Reigning champion Prado tops MX2 category at season-opener.
Image: Supplied.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli has opened the 2019 MXGP World Championship with a dominant overall victory in Neuquen, Patagonia Argentina, as Australia’s Mitch Evans (Team Honda 114 Motorsports) featured on the MX2 podium while making his debut.
Nine-time world champion Cairoli proved to be unstoppable in the opening round, defeating former world number one Tim Gajser (Honda HRC) in both outings – the Slovenian ultimately finishing second overall.
Jeremy van Horebeek (Honda SR Motoblouz) rounded out the podium with 6-3 moto scores, followed by Clement Desalle (Monster Energy Kawasaki Factory Racing) and Gautier Paulin (Monster Energy Wilvo Yamaha). Roman Febvre (Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing), who was third in race one, crashed heavily in motor two and was transported to hospital with a suspected foot injury.
In the MX2 category, reigning world champion Jorge Prado (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) mastered both motos, taking out two rewarding race victories to earn the overall.
Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Thomas Kjer Olsen was second with a pair of runner-up results, while Evans, making his first world championship appearance, wound up an incredible third after a lodging 5-3 scorecard.
Calvin Vlaanderen (Honda HRC) and Henri Jacobi (F&H Racing Team) were fourth and fifth respectively – both tied on points with Evans for third. The next stop on the MXGP World Championship calendar is scheduled for 24 March at Matterley Basin in the United Kingdom.
Sam Lowes’ Moto2 time recorded during the weekend’s official Moto2 test session in Qatar was quick enough to have put him on pole for the MotoGP race that took place at Qatar in 2004. The new Triumph powered era of Moto2, with the much larger 765cc triple-cylinder engine compared to the CBR600RR based powerplant used in previous seasons, will surely see Moto2 lap records fall dramatically this season.
Sam Lowes
The Briton’s 1m58.439s on the final day enough to beat second place Tom Lüthi (Dynavolt Intact GP) by a significant 0.224 seconds. Lowes’ times was more than half-a-second under the Moto2 qualifying lap record, and almost a full-second under the race lap record for the intermediate class at Losail. In fact the top 10 were under the qualifying lap record, and 19 riders were all under the previous race lap record at the 5.38 km circuit.
Remy Gardner
Remy Gardner (ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team) continued his impressive pre-season speed with third, 0.316 off P1. Gardner was fast in every session across all of the three days in Qatar, and was also well under the previous lap record. The young Australian was a full 2.5-seconds quicker on the SAG backed Kalex framed machine than he had managed last year on the Tech3 machine during qualifying for the Grand Prix of Qatar.
Fourth went the way of Augusto Fernandez (Flexbox HP 40), on 1m58.775s, with Marcel Schrötter (Dynavolt Intact GP) just another 0.030 back in fifth.
Jorge Navarro
EG 0,0 Marc VDS’ Xavi Vierge ended the three-day test just ahead of Jorge Navarro (+Ego Speed Up) and Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) as the three Spaniards occupy sixth, seventh and eighth respectively.
Ninth went to Luca Marini (Sky Racing Team VR46), his 1:58.980 putting him 0.541 off Lowes, with Day 1’s fastest rider Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) completing the top ten.
