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Factory Husqvarna extends Jasikonis contract for 2020 MXGP season

News 19 Aug 2019

Factory Husqvarna extends Jasikonis contract for 2020 MXGP season

Lithuanian to remain alongside Jonass next year in the world championship.

Image: Supplied.

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing has extended its contract with Arminas Jasikonis for the 2020 MXGP World Championship, the Lithuanian set to continue alongside Pauls Jonass.

Marking his third full year of competition in the premier MXGP class in 2019, the Husqvarna FC 450 mounted rider has shown great potential, claiming a number of top five race results including a third place finish in the first moto at the GP of Lombardia.

“It means so much to me to be given the opportunity to ride for such a great team,” said Jasikonis. “It feels great to know that the team believes in me and what I can achieve. Admittedly, 2019 has not been the best year for me, a few mistakes have affected my results, but I’m happy with my progress on the bike and I’m keen to deliver the results I know I’m capable of.

“For 2020, remaining with the same team takes a lot of pressure off – we already have a very good set-up for the races and a good atmosphere within the team. I’m really looking forward to continuing to improve and hopefully securing some top results.”

Team manager Antti Pyrhonen added: “Overall, we’re very happy with the progress and consistency Arminas has demonstrated this season. In the races where he has been able to show his real speed and potential, the results have been excellent.

“We have learned a lot this year in terms of both his weaker points and his strengths and we can put in place a strategy to work on these points and challenge for the top three places in the championship next year. Both Arminas and Pauls work very well together – they work hard and are improving all the time. We hope to bring home some good results in the last four rounds of this season and then plan to work hard to prepare for 2020.”

Jasikonis currently sits sixth in the championship standings after finishing 11th at Imola’s 15th round on Sunday.


Source: MotoOnline.com.au

Cheap justice in rider’s roadworks crash

More than three years after a Darwin rider died in a roadworks crash (photo above), the court has dished out cheap justice for the life of the rider.

Queensland company BMD Constructions had faced fines of up to $1.5m for failing to comply with work health and safety obligations over the death of Darwin musician Peter “Pedro” Bonnell.

Instead, NT Worksafe has accepted an enforceable undertaking from the company to spend just $305,000 in activities to improve motorist as well as worker safety.

However, it seems most of the money will be spent on staff awareness of silicosis and mental health issues, rather than motorist safety.

Only $20,000 will be spent on bringing workers up to the Work Zone Traffic Controller (WZ2) qualification standard.

An undisclosed sum will also be spent on creating an “e-learning training package for general awareness of traffic management for the NT construction industry”.

Cheap justice

It seems like cheap justice for the life of a rider and does little to make other roadworks companies liable for shoddy roadworks and traffic management procedures.

Pedro died on April 20, 2016, when his motorbike crashed into a traffic diversion set up as part of the Tiger Brennan Drive duplication roadworks.

Justice moves slowly in roadworks crash death of Darwin rider and well-known musician Peter “Pedro” Bonnell
Darwin musician Peter “Pedro” Bonnell

NT Worksafe alleged the traffic diversion set-up was not in accordance with an approved traffic control diagram and not compliant with Australian Standards.

They also alleged BMD Constructions used interlocking crash barriers without reflective bollards that were not compliant with Australian Standards, and failed in other safety areas.

NT WorkSafe Acting Executive Director Mel Garde said it was appropriate to accept the enforceable undertaking as the traffic diversion set-up was not the sole contributing factor to the incident.

She says several of the activities in the sanction will up-skill the construction industry on traffic management, creating a safer environment for workers and the wider community.

“Traffic management is an important factor in maintaining a safe workplace,” she says.

“There is an obligation to not only protect workers from the hazards of oncoming traffic, but also to protect road users from potential hazards created by the worksite.

“The driving skill and experience of road users will vary widely so it is critical that traffic management plans and traffic diversions are compliant with Australian Standards, so that all road users can safely navigate them.”

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

Maxima BMW cites ‘budget issues’ in Collins departure

News 19 Aug 2019

Maxima BMW cites ‘budget issues’ in Collins departure

Youthful contender indicates plans to race remainder of 2019 ASBK season.

