One of the only two such bikes ever built, this 250cc two-stroke twin was developed in conjunction with the Villa brothers in 1967. Francesco sold his 125 and 250 designs (which he had originally conceived for FB Mondial) to Montesa in return for becoming the company’s exclusive importer for Italy.
While extremely fast it proved too fragile to be a success – its best result was a second place behind Mike Hailwood on the Honda 250/6 at the Italian Riccione circuit in April 1967, with Walter Villa riding.
Montesa 250GP two-stroke racer
However with Montesa’s efforts becoming increasingly focused on off road bikes the road racing team was disbanded at the end of the year. The Villas went on to producing bikes under their own Moto Villa name.
An interesting technical feature was the part water cooling system. The rotary disc valves were water cooled while the heads were air cooled. An eight-speed gearbox was used, and power output was claimed as 35hp at 9800rpm.
All-new Rio Motorpark venue signes five-year deal for Brazilian grand prix.
Image: Supplied.
The MotoGP World Championship will be returning to Brazil from 2022, with a five-year contract with Rio Motorsports (RMS) securing the sport’s return to Rio de Janeiro until 2026.
The all-new Rio Motorpark, set for construction in Deodoro, will host the grand prix, which is back in Rio after 15 years.
Brazil, and Rio de Janeiro, have already staged some incredible chapters in the history of the sport, most recently in 2004 at Jacarepagua, which had hosted MotoGP since 1995. The development of a new venue to replace Jacarepagua, which was repurposed as an Olympic Park, makes for an exciting prospect for both the sport and the city.
“I’m very proud to announce that MotoGP will be returning to race in Rio de Janeiro, one of the world’s truly iconic cities and in such an amazing country,” said Dorna Sports CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta.
“Brazil is an important market for motorcycles, motorcycle racing and motorsport, with a history to be proud of – and a future that I’m excited to see MotoGP play such a vital part as we return in 2022.”
Rio Motorpark is forecast for completion in 2021 and features a 4.5km layout of seven left and six right-handed corners, with an approximate MotoGP lap-time of 1m38s.
Dobson still uncertain of contesting full supercross season
Section: Competition
Husqvarna privateer hopeful of securing funding for all five rounds.
Image: Foremost Media.
Leading SX1 privateer Jesse Dobson is hopeful of gaining enough funding to complete the entire Australian Supercross Championship which kicks off this weekend in Brisbane, admitting he’s not a certain starter for all five rounds of the series at this stage.
Piloting a Husqvarna FC 450, Dobson is coming off a strong Pirelli MX Nationals campaign that saw him finish as the highest-ranked privateer in the premier class.
Revealing offers were on the table through a selection of teams, the popular contender elected not to pursue them in favour of increasing his opportunities for 2020.
“At this stage, I’ve had some incredible support from all my sponsors that got me through the motocross season, and again they’ve stepped up so I can line up at Brisbane,” Dobson explained.
“I actually did have one or two offers to join teams just for supercross, but the reality was short term positives and leaving some of the people that have been with me all year, and I need to really work on my plan for 2020.
“I still don’t know if I can do the entire supercross series yet, but I need to get good results this weekend regardless, so that’s where I’m starting.”
Brisbane Entertainment Centre will host round one tomorrow night before the series travels to Gillman, Wollongong, Auckland and Melbourne.
Red Bull KTM rider earns stage victory on the final day.
Image: Supplied.
Australian Toby Price finished just shy of the podium at the Rally du Maroc for the final round of the 2019 FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship, despite claiming victory on the final stage.
The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider was playing catch up after running into navigational troubles on the penultimate day, charging to victory in the fifth and final stage to wind up fourth overall.
The Queenslander is hopeful the rally will position him strongly for the 2020 Dakar Rally, where he’s set to defend his crown.
“It hasn’t been a bad rally for me, I only just missed out on the podium, which is frustrating, but it’s been really good training,” Price explained. “I knew I had to push really hard on that last stage and was making up good time but then had a small crash and gave myself a bit of a stiff neck.
“I missed out on the podium by just seven seconds but all-in-all I’m pleased with how I rode. Navigation was really tricky here and we had to learn to ride with the minimum of information. I’m hoping that will put us in a good position for January and the Dakar Rally.”
Price missed the first two rounds of the series as he continued to recover from a broken wrist, earning a ranking of ninth.
Yamaha will showcase some interesting takes on modern urban mobility and devices that will help disabled mobility at the 46th Tokyo Motor Show later this month.
