Keeping your motorcycle chain clean, lubricated and tensioned is a messy business, but now BMW has developed a special chain that never needs lubricating nor re-tensioning.
BMW has long been known for its maintenance-free shafts, but now they have extended that ability with their M Endurance chain in 525 pitch.
BMW Group Australia Nick Raman Product Communications Manager says the M Endurance chain is standard on the S 1000 RR Race and S 1000 RR M Sport from September 2020 production.
“It is also standard on the S 1000 XR Sport and available optionally on the S 1000 XR Tour from August 2020 production,” he says.
“The ex-factory price for the chain on the S 1000 XR Tour is $160, though we don’t have any information at this point on whether it will be available on other models.”
That’s not too bad considering chains cst between about $50 and $200 for a gold link model and these should last longer.
BMW Motorrad’s global release says “further models are being prepared for this feature”, so we expect the F and G models will get something similar.
However, it may also be suitable for non-BMW bikes.
Company spokesman Gerhard Lindner says: “I think you can put it on every bike with a 525er chain.”
So how does it work?
The M Endurance chain has a resident permanent lubricant filling between the rollers and pins, enclosed by X-rings, so they don’t require lubrication, nor re-tensioning.
BMW uses a new tetrahedrally amorphous carbon (ta-C) coating material for the rollers. It is also known as industrial diamond.
This coating is harder and more resistant than Diamond Like Carbon. The only thing tougher is pure diamond.
BMW says the ta-C industrial diamond coating “does not wear off” and “drastically” reduces the friction coefficient.
“Thanks to excellent dry lubrication properties and the elimination of wear, the tetrahedral amorphous carbon coated rollers of the M Endurance chain offer maintenance comfort equivalent to that of a shaft drive motorcycle,” BMW claims.
“This includes all the cleaning work that is unavoidable with a conventional chain due to splashed lubricant. Accordingly, the M Endurance chain also offers maximum environmental friendliness.”
In what may seem a trivial issue of compliance, the reflector on the 2020 Triumph Tiger 900 could come loose and fall off.
Triumph Motorcycles Australia has issued the recall notice through the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.
It affects 74 current Tiger 900 models sold from 2 March to 21 August 2020.
The official notice says: “If the reflector is missing, affected motorcycles may be less visible to drivers of other vehicles, which could increase the risk of a crash, resulting in injury or death of the rider.”
Owners may also cop a fine or vehicle defect notice for an illegal motorcycle. Across Australia, these fines are less than $100.
All owners should contact Australian Triumph dealers to make an appointment to have the rear reflex reflector replaced free of charge.
Even though manufacturers and importers usually contact owners when a recall is issued, the bike may have been sold privately to a rider unknown to the company.
Therefore, Motorbike Writer publishes all motorcycle and scooter recalls as a service to all riders.
If you believe there is an endemic problem with your bike that should be recalled, contact the ACCC on 1300 302 502.
To check whether your motorcycle has been recalled, click on these sites:
An Australian record of $A251,000 for a motorcycle number plate has been paid for a New South Wales black and white numerical motorcycle number plate ‘2’.
It shows that despite the economic downturn caused by the coronavirus pandemic, collectors are still passionate about automotive memorabilia and have the finances to satisfy their desires.
The auction record is still nowhere near the Australian record for a car number plate which is $2.45 million at a Shannon’s Sydney auction three years ago in August 2017.
The Shannons Timed Winter Online Auction attracted a record number of bidders paying a total of $7 million for vehicle, automobilia, and number plates.
Some 96% of the 145 auction lots were sold.
They include $42,500 for a very low kilometer and well-preserved 1989 Yamaha FZR750R-R ‘OWO1’ motorcycle.
The biggest bid of the auction was $308,500 paid for a long-ownership Porsche 911E 2.4 coupe.
“It was basically just one and half years before,” Beirer laughs as he explains their decision to enter MotoGP™. “That’s somehow the craziness of KTM! We decided one evening. We’d won all the classes, we won the World Championship wherever we entered, so Mr Trunkenpolz, our sales board guy, he said ‘Hey Pit, there’s only one place left to go, we need to go to MotoGP!’ We were like ‘bwoah… that’s crazy man!’ And then we were looking for the guy brave enough to explain to Mr Pierer [KTM CEO] that we wanted to go to MotoGP. We did it. We talked also a couple of times to Dorna about the rules, would they accept us in this paddock and everything. Carmelo, he was so, so, motivating for us. He told us ‘you guys can do that! I’m pretty sure you can do it. C’mon, skip the other disciplines and go MotoGP!’ In those days the idea was first to go Moto2 and then MotoGP.
