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Meanwhile, Viñales admitted the pre-event was even more special for him as a fan of Chelsea: “Honestly it’s fantastic. I’m a big fan of Chelsea since I was a kid and it’s fantastic to be here. It’s a dream come true, you know, something unbelievable. Yeah, we speak the same language so it’s very easy. We spoke about the games this season, also our season. It was a good chat, he’s a good guy.
Source: MotoGP.com – Read Full Article Here
It would be entertaining to find out how much this little turbo cost Suzuki, as in development and manufacturing expenses versus sales. Probably it was a heckuva lot. In the very early 1980s turbo-mania was in the air, and Honda and Yamaha were the first out, with the four Japanese manufacturers prone to following one another.
Remember the Universal Japanese Motorcycle? Four cylinders in line, preferably with an overhead camshaft or two. Well, this was the turbo version, and while Honda used the OHV V-twin CX500 for its turbo, the rest were UJMs. In 1981 Suzuki came out with two 650cc UJMs, the chain-driven sporty E and the shaft-drive commuter G. Similar, but different. And Suzuki realized that this two-valve (per cylinder) motor was rapidly becoming obsolete, replaced by the four-valver. So how could it get a little more use from the powerplant? Put it in the Turbo!
For the Turbo the engineers took the G’s one-piece forged crankshaft running on plain bearings, instead of the E’s roller bearings. Apparently plain bearings are smoother running. But the three 650s all had those two-valve heads, and twin overhead camshafts, that are the pretty much the same. However, everything on the Turbo’s engine, from connecting rods to cylinder studs, was strengthened.
Amusingly, when looking at the magazine spec sheets for all three bikes one notes that they all have a bore and stroke of 65 x 55.8, but the E and G are said to have 674cc capacity, while the Turbo is 673cc. The wonders of finite numbers. And copy editing.
After Honda and Yamaha began working on their turbos, probably a little corporate spying was going on. I can see the Suzuki marketing types charging into the CEO’s office and demanding that a turbo be built. Maybe somebody ran it past the financial department, maybe not. The XN85 appeared less than a year after the others, but more work had gone into the project, as it was truly a semi-new machine, excepting the reworked motor.
As anybody who wrote a Ph.D. thesis on Japanese turbocharged motorcycles knows, that funny XN85 alpha-numeration came from Suzuki’s claim that the turbo 673cc put out 85 horsepower – which it might have, at the crankshaft. Fair enough, but the real world was more interested in what happened at the rear wheel, where a dyno measured 71 horses at 8,000 rpm. And close to 50 lb-ft of torque at 6,500 rpm. Which was quite respectable, and a lightweight rider might sneak into the 11s in the popular quarter-mile drags. The flow of air and a big oil cooler, with more than three quarts of oil in the system, kept the engine heat under control. A new aspect of the cooling system was the forcible spray of oil on the bottom of the pistons, quite useful in keeping these little round things intact.
The IHI (Ishikawajima-Harima Industries) turbo was mounted close to the electronic fuel injectors, which were just beyond the butterfly valve, and the blast of pressurized air would jam that fuel right into those combustion chambers. Where, in the interests of longevity, the compression ratios had been drastically lowered, from the 9.5:1 of the E and G to 7.4:1. The turbo had a non-adjustable pressure gauge and when the boost went over 9.6 psi the waste gate would open. The electronic ignition also had an ability to read boost pressures, retarding timing as the boost mounted. And should that waste gate get stuck, the ignition could deal with that as well. Pretty smart device. When the turbo began to intrude around 5,000 rpm, the lag was noticeable, but less than on the competition.
