Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK team principal Guim Roda admits mistakes were made as the team failed to clinch the WorldSBK title for the first time since 2014…
Source: Jonathan Rea On Facebook
Learner legal Aprilia Tuareg 660 L confirmed for July
2022 Aprilia Tuareg 660 L (LAMS)
Aprilia Australia have just confirmed that we’ll be receiving a LAMS variant of the Tuareg 660 – the Tuareg 660 L in July of 2022, following the May/June arrival of the full power version.
The Tuareg 660 L is expected in all three colours, with pricing to be announced closer to the release date. This move means Aprilia will be offering Australian riders the most advanced adventure machine for new riders available in the country.
The LAMS version is retuned to 35 kW, in other words meeting European A2 restricted requirements, with that power peaking at 5500 rpm and 61 Nm of torque available at 5000 rpm. That’s down from the full power version at 58.8 kW (at 9250 rpm), with torque softened by a more reasonable 9 Nm.
The good news is of course that the Tuareg 660 L otherwise shares the same specifications of the full power version, which is an impressive loadout.
The 659 cc twin-cylinder features a 270-degree firing order and model-specific exhaust system, plus tune, with final gearing shorter than seen on the RS 660 from which the engine is derived. A taller sump is also run for ground clearance, with other changes over the roadster machines being a new rose pipe and intake mouth and new oil circuit channel.
The frame is a steel tube design with cast plates and welded-on sub-frame allowing for 210 kg in total load capacity, with the bike weighing in at 204 kg at the kerb or 187 kg dry. A long swingarm is also run for traction and stability, with pivots in the frame.
Kayaba provide the suspenders, with 43 mm forks with 240 mm of travel and full adjustability, spec’s matched by the rear shock for both adjustability and travel.
A proper adventure set of wheels are also fitted, with a 21 x 2.50 inch front and 18 x 4.50 inch rear, in 90/90 and 150/70 tyres, which will be Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR units, and the rums are tubeless aluminium as well.
Brembo provide the braking system, with dual 300 mm rotors and a more modest set of dual-piston calipers run, no doubt with off-road riding in mind. On the rear is a 260 mm rotor with single-piston caliper in comparison. ABS includes off-road mode to disable rear ABS, while the front can also be disabled, with ABS modes linked to ride modes.
The Tuareg 660 L will run an extensive electronics system in the form of the APRC package, with Aprilia Traction Control, Aprilia Cruise Control, Aprilia Engine Brake, Aprilia Engine Map and ride modes. Ride modes are split into two road options, an off-road option and a fully customisable mode. Those are Urban, Explore, Off-Road and Individual.
A 5 inch TFT keeps the rider informed, with switches providing easy control of the various settings. The Aprilia MIA system is an accessory however, as is a quick shifter.
Fuel capacity is a generous 18 L, which should be good for just over 400 km in ideal conditions, with a 4 L / 100 km claimed figure. Lighting is full LED, with seat height at 860 mm.
Final drive is chain, while there’s also a slipper clutch fitted, and the three colour options will be Indaco Tagelmust, Martian Red and Acid Gold.
We’ll have to wait and see where that pricing lands for now, with the full power 2022 Aprilia Tuareg 660 arriving in May/June, and the 2022 Aprilia Tuareg 660 L due in dealers in July.
2022 Aprilia Tuareg 660 L specifications
| 2022 Aprilia Tuareg 660 L specifications | |
| Engine type | Aprilia forward-facing twin-cylinder, 4-stroke, liquid cooled, dual overhead cam (DOHC) with silent chain drive on the right side, four valve per cylinder. |
| Bore x stroke | 81 x 63.93 mm |
| Engine capacity | 659 cc |
| Compression ratio | 13.5:1 |
| Maximum power | 35 kW (47.6 hp) at 5500 rpm |
| Maximum torque | 61 Nm at 5000 rpm |
| Fuel system | 2x 48 mm throttle bodies, Ride-by-wire management |
| Ignition | Electric |
| Lubrication | Wet sump |
| Transmission | Six-speed, Aprilia Quick Shift (AQS) System up and down available as accessory |
| Clutch | Multiplate wet clutch with slipper system |
| Secondary drive | Chain, drive ratio 15/42 |
| Electronics | APRC Suite that includes ATC (traction control), AEB (engine brake) AEM (engine maps), ACC (cruise control), Four riding modes (Urban, Explore, Off-road, Individual) |
| Chassis | Frame in steel tubing and built-in subframe screwed aluminium plates connecting the frame to the engine |
| Front suspension | Fully adjustable 43 mm upside-down Kayaba fork with counterspring. Wheel travel: 240 mm |
| Rear suspension | Aluminium swingarm. Progressive linkage. Fully adjustable Kayaba monoshock. Wheel travel: 240 mm |
| Front brake | ABS, 300 mm double disc, Brembo callipers with 4 horizontally opposed Æ 30/32 mm pistons. Axial pump and metal braided brake line |
| Rear brake | 260 mm diameter disc; Brembo single piston Æ 34 mm floating calliper. Master cylinder with separate reservoir and metal braided hose, Multimap ABS |
| Wheels | Spoked with aluminium drop centre Front: 2.15×21-inch, Rear: 4.25×18-inch |
| Tyres | Tubeless, Front: 90/90-21, Rear: 150/70 R 18 |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 1525 mm |
| Length | 2220 mm |
| Width | 965 mm |
| Saddle height | 860 mm |
| Headstock angle | 26.7 degrees |
| Trail | 113.3 mm |
| Weight | 204 kg kerb weight (187 kg dry weight) |
| Emissions | Euro 5 |
| Consumption | 4.0 litres/100 km |
| Fuel capacity | 18 litres (inc. 3-litre reserve) |
| Colour range | Indaco Tagelmust, Martian Red, Acid Gold |
Source: MCNews.com.au
Marc Marquez progresses adequately with diplopia diagnosis
The Repsol Honda Team rider, who last October was diagnosed with an episode of diplopia after suffering a fall while training for the Portuguese GP, has continued periodic visits to his trusted ophthalmologist to assess the evolution of his vision over the past two months. During these reviews the progress made has been deemed favorable and as a result Marquez will continue with a conservative treatment plan for the next few weeks.
Source: MotoGP.com – Read Full Article Here
Marc Marquez progressing ‘adequately’ with diplopia diagnosis
Marc Marquez progress ‘adequate’
Marc Marquez, who last October was diagnosed with an episode of diplopia after suffering a fall while training for the Portuguese GP, has continued periodic visits to his trusted ophthalmologist to assess the evolution of his vision over the past two months.
During these reviews the progress made has been deemed favorable and as a result Marquez will continue with a conservative treatment plan for the next few weeks.
Marc Marquez will continue to undergo periodic reviews with Dr. Sánchez Dalmau during the coming weeks alongside the conservative treatment plan.
The situation does not prevent the rider from Cervera from continuing his physical training plan to prepare himself physically for a new season.
Source: MCNews.com.au
Harley-Davidson Sportster S | Quick local launch ride
2021 Harley-Davidson Sportster S Quick Test
Words by Kris Hodgson, Images by Mark Watson, Incite Images
So, first chance to test ride Harley-Davidson’s new Sportster S, with a short loop from Sydney’s CBD to Hunters Hill and some photo ops along the harbour, that’s about 30 km in total so very much just dipping of the toes into the new machine as far as impressions go. Exciting stuff anyway, considering how big a move away from tradition the Sportster S is. For a full test from the American launch see Rennie’s Harley-Davidson Sportster S Review (link).
I’m no hardcore Harley fan either for reference, I like most types of bikes and primarily I want to know two things: how it goes and how it looks. Tradition is cool, but I’m young(ish) and not invested enough in any brand to be overly upset when there’s change. As long as a better bike is delivered, of course. I’m just a regular road rider with no major investment in any particular brand over another that rides plenty of contemporary motorcycles.
So obviously if the tradition part of Harley-Davidson is huge for you, this may not be a helpful perspective, but here are my initial thoughts on the new Sportster S, after a fairly quick ride. Also keep in mind I haven’t ever ridden the Pan America with which it shares the Revolution Max powerplant, so this was all-new to me. Trev rode and reviewed the Pan America earlier in the year, and we will publish Wayne’s thoughts on Harley’s adventure-touring option shortly. But, for now let’s get back to the new Sportster S…
At first glance I definitely see the family resemblance, it’s kind of inarguable to me on that front and I didn’t really go any deeper than that. It looks tough, it looks like a Harley, it looks like a Sportster, tick. When you flick that starter button there’s a welcome roar into life that turns into a growling idle. Not everyone’s a total victim to Euro5 it would seem…
There’s some pretty busy switch-blocks, a traditional (non-Harley) indicator toggle and a TFT display housed in a round dash, offering a break from all the rectangular units. A mode button allows you to revolve through the Sport, Road and Wet maps too, even on the move, with a lot more settings that I didn’t have a chance to fully explore on the short local launch.
Points of note at a glance? Beefy USD forks, Brembo brakes, forward controls, swingarm mounted fender. Jumping on board that 750 mm seat height is super inviting and the 228 kg weight is beautifully balanced, although being a cruiser – long and low – that’s the expectation, with stability and a low CoG the norm for the category. The last Harley I tested was the FXDR 114 though, and the Sportster S is much… sportier, and more accessible.
Heading for our loop out of the city I set mode to Road and head off, the Rev Max engine produces power much smoother than I expected, but still with a gruff twinny edge. There’s a little hesitation in the fuelling opening the throttle at times, but torque comes on nicely with gear changes solidly clunking into the next gear, which I felt was fairly Harley. I give it a few minutes in Road and then switch to Sport and that hesitation in the fuelling disappears.
I’ll also be honest, it’s been a while since I’ve ridden a cruiser and leaning the bike over to turn requires a little bit of effort before I settle into the swing of things, which is just basically me being a bit more active with the inputs and adding lean angle to turn. Interestingly at no point did I have a peg down either, and while this was a laid back quick test, I’m interested to see just how much of that 34 degrees of lean angle I can take advantage of given a nice piece of road.
