Tag Archives: Motorcycle News

Young Indonesian ATC rider Afridza Munandar passes away at Sepang

Following an incident in the Idemitsu Asia Talent Cup race at Sepang International Circuit on Saturday, it is with great sadness that we report the passing of Afridza Munandar.

The incident occurred at Turn 10 on Lap 1, with the race Red Flagged immediately thereafter.

The 20-year-old first received medical attention by the side of the track before being transferred to Kuala Lumpur Hospital by helicopter.

Despite the best efforts of circuit medical staff and those at the hospital, Munandar sadly succumbed to his injuries shortly thereafter.

Afridza Munandar
Afridza Munandar

Munandar was a standout rider in the 2019 IATC season, taking two wins, two second places and two third-place finishes in a season that had seen him poised to fight for the Championship this weekend.

The FIM, FIM Asia, Dorna Sports, and all those in the Idemitsu Asia Talent Cup pass on our deepest condolences to the family, friends and loved ones of Munandar.

Race Two Results NOGUCHI Haruki JPN VAN EERDE Billy AUS 0.005 MUNANDAR Afridza INA 0.160
Munandar can be seen in third place on this podium images from last year

Source: MCNews.com.au

Record lap seals Quartararo Malaysian MotoGP pole

News 2 Nov 2019

Record lap seals Quartararo Malaysian MotoGP pole

Miller to start fourth as Marquez escapes dramatic fall during Q2.

Image: Russell Colvin.

Fabio Quartararo took a sensational home GP pole position for Petronas Yamaha SRT in a hugely dramatic Q2 at the 2019 Shell Malaysia Motorcycle Grand Prix.

A stunning 1m58.303s saw the Frenchman beat fellow Yamaha riders Maverick Vinales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) and Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT)

Repsol Honda Team’s Marc Marquez crashed heavily, meaning he’ll start P11. A frantic session started with Marquez backing out of his first flying lap as the world champion went in search for a tow. The man on his radar? Quartararo.

The rookie sensation kept his head down on his first lap to take provisional pole, before Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) then took over at the summit in Q2. Not fazed by an eight-time champion right in his wheel tracks, Quartararo was firing in a stunner as Marquez quickly lost touch.

The number 20 Yamaha rider came round to go 0.4s quicker as the goalposts were moved further as Q1 graduate Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) went ahead of Marquez – the Hondas unable to do anything about the flying Frenchman.

However, it was Vinales who would hold the advantage after the first run, the Spaniard topping Quartararo by a slender 0.087s as Morbidelli slotted himself into third.

Then, it was time for a big dose of drama. As Quartararo headed out for his second run, Marquez rumbled out of pitlane right next to the Yamaha. The tactics were obvious for Marquez and others – stay behind Quartararo to try and get a qualifying tow. And that’s exactly what happened.

Quartararo knew Marquez was there and every time the Frenchman slowed and looked around, Marquez would do the same. Soon enough, Quartararo fired his YZR-M1 out of the final corner and down the straight, with Marquez having to deal with Danilo Petrucci (Ducati Team) to latch onto Quartararo.

The latter was slightly wide at turn one as Marquez got crossed up, but the 93 made the apex. However, no such apex was made at turn two as Marquez, pushing to stay with Quartararo, suffered a vicious high-side.

Monumental drama in Sepang as Marquez danced with the devil, leaving him out of Q2 and facing a potential outside the top 10 qualifying position as the pace on track was getting spicy. Petronas’ Morbidelli was laying down the rubber and the Italian snatched P1 from his teammate by 0.224s.

Morbidelli’s delight didn’t last long, when Vinales struck to take P1 back by just 0.026s, but it wasn’t over yet. Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) was going great guns and the Australian moved himself up to a provisional front row, with Rossi also climbing to fifth.

Ducati Team’s Andrea Dovizioso then also got the better of Marquez’ time as the 93 tumbled down the time-sheets. Meanwhile, a devil’s fire had been stoked. Quartararo was 0.2s under halfway around the lap, 0.3s under at the third split and a slight twitch at the final corner threatened to spoil a phenomenal lap.

Although losing time, Quartararo took the chequered flag to take an immense fifth pole of 2019, his sixth consecutive front row start. Vinales and Morbidelli make it a Yamaha front row lockout in Malaysia before a Ducati, Honda and Yamaha make up the second row.

That consists of Miller, Q1 pacesetter Crutchlow and nine-time world champion Rossi. Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) spearheads row three in P7 ahead of Petrucci, with LCR Honda Idemitsu’s Johann Zarco having a sterling ride in Q2 to grab his best dry qualifying of the year in ninth as the second-best Honda on the grid.

Dovizioso, after showing strong pace in free practice, will be slightly downbeat with 10th at Sepang. 11th will be Marquez’s starting position on Sunday afternoon, the 55-time premier class winner’s worst qualifying since the 2015 Italian GP. Pramac Racing’s Francesco Bagnaia completed the top 12 in Q2.

Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) claimed what could prove to be a crucial Moto2 pole position thanks to a 2m05.244s in Q2. The championship leader sits 0.151s clear of second place Tetsuta Nagashima (ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team), with title chaser Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) lining up in P3. Remy Gardner starts out of ninth.

Just seven days on from taking a career first Moto3 pole position, Leopard Racing’s Marcos Ramirez has become the first man in the lightweight class to take back-to-back pole positions this season with a late flying lap. The Spaniard will be joined on the front row by SIC58 Squadra Corse’s Tatsuki Suzuki and Petronas Sprinta Racing’s John McPhee.

Detailed results

Source: CycleOnline.com.au

Sydney front row vital for Herfoss title hopes

News 2 Nov 2019

Sydney front row vital for Herfoss title hopes

Points leader set to start from P2 in tomorrow’s pair of 13-lap encounters.

Image: Russell Colvin.

Defending champion Troy Herfoss has expressed the importance of earning a front row start for tomorrow’s pair of 13-lap races at Sydney Motorsport Park, where the 2019 Motul Pirelli Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) is set to come down to the wire.

