JGRMX Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing has drafted in Kyle Chisholm for this weekend’s fourth round of the 2019 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship at High Point, filling in for injured regular Justin Hill.
Hill, who is currently ranked 12th in the championship standings, injured his shoulder last weekend during a training session, prompting to squad to call in Chisholm, who will compete on a round-by-round basis on his Suzuki RM-Z450 while Hill recovers.
Chisholm is no stranger to the RM-Z450, as the 31-year-old contested the 2019 Monster Energy AMA Supercross series with the HEP Motorsports Suzuki team, earning eight top-15 finishes. Chisholm also has prior experience racing for the JGRMX squad during several supercross rounds in 2013.
“I’m super excited, because I really wanted to race outdoors,” said Chisholm. “I was in the process of putting a plan together to do at least half of the Nationals. I am beyond grateful for the opportunity to get out there and race. I can’t wait to line up on the JGRMX Yoshimura Suzuki RM-Z450 and have some fun.”
The factory Suzuki team currently fields Alex Martin and Kyle Peters in the 250MX division, where the pair are ranked eighth and 20th in the standings.
Call us sceptics, but we wonder whether a stunt rider did some of the riding for Ewan McGregor in this Moto Guzzi promotional video for the new V85 TT.
It was filmed in southern Sardinia to promote the launch of the bike and Ewan as the bike’s ambassador.
Ambassador McGregor
Ewan has been a brand ambassador for Moto Guzzi for a few years now.
He says his father had a Moto Guzzi and he has several old California cruisers in his motorcycle collection.
In a previous Moto Guzzi promo video, Ewan rides a cruiser.
Ewan isn’t as skilful off-road as Charley who competed in the 2006 Dakar Rally, which makes us wonder about the riding in the V85 TT video.
His ambassador role is also one of the reasons preventing him from doing a proposed Long Way Up tour of South and North America with longtime friend Charley Boorman.
While the pair rode BMWs in their 2004 Long Way Round and 2007 Long Way Down, they are now ambassadors for different companies.
Charley has been brand ambassador for Triumph for several years.
Now Moto Guzzi has replaced it with the V85 TT, so there is at least a suitable adventure bike for Ewan to ride.
If Triumph and Moto Guzzi could come to an understanding, the pair could team up together again and ride different bikes.
Both companies have much to win from such a joint effort and a lot to lose — remember Charley’s tantrum when KTM pulled their support for Long Way Round!
However, Charley told us last year that Ewan’s relationship with Moto Guzzi would not necessarily foil their plans:
We’ve been talking about it a long time and if the stars align we will do something like a Long Way up from Tierra Del Fuego to Alaska in the next couple of years. It really is close now. Ewan’s always had a loose relationship with Moto Guzzi so there’s no conflict there.
MBW with Charley Boorman
Long Way Back
It’s been a long time between trips for Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman.
From 14 April 2004 to 29 July 2004, they rode across Europe and the USA in Long Way Round and from 12 May to 4 August 2007 they rode from the top of Scotland to Cape Town in South Africa for Long Way Down.
With Ewan becoming increasingly busy with Hollywood movies, Charley squeezed in the 2006 Dakar rally for his series, Race to Dakar, and has produced several other travel shows.
Israel company StoreDot has produced a lithium-ion battery that charges an electric scooter in five minutes.
It is one of the latest developments, along with battery swap technology, that could accelerate the acceptance of electric motorcycles and scooters in coming years.
The StoreDot batteries do not contain graphite, a form of carbon. Instead, they use tin, germanium and silicon in combination wth organic compounds.
StoreDot has demonstrated their battery with a Spanish Torrot scooter, providing full charge in five minutes, enough to travel 70km.
Charged in minutes
It’s not big storage or range at the moment, but it’s a significant leap forward for electric two-wheeled transport.
It also beats the usual four-hour charge, says StoreDot CEP Doron Myersdorf.
“This is showing the world that we can break the barrier of fast charging, and what was considered impossible is actually possible,” he says.