On Day 2, the laptimes tumbled and the fastest lap of the day was an impressive six tenths quicker than the previous. That was put in by German rider Noel Malvin Willemson (NW Racing) as he stamped some authority on Sunday, and he was also half a second clear at the top – as Hosciuc had been the day before. The Romanian rider showed good speed again as well and was the man in second, laying down an early marker of consistency in the NTC.
PRA No. – 2020/18506 Campaign Number – SRAN 584 Date published – 31 Aug 2020
Supplier – PS Importers Pty Ltd Traders who sold this product – Australian Triumph Dealers Where the product was sold – Nationally Dates available for sale – 1 December 2018 – 17 August 2020
Triumph Street Scrambler Motorcycle Model Years 2019-2020
Triumph Street Twin Motorcyle Model Years 2019-2021
Misrouted harness wiring may become damaged by the lower lug on main frame headstock when the handlebars are rotated.
What are the hazards?
Damaged wiring harness may cause the engine to stall, and increase the risk of injury and death of the rider or other road users in an accident.
What should consumers do?
Owners of affected vehicles will be contacted and asked to present their motorcycle to an authorised Triumph dealers to have recall work carried out free of charge. A new VIN label protector will be fitted to the motorcycle to prevent contact between the wiring and the headstock lug. Some motorcycles may also need a rework of the harness.
PRA No. – 2020/18491 Campaign Number – SRAN582 Date published – 30 Aug 2020
Supplier – PS Importers Pty Ltd Traders who sold this product – Australian Triumph Dealers Where the product was sold – Nationally Dates available for sale – 2 March 2020 – 21 August 2020
Tiger 900 Tiger 900 GT Tiger 900 Rally Tiger 900 GT Pro Tiger 900 Rally Pro Tiger 900 GT Low motorcycles Model Year 2020
The motorcycle’s rear reflex reflector may become loose or fall off.
What are the hazards?
If the reflector is missing, affected motorcycles may be less visible to drivers of other vehicles, which could increase the risk of a crash, resulting in injury or death of the rider.
What should consumers do?
Owners of affected motorcycles will be asked to contact Australian Triumph dealers to make an appointment to have the rear reflex reflector replaced free of charge.
In three of his four championship-winning seasons, Cameron Beaubier won eight races. Today, in just the ninth race of the season, Beaubier won his eighth HONOS Superbike race, this one coming in the MotoAmerica debut event at the Ridge Motorsports Park. The four-time and defending MotoAmerica Superbike Champion led from start to finish to win the 46th Superbike race of his career.
Cameron Beaubier
The race was restarted after a multi-rider crash on the opening lap that brought out the red flag, but after that it was clear sailing for Beaubier as he rode to an 8.1-second victory over Mathew Scholtz. Beaubier’s race got a bit easier when his teammate Jake Gagne was forced to slow near the end of the race with a badly worn tire, the San Diegan slipping back to fourth at the conclusion of the shortened 13-lap race. Beaubier also benefitted from the red flag restart after he botched the initial run through the chicane.
Scholtz came out the better of a near-race long scrap with Bobby Fong, the South African battling back after running off track midway through the race. Fong battled through the pain from his injured left wrist/hand to finish third after the South African passed him on the final lap. Gagne was fourth, some six seconds ahead of Toni Elias, the Spaniard well clear of Josh Herrin.
Italian Lorenzo Zanetti ended up seventh in his MotoAmerica debut, the Ducati rider dropping down the order in the beginning of the race with an off-track excursion. Jayson Uribe ended up eighth in his first MotoAmerica race of the year on his Honda CBR1000RR. Uribe bested Cameron Petersen by two seconds with Bradley Ward rounding out the to 10.
Cameron Beaubier on the podium on Saturday
Superbike Race 2
To say that Cameron Beaubier is on a roll would be a gross understatement, after winning his ninth superbike race of the season, his sixth in a row and the 47th of his career at the Komatsu MotoAmerica Superbikes At The Ridge on Sunday.
In easily winning today’s 17-lap final, Beaubier eclipsed his season best of eight wins with his ninth of the season while extending his lead in the 2020 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship to 54 points.