The Penrite Honda Racing contender leads Wayne Maxwell (Team Suzuki Ecstar) and Mike Jones (DesmoSport Ducati) by 3 and 4.5 respectively in the standings, and today managed to out-qualify both rivals for Sunday’s title decider.

Herfoss will start from P2 alongside pole-sitter Daniel Falzon (Yamaha Racing Team) and third’s Cru Halliday (Yamaha Racing Team), while Maxwell and Jones will start from positions four and seven.

“It’s a big surprise, honestly,” Herfoss stated to CycleOnline.com.au. “If you have of told me at the start of the day that I’d be on the front row and my two main rivals wouldn’t, there’s no way I’d believe you. I was surprised by that, but it’s just so important – there’s a big long straight at Eastern Creek, and for me, it’s hard to pass at the start of the race.

“To start on the front row is a massive help. You want to be able to fight for the win, but you also want to be able to stay out of trouble. Hopefully I’ve given myself the best chance for both of them – tomorrow could be interesting.”

The number one revealed he used teammate Mark Chiodo to tow him along during qualifying, allowing him to set a time of 1m30.070s as track temperatures soared above 50 degrees.

“Mark was great,” Herfoss added. “He let me use him as a bit of a carrot – he just went for it, and I knew I had a clear track with him front of me. It helped a lot – a front row start is a big surprise, and he did a fantastic job – he’s also fifth on the grid pushing his own wind, so he has really good pace as well.”

Source: CycleOnline.com.au

Jones unfazed by third row start for Sydney’s ASBK title decider

News 2 Nov 2019

Jones unfazed by third row start for Sydney’s ASBK title decider

Title challenger optimistic starting position could serve as an advantage.

Image: Russell Colvin.

DesmoSport Ducati’s Mike Jones is unfazed by starting from row three for tomorrow’s Motul Pirelli Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) decider at Sydney Motorsport Park.

Jones, who’s landed on pole in the past four rounds and was fastest in FP3 this morning, qualified an uncharacteristic seventh as track temperatures soared during today’s Q2 session.

Currently ranked third in the standings, 4.5 points behind leader Troy Herfoss (Penrite Honda Racing), the Queenslander is thankful the additional championship point for pole wasn’t awarded to a title contender, while he’s optimistic that starting behind his rivals could serve as an advantage.

“Obviously, qualifying this afternoon was quite a tough one for myself and the DesmoSport Ducati team,” Jones explained to CycleOnline.com.au. “Our goal was to qualify on pole position, and we certainly missed that starting seventh on the third row on the grid.

“There are some positives to take away from qualifying, and that is that our main championship contenders didn’t take pole position and score that extra point.

“That’s certainly a positive, and in my opinion, it’s probably a good thing for me starting behind, because I feel like there’s less pressure for me – you’re starting from the behind, and the guys in front of you have got to set the pace and do the work – you can follow them. I obviously really wanted pole position to make it five in a row, unfortunately it wasn’t the case today.”

Yamaha Racing Team’s Daniel Falzon scored a surprise pole position in Sydney, set to be joined on the front row by Herfoss and Cru Halliday (Yamaha Racing Team).

Source: CycleOnline.com.au

Falzon edges Herfoss for Sydney ASBK pole position

News 2 Nov 2019

Falzon edges Herfoss for Sydney ASBK pole position

Superbike grid finalised for Sunday’s championship decider.

Image: Foremost Media.

Yamaha Racing Team’s Daniel Falzon has edged out reigning champion Troy Herfoss (Penrite Honda Racing) for pole position at Sydney Motorsport Park’s seventh and final round of the 2019 Motul Pirelli Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK).

Falzon, out of the title fight, stole the all-important championship point for the top qualifying position from all of the contenders in the mix for the crown, which currently sees Herfoss, Wayne Maxwell (Team Suzuki Ecstar) and Mike Jones (DesmoSport Ducati) separated by 4.5 points heading into tomorrow’s pair of races.

Falzon’s 1m30.039s time granted him pole as track temperatures soared to 50-plus degrees, where he topped points leader Herfoss by a slender 0.031s – the number one recording a time of 1m30.070s.

Cru Halliday (Yamaha Racing Team) completes the front row in third after setting a 1m30.298s time, while Maxwell, Mark Chiodo (Penrite Honda Racing) and Bryan Staring (Kawasaki BCperformance) will start alongside each other on row two in positions four, five and six.

Jones qualified in an uncharacteristic seventh, followed by Josh Waters (Team Suzuki Ecstar), Glenn Allerton (Maxima BMW) – who advanced via Q1 – and Matt Walters (Kawasaki Connection).

Kawasaki-mounted Senna Agius emerged victorious in race one of the Supersport 300 category, comfortably defeating Max Stauffer (Yamaha) and pole-sitter Hunter Ford (Yamaha). Zac Levy (Yamaha) and Brandon Demmery (Yamaha) were fourth and fifth respectively.

Ford took out top honours in race one of the Yamaha R3 Cup ahead of Demmery and John Lytras (Yamaha), while the opening encounter of the Oceania Junior Cup saw Tom Drane (Yamaha) clinch victory over Marianos Nikolis (Yamaha) and Archie McDonald (Yamaha).

Detailed results

Source: CycleOnline.com.au

Daniel Falzon takes pole at sweltering SMP | ASBK Finale

2019 Australian Superbike Championship

Round 7 – Sydney Motorsports Park


Superbike

After a sensational ASBK season it now all comes down to one last slugfest at Sydney Motorsports Park to decide who will be king.

A full year’s worth of fitness training and racing by the riders, endless hours spent in workshops by mechanics and team members, more changes of shock internals than they can count, and a frightening amount of discarded tyres.

