Meanwhile, Pol Espargaro had gone quickest in the early stages from Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) and Nakagami. The Spaniard stayed at the top of the times for the majority of the session before some riders stuck in some soft Michelin rubber in the final few minutes, with Mir grabbing P1 with under two minutes remaining. Nakagami made sure the Suzuki star didn’t stay at the summit for long though, the Honda rider displaced Mir to end the opening MotoGP™ session of the weekend fastest.
Indian debuts it’s annual Jack Daniel’s Limited Edition Motorcycle.
Begin Press Release:
INDIAN MOTORCYCLE, JACK DANIEL’S® & KLOCK WERKS KUSTOM CYCLES COLLABORATE ON FIFTH-ANNUAL, LIMITED-EDITION MOTORCYCLE
America’s First Motorcycle Company & America’s First Registered Distillery Celebrate Quality, American Craftsmanship with Jack Daniel’s® Limited Edition Indian Roadmaster® Dark Horse®
With 107 Produced Globally, New Limited-Edition Commemorates Jack Daniel’s® Gentleman Jack Whiskey; Combines Premium & Modern Styling with All-New Ride-Enhancing Technology
MINNEAPOLIS (August 7, 2020) – Indian Motorcycle, America’s First Motorcycle Company, and Jack Daniel’s®, America’s first registered distillery, along with Klock Werks Kustom Cycles, today introduced the newest addition to its limited-edition series: the Jack Daniel’s® Limited Edition Indian Roadmaster® Dark Horse®. For the fifth-consecutive year, the three American brands have united to celebrate American craftsmanship through an exclusive offering of Jack Daniel’s-inspired Indian motorcycles.
This year’s model was carefully designed to embody Jack Daniel’s® Gentleman Jack®, a premier example of the legendary whiskey maker’s meticulous crafting process. A nod to the brand’s original gentleman distiller, Gentleman Jack himself, this special whiskey is double-charcoal mellowed for an exceptionally smooth finish, perfect for celebrating life’s finest moments and the people we share them with. Gentleman Jack® is aged in handcrafted oak barrels, adding a strong but balanced oak flavor, topped off with subtle notes of caramel and vanilla. Out of consideration for the fine crafting process of Jack Daniel’s® Gentleman Jack® whiskey, the Jack Daniel’s® Limited Edition Indian Roadmaster Dark Horse carries many attributes that reflect the distillation and aging process, such as the bike’s custom Whiskey Pearl paint scheme and oakwood accents inspired by the rich and elongated Jack Daniel’s® mellowing process.
“We are honored to continue our relationship with Jack Daniel’s and Klock Werks and are excited to again celebrate American craftsmanship and ingenuity through this collaboration of three iconic American brands,” said Reid Wilson, Vice President for Indian Motorcycle. “The Jack Daniel’s Limited Edition Indian Roadmaster Dark Horse is our most premium touring motorcycle and, much like Gentleman Jack, represents the ultimate commitment to quality and craftsmanship, while offering the widest range of premium features and riding technology.”
With only 107 produced globally, the Jack Daniel’s Limited Edition Indian Roadmaster Dark Horse is like nothing else on the road. All-new, one-of-a-kind features offered on the Jack Daniel’s Limited Edition Indian Roadmaster Dark Horse include the following:
Exclusive, One-of-a-Kind Design
With attention to detail worthy of a gentleman, the crafting process of Gentleman Jack whiskey is illustrated throughout the bike’s design. A custom two-tone Whiskey Pearl paint was inspired by Gentleman Jack’s double charcoal mellowing process, while unique Oakwood ceramic engine finishes deliver a premium, custom-inspired aesthetic, exclusive to this bike only. In addition, the bike’s fine details include premium Gentleman Jack engraved floorboards, custom Jack Daniel’s branding on the seat, tank and lowers, and a numbered Montana Silversmith badge signifying the limited nature of this model.