Suspension had been tweaked within standard adjustability for each rider and I’ve got to say I was again impressed. Sydney roads aren’t something I’d ever boast about, with mismatched surfaces, potholes, road snakes and plenty of recent rain hadn’t helped their condition.
That fully adjustable set-up however gobbled up the inconsistencies, tracking well with the HD-Dunlop rubber, with only the really big bumps getting a little harsh at the rear, which with such limited (50 mm) travel available perhaps isn’t surprising. That’s a super-premium ride quality from a cruiser, with the emphasis on ‘for a cruiser’. I didn’t experience the level of pain caused by the rear suspension that Rennie mentions in his test, but with a 30 km loop that may just not have been enough saddle time.
The single 320 mm Brembo front brake provided good power too to wash off speed, without any real dive in the forks, while the rear brake was definitely the weaker of the two which surprised me as atypical for a cruiser. That was another area Rennie criticised, however our test loop wasn’t long enough to really give the brakes a heavy workout as you can imagine, and the rainy conditions probably favoured the bike’s brake set-up.
Dropping back a bit and accelerating up to the next rider reveals a willing burst of torque that promises much more fun on a good (preferably twisty) piece of road with no one watching, before getting onto the brakes to wash off that speed easily. Again we’re talking inner city riding here, not a race track. That said, snapping it down through the gears for decel was plenty of fun too and would be my go-to choice when not coming to a rapid stop.
Probably what hit me most was just how easy the Sportster S is to ride. I’d say the older Harleys I’ve ridden were a bit agricultural with how the V-twins felt, where the Rev Max has a lighter, free-er revving feel to it that builds power quickly. A slipper clutch also keeping engine braking smooth. Being a gear or two too high didn’t cause lugging either, just smooth transitions onto acceleration and certainly in Sport mode the fuelling was spot on.
I’m probably on dangerous ground here, but the Rev Max engine really feels high tech, and while some may bemoan some loss of old-school character to reach that, the performance is worth it to me, while still offering a welcome sound track when the rare opportunity appeared to open the throttle more vigorously.
After some photo ops and the rain deciding to rear its ugly wet head, we head back to White Bay Cruise Terminal from where the day was run from. In the slick conditions riding up the bus lane (legally officer, I swear) I had a couple of moments where the rear came around a before the traction control kicked in. Someone’s been cheaping out on that bus-lane paint I’d say, as that was on a steady throttle, with no shenanigans involved, and there’d have been some heat in the tyres.
I was of course still in Sport mode which offers the lowest level of intervention, but it obviously kept things in check, for which I was grateful and then switched to Rain mode from that point and had no further issues. I’m not sure that was Rain mode actively kicking in the TC either, with the loss of traction perhaps just hitting a particularly oily patch of road…
Either way, there’s nothing like the back slowly stepping out to add some excitement to your ride, especially when it’s handled with such aplomb. Rain mode does offer a more subdued throttle connection in contrast to Sport, perfect for dodgy road surfaces or oily commutes.
Now this was by no means an in depth test of course, without a proper stretch of highway and more importantly some nice twisty backroads to have a fang along, however it does reveal the slickest Harley-Davidson I’ve had the pleasure of riding.
That Revolution Max engine is a gem, and the general specification of the bike is very impressive, with a great ride quality, easy handling and comfortable ergonomics. Those upgrading from a Street 500 for instance are going to be in for one wicked surprise if this is the next bike they choose, while I’d say the Sportster S also really delivers on the performance side of things for your regular rev-heads.
With the wet weather we did discover that the bike’s lack of a rear wheel guard had a tendency to fling water (or road crud in drying conditions) up your back and even onto your helmet to a considerable degree, with the water tending to then run down your back and onto your… ass. That’s definitely not the water-cooling I expected. Adding the pillion seat accessory does add some protection there though.
There was also a bit of heat making it through the well shrouded exhaust mid-pipe too, only really noticeable at a standstill when I could feel it under my thigh, with it being a fairly chill day in the 15-20 degree kind of range. To be fair we spent a bit of time in start-stop traffic which probably didn’t help there, but Rennie’s comment regarding it being an issue on a hot day in California doesn’t bode well for Australian summers.
The ‘bar-end mirrors were also a cool standard inclusion and offered decent vision behind, but a big head check for lane changes was very much necessary due to their small field of view, while also needing a glance down to see them. The dash was just within my field of vision with a full face helmet, so should be visible in most lids without looking down.
Overall I think Harley-Davidson are onto a winner here. The new Sportster S offers modern performance and technology which is very much the expectation and honestly I think this bike has the potential to win over many riders who wouldn’t otherwise consider a HD. That’s probably true of the Pan America too, considering they share the same impressive engine architecture.
The Sportster S is also well suited to those of smaller stature, and will no doubt make a great transition from a LAMS cruiser for new riders in Australia, although I’m not really sure what the next upgrade would be from there down the line, at this stage.
Australian pricing is $26,495 ride-away for the black, with premium colours adding $295 and I can’t help but wish that price tag was a bit lower. Not because I don’t think it’s worth that asking price, but because I reckon there’s a host of younger, less well off riders who could help usher in the new age of Harley-Davidson, but who probably don’t realise what HD have on offer unless they test ride the new Sportster S.
As it stands, my first impression of the Sportster S is of a great machine that supplants the FXDR 114 in my mind, being lighter, sportier, more high tech and offering some staggering performance, and with a more competitive price tag to boot.
For a full run-down on the new Harley-Davidson Sportster S changes in detail, check out the feature from when the model was first announced: Sportster takes a massive leap forward in performance and price.
| Harley-Davidson Sportster S Specifications | |
| Engine | Revolution Max 1250T, chain-driven, DOHC, hydraulic self-adjusting lifters, intake & exhaust VVT; four valves per cylinder |
| Bore x stroke | 105 mm x 72.3 mm |
| Displacement | 1252 cc |
| Compression Ratio | 12.0:1 |
| Engine Torque | 94 ft-lb (127 Nm) @ 6000 rpm |
| Power | 121 hp (90 kW) @ 7500 rpm |
| Fuel System | Electronic Sequential Port Fuel Injection (ESPFI) |
| Air Cleaner | Downdraft intake, tuned velocity stacks, washable filter media |
| Exhaust | 2-into-1-into-2; catalyst in muffler |
| Lubrication System | Semi-Dry Sump |
| Primary Drive | Gear, 49/89 ratio |
| Final Drive | Belt, 80/34 ratio |
| Clutch | Mechanical, 8 plate wet, assist & slip, 1090N |
| Transmission | Six-speed |
| Frame | Stressed-member, high strength low alloy steel trellis frame; stamped, cast, and forged junctions; MIG welded; aluminum forged mid-structure |
| Swingarm | High strength low alloy steel, tubular sections, stamped x-member, forged axle junctions; MIG welded |
| Front Fork | 43 mm inverted fork with compression, rebound and spring preload adjustability. Aluminum fork triple clamps. |
| Rear Shocks | Linkage-mounted, piggyback monoshock with compression, rebound and hydraulic spring preload adjustability |
| Wheels | Aluminum cast, satin black |
| Wheels, Front Width | 4.50 x 17 in. |
| Wheels, Rear Width | 5.00 x 16 in. |
| Brakes | 320 mm front rotor, radial monoblock four-piston caliper, 260mm rear rotor, single piston caliper, ABS |
| Tyre Type | Dunlop Harley-Davidson Series, radial, GT503 |
| Tyre Size | 160/70TR17 73V, 180/70R16 77V |
| Suspension Travel, F/R | 92 mm / 51 mm |
| Lean Angle Testing Method | J1168 |
| Lean Angle, Right (deg.) | 34 |
| Lean Angle, Left (deg.) | 34 |
| Length | 2265 mm |
| Overall Width | 843 mm |
| Overall Height | 1089 mm |
| Seat Height, Laden | 734 mm |
| Seat Height, Unladen | 753 mm |
| Static Ground Clearance | 93 mm |
| Rake (steering head) | 30 |
| Fork Angle | 28 |
| Trail | 148 mm |
| Wheelbase | 1518 mm |
| Fuel Capacity | 11.8 L |
| Reserve Fuel Capacity | 3 L |
| Oil Capacity (w/filter) | 4.5 L |
| Weight, In Running Order | 228 kg |
| Gross Vehicle Weight Rating | 418 kg |
| Warranty | 24 months (unlimited mileage) |
| Service Interval | First 1,600 km, every 8,000 km thereafter |
| RRP | $26,495 Ride Away |
Source: MCNews.com.au
Summer Night Series rips up SMSP | All category round up from a stellar event
St George MCC Pirelli Summer Night Series Round 2 Report
Words and Images by Half Light Photographic and RbMotoLens
Given that recent St George MCC events have been hit by rain ranging from mist-like showers to full-on downpours with rivers running across T4 and T5, some racers may have thought they’d got the date wrong for the running of St George MCC Pirelli Summer Series Round 2, as the weather forecast was for dry and warm conditions.
For once, the forecast was correct and the weather held delivering almost perfect evening conditions under the Sydney Motorsports Park floodlights.
Summer Series Round 1, held just two weeks earlier on December 3, had run on the same weekend as the final round of ASBK at The Bend which meant just a handful of ASBK racers, like Yanni Shaw, who had elected not to go the South Australia, were at SMP for that event.
With no ASBK commitments on the weekend of Summer Series Round 2, there was some serious talent and weaponry on display. Josh Waters (#21) joined Glenn Allerton (#14) on a second Maxima Racing Oils, BMW M 1000 RR, marking his first race appearance with the team and hopefully foreshadowing a 2022 tilt at the title with the same outfit.
Factory supported riders Cru Halliday (#65, Yamaha Race Team R1) and Oli Bayliss (#32, DesmoSport Ducati/Barni Racing/ Pirelli/Motul, TCX, Macna Race Suits Ducati Panigale V2) were also on-board for the round along with independent ASBK racers Yanni Shaw (#333, Team Specialist Suzuki GSX-R) and Matt Walters (#12, Kawasaki Connection/Repsol/Swann Insurance ZX-10R).
