Quick-to-rev and plucky, yet no-intimidation 286cc liquid-cooled engine
Firm and sporty suspension
Impressive braking, plus an ABS option for added safety
Entry-level price
Downs
Cramped seat-to-peg ergonomics and seat cushion is firm
Limited color options
Verdict
Overall, Honda’s Rebel 300 lives up to its heritage for being a great small-displacement cruiser with a well-rounded package that gives riders an opportunity to develop their skills.
2021 Honda Rebel 300 ABS. (Honda/)
Overview
Since 1985, the Rebel has been crucial in introducing motorcycling to riders. Its approachable engine, low seat height, and maneuverable handling make it an attractive small-bore bike for all skill levels. With 500 and 1100 options in the Rebel lineup, Honda makes it clear where riders can continue to grow.
Updates for 2021
With updates made just last year, the Rebel 300 does not see anything new for 2021 aside from a slight increase in price.
Pricing and Variants
Honda’s Rebel 300 comes in two forms: ABS ($4,899) and non-ABS ($4,599).
Previous generations of the Rebel were powered by a 234cc air-cooled parallel-twin engine. In 2017 a major overhaul was given to this small cruiser platform which resulted in the swap to a 286cc liquid-cooled single-cylinder engine that is still seen in the current iteration. This engine is peppy and quick to rev. It can be ridden a gear high without shuddering—a forgiving characteristic for new riders. Its slipper-assist clutch offers a feather-light pull which limits hand fatigue too.
On the dyno, it produces a linear power delivery that climbs up to its Cycle World-measured 25 hp at 7,640 rpm. Its torque curve dips in the midrange, before sloping up to its peak 17.6 pound-feet at 7,320 rpm.
2021 Honda Rebel 300 ABS. (Honda/)
Handling
Measuring 372 pounds fully fueled on the Cycle World scales, the Rebel is easily maneuvered on snaking roads since its weight is carried low and stock suspension settings are firm. Riders can feel confident in pushing it hard in turns and down stretches of freeway. A 41mm telescopic fork and dual shocks soak up minor imperfections on the road but harder bumps are felt when the 3.8 inches of rear travel hits its limit.
Brakes
Nissin calipers with 296mm and 240mm discs, front and rear, bring the Rebel to a purposeful stop and have excellent feel at the lever and pedal. During our testing the Rebel recorded a stopping distance of 141.3 feet from 60 mph to zero and 35.27 feet from 30 mph to zero. The model comes in either ABS or non-ABS trim levels.
2021 Honda Rebel 300 ABS. (Honda/)
Fuel Economy and Real-World MPG
We recorded an average mpg of 57.8 for the small Rebel.
Ergonomics: Comfort and Utility
Ergonomics from the seat to the bars is roomy with an outstretched reach, but 6-foot-tall testers did find the seat-to-peg measurement slightly cramped with knees raised to the 3.0-gallon tank.
It doesn’t get much lower than a 27.3-inch measured seat height, though. Swinging a leg over is easy as is flat-footing at stops—these are some of the reasons the Rebel is so approachable. When it comes to saddletime, the seat cushion is firm which could be uncomfortable after about an hour and a half.
Electronics
A white-on-black LCD display, full LED lighting, and ABS (optional) are electronics seen on the 300/ABS.
Warranty and Maintenance Coverage
A transferable, one-year, unlimited-mileage warranty is available.
Quality
Honda sets a high-quality standard with its neat and tidy details. if there were any gripes, it would be the limit of two colors to choose from and a plastic side panel and front fender. Overall, price is kept to a reasonable $4,599–$4,899.
For one of those, Jamie Lyons (C&M Motors Ltd/Tooltec Racing), there’s a fourth place at Donington on this layout last season too, so he could be one to watch again as he gains some traction in 2021. He’s also now a podium finisher, and almost a winner. But the rider who was the winner was Carter Brown (City Lifting by RS Racing) as he made some big gains at Thruxton, taking victory in style to move into second overall and 31 points off Belford. Can he keep that form going this weekend? Or can Johnny Garness (City Lifting by RS Racing) fight back? Garness is looking to bounce back and regain his momentum after a crash, now fifty points off the top, but hadn’t been out the top five before that wobble in his consistency.
It’s far from a three-horse race, however, and the likes of Kevin Farkas (Agria Racing Team) – a maiden winner in Austria after an impressive weekend – Jonas Kocourek (JRT Brno Circuit), Swiss rider Lenoxx Phommara (Phommara Team) and their fellow frontrunners will not make life easy. Stepan Zuda (Motoracing23 Klub V ACR), Niklas Kitzbichler (Racing-Team-Kitzbichler) and Loris Veneman (Kahuna Secrurity Racing) also have good CVs at Assen, the latter on home turf, and Veneman’s compatriots Kas Beekmans (Team KNMV) and teammate Damian Boessenkool had some pace there at Round 4 too.
Yamaha regrets to announce that Maverick Viñales‘ entry to this weekend‘s Austrian MotoGP event has been withdrawn by the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP team.
The absence follows the suspension of the rider by Yamaha due to the unexplained irregular operation of the motorcycle by the rider during last weekend‘s Styria MotoGP race.
Yamaha‘s decision follows an in-depth analysis of telemetry and data over the last days.
Yamaha‘s conclusion is that the rider‘s actions could have potentially caused significant damage to the engine of his YZR-M1 bike which could have caused serious risks to the rider himself and possibly posed a danger to all other riders in the MotoGP race.
The rider will not be replaced at the Austrian GP.
Decisions regarding the future races will be taken after a more detailed analysis of the situation and further discussions between Yamaha and the rider.
