Schwarz Husqvarna Desert Team duo Smith and Ralston round out the rostrum.
Image: Foremost Media.
Following 12 attempts, local Alice Springs hero David Walsh has earned his maiden Tatts Finke Desert Race title at the 2019 edition in the Northern Territory.
The North Star Pastoral KTM Desert Racing Team contender rode commandingly all weekend, topping prologue before entering Finke fastest, while today he returned to Alice Springs first with a total time of 3h56m1s.
An amazing ride from Schwarz Husqvarna Desert Team’s Jacob Smith saw him take out runner-up honours, just under five minutes behind champion Walsh, while the podium was completed by teammate Beau Ralston (Schwarz Husqvarna Desert Team) in a commendable third.
Penrite Honda Racing’s Jack Simpson overcame fuel-stop confusion on day one to ultimately wind up fourth, while Callum Norton (North Star Pastoral KTM Desert Racing Team), who endured a heavy crash just kilometres outside of Finke, gritted his way to fifth in an incredible display of determination.
The top 10 was rounded out by Sam Davie (Schwarz Husqvarna Desert Team), Lachlan Terry (KTM), Mark Grove (Penrite Honda Racing), Thomas Jones (KTM) and Nicholas Waters (KTM).
If it is, two big candidates are Gabriel Rodrigo (Kömmerling Gresini Moto3), a man with both podium form at Catalunya and pace in 2019, and Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse), who so far has remained the bridesmaid. But there are plenty of fast riders in the lightweight class, and plenty of riders who could mix it up in that classic Moto3™ freight train at the front. But Catalunya has also been a track where a rider has managed to escape the melee at the front and take a commanding 25 points – so there’s always a chance at that if someone can pull the pin.
If it is, two big candidates are Gabriel Rodrigo (Kömmerling Gresini Moto3), a man with both podium form at Catalunya and pace in 2019, and Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse), who so far has remained the bridesmaid. But there are plenty of fast riders in the lightweight class, and plenty of riders who could mix it up in that classic Moto3™ freight train at the front. But Catalunya has also been a track where a rider has managed to escape the melee at the front and take a commanding 25 points – so there’s always a chance at that if someone can pull the pin.
If we rewind to Jerez and play a little game of what if with what seemed like bad luck at the time, the Championship could look pretty different. Marquez has form in Spain and destroyed the opposition in 2017, and what we’ve seen since Jerez this season has been more than mere ‘form’. That’s enough to merit some questions about the standings: Marquez is two points off the top as it stands, and a win or podium at Jerez would have put him 14 to 23 points clear. And, if one Marquez looking imperious wasn’t enough, the last time Alex Marquez took back to back wins was in 2014 and they came at Catalunya and Assen – the next two tracks on the calendar. Barcelona and home turf will be a test for the EG 0,0 Marc VDS rider, but expect him to come out swinging.
The man who made the most famous move in the history of the circuit in Montmelo, meanwhile, has a top record at the track and he’ll need to add to it. For Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) it was a nightmare home weekend, but the ‘Doctor’ has been a master of the comeback on many given Sundays and he’s now the one with that extra incentive of winning in ‘enemy’ territory. Teammate Maverick Viñales has that home venue extra motivation, however, and so the battle between the two should be a highlight. And, as always, there will likely be Iwata marque Independent Team runners Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) and teammate Franco Morbidelli to contend with. Quartararo may have had surgery for arm pump before Barcelona, but he’s also a record-breaker despite being a rookie and has form at the track.
The 2019 MXGP of Russia saw warm Orlyonok weather on a tricky track that demanded the most out of even the world’s best with Tim Gajser and Jorge Prado solidifying their MXGP and MX2 standings, as both now hold the Championship leader’s red plates after another weekend at the top step of the podium.
Tim Gajser – MXGP of Russia 2019
In MX2 in Race 1 Mitch Evans led the Aussies with a fifth place result, while Jed Beaton came home 12th, with Dylan Walsh 17th. Race 2 saw a turn-around with Jed Beaton seventh, while Mitch Evans was 10th and Dylan Walsh 13th. This left Mitch Evans fifth overall for the round and Jed Beaton tenth. In the overall standings Evans holds sixth, while Beaton is 14th. Walsh is 17th.