The real trick with this XN85 was not so much the engine, but the chassis. The main frame was a round-tube double-cradle affair, with a triangulated backbone running to the steering head. Up front was a 37mm Kayaba fork, with anti-dive and air-adjustability, providing 5.5 inches of travel. Rake was a conservative 27 degrees, with trail of 3.9 inches. The fork connected to a 16-inch front wheel – which surprised many. Sixteen inches?! That was racing stuff. But even with a pretty lengthy 58.7 inches between axles, the bike handled extremely well. Probably helped along by the Full-Floater rear suspension, using an aluminum swingarm with caged needle bearings, the single Kayaba shock having remote hydraulic preload adjustment. And 4.1 inches of travel.
The front wheel was endowed with a pair of 10-inch discs and single-piston calipers, while the rear wheel, a 17-incher, had an 11-inch disc with a single-piston caliper. They sound a bit iffy when compared to today’s GSX-R650 with radially mounted monoblock brakes, but the XN85 is 36 years in the past.
The half fairing looked great, and did a good job of protecting the rider if he wished to exceed the government-mandated 55-mph speed limit. The seat, 30.5 inches above the ground, was comfy, and the flat handlebar allowed for a cheerful 200-mile range – which was about what the five-gallon tank allowed. The fairing did disguise the fact that a modified version of the Ram Air System served to help cool the cylinders; the new design did not look at all like the RAS on the two-stroke triples in the 1970s.
Somehow the Turbo’s curb weight had shot up 70 pounds over the previous E model, weighing in at 550 pounds.
According to numbers found on the Internet, the factory produced only 1,153 of these turbos from 1983 to 1985, of which 300 in the first batch came to the United States. And sold at $4,700. A good reason for that was the third iteration of Suzuki’s normally-aspirated 750 four, which also came out in 1983, now with four valves per cylinder and Full-Floater rear suspension. It put out 72 horsepower at the rear wheel, weighed 30 pounds less than the Turbo and cost a mere $3,500. Talk about trumping your own ace!
Obviously the remaining 853 turbos were sold in motorcycling hotspots like Mongolia and Libya, in case you are looking for a used one.
Source: RiderMagazine.com
Andrea Dovizioso’s win in Austria was his 14th in the premier class, one less than Alex Criville. He is now in second place on the list of riders with the most victories without winning the title, behind Dani Pedrosa (31 wins).
In addition, Andrea Dovizioso moved above Max Biaggi into third place on the list of Italian riders with most premier class wins behind Valentino Rossi (89 wins) and Giacomo Agostini (68).
The win for Andrea Dovizioso in Austria was the 49th for Ducati in the premier class of Grand Prix racing. At the British GP, Ducati will be aiming to become the fifth manufacturer to reach the milestone of 50 premier class wins along with Honda (303 wins), Yamaha (228), MV Agusta (139) and Suzuki (92).
Andrea Dovizioso
“Nothing gives you more satisfaction and confidence than a victory, and so we come to Silverstone with our moral sky-high. Our result at the Red Bull Ring didn’t come about by chance, because we worked really well over the two successive race weekends and the results proved us to be right. Even though the characteristics of the British track are not as favourable to us as Brno and Zeltweg, we have already shown that we can also be quick at Silverstone, like in 2017 when we won the race. As always, the weather will play an important part and we have to be ready to adapt to any circumstances.”
In 2017 at Silverstone, Andrea Dovizioso became the fourth rider to have won in the premier class at both Donington and Silverstone, joining Wayne Gardner, Casey Stoner and Valentino Rossi.
Marc Marquez is now leading the Championship 58-points ahead of Andrea Dovizioso, one-point less than last year at this stage of the season when it was a 59-point margin between Marc Marquez and Valentino Rossi after the Austrian GP.
Marc Marquez’ second-place finish in Austria was the eighth successive race in which he has finished on the podium. The last time he had eight successive podium finishes was last year, with nine top three finishes between Catalunya and Japan.
Marc Marquez has failed to score points only three times since the Catalan GP last year (Australia and Valencia in 2018, and Austin this season). Over the last 20 races he has finished, he has always been on the podium and finished third only once, in Brno last season.
