Australian contender makes first official outing with SAG Racing Team.
Image: Supplied.
Remy Gardner has lodged a top 10 time on the opening day of Moto2 World Championship testing at Jerez in Spain, marking his first official outing with ONEXOX TKKR SAG Racing Team.
The Australian, who completed a private test in Spain earlier this week, wound up 10th on the timesheets with a 1m41.802s lap-time, 0.656s off pace-setter Luca Marini (SKY Racing Team VR46).
It’s positive start for the number 87 in his transition to the squad and Triumph machinery, as he endeavours to build on the solid results he started to haul in at the conclusion of last year.
This year marks a new era in the Moto2 World Championship as the division switches from Honda to Triumph-powered engines, which is set to introduce a faster pace to the class.
As the dawn of a new season beckons in the Superbike World Championship there has been a lot of focus on the rpm limits imposed on the various new models in the title chase this year.
Much of that focus has been aimed at the new Ducati Panigale V4 R, and how high it is allowed to rev compared to other machines in the class, and/or whether the bike appears, again, to have an “unfair” advantage compared to the rest of the field.
Alvaro Bautista proved dominant at the official Phillip Island Test on the Ducati V4 R
To get the low down, Bracksy hunted down the FIM WSBK Technical Director, Scott Smart, to get the inside story on the process used to achieve the results that were implemented into he new Tech Regs for 2019 season.
Scott Smart is the FIM WSBK Technical Director, and was born in to a family of motorcycle racers and is related to the late, great Barry Sheene. He has a degree in Physics and has raced in the British Superbike Championship, World Supersport and Grand Prix in the 500cc and 250cc categories.
Over the years he has run his own teams and been involved in both the mechanical and electronic aspects of motorcycles, from building and tuning engines, to producing the wiring harnesses for a number of BSB teams. He has also acted as a crew chief in MotoGP, whilst continuing to race. But since 2014 he has been the FIM Technical Director for the Superbike World Championship.
Scott Smart – Image by GeeBee
Scott Smart Interview
Mark Bracks: So the changes for the year, what do they entail and what do they mean?
Scott Smart: “Basically we’ve got a bunch of new riders on a bunch of new bikes and as a result they need starting points for the revs. The way the revs starting point works; you take the street bike, check where the rev limiter is, which is the most horrifying thing on the dyno runs in the factory, and that gives us standard street bike max revs, and we add three per cent to that and it gives us a figure.
The V4 R in the hands of Alvaro Bautista and boasting the 16,350rpm rev limit was the talk of the town – Image by TBG Sport
“We also do a bunch of dyno runs and step tests to let us know to the nearest 100rpm to where the maximum power is. We then add 1100rpm to that, and of those two figures we use the lower ones. That way none of the manufacturers can put a fake really high rev limiter in it. We get basically a sensible point of the power curve to define the rev limit, relative to the street bike.”
Mark Bracks: That answers the question everyone is asking me, why the Ducatis have so many more rpm to play with…
Scott Smart: “So basically when you rev that thing on the dyno, it’ll go to 16,500rpm in top gear, unreal – you’ve never seen it before in a 1000cc superbike. So in most gears it’s 16,000rpm, and top gear is up to 16500rpm. Almost like over-run, I don’t want to even think what speed you could do on the thing, and it also makes quite a lot of horsepower doesn’t it.
“If we based it on 16,000 or 16,500rpm plus 3 per cent we’d be 16,500-16,600 plus, or 17,000 in top, but that would be unrealistic, as the bike makes its peak horsepower at 15,250, so we add the 1100 to that, and get 16,350rpm, which is where we set the rev limiter and that seems pretty reasonable. But it does seem to be ripping down the straight quite quickly.”
Alvaro Bautista – TBG Image
Mark Bracks: So nothing can change this weekend, but is it still a three meeting thing?
Scott Smart: “The official way we do it is every three meetings, unless we rock up at the first race and realise it’s a complete disaster. If you actually look at the time sheets the Ducati does have the highest top speed, but looking at the lap times it’s only in the hands of one rider. It’s not all four Ducatis are romping away by a second a lap.