The weekend’s warm weather and blue skies was matched by the blue water of the Black Sea and warm welcome of Russia’s motocross fans. The picturesque location of the venue and the beautiful Russian community of spectators combined with the unexpected results made for an unforgettable weekend of racing.
MXGP
Following yesterday’s qualifying results Romain Febvre lined up to the gate in pole position and when the gate dropped for today’s Race 1 the Frenchman scored his second Fox Holeshot of the year. Team HRC’s Tim Gajser shot past the #461 almost immediately after they crossed the chalk and was into the lead as the opening lap kicked off.
MXGP Start – MXGP of Russia 2019 – Image by Ray Archer
Clement Desalle got into second with a pass on Febvre along with Arnaud Tonus. The #84 KTM Factory Racing machine of Jeffrey Herlings was in fifth while Antonio Cairoli was way back outside the top 15.
Evgeny Bobryshev lost control of his Kawasaki on the main downhill section on the opening lap and crashed hard ending not only the race but his home GP. Tonus gained a spot as Desalle fell in a corner while Tonus’ teammate, Gautier Paulin, crashed out of the top ten damaging his front causing him to fall again before making his way into Pit Lane and eventually the paddock.
Romain Febvre – MXGP of Russia 2019
Herlings then found himself in fourth after the fall of Desalle with Pauls Jonass and Jeremy Seewer applying pressure. Seewer first passed Jonass but then Desalle surged past both Jonass and Seewer to take over fifth.
Alessandro Lupino had a big crash and was unable to continue while fellow Italian and his friend Antonio Cairoli was stuck in 15th for 12 laps before finally making a pass on Jordi Tixier. Desalle was ejected from his bike at the end of pitlane straight with only four laps to go and was unable to rejoin the racing. Seewer took over the fourth spot while Gajser took the race win ahead of Tonus, Febvre, and Herlings. Cairoli gained two more spots in the closing laps to finish 12th.
Tony Cairoli – MXGP of Russia 2019 – Image by Ray Archer
The second and final race of the MXGP weekend started with a season first holeshot for Glenn Coldenhoff with Gajser and Tixier just behind. Tonus was quick to move past Tixier along with Seewer. Seewer’s teammate Febvre fell in the early portion of the race from 7th costing him 6 positions with his former 7th place spot going to Cairoli.
Jonass passed Julien Lieber to get into the top 5 behind his former MX2 rival Seewer. On lap 7 Jonass lost his top five spot to Lieber as Cairoli also went by into 6th before making it past Lieber the next lap, at the same Gajser finally made his way around Coldenhoff for the lead.
Pauls Jonass – MXGP of Russia 2019
Coldenhoff lost the 2nd spot to Tonus immediately before losing a handful of other spots in the following laps to Seewer, Cairoli, Lieber, Jonass, Herlings, Paulin, and Febvre. Tonus then closed in right to the back wheel of Gajser and made an attempt to take the lead but clipped a trackside haybale and fell instead.
The fall of Tonus didn’t lose him any positions, only time to Gajser that he could not recover. At the finish Gajser took his 3rd MXGP Overall in 3 rounds via double race wins, the MXGP Championship leader’s red plate, and the first ever Russian Overall GP victory for Honda.
Jeremy Seewer – MXGP of Russia 2019
Tonus took second overall with his 2-2 finishes and Seewer scored his career first MXGP podium overall, best MXGP race finish, and put not only the second Yamaha on the podium but also joined his Swiss compatriot Tonus to make history as the first time two Swiss riders have stood on the podium in the premier category of the FIM Motocross World Championship.
Tim Gajser
“I’m feeling really good about this weekend. It wasn’t easy out there, as both motos were tough because Arnaud (Tonus) was really fast and he was always behind me pushing hard. The first race I held him off all race, and then in the second race it was the same again but with 10 minutes to go he made a mistake and that gave me the gap I needed to control the race and take the victory. The track wasn’t so bumpy but it was still tough because it was so hard and it was easy to make a mistake. Overall I’m happy, and a huge thanks to everyone at Honda, as the CRF450RW is amazing and let’s hope we can continue this run of form. Three races ago I was 40 points behind in the championship and now I have the red plate so I’m really happy about these past few weeks have gone and although it’s still early in the season and there is plenty of races ahead of us, it’s still a great feeling and I can’t wait to see the red plate on my bike in Latvia.”
