Miller leads teammate Bagnaia at midday on Day 2

As of 13:00 local time at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) leads the way with a fastest time of 1:32.405 to sit 0.202 ahead of teammate Francesco Bagnaia on the timesheets. Day 1’s pacesetter Fabio Quartararo is third quickest on his Petronas Yamaha SRT machine, 0.371 back from Miller.

Source: MotoGP.comRead Full Article Here

Supercross training facilities open ahead of upcoming series

News 30 Aug 2019

Supercross training facilities open ahead of upcoming series

Queensland and Victorian locations available for coaching and training sessions.

Image: Foremost Media.

Supercross facilities in Queensland and Victoria will open their gates for coaching and training ahead of the upcoming Australian Supercross Championship, allowing amateur and professional riders to learn and practice the discipline.

Increasing access to practice tracks and professional supercross coaching has been a major focus for the championship, and series organisers believe this is a crucial step towards the overall goal of increased participation and the development of young riders in the future.

“Access to safe practice facilities and professional coaching has been the number one limiting factor for Australian supercross riders and their development, for as long as I can remember,” said AUS SX Holding’s Adam Bailey.

“In the past, riders that do not have their own private track and property or access to one, have often either tried to compete underprepared or just decided not to take the risk to do Supercross competition. We’re committed to making that transition to competing in the Australian Supercross Championship, more accessible and safer, for all Aussie riders now and into the future.

Krusics Ride Park in Victoria will open the gates to their private supercross tracks on 7-8 September, granting riders of all skill levels the opportunity to attempt supercross for the first time or hone their skills in preparation for the season ahead.

Krusics has two tracks on offer – one for intermediate riders with tamed down jumps and tabletops and another full-blown pro-level track – both professionally prepared for the weekend.

Former supercross champion Cameron Taylor (Y-AIM) will be offering coaching to all skill levels over the weekend and on both tracks to ensure there’s the opportunity to learn regardless of current skill level.

For riders in the south east Queensland region, Nathan Crawford (00 Standards Elite Rider Training) is holding a coaching and endorsement clinic also on Saturday, 7 September, on a private Supercross track near Toowoomba. For more information, visit www.australiansupercross.com.au.


Source: MotoOnline.com.au

Team Australia confirmed for Assen’s Motocross of Nations

News 30 Aug 2019

Team Australia confirmed for Assen’s Motocross of Nations

Australian 2019 squad to be represented by Ferris, Webster and Evans.

Image: Supplied.

Motorcycling Australia has revealed the squad that will represent the country at Assen’s 2019 Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations (MXoN) in The Netherlands.

The team will be led by triple Australian motocross champion Dean Ferris (Recover8 Raceline KTM) and MX2 World Championship regular Mitch Evans (Team Honda 114 Motorsports) in the MXGP and Open classes, while current MX Nationals MX2 runner-up Kyle Webster (Penrite Pirelli CRF Honda Racing) will complete the squad in the MX2 category.

Ferris, a former MXGP regular who contested the opening half of the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship this year with Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing, enters the MXoN as the most experienced rider on the team, having represented Australia on numerous occasions.

The 2019 edition will mark Evans’ third MXoN appearance and his second in as many years, last year charging to seventh overall in the Open division.

Following Hunter Lawrence’s (Geico Honda) season-ending knee injury and Jed Beaton (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) sitting out the event, Webster has been granted the rare opportunity to represent the nation in MX2 as one of the country’s most elite sand riders. The event is scheduled for 28-29 September.


Source: MotoOnline.com.au

Elevated AUS Supercross involvement signifies commitment of TBE

News 30 Aug 2019

Elevated AUS Supercross involvement signifies commitment of TBE

Supercross promoter expands to three rounds in 2019 championship.

Image: Foremost Media.

Increased involvement from Troy Bayliss Events (TBE) as majority promoter of Australian Supercross Championship rounds in 2019 is a sure sign that the series is gaining strength on a domestic level.

TBE has solidified its commitment to the sport by expanding its presence to three rounds in the upcoming championship after entering the series as a promoter for the first time last year.

TBE, co-owned by triple Superbike world champion Troy Bayliss, took Australian supercross back into a full-size stadium last year at Geelong’s GMHBA Stadium, while it also hosted the Adelaide stop of the tour at Gillman Speedway.

Mark Peterson, who makes up the other half of TBE’s ownership, is confident that the company is making positive moves within supercross, despite undertaking significant financial risk and advancing in rapid steps two years into the immense project.