Fabio Quartararo crossed the line in third place at the Austrian GP, equalling Eric Offenstadt in fifth on the list of French riders with most premier class podium finishes behind Christian Sarron (18 podium finishes), Raymond Roche (9), Johann Zarco (6) and Pierre Monneret (5).
In addition, this was Fabio Quartararo’s third podium finish in his rookie season, equalling Troy Bayliss in his rookie season back in 2003. Since the introduction of the MotoGP class in 2002, only three rookies have had more podium finishes: Marc Marquez (16 in 2013), Dani Pedrosa (eight in 2006) and Jorge Lorenzo (six in 2008).
Fabio Quartararo
“The Silverstone race will be really good for us because it’s a track that really suits the Yamaha, and we can’t arrive any better than having finished on the podium in Austria. It’s been nice to have a week to rest and train since then, and it means that as always I’m arriving to Silverstone ready to make the best result possible. I’m feeling really confident about heading to a track with shorter straights and more corners than the Red Bull Ring.”
At Red Bull Ring Fabio Quartararo was the highest-placed Yamaha rider across the line for the second time this year, along with Catalunya, and the top Independent Team rider. He is leading the Independent Team rider classification, six points ahead of Jack Miller and 14 ahead Cal Crutchlow.
Fabio Quartararo is still leading the fight for the Rookie of the Year with 92 points ahead Joan Mir (39 points), who remains sidelined through injury after a crash at the Brno test, Miguel Oliveira (26) and Francesco Bagnaia (24).
Valentino Rossi finished in fourth place at the Austrian GP, which is his best result since he was second in Austin earlier this season, and his fifth top five finish in 2019.
Valentino Rossi has now scored 103 points so far, which is the second lowest points accumulated by Rossi after the opening 11 races since he stepped up to the premier class in 2000, after 2012 when he had 91 points after Indianapolis, riding a Ducati.
Valentino Rossi
“I love Silverstone, it‘s in my top 5 of favourite tracks. I like it a lot because it‘s an old-style track. It‘s very long, riding a lap is like taking a trip from one place to another, and it‘s technical – it has everything. When you‘re fast, it‘s a great pleasure to ride there. I have good memories of this circuit, but everything depends on the weather. Riding at Silverstone in difficult weather is scary because you‘re going so fast, so we‘re hoping for similar weather to what we had in 2017, when we had a good weekend. To be fast here you need a good feeling and stability. Even in the hairpins you have fast points and there are also a lot of long turns, so it‘s a track where usually Yamaha is fast. We hope for good weather because last year was a nightmare, so we hope that this year it will be a good weekend, also for the fans.”
Miguel Oliveira crossed the line in eighth place at the Austrian GP as the highest-placed KTM rider. This is the best result of his rookie season so far and the sixth top eight finish for KTM in the premier class, as well as the fourth in 2019.
Following the Austrian GP, Suzuki have scored 141 points in the Constructor’s World Championship classification, which is the second highest amount of points accumulated after the opening 11 races by Suzuki in MotoGP since 2002, after 2007 when they had 151 points at this stage of the season.
Following the Austrian GP, Yamaha have scored 179 points in the Constructor’s World Championship classification, which is the lowest points accumulated after the opening 11 races by Yamaha since 2003 when the Japanese manufacturer had 124 points after the Portuguese GP.
With Pol Espargaro retiring from the race in Austria, only one rider has now scored points in all 11 of the MotoGP races in 2019: Danilo Petrucci.
Danilo Petrucci
“The last two races have been my worst ones of the year and so now the aim is to turn a new page as soon as possible, and start to demonstrate at Silverstone that we deserve our third place in the championship. I’ve got some good memories of this circuit, especially for the podium in 2015, and I think that if we stay focussed right from the first session we can be competitive. There’s going to be a lot of competition and the variable weather here in England is always a factor to take into consideration, and it can condition the race. However, I’m determined to score a good result.”
