Forkner opens 250SX East championship with top honours.
Image: Supplied.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Cooper Webb has earned his third main event victory of the season at Minneapolis’ sixth round of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross and FIM World Championship.
The number two put on a stellar display, recording a three-second win over Team Honda HRC’s Ken Roczen, who was able to regain the points in the process – he leads Webb by one point.
Marvin Musquin (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) was third ahead of premier class rookie Joey Savatgy (Monster Energy Kawasaki) and Justin Brayton (Smarttop Bull Frog Spas Honda), while former points leader Eli Tomac (Monster Energy Kawasaki) was sixth followed by Australia’s Chad Reed (JGRMX Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing) in Seventh.
Austin Forkner (Pro Circuit Monster Energy Kawasaki) opened the 250SX East championship with top honours, taking a convincing six-second victory over TLD Red Bull KTM’s Jordon Smith.
Monster Energy Yamalube Star Racing Yamaha’s Justin Cooper closed out the podium in third, followed by Alex Martin (JGRMX Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing) and Chase Sexton (Geico Honda). The AMA Supercross series heads to Arlington in Texas next weekend for round seven.
The 2018 season demonstrated the popularity of the sport with over 250 million races completed and 30 million hours of gameplay invested by players from around the world. Demand for the MotoGP™ Racing app is strongest in Asia where motorcycles are a way of life. Countries such as India, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, and Vietnam are home to the most avid MotoGP fans while countries such as Spain, France, Italy, and the United Kingdom lead the way in Europe.
One of the best experiences that a person could possibly have is riding on a motorcycle. It offers a sense of freedom and mobility that can’t quite be matched by any other type of vehicle. Think about it, unlike with a car or a train, there isn’t really anything that’s separating you and the outside world. Motorcycles also have the advantage of being able to reach thrilling high speeds unlike other modes of transportation such as bicycles and mopeds.
Yes, motorcycles can offer you a world of excitement, but the one thing that they have in common with other types of vehicles is that accidents do happen. As with any driver, an accident can be a terrifying and stressful situation that no one really wants to deal with. As with any kind of adverse situation, however, it is important that you know how to handle yourself if you are ever in an accident.
Get to Safety
In the immediate aftermath of the accident, the first order of business should not be to call a motorcycle injury lawyer or accident attorney but to get yourself out the roadway and traffic so that no further harm will come to you. The most important thing at this moment is to make sure that your situation doesn’t become any worse by risking even more injury than what has probably already occurred. You can handle all of the legal matters once you’re safe and have handled everything at the scene.
Things to look out for as you are moving to safety are gas leaking vehicles, cars or other objects on fire, anything that has been damaged during the accident, and roadside drop-offs and cliffs.
Check to See If You or Anyone Else Has Been Injured
Next, you should check to see if you or the other involved party has been injured. Even if it appears that you and everyone else is fine, you should still call 911 and have them look you over anyway as certain injuries may not make themselves apparent at that moment. It is crucial that you keep in mind that just because you were the one who called the paramedics that you will not automatically be held responsible.
Call the Local Law Enforcement to Report the Accident
This step can be considered optional in the sense that sometimes the police aren’t immediately contacted in the case of accidents (motorcycle or otherwise). Even if any issues that arise are minimal (such as minor injury and very little property damage) the police may be needed to take down details of what happened and to help decide if a motorcycle accident attorney should be contacted immediately.
Gather Information
Once you have contacted the police, they will proceed to write their police report and will be used as documentation to provide details for your case. To further ensure that you are able to properly prove your innocence in this matter and secure any potential compensation, you should gather information. This gathering of evidence should include you doing the following:
Speak to anyone who may have witnessed the accident which can include passengers and other drivers. Be sure to also talk to the attending law enforcement official
Photos of the scene (which should only be done if there is no further risk of you being injured or causing any further damage to property. Make sure that you take pictures of any surrounding street signs as well)
Contact information, which can be names, phone numbers or even email addresses of all witnesses
The VIN (vehicle identification number) of any cars that were involved
The badge number and name of the police officer at the scene
The number of the police report
The name insurance company name and their contact information from all other parties involved
Gathering all of this information will really help you out in the long run when it comes time to contact your insurance provider or when speaking to a motorcycle personal injury attorney as you will be able to provide them with information to help you with your case.