“It’s just one Ducati that’s quickest and the next best is 10th at the moment, so it’s obviously a hard motorcycle to ride. So as a result there’ll be no knee jerk, emergency reaction. It’s in the rules in case the starting point is completely wrong, but from the results I’ve seen so far, that’s not going to be needed. It’s looking like it’ll shape up to be a pretty good race.”
Jonathan Rea – Image by Geebee
Mark Bracks: With tyres you always have a problem here, but the weather isn’t going to be the same today as it will be on Sunday, it’ll be warmer.
Scott Smart: “If it gets really hot, the grip will actually be going down, which is actually easier on the tyres. But looking at the weather report we’re looking at 25-27 degrees and maybe a bit of a clearer sky, so it’s going to be tough on the tyres. They developed a bunch of different new tyres, but that’s all been done in overcast quite chilly conditions, and like we said, it’s going to be warmer, and until they test the tyres on Friday, nobody really knows. The idea was – every year since I’ve had this job – that this would be the first year without problems…”
Is there any suggestion that Pirelli just make a special tyre for here?
Scott Smart: “They basically do make specials for here, the question mark has been, can you make one that’s two seconds a lap slower that lasts, and I think that’s been the aim, but it’s a really grippy aggressive surface here, so it doesn’t seem to matter, even if you take away all the grip, it still grips, as the surface is so grippy, so it just tears the tyre to pieces. Unfortunately it looks like we’ll have problems again.”
Mark Bracks: With that 10 lap sprint race, will they be running a softer tyre so they can go harder?
Scott Smart: “In Europe there will be a softer tyre, here it’s still the normal race tyre.”
Mark Bracks: Tyre allowances, because of the extra race?
Scott Smart: “It changes slightly, but it’s quite dynamic anyway, it’s not the same every weekend, as it’s not the same tyres every weekend. Some championships like BSB have a soft and a hard, the same every week. MotoGP it’s not actually the same tyres there either. But here Pirelli has developed tyres more for the circuits and usually there should be eight of the two favourites, and five or six of the other options. Actually what they thought was going to be the allocation for the weekend, will be shuffled up a bit now, as they’ll try and provide more of the harder wearing tyres.”
Six manufacturers are joining together – and using data – to help drive research into safer motorcycling.
Begin press release:
Six motorcycle manufacturers have joined together with the vision of increasing safety for on-road riders in the United States through data-driven approaches and collaboration with relevant stakeholders.
American Honda Motor Company, BMW Motorrad, Harley-Davidson Motor Company, Indian Motorcycle Company, Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A. and Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A. have teamed up to form the Safer Motorcycling Research Consortium (SMRC). The organization was formally incorporated in Washington, DC as a 501(c)(6) non-profit entity to develop strategies to advance and integrate on-road motorcyclists’ safety through data-driven research and collaboration with relevant stakeholders.
The Board of Directors, appointed by the founding member companies, will coordinate and facilitate pre-competitive research activities in collaboration with the interests of relevant federal agencies. SMRC will also include input from associate members consisting of other OEMs, motorcycle industry suppliers, and technical or scientific organizations engaged in the field of on-road motorcycle safety.
The Safer Motorcycling Research Consortium is committed to increasing the safety of riders through the pursuit of meaningful pre-competitive research and advancement of modern traffic safety. For more information, please visit us at: SaferMotorcyclingResearchConsortium.org.
The vintage motorcycle racing community in the US needs a manager!
Begin press release:
AHRMA is searching for a new Executive Director to handle day to day operations. This 3500+ member not-for-profit motorcycle racing organization is replacing its highly regarded ED of 16 years. If you, or someone you know has an interest in this position, please send a cover letter and resume to [email protected].
Compensation package:
$50k salary
20% of cash basis profit bonus
$600 monthly insurance contribution
$150 month toward cell phone and internet service
Approximately 40 hours/week, not counting travel to events or working events.
