Multi-time world champion satisfied with Thursday results.
Image: Supplied.
Valentino Rossi has uncovered a performance boost on day two of Sepang’s official MotoGP World Championship test in Malaysia, ultimately winding up sixth on the timesheets.
The upgraded YZR-M1 powerplant has been a key focus of the new-look Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP team, which has evidently played out positively with a satisfied nine-time world champion.
With new components still to be rolled out during today’s final outing, the popular Italian is optimistic in the final result he’ll extract from the first pre-season test.
“We continued to work because we had some other items to improve and also today was not so bad,” Rossi explained. “We found something that improved the performance and I think we did a good job.
“At the end my pace was always quite strong. So, it was a quite positive second day and we still have something to test tomorrow. We will try to continue to work and we’ll see what our situation is like at the end of the three days.”
Rossi’s teammate Maverick Vinales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) topped the times on day two, clocking up a lap that was half a second faster than Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) and Australian Jack Miller (Pramac Racing).
The offender who strung wire at neck height across a Queensland forestry trail to “trap” riders faces a three-year jail sentence if caught.
Gympie trail rider Ben Bird, 25, says he could have been decapitated if he was riding any faster when he hit the wire in Amamoor State Forest earlier this week.
Luckily Ben was only travelling about 15km/h when he hit the wire trap.
Ben’s neck scars
“Normally in that spot of the track it’s a flat straight. I could be going up to 60 to 70km/h there,” he says.
“The wire had been tied in a slip knot so when you hit it, it pulls tighter.”
Ben with the wire used in the trap
Man trap offence
The offender who set the wire “man trap” could face up to three years in jail.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Environment and Science says they take public safety matters in national parks and state forests “extremely seriously”.
“Rangers work closely with QPS to patrol national parks and any instances of dangerous and illegal behaviour will be dealt with,” she says.
“It is an offence under the Forestry Regulations to do something that interferes with the health and safety of a person.”
It is also an offence under the Criminal Code 1899 – Section 327, namely “setting mantraps”, with a maximum sentence of three years.
Police are appealing for anyone with information on the offence to contact Policelink on 131 444 or provide information using the online form24 hours a day.
Riders vulnerable
Motorcyclists have long been vulnerable to “man traps” such as rope or wire strung across a road, and oil or tacks strewn on the road surface.
Sometimes it is done by misguided and angry residents trying to slow down or deter riders in their area.
Lawson Mills, 19, believed it was set by “skylarking teenagers”.
Luckily the rope was not tied off at both ends, although he still suffered severe rope burns on the neck.
Other cases involve a Sunshine Coast farmer throwing oil on a road to stop speeding riders and tacks deliberately thrown on a Brisbane road shoulder to puncture the tyres of riders. (Edge or shoulder filtering is legal in Queensland only.)
Italian extracts positives from physically demanding day.
Image: Supplied.
Completing two race distance stints on day two of MotoGP testing at Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia has offered Danilo Petrucci answers on his set-up and fitness.
The Mission Winnow Ducati Team newcomer lodged a total of 65 laps, setting the ninth fastest lap-time behind reigning world champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team).
Despite a setback during proceedings, the Italian ace believes many positives were extracted from the second day of three in the official test, even though he didn’t lap a time in the lead group of the classification.
“It’s been a very intense day from a physical standpoint, because we clocked a lot of laps and we even rode over the race distance in two consecutive runs during the hottest hours,” Petrucci commented. “I have to say we gathered a positive feedback, both from a technical and physical standpoint, and the team did an excellent job.
“A small setback prevented us from further improving our lap times, but the rankings are certainly not our priority at this point of the year. Compared with yesterday, we’ve been a lot more competitive with higher temperatures, which makes me really confident ahead of tomorrow.”
The second day of testing was mastered by Maverick Vinales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP), who was half a second fast than Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) and Australian Jack Miller (Pramac Racing).
Glenn Allerton is a three-time Australian Superbike Champion and along with Josh Waters would love to claim a fourth, however the last two years have been fraught with well documented injuries for GA.
He is now fully recovered and ready to launch a major assault on the 2019 title. This year he has the new BMW HP4 coming to the Next Gen Motorsports team and they have also switched to Dunlop tyres.
