The Italian had instant success in orange with Brad Binder bagging a podium at the season-opening Qatar Grand Prix before Miguel Oliveira clinched victory at the Indonesian Grand Prix just two weeks later. However, since then, the factory has struggled to compete at the sharp end with only a handful of top five finishes coming their way since the series returned to Europe.
Source: MotoGP.com – Read Full Article Here
Starting just before 10 a.m. Pacific time in California, there was a police chase of a motorcyclist through Los Angeles and Orange counties, according to a report by Fox 11 Los Angeles. The suspect was wanted for speeding.
The pursuit, which was recorded on video from a helicopter, lasted nearly an hour before the suspect was apprehended by two California Highway Patrol (CHP) motor officers.
Click HERE to watch the chase on video
The chase began in Los Alamitos, in northeastern Orange County. Video of the pursuit shows the motorcyclist riding a first-generation Kawasaki KLR650 dual-sport with faded red bodywork. He’s wearing a black helmet and black riding gear, and there’s a black tailbag mounted on the back of the bike.
With two CHP motor officers on Harley-Davidsons close behind, the suspect rides north into Los Angeles County on the 110 freeway. According to the Fox 11 News report, the SkyFox helicopter recorded speeds up to 90 mph during the freeway pursuit.
The suspect then winds his way between cars and trucks on a traffic-clogged interchange, merges onto U.S. Route 101, and then exits the freeway and takes surface streets through the neighborhood of Echo Park, near downtown Los Angeles.
For another 22 minutes, the motorcyclist takes a circuitous route through Echo Park, even riding through Elysian Park, which is home to Dodger Stadium and the City of Los Angeles police academy.
Elysian Park is full of hiking trails, and the KLR-mounted rider briefly leaves the pavement to take a short cut on one of the trails. In the video, he’s partly obscured by tree cover.
Back on Stadium Way, the suspect leaves Elysian Park and navigates a meandering path on Sunset Boulevard, Laguna Avenue, Echo Park Avenue, Glendale Boulevard, Alvarado Street, and other busy urban streets, often riding between cars and trucks at traffic lights.
Perhaps realizing his efforts at evasion were hopeless, the motorcyclist pulls into the parking lot of an apartment building and parks his KLR650 in the back. He parks near a set of stairs, puts the kickstand down, and takes off his helmet, as if he were just arriving home from work on a typical day.
A CHP Harley pulls in behind the suspect, and before the motorcyclist can dismount there are two CHP officers behind him with guns drawn. The suspect is taken to the ground and cuffed without putting up a fight.
According to Fox 11 News, no injuries were reported, which is a relief after an hourlong chase through two of the most densely populated counties in the U.S.
Pro tip: Don’t be like this guy. If you’re wanted for speeding or other infraction, pull over. You can’t outrun helicopters and radios. Making the police chase you is dangerous and will make your problems much, much worse.
The post Police Chase Motorcyclist Through 2 Counties in California first appeared on Rider Magazine.
Source: RiderMagazine.com
Some things never change, such as the lack of comfort delivered by a typical OEM motorcycle seat. The stock perch on my ’09 BMW F 800 GS was a butt pincher, while my Yamaha Ténéré 700’s seat, with its cool rally look, is more plank-like. It seemed okay at first, but a couple of long rides proved me wrong. The comfort solution for my BMW was a World Sport Performance Seat from Sargent Cycle Products. Hoping lightning would strike twice, I sourced one for the Yamaha, and my derriere hasn’t stopped thanking me since.
Sargent builds its seats from the bottom up, molding Poly-Tec material to fit individual motorcycle models. The new pan for my Yamaha has the same tool storage area underneath as the stock unit, and it fits perfectly to that seat’s attachment points. I only had to transfer the Yamaha’s rubber grommets and washers to the new seat for a painless installation. The World Sport is lower than the stocker by nearly an inch and weighs 0.6 lb more, likely due to a wider pan and larger padded area.