Job Description
Job Title: Executive Director
Reports to: Board of Trustees
Classification: Employee
Direct Reports: Membership Director, Communications Director, RR Director, DT Director, National OR Director
Job Overview: Planning, organizing, staffing, motivating and leading AHRMA in a manner that supports and achieves the goals established by the board of trustees by following AHRMA’s policies, procedures and rules. This role is considered the COO of the organization and is responsible for the day to day operations of AHRMA.
Responsibilities and Duties:
Day to day to operations of the association.
Establish and maintain banking and professional relationships
All financial functions of the organization.
Annual trustee election process and external financial and tax reporting
Attend Board of Trustee meetings and Executive Committee meetings
Maintain event attendance reporting
Assist membership office in membership retention
Point of contact for membership on any question or concern brought forward
Work with Road Race Director on creation of schedule and contract review/approval
Work with Off Road Director on creation of schedule and contract review/approval
Work to secure sponsorships as needed for AHRMA race programs
Monthly review of pre-print version of AHRMA Mag with Communications department
Duties assigned and/or delegated by the Treasurer and Secretary of the Board of Trustees
Billing and collection of advertising invoices in AHRMA Mag
Maintain off road race schedule for online entry system
Point of contact for AHRMA’s investment accounts and reporting of such accounts
Assemble annual operating budget
Other duties as assigned
Educational Requirements: BS or BBA. Advanced degree preferred. PC literate. Experience with not-for-profit organizations a plus.
Physical Requirements:
Be able to sit 50% of the day.
Be able to stand 50% of the day.
Be able to lift 25 pounds.
Use computer keyboard and other office equipment.
Some exposure to outside conditions is required.
NOTE: Please provide resume and cover letter in Word or .pdf format.
Jonass and Jasikonis spearhead MXGP line-up as Haarup contests select MX2 rounds.
Image: Supplied.
Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing has formally presented its squad for the 2019 MXGP World Championship, introducing its riders and look for the upcoming season.
With more than a decade of motocross competition under his belt, former MX2 world champion Pauls Jonass will graduate to the premier class in 2019 aboard Husqvarna’s FC 450 machine. Working hard to return to full fitness following knee surgery, Jonass is aiming to maximise his time on the FC 450 before the start of the all-important season-opener.
Making his debut aboard FC 450 machinery during the 2019 Internazionali d’Italia MX series, former GP podium finisher Arminas Jasikonis is set to show his full potential in the MXGP category.
In unique set-up, the team will also field Mikkel Haarup in MX2 despite being the official MXGP team, however he’ll only contest the European rounds of the series.
BMW Motorrad is seeking a patent for a hybrid drive motorcycle with a boxer engine and a back-up electric motor that would also act as a starter motor.
At the time, BMW Motorrad Australia GM Andreas Lundgren said there was a “very thin border between fact and fiction in their pranks … the concept is plausible”.
He seems to be right, according to these recently released simplistic patent drawings filed with the German patent office on August 8, 2017.
The April Fool’s Day press release declared it would be called xDrive Hybrid and include an electric motor in the front wheel hub as developed by their automobile engineers for hybrid vehicles. That would make it a two-wheel-drive bike.
However, the patent filing is not for a two-wheel-drive bike.
Hybrid drive
Instead, it’s for a hybrid drive bike with the electric motor and boxer engine delivering power to the rear wheel.
They would be connected by a planetary gear system with a torque-limiting slip clutch on the electric motor driving the crank.
The electric motor would also function as a starter motor and generator, converting mechanical power from the boxer engine into electricity.
Being a hybrid drive system, BMW could reduce the size of the boxer engine and appease stringent Euro 5 emissions targets due in 2020.
April Fool’s Day pranksters
The Bavarian jokesters are famous for their April Fool’s Day jokes, having begun running spoof advertisements on April 1 in the early 1980s.
BMW’s marketing department says April Fool jokes are “designed to teeter on the verge of credibility” and often focus on a new and revolutionary piece of technology, but “push the idea just beyond the plausible.”