“There’s a huge amount of risk associated with running a supercross event and even the cost to run a supercross event at somewhere like Coolum, for example, it’s a big feat,” Peterson explained to MotoOnline.com.au. “When you go to venues like entertainment centres and stadiums, there’s a lot of money on the line.

“We invest heavily in the sport and we made that decision when we first decided to get into it. We wanted to make sure the product we’re delivering for everyone is really enjoyable for the fans and also the racers, teams and sponsors.

“We’re heavily invested and I think we’re heading in the right direction – we’re not doing things in small steps, we’re doing things in big steps and we’re doing it very smartly. We want to make sure we’re around for a long time.”

With the AUS-X Open, promoted by series rights-holder AUS SX Holdings, shifting to Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium, TBE relinquished the Victorian round in favour of taking on New South Wales and retaining South Australia, while the departure of long-time Queensland promoter, Bannan Promotions, prompted TBE to add Brisbane to its roster.

TBE will take the Australian Supercross Championship to Brisbane Entertainment Centre for the season-opener on 12 October, followed by Gillman Speedway in Adelaide on 19 October and then WIN Stadium in Wollongong on 9 November, which will run alongside the TBE-operated Australian Motorcycle Festival.

“Our first round was Geelong last year and it was great to take the series to GMHBA Stadium – it was a really solid event,” Peterson added. “It was great to take supercross back to a stadium in Australia as well. The crowd loved it, we loved it, Geelong loved it and GMHBA Stadium were really great to work with. We had an agreement in place with AME that if they went to Marvel Stadium – which they were looking to do – we would then take up New South Wales.

“Once it was confirmed that they were going to Marvel Stadium in 2019, we obviously picked up New South Wales and teamed up with WIN Stadium and Wollongong City Council. That stadium is perfect, the location is incredible and every seat is within arm’s distance of the racing and we’ve also announced that the Australian Motorcycle Festival is next door.

“Adelaide – some people actually question why we’re at Gillman Speedway – but they actually have so much dirt on site, which makes it really feasible. The comments we got last year, especially from the riders, were that it was the best track of the year and we know we can produce that again this year.

“We knew we had those two events and, I think just prior to Christmas, we were notified the previous Queensland promoter wasn’t continuing into 2019. We were the first option to take up Queensland, which we did. We looked at a few different venues – the last couple being Brisbane Entertainment Centre or potentially Coolum.

“But we looked at the weather and thought the Sydney event has gone from a tight indoor to Marvel, so let’s take up Brisbane Entertainment Centre – we know we have no rain issues, we can put on one hell of a show and the atmosphere you can create in those tight venues is incredible. We’re really happy with the venues we’ve got.”

AUS SX Holdings, which is run is association with AME Management, will host rounds four and five with the S-X Open Auckland in New Zealand and the AUS-X Open Melbourne at Marvel Stadium.

Source: MotoOnline.com.au

Gold Coast Harley crowned Australian Custom King

2019 Battle of the Kings

Gold Coast Harley-Davidson
Custom King AU/NZ


Gold Coast Harley-Davidson has won top honours in the 2019 Australian and New Zealand Custom King category after winning the Harley-Davidson custom motorcycle build-off competition, Battle of the Kings as one of five finalists.

Battle of The Kings Harley Davidson AU NZ Gold Coast Harley Davidson
Battle of the Kings 2019 – Gold Coast Harley-Davidson- “Hollister Riot”

From the 26 participating dealerships across Australia and New Zealand, the five finalists were selected by the general public. Each finalist was judged and scored against three categories – character, styling and x-factor – by the carefully selected Battle of the Kings Judging panel made up of experienced industry professionals and ambassadors.

Battle of The Kings Harley Davidson AU NZ Gold Coast Harley Davidson
Battle of the Kings 2019 – Gold Coast Harley-Davidson- “Hollister Riot”

Using a Softail Slim as the base model, Gold Coast Harley-Davidson entered their custom motorcycle into the CHOP category – one of three new design categories implemented for the 2019 build off – to create a masterpiece that pays respect to the old Panheads and Knuckleheads of past years.

The springer front end stands out as a main feature of the build, with custom bars, an original style muffler from a 1930’s Harley-Davidson and a custom made 2-1 exhaust setup with old school ribbing and a chain and sprocket.

Battle of The Kings Harley Davidson AU NZ Gold Coast Harley Davidson
Battle of the Kings 2019 – Gold Coast Harley-Davidson- “Hollister Riot”

The Milwaukee-Eight engine has the most identifiable heads since the Shovelhead and were a key feature in the build alongside an original style Solo Saddle seat slimmed down and a paint scheme that pays respects to Harley race bikes of the 1940’s, completing the vintage look.