Contact Your Insurance Company
Once you are able to find the time after the accident, you should contact your insurance company and tell them what happened. As stated previously, all of the information that you have collected will help your insurance provider help you to collect your compensation.
Make sure that you have had any injuries that you may have sustained looked over by a doctor and that a mechanic has checked out your motorcycle before letting your insurer know about these issues. That way, you don’t run the risk of underestimating any compensation that you may be able to receive.
Do Not Take Any Blame On Yourself
Under no circumstances should you claim responsibility for what happened. You should follow this advice regardless of whether you’re speaking to any law enforcement official or your insurance company. This is to avoid your claim being denied and to keep away blame for anything that wasn’t your fault.
Keep your statements limited to what happened and if you have a motorcycle accident attorney helping you-you can ask them for further assistance with handling your case.
Contact An Attorney
Up until this point, You’ve only received small nudges from this article in regards to calling a motorcycle injury lawyer. In all honesty, it really is to your benefit to contact one to secure your financial and legal future in the aftermath of the accident.
A motorcycle accident attorney will be able to assist you if you have any of the other parties involved decide to wrongly accuse you of causing the accident. If any medical complications arise that you can’t afford, you can look into a motorcycle personal injury attorney.
Do As Your Doctor Says
The final thing that you should do (if you have been injured in your accident, that is) is to follow your doctor’s directions to the letter. Not only will this help you quickly heal from your injuries but it will lessen the number of permanent damages on your body. Be sure that you follow his directions to the letter and always follow up on their instructions.
Triumph Motorcycles is surveying customers with an email asking if they’ve ridden an electric motorcycle and whether the British company should make an electric Triumph.
It’s not the first time Triumph has surveyed its customers about an electric bike. They launched a short online survey as far back as 2012.
The new email survey asks questions such as:
Have you ever ridden an electric motorcycle?
How do you rate the experience on a scale of 1-10?
Do you own an electric motorcycle?
What might prevent you from buying an electric motorcycle?
How would you feel about felt Triumph building an electric motorcycle?
Electric Triumph
It comes as no surprise that Triumph is considering an electric motorcycle at some stage.
All manufacturers must be considering adding an electric model to their fleet. It’s inevitable.
It’s refreshing that Triumph is asking their customers what they want before jumping in at the deep end and building one – although we expect they have already been doing some development work.
However, the questions they should be asking their supporters are:
How much would you be prepared to pay for an electric Triumph?
What is the minimum range you would require?
How soon should we launch an electric motorcycle?
What is the maximum charging time you would be prepared to put up with?
It is now open for pre-orders with delivery in North America and Europe in August this year and Australia next year.
We’re not sure how many orders Harley have received, but we suspect they will be minimal.
Why? Because the price is extraordinarily high and the range too low.
At almost $US30,000 (more than $A40,000), it would be the second most expensive motorcycle in their fleet, yet it has only about 180km of range. There are no details yet about charging times.
It’s a huge miss by Harley when there are already similar electric motorcycles that cost less than half its price with almost double the range.
Rookie Bagnaia second followed by Australia’s Miller in third.
Image: Supplied.
After Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) missed out on setting the fastest ever lap of Sepang by just 0.067s on Thursday, Friday saw action in Malaysia end on a high as not one but six riders went quicker than Jorge Lorenzo’s quickest effort in 2018.
The quickest of them all, however, was Danilo Petrucci (Mission Winnow Ducati Team) as the Italian stormed the timesheets with an awe-inspiring 1m58.239s after 32 laps – with rookie Francesco Bagnaia (Alma Pramac Racing) hot on his heels and only a fitting 0.063s in arrears after 21 laps.
Next came his teammate and Australian Jack Miller only another small margin further back, the Aussie doing 47 laps and quick despite a crash, with Andrea Dovizioso (Mission Winnow Ducati) completing the top four, three tenths off the top. All in all, a stunner of a day for Ducati machinery.
