Tag Archives: News

Competition, Motorcycle News, News

WorldSBK-spec Fireblade potential in sight for wildcard Herfoss

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Australian champion endures difficult two days of testing at the Island.

Image: Russell Colvin.

Penrite Honda Racing’s Troy Herfoss believes the potential is visible in his WorldSBK-spec CBR1000RR SP Fireblade after admittedly enduring two difficult days of testing at Phillip Island ahead of his wildcard appearance this weekend.

The reigning Australian champion had his race-prepared Fireblade pieced together at the ’11th hour’, forcing the Gold Coast-based talent to come to terms with the new machine within the available track time.

Struggling to find a base set-up, Herfoss wound up 19th on the timesheets during both days, however he’s upbeat that discovering a comfortable setting on Friday will result in competitive performances throughout the new three-race format.

“It was a tough couple of days, we had a completely new motorbike that we put together at the 11th hour,” Herfoss explained to CycleOnline.com.au. “We really spent the first day pretty much doing a shakedown, and to be honest, I struggled a lot on the second day to find a base setting.

“We haven’t had lift off yet, but there’s a fair bit of potential with the bike. We’re still pretty eager to get out there on Friday and make some big improvements. It’s tough on track when you’re struggling in that sort of field, you feel like you’re spending more time looking over your shoulder making sure no one runs into the back of you, let alone making laps.

“Everyone is so professional in field, and they’ve all got a job to do, so they’re all working hard. It’s just a matter of getting out and getting some free track time. The goal is to feel good on the bike, and I think if I can do that, I can be competitive.

“At the moment we just need make sure I’m comfortable and move on from there. Obviously, the field is much more competitive than last year, and the field is really close and the lap times are really fast.”

Herfoss will take on double duties this weekend as round one of the Motul Pirelli Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) runs in conjunction with the WorldSBK.

Source: CycleOnline.com.au

Competition, Motorcycle News, News

Sykes not getting ahead of himself despite promising test

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BMW Motorrad talent second fastest at Phillip Island test.

Image: Russell Colvin.

Tom Sykes isn’t getting ahead of himself despite a promising and surprising two days of FIM Motul Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) testing at Phillip Island this week, which saw him conclude Tuesday’s outing in an impressive P2.

The all-new BMW Motorrad WorldSBK squad is still in its infant stages of returning to the world championship, along with developing the newly-introduced BMW S 1000 RR that’s currently being piloted by Sykes and teammate Markus Reiterberger.

The British rider has acknowledged there’s still work to be done, although his competitive times have offered up a sense of greater ambition ahead of the opening round this weekend.

“The BMW S 1000 RR is still really new in terms of track millage which makes all this more impressive,” Sykes commented. “The whole of the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK team are working quite flawlessly and have dealt with all of the obstacles that have come our way so far.

“I’m here to be competitive and I’m sure everyone in the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK team is feeling the same. There is no denying how fresh this project is but ultimately we want to be competitive and this test has shown glimpses that we can be. I won’t get ahead of myself, I know what I need so we will try our best come race weekend and see where we end up.”

The test was topped by WorldSBK newcomer Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), who was 0.236s faster than Sykes at the seaside Australian venue.

Source: CycleOnline.com.au

Competition, News

Improving Seely content with Arlington progress

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Motivating heat race win for the Team Honda HRC rider.

Image: Supplied.

In his return season from serious injury, Cole Seely has expressed satisfaction in his progress after a stellar showing at Arlington’s seventh round of the 2019 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship last weekend.

The Team Honda HRC talent earned a motivating heat race win before going onto lodge a strong performance in the main, rebounding from a lacklustre start to ultimately cross the line in sixth.

“I’d say the day went pretty well,” Seely commented. “Overall, I’m pretty happy with everything from qualifying all the way down to the main event. Times were really close in qualifying, which is cool because it shows there’s a lot of talent in the class but it also means if you’re a tenth off, you’re way back.

“I was happy to qualify in the top five, and in the heat race it obviously felt good to lead some laps and win the thing; it was also cool that Kenny won his heat, so we sort of shared that I guess. The main went pretty smoothly. I got off to a pretty bad start, but I was able to make some passes right away – like five guys in the first lap.

“I managed to eventually get into sixth and ride there for most of the race. I didn’t really get too tired at the end, but after three rough weekends and seeing things finally coming together, I didn’t want to push the issue too hard. For most of the race, the top six were running a similar pace, and it felt good to actually have sight of the leaders.”

The number 14 is currently positioned eighth in the championship standings as the AMA Supercross series heads to Detroit this Saturday night. The main was won by new points leader Cooper Webb (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), who made a pass on Ken Roczen (Team Honda HRC) in the final turn to secure victory by 0.028s.