“Ultra-fast charging can help solve range anxiety, one of the hurdles to electric-vehicle adaption, the equivalent of worrying that your mobile phone might go dead.”
The company plans to put its scooter batteries on the market in 2021.
From the above photo, it looks like the battery is about the same size as the swappable batteries used by Yamaha and Kymco in their electric scooters.
Yamaha Gogoro battery
Kymco battery vending machines
These battery solutions are not without their problems, requiring a lot of vending machine infrastructure.
The StoreDot battery would require similar infrastructure as it would be difficult and cumbersome to carry around the battery for when you run out of charge!
StoreDot charges ahead
StoreDot also hopes to be able to charge an electric Mercedes in five minutes for a 480km drive by 2021.
The car battery will need 10 times as many power cells as the scooter battery and a more efficient way of cooling while in use, says Myersdorf.
StoreDot will begin selling five-minute chargers for mobile phones in the second half of 2020.
BP and Samsung are the company’s top investors.
BP technology director Jon Salkeld says ultra-fast charging is “at the heart of BP’s electrification strategy”.
Many motorcycle and scooter riders now use their phone rather than a GPS to navigate, but most phone mounts won’t power your phone or electronic device.
However, the X2 will keep you powered up all day long.
It will fit just about any phone size and grips with four sprung claw-style holders plus the extra security of a rubber holders top and bottom. The back also has non-slip pads.
We have tried the unit with iPhone plus sizes and the smaller XS over some bumpy country roads without the phones shaking loose.
It comes with two mounting options to fit just about any motorcycle or scooter. One is a U-clamp to go around the handlebar or wing mirror stem, the other is a bolt-down mount.
The holder has ball-link points to rotate the unit 360 degrees allowing you to position it so it is easy to see, but does not obscure your bike’s instruments.
There are many other similar phone holders on the market, but this is the first we have seen that is also powered.
It comes with 1.3m of cable to attach to your ignition or directly to the battery.
The built-in USB charging port will allow you to keep your phone or other electronic device charged while you are riding.
This is important as navigation and Bluetooth connection can drain a phone quite quickly.
However, we warn riders not to use the phone screen while riding to check your Facebook status our any other distracting function.
The X2 phone mount comes standard with the clamp mount and bolt mount, two spare claws, anti-slip pads and rubber holders.
Indian FTR 1200 limited-edition tank cover designed by Steve Caballero.
Today at the Wheels
& Waves motorcycle and surfing show in Biarritz, France, Indian Motorcycle unveiled
FTR 1200 Artist Series, a collaboration with five renowned artists on a
limited-edition line of tank covers for its all-new FTR 1200. Only 100 tank
covers of each design will be produced. Sets will be available from select
Indian Motorcycle dealers for $699.
Indian
Motorcycle curated a lineup of artists with distinct styles from street
graffiti to modern abstract, in order to appeal to a wider range of consumer
preferences. The artistic tank covers will allow FTR 1200 owners to transform
their bike into a piece of mobile fine art, while also increasing their personal
connection to the FTR 1200.
The five
artists include:
• Steve Caballero: A legendary skateboarding icon and original member of the famed “Bones Brigade,” Cab has forged his legacy by turning pools and half pipes into canvases for his skate artistry. Over the years, he has become well-known for his extraordinary “low-brow,” hot-rod-culture-inspired original art work. His designs are now highly sought after by brands and collectors across the skate and art industries.
Indian FTR 1200 limited-edition tank cover designed by Steve Caballero.
• D*Face: D*Face (a.k.a. Dean Stockton) is a leading figure in Urban Contemporary Art, inaugurating his career on the streets more than 15 years ago. He originally entered the scene by hand-drawing stickers and posters, adhering them all over London and beyond for the unsuspecting public to discover. His work has since evolved, from fine art gallery shows to full-scale outdoor mural installations that transform urban landscapes and high-rise buildings into massive works of art.
Indian FTR 1200 limited-edition tank cover designed by D*Face.