Dovizioso was positive after the day, although he said there’s still room to improve mid-corner, and team manager Davide Tardozzi continued the positivity. The Italian said the riders seem happy with many of the updates brought to the test, including chassis updates and a new fairing, and the long run pace of day two bodes well.
Alma Pramac rider Miller put in a long run on day three too, with a good number of laps in the 2m and 2m1s bracket. Tito Rabat (Reale Avintia Racing) was a little further back on day three, but completed a positive test in P14.
After the Ducati lock out at the top, it was Vinales who remained close. The Spaniard put his newly-numbered number 12 into fifth on the timesheets, setting a 1m58.644s as his best of a whopping 79 laps. Vinales’ long run pace was also electric – with the Yamaha rider putting in 20 laps in the 1m59s and 2m brackets. Teammate Valentino Rossi was 10th on the timesheets after more than 60 laps, and it was a positive test for the Iwata marque overall.
Petronas Yamaha SRT, on their 2019 spec machines, also had another good showing on the timesheets. Franco Morbidelli was the second quickest Yamaha in P8 after 66 laps, with rookie teammate Fabio Quartararo in P16 after a mammoth 77 laps – just 0.011s behind rookie rival Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar).
Behind Vinales, the final man to beat the 2018 fastest lap was Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) as the Brit took P6 overall and was fastest Honda once again despite returning from injury. The three-time grand prix winner crashed on day three once again but managed an increased 61 laps – a positive showing after so much time away – and did a best of a 1m58.780s.
His teammate Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu), meanwhile, impressed once again as he completed day three in P9 and in the top ten – making that three days in a row. The Japanese rider was happy after the test and put in 61 laps on Friday.
Reigning champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) seemed relieved on the third day of testing to see the condition of his shoulder improved after a tough day two. The number 93 again finished work a little early to aid his recovery, but he did 39 laps with a best of a 1m59.170s and ended the day in P11 – just 0.015s off Rossi.
Honda test team rider Stefan Bradl also added more than 50 laps to the count for the Japanese manufacturer, ending the day in P13, and tested a new aero fairing, as did Marquez. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) was another who put in a stunning performance on day three, ending the session in seventh and only just outside Lorenzo’s quickest 2018 lap.
He did 52 laps. Technical Director Romano Albesiano was positive about the laptime and the performance of the electronics and chassis, saying it’s been a positive winter and six days of testing so far are encouraging. Espargaro’s teammate Andrea Iannone, meanwhile, sat out the action due to illness.
Team Suzuki Ecstar had a more low-key day on Friday, on the timesheets at least, with Alex Rins the highest-placed Hamamatsu machine in P12, 0.010s off Marquez but putting in 75 laps. Rookie Joan Mir made a big move up the rankings on day three though, ending the session in P15 and only three tenths off his teammate.
Rins had positive things to say about Friday and especially about the test overall, with Suzuki aiming to keep their stunning 2018 form despite now having lost concessions for this season. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing saw Johann Zarco once again the fastest Austrian machine as the Frenchman took P17 with a 1m59.640s after 44 laps – but he only pipped teammate Pol Espargaro by just over a tenth.
The Spaniard was P18, with Miguel Oliveira putting his Red Bull KTM Tech 3 machine just behind the two factory bikes. Chassis, suspension and aero were all being worked on, and long run pace was a positive for the Austrian factory. There were several versions of the aero package from KTM, and further testing will take place at Qatar before a decision is made.
That’s it from Sepang and now that Qatar test looms large as the next chance for the grid to head out on track. That’s from the 23-25 February at Losail International Circuit.
What would you think if you came back to your parked motorbike or scooter after work today and found a guard had been lined them up tightly to save space like this?
However, the work of one Indonesian school security guard has been praised on social media.
Guard Pak Slamet has been lining up students’ and teachers’ scooters to save space since 2000 when he started working at the Banten school near Jakarta.
Pak and his orderly scooters
He re-parks the scooters close together so he can squeeze more scooters into the small parking space.
Pak takes so much pride in his work that he even lines them up in matching colours and models.
Either that, or he has a severe case of OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder).
School student Tyara Tweeted a video showing Pak’s parking prowess which has now gone viral. (Click on the blue arrow to watch the video.)