The custom build named “Hollister Riot” is a reference to the Hollister Riot of 1947 at the AMA Sanctioned Gypsy Tour Motorcycle Rally in the town of Hollister California, where Harley-Davidson enthusiasts gathered to party hard while the number 16 is a reference to Jimmy Chan, who made history with his three consecutive wins of the Springfield Mile and was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1998.

Steve Schilling – Dealer Principal from Gold Coast H-D

“It is absolutely fantastic to win, as the competition was very strong, so to take out the ANZ Battle of the Kings Crown is a credit to the team involved from Gold Coast Harley-Davidson as well as those who assisted with the build, photos and video. It’s an honor and a privilege to be able to represent ANZ and with the fierce international competition, we know it will be tough to win. I have seen the U.S.A. finalists here in Milwaukee at the 2019 Harley-Davidson Dealer Show and to have ‘Hollister Riot’ in the same category is a credit to our team.”

Battle of The Kings Harley Davidson AU NZ Gold Coast Harley Davidson
Battle of the Kings 2019 – Gold Coast Harley-Davidson
Nathan Hindmarsh – Battle of the Kings Judge

“Once again these builds have amazed me. The creativity and attention to detail has blown me away. Congratulations to everyone involved in this year’s competition.”

Gold Coast Harley-Davidson will now go on to represent ANZ against other International Winners. Four winners will be selected via online voting from International markets, meeting the U.S.A winner at the EICMA in Milan, Italy to battle it out for Global Custom King title on center stage.

The Winner of the 2019 Global Battle of the Kings Competition will be announced this November.

Keith Waddell – ANZ Marketing Manager

“Another fantastic year for the competition, with even more amazing custom motorcycles which generated record amounts of public engagement and excitement. The three style categories, Dirt, Race and Chop showcased the versatility and creativity of our dealers when it comes to creating world class custom builds. However, there can only be one winner and we couldn’t be happier to have Hollister Riot from Gold Coast Harley-Davidson represent Australian and New Zealand with their modern twist on the ageless heritage of Harley-Davidson motorcycles.”

Battle of The Kings Harley Davidson AU NZ BUILDER Rolling Thunder
Battle of the Kings 2019 – Rolling Thunder

Public voting to nominate your favourite international finalist opens on 2nd September. For more information on the Battle of the Kings competition visit www.h-d.com/BattleOfTheKings (link) and for all the information on the models used and genuine Harley-Davidson parts and accessories visit www.h-d.com.au (link).


Australian Finalists:

Source: MCNews.com.au

Allerton wrist injury allows further analysis of set-up challenges

News 30 Aug 2019

Allerton wrist injury allows further analysis of set-up challenges

Maxima BMW contender on-track for Winton ASBK return.

Image: Russell Colvin.

An ongoing complication with a wrist injury sustained earlier this year has allowed Glenn Allerton to further analyse set-up challenges he’s faced during the season, with the three-time Australian champion hopeful he’s reached a solution ahead of Winton’s fifth round of the 2019 Motul Pirelli Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) next week.

Allerton injured his wrist at The Bend’s third round in April, and while the bone has completely healed, the New South Welshman has been experiencing inflammation at the joint, which is causing problems for him under braking and in tight turns.

It’s an issue the Maxima BMW team has experienced already at circuits with similar characteristics to Winton, although recent changes to his fork setting while testing at the venue last week to accommodate his wrist injury have paved the way for a promising set-up that will rectify the problem.

“We did some decent lap-times, and we’re trying to find a setting in the front forks to make the bike turn in comfortably,” Allerton explained to CycleOnline.com.au. “I feel like I have to put a lot of effort in to turn the bike. That’s part of what the wrist injury is – it’s making it hard to turn in.

“I think even if my wrist wasn’t injured, I just think we’re struggling with the last bit of turning in slow corners – Winton has a lot of slow corners that turn back on themselves, and it’s really exposed that issue – it’s the same issue that I had at Wakefield.

“So we’re working on trying to solve that, but my wrist being the way it is, it’s actually given me a chance to analyse the issue a bit more, and I think we’re on top of it.”

Allerton hasn’t raced since the South Australian stop, electing to sit out Morgan Park’s fourth round last month after continuing to experience wrist injury troubles.

Source: CycleOnline.com.au

Roller barriers may be safer for riders

Motorcycle rider advocates have cautiously welcomed a Western Australia trial of new roller barriers with high-visibility plastic rollers on steel polls that rotate when hit by a vehicle.

Similar barriers have been used overseas and have been under trial with VicRoads at three locations for about four years.