Image: Russell Colvin.

Maxima BMW has cited ‘budget issues’ are what led the Next Gen Motorsports-operated squad to part ways with Ted Collins despite three rounds still remaining in the 2019 Motul Pirelli Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK).

Collins, who captured the 2017 Australian Supersport crown with the outfit before graduating the premier class last year, has endured a luckless year, crashing heavily at both Wakefield Park and The Bend, which prompted him to sit out Morgan Park’s fourth round last month.

“First of all, the team and I have got to thank Ted for his commitment and efforts over the last two and a half years,” said team manager Wayne Hepburn.

“It has been great working with Ted. Being able to help and guide him to his first Australian Supersport championship in 2017 was a really big achievement for both Ted and the team. However, just [due] to budget issues, we are unable to continue supporting Ted at this stage. I personally wish Ted the best fortune in moving forward.”

Collins issued his own statement via social media on Sunday afternoon, confirming his departure from Maxima BMW while indicating he’ll still be on the grid at Winton’s fifth round, scheduled for 6-8 September.

“It’s quite sad to announce that I won’t be with the Next Gen team for the remainder of the 2019 ASBK season,” Collins commented. “Next Gen Motorsports has been a vital part of my racing career and I wouldn’t be where I am today without them. I would like to personally say thank you to Wayne, Shane and Nathan for all of their support over the last three years.

“With this news coming so late in the season, it will be difficult to finish the year in a competitive way. However, I have some great people behind me and I am happy to confirm that I will still be on the grid come round five of ASBK at Winton Raceway in three weeks time.

“We are keeping a positive outlook on the situation at hand, and we are certain we will be making something happen for the 2020 championship. We just have to keep looking forward, and not lose sight of our overall goal.”

Collins is currently ranked 17th in the championship standings with 49 points to his name. Maxima BMW will continue to field former three-time ASBK champion Glenn Allerton.

Source: CycleOnline.com.au

Is BMW chasing a supercharged future?

BMW Motorrad has filed a patent for a supercharger with a drawing of an S 1000 RR (above) which could challenge the supercharged Kawasaki H2R as the fastest and most powerful motorcycle in the world.

Bimota and Hesketh have also launched supercharged models in recent years and Honda is rumoured to be working on a similar project.

Hesketh introducing a Valiant Supercharger supercharged
Hesketh Valiant Supercharger

Meanwhile, Yamaha has filed a patent for a turbo and Suzuki has been considering turbocharging for several years with its Incursion concept.

Suzuki Recursion with turbocharging
Suzuki Recursion

This industry move toward forced induction is not just about setting power records, but also meeting the coming tougher emissions laws.

Now BMW has joined the charge toward cleaner and more efficient forced induction with a supercharger with an electric compressor to free air into the combustion chamber via an intercooler.

Turbo or supercharged?

blown turbo supercharged
1980s Honda CX 650TC Turbo

In the 1980s, several manufacturers played with temperamental turbo technology, but it was a difficult to control the light-switch power delivery so they had a short life.

However, modern turbos are more efficient, lighter, smaller and more reliable.

While a turbo takes its power from the exhaust gases, superchargers that power from the crankshaft.

Kawasaki H2 paint supercgarged
Supercharged Kawasaki H2R

There are advantages and disadvantages in these two technologies.

Turbochargers are quieter, smaller, more efficient, but also more complex.

Superchargers can deliver their boost at lower revs than a turbocharger and are more reliable and easier to maintain. However, they are harder on the engine.

It will be interesting to see which way the industry goes in coming years on forced induction.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

Do police traffic offence quotas exist?

The issue of police being directed to meet traffic offence targets or quotas are back in the news in Queensland and South Australia.

The matter generally raises the ire of motorists who say it is proof that police are revenue raisers rather than performing road safety duties.

Critics also say it leads to motorists being fined for minor speeds and diverts police patrols from catching high-range speeders.