“My school’s security guard often parks [Honda] Beat motorcycles in such orderly rows like these, because a lot of students at my school ride Beat. Sometimes not only Beat, he also puts Vespa or big bikes in rows like these,” her Tweet says.
Triumph looks set to replace the Daytona 675 they axed in 2017 with a Daytona 765 powered by a version of their control engine for the Moto2 class.
Ever since Triumph was announced as the Moto2 engine supplier in 2017 for the 2019-21 seasons, it has been expected the new engine would power a Daytona replacement.
Now British website Motorcyclenews.com has posted spy images of the Daytona 765 in Spain, so it looks like a street-legal model is about to leave the pits for some hot street action.
There are no technical details yet for the street-legal version, but it is likely to come in several specifications.
High-spec Daytona 765 with a Speed Triple on a Spanish racetrack (All spy images of the Daytona 765 are from British website Motorcyclenews.com)
The three-cylinder Moto2 race engine is believed to have 97kW of power and meet the coming Euro 5 emissions standards.
It is derived from the 90kW 765cc Street Triple but with more than 80 new parts.
Moto2 racer and Street Triple
They include an increased bore and stroke, new crank, pistons, titanium valves, stiffer valve springs and Nikasil-plated aluminium barrels.
The race bike also has a taller first gear ratio, a tunable slipper clutch, a new sump and an ECU developed by Magneti Marelli who supply the MotoGP control unit.
All spy images of the Daytona 765 are from British website Motorcyclenews.com
Daytona 765 tech
We’re not sure how much of this tech will make it into the street-legal version.
However, there is talk that it will have traction control, several engine modes, cornering ABS and a quickshifter with autoblipper to match wheel and engine speeds on downshifts and make you sound like you know what you’re doing!
The bike is expected to weigh in at about 180kg.
All spy images of the Daytona 765 are from British website Motorcyclenews.com
Moto2
Moto2 replaced the 250cc two-stroke GP class in 2010.
It has since been powered by Honda’s 600cc four-cylinder engine.
When the MotoGP season starts on March 10 in Qatar, there will be a healthy field of 32 riders in the Moto2 category.
Triumph’s Daytona 675R engines have powered super sports wins at the Isle of Man TT, Daytona 200 and British Supersports Championships in 2014 and 2015.
“Today we started off on the right foot: I was supposed to try two ‘time attacks’ but one attempt, done with a medium rear tyre, was enough. When I saw the lap time on the dashboard, I was really happy. After that, we resumed our work on some new items. Unfortunately, however, I crashed while I was trying a new fairing around midday. Given the fact that I was also experiencing some issues with blisters in my hands, we decided to stop a bit ahead of schedule to recover and make sure we’re at our best in the next tests in Qatar. Overall, it’s been a really positive test.”
Danilo Petrucci
Francesco BAGNAIA – P2
“I’m very happy with the work we’ve done. We’ve created a good base of settings that will help us to have a good start in Qatar. We still have to work on some electronic details but I have to admit that I’m really happy. The time attack was very good and the pace is not bad either. We will do the race simulation in Qatar”.
Francesco Bagnaia
Jack MILLER – P3
“Our speed is really good. I’m very happy about that. I’m not very happy with the race simulation but the temperature was really high and I had little feeling with the tyres. It’s a shame about the crash. I am especially sorry for the guys of my team who have worked very well these days”
Jack Miller
Andrea DOVIZIOSO – P4
“All in all, this test has been positive. It was important to push to the limit again today because we only have another test before the season starts, and we managed to post a competitive time even on a flying lap after being really consistent in yesterday’s race simulation. Also, to see so many Ducati bikes at the front confirms that we have a good base. We also tried a new fairing, with positive feedback. It’s still early to draw conclusions, but I’m happy with the work done here and now we’ll look for more ways to improve ahead of Qatar.”