ASBK TBG Round SMP Wayne Maxwell TBG
All the effort all year is going to come down to one single day and 2 x 13 lap races…. – TBG Image

They all want to win. They all hate losing with a mind-bending angst and frustration at levels that normal people will never experience or understand. This is how they are wired. You don’t get to this level without an all-consuming competitive inferno in the belly.  Most of these boys are older now, so that level of frustration and desire is, publicly at least, kept in check and under control, most of the time…

The tension in the air though is still palpable… There are more nerves than normal, among not just the riders but everyone involved in their campaign within the pits, and their loved ones outside the pits.

ASBK TBG Round SMP Maxwell Monson TBG
Warren Monson has been Wayne Maxwell’s trusted crew chief for years – TBG Image

The pressure on the mechanics to get everything right is enormous. Imagine the tiniest mistake in preparing the bike costing your rider the championship after you have sweated blood for them all year and given your all… 

In respect to the main championship contenders, probably a couple of hundred grand has been spent on each of the factory boys in the quest for the ultimate prize in Australian Road Racing, the 2019 Motul Pirelli Australian Superbike Championship #1 plate.

ASBK Rnd SMP RbMotoLens SBK FP Honda Troy Herfoss
Will Herfoss get to keep that #1 plate for season 2020…? – Image by Rob Mott

Only 4.5-points separate Troy Herfoss, Wayne Maxwell and Mike Jones heading into the finale, but they are not the only contenders in what has been the closest-fought Australian Superbike Championship ever.

Despite a costly Phillip Island tumble, Cru Halliday is most definitely still in with a shot at the title and with storms expected to arrive at Sydney Motorsports Park on Sunday afternoon anything could happen, and probably will. Josh Waters and Bryan Staring are also still mathematical chances.   

ASBK TBG Round SMP BC Performnace TBG
Could the Dunlop shod BCperformance Kawasaki’s spring a surprise last charge towards the front come Sunday…? – TBG Image

While not in the championship chase, the likes of Daniel Falzon, Mark Chiodo, Matt Walters and Glenn Allerton could play a part in how those cards falls on Sunday. Jamie Stauffer is out of retirement and on a new Ducati V4 R, while short on set-up time, if the heavens open on Sunday he will be in the mix.

ASBK TBG Round SMP Glenn Allerton TBG
Glenn Allerton is adapting to the new BMW S 1000 RR model this weekend along with his NextGen Team – TBG Image

Kiwi Damon Rees might come to the fore and shake up the established pecking order in the wet, while the always fast-starting Arthur Sissis is capable of mixing it up front.  Alex Phillis might also surprise with an extra burst of pace.

ASBK TBG Round SMP Mitch Rees TBG
Damon Rees could spring a surprise on some of the more fancied competitors should the expected rain come down heavily tomorrow – TBG Image

ASBK season 2019 has been the tightest motorcycle road-racing competition this year the world over and has been thoroughly action-packed. I expect no less from the final pair of 13-lap bouts that take place tomorrow.

Mike Jones has been in peerless qualifying form this season and has taken pole position at the previous four rounds, The Bend, Morgan Park, Winton and Phillip Island has all seen the DesmoSport Ducati rider on pole.  With things so tight at the top the single point for pole position today takes on even more importance.  Jones might not have topped the time-sheets on Friday, and in fact was only fifth quickest, but he did put in the largest number of genuinely fast laps across the sessions which suggests they have a good race set-up.

Cru Halliday was also strong all day, topping both FP1 and FP2.  Wayne Maxwell ended Friday second quickest ahead of Daniel Falzon and Troy Herfoss.

ASBK Rnd SMP RbMotoLens SBK FP Cru Halliday
Cru Halliday – Image by Rob Mott

The temperature was rising as Superbike competitors readied for their 35-minute timed practice session on Saturday morning.  Track temperates were heading towards 40-degrees but were still much cooler than what riders experienced here on Friday afternoon. The conditions were more conducive to fast times and Maxwell dropped in 1m30.524 on his first lap. Falzon was also quickly into 1m30s. A few minutes later Herfoss was also in the 30s and was then joined by Mark Chiodo who dropped into the 30s for his first time ever.

ASBK Rnd SMP RbMotoLens SBK TP Mark Chiodo
Mark Chiodo – Image by Rob Mott

Cru Halliday then went out halfway through the session and dropped in the fastest lap of the weekend thus far, a 1m30.187s on his first lap of the session around the 3.93 kilometre regular Sydney Motorsports Park Circuit. This traditional lay-out termed as the Gardner Circuit, while the new extended track is dubbed Brabham Circuit.

With 13-minutes remaining Mike Jones crossed the stripe for the first time and became the first rider to dip under the magic 1m30s mark. A 1m29.893s on his first lap out and he was happy to head back to the pits.

ASBK Rnd SMP RbMotoLens SBK TP Mike JONES
Mike Jones – Image by Rob Mott

That time by Jones was good enough to stand all the way to the chequered flag.  Halliday second, Maxwell third, Herfoss fourth, Chiodo fifth and Falzon the last man in the 1m30s in sixth.

Josh Waters was seventh fastest but only by the narrowest of margins over Matt Walters, despite the Cessnock Kawasaki rider having an off at turn nine during the session. 

ASBK Rnd SMP RbMotoLens SBK TP Matt WALTERS
Matt Walters went down at turn nine on Saturday morning – Image by Rob Mott

Bryan Staring the final automatic Q2 qualifier in ninth. 

The riders from 10th back in the Timed Practice session have to fight it out in a Q1 session, with the top three in that session then promoted into Q2, making for a final 12-rider tussle over the first four rows of the grid. A little like we see in MotoGP these days.

Q1

The temperature was considerably hotter by the time the Q1 session got underway, track temperatures above 50-degrees and the ambient nudging 33-degrees. 

Q1 kicked off on schedule at 1440 as competitors did battle to secure a top three position and earn their promotion through to Q2.