— Statement Ends —
Trev’s take on it
Maverick Vinales is currently sixth in the MotoGP World Championship with 95-points.
Last week at Red Bull Ring I Vinales had seemingly stalled his bike just prior to the re-start of the race. He then pushed his bike into pit-lane and started the race from there. He eventually finished last, but after the race results sheet listed him as ‘Finished through pits’.
Vinales had been on a charge from that pit-lane start and on the second lap was one of the fastest riders in the field and continued at a good pace over the opening ten laps before then losing pace in the second half of the race after being handed a long-lap penalty. That said, even some of those laps in the second half of the race were still competitive, including a 1m24.9 on lap 15 and the majority in the 1m25s, still a good enough pace to have challenged for a top ten if he had not started from pit-lane.
Presumably the data from the machine of Vinales must indicate to Yamaha that the rider rode the machine in a fashion that would suggest he was trying to blow the engine so he could retire from the race. This is backed up by onboard race footage where Vinales repeatedly puts the bike on the limiter over the course of the final laps before he entered pit-lane. The on track occurrences are not crazy obvious clutch-in and hold the bike on the limiter instances, just repeatedly not changing up where he should of which allowed the bike to hit the limiter at various points. It was not until a frustrated couple of seconds on the limiter as he entered the actual pit-lane that it really looked bad, and of course this was heard by officials and anyone else near the pit entrance. Of course there could also be a lot more on the data that we couldn’t see on the cameras.
Still, this was nowhere near as obvious and ridiculous as when, in 1993, John Kocinski famously revved his 250 two-stroke until the engine blew and the two instances can’t really be compared. That day ended Kocinski’s relationship with Suzuki on the spot but the American moved to the Cagiva 500 project and won his home Grand Prix that same year and went on to win the World Superbike Championship for Honda in 1997.
Maverick’s official quote after the race was the following – “We changed the clutch. I made a normal start on the grid for the warm-up lap, but the bike stopped. I’m happy that in the first race I was able to start well. I was fighting at the front, but in the second race (re-start) the feeling was not the same. We changed the tyres, and I don’t know why but the bike was spinning so much, even on the main straight. I tried to go up the order, but then I had problems with the bike, and I stopped.”
When the news came out he made this post on Instagram. Loosely translated to English this says “Thank you for being the motivation and the light of my days, I love you ❤️ @raquel_subira”
Vinales was rumoured to have married Raquel earlier this year, seemingly in virtual secrecy. Raquel gave birth to their daughter three months ago and his family has featured heavily in his social media posts this year.
Maverick Vinales was attacked by some on Twitter back in April after some fans had, reportedly falsely, got up him for supposedly attacking officials over a cancelled lap in qualifying, where he first sought to defend himself before ultimately then deleting his Twitter account.
It is hard to see him riding for Yamaha again after this unless he publicly acknowledges his error and begs forgiveness. He had been linked to an Aprilia ride in 2022 but it seems as though he has nothing signed for next year, as yet.
Great to be back racing in Czech again. Always fun to ride a new circuit. We’ve upgraded our production for this one. :)Enjoy! Source: Jonathan Rea On Facebook
Motorcycling Australia this afternoon announced a reset to the 2021 ASBK calendar to provide a targeted plan to return to racing in 2021.
With the current State Government border restrictions and lockdowns across the nation causing the postponement to the ASBK Championship, the ASBK Management Team has refocused its efforts to ensure racing can resume as soon as practical.
The 2021 mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship, presented by Motul, now consists of a new date for The Bend Motorsport Park and a realignment of other rounds to ensure the championship has the best possible chance to conduct the maximum rounds in 2021 for the Riders, Teams, and fans of ASBK.
The mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship, presented by Motul, calendar will see the Championship next fire into action at Wakefield Park Raceway, Goulburn, NSW, for Round 5 on October 15-17.
The Alpinestars Superbike class will then head south for Round 6, joining alongside the Supercars for the all new Bass Coast Festival Of Motorsport at Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, October 22-24. Which was to be the MotoGP weekend and now will feature ASBK action.
For the first time, The Bend Motorsport Park in South Australia will feature all ASBK classes in a huge 4-day event of spectacular racing action for Rounds 7 and 8, November 11-14. The Alpinestars Superbikes will conduct a single round format (Round 8) over 3 races conducted on Saturday and Sunday. Whilst all other ASBK classes will race a double-header format (Round 7 & 8) also racing on Saturday & Sunday.
The event is shaping as a real feast for motorcycle fans which will include the Superbike Masters and both on-track and off-track activities and displays for race fans.
Round 9 – the Grand Finale of the mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship, presented by Motul – will see riders battle it out at Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, December 3-5, to see who will be crowned the 2021 ASBK Champions in all five classes.
If ongoing State Border restrictions cause continued delays which prevent ASBK rounds in October occurring, then the Alpinestars Superbikes will join other classes with a full double-header of rounds 7 & 8 at The Bend Motorsport Park in November.
The ASBK Management Team thanks riders, teams and fans for their understanding at this difficult time and can be assured that we are aiming to provide the best opportunity for riders to race at the maximum number of rounds possible.
The ASBK Management Team understand that this announcement today may cause inconvenience for teams and fans, but these necessary decisions in the current environment are required to ensure the ASBK Championship can proceed when practical.