Andrea Dovizioso
Maverick VIÑALES – P5
“The test was really good. I actually missed one time attack in the morning which I planned to make in the afternoon, but finally it was so hot that the tyre was sliding a lot, so I couldn‘t improve my lap time from the morning. Anyway, I‘m happy because on the race simulation I felt really good. I was really tired, but I felt good on the bike. Day by day the bike was working pretty similar, as in the last test. You always get positives and negatives testing new items. Now we have to come to a conclusion to see if we should bring the new fairing to Qatar. I also made some laps behind our rivals, so I could compare how our bike is working, and it‘s not bad. There are just some small details left and that‘s the most important. Last year they were some steps ahead, and now we are closer.”
Maverick Vinales
Cal CRUTCHLOW – P6
“I’m happy at the end of the third day, not only with how the test has gone, but to be finished with it too! My ankle by the end was getting sore, hot, and swollen. I feel in good shape however, and the ankle feels good on the bike. It doesn’t bother me on there, it bothers me when I stop. I kept the length of the runs quite minimal today, because we didn’t need to go long – we were testing items rather than testing for race pace. I was really pleased with my pace all day. On the used tyres we were consistent and fast which is good. It’s good going into Qatar and especially after a three-month lay-off – to ride again and to be competitive with it. I should have gone faster in terms of overall lap time, but I crashed. It was completely my own fault, I went into turn two over-excited! I lost three-tenths in the first sector on my fastest lap, compared to a normal good lap. So, the next lap I pushed like a madman thinking I needed to go half a second faster than I had the previous lap. I had some chatter, tried to save it, and crashed. That was with the really soft, test tyre. On average I think you could take at least six-tenths off with that, so I’m confident we could have gone a lot quicker, and then we didn’t use that tyre again all day. I think the 2019 bike is definitely better, but my feeling is I just need to adjust it a bit more. I ride quite a neutral bike, but I haven’t found the perfect setting with the front end just yet. Overall HRC has done a great job with the package. I think it can be competitive for the championship, and it’s one I’m looking forward to riding this year”.
Cal Crutchlow
Aleix ESPARGARO – P7
“On the first two days, our work focused on getting to know the new bike and lapping on used tyres with good results, as the pace in the race simulation yesterday confirms. This morning, we set the bike up to try a time attack and I am rather satisfied with our time. We improved over the three days and I must say that I found a good feeling with the new bike. I am able to be aggressive and I feel at ease in terms of ergonomics too. This was definitely a positive first test. We have margins for improvement, but I know that the guys at Aprilia will keep working hard.”
Aleix Espargaro
Franco MORBIDELLI – P8
“The last day here at Sepang International Circuit has gone really well. We have managed to complete the programme we set out yesterday, which was to improve our pace and top speed. I wasn’t able to do a race simulation because we had a lot of things to get through but we will do that at the Qatar test. What I did manage to do for the first time was a good time attack. We also tried some different tyres, including the super soft, and gathered some useful data. We still have work to do because we want to be closer to the front but we are on the right lines and working hard to keep going in that way.”
Franco Morbidelli
Takaaki NAKAGAMI – P9
“It has been good, but a really hard three days because the hot conditions don’t make it easy to put in lots of laps. It’s been a very important test for us though, and we have made improvements every day. We finished in P9 overall, so I’m pleased to be inside the top ten again. The lap time is not so bad too, I’m really happy to be close to the 1’58 barrier, but I do feel I still can’t get the most out of one lap, whereas my race pace has improved significantly. The LCR Honda IDEMITSU Team have worked really hard this week to improve things for me all the time. We have good potential on the bike, I feel strong, so the aim is just to continue that at the Qatar Test and then see what we can do from there.”
Takaaki Nakagami
Valentino ROSSI – P10
“I’m half happy because some things worked well and we improved our performance, other things from which we expected a lot unfortunately didn’t bring us what we need. So, for me, it’s good, because it’s the first test and we improved some things, but we have a lot of work to do. The gap is quite big, so we need time. I’m happy about the atmosphere and especially about the ideas inside the garage, it looks like Yamaha are very much concentrated on improving, so this is important.”
Valentino Rossi
Marc MARQUEZ – P11
“Day three was very positive, especially with my physical condition – I’m feeling much better. Yesterday I was a little worried about riding today, but I woke up and felt better. We were able to try many things for Honda today and I felt really good on the bike, comfortable and consistent. Everything we had planned to do this test, we have done. Of course I would have liked to ride more but we had to take it a bit easy. Even so, I’m happy because I was riding easy, not in my riding style but I was able to ride more. I didn’t crash and we tried the most important things for the Repsol Honda Team, I am happy because of this.”