The new roller barriers are being installed on Perth’s Murdoch Drive Connection ramp connecting Roe Highway to Kwinana Freeway northbound.

Roller welcomeRoller barriers may be safer for riders

Unlike wire rope barriers, these barriers have received a cautious welcome from motorcycle rider advocates.

Dave Wright of the Motorcycle Riders Association of Western Australia says they have been waiting “for some time” for these to be installed.

“We believe the outcome of a motorcycle rider crash will result in far less injuries than conventional crash barriers currently in use,” he says.

“However we will wait until after the trail period to give these barriers our blessing.”

Australian Motorcycle Council spokesman Guy Stanford says are “always nervous about barriers”.

“There are no crash barriers that can be considered ‘motorcycle friendly’,” he says.

“In the event of a motorcyclist impacting with any crash barrier the likelihood is that they will be severely injured.

“But we are pleased they are investigating this and coming up with new systems.”

Fellow MC  member Rob Salvatore says it is important the spacing between the rollers is kept to a minimum and the top of the roller posts are smoothly capped.

Local manufacture

The safety barriers have been adapted from South Korean barriers for Australian conditions by Geraldton-based firm Mid-West Traffic Controllers who also supplied two of the Victorian roller barriers.

Spokesman John Wheatland says a motorcycle or any other vehicle is likely to hit the rollers at an angle which reduces the gap for a limb to get caught.

“Riders are more than welcome to have input for safety changes,” he says with suggested updates tested at their facilities in Christchurch.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

KTM Ultimate Race 2020 Qualifier | Transmoto 8-Hour

2020 KTM Ultimate Race

Transmoto 8-Hour Stroud Australian Qualifier


How does an all-expenses paid trip to Morocco and a fully-supported ride on a factory-prepped KTM 790 Adventure R to race an exclusive class at the Merzouga Rally 2020? If that’s ticking all the boxes then here’s your chance to claim a chance to be in it.

The KTM Ultimate Race is back for 2020 and the Australia Qualification event will be held at the Transmoto 8-Hour Stroud, on October 18-19, 2019. With six KTM Adventure Rallye events now taking place all over the world, the KTM Ultimate Race was introduced in 2019 to bring together the global KTM adventure communities.

KTM ULTIMATE RACE Image Two
KTM Ultimate Race

Two lucky riders from each country that host a Rallye will again get the chance to qualify and take part in the KTM Ultimate Race at the 2020 Merzouga Rally in Morocco. The fully supported ride for each person includes flights, accommodation, entry fees, as well as a KTM 790 Adventure R to race on, with a full race service.

Competitors will also be given the fantastic opportunity to be coached by some of the world’s finest and fastest offroad racers and to be treated like Factory supported riders during the trip in which they will negotiate some of the most epic terrain in rally racing.


How to qualify

There will be a stand-alone qualification event to find the two Australian riders and who better to host this event than the crew that brings you some of the most unique and entertaining racing in Australia: Transmoto!

KTM ULTIMATE RACE Image Three
KTM Ultimate Race

Held in conjunction with the final Transmoto of the year – the 2019 8-Hour at Stroud – the KTM Ultimate Race Qualifications will be held on Friday and Saturday before the 8-Hour, with plenty of chance for spectators to watch the challenges on Saturday.

Certain requirements must be met for those wishing to participate in the Qualifications, as set across all countries. Riders must compete on a twin cylinder KTM motorcycle (790, 950, 990, 1090, 1190, 1290) that they own (the bike cannot be borrowed or rented) and is road registered.

They must hold a current MA racing license. One-Day licenses can be purchased on the day, however the two qualification winners must have a valid MA license to participate in Merzouga. Riders can’t have raced professionally or participated in the Dakar Rally in the past 10 years. And they must have a GPS unit capable of following GPX tracks and an Instagram account.

The Qualification challenges will be tough, as the terrain in Morocco will be a serious task, therefore we are not holding back during this Qualification.

KTM ULTIMATE RACE
KTM Ultimate Race

Entries for the Qualification are very limited and open on Wednesday, September 11th at 9.00am AEST. Details on the Qualification challenges and the link to enter once registrations open can be found here: https://www.ridektm.com.au/ktm-ultimate-race-2020/ (link)

Source: MCNews.com.au

Norton builds limited Dominator Street

Norton Motorcycles has followed the success of its Commando Street with a limited “Street” edition of the Dominator with upright bars and a hand-painted tank.

Only 50 bikes will be made costing £21,950.

Australian Norton importer James Mutton of Brisbane Motorcycles says the bikes are only available on order.

