TIME SCHEDULE: Grand Prix of Qatar

Free Practice 2 begins at 16:10 for the lightweight class, 17:05 for the intermediate class and 18:00 for MotoGP™. The fun continues on Saturday, with ATC qualifying followed by FP3 at 11:25, and ending at 14:00. After a short break, where we’ll see Race 1 in the ATC at 14:35, the battle for pole begins. Moto3™ are up at 15:30 for two 15-minute qualifying sessions, before it’s the turn of Moto2™ at 16:25 with two more 15-minute sessions.

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Dubbo plans motorcycle festival

After a false start in 2019, the Dubbo Motor Bike Rally in central NSW returns this May after a two-year pandemic hiatus.

Dubbo Motor Bike Rally Committee spokesman Wayne Amor says the region is the perfect place for a large motorcycle rally.

He has hopes to turn it into Australia’s version of the world’s largest rally, the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota.

The free event will be held in Talbragar Street from 6-8May.

On the Saturday there will be a motorcycle festival with free bike parking from 8am to 6pm in “Bike Street” which is between Macquarie and Darling streets.

Dubbo Bike Rally
“Bike Street”

“The aim of the rally is to promote safe riding and foster all the great things that riding a bike provides – fun, freedom and camaraderie,” Wayne says.

“We have invited the MCC of NSW, are in negotiations with the RMS Motorcycle Safety Unit and the NSW Police Force will be in attendance, as well as many other motorcycle related industries and outlet stalls.” 

Highlights include Lucky Kieser’s Merlin V-twin-powered trike and his new salt lake drag bike.

Black Dog Ride, depression, dementia, mental illness, suicide, motorcycles, charity

Wayne says Dubbo has many pubs, clubs and restaurants that welcome riders.

A detailed list of entertainment options will be provided on the Dubbo Motor Bike Rally  Facebook page as the event gets closer. 

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

Mick Doohan takes the vote for the second Online Challenge

The famous venue, which hosted the British Grand Prix from 1987 to 2009, is renowned for its glorious first sector: from Redgate Corner, gamers will negotiate the glorious, downhill Craner Curves and Old Hairpin before firing back uphill again. This is a track of two halves: the final sector, containing the Melbourne Loop and Goddards hairpin require a different skill set.

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Tech round-up: What have Suzuki found in pre-season?

What we know about Suzuki’s GSX-RR is that it has great turning characteristics. But it’s down on power compared to the V4s, so Suzuki riders have to work hard through and coming out of the corner in order to not lose too much ground on the straight, all of which leads to increased tyre wear. So, delving further into the electronics, to help them in this area, means they can turn their corner speed back from being a disadvantage and into an advantage again.

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10 things you probably didn’t know about Aleix Espargaro

7. For those who follow Espargaro on social media, you will already be aware of his love for food. Often posting some of his healthier diets online, the Catalan does allow himself some guilty pleasures in the kitchen. A fan of Japanese specialities like sushi and Italian classics pizza and pasta, it’s fried chicken which tops his cheat meal list. Though, if it came down to it, he would choose sushi if that was the only thing he could ever eat again.

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A sit down with the king: Trast73 ready for 2022 defence

Trast73, Lorenzo Daretti, won the 2021 MotoGP™ eSport Championship to add to his two crowns won in 2017 and 2018

We caught up with the reigning MotoGP™ eSport World Champion, Italy’s Trast73, while he is preparing for the 2022 season to hear his thoughts on last year’s victorious campaign.

We are racing, we are gaming: MotoGP™ eSports is coming soon

How would you assess your performances in the 2021 Global Series? 

It was a fantastic season full of twists. I was among the fastest in the championship since the first race and I think I deserved it! In the last two races I was struggling because I had some bike problems, but then I got 100 percent from every situation there in the live event, and thanks to this I brought home the third title. So for me the keys for this championship were the very high speed, and the ability to always remain calm, and being ready to take advantage of any opportunity.

What were the differences between the MotoGP™20 and MotoGP21 games? 

They were two very different chapters. MotoGP™21 proved to be the most successful game ever. The setup of the bike was more realistic, as was managing the fuel, tyre wear, warnings, the long lap penalty… All departments improved and it was more realistic when playing it. In this year’s game we will have also the holeshot so let’s see!

What do you plan to do with your prize? 

I love BMWs and this is a fantastic, almost alien car. I will definitely go to do some laps on the track to test it well and then I will try to keep it as long as possible.

trast73 is the 2021 MotoGP eSport World Champion

Do you often play MotoGP™21 with a current MotoGP™ rider? If so, who do you think is the best? 

Yes, I’ve played with them a few times and I think the best riders are Francesco Bagnaia, Fabio Quartararo and Maverick Viñales.

How are you training for the 2022 MotoGP™ eSport Championship? 

It’s early to say. Usually, when the world championship ends I take two or three months off, but now we are at the gates and I have to get back into hard training … how will I train? The head will count a lot this year. I will start the season not as reigning champion, but thinking of starting from zero as if nothing had happened. Hunger and determination will be key.

Do you think there any younger names that will challenge you for the MotoGP™ eSport Championship this year? 

Sure, like every year new young talents will be added and it will be hard to beat them. I need to keep my speed to the limit and sometimes it will be necessary to play with experience. It’s hard to say now who they will be, but whoever they are, we must be ready to beat them

Finally, where does your username ‘Trast73’ come from? 

Trastevere73 was my father’s nickname. This is because he worked there in Trastevere (famous place in Rome) and he was born in 1973, like my mum. When I was younger, not being able to create my own, I started using his nickname and I liked it. I got attached to it and I decided to keep it.

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Testing gets underway for the 2022 Idemitsu Asia Talent Cup

This year the grid is 20-strong, with seven countries represented: Australia, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. And there will definitely be a new Champion and a new name on the top step, with some key players from last season – including Champion Taiyo Furusato – moving up on their Road to MotoGP™. 

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Poncharal: “We are going to Qatar with big ambitions”

So, is much-loved team boss Herve Poncharal at all concerned heading into the opening round in Qatar? “It’s true that over one lap, in Indonesia and in Malaysia, the first RC16 clocked in at five-tenths adrift of the fastest rider. That said, a time attack has never been KTM’s forte. The proof is that we have rarely seen a KTM on the front row. On the other hand, Brad has accustomed us to good rises through the field and indeed we have a rather interesting race rhythm. In Mandalika, if you take the average over all the laps, Miguel is third. And from Qatar, our package will be gradually improved by small touches. The goal was not to go for a time. The winter tests are above all there for work. Some want to make an impression. We’re not like that.

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