Some of their other April 1 pranks were a self-cleaning car, remote-inflatable tyres, dog-repellent bumpers, tyres that melted snow and a self-driving car that follows you when you go for a jog. This appears to be their first motorcycle prank.
Two-wheel-drive future?
But is BMW still interested in a two-wheel-drive adventure motorcycle?
There have been several other two-wheel-drive motorcycles before, most notably Yamaha’s 2WD system called 2-TRAC. They used it to tackle the Dakar Rally but it never made it into mass production.
The idea is not dead yet with Yamaha, either. Their PES2 electric bike is 2WD and the Japanese company recently filed a patent for a new 2WD system with an electric motor driving the front wheel.
Other 2WD products and concepts include the Christini dirt bikes, Suzuki Nuda concept, Rokon, Ural 2WD outfits and Australia’s own Drysdale stroker which was intended for the Australian Army.
Drysdale Dryvtech
Rokon
But the biggest hint that BMW may actually be considering a 2WD bike comes from BMW accessories company Wunderlich.
The Wunderlich invention is basically a 7.6kW electric hub motor in the front wheel that neatly fits inside the ABS ring.
It sounds very similar to what BMW proposed in their 2017 April 1 press release.
Wunderlich 2WD BMW R 1200 GS
Many online sites fell for that joke, but they weren’t the only ones playing pranks that year.
Other pranks included an Australian Government law to make all bikes water-cooled, Holden producing motorcycles, Triumph introducing a HandleWheel to replace the handlebars and the American Transportation Department requiring all bikes to be fitted with a $35 limiter that restricted top speed to 75mph (120km/h). The latter caused much angst and confusion among riders!
At Motorbike Writer, we report the news and don’t play pranks with our readers.
This is from the BMW Motorrad April 1, 2017, press release on the “xDrive Hybrid” bike:
All-wheel drive can be operated automatically or manually by the rider via the 2WD (Two-Wheel Drive) switch located on the left handlebar operation unit. It activates the wheel-hub e-Drive system which functions both as electric motor and generator. With the additional output of 33 kW (45 hp) and overall 125 kW (170 hp) system performance, the innovative all-wheel drive system opens up a whole new dimension of performance and off-road suitability.
A new generation of batteries, derived from BMW i battery technology, stores the energy recuperated during braking. The e-Drive system on the front wheel is supplied with this energy and the R 1200 GS xDrive Hybrid rider can use it for accelerating in addition to the power delivered by the combustion engine. Thanks to sophisticated management technology the power is always supplied to the front wheel in the right amount and appropriately depending on the riding situation. This means that the front wheel only receives the amount of power as the traction conditions permit – for example in wet or deep snow conditions. The rider can use a number of riding modes to customise how the all-wheel drive system operates and adjust the hybrid system’s recuperation strategies to suit his needs. Everything can be controlled using the innovative LCD display.
Optimised braking performance and balanced weight ratio thanks to intelligent recuperation and single disc brake.
Apart from the significant advantages achieved with regard to ride performance, the xDrive Hybrid all-wheel drive also benefits braking greatly. Thanks to the recuperation process, which has been integrated into the BMW Motorrad ABS system, braking performance has been improved even further.
This intelligent combined solution also made it possible to reduce the conventional double-disc hydraulic braking system at the front to a single-disc brake system thereby saving approximately 2.9 kilograms of weight. In combination with the wheel hub e-Drive, which only weighs 880 grams, the bike’s agility was also optimised. Thanks to the bike’s positive weight balance, the weight level of the current R 1200 GS Adventure could be maintained in spite of the additional hybrid all-wheel technology.
This bike will get you anywhere, on any surface – even to the North pole.
In the past months the test version of the new R 1200 GS xDrive Hybrid covered countless thousands of kilometres in the toughest of riding conditions. The most extreme demands were placed on the bike last winter, when Reiner Scherbeck, the head of winter testing at BMW Motorrad, rode it to the North Cape on a first stage and from there across the frozen Barents Sea to the North Pole and back again.