Read more of Rider‘s gear reviews
Atop the pan sits the comfort zone, a sculptured slab of Sargent’s proprietary Super Cell Atomic foam, designed to damp vibration while remaining firm and resilient. A memory foam layer molded inside that slab is said to relieve hot spots by conforming to your rear. One more comfort enhancement – a central channel much like those on some bicycle seats – takes the pressure off your nether region. Covering it all is black, UV-stabilized, marine-grade vinyl, hand sewn to a perfect fit. If my GS seat is any indication, this seat will last for many years with no care regimen other than an occasional scrub-down when it gets dirty.
Wider at the rear than the stock perch but narrowing at the front with rounded edges for better control while standing, the slightly dished seat distributes rider weight over a larger area. I found it comfortable for sitting back on highway slogs, sliding forward for the twisties, and standing on the pegs when off the pavement. The sides are grippy enough for decent control while standing, while not interfering with tossing the bike side-to-side on curvy pavement. All of this adds up to a much-improved perch for extended riding days, something I’ve appreciated on several long rides with the World Sport under my rear.
Sargent offers a host of options and upgrades to the basic model reviewed here ($369.95), starting with color-coordinated welts. I went welt-less, preferring the smoother edge look. Those who want to match up their rear seat can order a do-it-yourself rear cover, and heated seats are available for those wanting bottom-up warmth. Sargent makes the World Sport seat for a dozen brands of motorcycles, and probably yours. When my buns were burning, they put out the fire.
For more information, visit SargentCycle.com.
The post Sargent World Sport Performance Seat | Gear Review first appeared on Rider Magazine.
Source: RiderMagazine.com
Taka Nakagami: “I had zero grip on the left side. I mean the rear grip was terrible and then I couldn’t stop and I’ve no turning and feeling of the bike was terrible. Then lap 7 I lost the front at turn 8 and also that crash was so strange because I didn’t any mistake and riding was good. I mean because from the first lap, I’m feeling that I couldn’t go fast. So just, you know, at least I need to stay on the bike and OK, I don’t care about the lap time, but to think about for the end of the race.
Source: MotoGP.com – Read Full Article Here
Rossi Moor (FARIUM Next Generation Riders) extended his lead at the top of the Northern Talent Cup standings after claiming a third victory of the season in what was another classic encounter at the Sachsenring. The Hungarian beat compatriot Kevin Farkas (Agria Racing Team) by just 0.169s as Germany’s Dustin Schneider (Goblin Racing) picked up the final podium spot after Tibor Varga (Forty Racing) was demoted one position on the last lap for exceeding track limits.
Farkas got the best start of all when he went from P6 to P1 at the first corner but from there until the chequered flag, the lead and podium positions would change constantly with as many as 11 riders sitting in the lead group in the early exchanges. A front five then broke clear heading into the business end of the race, a quintet which included Moor, Farkas, Schneider, Varga and the returning Valentino Herrlich (Busch und Wagner Racing Team).
It all came down to the last lap and thanks to some sensational late braking and masterful race craft, Moor came out on top by a whisker to assert yet more dominance on the 2022 Cup. Farkas stood on the rostrum for the first time since his Le Mans Race 2 win with a hard fought second, while Schneider just lost out on the podium – or so he, and we, thought. But Varga touched the green on the run down the Waterfall on the final lap so his P3 became P4, meaning the German was promoted to the podium. Varga ended Race 1 in P4 and will be out to avenge his small mistake in Race 2, with Herrlich – still riding with pain in his leg – picking up a very commendable P5.
Loris Veneman (TeamNL Open Line) lost touch with the leaders and had to settle for P6, he led home polesitter Jurrien van Crugten (BB64 Academy), Martin Vincze (Chrobak Motorsport Egyesulet) and Noa Cuypers (Junior Black Knights) in the fight for sixth. Matteo Masili (FARIUM Next Generation Riders) rounded out the top 10.
