The idea was formed when Freddy Tacheny, the president of the Academy, learned of the new Northern Talent Cup and decided, along with President of the Belgian Motorcycle Foundation Michel Wanty, to begin this new project. As part of the Road to MotoGP™, the best riders from the Academy will have access to the NTC selection process in future and in 2020, there are already two young Belgian riders signed up to compete in the Cup – chosen after a selection day organised by the co-founders of the Academy. They are 16-year-old Lorenz Luciano, who has shown his talent in FSBK pre-Moto3 for the past two years, and 17-year-old Amélie Triffet, third in the FFM Women’s Cup in 2019. They were selected to race in the inaugural NTC and form the Junior Black Knights Team, managed by Christophe Chantrain.
Glenn Irwin and Davey Todd on Fireblade SP at NW200
Glenn Irwin, the winner of the last four Superbike races at the North coast event, and Davey Todd, who claimed his first major road race win at last year’s NW200, will race the new machine in the Superbike and Superstock races at Portrush. Alongside his brother Andrew, Irwin will also spearhead Honda’s 2020 BSB challenge and make his debut on the TT’s Mountain course. Accompanied by Honda Racing team boss Havier Beltram, Irwin and Todd recently visited the North West 200 circuit.
Glenn Irwin and Davey Todd visited the NW200 circuit this week
Irwin maintains he has ‘zero expectations’ for the Manx event but his success around the 8.9 mile Triangle course means things will be very different for the Carrickfergus racer at the NW200.
‘The North West is an end in itself, it isn’t preparation for the TT’ Irwin insists.
‘I love this part of the world, I love the road racing vibe and I understand why there is an expectation on me.’
Glenn Irwin – Superbike winner – 2019 North West 200 with Kawasaki
Irwin’s move to Honda comes after spells with PBM Ducati, Quattro Plant Kawasaki and Tyco BMW over the past three seasons. Alongside Todd, Irwin will enjoy Spanish, BSB and Castle Combe test sessions plus the opening two British championship rounds at Silverstone and Oulton Park to familiarise himself with the new superbike.
Glenn Irwin and Davey Todd visited the NW200 circuit this week
‘We will have plenty of testing but will everything be in place by April or May?’ he said.
‘Probably not because that is just how racing is. But by the time the North West comes around I think we will be starting to find our feet with the bike.’
Irwin knows he will have to push hard on the new Honda to claim a fifth NW200 big bike victory.
‘Anyone who comes to the North West and says they aren’t trying, well I’ve raced with them all and I think they are trying harder than me!’ he smiled.
‘We all know everyone wants to win here. Look at the fight Michael Dunlop put up to me two years ago. He was the only one who came. Peter Hickman didn’t come, Michael Rutter didn’t come. None of the short circuit men came, but the man who was going to the TT with probably more pressure on him than anyone else came.’
2020 Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP
Despite being the rider everyone will be trying to beat, Irwin remains confident he has the experience to handle the pressure from his main rivals.
‘I’ve won a last lap race at the North West and I’ve come around on the first lap five seconds ahead of everyone.’ he explains.
‘I’ve made a mistake and recovered and pulled away again. I’ve won in the wet. These are all things I didn’t think I would do and I can’t doubt what I can do because I have now won four in a row. I am happy because when you win somewhere that feels like home you can take that tag. I feel like this is my house.’
Irwin says he is happy to have new team-mate, Davey Todd, alongside him in the Honda garage at Portrush.
‘Davey is one of the good guys.’ Irwin says.
‘He is doing well for himself but doesn’t put it in your face.’
2020 Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP
Todd’s Honda seat for the 2020 roads campaign plus the British Superstock championship is a fitting reward for the 24 year old following his stellar 2019 season with the Penz13.com BMW and Milenco Padgett’s Honda teams.
Alongside winning the International Road Racing Championship, lapping the TT at over 131mph and claiming two rostrum finishes at the Ulster Grand Prix, Todd scored his first international road race win in only his second appearance at the North West 200.
