Two Wheels

[wino]

Aoyama collects award in Japan

Thursday, 2 December 2010
The MotoGP rider picked up a Sporting Merit Award in Tokyo this week in recognition of his 2009 250cc World Championship title.




MotoGP rider Hiroshi Aoyama attended the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science & Technology earlier this week to collect a Sporting Merit Award in recognition of his 2009 250cc World Championship title.
The 29 year-old became only the second World Championship rider to receive the award after Daijiro Kato collected the prize in 2001, and only the third motorcyclist to obtain the honour, the last being trial biker Takahisa Fujinami in 2004.
Alberto Puig was also recognised for his role in Aoyama’s career as the rider’s manager, coach and mentor, whilst World Champions from other sports such as gymnastics, judo and figure skating were also honoured by the Ministry

 

[wino]

Xtrac shows seamless gearchange alternative to dual clutch transmission


After two years secret development in motorsport competition, Xtrac unveiled an important new driveline technology this week in the form of an Instantaneous Gearchange System (IGS). It does exactly the same thing a dual clutch transmission achieves with less weight, cost, and complexity. The secret to Xtrac IGS is the integration of a ratchet and pawl mechanism between each gear hub and the main shaft so that two consecutive gear ratios can be selected and engaged simultaneously, but with only one set of gears driving.
Conventional gearboxes have always had some serious problems associated with needing to interrupt engine torque in order to change gear. Apart from increasing fuel usage, hydrocarbon and CO2 emissions, momentarily cutting power delivery to the rear wheels obviously also reduces performance.
Porsche was the first to develop an answer to this problem with its Doppelkupplungsgetriebe (dual clutch transmission - DCT) and the DCT is now in common usage in cars and has just been applied to motorcycles for the first time by Honda.
Size, weight and complexity are the main drawbacks of the DCT. Now motorsport transmission specialist Xtrac has applied its high performance engineering skills to design and develop a seamless gearchange known as IGS or Instantaneous Gearchange System. IGS is small, lightweight, and is now ready for commercial development in motorcycles, electric vehicles, cars, trucks and buses. IGS was unveiled this week in Berlin at the International CTI Symposium “Innovative Automotive Transmissions Hybrid & Electric Drives”.
The secret to Xtrac IGS is the integration of a ratchet and pawl mechanism between each gear hub and the main shaft so that two consecutive gear ratios can be selected and engaged simultaneously, but with only one set of gears driving.
“When introducing new technology to the automotive mainstream it’s important to have progressed beyond the initial research and development phase,” said Xtrac Technical Director Adrian Moore.
“Car makers like to see practical demonstrations to show that the technology actually works and is more than a concept. With our motorsport experience we have the advantage of two years of racing IGS with professional teams.”
IGS is protected by worldwide patents, and the company reports that initial development will focus on improving the efficiency of electric vehicle powertrains. Xtrac has considerable experience in the design and manufacture of transmission systems for experimental, prototype, pre-production and specialist low volume vehicles, and a study is already underway to implement IGS into a two-speed EV transmission with the aim of ensuring the optimum performance of the vehicle.
Xtrac is based in Berkshire, UK, with satellite motorsport operations in located at Indianapolis and North Carolina in the United States. Its gearboxes, differentials and driveline components are used in Formula One, IndyCar, Touring Car, Rallying, Rally Raid, GRAND-AM and Le Mans sportscar racing.