New Ride-Enhancing Technology
The Jack Daniel’s Limited Edition Indian Roadmaster Dark Horse will debut Indian Motorcycle’s all-new Pathfinder Adaptive LED Headlight and Pathfinder S LED Driving Lights. The new adaptive headlight senses the bike’s lean angle and activates individual LED projector beams to provide unprecedented visibility. With 15 individual LED lenses that adjust in real-time to bike lean angle, patent pending technology, and the industry’s first adaptive high-beam feature, the Pathfinder Adaptive LED Headlight delivers unparalleled illumination of the road ahead – whether upright and traveling in a straight line or leaned over to carve a turn.
Furthermore, the 2021 limited-edition model will debut Indian Motorcycle’s ClimaCommand Rogue heated and cooled seat. With authentic Jack Daniel’s badging embroidered on the premium Genuine Leather seating surfaces, the seat delivers a sleek, modern look, while also allowing riders to conveniently manage heating and cooling settings via the Ride Command infotainment system. The ClimaCommand Rogue Seat uses a proprietary thermoelectric technology to cool or heat the seat, while a flexible graphene material optimizes the distribution of heating or cooling for both the rider and passenger.
Riders will also receive the luxuries of the industry leading Ride Command infotainment system, now with Apple CarPlay® integration, as well as traffic and weather overlays, controls for Bluetooth and USB audio source, navigation and extensive customization capabilities.
Premium Features
The new limited-edition Jack Daniel’s Roadmaster Dark Horse comes standard with a full suite of premium amenities, including an upgraded 600-watt PowerBand audio system, heated hand grips, an adjustable flared Klock Werks windscreen, and remote-locking saddlebags and trunk. The bike’s slammed saddlebags and precision machined wheels, with a 19-inch front, delivers a more modern style and design for the rider who demands the best. Powering the bike is the Thunderstroke 116, air-cooled V-twin engine – delivering a best-in-class 126 ft-lbs of torque. The high-performing engine includes a six-speed transmission and electronic fuel injection.
“The new limited-edition Indian Roadmaster Dark Horse truly embodies the spirit of Gentleman Jack – premium by design, attention to detail, and a smooth finish,” said Greg Luehrs, sponsorships and partnerships director for Jack Daniel’s. “Each year, we receive incredible feedback on the limited-edition collaboration, and this year, the team truly out-did themselves.”
Each Jack Daniel’s Limited Edition Indian Roadmaster Dark Horse will come with a custom Montana Silversmith Belt Buckle in a display case. Each custom gift will come engraved with the owner’s name, motorcycle number (#001-#177) and VIN.
The Jack Daniel’s Limited Edition Indian Roadmaster Dark Horse starts at $38,999 and is available to order through an Indian Motorcycle dealership. For more details on how to order, visit or call your local Indian Motorcycle dealership. Each bike will be built to order as a model year 2021 with delivery starting in September 2020.
The weekend didn’t start how Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse) would’ve hoped it to, after the winner last time out in Jerez tucked the front at the penultimate corner, walking away without injury. The most worrying start to the Czech GP, however, went to Leopard Racing’s Jaume Masia who crashed not once, but twice. The Spaniard suffered front-end washouts at both Turn 3 and Turn 11, fortunately with both crashes coming without injury.
HJC Helmets has had a long association with Marvel Comics and Star Wars and now they add the DC Comics RPHA 11 Pro Joker helmet to their collections.
Of course you’ll pay up to an extra $100 for the privilege of following your nerdy fashion tastes, but who cares when you can look like a super hero or, in this case, the Joker super-villain?
The Joker helmet is designed for road and track use and has an aerodynamic shell structure composed of HJC’s Premium Integrated Matrix (P.I.M. Plus) shell material.
They claim it improves the helmet’s shock-resistance and helps the helmet save some weight.
The HJC RPHA 11 Pro Joker is DOT and ECE 22.05 certified and costs $US599.99 in the US and €599.90 in Europe. There is no word yet on its arrival in Australia or price.
Joker will come in three shell sizes from XS to XXL with a five-year warranty.