Cameron Beaubier
“Yeah, man. It was really good to be able to get nine wins in a season and be able to pass my record that was a few years ago.That just feels really good for me. Everything’s going so good right now. Like I said yesterday, sometimes I feel like I need to get pinched. But at the same time, it’s weird to say but right now that I have the most experience in the Superbike class other than maybe Toni (Elias) or something like that. I’m just dialed in on my R1. I’ve been riding this thing for five or six years. I feel really, really good. Everyone’s working really, really hard at the Monster Attack Performance Yamaha team. It feels so good to put this up on the top of the podium multiple races throughout the year, and also having a great teammate in Jake (Gagne). Being able to go one-two today feels really good to just reward them for all their hard work. It’s just been fun so far this year. They’re slowly catching me. I’m just running for my life out there. Just hope to keep it going and really looking forward to going to New Jersey and seeing how this bike works around there. Hats off to everyone here at Ridge. They made the track a little safer with that chicane. They’re willing to change the track here and there to make it a little safer for when we come back in the future. I think it was a really fun track. So, hats off to them.”
Cameron Beaubier leads Jake Gage
Beaubier’s teammate Jake Gagne ended up second, a day after a front tire issue knocked him off the podium and into fourth place. Gagne’s 20 points stretches his advantage in the championship, and he sits in a solid second place, 22 points ahead of Mathew Scholtz, who finished fourth on Sunday.
Bobby Fong matched his result from yesterday with another third-place finish, the M4 ECSTAR Suzuki rider again racing with pain in his left wrist/hand from his crash at PittRace a few weeks ago. Fong closed on Gagne in the closing stages of the race, coming up .528 of a second behind the Yamaha rider. Scholtz, meanwhile, was another 3.1 seconds behind Fong in fourth place.
Fifth place on track went to Toni Elias, but he was docked a position which in turn handed the spot to Josh Herrin. Elias had passed Herrin on the final lap after a race-long battle between the two veterans.
Stock 1000 Championship points leader Cameron Petersen had a strong ride to seventh, the South African chasing down Lorenzo Zanetti for the entire race with the Italian crashing out on the final lap. Jayson Uribe had his second straight top-10 finish in his first MotoAmerica event of the year, the Californian riding to eighth some two seconds clear of Bradley Ward. Travis Wyman salvaged a difficult weekend with a 10th-place finish on his BMW.
Qualifying for Round 3 and 4 of the 2020 FIM CEV Repsol on Friday saw riders take to the Circuito de Jerez Angel Nieto, with qualifying practice times setting the grid for Saturday and Sunday’s races!
Moto3
After the fierce competition, Daniel Muñoz took his first pole position of the year and the first of his FIM Moto3 Junior World Championship career. Moto3 pole position was at the mercy of the track conditions, with many riders not besting their lap time from the morning’s QP1 session. The top 3 would all set their quickest lap time in QP1 rather than QP2, leaving Izan Guevara, championship leader Pedro Acosta to line up on the grid behind Daniel Muñoz.
18-year-old Australian Billy Van Eerde from the Hunter Valley in NSW (Asia Talent Team) was due to start from eighth but was injured during QP2, breaking the femur in his left leg, ending his weekend and turning the focus to recovery after needing surgery as a result. With typical recovery from this kind of injury being in the region of eight weeks, whether Billy will be back in time for the season final remains in question.
Billy Van Eerde Racing statement:
“Quick update on Billy after his crash in Q2 yesterday. Unfortunately he has a broken femur in his left leg and went into surgery last night to have it pinned and repaired. He is very disappointed which is to be expected after a great qualify in Q1. Not sure when he will be back, but now he needs to focus on his recovery. We would like to give the Junior Talent Team the biggest shout out for helping out with all the transfers to hospitals and his hospital care. They have been absolutely amazing and we can’t thank them enough. Also to Paula who stayed by his side until Brian arrived at the hospital this morning. Thank you everyone for all your kind messages of support. He is OK, in a little discomfort and we will know more in the coming days.”
Billy van Eerde recovering from surgery on his broken femur
Fellow Aussie 17-year-old Joel Kelso from Darwin, qualified in 15th for the weekend – with van Eerde’s withdrawal moving him to 14th on the grid, with Senna Agius 29th, both also in the Moto3 class.
