Frenchman Romain Febvre says his pace is returning after making his Monster Energy Kawasaki Factory Racing debut at Sardinia’s opening round of the 2020 International Italian Motocross Championship, marking the first race since breaking his femur in August last year.
Febvre, who donned his new number three for the first time, rode to 14th in the opening MX1 moto before finishing 11th in the Superfinal, which was ultimately won by reigning world champion Tim Gajser (Team HRC).
“It’s a great feeling to be back racing after such a long break,” said Febvre. “I knew coming here that I am still working on my speed but that’s normal at this stage of the season.
“Physically I was okay though I suffered some arm-pump in the first race and then in the second one it was carnage at the first corner – I made a small mistake during the race but my speed was coming back all day.
“I know what I have to work on and since the beginning of this month I can train every day on the bike so we’ll stay here in Sardinia for a few days before heading to our final warm-up race.”
Febvre will be on-track again at the Lacapelle Marival in France next month.
Vinales extends Yamaha contract through 2022 season
Section: Competition
Spaniard renews MotoGP deal for an additional two years.
Maverick Vinales has renewed his contract with Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing for an additional two years, taking him through the 2022 MotoGP World Championship.
The Spaniard has been a strong contender for the factory squad since joining in 2017, earning a pair of top three championship rankings from three seasons with the Japanese manufacturer.
Vinales has scored six wins and 19 podiums aboard the YZR-M1, including his Yamaha debut race and Yamaha’s 500th GP win in Le Mans in 2017, as well as nine poles in total out of 55 grand prix starts.
“I’m extremely happy because I feel like I get to keep ‘my own team’,” Vinales stated. “This will be the second year with my current crew, and after this I have two more years to look forward to. I’m so excited! I think that if we keep working really hard we are heading the right way. For me, it was very important to make this announcement before the season started, because I’m highly motivated and want to be able to fully concentrate on the 2020 season.
“I don’t want to spend too much time thinking about the future. There were no reasons not to stay with Yamaha, because they feel like family. Yamaha is giving me a lot of support and, as I said, I have ‘my own team’, which is something I really need. We need to keep working and be very strong. Our main objective is, as always, to be world champion and try to bring Yamaha the number one honour again.
“I will try my best. For sure, I will give everything I have to make our team proud too. I would like to say ‘thank you’ to Yamaha for their faith in me. They are giving me a lot of confidence, and I really have trust in our partnership. I think we will both be growing very fast and we will keep pushing.”
Vinales will be on-track for the first time this season at the Sepang test, scheduled for 6-7 February.
As expected, Harley-Davidson sales are down for the fifth year, but they plan to focus on Asia, small-capacity bikes, electric bicycles and bringing new models to market faster.
That could include the electric flat tracker (pictured above) which is an exciting update on the previous concept sketch.
First electric Harley sketch
Retail sales
Bottom line is global retail sales were down 1.4% with a 3.1% drop in the US and slight 0.5% increase in international markets. The share price dropped 3% after the overnight announcement.
The most promising sales result was a 2.7% rise in Asia/Pacific which includes Australia, ASEAN countries and Japan.
However, Australia isn’t contributing to that result with sales down 7.9%.
By comparison, European sales were down 3%, Latin America -3.9% and Canada -7.7%.
The biggest problem is the US domestic market which has dropped in 20 of the past 21 quarters since 2014.
2019
Variance
Worldwide
218,273
-4.3%
US
125,960
-5.2%
International
92,313
-3%
Australia
6462
-7.9%
The bulk of Harley’s sales are touring bikes which dropped 2.1% to 42.5% of all sales.
Cruisers (Softail, CVO and LiveWire) represent 35.6% of Harley sales, up 1.3%, while Street/Sportster is 21.3% and up 0.8%.
On the strength of these new models, revenue is planned to increase from $US4.53b to $US4.66b in 2020.
Part of that could be the reduction in impact of Trump’s tariff war, down this year to $US30m from $US97.9 million last year. Harley has now built a factory in Thailand to side-step tariffs and keep a lid on prices in Europe.
There are no plans yet to import Thai-made bikes to Australia.
President and CEO Matt Levatich says “transformed product development” is allowing them to bring new models such as the Pan America and Bronx to market 30% faster than before.
Pan America
These new models will be released in September, so their impact will not be felt until 2021.