Northern Talent Cup Race 1 in Germany
Kevin Farkas (Agria Racing Team) emerged victorious from Race 2 in the Northern Talent Cup at the Sachsenring as the top two in the Cup standings went head-to-head for the second time in as many days. Title leader Rossi Moor (Farium Next Generation Riders) crossed the line first but the Hungarian exceeded track limits on the last lap, which handed victory to second across the line Farkas. Lenoxx Phommara (Team Phommara) came from eighth on the grid to pick up his first dry podium of the season.
It was another spellbinding NTC race in scorching conditions at the Sachsenring as 17 riders battled it out in the leading group from the off, with Farkas once again grabbing an early lead despite starting on the outside of the second row. The lead changed every lap though with Turns 1, 12 and 13 acting as the main action areas, but the two consistently at the front of the freight train were Farkas and Moor. And, as expected, the fight for victory went down to the very last lap.
Dropping down the famous Waterfall section, Moor went for the inside line but ventured onto the green when overtaking Farkas. Moor’s late braking at Turn 12 and Turn 13 helped him cross the line in P1 but the number 92 was demoted one place for exceeding track limits, which saw Farkas promoted to P1 – his second victory of the year.
Moor ended the day P2 with Phommara producing some great late race pace to claw his way onto the podium in third, as polesitter Jurrien Van Crugten (BB64 Academy) narrowly missed out on a debut rostrum in P4.
Martin Vincze (Chrobak Motorsport Egyesulet) finished P5, just half a second away from victory, as Race 1 podium finisher Dustin Schneider (Goblin Racing) settled for P6, 0.6s shy. Seventh place finisher Rocco Sessler (MCA Racing) was also under a second from the win, as Maxime Schmid (Team Schmid), Matteo Masili (Farium Next Generation Riders) and Loris Veneman (Team NL Open Line) – who was handed a three-second penalty at the end of the race – completed the top 10.
That’s all from a sensational two races at the Sachsenring! Next up for the NTC riders is a short trip north to the TT Circuit Assen, where once again they’ll join the MotoGP™ paddock for a weekend at the Cathedral of Speed.
Northern Talent Cup Race 2 in Germany
Source: MotoGP.com – Read Full Article Here
The Liqui Moly Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland delivered plenty of drama and talking points as Fabio Quartararo romped home to become the king of the Sachsenring. The factory Yamaha rider now holds a commanding Championship lead, and you can see some of the best photos of the Frenchman, plus more, by clicking below!
Source: MotoGP.com – Read Full Article Here
A perfect masterclass from José Rueda left the chasing pack of KTM RC 250 R’s well behind as the Spanish 16-year-old dominated Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup Race 1 at the Sachsenring. The thrills were happening 10 seconds behind with an incredible 15-rider battle for the points positions eventually won by Australian 15-year-old Harrison Voight over Italian 16-year-old Luca Lunetta.
Rueda romped away
“I am really so happy with everything. So far this weekend has been perfect, it’s my first time here, I love the track, I took pole and then the race win. I was confident going into the race, I felt I had a little bit over the others and that if I pushed from the start I could get away. I wanted to get clear before the tyres lost some performance and that is what happened after about 8 laps. By then I had a good advantage, the tyres were sliding but it was quite predictable and I enjoyed that too.”
Voight made the move at the right time
“I’m pretty happy with that one. It’s quite emotional, I’m a bit speechless at the moment. Very happy to come back from injury and get a result like that. I made a bad start, I tried to push hard but had so many big moments, honestly I nearly crashed a couple of times. I thought, ‘come on, just bring it home, learn from the group.’ Then I noticed during the race everyone started struggling with the temperature. I felt that my tyre wasn’t too bad, especially on the brakes.
“I saw that into Turn 1 they all slowed up a lot and there was a big gap and I realised that I could make a good pass and I passed a load of kids.
Lunetta in the heat of the battle
“I loved it today, it was such a fun race and I really enjoy the track. It is so great to be on the podium again. “It was so hot out there, really hard for everyone but I managed the tyre so that they went the distance without too much trouble. I have to say thank you to my family and everyone who supports me. The bike was great, we will not change anything for tomorrow.”
