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“Top speed and braking stability are important”

MotoGP™ ’19 places greater emphasis on bike set-up than ever before. Use this expert advice to tinker with suspension settings and the gearing of Quartararo’s Yamaha M1 so you can post a competitive time in the Final Draft, which could guarantee you one of the best MotoGP™ seats in the Global Series, the third and final stage of this year’s MotoGP™ eSports Championship.

Source: MotoGP.comRead Full Article Here

Eli Tomac wins Red Bud and takes third consecutive AMA MX Title

Eli Tomac 2019 AMA Pro Motocross 450 Champion

AMA MX Red Bud Eli Tomac Champ
Eli Tomac 2019 AMA Pro Motocross 450 Champion

The Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, made its annual visit to Budds Creek Motocross Park in Southern Maryland on Saturday, for the 30th running of the GEICO Motorcycle Budds Creek National.

The penultimate round of the 2019 season saw Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac sweep both motos to clinch his third consecutive 450 Class title, becoming just the fourth rider in history to achieve that impressive feat. The triumph also gave Tomac his class-leading fifth overall victory of the season.

In the 250 Class, Red Bull KTM’s Shane McElrath proved to be unstoppable as he swept both motos for his first win of the season.

Hunter Lawrence made his return from injury to card 10-13 results for 12th overall and is now 10th in the overall championship standings. Younger brother Jett made his second senior Pro Motocross start after recently turning 16 and scored 24-30 results. 


450

The first 450 Class moto got underway with Rocky Mountain ATV/MC-KTM-WPS rider Justin Bogle emerging with his second MotoSport.com Holeshot of the season over Tomac and Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Zach Osborne. Tomac immediately pushed his way to the front as he blasted around Bogle to lead the opening lap. Team Honda HRC’s Ken Roczen once again used incredible speed to start the moto and blitzed his way towards the front into second, followed by Bogle.

Tomac dropped the hammer early in an attempt to break away, however, Roczen refused to let his rival go by upping his pace to keep Tomac in sight. With the leaders well out front, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Marvin Musquin was on the move, latching onto the rear fender of Bogle and eventually taking control of third on Lap 5. Tomac’s pace proved to be too much for Roczen to maintain as the race wore on, and the German lost ground in the second half of the 30-minute-plus-two-lap moto.

There was no stopping Tomac as he disappeared to take a commanding win by 13.9 seconds over Roczen. It marked the ninth moto win of the season for the multi-time defending champion. Musquin completed the podium in a distant third.

As the 450 Class field exited the first turn to start Moto 2 it was Osborne who narrowly edged out Tomac for the MotoSport.com Holeshot, just ahead of Roczen and Musquin. The lead for Osborne was short lived as Tomac powered his way to the front before the second turn. When the 40-rider field completed the opening lap it was Tomac, Roczen and Osborne out front.

Similar to the opening moto, Tomac and Roczen set the pace early and moved out to a comfortable gap on the riders that followed them. On Lap 2, Osborne’s Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing teammate Jason Anderson found his way by for third, while Musquin dropped Osborne another spot to fifth just moments later. Anderson’s march to the front continued as he began slowly closing in on Roczen, eventually taking control of the runner-up position on Lap 9. Roczen continued his charge from third.

Based on the running order in the waning minutes of the moto, Tomac had yet to move into a position to clinch the title. Roczen’s hold on third was enough to keep him within 49 points of Tomac in the championship standings, as the reigning champ needed a lead of 50 points to secure the title a round early.

With the racing closing in on the 30-minute mark, Roczen began to drop off of the pace, which allowed Musquin and several other riders to close in. Roczen’s title hopes were in serious jeopardy when Musquin began a challenge for the position on Lap 12. The German didn’t put up much of a fight, and Musquin took over third. Roczen proceeded to lose two more positions on the same lap.

Tomac left his rivals well behind to easily take his 10th moto win of the season by 14.9 seconds. Anderson finished runner-up for his fifth moto podium of the season, followed by Musquin in third. Roczen ended the moto seventh.

Tomac’s fifth win of 2019 came via his third 1-1 sweep of the season. The 22nd victory of his career moves him into a tie with Rick Johnson for fourth on the all-time 450 Class wins list.

