The YB4ei first debuted in YB4R form at the 1986 Bol d’or before contesting the 1987 World Championship Formula TT with great success – Virginio Ferrari winning with team-mate Davide Tardozzi finishing fourth in the eight-round series.
Davide Tardozzi (2) at Oran Park in 1988
Stephane Mertens (6) and Davide Tardozzi (2)
The YB4 was one of the first motorcycles to use an aluminium twin-beam frame. Designer Federico Martini also added an aluminium swingarm, and for the road version, fuel injection. The motor was from Yamaha’s FZ750.
The YB4 featured an aluminium twin beam frame and swingarm
Fuel injection was also found on the road going version
Tardozzi narrowly lost the inaugural 1988 WSB Championship after a crash in the last round in New Zealand, eventually placing third in the championship.
Davide Tardozzi (2) narrowly lost the 1988 WSB championship after a crash in New Zealand
Davide Tardozzi (2)
303 YB4 machines were supposedly produced during 1988-89, plus a further 15 SP models. However it is very likely that the 303 number was inflated to meet WSB homologation. Bimota later claimed that 200 were destroyed in testing!
Bimota claimed they produced over 300 of the YB4 for homologation
Bimota YB4
Bimota YB4
Bimota YB4
Output was 122 hp at 10,500 pm, while weight was 180 kg. This bike was originally exported to Japan before finding its way to Perth, then NZ.
Bimota YB4
Bimota YB4
Bimota YB4
The images of the factory YB4R were taken at Oran Park WSB round in 1988. The riders were Stephane Mertens (6) and Davide Tardozzi (2).
“Honestly, if you want to know the full story of the 2002 Superbike World Championship, we’re going to have to back up just a little bit. In 2001, we did Sugo in Japan, which was horrible. Michelin sucked there. [Troy] Bayliss and I finished twelfth and thirteenth. What Honda did was bring out the new bike: The RC51 SP-2. We tested in Sugo on the Monday and literally by the second or third lap I was a second faster than race pace on the same exact tyres. I was sitting there thinking, why didn’t we have this shit yesterday? Honda did a whole bunch of work. They weakened the bike up chassis-wise and that actually gave the bike a lot more traction because the bike was able to move a bit instead of being so stiff. So that’s where I got my first touch on the new chassis for 2002. We went testing and everything looked good and I was thinking we had a little bit more power, for sure. What I wasn’t banking on was that Ducati gained a shit-ton more power. Literally, over the winter, they grabbed a bunch of power.
Colin Edwards – Honda VTR SP-2 – 2002
“So we went to the first race of the 2002 Superbike World Championship which was at Valencia in Spain and I finished fourth and that was the only race I was off the podium that year. We struggled. We struggled on power. I couldn’t pass Troy there. I couldn’t draft by him as my bike didn’t have enough power. The bike worked great chassis-wise, but I couldn’t pass him”
WorldSBK 2002 Round One Podium – Bayliss, Haga and Bostrom – No Edwards…
Following Valencia came double-header rounds at both Philip Island and Kyalami, all four races won by Troy Bayliss. A fortnight after Kyalami came Sugo in Japan, and with it, Edwards’ first triumph of 2002.
“There you go. I won the first race at Sugo and then Makoto Tamada won the second race. He was the only other rider to win a race that year. I was stuck. Even at Monza – Monza used to be Honda alley – Bayliss won both races. With that twin, they just had more power.”
Edwards couldn’t run with Bayliss at Monza
Mid-July brought the ninth round of what would ultimately be a 13-round globetrotting world tour. This time set at breezy Laguna Seca along the Central Coast of California, Bayliss won the first race of the outing, only to have Edwards come charging back to win race two convincingly.
Troy Bayliss won the opening race at Laguna Seca 2002
“It wasn’t until the second race at Laguna Seca that I beat him again,” pointed out the Texan. “At that point, it was win or crash for me. And you know what? Troy and I were never super-aggressive with one another. We would give each other at least half-an-inch to one another (Laughter). We weren’t bumping and banging too much. We just had that level of respect for each other, but it was tight racing.