Joker features:
Full-face helmet, without sun visor
Fiber manufacturing (Pim +)
3 different shell sizes depending on the size of the helmet for weight and compactness
Double-D ring buckle
Foam extraction system facilitated for emergency response
Ventilation integrated into the hull
Quick screen disassembly, 20 mm HJ screen, semi-flat shape for vision
Secure screen closure with double clasp
Sizes: XS to XXL
Comics
HJC owns the rights to use Marvel and DC Comics characters to decorate their helmets.
They have produced models such as Captain America, Iron Man, Spiderman, Batman, Punisher, Venom and Youth Avengers.
Spider and Venom
Spiderman
HJC also has deals wth the Star Wars franchise and has released RPHA-11 Star Wars helmets, Boba Fett, Kylo Ren and Death Trooper.
Safe helmets
The Korean-made HJC S-17 and FG-ST models are very safe scoring a maximum five stars in the recognised Sharp helmets rating system.
The FG-17 scores four stars, RPHA-11 rates three stars, while the CL-XY II is not listed in the ratings. However, the CL-ST gets three stars.
Motorcycle riders are about to inherit a bad reputation around the world as hundreds of thousands crowd into the 80th annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rallythis weekend.
As riders start to roll into the town, organisers predict attendance will be about 250,000, down from an annual average of almost half a million.
Yet it will still be the biggest crowd of people in the one place in the world since the pandemic was declared six months ago.
That will be a tremendous black mark against motorcyclists everywhere and already America and the world’s media is massing in the small town to record the spectacle.
Vendors
The number of vendors is down from about 700-800 to 330 as some companies decide it is not worth risking the health of workers nor the associated bad image.
Harley-Davidson employees are forbidden to travel so they will not be there but will have a lot of signage at the event.
Meanwhile, Indian Motorcycle will be on hand offering demo rides.
The company vaguely claim they will do it “in a way that keeps them safe and makes sure we are keeping employees and the dealership employees safe when they are interacting”.
Crowd checks
Riders in the Black Hills of South Dakota
Town leaders say they will be handing out masks, advising social distancing and offering testing to the crowd but it is doubtful many of the freedom-loving riders will comply.
They say there is little likelihood of transmission in the outdoors event, although a lot of the activities do take place in close quarters and in clubs, hotels and inside venues.
Currently South Dakota is recording about 75 new cases a day and increasing.
In April, the Smithfield pork processing plant in Sioux Falls became what was then the nation’s largest coronavirus hot spot when more than 600 staff contracted the virus.
Death projections for the state are 250 by December 1 as restrictions ease. That could be reduce to 180 if masks were made mandatory.
However, South Dakota is among several states that has not locked down nor made masks mandatory.
Those projections for deaths don’t take into account the Sturgis rally.
Nor do they show how the virus can be spread in other states and countries as rally goers head home, taking the infection with them.
As this becomes evident, the stigma that motorcyclists have spread the virus will taint riders everywhere.
Vote against rally
Of the 7000 Sturgis citizens, 63% voted not to hold the rally, but a gift wholesaler in nearby Rapid City threatened to sue the council.
Sturgis City Council member Terry Keszler says they should have postponed or cancelled the rally in March.
However, Doreen Allison Creed, Meade County commissioner who represents Sturgis, says the county lacked the authority to shut down the rally because much of it takes place on state-licensed campgrounds.
“We are either going to be a great success story or failure,” she says.
“I truly believe it could not have been stopped.”
The state’s Department of Tourism has estimated that the annual festival generates about $800 million in revenue.
Warning
Neighbouring Minnesota Department of Health commissioner Jan Malcolm called the decision to go ahead with the event “disappointing”.
Malcolm and other state public health leaders have warned that the rally could be a potential petri dish for spreading the virus here and across the nation.
Michael Osterholm, head of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, says the rally could cause a major virus spread.
“Come mid-August to late August, early September, Sturgis will have one hell of an imprint on this country,” he says.
We have collated here for you the pre-race quotes from almost the entire MotoGP field but unfortunately we are missing a quote from our own Jack Miller. We will seek to rectify this for future rounds but for now check out what the rest of the MotoGP are thinking ahead of this weekend’s Monster Energy Grand Prix České republiky.