Scherbeck: “We were absolutely amazed how problem-free and reliable the all-wheel drive worked even at minus 56 degrees. Thanks to our functional BMW rider equipment, the cold temperatures were no problem for the rider, too. Probably the most thrilling conclusion we can draw from our test runs, is that for the first time we can offer a motorcycle that makes riding a motorcycle a pleasure at snow depths of 1.25 metres in high winter with the new R 1200 GS xDrive Hybrid. Special front section components have also been developed for this purpose as well as high-speed suitable M+S all-season tyres. This was also necessary in order to meet the necessary requirements for high-speed winter operation.”
The new BMW R 1200 GS xDrive Hybrid will be presented to the public in a suitable location very soon. It will be available from the second half of 2017. BMW Motorrad will announce special tyre combinations and optional equipment features as well as the official sales price at a later date.
Police and road safety authority claims that returned riders are the biggest safety risk on the road is a “furphy”, says Victorian Motorcycle Council media spokesman John Eacott (pictured above).
John has spent some time analysing Victorian Transport Accident Commission (TAC) statistics and now claims returned riders are not the major safety risk they have been labelled.
He says this is a concern because road safety initiatives are being directed to the wrong group.
Stats don’t lie
“It would appear that the TAC site has a better analysis than we initially thought with Motorcycle Age Group and Gender as a good start,” he says.
“In 2018, there were 38 motorcyclist fatalities and, in 2017/2018, 1312 motorcycle riders were compensated by the TAC for injuries involving an acute hospital admission.
“Some 53% of motorcycle riders who lost their lives in 2018 and 48% of those hospitalised in 2017/2018 were aged over 40.
“While the numbers of females injured have increased, males are significantly more likely to lose their lives or be seriously injured than females.”
While these are Victorian figures, the state and national stats show similar results. Check out the national fatalities graph below.
However, this is only half the story.
Licence holders by age/gender
John also researched the ages of registered Victorian motorcycle licence holders on the Motorcycle Crash Data site.
He found that in June 2017 there were more than 420,000 Victorians with a current motorcycle licence or permit with the following breakdown:
88% were male;
5% aged 25 or less;
70% aged over 40;
20% aged over 60 (with 4% over 70); and
Just over half (56%) of motorcycle licence holders were active riders.
Once again, the figures are expected to be similar in all states and nationally.
“So while the age group and gender implies a ‘worrying’ crash rate for over 40s, they account for less than 50% of fatals and hospitalisations yet comprise 70% of licensed riders,” John says.
“Using the stats on the age group page, under 25s have 11% of fatals and 24% of hospital admissions, yet they are only 5% of registered riders.
“Comparatively the over-60s comprised 21% of fatalities and 11% of hospitalisations yet are 20% of licence holders, so they are underrepresented in hospitalisations and on percentage for fatalities.
“The lack of referencing to these factual statistics by the various authorities along with the constant referencing of stats for over 40s shows an institutional bias against older riders.
“Until this is corrected and the over-representation in accidents of under 25s is addressed, we fear nothing will change.”
Road safety funding misdirected
John Eacott
“Time and time again the government and media make comments about returned riders being a problem,” John says.
“We are actually underrepresented in crash stats and under 25s are grossly overrepresented and this is not being addressed.
“It is a misapplication of resources and the Motorcycle Safety Levy.”
Giorgio Barbieri, Pirelli Head of Motorsport Operations Interview
With Mark Bracks
Mark Bracks catches up with Pirelli’s Head of Motorsport Operations, Giorgio Barbieri, to discuss the unique stresses that Phillip Island puts on tyres, tyre solutions for 2019 and how testing panned out this week.
Mark Bracks: Giorgio, so the solutions, what did you bring this year?
Giorgio Barbieri: “We didn’t forget Phillip Island! It is impossible to come here, to not make an interesting test. We are always looking what’s happening in the Aussie championship and we are quite happy because we had the majority agree the results are good.
