Competition, Motocross, News

Appin MX Nationals cancelled following opening motos

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Rain-soaked conditions too severe for the 2019 opener to be completed.

Image: Foremost Media.

Williams Event Management (WEM) has cancelled the opening round of the 2019 Pirelli MX Nationals following the opening motos of each category at Appin’s Macarthur Motorcycle Club complex.

Unrelenting rain continues to lash the New South Wales venue, making for a treacherous start to the season and prompting the official decision.

“Obviously it’s a tough day, very, very wet,” WEM’s race promoter Kevin Williams told MotoOnline.com.au. “Everybody travelled a long way and wanted to get a race in, but it’s an expensive sport as it is and the conditions are getting worse.

“This way, everybody gets a moto in and the championship gets underway, but we’ve had to make this decision following the opening motos today. We already had to cancel the YZ65 Cup this morning, but unfortunately this is how it’s turned out.”

The opening round of the season went to Raceline KTM Thor’s Jy Roberts in MX2, while Maximus Purvis (WBR Bulk Nutrients Yamaha) topped MXD and a gritty Todd Waters (DPH Motorsport) won the lone MX1 outing of the weekend this morning.


Source: MotoOnline.com.au

MotoGP, Motorcycle News, News

Munandar takes magnificent first win in Buriram

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At lights out it was home hero and pacesetter in practice Tatchakorn Buasri who got the holeshot from pole, but Matsuyama struck early and made it past two riders in Turn 1 to take the lead. From there it was the Japanese rider dueling Buasri initially, but a group was on the chase comprised Adenanta Putra, Munandar, Nishimura, Warit Thongnoppakun, Piyawat Patoomyos, Adbul Mutaquim and Shoki Igarashi. As the race settled into a rhythm, however, it was Matsuyama leading a group of five at the head of the race and Thongnoppakun seeming to start to fade…

Source: MotoGP.com – Read Full Article Here

Facebook, News, WSBK

Rea Second In First Thai Race

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I felt really good with the bike and we got the maximum form the package so I am looking forward for tomorrow. I was really proud of my effort and I enjoyed it. I love riding on that level but unfortunately the result did not reflect that effort. We can make a small improvement tomorrow but I feel we got the best out of our package today. At the end, there was no reason to keep pushing so I started to think about bringing back 20 points. Today second was the best that I could do and I was happy to bring it home. I am excited for tomorrow, especially for the sprint race because I feel like I can ride at that intensity for ten laps no problem, and maybe we can fight to the end. http://jonathan-rea.com/news/rea-second-first-thai-race


Source: Jonathan Rea On Facebook

Competition, Motorcycle News, News

Bautista overcomes Rea for Thailand WorldSBK race one victory

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Quick-time lands Cluzel WorldSSP pole position.

Image: Supplied.

The opening race of the Pirelli Thai round in the FIM Motul Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) saw Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) and Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.It Racing – Ducati) clash on track early on, creating the rivalry everyone wanted to see unfold between the two heavyweight stars.

Bautista was able to get the better of the reigning champion eventually, to take his fourth WorldSBK win. At the line, the Spaniard took the win by 8.2s ahead of the four-time defending champion.

Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK) held on ahead of teammate Michael van der Mark by 0.4s to take his third Buriram podium, while it was Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team) in fifth position.

Jules Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha) took his first WorldSSP pole position of the season, his first since Donington Park in 2018. Joining him on the front row, the Bardahl Evan Bros WorldSSP Team pairing of Randy Krummenacher and Federico Caricasulo – a reversed front row from the opening round of the year.

Heading row two, Japanese star Hikari Okubo, who achieved his best superpole grid position of fourth. His previous best was a fifth, also at Donington Park in 2018. Raffaele De Rosa (MV AGUSTA Reparto Corse) finished in fifth position.

Detailed results

Source: CycleOnline.com.au

News

How To Ride Your Motorcycle Faster At A Racetrack

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Chasing a fast lap, you’re your own worst enemy. Extracting a tenth of a second is a personal battle. Racetrack conditions, suspension settings, and tire compounds are no longer holding you back; it’s just you focused on staying composed in a high-stress, high-speed environment. Every natural instinct itches for inputs to happen sooner and more aggressively. These tendencies are exaggerated in competition like the one I was in at Chuckwalla Valley Raceway.

MotoAmerica Supersport podium finisher Richie Escalante was a few seconds ahead of me. Like any elite-level racer, he rarely puts a wheel wrong. Beating his kind of talent requires raw speed and precision, corner after corner, lap after lap. Even if you have the speed, then you need the patience. I knew all that, but my instincts were out to catch—scratch that—destroy Escalante. Technique and accuracy went out the window, and with them the chance to pass. Eagerness results in mistakes, opening up the gap.