2020 Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP
‘I felt good from the start and I have always been strong in the wet.’ the Saltburn rider recalled.
‘It was a great battle with so many passes on every lap between Derek McGee and my Milenco Padgett’s teammate, Conor Cummins. The lead was changing all the time. I would go from third to second then into the lead and be back to third on the same lap! It was an aggressive battle but I had a massive smile on my face because it’s the reason we all do this.’
The youngster has enjoyed a supercharged rise through the road racing ranks to catch the eye of Honda’s management. Todd puts his progress down to his experience in a diverse variety of bike racing disciplines.
‘I have raced in everything from motocross to supermoto.’ Todd smiled.
‘I had a couple of years on the short circuits before I came to the roads, then a season on the Irish roads with John Burrows’ team. I have raced in the IRRC series as well as at the TT, NW200, Ulster and at Macau. They are all building blocks that have helped me progress as a rider. I am eager to get back to the NW and TT but also to race in the British Superstock championship to prove what I can do on the short circuits.’
2020 Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP
Todd says he wants to learn from team-mate Irwin at the North West.
‘Glenn is on a different footing at the North West than he will be at the TT.’ he said.
‘He is the target man at the North West but our mindset is to try to work as a team. We have talked about it and we want to try and help each other. I have a bit more experience than him at the TT and he can help me out at the NW. It would be silly not to.’
That co-operation will only last until the race begins though.
‘Then it will be every man for himself.’ Todd smiles.
‘Once the flag drops we will both want to win and I would love to be battling at the front with Glenn.’
Honda (UK) has confirmed a return to the Isle of Man TT Races as the Honda Racing team with a new rider line-up of Glenn Irwin and Davey Todd, who will contest the RST Superbike and Senior TT Races and RL360 Superstock TT classes aboard the all-new CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP. The pair will make their debut at the North West 200 before the TT campaign begins Source: MCNews.com.au
“I still have a valid contract with the team, but I was forced to make this very important decision for my life,” continued Kornfeil. “I should have started the season on a different budget than what I thought, what I hoped to have, and I wouldn’t even have the certainty of reaching the race at Mugello. I still feel like a winner, even if I never won the title. I’ve always tried to do my best both on and off the track.”
The internationally awarded MotoCAP safety and thermal comfort ratings system for motorcycle clothing has added 15 more items to its list of tested gear.
It has now rated 186 items of clothing, including 50 pairs of pants, 90 jackets and 46 pairs of gloves.
Safety and comfort
Macna Vosges Nighteye
Of the newly rated jackets, two were leather which scored two stars for safety. All the others were textile and scored just one star for safety except the Alpinestars T-Core Air Drystar and Macna Vosges Nighteye which scored two stars.
The best of the newly added jackets for beating the current heatwave was the $500 Spidi Ventamax (top image on this page) which scored three stars for thermal comfort. The others scored from half a star to two stars.
Best of the newly rated pants are the Bull-It Covert Blue which scored two stars for safety and three for comfort and the BMW City denim trousers which only scored one safety star but four for comfort.
MotoCAP gives clothing two separate star ratings – one for protection and one for heat management or comfort.
Clothing manufacturers’ advertising is not an extremely useful resource for protection in a crash or from the extremes of an Australian summer.
Australian Motorcycle CouncilProtective Clothing sub-committee chair Brian Woodpoints out that MotoCAP tests the whole garment, unlike European Protective Clothing Standards which only tests samples of fabrics, fastenings and stitching.
“(It) gives the motorcycle community more information when they are making choices about the clothing they wear when riding,” he says.
MotoCAP is a partnership between Transport for NSW, State Insurance Regulatory Authority (SIRA), VicRoads, Transport Accident Commission (TAC), Royal Automobile Club of Victoria (RACV), Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR), Motor Accident Insurance Commission (MAIC), Lifetime Support Authority (LSA), Western Australian Police: Road Safety Commission, Department of State Growth, Insurance Australia Group (IAG), Australian Motorcycle Council and Accident Compensation Corporation in New Zealand.