Colin Edwards took the spoils in race two at Laguna Seca 2002 though
“That second race at Laguna was win or crash and we had some close calls and we passed back-and-forth and I ended up winning that one. And Laguna, for the second race, once I made my mind up to make such aggressive passes and do a little blocking and doing what I had to do to win it, then it kind of got rolling.
Colin Edwards – Laguna Seca 2002
“I already knew that our next race was going to be at Brands Hatch in England and horsepower wasn’t as big a deal there. Our bike worked great and we found a front tyre that really worked good with our bike. Also, by this time, we had our suspension so dialed-in that we would literally get to a track and it was a click or two. We weren’t doing hard anything to the bike – it just worked so well. Shit, I was 57-points behind! You start thinking into that hole and that hole just keeps getting deeper and deeper. The problem was that I knew we had a bad ass bike; the bike was amazing; I just couldn’t get it out in front of Troy. That was the only problem. The bike was amazing.
Brands Hatch 2002
“After Brands Hatch, I knew new parts were coming. I knew new shit was coming so we went to Oschersleben in Germany. We went out for the first practice at Oschersleben and we’ve got our new exhaust and we’ve got our Suzuka 8 Hours upgrades and all that shit, so we go out and I can tell right away that the bike felt a little more peppy.
“I get behind Troy and come out of the last corner and I draft him and pass his ass down the front straight and then I out braked him into the first corner and I just remember thinking, ‘Oh man! Your ass is grass!’ I was saying to myself, ‘Oh, my God. I can actually pass you now! This is amazing!’
Colin Edwards – Honda VTR SP-2 – 2002
“As the story goes, going into the first race, I was super-confident and I knew that I was going to win. I ended up getting the hole-shot in the race and then after the first lap, on laps two, three, four and five, I think I broke the lap record every lap.
“Like I said, when someone asks me what are the three best laps that I’ve ever done in my life, my answer is definitely Oschersleben in 2002. It was lap record, lap record, lap record because I knew I had to create a bit of gap because I knew Troy was going to mess with me because he was a frickin’ awesome racer. I couldn’t let him close to me. We ended up winning there and that was now five wins in-a-row.
The penultimate rounds of the series at Assen in Holland saw yet another Edwards’ double-win triumph.
Colin Edwards – Honda VTR SP-2 – 2002
“We went to Assen and I love Assen and I’ve always had good results there. Going into Assen, I knew that the only thing that I could do was push Troy into a mistake. I was thinking, all I can do is to try and beat him so bad and demoralise him to where he just can’t stand it. I wanted to frickin’ whip his ass and beat him by as far as I could beat him and see if he could handle it. If he couldn’t handle it, we’d just see what happened. In the opening race at Assen I went out and stomped some ass and won pretty easily. Race two, same thing. I got out front and just started putting my laps together as hard as I could.”
When he came in after race two at Assen, Edwards was greeted with the news that his Australian adversary had bailed off, thus turning the two man race for the world title into something of a toss-up.
“After the last race at Assen, I came in and my guys said, “Yeah, Troy crashed and you’ve got a one-point lead. I was like, ‘Holy shit!’ We went from nowhere to being right there to win it all. When you’re a winner, it’s hard to take an ass beating. You were not going to allow yourself to get beat. Troy had the same attitude that I did and that’s why he made the mistake at Assen. You put two lions together when they’re both in their prime, this is what you get. There is no give. Everybody wants to win everything.”
Sunday, September 29, 2002 at the Enzo & Dino Ferrari Circuit in Imola, Italy. Race day. 97,000 fans up in the stands – the largest crowd ever for a bike race in Italy – and Edwards was ready.
“On race day morning, and I told my wife this, we were sitting in the motorhome, ‘Man, win or lose, Troy is an amazing rider. This has been an awesome year. It’s just fun to be a part of such a spectacle where everybody is anticipating might what happen.’ I honestly think Troy had the same attitude. He was looking it like, ‘Dude, there are a shit-ton of people here and it’s cool to be a part of this. This is a good motorcycling moment.’