Controversial quotas

The quota controversy has been raised after two recent events:

  • In Queensland, emails that set quotas for traffic tickets have been revealed in court by a Gold Coast cop in evidence of bullying by senior officers. Queensland police have always denied the existence of quotas but have again admitted there are “benchmark” expectations or “targets” for officers on various offences.
  • In South Australia, a senior police officer sent an email to staff offering a gift card as an incentive to issue more speeding and traffic fines. SA Police were forced to retract the email and advise that the incentive went against official policy.

Motorists may not be convinced, especially after examples of what they consider blatant revenue-raising such as our recent article about the use of covert TruCAMs on a downhill stretch of Mt Glorious Rd to nab as many speeding riders as possible.

Quota history

Offence quotas (or “benchmarks”, or “targets”) for police are not new.

In the 1970s and ‘80s, the Queensland Bjelke-Petersen government blatantly referred to them as “kill sheets” for traffic and criminal offences.

Officers were required to reach certain targets to gain promotion or face punitive measures such as a long run of “graveyard shifts”.

Rather than promoting road safety and a crackdown on crime, it led to massive police corruption, culminating in the Fitzgerald Inquiry and subsequent jailing of senior cops and politicians.

Quotas exist in various countries at varying levels of legality around the world.

For example, the UK Government ran a two-year pilot project with the Thames Valley force allowing police to claim back a proportion of speeding fines to pay for road safety projects.

Quotas are largely outlawed in democratic countries as unconstitutional.

Yet the practice often continues in a non-official capacity to evaluate the productivity of “slack and lazy officers”, as one former senior cop told us.

  • Are “targets, benchmarks, incentives, kill sheets, or productivity evaluations” just quotas by another name? Leave your comments below.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

Reverting to proven setting assists Brookes in Cadwell Park win

News 19 Aug 2019

Reverting to proven setting assists Brookes in Cadwell Park win

Australian claims British Superbike Championship lead at the eighth round.

Image: Supplied.

Reverting to a proven setting has led Australian Josh Brookes to claim King of the Mountain honours after a victory in race two at Cadwell Park’s eighth round of the 2019 Bennetts British Superbike Championship Championship (BSB).

The Be Wiser Ducati ace stormed to second in the opening race before clinching a thrilling win in Sunday’s second encounter, the victory promoting Brookes into the championship lead as the series heads into the Showdown.

“I’ve had two great races this weekend and whilst at Thruxton I didn’t feel like I was riding on top form, here I did and properly showed what I can do,” Brookes explained. “We’ve been quick from the off and having the test on Thursday gave us a bit of luxury ahead of race weekend, so we’ve only had to make really small changes all weekend.

“The first race was really enjoyable, and I tried to lead from the front and make a bit of a break but although I managed to get a bit of a gap it wasn’t enough as Danny came with me. When he came past, he was riding superb and I couldn’t fault him at all. We’d made a change after morning warm up which didn’t quite work and although I tried to match him, I couldn’t do any more than what I was doing and settled for the second place.

“For race two, we went back to the setting that had worked previously and this time it was Tommy who was riding really well but I could see he was using every bit of what he had and when I managed to get by him, I had that little bit more grip. It was another great race and it’s great to come away with the King of the Mountain title and the championship lead for the first time this year.”

Fellow Australians Jason O’Halloran (McAms Yamaha) and Ben Currie (Quattro Plant JG Speedlift Kawasaki) recorded 7-14 and 21-19 scorecards respectively. The series now heads to Oulton Park on 6-9 September for round nine.

Source: CycleOnline.com.au

Gajser crowned MXGP champion as Coldenhoff wins at Imola

News 19 Aug 2019

Gajser crowned MXGP champion as Coldenhoff wins at Imola

Prado continues winning streak with dominant MX2 victory.

Images: Supplied.

Honda’s HRC’s Tim Gajser has been crowned the 2019 MXGP world champion at Imola’s 15th round of the series, while Glenn Coldenhoff (Standing Construct KTM) claimed his first overall victory of the season.

The Italian stop saw Coldenhoff put on a commanding display of riding, capturing a pair of dominant victories to score top honours ahead of Jeremy Seewer (Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing), as Gajser took out third to secure the title with three rounds to spare.