In terms of the championship, Tomac’s win, combined with Musquin’s third-place finish in Moto 2, left Tomac with an exact 50-point advantage over the Frenchman, who overtook Roczen for second in points in the final moto.

With a potential season-ending tiebreaker already locked up in his favor, Tomac captured the Edison Dye Cup for the third year in a row, and did so a round early for the first time in his career. He joins Gary Jones, Tony DiStefano and Ricky Carmichael as the only riders in history to achieve the championship three-peat.

Eli Tomac

“This is such a special way to end the weekend, and not something I really anticipated happening with one round to go,” said Tomac. “I honestly didn’t even know I had the championship until the last lap. I thought that I needed one more spot from the guys behind me, so that was a little bit of a surprise. It was good to get the job done today. It’s tough to beat the first championship, but they’re all special and unique in their own ways.”

AMA MX Red Bud Eli Tomac Wins
Eli Tomac

Jason Anderson’s 4-2 scores were good enough to finish the day second overall, edging out Musquin in third (3-3).

Marvin Musquin

“I had good practices today and the motos got rougher, harder and drier, which made it more difficult on the body and on the bike. My starts were actually pretty good but things happened in both motos that cost me a couple of positions early on. Overall, I gave my best and we just need to work a little more for those types of conditions.”

AMA MX Red Bud Musquin Osborne
Marvin Musquin

While Tomac has wrapped up the 2019 title, thanks to his 50-point lead in the standings, the battle for runner-up in the championship will head to the final round in Indiana next weekend, with Musquin and Roczen separated by only five-points.

AMA MX Red Bud Jason Anderson
Jason Anderson

Jason Anderson and Zach Osborne are fourth and fifth respectively ahead of Cooper Webb while Justin Barcia’s 6-5 results at Red Bud sees him seventh in the 450cc AMA Pro Motocross Championship standings.

Justin Barcia

“I was riding solid and the bike set up was working well for me. I ended up getting a good start in Moto 1, battled near the front and ended up 6th in Moto 1. In the second Moto, I got another solid start. I was battling with (Zach) Osborne and a lot of other guys. I rode my butt off. We made a change before the second Moto and it was the right change. My starts have been good, it was nice to have the speed too. I’m now wishing the season wasn’t about to be over. It would have been good to be on the podium today, but we’re taking steps in the right direction.”

AMA MX Red Bud Justin Barcia
Justin Barcia

450 Class Overall Results (Moto Finish)
  1. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Kawasaki (1-1)
  2. Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Husqvarna (4-2)
  3. Marvin Musquin, France, KTM (3-3)
  4. Ken Roczen, Germany, Honda (2-7)
  5. Zach Osborne, Abingdon, Va., Husqvarna (5-4)
  6. Justin Barcia, Monroe, N.Y., Yamaha (6-5)
  7. Dean Wilson, Scotland, Husqvarna (8-6)
  8. Aaron Plessinger, Hamilton, Ohio, Yamaha (9-9)
  9. Benny Bloss, Oak Grove, Mo., KTM (7-11)
  10. Kyle Cunningham, Willow Park, Texas, Honda (11-8)
450 Class Championship Standings
  1. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Kawasaki – 476
  2. Marvin Musquin, France, KTM – 426
  3. Ken Roczen, Germany, Honda – 421
  4. Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Husqvarna – 376
  5. Zach Osborne, Abingdon, Va., Husqvarna – 365
  6. Cooper Webb, Newport, N.C., KTM – 324
  7. Justin Barcia, Monroe, N.Y., Yamaha – 283
  8. Fredrik Noren, Sweden, Suzuki – 218
  9. Justin Bogle, Cushing, Okla., KTM – 210
  10. Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., KTM – 175

250

The opening 250 Class moto of the afternoon saw Ty Masterpool capture his second holeshot of the season ahead of McElrath and Kawasaki’s Adam Cianciarulo. A quick move by Cianciarulo allowed him to take over second from McElrath, following Masterpool across the line to complete the opening lap. Cianciarulo’s championship rivals, and Yamaha Racing teammates, Justin Cooper and Dylan Ferrandis started the race outside of the top-10 and top-20, respectively.