Apart from the interesting new machines showcased here they also promise that two more as yet unannounced models will premiere on October 23.
Yamaha E01
The E01 is described as an ‘ubran commuter’ model by Yamaha with performance comparable to that of a 125cc scooter. The E01 combines Yamaha’s scooter and EV know-how to promise plenty of range and being fast-charge compatible. They also suggest it is a much more comfortable riding experience than most scooters.
Yamaha E01
Yamaha E01
The E02 is a lighter weight variant that promises comparable performance to a 50cc scooter and sports an easily removeable battery.
Yamaha E02
Yamaha E-Vino
Based on the popular retro-pop-styled Vino 50cc scooter but turned in to an electric commuter model with usable torque at very low speeds and an easily removable battery. It also has two running modes to suit riding conditions as well as a boost function to provide extra power for climbing up hills.
Yamaha E-Vino
Yamaha JWX-1 Plus+
This wheelchair electric drive unit makes it possible for users to convert the present manual wheelchair they are used to into an electric wheelchair simply by replacing the main wheels with the JWX-1 PLUS+.
This adds the comfort of electric power to the ease of a manual wheelchair, greatly expanding a user’s range of mobility. It utilises Yamaha’s proprietary JW Smart Core control system to control speed, rate of acceleration/deceleration etc.
Yamaha JWX-1 Plus+
Yamaha YNF-01
The YNF-01 low-speed mobility concept model is designed and engineered with off-road capability and styling aimed at inspiring a spirit of adventure in the user. The off-road-inspired design is complemented by the large tyres and four-wheel independent suspension that stimulate the user’s desire to “go everywhere and do everything.” The YNF-01 has won the Red Dot Award: Design Concept 2019 award.
Yamaha YNF-01
Yamaha TriTown
The TriTown compact electric vehicle with twin front wheels is ridden standing up and utilises Yamaha’s Leaning Multi-Wheel (LMW) mechanisms.
The simple construction has the rider use their own sense of balance to control the vehicle, making short-range mobility a fun and exciting experience.
It is currently being field-tested at leisure facilities, parks and the like in Japan to ascertain its feasibility as a product, ability to attract customers, its competitiveness in the micromobility field, and more.
Yamaha TriTown
Yamaha Fazer R
If I could take one of these models home today it would undoubtedly be this one! Will beat spraying my paddocks on the ATV, especially as my own place is very hilly and this would make things much safer indeed.
This top-end model of Yamaha’s industrial-use unmanned helicopters sees use in aerial agriculture for pest control, spraying fields with fertiliser and herbicides, etc.
It boasts the largest agrichemical payload capacity in its class at 32 L and is capable of spraying 4 hectares of crops without replenishing agrichemicals or refueling.
It also comes standard with Yamaha’s Turn Assist feature, which uses a combination of GPS and gyrosensors to calculate airspeed and distance to enable turns within a given radius over the spray area and fly at consistent lines and speeds for a uniform spray.
Van der Mark ‘in a nice flow’ as Argentina WorldSBK looms
Pata Yamaha contender hopeful of maintaining momentum this weekend.
Image: Supplied.
Pata Yamaha’s Michael van der Mark says he’s currently ‘in a nice flow’ as the penultimate round of the Motul FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) looms this weekend, something he hopes to continue in Argentina.
The Dutchman sits fourth in the championship standings, five points behind departing teammate Alex Lowes, with third position the only spot on the championship podium that’s not yet decided.
“I really enjoy going to Argentina,” said van der Mark. “Last year was a difficult race for us but I’m pretty sure that it will be a lot better this year given the progress we’ve made.
Our whole package has improved so I’m confident we will have another strong weekend Circuito San Juan Villicum in San Juan this weekend. We are in a really nice flow at the moment, so my goal is to once again be fighting for the top positions in the penultimate round of the season.”
Van der Mark is set to remain with the factory Yamaha squad in 2020, while Lowes’ future remains uncertain after being replaced by Toprak Razgatlioglu.
Western Australian switches classes ahead of Brisbane’s season-opener.
Image: Foremost Media.
Yamaha-mounted privateer Connor Tierney will revert to the SX2 category for the 2019 Australian Supercross Championship after two seasons in the premier class.
Tierney graduated to the 450 category in 2018, however his campaign last year was riddled with injury, while an ongoing health issue sidelined him for much of the Pirelli MX Nationals this year.
The Western Australian, who resides in New South Wales, indicated an opportunity with increased support from Yamaha arose, prompting him to switch classes ahead of the five-round series.