“Imola is what it is and it was frickin’ awesome. I knew what I had to do. I didn’t want to win a championship by not winning a race. It’s always good to win the race. And Troy was trying to slow the race down to try and get Ruben Xaus in the race. I mean if Ruben would have passed me, Troy would have won the championship. We got it to where there were three-laps to go and I was pretty content, really. I was like, ‘Well, I have six-points on you, so even if you win, I still win by a point.’
“With three-laps to go in that second race, I was just kind of playing the game, but once Ruben got within one and a half to two-seconds to me, I thought, well, screw it, this can be easy. Let’s win the race and it’s over. That’s it. It all worked out.”
Was it really the greatest comeback ever in motorcycle racing?
“Yeah, I mean as far as racing outright, given it to each other week-in and week-out, it was, well, maybe one of the best comebacks ever. It was just fun. Even though I won, we celebrated and whatever, we were involved in the party. We were all just happy the shit was over. We survived another year.”
“That is still, to this day, the last World Championship race that I won. I never won a Grand Prix race. I did, what? Eleven years in Grand Prix? It’s weird when you put it in that perspective, but of course, yeah, it’s a great memory. It’s all good, man. I can’t complain. It’s all turned out good. It’s all been worth it.”
Colin Edwards 2002 – the year that was
Eleven race wins
Five pole positions
Twelve front row starts
New most number of podium finishes in a season record at 25
New most successive race wins in a season record with 9
New most successive podium finishes in WorldSBK with a string of 25
Recorded the 20th double win for Honda – Assen, Holland
Recorded the 100th win by an American in WSBK with R2 victory at Oschersleben
Troy Bayliss on 2002
“When it comes to the 2002 World Superbike season, it’s kind of a funny story. Both 2001 and 2002 were very similar. Basically, in 2001, Colin fell apart during the end of the season and I won the championship. In 2002, towards the end, I basically fell apart. Both of us guys have our own reasons for what happened both years, but that was pretty much the scenario.
The Troy Bayliss 998 Ducati
“We started the year in 2002 after winning the championship in 2001, I finally had a real lot of confidence in myself and in the team and then we had a new bike as well: the 998. By the end of the year in 2001, we found a few things in the bike that made me feel really good on it. The new bike for 2002 was basically the same, but the engine was a bit different and quicker. That was basically it. I hopped on the bike for 2002 and hit the ground running. We were flying everywhere we went.”
The Troy Bayliss 998 Ducati without its clothes
So much so that Bayliss won the first six races from the first three WSBK rounds at Valencia, Philip Island and Kyalami.
Troy Bayliss – Valencia 2002
“It’s funny when things like that happen, you hop off the bike after you have a win and you want to hop straight back on the bike and do it again. Then there are times where you are seventh or eighth in the race and you’ve been wrestling with it the whole time and you feel nearly dead. All the way through 2002, I did feel good on the bike.”
Troy Bayliss celebrates the Phillip Island victory in 2002
Edwards and the Honda RC51 SP-2 would finally scale the top step of the podium in 2002 in race one at the Sugo circuit in Japan.
Troy Bayliss at Sugo – 2002
“Colin sort of turned it around a bit there,” offered Bayliss. “When you think back about it, that whole year, it was basically Colin and I, but guys like Makoto Tamada — Tamada won the second race at Sugo – and Neil Hodgson and Ben Bostrom also would get thrown into the mix. For me everything was going pretty good until we went to Laguna Seca. I crashed there and broke a rib and that was the race where Colin kind of spun things around for the better.”
Troy Bayliss at Laguna Seca 2002
Following Japan, Bayliss, for all intents and purposes, would continue to expand his world domination by winning seven of the next eight races; Monza, Silverstone, Lausitzring and Misano. Finally, in race two at Laguna Seca Edwards finally broke through again to win, and from there the Texan reeled off double-race sweeps at both Brands Hatch and Oschersleben. Then came the penultimate rounds at the storied Assen circuit. And it was there where Bayliss crashed out in race two, bringing the Australian and American within one point of each other!