Fabio Quartararo
“I think Jerez is a track that was better for us, but like I said last year the Yamaha is going well in every track. It’s true this track has a lot of straights, uphill, but a lot of corners so at the end our bike is turning really well. We miss a bit of power but we can’t have everything. We will do out best, the same mentality, we will work really hard to see what our potential is for Sunday and tomorrow and Saturday we’ll be working on the pace. Honestly, after race wins, you always celebrate with your friends but it was quite strange. But when I arrived home, I saw nobody and always with the mask. I went back to see my family but I couldn’t even kiss my mum so I was a bit scared, especially after an F1 driver had the virus. I was a bit stressed honestly so we didn’t do something special, but stayed safe and always with the mask. Now we’re here and we can fully focus on racing.”
Fabio Quartararo
Franco Morbidelli
“My expectations for Brno are high, especially as it’s a circuit that I really like. In fact, I think it’s one of the best on the calendar! It’s a very old-style track as it’s long, wide, technical and fast. Looking at the level that we had in Jerez, we are expecting good things this weekend. I’ve also had some good results there in the past. Of course, this year we’ve got to be better and improve our record there. I think we will have some good battles and I’m looking forward to going there, with the aim of finishing in the top-five.”
Massimo Meregalli – Yamaha MotoGP Team Director
“After the heat in Jerez and the excitement of the first two race weekends, we have recharged our batteries, so we are now ready to fight again. We have three back-to-back races coming up, one held in Brno and two in Spielberg. This means we have to be focused, because these early stages of the championship are decisive, and we have to squeeze out the maximum potential. The upcoming GP is especially important to us, because the Czech round is sponsored by Monster Energy. We have been enjoying our partnership with them a lot, so the team would like nothing better than to celebrate this collaboration with some further top results. It will be a full-on three weeks, so it’s crucial that we immediately get into shape and feature at the front starting from Friday morning.”
Maverick Vinales
“Our objective was to be on the podium, so we achieved our maximum in Jerez. Now we’re going to tracks I really like; I love the layout of both Brno and Austria. We have a great opportunity, so we need to keep pushing and hopefully we’ll find something more for this race and get to the maximum again.” And is he worried about the Yamaha engine usage so far? “No. We’re quite confident and comfortable. We know what our potential is, so we’re quite calm. We need to make it work as best we can, and that’s it. We need to keep going and, especially, we need to be as fast as we were in Jerez.”
Valentino Rossi
“It’s an important weekend because I’ve always liked Brno. Last race in Jerez, we changed something that gave me a better feeling and I enjoyed the whole weekend. To be back on the podium after a long time and a difficult period was a great feeling. So, it’s important to understand if I can also be strong here because the track is great, I’ve always liked it, but in previous years with the Yamaha we’ve always struggled a bit. It’s important to know our potential at another track, with different conditions, and also for the next races after this. In the summer of last year, I understood that I needed something different, so we changed the chief mechanic and we bet on a younger guy from Moto2 with no MotoGP experience. I liked a lot his approach because he was working in my team with Moto2. I feel very good, he can teach me a lot and he has a different way of working on the bike. We needed fresh ideas, and now we need time to work on our relationship and for him to understand what I need. But over these next races we will understand if we’re in a good way.”
Valentino Rossi
Andrea Dovizioso
“I can’t be too happy about my riding in Jerez in the first two races, but in the end the Championship points are not so bad. Happy to be in Brno. I think it can be a better track for us, but it will be important to fix my weak points. We studied a lot this week to try and be ready for this weekend.. We will see during the practice, because just being on the bike you can feel if you have made some changes. Let’s see how the track is because its normally very difficult for the map and the grip. There is a new tyre so we will work in a different way. And let’s see the Yamaha. I expect them very competitive here, but I’m really interested to see if they are strong like in Jerez. For sure, there is an opportunity for everybody. But, you know, every year has a different story and the first two races say that the two Yamaha riders are stronger than everybody else. But, whether it’s just in Jerez in the really hot temperatures. The season is still really long with a lot tracks and different temperatures. Let’s see.”