“I had a really good year on the 250 in supercross two years ago, it was before I got injured and I feel like I didn’t get to show how good I could ride it,” Tierney explained to MotoOnline.com.au. “An opportunity arose and Yamaha offered some support, so I’m hopping back on the 250. I think it will be fun and a change of pace – I’m really looking forward to it.
“It’s been two years on the 450, and I’m still planning to race it in motocross next year. The change has been fun getting back on the 250.”
The Australian Supercross Championship commences this Saturday at Brisbane Entertainment Centre.
Five-time champion Rea looking to enjoy final 2019 WorldSBK races
Kawasaki Racing Team rider eager to continue celebrations in Argentina.
Image: Supplied.
Fresh from securing his fifth-straight FIM Motul Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK), Jonathan Rea is eager to enjoy the final rounds of the season as the series heads to Argentina this weekend for the penultimate round.
Rea is confident of earning a strong result at the San Juan Villicum circuit as he enters the round with the weight lifted from his shoulders, and is looking to continue celebrating his recording-setting achievement.
“I am so relieved to go to Argentina with the championship already done,” said Rea. “It means I can enjoy these last few races without stressing too much about the points situation and really enjoy the end of the season. Last year was our first visit in Argentina and we were really surprised with the reception we got, the level of the track and also the fans that turned out.
“I am excited to go out there and see what’s ahead. I am also looking forward to riding the bike again. I think this is going to be a circuit where we can be strong.
“Last year we were certainly strong in some areas. I am also looking forward to seeing the guys again and re-living what we did a little bit last weekend – it was really special. To do it with all these guys who have been with me every step of the way, every single year, it’s even more special.”
Rea’s 129-point championship lead allowed him to capture the title at Magny-Cours in France two weeks ago.
Richardson outlines privateer AUS Supercross program
Section: Competition
Rockstar Energy named as major backer of the popular Queenslander.
Image: Supplied.
Two-time SX2 champion Jackson Richardson has outlined his privateer program for the upcoming Australian Supercross Championship in the premier class, attracting a number of high-profile partners for the series.
Richardson has since unveiled his partners, revealing major backing from Rockstar Energy – which marks the energy drink giant’s return to Australian supercross – plus support from a list of companies that includes Just1 Racing, Fist Handwear and Honda Motorcycles Australia.
“I’m really excited for the Australian Supercross Championship,” Richardson commented. “I genuinely think this is the biggest championship we have had in almost a decade with competitors travelling from all over the world.
“This year I’ve been very fortunate to work with some of my closest friends and family, I am grateful for all my sponsors, team and supporters that have come on board this supercross series, it has been a huge effort and is very much appreciated.
“My pre-season training has been really solid and most importantly really fun, I chose to sit out the MX Nationals which really gave me time to focus on our Australian Supercross Championship.
“I spent months in the United States testing with XPR and getting as much seat time as possible but I’m over the moon to be back home here in Australia and I can’t wait to rip the lid off it.”
The 2019 Australian Supercross Championship launches this Saturday at Brisbane Entertainment Centre.
Toby Price finished Rally du Maroc strongly with stage five victory but ultimately having to open the road on the penultimate day essentially cost the Australia his chance of victory.
Toby Price
This year a new style road book that riders often only received minutes before the start of each stage meant that the Rally du Maroc once again lived up to its reputation as one of the toughest events on the cross-country rallies calendar. A confusing road book on stage four cost Price too much time when he led the field away in stage four, and by the time he had worked the route out his competitors had closed on him from behind and could then simply follow his lead.
Toby Price
Price was fifth overall coming in to the final day of the rally with eight-minutes to make up on the leaders. The Australian was the 15th rider to enter the stage and although the start position would often prove to be an advantage, Toby would still have to catch and pass several riders ahead in order to make up time. Pushing hard, right from the start, he gained on the leaders with every kilometre.
Toby Price
Unfortunately, a small crash resulted in the reigning Dakar Champion losing too many seconds and despite pushing on for the rest of the stage to ultimately top the day’s standings, he was unable to make up enough time to take the event win. Fourth overall and the highest finishing KTM, Price now looks ahead to the 2020 Dakar Rally and the defence of his title.