Oli Bayliss is heading to World Supersport next year to ride the Panigale V2 with Barni Racing and the St George meeting gave him some valuable track time on the twin after a year spent campaigning the V4 R.
The Summer Series runs three classes of racing. Riders expected to card sub 1:40 laps, which includes the ASBK crew and a good haul of the Clubbies, run in the Pirelli Unlimited class.
Within Pirelli Unlimited there were two sub-classes, Pirelli Unlimited ‘Outright’ for the factory ASBK boys which consisted of Allerton, Waters, Halliday and Bayliss for this round. The remainder of the Pirelli Unlimited field consists of ASBK independents Matt Walters and Yanni Shaw plus the Clubbies.
While sharing the track, full points were awarded to each sub-class so that first in Unlimited Outright and first in Unlimited would both score 25 points per race. Because of ASBK commitments, Unlimited Outright is a feature that only appears at Rounds 2 and 3 of the Summer Series.
Racers expected to run slower than 1:40 run in the AGV Unlimited class and Supersport entrants run in the IPONE 600 class.
All three classes were expected to have a single eight-minute qualifying period and four five-lap races through the course of the evening. This is quickfire racing at its best. With only four hours available for all the track action, with qualifying kicking off at 6:30 pm, there is little or no time for delays as the field of play has to be vacated by 10:30 pm.
Any delays can result in races at the end of the night being cancelled due to time constraints and, as it did with Round 1, this limitation did have an impact on Round 2. Interruptions early in the evening, with red flags in both AGV Unlimited and IPONE 600 mean that all classes were restricted to three races each rather than the planned four.
Pirelli Unlimited/Outright Unlimited
Glenn Allerton on the BMW M 1000 RR laid down a 1.31.6350 lap in qualifying to give himself pole position 0.4910 ahead of Cru Halliday on the factory R1. Josh Waters, demonstrating that he was adapting quickly to the second BMW M 1000 RR secured third place on the grid just 0.0420-sec off Halliday’s pace.
Sean Condon (#26, BikeBiz/Digbiz Earthworx CBR1000RR), quickest of the non-ASBK factory riders secured fourth place on the grid but unfortunately a gearbox issue prevented him from taking advantage of this position and he did not return to the track for the remainder of the evening.
Oli Bayliss, on a bike that is classed as Supersport rather than Superbike in the 2022 world classifications, posted a 1.33.0190 to give himself fifth place on the grid.
Behind the top five, Mark Vaartjes (#7, West Sliders ZX-10R) was just 0.2690-sec off the pace of Bayliss, giving him sixth spot on the grid with ASBK independent Walters, Nick Marsh (#15, Superbike Source Racing RSV4), Ben Burke (#60, BC Performance, Landscape Supplies ZX-10R) and Tim Griffith (#18, BC Performance, TAG Avionics, Leafy Landscapes ZX-10R) taking out the remainder of the top 10 positions.
In Pirelli Unlimited Race 1, Allerton converted pole position to lead in the early stages of the race but was unable to shake Halliday who was able to make a hard move stick giving him the win by 0.1290-sec and Halliday’s fastest race lap of 1.31.5480 demonstrated just how quick the racing had been.
Josh Waters, still learning his way around the M 1000 RR came home in third place six-seconds behind his teammate with a best lap just three quarters of a second slower than Allerton. Bayliss trailed Waters by a similar six-second margin.
ASBK regular Matt Walters, returning the track for the first time since ASBK Round 4 at Hidden Valley in June, took out fifth place giving him the win in the not-factory Unlimited class. Burke, Vaartjes, Shaw, Dominic De Leon (#63, AT1 ProRace Suits ZX-10R) and Marsh filled out the top 10.
Tim Griffith, who came into Round 2 leading the Pirelli Unlimited class, was not able to match his Round 1 pace finishing 12th and losing some ground to his challengers in the series points table.
Pirelli Unlimited Race 2 showed just how quickly Waters was finding his mark on the BMW. Allerton took out the win from Waters by just 0.119-sec with Waters’ fastest lap being just a shade less than 1/10sec quicker than Allerton’s.
Despite putting in the fastest lap of the race, nearly half a second quicker than Waters, Halliday was not able to repeat his Race 1 victory with a mistake allowing the BMW duo through for the win and second spot. Halliday did recover to keep the pressure on in the closing stages to finish 0.21-sec behind the race winner.
Oli Bayliss, on the less powerful V-twin Ducati came home some five-seconds behind Halliday. Ben Burke was running into fine form as the evening progressed and he was lead rider of the non-factory boys just holding off Matt Walters to the line with Shaw, Vaartjes, Griffith and Marsh filling the remaining top 10 positions
Josh Waters was left facing an uphill battle in Pirelli Unlimited Race 3 as a sensor issue meant that he had to start from pitlane. Despite this handicap, he was able to push his way through to seventh place at the flag but this did put him in fourth place for the Unlimited Outright class for Race 3.
Up front, Allerton kept the hammer down and took the win from Halliday by the narrowest of margins with Bayliss five-seconds back from Halliday. Of the not-factory crew, it was Ben Burke who once again held the lead at the finish, this time building a two-second gap ahead of Mark Vaartjes at the finish with Matt Walters, Josh Waters, Yanni Shaw, Brendan McIntyre (#62, Western M/C/Ric Pobjoy Racing/Suzuki Australia GSX-R) and Nick Marsh completing the top 10.
Round 1 points leader Tim Griffiths had the front end wash out on him going into T1, which is a never a good place to go gardening but both Griffith and the ZX-10R came out of this remarkably unscathed.
Special mention should go to the #64 entry of Aaron Morris on the Harvest Pools/Longwall Haul/Maxima Racing Oils/ Cornish Racing/C&M Motorcycles Suzuki Katana. Here’s a bike that’s nearly 30 years older than the next oldest in class and while the team had a few technical challenges to overcome of the night, a best lap of 1:37.45 is quite an achievement for team, bike and rider. Watch this space, they’ll only get quicker…
Allerton took the meeting win in Pirelli Unlimited Outright scoring 70 points to Halliday’s 63 ahead of Waters (55 points) and Bayliss (52 points). These will be carried forward to Summer Series Round 3 where the Unlimited Outright class will have its second and final outing of the season.
In Pirelli Unlimited class, Ben Burke’s two class wins and one second place saw him take the meeting out with 70 points from Matt Walters (63), Mark Vaartjes (55), Yanni Shaw (52) and Nick Marsh (45).
Despite not having the best of evenings, Tim Griffith, on 124 points, holds a one-point lead over Yanni Shaw going to Round 3 in January. Nick Marsh (115), Joshua Soderland (94) and Joel Taylor (83) hold the remaining top five spots with Rose, Pelegrin, Burke, Franco and Walters filling out the top 10.
Glenn Allerton – Pirelli Unlimited Outright
“Absolute buzz to race under lights again with St.George MCC, the racing is just getting stronger and stronger every time. Qualifying went well for myself with a pole position and all three races were hard fought to the finish. To come away with two wins and a second place, and a fastest lap under lights, made it a great night Thanks to my Maxima Racing Oils BMW team for the support and Shane for making it happen. Great work also by Josh Waters to be so competitive right away on the other Maxima Racing Oils BMW. Can’t wait for the next round on eighth of Jan.”
Josh Waters – Pirelli Unlimited Outright
“It was great to race for the first time under lights at SMP at the St George Pirelli Summer Series. It was my first time racing the BMW and first time working with the Next Gen Motorsports team. The racing was short sharp and exciting. The competition was tough with the guys who finished second and third in ASBK 2021 competing and I was happy with how I rode after a long time off the bike. A big thanks to Shane from Next Gen Motorsports and their support in giving me the opportunity to race.”
Oli Bayliss – Pirelli Unlimited Outright
“Had a great Friday and night at Sydney Motorsports Park for the St George Summer Series race meeting. First time racing under lights and I absolutely loved it, the track was lit up perfectly.”
Ben Burke – Pirelli Unlimited
“The St George night series is a great night out. Its relaxed atmosphere and competitive classes are why we all go racing. Personally, I had a great time on track. We are still coming up to speed but getting closer to putting down some competitive times. I would like to thank all the St George volunteers for their efforts in making a great little race series.”
Matt Walters – Pirelli Unlimited
“Once again St George motorcycle club ran a great night event. My night was tough as I haven’t been on bike much or doing a lot of training since Darwin ASBK but it was great to get a few races under my belt before the start of 2022 and the night series is the perfect place to start. Thanks for a great night, see you next year.”
Mark Vaartjes – Pirelli Unlimited
“What an exhilarating night of racing! The races made me push hard against some really competitive riders from ASBK and in doing that I’ve managed to improve my personal best lap. My ZX-10R performed perfectly, the setup for ideal for the conditions. Racing under lights was a new experience for me so I’m stoked to come away with a podium finish. A big thanks for the support of my major sponsors – Motocity Wollongong, West Sliders and 4SR Leathers. I’m really looking forward to the next St George MCC event.”
Cru Halliday – Pirelli Unlimited Outright
“Friday night was a great event and it’s great to see how many people turned up to a club race and the atmosphere there was unreal. We didn’t try too much on our bike, we used the practice bike, not the race bike but it’s good that you can go out there and have a little battle with some of the boys that race in ASBK, it sharpens your skills, They’re only five lap races so it’s a good little sprint, You see guys from Queensland, like Bayliss, turning up and that’s before he heads to Europe next year. I get guys like Herfoss asking me if I’m doing the next one, it’s starting to get more attention and a lot more riders are starting to look at this club’s racing. It’s going to be a good scene and it would be good to see ASBK rock up to Eastern Creek with a race under lights in the future, I think it would be a great event. Roll on to the next one!”