2021 ASBK CHAMPIONSHIP CALENDAR
Round 5 – Wakefield Park Raceway, NSW October 15 – 17
Round 6 – Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, VIC (SBK Only 2+4 with Supercars) October 22 – 24
Round 7 & 8 – The Bend Motorsport Park, SA November 11 – 14* (Double Header Round) *Except SBK who will have a single round x3 races = 1x Race Saturday and 2x Sunday)
Round 9 – Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, VIC December 3 – 5
Note: If Wakefield or Phillip Island 2+4 rounds are cancelled then The Bend becomes Double Header for SBK class with 2x Saturday races (Round 7) & 2x Sunday races (Round 8) activated.
MotoGP 2021 – Round 11 – Red Bull Ring Bitci Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich Spielberg
You know how it is, you wait all summer for a MotoGP race weekend… and then two come along at once! The venue remains the same as we race back-to-back at the emblematic Red Bull Ring, but there’s plenty to talk about on take two as we return for the Bitci Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich, not least of all our first time winner: Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing).
A quick blitz through the stats: rookie, first Independent Team rider to win on a Ducati, first Pramac Racing win with Ducati, first rookie to win with an Independent Team, and only fifth rookie to win in MotoGP: Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) and the legendary Dani Pedrosa and Jorge Lorenzo are the other members of that club. And Martin did it from his second pole position of his rookie season, with little drama and a whole load of speed. That must make him a favourite as we return to the track, but likewise the man he just defeated: Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar).
The reigning Champion has a great record in Austria; it’s where he took his first Grand Prix win and later, his first premier class podium too. He’s added another to that in the Styrian GP, which is his best of the year so far, and he also set the fastest lap for the first time in MotoGP. So Mir will surely be a threat, but can he take another step forward to go one better on Sunday?
Joan Mir
“The team did amazing work during the summer break and the bike is feeling better than ever, especially with the new device. I was really satisfied with my performance on Sunday, the win was a little bit beyond my reach but second place was a nice way to repay the team and to kickstart the second half of the season. I’m looking forward to riding again this weekend and aiming for the win, we certainly have good information collected from last week’s race and that can help us. My performance is already good here, and if we can find those improvements in a few areas it could allow me to get to the top spot. Let’s see what we can do!”
His team-mate Alex Rins had a tricky time of it around the circuit on Sunday after struggling to find the feel under hard braking. This is something the Spaniard is confident of resolving ahead of this weekend. Nevertheless, his determination brought him a useful seventh place finish and moved him up one place in the championship.
Alex Rins
“It was a strange weekend for me at the Styrian GP, I had some really good pace over the practice and then I struggled a bit when it came to the race. But the team and I are working to find the best settings ahead of this next race weekend, and I’m sure I can achieve a good result. It is important that we analyse all the data to discover what happened during the first race in Austria to improve our performance for the second race. Usually the second race at the same circuit is pretty tight because everyone improves, so we will need to keep our focus. My seventh place finish last Sunday was OK but obviously I’m hungry for more and I hope to be much higher this time out, I know I can be fast in the corners and that’s important.”
Team Suzuki Ecstar made a promising step in their quest for glory at the Red Bull Ring last week when they debuted the new ride height device, this addition to the GSX-RR received good feedback from both sides of the garage and with work still to be done to fine-tune the device, strong results are expected again this time out.
Shinichi Sahara – Project Leader & Team Director
“Last weekend we were satisfied with the progress we made while using the new ride height adjuster. As we’ve said, it’s only the first prototype and it can still be improved upon, so we’re sure it will continue to help us in the coming races. Joan got a really nice podium on Sunday, which was a great way to restart the season. Alex struggled a bit with a few small issues but he was still able to bring home decent points and this is important. This is always one of the most unpredictable circuits of the season, not least because of the mountain weather, and we have seen that the other manufacturers can also be strong here, but we’re confident of another successful weekend.”
Ducati Lenovo Team duo Francesco Bagnaia and Jack Miller are the two key names recently shuffled down in the standings, and they’ll want to come back stronger on take two… especially having watched the Red Bull Ring remain Ducati territory, just not theirs. Bagnaia at least had a good qualifying and first start to set him up for more this time around, and Miller had a good weekend too – until he crashed. The Australian didn’t have the pace of the Martin-Mir duo in the lead, but he was stalking Championship leader Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) for the podium and has made looking for redemption work for him before.
Francesco Bagnaia
“Last week at the Red Bull Ring, we had a great opportunity, and I hope we can have another one this Sunday. In the first start, before the red flag, I had a really good feeling with the bike, and I felt I could fight for the win, but then I didn’t find the same conditions in Race 2. Now we have a good base from which to set the work of this weekend, and certainly, the experience of last Sunday will come in handy. The weather will once again be the real unknown factor, but we’ll try to be ready to face the race in any condition. I’m very determined to finish the Austrian GP well.”
Jack Miller
“This weekend, we’ll race again at the Red Bull Ring, and it will be a chance for me to redeem myself after the crash I had here last Sunday. The podium was really within my reach: the team did a great job, and I felt really good on the bike, and when I crashed, I didn’t feel like I was asking too much from the front, although that was probably the case. These days, the team could analyse the data to understand what happened, and it will be an important reference to prepare in the best way for the Austrian GP. My goal is to finish this weekend on a high with a good result“.
Quartararo, meanwhile, already found some for Yamaha at a venue that’s usually a tougher one for the Iwata marque. When you’re leading the Championship and realise you can’t win, what do you do? The next best thing possible, which a podium more than fulfilled for the Frenchman – and he was ultimately a few places ahead of closest challenger Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) to compound the good day’s work. Can he do it again if the likes of Bagnaia and Miller come out swinging? Time will tell, and it will for former polesitter at the venue Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) after more bad luck for the Spaniard.