KTM Service Crew
Toby Price
“It hasn’t been a bad rally for me, I only just missed out on the podium, which is frustrating, but it’s been really good training. I knew I had to push really hard on that last stage and was making up good time but then had a small crash and gave myself a bit of a stiff neck. I missed out on the podium by just seven seconds but all-in-all I’m pleased with how I rode. Navigation was really tricky here and we had to learn to ride with the minimum of information. I’m hoping that will put us in a good position for January and the Dakar Rally.”
Toby Price
At the top of the standings it was a Husqvarna 1-2 led by American Andrew Short over Chilean Pablo Quintanilla.
Following a strong showing in the race Prologue, Short made the best use of his strengths on the mixed terrain of the Moroccan desert stages, pushing hard when comfortable while maintaining a solid pace on the more technical sections.
Andrew Short
Leading the overall standings going into the final day of racing, Short knew he would still have to attack the 168-kilometre timed special to defend his position from the riders behind. A crash early on in the stage couldn’t slow the American’s progress and despite the added pressure of being one of the first riders on track the Husqvarna FR 450 Rally mounted rider put in another excellent ride to complete the stage in fifth. Coming into the rally with the goal of securing second place in the overall 2019 championship standings, Short not only accomplished that but claimed his first world championship victory and confirmed his place amongst the sport’s very best riders.
Andrew Short
Andrew Short
“I can’t believe it – it doesn’t seem real right now. My main goal coming to Morocco was to finish second in the championship, but to take the win feels unreal. I was second at the Silk Way, which was huge for me but there were a few of the top riders missing. Now all the guys are here at this event getting ready for Dakar and to take the win with such stiff competition is amazing. I couldn’t have done it without the support of the team and the opportunity they have given me over the last couple of years.”
Andrew Short
Second overall to Short coming into the final day, Pablo Quintanilla was only 28 seconds behind his teammate as they took to the long 456-kilometre stage. Pushing hard and trying his best to make up the small gap, the Chilean star couldn’t quite match the pace of his hard-charging teammate. Ultimately posting the sixth-fastest time on the gruelling stage, less than one-minute behind Andrew, Quintanilla claimed second place in the overall event standings and secured Rockstar Energy Husqvarna their first ever one-two cross-country rallies result.
Pablo Quintanilla
Despite spending the majority of the 2019 season recovering from the injury he sustained at the 2019 Dakar Rally, Quintanilla immediately demonstrated his incredible pace on his return to competition by winning round three of the series – the Atacama Rally in Chile. Backing up that performance with second place in Morocco just one month later, the two-time Rallies World Champion has shown he is now back at his best and will undoubtedly be aiming to take his Husqvarna FR 450 Rally to his first ever Dakar win next January.
Husqvarna Service Crew
Pablo Quintanilla
“The race was really good for me. I hurt my leg right at the beginning, which slowed my pace a little but after getting used to the new style of road book I found I was able to put in some good times. In the end I finished second, which I am really pleased about as it’s only my second race of the year. It shows the work we have been doing with the team and also preparation with the bike is really paying off. I’m also really happy for Andrew for getting his first win and finishing second in the championship. He has been working so hard to achieve his goal and it’s nice to see a teammate and a friend succeed like this. I’m really motivated for the future now and would just like to thank the whole Rockstar Energy Husqvarna team for all their support. We have two months to go till Dakar and I think we are really strong as a team and I’m looking forward to it – it’s a really important race for all of us.”
Pablo Quintanilla
Honda’s Joan Barreda rounded out the overall podium after finishing runner-up in the final stage. The Spaniard rode a fine special to post a finish just three-seconds short of the stage winner and concluding the rally on the third step of the rostrum, with a seven-second advantage over fourth place finisher Toby Price.
Joan Barreda
Joan Barreda
“Fighting for the podium was something possible, so today I went out to try for it and things went well. It has been a difficult race, very full, with many different types of terrain, some complicated navigation. It has not been bad as preparation for the Dakar, which is the big objective that we have and which we have been preparing for all season. The team has worked hard this season and now there is only the final stretch of preparation before the 2020 Dakar.”
Joan Barreda
American rider Ricky Brabec set off on the final morning with his sights likewise set on a podium place. However, his starting position for the final special was far less favourable in his bid for third overall place. In spite of this, Ricky clocked up some fine partial times, although not enough to hold on to his third overall position. A ninth place on the stage means the American claimed fifth final place in the general rankings of the rally.
Ricky Brabec
Ricky Brabec
“The day was quite complicated for me as I had to open track for the final 100 kilometres on very fast tracks. I was hoping to finish stronger, but throughout the rally the differences between the riders was very little and every day we were changing positions. Anyway, I am happy to have finished the whole race and to have prepared for the Dakar, where I will arrive with more confidence.”
