Australian contender to pilot RSV4 RF this season.
Image: Supplied.
Levi Day will contest the Superstock 1000 (STK1000) category in the 2019 Bennetts British Superbike Championship (BSB) after landing a deal with In Competition Aprilia.
The South Australian, who previously challenged the Ducati TriOptions Cup finishing fifth overall with a number of race wins to his name, will pilot a RSV4 RF alongside Scotsman Lewis Rollo.
“I am extremely excited to be given this opportunity to race in Superstock 1000 for In Competition in 2019,” Day explained. “The Aprilia RSV4RF is an amazing bike and I am confident we have a great package, of bike and team, to have a successful year.
“I want to go out, enjoy my riding and work hard, and I believe everything will work well. I want to thank In Competition for the opportunity, as well as AJN Steelstock, for making this step up in class and believing in me.”
Team manager Ian Newton commented: “I am excited to have Levi and Lewis on board. Having worked with three previous Australian riders I know that they have a sense of purpose to travel half way round the world to achieve their dream in life. With the support from AJN Steelstock again for 2019 Levi is determined to be an established front-runner.”
Day has been back in Australia during the off-season, sampling the Aprilia RSV4 RF in a selection of coaching days that he has hosted. The first stop of the BSB STK1000 series is scheduled for 19-21 April at Silverstone.
Michelin Anakee Adventure tyres have now arrived in Australia with more sizes arriving in May.
The tyres, unveiled at the EICMA Motorcycle Show in Milan in November, are designed for riders who do about 80% tarmac touring and about 20% dirt riding.
Michelin Australia has now announced the sizes and pricing:
Rear:
170/60 R 17 M/C 72V, $299, now available
150/70 R 17 M/C 69V, $279, now
150/70 R 18 M/C 70V, $299, now
130/80 R 17 M/C 65H, $249, May
140/80 R 17 M/C 69H, $259, May
Front:
90/90 – 21 M/C 54V, $179 now
110/80 R 19 M/C 59V, $229, now
120/70 R 19 M/C 60V, $239, now
100/90 – 19 M/C 57V, $179, May
The tyres have also been approved for the new BMW R 1250 GS and the coming Moto Guzzi V85 TT as well as many other big-capacity adventure bikes.
Anakee Adventure
The tyre joins their adventure range consisting of the Road 5 Trail for 100% road use and Anakee Wild for 50% road and 50% off-road.
Michelin claims the Anakee Adventure has exceptional grip on wet roads due to its new-generation silica-enhanced compound.
It is also claimed to have dry weather stability and long wear thanks to two Michelin-patented technologies.
Dual Compound 2CT means the front tyre combines different all-silica compounds for the crown and shoulders. This aids grip, especially on wet ground, with no detriment to dry weather performance or tyre life.
Michelin’s 2CT+ technology uses a rubber compound for the tyre’s crown that serves as a rigid ply passing under the edges of the shoulder compound. This makes the tread stiffer in depth for improved stability when leaning.
Anakee Adventure also has a new, open tread pattern for traction on unsealed tracks and trails.
Michelin won in the first year in 2015 and again 2017.
The 2018 Canstar Blue customer satisfaction survey of more than 350 riders reveals some startling findings about rider attitudes to their motorcycle tyres.
Almost half of Aussie motorcycle riders have not checked their tyre pressures in the past three months.
Youthful American earns maiden 450SX victory at the third round.
Image: Supplied.
Cooper Webb as indicated his thrilling battle with Ken Roczen (Honda HRC) in the opening main at A2’s Triple Crown is a sign of moving on the from their San Diego clash in 2018, which ultimately ruled Roczen out of the series.
The duo have long had a tension-filled rivalry that’s extended beyond the race track, however that was put behind them at the weekend when the duo engaged in a respectful battle that saw Webb emerge with a last lap pass to clinch his first ever race win since entering the premier class in 2017.
The Red Bull KTM Factory rider backed up the result with victory in race two followed by third in the finale, granting him his maiden overall victory while also becoming the second first time winner in as many rounds.