Andrea Dovizioso
Danilo Petrucci
“After Jerez, these three GPs will be key to figuring out if we can be competitive on all circuits. I can’t wait for the next race in Brno to eliminate the unpleasant feeling left by the crash in Jerez. All the information we collected in the first two races will help us to start this weekend with some clear aspects. Physically I feel good, and I am confident that I can get a good result“.
Takaaki Nakagami
“In Jerez it was special conditions. Really hot, the second race on the Sunday was my worst conditions. I was always behind and it was difficult to breathe. We’ve improved a lot from the first race, now it’s a different story and a different track. Not the same conditions as Jerez, I think Sunday will be hot but not like in Jerez. Nothing special, we’re working hard, the same as always. Marc is not here so I feel a lot of pressure from HRC but that is nice, I’m enjoying this moment so hopefully it’s a good weekend for us. Of course when I saw the data compared to Marc, I always saw some… I can find some special riding from Marc. But absolutely not easy to copy. From HRC side they have helped a lot during the weekend, we checked Marc’s data from the first race and one thing I found that on braking he has a completely different way to stop the bike. I tried all sessions, it’s not easy to understand but I feel that when I saw the lap times it was always better. When I’m riding, I feel a lot more confidence and it’s easier to stop the bike. This is a lot of help during the race, Jerez, 25 laps, it was difficult to not make any mistakes. It was a lot of help. It’s difficult to explain but he has special riding under braking. It was tough and not easy, but we have to adapt all season. Now I have found the best way on braking, we’ll keep going like this and we will see on this track.”
Takaaki Nakagami
Cal Crutchlow
“I’m really looking forward to getting back to racing at Brno, the start of three weekends back to back. Obviously after the disappointment of the injury at Jerez and then not having great result, I’m fully fired up to getting a good result at Brno and starting the three races competitive. The wrist feels good after a week off, so hopefully it will be better at Brno than it was at Jerez. I will work hard with the team and Honda to see if we can get a good result on Sunday.”
Alex Marquez
“This will be just the fifth circuit I have ridden a MotoGP bike at, but it is one I have always enjoyed riding and it has suited my style a lot in the past. We gathered a lot of good information from the two weekends in Jerez so now we can apply what we have learned to a new circuit. Every session I learn more about MotoGP and my bike, I am looking forward to riding in Brno and starting three races in three weekends, it will be intense but I am looking forward to it. I hope Marc can recover well and quickly!”
Stefan Bradl
“First of all I want to wish Marc a speedy recovery, what he did in Jerez was incredible and he showed that he has the true spirit of a champion. I am looking forward to riding the Honda RC213V again, due to the global pandemic we have not been able to test as we would normally so it will take some time to adjust to the bike and MotoGP again but I have ridden the superbike a few times so I know my fitness is good. It’s a challenge I’m looking forward to, competing with the Repsol Honda Team is always a great honour and I am pleased to help Honda. Let’s see how the weekend goes.”
Davide Brivio – Suzuki Team Manager
“Our riders did well at the last race, especially considering the difficult circumstances with Alex’s injury, and they both scored useful points. We arrive here in the Czech Republic hoping that Alex and Joan will be able to fight again for strong positions and have a good race weekend. We feel confident with our bike and it’s a track that both riders like, so let’s see what is possible.”
Joan Mir
“I’m so happy about the fifth position in Jerez. The most important thing after the first race was to finish. I had this on my mind during all the weekend. I think that here we can be a little bit more competitive. The weekend looks like it will be much colder than in Jerez. So, looking forward to it, so let’s see if we can improve our qualifying sessions I think that is our.. we are missing a little bit in that point. But I think if we improve in that area we can fight to be in front.” Mir also spoke about the crash he had last year in the Brno test. “This track doesn’t bring me good memories, like you said, but it’s always been a track that I enjoyed a lot. Riding here is so nice, but like you said I had a big injury last year, but anyway it’s best not to think about that, it’s better to think about the good feelings I have had here in the past and for sure let’s see if we can bring a good result on Sunday to help us forget last year!”