I switched my concentration from his back to my own reference points. From corner entry to exit, I hit my marks in quick succession, piecing together one turn after the next. Escalante was nothing but an object in my peripherals, but once my focus shifted inward, he was an object that was quickly inching closer.

RELATED: Tips To Survive Your First Motorcycle Trackday

My sole focus was patience for the next lap. I sacrificed late braking to hit my apexes with exactness, and forfeited early throttle application for direct corner exits and more straightway speed. The result? There was no arguing the stopwatch—the fastest 600cc lap ever recorded at Chuckwalla Valley Raceway. Racing is a battle among competitors, but sometimes the fiercest enemy is yourself. Patience is always the secret.

Source: MotorCyclistOnline.com

Motorcycle News, Motorcycle Racing, News

Ferris replaces Febvre for three MXGP Rounds

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Febvre undergoes surgery and misses three rounds

Yamaha have confirmed that Australian MXGP star Dean Ferris will stand-in temporarily for three rounds replacing the injured Romain Febvre.

Romain Febvre was unfortunately unable to finish the first MXGP of the year after a heavy fall in the second race while on the 14th lap of 18. Febvre crashed out of the race in the roller section and sustained a break to his Talus, which is the bone that makes up the lower part of the ankle joint. Febvre was later informed that the injury required surgical intervention.

MXGP Rnd Riola Sardo Febvre podium
Romain Febvre celebrating a recent podium finish

Febvre underwent a successful operation on Wednesday 13th of March at the University Antwerp Hospital (UZA). The injury is expected to take six-weeks to heal therefore Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP has called upon Ferris to fill the Frenchman’s seat for the next three rounds of the MXGP World Championship.

Ferris is the current Australian Motocross Champion in the premier class and has been undefeated in the title chase for the last three years. All three titles were won on Yamaha’s popular YZ450F, and in 2018 he put his name in the history books as the first rider to win all 10-rounds of the series.

mx nationals round mx ferris cdr ImageByScottya
Dean Ferris

No stranger to the podium or the tracks and venues in Europe, the 28-year-old is relishing the chance to race three rounds of the MXGP World Championship with a Factory YZ450FM as a substitute for Febvre. Having achieved his current goals in Australia, he is now looking for opportunities to compete in other areas of the world and new challenges that will allow him to further hone his skills as a top motocross rider.

Ferris will make his 2019 MXGP debut on the weekend of March 24th at Matterley Basin, in Winchester, England, where he will line up on a Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP YZ450FM for the second round of the FIM Motocross World Championship.

Matterley Basin is the first of three back-to-back MXGP rounds. Ferris will also contest the two rounds that follow. Round three in Valkenswaard, The Netherlands, and round four in Pietramurata, Italy.

Source: MCNews.com.au

Motorcycle News, Motorcycle Racing, News

Redding leads O’Halloran to wrap Monteblanco BSB test

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BSB Monteblanco combined times in

Be Wiser Ducati rider Scott Redding pipped Aussie Jason O’Halloran by 0.193 to lead day three of testing and wrap up the final overall combined times at Circuito Monteblanco, where the final day of sessions ended up a Ducati vs Yamaha affair.

The pair had been holding the leading positions on the final day and both riders continued to make improvements towards the end of the day, with O’Halloran closing in on Redding before the Be Wiser Ducati rider made another gain in his time to keep the McAMS Yamaha rider at bay.

O'Halloran Yamaha YZF-R1
O’Halloran Yamaha YZF-R1

Tarran Mackenzie on the second of the McAMS Yamahas overcame his huge high-side crash from yesterday to hold third place; he returned to the track today and improved his pace on the final day as he worked on further improvements with the team.

Glenn Irwin and the Quattro Plant JG Speedfit Kawasaki continued to work through various winter improvements and he held fourth place on the timesheets, whilst team-mate Ben Currie suffered a heavy crash in the morning so he sat out the remainder of the day.

Xavi Forés continued to impress with Honda Racing as he held fifth and admitted he was impressed with the pace despite missing the chance to have another attack at flying lap in the closing stages of the final day.

Bradley Ray and the Buildbase Suzuki team had worked on further improvements on the areas they struggled with last season, which put him ahead of Honda Racing’s Andrew Irwin who continued to build momentum on his second visit to Monteblanco.

Josh Brookes was eighth fastest on the timesheets, the former champion struggled in the afternoon with sickness which hampered his progress on the final day, but the Australian is confident of the Be Wiser Ducati’s potential.