Alvaro Bautista topped the official WorldSBK Test at Phillip Island
“The competitive national championship is growing, and I saw some riders participating in an international race out of Australia as well, which is good, including the Suzuka 8 Hour.
“When we come here for WorldSBK we always meet the same problems, usually in the first two day test session, things are OK. While yesterday (Monday) we started seeing something strange already as far as blistering, not a problem with temperature – I wouldn’t try to give you an excuse – but what I can consider is that this is the first race of the year for everyone, not all the teams work during the winter, so they are not so used to preparing certain bikes for the race.
“Probably if you came at the end of the season the bike riders and teams are perfect and the work is easier. The first race of the season is very difficult so you can see some very different performance from the teams, not only in lap time – as yesterday the lap times were already too fast. But also to run the tyres under a lot of pressure, so they’ll run longer, so we can see what we can do for the race weekend.
Tyres have historically been an issue at Phillip Island… including last year
“To be frank, I was so excited about the flag by flag race last year, it was a very big show. We tried to put this formula into the WorldSBK [the pit stop] as it’s very interesting, but the teams are not all agreed on this form. I don’t know what we’ll do for the weekend, I wouldn’t like to arrive at the decision at the last moment because someone has problems and someone does not. So it’s a matter of preparation. But if the field is not ready… We’ll discuss after two days of evidence, and the conditions may change, the track may improve. It’s not just a case of 15 to 20 laps, it’s all about everyone using the same formula.
“We take all of the last season, in order to have a bigger campaign to study for the race tyres, we analysed all the tyres from every single race, to understand the level of fatigue and stress after the race, so we have some numbers now in mind. That’s why we prefer to prepare the special solutions for when we come here, considering what spares we got.
“But as usual when we come here, everything is changed around.
Mark Bracks: How many tyres did you bring for the test and the weekend?
Giorgio Barbieri: “We brought for the teams two rear Superbike and two rear Supersport, in reference to the last year’s race, and one new one. Nothing asymmetrical. This is part of the reason why the approach to this race is always difficult for us. We would like to make this race just like everywhere else around the world. But this is not the place so common.
Jonathan Rea – Image by Geebee
“Our philosophy is this one, we would like to give your riders here a different type of tyre for Phillip island and another tyre for the rest of the races in the national championship. They need a range that works over the national championship. So if I have to improve my range in my work on WSBK, I can’t consider the race different to all the other fields, this is one point of strength, and one point from the other side.
“Pirelli has to decide, like MotoGP has different tyres every race, playing with the compound, or with WSBK the tyres have to work here, the United States, Africa, and this is the problem.
“For the race, it’s just a matter to see what happens here today. We have other specification already for the race, Superbike and Supersport, but before we put something different it creates more confusion with the team’s work.”
Mark Bracks: The latest spec’ we have for the Aussie Superbikes were bigger.
Giorgio Barbieri: “We developed the new sizes in Imola and Misano, and then we tested here. Last year we brought a new size, a 265, slightly bigger than the standard 260 for Phillip Island. The teams said, it seems fine, seems interesting, so after the race, they use 50/50 old and new ones, SC0/SC1, so it seemed like it was something more than just a tyre for Phillip Island. So we brought it to Imola, then from Imola to all the races.
Alex Lowes – Image by Geebee
“So all the teams moved from the old size to the new one. From Misano we improved the front as well to balance, and by the end of the season everyone used the big one. So for Phillip Island from this point of view, I had to ask to develop new tyres from the range, and as soon as the result were so fine, so far, we put it into production, the new sizes as a SC1 and SC0, and given to all the markets. Now we make our development in the World Superbike Championship, but we would like the markets to test the new sizes to understand how much they prefer this to the standard ones.
“So now we have all the standard range [260] and the new ones [265]. This year we’ll work to create the whole range of compounds in the new sizes, and at the end of the season we can decide whether to keep the old one or the new one. Australia was the first country all over the world to tell me that they would like to have this as the range of tyres and homologate for the championship and I trust my riders.