MotoGP press conference
Alex Rins
“Since leaving Jerez I have continued with intensive treatment and physiotherapy, and I’m feeling stronger with my shoulder every day. It’s always different when you’re riding the bike, but I hope to be feeling much better than I did at the Andalucia Grand Prix. Brno is a physically demanding circuit but it’s one I like, and I managed a good result last year so I’m feeling ready to give my best.”
Aleix Espargaro
“The two races in Jerez did not end the way we had expected. The advantage of the long break is that I’m fully charged with positive energy, so I can’t wait to get back on the track. I am confident in the potential of this new bike. The feeling is good, but we still haven’t been able to put it all together. The situation at the start of the year obviously didn’t help us, but I will keep pushing anyway and I won’t leave any avenue unexplored.”
Bradley Smith
“On paper, Brno seems not to be the best track for Aprilia, but with this new bike it’s hard to make any kind of prediction. We’ll find decidedly different conditions than Jerez. In any case, the experience gained in the first two races will certainly be helpful. The thing that the new RS-GP seems to be lacking the most is time on the track. We were unable to turn as many laps as we would have needed to because of COVID and that forces us to continue development during the races.”
Miguel Oliveira
“I’m obviously very excited to come back to racing in such a short time. After the result we got the second last weekend, I feel like it’s redemption time and I’m just very looking forward to ride in Brno, which is a track that I like. Last year, I had great feelings there, we scored points in the race. I feel like it’s a good track for us and it’s also great three rounds we’ll have back-to-back, that I think going to suit our bike. I’m just really keen to start with a good result in Brno and give the team, what we should got the Sunday before.”
Iker Lecuona
“I know that I need to focus a lot on myself for Brno in order to enjoy riding the bike even more and also the work within our team. First of all, of course I need to finish the race this time, which is super important, but at the same time, I also have to continue to work hard and to learn. During the two weeks in Jerez, I already improved a lot, so I hope I can build on my performance there and follow up on our good way to progress further.”
Hervé Poncharal – Red Bull KTM Tech3 Team Manager
“After the disappointment of the Gran Premio Red Bull de Andalucía, where we didn’t score any points with our two riders, it’s really good to know, we have three races coming very soon. Clearly, the setback in Spain was huge. The expectation after Miguel’s weekend and superb Qualifying performance was very high and to give up without fighting is a tough thing to swallow. The positive point is, we saw that the four KTM RC16 were very competitive, not only Miguel’s Qualifying was outstanding, but also the few laps Brad Binder did in the race showed the great level of our machine. We just hope we can duplicate the same performance in Czech Republic and Austria in order to confirm the potential of rider and machine. Last year, Brno was the last time we were riding the 2019 spec machine, we got the evolution one from the following round, so it’s difficult to have a real base to make any prognostics, but Miguel was quite fast and happy with the behavior of his bike at this track, so I believe we have a realistic possibility to be strong there. The atmosphere and the feeling inside the KTM MotoGP department is very positive. Anyway, we try to put Miguel’s and Iker’s Spanish DNF behind us and carry on scoring important points in the championship. Our two riders are in good shape, feel great and just can’t wait to be back on track. The Red Bull KTM Tech3 team is definitely ready for the next three races and eager to start Friday’s FP1!”
Monster Energy Grand Prix České Republiky Schedule
Fill-in riders confirmed by Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki
Section: Competition
Harrison and Sanayei join McAdoo for upcoming Pro Motocross season.
Image: Supplied.
Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki has drafted in Mitchell Harrison and Darian Sanayei for the 2020 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship after injuries struck team regulars Austin Forkner, Jordon Smith and Garrett Marchbanks in Monster Energy Supercross.
Set to open at Loretta Lynn’s Ranch next Saturday, 15 August, the Pro Motocross series will see Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki field Harrison and Sanayei alongside Cameron McAdoo.
“We are in a unique situation with Cameron McAdoo being our only healthy rider at the moment,” said team owner Mitch Payton. “We weren’t exactly sure when racing would resume, but we knew whenever that was, we needed to be ready so we had Darian and Mitchell tryout our KX250 and they both rose to the challenge.