 

[wino]

C3 X132 Hellcat: the toughest, lightest, fastest AND cheapest Confederate streetbike ever

We see grandiose press releases every day here at Gizmag – but few of them use language which tickles us as much as Confederate's recent missive promoting its new C3 X132 Hellcat. How's this passage for an example: "This C3 Hellcat has the highest rear wheel torque to weight ratio, compared anywhere throughout the operating RPM range, in all of motordom, by far." Dig into 'em, those words are bold, aggressive and unmistakably American – much like the cyber-brute bikes that come out of the Confederate factory. So let's take a quick look at the Hellcat, which is at once the fastest, toughest, lightest and cheapest bike this bunch of Alabama madmen have ever produced.
You have to celebrate the sheer purity of vision in evidence at Confederate – no other manufacturer in the world is pushing out anything remotely like Confederate's Wraith, Fighter Combat and Hellcat models. This is motorcycling at its most raw and visceral – a celebration of metalwork and muscle and a monument to American individualism. It's vastly different to the rest of the motorcycling world and you're invited to kiss its rear hugger if you don't like it.
The new C3 X132 Hellcat takes Founder and CEO Matt Chambers' concept of the perfect motorcycle another step forward.
Chambers believes a bike needs to be "tough" – in every sense of the word. There's no doubt that the C3 Hellcat has this wrapped up in the appearance stakes; it's all gleaming motor and wheels, with a squat, fat, painful-looking seat the only nod to comfort.
But in functional terms, Chambers believes the C3 is nigh on unbreakable: "We have definitely made the toughest, most indestructible, long lasting motorcycle it is possible to create." He goes on to give examples: the 43-pound (19.5-kg), once-piece forged hard steel crankshaft, the 6061 aircraft grade aluminum engine cases, a front engine mount that's ten times the size of anything else in the motorcycle world, and a rear swingarm pivot that "could literally pull a train of a thousand cars."

 

[sincisor]

i dunno... i like these. http://www.nortonmotorcycles.com/bikes/Norton Commando 961SE/

 

[wino]

the do look great ^

 

[sincisor]

i have a 1984 Yamaha Rz350 Two Stroke Kenny Roberts edition streetbike i restored from boxes and bolts. all aluminum re-anodized, powdercoat paint, even the engine, restored plastics.. totally rebuilt. it looks new. it'll probably never be ridden by me. i'll keep it or sell it to a collector maybe. she's a little dusty and doesn't have the exhaust yet..

 

[wino]

Very nice ! keep it give ti to the grandchildren


This is one GP team I wish would get it's shit together and as a company were dumb enough to tell Mr. Scwhantz to go away, he did to Honda.

sirry iirrots

Álvaro Bautista: 2010 season review

Wednesday, 8 December 2010
motogp.com looks back over the campaign of each premier class rider with a video which compiles the most pivotal moments of their year.


Álvaro Bautista: 2010 reviewed
Another rookie in the premier class for 2010 Rizla Suzuki’s Álvaro Bautista encountered an eventful debut campaign which had considerable highs and some trying moments for the former 125cc World Champion.
A baptism of fire saw Bautista crash out in Qatar and after recovering with a top-ten finish at Jerez a motocross training accident prior to Le Mans meant he missed Round 3 and faced a fight to regain his fitness, following a fractured collarbone.
Bautista responded and after reaching a more comfortable level on the GSV-R scored a fifth-placed finish at Catalunya. A tough run of races after saw him fail to finish three in a row, but six top-ten finishes in the final eight rounds – including fifth at Sepang – served notice of the potential which he will hope to capitalise on further next year.
Remaining with Suzuki in 2011 Bautista will continue what was a promising progression in 2010, one which you can review in the attached motogp.com video.

 

[wino]

Lascorz Tastes Ninja ZX-10R Power at Almeria

Newsflash, 7 December 2010
Joan Lascorz (Kawasaki Racing Team) enjoyed his first ride on the 2011 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R racebike in Spain recently and he was joined on track by Kawasaki WSS riders Broc Parkes and David Salom.

Joan was impressed by his new machine and enjoyed his transition to a new racing class, having been a championship contender for Kawasaki in the Supersport World Championship category this year. Despite suffering multiple injuries in a crash in early August, Joan finished third overall and is now almost back to full fitness.

Joan completed his first Superbike test with his initial goals all achieved and at a steadily increasing pace as he prepares for his first season of WSBK competition in 2011. Only the weather was an issue at times, leaving Joan and his crew having to wait for windows of clear conditions to arrive each day.