• Adam Turman: A home-grown visionary from Indian Motorcycle’s very own backyard of Minneapolis, Turman is known best for large-scale, vivid and dynamic wall-mural installations throughout the Midwest. He began his art career by creating gig posters for local bands, taking inspiration from the bold, graphic style of 1980s comics and heavy metal art. Turman’s keen ability to marry his bold, vivid artistic visions with strategic-marketing objectives has made him one of the Midwest region’s most sought-after commercial artists.
Indian FTR 1200 limited-edition tank cover designed by Adam Turman.
• ThankYouX: ThankYouX (a.k.a. Ryan Wilson) began his artistic journey on the streets of Los Angeles in 2009 spray painting stencils in homage to Andy Warhol. While these signature stencils were his initial calling card, they were only scratching the surface of his multi-faceted artistic identity. As his level of notoriety expanded, the nature of his expression evolved to modern abstract designs that stand in contrast to the more conventional graffiti-inspired street-art paradigm. His unique brand of street art has captured attention and earned acclaim around the world.
Indian FTR 1200 limited-edition tank cover designed by ThankYouX.
• RISK: A true “O.G.” in the world of graffiti, RISK began his career as a founding member of the WCA (West Coast Artists) graffiti crew. RISK was one of the first graffiti writers in Southern California to paint freight trains and pioneered the use of billboards and freeway overpasses as artistic canvases. Over several decades his career has transitioned from the streets to museums, galleries and clothing lines. Risk is an innovative contemporary artist who now incorporates everything from advanced: “color theory” to “neon” in his body of work.
Indian FTR 1200 limited-edition tank cover designed by RISK.
The FTR 1200
stands as Indian Motorcycle’s most-customizable platform to date, featuring
four distinct accessory collections, designed to modify the bike’s overall look
and feel to suit different rider preferences and styles. With its fuel tank
located beneath the seat, the FTR 1200 airbox sits directly over the motor
where fuel tanks more commonly reside. This allows for tank covers that are
easy to remove and interchange, making the process of customization and
personalization even more efficient for riders.
“Art and
motorcycles share a common thread of self-expression, and for motorcycles,
customization is where self-expression truly comes to life,” said Reid Wilson,
Senior Director of Marketing and Product for Indian Motorcycle. “The FTR 1200
and its diverse accessory collections, were purposefully designed to enable a
rider’s desire for self-expression, and the Artist Series serves that same
purpose in a highly artistic fashion.”
An episodic content series, scheduled to debut shortly after Wheels & Waves, will showcase each of the five artists, their design process and their unique airbox cover designs. To learn more about Indian Motorcycle visit IndianMotorcycle.com and follow along on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Ducati has finally confirmed that it will produce a naked version of the Panigale V4, called the Streetfighter V4, from March 2020.
The company made the announcement over night as it unveiled its Streetfighter V4 prototype to race the famous Pikes Peak International Hillclimb on 30 June 2019.
Ducati says that “as part of the development process of the new model, the ‘Race to the Clouds’ has been identified as an ideal proving ground for testing the high performance of the Streetfighter V4”.
The company has won the Colorado hillclimb three times in 2011 and 2011 with the Multistrada 1200 and last year with the Multistrada 1260.
They celebrated with Pikes Peak versions of these models.
Ducati Multistrada 1200 Pikes Peak
In its official release, Ducati says the Streetfighter V4 “derives directly from the sporty Panigale V4 stripped of its fairings, and fitted with high and wide handlebars”.
One of the prerequisites for motorcycles in the hillclimb is that they do not have clip-on handlebars.
Streetfighter V4
It’s been no secret that Ducati has been working on a Streetfighter V4, but they still have some secrets.
While Ducati has not released any tech specs on the prototype, the race-trim engine is expected to have more power than the Panigale V4’s 213 horsepower (158kW).
“The high performance of the 1100cm³ Desmosedici Stradale is kept in hand by aerodynamic profiles specifically designed for this model,” Ducati says.