“It was cool, and whether you want to count it is a win or not, that was my first main event win,” Webb said speaking of his race one victory over Roczen. “To be behind him the whole race and be able to pass him on the last lap was cool, especially what unfortunately happened with us last year.
“It was good to battle with him and shake hands after and move on from everything. San Diego last year was bad for both of us, so for us to battle and it be my first win and come down to the last lap with two turns to go, I was just stoked.
“After the first two, the demons want to creep in, but I felt I did pretty good in keeping my composure. Eli got out front and was really hauling, but I knew where was I at and Marv got around me, so I just tried to latch onto him and treat it like a practice day. I was happy to still be consistent all night – two get two [wins] was amazing, but to finish it out strong was special.”
Webb’s victory promoted him to third in the standings, while Roczen’s fourth place finish allowed him to maintain the championship lead heading into Oakland’s fourth stop of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship this weekend.
Repsol Honda newcomer suffers broken scaphoid in Italy.
Image: Supplied.
Details have emerged that multi-time MotoGP world champion Jorge Lorenzo will undergo surgery today to repair a left broken scaphoid sustained while training in Italy.
Repsol Honda, who Lorenzo signed with for the 2019 and 2020 seasons after two years at Ducati, confirmed the news via a Twitter announcement, however didn’t disclose any further details on how the injury occurred.
The Spaniard suffered a hairline fracture in the same wrist last year in October after crashing heavily during practice at the Thai grand prix, which later sidelined for him a number of rounds before returning for the season finale at Valencia, and post-season testing with Honda.
It’s not yet clear if the injury will force him out of pre-season testing, scheduled for 6 February at Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia, followed by a final test at Qatar on 23 February – two weeks before the season-opener at the Losail venue on 10 March.
The third round of the 17-round 2019 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship was staged under a full moon in Angel Stadium and A2 was run in the big stakes triple crown format that fans have come to love. Three x 450 Mains provided plenty of action and each ran for a duration of 12-minutes plus 1 lap.
All the most fancied runners automatically made their way through to the mains with qualifying conducted on lap times rather than the normal Heat race format. The round points in the triple-crown format are decided on the results from across the three Mains.
Ken Roczen led the points chase by a single point over Justin Barcia as they readied for A1. When they left Angel Stadium Roczen would still be leading the series, despite a somewhat lack-lustre night for the German, while Barcia would be leaving in a medical transport vehicle…
Anaheim 2 450 – Main Event 1
Ken Roczen scored the holeshot ahead of Cooper Webb, Marvin Musquin and Eli Tomac when the first Main got underway. Musquin made a small mistake in the first rhythm section which allowed Tomac through to third place. Cole Seely was in fifth ahead of Joey Savatgy and Justin Hill while Chad Reed was in eighth.
Defending Champion Jason Anderson and A1 winner Justin Barcia were taking their time to get up to speed, the pair running 9-10 in the opening laps of the first Main. The track made passing opportunities hard to come by, and instead moves had to be somewhat forced.
With a few minutes remaining it was Roczen leading by 1.2-secs over Webb, who had another 2-secs on Tomac. Cole Seely was still in fifth but Anderson had made his way forward to sixth, Savatgy seventh, Barcia was up to eighth, Reed was in ninth and Dean Wilson was rounding out the top ten.
Glendale winner Blake Baggett was just outside the top ten but then caught up in the bunting on a tough-block and lost a number of places.
Marvin Musquin got the better of Eli Tomac with two-mins left in the allotted time.
As they got the last lap board Cooper Webb closed right on to the tail of Roczen and started to challenge for the victory. Webb got Roczen over a jump and managed to hold on to take the chequered flag and victory in the opening race of the night.
Anaheim 2 450 – Main Event 1 Results
Cooper Webb
Ken Roczen +00.549
Marvin Musquin +07.825
Eli Tomac +11.180
Cole Seely +13.805
Jason Anderson +15.239
Justin Barcia +16.161
Joey Savatgy +25.974
Dean Wilson +29.990
Chad Reed +31.487
Anaheim 2 450 – Main Event 2
Cooper Webb shot out of the gates to claim the holeshot in the second bout over a fast starting Cole Seely. Jason Anderson and Justin Barcia both had much better starts this time around and were ahead of a sixth placed Ken Roczen in the early stages of the second Main.
