The Spaniard, who spent thirteen years in MotoGP™ before retiring from full-time racing at the end of 2018, had successfully recovered from a stress fracture of the right collarbone and was able to complete several circulations of the fast and demanding track that will host the Gran Premio D’Italia on June 2nd.
Source: MotoGP.com – Read Full Article Here
With Phil Aynsley
It seems hard to believe now but in the 1930s DKW was one of the largest motorcycle manufactures in the world, with over 20,000 employees. It had been a fast rise since its founding in Zschopau, Germany in 1916 by Danish engineer Jørgen Rasmussen.
Rasmussen originally produced steam fittings before turning his hand to a steam powered car which he named the company after (Damf Kraft Wagen – “steam motor vehicle”).
When this didn’t take off the company developed a 18cc toy steam stationary engine that sold well enough to fund the design (in 1921) of a 118cc 2-stroke auxiliary motor that could be fitted to a bicycle. Their first complete motorcycle, a 142cc 2-stroke, appeared the following year.
By 1928 Rasmussen was doing so well that he purchased a controlling share of the small car manufacturer Audi Work AG. DKW continued to concentrate on 2-stroke motors for both bikes and cars (including forced-induction V4s fitted to some car models in the 1930s).
In 1932 the Great Depression forced the merging of DKW, Audi, Horch and Wanderer into the Auto Union company (the four-ring logo of which is still used by Audi today).
It was in the late 1920’s that DKW began development of the forced-induction two-stroke motorcycle engines that they become renowned for. These “Ladepumpe” (charging pump) designs used the Bichrome principle where the swept volume of the crankcase was reduced as the supercharging piston (set at 180º to the main piston) moved up, compressing the intake mix in the crankcase.
This was timed to occur as the main piston moved down, thereby forcing the mixture into the combustion chamber. The ARe 175cc and ORe 250cc singles were introduced in 1928 and were the first of a long line of successful DKW 2-stroke racers.
The next development was combining the Ladepumpe with multiple cylinders, in DKW’s case, split-singles. The split-single concept had been designed by Garelli in 1912, then taken up with success by Puch (winning the 1931 German GP with a 250cc water-cooled, supercharged split-single).
The split-single concept had two pistons, each in it’s own barrel but sharing a common combustion chamber. The pistons rise and fall in unison with the intake charge controlled by one and the exhaust by the other. For DKW the advantage was the supercharged intake mixture could be introduced into the combustion chamber without a lot of it blowing out the exhaust port.
The first of their new design was the 1935 URe 250cc which had the supercharging piston facing forwards at 90º to the main pistons. It made around 30hp at 5000rpm. A privateer version, the SS250, was also available. In 1938 the SS models were painted black and red to distinguish them from the silver and grey UL factory bikes.
Also in 1938 the 350 motor was redesigned (along with the 500, 600 & 700cc versions used in sidecars) with the Ladepumpe cylinder back at 180º, facing down.
These twin split-singles had a total of five pistons and six conrods, all mounted on a common crankshaft! The bikes were notorious for both the noise that made and their high fuel consumption – around 15mpg or 15lt/100km.
The 350 SS seen here was good for 32hp at 5000rpm and had a top speed of 170km/h.
Source: MCNews.com.au
Petronas Yamaha SRT rookie confident in being competitive at Le Mans.
Image: Supplied.
Following a breakout performance at Jerez two weeks ago, Frenchman Fabio Quartararo is hopeful of maintaining his newfound form as the MotoGP World Championship heads to Le Mans in France this weekend.
The Petronas Yamaha SRT rookie earned his maiden pole position at the Spanish round and was in podium contention until he was struck with a mechanical failure in the closing stages.
Acknowledging there will be added pressure this weekend, the youthful contender is excited to race in front of a home crowd for the very first time in the premier class.
“We can only draw positive conclusions from the Spanish GP,” said Quartararo. “We took pole position, we were fighting for the podium and on Monday we were the fastest at the test whilst we were trying out many things for the coming races. It’s good to go to Le Mans after a great weekend like we had at Jerez.
“There will be a lot of fans at the French GP and that will give me extra motivation. It also generates more stress and pressure as it’s my home grand prix, but in the end it’s good to have a race where the fans are all behind me.
“I think the Yamaha YZR-M1 will be well suited to Le Mans, because in recent years Yamaha have done well there. I believe we can get a good result. We will do our best and work in the same way as we did at Jerez. I’m looking forward to the race.”
Quartararo is positioned 13th in the championship rankings following the first four rounds of the 19-stop tour.