On the note of Zarco, however, the more veteran Pramac rider did start the last lap fourth and only one place behind Quartararo. He had a solid weekend and was the second Ducati home, after all. But he didn’t come home in fourth, Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) saw to that, and he’ll want to figure out his team-mate’s secret to the Red Bull Ring and take back some ground on Quartararo as a minimum.
Having demonstrated good pace throughout the sessions at Spielberg last weekend and scoring valuable points in the race, Rossi will be aiming for more of the same this weekend. The Italian has identified areas for improvement and will be focused on making further progress at the Spielberg circuit. With the aim of recording another points-scoring finish, Valentino will also be hoping to join the fight for the top-ten.
Valentino Rossi
“It’s good to be at home for three days to train and prepare for the next round in Austria. It wasn’t a bad first race at Spielberg; I was able to fight with those around me and we managed to score points. We now need to look at how we can improve, primarily with the settings of the bike, try some small things with it and work to be stronger this weekend. The target will be to work well in the sessions and try to get a better position on the grid. Then on Sunday we will try to improve the start, have a good pace again and take some points. I would also like to be able to fight for the top-ten.”
Cal Crutchlow, who is deputising for the recovering Franco Morbidelli, completed his first race aboard the Petronas Yamaha SRT machine last weekend. The Brit rode a sensible race, making no mistakes, and was able to set several personal best sector times. With another GP at the Spielberg circuit this weekend, Cal will be aiming to use what he learned during the StyrianGP to increase his speed further and continue to make improvements.
Cal Crutchlow
“It was really good to be back racing again last weekend and physically I felt quite good. We need to look at the data and try to understand why we had problems with rear traction, especially as we didn’t have this problem before. I’m really looking forward to riding again and my main aim will be to improve upon my performance from the StyrianGP and go even faster this weekend. We have margin to improve and it will be interesting to continue working on the bike at the same circuit for three more days.”
So what about KTM and the aforementioned South African? The weekend was a rollercoaster for the Austrian marque from the off. Dani Pedrosa’s (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) wildcard put him top KTM on Friday, and drama hit early for Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) as the Portuguese rider highsided and was left riding through the pain barrier thereafter. Meanwhile Binder spent the day, and the day after, MIA from the top ten… but the story changed somewhat on Sunday.
From P16 on the grid, taking fourth place is an impressive performance. Doing so in a race where there were no big dramas ahead on track and on a day that, despite the weather forecast, stayed dry, made it even more so. For a final flourish, the South African also managed to get past both Zarco and Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) on just the final lap alone… so can he repeat his incredible race, and from a starting position giving him a little less work to do? It was a spectacular reminder of just how and why he was the most recent rookie winner before Martin.
So Binder could be one to watch, and Oliveira will have hopefully gained from some days off to heal and get some better Sunday luck to pick up where his form left off before summer. Both will likely be getting some more Pedrosa feedback as the MotoGP Legend returns to test duty too.
Following a rather tricky first round after the summer break, Danilo Petrucci and Iker Lecuona are very eager to improve on their results. While Petrucci aims to work on acceleration, Lecuona plans to refine his tyre consumption, but both Tech3 KTM Factory Racing riders together with their respective crews have some ideas on upgrading their performances in order to get closer to the top 10 this time.
Danilo Petrucci
“We will have another chance to prove ourselves this week. We knew this track is one of the most challenging for us. We need to work more on the acceleration, even if we have been doing a pretty good job during this last weekend. But my weight and my size are limiting the progress a bit. Acceleration and stopping the bikes in really slow corners are our main focus at the moment, so we will try to work even more in order to reduce the wheelie and trying to make the corners as fast as possible. It’s going to be a tough mission, but we will try to score some points this time.”
Iker Lecuona
“I think we need to work on the grip for this weekend, as we have been struggling quite a lot with that during the race. We did a very good race, but we still need to improve and continue to work. I’m pretty happy about my feeling on the bike, we just need to get better in some points and then I’m convinced we are there. We have to wait what the weather is going to do. In case it rains, we can for sure fight at the top. In the dry, we have a but more to do, but I think we can fight close to the top as well.”
Hervé Poncharal – Tech3 KTM Team Manager
“Just a couple of days off and then we start racing again here at the Red Bull Ring, which is a pleasure, because this is really a beautiful place with great facilities. Clearly, we were competitive last weekend, but the grid is so close, that the position doesn’t reflect the improvement in our two riders’ level and we are really determined and focused to try to find some small improvements, that will allow both, Danilo and Iker to fight for the top 10. We know we can do it, as I said it’s difficult as the grid is so competitive and everybody is so close to each other. But this is the target. It’s home ground for KTM. Stefan Pierer and Hubert Trunkenpolz are here and it is very important for me to give them the reward of their support and to give them what they are expecting, so it’s going to be full on next week for the Austrian Grand Prix!”
Honda, meanwhile, had a mixed bag too. Nakagami was top Honda on Sunday and whilst he did lose out to Binder, he gained on Zarco and the result was a top five. That’s encouraging after a tougher season at times, and likewise the performance of teammate Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol) as he got back in the top ten and showed some serious pace. Can they build on that in the Austrian GP?
Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) did pip Alex Marquez in the end and took eighth – via a couple of higher profile moments – but he’ll want more this time around. And his team-mate Pol Espargaro too, after a late penalty compounded a tough weekend, as did the restart. Can they find more in the second run at it?
Marc Marquez
“We are back again in Austria and it’s the first time I will be racing at the same circuit two weekends in a row, so this will be interesting. Honestly speaking I don’t think it will change too much but we start from a very good base. Last weekend was good, apart from the restart on Sunday. I am confident we can do another good weekend.”