Moto2 Official Test Times – Qatar 2019
Sam Lowes – Kalex 1m58.439
Tom Luthi – Kalex 1m58.663
Remy Gardner – Kalex 1m58.755
Augusto Fernandez – Kalex 1m58.757
Marcel Schrotter – Kalex 1m58.787
Xavi Vierge – Kalex 1m58.880
Jorge Navarro – Speed Up 1m58.923
Alex Marquez – Kalex 1m58.948
Luca Marini – Kalex 1m58.980
Brad Binder – KTM 1m58.999
Jorge Martin – KTM 1m59.039
Iker Lecuona – KTM 1m59.200
Nicolo Bulega – Kalex 1m59.226
Tesuta Nagashima – Kalex 1m59.306
Bo Bendsneyder – NTS 1m59.308
Lorenzo Baldassarri – Kalex 1m59.325
Andrea Locatelli – Kalex 1m59.335
Enea Bastianini – Kalex 1m59.351
Fabio Di Giannantonio – Speed Up 1m59.407
Somkiat Chandra – Kalex 1m59.734
Simone Corsi – Kalex 1m59.829
Khairul Idham Pawi – Kalex 2m00.148
Jesko Raffin – NTS 2m00.334
Joe Roberts – KTM 2m00.414
Jake Dixon – KTM 2m00.495
Dominique Aegerter – MV Agusta 2m00.546
Lukas Tulovic – KTM 2m00.725
Marco Bezzecchi – KTM 2m00.921
Philipp Oettl – KTM 2m01.337
Stefano Manzi – MV Agusta 2m01.564
Xavier Cardelus – KTM 2m01.656
Dimas Ekky Pratama – Kalex 2m01.824
Moto3
In Moto3, Romano Fenati (Snipers Team) ended the test at the top of the timesheets after going quickest on the final day, setting a best time of 2:05.285 to head teammate Tony Arbolino by 0.230. With many focusing on a fast lap – and some on trying to get a tow – it was a frantic final day of action.
Romano Fenat
All of the lightweight class riders, except the injured Gabriel Rodrigo (Kömmerling Gresini Moto3), went quicker on the third and final day of testing at Losail International Circuit. But it was the Snipers Team duo who locked out the top two positions at the end of play, just like they have done on the previous two days.
Tony Arbolino
Their closest challenger was Aron Canet (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team), with 0.368 splitting him from Fenati in third.
Aron Canet
Fourth fastest was Leopard Racing’s Lorenzo Dalla Porta, the only other rider within half a second of Fenati, with Niccolo Antonelli (SIC58 Squadra Corse) completing a top five covered by 0.507 seconds.
Lorenzo Dalla Porta
John McPhee (Petronas Sprinta Racing) ended the test in sixth place with a best time of 2:05.899, the British rider sitting 0.131 ahead of seventh-placed Marcos Ramirez (Leopard Racing).
John McPhee
John McPhee
“We have had three very productive days here in Qatar. We already had a good base set-up for the bike after the Jerez test but we have kept working as a team to improve the feeling even more. I am very happy with how the team is working, they have all been fantastic and step by step we have improved the lap time and our race pace. These three days we mainly focused on race pace and race setting and I feel very comfortable and consistent over a long run. We treated the second session tonight as more like a qualifying session to see what lap time we could manage and we ended up happy with the lap time because I set it on my own. It is great to finish the last test of pre-season like this.”
John McPhee
Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse) was eighth, just ahead of Sky Racing Team VR46 duo Dennis Foggia and rookie Celestino Vietti – it was ninth and tenth on the timesheets for the Italians respectively.
First 250SX East/West Showdown victory of 2019 season to Cianciarulo.
Image: Supplied.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Cooper Webb has stretched his lead in the 2019 Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, series after storming to victory in Atlanta.
Webb captured his fifth win of the nine contested this season, growing his points advantage to 13 as the season moves into its second half.
A decisive hole-shot placed Webb at the head of the pack in the 20-minute main event and he was never headed, withstanding challenges from Blake Baggett (Rocky Mountain ATV/MC KTM) and teammate Marvin Musquin in a wire-to-wire win.
Baggett made his way by Musquin following 13 laps – assisted by a mistake in the sand by the Frenchman – and only 2.141s separated the trio across the line. It marked the second all-KTM podium sweep of the season, while the rider currently second in the standings, Ken Roczen (Team Honda HRC) finished fourth.
Rookie Aaron Plessinger (Monster Energy Yamaha) put forward his best performance of the season in placing fifth, with Australia’s Chad Reed (JGRMX Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing) finishing in 13th position this weekend.
In the first 250SX East/West Showdown of the season, Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s current West Coast leader Adam Cianciarulo was assertive on his way to victory, topping Dylan Ferrandis (Monster Energy Yamalube Star Racing Yamaha) and early leader Austin Forker (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki).
The 2019 season will now travel to Daytona International Speedway in Florida for round 10, which will be another 250SX East round on the schedule.
Australian impresses in first world championship appearance.
Image: Supplied.
