Tag Archives: F1

Triumph unveils electric motorcycle

Triumph Motorcycles has revealed a sketch of what their electric motorcycle will look like – and it looks very sporty indeed.

The British company has been working for a couple of years with the British F1 team Williams after receiving millions in government funding to produce electric motorcycles.

Triumph has been surveying its customers since 2012 to see if they want them to produce electric bikes and in 2019 the company issued a trademark filing for the name “Trident” to be used for “all possible classes” including motorcycling gear, accessories, clothing and “electric machines”.

However, for the moment, the bike is called the TE-1 project and there are only a few vague technical details available.

They say it will have “class-leading power, efficiency, charging time and range” thanks to an innovative, lightweight battery.

“The all-new battery has peak power of 170kW and continuous power of 90kW, with a capacity of 15kWh,” their press release says. 

“This enables the motorbike to deliver 130kW of peak power and 80kW of continuous power.

“Class-leading system cooling combined with the optimum balance of power and energy means TE-1 can give the rider more electric power for longer and deliver outstanding performance regardless of battery charge. 

“The 360-volt system also enables a fast-charging time of under 20mins (0-80%), which is combined with a market-leading target range.”

That last statement is a bit vague, but could mean more than the 360km range offered by Zero Motorcycles with their extended battery pack.

After two years, the project has completed phase two of what they say is a four-phase program, so it could be another couple of years yet before we even see a prototype.

Tokyo Motor Show Yamaha Display

Add another couple of years before a production model is ready.

Triumph CEO Nick Bloor says the project will “provide one of the foundations for our future electric motorcycle strategy, which is ultimately focused on delivering what riders want from their Triumph; the perfect balance of performance, handling and real world usability, with genuine Triumph character”.

Williams spokesman Dyrr Ardash says the “next-generation battery technology” will provide “more power, for longer”. 

The company was the original supplier of batteries to the entire grid of FIA Formula E World Championship cars in 2014, a relationship that has been revived for 2022-23 season with Williams Advanced Engineering being awarded the exclusive contract to supply the Gen3 battery system. 

WAE also supplies battery systems to ETCR and Extreme-E.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

MotoGP vs Formula One: Which is Faster, Two Wheels or Four?

While it was very nice of MotoGP to put out droves of content for free, nothing quite compares to the thrills of live, high-speed motorbikes. After a long wait, MotoGP has returned with a new schedule, with a sleek stack of races across Europe and a few more earmarked to take place in North America, South America, and Asia, pending confirmation. As of 19 July, MotoGP is back, with the Circuito de Jerez hosting the first of a confirmed 13 races that’ll give the super-powered bikes a place to burn some rubber and compete for the championship. Alongside MotoGP, another high-velocity sport has made its return, Formula One, so we thought it prudent to check out the two racing tournaments side-by-side to see if two wheels are faster than four.

The insane speeds of MotoGP bikes

The Qatar tests from February 2020 laid down some incredible speeds. Top of the pile was Jack Miller on a Ducati, clocking in at 355.2 kph (220.7 mph). Close behind was Danilo Petrucci at 352.9 kph, Francesco Bagnaia at 351.7 kph, and Johann Zarco at 350.6 kph; all of whom were also riding a Ducati bike. It may be surprising that, despite his dominance, Marc Marquez doesn’t have the fastest bike in MotoGP, with his Honda reaching a top speed of 346.1 kph. The top speed of these Qatar tests wasn’t too far off of the record, with the Ducati of Andrea Dovizioso hitting 356.5 kph (221.5 mph) at the Gran Premio d’Italia Oakley.

Away from the track, manufacturers are pushing the limits of what we thought was possible on two wheels with absurdly fast models. In the electric motorcycle space, Venturi’s BB2.5 prototype hit a staggering 495 kph (307.6 mph) in testing, while they say their BB3 model can hit unheralded heights of 700 kph (434.96 mph). As for what can be purchased on the market, the 2019 MTT 420RR is claimed to be the fastest motorcycle, with a top speed of 273.4 mph (440 kph). The speeds put up by the stars of MotoGP and commercial companies have set the bar very high for four-wheeled vehicles.