Bayliss leading Edwards at Misano – 2002
“Where it really went to pieces was at Assen,” offered Bayliss. “Ducati had done something to the bike with the frame and I kept on getting this chatter and I ended crashing twice in the same corner. I was absolutely fuming. I remember coming back into the garage and throwing my helmet through the door. Colin really closed up on the points there.”
Brands Hatch 2002
Sunday, September 29, 2002. Imola, San Marino. Race day.
“We went into the last round with only one point between us,” said Bayliss of the final showdown of the year. “It was nail-biting and we knew that we were up against it because ever since the Suzuka 8 Hour in August, the Honda was flying and Colin was riding really well. Imola was also Honda’s test track and they had ridden there a lot and that was it. It came down to a sensational weekend where we sort of gained momentum through the whole weekend. The bike was back to normal to where I liked it. It was intense on Saturday and especially on Sunday morning. Colin and I saw each other and basically gave each other a nod. We both knew it was going to be on us, for sure.”
And while both racers desperately wanted to win at Imola and leave Europe as a World Champion, both Bayliss and Edwards fought each other the entire year both valiantly and brilliantly.
Monza WorldSBK Podium – 2002
“Colin and I didn’t hang out together so much, but before and after races we would see each other and talk. We had some of the best races together over the years. We never took each other out. We touched plenty of times. We’ve never had bad things to say about each other because there was nothing bad to say about Colin.”
Race one at Imola wound up being an aggregate race as Neil Hodgson’s bike had to be pushed off the grid. The race was then red flagged on lap 12 due to oil being spilled on the circuit. Bayliss won the race, yet Edwards was determined the winner. All Edwards would have to do in the final 21-lap race of the season is finish directly behind his title rival.
“I was under so much stress at Imola because basically I had the championship in the bag and it had gone to pieces and the championship had come down to the last round. The way things turned out, in the first race, the first race got stopped and then it went on aggregate points and that didn’t really work out in my favour because I ended up winning the first race, but not by enough to make up the time difference.
“Then it came down to a grand final for the last race and we just went at it hammer and tong and that was that. Braking and sliding into corners, you could hear the crowd cheering and it had so much atmosphere. It was an incredible round to be at. It all came down to that one race at Imola and we both had a great ride. Colin won, but I can honestly say that I couldn’t have done anything more there. At the end of the race I was actually happy because I thought I rode really well and it could have gone either way. Of course I’m sure Ducati was really upset, but the crowd didn’t know that. They loved it. They came to see a battle and they got it.
Troy Bayliss on the podium at Kyalami 2002
“I don’t remember all that much these days,” mused Bayliss. “I forget so much stuff! But stuff like 2002 and Imola, I remember. I remember all that tension that day and I’m sure Colin felt it as well. In the end, the day takes its path and we did the best we could. What a day, though. There were maybe 90,000 to 95,000 people there. There were big crowds back then. I remember that the only place that would have been busier than Imola was Brands Hatch in England. Honestly, back then it was good days and good fun in World Superbike and I was relatively young and had a strong desire to win. It was just good times.”
As an interesting historical footnote, 2002 champion Edwards would never win another World Championship race in either MotoGP or World Superbike. Conversely, in the November of 2006, WSBK Champion Bayliss was drafted on the Ducati MotoGP squad to fill-in for an injured Sete Gibernau and the season Grand Prix at Valencia in Spain. That sun splashed afternoon, Bayliss raced into the lead and raced away to win the one and only MotoGP of his career.
Troy Bayliss won the Valencia MotoGP final in 2006
“Yes, both Colin and myself, we spent so much time in Superbikes that we really were Superbike guys,” declared Bayliss. “But when I actually did have that race win at Valencia, obviously I was happy for myself, but I was also so happy for the Superbike paddock. Honesty, I believe under the right circumstances, I’m sure that Colin, in the same scenario and withal the right things going for him and with all the right people around him, I think he could have won a MotoGP race as well.”