Team Honda 114 Motorsports newcomer Mitch Evans starred on Saturday in the opening round of the MX2 World Championship, finishing sixth in the first qualifying race of the year.
At the Neuquen circuit in Patagonia-Argentina, Evans was 16th in timed practice but made gains as he stormed to sixth in the gate-deciding qualifier.
The MX2 qualifying heat was topped by Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Thomas Kjer Olsen ahead of world champion Jorge Prado (Red Bull KTM) and Henry Jacobi (F&H Racing Team Kawasaki).
In MXGP it was Monster Energy Yamaha’s Romain Febvre who won, leading Julien Lieber (Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team) and Jeremy Van Horebeek (Honda SR Motoblouz), while Antonio Cairoli (Red Bull KTM) exited with a technical issue.
It’s a great era to be a motorcyclist. Bikes are faster, more powerful, safer, and more refined than ever. And they come in all shapes and sizes. That means even the gnarliest machines out there can be surprisingly, paradoxically, wonderfully easy to ride—in spite of gaping ram air ducts, huge horsepower numbers, and evil-sounding exhaust notes that would suggest otherwise.
However, none of these motorcycles are for beginners. I can’t stress that strongly enough. Don’t confuse “easy to ride” with “suitable for novices.” With this batch of bikes, “easy to ride” means their mechanical and electrical refinement make them highly competent and confidence-inspiring—for riders who know what to expect when they open the throttle.
And if you’re keeping score, one of the bikes here just looks menacing. But looks can be deceiving. Which is maybe all we’re trying to say in the first place.
Ducati Panigale V4 S
With a claimed 214 hp at the crank, Ducati’s V4 superbike is a fire breather. It’s a motorcycle that demands respect. But unlike performance machines from the 1970s that had feeble brakes, bias-ply tires, and chassis unable to cope with substantial power output, the Panigale V4 S’s fury is contained and controllable. Smarter-than-you electronics (assuming you let them do their job) will prevent you from flipping the thing backward or locking up the front in a panic. Safety nets aside, the V4 S is one of the easiest bikes to ride because it’s so freaking good. Even when you’re going faster than you would on another motorcycle, you have a greater sense of mastery.
KTM 1290 Super Adventure S
KTM’s big ADV-tourer is intimidating just to swing a leg over on the showroom floor, but underway its size disappears. With 158 hp at the crank (or 128 hp at the rear according to our dyno), and seemingly endless amounts of torque (85 pound-feet on our dyno), the SA has an engine that can be rightly called a force of nature. The thing is, it’s paired with one of the most delicately precise gearboxes on any motorcycle produced. And that’s sort of indicative of the 1290 SA in general. It may seem more Mr. Hyde—and it can be when you want it to be—but precision engineering and overall refinement mean it has the bedside manner of Dr. Jekyll.
The consensus is the Aprilia Tuono V4 1100 is one of the best performance bikes around. It’s a good candidate for representing what makes performance bikes so rideable these days. It may be brutally fast, but it’s also incredibly refined. Three engine maps, eight levels of traction control, and ABS that senses lean angle and lever pressure all look after the rider. It even has cruise control. Never has intimidating power and look-after-you control been so appealing.
Kawasaki H2
When we’re talking about a supercharged 998cc inline-four with an honest-to-goodness 190 hp at the rear wheel, calling it “easy to ride” is a pretty subjective assessment. It’s all a matter of perspective. Compared to entering the ring with a Muay Thai champion while you’re wearing a blindfold and nursing a bum knee, riding an H2 isn’t so terrifying. And compared to the original Kawasaki H1 two-stroke triple, it won’t try to kill you midcorner. Yes, the H2’s power output means it’s a violent thing by its very nature, but unlike it’s famous predecessor, its chassis can cope with it all. Sister magazine Cycle World’s EIC Mark Hoyer points out you could live with the thing everyday. Still, calling it easy to ride may be a stretch.
Harley-Davidson Fat Bob
For those who know a thing or two about motorcycles, the Harley-Davidson Fat Bob’s Big Twin and brutish looks aren’t fooling anyone. The Fat Bob is no untamed steed. Show up to your neighborhood picnic, however, and the cornhole and macaroni salad crowd will probably think that its loud pipes (presumably aftermarket items, since the stock numbers are pretty tame) and the bar-and-shield badge on the tank make you someone who stares death in the face every time you saddle up. In reality, the Fat Bob is easy to ride. Its massive 150/80 bias-ply front and 180/70 radial rear tires make for vague, understeer-y handling, but other than that, it’s eager to please. But no one has to know that.
