until a grid spot was guaranteed. A shortlist of submitted acceptable riders is soon to follow'.

“The new CRT rules have allowed us the freedom to develop a complete program that is worthy of being on the Moto GP gridm” said GPtech owner Geoff Maloney. “A big thanks goes out to everyone behind the scenes helping!”

The bike looks like being the first CRT MotoGP race machine to feature a Suzuki engine. The full time 2012 CRTs are powered by Aprilia, BMW, Honda and Kawasaki engines.

“Being able to develop a Suzuki GSX-R 1000 engine under the CRT rules of MotoGP is a huge opportunity and I look forward to building a competitive engine package,” said Mark Junge, owner of Vesrah Suzuki/MCJ Motorsports.

The FIM recently announced that wild-card MotoGP entries will be allowed a generous three engines per event, compared with six per season for each full time prototype rider and twelve per season for CRT riders.

Attack Performance has already announced that it will enter both American rounds, at Laguna Seca from July 27-29 and Indianapolis from August 17-19.
GPtech and Attack are the only wild-card MotoGP entries so far announced for the 2012 season, the first year of the new 1000cc and CRT era.


a few more pics from donnington

 

[wino]

Joan Lascorz Medical Condition Update: 17 May 2012

Newsflash, 17 May 2012
Following the accident at Imola on April 2nd, Joan Lascorz has completed his initial recovery at the University Hospital Vall d'Hebron and has now been transferred to the Guttman Institute.

After the last statement issued on April 27, Joan has been recovering respiratory capacity after post-traumatic complications after the accident.

A few days ago the medical team at Hospital Vall d'Hebron withdrew the cannula tracheostomy thanks to good performance of Joan’s respiratory system. Joan remains fully conscious, talking, without any mental consequences and remembers all the Imola crash, which in due time will be analyzed and explained.

Joan has sensitivity and mobility in his arms and hands, but right now has no feeling in the legs or the abdominal area,

After the doctors and therapists have checked him at the Guttman Institute a detailed medical statement will be issued to explain the full extent of his severe spinal cord injury and his potential recovery.

The team and Joan want to pass on their thanks to all doctors and nurses of Vall d'Hebron for their dedication and attention to Joan.

Again Joan and its family would like to thank everyone for outpouring of support that has been evident during this time. Especially those of all his peers, as was demonstrated by all superbike riders both in Monza and Donington, Sykes, Haslam, Melandri, etc.

Also Lorenzo, Espargaró, Marquez and all the riders that showed support and had Joan's symbol in their fairings and helmets in the last MotoGP race. It was very emotional to see Espargaró and Marquez fighting for victory in the last GP of Portugal, with tributes to Joan in the screens of the two fairings. To them, to all the teams and everyone who cares every day about the situation of Joan, thank you very much.

Sincerely

Provec Racing with Kawasaki Racing Team

 

[wino]

MOTOGP »

Casey Stoner to retire from MotoGP!
Casey Stoner, the most successful MotoGP rider since 2006, is to retire at the end of this season.

​

Reigning double world champion Casey Stoner has made the shock announcement that he will retire from MotoGP at the end of the 2012 season.

The 26-year-old, who vehemently denied retirement rumours at the previous Estoril round, made the announcement during the pre-event press conference for this weekend's French Grand Prix at Le Mans (pictured).

The Australian has been a full time grand prix rider since 2002, winning races twice in 125cc, five times in 250cc and 35 times since moving to MotoGP in 2006.

Stoner won Ducati's only MotoGP title at his first attempt in 2007, then claimed a second world crown after switching to Repsol Honda for 2011.

Stoner, who currently leads the 2012 standings by one point over Yamaha's Jorge Lorenzo, became a father for the first time just before the start of this season.

"Afternoon everyone," Stoner began. "Basically this has come after a lot of time thinking, a lot of time talking to my family and my wife, and this has been coming for a couple of years now.

"But at the end of this 2012 season I will be not racing in the 2013 Championship. I will be finishing my career at the end of this season in MotoGP, and go forward in different things in my life.

