The post SuperBike Quiz Evening at Rim and Rubber appeared first on SuperBike Magazine South Africa.
]]>
Rim and Rubber hosts our first quiz evening on Thursday, 14 April 2016, 6:30 for 7pm. Come and join us for an evening of fun where all the teams on the night will battle it out to see who is the most knowledgeable of them all! Your team can only consist of four people so choose your teammates wisely! Prizes are up for grabs to the top 3 teams!
Rim and Rubber Assembly
26 Gleneagles Road, Greenside
(t) 010 900 4949
Click here if you are not too sure where to find Rim and Rubber.
The post SuperBike Quiz Evening at Rim and Rubber appeared first on SuperBike Magazine South Africa.
]]>The post Brad Binder just misses out! appeared first on SuperBike Magazine South Africa.
]]>The Moto3™ World Championship kicked off the season with a classically close race, Antonelli emerging victorious from Binder and Bagnaia.
The 2016 Moto3™ World Championship officially began at the Commercial Bank Grand Prix of Qatar, a thrilling racing unfolding under the floodlights as 33 riders hunted a strong result to start their 2016 campaigns with. All riders opted for the medium front and medium rear tyre options.
Starting from pole position, Romano Fenati (Sky Racing Team VR46) charged off the line to lead during the opening corners with Livio Loi (RW Racing GP BV) and Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) hot on his tail. Loi attempted to take the lead with 17 laps to go before running wide at Turn 1, dropping outside the top five.
Brad Binder and Jorge Navarro (Estrella Galicia 0,0) tried to break away but the great impact of the slipstream in Qatar saw all of the top 20 riders running together. Positions constantly changed as the top five slowly began to ease out an advantage with 15 laps remaining. The straight continued to see dramatic changes in position, the rider leading out of the final corner frequently finding themselves sucked back to fifth.
Throughout the race Francesco Bagnaia (Aspar Mahindra Team Moto3) was the strongest Mahindra, the Italian a stalwart of the top five. The Mahindra rider was able to dice with the likes of Niccolo Antonelli (Ongetta-Rivacold), repeating his superb ride from the 2015 race.
As the laps ticked down, rookie Nicolo Bulega (Sky Racing Team VR46) hunted the riders ahead, his aggressive style from the Moto3™ Junior World Championship going nowhere since stepping up. With 11 laps remaining the Italian cut the gap down to under three tenths, able to finally benefit from the leader’s slipstream.
With half race distance complete, Binder once again took the lead, benefiting from the frantic fighting behind. Try as he might, the South African was caught by Fenati on the straight and the brawl resumed once more. The leading six continued to tussle, Binder able to stretch a small lead through the corners but caught each time down the straight.
Behind the leading six a large eight-rider battle rumbled along for tenth position, Fabio Quartararo (Leopard Racing) controlling the second group for much of the race.
With four laps to go rookie Bulega struck and took the lead, Binder responding immediately as the two KTM men sparred for supremacy. Bulega was able to retake the lead as his teammate Romano Fenati put in several hard moves to wrestle his way into second; meanwhile Enea ‘The Beast’ Bastianini (Gresini Racing Moto3) cut the gap with each lap.
In true Moto3™ style it all came down to the last lap, Binder beginning it in the lead as Romano Fenati ran wide at the first corner and dropped to sixth. The corners ticked down as Antonelli tucked in behind the South African, waiting for his chance to strike.
The drag to the line was where it all happened as Antonelli played the race to perfection, pulling out of Binder’s slipstream to steal the race by 0.007s. Binder was second with Bagnaia putting his Mahindra on the podium. This is Antonelli’s third career victory and his best ever start to a season. In similar fashion, Binder’s seventh career podium is by far the South Africans best opening round.
Fenati secured a solid fourth from pole while Bastianini rounded out the top five.
Bulega’s heroic charge saw him end sixth on his full time World Championship debut ahead of Jorge Navarro, Livio Loi, Philipp Oettl (Schedl GP Racing) and Jakub Kornfeil (Drive M7 SIC Racing Team) completing the top ten.
Juanfran Guevara (RBA Racing Team) fell on the penultimate lap but was able to remount.
The fastest lap of the race was a 2’06.171 from Livio Loi on lap 8.
Antonelli leaves the opening race leading the championship with 25 points. The Moto3™ World Championship are back on track on the first of April for Free Practice 1 of the Gran Premio Motul de la República Argentina.
Full results from the race can be viewed here.
The post Brad Binder just misses out! appeared first on SuperBike Magazine South Africa.
]]>The post The Swedish German connection appeared first on SuperBike Magazine South Africa.
]]>
A very long time ago in 1689 in the small Swedish town of Huskvarna the Husqvarna name/brand as we know it today was born. But way back then the idea of a motorised two-wheeled vehicle wasn’t even, well, an idea. Instead the first Husqvarna items to be fabricated in 1689 were heavy and not too accurate rifles for use by the King of Sweden’s army. But soon the lack of people to shoot at became annoying and Husqvarna turned their attention to hunting rifles, then to household appliances like stoves and sewing machines, and finally to motorcycles and power equipment in the form of chainsaws and powered garden tools. And they used to be the prominent bicycle manufacturer in Sweden but that seems to have fallen away now too.
The first Husqvarna motorcycle was produced in 1903 sourcing engines from other manufacturers. Then in 1920 Husqvarna established its own engine and their first engine was a 550cc four-stroke 50-degree side- valve V-twin engine designed by Folke Mannerstedt, similar to those made by companies like Harley-Davidson and Indian. They even raced a form of this bike at the Isle of Man TT prior to World War II.