When a bike looks like the love child of Johnny 5 from Short Circuit and the eponymous character from Alien you know the manufacturer is trying to make a statement. Yamaha’s MT-10 doesn’t exactly look friendly. Like the Tuono, it’s based on a superbike—in this case, Yamaha’s YZF-R1—which means its performance can back up its aggressive stance. However, the 998cc crossplane inline-four is tuned for the road, which automatically makes it friendlier than the committed, track-focused R1. The MT can be as mild mannered as you like. Let your wrist decide.
Kawasaki ZX-14R
For $14,999 (MSRP), you can get 1,441cc of inline-four firepower. With 443cc more than the supercharged H2, the ZX-14 manages to put down roughly the same amount of horsepower—for close to half the money. If you’re looking for the most power per penny, the ZX-14 is probably the way to go. There’s no replacement for displacement, as the old adage goes. Functionally, that means you don’t have to work the throttle too hard to get tremendous stump-pulling acceleration out of the thing. Kawasaki even baked in a low power mode that delivers 75 percent of the goods. If that’s not a peace offering to the gods of ease and leisure, I don’t know what is.
*Editor’s Note: Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman was convicted on February 12, 2019, in Brooklyn, New York, of multiple counts related to drug-smuggling and murder. Below is the story of how he used a hybrid three-wheeled motorcycle to escape Mexican prison during the summer of 2015.
Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán Loera is currently on trial in New York, accused of an expansive list of crimes associated with his decades-long stint as the head of the Sinaloa cartel. His road to that Brooklyn courtroom was long and bloody, and included one of the world’s most notorious escapes, one that would not have been possible without the help of a cannibalized 125cc motorcycle.
Photojournalist James Breeden was the first member of the media allowed access to the mile-long tunnel Guzmán used to escape the Altiplano prison. “It was a pretty strange-looking contraption,” Breeden says. “The back half of it looked like a regular motor bike, and then the front had some sort of welded axle that had two wheels that sat on a small track that ran the length of the tunnel.”
Guzmán’s associates used the bike-mine-cart hybrid to ferry 3,250 tons of earth and stone out of a tunnel 30 feet below the surface. Then, at 8:52 p.m. on July 11, 2015, Guzmán rode the machine to freedom. It didn’t last long. He was recaptured by Mexican authorities in January 2016.
There’s no replacement for displacement—unless you have a blower bolted onto the intake, like Kawasaki’s Ninja H2 motorcycles. These Japanese-made powerhouses use a centrifugal supercharger, forcing compressed air into the combustion chamber for more bang.
Kawasaki claims 300 hp for the top-of-the-line R version, giving it the title of the world’s most powerful production motorcycle. The compressor is so compact and spins so quickly (up to 130,000 rpm), Kawasaki had to tap its KHI aerospace and gas-turbine divisions to manufacture it after traditional supercharger manufacturers turned down the project due to its complexity.
Smaller than a gallon of milk, the 9-pound unit uses a 69 mm impeller carved from billet aluminum. It drives off the engine’s crankshaft, allowing for nearly instantaneous boost through the H2R’s 14,000 rpm powerband. As beautiful as they are functional, the blades turn 9.2 times faster than engine rpm, pushing almost 53 gallons of air per second into the inline-four engine at 2.4 times the atmospheric pressure.
The 12-blade impeller spins on ceramic bearings before “floating” on a thin film of oil, which mitigates friction and reduces heat, so there’s no need for a bulky intercooler.
Supercharger production is housed in a separate production area at the Kawasaki factory, which tests each unit before it arrives at the assembly line. Kawasaki values an individual unit at $3,436—or you can get it standard with a new H2 SX sport-touring rig, starting at $19,000.
Western Australian venue granted MA track licence following two-year hiatus.
Image: Keith Muir.