Source: CycleOnline.com.au
Have you seen this valuable and unique-looking black 1959 AJS 7R 350 motorcycle with a white fairing?
It was stolen from a house on Wangandary Rd, Wangaratta, some time between April 13 and May 10.
Wangaratta Crime Investigation Unit detectives are appealing for help to locate the distinctive motorbike.
Post-war AJS 7R 350cc single-cylinder motorcycles are valuable, fetching as much as $46,000-$54,000.
Police released the above images of the motorcycle in the hope someone may recognise it and be able to provide information on its whereabouts.
Anyone who has information or who may have seen the motorbike is urged to contact Wangaratta CIU on 5723 0888 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000, or submit a confidential report online at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au
Motorcycle theft is running rampant throughout Australia, according to the National Motor Vehicle Theft Reduction Council.
Thefts increased by 597 (7.3%) last year to a total of 8746 with a recovery rate of just 47%.
Last month, Victorian and NSW police seized 11 stolen motorbikes under investigations into motor vehicle theft and rebirthing.
Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hrambanis says the biggest rises in motorcycle theft were in NSW and Queensland.
“In most cases vehicle theft is almost always opportunistic, with the vehicle being stolen for short-term use and later recovered (78% in Queensland),” Caitlin says.
The Council is shortly expected to release a review of the amended NSW Crimes Act which introduced a new offence of knowingly facilitating a rebirthing activity carried out on an organised basis.
It was designed to deter thieves by applying tougher penalties to any and all members in a theft network involved in stealing your motorcycle or car with tougher penalties.
While it seemed a good idea at the time, the figures seem to show it is not working.
We will have a report on the review in coming weeks.
| State or Territory | 2017 | 2018 | % change | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thefts |
% of thefts
|
Thefts |
% of thefts
|
||
| ACT | 126 | 107 | -15.1% | ||
| NSW | 1679 | 1968 | 17.2% | ||
| NT | 126 | 82 | -34.9% | ||
| QLD | 1510 | 1696 | 12.3% | ||
| SA | 521 | 555 | 6.5% | ||
| TAS | 122 | 141 | 15.6% | ||
| VIC | 2013 | 2092 | 3.9% | ||
| WA | 2052 | 2105 | 2.6% | ||
| AUS | 8149 | 100.0 | 8746 | 100.0 | 7.3% |
Source: MotorbikeWriter.com
Retired MotoGP legend recovers from collarbone injury.
Image: Supplied.
A number of test laps completed at Mugello this week have confirmed MotoGP legend Dani Pedrosa will be available for testing with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing from next month after adequately recovering from a collarbone injury.
Pedrosa faced a broad and demanding process of physical recovery from the complex double stress fracture of the right collarbone, undergoing surgery in January and ultimately preventing him from participating in planned pre-season testing with the Austrian manufacturer.
Team manager Mike Leitner is confident Pedrosa’s return to track will offer the factory outfit a boost in the current MotoGP World Championship, as the brand continues to develop its RC16 machine.
“It was very positive and also quite exciting to see Dani riding at Mugello and able to make those laps,” said Leitner. “It means his shoulder recovery has gone well and he is almost ready to start his new job for us.
“We can all see how close MotoGP is in 2019 so far and how high the level is now, so to have Dani’s experience and his knowledge coming into the team and to the technicians back in the factory will only help us even more.”
After retiring from professional racing last year, KTM signed Pedrosa to a multi-year contract to fulfil the role as its lead test rider.
Source: CycleOnline.com.au
Against a backdrop of a sun-kissed Atlantic Ocean North West 200 competitors have been enjoying sunshine as race week got underway in, funnily enough, the North West of Ireland.
Three races produced three different winners during the first evening of racing for 2019 as this year marks the 90th anniversary of the event, a fact noted on the front of Michael Rutter’s Honda RC213V-S for the Superbike events to come on Saturday. There have been breaks in the running of the event due to wars, ‘The Troubles’ and even foot-and-mouth disease outbreaks, but is still running strongly and plays host to the stars of ‘road racing’ ahead of the Isle of Man TT each year.
24-times North West winner Alastair Seeley (EHA Yamaha) and Lee Johnston (Ashcourt Racing Yamaha) were locked in battle at the front of the six-lap Tides Restaurant Supersport race that opened proceedings.
James Hillier (Quattro Plant Kawasaki), Dean Harrison (Silicone Kawasaki) and Paul Jordan (Logan Yamaha) were all in the mix as well, swapping places constantly in a high speed train.