Alongside Joan, Broc Parkes and David Salom from the Provec Motocard.com Kawasaki Supersport World Championship team, also tested the latest developments on their Ninja ZX-6R race machines. The sessions were finally completed on Friday 3 December, with both Salom and Parkes able to make progress towards finding a strong base set-up.

Joan Lascorz: “I felt very good at this test but I must get a little more strength back to push the bike to his limits. My first impression of the bike is very positive and it delivers power in a good way. On the first day I made a few laps, on the second day a few more and on the last day I felt much happier, and did even more laps than before. I had a much better feeling from the bike also. For the moment I have to ride around my lack of strength but otherwise it all went OK. I have a few weeks to go before the Sepang test so I am working on improving my condition to let me go faster on the bike. For sure I will be ready for the first race.”

WSS Riders
Broc Parkes: “We had to take a couple of extra days of testing, and we only got a few hours each day in any case. It was windy and sometimes rainy, but we got to test the 2011 spec machine, which we had set out to do. The only trouble was that it was really cold, so you could only push so far in those conditions. We got a good base set-up for the next tests but the conditions were a little bit difficult at this one.”

David Salom: “Our test was very good, despite the weather. We worked a lot on the set-up and everybody seemed happy, so we have a good feeling already as we approach next year. The weather always changed, rain, wind, dry - very mixed - but we made some progress which was the point of having the test.”

 

[wino]

HRC MotoGP test at Sepang ends 2010 on-track development work

Friday, 17 December 2010
The HRC MotoGP test team brought curtain down on the 2010 season on-track when they wrapped up the three-day test at Sepang Malaysia today. The test session was scheduled to end yesterday but was extended to include a three-hour session this morning due to time last to heavy rain yesterday afternoon.




The test team and HRC test rider Kousuke Akiyoshi were happy with the data gleaned while verifying information and technical data gathered at the last team test session, held at Valencia in early November.
The HRC test was also a happy experience for Ten Kate Honda World Superbike team rider Jonathan Rea. The Ulsterman was given the opportunity to test the RC212V as a reward for his WSB performances in 2010. Race completed the test alongside Akiyoshi running for 40 laps in fine sunny weather with temperatures close on 30 degrees for the morning session.
Rea said of his first MotoGP experience. "Riding the RC212V has been an unbelievable experience for me! A four days test is a dream that became true and I am really happy that HRC invited me here in Sepang. Yesterday the rain didn't allow us to be on track that much and we stayed one more day. Today I start feeling the bike is "my bike" and I had some good feeling riding it. I hope I have been able to give to the engineers some useful comment, even if my physical conditions were not the best because my wrist is still not 100%. Now I will have some rest for the End of the Year, and then I will be focused on my job of 2011 that is the World Superbike Championship. Thanks again to everybody in Honda for the great experience!".
While Rea returns to Europe and a well earned rest the HRC engineers will not be resting. The test team heads home to Japan with much valuable data to evaluate as they continue working at the development of the RC212V in time for the first MotoGP test session of the 2011 season. The test will also be held at the Sepang circuit on February 1 – 3.

 

[wino]

oh shit ! this cannot be true !!!

Paris Hilton to launch 125cc team

Monday, 13 December 2010
The American media star will join forces with the BQR set-up with riders Sergio Gadea and Maverick Viñales on board in the World Championship, with the renowned Rossano Brazzi on the technical side of the team.




Paris Hilton will be present at Hotel ME in Madrid this Saturday (December 18th) for the official presentation of the SuperMartxé VIP by Paris Hilton team, which will compete in the 2011 125cc World Championship.
Also in attendance at the event will be the American media star’s partners Nano, Xavi Montero and Ricard Garriga, along with sporting and technical director of the team Ricard Jové and riders Sergio Gadea and Maverick Viñales. The former of the two Spanish riders is an experienced World Championship campaigner and the latter a promising young talent, who this year took the Spanish National Championship and European 125cc titles.
The SuperMartxé VIP by Paris Hilton team will also have a highly experienced technical team behind it, with the skilled combination of Christian Lundberg and Rossano Brazzi having been brought together for the challenge for the final 125cc category title.
TAGS

 

[sincisor]

awesome

 

[wino]

I hope the riders get pissed and eat that thing she calls a dog in front of her.