Motorcycling Australia (MA) has announced that motorcycle racing is set to return to Barbagallo Raceway in Western Australia this season, with the recent reinstatement of the circuit’s MA track licence permitting it to host motorcycle racing events effective 1 March.
After a two-year hiatus, MA has given the green light for motorcycle competition to take place at the venue after several upgrades were undertaken to improve track safety, including the addition of a brand-new chicane to the layout and the installation of air fence safety barriers at key points.
“This is great news for motorcyclists and motorcycle fans in Western Australia, who now have the opportunity to enjoy motorcycling at Barbagallo once again,” said Motorcycling WA’s CEO Joe McCarthy.
“We would like to thank all those who helped to facilitate motorcycling’s return to Barbagallo, including track operators the WA Sporting Car Club and MA. We would also like to acknowledge Minister for Sport and Recreation, The Hon. Mick Murray MLA and the Government of Western Australia for supporting our desire to bring motorcycling back to this fantastic facility.”
MA CEO Peter Doyle added: “It has been a long process, but we are happy to see a positive result. There have been a number of improvements made to the circuit recently and it will great to see racing return to Barbagallo.”
A former venue on the Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) calendar, Barbagallo Raceway suspended motorcycle racing and activities in 2016 after the Department of Sport and Recreation (DSR) report indicated the venue was unfit to host motorcycle sports.
Motorcycle training was permitted at the circuit in 2018, with this last development closing a difficult two years for the sport and industry in Western Australia. An interclub event is scheduled for 10 March, marking the first road racing competition at Barbagallo since the Kings of Wanneroo in 2016.
Yamaha Motor Australia has confirmed the date of the third annual WR250R Rally, scheduled to take place on 22-24 March at Cessnock in New South Wales.
The first event attracted 38 owners, while the second event saw 64 riders of the versatile Yamaha trail bike congregate in Cessnock for a two-day 500km adventure ride. Now, Greg Yager and the RideADV team are aiming to entice the biggest ever collection of WR250Rs to converge in one spot.
This year’s event will once again be hosted by dirt bike legend Chris Watson of Chris Watson’s Motorcycles, covering prime trails around the Hunter region including the Watagan, Olney and Yengo State Forests.
Prizes are awarded for a number of categories including best bike and furthest travelled. Now in its third year, the event attracts a wide range of riders. For more information, visit www.yamaha-motor.com.au.
Breathing system introduced to Australian market by McLeod Accessories.
McLeod Accessories has introduced the AC Performance Systems Sport Band to Australian market, a product used by a number of the sport’s leading riders across the globe.
Breathing through your mouth leads to over-breathing, hyperventilation, dehydration, depleted carbon dioxide levels, vasoconstriction (constriction of the blood vessels), and reduced blood circulation during exercise.
Image: Supplied.
So what does that mean? It means that your body is not getting enough oxygen to your brain or your blood when you’re huffing and puffing through your mouth. You are losing a lot of water when you exhale through your mouth, and your blood vessels are getting squeezed smaller and smaller with each mouth breath you take.
What you need to do is breathe through your nose the way your body was designed to breathe. This creates the proper mixture of gasses coursing through your blood for optimal health and performance. When you breathe through your nose, your body re-breathes the expelled carbon dioxide and the nitric oxide that is naturally produced in your sinuses.
Both of these gasses are vasodilators (blood vessel openers) which deliver more oxygen to the brain and muscles faster. Breathing in and out through the nose actually helps you take fuller, deeper breaths, which stimulates the lower lung to distribute greater amounts of oxygen throughout the entire body.
Image: Supplied.
When the lower lung is stimulated, it triggers the parasympathetic nervous system which calms the body and mind. Mouth breathing only uses the upper lung, triggering the sympathetic nervous system, which activates the fight or flight reaction and stresses the body and mind.
The AC Sport Band is a very simple, but incredibly effective device that allows you to breathe through your nose. It is a non-invasive magnetic band that comfortably sits on the bridge of your nose, pulling your nose open far beyond normal capacity, making nose breathing effortless.
Priced at RRP $45.95, the AC Sport Band can be purchased at participating dealers and online retailers around the country. For more information, visit www.mcleodaccessories.com.au.