Tim Gajser – MXGP of Russia 2019
Arnaud Tonus
“It wasn’t easy to fight for the lead. I was happy I had some good starts so at the beginning I was already close to Tim. There were not too many opportunities to pass on this track, so I came close, and I went for it, but I ended up making a small mistake. I am happy I tried and was able to recover and still finished second. I am still super thankful to be up here on the podium three times in a row.”
Arnaud Tonus – MXGP of Russia 2019
Jeremy Seewer
“It’s amazing to make it onto the MXGP podium. It feels like it is much harder to get here, much harder that even some of my MX2 wins. It is a lot of work to get here, there are a lot of fast guys and especially on a track like we had today where there are a lot of guys riding a similar speed. I feel like it takes time to move from the 250cc to the 450cc and to get comfortable on the bike, but in the past few weeks I have been feeling good. My crew on the Yamaha Factory team have done an amazing job, and I owe a big thanks to them for making it happen. It feels like we are moving in a really good direction.”
Jeremy Seewer – MXGP of Russia 2019
Jeffrey Herlings
“I had a serious injury and it has been tough to get back here, mentally and physically, and with a lot of pain for a long time. I did not expect this result here today especially on this track. So to be close to the podium again feels pretty beautiful. I like the track in Latvia but I don’t have any firm expectations and I will not forget where I have come from to get to this point. Having said that we’ll always try to fight for a podium spot when we can!”
Jeffrey Herlings – MXGP of Russia 2019
Romain Febvre
“The weekend was good. Yesterday was really good to win the Qualifying Race. Last week I could not ride because I was really sick. I was lucky to feel better when I got here. In the first race I got the holeshot but I made some mistakes. I got back to third, but I hit my ankle and felt some pain, so I just secured third. In the second race I crashed and then stalled the bike and lost a lot of positions. I came back to nine, so the speed was good, but two mistakes on this type of track, I could not do better.”
Romain Febvre – MXGP of Russia 2019
Pauls Jonass
“I was looking forward to coming here to Russia because I won a couple times in MX2, so I have good memories. I felt good on the track all weekend, my speed was where I wanted it to be. The track is super-fast and slick and hard to make a lot of time up, so when everyone is pushing hard it’s easy for mistakes to happen. I guess I tried to be aggressive but sensible at the start of both races. I didn’t get the best of starts, but they weren’t bad either. I made some good, quick passes and was pleased to be running in fifth for several laps in the opening moto. But I felt like the second moto was better – I kept fighting to finish sixth, which was a great way to end the GP.”
Pauls Jonass – MXGP of Russia 2019
Tony Cairoli
“A very difficult weekend and of course the crash from yesterday did not help as it meant I was totally on the outside for the gate pick. I was riding very stiff and by missing the start it is almost impossible to make a good result on this track; everybody is riding at a similar speed. We lost the red plate but the positive is that I’m not badly injured, and we saw some big crashes today. We walk away a bit banged-up but we will re-group and look to Latvia, which is a nice track, and to regain some points.”
Tony Cairoli – MXGP of Russia 2019 – Image by Ray Archer
Arminas Jasikonis
“Not the GP I was hoping for at all and I wasn’t riding like I can or should have been. I don’t know why but I couldn’t find a good rhythm with the track, which meant that I was riding too hard, being too physical, in both races. Because I was riding too physically, I really felt the heat in the second moto. I gave my all but not at all what I wanted, but racing can be like this sometimes. We move on to the next GP and look to do better.”
Arminas Jasikonis – MXGP of Russia 2019
MXGP of Russia – MXGP Results
Tim Gajser celebrates the win – MXGP of Russia 2019
Josh Hook, Freddy Foray and Mike Di Meglio have claimed the 8 Hours of Oschersleben win in the Endurance World Championship for F.C.C. TSR Honda France, from Team SRC Kawasaki France (who now lead the FIM Endurance World Championship) and VRD Igol Pierret Expériences. With a 4th-place finish, Moto Ain claimed both the Superstock win and the FIM Endurance World Cup.
F.C.C. TSR Honda France topped the podium – 8 Hours of Oschersleben
The podium was starting to look like a done deal, with four of the favourites battling it out in the lead from the race start, when big drama shook things up an hour and a half before the finish at Oschersleben. YART Yamaha’s engine failure while they were locked in battle with F.C.C. TSR Honda France for the win caused Honda Endurance Racing, then in 4th place, to crash, throwing the end of the race wide open.