Troy Bayliss won the Valencia MotoGP final in 2006
Saturday night, January 18, 2020 inside the 45,517-seat Angel Stadium of Anaheim a few minutes removed from the running of the 250SX West main event.
“Tonight, was a night I just want to forget and move on from,” lamented Austin Forkner of the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki race team who placed a crash initiated 17th. “That costly mistake in the whoops in the main event ruined my evening. My team and I are going to regroup and probably spend a good amount of time hammering out whoops this next week. I had a lot of fun racing the Triple Crown races last year, so I am just ready to get to Glendale and redeem myself.”
Austin Forkner & Justin Cooper battle at AMA SX Round One – Image by Hoppenworld
Saturday night, January 25, 2020 inside the 63,400-seat State Farm Stadium of Glendale a few minutes removed from running of the 250SX West main event.
“It’s always good to go from 22 points down to 10 points down,” said a stoked Austin Forkner on what a difference a week can make in motor racing. “I just had really good intensity and just kind of broke away quickly and nobody could really catch me. I knew all that mattered was the overall, so I went 1-1-3 to get the overall. The first two mains, I rode really well. The last moto, not so much, but I really went into manage mode once I got into third. I wanted to win them all, but it just didn’t end up like that. I was happy. My riding was good. The bike was good. It was just a solid night.
Austin Forkner was triumphant in Missouri at round two – Image by Hoppenworld
“I feel pretty locked in now. I feel good going into these next two races here out west. We’ll fly to Oakland. It’s a short flight. And San Diego, well, we’ll just drive to that race. We’ll be right in our own backyard for these next two races before the break. I’m hoping to make up as many points as I can going into the break.”
Jett Lawrence chasing Austin Forkner at round two – Image by Hoppenworld
As advertised, the next two weeks of the 2020 Monster Energy Supercross Series ran in California football stadiums in Oakland and San Diego, respectively, and Austin Forkner was fast and consistent to place second in both main events.
Austin Forkner placed second at Oakland – Image by Hoppenworld
And it was after the Petco Park race in San Diego where the Oklahoma-based racer returned back to the Midwest where now, due to the global pandemic, he still remains with no race to races to run. And that’s where we tracked down the Kawasaki pilot on Friday afternoon.
Austin Forkner took the overall win at Glendale – Image by Hoppenworld
“I’m in Oklahoma. Riding. Training. Same old same old,” said the mildly agitated racer in waiting. “We’re just waiting to hear wherever we’re going to go racing, really. I mean, nothing has really changed much for me. As far as the coronavirus thing, I got out of California in time. Oklahoma, I guess, is not nearly as bad. Things are starting to open back up here. I really don’t do anything that is closed anyway. I go to a private gym, a private track, everything we do is pretty much private anyway, so I mean as far as work stuff and riding, nothing has really changed for me. It’s just like things for fun, things like going to the mall, going to the movies and things like that, obviously it’s all changed and we’re not doing any of that.
Ferrandis putting a move on Forkner in San Diego – Image by Hoppenworld
“But you know what? Asked Forkner. “I think it’s [virus] on its way out. From all the reports and from all the stuff that I’ve heard, the virus cases are starting to go down, if not almost stop. I think everybody is starting to get over this too. In my opinion, I think this was blown way out of proportion. I think it was overdone. I don’t think it should have been this big of a deal. In my opinion, I think this was basically the flu and I don’t think that they needed to shut down America for the flu. Yeah, it’s a new virus and, yeah, people have died, but I don’t think that they literally need to shut down the country for this. It is what it is and that’s what they decided to do. But I do think people are getting over it. I’m fortunate enough in that I was in a fine position with all this financially, but people are going to start running out of money and then what? I think everybody is just ready to get back to normal and get back to work and to get back to doing things how we were.”