Glenn Allerton Interview
MCNews: First test for the year, is it your first hit-out that you’ve been on the bike, or have you been testing like some of these other guys?
Glenn Allerton: “We’ve been to Wakefield about a week ago, and were still trying to make up our mind with which tyres to go with, between Pirelli and Dunlop. Basically we just want to go with whatever gave the best chance of winning we can get. We had a really good test, I did a bloody competitive race run there, that would have been racing for the win versus what we had printed off as the race time there, and we were fast. I felt really comfortable on the Dunlops, which is why we decided to go with them, because the feeling is really good, and they’ve got some new stuff.”
Glenn Allerton – Image by Rob Mott
MCNews: Nothing to do with the fact you’re racing in the Asian Championship and there’s Dunlops there?
Glenn Allerton: “At this point in time, we’re not actually racing in the Asian Championship, so I don’ really know what’s going on, we haven’t made up our mind as we have some budget problems for Asia. At this point, it’s on hold, so I don’t know what’s going to happen with that. I’ll have to wait and see what the boys come up with. It’s a tough situation, that one, because they committed, and then the budget sort of got changed a bit and now we’ve got to scramble to try and make something happen. But the tyres are a lot different over there, to what we have here, so it’s really difficult to even compare. Riding on the tyres they have there and then the Dunlops we have here… It’s as different as between Dunlops and Pirelli’s here, they are that much different. The diameters are different and everything, the grip level is different…”
“So we had a really good test there at Wakefield, and we haven’t changed that much really, we’ve just come down here and actually ridden on the tyres that Dunlop have for Phillip Island, but we seem to be going pretty good. I expected some teething problems, as there’s a few diameter differences with the tyres, and while Dunlop has some new stuff coming, that’ll be here after Round 1, we’ve just got to try at the moment. We’re a little bit in the phase of trying to set the bike up for the tyres that they currently have, but we already know that the tyres that are coming are a step better again. We know we’ve got a good setting, good feel with those tyres at the moment, so we’re just trying to make do with what we’ve got available for Phillip Island, because this place is so hard on tyres.”
MCNews: With the Dunlops traditionally as it gets hotter, they work better. Today got hotter but the wind got up?
Glenn Allerton: “The wind definitely got up, earlier in the day I was always in sixth gear in the straight, and sometimes in that last session I was only getting to fifth gear, and not even getting sixth gear. Which is a pretty good indication of how much the wind is pushing you. I’ve had some struggles today, with the front brakes, I had problems all mornings and just with the feel being different every time we move the front brake lever. We’re trying to get on top of that with some different pads and different material. We’re going to change the discs, and figure out what combination is going to work, because the front brake pressure is always feeling odd. And then we had a couple of other issues along the way, today wasn’t smooth sailing, but I kind of knew we were going to be in this situation of chasing our tail a little bit, with the se-tup. Just because of how different the tyres we have to run here are, the shape and the diameter, they are a lot different to the other ones we tested on at Wakefield.”
Glenn Allerton – Image by Rob Mott
MCNews: So Dunlop have done something similar to Pirelli with the bigger tyre?
Glenn Allerton: “I think what’s actually happened with Dunlop is they are actually going the other way with the new tyres, they are smaller in the rear, whereas Pirelli are going bigger. Our bike works really good on the small tyre and that’s the direction we’ll be going in. It’s not a small tyre, it’s still a 200 series, it’s just a different shape. Not quite as big as the tyre we have to use here. So the bike handles really good on that tyre and that combination is awesome. The outlook for the year is great, but we’ve just got to get through this first round. The start of the season is going to be like that for us – as we’re still on the old bike, we do have some new parts coming, we’ve just got fresh engines coming basically.”
MCNews: You’re not on the HP4 are you?
Glenn Allerton: “No, this bike that I’ve got here, it’s done some kays, the one I’ve been testing I believe is a 2016 model, the team has had it for quite a long time. We’re just getting through this weekend and the race, with some fresh motors. The outlook is actually good with the new bike and at that point, Dunlop will have the new tyres.”
Glenn Allerton – Image by Russell Colvin
MCNews: When is that expected?