Pirelli Unlimited Race One Results
| Pos | Rider | Machine | Time |
| 1 | Cru Halliday | Yamaha YZF-R1 | 7:43.6530 |
| 2 | Glenn Allerton | BMW M 1000 RR | 7:43.7820 |
| 3 | Josh Waters | BMW M 1000 RR | 7:50.2520 |
| 4 | Oli Bayliss | Ducati 959 | 7:56.5210 |
| 5 | Matt Walters | Kawasaki ZX-10R | 7:57.8650 |
| 6 | Ben Burke | Kawasaki ZX-10R | 8:00.6570 |
| 7 | Mark Vaartjes | Kawasaki ZX-10R | 8:01.6770 |
| 8 | Yanni Shaw | Suzuki GSX-R1000R | 8:03.4520 |
| 9 | Dominic DeLeon | Kawasaki ZX-10R | 8:03.5070 |
| 10 | Nicholas Marsh | Aprilia RSV4 RF | 8:07.5400 |
Pirelli Unlimited Race Two Results
| Pos | Rider | Machine | Time |
| 1 | Glenn Allerton | BMW M 1000 RR | 7:44.7230 |
| 2 | Josh Waters | BMW M 1000 RR | 7:44.8420 |
| 3 | Cru Halliday | Yamaha YZF-R1 | 7:44.9330 |
| 4 | Oli Bayliss | Ducati 959 | 7:49.9960 |
| 5 | Ben Burke | Kawasaki ZX-10R | 7:55.7480 |
| 6 | Matt Walters | Kawasaki ZX-10R | 7:55.7640 |
| 7 | Yanni Shaw | Suzuki GSX-R1000R | 7:59.3830 |
| 8 | Mark Vaartjes | Kawasaki ZX-10R | 7:59.6530 |
| 9 | Tim Griffith | Kawasaki ZX-10R | 8:06.1650 |
| 10 | Nicholas Marsh | Aprilia RSV4 RF | 8:06.7910 |
Pirelli Unlimited Race Three Results
| Pos | Rider | Machine | Time |
| 1 | Glenn Allerton | BMW M 1000 RR | 7:43.7330 |
| 2 | Cru Halliday | Yamaha YZF-R1 | 7:43.7790 |
| 3 | Oli Bayliss | Ducati 959 | 7:48.2560 |
| 4 | Ben Burke | Kawasaki ZX-10R | 7:54.4520 |
| 5 | Mark Vaartjes | Kawasaki ZX-10R | 7:56.5990 |
| 6 | Matt Walters | Kawasaki ZX-10R | 7:57.4180 |
| 7 | Josh Waters | BMW M 1000 RR | 7:57.8810 |
| 8 | Yanni Shaw | Suzuki GSX-R1000R | 8:03.6690 |
| 9 | Brendan McIntyre | Suzuki GSX-R1000R | 8:06.4380 |
| 10 | Nicholas Marsh | Aprilia RSV4 RF | 8:07.3410 |
Pirelli Unlimited Round Two Points
| Pos | Rider | R1 | R2 | R3 | Total |
| 1 | Glenn Allerton | 20 | 25 | 25 | 70 |
| 2 | Cru Halliday | 25 | 18 | 20 | 63 |
| 3 | Oli Bayliss | 17 | 17 | 18 | 52 |
| 4 | Josh Waters | 18 | 20 | 14 | 52 |
| 5 | Ben Burke | 15 | 16 | 17 | 48 |
| 6 | Matt Walters | 16 | 15 | 15 | 46 |
| 7 | Mark Vaartjes | 14 | 13 | 16 | 43 |
| 8 | Yanni Shaw | 13 | 14 | 13 | 40 |
| 9 | Nicholas Marsh | 11 | 11 | 11 | 33 |
| 10 | Brendan McIntyre | 10 | 10 | 12 | 32 |
AGV Unlimited
Summer Series Round 1 had seen Andrew Black (#134, CBR1000RR) and Zsolt Veres (#977, S1000RR) take out three wins and three second places respectively, which put them in an enviable position going into Round 2.
Black and Veres continued their good form into AGV Unlimited qualifying, once again taking out the top two slots with Jacob Hatch (#99, Hatch Investments RSV4), Paris Hardwick (#72, The Construction Team ZX-10R) and Greg Avery (#40, S 1000 RR) rounding out the top five.
AGV Unlimited Race 1 really turned things on their head with two red flag incidents side-lining series leaders Black and Veres for the evening and leading to the race being abandoned with no points awarded.
In Race 2, Jacob Hatch, who will be heading off to the UK in 2022 to race In BSB in Leon Haslam’s Supersport team, took an emphatic win leading home second place Paris Hardwick by seven-seconds. Greg Avery, Sam Davies (#9, All Stage Racing S 1000 RR) and Hussien Ayad (#20, Gixa Core Cut R1) took out the remaining top five positions.
Hatch overcooked it on cold tyres at the start of Race 3 which ended his evening. Paris Hardwick took advantage of Hatch’s miscue to bring the ZX-10R home for a race victory ahead of Davies, Avery, Ayad and Joshua O’Rourke (#59, LNS Mechanic/PB Physio/Honey Moto Racing/Superbike Accessories ZX-10R).
Sadly that was all she wrote for AGV Unlimited. The abandonment of Race 1 due to the red flags and cancellation of Race 4 die to time constraints was an unfortunate outcome for the class but with so little leeway for delays in an event that has just four hours of track time, everyone knows that this may be how the evening rolls.
Points score for Round 2 mirrored the result of Race 2 with Paris Hardwick taking the meeting win on 45 points with Davies (37), Avery (36), Ayad (33) and O’Rourke (31) rounding out the top five scores for the evening.
Andrew Black and Zsolt Veres came to Round 2 in first and second spots on the ladder but with neither scoring points in this Round’s two AGV Unlimited races, the championship has a different look heading to Round 3 in January.
Series leader now is Greg Avery on 89-points ahead of Hussein Ayad (82), Andrew Black (75), Jacob Hatch (73) and Luke Ruckley (64). The rest of the top 10 is Craig Boyd, Zsolt Veres, Talal Sbbet, Harley Borkowski and Stephen Kairl.
Harley Borkowski – AGV Unlimited
“The almost perfect weather had me excited to be back for Round two of the Summer Night Series after the dodgy conditions at Round 1, and laying down a nice easy qualifying lap of a 1.40.2 put me in the right headspace for a great night. The lap times across the field were super tight, with that only being good enough for 10th place, but it was setting up for some great close racing. The competition got a little too hot, with multiple crashes and red flags saw Race 1 abandoned, but once everyone settled down a bit, we had some great racing with the top ten positions separated by not much more than a few seconds. I managed to claw my way to a seventh and sixth place finishes respectively after some good clean racing and consistently running under the 1.40 mark. The St George club do such a great a great job running these events, and to all the folks who give up their Friday nights to make the racing possible, a massive thanks guys, can’t wait for Round 3.”
Andrew Burley
(Usually AGV Unlimited, working as a flaggie at 15.3 for this round after dislocating his shoulder at Round 1)
“After crashing out of round one and not being healed enough to race in Round 2, I was finally able to give back to the sport I love as part of the Orange Army. What an initiation it was being on one of the most action-packed corners. A couple of crashes to deal with and seeing some of the nation’s best racers power slide out of the hairpin on the back wheel! It was perfect conditions, I really enjoyed the evening and seeing the racing from a different perspective. I will be back to help out again if I’m still not right to race at Round 3.”
AGV Unlimited Race One Results
N/A
AGV Unlimited Race Two Results
| Pos | Rider | Machine | Time |
| 1 | Jacob Hatch | APRILIA RSV4 | 8:12.5120 |
| 2 | Paris Hardwick | KAWASAKI ZX-10 | 8:19.5850 |
| 3 | Greg Avery | BMW S1000 | 8:21.4540 |
| 4 | Sam Davies | BMW S1000RR | 8:27.9100 |
| 5 | Hussein Ayad | YAMAHA R1 | 8:28.0450 |
| 6 | Joshua Orourke | KAWASAKI ZX-10R | 8:31.3180 |
| 7 | Harley Borkowski | HONDA CBR1000 | 8:36.9360 |
| 8 | John Price | BMW S1000RR | 8:38.0630 |
| 9 | Luke Ruckley | APRILIA RSV4 | 8:39.0500 |
| 10 | Talal Sbbet | BMW S1000RR | 8:39.3940 |
AGV Unlimited Race Three Results
| Pos | Rider | Machine | Time |
| 1 | Paris Hardwick | KAWASAKI ZX-10 | 8:18.0740 |
| 2 | Sam Davies | BMW S1000RR | 8:21.5070 |
| 3 | Greg Avery | BMW S1000 | 8:22.5080 |
| 4 | Hussein Ayad | YAMAHA R1 | 8:23.1090 |
| 5 | Joshua Orourke | KAWASAKI ZX-10R | 8:24.9770 |
| 6 | Harley Borkowski | HONDA CBR | 8:27.0260 |
| 7 | John Price | BMW S1000RR | 8:36.2960 |
| 8 | Craig Boyd | YAMAHA YZF R1 | 8:38.2550 |
| 9 | James Berkley | KAWASAKI ZX10R | 8:38.4690 |
| 10 | Talal Sbbet | BMW S1000RR | 8:38.6320 |
AGV Unlimited Round Two Points
| Pos | Rider | R1 | R2 | R3 | Total |
| 1 | Paris Hardwick | 0 | 20 | 25 | 45 |
| 2 | Sam Davies | 0 | 17 | 20 | 37 |
| 3 | Greg Avery | 0 | 18 | 18 | 36 |
| 4 | Hussein Ayad | 0 | 16 | 17 | 33 |
| 5 | Joshua Orourke | 0 | 15 | 16 | 31 |
| 6 | Harley Borkowski | 0 | 14 | 15 | 29 |
| 7 | John Price | 0 | 13 | 14 | 27 |
| 8 | Jacob Hatch | 0 | 25 | 0 | 25 |
| 9 | James Berkley | 0 | 10 | 12 | 22 |
| 10 | Talal Sbbet | 0 | 11 | 11 | 22 |
IPONE 600
Jack Passfield (#42 Stay Upright Rider Training R6) took a narrow series points lead into Round 2 ahead of Aidan Hayes (#46 Hayes Johnston Chartered Accountants R6) with Simon Rees (not present at Round 2), Darragh Murphy (#222 CBR600RR) and Timothy Hunt (#75 Assetnote Triumph Daytona) holding down the remaining top five positions.