 

[p4irs]

oh ffs

 

[wino]

oh ffs

makes ya think the worlds about to end eh ?

2011 Kawasaki Line-Up Confirmed

Newsflash, 28 October 2010
Kawasaki has great pleasure in confirming the line-up of its factory-supported teams in both WSBK and WSS classes for the 2011 racing season.

Tom Sykes will ride alongside Chris Vermeulen and Joan Lascorz essentially forming a three-man WSBK effort for KRT. The team, being run by the Paul Bird Motorsports squad once more, will be using the all-new Ninja ZX-10R.

Broc Parkes and David Salom will be running in World Supersport for the Kawasaki Provec Motocard.com team, competing on the well-proven Ninja ZX-6R.

Sykes, like Vermeulen, has been retained for the 2011 Superbike World Championship season, as part of a determined attack on the title with the new Ninja ZX-10R. He is already taking part in an extensive winter test programme, including the current track outings at Aragon in Spain. Vermeulen will start his second season with the factory Kawasaki after he finishes his rehabilitation from reconstructive surgery on his right knee. Promoted from the Supersport division, rising star Lascorz is preparing himself for his latest challenge, in the Superbike class, after several successful seasons for the Spanish rider in WSS racing.

Tom Sykes: “It’s great to be staying with Kawasaki as a manufacturer and ride for the Paul Bird team again for 2011. We have done some good work together this year and exceeded some of our expectations, so it is nice to stay with PBM Kawasaki team in what will be an important year for us all. The new bike is already showing massive potential in testing and we have a lot of sessions planned through the winter. Roll on 2011!”

Chris Vermeulen: “I am working hard to get ready for next year. Kawasaki has been great; they have stood behind me and given me great support. With three riders Kawasaki is keen to move forward and Tom did a great job on the 2010 bike at the end of the year. It is all good to see, and I have already had a close look at the new bike. It looks cool and it certainly seems to be working well already. It’s exciting and I can’t wait to get on the new bike.”

Joan Lascorz: “It’s my dream to continue my relationship with Kawasaki and now I have the chance to ride in World Superbike, on an exciting new machine. I am recovering well from the injuries I picked up in Silverstone and I am looking forward to getting on the Superbike as soon as I can. I want to say thank you to Kawasaki for the help and support and I hope to repay them with good results in my rookie year in WSBK racing.”

Paul Risbridger: World Superbike Team Manager: “I think we have a great mixture of riders, with different backgrounds, different skills, different styles and they will each bring their own approach to the new bike. I think that will not only help us develop it faster, but it should give us an edge from track-to-track. Sometimes maybe one rider will be the stronger at one circuit, then another rider will be stronger at another circuit, and so on through the year. We are very pleased with the 2011 bike and it has been performing well in testing.”

In Supersport Parkes, already confirmed as a 2011 rider for the Kawasaki Provec Motocard.com team, will be joined by Spanish rider Salom. David has much experience in this class and is thrilled to be in a factory squad with the strong recent track record enjoyed by Kawasaki.

Broc Parkes: “It’s a great feeling to be riding for Kawasaki in 2011 and we have already done good work in testing, finding new set-ups to take forward to next year. This is a great opportunity for me and both the bike and team are well proven in this class. We will be a strong package together in 2011.”

David Salom: “I'm very happy with the opportunity. I know many riders want to ride the official Ninja ZX-6R so I am a little lucky to be the one chosen. I hope my experience in World Supersport can be a good point to add to the team and next year improve my results a little. I want to say thanks to Kawasaki and Motocard.com for giving me this great opportunity.”