It was Johnston and Seeley though who led that train on to the coast road on the final circuit, with Seeley going for the winning move as he has so many times before at Juniper chicane. He got his nose in front but carrying a little too much speed the Carrick racer lost control and crashed leaving Johnston to cruise to victory ahead of Dean Harrison and James Hillier. Seeley was uninjured after his tumble and walked back to the paddock.
Lee Johnston
Supersport Winner
“There is a reason why Seeley has won so many races round here and it’s hard to know when he is playing and when he is not.’ Lee Johnston said after taking his fourth North West victory. His mid corner speed over Black Hill was slow for him and I didn’t know whether he was playing with me. I thought I’m going to go and whatever happens, happens. I knew exactly where my braking marker was and I knew that if he got past he wasnt getting stopped.”
Michael Dunlop (MD Racing Honda) finished 4th in what was the Ballymoney man’s first race since the Senior TT last June. Jamie Coward (Prez Yamaha) was 5th and Ian Hutchinson (Honda Racing) completed the top six. There is another Supersport bout on Saturday.
After the hectic action of the 600cc machines the Bayview Hotel Superstock race was more of a procession as Peter Hickman dominated the six lapper from start to finish on the Smith’s Racing BMW, eventually winning by 1.895 secs from Glenn Irwin (Quattro Plant/Wicked Coatings Kawasaki).
Irwin had been locked in a battle with Silicone Kawasaki’s Dean Harrison until the Bradford man slid off at University on the fifth lap.
Michael Dunlop (MD Racing BMW) came out on top of a three man battle with James Hillier (Quattro Plant/Wicked Coatings Kawasaki) and Lee Johnston (Ashcourt Racing BMW) for the final podium place, receiving a huge cheer from the grandstands for his efforts.
North West debutant, Richard Cooper (Bennett’s/Buildbase Suzuki) rode a brilliant race to claim 6th place. Saturday’s race schedule will see another Superstock race contested alongside an extra Supersport and SuperTwins bout. Superbikes race for the first time on Saturday morning before the premier North West 200 on Saturday evening.
Peter Hickman
Superstock Winner
‘I have been fast on the Superstock bike all week for some reason.’ Hickman explained.
‘Its a brand new bike and I had never even sat on it before Tuesday. The boys have done a great job and it worked straight out of the box. I just wanted to get to the front as soon as I could and just get my head down and get on with it. if I could just get that half a second out of the slip stream then I knew I could get a little bit of a lead.’
With the sun low in the sky, Jeremy McWilliams (KMR/ Bayview Kawasaki) bounced back from his earlier crash during qualifying to force his way to the front of the pack on the opening lap of the MCL Insuretech Supertwins race. But on the second circuit the former MotoGP star crashed out at Mather’s chicane on the second circuit after being ran wide by another competitor, leaving Stefano Bonetti (VAS Engine Racing Paton) in the lead.
Over the second half of the race the Italian was hunted down by Jamie Coward who had posted the fastest time in qualifying aboard the KTS Racing Kawasaki.
Coward took the lead at University but Bonetti got the Paton back in front along the coast road to take victory.
Behind the leading duo Michael Rutter provided some consolation for team boss Ryan Farquhar after McWilliam’s crash by taking third on the KMR/Bathams Kawasaki).
Limerick’s James Chawke (Team ILR Paton) had a brilliant ride to 4th on his North West debut with Team ILR teammate Horst Saiger 5th and Francesco Curinga (Bemar Paton) taking 6th.
“Winning my first international road race is better than winning the lottery.” Bonetti said after giving Italy it’s first North West 200 victory and bringing the opening day of race action at the 90th anniversary event to an emotional close.
Glenn Irwin took Superbike pole position with a new unofficial lap record on the Quattro Plant/Wicked Coatings Kawasaki ZX-10RR in Thursday’s final qualifying session for Saturday’s Superbike races.
The winner of the last three big bike races on the 8.9 mile Triangle circuit lapped in 4min 21.767sec, 0.328 sec faster than Michael Dunlop’s outright lap record that has stood since 2016.
Superbike Pole – Glenn Irwin
“It’s only pole but it’s important.’ Irwin said, referring to his lacklustre start to the 2019 BSB series and a poor opening North West qualifying session on Tuesday. I was down in the dumps and in tears on Tuesday night. I haven’t been myself and didn’t want to be here but I came with a different attitude today.”
The pole position rounded off a good day for the Carrickfergus man who also qualified on the front row for the Superstock and Supertwins races on the Quattro Plant and KTS Racing Kawasakis.