Ricky Brabec
Kevin Benavides was happy to have made it through to the end of the rally after a fall in the third stage had turned the race into an uphill struggle. The rider battled on despite a right leg injury which had taken a blow in the very same point as a previous injury picked up in Morocco. Ruling out a retirement, the Argentine Monster Energy Honda Team rider managed to make it to the end to wrap up the Rallye du Maroc with a top ten overall finish, which gave him third place in the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship.
Kevin Benavides
Kevin Benavides
“Today I finished seventh on the day and my leg was feeling much better. I’m tenth in the general standings, but third in the world championship, which is better. Taking stock of everything, it has been a very complicated year. In Abu Dhabi I arrived just after an injury and in Abu Dhabi a brake problem affected my race and it didn’t go too well here either. It has been a year to learn a lot without giving up and I will keep looking ahead as soon we have the Dakar 2020.”
Kevin Benavides
Using the race to test their WR450F Rally machines in competition for the final time ahead of next January’s Dakar Rally, Team Yamaha found the 2019 season-ending event in Morocco presented both expected and several unexpected challenges.
Yamaha Rally Team
Arriving at the Rally du Maroc with a number of upgrades and improvements made to their WR450F Rally bikes, there was a final opportunity for team riders Adrien Van Beveren, Xavier de Soultrait and Franco Caimi to test their machines, measure their performance, and spend all-important time reading navigational road books while in competition.
Securing a well-deserved final result inside the top 10, Franco Caimi produced the best Yamalube Yamaha Rally Team performance. Returning to the Moroccan event having last year crashed out and sustained a significant leg injury, following months of hard work and preparation the Argentinian once again showed his world class credentials. Well-aware of the events that unfolded 12 months ago, Caimi opted for a cautious approach to the opening days of the event and placed just outside of the top 10 on each of the first two full days of competition. Finishing third on the first half of the marathon stage, Caimi jumped to third overall in the provisional standings. In finishing 18th at the end of the difficult second half of the marathon stage, he then placed 11th on the fifth and final stage to earn ninth overall.
Adrien Van Beveren came into the 2019 Rally du Maroc in high spirits following strong results in both the Morocco Rally and the Silk Way Rally and having spent months working on his physical fitness together with extensive testing of the Yamalube Yamaha Rally Team’s WR450F Rally bike. Frustratingly for Van Beveren a positive end-of-event result went out the window when he was forced to abandon stage three due to sickness. Producing an event best result of fourth on stage two, Adrien re-started the competition to finish an impressive fifth on stage four despite still feeling far from 100 per cent following eight days of illness. In placing 26th on stage five the Frenchman completed the event having shown impressive pace on both the sandy and gravel stages.
Alexandre Kowalski – Team Yamaha
“This has been a very important and very positive event for the Yamalube Yamaha Rally Team. We came to the Rally du Maroc knowing that many months of work had been invested by all the team and the riders, and to see the increase in our bike’s performance and the speed, and confidence of our riders is very pleasing. We still have work to do, in rally there is always something to improve, but this is now fine tuning what is a very good bike. In terms of results we can of course be a little disappointed, but this event is part of our preparations for Dakar, so is a part of something much bigger for us. Our positive steps forward are very encouraging. The riders all did a very good job. For Franco to close his Morocco story and return here after his serious injury last year, to perform so well and carry a lot of confidence forward to Dakar is great. Adrien, considering his sickness, did a great job. With full fitness and no sickness we look forward to what he can achieve at Dakar. And Xavier, steady at the start but strong and confident in navigation, has ended 2019 in a positive way. Also, for the new team with the latest version of our rally bike, it has been an important event. We keep working and focus on improving ahead of Dakar.”
Rally du Maroc 2019 Stage Five Results
PRICE Toby AUS KTM 2:13’15
BARREDA Joan SPA Honda +2’54
BENAVIDES Luciano ARG KTM +3’10
WALKNER Matthias AUT KTM +3’31
SHORT Andrew USA Husqvarna +5’14
QUINTANILLA Pablo CHI Husqvarna +6’07
BENAVIDES Kevin ARG Honda +6’17
DE SOULTRAIT Xavier FRA Yamaha +6’51
BRABEC Ricky USA Honda +7’15
EVAN BRANCH Ross BWA KTM +7’32
2019 Cross-Country Rallies Rally du Maroc 2019 Final Overall Standings