Pol Espargaro
“For this second weekend we need to improve. It was a really difficult weekend last time so we need to try something new to improve our situation because it’s not what should happen when you wear these colours. I know that if we can improve the rear grip that we can fight and keep improving. The important thing now is to keep focused and keep working.”
Finally, for Aprilia the promise was there but the luck was not. For Lorenzo Savadori (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) less than anyone as the Italian made contact with Pedrosa’s fallen bike and the results made for a dramatic Red Flag moment. He was up and ok after the incident, but an ankle fracture was found in further checks and after surgery, he’s sidelined. On the restart Aleix Espargaro then suffered a retirement, so he’ll be looking to restart his consistent run of form this season as we get back in business at the Red Bull Ring, alone in the Noale garage this weekend at least.
A rookie winner, a Ducati winner… a reigning Champion on a charge and a Yamaha locking out the podium was quite a spread of headlines. What will Spielberg deliver in the Bitci Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich?
2021 MotoGP Championsip Points
Pos
Rider
Bike
Nation
Points
1
Fabio QUARTARARO
Yamaha
FRA
172
2
Johann ZARCO
Ducati
FRA
132
3
Joan MIR
Suzuki
SPA
121
4
Francesco BAGNAIA
Ducati
ITA
114
5
Jack MILLER
Ducati
AUS
100
6
Maverick VIÑALES
Yamaha
SPA
95
7
Miguel OLIVEIRA
KTM
POR
85
8
Brad BINDER
KTM
RSA
73
9
Aleix ESPARGARO
Aprilia
SPA
61
10
Marc MARQUEZ
Honda
SPA
58
11
Takaaki NAKAGAMI
Honda
JPN
52
12
Jorge MARTIN
Ducati
SPA
48
13
Alex RINS
Suzuki
SPA
42
14
Pol ESPARGARO
Honda
SPA
41
15
Franco MORBIDELLI
Yamaha
ITA
40
16
Alex MARQUEZ
Honda
SPA
34
17
Enea BASTIANINI
Ducati
ITA
31
18
Danilo PETRUCCI
KTM
ITA
26
19
Valentino ROSSI
Yamaha
ITA
20
20
Luca MARINI
Ducati
ITA
16
21
Iker LECUONA
KTM
SPA
14
22
Stefan BRADL
Honda
GER
11
23
Dani PEDROSA
KTM
SPA
6
24
Lorenzo SAVADORI
Aprilia
ITA
4
25
Michele PIRRO
Ducati
ITA
3
26
Tito RABAT
Ducati
SPA
1
Moto2
There has been one constant for the vast majority of the 2021 Moto2 season so far: one or both Red Bull KTM Ajo riders on the podium. But in the Styrian GP it proved not so, with Marco Bezzecchi (Sky Racing Team VR46) ruling the venue once more and with some serious speed. As we head into the second back-to-back weekend in Austria, can the orange machines fight back?
Championship leader Remy Gardner (Red Bull KT Ajo), certainly, looked to have the raw speed – and took pole – but the Australian had a couple of uncharacteristic moments, one of which sealed his fate of a finish off the podium. But uncharacteristic is the key word, with the number 87’s form so far this season having been so imperious, and he took a good finish and some good points despite that run off. Bezzecchi also said he’d improved a couple of things in his riding from watching how Gardner attacked the venue, so the two surely lead the bets heading into the Austrian GP…
Raul Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo), meanwhile, had a tougher weekend as he came home in seventh – his worst Moto2 finish to date. With plenty of talk around the Spaniard and his future it was a busy weekend on track and off, so will some serenity return at Spielberg this time around?
In the end, it was Aron Canet (Aspar Team Moto2) who emerged as the rider putting the pressure on Bezzecchi, so the Spaniard should be one to watch again. He’s also got a bowtie to explain too, which he says he’ll do when he wins. Augusto Fernandez (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) was also back on the podium and although he acknowledged a little luck playing its part there, the Spaniard backed up his speed from Assen. Is there more in the locker? And what about his teammate Sam Lowes, who, like Gardner, also paid the price for a run off and dropped down the order?
Finally, there is another rider who created a little Jaws music on Sunday for those ahead of him: Ai Ogura (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia). The Japanese rookie fell foul of track limits, got a Long Lap penalty and then another that took him out of podium contention, but he was fast – fastest lap fast, and more than once. He’d also not only been homing in on a debut Moto2 podium, but the race lead… so with even more fire from feeling he could have left the Styrian GP with more, can Ogura get back in that fight for victory?
