“I enjoyed the race a lot,” said Rins, who would eventually cross the line in fourth place, 0.457 off the race win. “What we did over the winter, during preseason, we demonstrate today that we did a very good job. This race was fantastic. It was very slow. I was trying to overtake Dovizioso before the straight, and also Marquez, but they always pass me on the straight, very fast.
Source: MotoGP.com – Read Full Article Here
“I made a mistake but okay, it was the first race. I think it’s better that I make a mistake now than in the middle of the championship,” said the Frenchman, reflecting on his Qatar GP. But when Quartararo launched from pitlane, he was by far and away the fastest rider on track in the early stages of the race. And ended the Qatar GP with the fastest lap to his name, despite a P16 finish.
Source: MotoGP.com – Read Full Article Here
When Yamaha introduced its all-new Power Assist Bicycle prototype, the Wabash, at the Interbike Expo 2018 it was hardly the tuning fork guys’ first dalliance into the eBike segment. Yamaha launched its first power-assisted bicycle in 1993 and currently offers a growing range of eBikes including the UrbanRush (MSRP $3,299), a drop-bar do-everything road bike; the CrossConnect (MSRP $2,999), a completely accessorized commuter/utility bike; the CrossCore (MSRP $2,399), a stylish and efficient fitness bike; and the YDX-TORC (MSRP $3,499), a cross-country hardtail mountain bike. These power-assist bikes are all currently available at independent bicycle retailers and specialty eBike shops across the US.
But it’s the fifth and latest model, the Yamaha Wabash, that has us quite intrigued. Named after a trail in the central part of the States, this all-new adventure-focused eBike is a stylish blend of agility, speed, and durability. It has been specifically designed for the US market and with the undertaking in mind of what Yamaha calls, “the hottest category in cycling”—gravel bikes—within the industry’s biggest growth segment—electric bicycles. A rapid shift the last few years from expectations for eBikes of traditional road or commuter duties to an exhilarating no-boundaries ride has inevitably created the perfect niche for the Wabash to roll right into.
While price and full specifications are still in the works, a glance at this prototype shows there are plenty of features (aside from the Yamaha proprietary pedal assist motor with multifunction keypad display controls) that would lend to a comfortable, stable, and versatile ride experience.
A tough aluminum frame, a wide flared drop handlebar, durable box-style 27.5-inch eyeletted rims, SRAM hydraulic disc brakes with centerline rotors, along with internal or external dropper seatpost compatibility give the strong impression this eBike will take you anywhere you want to go.
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“The Wabash is the best new gravel eBike designed and developed for cycling adventures over whatever terrain you come across—hard surfaces, dirt, and gravel,” says Drew Engelmann, Yamaha’s Power Assist Bicycle group sales and marketing manager.
With Yamaha known to build a vast array of products with reliability, durability, and performance ingrained in their design, plus a 25-year history in the eBike segment, we expect the Wabash to live up to its promise. Stay tuned for a first ride review later this month.
Source: MotorCyclistOnline.com
Jeff Ward is a jack-of-all-trades racer, winning multiple Grand National titles, Supercross titles, AMA Supermoto titles, coming in third at the Indy 500 in his first race at the event, earning Rookie of the Year honors in Lucas Oil Off Road. The list of achievements could go on and on. He’s a Motorcycle Hall of Fame rider who could easily sit back and enjoy the spoils of an illustrious career, but Ward’s not that kind of person. Racing is life and life is racing for Ward, which makes sense considering he’s been at it since he was a boy.
Now, at the age of 57, Ward is taking on a new challenge. He is set to compete in the five TT rounds of the 2019 American Flat Track season aboard a KTM 450 SX-F.
The decision to race came on a bit of a whim, during a trip to Europe for some car racing with Crosley Brands CEO Bo LeMastus.
“We went over there and he has a (KTM X-Bow) GT4 that we ran,” Ward explained. “So I did a couple races over there with him and he said he was going to do flat track again. He was back in it. I was like, ‘That would be cool to maybe do one of the TTs.’ He said, ‘No way!’ I’m like, ‘Yeah, I’ll look into it.’ Then I came out here because I saw all the guys, Twitch and everybody, riding their bikes out here. I came out and just borrowed bikes. I was riding Carol’s bike. I had a TM I was riding. I did a KTM. It sounded like fun and then I did pretty well at it. So I don’t know if I got talked into it, but just kind of got driven down that road to look into it.”