Broc Parkes – YART
“The Oschersleben 8 Hour ended for us about 1.5hrs from the end, Marvin was on the bike when it caught fire on track and they had to bring it back on the trailer. We were leading the race and had a good chance of the win. There’s nothing else we could have done today, we all rode great, no mistakes and consistent pace so its a shame it had to end early.”
F.C.C. TSR Honda France, the 2018 race winner, triumphed ahead of Team SRC Kawasaki France. The Kawasaki riders Jérémy Guarnoni, David Checa and Erwan Nigon made it to the second step of the podium. Most importantly, they lifted the factory Kawasaki to the top of the provisional standings in the run-up to the grand finale at Suzuka.
F.C.C. TSR Honda France – 8 Hours of Oschersleben
For VRD Igol Pierret Expériences (Florian Alt, Florian Marino and Xavier Siméon), their third-place podium finish was as good as a win. The Yamaha-supported team secured their first podium in their first Formula EWC season.
Fourth-place finishers Moto Ain also savoured victory. Roberto Rolfo, Robin Mulhauser and Stefan Hill led the Superstock class for 204 of the total 303 laps run. They secured the Superstock win at Oschersleben ahead of Wójcik Racing Team 2 and BMRT 3D Maccio Racing. Above all, they won Moto Ain’s first-ever FIM Endurance World Cup.
Their battle with GERT56 by GS Yuasa for the Cup was closely fought. The BMW-mounted German team, who were leading the world standings before Oschersleben, finished the race in 13th place after running out of fuel and experiencing electrical issues.
F.C.C. TSR Honda France – 8 Hours of Oschersleben
The Superstock teams were particularly competitive in Germany. Team 18 Sapeurs Pompiers ran a solid race in 9th place to win the Anthony Delhalle EWC Spirit Trophy singling out the fighting spirit of an entire team. No Limits Motor Team and Team 33 Coyote Louit Moto, 11th and 12th at the finish, also delivered a noteworthy performance. Junior Team LMS Suzuki were a contender for the FIM World Cup early on in the race, but a crash relegated them to 17th at the finish line.
Like Junior Team LMS Suzuki, Suzuki Endurance Racing Team had a tough race with two crashes and finished 10th. The standings leader before the race in Germany, Suzuki Endurance Racing Team will get to Suzuka with a five-point lag behind Team SRC Kawasaki France.
F.C.C. TSR Honda France – 8 Hours of Oschersleben
Another of the favourites who got unlucky were ERC-BMW Motorrad Endurance. They got off to a good start, but finished 19th after colliding with another bike.
These upsets should not overshadow two excellent performances at Oschersleben. Fany Gastro BMW Motorrad by Mercury Racing (Karel Hanika, Ondrej Jezek and Ladislav Chmelik) secured their finest result this season with a 5th-place finish. Likewise, Webike Tati Team Trick Star were 7th at the finish. Julien Enjolras and Kevin Denis had clearly got the measure of their new EWC Kawasaki with the help of Bastien Mackels at Oschersleben.
Alvaro Bautista claimed the Superpole Race victory to kick off Sunday in strong form, with Michael Van Der Mark proving consistent claiming the runner up position on the podium, with Marco Melandri closing out the podium. Rea who had to start from the back of the grid was fourth.
Alvaro Bautista – Jerez WorldSBK 2019
Race 2 of the weekend saw disaster strike for Ducati, with Bautista and Davies both crashing out of contention, with Michael Van Der Mark claiming the win from Rea, with Razgatlioglu claiming the final podium position.
Alvaro Bautista leaves Jerez with 300 points to Jonathan Rea’s 259, while Michael Van Der Mark is third with 188-points.
Tissot Superpole Race
In the Tissot Superpole Race, the first of the Sunday, riders made various changes in terms of tyres. In particular, seven of them used the SCX solution, while Jonathan Rea started from the last spot on the grid because of a penalty for making contact with Alex Lowes in Race 1.
Jerez WorldSBK 2019
This moved all the other riders up one spot on the grid. Álvaro Bautista therefore started from pole position and led the entire race, managing his advantage over the direct followers and finishing first, as he had done in Race 1.