South Australian speedway supremo Arthur Sissis was the early pace-setter before Jamie Stauffer overhauled him halfway through the session. Three minutes before the end Damon Rees shot to the top of the charts with a 1m31.671s, an impressive time considering the very hot track temperatures.

ASBK TBG Round SMP Glenn Allerton TBG
Glenn Allerton – TBG Image

Lachlan Epis then leaped up the timing monitors with a 1m32.284s to take second place with 90-seconds remaining in the session. Allerton then crossed the stripe with 45-seconds remaining after putting in a 1m31.988s to push Epis back to third and Stauffer out of the top three.

In the dying seconds Allerton then went top by less than a tenth-of-a-second over Rees. Sissis improved to move back up to third momentarily before Epis then improved his marker to 1m31.958s, ruling Sissis out of promotion to Q2. 

Thus Allerton topped Q1 from Rees and Epis and it is that trio that earned promotion through to the final 15-minute qualifying battle.

Q1 Results

Pos Rider Bike Time
1 Glenn ALLERTON BMW S RR 1m31.602
2 Damon REES Honda CBR SP 1m31.671
3 Lachlan EPIS Kawasaki ZX-10R 1m31.958
4 Arthur SISSIS Suzuki GSX-R 1m32.114
5 Jamie STAUFFER Ducati V4 R 1m32.309
6 Alex PHILLIS Suzuki GSX-R 1m32.754
7 Ben BURKE Kawasaki ZX-10R 1m32.931
8 Brendan MCINTYRE Suzuki GSX-R 1m33.721
9 Sloan FROST Suzuki GSX-R 1m34.024
10 Dominic DE LEON Kawasaki ZX-10R 1m35.116
11 Matthew TOOLEY Yamaha YZF-R1 1m35.158
12 Heath GRIFFIN Suzuki GSX-R 1m36.054
13 Nathan SPITERI Suzuki GSX-R 1m37.763
14 Michael EDWARDS Yamaha YZF-R1 1m37.915

Q2

Cru Halliday, Mark Chiodo and Troy Herfoss all put in quick laps in the first five-minutes of Q2 to go 1-2-3 before returning to pit-lane. 

At the halfway point of the session the top seven riders were all in the pits… Halliday on top from Chiodo and Herfoss, Maxwell fourth ahead of Jones and Falzon while Allerton was seventh. Eighth placed Damon Rees was the final rider in the 1m31s at that half-way point of proceedings.

With six-minutes left in the session all 12 riders were in pit-lane. A minute later there was an exodus from the pits as they all headed out for their final charge.

Falzon was under at the first split and on a flyer, then orange sector times started filling the timing monitors as Chiodo, Herfoss, Jones, Staring all set first sectors quicker than Halliday’s earlier benchmark.

Falzon went top with 2min-30s remaining on a 1m30.039s, Herfoss went second on 1m30.070s.

Halliday then put in a 1m30.298s to go third, Chiodo was fourth and then went under at the first split before hitting the deck, his pole challenge done.

That’s it.  Falzon takes that vital championship point for pole and denies the championship challengers their chance to take another point. 

With rain forecast from midday tomorrow we are extremely likely to have at least one wet race. Quite possibly the final 13-lap battle that decides the championship will be staged in wet conditions.

ASBK Rnd SMP Sunday Weather
The yellow trace is the forecast temperature range tomorrow, while the light blue shaded area relates to the percentage likelihood of rain, with the times across the bottom. If this turns out correct, we will have at least one wet Superbike race tomorrow.

After the heat of the past few days this circuit will, initially at least, turn into an ice skating rink when the rain first falls. If it does rain, will organisers then stage a quick-fire wet practice session ahead of a wet race if the forecast precipitation levels hit the circuit tomorrow afternoon…?  The tension and nerves just went up another notch….

Q2 Results

Pos Rider Bike Time
1 Daniel FALZON Yamaha YZF-R1 1m30.039
2 Troy HERFOSS  Honda CBR SP 1m30.070
3 Cru HALLIDAY  Yamaha YZF-R1 1m30.298
4 Wayne MAXWELL  Suzuki GSX-R 1m30.407
5 Mark CHIODO Honda CBR SP 1m30.470
6 Bryan STARING  Kawasaki ZX-10R 1m30.480
7 Mike JONES  Ducati FE 1m30.482
8 Josh WATERS  Suzuki GSX-R 1m31.253
9 Glenn ALLERTON BMW S RR 1m31.255
10 Matt WALTERS Kawasaki ZX-10R 1m31.300
11 Damon REES  Honda CBR SP 1m31.861
12 Lachlan EPIS  Kawasaki ZX-10R 1m32.935

Superbike Qualifying / Grid / Standings


Source: MCNews.com.au

Supersport champion Toparis on pole in Sydney

News 2 Nov 2019

Supersport champion Toparis on pole in Sydney

Edwards and Passfield complete the top three, Ford fastest in Supersport 300.

Image: Russell Colvin.

Recently-crowned Supersport champion Tom Toparis has earned pole position at Sydney Motorsport Park’s seventh and final round of the 2019 Motul Pirelli Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK).

The Landbridge Yamaha rider continued his dominance by setting the fastest lap of 1m32.739s in the Q1 session, where majority of the field lodged their best times under cooler track conditions.

WorldSSP300 regular Tom Edwards (Yamaha) was second on the qualifying timesheets with a best lap of 1m33.054s, while Jack Passfield locked out the top three with a 1m33.548s time.

Rounding out the top five was Callum Spriggs (Yamaha) and Aidan Hayes (Yamaha), as positions six through to 10 were taken out by Broc Pearson (Yamaha), Nic Liminton (Yamaha), Oli Bayliss (Cube Racing), Jack Hyde (Yamaha) and Rhys Belling (Yamaha).

Hunter Ford (Yamaha) topped qualifying in the Supersport 300 category, edging out Max Stauffer (Yamaha) and Senna Agius (Kawasaki), while the Yamaha R3 Cup saw Ford once again emerge fastest over Stauffer and Zac Levy (Yamaha).

