The Circuit of the Americas is a stunning modern classic just outside of Austin, TX, and first welcomed MotoGP™ in 2013. Splashed with colour across the whole venue, and with one of the most awe-inspiring ascents into a tight Turn 1, the facility has turned heads since it joined the calendar and the FIM, IRTA and Dorna Sports are very much looking forward to returning to the track next season.
Source: MotoGP.com – Read Full Article Here
Markus Flasch, CEO of BMW M GmbH: “Especially in times like this, it is no sure thing to facilitate a fantastic Grand Prix calendar. Dorna Sports really has done an excellent job here, and I would like to take this opportunity, on behalf of my team, to convey our sincere thanks. Almost 50 years ago, BMW M GmbH was founded as the motorsport department of BMW. Racing is in our genes and is an essential part of our successful history. We are really proud of this. As a long-standing partner of Dorna, it is a logical step for us to now act as title sponsor. But we are not only giving the BMW M Grand Prix of Styria at the Red Bull Ring our name; we will also be honouring the winner with the new BMW M4, which is set to make its world debut in autumn. And our fans have another highlight to look forward to: in addition to the new BMW M4, we will be presenting the racing car derived from the road version to the public for the first time, the new BMW M4 GT3.”
Source: MotoGP.com – Read Full Article Here
“So I really showed him that it was hurting me and I didn’t like it, so I showed my vulnerability in the end. And that’s the point, show your vulnerability and communicate. There’s a lot of power in that and even though it seems like a weakness in the first moment, long term it’s a big strength. And then the next meeting, boom, I think I got more attention than Michael on that occasion. Because the person really took it on board and I’m thankful for that. They took it on board and adjusted accordingly. So that’s an example of the uphill struggle I faced racing together with Schumacher and then later, Hamilton.
Source: MotoGP.com – Read Full Article Here
All in all, the class of 2020 in the FIM CEV Repsol hails from Colombia to Canada, Brazil to Japan, the UK to the USA, Italy, Spain, Thailand, Germany and many, many more in between. 21 nations competing for three crowns, and the year has only just begun.
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Speaking after the opening round, Steve Sargent – Triumph’s Chief Product Officer – said: “One year on from our first race in Qatar and the goosebumps are still there just as much! What an amazing opening race that was, with another new winner in Tetsuta, an incredibly close podium, a new lap record and exactly the closeness of racing we’ve become accustomed to enjoying now in Moto2. It feels great to get the 2020 season going, to launch our Triumph Triple Trophy #PoweredByTriumph which yesterday highlighted just how close the championship is and we all can’t wait for the next race.
Source: MotoGP.com – Read Full Article Here
After waiting over 200 days for the FIM CEV Repsol to return, the good news is we only have to wait a further six for the second round, with race action at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve in Portimao on Monday July 13th. After their double victories in the Moto2™ European Championship and Hawkers European Talent Cup, both Yari Montella (Team Ciatti Speed Up) and David Alonso (Openbank Aspar Team) will be confident of continuing their impressive form, whilst Xavi Artigas (Leopard Impala Junior Team) will no doubt have another fight on his hands after clinching the FIM Moto3™ Junior World Championship victory by just 0.003 of a second.
Source: MotoGP.com – Read Full Article Here
Kawasaki Racing Team rider edges Redding to top the time-sheets.
Image: Supplied.
A two-day test for Motul Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) teams concluded at Catalunya on Thursday, with Kawasaki Racing Team’s defending champion Jonathan Rea topping the time-sheets overall.
Scorching heat, high track temperature and a slippery circuit meant that crashes and red flags were in abundance and that times for the top 10 were set in the morning session of the final day.
Rea set a blistering lap of 1m40.450s that was never headed, meaning he leaves the test with a good feeling aboard his ZX-10RR. Teammate Alex Lowes backed up the team’s efforts with fourth as the championship leader continued his adaptation from Yamaha to Kawasaki.
It was another British rider in second place as Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing Ducati) led Ducati’s charge. The rookie was top in the afternoon session and come the close of day one, was a mere 0.156s behind Rea on combined times. Teammate Chaz Davies worked on chassis direction was fourth this afternoon and finished ninth overall, although race-pace looks good.
The BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team had a very strong showing on day two, with Tom Sykes leading their charge in third place. The 2013 world champion was one of just three riders in the 1m40s after the morning session and enjoyed his first time out at the circuit, doing plenty of race simulations. Eugene Laverty was also right in the mix and concluded the top six overall and was just over a second from top spot despite a crash in the morning on the Q tyre.
The first Yamaha on the charts was in fifth place and Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha) after getting back up to speed, although a morning crash at turn seven and afternoon technical issues suggested that it wasn’t all plain-sailing. Teammate Michael van der Mark also had a morning technical problem as he concluded the test on seventh.
The first of the Independent riders came home in eighth place overall and that was Ten Kate’s Loris Baz. The Frenchman was on the pace on his YZF-R1 and focussed on tyre life in hot conditions and his work gave him third in the afternoon on day two. Leandro Mercado (Motocorsa Racing) made it two Independent teams in the top 10 and, despite an afternoon tumble, was P10 overall.
It was a great afternoon showing for American newcomer Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team) and teammate Federico Caricasulo, as they were eighth and 11th in the afternoon, with Gerloff just missing out on an overall top 10.
After missing much of the entire morning session, Team HRC were out on track in the afternoon heat. Leon Haslam was up inside the top five after lunch, but finished in ninth, while Alvaro Bautista was a lowly 15th. Despite not testing any new parts, electronics refinement was key. Haslam would end up 12th overall and Bautista 15th, but without a full day on track, the potential is yet to be reached for the team and its new Honda CBR1000RR-R.
Source: CycleOnline.com.au
International element of 2020 series to be impacted by COVID-19.
Image: Foremost Media.
Australian Supercross Championship organisers are aiming to host a three-round series in the final months of 2020, currently working to overcome the impact of coronavirus that could affect any international element of the season.
It was announced today by Motorcycling Australia (MA) that the Australian Motocross Championship will span up to six rounds over a two-month period from the start of September, which will leave room for a downscaled supercross to commence in late November.
MA is taking over the operations of the motocross series after former promoter Williams Event Management (WEM) opted out last month, which leaves supercross commercial rights-holder AUS SX Holdings as the largest private promoter in the sport at a national level. As well, WEM is expected to continue its motorsport management involvement in AUS Supercross, which was five rounds in 2019.
“In addition to motocross, we’re in discussion with the supercross promoters,” explained MA CEO Peter Doyle. “Some of the major events will be affected obviously by the closure of international borders, so large events like the AUS-X Open, for sure, they’re in jeopardy – there’s no secret there.
“However, we are still looking at a smaller three-round supercross championship. The complexity now is to fit those in with the motocross, which is why we’re saying that series will be five to six rounds. Should supercross not be able to run, we would possibly extend the motocross season out.”
It’s becoming increasingly unlikely that the AUS-X Open will be able to take place at Marvel Stadium this year due to overseas travel restrictions, leaving a more traditional domestic championship without the high-profile international event to cap-off the season. The S-X Open Auckland was already understood to be being benched for at least 2020, instead to potentially return on alternate years.
“AUS-X Open is the most challenging one because it relies on international riders, but the most likely scenario will be that there will be an Australian Supercross Championship with or without AUS-X,” AUS SX Holdings director Adam Bailey told MotoOnline. “The championship itself, we’re working on quite regularly to try and get the championship up. All of it will be decided in July.”
Penrite Honda Racing’s current SX1 champion Justin Brayton and SX2 title-winner Chris Blose – as well as US team regular Mitchell Oldenburg – have all expressed interest in travelling from America for this year’s AUS Supercross championship despite the pandemic, according to team owner Yarrive Konsky, but would almost certainly face quarantine even in the latter months of the year.
“There’s a lot to consider, but Justin, Chris and Mitchell would love to come back to Australia this year,” said Konsky. “It’s obviously a job, so therefor they could potentially be exempted [to travel into the country], but would have to go through the same quarantine regulations as anybody else. Therefore, it could make it hard and we have to be mindful of how late the championship could run and how that will impact their preparations for 2021.”