Monster Energy Wilvo Yamaha’s Gautier Paulin was fourth, followed by Pauls Jonass (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) in fifth.

The MX2 category saw points leader and reigning champion Jorge Prado (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) continue his undefeated winning streak, taking out the overall win in dominant fashion.

He was joined on the podium by Thomas Kjer Olsen (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) and Maxime Renaux (SM Action Yamaha), while the top five was completed by Jago Geerts (Monster Energy Kemea Yamaha Official MX2) and Calvin Vlaanderen (Team Honda HRC). Australian Mitch Evans (Team Honda 114 Motorsport) was 28th overall.

The WMX championship saw New Zealand’s Courtney Duncan (Bike It DRT Kawasaki) storm to victory with a 1-1 results sheet, defeating Larissa Papenmeier (Yamaha) and No Fear Yamaha’s Nancy Van De Ven.

The MXGP World Championship nows heads to Uddevalla in Sweden this weekend for round 16 of the series.

Detailed results


Source: MotoOnline.com.au

Brookes conquers Cadwell and claims series lead

BSB Sunday Results


Josh Brookes could barely have asked for a better weekend at the Cadwell Park BSB, with the two Superbike races seeing him record a 2-1 result to claim the 2019 King of the Mountain title, alongside a 12-point lead in the championship standings heading into Oulton Park.

BSB Cadwell Park Rnd Josh Brookes AUYA
Josh Brookes – Cadwell Park BSB 2019

Danny Buchan took the Race 1 win from Brookes and Tommy Bridewell, with Scott Redding a distant fourth. Race 2 saw the trio once again dominate, this time led by Brookes, with Bridewell runner up by 0.476s and Buchan a more distant third.

The results left Josh Brookes holding the Superbike championship lead on 271-points, with Scott Redding on 259, and Tommy Bridewell on 243, with the three riders confirmed as Title Fighters in the Showdown as a result.

BSB Cadwell Park Rnd Josh Brookes AUYA
Josh Brookes – Cadwell Park BSB 2019
Josh Brookes

“That’s the racing that I know I can do! In race one I didn’t have anything more for Danny, he deservingly won that race. Race two we went out with a new setting, a couple of little changes, I saw where Danny was stronger and realised where I wasn’t strong enough. Fortunately we were able to make a change to the bike to bridge that gap and then I had Tommy to battle with! It was a great race and Tommy was riding really, really well. I felt like I could see the way he was riding was every bit of the tyre it had, and then with a couple of laps to go I thought surely there’s got to be a little bit of a weakness in the grip area so I pounced to try and see if I could lead, and fortunately I was able to hold him at bay.”

BSB Cadwell Park Rnd Race Podium AUYA
Josh Brookes tops the Race 2 podium from Buchan and Bridewell – Cadwell Park BSB 2019

British Superbike Race 1

In the opening race of the day Brookes launched off the pole position into the lead on the opening lap from Danny Buchan, Jason O’Halloran and Tommy Bridewell. However, Oxford Racing Ducati’s Bridewell was instantly trying to make a move and dived ahead of O’Halloran on lap three.

BSB Cadwell Park Rnd Josh Brookes AUYA
Race Start – Cadwell Park BSB 2019

Buchan was all over Brookes, but it wasn’t until the eleventh lap that he could make a move, which he did at Mansfield to snatch the lead. The FS-3 Racing Kawasaki rider continued to try to break away from the chasing Ducatis of Brookes and Bridewell, and at the chequered flag he managed to edge a gap of 1.047s.

Brookes kept Bridewell at bay as Scott Redding missed out on a debut podium at Cadwell Park. The Be Wiser Ducati rider was able to carve his way up through the field in a hard-fought race, running tenth over the opening laps before scoring a strong fourth place.

BSB Cadwell Park Rnd Josh Brookes AUYA
Josh Brookes – Cadwell Park BSB 2019

Peter Hickman had been chasing down Redding; the pair able to take advantage of a mistake from Christian Iddon who had been running fourth, but ran off track on the final lap and managed to salvage sixth place.