Austin Forkner took the overall win at Glendale – Image by Hoppenworld
Oklahoma, while a great place which has put forth many a world class motocross racer, is a 1,515-mile, 23-hour drive on the I-10 and I-8 and a hell of a long way from the spiritual homeland and race land of the Southern California-based motocross industry. Nonetheless, Oklahoma is where Forkner is riding out the coronavirus and he’s perfectly fine with that.
“Yeah, I’m in Oklahoma with everybody and we all went riding today,” he said. “We’ve all been doing the same thing. Still riding. We were doing motocross stuff, but I just switched back to supercross because we heard we were going to be racing at the end of the month. That’s changing day by, so we will see. I talk with Mitch Payton (team owner) probably once a week. Really, I mean whenever he hears something, we hear it because the team owners are usually the first guys to hear after FELD kind of makes a decision or thinks of an idea or anything like that. Mitch will call me and say, ‘HEY, this is what we’re kind of hearing.’ He’ll ask me what I think about it and ask for my opinion, so yeah, I keep in contact with him for that. As of right now, though, and as far as supercross goes, the bike is fine, I think. We don’t really need to do anything testing-wise as of right now. Everything right now is just a cluster, so you don’t really know. I’ve just been talking with Mitch about when we’re get back to racing, really.”
A young Austin Forkenr at Unadilla in 2016 – Image by Hoppenworld
Yes, while busy with riding, testing and training, and just like the rest of us currently up on blocks in our homes and garages, Forkner has found some spare time on his hands. That being the reality of his surroundings, what’s he been up to as far as keeping the clock from going backwards?
“Me and my friend have been shooting guns a lot at Robbie Reynard’s place (Note: Reynard, also from Oklahoma, was a world class racer during the 1990s), as he’s got a big canyon section and me and my friend Riley and my friend Carter and his girlfriend have a bunch of steel targets and stuff put down in there and we’ve been shooting a lot. We’ve been shooting quite a bit out there. That’s kind of what we’ve been doing during downtime. Other than that, I’ve just been riding, training and doing the standard stuff like Netflix, Xbox, kind of the standard stuff. That’s pretty much all we’ve been doing as of lately. We’ve also been going to a few skateparks to ride scooters and bikes and stuff. Yeah, skateparks, shooting guns, hanging out, taking my dog on walks and all that good stuff.”
Austin Forkner – San Diego 2020 – Image by Hoppenworld
In the first six 250SX West events of the 2020 season, Forkner ran quite well, racing to fifth at Anaheim 1, first at St. Louis, an aforementioned 17th at Anaheim 2, first at Glendale, and second at both Oakland and San Diego before the lockdown sent him back to Oklahoma. Third in points at the moment in the 250SX West, Forkner is pretty much stoked on how it has all gone – thus far.
“Yeah, yeah and I feel if anything, I’ve only gotten stronger. We’ve been doing long motos here in both supercross and outdoors lately. I wouldn’t say Robbie is burning us out, but I would definitely say he’s kind of cracked down on us a decent amount over this break. I don’t think I was 100-percent in the off-season coming off an injury in ’19, but he’s worked on getting me back to where he wants me as far as fitness goes and speed and dealing with my knee, so I think this break has been good in that way to kind of get back to 100-percent as close as we can get. I think we’re definitely getting there and getting better. I feel like I’ll be good and mixing it up in the outdoors and sometimes you can come back even better in supercross just because you’re actually kind of excited to ride it again because sometimes you get burnt out riding the same thing. I just jumped back on to supercross and I’m feeling really good. I feel reenergised riding again, so it’s been good. I guess we’ll keeping looking to the races in Glendale because the last I heard, they really want that to happen. I would say that’s our best bet right now. I don’t know. It’s whatever they decide and I hope that the Phoenix thing happens and we just get to finish off the supercross season. Really, though, and some guys have strong opinions about it, I don’t really care where and what we race. I’m ready for both supercross and motocross and have been riding both disciplines enough in the past couple months, I feel like I’m pretty prepared for either way it goes.”