James Mutton Brisbane Motorcycles discounting
James with Norton motorcycles

“The factory does not actually make stock as usual when they do a limited-edition bike,” he says.

“They all sell out within a month or so and are then built and imported.”

Dominator StreetNorton Dominator Street

The Dominator Street is expected to start deliveries from next month.

“We will probably end up bringing one or two in if an Australian customer places a deposit soon enough,” James says.

Pricing will be similar to the Dominator Naked at $A52,990 (+ORC) and customers will need to leave a 10% deposit.Norton Dominator Street

“Our market for this bike is obviously very small,” Jame says.

“The very affluent motorcycle collector that has a passion for ultra-rare motorcycles and wishes to secure a bike that will have its own place in motorcycling history fits the profile of someone we would expect to order one of these bikes.”

Norton says they have modified the Dominator chassis to give it a more “sporty” feel.

It comes with an Ohlins rear shock and Ohlins forks in either upside-down or conventional configurations for a classic appearance.Norton Dominator Street

Features include lashings of carbonfibre and polished yokes and engine covers, and drilled clutch cover and chainguard.

The 961cc parallel-twin engine with 58kW and 90Nm now has more of a bark through the two-into-one handmade exhaust system.

Big year

James says he is expecting a big year from the handbuilt British brand.

Some £4m in government funding has now flowed through to the company who have also concluded a £20m deal with Japan.

The deal involves delivering an extra 1000 motorcycles worth £5m to Japanese riders over the next five years.

The extra money will allow Norton Motorcycles to revamp their plant in Castle Donington and hire 200 new workers.

“It’s an amazing place with carpet on the floor and technicians hand assembling the bike at little work benches,” James says.

The big new models coming from Norton soon are the flagship V4 and the affordable Atlas Nomad and Ranger.

Norton Atlas Ranger Nomad wait

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

Riders still mixing alcohol and riding

Riders are still not getting the message about the dangers of mixing alcohol and riding, according to new Queensland University of Technology research.

While alcohol features as a contributing factor in a relatively small proportion of all reported motorcycle crashes, it is more prevalent in fatal crashes.

Despite decades of anti drink-drive campaigns and heavy use of RBT policing, almost a quarter of driver and motorcycle road deaths are related to drinking, says Professor Barry Watson and Dr Angela Watson from the QUT’s Centre of Accident Research and Road Safety – Queensland (CARRS-Q).

Alcohol and crash data

They analysed data from the Queensland Road Crash Databases to review the long-term trend in alcohol-related crashes and injuries from 1981 to 2017.

While alcohol-related deaths were 50% in the ‘80s and are now more than halved, it is still unacceptably high, Prof Watson says.

And despite riders needing all their faculties to operate and balance a motorcycle, it seems more than a fifth are killed with more than .05 BAC.

Over the past five years the percentage of road deaths where liquor was involved was 21.8% for riders and 23.8% for drivers.

“While the percentage of motorcycle riders killed with a BAC of .05 or more is often lower than that for drivers, this is not always the case,” Prof Watson says.

In 2015 and 2016, the percentage was higher for motorcyclists than drivers.

“There is variability in the percentage of those killed with a BAC of .05 or more among both the drivers and motorcycle riders, but this appears more pronounced among the motorcycle riders possibly due to the overall fewer numbers of riders being killed,” he says.

More lethal

 Prof Barry Watson alcohol
Prof Watson

Prof Watson also points out that the involvement of alcohol in non-fatal crashes is considerably lower for both drivers and motorcycle riders.

“This highlights the fact that alcohol-related crashes are generally more severe in nature since they involve other factors that exacerbate the consequences of the crash (e.g. higher speeds, run-off the road, hit objects),” he says.

“I suspect that this increased likelihood of a crash being severe if alcohol is involved would apply equally, if not more, to motorcycle riders.

“As such, the prevalence of alcohol in motorcycle rider fatalities (as well as driver fatalities) is higher than you would expect compared to the number of impaired riders on the road, due to the increased likelihood of an alcohol-related crash being severe.”

RBT effectiveness

However, he says the “vast majority” of motorists intercepted for random breath testing by the police are below the limit.

“Queensland Police currently undertake over three million RBTs annually, resulting in over 17,000 offences. This equates to almost one test per licensed driver every year and a detection rate of 1:178,” he says.

“This confirms that most drivers and motorcycle riders are doing the right thing and complying with our alcohol limits,” he says.

“Unfortunately, however, the chances of being involved in a road crash, and for that crash to be severe, is greatly increased by driving/riding after drinking.”

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com