None of the four rookies in the MotoGP class this year have previously won at Silverstone any of the smaller. However, fellow rookie Francesco Bagnaia has stood on the podium in Silverstone, finishing second in Moto3 back in 2016 from pole position, the first pole in his Grand Prix career.
At the British GP, Cal Crutchlow, who crashed out of the race in Austria, is scheduled to make the 150th start of his Grand Prix career.
This is the tenth year that Silverstone has hosted a Grand Prix event since the motorcycle world championship series returned to the circuit in 2010 after a gap of 23 years.
The first Grand Prix event held at Silverstone in 1977 was also the first motorcycle Grand Prix to be held on the British mainland. Prior to 1977 the British round of the world championship had been held on the 60.72 km (37.73 miles) long Isle of Man TT circuit since 1949. The move from the Isle of Man was made mainly for reasons of rider safety.
The winners at that first Grand Prix at Silverstone in 1977 were: 500cc – Pat Hennen (Suzuki), 350cc & 250cc – Kork Ballington (Yamaha), 125cc – Pierluigi Conforti (Morbidelli).
The original circuit layout used for the Grand Prix from 1977 to 1986 was 4.71 km (2.93 miles) long and the fastest lap in a race at the circuit during this time was set by Kenny Roberts in 1983 riding a Yamaha at an average speed of 119.5 mph (192.2 km/h).
The British GP was held for ten successive years at the Silverstone circuit, before the event moved to Donington Park in 1987. The British GP returned to Silverstone in 2010 with a revised circuit layout measuring 5.9 km.
Kork Ballington and Angel Nieto are the two riders with most GP wins at Silverstone, with each having won there on six occasions.
The only three riders who have had more than a single win at Silverstone since GP racing returned to the circuit in 2010 are Jorge Lorenzo, Marc Marquez and Maverick Viñales.
Lorenzo has won the MotoGP race there three times: 2010, 2012 & 2013; Marquez won the 125cc race in 2010 and the MotoGP race in 2014; Viñales won the Moto3 race in 2012 and the MotoGP race in 2016.
Cal Crutchlow’s second place in 2016 was the first podium finish in the premier class at Silverstone for a British rider since Ron Haslam was third in the 500cc race in 1984.
Before Crutchlow’s second-place finish two years ago, the last British rider to be on the podium in the premier class at the British Grand Prix was when Jeremy McWilliams finished third in the 500cc race at Donington in 2000.
Three British riders have won a solo GP race at Silverstone: Danny Kent (Moto3 –2015), Scott Redding (Moto2 –2013) and Ian McConnachie (80cc–1986).
Only three British riders have started from pole position at Silverstone, across all solo GP classes; Barry Sheene (500cc–1977), Sam Lowes (Moto2 –2015 and 2016) and Cal Crutchlow (MotoGP –2016).
Since the first Grand Prix race in the premier class at Silverstone in 1977, Yamaha is the most successful manufacturer with seven wins, four in MotoGP: three with Jorge Lorenzo (2010, 2012 and 2013) and one with Valentino Rossi (2015).
Honda have had five wins in the premier class at Silverstone including two in the MotoGP class since 2010 with Casey Stoner (2011) and Marc Marquez (2014).
Suzuki have also taken five premier class wins at Silverstone. In 2016, Maverick Viñales gave Suzuki their first MotoGP win since Le Mans in 2007, when Chris Vermeulen won the French GP in wet-weather conditions. This was also the first podium finish at Silverstone in the MotoGP era for Suzuki and the first win for Suzuki at Silverstone since Franco Uncini won the 500cc race at the British GP in 1982.
Ducati won for the first time at Silverstone in 2017 with Andrea Dovizioso. Before that, the only podium finishes for Ducati at Silverstone were in 2015 with a second-place finish for Danilo Petrucci and third for Andrea Dovizioso.
The pole position for Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati) last year at the British GP was the first for a non-Honda rider since he was also on pole position in 2010, then riding a Yamaha.