A young Austin Forkner at Ironman in 2016 – Image by Hoppenworld
Overnight Dorna Sports CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta debriefed the agreement reached to propose two Grands Prix and a WorldSBK round at Jerez in July and August, as well as updates on when we may expect to get a glimpse at an updated calendar.
“Yesterday we had a meeting, the Vice President of the Regional Government of Andalusia, the Mayor of Jerez and I, and agreed the conditions to propose holding two MotoGP events and one Superbike event there, on the 19th and 26th of July and the first weekend of August, respectively.
“We agreed the conditions and how we could run that, and our idea is to propose to the Spanish government the possibility to do these events following a protocol we are creating.
“We are waiting for the official answer from the Spanish government regarding that matter. We think it’s something where we’ll be in connection with them next week following different meetings, and then finally we’ll know if this is enough to make it possible to have these Grands Prix at that time.
“We will start to talk as a new situation is coming to Spain, and then next week we will start the conversations about hosting the Grands Prix.”
Is there the possibility of holding a test at the venue before the first race? For all three categories?
“Yes. Our proposal is to have a test on the Wednesday before the first weekend.
“We are going through similar procedures with the governments in each country we want to go to, but that’s separate and we think maybe by the first part of June we can propose a calendar. Definitively. We’re looking at different dates, but we’re also waiting for the F1 calendar – and it will be difficult because it’s a short time and there will be many events – to try and avoid clashes with Formula 1.”
What about WorldSBK? What’s the situation?
“We are still discussing it. We have confirmation from Jerez that it’s possible to do it there. We don’t know exactly, Superbike is talking with different countries to know exactly what are the possibilities, and obviously we will do the same as MotoGP: when we know the situation exactly and the calendars and the possibilities to hold events in different countries, we will announce the new calendar. In the agreement with the government of Andalucia and the city of Jerez we include one WorldSBK race weekend.”
The plan in Jerez is to have the WorldSBK round after the Grands Prix. Is that something that could be the same going forward at other circuits or is it just for Jerez?
“In WorldSBK, we have the same situation as MotoGP: the first thing is to have permission to do races and then we can see which races can be held, in the days before… everything is open, as in MotoGP, but we have the plan to start as soon as possible and we believe this will be in the middle or end of July in Europe. There is the Superbike event in Argentina, we need to look at that but it’s still our plan to have more or less the same schedule – in terms of confirmation – as we do in MotoGP, so we think by the beginning of June we will have a clearer picture of what we can do with both.”
TRADE-UP TO THE 50S OR 50R TODAY! AND, MESH 2.0 IS NOW AVAILABLE FOR ALL FIRST-GEN SENA MESH INTERCOM PRODUCTS
May 1, 2020, IRVINE, Calif. – Sena Technologies, Inc., the global leader in Bluetooth® communication devices for Powersports, is launching a U.S. Trade-Up program and Global Mesh 2.0 firmware update. Sena will be offering two ways for current Mesh Intercom customers to experience the robust reliability of Mesh 2.0, the first is a limited-time 50R and 50S trade-up program for existing Sena 30K users, while the second is a Mesh 2.0 firmware update for all current Sena 30K, Momentum EVO, and +Mesh users.
TRADE-UP TO THE 50R OR 50S TODAY!
For a limited time, U.S. 30K owners who purchase a 50R or 50S from www.buysena.com will be eligible to Trade-Up their current 30K to a 50R or 50S and receive a $150 rebate from Sena. Offer is valid on all 50R and 50S purchases made on www.buysena.com, those who have already purchased will be able to submit their Trade-Up information starting today. (May 1st, 2020). Trade-Up is available to customers in the United States.
HOW:
U.S. 30K users, purchase a 50R or 50S from BuySena.com by June 30th.
Submit your rebate form within 30 days of purchase.