Irwin had been helped on his ride to pole by Dean Harrison who circulated just in front of the Quattro Plant machine on his similar Silicone Kawasaki. Harrison also dipped under the existing lap record time before finishing 0.206 seconds behind Irwin.
Alastair Seeley completed the front row of the grid on the PBM/Be Wiser Ducati V4RR just 0.071 secs behind Harrison.
Almost three seconds- 2.792 secs- separated Seeley from fourth fastest Michael Dunlop (Tyco BMW). Manxman Conor Cummins pushed his way into the reckoning as fifth fastest on the Milenco Padgett’s Honda Fireblade and Lee Johnston (Ashcourt Racing BMW) completed the top six.
Newcomer Richard Cooper made the established frontrunners sit up and take notice with a brilliant ride 8th fastest on the Bennett’s/Buildbase Suzuki just behind Michael Rutter’s Batham’s Racing/Aspire Ho RCV213S Honda.
Ian Hutchinson (Honda Racing Fireblade) and James Hillier (Quattro Plant/ Wicked Coatings Kawasaki) completed the top ten. Peter Hickman completed just three laps on the Smith’s Racing BMW, failing to better his best time on Tuesday.
Derek Sheils jumped up the rankings, claiming 12th fastest time on the Burrows/RK Racing Suzuki after suffering brake problems on Tuesday.
David Johnson remains in 13th although he didn’t ride in the final superbike qualifying after crashing at Magherabouy in the earlier Supersport session. DJ had been 11th in the opening Superbike qualifying session on Tuesday.
Davey Todd, last year’s fastets newcomer finished 14th quickest on the Wepol/Penz13.com BMW but John McGuinness languishes 22nd fastest on the Norton in his North West comeback. The Morecambe man lapped three seconds faster than he had on Tuesday on the Norton SG8 but only completed one lap before stopping retiring.
On Saturday roads close at 9.15am with a five race programme beginning at 10am. The Junction Retail and Lesiure Park Supersport race is followed by the first superbike race, sponsored by the Anchor Hotel and Restaurant Complex. The John M. Paterson Supertwin race and the CP Hire Superstock race follow with the Merrow Hotel and Spa NW200 feature Superbike race bringing the curtain down on the 2019 North West 200 action.
Source: MCNews.com.au
Australian Indian Motorcycle owners will next year attempt to set a world parade record for the most Indian motorbikes.
Registrations recently opened for the event on 9 May 2020 and already there are 150 riders who have signed up, says event organiser Christine Keeble.
Christine says there will be “a special offer for extra goodies for the first 300 to register”.
“Currently the record is set at 274,” she says.
“We are eagerly watching the US as they have another attempt October 2019, so we may have a new number to chase.”
The “Most Indian Motorcycles on Parade” event will be held at Silverton in NSW where the original Mad Max movie was filmed.
“While this is such a big country, the location was chosen because of its iconic outback backdrop and a major town and infrastructure only a short 15 minutes away in Broken Hill,” Christine says.
“This will be a great opportunity to meet up with Indian riders from all parts of Australia.”
Christine says she started planning the event 12 months ago and it is “gaining interest every day”.
“This is not a bike festival as such, but a focused gathering on Indian motorbike enthusiasts who will have a go at breaking a world record.
“And if that is not achieved it will definitely be the first in the Southern Hemisphere. So records will be set.”
The event will also help raise awareness for the Gift of Life organ donation service.
Click here for more information, running times, guidelines, registration, merchandise and more.
Meanwhile, the Indian Motorcycle Riders Group will gather at the Cooly Rocks On event in Coolangatta from June 7-9.
Tickets are now available online at $130 for IMRG members or $260 with a pillion and $150 for non-members and $300 with a pillion.
The gathering kicks off on the Friday with a VIP Lounge party with exclusive apparel gift packs.
On Saturday, there will be a group ride around the Gold Coast Hinterland with lunch at the Iron & Resin Garage, a Show ‘N’ Shine and dinner and entertainment.
The highlight will be the riders leading the Sunday Cooly Rocks On Parade.
Source: MotorbikeWriter.com
More than 70% of respondents to a survey have supported a $40 helmet scanning service to check for hidden fractures in your helmet.
The Helmet Doctors who developed the helmet laser-scanning invention say it would give riders peace of mind that their helmet is safe to use after a drop or crash, or whether it needs to be replaced.
The Sunshine Coast family business asked Motorbike Writer in February to publish a link to a survey about their service and received more than 430 respondents.