A total of 61 Grand Prix races for solo motorcycles have been held at Silverstone since 1977 as follows: MotoGP –8, 500cc–10, 350cc–6, Moto2 –8, 250cc–10, Moto3 –6,
125cc–12, 80cc–1.
The eight Moto2 races that have taken place at Silverstone have been won by eight different riders: Jules Cluzel (2010), Stefan Bradl (2011), Pol Espargaro (2012), Scott Redding (2013), Tito Rabat (2014), Johann Zarco (2015), Tom Lüthi (2016) and Takaaki Nakagami (2017). Only one of them has won from pole position: Pol Espargaro (2012).
The six Moto3 races that have taken place at Silverstone have been won by six different riders: Maverick Viñales (2012), Luis Salom (2013), Alex Rins (2014), Danny Kent (2015), Brad Binder (2016) and Aron Canet (2017). Only two of them have won from pole position: Maverick Viñales (2012) and Alex Rins (2014).
With his win in Austria, Andrea Dovizioso moves above Jorge Lorenzo into fifth place on the following list of riders with the longest winning careers in Grand Prix Racing:
| Pos | Rider | First GP Win | Last GP Win | Length of winning GP career |
| 1 | Valentino Rossi | 125cc/Czech/1996 | MotoGP™/Dutch TT/2017 | 20 years 311 days |
| 2 | Loris Capirossi | 125cc/GB/1990 | MotoGP™/Japan/2007 | 17 years 49 days |
| 3 | Angel Nieto | 50cc/E.Germany/1969 | 80cc/France/1985 | 16 years 8 days |
| 4 | Dani Pedrosa | 125cc/Dutch TT/2002 | MotoGP™/Valencia/2017 | 15 years 136 days |
| 5 | Andrea Dovizioso | 125cc/South Africa/2004 | MotoGP™/Austria/2019 | 15 years 115 days |
| 6 | Jorge Lorenzo | 125cc/Rio/2003 | MotoGP™/Austria/2018 | 14 years 326 days |
| 7 | Phil Read | 350cc/TT/1961 | 500cc/Czech/1975 | 14 years 71 days |
| 8 | Tom Lüthi | 125cc/France/2005 | Moto2™/Americas/2019 | 13 years 334 days |
| 9 | Loris Reggiani | 125cc/GB/1980 | 250cc/Czech/1993 | 13 years 12 days |
| 10 | Mattia Pasini | 125cc/China/2005 | Moto2™/Argentina/2018 | 12 years 342 days |
In addition, Andrea Dovizioso became the eighth rider with a winning career in the premier class longer than ten years, as follows:
| Pos | Riders | First premier class win | Last premier class win | Length of winning career in the premier class |
| 1 | Valentino Rossi | GB/2000 | Dutch TT/2017 | 16 years 351 days |
| 2 | Alex Barros | FIM/1993 | Portugal/2005 | 11 years 204 days |
| 3 | Dani Pedrosa | China /2006 | Valencia 2017 | 11 years 182 days |
| 4 | Phil Read | Ulster/1964 | Czech/1975 | 11 years 16 days |
| 5 | Giacomo Agostini | Finland/1965 | W.Germany/1976 | 11 years 7 days |
| 6 | Loris Capirossi | Australia/1996 | Japan/2007 | 10 years 338 days |
| 7 | Jorge Lorenzo | Portugal/2008 | Austria/2018 | 10 years 121 days |
| 8 | Andrea Dovizioso | GB/2009 | Austria/2019 | 10 years 16 days |
| 9 | Eddie Lawson | South Africa/1984 | Hungary/1992 | 8 years 110 days |
| 10 | Mick Doohan | Hungary/1990 | Argentina/1998 | 8 years 53 days |