Moto2 Championship Points
Pos
Rider
Bike
Nation
Points
1
Remy GARDNER
Kalex
AUS
197
2
Raul FERNANDEZ
Kalex
SPA
162
3
Marco BEZZECCHI
Kalex
ITA
153
4
Sam LOWES
Kalex
GBR
101
5
Fabio DI GIANNANTONIO
Kalex
ITA
76
6
Aron CANET
Boscoscuro
SPA
75
7
Marcel SCHROTTER
Kalex
GER
72
8
Augusto FERNANDEZ
Kalex
SPA
66
9
Ai OGURA
Kalex
JPN
60
10
Xavi VIERGE
Kalex
SPA
57
11
Joe ROBERTS
Kalex
USA
50
12
Jorge NAVARRO
Boscoscuro
SPA
42
13
Bo BENDSNEYDER
Kalex
NED
39
14
Celestino VIETTI
Kalex
ITA
32
15
Tony ARBOLINO
Kalex
ITA
30
16
Cameron BEAUBIER
Kalex
USA
26
17
Somkiat CHANTRA
Kalex
THA
24
18
Albert ARENAS
Boscoscuro
SPA
23
19
Stefano MANZI
Kalex
ITA
20
20
Jake DIXON
Kalex
GBR
16
21
Marcos RAMIREZ
Kalex
SPA
16
22
Hector GARZO
Kalex
SPA
11
23
Nicolò BULEGA
Kalex
ITA
10
24
Lorenzo DALLA PORTA
Kalex
ITA
10
25
Hafizh SYAHRIN
NTS
MAL
8
26
Simone CORSI
MV Agusta
ITA
7
27
Alonso LOPEZ
Boscoscuro
SPA
4
28
Fermín ALDEGUER
Boscoscuro
SPA
4
29
Thomas LUTHI
Kalex
SWI
4
30
Lorenzo BALDASSARRI
MV Agusta
ITA
3
31
Barry BALTUS
NTS
BEL
2
Moto3
The Moto3 race at the Styrian GP was an all-time great. Tricky conditions, a little tyre intrigue, and the top two in the Championship leaving the field in the dust for their own duel made for an electrifying contest – and a final lap and corner that will become legendary in the lightweight class. Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and Sergio Garcia (Santander Consumer Bank GASGAS Aspar) were in a league of their own on Sunday, and now we’re going to do it all again. Can they?
The first thing we learned from the Styrian GP is that Acosta only continues to deserve his hype. He didn’t need to win, but he put it on the line to do just that – and pulled it off. A few points would have been fine for the rider now 53 points clear at the top of the standings, but Pedro Acosta doesn’t really race for a few points. He also showed he’s still a master of the Red Bull Ring as the stakes rose from five Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup wins in a row to his first Moto3 appearance at the track. So heading into the Austrian GP, there’s a clear favourite at the top – and that gap is even bigger.
The second thing we learned, however, is that Garcia will also put it on the line… and the stakes for the Aspar rider were arguably even higher than those for Acosta. His lunge down the inside, squarely underlining a belief in rubbing sometimes very much being racing, was a statement in itself – even if it didn’t ultimately secure him the win. If he hadn’t remounted and managed to hold onto second, he could have ended up taking himself out of real contention for the crown, and he was still willing to go for it. Looking ahead to the Austrian GP, there’s no reason to expect him to turn down the chance on take two. And he and Acosta were already firm favourites in Free Practice in the dry…
A few more fast faces made a good mark in der Steiermark too though. Romano Fenati (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) was back on the box, already has winning form there and went for a late move, also completing the PR dream to make it a KTM, GASGAS, Husqvarna podium. Jaume Masia (Red Bull KTM Ajo) was back in a frontrunning postcode after a tougher rollercoaster so far, and Ayumu Sasaki (Red Bull KTM Tech3) returned from injury to get straight back into the top five, as ever aiming for more next time out.
Darryn Binder (Petronas Sprinta Racing), meanwhile, somehow outpaced everyone else on slicks by the kind of margin that would normally contain the entirety of the points scorers… and took a top six. Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Tech3) deserves a shoutout too for his pole position – the first for Turkey – and then taking the gamble, which on another day may have proven a masterstroke. But that’s racing, and that’s what we’re returning to the Red Bull Ring to do this weekend.
Moto3 Championship Points
Pos
Rider
Bike
Nation
Points
1
Pedro ACOSTA
KTM
SPA
183
2
Sergio GARCIA
GASGAS
SPA
130
3
Romano FENATI
Husqvarna
ITA
96
4
Dennis FOGGIA
Honda
ITA
86
5
Jaume MASIA
KTM
SPA
85
6
Darryn BINDER
Honda
RSA
79
7
Ayumu SASAKI
KTM
JPN
68
8
Niccolò ANTONELLI
KTM
ITA
67
9
Gabriel RODRIGO
Honda
ARG
59
10
Jeremy ALCOBA
Honda
SPA
58
11
Andrea MIGNO
Honda
ITA
58
12
Kaito TOBA
KTM
JPN
56
13
Filip SALAC
KTM
CZE
40
14
John MCPHEE
Honda
GBR
40
15
Tatsuki SUZUKI
Honda
JPN
38
16
Izan GUEVARA
GASGAS
SPA
38
17
Ryusei YAMANAKA
KTM
JPN
37
18
Xavier ARTIGAS
Honda
SPA
30
19
Jason DUPASQUIER
KTM
SWI
27
20
Deniz ÖNCÜ
KTM
TUR
25
21
Stefano NEPA
KTM
ITA
19
22
Riccardo ROSSI
KTM
ITA
16
23
Adrian FERNANDEZ
Husqvarna
SPA
16
24
Yuki KUNII
Honda
JPN
15
25
Carlos TATAY
KTM
SPA
14
26
Maximilian KOFLER
KTM
AUT
10
27
Elia BARTOLINI
KTM
ITA
7
28
Andi Farid IZDIHAR
Honda
INA
2
29
Daniel HOLGADO
KTM
SPA
1
MotoE
Summer break was a little longer for the FIM Enel MotoE World Cup, but we’re back in business at the Austrian GP as the spectacular Red Bull Ring welcomes the electric runners for the penultimate round of the season. A venue the Cup has visited before, it’s familiar turf for those who competed in MotoE in 2019… but a new challenge for a few competitors.
Alessandro Zaccone (Octo Pramac MotoE) is one of them, the Italian making his MotoE debut last year. But so far this season it hasn’t seemed to matter where we’ve raced or what his previous CV or track knowledge was like, the number 61 keeps getting the job done and often in style. Three races remain in 2021 and his advantage is only seven points, but his consistency has been rock solid so far and he has to remain the favourite heading into the Red Bull Ring.