The most incredible last two corners and mass finish resulted in Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup Race 2 victory for Angel Piqueras over Collin Veijer and Filippo Farioli. Just 6 – 10ths covered the first 7 KTMs across the Sachsenring finish line and José Rueda, Rico Salmela, Max Quiles and Harrison Voight might equal well have been on the podium.
Victory was particularly sweet for Piqueras as the 15-year-old Spaniard slid off early in Race 1 while chasing points leader and winner Rueda. Veijer, the 17-year-old Dutchman, was sensational, passing Rueda, who had defended a narrow advantage right from the first lap, into Turn 1 on the final lap. That set up a fabulous finale with Veijer being passed on the run down to the final two corners and 17-year-old Italian Farioli making the most audacious overtake into the penultimate left hander.
Angel Piqueras always on the limit
“I’m happy because I ran a good race, I started well and I was in second for most of the laps. I was confident going into the race today, we had good Qualifying and yesterday’s fall was just a bad tyre. I felt good from the start of the race today and enjoyed it. The end of the race was crazy, impossible to have a plan, just full gas and give it everything. I’m happy because I took the win, but it is just one win, let’s see in the next round.
Collin Veijer second with a superb effort
“It was a very good race, better than yesterday with the shorter gearing. I got a better start, I didn’t get past many riders though but as I got into the race I started overtaking and worked my way up to 5th place. Then I worked at closing the gap to the riders in front, it was quite a big gap. I closed it and got in behind Jose. I felt quite strong behind him, some places he was faster, some places I was.
“I thought on the final lap, I have to overtake him, just to get a chance at the podium. The problem was, bike was quite hot, running at 100 degrees. I managed to pass Jose on the brakes into the first corner on the last lap. I kept ahead but coming down the Waterfall they passed me, José, Piqueras and Filippo. I tried to get the best exit on Turn 11 and then on the last corner I tried to do the same again, coming in as wide as I could to carry speed and I managed to get José on the exit of Turn 11 and Filippo out of 12.
Filippo Farioli makes the big overtake
“I am very happy for this race, it was very different to yesterday. The pace was faster today, I had a better feeling with the bike, I used a shorter sprocket and that was better for my weight. It all helped me to do my best. Going into the last lap I had a plan but Angel passed me in Turn 3 so the plan flew away and then I just tried to do my best. I did a very good job, passing three guys going into the first but when I tried to push hard through the last corner I went wide and Angel and Collin passed me.”
Source: MotoGP.com – Read Full Article Here
Bang! On the box in 🇩🇪 we fought hard for this one, thank you Ducati 🥉🍾🤟
Source: Jack Miller on Facebook
Fabio Quartararo has won a Liqui Moly Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland which could well be looked back as a crucial race in the 2022 MotoGP™ World Championship title fight. The Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™ rider not only scored consecutive victories for the first time this year but is now 34 points clear at the top of the standings. Aprilia Racing’s Aleix Espargaro remains second in the title race after finishing fourth at the Sachsenring but the Ducati Lenovo Team’s Francesco Bagnaia has a mountain to climb after he crashed out while chasing Quartararo on Lap 4.
From that point on, Quartararo asserted himself in a dominant display to win by almost five seconds after 30 laps, with Prima Pramac Racing’s Johann Zarco finishing a lonely second. There was some solace for the Ducati Lenovo Team in the form of Jack Miller, who fought back from a Long Lap penalty to earn the final place on the podium, while the Mooney VR46 Racing Team’s Luca Marini grabbed fifth on another Desmosedici.
Bagnaia had sensationally qualified on pole on Saturday afternoon but, as is so often the case, Quartararo was not going to allow a key rival to catch an early break. ‘El Diablo’ was late on the stoppers when they arrived at the first corner of the race and nabbed the early lead, as Aleix Espargaro took up third, ahead of Zarco, Fabio Di Giannantonio (Gresini Racing MotoGP™), and Miller. Bagnaia then overtook Quartararo at the start of the second lap but the Frenchman was not having it, forcing his way back down the inside of the Ducati as they exited Turn 1.