Neither Senna Agius (#81 JMT Civil CBR600RR) or Tom Edwards (a late entrant on the #26 BikeBiz R6) were available for Summer Series Round 1 with both riders at The Bend fulfilling ASBK Supersport duties where Edwards narrowly missing out on the championship win to Broc Pearson.
Agius got straight down to business in qualifying putting in a 1.34.712, a full second faster than Edwards and 1.5 seconds clear of Passfield in third. Hayes and James Macintyre (#221 R6) held fourth and fifth spots on the grid going to Race 1.
Race 1 was red flagged after a minor incident on Lap 1 led to Sarah Batten’s beautiful Triumph Daytona being badly damaged by fire after the tank was holed and sparks ignited the leaking fuel. Batten was unhurt although understandably upset by the amount of damage to her race bike which was engulfed in flames before the fire was eventually extinguished.
The incident was able to be cleared quickly enough to allow the race to be restarted and Agius was able to convert pole position into a tight win over Edwards with Passfield in close company with Hayes and Murphy rounding out the top five.
Races 2 and 3 of IPONE 600 followed the same form with Agius taking both races from Edwards, with the one second gap in race 2 being his largest margin of the evening. In both races, Hayes and Murphy completed the top five.
As with the other classes, IPONE 600 race 4 was cancelled due to time constraints.
No surprises with three from three that Senna Agius took out the meeting win with Passfield in second and Hayes in third. But with Passfield and Hayes carrying points forward from Round 1, the series scoreboard going to Round 3 in January will see Passfield still at the head of the ladder on 124 points with Hayes (116), Murphy (99), Kitson (82) and Kean (78) holding the remainder of the top five positions. Sixth to tenth are Agius, McIntyre, Prentice, Boldrini and Edwards.
Senna Agius – IPONE 600
“It was awesome fun to sign off 2021 at a night event run by St George MCC. Everyone from the JMT Civil Honda team is working so well and this new 2021 CBR600RR is only getting better. I have to thank Stephanie Redman, she has put in a lot of her personal time to learn how to work the telemetry as well as her being my rider coach. It’s nice to have people around me that put in as much, or even more, effort than me to help me evolve.”
Tom Edwards – IPONE 600
“I had a super fun night first time racing under lights at The Creek. It was good to have some great competition, I enjoy riding with different fast people. I wasn’t very prepared for the meeting due to short notice but considering the circumstances BikeBiz did an amazing job to get everything ready for me!”
Jack Passfield – IPONE 600
“It was another great night racing under lights with a great turn out of riders and spectators. The pace was not far from what you would see at ASBK level and whilst I was still a little ‘off’ from the long break, it’s been good to have this series to get back up to speed going into next year and we made a step in the right direction on the night. Hopefully I can make it to the last two rounds. A big thanks to St George MCC and the volunteers for the event along with Stay Upright and everyone that continues to support me.”
IPONE 600 Race One Results
| Pos | Rider | Machine | Time |
| 1 | Senna Agius | HONDA CBR600RR | 3:13.7520 |
| 2 | Tom Edwards | YAMAHA R6 | 3:14.3730 |
| 3 | Jack Passfield | YAMAHA R6 | 3:15.5260 |
| 4 | Aidan Hayes | YAMAHA YZF-R6 | 3:17.5100 |
| 5 | Darragh Murphy | HONDA CBR | 3:20.6310 |
| 6 | James Mcintyre | YAMAHA YZF-R6 | 3:23.4940 |
| 7 | Carl Kitson | YAMAHA R6 | 3:24.0900 |
| 8 | Keith Mulcahy | KAWASAKI ZX6R | 3:25.0990 |
| 9 | Simone Boldrini | YAMAHA YZF R6 | 3:26.3860 |
| 10 | James Kean | KAWASAKI ZX6-R | 3:31.0030 |
IPONE 600 Race Two Results
| Pos | Rider | Machine | Time |
| 1 | Senna Agius | HONDA CBR600RR | 7:58.2630 |
| 2 | Tom Edwards | YAMAHA R6 | 7:59.4640 |
| 3 | Jack Passfield | YAMAHA R6 | 8:01.7500 |
| 4 | Aidan Hayes | YAMAHA YZF-R6 | 8:07.8250 |
| 5 | Darragh Murphy | HONDA CBR | 8:14.8050 |
| 6 | Carl Kitson | YAMAHA R6 | 8:19.3500 |
| 7 | James Mcintyre | YAMAHA YZF-R6 | 8:22.1390 |
| 8 | Keith Mulcahy | KAWASAKI ZX6R | 8:26.9460 |
| 9 | James Kean | KAWASAKI ZX6-R | 8:37.4660 |
| 10 | Christopher Dunne | YAMAHA R6 | 8:40.0910 |
IPONE 600 Race Three Results
| Pos | Rider | Machine | Time |
| 1 | Senna Agius | HONDA CBR600RR | 7:53.7840 |
| 2 | Tom Edwards | YAMAHA R6 | 7:54.0590 |
| 3 | Jack Passfield | YAMAHA R6 | 7:58.3100 |
| 4 | Aidan Hayes | YAMAHA YZF-R6 | 8:07.6000 |
| 5 | Darragh Murphy | HONDA CBR | 8:14.9860 |
| 6 | Carl Kitson | YAMAHA R6 | 8:15.5930 |
| 7 | James Mcintyre | YAMAHA YZF-R6 | 8:25.8480 |
| 8 | Keith Mulcahy | KAWASAKI ZX6R | 8:25.8620 |
| 9 | James Kean | KAWASAKI ZX6-R | 8:26.5040 |
| 10 | Cameron Prentice | KAWASAKI ZX6R | 8:37.0650 |
IPONE 600 Round Two Points
| Pos | Rider | R1 | R2 | R3 | Total |
| 1 | SENNA AGIUS | 25 | 25 | 25 | 75 |
| 2 | TOM EDWARDS | 20 | 20 | 20 | 60 |
| 3 | JACK PASSFIELD | 18 | 18 | 18 | 54 |
| 4 | AIDAN HAYES | 17 | 17 | 17 | 51 |
| 5 | DARRAGH MURPHY | 16 | 16 | 16 | 48 |
| 6 | CARL KITSON | 14 | 15 | 15 | 44 |
| 7 | JAMES MCINTYRE | 15 | 14 | 14 | 43 |
| 8 | KEITH MULCAHY | 13 | 13 | 13 | 39 |
| 9 | JAMES KEAN | 11 | 12 | 12 | 35 |
| 10 | CAMERON PRENTICE | 10 | 10 | 11 | 31 |
2021 Pirelli Summer Night Series at SMSP Round 2 Gallery
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Source: MCNews.com.au
Support class round up to sign off on ASBK 2021 as we look towards 2022
Bracksy’s take on the Supports at the ASBK Grand Final at The Bend
For Part 1 see: The ASBK Grand Finale in retrospect
By Mark Bracks – Images by RBMotoLens
The ASBK Superbike class was obviously the main attraction at The Bend, but without the support classes there wouldn’t be a helluva lot of on-track action and drama over the weekend, but more importantly, there would be no breeding ground for new talent, and there is a whole load of youngsters coming through and showcasing their talents.
The five categories of the ASBK titles are like going to school; Junior racing is kindergarten, the Supersport 300 and R3 Cup are primary school, Supersport is high school and those lucky enough to graduate to university move onto the premier ASBK while those who graduate with honours move onto categories like World Superbike or MotoGP.
Looking through the ranks we have plenty of candidates keen on furthering their education, with a handful appearing to have the talent and ability, in coming years, to matriculate to the university of road racing on the world stage.
Pearson Tops Supersport
In the 600 cc Supersport Championship there was no more deserving winner than Broc Pearson. In the past few years he’s played second string to dual Australian Supersport Champion, Tom Toparis and 2018 Champ, Cru Halliday. Always there but didn’t quite bash the door hard enough to knock it down, to break through for a title.
Anyone that knows his history realises those knocks on the door have become more persistent and forceful, but there have been plenty of challenging moments – both physically, and mentally – that have knocked him from pillar to post and back again. It’s been a long, painful and confronting road for the Queenslander.
Pearson has overcome a major crashes, and even near death experiences in his quest for glory and at times for all money it appeared that his dream of road racing success was in the dust.
Thankfully, his determination and the support of many has put the trauma behind him. Broc now has a championship in the belt as he graduates to the Superbike class, in 2022. Not a bad way to celebrate your 21st birthday.
The championship battle between he and life-long race rival Tom Edwards went down to the wire. Pearson held a seven-point lead over Edwards heading to The Bend, with Max Stauffer in contention a further 13-points adrift.
The drama and excitement of the last round was a fitting end to a year that has seen them nipping at each others heels like pesky blue-heelers, with Max Stauffer keeping them in check.
Edwards won the first race by over five-seconds after Pearson made a mistake early in the race. Broc then mixed it with Max as Tom increased his gap but Max won the battle for second.
The gap between the pair had now closed to a solitary point advantage to Broc, with Max still nipping away ready for a mishap from either of them.
Pearson did a heap of soul-searching in the break between races. It was his worst result of the year, at the most crucial time of the year.
Whoever won the last race would win the title and it went down to a classic last corner of the last lap, with a last fast desperate drag to the line as Pearson crossed the line by the bee’s dick gap of just 0.05s!
No one likes to be the first loser, but Edwards was the first to congratulate Pearson on his feat and did not begrudge Broc one iota after the race.