"After so many years of doing the sport which I love, and which myself and my family made so many sacrifices for, after so many years of trying to get to where we have gotten to at this point, this sport has changed a lot and it has changed to the point where I am not enjoying it.

"I don't have the passion for it and so at this time it's better if I retire now.

"There are a lot of things that have disappointed me, and also a lot of things I have loved about this sport, but unfortunately the balance has gone in the wrong direction.


"And so, basically, we won't be continuing any more. It would be nice if I could say I would stay just one more year, but then when does it stop? So we decided to finish everything as we are now.

"It's not going to change anything for this season," Stoner added. "I'm still going to put in every bit of effort that we can. We still want to win races and have some great races with these riders alongside me [at the conference]."

Seven time MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi used the same press conference to again insist that he will race on for at least another two years, despite a report in the UK's Daily Telegraph claiming he would retire at the end of 2012.

Rossi and fellow world champion Lorenzo both said they were surprised by the news and that Stoner's departure will be a big loss for MotoGP.

All of the top riders are out of contract at the end of this season and Honda - without a title for four years prior to Stoner's arrival - must now try and find a replacement.

Stoner's team-mate Dani Pedrosa is third in the championship, and almost certain to be retained given Stoner's announcement.

Repsol Moto2 star Marc Marquez is expected to move to MotoGP next year, but - like all rookies - will not be able to ride for a factory team.

Will Honda now mount a determined pursuit of Lorenzo, or even Rossi, to fill the void?

Stoner (35 wins), Rossi (21), Lorenzo (18) and Dani Pedrosa (13) are the only riders to have claimed more than one race victory since the start of the 800cc era in 2007. MotoGP switched to 1000cc bikes for this year.

Beyond bikes, Stoner has previously expressed an interest in Australia's V8 Supercar Championship and drove Craig Lowndes' TeamVodafone machine during a private test last December.

Loris Capirossi, who retired last year, is the only rider other than Stoner to have taken a MotoGP victory for Ducati since 2007 - the Italian scoring a wet/dry win at Motegi that year.

Ducati have taken just two podiums since Stoner's departure, Rossi's ongoing struggles with the Desmosedici exposing the true level of Stoner's incredible talent.

Earlier this month, Stoner rejected the initial retirement report in the Spanish media, saying it was "just another rumour".

He added: "I've said in the past that I'm not going to keep riding until my mid 30s. But I haven't decided what I'm doing, so certainly no-one else is going to know.

"Until you hear it out of my mouth then don't believe anything you read."

Few expected to hear the retirement words from Stoner just two weeks' later.



DAMM !!

 

[magoo]

It is a sad day that you anounce your retirement Stoner, but just one more time I want to see you like this.......

I was there man, and now this year we will be back to farewell you. Keep an eye out for Wino, he will be there too.
Goooooo Stoner.

 

[wino]

Tough outing for Vermeulen at Le Mans


Monday, 21 May 2012
Chris Vermeulen, who was standing in for the injured Colin Edwards at Le Mans, endured a difficult race at the soaking wet French track, finishing in 18th.
The NGM Mobile Forward Racing Team rider fell foul of the elements, as he was forced to pit halfway through the race with a helmet problem. He subsequently managed to re-join and finish the race, to help collect valuable date for the still relatively new Suter-BMW machine. The team took the opportunity to test the bike’s wet weather set-up and work on the electronics package, which is currently the bike’s main area for improvement.
Chris Vermeulen
"The race conditions today were very difficult but we had to go out and do it. For me it was a long time ago since I rode in the rain. I think that that for the bike and the team, they have limited experience in these conditions. Early on it was raining a lot and was very cold, making it was difficult to generate heat into the tires and we struggled a lot. The more laps we did and as the track dried a little bit, it suited our setting a lot more and I was able to go reasonably fast. At some point I was close to be as quick as any of the other CRT bikes during the race. I had to pit in because I had some vision problems with my helmet. It was unfortunate that it happened, it really affected our race. Its been a log time since I have ridden in the rain but I was glad to be back racing in MotoGP and hopefully the information we gave to the team and Suter can help for the future."
Kornelis Veldeman – Crew Chief
"It was hard for us to race in the rain today. We had some issues this morning during the warm up, we did solve most of it but made a mistake with the suspension. We made a small change in the suspension, which proved to be taking us in the wrong direction, making it difficult to get the heat in the tire. Only after five laps the heat came in giving it temperature. Lap times were dropping but at that point we were already a couple of second behind the last rider. Chris also had to come in because of trouble with his helmet and we lost too much time. In the end we could say that this was a good test and we have now more data to work on for the next race."
Giovanni Cuzari – Team Owner/CEO
"A lot of work has been done in the development and test of the new electronics, as well as gathering of important data in wet conditions that will be useful for Colin. The only "regret" is that this race could have ended in a better result given Chris Vermeulen´s improvement in lap times. I would like to thank Chris for joining the team this weekend and for helping us improve our CRT."