Testing is carried out by the Deakin University Institute for Frontier Materials on behalf of the MotoCAP partners.
Maxxis offering contingency for east coast championships
Section: Competition
Riders using Maxxis tyres eligible for Maxxis Money at selected events.
Image: Supplied.
Maxxis Moto Australia is offering up to $30,000 in Maxxis Moto Money as part of an east coast motocross contingency program in 2020.
Riders using Maxxis tyres at the nominated east coast motocross events in 2020 can earn contingency Maxxis Money towards their next set of newly-developed Maxxis MX-ST tyres.
Earn up to $100 in Maxxis Money for the highest placed and up to $50 for the second-highest placed Maxxis rider (overall) in your class.
Riders will need to be using Maxxis tyres and register for the program at sign-on/registration. Maxxis Moto Money will be awarded at presentations.
Levelling up the target for Rykers in newly-signed Kawasaki deal
Section: Competition
Western Australian aiming to be podium challenger this season.
Image: Foremost Media.
After recently signing with Empire Kawasaki, Jayden Rykers is confident the added support will allow him to level up his riding throughout the 2020 season and become a podium contender.
Rykers experienced a breakout rookie season in the premier class last year, earning a maiden moto podium at Murray Bridge before consistency granted him a spot inside the top five of the championship rankings until his campaign ended prematurely with injury at Moree.
The 23-year-old, who was a Suzuki-mounted privateer working a full-time job in 2019, believes the ability to focus solely on his riding and commit more time training will enable him to establish himself as a regular front-runner.
“Obviously, it’s a massive switch to my program and I’m going to be able to step-up this year,” Rykers told MotoOnline.com.au.
“At one point I was fourth in the championship, so I guess the biggest thing for me is to be able to put a big pre-season in – this point last year, well I didn’t even confirm a bike until a few weeks before the first round and I was still working a full-time job.
“I think having the time to get myself physically in shape and have more bike time will be the change in getting inside the top five and pushing for podiums at every round. I was pretty happy with my results last year, but by being on the time and having more time to invest into it all, I definitely see myself up with the front guys.”
The MX Nationals kicks off on 4-5 April at Horsham in Victoria.
The IMR Riders Club gives track day enthusiasts a chance to enjoy all that Inde Motorsports Ranch has to offer.
Begin Press Release:
Inde Motorsports Ranch announces the IMR Riders Club
Willcox, AZ – January 17, 2020 – Inde Motorsports Ranch announces the IMR Riders Club which offers the opportunity for motorcycle enthusiasts to enjoy a weekend of track riding at the ranch.
Inde is a private track near Tucson, Arizona, and member days are split between cars and bikes. Riders who join the new Riders Club will join regular members on these lapping days and can expect a minimum of 20 minutes on track every hour; however, if no cars are running that day the track will be open solely for motorcyclists.
Space will be limited, capped at only 20 non-members per event. In other words, this won’t be the typical three-rotation trackday packed with riders, but a chance to enjoy this incredible track with a few like-minded enthusiasts.
IMR Riders Club is open to any level of rider with fun and safety being the main focus of the day. Lunches and dinner the first night will be included with purchase of the event. The Winter/ Spring schedule is as follows:
January 25-25
February 22-23
March 7-8
April 11
May 30-31
Inde Motorsports Ranch is a 2.75-mile, 21 turn family-owned private racetrack in the Arizona high desert. Its country-club-like atmosphere includes onsite accommodations, gourmet kitchen, shooting range, game room, bathrooms with showers and much more.
Inde is also the winter home of the Yamaha Champions Riding School and any graduate of ChampSchool can rent a bike for the IMR Riders Club events. A YCRS senior instructor will be at all events in charge of safety and dual apex cones will be utilized to help riders navigate this technical track.
For more information or to register for events click here.
For more information please email [email protected] or call Chris Peris at 520-907-3833
Wilson and Tanti continue main event form at Anaheim 2
Section: Competition
Top 15 results for the competitive Australian duo.
Image: Octopi Media.
Australian duo Jay Wilson and Aaron Tanti have continued their main event form at the third round of Monster Energy Supercross in Anaheim.