Marc Marquez’ second-place finish at the Austrian GP was the 87th time he has stood on the podium in the premier class of Grand Prix racing, just one less than Giacomo Agostini, who stands in fifth place on the list of riders with the most podium finishes in the
class:
| Pos | Riders | Total premier class podiums | Wins | Seconds | Thirds |
| 1 | Valentino Rossi | 198 | 89 | 61 | 48 |
| 2 | Jorge Lorenzo | 114 | 47 | 44 | 23 |
| 3 | Dani Pedrosa | 112 | 31 | 40 | 41 |
| 4 | Mick Doohan | 95 | 54 | 31 | 10 |
| 5 | Giacomo Agostini | 88 | 68 | 20 | 0 |
| 6 | Marc Marquez | 87 | 50 | 27 | 10 |
| 7 | Eddie Lawson | 78 | 31 | 31 | 16 |
| 8 | Casey Stoner | 69 | 38 | 11 | 20 |
| 9 | Wayne Rainey | 64 | 24 | 22 | 18 |
| 10 | Max Biaggi | 58 | 13 | 26 | 19 |
In addition, Andrea Dovizioso’s win at the Red Bull Ring was the 98th podium of his Grand Prix career, one less than Loris Capirossi who is in tenth place on the list of riders with most podium finishes:
| Pos | Riders | Total podiums | Wins | Seconds | Thirds |
| 1 | Valentino Rossi | 234 | 115 | 67 | 52 |
| 2 | Giacomo Agostini | 159 | 122 | 35 | 2 |
| 3 | Dani Pedrosa | 153 | 54 | 52 | 47 |
| 4 | Jorge Lorenzo | 152 | 68 | 51 | 33 |
| 5 | Angel Nieto | 139 | 90 | 35 | 14 |
| 6 | Marc Marquez | 126 | 76 | 33 | 17 |
| 7 | Phil Read | 121 | 52 | 44 | 25 |
| 8 | Mike Hailwood | 112 | 76 | 25 | 11 |
| 9 | Max Biaggi | 111 | 42 | 41 | 28 |
| 10 | Loris Capirossi | 99 | 29 | 34 | 36 |
| 11 | Jim Redman | 98 | 45 | 33 | 20 |
| 12 | Andrea Dovizioso | 98 | 23 | 38 | 37 |
With his win in Austria, Romano Fenati moves above Ezio Gianola in tenth place on the following list of riders with the longest winning careers in the lightweight class of Grand Prix Racing:
| Pos | Riders | First lightweight class win | Last lightweight class win | Length of winning career in the lightweight class |
| 1 | Angel Nieto | Belgium/1970 | GB/1984 | 14 years 31 days |
| 2 | Luigi Taveri | Spain/1955 | Nations/1966 | 11 years 133 days |
| 3 | Noboru Ueda | Japan/1991 | Italy/2001 | 10 years 71 days |
| 4 | Carlo Ubbiali | Ulster/1950 | Nations/1960 | 10 years 24 days |
| 5 | Eugenio Lazzarini | Netherlands/1973 | Belgium/1983 | 10 years 10 days |
| 6 | Pierpaolo Bianchi | Austria/1976 | Netherlands/1985 | 9 years 58 days |
| 7 | Bruno Kneubühler | Netherlands/1974 | Sweden/1983 | 9 years 39 days |
| 8 | Fausto Gresini | Sweden/1984 | GB/1992 | 7 years 356 days |
| 9 | Stefano Perugini | Malaysia/1996 | Germany/2003 | 7 years 118 days |
| 10 | Romano Fenati | Spain/2012 | Austria/2019 | 7 years 104 days |
Source: MCNews.com.au
Indian Motorcycle, officially entered the World Wheelie Championships at the weekend, with experienced American protagonist, Cecil ‘Bubba’ Myers, also setting two UK production bike speed records on the FTR1200’s debut.
A tentative first outing at the Straightliners-run event that sees an eclectic mix of machines enter, including turbo-charged machines that reach over 210mph on the back wheel, Bubba’s FTR 1200S was simply a production machine with the rear number plate hanger removed.