Matt says the new products also include “electric products, motorcycles in new segments and sizes, and even e-bicycles”.
Harley e-bikes
But they haven’t forgotten their core customer, increasing their domestic share in the touring and cruiser segments.
“We’re also leading the electrification of motorcycles with class-leading products developed in conjunction with our new team and our EV development centre, LiveWire labs in Silicon Valley,” Matt says.
Interestingly, American compatriot Indian Motorcycle also says it gained market share, driven by the launch of the Challenger bagger a couple of months ago and the FTR 1200 street tracker.
If both American companies are increasing their domestic share, Japanese and European tourers and cruisers must be losing out.
China is the second biggest powered two-wheeler market in the world next to India, representing 24.9% of global motorcycle and scooter sales and increasing 5% last year to 16.4 million sales.
Harley-Davidson is targeting 50% of revenue to come from overseas markets by 2027.
New riders
Harley’s Riding Academy
Matt was effusive about the increase of 55,000 new riders in the US last year through their riding academy, compared with a net gain of 26,000 in 2018.
However, while they say 527,000 new riders last year joined the brand, that means 472,000 left Harley.
Matt says their research shows they need to “bring people in, build their confidence and capability, and keep them riding through the critical first years of their riding journey”.
“We are testing and developing specific programs and actions right now that nurture new riders and inspire and develop all riders to continue riding with us,” he says.
Small sportbikes needn’t be restricted to riders with small budgets. In fact, if you gather together a group of motorcycle journalists, many of ’em current or former roadracers, the bikes that they claim excite them most might surprise you. When pure, unadulterated fun is the objective, the folks who ride pretty much everything will more often than not choose a small-displacement machine for burning laps at a trackday. Being so light, the 2020 Yamaha YZF-R3 rewards smooth inputs through the controls. And with less than 40 hp on tap, there is nowhere to hide if you blow an apex or botch a braking marker.
2020 Yamaha YZF-R3Yamaha
The R3 was unveiled in 2015 and given a MotoGP-inspired cosmetic makeover in ’19. Keep its revvy, liquid-cooled parallel twin on the boil, and this MotoAmerica Junior Cup-eligible model will make you feel like a hero. Not so many miles under your belt? Still mastering the fundamentals? A short first gear and light-effort clutch ease getaways, and a relatively low seat height inspires feet-flat confidence. An inverted fork, a liquid-crystal display, plus LED head- and taillights further equip the R3 for commuting as well as back-road duties.
2020 Yamaha YZF-R3 Reviews, Comparisons, And Competition
Yamaha has announced that 25-year-old Maverick Viñales has signed for a two further years with the Yamaha Factory Racing MotoGP Team through seasons 2021-2022.
Lin Jarvis – MD Yamaha Motor Racing
“We brought Maverick into the Factory team in 2017, knowing he is a special talent. He is highly motivated and dedicates himself to being physically strong and is always ready to give his maximum and extract the best from his YZR-M1. In his first three seasons with us, he has given Yamaha 6 wins, 19 podiums, and 100% of his commitment. Now, as the YZR-M1 is improving race by race, we foresee a very bright future for him at Yamaha. Maverick‘s decision to sign with the Yamaha Factory Racing MotoGP Team for two further years so early shows the strength of our mutual appreciation and underlines the shared conviction that together we can challenge for the MotoGP World Championship Title.”
Vinales was victorias at the Sepang MotoGP in 2019
The successful partnership has thus far led to a third place in the overall standings in 2017, a fourth place in 2018, and another third place in 2019.
Further Yamaha highlights on the Spaniard‘s résumé are 6 wins and 19 podiums, including his Yamaha debut race and Yamaha‘s 500th GP win in Le Mans, both in 2017, as well as 9 poles in total out of 55 Grand Prix weekends aboard the YZR-M1.
Maverick Vinales
“I‘m extremely happy because I feel like I get to keep ’my own team‘. This will be the second year with my current crew, and after this I have two more years to look forward to. I‘m so excited! I think that if we keep working really hard we are heading the right way. For me, it was very important to make this announcement before the season started, because I‘m highly motivated and want to be able to fully concentrate on the 2020 season. I don‘t want to spend too much time thinking about the future. There were no reasons not to stay with Yamaha, because they feel like family. Yamaha is giving me a lot of support and, as I said, I have ’my own team‘, which is something I really need. We need to keep working and be very strong. Our main objective is, as always, to be World Champion and try to bring Yamaha the number one honour again. I will try my best. For sure, I will give everything I have to make our team proud too. I would like to say ’Thank you‘ to Yamaha for their faith in me. They are giving me a lot of confidence, and I really have trust in our partnership. I think we will both be growing very fast and we will keep pushing.”