Jordi Torres (HP Pons 40) is now the man on the chase, the Spaniard making up good ground at Assen to move into second. At Assen he also got his elbows out, as promised, and there seemed to be a switch from focusing on consistency above all else to laying a little more on the line. Can he keep that going? He may have to try if he’s to defend the crown, because Zaccone has been watertight so far.
Dominique Aegerter (Dynavolt Intact GP), meanwhile, arrives with the opposite conundrum. After a crash at Assen that’s sent him down to fourth and 17 points down, he can no longer wait for a mistake from his rivals and will need to go on the attack. Will that risk vs reward pay off? He’s not won a race so far this year, but now would be a good time to do it.
And then there’s Eric Granado (ONE Energy Racing), who is the opposite again. The Brazilian is now ahead of Aegerter in the standings, although equal on points, with two wins to his name. Two bouts of bad luck join them on his rap sheet, but when it comes together – like it did at Assen – Granado is hard to beat. When he’s needed to, he’s also found the perfect bounce back this season, including that spectacular final corner ballet against Zaccone in France, when the opposite outcome could have seriously dented his charge for the Cup. Can he bring the magic and avoid the bad luck again in Austria? He is one of those who raced here in 2019…
Mattia Casadei (Ongetta SIC58 Squadra Corse) is another and rekindled his solid points hauls at Assen, but he’ll be looking to move up as he’s now ten points off Granado and Aegerter, and only a single point ahead of Barcelona winner Miquel Pons (LCR E-Team). Pons had a tougher visit to the TT Circuit Assen and will be aiming for more in Austria.
Matteo Ferrari (Indonesian E-Racing Gresini MotoE), meanwhile, got more at the Dutch GP. After a tougher start to the year the Italian took his best 2021 finish yet at Assen in fourth, and was the top Red Bull Ring finisher on the current grid back in 2019. He’s consistent as ever too, with a top ten finish in every race this season – something that only Zaccone, Torres and Yonny Hernandez (Octo Pramac MotoE) can join in claiming.
Lukas Tulovic (Tech3 E-Racing), Hikari Okubo (Avant Ajo MotoE) and Fermin Aldeguer (Openbank Aspar Team) are waiting in the wings to fight it out for that top ten – as a minimum – too, and all three are covered by just eight points in the standings, with time left to make up some good ground. Mathematically, the 2021 Cup remains anyone’s to win… but the clock is ticking and crunch time is coming as we head into the penultimate round.
MotoE Championship Points
Pos
Rider
Bike
Nation
Points
1
Alessandro ZACCONE
Energica
ITA
54
2
Dominique AEGERTER
Energica
SWI
53
3
Jordi TORRES
Energica
SPA
43
4
Miquel PONS
Energica
SPA
36
5
Mattia CASADEI
Energica
ITA
33
6
Eric GRANADO
Energica
BRA
28
7
Yonny HERNANDEZ
Energica
COL
27
8
Matteo FERRARI
Energica
ITA
27
9
Maria HERRERA
Energica
SPA
18
10
Lukas TULOVIC
Energica
GER
17
11
Hikari OKUBO
Energica
JPN
16
12
Corentin PEROLARI
Energica
FRA
13
13
Fermín ALDEGUER
Energica
SPA
11
14
Kevin ZANNONI
Energica
ITA
11
15
Andre PIRES
Energica
POR
11
16
Andrea MANTOVANI
Energica
ITA
10
17
Jasper IWEMA
Energica
NED
7
18
Xavi CARDELUS
Energica
AND
3
2021
Bitci Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich Schedule (AEST)
Breaking new ground, the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship travels to North America this weekend for the prestigious Red Bull TKO. After a hectic round four at Red Bull Romaniacs just two weeks ago, the world’s best riders will once again go head-to-head as the championship’s leading competitors face off against the best of American talent.
Set for its 11th edition, the Red Bull TKO operates a multi-race knockout style format. From Saturday’s 400 amateur rider qualifier, the best riders then progress through to Sunday’s main event, lining up against a stacked pro rider entry. Adding extra spice to Saturday evening will be the Pro-Prologue Red Bull Straight Rhythm. An 18-rider line-up will see top riders go head-to-head across an exciting straight-line endurocross course.
For Sunday’s main event, a series of knockout races sees riders battling to qualify through to the next round every time they take to the track. A final, 15-rider multi-lap race, on a shortened-but-intensified course, will see the winner take all.
Situated at the Trials Training Centre in Sequatchie, Tennessee, home to world championship Trial events in the past, the terrain is a Hard Enduro gold mine thanks to its rocky riverbeds, waterfall boulders and steep forestry climbs. Adding in unpredictable weather and high levels of humidity ensures a tough and physical race for all.
After his round four victory, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Manuel Lettenbichler now sits at the top of the championship’s point standings. A rider on form, Manuel arrives in the USA having previous experience at Red Bull TKO. Winner of the event in 2019, he’s the only rider from outside of North America to do so, and will no doubt be looking for more success this weekend.
The Sherco Factory Racing pairing of Mario Roman and Wade Young are also past podium finishers in Tennessee. While neither rider has yet to reach the top step, they’ve consistently placed inside the top three. Arriving in the USA fresh off their Red Bull Romaniacs podium finishes, both Young and Roman very much start among the favourites.
Vision Track Beta’s Jonny Walker is another rider aiming for a top result. Having fought all week in Romania for a podium result, he just missed out, finishing fifth. Walker has raced and finished a close second at Red Bull TKO previously and knows how demanding this race will be. That experience might just help him put Beta Motorcycles up on the world championship podium for the first time.