Guim Roda: World Supersport Team Manager: "We decided that David Salom should be the team mate for Broc next year. He has enough experience, and the correct attitude to understand the opportunity he will have. He will listen and learn to the advice offered by the team. That way he will find the maturity in his riding style to fight for the podium every race. We are all ready to go for Championship next year.”

Ichiro Yoda: KME Racing Manager: “We believe that three riders giving information inside the PBM team will speed up the process of developing the all-new Ninja ZX-10R, and help tune up the new bike’s potential very quickly! Then, obviously, we hope to be highly competitive from the very beginning of next season. For WSS, we are very happy to work with Broc Parkes, who was ex-WSB rider for us, and along with David Salom there is a big racing passion and high motivation to succeed next year. We feel confidence with them and the Provec team management to achieve our target of winning that championship.”

 

[wino]

Successful Kawasaki road racing winter testing

Newsflash, 6 January 2011
The Kawasaki World Championship road racing teams are well underway with their winter testing programme.

The Kawasaki World Superbike Racing Team will take advantage of favourable weather conditions in Sepang, Malaysia, to test for four days, between the 10th and the 14th of January. Also the Kawasaki Provec Motocard.com WSS team is busy preparing for the 2011 season.

The Kawasaki World Superbike Racing Team will feature three riders in 2011: Chris Vermeulen, Tom Sykes and ex-Kawasaki WSS rider Joan Lascorz.
The Kawasaki Provec Motocard.com WSS team will have former Kawasaki rider Broc Parkes back on board, together with newcomer David Salom.

As the teams prepare for a steaming hot new racing season, this website will run the 2010 information until shortly before the first race weekend in Australia’s Phillip Island, which starts on February the 27th.
Please stay put until then. 2011 season information about the race bikes, riders, teams and the championship will be released online.

 

[wino]

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ahahahhahahahahhahha

 

[wino]

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Its a bit quiet in the Moto GP world so have a bit of a giggle at these

 

[wino]

I am very much looking forward to the Moto next year, if only for the tears and beers.............


Rossi’s Desmosedici GP11 unveiled

Wednesday, 12 January 2011
The Ducati prototype which Valentino Rossi will ride during the 2011 MotoGP season was officially presented on Wednesday, with the Italian’s own individual touch added.


Rossi and Hayden unveil the 2011 Ducati Desmosedici
Valentino Rossi’s inauguration as an official Ducati rider took a further step at Madonna di Campiglio on Wednesday, when along with team-mate Nicky Hayden he was on hand to unveil the Desmosedici GP11 that both with ride in the 2011 MotoGP World Championship.
Complete in the individualised fairings that each rider will display this season, Rossi’s machine – personalised by Aldo Drudi – had hints of the Italian’s famous yellow, as the prototype was revealed for the first time.
The man behind the design of the GP11, Filippo Preziosi, was present at a press conference to describe the major characteristics of the machine as he detailed the features that include new aerodynamics, changes to engine torque, the stiffness of the chassis and revised electronics. “The aerodynamics are completely different, and the features are those we tested at Valencia (in November) upon which we will base the evolution of the bike,” said Preziosi, who also spoke to motogp.com after the press conference to explain the main changes to the prototype.
Also in attendance was Ducati General Manager Claudio Domenicali, who said: “2011 will be a year of great change. It will be the start of the third phase of our presence in MotoGP, a historic moment. To have Valentino in the team is a new aspect. Everybody knows what Valentino is capable of in terms of giving feedback for improving the bike and furthering the capacity of our project.”
You can see more photos of the new Desmosedici GP11 in the Latest Photos section of the motogp.com site, and highlights of the launch press conference in the attached video.
TAGS

 

[wino]

Rossi: “The Ducati is a proper prototype”

Tuesday, 11 January 2011
The Italian spoke for the first time as an official Ducati rider on Tuesday, discussing his views on the Desmosedici, his recovering shoulder and the forthcoming MotoGP season.