Behind him, various riders jockeyed for position, but in the end it was Michael Van Der Mark besting the rest, managing to finish on the second step of the podium for the second time this weekend, ahead of Marco Melandri who, after taking third in yesterday’s race due to the penalty levied against Jonathan Rea, took a well-deserved position on the bottom step of the podium today.
Alvaro Bautista – Jerez WorldSBK 2019
Fourth place went to Jonathan Rea who rode a race from behind, making a truly astonishing comeback if you consider that there were only 10 laps in which to do it. Worth a mention is Alex Lowes’ crash on the fourth lap which gives him a pointless finish for this race as well, after the unfortunate result yesterday.
WSBK – Race 2
In what was a thrilling Race 2 at Jerez, an uncharacteristic error from Alvaro Bautista at the start of Lap 2 saw the Spaniard suffer his first racing crash in WorldSBK. The battle for the win came alive as Jonathan Rea and Michael van der Mark went head-to-head in the Spanish sun, resulting in the Dutchman taking his first win of 2019, while Razgatlioglu romped to third and yet another podium.
Race 2 – Jerez WorldSBK 2019
Into Turn 1 on the opening lap, Marco Melandri took the initial advantage, while a disaster for his fellow Yamaha rider Alex Lowes, who crashed at Turn 2 on the opening lap. Bautista took the lead at Turn 5 and Michael van der Mark followed him through as Melandri went wide. Jonathan Rea took the pair of Yamaha riders at Turn 6, in a bid to pursue Bautista at the front.
However, it was a disaster for the Spaniard at the beginning of Lap 2 as he crashed out of the lead! The championship leader was on the floor at Turn 1, with his ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati tumbling through the gravel. Bautista remounted but retired soon after. The race was now on, as Jonathan Rea led van der Mark and Marco Melandri, ahead of Toprak Razgatlioglu and Chaz Davies completing the top five.
Jonathan Rea – Jerez WorldSBK 2019
With 15 laps to go, the top five were covered by a second but disaster struck again, this time at Turn 5, as Marco Melandri attempted an ambitious pass on Davies, resulting in both riders crashing out. Davies was clearly frustrated with his former teammate, as both of them lost the chance to achieve a good result with Bautista out. Three of the main protagonists had suffered terrible results – Jonathan Rea was now looking like he was going to walk away from Jerez with a strong haul of points.
Michael van der Mark wasn’t prepared to let Rea have it all his own way, as the Dutchman took the lead with 14 laps to go at Turn 6. Jonathan Rea initially stayed with the Yamaha of van der Mark but couldn’t keep with the relentless pace of the 26-year-old out front, as 10 laps later, he had pulled out a two seconds lead. Alvaro Bautista had re-joined and was circulating in 16th position, ready to pick up the pieces in case anyone else was to crash out.
Michael van der Mark – Jerez WorldSBK 2019
Battles continued to develop down the field, as Michael Ruben Rinaldi, who rocketed through from 11th on the grid to be the top running Ducati in fourth position, ahead of a jostling Sandro Cortese and Leon Haslam, with the Brit getting ahead of the German in the closing stages at Turn 1.
A crash for Ryuichi Kiyonari at the fast Turn 11 resulted in gravel being put all over the circuit and a red flag coming out with two laps to go. Kiyonari walked away from the crash, although his bike was not so fortunate, having barrel rolled.
Michael van der Mark – Jerez WorldSBK 2019
Michael van der Mark was a winner once again completing a faultless weekend, right the way through from FP1 to Race 2. Second position and closing the gap down to Bautista in the championship to 41 points, Jonathan Rea was happy to be back on the podium. It was another stunning ride from Toprak Razgatlioglu to complete the race in third position. Rinaldi took a career-best fourth, whilst Leon Haslam fought hard to complete the top five.
Just behind the Brit, Sandro Cortese took his best WorldSBK result. Seventh position belonged to Tom Sykes, who had a relatively quiet Acerbis Spanish Round, whilst Jordi Torres, Loris Baz and a superb Tommy Bridewell completed the top ten on a day where Independent teams took the majority of top ten placings.
Leandro Mercado had a good comeback in 11th, ahead of Markus Reiterberger, Yuki Takahashi and Alex Lowes in 14th place being the last of the point-scorers.