Marc Marquez
Alex RINS – P12
“Today was a very positive day, and so were the previous two days. We’ve tried a lot of things and we’ve developed the bike a bit more, so I feel our package is even better now. I was able to do a lot of laps in the 1:59 bracket. For sure we need to keep working and try a few other things in Qatar that we didn’t have a chance to check here, and the engineers will continue to work. I feel that the championship will be really interesting this year, there are a lot of riders close together, and a very high level.”
Alex Rins
Joan MIR – P15
“Today’s been really good because during the first couple of days I was adjusting to the bike, trying to get better with it, and also trying a lot of new things and new parts. Today I made a good step and I had good pace, so that’s really nice. I feel I have improved every day so I’m really happy about how this test has gone. I’ve learned a lot, which I think is inevitable when you’re doing around 60 laps per day. I understand the bike better, as well as the tyres and various mechanical things too.”
Joan Mir
Fabio QUARTARARO – P16
“Today was another positive day at the Sepang International Circuit. This morning we did a pretty good lap time, dipping inside 2’00, but our weak point remains that I am struggling to do a qualifying lap. Despite that I am very happy because on my first ever race simulation on a MotoGP bike I felt physically really good. To me that was another step forward – with the heat here and the track temperature at 60º it is very difficult – and we coped quite well. After the race simulation we went back over a couple of things and made a slight improvement at the end of the day. In Qatar we will have to work on braking and the first turn there will be a good place for that because it is really hard on the brakes. That will be our focus because in the fast corners we are in good shape.”
Fabio Quartararo
Johann ZARCO – P17
“I tried this morning to improve further but I did not expect all the others to be going that fast! It was quite incredible. I’m pretty happy to be able to do many laps under two-minutes. We are happy with what we did, but we still have a lot of work. Overall I have improved my feeling and my control of the bike over five hard days. We will see what I can do in Losail. It will be interesting to see if we can adapt quicker in Qatar than we did here. The lap-time was better than I expected and we reached good points in our plan.”
Johann Zarco
Pol ESPARGARO – P18
“We made an amazing rhythm today. On the first day we couldn’t, and then yesterday I was half a second slower than today. The pace was very, very nice and I was comfortable doing it. The fast lap was not what I expected – I found [Franco] Morbidelli in the way in the morning and could not improve – but this is a test and we go home with the knowledge we have done a good job. It is the first time we felt this big improvement from just one test. We have had five hot and hard days here but I think the whole team and factory did an amazing job: all the guys were super-focussed.”
Pol Espargaro
Miguel OLIVEIRA – P19
“The lap time was ok. It was not as fast as I expected because I couldn’t match the best configuration of the bike with the best tyres in the best moment, but in any case, I’m very close to the two KTM factory riders, closer than everybody expected. We have been really competitive with used tyres, which is good for the race. At the moment, I can see a clear step forward, so I think it’s about going to the Qatar test, taking the experiences from these three days and just trying to be another step better.”
Miguel Oliveira
Andrea IANNONE – P21
“Even though it came after a course of antibiotics, we did two good days of work. Yesterday was especially important in terms of how many laps we turned and how we did them and because of how we began to make changes to the bike. This was my first test on this bike, and I can confirm that we have a lot of potential to explore. But the conditions here are hard even when you are at full fitness and, given the work we did and the fact that the test team was here, today we preferred to take a rest. We made the decision with the team, purely as a precaution. We’ll pick up where we left off in Qatar, hopefully at full fitness and certainly with much clearer ideas.”
Andrea Iannone
Hafizh SYAHRIN – P23
“We improved a lot compared to yesterday. The lap time is significantly faster than before, but still a bit far from the top. During this last day, I felt really good with the bike, but my physical condition was not ideal. After four full days of riding, the muscles in my arms were too hard and I was lacking some power. To be honest, I am a bit disappointed about myself for this, as the bike was truly great for this last day and I couldn’t fully use it. Anyway, I’ll try to do my best during the Qatar test before the start of the season, we are on a positive way and for sure we can be better.”