In the Moto2 European Championship it was Yari Montella who claimed pole position once again, while the final pole position went the way of Zonta Van Den Goorbergh, as he picked up his maiden pole in the European Talent Cup. 14-year-old Australian Harrison Voight from the Gold Coast qualified strongly in sixth in the European Talent Cup, with 14-year-old Jacob Roulstone from Jamberoo, NSW, starting the grid from 16th.
Round 3 – Saturday
In the FIM Moto3 Junior World Championship, Xavi Artigas took the first race win of the weekend, choosing the perfect time to pick up his second win of the season. Artigas would end up winning by just under a second from Daniel Holgado with third place Gerard Riu less than a tenth behind.
Xavi Artigas
It wasn’t all plain sailing for Artigas though, he entered the final lap in the middle of a battle along with then joint championship leader, Pedro Acosta. However, Acosta would crash out at Turn 6, leaving him with 0 points and now trailing Artigas by 25 in the standings.
Top performing Australian in van Eerde’s absence was Joel Kelso finishing in 11th place, having started from last after an electrical issue caused him to miss pit opening, while Senna Agius came home in 17th. A string of earlier mechanical issues had seemed solved for Kelso, after receiving a new engine Thursday night before Friday’s qualifying.
In the Moto2 European Championship, Yari Montella ruled the roost once again as the Italian pulled clear and won by 4.3 seconds. He was challenged by Alessandro Zaccone in the early laps, and Zaccone would come home in second, taking his best finish of the year so far. Niki Tuuli would have his worst result of the season so far, with third place being a testament to the Finn’s consistency in 2020.
Speaking of consistency, David Alonso would start the day by taking victory in the first HETC race, despite actually crossing the line in second behind Zonta Van Den Goorbergh. The Dutchman was dropped one place after exceeding track limits thus finishing second as Australian Harrison Voight picked up his first podium of the year after being promoted from fifth to third. Fellow Aussie Jacob Roulstone finished 18th.
Harrison Voight
Race 2 came all the way down to the final corner. Alonso would lead going in but had to fend off the attack from Van Den Goorbergh, leaving them both open to a charging Marco Morelli to pick up his first HETC win. Alonso would finish second, and so off the top step for the first time, as Alberto Ferrandez picked up third.
Harrison Voight suffered from mechanical issues in Race 2, finishing in 18th, with Jacob Roulstone the top Australian finisher in 16th.
Round 4 – Sunday
For the second day in a row, FIM CEV Repsol took to the Jerez circuit for a new race day and the action rolled on as Round 4 got underway at the historic venue.
In the FIM Moto3 Junior World Championship, Izan Guevara and Jose Julian Garcia split the wins between them with both riders taking their first career victory in the class.
Moto3
In FIM Moto3 race 1, the drama went all the way to the final turn with Guevara eventually prevailing, but that was only after he was able to dodge the luckless David Salvador who crashed out at the final turn after clipping the rear wheel of Pedro Acosta. Acosta would lose what looked likely to be a race win and come across the line in third as his main Championship rival, Xavier Artigas, would pip him to second place.
Joel Kelso was unfortunately taken out in Race 2 when another rider overcooked the second corner, taking out his front wheel, leaving him too sore to continue racing, with Senna Agius the top – and only – Australian finisher as a result in 17th.
Joel Kelso
“Unfortunately due to a mechanical issue I was unable to start from my original position, in the end I’m happy with the race to come from last to 11th is a great achievement! Unfortunately during race two I got taken out, I will not take part in Race 3.”
Moto3 Race Start
The second race would eventually go the way of Jose Julian Garcia after last lap, last corner track limits drama gifted him the win. It was Izan Guevara who crossed the line in first place, but he was stripped of picking up the double as he exceeded track limits at the final turn, forcing him to drop 1 place, meaning Garcia took the top step. Behind Guevara in second was Pedro Acosta, adding a third place to the one he picked up in race 1. Senna Agius was once again the only Australian finisher in 18th.
Moto2 fired into life with Keminth Kubo taking the holeshot, but the Thai rider would eventually slip back to take fifth. Yari Montella barged his way to the front at the end of lap 1 and didn’t look back from there, racing into the distance to win by six-seconds. Behind him, Alessandro Zaccone ran second for much of the race before taking a trip through the gravel at turn 11, eventually coming home in ninth place. That meant that the still recovering Niki Tuuli picked up another second place as he held Alejandro Medina at arms length as he took the first Moto2 podium of his career.