However, the street production version may be a little tamer, although probably still more than the Aprilia Tuono’s 173hp (129kW).
Panigale V4 R
“The prototype will race with a ‘pixelated’ livery, designed by the Centro Stile Ducati; unlike the normal practice with prototypes, the livery does not hide the lines, but exalts them by deliberately revealing how the bike will finally look, “Ducati says.
There is not a lot of difference to the Panigale V4.
Gone is the windscreen and full fairing, although there is still a fair amount of aero bodywork for a naked bike. The rear of the bike looks very similar.
The biggest difference is in the short nose cone with very discrete “eyes” as LED headlights.
Ducati boss Claudio Domenicali confirms that the Streetfighter V4 will be “one of the stars of the Ducati World Premiere 2020”.
“Streetfighter V4 is the Panigale for road riding; so there was no better stage than the Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb for what will be the highest performance Streetfighter ever put into production,” he says.
The bike will be presented to the public at the EICMA motorcycle show in Milan in November and will be available in Ducati dealerships from mid-March 2020.
Ever since the Panigale V4 came into production the question on Ducatisti lips has been, ‘are we going to get a V4 Streetfighter?’
Their prayers have been officially answered overnight with Ducati releasing official images of the Ducati Streetfighter V4 prototype ahead of Pikes Peak, and officially confirming that Ducati Streetfighter V4 will go into production in 2020.
Ducati Streetfighter V4
Ducati is also preparing for the Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb; in this edition, which will start on June 30th, Carlin Dunne will tackle the most famous hill climb in the world on the Streetfighter V4 prototype.
As part of the development process of the new model, the “Race to the Clouds” has been identified as an ideal proving ground for testing the high performance of the Streetfighter V4.
In keeping with tradition, the Streetfighter V4 derives directly from the sporty Panigale V4 stripped of its fairings, and fitted with high and wide handlebars. The high performance of the 1100 cc Desmosedici Stradale is kept in hand by aerodynamic profiles specifically designed for this model.
The prototype will race in a “pixelated” livery, designed by the Centro Stile Ducati; unlike the normal practice with prototypes, the livery does not hide the lines, but exalts them by deliberately revealing how the bike will finally look.
Ducati Streetfighter V4
“The Streetfighter V4 will be one of the stars of the Ducati World Premiere 2020,” declared Claudio Domenicali, CEO of Ducati. “Streetfighter V4 is the Panigale for road riding; so there was no better stage than the Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb for what will be the highest performance Streetfighter ever put into production.”
The advance editions of the production bike will be presented to the public at EICMA 2019 and will be available in Ducati dealerships starting from mid-March 2020 onwards.
Before bikes on track it’s always time to talk about the weekend ahead, and on Thursday at the Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya it was a packed pre-event Press Conference featuring no less than seven riders: Championship leader Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) was joined by Andrea Dovizioso (Mission Winnow Ducati), Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar), Danilo Petrucci (Mission Winnow Ducati), Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP), Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) and Moto3 Championship leader Aron Canet (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team).
A unique photo opportunity at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya marked the 70th anniversary of the World Championship
Marquez was first to speak. “Of course I’m happy to arrive in this way to our home GP and yeah after Mugello, you know we arrive in a great moment because normally in Mugello we struggle, this year we struggled but we were there so we’ll see here. In the last years Ducati were very fast, so they will be fast again this year! But we’ll try to do our best and the target is try to work in our garage and on Sunday try to be on the podium. If we have a small chance at the victory we’ll try.
Marc Marquez
“For me, both the Ducati riders are contenders in the Championship, strong and good opponents, Dovizioso is only 12 points behind me, Danilo 33, everything is very tight, including Rins. We need to keep going try to push and work in the same way as this first part of the season because I feel really good and really confident.”
Next came Dovizioso, who won at the venue two years ago and is, as Marquez says, just 12 points behind him. “For sure 12 points behind Marc at this moment is really positive, we have more points than last year, we’ve been consistent, but we want to get back to winning because if you want to fight with Marc you have to win some races. He’s always there and on a bay day he’s still on the podium and he’s able to try and win the race.