Maverick Viñales
On 6 February they will start the first MotoGP Test of this year in Sepang, Malaysia, kicking off their 2020 campaign to clinch the premier class title.
Viñales was born in Figueres, Spain, on January 12th, 1995. He began racing in minimotos at just three years of age before moving onto motocross. In 2002 his passion for speed brought him to circuit racing. He competed in the Catalonian 50cc Championship and followed it up with several successful seasons in the 70cc “metrakit” bikes.
Viñales got hold of the Catalonian 125cc Championship Title in 2007, he successfully defended his crown in 2008, and won the Mediterranean Trophy that same year. The following year he also competed at selected events in the German IDM 125GP Championship for RZT Racing aboard an Aprilia RS 125 R, achieving a best result of seventh.
In 2009, he moved up to the CEV Buckler 125GP series, partnering with Miguel Oliveira in the Blusens-BQR team. Viñales secured the Rookie of the Year award, finishing as the runner-up to Alberto Moncayo in the championship standings by just four points and claiming four successive podiums during that season.
In 2010, Viñales and Oliveira joined different Blusens teams and battled it out for the CEV Buckler 125GP Championship Title. Despite winning two races to Oliveira‘s four, Viñales won the title by two points, thanks to finishing on the podium at all seven races of the season. The European Championship Title was also decided between the two riders, and again it was Viñales who came out on top.
Maverick Viñales took his first ever win in the 125 World Championship at le Mans in 2011, and it also staged his first MotoGP podium in 2016. – Image by AJRN
The Spaniard moved to the 125cc World Championship for the 2011 season with the SuperMartxé VIP team. He impressed during pre-season testing at Valencia and finished ninth on his Grand Prix debut in Qatar. After retiring at Jerez due to a technical issue, Viñales finished fourth at Estoril, narrowly missing out on a podium to Johann Zarco in a photo finish, with a margin between the pair of just 0.002s.
Maverick Viñales took his first ever win in the 125 World Championship at le Mans in 2011, and it also staged his first MotoGP podium in 2016. – Image by AJRN
Two weeks later at Le Mans, Viñales took his first front-row grid start in third place and went on to seal his first victory by 0.048s at the age of 16 years, 123 days. This incredible performance made him the third-youngest rider to win a Grand Prix race, behind Scott Redding and Marco Melandri. Securing three further victories that same year, Viñales finished his first Grand Prix season in third place in the championship rankings and claimed the Rookie of the Year award.
Maverick Viñales took his first ever win in the 125 World Championship at le Mans in 2011, and it also staged his first MotoGP podium in 2016. – Image by AJRN
The youngster went into the 2012 season as the title favourite in the newly formed Moto3 championship. He won five races on the Blusens Avintia FTR Honda early on in the season, but a lack in consistency, some misfortunes, and a dispute with his team resulted in a missed race in Malaysia, which allowed Cortese to win the title and Luis Salom to snatch second in the final standings, with Viñales taking third overall.
The next year, the young gun moved to Team Calvo alongside Ana Carrasco. He won his first two races back-to-back at the Spanish and French Grands Prix and kept his competitive form throughout the season, fighting at the front of the field. Viñales, Rins, and Salom went into the final round with a gap of five points across them all. The championship was decided in Valencia by a battle between Rins and Viñales. In the end, Viñales took the race victory and the Moto3 World Championship Title by a twelve-point margin.
Maverick Vinales 2013 Moto3 Champion – Image by AJRN
The Moto3 World Champion then signed a Moto2 contract with Pons Racing, joining former title rival Salom. Viñales didn‘t have to wait long for his first intermediate class victory, which came at the Circuit of the Americas on 13 April, 2014. He ultimately finished the season in third place with four wins and nine podiums, earning himself another Rookie of the Year award.