In the Oceania Junior Cup, it was Marianos Nikolis who claimed pole position over Cormac Buchanan (Yamaha) and Archie McDonald (Yamaha).

Detailed results

Source: CycleOnline.com.au

Sydney ASBK timed practice session topped by Jones

News 2 Nov 2019

Sydney ASBK timed practice session topped by Jones

Supersport tightens up as reigning champion Toparis still leads.

Image: Russell Colvin.

DesmoSport Ducati’s Mike Jones went quickest in this morning’s timed practice session at Sydney Motorsport Park’s seventh round of the 2019 Motul Pirelli Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK).

Jones will lead the Kawasaki Superbike class into qualifying this afternoon, the top nine from practice transferring directly through to Q2. The rest will head to Q1.

Jones was the first rider of the weekend to dip beneath the 1m30s bracket with a 1m29.893s, firing a certain warning shot to his rivals ahead of qualifying this afternoon, where he is targeting a fifth-straight pole position.

Behind him was yesterday’s pace-setter Cru Halliday (Yamaha Racing Team), 0.294s back, and he was in turn ahead of Wayne Maxwell (Yamaha Racing Team), Troy Herfoss (Penrite Honda Racing), his teammate Mark Chiodo and Daniel Falzon (Yamaha Racing Team) – all in the 1m30s.

Positions seven through nine included Josh Waters (Team Suzuki Ecstar), Matt Walters (Kawasaki) and Bryan Staring (Kawasaki BCperformance), with Lachlan Epis (Kawasaki) just missing out on going straight into Q2.

Image: Russell Colvin.

The opening Motorsports TV Australian Supersport Championship qualifying session was led by Tom Toparis (Yamaha), his 1m32.739s a couple of tenths clear of Tom Edwards (Yamaha) and Jack Passfield (Yamaha).

While the top three replicated Friday’s time-sheets, in fourth was Callum Spriggs (Yamaha) ahead of Aidan Hayes (Yamaha), Nic Liminton (Yamaha), Broc Pearson (Yamaha), Jack Hyde (Yamaha), Oli Bayliss (Yamaha) and Rhys Belling (Yamaha).

Leading the way in the YMI Supersport 300 field this morning was Max Stauffer (Yamaha), as Hunter Ford (Yamaha) proved quickest in the YMF R3 Cup and Marianos Nikolis (Yamaha) topped this morning’s bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup session.

Detailed results

Source: CycleOnline.com.au

The Order Period For The 2020 Kawasaki Ninja H2™ Motorcycle Lineup Is Now Open

Act now if you want one of the Kawasaki H2 models.

Begin press release:


The Kawasaki Ninja H2 line of motorcycles have truly built and defined the hypersport motorcycle category, the Ninja H2™R, Ninja H2™, and Ninja H2™ Carbon are the bar by which all others are judged. Unrivaled in power, performance, technology, and craftsmanship, the Kawasaki Supercharged H2 line are some of the most sought after motorcycles available today. The 2020 Kawasaki Ninja H2R, Ninja H2, and Ninja H2 Carbon are available for order now through your local Kawasaki dealership.

Ninja H2™R
The Ninja H2R is the unrestricted, track only hypersport, which is truly Built Beyond Belief. Featuring a 998cc inline four-cylinder engine, proprietary supercharger, lightweight trellis frame, compact superbike dimensions, aerodynamic bodywork, and a rigid single-sided swingarm, this track-only motorcycle sits at the head of the class in technological development. The unprecedented power output of the 310 PS* supercharged Ninja H2R is made possible only through a system of finely-tuned and carefully crafted high-quality components. The 2020 Ninja H2R is available in Mirror Coated Matte Spark Black.

Ninja H2™ and Ninja H2™ Carbon
The Kawasaki Ninja H2 and Ninja H2 Carbon feature a 998cc inline four-cylinder engine, proprietary supercharger, lightweight trellis frame, compact superbike dimensions, aerodynamic bodywork, and a rigid single-sided swingarm. The Ninja H2 and H2 Carbon motorcycles produce 231 PS* to create unprecedented power and remarkable acceleration on a street legal machine. The heavy growl of the boosted liter-class engine is a sound the streets won’t soon forget. Both models feature high-spec Brembo calipers and Kawasaki’s highly durable paint. In the cockpit, a TFT (thin-film transistor) color instrumentation display with four selectable display modes, as well as smartphone connectivity using Bluetooth technology and the new RIDEOLOGY THE APP. Bringing all this power and technology to the pavement are new Bridgestone RS11 tires. The Ninja H2 Carbon was developed as a special, limited edition model that features beautiful, strong and lightweight carbon fiber front bodywork and special insignia. The 2020 Ninja H2 is available in Mirror Coated Spark Black, while the 2020 Ninja H2 Carbon is offered in Mirror Coated Matte Spark Black / Candy Flat Blazed Green with its clear coated raw carbon fiber fairing on display.

Order Period
The unmatched attention to detail and precision performance of the H2 line of motorcycles are available in each of the three models in limited quantities. For 2020, the order period for the Ninja H2R, Ninja H2, and Ninja H2 Carbon is open from October 7, 2019 until December 20, 2019, don’t miss your chance to own one of the most prestigious and legendary hypersport motorcycles ever made by heading into your local Kawasaki dealer to place your order.

LEGAL DISCLAIMER
*This engine is rated in PS power units. Gross Power is different than net power. Net power is generally less than gross, but varies with engine specifications. Gross power is a general measure to compare one engine to another, as to its overall capacity. Your specific engine net power rating will be different and most likely less than the rated power.

The post The Order Period For The 2020 Kawasaki Ninja H2™ Motorcycle Lineup Is Now Open appeared first on Motorcycle.com News.