Valentino Rossi’s first Ducati impressions
Valentino Rossi spoke for the first time as a Ducati rider at the Wrooom 2011 event at Madonna di Campiglio on Tuesday, satisfying the demands of both media and fans as he discussed the Desmosedici.
Sporting Ducati’s red colours Rossi also talked to motogp.com, and started by joking: “I feel quite strange speaking in red! We were always big enemies with Ducati, so I need time to feel normal in this shirt!”
In an earlier press conference Rossi described the Ducati as “a proper prototype”, with a “different concept from the Japanese factories”, and a similarly pressing subject was that of his recovering shoulder.
“The problem was that the surgery was a lot heavier than expected because the damage was very big. The doctor said it wouldn’t be a problem to recover 100%, but that I’d need more time. From that moment I have worked hard. I expect to be fitter, but we have to put in 100% to be at the minimum level to ride for Sepang test,” explained Rossi to motogp.com in the attached video interview.
Following his first Test on the Desmosedici in Valencia last November, Rossi had surgery on his shoulder and said: “The big problem in Valencia was me. I had a lot of pain in the shoulder and not enough power. This is a different bike and you have to ride it more aggressively. This is my work at Ducati, to improve it and make it an easier bike and have fewer risks in all the races. Stoner was unbelievable in some races last year but made some mistakes too and ended the Championship in fourth. So far we have been working on easier things such as rider position, handlebars, foot pegs for Sepang, and there we will start to work on improving the bike.”
The all-Italian partnership between the nine-times World Champion and the Borgo Panigale factory is one which has added to the excitement, and Rossi is well aware of the expectations.
“I will definitely have extra pressure with Ducati compared to the past, because a lot of fans around the world are curious about my performance with Ducati. We have to manage this and it will be very hard work – maybe we won’t be ready to win in the first races so I hope the fans will give us enough time.”
The 2011 campaign, in which Rossi said he sees Jorge Lorenzo and Casey Stoner as “favourites” for the title, will also reunite him with former team-mate Nicky Hayden, something the 31 year-old is looking forward to. “I have always had a good relationship with Nicky since 2003 when we were team-mates with Honda,” he said. “I’m very happy to work with him. He’s a great guy and has experience on the Desmosedici, so maybe he will help us in the beginning. It will be completely open with no wall in the box.”
And finally, when asked when he expects to be in full flight on the GP11, Rossi added: “I hope when the summer starts.”

 

[wino]

Vermeulen To Continue Recovery At Home In Australia

Newsflash, 13 January 2011
Having ridden on the first day of official Kawasaki Racing Team development tests at Sepang on Monday, Chris Vermeulen will now continue his recovery towards full race fitness in Australia.

Chris will therefore be able to restart his intense physiotherapy and exercise regime to allow him to recover full flex in his right knee joint, before taking his all-new Ninja ZX-10R on track again.

The Sepang sessions continue in a positive direction for KRT, with Chris’s team-mates Tom Sykes and Joan Lascorz carrying on as scheduled until the final day, Friday January 14. Sykes and Lascorz have been working hard again today after taking a scheduled rest day on Wednesday, setting good lap times and trying out several different set-up options on the impressive new Ninja ZX-10R.

To make sure Chris is ready for the final official pre-season tests at Phillip Island on February 21 and 22, shortly before the first race on Sunday February 27, he will not come back to Europe for the official IMS tests at the end of January in Portimao.

Team Manager Paul Risbridger stated, “Chris rode on day one of the Sepang tests and was very impressed with the performance of the new bike. He has made great progress with his knee recently, and his recovery is well on schedule. After day one we all decided that he did not need to run on track any more at this stage and it was better for him to go home and carry on with his rehabilitation. We also came to a consensus that there was no point in him coming all the way back to Europe for the Portimao tests, as it would just interrupt his overall recovery. Riding the bike is not assisting his recuperation at this stage, so Chris will carry on with his very effective programme of physiotherapy and exercise so that he is ready when it matters most, at the start of the new season.”