Maverick Vinales won the Moto2 race at Phillip Island in 2014 – Image by AJRN
In September 2014, it was announced that Viñales would move up to the premier class for the 2015 season, riding for the factory Suzuki team. Despite being a rookie and riding for a factory that was returning to MotoGP, he had a very good MotoGP season. Scoring points in 16 out of 18 races in a competitive field and under challenging circumstances, the young contender proved to be a notable rider. He finished the season in 12th place, winning again the Rookie of the Year award, thus completing his collection (125cc, Moto2, and MotoGP).
Team Suzuki MotoGP celebrated the 30th Anniversary of the Suzuki GSX-R machine at Sachsenring MotoGP 2015 – Maverick Vinales
In 2016 Viñales shone anew. He finished third at the fifth round in France, achieving his first MotoGP podium, and it wasn‘t before long that he got to step onto the top of the rostrum. At the twelfth race, the British Grand Prix held at the Silverstone Circuit, he registered his first ever MotoGP win. He finished the season strong with two more third places in Japan and on Phillip Island, to secure fourth place in championship. His talent and strong mentality were undeniable and didn’t go unnoticed by Yamaha, who signed Viñales for the 2017 and 2018 season.
Maverick Vinales
Viñales lived up to the hype. After a very strong debut on the YZR-M1 during the pre-season, the young Spaniard went on to win the first two races in Qatar and Argentina. He later followed up the achievement by securing Yamaha its 500th Grand Prix victory in Le Mans, after a sensational fight with team-mate Valentino Rossi. Despite the season being filled with grip issues, the Spaniard brought in solid points, scoring second places in Mugello and Silverstone and third places in Brno and Phillip Island, to ultimately conclude the season in third place.
Andrea Dovizioso, Marc Márquez and Maverick Viñales with their medals at the end of the 2017 MotoGP Championship season
After such a strong first year with Yamaha‘s Factory MotoGP Team, Viñales was hungry to show his talent again in 2018, but the season proved to be one of the most difficult in his premier class career. Nevertheless, the Spaniard kept his motivation high, scoring podiums at the rounds at COTA, Circuit TT-Assen, the Sachsenring, and Buriram. He returned to winning form in the race at Phillip Island, giving Yamaha its first victory since the round at Assen one year prior. He finished the season in fourth place overall, just five points behind his team-mate in third position.
Vinales was victorious at Phillip Island in 2018 – Image by AJRN
2019 signalled a new start for Viñales. He changed his rider number from #25 to #12 and welcomed new Crew Chief Esteban García to his side of the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP pit box (he had worked with him before in 2013, winning the Moto3 World Championship). After a difficult start to the season, the changes that were made began to bear fruit. Though taken out by fellow riders on three separate occasions in the first half of the season (in Argentina, France, and Catalunya), the Spaniard still visited the podium regularly in 2019. He scored a third place in Jerez and followed it up with a stunning win in Assen, a second place at Sachsenring, third places at Silverstone, Misano, and Buriram, and another epic win in Malaysia. Viñales‘ relentless determination earned him third in the overall championship standings and has him fully motivated to push 100% in 2020.
Maverick Vinales and team at Sepang in 2019 Source: MCNews.com.au
Ficeda Accessories have announced the 2020 Shark Helmets range, with a variety of lids available to suit different riders. From the Shark racing line with the Race-R Pro and Race-R Pro GP, through to the S-Drak metro styled helmet.
From the Metro range comes the S-Drak, also available in a stunning carbon-fibre outer shell, with multi-density EPS, micro-lock buckle and two shell sizes.
The S-Drak comes with a retractable light tint internal visor, including an anti-fog deflector, with a quick release visor system.
SHark S-Drak Helmet (Carbon)
An interior suede lining fabric offers a premium feel, with fully removable interior for easy washing, while the Shark EasyFit system allows for comfortable glasses use while wearing the S-Drak.
The S-Drak also comes ready for a Sharktooth communication system, with a carbon-fibre finish on the Carbon model, with premium metal details, and a mask with new locking system.
Shark EVO-ES Helmet
The Shark EVO-ES embodies all the brand’s expertise in modular helmet design, with an injected thermoplastic resin shell and two shell sizes, with multi-density EPS and a micro-lock buckle system.
Shark EVO-ES Helmet
A VZ 150 visor is anti-scratch and anti-fog, with an auto-up/auto-down system moving the visor to match the chin guard being raised or lowered. The quick-release visor system also allows for easy visor swaps or removal.