Brayden Robinson, who founded the venture with this father, Scott, says the Federal Government is considering some funding for the safety service but needed to know if it would be well received by riders, racers and the motorcycle industry.
“Just over 72% (of survey respondents) said they would be prepared to pay for the scanning service once a year or after every accident and some even said twice a year,” he says.
“We’ve had both really positive and negative feedback from people which is all very helpful.
“AusIndustry commercialisation advisors told us that if we received 100 responses it would be good, 200 would be convincing and 300 would be conclusive.
“Well, we’ve now had more than 430 respondents and the survey is still open.”
You can take part in their quick 10-question online survey by clicking here.
The scanning service has stalled while the Federal Government is in caretaker mode, but Brayden and Scott are confident even a change in government will not affect funding.
Scott and Brayden began researching a helmet scanning system after Brayden was hospitalised with a fractured skull from a motocross crash.
They developed their device with the help of a Belgian company and the Composites Research Group in the School of Mechanical and Mining Engineering at The University of Queensland.
“We found this laser scanning technique can categorically guarantee that, if there is any damage to the helmet’s outer shell, our technique will identify it. It’s ground-breaking, proven science,” Scott says.
The Helmet Doctors have a Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) application that allows them to enter their patent application into any of 152 jurisdictions by 23 June 2020.
At present the application has been examined by the international PCT body and all but one claim has been found to be novel over identified existing technology.
Scott says very few riders know exactly when to replace their helmet.
Manufacturing safety standards say a composite helmet has a lifespan of five years and, if used frequently, about three years.
But what if you drop it or have a crash?
“We have all heard how if you drop your helmet once you should replace it. But very few do this,” Scott says.
“No one knows how much impact a composite helmet can tolerate before the shell is critically weakened.
“Composite materials have many layers and tiny fibres that can be damaged in a fall.
“The impact energy is dispersed among the fibres and away from the brain which it is designed to do.
“This is why a dropped helmet may still look ok.
“However, the impact could have led to a small crack or splintering which you can’t see with the naked eye.
“Our device can view, read and record the helmet 100,000 times better than the naked eye and find if there are any cracks, splintering or deformations which would make the helmet defective and unable to withstand another impact.”
The Helmet Doctors plan to test their service first in South East Queensland.
Riders would take their helmet to a participating motorcycle dealer where they would leave it and pick it up a few days later.
The helmet would be sent to the nearest scanner depot where it would be scanned, assessed and returned.
Scott says the Federal Government is considering some funding for the safety service but needs to know if it would be well received by riders, racers and the motorcycle industry.
“As you could imagine this experimental laser camera is very expensive, but our goal is to make this service accessible and cheap enough for everyone to use it,” Scott says.
If the project is successful, they hope to extend the service to other states and overseas.
Source: MotorbikeWriter.com
Triumph Motorcycles and British F1 team Williams have received millions in government funding to produce electric motorcycles over the next two years.
The iconic British motorcycle manufacturer has been surveying its customers since 2012 to see if they are interested in them producing electric bikes and sent out an email survey as recently as February.
This was followed in March by a trademark filing for the name “Trident” to be used for “all possible classes” including motorcycling gear, accessories, clothing and “electric machines”.
Now they have announced Project Triumph TE-1 to create “UK electric motorcycle capability”.
They will collaborate with UK industry experts, including Williams Advanced Engineering which is the technology arm of the Williams F1 team and the University of Warwick.
The UK government has chipped in £25 million (about $A46m) to develop the electric motorcycle technology and “innovative integrated solutions” over the next two years.
Triumph CEO Nick Bloor says the project is driven by their customers’s need to “reduce their environmental impact, combined with the desire for more economical transportation and changing legislation”.
“Project Triumph TE-1 is one part of our electric motorcycle strategy, focused on delivering what riders want and expect from their Triumph, which is the perfect balance of handling, performance and usability,” he says.
In February, Triumph asked their customers:
It’s refreshing that Triumph asked their customers what they wanted before starting open this TE-1 project.
However, the questions they should be asking their supporters are:
Source: MotorbikeWriter.com
“Honestly for us, it was really important to go into the weekend and make the most of our potential,” said Viñales on Thursday. “Especially the first laps, going well that was the most important for us because we lose many seconds in Qatar, Austin and Argentina so we couldn’t show our potential. So, I think, for sure, the result in Jerez was very important. We bring a lot of confidence into the team and that’s what we needed.
Source: MotoGP.com – Read Full Article Here