The pair have been racing against each other since they were seven-years-old, chasing each other around the dirt tracks of Australia before the graduation to road racing. Their paths in road racing took different avenues before they reunited again this year to go head-to-head for the title.
There may have been only six races to the season, but in each one, the pair stalked and battled, breaking lap records while racing with the utmost respect for each other. It was heart-warming to see the pair embrace at the end of the race.
An annual award that commenced in 1988 is the “Samurai Award” previously known as the RK Chains Samurai Award initiated by AMCN editor, the late Ken Wootton.
The Honour Roll of recipients of the award is a who’s who of Australian racing with recipients such as Mick Doohan, Daryl Beattie, Peter Goddard, Marty Craggill and 27 other illustrious riders.
The winner this year, Broc Pearson, was the unanimous victor and had his name etched on the trophy. Another award well deserved.
Aussie Ex-Pats Return
The Supersport class had a couple of international riders making a very welcome appearance at the final round with Billy van Eerde, Harrison Voight and Senna Agius entering the class for the weekend.
Some may have heard of Billy van Eerde, who won the Asia Talent Cup, competed in the Red Bull Rookies Cup and this year, did a few rounds of the FIM CEV Moto3 Junior World Championship along with a couple of steers in the World Supersport Championship.
He was riding a fairly long-in-the-tooth Yamaha R6 and also had to learn the track but, like Jack, he was just happy to be there racing. In fact Jack was even on the spanners, assisting with his set-up.
Harrison (Harry) Voight is not as well known – at the moment – but he had a very confronting year racing in the FIM CEV Moto3 Championship. He graduated to that class after racing in the Asia Talent Cup in 2019 and 2020 and also the Northern Talent Cup in 2020 where he finished fourth.
For 2021 he was accepted for the Red Bull Rookies Cup and signed to the SIC58 Squadra Corse Honda team with fellow Aussie, Senna Agius. The above mentioned trio made up a quartet of Aussie competitors in the CEV champs with Joel Kelso – who won three races and finished fourth overall in the title.
The year started very well for Voight, with a 12th place in the opening CEV race, but then soon turned to crap. At the next round, he had a coming together with another rider, crashed and broke his collarbone that forced his withdrawal for a few weeks from both competitions.
Harry returned for the fourth round of the RBRC at the Sachsenring (Germany) and finished eighth in the second race. His best result of the year, so a great confidence boost. He then headed to Portimao for the fourth round of the CEV title. In the opening laps, he high-sided over the infamous crest of the roller coaster, unsighted from following riders then he was hit, breaking his femur, fibula with a compound fracture of the tibia for good measure.
It was an horrific incident and if the impact had been 30 cm higher, who knows where the 15-year-old would be. Harry was out of both titles but through massive hard work and determination made a remarkably rapid recovery from such serious injury
He competed in the the final round of the CEV at Valencia after a medical clearance with strict instructions not to go too crazy. Easier said than done for a teenager but Harry listened and scored a 20th and 17th places to finish the year to rush back here, go through quarantine to compete on a not-so-new race bike.
The good news is that Harry will again be with the SIC58 team in the CEV Moto3 class next year. Keep an eye on him as I reckon he will go a long way in the sport.
For 2019 Aussie Supersport 300 Champion Senna Agius the weekend was a perfect summation of his year in the CEV.
He was quick from the outset and looked a real threat for a victory after he qualified third for the Supersport class, but unfortunately there was an oversight in his quarantine on his return to Australia and he was then forced to withdraw from the meeting on Saturday afternoon and head to Adelaide.
Senna is not short of talent but he’s not short in height either, which was a massive detriment to him racing with all the lighter, short-arse riders of Euro heritage, in the SIC58 Team alongside Voight in the CEV title.
Moving up to the FIM CEV Moto2 class will be manna for him as his weight and height will be nowhere near as critical as in the junior 250 cc class, and he proved in his time at the Bend (and a few days ago at SMSP) he will kick some freckle next year in Europe.
As for the weekend for Billy and Harry, in the first Supersport race, the pair finished seventh and eighth respectively, and in the last race they both crashed out!
In R2, Billy was battling with the leaders in third position when he crashed at the end of the second lap, while Harry battling in the top six, crashed at the tight T6 Hairpin with just over a lap to go. Thankfully, both were uninjured.
Moving On Up
While Pearson and Stauffer may be moving on to the Superbikes, in a way, its a pity to see Max graduate. After finishing in the top three two years in a row and also being a race winner, he’d be an equal favourite for next year’s title.
With Pearson moving on I reckon he will adapt to a Superbike pretty quickly to be in the top five. Finally he will be sitting on a bike that suits his rather tall frame.
There are others that are also moving on.
Luke Power is heading to the USA to race in the MotoAmerica Supersport class with his good mate and Supersport 300 rider, Joe Mariniello (who’ll be competing in the Supersport 300 class), while Scott Nicholson may be heading over with them as a support crew with the trio based in Orlando, Florida. Look out Orlando, especially if LP gets dolled up in his watermelon PJs and matching hat for a night out!
While it will be disappointing not to see all of them racing locally, there are plenty to fill the void to ensure that Edwards doesn’t have it all his own way in 2022.
The Tom-E-Gun will start favourite for the title after finishing fifth in his first season last year and going oh so close in ’21.
South Australian, Dallas Skeer who finished fifth overall will be knocking on the door with the likes of Tom Bramich, Aidan Hayes and teenager John Lytras in the leading contingent more often.
Skeer has been on a Suzuki in the past few seasons but that will change next year with him switching to Yamaha after purchasing one of Pearson’s championship winning bikes.
Dallas is a quiet achiever going about his racing with a minimum of fuss and fanfare. This year he had the experienced Glen Richards in his corner as crew chief. Whether that continues next year is uncertain, but if he stays it will be a major benefit for Dallas’s championship aspirations.
Tom Bramich will be a front runner next year. I don’t doubt it. He has a good team and good support and if he hadn’t had a whoopsie in race one he would’ve been well in the top ten in the race and in the championship. In the family run team it’s taken a bit of time for Tom to settle into the 600 but he’s never been that far away from the front runners. Next year will be a different yarn.
The seventh place overall finish of John Lytras doesn’t mirror his year as he was an early casualty at the Wakefield Park round when he wrote off his bike early on practice day and was forced out of the meeting going down a wagon full of points.
With his ever improving progress expect the diminutive teenager to be right up the front from the first round.
A debutant to the class next year will be this year’s dual Proddie champ, Ben Baker. Ben has the talent to be up the front. It won’t happen immediately but rest assured he will be getting closer on every lap.
The 300 cc Classes
Baker from the NSW Central Coast created his own piece of history by being the first rider to claim the Supersport 300 Championship and the Yamaha R3 Cup in the same year.
Like Pearson in the 600s, Benny didn’t make it easy for himself. After finishing third in the opening 300 and R3 Cup races on Saturday afternoon, he came out for his first race on Sunday in the R3s and won the title with another third place (0.052 from the win) in a six rider bunch that was separated by 0.739 sec at the finish line.
Ben’s post race antics were one of the most bizarre championship celebrations ever witnessed in Australia; he was welcomed at Turn 1 by Lachlan Epis, dressed as a Roman centurion and Anthony Mariniello, – a close friend and supporter of Ben – dolled up like Emperor Julius Caesar. They presented the championship T-shirt and one-off gold-liveried helmet, and adorned him with a massive imitation gold chain with two rolls of Anthony’s home-made salami attached!
As they say; “Once seen, can never be unseen,” and watching Epis bend over in his rather short centurion outfit was one of those sights.
However with the 300 title up for grabs, maybe it was the pressure, maybe he was overcome with winning the R3 Cup an hour previously, maybe it was the weight of the salami or maybe not enough spuds from his favourite food cart but while in the leading bunch with a 37-point lead, he just had to bring it home. That would’ve been too easy so, he crashed at T1 at the start of lap four! He remounted to finish the race but the title lead was now 23 points.
Brando’s Last Tango
The end of the 2021 season marked the end of Brandon Demmery’s racing career. Brando has been a mainstay of the 300 cc Proddie class for the best part of a decade; one of the original competitors and won the title when it was still running the Ninja 250.
Brando came back from life threatening injuries after a start line incident in the 2017 MotoGP support races to still be a regular front runner.
He wears his heart on his sleeve and was never backward in expressing his thoughts, which could be detrimental but one thing was for sure, there was never a dull moment, and you sure knew where you stood with the man – good or bad!
His last race wasn’t a fairy tale winning end but he was just one second from the win in ninth position, mirroring the intensely close competition of the breeding classes, but he did leave a mark with a new Supersport 300 lap record to show there is still plenty of pace in him, if he did desire to change his mind.
I wish him all the best in his future endeavours.
Another that uttered he would be hanging up the leathers is Zachary Johnson but I’d like to make a public appeal to Zac: Keep on racing as you will be missed with your spectacular riding style.
The Winning Feeling
Successful riders tell me that the first win in any class is a mighty relief.
Archie McDonald and Glenn Nelson will certainly agree. Both have been on a steady upward progress this year although Archie had a rough start to the year missing the first round with a broken leg – as did Angus Grenfell – but he certainly made up for that at the Bend.
Not only did he break through for his first win in the ASBK Proddie classes, he had a stellar weekend with two wins and a third in the Supersport 300, while in the R3 Cup he had one win and two second places, meaning he was on the podium in every race, taking round wins in both classes. An excellent way to finish his time in Australia, before he heads to Italy in 2022.
Queenslander, Glenn Nelson wasn’t far behind in accomplishments to crack his first win. In the opening race he looked to have the edge in a frantic duel with four others but took the long way to the line weaving across the straight while Archie nailed it in a straight line to win, momentarily thwarting his maiden win by another bee’s dick distance of an almost invisible 0.05-sec gap.
After being summoned to the head master’s office for a little chat regarding weaving during the race, Glenn was suitably admonished and ready to rumble on Sunday, and that he did with a race win in each class backed up with two second places, a third and a crash in the opening 300 cc race.