Fabio Quartararo tops Friday with fastest ever lap of Sepang

Round 18 – Sepang – Day One


Breaking the lap record seems a good way to start your team’s home Grand Prix, so doing it once in FP1 and again in FP2 makes it an even better Friday for Petronas Yamaha SRT’s Fabio Quartararo at the Shell Malaysia Motorcycle Grand Prix.

The Frenchman was over half a second clear, but it was team-mate Franco Morbidelli who was closest to him by the end of play, making it double delight for the team. Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) rounded out the top three.

Day 1 was dry but it’s a mix of FP1 and FP2 times at the top, although Quartararo’s best lap in FP1 would still have been enough to take to the top. In the afternoon he unleashed even more pace to stretch his advantage and smash Dani Pedrosa’s former lap record even further.

Fabio Quartararo – P1

“The lap was really incredible – and my second time attack would have even better but I caught some traffic. The most important thing is that we’re really safe in progressing directly to Q2 for tomorrow. That means that in the morning we can concentrate on working on which tyres to choose for the race, although already our pace and our rhythm are strong. My ankle has been quite painful after the crash last weekend in Australia, but when you’re P1 and you’ve got good pace on the bike you’re able to forget about it a little bit! The news that I’ll have a 2020 A-spec bike next year is a big surprise and I need to say thanks to Yamaha, Petronas and the team for making it happen – but we still need to focus on the last two races of 2019 for now.”

MotoGP Sepang Fri Quartararo
Fabio Quartararo

Morbidelli was nevertheless impressive in second, his lap from FP1, and all Yamahas were at the front as Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) and Valentino Rossi locked out the top five – the former from a lap in the morning and the latter, afternoon.

Franco Morbidelli – P2

“It’s a perfect way for our team to start the weekend finishing one-two today. This morning was excellent, and this afternoon we were able to try some things on the bike to improve our settings. It didn’t go the way we wanted it to, but it has helped us to understand some things, and the important thing is that I’m much faster than I was in Australia. We need to find something here and there on the bike, but if we keep on going the way we’re working then there’s a good chance of a double front row start for Sunday.”

MotoGP Sepang Fri Morbidelli
Franco Morbidelli

Maverick Vinales – P4

“I’m really happy, because I felt pretty good with the bike straight away. We found a really good rhythm. Especially in FP2 I tried to understand what’s what for the race: what the race situation would be like, the track, slippery conditions. I felt good, that’s the most important, and tomorrow we have a good chance to meet our objective of being on the first row, that’s our target. I feel very strong, we can do a good job. We’re going to keep it like that. I’m going to try to better myself through the track, where I think I can still improve, and we will see where we are. But I think we have a good opportunity on Sunday.”

MotoGP Sepang Fri Vinales
Maverick Vinales

Valentino Rossi – P5

“The first day wasn’t so bad, because in FP2 I had a good pace with the race tyres. Also at the end I was able to do a good lap with the softs and I’m in the top 5. I’m quite consistent, but we’re worried about the rear tyre, because the race is very long, it’s 20 laps. Anyway, today we had two good practices and I was quite competitive.”

MotoGP Sepang Fri Rossi
Valentino Rossi

That makes Dovizioso the only non-Yamaha in the mix after the opening day’s action, with reigning Champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) the next closest but a couple of tenths off Rossi.

Andrea Dovizioso – P3

“Sepang is a fascinating circuit, but it’s also complicated because of the heat and the tyre drop that you always get on this track. In the afternoon we tried a different set-up that gave interesting results: it’s not easy to manage but it allowed me to be more consistent and quicker so I’m happy with today’s improvements. It’s still not enough to think about fighting for the win on Sunday, because there are some riders who are better placed than us, but I’m pleased with the work we did today and my feeling.”

MotoGP Sepang Fri Dovizioso
Andrea Dovizioso

Marquez was sixth on Friday, his FP1 time his best, and began that very session with a trademark save on the edge. There was also an interesting extra spotted on his machine: a second lever on the left handlebar. What was it? A rear brake lever, although the number 93 says it’ll go back in the box for now as it isn’t ready to race. Marquez did not seem to put a soft tyre in for a one-lap attack in FP2 thus his time and ranking perhaps not true of his real potential pace..

MotoGP Sepang Fri Marquez Save
Marc Marquez

Marc Marquez – P6

“Today was a busy day, just in the first or second lap of the day I had a very big save. It was probably one of the best of the season, but we also had a warning from the bike’s dashboard later. I decided it was better to be safe and switch off the bike and come back to the box. The team resolved it and, in the end, it wasn’t a big issue and afterwards we were able to work normally. This afternoon we worked on our race pace and it wasn’t too bad. I think we’re second or third right now in terms of pace. The team is focused on the end of the season, but we also have an eye on 2020 and tried some ideas today.”

MotoGP Sepang Fri Marquez
Marc Marquez

Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) put Suzuki in seventh, his laptime from FP1, ahead of Quartararo’s closest rival for the title of top Independent Team rider in 2019: Jack Miller (Pramac Racing).

Alex Rins – P7

“Today was quite good, I was able to put in some strong lap times and demonstrate good race pace. I tried the medium and the soft tyres and I feel quite comfortable. The aerodynamic package we have is helping compared with last year, especially on the straights. I really hope to be on the front row tomorrow, but if not then I need to be on the 2nd row. I’m looking forward to the race already.”

MotoGP Sepang Fri Rins
Alex Rins

Jack Miller – P8

“I’m satisfied with the way things have turned out today. The bike is very different from the one we used in the winter tests but the feeling has been positive since the morning. I would like to thank the team for doing a good job. Let’s see how the weather will be tomorrow but we have great confidence.”

MotoGP Sepang Fri Miller
Jack Miller

An impressive showing from Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) put the Noale factory in ninth, with Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) rounding out what could prove a pivotal top ten.

Aleix Espargaro – P9

“Overall, I am satisfied with the first day. I feel good on this track. In recent races we have been consistently competitive. The RS-GP is performing well from every point of view. There are a few riders with a vastly better pace than everyone else, but the rest of the rankings are close. We can improve our fast lap. Today I did it with the medium rear and I think I was the only one. It’s a good sign for qualifying and for the race.”