RELATED: Red Bull KTM American Flat Track Singles Team First Look
Even someone as accomplished as Ward has to hit the pavement at that point in order to find some backing and a bike, which is exactly what he did.
I asked Kawasaki for support and couldn’t really get anything there,” he said. “Then KTM has their factory team with Chris Fillmore running it, and Chris and I did supermoto together. We talked to Roger DeCoster and got a deal on the bikes. He was like, ‘Anything you need at the track.’ So it was a good thing to go with that because they’re going to be there. We’ve tested with Chris. He wants me to test some suspension, so I’m sure down the road there’s some stuff there that will help me out along the way. I feel pretty good. I think it will be fun more than anything. I’m looking to have more fun at it, kind of supermoto-wise until it gets real serious. I know it’s already there, already serious. I’m just trying to have fun. That’s the main goal—and not get hurt. I’m looking forward to it.”
The 450 SX-F is a solid machine for Ward too, as it carried Dan Bromley to the AFT Singles title last year.
“They’re great bikes,” Ward said of the 450 SX-F. “I’ve only ridden them a couple times in the motocross form when they first came out and did the 350 and tested some bikes. It was always impressive. I think there’s a reason why that bike’s up front with about anybody that gets on it. It’s a good motor. It’s got great bottom and top. The brakes, these things have really good brakes on them in stock form. I’m not sure what factories run. So I’m really impressed.
“Also, I rode this bike out here. I was the most comfortable on it right away. They’re good bikes. The FMF pipe really helps out. We’ll have some motor work. I don’t think we need a lot of motor work just because I think your wheel’s spinning all the time anyway, just being in a different gear or shifting, short-shifting. Doing all those different, but in a TT you’re going to be shifting. You can find the powerband with less power than somebody that has more power. We’ll see. I have no idea until we get there.”
What Ward does know is that he’s not ready for a full-season deep dive just yet. Even though he’s interested in possibly tackling half-mile and mile contests later on, this first foray into AFT will be on more familiar grounds.
“I’d love to do a half-mile or a mile, just because it looks pretty crazy,” he admitted. “But I just don’t have enough experience. I’ve driven cars enough on ovals and I know you make a mistake and they’re big. They’re costly. I can make mistakes out here (in a TT). I’ve done a couple where I’ve high-sided, and a couple bikes I rode weren’t quite set up properly, so I can walk away. I do that on a mile, you may not walk away without an injury. I’m not in that mood of having to make those mistakes and then bounce up from them. With the TTs, if I go down, it’s not as fast as that would be. I may tweak a wrist. I hurt some fingers out here when I did it, but nothing I’d be scared about. It just depends on how things go if I get talked into it or not.”
As for training, Ward’s been on a bicycle for the better part of the last decade and feels excellent in terms of cardio. He’s also been upping his strength training to help with pain from previous injuries.
“I’m in better shape now than I was when I raced supermoto,” he told us. “I didn’t really do much in supermoto except ride motocross a little bit. Now I’ve been cycling for the last six or seven years and did the Race Across America with the four-man team and just did a 12-hour time trial of 217 miles in 12 hours. I mountain bike or cycle every day, so I’m in better cardio shape. I just wasn’t in riding shape because the arms and my shoulder is kind of messed up, so I’ve been in the gym for a couple months getting it stronger, and then also riding motocross too. So I’m at a point now where I feel almost better than I did when I did supermoto.”
His experience with supermoto is also allowing Ward to get his technique prepared for the races as well.
“This is kind of like supermoto a little bit,” he said. “Yeah, there’s a little more sliding involved, but I’m not doing the oval tracks, so I don’t really have to have that technique to where I can still have my technique like I did in supermoto for the dirt and turning right and the jumps. So it’s a little different because there is a little sliding involved in like Peoria and a couple things that I feel I’m good enough at to not lose time. So if I have my starts down, I should be good.