Glenn Allerton: “The possibility to race it could possibly be Round 2, but none of the kit racing parts will be available like the wiring harness, the ECU, and all the suspension, which won’t probably be here until Round 3 at Tailem Bend. So we’ll definitely be on it at Tailem Bend, but I’m hoping we can make some stuff happen, and get it to Wakefield, but we’ll have to wait and see.”
MCNews: And the biggest difference from Pirelli to Dunlop, what have you got to adapt to?
Glenn Allerton: “Well it used to be the front tyre, but the new Dunlop front tyre is really good so it’s a lot softer than what they currently had, and it gives you a lot of confidence. Just the rear tyre is a lot bigger than the Pirelli, the new Pirelli is bigger again, so maybe they are around the same size, but the one we’ll race on here at Phillip Island is quite big. It’s changed the geometry of the bike, so we’re trying to adjust it to suit.”
Glenn Allerton (right), and the Next Gen Motorsports BMW squad
The first round of the Australian Superbike Championship will be held alongside the opening round of the Superbike World Championship at Phillip Island 22-24 February.
Kawasaki Superbike – Phillip Island Test – Merged classification
Reigning world champion to sport traditional number 61 this season.
Image: Supplied.
Words: Adam Wheeler
MX2 world champion Jorge Prado reached the ripe age of 18 last week but is already talking like a seasoned grand prix pro as he vies to become KTM’s third double title winner since the inception of the MX2 class in 2004.
Prado is working under the tutelage and guidance of Tony Cairoli, Claudio De Carli and his staff in the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team for the second year in a row and for his third as an official KTM athlete.
Even though his championship campaign involved impressive consistency with 17 podiums and 12 wins, rapier starts and uncatchable speed in the opening laps of motos, Prado insists he is still ‘in progress’.
“I’m working hard to improve and make the right steps,” said Prado. “I’m training hard again and the big difference is this time I don’t have to handle an injury so I can be better prepared. 2018 was tough at the start and hopefully I can be more careful up until the start of the world championship.
“To be better in every way – that’s the job. I can get faster and I can be stronger, especially physically. Then it is about working on the small things. I made mistakes last year.”
Prado has only just become old enough to vote and hold a driver’s licence, but is now charged with leading KTM’s effort in a category they have dominated and with the class-leading 250 SX-F technology.
“KTM is always looking for a better bike,” he commented on the development programme for 2019 and a task that technical co-ordinator Dirk Gruebel admitted would be ‘difficult to make big steps’. “Last year it was already on a high level so to improve is tricky but the factory and the team are working hard.
“I basically used the same suspension all through last season, and the power of the bike was good but there are small details to be able to improve more.”
Prado lifted his FIM gold medal at the final round of 2018 in Imola. He admitted that the week after the Italian race and around the ’18 Motocross of Nations was ‘crazy’, but the thoughts of 2019 swiftly enabled the fuss and distraction of realising a lifetime dream to subside.
The rider from Galicia will not run the coveted number one in 2019. Amazingly he doesn’t feel worthy of the plate. “I’m going to stick with the number 61 because I think I don’t quite deserve the number one,” he candidly admitted. “I think the big ‘one’ is for the very best in motocross and that’s not me – it’s for the guy in the next category, the highest category.
“One day when, if, I can manage it in MXGP then I’ll change! I don’t have any official merchandise yet so it is not a big problem for me to have another number, but even so many people now know me with the 61.”
Prado is currently testing and training in Sardinia ahead of planned pre-season races in the 2019 Italian motocross championship.
Yamaha Motor Australia have welcomed the arrival of the 2019 model of their XV250, a machine which has ushered countless new riders into motorcycling. The 2019 Yamaha XV250 arrives in silver and will be priced at a RRP of $6,799 RRP + ORC.
2019 Yamaha V-Star 250 – Metallic Silver
Yamaha boast the XV250 offers an easy-riding nature and low seat height.
Yamaha’s bullet-proof air-cooled 249cc V-twin engine features a long 66 mm piston stroke for more torque low in the rev-range, and smooth roll-on power.
2019 Yamaha V-Star 250 – Metallic Silver
Designed tough enough to handle the mishaps dished out by learning riders, the XV250 is also forgiving enough to encourage them to continue and improve.