If the Australian series does extend into mid-December rather than finishing at the end of November as per last season, it will – if the out of contract Brayton continues to race AMA Supercross – almost certainly impact the availability of the reigning champions, who would instead be in the final stages of preparing for Anaheim’s annual Monster Energy Supercross opener at the beginning of January next year.
Source: MotoOnline.com.au
For 2021 Kawasaki’s KX250 gets a new frame and swingarm based on the most recent updates to the KX450 along with further engine improvements that push peak power up by around three per cent and the operational ceiling up by another 350 revs to 14,500 rpm. The KX250 also loses the F suffix from its nomenclature.
Electric start makes an appearance for the first time on the KX250 and it now also scores the hydraulic clutch set-up from the KX450.
Superbike derived DLC finger-followers are struck by high-lift cams actuate 32 mm intake valves and 26.5 mm exhausts which in-turn are fed by enlarged and reprofiled ports.
The exhaust cam timing is retared by three-degrees which contributes to the increased engine performance and the valve springs are stiffer than the previous model.
A new piston with a dry film lubricant coating swings off a 3 mm longer connecting rod that helps reduce mechanical losses while the cylinder itself if offset forward by 3mm. The crank is lighter and offers less windage.
The twin-injector set-up continues with the downstream injector timed for response while as revs increase the primary fuelling switches its bias towards the upper injector which is used primarily for top-end power.
Different magneto rotors are available to change the inertia of the engine to suit rider preference and track conditions.
The lines of the new KX250 are smoother and the seat line flatter than before.
The standard settings of the suspension have been refined to better absorb bumps and aid traction.
A choice of four handlebar positions and two foot-peg mounts allows riders to personally tailor their riding position to suit body size and preference.
Renthal Fatbars are now standard while a new KX450 derived front master cylinder aids braking power and control. The rear disc rotor is now 10 mm smaller than before.
Add established features such as the option of an accessory KX Fi calibration kit for ultra-fine tuning in addition to the three easy to interchange “tuning plugs” and the KX250 mounts a strong argument for your dollar.
On the subject of dollars, the 2021 KX250F will arrive in September with a RRP sticker of $11,499
2021 Kawasaki KX250F ImagesSource: MCNews.com.au
Who would have thought that the mighty CT110 postie bike would have taken on status as a widely heralded legend of Aussie motorcycling but that is exactly what has unfolded.
From growing up with friendly neighborhood posties ripping up your lawn as the CT110 propelled them from house to house, or traversing the outback loaded up with camping gear, to the annual Cessnock Postie Bike Grand Prix where some truly talented riders put the Postie to the ultimate tarmac test, it is clear the postie bike has left an indelible mark on the Australian psyche.
In August of this year a new 2020 model will arrive in Australia and it is bigger and better than ever and now called the CT125. Initially born as a concept model, the CT125 now joins the Monkey and the Super Cub as the latest Honda classic to get a modern-day re-vamp.
Available in Matte Fresco Brown or Glowing Red it will hit dealerships with a sticker price of $6,999.
It combines the familiar retro look that we know and many love but has benefitted from a major revamp. Taking the symbolic features of the CT series, including the upswept muffler, air cleaner cover, fuel tank, large carrier and steel front fender then contrasts starkly with a digital dash that somehow looks very out of place on the Postie Bike and will make purists turn up their nose!
The more modern touches continue with LED lighting and ABS while the 125 cc four-stroke single starts at the push of a button and promises increased performance over the venerable original while a four-speed semi-automatic is used to cycle through the gear ratios. The engine is adapted from the Thai built Honda Wave 125 that seemingly powers half of Asia.
The CT125 chassis has been designed to adapt to a broader variety of situations and a broad variety of riders. It’s based on the common Super Cub chassis package, so its nimble and easily controlled but with an increased wheel base, seat height and upswept handlebar.
The CT125 provides enhanced traveling and cornering stability with the adoption of the same type of top bridge and telescopic suspension commonly used for a regular motorcycle and front suspension stroke has been increased to 110mm, up 10mm compared to the Super Cub C125, making for a little more compliance when on unsealed roads.
Source: MCNews.com.au