Chad Reed watched on from the sidelines as he had failed to start the second Main after a problem with the Yoshimura Suzuki.
Roczen got the better of Barcia a few laps into the race and then started challenging Anderson for fourth place, the German got past Anderson with eight-minutes remaining.
Musquin then slipped past Seely for third place to make it a Red Bull KTM 1-2 at the front of the race, but Webb maintained a 2.6-second lead over his teammate.
Seely then made a mistake which allowed his Honda team-mate Ken Roczen to close in and take third place from him.
Ken Roczen then fell from third place in the whoops with five-minutes remaining, the #94 was relegated all the way back to ninth place before getting back on the bike. He quickly got back past Baggett, then Dean Wilson to move back up to seventh place behind Eli Tomac.
Tomac and Roczen then squeezed past Cole Seely before the pair chased down Jason Anderson, pushing the Husqvarna man back to sixth place.
Justin Barcia had a relatively lonely race in third place, while Cooper Webb maintained his advantage over Marvin Musquin to the flag to take his second win of the night.
Anaheim 2 450 – Main Event 2 Results
Cooper Webb
Marvin Musquin +03.818
Justin Barcia +08.334
Eli Tomac +13.289
Ken Roczen +14.984
Jason Anderson +18.504
Cole Seely +19.556
Dean Wilson +19.896
Aaron Plessinger +23.916
Blake Baggett +25.292
…DNS. Chad Reed
Anaheim 2 450 – Main Event 3
Chad Reed might have missed the second moto with a mechanical problem but that obviously had fired him up for this one as the Aussie legend very nearly claimed the holeshot. Eli Tomac and Cooper Webb swept past him at turn one but Reed was right in the mix. Jason Anderson then lost more positions after making a mistake on a tabletop.
Marvin Musquin then moved past Reed for third place but Reed then managed to hold out Ken Roczen for a number of laps. Reed really made the young German battle for that fourth position before finally allowing the Honda past with six-minutes remaining.
Justin Barcia got cross-rutted and went down heavily and was being treated by the side of the circuit, the #51 would take no more part in the proceedings. The Yamaha rider was sent off for scans on his tailbone area but should be back in action when AMA Supercross heads to Oakland for round four next weekend.
Up front Tomac had pulled the pin and was looking untouchable, by half race distance the Kawasaki man already had a five-second lead over the KTM duo of Cooper Webb and Marvin Musquin. The two men KTM swapped positions late in the race with Musquin moving up to second place but Tomac was unchallenged on his way to the chequered flag.
While Tomac took the final race win it was Cooper Webb on 26-points for the night that takes the round win ahead of team-mate Musquin.
Anaheim 2 450 – Main Event 3 Results
Eli Tomac
Marvin Musquin +04.787
Cooper Webb +09.202
Ken Roczen +12.312
Chad Reed +15.281
Aaron Plessinger +16.025
Dean Wilson +16.309
Joey Savatgy +21.417
Justin Hill +23.009
Vince Friese +25.711
2019 Anaheim 2 – AMA SX Round 3 – Round Points
Cooper Webb 26
Marvin Musquin 23
Eli Tomac 21
Ken Roczen 19
Dean Wilson 18
Cole Seely 17
Aaron Plessinger 16
Joey Savatgy 15
Jason Anderson 14
Justin Barcia 13
…13. Chad Reed 10
Cooper Webb
“Last weekend I was tenth and that wasn’t what I wanted, so I had some redemption this week. But to win is insane – to win two races and be on the podium in the last one is incredible! I really have got to give it up to the group at KTM, they took me under and they changed everything for me. It’s been a struggle the last two years, so those guys just constantly pushing me to get back to where I was and reminding me that I still got it. I can’t believe it and I’ll never forget this day. I hope to keep it going, this is an incredible feeling. Man, I’m speechless.”