With Masterool riding well at the front of the field, Cianciarulo applied pressure early until an off track excursion cost him several positions on Lap 2, from which he reentered the race in fifth. McElrath and Kawasaki’s Martin Davalos took advantage of Cianciarulo’s mistake to inherit the second and third spots. McElrath began closing in on the race leader and used an aggressive move on Lap 5 to take the lead from Masterpool.

McElrath quickly went to work out front and instantly began to open a gap over his fellow competitors, while Cianciarulo regrouped and started working his way back through the pack of riders ahead of him. Cianciarulo successfully battled back inside the top three on Lap 4, and then forced his way by Masterpool for second on Lap 9. Just moments later, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Michael Mosiman also found his way around Masterpool, taking over third.

As McElrath and Cianciarulo remained in control of the top two spots, the battle began to heat up for third as GEICO Honda’s RJ Hampshire started to bridge the gap on Mosiman. Hampshire, who won the Budds Creek National one year ago, was on a mission and pushed Mosiman out of the way for third on Lap 13.

When the checkered flag waved it was McElrath who put in a dominant performance to take his first moto win of the season by 8.7 seconds over Cianciarulo. Hampshire held on for an impressive third, giving him his third moto podium of 2019. Ferrandis’ hard charge from deep in the field carried him to fourth, narrowly missing out on the podium, while Cooper followed just a couple positions behind in sixth.

The deciding 250 Class moto saw McElrath lead the field through the first turn for the holeshot, with Yamaha Racing’s Mitchell Oldenburg and Suzuki Factory Racing’s Alex Martin in tow. McElrath and Oldenburg went back and forth on the opening lap, with McElrath eventually taking the upper hand. A wild start to the race saw Cianciarulo just inside of the top-10, while Ferrandis was outside of the top-20. Hampshire found himself down in a first-turn pileup.

McElrath continued his impressive riding out front, while Oldenburg and Martin continued giving chase. Martin grabbed a handful of throttle and charged to the inside of Oldenburg to steal second while coming down Henry Hill. Oldenburg continued to lose ground as Cooper, who started fourth, snuck around his teammate for third. Cooper’s pace allowed him to catch Martin late in the moto, where the Yamaha rider successfully made the pass for second.

In their quest to come through the pack, championship rivals Cianciarulo and Ferrandis soon found themselves next to one another on the track. As they fought their way forward through the halfway point of the moto, Ferrandis pulled the trigger on a pass and initiated slight contact with Cianciarulo, forcing the point leader to briefly halt his momentum as Ferrandis surged ahead. The duo would continue gaining positions, with both eventually making their way into the top five.

AMA MX Red Bud Shane McElrath
Shane McElrath

Just like the first moto, McElrath remained unchallenged out front and took the victory by 7.7 seconds over Cooper. Martin rebounded from a difficult first moto to take his fifth moto podium of the season in third. Ferrandis and Cianciarulo crossed the line fourth and fifth, respectively. Hampshire recovered from his first-turn incident to take eighth.

The 1-1 scores by McElrath marked just his second and third career moto victories, and capped off what was undoubtedly the best race of his career. The KTM rider did not win either moto en route to his first-career victory last season.

AMA MX Red Bud Shane McElrath Win
Shane McElrath

Shane McElrath

“It’s been a true test to my fate this season,” said McElrath. “The results haven’t been what we wanted, but we never gave up and just kept at it and giving it our best. The conditions were brutal today and this feeling is crazy. It feels really good to get it done and walk away with the overall win today.”

AMA MX Red Bud Shane McElrath Trophy
Shane McElrath

Despite a difficult second moto in which he failed to finish inside the top three for just the third time this season, Cianciarulo still managed to grab second overall on the day (2-5), while Cooper completed the podium in third (6-2).

Adam Cianciarulo

“My mentality is just to do the best I can every moto,” said Cianciarulo, who is the only rider in Pro Motocross to finish on the overall podium at every round this season. “It’s nice to have a little cushion heading into the final round, which definitely takes some pressure off. Ironman [Raceway] is a track that I feel like suits me well, and I just want to go in there and have the goal to go for another win.”

AMA MX Red Bud Adam Cianciarulo
Adam Cianciarulo

Cianciarulo extended his lead in the championship by two points over Ferrandis and now holds a 30-point advantage heading into the final round in what will be a two-rider showdown for the Gary Jones Cup.