Source: MotoOnline.com.au

Competition, Motorcycle News, News

Haslam ‘in a good place’ ahead of Phillip Island WorldSBK opener

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Kawasaki Racing Team contender records top three time in testing.

Image: Russell Colvin.

Leon Haslam believes he’s ‘in a good place’ ahead of this weekend’s opening round of the 2019 FIM Motul Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK), following two days of official testing at the seaside Australian venue.

Haslam, who’s returning to the world championship after a number of years in the British Superbike Championship (BSB), wound up inside the top five on both days of testing, completing Tuesday’s final outing in P3, 0.365s off pace-setter Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati).

“Up until today we probably used the least amount of tyres compared to anyone else,” the Kawasaki Racing Team rider explained. “We were just looking at race set-up and looking at a real specific plan of what we wanted to do, hence we were not posting really good one-off lap times and putting new tyres in. Our race times have been pretty competitive over both days.

“I had a bit of a go for a lap time at the end there but I got traffic on my first two laps and I think it was my fourth flying lap I did the 1m30.6s. I think if we could have maximised the early laps, like everyone else seemed to be doing, we could have been a little closer.

“The biggest thing about this test for me was the average of the base pace, looking after the tyres, and managing that side of things. We are in a good place, I think. I am not looking to the races just yet – I am looking to the practice session on Friday, because there are still a few things we want to try. I feel good and we are making the steps.”

Haslam’s teammate, four-time defending world champion Jonathan Rea, was fourth in the times on the final day of testing, almost half a second off the pace of WorldSBK newcomer Bautista.

Source: CycleOnline.com.au

Competition, News

Monster Energy Kawasaki introduces 2019 MXGP team

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Desalle and Lieber to pilot factory-prepared KX450–SR.

Image: Supplied.

The Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team has officially introduced its squad for the 2019 MXGP World Championship, which is set to kick off at Neuquen in Argentina on 3 March.

Marking its 26th season of competition in the world championship, the team retains the same line-up as 2018, including Belgian Clement Desalle, who has won at least one GP every year since joining KRT in 2016, and will be team leader for the fourth-consecutive season after securing the third in the series standings last year.

Clement’s fellow countryman Julien Lieber will be his teammate for the second year running, and both will campaign the new Kawasaki KX450–SR which they’ve developed jointly throughout the winter together with team and factory support.

The squad will make its first appearance of the 2019 season on 24 February in the French International motocross at Lacapelle Marival, and a few days later will fly to Villa La Angostura in the Patagonia region of Argentina for the MXGP opener.


Source: MotoOnline.com.au

Motorcycle News, News

Harley-Davidson Makes Learning to Ride Easier With Limited Time Promotion

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A rare opportunity to take the Harley-Davidson Riding Academy for half off.

Begin press release:

Turn “Someday I’ll ride a motorcycle,” into “Today” with the latest offer from Harley-Davidson Riding Academy. Available for a limited time, Harley-Davidson is offering customers the opportunity to learn to ride from the experts for 50% off the published price of a Harley-Davidson Riding Academy New Rider Course in their area with promo code RIDE50. Redeemable throughout the calendar year, if your resolution is to ride this year, this is an excellent opportunity to begin your motorcycling journey.

The Harley-Davidson® Riding Academy New Rider Course is designed to get you comfortable on a bike and give you the skills you need to ride with confidence. Offered at select H-D® dealers, the New Rider Course provides you with expert guidance from H-D certified coaches.

Supporting Harley-Davidson’s long-term goal to build the next generation of riders globally, Riding Academy is an engaging and accessible component for new riders to learn the fundamentals of riding and inspire their two-wheeled (or three-wheeled) journey ahead.

RIDE50 offer valid on enrollments that occur between from February 15 and March 3, 2019 and can be applied to any H-D Riding Academy New Rider Courses that take place by December 31, 2019 at H-D.com/LearntoRide. Act fast, offer is limited to the first 10,000 customers.

About Harley-Davidson Riding Academy

Offered at select H-D® dealers, H-D Riding Academy provides expert guidance from Harley-Davidson certified coaches. In the classroom, students get to know the motorcycle they will be riding and learn the basics of rider safety skills. On the practice range, students learn to build skills and confidence, everything from braking, turning and skilled maneuvers. Best of all, students will be connected to a growing community of new riders. To find available courses contact a local dealer or search for classes online at www.h-d.com/LearntoRide.

About Harley-Davidson Motor Company 
Harley-Davidson, Inc. is the parent company of Harley-Davidson Motor Company and Harley-Davidson Financial Services. Since 1903, Harley-Davidson Motor Company has fulfilled dreams of personal freedom with custom, cruiser and touring motorcycles, riding experiences and events and a complete line of Harley-Davidson motorcycle parts, accessories, general merchandise, riding gear and apparel. Harley-Davidson Financial Services provides wholesale and retail financing, insurance, extended service and other protection plans and credit card programs to Harley-Davidson dealers and riders in the U.S., Canada and other select international markets. For more information, visit Harley-Davidson’s Web site at www.harley-davidson.com.