“We have worked with both of them previously through the Kawasaki Team Green program. We’re familiar with who they are and how they ride, and it was an additional bonus that they have both been riding Kawasaki motorcycles for quite some time now. We are ready to get back to the races and to see the team back on the track.”
Both riders will be returning to their roots as they grew up riding for the Kawasaki Team Green racing team throughout their amateur careers. In their professional careers, both Harrison and Sanayei have competed in Europe in the MX2 class for Kawasaki-supported teams with Sanayei on the Dixon Kawasaki MX2 team and Harrison competing for the Bud Racing Kawasaki MX2 team.
After reaching the age limit in Europe, Sanayei returned home to the United States to contest in the 2020 Arenacross for the Babbitt’s Online Monster Energy Kawasaki team, as well as competing in the Monster Energy Supercross 250SX East class.
“Everybody knows that this is easily the best team in the paddock, just look at the wall of championship plates hanging on the door,” commented Sanayei. “This is a huge opportunity for me and I’m really looking forward to making the most of it. I’ve had the chance to ride the bike a couple of times now and all I can really say is, wow.
“I’ve been on a Kawasaki pretty much my entire pro career and this KX250 really has it all. I am usually a pretty good starter so with the power of this bike and the support of this team, I believe I can put myself in a good position to be battling up front.”
Due to the global pandemic, Harrison was forced to close the chapter on racing in Europe for now and looks forward to racing again back in the US: “Man, I cannot tell you how excited I am for this opportunity. Right away, I gelled with the bike and felt right at home on the KX250. Up until recently, I have been racing in Europe on a KX250 for Bud Racing for the past year or so and I also grew up racing for the Team Green amateur race team, so I have felt super comfortable from the get-go.
“This year has been unique for everyone in our sport, especially for myself since I’m from the US, but have been racing in Europe and have been dealing with all of the travel restrictions – that’s why it was a no brainer when this opportunity came up. I want to be here racing with the best of the best. I have podiumed at races in the past here and I believe with where I am at this stage in my career and with this bike I can be a threat each weekend.”
Yamaha is the first major manufacturer to give some credence to the theory that future motorcycles and other vehicles could be powered by water.
In 2016, the company commissioned industrial designer Maxime Lefebvre to provide a concept for a 2025 Yamaha motorcycle. That’s just five years away!
After three trial efforts, Yamaha has now officially released images of the prototype bike which looks like an original 1975 XT model but is powered by water.
They call it a closed-loop H2O engine powered by a water pump that continually cycles water.
However, Yamaha is short on technical details.
For example, they don’t say what powers the water pump. Maybe it’s a small electric motor.
Nor do they say what sort of power output it would deliver.
It all seems very mystical at the moment. Or is it?
The Dutch wooden motorcycle runs on algae oil grown by scientist Peter Mooij as bio fuel.
Designer Titsert Mans thought it appropriate to put it in a bike made of sustainable materials such as wood.
They have written a book, The Thick Algae, to explain their principles.
Sao Paulo inventor Ricardo Azevedo says his T Power H20 bike can even run on polluted water.
It uses a car battery and the water to generate electricity and separate hydrogen from the water molecules. This results in internal engine combustion which powers the bike.
However, don’t hold your breath waiting for some of these technologies to come to your bike.
Ricardo’s bike was revealed back in 2015 and no manufacturer has yet taken up the challenge of introducing it to a production bike.
But change is surely coming and the internal-combustion-engine motorcycle is not dead yet!
“For sure, there is an opportunity for everybody. I mean, Marc won a lot of titles and now he is out for these races. But, you know, every year has a different story and the first two races say that the two Yamaha riders are stronger than everybody else. But, whether it’s just in Jerez in the really hot temperatures. The season is still really long with a lot tracks and different temperatures. Let’s see.”
“It was good to have a week off to rest, before three consecutive race weekends that will be very challenging for everyone,” began the Italian. “Brno is a track that will allow us to take advantage of the strengths of our Desmosedici GP bike, but this won’t be enough because we will have to start strong immediately since Friday’s free practices.
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