European Talent Cup
Zonta Van Den Goorbergh raced to victory in a restarted HETC race. The race was red flagged after Filippo Farioli highsided out of Turn 6 but was fortunately unhurt. A five-lap dash followed, with Van Den Goorbergh controlling it from the front. Chaos ensued behind as Angel Piqueras, Marco Morelli and Adrian Cruces all crashed out at the final turn on the final lap. In the aftermath of the final corner drama, David Alonso and his teammate Ivan Ortola took second and third. The final HETC race of the weekend saw Harrison Voight race to eighth, with Jacob Roulstone 16th.
Harrison Voight
“Race 3 at Jerez was the toughest race I’ve ever had with almost 14 or so riders in the front group. At the end I finished 8th so I’m happy but I knew the result could of been better. I gave it my all with my elbows out and being aggressive. Overall it’s been a great weekend and we made some big improvements from the previous rounds. Big thank you to everyone in the team SIC 58 Squadra CORSE, Mum and Dad and to everyone that was cheering on from home.”
2020 FIM CEV Repsol Circuito De Jerez Results Rounds 3 & 4
TSR Honda France stands atop EWC podium in Le Mans 24 Hours
Section: Competition
Endurance victory to Australia’s Hook alongside Foray and Di Meglio.
Image: Supplied.
Australian Josh Hook’s F.C.C. TSR Honda France team has taken a triumphant victory in the Le Mans 24 Hours, round three of the 2020 Endurance World Championship (EWC).
As a result of the fickle weather and constantly changing track conditions, the teams were under pressure for the entire 24 hours.
It’s the second win from TSR Honda – led by Hook alongside Freddy Foray and Mike Di Meglio – in the famous French endurance event, capturing victory ahead of Webike SRC Kawasaki France Trickstar and current points-leader Suzuki Endurance Racing Team.
The tricky track conditions deprived Suzuki Endurance Racing Team of the second place they had looked sure of claiming two hours from the finish. A crash made them lose their two-lap advantage over Webike SRC Kawasaki France Trickstar.
Image: Supplied.
Following a crash early on in the race, pole-setters YART Yamaha pushed hard to get back into the leading pack, as Karel Hanika, Marvin Fritz and Niccolo Canepa finished in fourth place, but five laps behind the winners.
The BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team was a late non-finisher, which benefited VRD Igol Pierret Experiences Yamaha as that team inherited fifth place, ahead of 3ART Best of Bike Yamaha and Broc Parkes’ Wojcik Racing Team Yamaha in P7.
Le Mans also threw the championship wide-open, since five of the six factory teams are now grouped together at the top of the provisional standings ahead of the the final round, which will play out on Saturday, 26 September, at the 12 Hours of Estoril in Portugal.
Three-time World Superbike champion and current co-owner of ASBK team DesmoSport Ducati Troy Bayliss, needs little introduction, while his son Oli, only 16, is already rising through the ranks of racing. Last weekend Oli tried the DesmoSport Ducati V4R superbike for the first time, here’s Troy and Oli Bayliss’s take from after the Pirelli Southern Downs meet at Morgan Park, Australia.
Troy & Oli Bayliss Interview
Oli, you’re only 16, but this weekend you made your debut on the V4R superbike at the Pirelli Southern Downs series. How did the weekend go?
Oli Bayliss: “It was a really good weekend. We started off doing OK times and progressing every session. In the last race of the day we got the bike sorted. I had the best feeling on the bike over the weekend and everything turned out good.”
What was it like getting on a superbike for the first time? You’ve spent almost two years on the 600. Did it take a long time to get used to the power? And how did you feel afterwards?
Oli: “Coming from the 600, the V4 is a similar aspect. You come out of the corners and, off the bottom, it doesn’t have that much power, compared to what I’ve heard from the V2. But once it gets high up in the rev range it’s so fast. So fast.”
Troy, how did you feel seeing Oli riding the superbike? What advice did you give him?