The manoeuvre left Pecco having to chase, but his pursuit ended just two laps later when he lost the rear of his Desmosedici as he tried to round Turn 1 again. The crash gave Quartararo a free kick in the context of the World Championship, and a clear, one-second lead over second place in the Grand Prix, which had been inherited by Zarco after he had squeezed past Aleix Espargaro on Lap 2. There was more change in the order on Lap 5 when Miller served his Long Lap for a Free Practice crash under yellow flags, and he was nearly down again due to the gravel left in the penalty loop. He dropped to seventh on the timing screen but soon reclaimed sixth spot from Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing).
By then, Maverick Viñales had made his way up the order to be running just a position behind third-placed Aprilia team-mate Aleix Espargaro, and starting to apply the pressure. However, Miller cleared Di Giannantonio on Lap 12 and that released him to go after both of the RS-GPs. He looked like becoming a handful for Viñales but ‘Top Gun’ soon had bigger issues when his rear ride height device got stuck on, and he would retire from the race.
After little more than 20 laps, Quartararo, who had made the bold choice of a medium compound Michelin rear tyre when hard was the far more popular option given the hot conditions, had stretched his margin over Zarco to more than three seconds. His fellow Frenchman enjoyed a similar gap over Aleix Espargaro, but Aprilia’s ‘Captain’ was coming under serious attention from Miller. ‘Jackass’ fired his Ducati down the inside of #41 at Turn 1 on Lap 23 but ran it in too deep and could not make the move stick, and the result was the same when he tried again on Lap 26. Ironically, Espargaro himself went wide through there on Lap 28 and Miller marched through a big hole, into third position.
Quartararo got more than five seconds ahead of the rest of the field in the last handful of laps before cruising to victory by an official margin of 4.939 seconds. Zarco took the chequered flag 3.433 seconds up on Miller, with Aleix Espargaro a few tenths further back as he battled for rear grip in the closing stages. Marini prevailed in a battle with Martin as they finished fifth and sixth respectively, while Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM factory Racing) demonstrated once again that he is the quintessential ‘Sunday man’ by riding up from 15th on the grid to seventh.
The top 10 was rounded out by Di Giannantonio, Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), and Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing MotoGP™). Points were also scored by Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) in 11th, from Raul Fernandez (Tech3 KTM Factory Racing), Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™), Andrea Dovizioso (WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP™ Team), and Remy Gardner (Tech3 KTM Factory Racing). Stefan Bradl (Repsol Honda Team) was the last rider to make it home, in 16th spot.
A further five riders joined Bagnaia and Viñales as DNFs. Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team) retired due to rib pain from a crash in Free Practice and Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol) also had a rear ride height device failure, specifically that it would not disengage after the start. His team-mate Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) crashed out, as did Darryn Binder (WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP™ Team) and Joan Mir (Suzuki Ecstar). The latter did so at Turn 1, moments after Bagnaia had gone down there, having been held wide when Oliveira went to overtake him.
In the World Championship, Quartararo is not only a race clear of Aleix Espargaro but more than two (61 points, to be precise) up on Zarco. Bagnaia has dropped to sixth on the table, a full 91 points off the pace, to be in a tie with Ducati team-mate Miller.
Now, we head to the ‘Cathedral’ for the last round before the summer break. Make sure you do not miss the Motul TT Assen on June 24-26!
MotoGP™ Race Top 10:
1. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™)
2. Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) + 4.939
3. Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) + 8.372
4. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) + 9.113
5. Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) + 11.679
6. Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) + 13.164
7. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) + 15.405
8. Fabio Di Giannantonio (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) + 15.851
9. Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) + 19.740
10. Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) + 21.611
Source: MotoGP.com – Read Full Article Here