“I know the tires are not slicks like supermoto, so they do have more grip, which is great because even the corners where we’re sliding you still have way more grip than we did on dirt with the supermoto bike. Front brake comes into play, and I’m good at front brake so that helps me out. I’m in great shape for that because it’s only 15 laps. It won’t even be a 10-minute race, so I’m not too worried about conditioning as much. Arm-pump is one thing and being relaxed, which I’ve kind of broken through that barrier now with the motocross riding I’ve been doing and getting back to being comfortable on the bike. It’s a motorcycle. I know how to ride whatever conditions are thrown at me on a motorcycle. If the track’s slick or tacky or whatever it is, I should be able to adapt to it.”
That confidence is translating to goals we would expect of a rider of Ward’s caliber.
“I’d like to win,” he told us. “That’s why I’m doing it. I think it would be really cool at my age, 57, to win an AMA pro race in any motorcycle forum, whether it’s hill climb or whatever it is. You’re coming to their sandbox, and these guys are good. It’s not like I’m coming in with an advantage or anything because my motocross or supermoto experience. These guys, that’s what they do for a living. So I don’t expect to come in there and be like I’m going to show them something. Hopefully I can just ride the motorcycle to its ability of what the track gives me and get a good start. Then I can be competitive, I think. Sipes won up at Sturgis. I know if we did a supermoto race or whatever I’d be just as quick in a supermoto forum with him on pavement and dirt, or with anybody, really.”
These days Ward has a family to consider when he decides to take on a new project like this, but his track record of tackling impromptu challenges leaves little room to be surprised.
“I’m always doing something,” Ward said. “Just even when I did the Race Across America, that was out of the blue. David Bailey called me and I’m like, ‘Yeah, let’s do it.’ I hadn’t cycled enough miles to do that. So I’m always up for doing something. It doesn’t surprise them that I want to try this out.
“I did that supermoto up at Sturgis last year and hadn’t ridden for two years. We didn’t run the Pro class, but we ran those electric bikes. They were fun. I felt good. So yeah, I can ride a motorcycle, it’s just what I want to lay out on the line for a win. it just depends on the circumstances. I’m not in a position, I don’t think, to risk my body to win a race or get on the podium. But you never know. I just know when I get into a race situation, whether it’s downhill mountain bikes or whatever. It’s afterward where I go, ‘What was I thinking? That was stupid.’ I get the KOM on this thing and I’m like, ‘Why am I doing this? I’m not getting paid. I just almost died.’ But then that’ll be good for a couple weeks and then you’re in a position again to where you just let it go. I know when I’m racing my mentality will be to try to win. Hopefully it all works out.”
Sometimes that approach leads to the best experiences in life, as Ward explained when we asked about his most memorable racing achievement.
“The Indy 500 is just something…” he said. “It’s hard to even explain what it’s like when you go there. The place itself is a spectacle, just walking in it. Then being able to get into a car. It’s probably the most nerve-wracking thing. I grew up racing motocross, or riding since I was four years old, so it was naturally normal to line up and race and line up in a supercross. I felt in place and like I was capable of winning, so it wasn’t a big deal to where you go to Indy… I didn’t start car racing until I was 33. Never driven a go-kart. So to be in that area, in that arena, it was just kind of more overwhelming and nerve-wracking.
“But then once you get in the car and put the helmet on, then everything just kind of goes back to the race mode again. But finishing third my first year, I led like 49 laps. It was pretty overwhelming to even be in that position. That was probably the most memorable thing in my career, and most challenging. To actually learn how to race those cars was pretty difficult. The car doesn’t know who’s driving it, so if it’s not working, it’s not working. To where motocross, if a bump’s too big, then don’t hit the bump. Pick a better line. You can manhandle the bike to win races. The car, if it doesn’t turn, it doesn’t turn. So it was really hard to learn the engineering part of that to figure out what it takes to make that happen and then also not go too far with stuff and not give wrong feedback because that will put you in the wall. So that was a big learning curve to get that. I would say the Indy racing was probably my biggest thing, the Indy 500.”
And as for other racers who have been eyeing a racetrack in dreams of a comeback, Ward has some words of encouragement.