MotoGP Sepang Fri Aleix Espargaro
Aleix Espargaro

Cal Crutchlow – P10

“I don’t feel as good as I did during the test here. I’m not really sure why, I just don’t have a good feeling with the bike and the problem is that the turning of the bike here is not great. The track condition is also worse than in the test, so that also masked some of the problems at the test. We need to improve, I was consistent, but I was consistently not fast enough, but I hope we can make a step tomorrow and make some inroads on the guys at the front.”

MotoGP Sepang Fri Crutchlow
Cal Crutchlow

Number 63 Francesco Bagnaia (Pramac Racing) just missed the cut by a seemingly grudge-bearing margin of just 0.063 as he was 11th, just ahead of fellow rookie Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar).

Pecco Bagnaia – P11

“It’s a positive result even though I couldn’t get into the Top 10 for a few thousandths of a second. I hope that tomorrow morning the weather is good to try to qualify directly to Q2. We still have a few problems to solve with the rear grip but the feeling is positive.”

MotoGP Sepang Fri Bagnaia
Pecco Bagnaia

Joan Mir – P12

“Well, I didn’t improve much between the used tyre and the new one, where the other riders improved a lot. I know I need to make a step tomorrow to ensure that I can have a good qualifying, I want to be on the front couple of rows. The conditions are hard, I feel so hot on the bike, it takes some getting used to. But overall I feel good, and ready for tomorrow.”

MotoGP Sepang Fri Joan Mir
Joan Mir

Danilo Petrucci (Ducati Team) had a tougher day in P13, with Johann Zarco (LCR Honda Idemitsu) and Karel Abraham (Reale Avintia Racing) rounding out the fastest fifteen on Friday.

Danilo Petrucci – P13

“Physically I’m still not 100% fit after the crash at Phillip Island, and in addition I wasn’t able to get the best out of the new tyres. Both this morning and this afternoon I struggled a lot and even though my pace is not bad, I still don’t feel quite right. Now we have to try and understand what didn’t work this afternoon to resolve my problems and get back to the front tomorrow.”

MotoGP Sepang Fri Petrucci
Danilo Petrucci

Johann Zarco – P14

“It was a good first day. I wanted to begin the Friday with better pace than I did in Australia. I was sure that I could do it – and I did it, it was better. In the morning we kept the used tyre so the work was interesting and then I could feel the work we did immediately in the afternoon. I was going quite fast in the afternoon, I was with the good guys. But in the end, when I put on a soft tyre to get the lap time, my first lap was a little bit better and I expected to go faster on my final lap, but I had a little crash in turn one as I went too wide and closed the front. It was a normal crash, no pain anywhere. So I will just focus on improving tomorrow and I know I can be in the 59s.”

MotoGP Sepang Fri Zarco
Johann Zarco

Jorge Lorenzo ended the day in 17th overall after improving his lap time by eight-tenths in the afternoon. Lorenzo one of several riders to improve in FP2 despite the oppressively hot track in the afternoon.

Jorge Lorenzo – P17

“From Phillip Island to here, it’s a big change – they’re almost the opposite. Here, there is a lot of grip and it’s quite flat with good weather, all of this has given me a better feeling. In terms of our pace we were 1.1 to 1.5 seconds behind. We tried something different with the setting to improve our rear grip, but we weren’t able to take full profit of it when pushing for a single fast lap so I think I could have done a 2’00.3 or a 2’00.2 and been closer to the front. For tomorrow the objective is to keep improving and do a 1’59.”

MotoGP Sepang Fri Lorenzo
Jorge Lorenzo

MotoGP Combined Practice Times

Pos Rider Bike Time/Gap
1 F.Quartararo YAMAHA 1m58.576
2 F.Morbidelli YAMAHA +0.534
3 A.Dovizioso DUCATI +0.630
4 M.Viñales YAMAHA +0.642
5 V.Rossi YAMAHA +0.708
6 M.Marquez HONDA +0.941
7 A.Rins SUZUKI +0.970
8 J.Miller DUCATI +1.017
9 A.Espargaro APRILIA +1.131
10 C.Crutchlow HONDA +1.135
11 F.Bagnaia DUCATI +1.198
12 J.Mir SUZUKI +1.408
13 D.Petrucci DUCATI +1.481
14 J.Zarco HONDA +1.692
15 K.Abraham DUCATI +1.901
16 P.Espargaro KTM +2.082
17 J.Lorenzo HONDA +2.129
18 A.Iannone APRILIA +2.596
19 H.Syahrin KTM +3.003
20 M.Kallio KTM +3.383

Moto2

Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Jorge Martin continued his fine form on Day 1 at the Shell Malaysia Motorcycle Grand Prix, ending the opening day of Moto2 action fastest for the second time in a row and that following two podiums in a row. The 2018 Moto3 World Champion was two tenths clear of FP1’s fastest man Tetsuta Nagashima (ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team), with World Championship leader Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) in third and the quickest of the four remaining contenders.

The day was a dry one for Moto2 and Martin was the only man to get into the 2:06s, which he did in the afternoon – with FP1 pacesetter Nagashima showing top pace in both sessions and second fastest in FP2. Marquez also improved in the afternoon despite a couple of wobbles, putting himself nearly a tenth clear of Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) to lead a gaggle of contenders all stacked up in the top six.

Binder didn’t improve in the afternoon but the South African was only hundredths off doing so, with his quickest effort from FP2 still fast enough to have headed off the charge of Jorge Navarro (Beta Tools Speed Up) if needed. Navarro completed the top five overall and was just 0.051 ahead of fellow contender Tom Lüthi (Dynavolt Intact GP); the Swiss rider the last in the queue of contenders on Friday by a tiny margin as everything tightened up in mid-top ten.