Offer Disclaimer
OFFER VALID FOR 50% OFF THE PUBLISHED PRICE OF A H-D™ RIDING ACADEMY NEW RIDER COURSE (INCLUDING 3 WHEEL NEW RIDER COURSE). REGISTRATIONS MUST BE SUBMITTED BETWEEN 2/15/19 AND 3/3/19 FOR COURSES TAKEN BETWEEN 2/15/19 AND 12/31/19. ELIGIBLE PARTICIPANTS INCLUDE ANYONE WHO DOES NOT CURRENTLY HAVE AN M ENDORSEMENT OR MOTORCYCLE LICENSE, 18+, RESIDENTS OF CONTINENTAL UNITED STATES INCLUDING ALASKA AND D.C., DEALER PARTICIPATION MAY VARY, CLASS AVAILABILITY SUBJECT TO LIMITATION & AVAILABLE ON FIRST-COME FIRST-SERVE BASIS. OFFER AVAILABILITY LIMITED TO FIRST 10,000 PARTICIPANTS. PARTICIPANTS WHO REGISTER FOR, BUT DO NOT ATTEND THE COURSE, MAY BE CHARGED THE NORMAL COURSE FEE. SEE WWW.H-D.COM/LEARNTORIDE FOR ADDITIONAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED OR RESTRICTED BY LAW. SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE. SPONSOR: HARLEY-DAVIDSON MOTOR COMPANY, INC., 3700 W JUNEAU AVE, MILWAUKEE, WI 53208.

The post Harley-Davidson Makes Learning to Ride Easier With Limited Time Promotion appeared first on Motorcycle.com News.

Motorcycle News, News

Ducati Off to a Good Start in WSBK Testing

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At the first official World Superbike test, in Phillip Island Monday and Tuesday, ex-MotoGP pilot Alvaro Bautista ran a best lap of 1:30.303 on day two on the brand-new Ducati Panigale V4, nearly 0.5-second quicker than four-time world champion Jonathan Rea’s factory Kawasaki, and 1.5 seconds faster than Ducati teammate Chaz Davies. Obviously one test does not a Superbike season make, but it’s not a bad start for Bautista and the new V4 Ducati.

Nor is the season off to a bad start for Tom Sykes, who departed from the factory Kawasaki squad after last season. On the brand new BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team S1000RR, Sykes was second-fastest with a 1:30.539.

2013 WSBK Champ Tom Sykes on his new BMW Mottorrad S1000RR.

In an effort to achieve parity, WSBK rules set rev limits for each motorcycle, which can be adjusted as needed as the season progresses. For now, the Kawasaki is limited to 14,600 rpm, the BMW to 14,900, and the new Ducati Panigale to an amazing 16,350 rpm – which would definitely help explain its speed advantage around the high speed Phillip Island circuit.

WSBK timing clocked Bautista’s Panigale at 195.7 mph down PI’s front straight, with Jonathan Rea’s factory Kawasaki second-fastest at 194.5 mph. The only other bikes to crack the 310 kph mark (192.6 mph) were the other two Panigales of Chaz Davis and Michael Rinaldi, both of whose bikes hit 193.9 mph top speeds in spite of being 2 seconds off Bautista’s pace. Full Tuesday results here.

Tons more WSBK here, at Worldsbk.com.

The post Ducati Off to a Good Start in WSBK Testing appeared first on Motorcycle.com News.

Competition, Motorcycle News, News

Bautista concludes Phillip Island WorldSBK test fastest

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Sykes and Haslam round the top three as Herfoss finishes 19th.

Image: Russell Colvin.

Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) stormed to the top of the timesheets again on Tuesday at Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit with a best lap of 1m30.303s, a whole 0.440s faster than his best from the previous day and nearly half a second quicker than four-time world champion Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK), who was fourth fastest at the Aussie racetrack.

Tuesday morning saw kinder winds and warmer conditions than the opening day of FIM Motul Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) testing. Despite this, the bar that Ducati’s Spaniard had set on Monday remained unsurpassed by all but three riders.

Bautista has emerged as the early and clear frontrunner for the opening race of the WorldSBK, and it will be interesting to see who, if anyone, can match the hairsplitting pace he’s put on display here.

Nonetheless, six more men did manage to set sub 1m31s laps, with second-placed Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) and fifth-placed Marco Melandri (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK) split by two tenths of a second.

In between them in fourth sat Jonathan Rea, who had previously topped nearly every pre-season testing session in 2018 and 2019. No one will be disregarding the reigning world champion any time soon however. It bears repeating that Rea is still on an 11-race winning streak and when he is on his game there are few, if any riders capable of going the distance with the four-time champion.

