Popular classic road racing event returns on Australia Day long weekend.
Image: Russell Colvin.
A date has been set for the 2020 International Island Classic at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, scheduled to return on the Australia Day long weekend on 24-26 January.
Featuring a century of motorcycles from pre-war through to the new era machines, the event is a motorcycle-lovers’ paradise over a massive three days.
From Friday to Sunday, the circuit brims with people passionate about bike racing, engineering and two-wheel history with over 450 bikes, 300 riders and 50 plus races starring on a packed agenda.
Tickets to the 2020 International Island Classic are due to go on sale later this year, while further details on the event are expected to be released in the coming months.
Classic and vintage styled charity ride set for this September.
Image: Foremost Media.
The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride is set to embark on its eighth edition in 2019 as the classic and vintage styled charity motorcycle ride returns on Sunday, 29 September.
Over 125,000 motorcyclists around the world will suit-up in their smartest attire and unite in the annual Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride, with the aim of raising $7,000,000 USD for prostate cancer research and men’s mental health initiatives on behalf of official charity partner, the Movember Foundation.
The Movember Foundation is the leading charity dedicated to helping men lead happier and healthier lives. Together with The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride, they are dedicated to addressing some of the largest health issues faced by men around the world.
Founded in 2012 by Mark Hawwa in Sydney, the Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride has raised over $18,500,000 USD for men’s health, with a goal of raising a further $7,000,000 USD to the cause in 2019.
With over one million men losing their lives annually to suicide and prostate cancer, this event is calling on the global classic and vintage style motorcycling community to stop men dying too young. This year, the ride will parade through the hearts of over 700 cities across 110 countries. For more information, visit www.gentlemansride.com.
Factory Kawasaki renews MXGP contract with Desalle for 2020
Section: Competition
Injured MXGP rider signs on for next year’s world championship.
Image: Supplied.
Monster Energy Kawasaki Factory Racing has renewed its contract with Clement Desalle for the 2020 MXGP World Championship, which will see the Belgian rider embark on his fifth season with the squad.
Desalle, who’s been sidelined with a leg injury after a horrific crash at the MXGP of Russia, says the injury was no reason to end his career, and that he’s excited continue with the factory Kawasaki team.
“I never had any doubt about my future,” said Desalle. “I know where I want to go, I know what to expect and for me there was no reason to stop my career after my injury. I have a good feeling when I practice in different sports, and I still have a huge motivation.
“I know that even if the level of my rivals is very high I can battle for the win, and when I’m at the start gate my goal is always to win. And I have a great feeling with the team – you need a good team and a good bike to win, and I have all of this with KRT where they offer me great working conditions.
“I got the green light from my doctor to start riding my bicycle on asphalt, and in a few weeks I will be back on my mountain bike, then my enduro bike and finally my motocross bike. It’s great to be able to have some activities, and it’s a good mental stimulation – after my knee injury earlier this season the goal was to be back racing as soon as possible, but after this injury in Russia I knew that it would take a fairly long time as I couldn’t do any activities for several weeks.
“The goal has always been to take the necessary time to be back at 100 percent, so I have not set a specific date for my comeback. Of course it’s difficult to watch the races on television as you would like to be in action on your bike. We’re used to a very intense life – at each race we produce a lot of adrenaline and I’m missing that so much.”
Desalle’s current teammate, Julien Lieber, is also on the sidelines with injury, prompting the team to draft in Tommy Searle as a fill-in rider.
Cianciarulo signs 2020 premier class deal with Monster Energy Kawasaki
Section: Competition
Long-time Kawasaki contender to join Tomac next year in the 450 class.
Image: Supplied.
Adam Cianciarulo will graduate to the premier class in 2020 after signing with Monster Energy Kawasaki, joining team regular and two-time outdoor champion Eli Tomac next year.
Cianciarulo will make his 450 debut after being part of Kawasaki’s racing program for a number of years, beginning with a record-setting stint in amateurs with Team Green and a successful career underneath the Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki team awning in the 250 category.
“I am super excited and grateful for this opportunity,” said Cianciarulo. “I was just a little kid when I signed with Kawasaki in 2004, and it’s been a dream of mine since then to reach this point.
“From growing up in the Team Green program, to my 250cc career with Mitch Payton and Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki, I feel I’m prepared to take on this next challenge of competing at the highest level. The work has just begun and I’m ready to get started on my new KX450.”
It was announced in May that Tomac signed a multi-year contract extension, while the team has confirmed Joey Savatgy will depart the squad at season’s end. Cianciarulo, who leads the 250MX points rankings in the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship, will make his maiden 450 race at the 2019 Monster Energy Cup.
Motorcycle racing has taken a step close to returning to Bathurst’s Mt Panorama with the unveiling of plans for a second circuit.