Based on the larger-capacity XVS range, the classic cruiser look features a riser-mounted flat handlebar, low 685 mm seat height, forward controls, dual exhausts, 18-inch (front) and 15-inch (rear) wheels and lashings of shiny chrome, an integral part of any cruiser.
2019 Yamaha V-Star 250 – Metallic Silver
Visit your local Yamaha Motor dealer today to organise a test ride or to check the XV250 and Yamaha LAMS range out in person.
The reigning champion, who set the fastest time on day one, mustered up the eighth quickest lap on Thursday after only completing 37 laps due to difficulties with his shoulder.
Marquez routinely completed over 90 laps per test day last season, with yesterday’s lighter load an intended measure to ensure he can take to the track in today’s final day of testing.
“Today we worked much the same as yesterday and tried a few new things, the most important ones for Honda,” Marquez explained. “I started the day well but then the shoulder started to get a bit worse so we stopped to be able to run well again tomorrow.
“I can’t ride exactly how I’d want, normally I’m a rider who brakes very late and deep but I can’t do that at the moment and have to brake earlier and smoother. In regards to the bike, we’ve been working mostly on corner exit but sometimes at this circuit the grip can change a lot.”
Maverick Vinales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) topped the timesheets on day two by over half a second, as Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) and Australian Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) closed out the top three.
Blistering time grants Vinales P1 on day two of Sepang test
Rins second again as Australia’s Miller charges to third in Malaysia.
Image: Supplied.
Maverick Vinales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) got within just 0.067s of Jorge Lorenzo’s fastest ever lap of Sepang on day two of MotoGP testing, with the 1m58.830s set by Lorenzo last season – although not an official lap record – now surely under threat on day three.
Vinales had been hovering in third for much of the latter part of the day and left his vie at record breaking late as the final few minutes saw time attacks light up the timesheets.
More than three tenths up before the final sector, the Spaniard eventually crossed the line 0.527s ahead of nearest rival Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar), setting both a supreme lap and a serious benchmark.
That built on a positive first day on the timesheets for Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP and Valentino Rossi in sixth added to the good vibes. The veteran Italian did 51 laps and was only two tenths off second, although the distance to his teammate stretched out from there.
The Iwata marque confirmed they have a busy agenda, with different winglets and chassis items on the menu. Happy with progress since November, Team Director Massimo Meregalli says the biggest focus from Sepang is the last part of the corner and specifically, acceleration.
Petronas Yamaha SRT’s Fabio Quartararo and Franco Morbidelli ended the day in P14 and P15 respectively – and the Frenchman had a 2019 bike as he made that key step forward. They both did 58 laps.
Alex Rins was the man who lost his top spot to Vinales after seeming set to end the day fastest, but the Spaniard’s 1m59.424s was nevertheless an incredible lap-time and he did 61 laps on Thursday. Team Manager Davide Brivio said it’s going well and they have different swingarms, new aerodynamics with both riders and some different combinations.
The Italian said their focus is fitting together the ‘puzzle’ correctly for the first race, and the timesheets seem to bode well for Rins despite the Hamamatsu factory losing their concessions in 2019. Rookie teammate Joan Mir ended the day in P21 after 64 laps.
On Rins’ tail was the fastest Ducati on day two and once again it was an Independent Team rider – this time Jack Miller (Pramac Racing). The Australian was a late mover like those above him and was only a tenth off Rins by the end of play, putting in 49 laps.
Just behind him came Andrea Dovizioso, who was the fastest Mission Winnow Ducati and looked set to top the day’s action until the late flurry of fast laps saw him pushed down to fourth. Initially the number 04 was working on frames, and team manager Davide Tardozzi confirmed that teammate Danilo Petrucci was focused on finding a better connection between the throttle and the rear tyre – working on the electronics and engine.
Roles were then reversed, and Tardozzi also confirmed the Borgo Panigale factory also had some work on aero planned. That’s expected tomorrow. Today, it was two red machines in tandem as the two were on track together on some longer runs in the afternoon, with Petrucci saying he has ‘more to learn’ than his teammate and ending the day in ninth.