Marvin Musquin
“It’s not always been my strongest point on the start but I’ve been very consistent today. This week I only rode a little bit on Monday. I stayed in California and we got a lot of rain, but obviously it helped on the knee. I tried to work on it the whole week and I felt good getting on the bike compared to last weekend, so it was important and that’s what I need – to feel good and not have any pain. It was great racing tonight, I didn’t win any motos but I got second overall, I was consistent and I was able to battle for the lead and for the podium.”
Aaron Plessinger
“Anaheim 2 was a pretty good race for me. I kind of was struggling with bike setup all day and then after the last practice we made a shock change, and it was great. I got a few bad starts in the first two main events, which hurt my results, but I felt good all night. I rode what I thought was the best that I have ridden. I went 12, 9, 6, for seventh overall. So, I think I did pretty good for it only being my third 450 race. I’m really amped for Oakland next weekend. I’m going to go back and work on my starts, practice them all week and get it down pat so hopefully we can get up front and get a podium.”
AMA Supercross 2019 Championship Points
Ken Roczen 63
Eil Tomac 61
Cooper Webb 57
Justin Barcia 56
Marvin Musquin 56
Dean Wilson 52
Jason Anderson 46
Blake Baggett 45
Aaron Plessinger 45
Cole Seely 44
Justin Brayton 37
Chad Reed 33
Vince Friese 32
Justin Hill 30
Joey Savatgy 22
AMA Supercross 2019
250 Western Round Three
As per the premier 450 category the 250 races were also held under the triple-crown format, but with races two-minute shorter than the 450 class.
Colt Nichols landed back in Anaheim with a five-points advantage over Adam Cianciarulo but his buffer had been trimmed back to two-points by the time they left A2.
Cianciarulo though had slipped from second in the championship points standings down to fourth as Shane McElrath moved up to second place on the back of the A2 round win.
Dylan Ferrandis also gained a place on the points table, moving up to third outright by a single point over Cianciarulo.
Colt Nichols had won the first Main from Ferrandis but it was Ferrandis that took top honours in Main #2 from Shane McElrath with Nichols in third.
McElrath twon Main #3 to take the 26-points for the overall round win ahead of Ferrandis and Nichols.
Australian privateer Tomas Ravenhorst ranked 21 out of the 46 riders that participated in the qualifying sessions but with only the top 18 automatically going through to the Mains he again had to contest the LCQ. Unfortunately the Victorian missed out on the Mains after finishing seventh in the LCQ.
250 Main Event 1
Colt Nichols
Dylan Ferrandis +02.602
Shane Mcelrath +10.893
Adam Cianciarulo +12.274
RJ Hampshire +15.184
Jacob Hayes +19.320
James Decotis +23.504
Chris Blose +26.168
Cameron Mcadoo +27.166
Michael Mosiman +32.907
250 Main Event 2
Dylan Ferrandis
Shane McElrath +01.347
Colt Nichols +02.589
RJ Hampshire +09.612
Cameron Mcadoo +19.900
Michael Mosiman +23.485
Jacob Hayes +26.658
Chris Blose +31.385
Mitchell Harrison +38.432
Sean Cantrell +42.393
250 Main Event 3
Shane McElrath
Adam Cianciarulo +03.232
Dylan Ferrandis +04.608
Colt Nichols +05.317
RJ Hampshire +18.507
Cameron Mcadoo +19.847
Michael Mosiman +23.711
Chris Blose +25.113
Jacob Hayes +26.109
Jess Pettis +34.097
AMA SX Round 3 – 250 Western Round Points
Shane McElrath 26
Dylan Ferrandis 23
Colt Nichols 21
RJ Hampshire 19
Adam Cianciarulo 18
Cameron Mcadoo 17
Jacob Hayes 16
Michael Mosiman 15
Chris Blose 14
Mitchell Harrison 13
Shane McElrath
“We’ve been learning a lot throughout the season so far. I mean, we had a really good off-season but you can’t really do bike setup without going to the races and that’s my comfort – that’s really what we’ve been searching for. The last two weekends have been upsetting because of the way I’ve been riding but we’ve just kept pushing – perseverance produces hope, so this is good for us.”