Motorcycle racing at Bathurst finished in the late ’80s.
Since then, the touring cars and now Supercars have heavily modified the track to a stage where is now unsafe for motorcycle racing.
The existing Mount Panorama Circuit is also limited in the number of permitted full track closures per year.
Council says that by building a second circuit, motorsports activity can “grow without changing the heritage of the historic Mount Panorama Circuit, cementing Bathurst’s international reputation as a motorsport hotspot”.
Circuit plans
The new $52 million “Velocity Park precinct” would be suitable for MotoGP and World Superbike racing.
The second 4.5km track built to FIA Grade 2 and FIM Grade A spec would be located on 200 hectares in valley southwest of the current 6.2km circuit.
Council hopes construction will begin early in 2021 and be completed within 24 months.
The circuit would accommodate a range of high-profile motorsport events year-round and feature additional multi-use facilities.
Maybe there will even be motorcycle track days at the site.
The international circuit has one long straight and nine corners of varying diameters.
There are also shorter 2km and 3km circuit options for national and club events.
It will also provide for a range of facilities including a hotel, driver training centre and a driver experience centre. No mention of special motorcycle facilities, though.
Pit lane
Motorcycle racing history
Bikes raced at Mt Panorama from the 1940s and it hosted several pre-world-title Australian GPs.
Forrest’s Elbow is named after motorcycle racer Jack Forrest who scraped his elbow away after laying down his bike on the corner.
Hell Corner is named after a tree stump at the apex where it was believed motorcyclists who misjudged the corner would die.
In the 1980s, the Easter Races were marred by riots until council imposed an alcohol ban.
Motorcycle racing at Mt Panorama
Consultation
Before construction can begin these new plans and an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) that is currently being prepared will go on display for public consultation later this year.
Council will host the following community consultation drop-in sessions:
Armada Bathurst – 121 Howick Street, Bathurst Thursday, 8 August from 4pm-7pm
Bathurst City Centre – 210 Howick Street, Bathurst Friday, 9 August from 10am-1pm
Bathurst Chase – 39 William Street, Bathurst Wednesday, 21 August from 12pm-3pm
Bathurst Regional Council – 158 Russell Street, Bathurst Thursday, 22 August from 5.30pm-8.30pm
National Motor Racing Museum – 400 Panorama Ave, Bathurst Thursday 22 August from 10am-1pm
The Z125 Pro is Team Green’s answer to the growing street-legal minibike class, that was jump started a few years earlier by Big Red. Like it’s winged foe, the Z125 is powered by a simple 125cc air cooled Single with electric start and digital fuel injection. No fancy rider aids here: it’s a full-manual riding experience with a feathery cable-actuated clutch and slick-shifting four-speed transmission that’s easy to master, especially for inexperienced riders.
An appeal against a “light penalty” for a Canberra driver who twice swerved dangerously at legally lane-filtering motorcyclists has been rejected.
The driver, Jake Searle, 28, had been charged with two counts of driving with intent to menace.
He faced maximum penalties of more than $3000 in fines or 12 months in jail or both for each of these charges.
However, the charges were downgraded as he was a first offender.
Searle was released on a one-year good behaviour order and disqualified from driving for three months. He also avoided a fine.
Appeal rejected
ACT Shadow Attorney General and Triumph Street Twin rider Jeremy Hansen last month called for an appeal.
“As a fellow rider I am very concerned by any incident that could potentially endanger the life of a motorcyclist,” he told us last month.
He says the sentence did not meet “community expectations”, so he wrote to the ACT Director of Prosecutions to ask if they intended to appeal.
Director Shane Drumgold has now rejected the appeal saying the sentences was not “manifestly below or clearly below the sentencing range” for a first offender.
We also contacted ACT Minister for Corrections and Justice Shane Rattenbury, Police Minister Mick Gentleman and Minister for Regulatory Services Gordon Ramsay for comment on the sentence.
None has yet replied.
The Australian Motorcycle Council says it is “of concern when a driver uses their vehicle in a premeditated manner, as a weapon to harm others”.
“There appears to be little distinction between the quality of actions of this driver and those of the driver who killed pedestrians in Melbourne, although a difference in the scale or degree,” the AMC says.
ACT Police were made aware of this video a day later and began investigating.
A second video later emerged showing the same driver of the green Ford Falcon swerving at another rider just a minute later.
In his rejection of the appeal, The Director of Prosecutions confirms the riders were travelling at a legal lane-filtering speed:
Both offences involved a motorcycle lawfully lane filtering at approximately 25kph, with the offender travelling in the same direction at approximately 15kph and swerving marginally to the left to apparently scare the motor cyclist, possibly motivated by displeasure at lane filtering.