Michael van der Mark – P1
“What an amazing day! I was a bit upset with myself in the Sprint Race because I tried some optimistic overtakes that lost me a lot of time but in the end, I managed to finish second, which put me on the front row for Race 2. I got a good start but then Johnny passed me quite quickly and I was happy to sit behind him and conserve my tyres after Alvaro crashed out. But his pace wasn’t quite what I wanted to do and I could see the group behind were starting to catch us, so I decided to put in a pass and see if I could pull away, which I did. It’s been an incredible weekend and the bike has been great, with only very small changes required. I’m really happy with the progress made with the bike, so many thanks to the team and to Yamaha for all their hard work.”
Michael van der Mark – Jerez WorldSBK 2019
Jonathan Rea – P2
“In the final race I did not have the pace of Mikey. I need to check the times but we definitely made a step with the bike set-up from yesterday afternoon to today, especially with the front end feeling in the faster corners. But over the lap there were some areas where I was very close, or even better than Michael, but in one crucial area I just lost too much. It is something we have been working on all weekend and today the bike was better. I needed a clean day today to finish both races strongly. This morning’s race took a lot out of me mentally and physically – coming from the back of the grid to try and make up all those positions in a short space of time. I am looking forward to Misano now.”
Jonathan Rea – Jerez WorldSBK 2019
Toprak Razgatlioglu – P3
“Today I am really happy to take a second podium of the year. In this morning’s short race we tried a new set-up but I did not like it. We came back to the same set-up as we used earlier. Today I followed Michael van der Mark and Johnny, but I was on my limit. I watched Johnny as he has the same bike but my big problem was in turn 11 and 12. In the last eight laps my front tyre had started to slide and I reduced my pace because I was in a podium position.”
Toprak Razgatlioglu – Jerez WorldSBK 2019
Leon Haslam – P5
“Every session we were struggling with the front traction and we ran a bit more angle and corner speed compared to some of the other Kawasaki riders and I think that has been hindering me, especially as the temperatures have risen. I have tried to adapt my style and played around a little bit with set-up. I felt in that final race of the weekend I had good pace and could have challenged for that third place but I get stuck behind Tom for too many laps. Then when I got past him I was pushing too hard, like I was before, making too many mistakes. I was just lining Rinaldi up when the red flags came out. Another fifth place, so obviously I am not too happy about the result, but we have managed a lot of problems here this weekend.”
Leon Haslam – Jerez WorldSBK 2019
Sandro Cortese – P6
“It was a good race this afternoon, which I finished with my best result of the season. The lap times increased a lot compared to Race 1 yesterday, which meant we didn’t quite have the set-up we needed to run with the front guys and challenge for maybe a fourth place finish today. But, we learned a lot and we know what we need to do for the next race, so I leave Jerez happy with the race result and with the progress we’ve made. Now I’m looking forward to the next race in Misano, where we will aim to fight once again with these guys and, hopefully, secure an even better result.”
Sandro Cortese – Image by GeeBee
Tom Sykes – P7
“All things considered, I really feel that we had a decent set of results. I’m a little bit disappointed with race two. I had a big moment in the fast last right hander. I lost the front with 170 km/h and the slide was over fifty metres so it was lucky that we were able to save it. I was able to catch up with the guys again but wasn’t able to pass. Overall, I think we had some decent results given where we are with the performance of the engine. We’re continuing to collect information for moving forward. So now my expectations are to keep the program developing towards the podium. That’s the ultimate target. When you look at the team, the manufacturer and the riders, we have high potential but obviously just for now we need to sit back and understand what we’ve got in this little gap and hopefully for Misano we can have another step forward.”
Tom Sykes – Jerez WorldSBK 2019
Álvaro Bautista – DNF
“Today was a day of two halves, in the sense that first we won the Superpole Race and then I crashed on lap 2 of the second race. It was a pity because I did nothing strange, I just lost the front, but racing is like that sometimes. The Jerez weekend was amazing, not only because of my two wins but also for the atmosphere here in the paddock, and for all the fans who came to the circuit to witness the show. Now we have only to continue the great work we did this weekend and try and repeat the same sensations in the next round at Misano.”