Dylan Ferrandis
“The short amount of time between each main event made it physically demanding, but I felt good and strong all night. All the rain from the week, made for a really technical rhythm section, but the bike was awesome. My teammate and I were able to put the bike up front at every start. I’m a bit disappointed to finished second again, but me and my team are going to analyze our race and work on what we need for the win.”
Colt Nichols
“The track was very difficult. It got really rutty and soft during the third main event, so made it very hard to continue to jump the rhythm sections and keep everything consistent. The bike was incredible, got off to three really great starts. I’m a little bummed with the way I rode in the last main event after getting the holeshot, but overall it was a good night. Still came out with a podium, can’t be mad at that. It was also pretty tough to bounce back in between each race, with there being a short time in between each one of the main events. Made it physically demanding, but happy with the way I rode. Just have to get a little bit better.”
Adam Cianciarulo
“It was a rollercoaster night to go from being out front to falling to finishing on the podium. I really want to put the mistakes behind me and I think with three races, I was able to show that I could still be up front even on an off night. We are still in the hunt and will be working hard to make sure we get back on top.”
AMA Supercross 2019 250 Western Championship Points
Title contender suffers suspected tailbone bruising from race three fall.
Image: Supplied.
A heavy crash in the final main event of Anaheim 2’s Monster Energy AMA Supercross Triple Crown has prompted Justin Barcia to undergo further medical evaluation with suspected bruising to his tailbone.
The Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing rider, who captured victory at Anaheim’s season-opening round at the beginning of the month, lodged 7-3 race results in the first two mains, although his night came to an abrupt halt when he made a critical error through a rhythm section in race three, resulting in a damaging fall.
“On the other side of the tent, Justin Barcia had a big crash in the final moto of the night,” said team manager Jim Perry. “He’s going to the hospital for a checkup for a possible bruised tailbone, we’ll have more information after observation. All in all, it was an up and down night, but we’ll take the good from it and move on to next weekend.”
The Triple Crown format worked into Barcia’s favour as his performances from races one and two contributed to a 10th overall placing, allowing him to maintain fourth in the championship standings.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Cooper Webb won the overall – the first 450SX victory of his career – while Ken Roczen (Honda HRC) maintains his position atop the points classification.
Factory KTM rider second overall at Anaheim 2’s Triple Crown.
Image: Supplied.
Frenchman Marvin Musquin earned his first podium finish of the season at Saturday’s third round of the 2019 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship, despite still battling an ongoing knee injury.
Musquin initially suffered the injury last November and has since been limited him to minimal bike time, however the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing ace displayed exceptional consistency at Anaheim 2’s Triple Crown, lodging 3-2-2 race scores for second overall.
“It’s not always been my strongest point on the start but I’ve been very consistent today,” Musquin admitted. “This week I only rode a little bit on Monday. I stayed in California and we got a lot of rain, but obviously it helped on the knee.
“I tried to work on it the whole week and I felt good getting on the bike compared to last weekend, so it was important and that’s what I need – to feel good and not have any pain. It was great racing tonight, I didn’t win any motos but I got second overall, I was consistent and I was able to battle for the lead and for the podium.”
Following eighth and fifth place finishes at rounds one and two, plus his second at A2, Musquin is now positioned fifth in the championship standings, equal on 56 points with Monster Energy Yamaha’s Justin Barcia in fourth.
The overall win was captured by Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Cooper Webb – the first of his 450SX victory career while also becoming the third winner in as many rounds this year, and the second first-time victor in the last two stops of the series.
Ducati boss Claudio Domenicali rides a Hypermotard converted to electric power with a Zero FX powertrain and recently said the company is about to join the electric bike race.
At a recent student event in Spain he told the crowd: “The future is electric, we’re not far from starting series production.”
It’s no news that Ducati has been considering an electric model since about 2017 when a Ducati executive revealed they had electric plans for a motorcycle and a scooter by 2021.