Cooper effectively clinched third in the championship with his podium result and sits 60 points behind Cianciarulo, eliminating the Yamaha rider from title contention.

AMA MX Red Bud Justin Cooper
Justin Cooper

And how about the Aussies…?

Hunter Lawrence made his return from injury to card 10-13 results for 12th overall and is now 10th in the overall championship standings.

Younger brother Jett made his second senior Pro Motocross start after recently turning 16 and scored 24-30 results. 


The 2019 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship will host its final round of the season next Saturday, August 24, from Ironman Raceway in Crawfordsville, Indiana.

250 Class Overall Results (Moto Finish)

  1. Shane McElrath, Canton, N.C., KTM (1-1)
  2. Adam Cianciarulo, Port Orange, Fla., Kawasaki (2-5)
  3. Justin Cooper, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., Yamaha (6-2)
  4. Dylan Ferrandis, France, Yamaha (4-4)
  5. RJ Hampshire, Hudson, Fla., Honda (3-8)
  6. Cameron McAdoo, Sioux City, Iowa, KTM (8-9)
  7. Chase Sexton, La Moille, Ill., Honda (12-6)
  8. Ty Masterpool, Paradise, Texas, Yamaha (7-11)
  9. Alex Martin, Millville, Minn., Suzuki (18-3)
  10. Michael Mosiman, Sebastopol, Calif., Husqvarna (5-14)

250 Class Championship Standings

  1. Adam Cianciarulo, Port Orange, Fla., Kawasaki – 479
  2. Dylan Ferrandis, France, Yamaha – 449
  3. Justin Cooper, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., Yamaha – 419
  4. RJ Hampshire, Hudson, Fla., Honda – 310
  5. Colt Nichols, Muskogee, Okla., Yamaha – 292
  6. Chase Sexton, La Moille, Ill., Honda – 278
  7. Alex Martin, Millville, Minn., Suzuki – 277
  8. Shane McElrath, Canton, N.C., KTM – 260
  9. Michael Mosiman, Sebastopol, Calif., Husqvarna – 258
  10. Hunter Lawrence, Australia, Honda – 252

Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship
GEICO Motorcycle Budds Creek National
Budds Creek Motocross Park – Mechanicsville, Maryland, August 17, 2019

Source: MCNews.com.au

Josh Brookes on pole position at Cadwell Park

2019 British Superbike Championship
Round 8 – Cadwell Park Qualifying Times


Josh Brookes claimed his third pole position of the 2019 Bennetts British Superbike Championship season at Cadwell Park, setting a time under the existing lap record to put the Be Wiser Ducati at the top of the times by 0.224s.

Brookes set the pace in the final Q3 stage after topping the free practice times yesterday as the 2015 champion bids to close down the Podium Points deficit to championship leader Scott Redding in tomorrow’s two races in Lincolnshire.

Josh Brookes

“I’m really pleased. We’ve had a couple of poor years here recently and I haven’t really been able to do anything that satisfying, so to have the bike that feels the way it does underneath me is is great, I don’t need to follow anybody to do the lap, I can do it on my own. The bike feels like it’s doing what I want it to do and we’re doing the lap times that prove it. I can’t be more pleased for myself but obviously I’ve got to thank everybody involved in the team, all the sponsors and my mechanics that do the work, and in front of a fantastic crowd here on a Saturday afternoon.”

BSB Cadwell Park Qualifying Crowd
A few Aussie fans in the crowd at Cadwell Park

However, the biggest celebration came from the Buildbase Suzuki team as Bradley Ray returned to the front row for the first time this season in Datatag Qualifying, nudging ahead of Tommy Bridewell on the Oxford Racing Ducati to complete the front row.

BSB Cadwell Park Qualifying
BSB Qualifying

Redding heads the second row on the second of the Be Wiser Ducatis ahead of Danny Buchan, who had topped the final free practice session this morning for FS-3 Racing Kawasaki.

Jason O’Halloran was sixth fastest on the leading McAMS Yamaha, holding off Dan Linfoot who overcame a crash in Q1 to return to the top nine for Santander Salt TAG Yamaha.

Tyco BMW completed the top ten with Christian Iddon narrowly ahead of Glenn Irwin as Honda Racing’s Andrew Irwin just got pushed outside of the top nine after Q2.