Hafizh Syahrin
Sylvain GUINTOLI – P24
“We’ve done a lot of testing because we had a lot to do and the weather was good, without any rain, so we made the most of every moment. This meant we were able to complete our planned programme. I spent a lot of time on track and everything went well. This was a really important block of testing for the team, just before the season starts. I’m happy to have been able to give good feedback.”
Sylvain Guintoli
Bradley SMITH – P25
“These were some very interesting tests. The guys at Aprilia improved the RS-GP and I think that at the end of this first outing, our level is decidedly encouraging. I’m pleased that what we did during the shakedown allowed Aleix to start from a good base. Seeing him lap at 1’59 brings great satisfaction for the entire team. I tried to give my best, conveying my sensations to the engineers, and I can’t wait to get back on the track in Qatar. First as a tester and then, on the race weekend, as a rider!”
Bradley Smith
Massimo Meregalli – Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP – Team Director
“It has been a very positive and productive test, under extremely hot conditions. We had three days without problems, during which we could evaluate all the items that were prepared over the winter. Most of them gave positive results, improving the smoothness of the acceleration, the stability on braking and accordingly the turning. Our speed, pace, and consistency has been there for both riders throughout the entire test and this is very significant for us. Maverick was able to do an impressive race simulation. An important aspect is that both he and Vale are improving and are working in the same direction. Another significant aspect is that we deliberated on the engine specification. It will be important to get the same response in Qatar in two weeks‘ time, where for sure, based on this test, we’ll have another update available to us.”
Maverick Viñales
Wilco Zeelenberg – Petronas Yamaha SRT – Team Manager
“We have had a very positive test here at a special circuit for us, even more positive than we expected in terms of the lap times and the number of laps we have been able to complete. We have learnt some good and interesting things about the 2019 bikes – like I said, more than we expected. As for the riders, we can be very happy with Fabio’s [Quartararo] progress and with Franco [Morbidelli] we would have liked to finish a little higher up but considering the odd setback we have had over the test, to set a 1’59.1 today was quite incredible. Lap time aside, the way he is riding and what we are learning about the new YZR-M1 thanks to his feedback is another big positive. The next objective for the Qatar test will be to build on what we have learnt here. Obviously, Yamaha needed to try some different options at Sepang to define certain configurations before the season starts for real, so now we will look to confirm that we are going the right way at a different circuit.”
Fabio Quartararo
Mike Leitner – KTM Team Manager
“We have been testing so many things these days, from chassis to suspension to aerodynamics and we had three riders in the 1min 59s by the end. We could not really manage the super-fast single lap but on the longer runs people are quite happy and we are very consistent. We have a good feeling about the test. It was super-important. We worked many days and made steps that were very big. We took the time to make ‘basic’ work on our bikes where the focus is not always the lap-time. We will go to Doha now and hope to use this good information. A big thanks to all our five riders here in these demanding conditions: they worked through many ideas that came up in the factory during the winter and the guys in Austria have been pushing hard. We still need to fine-tune some things but we are going in the right direction.”
Sebastian Risse – KTM Technical Director
“All-in-all it was a long test for us and a lot of things have piled up in all areas of the bike over the winter. So it was an intense test, also with Tech3 structure here now also that allowed us to get even more information. I think we can be very happy with our progress and we made huge steps with our new riders in terms of getting confidence in the bike and setting and development. Looking at what we have done and the pace compared to previous years we are happy. The speed was quite incredible today and our positions are not quite what we were looking for. We know our competitors are strong and are developing their motorcycles quickly but we have to be even quicker! That was the challenge here. I think we did it…but we also have a long way to go. We will have to prepare our priorities well now for the last test and make sure we make another step forward in performance.”