The Shark EVO-ES also features a Bird Eyes lining which is removable for washing, and includes the EasyFit system for wearing glasses. The helmet is also Sharktooth comms ready, and includes a magnetic, retractable soundproof breath guard. Ventilation is provided by three air inlets and two air extractors.
Shark Skwal 2 Helmet
The Shark Skwal 2 offers a full face helmet with integrated LED lights for increased visibility and a very cool overall effect, complete with a rechargable battery. The shell is injected thermoplastic resin, with a multi-density EPS and micro-lock buckle system.
A Pinlock Max Vision visor is UV380 scratch resistant, with a quick release visor and autoseal system, improving soundproofing and preventing water and air incursion around the visor.
Shark Skwal 2 Helmet
The internal lining features a dual-material design with Aegis Microtech lining and Sanitized Alveotech fabric, and is removable for washing, with a new neck protection design. The EasyFit system also allows glasses to be easily worn in the helmet, with a removable dual-use breath guard, anti-fog mash and is Sharktooth comms ready.
Ventilation is thanks to two air inlets and two air extractors, with CFD design ensuring optimised aerodynamics.
Maverick Viñales: “I‘m extremely happy because I feel like I get to keep ’my own team‘. This will be the second year with my current crew, and after this I have two more years to look forward to. I‘m so excited! I think that if we keep working really hard we are heading the right way. For me, it was very important to make this announcement before the season started, because I‘m highly motivated and want to be able to fully concentrate on the 2020 season. I don‘t want to spend too much time thinking about the future. There were no reasons not to stay with Yamaha, because they feel like family. Yamaha is giving me a lot of support and, as I said, I have ’my own team‘, which is something I really need. We need to keep working and be very strong. Our main objective is, as always, to be World Champion and try to bring Yamaha the number one honour again. I will try my best. For sure, I will give everything I have to make our team proud too. I would like to say ’Thank you‘ to Yamaha for their faith in me. They are giving me a lot of confidence, and I really have trust in our partnership. I think we will both be growing very fast and we will keep pushing.”
Held at the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya on Monday 27 January, over 800 guests watched the eight-time World Champion pick up the accolade for the second year in a row as won the men’s category ahead of basketballer Marc Gasol, world champion with Spain and NBA star with the Toronto Raptors, Tennis’ Rafa Nadal, who won his 12th Roland Garros title in 2019, and golfer Jon Rahm, the number one ranked European player.
The biggest change for the 2020 season comes in Valentino Rossi’s side of the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP garage after The Doctor decided 2019 would be his last year with Silvano Galbusera. After five years together, Galbusera, who will remain with Yamaha in a testing capacity, has been replaced by David Muñoz. The young Spaniard will be working in MotoGP™ for the very first time after, most notably, helping Pecco Bagnaia to the Moto2™ World Championship in 2018. Meanwhile, Esteban Garcia will remain with Maverick Viñales after a successful first year together. Plus, in the Petronas Yamaha SRT garage, Fabio Quartararo sticks with Diego Gubellini, whilst Franco Morbidelli’s crew chief will once again be Ramon Forcada.
Frustration for Cianciarulo following Glendale exit
Section: Competition
Monster Energy Kawasaki rookie escapes injury in heavy fall.
Image: Octopi Media.
Fastest qualifier Adam Cianciarulo’s night at Glendale came to a crushing end on Saturday night, leaving him frustrated but uninjured following a costly crash in final three of the Triple Crown.
The Monster Energy Kawasaki 450SX rookie was fastest once again in qualifying for the fourth-straight week, however, 3-6-17 scores earned him eighth overall.
Following an error in final two, Cianciarulo’s chances of finishing on the podium ended when he crashed out of the final outing altogether in the whoops while in third position. He’s since confirmed no injuries were sustained.
“That was definitely not how we wanted to finish the night and, although this is part of racing, it’s always a tough pill to swallow,” Cianciarulo commented. “We kicked off the day qualifying fastest again and honestly, I was feeling good all day.
“I made some mistakes out there and that last one cost me. I’m sore and a bit frustrated, but I have a great team behind me who continue to remind me there are a lot more races left to go in this premier class. We’ll take the week to recuperate and look to come out strong in Oakland.”
The lone podium of Cianciarulo’s podium came at Anaheim 1’s opening round with a runner-up result, now currently ranked sixth in the Monster Energy Supercross standings following four of 17 rounds.
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