Tito Rabat (Reale Avintia Racing) pipped him on his GP18 to end Thursday in P7, with Francesco Bagnaia fastest rookie in P12 for Alma Pramac Racing. Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) put in a good showing on Thursday to take fifth overall and end the day as fastest Honda. The Brit is returning from a badly broken ankle sustained at Phillip Island last season but managed 53 laps to end the session within just 0.004s of Dovizioso. He also suffered a crash.
Next up for Honda was eighth placed Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team), who downed tools early once again and put in 37 laps on day two – although some of those were a longer run in the afternoon. The team confirmed they’re on schedule despite the lighter lap load for the reigning champion, too – with Marquez routinely having done over 90 laps per test day last season – and were working on the new bike, new engine and electronics, with a lot to get through including some different fairings.
Crutchlow’s teammate Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) took P10 after 60 laps, with Stefan Bradl (Honda Test Team) taking P16 after 59 laps. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing saw some tables turned on day two as Johann Zarco ended the day as fastest Austrian machine for the first time since his switch to the marque.
He said he outstripped his expected progress for the day and it made him smile to dip below the two minute mark for the first time, and he ended the day in P11 after 58 laps. Teammate Pol Espargaro was P17 and just over three tenths off the Frenchman. KTM test rider Mika Kallio was a couple of places back, and just pipped Red Bull KTM Tech 3 rookie Miguel Oliveira. Malaysian Hafizh Syahrin had a tougher day, outside the top 20.
Aprilia Racing Team Gresini, meanwhile, had a race simulation fairly early on day two for Aleix Espargaro as Andrea Iannone remained focused on adaptation. Bike balance, electronics and torque control were a focus for the Noale factory. Espargaro ended the day in P13 after 54 laps, Iannone in P18 after 39. Romano Albesiano, Technical Manager, also confirmed that it’s not just the immediate future the marque are working towards, with plans made to make some big changes in testing in order to set up some more radical development later in the season.
If you’ve ever been a witness at a motorcycle crash scene you may have noticed that medics (ambulance officers and paramedics) do not seem to be in any rush.
I was at the scene of a crash on Abercrombie Rd near Obern, NSW, and several riders were anxious and expressed concern because the first responders did not seem to be in any hurry.
Some other riders have also complained that nurses and hospital staff are sometimes flippant about injured riders who “drain their resources”. Read about the concerns of a safety expert.
It’s not because medics believe all motorcyclists have a death wish and don’t deserve immediate attention.
There are several very good reasons for the calm and almost painstakingly slow attitude of first responders at a crash scene.
Most American cop shows depict medics rushing to a crash scene, but that is not how it is in real life.
Why medics don’t rush:
A rushing paramedic could trip and hurt themselves and/or break vital medical equipment;
It can lead to making the wrong decision in a highly stressful situation;
The sight of a rushing medic can create panic not only in the crash victims, but also bystanders;
It can cause the victim’s pulse to beat faster, expelling more blood than is necessary and leading to other conditions such as heart attack; and
It can cause bystanders to make rash decisions such as stepping out in front of passing traffic.
If you are ever at a motorcycle accident scene, the best advice is to stay clam, keep others calm and let the professionals do their job.
Michael Beak from First Bike on the Scene crash scene training says he believes that if he rushes at a crash scene “people could think things are a lot worse than they may be” .
“One of our first priorities is to bring calm to chaos,” he says.
“Some of my more experienced colleagues and I even like to crack jokes with patients (where appropriate of course) and some think we are not talking it seriously,” he says.
“But personally if I were a patient and the para was cracking jokes with me it would reassure me I’m not about to die.”
Michael is an Army Reserve Combat Paramedic of 10 years, operational paramedic for 25 years, has been teaching first aid for almost 30 years and is a Public Information Officer with the Rural Fire Service. He’s also a VFR750F rider!
“My advice to any first-care provider is to be slow and methodical,” he says.
“I apply the old saying ‘slow is smooth and smooth is fast’. It works for riding motorcycles and it works for attending a crash scene.”
Michael says it is a common misbelief that paramedics attend traumatic cases every shift.
“So sometimes when they arrive on scene and appear to be slow off the mark, they may be just taking a breath, having a ‘mental cigarette’, taking in the scene and working out the best plan of attack before just blundering in,” he says.
“To the observer, it may appear that we are not rushing to crashed riders, but we are doing a rapid scene size-up on arrival.”
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