In the same year, VW Group Chairman Matthias Mueller upped the ante saying Ducati would have an electric motorcycle “by 2020”.
Jumping on board the latest-generation Suzuki GSX-R1000 has never been easier thanks to Suzuki Finance’s 3.49%p.a low comparison rate* offer, with a bonus Quickshifter also thrown into the mix. For $19,990 Ride Away with 12 months registration you can get your hands on the latest GSX-R1000, with a 25% discount on Suzuki Insurance’s annual comprehensive insurance also available.
Until March 31, this finance offer provides the opportunity for customers to make huge savings on their finance repayments and offers more financial freedom by allowing funds to be kept free for other purposes – like gear and accessories!
During this promotion, customers can also enjoy a 25% discount off their comprehensive Suzuki Insurance annual premium, offering another great saving.
The GSX-R1000 ABS is available for a special promotional price of $19,990 Ride Away with twelve months registration and a bonus Genuine Suzuki Bi-Directional Quickshifter^, valued at $899.
The sixth generation GSX-R1000 redefines the brand’s superbike offering and embodies the work and ambition of Suzuki engineers passionate about the GSX-R brand and its place in motorcycle history. Get your hands on the most powerful, hardest accelerating, sharpest handling GSX-R ever built today.
*The interest rate quoted is applicable for new applications for the ‘Low Rate Product’ from 1 January 2019 and is subject to change without notice. Comparison rate is 3.49% pa calculated on the basis of secured credit of $10,000 over a 3 year term. WARNING: This comparison rate is true only for the examples given and may not include all fees and charges. Different terms, fees or other loan amounts might result in a different comparison rate. Finance provided by Allied Credit ACN 143 964 667, Australian Credit Licence 000000. All applications are subject to Allied’s normal credit assessment and loan suitability criteria. Terms, conditions, fees and charges apply. Offer only available on MY17 GSX-R1000 ABS (GSX-R1000AL7) models. Applications must be approved before 31 March 2019 and vehicle must be delivered by 15 April 2019. ^Allow up to 8 weeks for supply of Genuine Suzuki Quickshifter. Cost of fitting the Genuine Suzuki Quickshifter will be covered by the selling dealership Free-Of-Charge. We recommend fitting to be scheduled for during the First Service. Advertised Ride Away price of $19,990 includes 12 months registration costs and dealer pre-delivery charges. Terms and conditions apply. Contact your Suzuki Motorcycle Dealer for full details.
Qualification to take place at Batemans Bay in New South Wales.
Image: Supplied.
KTM Australia has confirmed qualification for the KTM Ultimate Race will take place in the country at Batemans Bay in New South Wales on 1-2 March.
A new initiative from the KTM Factory is to bring together the global KTM adventure communities, and with six KTM Adventure Rallye events now taking place all over the world, two lucky riders from each Rallye-hosting nation will qualify to take part in the KTM Ultimate Race.
The 12 lucky riders win the opportunity to race against each other in an exclusive class at the Dakar Series race in Morocco. They receive an all-expenses paid trip, including flights, accommodation, entry fees and a full race service on a factory-prepped KTM 790 Adventure R that has been built from Dakar DNA.
Riders will also be coached by some of the world’s best adventure ambassadors and treated like Factory supported riders during the trip. To top off an already epic experience, the winner of the KTM Ultimate Race at Merzouga will receive an incredible prize: a 790 Adventure R to keep and two VIP tickets to the Dakar Rally.
As the Merzouga Rally 2019 takes place immediately after the 2019 KTM Australia Adventure Rallye (30 March-5 April), there will be a stand-alone qualification event to find the two Australian riders.
Held in conjunction with the 2019 Transmoto 12-Hour at Batemans Bay, the KTM Uiltimate Race qualifications will require certain criteria to participate as set across all countries. Riders must compete on a V-Twin KTM Adventure bike (950, 990, 1090, 1190, 1290) that they own – the bike cannot be borrowed or rented.
They must hold a current MA racing license – a 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 must not 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. For more information, visit www.ridektm.com.au/ktm-ultimate-race.
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