Today Sena is launching an unprecedented global firmware update providing, at no cost, the substantial technical advancements of Mesh 2.0 found in the flagship 50R and 50S devices to all current first gen Sena Mesh Intercom products! With this update, 30K, Momentum EVO, and +Mesh users will be able to enjoy the new features and robust reliability found within the Sena Mesh 2.0 Intercom network and will have the ability to seamlessly communicate with the new Flagship 50R and 50S headsets. Click below for more information on the Mesh 2.0 update and how to update your Sena product. Sena is eager to continue to support our long-time and loyal customers with this latest technical update.
SIMPLIFIED UPDATES WITH THE WIFI DOCKING STATION OR WIFI ADAPTER
Both the 30K’s WiFi Docking station and the Momentum EVO’s WiFi Adapter, can simplify the firmware update process through automation. In order to initiate automatic firmware updates while charging, you will need to make sure that this feature is enabled in either the 30K Utility App, Momentum EVO Utility App, or the WiFi Accessory App.
RECOMMENDED UPDATE PROCESS
For the 30K, users are able to use the WiFi Docking Station accessory, or the Sena Device Manager. Momentum EVO users are encouraged to use the new WiFi Adapter charging cable that came with their Momentum EVO helmet. Momentum EVO users may also use the Device Manager in order to update their helmet to Mesh 2.0. +Mesh users will be able to update their device with the Sena Device Manager.
Looking to upgrade your Panigale V2’s shock? Look no further than the Öhlins Racing TTX GP.
Begin Press Release:
Upplands Väsby, Sweden, May 7, 2020 – The Öhlins® TTX® GP rear shock absorber, featuring an array of leading-edge technologies preferred by championship riders in MotoGP, SBK and BSB competition, is now available for the 2020 Ducati Panigale V2 twin-cylinder superbike.
“Upgrading to the TTX GP shock brings the V2 to an entirely new level of agility, performance and rider satisfaction,” said Andrew Notman, two-wheel sales, marketing and product management, Öhlins.
The latest twin-tube TTX GP shock offers a wide range of precise, hand-adjustable compression and rebound settings to address rider preferences and varying track conditions. The latest adjustable needle with improved guidance and enhanced flow restriction characteristics further enhances compression and rebound damping, while a new 36mm solid piston and next-generation piston band boost traction and feedback for superior control.
The TTX GP shock also helps improve weight transfer as compared to the V2’s original equipment shock, providing a more consistent tire contact patch, enhanced control and improved tire wear and performance.
To learn more about the TTX GP shock absorber and other industry-leading Öhlins Racing products, please visit www.ohlins.com.
2014 – Last year at Honda, drama in testing, leading championship at Imola, Akiyoshi recovering the bike with a broken leg, signing for KRT, throwing crumpets at Tom’s motorhome, and signing of in Qatar. Thanks Ten Kate! #robmacmemories
With no racing taking place right now, many of these same FIM Medical Commission members are currently working as doctors and health workers on the front line at this important moment, putting themselves at risk to help others, and it is them who deserve the biggest thanks of all alongside every other member of the motorcycle family who has played their part over recent times.
Controversy, incredible racing and one of the most intense final showdowns we’ve ever seen. 2015 had everything and a little bit more, so if you can access BT Sport, tune in at 10am BST on Sunday the 10th of May to relive one arguably the most talked about MotoGP™ seasons in history.
Milena tells us that out of the many roles that she covered in the paddock, each job had interesting peculiarities, but what unites them all are the relationships they develop. “I like to follow the riders in their professional growth. For example, I worked with Cal Crutchlow for some time,” she says, recalling the peculiarities of her relationship. “The day after we were no longer members of the same team, Cal said to me: ‘Finally we can be friends’. When you work with a rider, you have to tell him to do things he doesn’t want to. For this there cannot be too much friendliness, it takes a level of detachment because he respects what you tell him. That’s why I think every rider is very special.” Adding, “but, at the same time, it is inevitable that you create human relationships with your colleagues, this is an unusual job, you spend most of your time with them.”
PRODUCTS