“So it’s interesting to me that the country with just three choices of sizes decided to homologate and take the new one.”
Mark: In the ASBK test, the feedback was that it would want to fall into the corner quicker.
Giorgio Barbieri: “After Imola the riders asked for a different front, as the rear was pushing more the front, so we needed a bigger front, and stiffer front, so now all the WSBK are using the bigger front. Why are people using the little one? Because they aren’t confident yet. So I asked Gary [Crilly] when the other guys arrive, like Bayliss, Ducati, Yamaha, Kawasaki, Suzuki they will have the chance to ask the WSBK technician what to do to the bike to prepare for the new sizes, and they will immediately make upgrade to their performance. If they start from nothing it will take time, if they take the experience gained in WSBK, they’ll gain time.”
Troy Bayliss testing the new Pirelli tyres in the earlier ASBK test- Image by TBG
Mark Bracks: The Australian Superbike tyre is the same as the WSBK then?
Giorgio Barbieri: “Absolutely.”
Mark Bracks: What about Supersport? In the last couple of years we’ve seen, delaminating, more-so in the race and more critical.
Giorgio Barbieri: “Supersport is more so difficult, because of the size rims. We can’t make a bigger tyre due to the rim sizes being too narrow, so we make it bigger but then it stretch on the rim. We don’t have so many tester, Superbike has many testers more than Supersport.
Aussie Tom Toparis is wild carding in Supersport – Image by TBG Sport
“So we agreed with Dorna to do one test in Portugal in August for Supersport as well, and we’ll concentrate the test on Australian tyres. In order to have more experience in Supersport about this. In Supersport they lean more, less electronics, and higher temperature on the tyres than the Superbikes sometimes, which is why they cook the tyre more.”
Mark Bracks: So in Portimao in August, you’ll be testing there because it’s a little bit similar to Australia?
Giorgio Barbieri: “Portimao we know is very hot and the long corner, brings you down in the lane, is where we see the next highest temperature to Phillip Island, but 20-30C less, but more than all the other circuit in Europe, so this is something, not enough but something. If you come here [Phillip Island] in December and you make a test, you might not have any problem, but come in February and *click*…
World Superbikes will head to Portimao for a test later in the year, including for Supersport
“Several years ago we brought the Ducati’s from Europe, and we brought Troy Bayliss to test, we made a test here in December, the test were perfect, we tried to race and… I don’t really know what to do in this place.
“It’s almost impossible to find the right condition to test. Or we have to convince ourselves to make something completely different than what we normally like to make to suit these conditions for the laps we need.”
Mark Bracks: How different are the Supersport tyres, do they have a stiffer sidewall?
Giorgio Barbieri: “Yes and some of them do and are testing now. In Superbike as well they have a carcass stiffer than the usual one, and it’s a little heavier than the usual one as we make some reinforcement inside. But the thing is, is this the point or not?”
Mark Bracks: I was going to say with the extra weight, more inertia, more heat…
Giorgio Barbieri: “That might be why it’s not working. I hope to see some long run testing in the afternoon session.
Mark Bracks: Have you seen the difference in temperature between today and Sunday?
Giorgio Barbieri: “Yes, I saw the forecast but I’m not worried about this. It’s the heat generated into the tyre, it’s a matter of operative temperature, during the use. If the bike is loading the rear tyre in order to reach a certain level of temp, and overclimb this level and keep this higher level, you destroy the compound.
“So which way to keep this temperature down, is more in the team’s behaviour and the riders, and race administration. I know quite well how the MotoGP riders are used to managing the tyres, in the last lap they use it. But if they use this lap time in the beginning…
“In this championship they aren’t used to administrating the tyres, and in this place, this causes the problem. But yesterday we saw Bautista use an intelligent way to run very fast but keeping within the range and average temperature.