Four wheels competing at the highest level

Formula One is regarded as one of the most intense sports in the world, with the top speeds of F1 cars during races hitting absurd heights. In 2005, the bar was set at the Italian Grand Prix, with the McLaren-Mercedes driven by Juan Pablo Montoya getting to 372.6 kph (231.5 mph). It took 11 years, but during practice for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, one Valtteri Bottas crept over the bar by hitting a top speed of 378 kph (234.9 mph) in 2016. Much like in MotoGP, having the fastest car doesn’t necessarily lead to victory, with the Ferrari hitting the fastest speed of 336.7 kph (209.1 mph) in 2020, and yet they don’t lead the way.

He may be the clear back-up driver to Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes, but Bottas is still laying down some incredible speeds to take points, finishing the race headlining F1’s return, the Austrian Grand Prix, in first place. Bottas claimed the top spot, Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari came in second, and Lando Norris in the McLaren-Renault came in third after Hamilton was deducted points. Such a display from Bottas and his historic speeds have earned the Finn a lot of favour and, as of 6 July, he’s the second-favourite at 2/1 to win the Drivers’ Championship while topping the standings. Of course, not everyone can drive an F1 car, with the fastest four-wheeler on the market being the almighty Bugatti Chiron Sport, which hits 261 mph (420 kph) with the pedal down.

Two vs Four: split decision

When comparing motorbikes and cars at the highest levels of competition, the vehicles of MotoGP come up just a little bit short on those of Formula One. At 221.5 mph on a bike to 234.9 mph in an F1 car, Moto GP is slower, but both are incredible speeds to hit in the heat of competition and while utilising the skill required to navigate tracks and other drivers. As reaffirmed by Red Bull, F1 cars can go faster around a track than MotoGP motorbikes. On the commercial side, however, those seeking the fastest speeds should opt for a top-of-the-range motorbike, with the 2019 MTT 420RR’s top speed of 273.4 mph eclipsing that of the Bugatti Chiron Sport’s 261 mph.

So, in the world of motorsport, the conditions are in place to allow the four-wheeled Formula One cars to go faster than MotoGP’s two-wheelers. However, if you want to own the fastest bike or car, you’ll find the top speeds in a motorbike.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

Confirmed: Rossi did beat Hamilton

It’s taken more than a week, but it can finally be confirmed that Valentino Rossi beat Lewis Hamilton in a vehicle swap “race” at Valencia circuit.

The victory is no surprise to us as we predicted he would beat Hamilton last week and went to great lengths to explain why. Click here for details.

Check out the videos of their respective laps:

But now we can confirm that Rossi was only 1.5 seconds off Hamilton’s benchmark lap in his 2017-spec Mercedes W08.

Meanwhile, Hamilton, riding Rossi’s Yamaha M1, was 13 seconds slower than Fabio Quartararo’s pole-winning lap last month of 1m29.978s.

Although we don’t know Rossi’s exact lap time, we can make an educated guess.

The videos doesn’t give exact lap times, although Rossi’s video lasts 1:23 and Hamilton’s is 1:51.

F1 doesn’t race at the circuit, but the unofficial F1 record is held by Anthony Davidson, set in 2006 in a Honda RA106, with a time of 1:08.54.

Surely a 2017 F1 car is quicker.

We can also confirm that Hamilton had a small crash, but was still able to ride the bike.

Rossi on four wheels?

While Rossi’s time was good, 1.5 seconds in F1 doesn’t make him competitive. But it would put him in the field if he ever chose to make the move.

Rossi has long wanted to get into four-wheeled racing, especially rallying where he has already had some success.

Rossi beat hamilton
Rossi behind the wheel

And last weekend he helped pilot a Ferrari 488 GT3 to a class win in the Gulf 12 hour endurance race at Abu Dhabi.

Rossi beat hamilton
Rossi’s Ferrari leads the pack

After winning nine world titles, Rossi has little left to prove on two wheels.

While Rossi is contracted to MotoGP for another year, he had a poor 2019 season.

If he has another poor showing, he may just figure it’s time to double his wheels!

Meanwhile, six-time F1 champ Hamilton returns to Mercedes in 2020 and swaps to Ferrari in 2021.