Bennetts British Superbike Championship
Cadwell Park, Datatag Qualifying Times
  1. Josh Brookes (Be Wiser Ducati)
  2. Bradley Ray (Buildbase Suzuki) +0.224s
  3. Tommy Bridewell (Oxford Racing Ducati) +0.276s
  4. Scott Redding (Be Wiser Ducati) +0.294s
  5. Danny Buchan (FS-3 Racing Kawasaki) +0.345s
  6. Jason O’Halloran (McAMS Yamaha) +0.779s
  7. Dan Linfoot (Santander Salt TAG Yamaha) +0.884s
  8. Christian Iddon (Tyco BMW) +1.024s
  9. Glenn Irwin (Tyco BMW) +1.070s
BSB Cadwell Park Qualifying Times
Bennetts British Superbike Championship
Cadwell Park, Datatag Qualifying Times

British Superbike Standings

Pos Rider Points
1 Scott REDDING (Ducati) 246
2 Josh BROOKES (Ducati) 226
3 Tommy BRIDEWELL (Ducati) 207
4 Danny BUCHAN (Kawasaki) 150
5 Tarran MACKENZIE (Yamaha) 144
6 Andrew IRWIN (Honda) 139
7 Xavi FORÉS (Honda) 132
8 Peter HICKMAN (BMW) 123
9 Christian IDDON (BMW) 102
10 Jason O’HALLORAN (Yamaha) 90
11 Luke MOSSEY (Suzuki) 86
12 Dan LINFOOT (Yamaha) 73
13 Josh ELLIOTT (Suzuki) 58
14 Keith FARMER (BMW) 54
15 Luke STAPLEFORD (Suzuki) 48
16 Bradley RAY (Suzuki) 45
17 Glenn IRWIN (Kawasaki) 44
18 Héctor BARBERÁ (Kawasaki) 31
19 Ryan VICKERS (Kawasaki) 28
20 Claudio CORTI (Kawasaki) 25
21 James ELLISON (BMW) 23
22 Michael LAVERTY (BMW) 12
23 David ALLINGHAM (Yamaha) 6
24 Dean HARRISON (Kawasaki) 4
25 Ben CURRIE (Kawasaki) 3
26 Sam COVENTRY (Kawasaki) 1

Source: MCNews.com.au

Ballyclare Colts Football Club

After moving back home my son Jake Went to Ballyclare Colts Football Club . Seeing my shy little boy grow with confidence and skill has been amazing. Great team atmosphere. Get involved or follow them here ⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️


Massive thank you to Jonathan Rea for supporting his local team Ballyclare Colts FC. Pictured today at Dixon Park with members from the Colts Development Centre and our 2010 team.
Source: Jonathan Rea On Facebook

Leatt Knee Brace Z-Frame Review

All told, the Z-Frame is a compelling package, providing plenty of protection and comfort from a product that, as a pair, costs only a little more than a single leg’s worth of Leatt’s top-tier C-Frame brace. At $300, these quality knee braces are well within the range of most riders who’ve wanted to try riding with supported knees but waffled because of the price.

Source: MotorCyclistOnline.com

Fabio Quartararo shares his secrets to a fast lap

The quickest nine from Europe, comprising of three from each console, and the fastest three from the rest of the world, one per console, are present in the Final Draft Team Selection. This determines which current MotoGP™ team each contestant represents in the Global Series, a six-race championship that will be held at three different locations visited by the MotoGP™ World Championship

Source: MotoGP.comRead Full Article Here

Josh Brookes tops Friday practice at Cadwell Park

2019 British Superbike Championship
Round 8 – Cadwell Park – Friday Practice


Josh Brookes led the opening Bennetts British Superbike Championship free practice times at Cadwell Park on Friday as the Be Wiser Ducati rider got his weekend off to a flying start at the Lincolnshire circuit.

Brookes was back on top in the opening free practice session at Cadwell Park in the first session of the day, heading off the FS-3 Racing Kawasaki of Danny Buchan by just 0.096s to hold the leading position.

The session did include some initial spots of rain, but Brookes wasn’t fazed by the changing conditions and he was able to maintain his position ahead of the opposition for the Be Wiser Ducati team.