Hervé Poncharal – Tech3 KTM Team Manager
“Overall this test in Sepang has been fantastic, a great feeling. We had the luck to be one of the concession teams. We did two days of shakedown test, two days rest and three days with the whole grid here. Clearly, I think it was important for us as a KTM team to go through a lot of laps because we’ve got so much to try. This is what we did. What I would like to point out is a big thank you to everybody inside the KTM factory for what they have done during the very short period we had since the last time we were on the bike end of November. The bike has changed really dramatically. Our riders feel so much more confidence, they can give a lot more accurate information. Clearly, I think both, Miguel and Hafizh have enjoyed and I assume, gave some really valuable comments and information to the KTM engineers. The fact we have five guys here, all of them pushing each other, all of them improving each single day, has been a very good sign. There is an incredible energy inside the whole orange group and we are proud to be part of that group. Just now, we can’t wait to be in Qatar, honestly, because if you look at Miguel for example; each single run, each single day has been better and better. Still there is a gap to the top guys, but I’m sure we can reduce that. We want to continue working, testing and improving. So, it was a great, great test. It was very tough for the organism of the riders, but also of every single team member. Anyway, we go home exhausted, but with a big smile on our face.”
Hafizh Syahrin
Davide Brivio – Suzuki Team Manager
“At the end of these three days we’re feeling happy about the work we’ve done. We tested a lot of things, and the riders have been busy working on the development of the bike. We’ve confirmed our 2019 package, and we compared several different items and components. Everything is a clearer now in terms of what works best. We’ll go to the Qatar test now, where we’ll put everything together with a sort of final package for the first race. Alex was very focused and fast, with a lot of good laps. And Joan was able to go for it on this final day, after putting everything together, and we feel good about his progression and work. Sylvain helped us a lot with selecting parts, so thank you to him and to all our staff for their hard work during the winter.”
Joan Mir
Ken Kawauchi – Suzuki Technical Manager
“It was a very positive test, our four riders (Rins, Mir, Guintoli and Tsuda) did a great job. It helped us that the weather was very good, and during our six days in total here we completed a lot of useful things. We brought many new items here, so the main thing was to choose which ones we would use for the race, and we were able to make some important selections. We’re all very tired from this hard work, but we feel it has been very productive.”
High-performance slicks normally found on big bikes, now available for the small displacement crowd.
Begin press release:
Pirelli Tire North America will introduce two new sizes of its DIABLO Superbiketire lineup, geared specifically toward entry-level sportbikes. The new tires will be available in 110/70-17 front and 140/70-17 rear sizes and reaffirms Pirelli’s commitment to racing and the growing popularity of smaller sportbike racing classes.
The new sizing options will be available in Pirelli’s SC1 compound. The front tire has been designed for improved handling and grip, while the rear will continue to have the same feel as the current race-proven DIABLO Supercorsa tires that have been winning races and setting records across the United States.
“Pirelli’s racing team has been working hard to develop sizing dedicated to smaller displacement sportbike racing”, said Oscar Solis, road racing manager, Pirelli. “Throughout the past several years the 300cc and 400cc sportbike popularity has continued to trend upwards, generating interest as an entry-level racing class and for younger riders that are looking to move up through the ranks. Our testing was extremely positive and we have designed a product to meet the needs and expectations of all skill levels on the racetrack.”
For 15 consecutive seasons Pirelli has served as the official tire supplier for all classes in the MOTUL FIM World Superbike Championship, including the World Supersport 300 division. The production-derived world championship is one of the key platforms used by Pirelli to perform an endless amount of research and development around the globe with DIABLO Superbike racing slicks. In 2018, Ana Carrasco became the first-ever female motorcycle racing world champion when she captured the World Supersport 300 title aboard her Pirelli-equipped DS Junior Team Kawasaki Ninja® 400.
Pirelli will be attending several upcoming events where technical support and trackside assistance will be present. The events will include the Florida Motorcycle Road Racing Association round at Palm Beach International Raceway on February 9 and the Chuckwalla Valley Motorcycle Association rounds atMSR Houston on February 16 andChuckwalla Valley Raceway on February 23.
The new tires are available now through your local Pirelli trackside vendor.
To learn more about the complete line of Pirelli motorcycle tires, please visit www.pirelli.com
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Superbiketire lineup, geared specifically toward entry-level sportbikes. The new tires will be available in 110/70-17 front and 140/70-17 rear sizes and reaffirms Pirelli’s commitment to racing and the growing popularity of smaller sportbike racing classes.