Former Australian SX2 champion Wilson returned to racing at Angel Stadium, the Yamaha-mounted contender electing to sit out the previous stop in St. Louis in favour of improving his recovery from a pre-season crash.
Wilson, who was 17th at Anaheim’s season-opener, put on an impressive display of riding as he charged to 11th in the 18-lap affair. His result moves him to 18th in the 250SX West standings.
Fellow Yamaha-equipped rider Tanti, who came off a P13 result at St. Louis, also made a strong campaign at the Californian round to cross the line in 13th for the second straight weekend, positioning him 16th in the championship rankings.
Compatriots Joel Wightman (Honda) and Geran Stapleton (Honda) were just short of qualifying for the night show. Monster Energy Supercross heads to Glendale this Saturday night for round four.
More to offer believes Clout after impressive A2 top 10
Section: Competition
Penrite Honda Racing entry earns season-best result after qualifying via LCQ.
Image: Octopi Media.
Penrite Honda Racing’s Luke Clout believes he has more to offer after scoring an impressive result just outside of the top five at Anaheim 2’s third stop of Monster Energy Supercross.
It was a long night at Angel Stadium for the Australian favourite, who was forced to qualify for the main event via the last chance qualifier.
Despite having the last gate-pick, the New South Welshman put on a stellar performance in the 18-lap encounter, winding up in sixth position.
Still adapting to the American environment and the transition back to a Honda CRF250R, Clout is adamant on making further improvements prior to returning home to Australia.
“Unfortunately, I crashed [in the heat] and had to go to the LCQ – I just rode quickly enough in the LCQ to make the main,” Clout commented.
“I am okay with my sixth, but I have a lot of work to do. The team has been great – they are giving me everything I need. It’s different over here – I know that doesn’t make sense to some people, but the tracks are different, they are prepared differently, they develop ruts and have moisture in them.
“The intensity is much higher, in Australia we were doing eight-lap races and over here I am doing 18 laps. We have a plan and we are working towards it.”
Clout is now ranked 10th in the 250SX West championship standings as Monster Energy Supercross visits Glendale this weekend.
This week MV Agusta Motor turned 75-years-old and celebrates its legendary history of racing successes and excellence in engineering and design.
It all started on January 19, 1945, with the establishment of Meccanica Verghera Srl in Cascina Costa, near today’s Malpensa international airport.
Meccanica Verghera Srl in Cascina Costa
The Agusta family, pioneers of the aviation industry, unable to continue manufacturing aeroplanes in the aftermath of WWII, turned to motorcycles to express their passion for speed, adrenaline and precision engineering.
MV98
Legend has it that the first model, a 98 cc, was due to be called “Vespa”, but the name was already taken, so it went down in history simply as the MV98.
The Agustas also knew how to convert their racing motorcycles into successful production road models for a public of passionate enthusiasts, and started right from the beginning with a luxury version of the 98 that made a sensation at the 1947 Milan Trade Fair.
Count Domenico Agusta with John Surtees
Count Domenico Agusta had a knack for hiring the best riders, most of which became legends of the sport: Franco Bertoni, MV’s first rider, followed by Arcisio Artesiani, Carlo Ubbiali the “flying chinaman”, Leslie Graham, Cecil Sandford, Fortunato Libanori, John Surtees, Mike Hailwood, Gianfranco Bonera, Giacomo Agostini and Phil Read.
Carlo Ubbiali
Throughout the 30 years of the Agusta era, the history of their victories intersects with the launches of equally legendary and successful MV Agusta production models.
Giacomo Agostini
The partnership with Giacomo Agostini was the most celebrated in the history of motorcycling: in his career, “Ago” won 13 Wold Championships, 18 Italian titles and 10 Isle of Man’s TTs.
Mike Hailwood
Count Domenico passed in 1971, and after Agostini’s last victory at the Nürburgring in 1976, the destiny of MV Agusta seemed to have come to an end, until the Castiglioni family decided to give it a new lease of life.