Troy Bayliss: “It was a strange one. The plan was not to have Oli on a superbike this year. But Oli’s been giving Ben Henry (DesmoSport co-founder) a hard time because he said: ‘remember you said when I win a race on the 600 I could have a ride on the bigger bike?’ But the way it’s worked out this year, with the ASBK on hold, we’re stuck in Queensland. The Pirelli Southern Downs series, which was at Morgan Park, had a round at the weekend and we thought, with the way the world is at the moment, it’s a good opportunity to let Oli have a ride on the bike. Being parents, it’s difficult to watch. I’m so comfortable with him on the 600, and he seems so in control of it. So stepping up to a bigger bike is quite stressful. It was hard to watch for a while but seeing him progress over the weekend, he looked good on the bike. He knows Morgan Park very well. The only thing is, Morgan Park is probably the most difficult track to ride a Superbike on in Australia. It’s so physical. It was really good for Oli to ride alongside Mike Jones. Mike’s so smooth and fast and he’s great to have on our team.”
What advice did Mike give you through the weekend and during the day of testing prior to the weekend?
Oli: “Pretty much, we turned up on Thursday and everything was going well. Mike gave me a few laps and we both followed each other around for a bit. When it came to qualifying Mike told me to just be smooth and not to rush anything because we’ve got the whole weekend to be here. Once we started racing there were no nerves and no pressure. We just went out there to have a bit of fun. And the whole team really helped a lot.”
We know what Troy’s career and record has been like. But what are your plans for the future? And what’s the ultimate goal?
Oli: “Just to be one of the best in the world. We don’t really know what the next few years have to come, due to coronavirus. I’d like to be doing Australia Superbike or World Supersport. Or something along those lines. To keep progressing.”
Troy, seeing Oli jump on a red bike again and the Superbike class in particular, does it bring it all back, and does it make you feel like throwing your leg over a bike again?
Troy: “Oh no, I’m so happy to be on the side lines. I really am. I’m actually in a really good head space. I’m fit and healthy. If I wanted to ride I could. One day I’ll have a ride with Oli and Mike to have a bit of fun. But it’s all about doing everything we can to make these guys as fast as they possibly can be. I love the team and working on the bikes and talking with the boys. It’s just a game. You go through the levels. And it’s trying to master the levels, that’s all it is.”
What’s it like having your dad as your coach?
Oli: “It’s really good. When I first started racing 300s, we used to ride around Morgan Park together. We did the same on the 600s for a bit. Once I got a bit faster than him , he stopped riding and I kept on improving. Definitely this year we’ll have another ride on the R6s together. He’s been dying for it. We’ll have a go and post the results.”
Troy: “I’m pretty keen to have a spin on the R6. But he’s definitely progressed a lot since the last time we rode together. At 16, he’s pretty young, but he’s nearly done the second year in the 600s and he’s really learned a lot. Especially in the last year. It was the perfect opportunity to put Oli on the bike. We have a great relationship with Ducati, and we love Motul. Motul’s been with us for a long time. It’s a great product and that’s all that goes in the bikes.”
You’ve both ridden Oli’s Cube Racing R6. Who’s faster?
Troy: ” Oli, by 1.2 seconds. That was over a year ago. We’ve progressed a bit with the bike. We’ve got the bike working really well, so I’m sure I could go quite a bit quicker than the last time I was on it. I’m sure outright speed he’ll be faster than me. We’ll soon find out next time we go to Morgan Park. Watch this space.”
You’ve both ridden the Desmo Sport Ducati V4R. Who’s faster?
Troy: “I’ve got him covered there by nearly a second. Especially at Morgan Park, because it’s a track where you have to physically attack the place. It’s that rough and hard work. And I’ve been round there a lot of times on a superbike. But for his first weekend, to be going as fast as he’s going is pretty good.”
Who’s had the biggest influence on your racing career so far?
Oli: “Dad. Or mum. Every time we go to the track, Dad and I are always chatting about how I can go faster or smoother.”
Troy: “It’s not just me either but with Ben at the workshop down at Cube Performance Centre. The whole team, the same as every team, is all about having a good relationship and making the boys faster.”
How do you like being a team owner with Ben compared to being a rider?
Troy: “Doing this in Australia is not too stressful. I wouldn’t want to be doing this worldwide. I have no interest in that at all. We’re having a great time here in the ASBK paddock. Ben and I get on well together. It’s been fun the last few years and we’re lucky to have Mike as the reigning champion. We hope to keep the winning ways going.”
How did you find the steps up between bikes?
Oli: “Going from the 300 to 600 was a bit of a change, but after a few days at Morgan Park I felt really at home on the bike, on the R6. Now coming from the R6 to the V4, it’s the same thing. After a few more days and races, I’ll really feel comfortable on that bike and push it to the extra step.”