However, as the 2020 winner of Red Bull TKO, Canada’s Trystan Hart (KTM) is the rider everyone will be keeping an eye on. The 24-year-old has already made his mark in 2021 by placing as top Red Bull Romaniacs rookie with seventh. Victory this weekend on familiar terrain is the target for Hart.
Sherco’s Cody Webb is a rider eager to stop that. The American has dominated Red Bull TKO over the last decade with six wins to his credit. A knee injury sustained at round four has dampened his confidence slightly. But with a wealth of experience, you can be sure he will give it his all to fly the Stars and Stripes flag from the top step of the podium.
As round three winner, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Billy Bolt cannot be ignored. Despite this being a first time visit to Red Bull TKO, Bolt has a habit of winning races at his first attempt – Abestone Hard Enduro and Extreme XL Lagares (2018) are notable examples. Bolt also excels in a multi-round format race and lives for the gigantic boulders the Trials Training Centre has on offer. Knowing victory will put him back into title contention, expect Billy to hit the ground running.
Sixth at Red Bull Romaniacs, GASGAS Factory Racing’s Taddy Blazusiak will be in the hunt alongside his teammate Michael Walkner. Alfredo Gomez (Husqvarna) and Bulgaria’s Teodor Kabakchiev (Husqvarna) can’t be ruled out of contention either.
With a golden opportunity to shine on the world stage, American’s Cooper Abbott (KTM), Nick Fahringer (Sherco), Jordan Ashburn (Husqvarna), Ryan Sipes (GASGAS), Keith Curtis (Sherco), Max Gerston (GASGAS), Pat Smage (Sherco) and Ryder LeBlond (Husqvarna) could also land some knockout results.
Red Bull TKO – round five of the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship – takes place at the Trials Training Centre, Sequatchie, Tennessee on August 13-15.
2021 FIM Hard Enduro World Championship Points
Manuel Lettenbichler (KTM) 37pts
Billy Bolt (Husqvarna) 33pts
Wade Young (Sherco) 25pts
Mario Roman (Sherco) 24pts
Jonny Walker (Beta) 24pts
Taddy Blazusiak (GASGAS) 20pts
Graham Jarvis (Husqvarna) 15pts
Michael Walkner (GASGAS) 14pts
Alfredo Gomez (Husqvarna) 13pts
Teodor Kabakchiev (Husqvarna) 11pts
2021 FIM Hard Enduro World Championship calendar
Round 1: Extreme XL Lagares – Portugal, May 7/8/9
Round 2: Red Bull Erzbergrodeo – Austria, June 3/4/5/6
Round 3: Abestone Hard Enduro – Italy, July 10/11
Round 4: Red Bull Romaniacs – Romania, July 27/28/29/30/31
Round 5: Red Bull TKO – USA, August 13/14/15
Round 6: HERO Challenge – Poland, September 11/12
Round 7: Hixpania Hard Enduro – Spain, October 1/2/3
MotoGP Race Director Mike Webb explains two additions ahead of the Bitci Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich
Two new dashboard message options will debut in the FIM MotoGP World Championship during the upcoming Bitci Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich. Dashboard messages are a tool available to Race Direction to facilitate direct communication with riders when they’re out on track, and a number of messages can also be sent and managed by teams.
This weekend, two new message options will become available. The first is a message communicating a problem with rider equipment – leathers, boots, gloves, helmet – introduced by Race Direction. The second is a request from the FIM MotoGP Stewards to introduce a warning regarding rider behaviour.
Race Director Mike Webb
“For many years we’ve had dashboard messages where Race Direction can send messages to riders on the bike; flag signals and information about penalties, things like that. From time to time more signals. But a couple of things have come up recently, one is at the Catalan GP we had something that has never happened before, where a rider’s equipment; leathers, wasn’t functioning correctly and we needed to tell the rider to fix it. And there isn’t really an appropriate signal, we have signals about a mechanical failure on the bike, signals about disqualifications and things like that, but we decided after this incident that we needed a specific signal about rider equipment because it’s different to a mechanical failure, where if a bike is leaking oil or water or something, it’s important the bike goes off the track immediately.
“In the case of a problem or fastening undone on rider equipment, or something that’s not immediately a problem but needs to be fixed, it’s a different situation. So we have a new signal on the dashboard, it shows ‘equipment’ on the rider dashboard and the meaning has been explained to the riders and teams: there is a problem with your equipment and you’re required to fix it immediately. If that means coming into the pits to fix it, ok. Or if you can fix it yourself on track, that’s also ok. What we require is that you fix it immediately, so there’s a new message about rider equipment.
“The other update is a request from the FIM MotoGP Stewards about rider behaviour. There are times when a rider may do something we don’t like, but it is borderline and could have been a misjudgement or a mistake. However, if they repeat that behaviour and prove it was neither, it will incur a penalty. So the Stewards want a warning signal to say ‘hey, don’t do that. We’re watching and if you do it again there will be a penalty’. So there’s a new display on the dashboard called ‘warning’ and it’s specifically about rider behaviour. The warning signal says to the rider ‘what you’re doing, we don’t like it. Pay attention and if you continue there could be a penalty’. That’s the two new messages to improve communication between Race Direction and the riders.
“Messages on the dashboard take a bit of lead time. The manufacturers of the dashboards and motorcycles have to adjust their systems, and the timekeeping, to send the messages, they all have to get ready and it takes a little time so we’ve agreed on the messages, the technical part is being changed now and these messages will be available from the Austrian Grand Prix this weekend.”
Bringing you the Best Motorcycle News from Around the Web!
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Ok