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“It’s still as fun as it was,” he said. “It’s a motorcycle and that’s why people like riding them, and I love it. I don’t know if I recommend coming off the couch to go race a pro supercross race, that’s for sure, or something. But the flat-track stuff is fun because I think anybody can do it at the local level too. That’s why supermoto was cool. You can go out and run a supermoto race and not feel like you’re overwhelmed with having to jump jumps and getting hurt as easy. You can go as fast as you want. This is kind of the same thing out here in the flat track. I think you can go out and do local races and enjoy it.
“But some of the pro guys, I know Reed said he wants to do Sturgis. Villopoto is talking about it. So all these guys are talking about doing something, but so far I’m the only one that’s jumped in to go for it. So it’ll be interesting to see who comes over and tries it out. The sport’s taking off. That’s one of the reasons why I was a flat-tracker when I raced. That’s all I did was TT and flat track. I had leathers and steel shoes until motocross came. I started doing trials, TT, and flat track. There was no motocross when I was a kid. Nobody had a track for kid, so that’s what I did. There was just TTs and stuff. Ken Maily built my shoes. I did Speedway. So now it’s kind of like I can come back and maybe help the sport a little bit and just be a part of it again. It’s kind of like bookends. I started with TT and then hopefully ending it with TT. I don’t see anything else after that. So it’s cool. It’s cool to be back and giving it a go.”
Source: MotorCyclistOnline.com
“I stopped Rins every time because he wanted to be faster too soon, and that was bad for the tyre and I was right,” continued the Italian. “I stop him every time, fortunately I have more power on the straight. I lose a little bit of time in the middle of the corner because his speed in the middle of the corner is amazing, but I was able to overtake him every time and stop him and continue to save the tyre, that was the key to try and put Marc on the limit in the last few laps. And that was the key, I’m so happy I was able to do that.”
Source: MotoGP.com – Read Full Article Here
Año nuevo y mismo duelo con Andrea Dovizioso. Muy contento con la segunda posición después de un invierno complicado! 💪🏼
New season and same duel with #AndreaDovizioso. Very happy with the second position after a difficult winter! 💪🏼
#QatarGP MotoGP
Source: Marc Márquez on Facebook
Yamaha Active8 Yamalube contender third on both days in Toowoomba.
Image: Foremost Media.
Two-time Under 19’s champion Michael Driscoll has made a stunning start to his rookie season in the E1 category, landing on the podium in both rounds one and two of Toowoomba’s Yamaha bLU cRU Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC) stop over the weekend.
The Yamaha Active8 Yamaha Racing rider strung together a pair thirds in the brutally tough conditions, making for an impressive start in the highly-competitive category.
Strengthening his weekend were two solid times in the unofficial outright classification, recording the sixth fastest overall time on both days aboard his WR250F.
“The weekend was a great start to the championship for me with two good results and some consistency across the whole weekend,” Driscoll commented. “I was a little off Luke and Lyndon in a couple of the tests, but it gives me plenty of motivation to keep working on my riding and get onto the level of those two and battle for the championship.
“But I am really happy with the progress I have made over the off-season and I feel like I’m on the right path. Thanks to Josh Green for his help and also to the team fore their support and hopefully this is the start of a great year for us all.”
The E1 class was taken out by Driscoll’s teammate Luke Styke on Saturday, while KTM Enduro Racing Team’s Lyndon Snodgrass traded places with the reigning champion on Sunday.
Source: MotoOnline.com.au
Sunday’s round two in Toowomba declared three tests in.
Image: Foremost Media.
KTM Enduro Racing Team’s Daniel Milner has addressed safety concerns alongside fellow riders that ultimately led to a shortened day of racing at Toowoomba’s second round of the Yamaha bLU cRU Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC) yesterday.
With a severe lack of moisture, conditions were brutally dry for both Saturday and Sunday’s racing, prompting officials to release riders in 40-second intervals for round two, which saw the pro class take on a far less forgiving circuit than Saturday’s opener.
Milner, who topped the outright and E2 times on both days of racing, was one of a large selection of top riders and team managers to unite following the third test and approach officials with their thoughts on the conditions, expressing safety as a priority, resulting in Sunday’s proceedings being declared.