But for now, the gap between the two men has been striking – just in the first Tuesday session, Bautista recorded seven laps faster than Rea’s then best of 1m30.761s.

Testing is much more than setting fast lap times however, and there was again much work to be done on Tuesday in Australia. Rea’s teammate Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) made great strides on the ZX-10RR, putting in more laps (74) than anyone out on track.

he Englishman’s base setup is very similar to the reigning champion’s, with Haslam’s crew now focused on tweaking it to his own style. It seems to be working well, as a late flurry of times pushed the 35-year-old above Rea on the timesheets.

Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) meanwhile managed to cut down his best lap time from Monday by a full second, as he continues to find his feet on the Panigale V4 R, although the Welshman was still nearly 1.5s behind his teammate’s pace.

2018 double Aussie winner Marco Melandri closed Tuesday as fifth best after hard work was put in to the front of his Yamaha YZF-R1. With an optimal setup now in place, attention veered towards finetuning in the afternoon. Ditto for the rookie Sandro Cortese (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK), eighth at Phillip Island.

A big midday crash down turn one and a late tumble across turn four for Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) were the main setbacks on Tuesday for the Crescent Racing squad. Neither the Brit – ninth – nor Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) – seventh – were far off the pace, however, with their attention focused on finding a good balance for the always treacherous Aussie track.

A series of red flags in the morning hindered many a race simulation around the paddock, but it was still a good day’s work for the BMW Motorrad squad as both Sykes and Markus Reiterberger – struggling yesterday with a small shoulder injury – tested different chassis solutions, with both men meeting expectations.

A tricky opening day for Moriwaki Althea Honda Team led to improved performances on Tuesday, as they fight against the clock to find a good base setup for Phillip Island. Leon Camier (Moriwaki Althea Honda Team) crept into the top 10 throughout most of the day with a best lap of 1m31.443s, eventually falling to 13th,, while Ryuichi Kiyonari ended in 15th position.

A late fastest lap pushed Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing) up to a fantastic sixth in the Tuesday standings. The Turkish starlet is still going through the 2019 updates on the ZX-10RR, as was the case for Jordi Torres and Team Pedercini Racing, while Tati Mercado (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) focused on improving tyre preservation.

Steps forward were also taken by Eugene Laverty (Team Goeleven) and Michael Ruben Rinaldi (BARNI Racing Team), although the former suffered a technical problem close to the end of session one. Alessandro Delbianco (Althea Mie Racing Team) and wildcard Troy Herfoss (Penrite Honda Racing) closed the timesheets.

More to come on WorldSSP.

Source: CycleOnline.com.au

Competition, News

Arlington supercross a tough pill to swallow for Tomac

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Factory Kawasaki pilot crashes out of podium contention.

Image: Supplied.

Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac has described his night at Arlington’s seventh round of the 2019 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship as a tough pill to swallow.

The number three immediately hit the lead in the main event, presenting himself with the perfect opportunity for victory, however just a number of laps in he was overcome by Ken Roczen (Team Honda HRC) before going down, relegating him down the order.

Remounting, the two-time Pro Motocross champion Tomac was able to comeback to 12th behind Australia’s Chad Reed (JGRMX Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing), demoting him to fourth in the standings while increasing the gap of the championship leaders.

“Tonight is a tough pill to swallow,” Tomac declared. “I know the team and I expect better results but I am grateful to be leaving Dallas healthy and without injury, especially after my tip over in the main. This is part of racing, some things are out of my control and other things are completely manageable as well as fixable.

“We’ll get back to work this week and work on those things as we head into the halfway point of the season. I still have a lot left in me and I plan on proving that, starting next week in Detroit.”

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Cooper Webb captured his fourth win of the season to secure the points lead, stealing the win from Roczen by just a slender 0.028s.


Source: MotoOnline.com.au

Competition, News

Reed expresses disappointment in Arlington showing

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Fan-favourite winds up 11th at the seventh round in Texas.

Image: Supplied.

Chad Reed has expressed his disappointment in finishing 11th at the weekend’s seventh stop of the 2019 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship in Arlington, Texas.

The JGRMX Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing rider had put together a string of improving top 10 performances in recent weeks, however the Australian fan-favourite admittedly didn’t have the pace to contend with the front-runners on Saturday.

Reed, a two-time AMA Supercross champion, now sits ninth in the points standings as the series heads to Detroit this weekend for round eight of the 17-stop tour.

“It was a tough weekend,” Reed stated. “The speed wasn’t there for some reason – I’m disappointed in my performance. I know that I’m better than 11th place. We will work on some things this week and then hopefully come out swinging in Detroit.”

Arlington’s thriller was taken out by new points leader Cooper Webb (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), who made a pass on Ken Roczen (Team Honda HRC) in the final turn to secure victory by a mere0.028s.


Source: MotoOnline.com.au