Josh Brookes

“Today was difficult in respect that I was already fast yesterday at the test, and even though session one was dry, it was really difficult to know how hard to push because there were some spots of rain.

“Even though I topped the session it wasn’t easy to gauge the conditions and it was a bit frustrating that we couldn’t use the session to its full potential because of that, so we made some setting changes on the bike but nothing was really conclusive.

“This afternoon’s session was much the same, obviously it was wet but we were cautious so we have to wait and see what happens tomorrow now.”

BSB Cadwell Park Test Josh Brookes
Josh Brookes

Buchan had made improvements on his last run in the session to move second as Tommy Bridewell also moved into third in the final five minutes to put the Oxford Racing Ducati team ahead of championship leader Scott Redding in fourth position.

Andrew Irwin had a strong start for the Honda Racing team in fifth place as he held off Peter Hickman who was sixth fastest despite sliding off at Hall Bends at the start of the session followed by another crash at Park at the mid-way point.

Ryan Vickers was back inside top ten for the RAF Regular & Reserve Kawasaki team in seventh place, narrowly ahead of Jason O’Halloran on the leading McAMS Yamaha. Glenn Irwin and Christian Iddon were equally matched in ninth and tenth for Tyco BMW, setting exactly the same fastest lap time.

Tarran Mackenzie was back on circuit completing three laps on his return from injury whilst Billy McConnell debuted for OMG Racing Suzuki in the Superbike class, replacing Luke Mossey for this weekend after he sustained a hairline fracture in his leg and watched the action from pitlane today.

Bridewell though topped the afternoon session at Cadwell Park in the wet to put the Oxford Racing Ducati team back ahead after a shortened session due to conditions.

Bridewell had set the benchmark earlier in the session before the conditions began to deteriorate in the closing stages, with Brookes, sitting second on the times on the Be Wiser Ducati.

Ryan Vickers was third fastest for the RAF Regular & Reserve Kawasaki team ahead of Claudio Corti and David Allingham who completed the top five.

Bradley Ray completed the most laps in the session in sixth place ahead of Dean Harrison and Peter Hickman with Joe Francis and Fraser Rogers completing the top ten.


Bennetts British Superbike Championship
Cadwell Park, Free Practice one result
  1. Josh Brookes (Be Wiser Ducati) 1m:27.221s
  2. Danny Buchan (FS-3 Racing Kawasaki) +0.096s
  3. Tommy Bridewell (Oxford Racing Ducati) +0.544s
  4. Scott Redding (Be Wiser Ducati) +0.564s
  5. Andrew Irwin (Honda Racing) +0.654s
  6. Peter Hickman (Smiths Racing BMW) 0.664s
  7. Ryan Vickers (RAF Regular & Reserve Kawasaki) +0.795s
  8. Jason O’Halloran (McAMS Yamaha) +1.026s
  9. Glenn Irwin (Tyco BMW) +1.220s
  10. Christian Iddon (Tyco BMW) +1.220s
Bennetts British Superbike Championship
Cadwell Park, Free Practice two result
  1. Tommy Bridewell (Oxford Racing Ducati) 1m:40.223s
  2. Josh Brookes (Be Wiser Ducati) +2.207s
  3. Ryan Vickers (RAF Regular & Reserve Kawasaki) +3.508s
  4. Claudio Corti (Team WD-40 Kawasaki) +5.410s
  5. David Allingham (EHA Racing Yamaha) +5.866s
  6. Bradley Ray (Buildbase Suzuki) +5.965s
  7. Dean Harrison (Silicone Engineering Kawasaki) +6.345s
  8. Peter Hickman (Smiths Racing BMW) +6.502s
  9. Joe Francis (Lloyd and Jones Bowker BMW) +6.881s
  10. Fraser Rogers (Gearlink Kawasaki) +8.011s