O’Halloran was seventh as he held off the second Tyco BMW of Glenn Irwin, who led his brother Andrew to the chequered flag.

BSB Cadwell Park Rnd Jason O’Halloran AUYA
Jason O’Halloran – Cadwell Park BSB 2019

Ryan Vickers completed the top 10 for the RAF Regular & Reserve Kawasaki team ahead of Luke Stapleford and Gino Rea, who impressed on his debut with Bike Devil Sweda MV Agusta.

BSB Cadwell Park Rnd Race Podium
Race 1 podium 1) Danny Buchan, 2) Josh Brookes, 3) Tommy Bridewell – Cadwell Park BSB 2019

British Superbike Race 2

In race two Bridewell got off to a flying start, firing the Oxford Racing Ducati to the front of the pack ahead of Brookes and Buchan, with the BMWs of Hickman and Iddon in close pursuit.

BSB Cadwell Park Josh Brookes - Cadwell Park BSB 2019Rnd Josh Brookes AUYA
Josh Brookes – Cadwell Park BSB 2019

The drama started early in the race, with Andrew Irwin colliding with Redding on the second lap, sending them both crashing out of the race. The Honda Racing rider was penalised with two penalty points for contact causing a crash which means, having reached a cumulative five penalty points, he will start from the back of the grid for the next race at Oulton Park.

At the front Bridewell was holding the lead until Brookes made a decisive move at Park corner on lap 12 and then he kept his rival at bay until the chequered flag with Buchan claiming another podium finish. The results mean that Brookes, Bridewell and Redding are now confirmed Title Fighters in the Showdown.

BSB Cadwell Park Rnd Josh Brookes AUYA
Josh Brookes – Cadwell Park BSB 2019

Iddon moved to within 21 points of the Showdown with a fourth place for Tyco BMW, holding off Hickman in the closing stages of the race with Glenn Irwin taking his best result of the season on the second Tyco BMW in sixth.

Ryan Vickers was seventh for the RAF Regular & Reserve Kawasaki team to claim his best result of his rookie season ahead of Luke Stapleford and Xavi Forés with Billy McConnell completing the top 10 on his stand-in appearance for OMG Racing Suzuki.

BSB Cadwell Park Rnd Peter Hickman AUYA
Peter Hickman – Cadwell Park BSB 2019

Jason O’Halloran finished 14th on the McAMS Yamaha in Race 2 and currently sits 10th in the overall standings.


Source: MCNews.com.au

Tomac earns third consecutive Pro Motocross title at Budds Creek

News 19 Aug 2019

Tomac earns third consecutive Pro Motocross title at Budds Creek

McElrath breaks through for 250MX overall victory at the penultimate round.

Image: Supplied.

Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac has earned his third consecutive Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship with a dominant victory at Budds Creek’s penultimate round of the series.

The newly-crowned champion rode to a commanding 1-1 scorecard at the 11th round, stretching his points lead out to a title-winning 50-point margin.

The podium was completed by Jason Anderson (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) in second and Marvin Musquin (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) in third, while top five was locked out by Ken Roczen (Team Honda HRC) and Zach Osborne (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing).

In the 250MX category, Shane McElrath (TLD Red Bull KTM) broke through for victory with a commanding 1-1 performance, he was joined on the podium by points leader Adam Cianciarulo (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) and Justin Cooper (Monster Energy Yamalube Yamaha Star Racing).

Dylan Ferrandis (Monster Energy Yamalube Yamaha Star Racing) and RJ Hampshire (Geico Honda) were fourth and fifth respectively, while Australians – and brothers – Hunter Lawrence (Geico Honda) and Jett Lawrence (Amsoil Factory Connection Honda) finished 12th and 26th overall – the latter pulling in prior to the chequered flag in order to maintain amateur status.

The Pro Motocross championship wraps up this weekend at Ironman, marking the conclusion of a thrilling 12-round season.