Fabio Di Giannantonio (Beta Tools Speed Up) was the fastest rookie in P7 and back nearer the front afetr a tougher Phillip Island, that making for a good springboard as he aims to wrap up the title of Rookie of the Year this season. Xavi Vierge (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) was eighth quickest, ahead of Mattia Pasini (Tasca Racing Scuderia Moto2) and Augusto Fernandez (Flexbox HP 40).

Sam Lowes (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) beat Marcel Schrötter (Dynavolt Intact GP) to 11th by a single thousandth, with Remy Gardner (ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team) in P13 on Friday.

Last year’s winner Luca Marini (Sky Racing Team VR46), meanwhile, was down in 14th and the last of the provisional entrants to Q1, the Italian crashing on Day 1 – rider ok.

Moto2 Combined Practice Times

Pos Rider Bike Time/Gap
1 J.Martin KTM 2m05.968
2 T.Nagashima KALEX +0.229
3 A.Marquez KALEX +0.360
4 B.Binder KTM +0.442
5 J.Navarro SPEED UP +0.535
6 T.Luthi KALEX +0.586
7 F.Di Giannanto SPEED UP +0.613
8 X.Vierge KALEX +0.686
9 M.Pasini KALEX +0.704
10 A.Fernandez KALEX +0.712
11 S.Lowes KALEX +0.804
12 M.Schrotter KALEX +0.805
13 R.Gardner KALEX +0.861
14 L.Marini KALEX +0.926
15 M.Bezzecchi KTM +1.107
16 A.Locatelli KALEX +1.118
17 S.Chantra KALEX +1.185
18 I.Lecuona KTM +1.188
19 E.Bastianini KALEX +1.200
20 D.Aegerter MV AGUSTA +1.346
21 L.Baldassarri KALEX +1.347
22 S.Manzi MV AGUSTA +1.418
23 N.Bulega KALEX +1.493
24 J.Roberts KTM +1.803
25 J.Raffin NTS +2.043
26 B.Bendsneyde NTS +2.349
27 J.Dixon KTM +2.407
28 D.Ekky Pratam KALEX +3.049
29 A.Norrodin KALEX +3.139
30 P.Oettl KTM +3.317
31 L.Tulovic KTM +3.432
32 X.Cardelus KTM +4.262

Moto3

Kaito Toba (Honda Team Asia) went fastest on Friday at the Shell Malaysia Motorcycle Grand Prix, with a final dash in FP2 deciding the timesheets and the Japanese rider getting the better of compatriot Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse). CIP – Green Power’s Darryn Binder rounded out a top three split by 0.258 seconds.

After overnight rain, FP1 began on wets for everyone and that’s the way it stayed until later in the session, with the fastest man, Andrea Migno (Mugen Race), one of only a few to make a late switch to slicks and the top 14 split by an uncharacteristic 7.365 seconds. The afternoon would allow improvements, however, with Ayumu Sasaki putting Petronas Sprinta Racing into P1 for a good while as the Japanese rider bounced back from a big crash in FP1…but a last dash for glory was just around the corner.

By the end of the shuffle, Toba was on top with a couple of tenths in hand over Suzuki, as Binder shot up into third. Sasaki got himself back up at the sharp end to take fourth overall on Friday, with Migno putting in another solid showing in the afternoon to complete the top five. Aron Canet (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) was P6, just 0.008 off Migno as the gaps dwindled.

Alonso Lopez (Estrella Galicia 0,0) and Romano Fenati (VNE Snipers) were even more closely matched in seventh and eighth respectively, registering the exact same fastest lap. Rookie Sergio Garcia (Estrella Galicia 0,0) was P9 in a solid first day at Sepang, with Tony Arbolino (VNE Snipers) completing the top ten ahead of Jaume Masia (Mugen Race), who got the better of Filip Salač (Redox PrüstelGP) by just 0.001 to take P11.

So where’s the brand new World Champion? Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Leopard Racing) was 13th quickest on Friday, a couple of tenths adrift of the man ahead of him. That’s enough, however, to see him move straight through to Q2 on Saturday should the rain come down in FP3 – where he’d also be joined by rookie Raul Fernandez (Gaviota Angel Nieto Team).

A couple of surprises missing from provisional Q2 were Marcos Ramirez (Leopard Racing) down in P16, ahead of Gabriel Rodrigo (Kömmerling Gresini Moto3) and Albert Arenas (Gaviota Angel Nieto Team). Rodrigo crashed, as did John McPhee (Petronas Sprinta Racing), who ended the day in P24 and will be hoping for a dry FP3.

Moto3 Combined Practice Times

Pos Rider Bike Time/Gap
1 K.Toba HONDA 2m12.466
2 T.Suzuki HONDA +0.235
3 D.Binder KTM +0.258
4 A.Sasaki HONDA +0.311
5 A.Migno KTM +0.345
6 A.Canet KTM +0.353
7 A.Lopez HONDA +0.386
8 R.Fenati HONDA +0.386
9 S.Garcia HONDA +0.444
10 T.Arbolino HONDA +0.493
11 J.Masia KTM +0.557
12 F.Salac KTM +0.558
13 L.Dalla Porta   Ita HONDA +0.803
14 R.Fernandez KTM +0.831
15 R.Rossi HONDA +0.869
16 M.Ramirez HONDA +1.050
17 C.Vietti KTM +1.156
18 G.Rodrigo HONDA +1.176
19 A.Arenas KTM +1.195
20 S.Nepa KTM +1.254
21 D.Foggia KTM +1.267
22 A.Ogura HONDA +1.283
23 C.Oncu KTM +1.315
24 J.Mcphee HONDA +1.484
25 K.Masaki KTM +1.552
26 M.Yurchenko KTM +1.597
27 J.Kornfeil KTM +1.878
28 N.Antonelli HONDA +2.296
29 T.Booth-Amos KTM +2.443

Malaysian MotoGP Schedule (AEDT)

Source: MCNews.com.au