In 1992, Claudio Castiglioni’s Cagiva acquired the MV Agusta brand
In 1992, Claudio Castiglioni’s Cagiva acquired the MV Agusta brand and moved production to its facility on the shores of Lake Varese, in Schiranna, where MV Agusta motorcycles are still produced today.
Under the visionary guidance of Claudio Castiglioni the brand even acquired further prestige and recognition. Castiglioni heavily invested in R&D and in production. The four-cylinder, 750 cc F4 was the first bike of the new era, and also the first MV superbike. Many still consider it to be “the best looking bike ever”. Claudio also invented the concept of the “naked” bike, a new paradigm in the motorcycling world.
MV Agusta Senna
After his premature death in 2011, his son Giovanni succeeded him at the helm and continued in the family’s pioneering tradition. He actively sought and developed partnerships with world-class names such as Pirelli and Formula1 champion Lewis Hamilton to further broaden the reach and the appeal of the brand.
Giovanni Castiglioni
Giovanni was behind the creation of the “Brutale”, the ultimate naked, and the F3, the best middle-weight sports bike with an inline-three cylinders engine and a counter-rotating crankshaft. Under his guidance, other remarkable models such as the Dragster and the Turismo Veloce, an opening into the tourers’ world, as well as successive evolutions of the F3 and F4, were acclaimed both by critics and motorcycling enthusiasts.
Claudio Castiglioni and Massimo Tamburini
In 2017, the company was ready for a new important step in its history of continuing growth, and new capital was brought in by ComSar Invest, a Luxembourg company belonging to a family of entrepreneurs who share the same pioneering spirit and passion for speed as the Agustas and the Castiglionis. After an initial and successful partnership phase, in 2019 the Sardarov family acquired 100% of the company’s capital and Timur Sardarov, MV Agusta’s present CEO, was ready to take on a leading role.
Under his leadership, MV Agusta’s new roadmap strongly focussed on stability, quality, customer relations, service and on the expansion of the product range and of the sales network. Concepts such as connectivity and digitalisation of the product were also introduced.
Timur Sardarov, CEO of MV Agusta Motor S.p.A.
New MV Agusta models such as the Serie Oro limited editions of the Superveloce 800 and Brutale 1000 RR, a tribute to the brand’s legacy of design, speed and leading-edge technology. In 2019 the Superveloce 800 Serie Oro made MV Agusta an “Excellence of Lombardy’s Design”, a sure sign of its pure MV Agusta DNA.
MV Agusta Superveloce 800 Serie Oro
Sardarov also immediately concentrated on the reorganisation of the company to stabilise it financially and continue in its successful growth path. He brought in a number of highly respected managers with a proven track record in the industry and constituted a new, highly skilled and experienced best-in-the-industry management team.
Timur Sardarov, CEO of MV Agusta Motor S.p.A.
This strategy for MV Agusta’s new course is contained in the five year business plan that was recently announced. It clearly sets out the idea of expanding the reach of the brand through both organic and structural growth, with the objective of increasing the annual sales volumes to 25,000 units, with over 20 new models in the next five years.
New segments will be tackled, with the launch of an entry-level range appealing to a younger audience and also with the return of smaller displacements such as the 350 cc to expand into new markets, in particular Asia. An important partnership was established in 2019 with China’s Loncin for the production and distribution of this new mid-size range.
Research and Development remains a fundamental pillar of MV Agusta’s strategy as leading-edge technology and design are the unmistakable hallmarks of the brand.
Timur Sardarov, CEO of MV Agusta Motor S.p.A.
“Being at the head of MV Agusta at this historic moment in time is exciting and challenging. I consider it a great privilege, and also a great responsibility, but looking back at MV Agusta’s legacy, I know we are standing on the shoulders of a giant, and this gives me great pride and confidence in breaking new ground every day, launching innovative technology, new incredible models, and expanding into markets we have never entered before.”
Timur Sardarov, CEO of MV Agusta Motor S.p.A. Source: MCNews.com.au
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Macna Vosges Nighteye