Detailed results


Source: MotoOnline.com.au

Wheels and Reels: Best-Known Motorcycle Brands In Movies

(Wheels and Reels: Sponsored post)

There are movies and TV shows, not to mention books and comic books, that define their heroes, villains, perhaps antiheroes by the wheels they use to move around. These wheels, two or four, depending on the necessities of the plot, are sometimes placed inside the story by the courtesy of the show’s sponsors, in a practice called “product placement”. This is why various brands are depicted as the most reliable cars in the world. When it comes to motorcycles, though, product placement is pretty rare. This doesn’t mean motorcycle brands are not present in popular culture – but their brands are there not as a means of raising some funding but due to their meaning, mythos, and image.

Could the Easy Rider Captain America chopper soon become the most expensive motorcycle in the world? reels
Peter Fonda on Captain America in Easy Rider

Harley-Davidson is the brand that shows up most often in movies and TV shows, especially since the success of the legendary “Easy Rider” with the late Peter Fonda in the main role. There’s no telling how much of its popularity is due to its legendary status or clever marketing, but the fact remains: it’s arguably the best-known motorcycle brand in the world, with frequent cameos in various movies, TV shows, books, even comic books. Unfortunately, nobody ever made a list of all the movies that feature Harleys but here are some of the most famous ones: Meat Loaf rides a WLA in the cult classic “The Rocky Horror Picture Show”, Sylvester Stallone rode an FLH 80 in “Rocky III” and “Rocky V”, James Marshall rode a 1978 FLH-80 in the iconic TV series “Twin Peaks” (and the follow-up film “Fire Walk With Me”), and to have a more recent example, too, Chris Evans rode a Softail Cross Bones (made to look like a WLA) in “Captain America: The First Avenger).

The World's Fastest indian polaris salt flats reels
The World’s Fastest Indian

Back in the early 1900s, Indian was the largest motorcycle manufacturer in the world. It had quite a few popular models, like the Chief (between the 1920s and the 1950s) and the Scout (manufactured until 1946) but this didn’t stop the manufacturer from going bankrupt in 1953. Since then, several companies tried to revive the Indian brand, with various (usually limited) success.

Indian motorcycles show up in quite a few movies, quite often those taking place in the inter-war period. A 1934 Indian Sport Scout is featured in the 2001 war drama “Pearl Harbor”, Mark Wahlberg rides a customized Indian Scout in Ted 2, Jason Lee rides a blue 1933 Indian Chief owned by enthusiast Dennis Brilla of Plantsville in his movie “Good Ol’ Boy”, and Jean-Claude van Damme rides a beautiful 1950 Indian Chief in the 1999 action flick “Inferno” (also known as “Desert Heat”). One of the “revived” Indian bikes also tried to break into show business: in the forgettable “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines”, Arnold Schwarzenegger rides a 2002 Indian “Police” Chief (the bike was later sold at an auction for under $10,000).

The Great Escape movie poster motorcycle chase reels
The Great Escape

Finally, let’s take a look at the biggest and perhaps best-known British motorcycle brand in history, Triumph, that had its share of Hollywood spotlight. Triumph Engineering, the company behind the brand, was founded in 1885 and started producing bicycles in 1889, and motorcycles in 1902. The original company went bankrupt in 1983 and the brand ended up with its successor Triumph Motorcycles Ltd, becoming the largest UK-based motorcycle manufacturer.

Triumph bikes have shown up in the movies for ages – one of the first to do so is a Triumph Thunderbird 6T that Marlon Brando rode in the 1953 movie “The Wild One” (it was his own bike). One of the most famous performances by a Triumph bike was Steve McQueen’s iconic escape in “The Great Escape” – he rode a modified Triumph TR6 Trophy in the movie, modified to resemble a German BMW. Clint Eastwood  rode a Triumph Bonneville in “Coogan’s Bluff”, Pamela Anderson rides a Triumph Thunderbird in 1996’s infamous “Barb Wire”, Norman Reedus rides a chopped Triumph Bonneville from the 1960s in the popular post-apocalyptic TV series “The Walking Dead”, and Chris Pratt’s character rides a Triumph Scrambler in 2015’s “Jurassic World”.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com