Bubba Myers
“This has been a really positive introduction to the FTR. The bike was pretty much standard compared to everything else out there this weekend, so to set the speeds I did shows how much potential there is. The balance of the bike is really good, but I was most impressed by the engine; Its torque is really impressive and within just a couple of passes I was super comfortable with it. We’re pleased to begin the FTR’s story with some records in the bag too. A big thanks to Indian Motorcycle Company for the support, I hope we’re back next year.”
With a limited number of runs, due to other commitments for Bubba on his regular turbo-charged machine, the 2018 world champion set a fastest 1 Mile Wheelie at 131.137 mph (211 km/h) on the FTR1200S. Any dab hand on a sportsbike can easily eclipse those numbers, but that is pretty good going for Indian’s new twin-cylinder roadster.
Myers then went on to set two UK speed records, recording a speed of 145.543mph to set the ‘Flying Start ¼ mile’ record and 145.613mph to secure the ‘Standing Start Mile’ record too – both in the production V-Twin up to 1350cc category.
Obviously there were no Ducati machines present, as they would have smashed those figures… But still some good numbers and publicity for Indian’s FTR1200.
Source: MCNews.com.au
So what’s the difference between the two? Good reading for Ogden. The number 4 is 16 points ahead – a whole third place’s worth – but as we saw in Brno, things can quickly go awry for any one of the competitors, even those at the top. Horsman will know that too, and he’ll also know that his two DNFs – a crash and a mechanical issue – weren’t his fault. He’s had the pace to stay with and beat Ogden, most recently with that impressive Race 2 at Brno. But Ogden, on his part, has been almost faultless too, barring his Snetterton qualifying crash that left him at the back of the grid. But it’s not too much harm done when you still take home two podiums.
Source: MotoGP.com – Read Full Article Here
Dual Australian MX2 champion signs with ‘top team’ in Europe.
Image: Foremost Media.
Two-time Pirelli MX Nationals MX2 champion Wilson Todd has indicated he’s signed a deal for a ‘top team’ in the MX2 World Championship for the 2020 season.
The DPH Motorsport Husqvarna rider, who was recently crowned the 2019 Australian MX2 champion at Coolum, remained tight-lipped on the outfit that has secured his signature, however speculation has linked him to the Bike it Kawasaki Dixon Racing Team.
With the Australian Supercross Championship looming, the popular Queenslander reaffirmed his commitment to the series before shifting focus on his international career.
“I don’t how much I can say, but I’ve got a deal in Europe next year, and that’s about it,” Todd revealed to MotoOnline.com.au. “I’m pretty happy – the team approached me, and it’s a top team, so it’s pretty cool. At the time I had the possibility of going to America with Troy Lee, but I got back to the guys [in Europe] and said I’ll do it.
“I’m staying here for supercross – I’ve got a job with Husqvarna and DPH, and that’s what we’re going to do – we’re going to do our best and try win that thing.”
Todd’s cemented future in Europe will see him join fellow Australians and former rivals Jed Beaton (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) and Mitch Evans (Team Honda 114 Motorsport).
Source: MotoOnline.com.au
Queenslander takes part in Winton test with Kawasaki squad.
Image: Russell Colvin.
Former Kawasaki BCperformance regular Kyle Buckley has reunited with the outfit while testing took place today at Winton in Victoria, the Queenslander piloting the ZX-10RR made vacant by outgoing rider Lachlan Epis.
Epis initially replaced Buckley for the 2019 Motul Pirelli Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK), leaving him without a ride for this season, however Epis and BCperformance recently parted ways, just four rounds into the series.
Buckley is hopeful of regaining a seat with the Kawasaki squad for the remainder of the ASBK season, with this week’s test acting as a shakedown prior to a final decision being made.