“I think it got to the point where it was too dangerous,” Milner told MotoOnline.com.au. “That’s when all of us riders came in and said the same thing – Chucky said ‘come on, let’s go down and talk to the officials and get them to sort it out’. We all went down there, had a chat, and put our thoughts out there.
“It’s us that are racing out there, not them, so that’s where they have to see it in our eyes and see what we’re dealing with. When you have that many riders saying the same thing, it speaks for itself. It’s one of those thing where you have to pull it up before someone gets seriously hurt.
“The only people that seem to have a problem with that were the ones who weren’t in the lead and were real close to getting the lead – if it was the other way around, they would definitely want it cancelled, that’s for sure. It’s a bit disappointing to see that, but it’s good no one got seriously hurt.”
The reigning AORC, ISDE, and A4DE champion described the circuit as one the toughest he’s ridden in recent years, explaining the high speeds and an extremely dry surface created a ‘scary’ encounter.
“It was really technical and a bit scary to be honest. There were a lot of downhills that were really fast with sketchy rocks – it was pretty much survival mode. Chucky and I both had a real big off in the last one just going for it – we weren’t doing anything stupid or anything, we just got caught out on a couple bumps.
“I think I went down a little earlier than he did – he just got into my dust and then had a big one. Condition wise, it’s probably the hardest track I’ve ridden in a long time. The ISDE has difficult tracks, but they seem to hold together a lot more and they’re a bit slower in spots, where as this was a lot faster.
“It was pretty scary, but I’m stoked to come away from the weekend unscathed and only taking a bit of bark off the arm – I got away with it pretty good.”
The Australian Off-Road Championship returns to action on 6-7 April in Dungog, New South Wales, for rounds three and four.
Source: MotoOnline.com.au
Australian extracting positive feeling from unfortunate situation.
Image: Supplied.
Jack Miller was forced to make an early retirement from Qatar’s opening round of the 2019 MotoGP World Championship after experiencing a seat malfunction in the beginning stages.
The Pramac Racing ace, who qualified in P4, started the 22-lap encounter strongly immediately moving into second, however his seat foam malfunctioned, prompting the Australian to ditch the unit.
Pushing on, albeit towards the rear of the field, Miller called time on the race approximatively half way through the encounter after struggling to control his Ducati Desmosedici GP19.
“It’s a real shame because we went very fast through the whole weekend and I was convinced that I could stay with the leading group until the end,” Miller explained.
“Unfortunately, after the problem with the seat, I couldn’t control the bike in the corners and it was impossible to keep on. All things considered, the feeling is still positive and I can’t wait to be in Argentina.”
Source: CycleOnline.com.au
If I pass roads with names such as Goat Track or Hell Hole Creek Road, it’s like a red rag to a bull and I simply have to explore it.
Sometimes these roads have warning signs that ban trucks or caravans, or warn of tight curves, gravel and other hazards.
It’s only more reason to explore further.
But it’s the road names themselves that sometimes give the best hint as to what lies ahead, especially if it includes of the following words.
Old, Historic, Heritage: if these words are present, it indicates the original road before bulldozers and surveyors with theodolites carved a straight line through the hills. These roads follow the natural contours, usually in a very entertaining fashion.
Way, Drive, Track: while you should avoid anything called a motorway or freeway, words such as Way, Drive and Track usually indicate much more fun. However, even some highways can be motorcycle roads. Anything called a street should probably be avoided at all costs.
Scenic, Vista, View: often these indicate roads that wind around a mountain, although they are also used by land developers to dupe buyers into purchasing a block which has much less than panoramic views.
Hill, Mountain, Ridge, Range: if any of these words are present in a road’s name, you have a pretty safe bet that it will be fun.
Valley, Gorge, Canyon: same deal.
Creek, River, Dam: ditto. The word “River” in a road’s name can even make a flat plains road interesting as rivers meander more through flat land.
So, if you see a “Gravel road” sign on “Old Farmview River Track”, click down a gear and have fun. That’s a motorcycle-friendly road bonanza!
If you get lost you may eventually need to consult Google maps or your GPS to find your way home.
My TomTom Rider 550 GPS has functions that lead you to find some amazing hidden gems!
GPS is also handy to breadcrumb the route you’ve just taken so you can do it again and share it with your friends.
Source: MotorbikeWriter.com