The fairly consistent results were enough for him the finish second overall in the R3 Cup class after Cameron Dunker was forced out of the final race of the year – crashing at T1 to bring out the red flag and a complete restart. While disappointing for Dunker he still held onto third in the championship.
Another to keep your eye on in 2022 will be Reece Oughtred who through consistent results finished second behind Baker in the Supersport 300 and it won’t be too long into next year where he gets a taste of that winning feeling.
As for 2019 OJC winner and last year’s R3 Cup champion Carter Thompson, it was a weekend to forget for he and his younger brother, Hudson, who both ended the weekend visiting a hospital.
Thompson the elder started out in fine form and looked to be back in his winning ways after he qualified first in the R3 Cup and second in the Supersport 300 class. In the opening R3 Cup race he was part of the frantic four rider duel with McDonald, Nelson and Baker to finish fourth but in the first 300cc heat he very uncharacteristically crashed while in a good position and walked away seemingly ok.
It only got worse for the youngster as in the opening race on Sunday, in the R3 Cup he crashed again virtually at the same spot, knocking himself out and breaking a collarbone.
But he will bounce back, he is a champion in the making, has been successful in the Asia Talent Cup and will race in the European Talent Cup next year.
Oceania Junior Cup
As with any junior program, the OJC continues to produce future stars and one of the brightest to come through is Cameron Swain.
While he won the OJC to join other victors it is the way he did it that had folk sit up and take notice. In the nine races this year he was never off the podium taking six wins, two second places and one third – the only OJC rider to podium at every race, and he wrapped up the title with two races to go. Not too shabby for a 13-year-old.
Add in that Cam has never crashed in two years of the OJC and won the 2021 title by 56-points, and he is sure to go a long way.
Cam will remain in Australia next year but has been invited to compete in the Asia Talent Cup alongside fellow Aussies, with Carter Thompson fronting up for his third year in the series, while Marianos Nikolis will join the ATC for a second year.
As mentioned above it was a wretched weekend for the Thompson brothers with Hudson the younger, who debuted in the Oceania Junior Cup this year, also joining his brother with a trip to hospital.
Hudson finished fifth in Race 1, and scored the fastest lap time of Race 2 before he crashed at the tricky turn 6 and suffered an ankle injury,
Look out for Teerin Fleming too, the younger brother of Varis. He is just old enough to race and was granted a Wild Card to compete before joining OJC full time next year. A typical case of brotherly rivalry as he finished in front of his older sibling in two of the three races, with the pair finishing on equal points.
The OJC will no doubt give rise to many future champions, but over the weekend at the Bend there were a multitude of riders that had come through the junior ranks in the past, that has now morphed into the OJC that we recognise today.
On a personal level, after running the GP Juniors Australia program for three years with the Yamaha R15s, from 2016-18, it’s very special to witness so many graduates of the class succeeding; Harrison Voight, Max Stauffer, Joel Kelso, Tom Edwards, Luke Power, John Lytras, Ben Baker, Reece Oughtred, Harry Kouri and Glenn Nelson are doing so well. Then there’s a few more like Zylas Bunting and Marianos Nikolia that competed in the GP Juniors. It makes an old man very proud to have had some effect on road racing.
Combine those names with Jack Miller, Billy Van Eerde, Josh Hook, Daniel Falzon, Mike Jones and Remy Gardner that competed in the MRRDA series, as well as Tony Edwards and Joel Kelso whose initial road racing commenced in the MRRDA, before continuing with GP Juniors, proves emphatically that the junior programs have succeeded in the past.
Go back before the MRRDA was formed, and the likes of Wayne Holland and Tony Hatton started the Moriwaki 80 series in the mid-1990s that featured fledgling riders such as Wayne Maxwell and Josh Brookes.
Now it is run with the ASBK at every round with such a professional setup, the OJC program will provide even more opportunities for young Aussie racing hopefuls to have a broader avenue to achieve their dreams. The lines of your little black talent spotter’s book will be filled with plenty of names to be used for future reference.
Summing up a watershed weekend
There were so many positives about the final round but one observation from the spectators’ point of view is worth consideration. A few mates from Phillip Island rode over, meeting up with others that rode from interstate for an excellent adventure and camped out. The general consensus was they would never complain about the spectator facilities at the Island ever again.
The lads related to me that the Bend is a great layout and while the pit lane facility is world class with a hotel, corporate facilities and a restaurant and bar to watch the action, plus sky decks for a great view, and a great campground adjacent to the track, but if you are out spectating around the track, it’s a very different story.
While there are some great vantage points, perched on the mounds to watch the racing, there is very little in way of facilities; with no toilets, or food vans and no protection from the elements particularly the gamma rays. You have to bring your own quick shades, eskies and anything else you might need if your desire is to remain in the one spot. .
Added to that I was informed, they were assaulted by dry hot winds and dust with barely any grass and massive weeds and clumps of nettles and thorns ready to attach themselves to human flesh.
Overall the entire weekend was something very special. There’s no denying that the presence of Jack Miller, along with Josh Hook, Harry Voight, Billy Van Eerde and to a certain extent Senna Agius, added exposure on an international scale through the myriad of broadcast avenues that aired the event.
Their participation, combined with the local talent that strutted its stuff over that weekend will benefit the future exposure and ever increasing popularity of the ASBK Championships.
Let’s hope the racing gods see fit to allow a full season of competition that will culminate in another stellar event at the Bend Motorsport Park in early December, next year, and Jack will have the opportunity to grace us with his involvement again.
You never know who may come to play with him! Thanks Jack and thanks Hooky for dangling the bait for him to bite.
In many ways 2021 was more challenging than last year in the hurdles and detours that had to be negotiated with this bloody wretched pandemic.
In closing for the year, a massive thanks to everyone involved is due and as such, I’d like to thank everyone from M.A. who worked tirelessly to ensure that we completed a championship, to the officials, the riders, teams and families, to all the spectators that attended the events in this challenging year to assist in making it what it was – no matter how many rounds were changed and/or cancelled.
Also thanks to the amazing bunch of people I had the opportunity and pleasure to work with during the year to broadcast the event at the circuit and around the world. I trust we were entertaining, although it’s a fact of life you can’t please all the people all the time, and indeed some of the people any of the time!
Here’s to a massive 2022. A merry Christmas and Happy New Year to each and everyone of you.
Motorsports TV Supersport Championship Standings
| Pos | Name | Pole | R1 | R2 | Total |
| 1 | Broc PEARSON | 1 | 18 | 25 | 135 |
| 2 | Tom EDWARDS | 25 | 20 | 129 | |
| 3 | Max STAUFFER | 20 | 18 | 116 | |
| 4 | Scott NICHOLSON | 17 | 16 | 91 | |
| 5 | Dallas SKEER | 13 | 15 | 90 | |
| 6 | Luke POWER | 63 | |||
| 7 | John LYTRAS | 16 | 17 | 61 | |
| 8 | Jack PASSFIELD | 58 | |||
| 9 | Tom BRAMICH | 14 | 55 | ||
| 10 | Timothy LARGE | 12 | 13 | 50 | |
| 11 | Aidan HAYES | 47 | |||
| 12 | Rhys BELLING | 42 | |||
| 13 | Noel MAHON | 11 | 12 | 40 | |
| 14 | Mitch KUHNE | 30 | |||
| 15 | Luke MITCHELL | 24 | |||
| 16 | Matthew LONG | 23 | |||
| 17 | Jack HYDE | 23 | |||
| 18 | Ben ANGELIDIS | 10 | 11 | 21 | |
| 19 | Joel TAYLOR | 17 | |||
| 20 | Billy VAN EERDE | 15 | 15 | ||
| 21 | Harrison VOIGHT | 14 | 14 |
| Pos | Name | Bike | Pole | R1 | R2 | R3 | Total |
| 1 | Ben BAKER | Yamaha | 1 | 18 | 16 | 171 | |
| 2 | Reece OUGHTRED | Yamaha | 14 | 20 | 11 | 143 | |
| 3 | Zac JOHNSON | Kawasaki | 16 | 17 | 134 | ||
| 4 | Cameron DUNKER | Yamaha | 13 | 15 | 13 | 127 | |
| 5 | Archie McDONALD | Yamaha | 25 | 18 | 25 | 119 | |
| 6 | Brandon DEMMERY | Yamaha | 12 | 13 | 12 | 111 | |
| 7 | Tom DRANE | Yamaha | 20 | 16 | 18 | 108 | |
| 8 | Glenn NELSON | Yamaha | 25 | 20 | 96 | ||
| 9 | Angus GRENFELL | Yamaha | 15 | 14 | 17 | 87 | |
| 10 | Joseph MARINIELLO | Kawasaki | 7 | 12 | 8 | 78 | |