Luke Mossey maintained his position inside the top ten on his official test debut for OMG Racing Suzuki, holding off hard-charging rookie Ryan Vickers who impressed with a top ten finish on his debut with the RAF Regular and Reserve Kawasaki team.

Victorian Ben Currie did not set any times on the remaining day with his Thursday afternoon session time of 1:38.197 positioning him overall 17th in BSB and some 1.906 off of the combined times leader Scott Redding.

South Australia Billy Mcconnell riding an OMG Racing Suzuki GSX-R1000 was 21st overall and second in the Superstock class trailing leader Richard Cooper by 0.986 with a time of 1:39.527 achieved on the penultimate session on the final day of testing.

BSB will resume testing starting tomorrow in Portimao, Portugal.

Pos Class Nat Time Gap
1 BSB Scott Redding GBR 1:36.291 0.000
2 BSB Jason O’halloran AUS 1:36.484 0.193
3 BSB Tarran Mackenzie GBR 1:36.904 0.613
4 BSB Glenn Irwin GBR 1:37.005 0.714
5 BSB Xavi Fores ESP 1:37.083 0.792
6 BSB Bradley Ray GBR 1:37.189 0.898
7 BSB Andrew Irwin GBR 1:37.372 1.081
8 BSB Josh Brookes AUS 1:37.425 1.134
9 BSB Luke Mossey GBR 1:37.468 1.177
10 BSB Ryan Vickers GBR 1:37.498 1.207
11 BSB Luke Stapleford GBR 1:37.630 1.339
12 BSB Tommy Bridewell GBR 1:37.681 1.390
13 BSB Claudio Corti ITA 1:37.719 1.428
14 BSB Josh Elliott GBR 1:37.880 1.589
15 BSB Danny Buchan GBR 1:38.085 1.794
16 BSB Dean Harrison GBR 1:38.114 1.823
17 BSB Ben Currie AUS 1:38.197 1.906
18 STK Richard Cooper GBR 1:38.541 2.250
19 BSB David Allingham GBR 1:39.102 2.811
20 STK Billy Mcconnell AUS 1:39.527 3.236
21 STK James Hillier GBR 1:39.611 3.320
22 BSB Matt Truelove GBR 1:39.617 3.326
23 BSB Dean Hipwell GBR 1:40.096 3.805
24 STK Tom Neave GBR 1:40.161 3.870
25 STK Lee Jackson GBR 1:40.354 4.063
26 BSS Alastair Seeley GBR 1:40.490 4.199
27 BSB Sam Coventry GBR 1:40.578 4.287
28 STK Graeme Irwin GBR 1:40.607 4.316
29 STK Gary Johnson GBR 1:40.885 4.594
30 BSS Harry Truelove GBR 1:40.896 4.605
31 STK Lee Johnston GBR 1:40.917 4.626
32 BSS Lee Johnston GBR 1:42.437 6.146

Source: MCNews.com.au

MotoGP, Motorcycle News, News

Fire destroys electric race bikes

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A fire that destroyed 18 Energica electric motorcycles for the upcoming MotoE series at five MotoGP events this year has inflamed concerns about electric vehicle fires.

The cause of the Energica blaze has not yet been determine. It could be a fault with the vehicles, an accident, or even arson.

However, electric car company Tesla has been plagued by instances of their cars bursting into flame.

Some have caught on fire in a crash, while others have ignited while being driven or being charged.

Electric fire Tesla
Tesla goes up in flames

Electric fires

Electric vehicles fires can be caused by impact, short-circuits, power surge, excessive discharge or heat.

They also cause special concerns for fire fighters.

Lithium batteries are obviously made with lithium which is highly flammable and stored in mineral oil.

While it is not toxic, it can cause nausea, diarrhoea, dizziness, muscle weakness, fatigue and a dazed feeling.

Electric vehicle and battery fires can also release sulphuric acid, carbon monoxide, copper and cobalt.

Fire fighters can’t douse the flames with water as the high voltage can cause an electric shock or electrocution.

Instead, they have to disconnect the power supply (usually an orange plug) and contain the fire to let it burn itself out.

Energica fire

Energica Ego race bike for electric MotoE World Cup adventure slicker electric bike race
Energica Ego electric race bike for the MotoE World Cup

It is now suspected the MotoE series, which was to start in May, will be delayed.

The incident occurred at the Jerez Circuit in Spain during the second full test for the Energica Ego bikes ahead of the season starter at the circuit in May.

No one was injured in the blaze, but a lot of gear, tools and computers were also destroyed.

MotoE is known as the FIM Enel MotoE World Cup and has 11 teams with 18 riders.

(Fire images from electrek.co)

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

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