British Superbike Standings

Pos Rider Points
1 Scott REDDING (Ducati) 246
2 Josh BROOKES (Ducati) 226
3 Tommy BRIDEWELL (Ducati) 207
4 Danny BUCHAN (Kawasaki) 150
5 Tarran MACKENZIE (Yamaha) 144
6 Andrew IRWIN (Honda) 139
7 Xavi FORÉS (Honda) 132
8 Peter HICKMAN (BMW) 123
9 Christian IDDON (BMW) 102
10 Jason O’HALLORAN (Yamaha) 90
11 Luke MOSSEY (Suzuki) 86
12 Dan LINFOOT (Yamaha) 73
13 Josh ELLIOTT (Suzuki) 58
14 Keith FARMER (BMW) 54
15 Luke STAPLEFORD (Suzuki) 48
16 Bradley RAY (Suzuki) 45
17 Glenn IRWIN (Kawasaki) 44
18 Héctor BARBERÁ (Kawasaki) 31
19 Ryan VICKERS (Kawasaki) 28
20 Claudio CORTI (Kawasaki) 25
21 James ELLISON (BMW) 23
22 Michael LAVERTY (BMW) 12
23 David ALLINGHAM (Yamaha) 6
24 Dean HARRISON (Kawasaki) 4
25 Ben CURRIE (Kawasaki) 3
26 Sam COVENTRY (Kawasaki) 1

Source: MCNews.com.au

Peter ‘Easy Rider’ Fonda dies aged 79

Peter Fonda, the actor who played Wyatt riding a Captain America Harley chopper in the 1969 movie Easy Rider, has died at the age of 79.

The hippy film recently celebrated the 50th anniversary of its first screening.

It was shot on a shoestring budget in a haze of pot smoke and with a plot that was made up along the way by Fonda and fellow actor/director Dennis Hopper who died in 2013, aged 77.

Fonda’s screenplay was nominated for an Academy Award, the film was added to the USA’s National Film Registry in 1998 and it is listed as one of the top 100 American movies by the American Film Institute.

The veteran actor died yesterday of respiratory failure due to lung cancer at his Los Angeles home surrounded by his family.

Iconic moment

He starred in many films including the cringe-worthy low-grade bikie movie, The Wild Angels in 1966.

It includes his line: “We want to be fee to ride our machines without being hassled by the man … and we want to get loaded.”

Fonda also made a cameo appearance in the 2007 Wild Hogs that lampoons Easy Rider.

The opening scene of Easy Rider features Peter in an iconic gesture of throwing away his watch.

The choppers then fire up and roar into the desert to the accompaniment of Born to be Wild. Truly a classsic cinematic moment that has stirred the hearts of riders this past half century!

It has also started a fad with riders and other travellers to discard their watches and disregard the constraints of time.

A watch is a symbol of “the man”, society and capitalism that constrain us.

Motorcycles are freedom machines that allow us to escape the rigours of timekeeping.

In a hilarious parody of the famous Easy Rider scene, John Travolta and his buddies throw away their mobile phones before a cross-country ride in Wild Hogs.

“You don’t need a GPS to discover America; you need a bike and you need the road, ok? Freedom,” says Travolta.

Fonda also rides into town to end the long fight scene.

His closing line is also a classic: “Oh, and guys… lose the watches.”

  • What is your favourite scene from Easy Rider? Leave your comments below.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

2019 DGR focuses on fundraising

The eight annual running of the successful The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride may be a little different with some rides announcing starting venues only 48 hours before the event to concentrate on fundraising efforts.

Some rides will also have a mandatory $20 donation from each rider.

The two voluntary moves were trialled in a few cities last year and will be added to more rides this year to ensure more fundraisers are involved and fewer ride-alongs.

More than 125,000 classic and vintage styled motorcyclists in more than 700 cities across 110 countries are expected to suit-up in their smartest attire for the ride on Sunday 29 September 2019.

DGR founder Mark Hawwa says he hopes to raise $US7 million for prostate cancer research and men’s mental health initiatives on behalf of official charity partner, the Movember Foundation.

That would be a substantial increase in fundraising on last tear’s total of $6.4 million.

Brisbane ride

One of the cities that continually “boxes above its weight” is Brisbane which was third highest global fundraiser in 2017 with a total of more than $150,000.

Jeff Gough who has been organising the Brisbane ride since the DGR started in 2012 says they are focussing more on fundraising this year.

Distinguished Gentleman's Ride Brisbane Jeff Gough fundraising
Jeff and his distinguished family

They will have a $20 entrance fee and secret starting venue revealed by email to registered riders 48 hours before the ride.

“More riders does not mean more funds raised for prostate cancer,” the Triumph Thruxton rider says.