Although, he is a longtime fan of motorcycles, particularly MV Agusta for which he is a brand ambassador and has put his name to four limited-edition models, he isn’t likely to swap to two wheels.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

5 reasons Rossi beat Hamilton in duel

There has been a virtual media blackout on results of the duel between multi-world champions Valentino Rossi and Lewis Hamilton who swapped vehicles on Monday (9 December 2019).

Shared sponsor Monster Energy has only issued a few photos of the duel and some basic comments, but no results so far of the timed race on Valencia’s Circuit Ricardo Tormo.

There is also this short promo video that was posted on Twitter, then later removed. It reveals nothing of the results.

However, we have come up with five reasons why we believe Rossi won the duel.

Why Rossi won duelValentino Rossi Lewis Hamilton MotoGP F1 duel

1 Valencia track

Rossi knows the circuit.

He has been racing at Valencia for many years now in various categories and has won eight MotoGPs there which is more than any other rider.

Hamilton doesn’t know the track.

F1 does not race at the track and has only done limited testing there.

In fact, Hamilton apparently required Rossi’s fellow racer, Franco Morbidelli, to escort him around the track to show him the correct lines and apexes.

Rossi also later went for a spin with Hamilton on their bikes.Valentino Rossi Lewis Hamilton MotoGP F1 duel

2 Yamaha M1 Vs Mercedes F1

Hamilton’s Mercedes F1 which Rossi drove has a maximum speed of 362.3km/h which is slightly faster than a MotoGP bike.

While we don’t know the top speed for Rossi’s bike, the top MotoGP speed is 356.4km/h, set by Andrea Dovizioso, in the 2018 Italian Grand Prix.

Also, the Valencia MotoGP lap record is held by Jorge Lorenzo with 1:29.40 minutes in 216, while Rossi is the fourth fastest with 1:30.13.

The F1 testing lap record is held by Anthony Davidson, set in 2006 in a Honda RA106, with a time of 1:08.54, more than 20 seconds faster than the MotoGP bikes.

Besides, the 2019 Mercedes F1 car will be a lot quicker than an F1 car 13 years ago!

3 ExperienceValentino Rossi Lewis Hamilton MotoGP F1 duel

Rossi has quite a deal of racing experience on four wheels while Hamilton has none on two.

Last month Rossi tested the Ferrari 488 GT3 he will race in the Gulf 12 hour endurance race on 14 December 2019 at Abu Dhabi.

He’s pretty talented on four wheels and has won rallies before.

In 2006, he tested for Ferrari and was just 0.7 seconds off the times set by Michael Schumacher who also tried his hand at motorcycle racing after his first F1 retirement.

Hamilton is a longtime fan of motorcycles, particularly MV Agusta for which he is a brand ambassador and has put his name to four limited-edition models.

Lewis Hamilton with the MV Agusta F4 LH44
Lewis Hamilton with an MV Agusta F4 LH44

However, he hasn’t raced on two wheels. In fact, he crashed the previous weekend at Jerez preparing for the Rossi duel and there are reports he may have thrown the bike away on Monday.

4 Congratulatory commentsValentino Rossi Lewis Hamilton MotoGP F1 duel

The few congratulatory comments from Rossi and Hamilton give little away.

Hamilton said: “It’s so awesome to see a legend like Valentino in the car.”

Rossi said: “I was a big fan of Lewis’s before but now I am even more.”

But it’s this Rossi comment that seems to indicate the elements were against the bikes.

“Technically, Valencia is a hard track and today was windy so, at one point, I thought it would be difficult for Lewis to continue, but he was brilliant on the bike and his position on the M1 was great. I think he had loads of fun, which is the main thing.”

Sounds like he had fun but lost!

5 It’s Rossi!Valentino Rossi Lewis Hamilton MotoGP F1 duel

After all, it’s Rossi, the nine-time world champion!

Rossi has long wanted to get into four-wheeled racing, especially rallying where he has already had some success.

After winning nine world titles, Rossi has little to prove on two wheels, but a lot to prove to sponsors on four.

Six-time F1 champion Lewis, who switches from Mercedes to Ferrari in 2021, has not expressed any interest in switching to motorcycle racing.

We expect the official video from Monster Energy to appear in the next couple of weeks but don’t expect it will be any clearer on who won!

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

Rossi and Hamilton swap vehicles for race

Multi-world champions Valentino Rossi and Lewis Hamilton will temporarily swap vehicles on Monday (9 December 2019) when they take part in a promotional race at Valencia’s Circuit Ricardo Tormo.