Surely it is time for some major advertising campaigns in each state to advise motorists that riders are allowed to filter and what benefits there are for ALL motorists.
So far, lane filtering education campaigns have been minimal and mainly aimed at riders, not the general motoring public.
We not only need major ad campaigns, but also roadside signage such as this photoshopped sign.
Here’s a sign we’d like to see!
We are not aware of any polls about lane filtering in Australia.
However, in California where lane splitting (filtering at higher speeds than 30km/h) is legal, polls have found it is vastly unpopular among other road users. The main objection is that it’s unfair!
That breeds hostility which results in stupid behaviour such as in the above video.
Lane splitting is unpopular in the USA
So long as lane filtering remains unpopular and/or erroneously believed to be illegal, motorists will do stupid and dangerous things to stop riders filtering.
Rossi and Vinales sample 2020 YZR-M1 prototype at Brno test
Section: Competition
Factory Yamaha duo experience next year’s machine in the Czech Republic.
Image: Supplied.
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP’s Valentino Rossi and Maverick Vinales sampled the 2020 YZR-M1 prototype during Monday’s official test at Brno, the pair experiencing their first taste of next year’s machine.
Rossi admitted there aren’t too many changes, however did disclose there’s a new specification engine along with slight adjustments to the chassis settings.
“We also tried the prototype of the new bike, but sincerely we don‘t have a lot of changes, it‘s a different engine and a slightly different setting of the chassis,” Rossi explained. “But these are just the first touches, and what we have is already good.
“After that we worked more with the standard 2019 bike. Some things on the 2020 prototype are good, some things need to be tested again in Misano. This is to be expected because it‘s just a trial run, and we might have something else at the next tests, later on this season.”
Vinales tested the 2020-spec bike for a number of laps, although predominantly focused enhancing his current set-up after finishing 10th at the weekend’s grand prix.
“I tried the prototype for a few laps, but I preferred to concentrate on improving my 2019 bike for Austria,” said the Spaniard. The laps on the 2020 bike were good though, they were good lap times, so we will see at the next test.”
Vinales was second on the timesheets at the completion of testing, while Rossi set the sixth fastest time. The duo return to action this weekend at the Red Bull Ring in Austria.
Ducati pilot earns fifth race win of the season at round seven.
Image: Supplied.
Be Wiser Ducati’s Josh Brookes earned a stellar double podium at Thruxton’s seventh round of the 2019 Bennetts British Superbike Championship (BSB) last weekend, picking up his fifth race win of the season.
Brookes returned to the winners circle in race two after scoring third in the opening encounter, setting him up to qualify for the upcoming Showdown.
“Tyre conservation is on your mind all weekend here at Thruxton so with the second race going from 20 laps to 13 laps and then down to eight laps, I could ride exactly how I wanted to and just went full speed as the tyre was always going to last eight laps,” Brookes explained.
“I just got my head down and went for it and whilst it may not have been as close as the first race, I enjoyed it a lot more. The field is so level now, every race is tough but Pirelli have done a great job with the tyres and they’re a little bit easier to manage around here now and although I still wanted more from myself, I was happy with the first race podium.
“I got pushed around a bit too much on track and needed to find a little bit more confidence, so the second race win has given me exactly what I needed and it’s great to be back on the top step.”
Fellow Australian Jason O’Halloran (McAms Yamaha) experienced a strong weekend, recording a pair of fourth place finishes across the two races. BSB now heads to Cadwell Park on 16-18 August.
Commanding Coolum performance leads to back-to-back titles.
Image: Foremost Media.
Successfully defending the number one plate, DPH Motorsport Husqvarna’s Wilson Todd has indicated his 2019 Pirelli MX Nationals MX2 crown holds greater meaning than his maiden title in the category last year.
Todd rode commandingly at Coolum’s double-header finale last weekend as the championship came down to the final moto, picking up two overall victories along the way.
The popular Queenslander faced a difficult title defence despite holding the red-plate for majority of the season, dealing with challengers from Kyle Webster (Penrite Pirelli CRF Honda Racing) and Jay Wilson (Yamalube Yamaha Racing) for the prized number one.
“This one means a lot,” said Todd. “We did it a lot tougher [this season], and the boys rode good all year. We had a bad round at Murray Bridge and it closed it right up, but in the second half of the season, these guys were really on it, so it made it hard on us. We’re so glad to make it happen.
“It’s special, just like last year, but even more because it came down and it was really tight at the end. You go to bed and you have your demons speaking to you at night saying ‘this could happen, that could happen’, but we came out and everything went smoothly.”
It was an incredible weekend for the DPH outfit, picking up both the MX2 and MX1 titles, with Todd Waters also putting on a dominant display to earn the premier class crown.