| 11 | Carter THOMPSON | Yamaha | 76 | ||||
| 12 | Caleb GILMORE | Yamaha | 75 | ||||
| 13 | James JACOBS | Kawasaki | 17 | 7 | 15 | 67 | |
| 14 | Peter NERLICH | Kawasaki | 2 | 4 | 3 | 56 | |
| 15 | Jacob HATCH | Yamaha | 46 | ||||
| 16 | Lucas QUINN | Yamaha | 2 | 6 | 41 | ||
| 17 | Jonathan NAHLOUS | Yamaha | 40 | ||||
| 18 | Zylas BUNTING | Kawasaki | 39 | ||||
| 19 | Brodie GAWITH | Yamaha | 11 | 10 | 35 | ||
| 20 | Varis FLEMING | Yamaha | 10 | 11 | 10 | 33 | |
| 21 | Matthew RINDEL | Yamaha | 4 | 32 | |||
| 22 | Mitchell SIMPSON | Yamaha | 9 | 8 | 14 | 31 | |
| 23 | Jake FARNSWORTH | Kawasaki | 31 | ||||
| 24 | Taiyo AKSU | Yamaha | 8 | 9 | 9 | 30 | |
| 25 | Clay CLEGG | Yamaha | 26 | ||||
| 26 | Zakary PETTENDY | Yamaha | 23 | ||||
| 27 | Sam PEZZETTA | Yamaha | 6 | 6 | 7 | 19 | |
| 28 | Jai RUSSO | Yamaha | 16 | ||||
| 29 | Henry SNELL | Yamaha | 3 | 5 | 5 | 14 | |
| 30 | Laura BROWN | Yamaha | 5 | 14 | |||
| 31 | Liam WATERS | Yamaha | 10 | ||||
| 32 | Zane KINNA | Yamaha | 7 | ||||
| 33 | Hayden NELSON | Yamaha | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 | |
| 34 | Jordan SIMPSON | Yamaha | 4 | 4 | |||
| 35 | Cooper ROWNTREE | Yamaha | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Pos | Name | R1 | R2 | R3 | Total |
| 1 | Ben BAKER | 18 | 18 | 25 | 192 |
| 2 | Glenn NELSON | 20 | 25 | 18 | 132 |
| 3 | Cameron DUNKER | 14 | 17 | 127 | |
| 4 | Archie McDONALD | 25 | 20 | 20 | 125 |
| 5 | Brandon DEMMERY | 12 | 12 | 14 | 114 |
| 6 | Reece OUGHTRED | 11 | 11 | 111 | |
| 7 | Angus GRENFELL | 16 | 15 | 16 | 99 |
| 8 | Varis FLEMING | 13 | 13 | 13 | 90 |
| 9 | Carter THOMPSON | 17 | 87 | ||
| 10 | Tom DRANE | 15 | 16 | 17 | 83 |
| 11 | Caleb GILMORE | 72 | |||
| 12 | Brodie GAWITH | 14 | 11 | 71 | |
| 13 | Lucas QUINN | 4 | 5 | 10 | 62 |
| 14 | Jacob HATCH | 62 | |||
| 15 | Clay CLEGG | 3 | 2 | 3 | 53 |
| 16 | Taiyo AKSU | 9 | 10 | 15 | 52 |
| 17 | Henry SNELL | 5 | 7 | 9 | 50 |
| 18 | Jake FARNSWORTH | 48 | |||
| 19 | Matthew RINDEL | 2 | 6 | 6 | 42 |
| 20 | Zakary PETTENDY | 40 | |||
| 21 | Laura BROWN | 38 | |||
| 22 | Sam PEZZETTA | 8 | 8 | 12 | 28 |
| 23 | Liam WATERS | 28 | |||
| 24 | Mitchell SIMPSON | 10 | 9 | 8 | 27 |
| 25 | Jai RUSSO | 7 | 4 | 5 | 26 |
| 26 | Jonathan NAHLOUS | 23 | |||
| 27 | Jordan SIMPSON | 6 | 3 | 7 | 16 |
| 28 | Zane KINNA | 16 | |||
| 29 | Jamie PORT | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 |
| 30 | Sam DAVIS | 6 | |||
| 31 | Jack FAVELLE | 4 | 4 | ||
| 32 | Hayden NELSON | 4 | |||
| 33 | Lincoln KNIGHT | 3 |
| Pos | Name | R1 | R2 | R3 | Total |
| 1 | Cameron SWAIN | 20 | 25 | 20 | 208 |
| 2 | Ryan LARKIN | 25 | 18 | 25 | 152 |
| 3 | Levi RUSSO | 14 | 15 | 16 | 137 |
| 4 | Harrison WATTS | 11 | 16 | 17 | 121 |
| 5 | Nate O’NEILL | 18 | 17 | 121 | |
| 6 | Hayden NELSON | 17 | 14 | 18 | 112 |
| 7 | Varis FLEMING | 13 | 11 | 12 | 108 |
| 8 | Hudson THOMPSON | 16 | 96 | ||
| 9 | Riley NAUTA | 83 | |||
| 10 | Marcus HAMOD | 12 | 12 | 81 | |
| 11 | William HUNT | 6 | 10 | 9 | 80 |
| 12 | Toby JAMES | 3 | 5 | 6 | 74 |
| 13 | Valentino KNEZOVIC | 5 | 7 | 13 | 73 |
| 14 | Jack FAVELLE | 9 | 7 | 71 | |
| 15 | Nikolas LAKUSIC | 48 | |||
| 16 | Bodie PAIGE | 7 | 8 | 11 | 47 |
| 17 | Tate McCLURE | 45 | |||
| 18 | Sam DRANE | 10 | 20 | 10 | 40 |
| 19 | Elijah ANDREW | 1 | 3 | 4 | 39 |
| 20 | Lachlan MOODY | 2 | 4 | 5 | 38 |
| 21 | Teerin FLEMING | 15 | 6 | 15 | 36 |
| 22 | Rikki HENRY | 8 | 13 | 14 | 35 |
| 23 | Oliver SKINNER | 29 | |||
| 24 | Cameron RENDE | 4 | 9 | 8 | 21 |
Source: MCNews.com.au
2022 rookie profile: Fabio Di Giannantonio
While he may not have pocketed the Championship, he certainly caught the eye as he was quickly snapped up by Gresini Racing for the 2016 Moto3™ season, as well as debuting with the side at the Valencia GP. Di Giannantonio took some time to get used to his new Honda, failing to crack the top 15 in the first five races of the season. However, it was a different story for the sixth race of the season, storming to a P2 finish in Mugello and kickstarting a memorable season for the rookie Italian. Two more podiums followed, as well as a glut of top six and top ten results as he finished sixth in the Championship.
Source: MotoGP.com – Read Full Article Here
2023 Triumph Tiger 1200 | First Look Review
In recent years, Triumph has expanded its Tiger range to include more models than ever. From the Tiger Sport 660 to Tiger 850 Sport to the Tiger 900 lineup, the extended family now caters to avid off-roaders and long-haul tourers alike. Now, it’s the range-topping Tiger’s turn for an upgrade, and Hinckley spares no expense with the 2023 Triumph Tiger 1200 lineup.
In typical Triumph fashion, the flagship Tiger champions an inline-Triple engine, but the updated mill comes from the firm’s heralded Speed Triple 1200 RS naked bike. In adventure bike form, the liquid-cooled, 1,160cc powerplant touts 147 horsepower at 9,000 rpm and 95 lb-ft of torque at 7,000 rpm. Similar to the Tiger 900 series, the Triple benefits from Triumph’s T-plane crank, delivering tractability in the low-end without sacrificing the engaging mid-range and top-end.
Triumph wedges the large-capacity Triple into an all-new frame with a bolt-on aluminum subframe. A lighter and stronger tri-link swingarm steadies the ride at the rear while the semi-active Showa suspension adapts to the rider and road conditions. On the GT models, the semi-active system provides 7.9 inches of travel while the two Rally variants enjoy 8.7 inches. Rake also differs between the two camps, with the GTs reporting 24.1 degrees and the Rallies coming in at 23.7 degrees. Despite those differences, all Tiger 1200s receive Brembo Stylema calipers mated to dual 320mm front discs and a single-piston Brembo binder with a 282mm rotor at the rear.
The Tiger’s new compact design also results in a 55-pound weight saving. The slimmer waist and revised ergonomics improve rider comfort and users can adjust the standard seat between 33.5 and 34.25 inches. The revised bodywork also emphasizes the Tiger’s newfound poise and stance while seamlessly integrating the dual-radiator system and downsized exhaust silencer.
The 1200 family may share the same core components, but Triumph splits the model into five variants. The GT, GT Pro, and GT Explorer favor long-distance travel on the tarmac while the Rally Pro and Rally Explorer prefer life off the beaten path. As a result, the road-focused GT line features 19-inch front and 18-inch rear cast-aluminum wheels, and the Rally trims opt for dirt-worthy 21-inch/18-inch tubeless spoked wheelset. Conversely, the Explorer trims share a 7.9-gallon gas tank for extra mileage between fill-ups while all other variants settle for the 5.3-gallon unit.
In addition to the Tiger’s differing hardware, Triumph equips each model with trim-specific software. The Rally Pro and Rally Explorer get all six ride modes including Road, Rain, Sport, Off-Road, Off-Road Pro, and Custom. Triumph only removes the Off-Road Pro mode from the GT Pro and GT Explorer, but reduces the standard GT to Rain, Road, and Sport. While each Tiger 1200 boasts a 7-inch TFT display with My Triumph Connectivity System, only the Explorer models feature a blind-spot radar system, heated grips and seats, and a tire pressure monitoring system. Regardless of the trim, each Tiger 1200 comes with dual-channel cornering ABS and cornering traction control.
Of course, Tiger 1200 owners can also turn to Triumph extensive accessories catalog for everything from full luggage systems to auxiliary lights to comprehensive bike protection. The new big-bore ADV will be available in four colorways including Snowdonia White, Sapphire Black, Lucerne Blue, and Matte Khaki, and it will hit Triumph dealerships in spring 2022. Pricing is as follows:
- 2023 Triumph Tiger 1200 GT: $19,100
- 2023 Triumph Tiger 1200 GT Pro: $21,400
- 2023 Triumph Tiger 1200 GT Explorer: $23,100
- 2023 Triumph Tiger 1200 Rally Pro: $22,500
- 2023 Triumph Tiger 1200 Rally Explorer: $24,200
For more information or to find a Triumph dealer near you, visit triumphmotorcycles.com.
The post 2023 Triumph Tiger 1200 | First Look Review first appeared on Rider Magazine.
Source: RiderMagazine.com
2021 MotoGP™ recap: German Grand Prix
Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) sat on pole but the Frenchman failed to make that advantage count as he was quickly swallowed up by the chasing pack, which was now led by Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro. However, it didn’t take long for Marquez to make his mark, rolling back the years to take control of the race by the close of the second lap. Catalan GP victor Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), who was impressive once again, and Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) were in pursuit of the RC213V, but they were powerless to resist a rider who had found his groove again. Even the rain couldn’t stop Marquez, with the number 93 ending a 581-day wait to stand on the top step of a MotoGP™ podium once again and remain undisputed of King of the Ring.
Source: MotoGP.com – Read Full Article Here