But could the swap be longer term?

Rossi has long wanted to get into four-wheeled racing, especially rallying where he has already had some success.

And Hamilton is a longtime fan of motorcycles, particularly MV Agusta for which he is a brand ambassador and has put his name to four limited-edition models.

Lewis Hamilton with the MV Agusta F4 LH44
Lewis Hamilton with an MV Agusta F4 LH44

After winning nine world titles, Rossi has little to prove on two wheels and likewise six-time F1 champion Lewis has little to prove on four.

While Rossi is contracted to MotoGP for another year, he had a poor 2019 season.

Last month Rossi tested the Ferrari 488 GT3 he will race in the Gulf 12 hour endurance race on 14 December 2019 at Abu Dhabi.

He’s pretty talented on four wheels and has won rallies before.

In 2006, he tested for Ferrari and was just 0.7 seconds off the times set by Michael Schumacher who also tried his hand at motorcycle racing after his first F1 retirement.

Meanwhile, Hamilton is doing a swap of his own switching from Mercedes to Ferrari in 2021.

He’s long shown interest in motorcycle racing and crashed last Saturday at Jerez preparing for the duel with Rossi.

Their “race” has been made possible by their shared sponsor, Monster Energy.

We can’t wait to see the video next week!

As for who will win, it is interesting to check the lap times at the Valencia circuit.

The lap record is held by Jorge Lorenzo with 1:29.40 minutes in 216, while Rossi is the fourth fastest with 1:30.13.

F1 doesn’t race at the track, but has tested there.

The unofficial F1 lap record is held by Anthony Davidson, set in 2006 in a Honda RA106, with a time of 1:08.54, more than 20 seconds faster than the MotoGP bikes.

So that seems to suggest that Vale has the upper hand in the F1 car!

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

MV Agusta launches fourth Lewis Hamilton model

MV Agusta has launched its fourth limited-edition model, the Brutale 800 RR LH44, in collaboration with five-time Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton.

Only 144 bikes will be made, each with Hamilton’s race number “44”.

They will cost $A38,880 ride away, which is about $14,00 more than the RR version and $10,000 more than the RR America.Brutale 800 RR LH44 fourth Lewis Hamilton model

Lewis Hamilton collaboration

The Brutale 800 RR LH44 is distinguished by a blacked-out ceramic exhaust, LH44 rim design, pearl shock red lever sets, and carbonfibre highlighted side covers, fuel tank trim, front and rear fenders and dashboard cover.

It also has a compact and lightweight two-channel ABS 9 Plus that features Rear Wheel Lift-up Mitigation to control the pressure on the front brake and avoid rear wheel lift-up.

MV Agusta says the Euro 4 inline-three cylinder engine has “undergone extensive technical updating”.

However, they don’t say what that is, but horsepower remains at 140hp with a top speed of 244km/h.Brutale 800 RR LH44 fourth Lewis Hamilton model

Limited editions

MV Agusta has launched a host of limited edition models in the past few years as they have struggled under financial constraints to produce new models.

While we’ve lost count of the number of “limited-edition models” they have released in recent years, we do know this is the fourth in collaboration with Lewis Hamilton.

It sort of makes a mockery of the term “limited edition” when they produce so many.

Top of the range of limited-edition models was last year’s $A125,012 Claudio F4 which pays homage to former company president Claudio Castiglioni.

MV Agusta Claudio F4
Claudio F4

Meanwhile, MV Agusta have produced only a couple of new models since 2013 and suffered from a frustratingly slow supply chain. We know of one rider who waited six months for a sump plug!

Instead of fixing supply, updating their bikes or launching new models, MV continued to churn out limited-edition models with a lick of paint, some extra farkle and a hefty price tag.

Last year, the Italian company promised to fix those problems.

Since then they launched the “all-new” 2019 MV Agusta Brutale 1000 Serie Oro.

2019 MV Agusta Brutale 1000 Serie Oro
2019 MV Agusta Brutale 1000 Serie Oro

The hyper-naked has a record top speed of 312km/h with 158kW (212hp) of power (probably with an optional track ECU kit).

There is no word on when it will arrive in Australia, or pricing.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com