 

[wino]

Sounds like a plan Magoo. I wonder if DOA will make the trip ?

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[wino]

well it's that time of year again to visit the IOM here's a linnk to prolly the best page I know. And if you are really interested you can also get live time thru this page as well.

It would be great If Guy could crack it this year and even better when Rosie comes thru with a sig for me too Wino, carn girl i know ya can do it.

http://www.iomtt.com/News/2012/05/26/The-2012-Isle-of-Man-TT-fuelled-by-Monster-Energy-is-here.aspx

 

[wino]

Gran Premi Aperol de Catalunya – Racing Numbers


Thursday, 31 May 2012
On the eve of the Gran Premi Aperol de Catalunya, motogp.com brings you some interesting facts and figures to get your trivia up to date.
100 – At the Catalunya Grand Prix, French rider Alexis Masbou makes his 100th Grand Prix start, all of which have been in the lightweight class. Masbou celebrates his 25th birthday on the day of qualifying at the Catalan Grand Prix.
53 years – On race day at the Catalan Grand Prix it will be exactly 53 years ago to the day that Honda made their debut in the world championship series at the Isle of Man TT races in 1959. The best result achieved by the five Honda riders entered in the races was 6th by Naomi Taniguchi.
19 – Casey Stoner’s third place finish at Le Mans was the 19th successive race at which he has stood on the podium. Only two riders have had longer runs of successive podium finishes in the premier-class: Valentino Rossi who finished on the podium at 23 successive races and Giacomo Agostini with 22 successive podiums.
11th – James Ellison’s 11th place finish at the French Grand Prix is the best result so far in MotoGP for a rider on a CRT machine.
7 – At Le Mans, Louis Rossi became the seventh French rider to win a Grand Prix in the lightweight GP class, joining: Jean Aureal, Guy Bertin, Mike di Meglio, Jean-Claude Selini, Arnaud Vincent and Johann Zarco.
5th – Stefan Bradl’s fifth place finish at the French Grand Prix is the best result by a non-factory Honda since Hiroshi Aoyama was 4th at the Spanish Grand Prix last year.
5 – At the French GP Valentino Rossi finished on the podium for the first time on the Ducati since the engine capacity limit has been increased to 1000cc. Rossi has now finished on the podium in MotoGP on five different bikes: 990cc Honda, 990cc Yamaha, 800cc Yamaha, 800cc Ducati and 1000cc Ducati.
4 – The first four races of the new Moto3 class have resulted in four different winners and each one of a different nationality.
4 – Casey Stoner has won the last four MotoGP races held in Spain; in Catalunya, Aragon and Valencia last year, and at Jerez earlier this year.
3 – After just four Moto3 races of the season there are only three riders who have scored points at all four races; Sandro Cortese, Alex Rins and Alberto Moncayo.
2nd – Prior to Valentino Rossi’s second place finish at Le Mans, Casey Stoner was the only rider to finish either first or second on a Ducati since Toni Elias was second at Brno in 2008.

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