Alvaro Bautista – Jerez WorldSBK 2019
Chaz Davies – DNF
“I was quite aware that this was going to be a difficult weekend but I was hoping that with a good mind-set I could have got some decent results. On this type of circuit, with many longish corners, I was really far away with the set-up. I had a vibration issue with the bike in the Superpole Race, but then the guys did a great job to give me a good bike for the last race, where at least I could ride it OK. But then I got caught up in the incident with Melandri at Turn 5. I’m OK, I just picked up a big bruise on the hip and the side of the leg.”
Chaz Davies – Jerez WorldSBK 2019
Marco Melandri – DNF
“It was a shame to finish the weekend with a crash, but when you think about where we were just two weeks ago and then how we were able to fight for the podium in all three races here in Jerez, it’s something so positive for us. It’s unfortunate that Chaz didn’t leave me the same amount of space I left him when the positions were reversed on the previous lap, but for me it was a racing incident and nothing more. Like I said, it’s a shame, because another podium finish was a real possibility today, even if fighting with Toprak was difficult because he’s so aggressive on the brakes. Anyway, I go home from here much more positive for the future.”
There are many ride-sharing apps available, but Tonit adds a feature to ensure that riders protect their privacy and don’t incriminate themselves or void their insurance.
Tonit spokesman Alexandra Pony says users do not need to use the app’s tracking feature which only shows the route and speed.
Privacy rules
Riders can also choose to track their ride, but can keep them private on their profile.
“No one can view the rides they go on and/or access any of this info unless one chooses to make their rides public,” Alexander says.
“Also, riders can choose what info they’d like to keep — eg speeds, routes, etc. So a rider can opt to delete their speed from their profile.”
When tracking rides/ride sharing (this feature is yet to be released) riders will be able to share their location in real time with friends.
“This feature will be 100% up to the rider and will require approval from both parties before sharing live locations,” he says.
“There will be a duration and route preset so that it automatically stops once the ride is over.
“We’re riders too and know the risks. Our goal is to create a great community to share experiences and connect with other riders.”
Global community
Ride-sharing apps such as Rever, EatSleepRIDE and Riser are focused on GPS maps and tracking, allowing riders to download and use when offline.
Tonit is focused on building a global community, says Alexander.
The free Android and iOS app launched in November 2019 and already has 119,000 downloads and 86,000 active users. It hit #1 trending lifestyle app on Google Play in April.
The Tonit social hub allows motorcyclists to “meet, mingle and enjoy each other’s rides and experiences”.
It has an Instagram-style feed which allows riders to posts pics, tips and tricks, offer advice, and track and share their favourite routes.
Riders can also find other riders in their area and chat within the app to plan rides and create or join a variety of clubs that suit their style of riding.
Facebook has applied for a patent for what they call a robotic self-balancing electric motorcycle, although it looks more like a mobility skateboard than a motorcycle.
However, that doesn’t mean that the company won’t move into the motorcycle industry at some later stage.
After all, most electric motorcycle companies are basically technology start-ups, not traditional motorcycle companies which are dragging the chain on electric bikes.
The Facebook patent is for the gyroscopic drive system and the machine does not yet have any steering mechanism or body.
Robotic bikes
Honda’s self-balancing motorcycle
However, Facebook is not the first to consider self-riding motorcycles.
Honda, Yamaha and BMW Motorrad have also developed self-balancing robotic motorcycle prototypes.
While many riders are horrified by the prospect of self-riding motorcycles, there could be a use for them in the courier and delivery industries.
The robotic bikes are also being used to test interaction with self-driving vehicles without endangering the lives of test riders.
Facebook patent
Facebook robotic electric motorcycle patent drawing
The Facebook device has small wheels that can turn 360 degrees, so it wouldn’t be suitable for road speeds.
However, it could be useful for helping couriers or fast food deliverers to operate in an urban environment.
The patent application says: “The control loop stabiliser may include sensors for detecting balancing input. The balancing input may include information indicative of the linear velocity and angular velocity of the robotic motorcycle, the linear velocity and angular velocity of each wheel, and/or the orientation of each wheel.”
The technology could also underpin future electric two-wheelers.
It features two electric motors that belt drive the wheels, so it’s two-wheel-drive and two-wheel-steer.
Since it’s a Facebook product, it will probably also track where you go!
What do you think of the development of self-riding motorcycles and scooters? Leave your comments below.
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