“This is the right attitude, I remember several years ago we tried with Troy Bayliss, he had the best Ducati, he was the man in this place, and he won the Race 1 with 12s advantage, and we saw some blister on the tyres. I said Troy, if we make like this in the second race, when the temp is higher, you will meet problems at the end of the race, try not to take 12s, but just the right amount, which was foolish to say to the rider. But he did, he came first on the second race, it was by 3s and the tyre was perfect. But it’s not my job to ask the riders and teams to administrate.”
Mark Bracks: So with the Supersport tyre, have you gone harder compound all over?
Giorgio Barbieri: “No, it’s always the same compound as used in Superbike, the mother of SC1, I don’t trust giving another compound will save us from the problem, because the more slip you’ve got the more temperature you’ve got. Here it’s always a combination of mechanical and chemical stress, one of the two creates the problem. So you have to keep the right amount of grip, and at the same time, not too much. More grip is the compound and more heating from the tread, but if you don’t give enough tread you get heating because of wheel spin.”
Alvaro Bautista – Image by Geebee
Mark Bracks: It’s the never ending chasing of the tail as they say… Is there any plan B for the tyres for the weekend?
Giorgio Barbieri: “We will discuss on Thursday in order to make a decision on the morning, rather than waiting for anything to happen on Friday. We will decide what kind of race we’ll have then!”
The count down is on for this weekend’s (Feb 22-24) season opener of the 2019 Motul FIM Superbike World Championship, Yamaha Finance round at Australia’s spectacular Phillip Island. Racing looks set to be hot; and the weather is forecast to be perfect for fans and for on-circuit camping with 25-28 degree days predicted.
Victoria Police are expected to be out in force over the next few days as warning to motorcyclists to ride safely on their way to and from the World Superbikes at Phillip Island this weekend.
In previous years, VicPol have conducted “Motosafe” operations around the WSBK and MotoGP events.
We contacted VicPol to find out what they had planned for this year, but they said they couldn’t supply an answer until the end of the week, which is too late to issue a specific warning to riders.
Rider warning
However, riders have complained in the past that over-zealous police make life difficult for riders.
They have reported long queues for licence checks at road blocks, indiscriminate roadside bike inspections and an abundance of speed detection.
Some have even said they not return because of the heavy handed police presence.
So while these events are recognised as two of the major tourist attractions to the state, these police operations seem to have had the reverse effect.
We will update this article with a specific warning if or when VicPol supply details of their operations.
Meanwhile, we invite riders to leave a comment below of their experiences to alert other riders.
And make sure you have fun at the Island and get home in one piece.
World Superbikes at Phillip Island (Images on this page: Jamie Morris/Geebee Images/2SNAP)
Rule warning
For those interstate riders visiting Victoria, remember it is not legal to ride in a bus, bicycle, transit, tram or truck lane.
The only exception is if you are stopping for an emergency or turning and then you can only be in the lane for 1090m (50m for bicycle and tram lanes).
WSBK and MotoGP are significant tourist events that reap millions of dollars in annual revenue for Victoria.
The Victorian Government’s Motorcycle Tourism Strategy 2013-2016 actually says “motorcycle tourism has the potential to make an important contribution to the Victorian economy, particularly in regional areas. Motorcycling is the fastest growing road user sector.”
The strategy has not been updated since 2016.
However, the Australian Bureau of Statistics confirms that motorcycle riders account for about 1% of Australian tourism which is worth about $350 million annually to the economy.
Also, an Australian Financial Review report cited the booming motorcycle tourism industry as being dominated by domestic intra-state bikers taking short, weekend rides into rural areas and staying in country hotels.
“Others do longer inter-state trips through classic touring country such as coastal and alpine roads. Then there’s the motorbike tourists who tour for several weeks or months, either in a tour group or by hiring bikes and self-guiding,” the report stated.
And, of course, making an annual pilgrimage to the island!
Shooting con la nueva colección de merchandising 2019! Pronto la podréis ver 😉
Shooting with the new merchandising collection 2019! Stay tuned! Gruppo Pritelli Racing
Bringing you the Best Motorcycle News from Around the Web!
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Ok