Distinguished Gentleman's Ride Brisbane Jeff Gough fundraising
Jeff and his Trumpet

“We could have a lot more riders, but we cap it at 500 for insurance reasons.

“All the same, only 50% were fundraisers last year.”

The Brisbane ride will not start at Oliver’s Motorcycles this year, but Jeff says the dealership is still firmly behind the ride.

“Whoever turns up is welcome to take part,” he says.

“I haven’t got time to check, but I’d push for riders to follow the motorcycle style guide and stay with the distinguished theme of the event in dress.”

Distinguished Gentleman's Ride Brisbane Jeff Gough fundraising
Brisbane DGR

He confirms the ride will finish at Souths Rugby Union Club in Frederick St, Annerley, where everyone is invited and donations can be made to Movember Foundation.

“There will be enough room to host all bikes in the biggest rolling bike show in Brisbane,” he says.

The 40km ride to the venue will be escorted by MotoMedics with a doctor and DC Motorcycle Transport breakdown van riding along. As usual, there is no police escort.

The Souths venue will also feature trade stalls, three food vans, Ballistic Beer on tap, Ungerman Brothers gourmet ice cream from the Ipswich runner–up in MasterChef and swing/jazz music by the Royal Australian Navy Band.Distinguished Gentleman's Ride Brisbane Jeff Gough fundraising

Fundraising boon

Mark says Brisbane is consistently a top fundraiser along with major cities such as London, New York and Sydney.

“The ride organisers are volunteers, they are passionate about the cause and as such dedicate their own personal time to make the events happen,” he says.

“It is really on each individual and the DGR core team to motivate fundraising. Fortunately we have so many passionate people around the world and that continues to grow.

“Australians are charitable people.

“We are always willing to lend a hand when needed and help those around us.”Distinguished Gentleman's Ride Brisbane Jeff Gough fundraising

The incentive to raise the most money has been raised this year with not one, but four, Triumph motorcycles as prizes.

There will also be fundraising prizes of 100 Hedon special-edition DGR helmets, Elf Prize packs, REV’IT! Tailored Technology packs and more.

The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride website, www.gentlemansride.com, is a peer-to-peer fundraising platform allowing fundraisers to register, personalise, and share their online profiles. Riders must register on the website to take part and view their local ride details.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

Harley-Davidson patenting adaptive cruise

Harley-Davidson is joining Bosch, Ducati and KTM in developing motorcycle adaptive cruise control, but with a special feature that allows for group riding.

The company has recently applied to the US Patent Office for a patent on its system.

Adaptive cruise

Many touring motorcycles now come with cruise control and adaptive cruise is the next step.

Last year KTM and Ducati announced they were working open adaptive cruise control which has been available in many cars for some years.

Ducati even announced they would introduce it and blind spot awareness in “every” 2020 model! We will see when they release their 2020 model line-up on October 23.

Staggered riding

Harley-Davidson motorcycles Harley days Thunder Run adaptive cruise
Harley riders love a parade.

If you’re wondering how this would affect Harley group rides where they ride in close, staggered formation, fear not. Harley is cleverly planning something a little different.

Adaptive cruise control uses radar sensors to detect  vehicles in front and varies your vehicle’s speed accordingly.

It keeps your vehicle a pre-determined distance behind that varies with your speed. Some allow you to select a certain timed gap, such as two seconds and up to about five seconds.

But motorcycles may be a little different because two motorcycles can legally share the same lane in some jurisdictions and group rides tend to run in a staggered formation.

While the bike directly in front may be a safe distance away, the bike in the other wheel track, but the same lane can be a lot closer. That would interfere with adaptive cruise control.

But that’s where Harley’s system is a little different.

It recognises the difference between cars and motorcycles.

Safer group rides?Iron Run, Thunder run, motorcycle rally, HOG, harley, Harley-Davidson, motorcycle rally, motorcycles bashing rewards adaptive cruise

The system also allows the rider to select which vehicle they want to adapt their speed to, allowing safe staggered-formation rides at any speed.

Hopefully the controls aren’t too fiddly or it could become a distraction, rather than a safety device.

Harley has also applied for a patent for an automatic braking system which would no doubt be linked into this tech to make group riding safer.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com