“We have everything in place to be able to finish the year off,” Buckley told CycleOnline.com.au. “Obviously, I haven’t ridden a superbike since the final round of the Australian Superbike Championship last year. So, the first session this morning was a bit daunting.
“So, we’ll see how we go and hopefully everything goes well and into the round itself. We’ll just have to wait and see where we stack up against everyone.
“I believe I have a bit of a road ahead of me in terms of getting back to where I was before. However, the ZX-10RR is great, the Dunlop tyres are working fantastic and the whole team are 100 percent right behind me which makes it so easy. With everything all gelling into one, hopefully it will be a quick and easy process.”
Before departing the BCperformance team last year, Buckley had been involved with the team over a five-year period, which saw him emerge through the Supersport 300, Supersport and Superbike categories with the New South Wales-based operation.
Source: CycleOnline.com.au
Repsol Honda rider recovers from injuries sustained at Assen.
Image: Supplied.
Repsol Honda’s Jorge Lorenzo will return to racing this weekend at Silverstone’s 12th round of the 2019 MotoGP World Championship in Great Britain.
Lorenzo suffered a frightening fall during practice at the Dutch grand prix, fracturing his T6 and T8 vertebrae and ultimately forcing him to sit on the sidelines for four rounds.
“It is very good to be back with the Repsol Honda team, it has been a long time since Assen,” Lorenzo explained. “I would have liked to have been back sooner, but the nature of the injury meant I had to take my time.
“While away from the track, I have been working hard to be as ready as possible for Silverstone but I know it will take some time to get back up to speed. I am pleased and ready to be back with the team so we can keep improving and get the results we know we can achieve.”
The multi-time world champion has endured a troubling maiden campaign with the Honda squad, struggling to come to terms with the RC213V while also battling a number of injuries.
Source: CycleOnline.com.au
Factory KTM pilot to lead Larranaga and Campano in Team Spain.
Image: Supplied.
On the verge of earning his second consecutive MX2 World Championship, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jorge Prado is set to make his premier class debut at Assen’s Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations (MXoN) in The Netherlands on 28-29 September.
Prado, who currently leads the MX2 standings by 130 points with just 150 points left on the table, will be forced to graduate to MXGP category in 2020 when he officially wins the ’19 crown, although his appointment as the MXGP rider in Spain’s MXoN team will see him make his first 450cc appearance this year.
According to European motocross website MXVice, the Spaniard is yet to ride or test aboard the factory-prepared KTM 450 SX-F, and will have just two weeks between the final round of the world championship and the MXoN.
18-year-old Prado will be joined on the Spanish squad by Iker Larranaga (Marchetti Racing Team KTM) in MX2 and Carlos Campano (Yamaha Racing Brazil) in the Open division.
Source: MotoOnline.com.au
Test rider Guintoli to fill-in at Silverstone’s 12th round.
Image: Supplied.
Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Joan Mir will remain sidelined with injury for this weekend’s 12th round of the MotoGP World Championship at Silverstone in Great Britain.
The Spaniard escaped serious injury while testing at Brno earlier this month, suffering pulmonary contusion, and while his condition has drastically improved in recent weeks, it’s not at a levelto return to racing.
“In the end I am not able to be in Silverstone for the next race and it is a real pity, but that’s how things are, and the first priority has to be my health,” Mir explained. “After the accident I spent several weeks resting, first in the hospital and then at home.
“I have started to walk, but after the tests it seems that I am still not 100 percent, so the doctors have determined that it is better to continue with my rehabilitation. I will start doing some more training so I can get to the next race in better physical shape and not have to take too many risks.
“I would like to thank the people who are beside me and taking care of me, my Suzuki team for their concern and the thousands of fans who have encouraged me during all these days and who have shown me an enormous affection. See you soon!”
Team Suzuki Ecstar test rider Sylvain Guintoli has been named as Mir’s replacement for the British grand prix this weekend.
Source: CycleOnline.com.au