Andrea Dovizioso
“We are there, we are close but we want something more and we’re working really hard. I’m happy to be here in Montmelo, it’s a really nice track and I think we can be competitive, but as in other years the temperature on the ground and the tyres have more effect than other places, so we will see. The tyres are bit different to the past and I’m confident but we’ll see.”
Rins, as third in the Championship, spoke next. “Well for sure we had an incredible race. When I finished I was very…I thought I was able to win! I fought with all the Ducatis and Hondas but we already knew we would suffer. Positive is we finished less than one second off the win, I enjoyed it a lot, overtaking these guys a lot and it was very fun.”
The man who did eventually take the win in Mugello, however, was Danilo Petrucci, who first talked through the incredible weekend there.
“Fortunately, the celebrating has been not so crazy. I was sleeping at my mothers house so it was important to come back on Sunday in a conscious way! It’s been very nice to win in Mugello after a good race. I wasn’t 100%, this was more special but yeah, the feeling after on Monday on Tuesday was to try again because the feeling after crossing the finish line was amazing. I just started to think that Mugello was the first of good racing. The last three races we always fought for the podium and we want to continue like this. I think here will be more difficult than Mugello, we are four maybe six riders who can fight for the win every race.”
Danilo Petrucci
Next, the Italian also clarified some of his post-race comments about helping his team-mate to win the title.
“As always the media just took the second part of my thoughts. I already say Andrea give me a lot of help in the winter, especially on the mental side. I want to put in a nice level, helping one another in competition in training and at home. We speak a lot, if I have the chance to win I will try, there are no team orders, but I can maybe give to Andrea a better version of me, be calmer and more relaxed. This was the meaning of helping Andrea. Be there fighting for the podium, two Ducatis, will be very important for me.”
Viñales took over from there; honest ahead of track action although also optimistic. “It’s the same problems. In practice we can show our speed and potential, like in Mugello, then in races sometimes we lost more than a second. It’s frustrating because we prepare the bike well and at race time it changes so much, but I hope for good grip here in Montmelo. It’s a track I really like and last year wasn’t too bad actually and I think this year we have a bit more potential, so I will try and give my best as always, cross our fingers to have good grip in the race and to be able to show our potential. If we can achieve a good result for us it’s important. As an objective, it’s to improve on Mugello.”
Maverick Vinales
He also spoke about his experience at the pre-event, riding a 1970s two-stroke Yamaha up Tibidabo. “It was a different experience, it was a really long time since I rode a two-stroke and I stalled it first time! The bike was strange to ride, skinny and long, so very different to what we’re riding now but it was a great experience. So thanks to MotoGP for the opportunity!”
It was Aleix Espargaro who spoke next, at a true home Grand Prix for the Granollers-born rider. “Pol and myself were born just 5km from here, so it’s always great to come to our home track. I hope we can enjoy a good weekend, the weather looks fine and the track will be full with the crowd. We’re aiming for a good weekend, trying to be a bit closer to the top guys because we’ve been struggling at the start of the season but I hope the positive vibes of the home crowd will help a little bit.
Aleix Espargaro
“It’s not enough, my 100%, but it’s the maximum I can do. I try to give everything I have from FP1 to the end of the race but this year it’s not enough, to get in the top ten is very difficult. We need help from Aprilia but I know in Noale they are working hard, so I need to be patient, do my part the best possible, and work hard and wait for new parts to come to improve the bike.”
That’s it from Thursday at the Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya, exactly 70 years since the Championship began.
Valentino Rossi and Maverick Vinales suited up for the 70th birthday celebration of MotoGP racing
In January of 1949, the rules were written and put in place for the first World Championship motorsport season to get underway. The Isle of Man TT, Swiss Grand Prix, Dutch TT, Belgian Grand Prix, Ulster Grand Prix and the Grand Prix of Nations at Monza were the events that hosted the inauguration of what we now know to be as the MotoGP™ World Championship.
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