Husqvarna also targeted the lightweight motorcycle for the youths with a 98cc moped weighing just 75kgs and in 1955 the Silverpilen or Silver Arrow was introduced in Sweden with a 175cc motor and three-speed transmission. The buying public immediately began modifying this engine for off-road use, which basically diverted Husqvarna up the off- road path, which is where their strength still lies today.
Interestingly towards the end of World War II a team of designers made up a small inexpensive motor car, which looked very similar to the Saab 92 but it had three wheels – two at the front and one at the rear! The prototype was built in 1943 powered by a 20hp two-cylinder 500cc DKW motorcycle engine, which had a chain drive to the rear wheel. Thankfully the project was scrapped at the end of the 1950s before it wiped out the Swedish population.
But motorbikes, especially off-road, were now the focus and by 1959 Husky had five special machines for racers with a 250cc engine and a four-speed transmission. They also fiddled with a 500c four-stroke but the demand was too high for their competitive two-stokes that launched them to fame. They produced 100 replicas in 1963, which sold out quickly and production doubled over the next few years.
The USA was where the Husky range really took off with famous ‘old- timers’ like John Penton developing their bikes even further, which became virtually unbeatable. During the 60s and 70s Husqvarna won 14 World Motocross titles in the 125cc, 250cc and 500cc divisions as well as 24 Enduro World titles and 11 victories in the gruelling Baja 1000-mile race, which was a bit like the Dakar in the good ol’ days. So even though the Husky name won countless titles, things went seriously downhill during the late 70s.
In 1977 Electrolux purchased Husqvarna. They badly wanted their household appliances but part of the deal was to take on the motorcycle production as well. Having said that they preferred the profit from chainsaws and the like and eventually motorcycles were split into their own division called Husqvarna Motorcycles AB.
Soon after Husqvarna became a target for acquisition for the mighty Gagiva Empire in Italy who also obtained Aermacchi, Ducati, Moto Morini and MV Agusta at one time or another. They became the owners of the Swedish brand on April 1st, 1986.
Over the next few decades, until BMW became the new owners in 2007, Husqvarna had some very dark years indeed. Unit sales dropped from thousands into the hundreds and this famous brand was reduced to tatters.
But a little light was shone during the 1990s when Husky came from nowhere to win the World 500cc MX title in 1993 with Jacky Martins on a big and powerful four-stroke beast of a thing. But in 1996, for the first time, they didn’t produce a single motorcycle!
In 2002 and after bankruptcy reared its vile head Husqvarna was bought by the Malaysian company and automaker, Proton, for a massive 70 million Euros, which gave them a 57.75% interest. But just over a year later Proton feared the worst and decided to dump its share to an Italian investment business for a pathetic single Euro which probably resulted in much sacking and suicide around the Proton camp. And once again the Husky brand was found back in the hands of Gagiva and the owner, Claudio Castigliono, must have laughed his head off all the way to the local pub.
Even during these dreadful financial times Husky won World Supermoto championships with Gerald Delepine in 2005 on a SMR660 and Adrien Chareyre in 2008 on an SM530RR, which was nice.
In July 2007 the shock announcement that BMW had bought the Husqvarna brand was announced to the world for a reported 93 million Euro, and this where we sit today. BMW have kept the current workforce in Varese, Italy intact and promise to develop the Husky brand to where it deserves to be. So a big hurrah and thank you needs to be flicked at the German giants, don’t you think?
As you read this all of the new Husky range is now available throughout dealers in South Africa and from what we saw at the recent AMID show, they certainly have some delicious machines on offer. The naked 900 Nuda has to be the most eye-catching with its BMW derived engine from the 800 GS bored out to 900cc and in full naked funky street-fighter trim. The CMH Group will be the main distributor for Husqvarna and they certainly know a thing of two about retail and customer support after many successful years with cool watercraft products so you can guarantee you’ll be looked after properly if you decide to go the Husky route. And the best thing of all is you’ll be riding a motorcycle riddled with history and racing success, which says a lot to say the least.
The post The Swedish German connection appeared first on SuperBike Magazine South Africa.
]]>The post #QatarGP: Testing is over, now it’s time to race appeared first on SuperBike Magazine South Africa.
]]>
With the tension ahead of the opening round building, six of the biggest names in MotoGP™ from 2015 gathered for the first press conference
For the first time since 2015, Valentino Rossi, Jorge Lorenzo, Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa gathered together for the traditional pre-race press conference. They were joined by rising stars Andrea Iannone and Maverick Viñales, both out to assert themselves as MotoGP™ aliens and contenders for victory in 2016.
Another season begins for the MotoGP™ World Championship but 2016 is like almost no other before. Not since 2002, when the four-stroke era began, has the championship undergone such radical technical changes. New Michelin tyres, revised fuel limits, a spec ECU and unified software have already shaken up the grid during testing and the first race of 2016 presents a world of unknowns.
Reigning MotoGP™ World Champion Jorge Lorenzo (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP), who has been one of the strongest riders throughout testing, opened the press conference: “Not a lot of things change from the outside where the people can see the bikes. For the riders, it’s really a big difference. Firstly with the tyres, the Michelins offer a completely different feeling on the bike and also with the new electronics, the same for everyone, are less sophisticated and much more difficult to ride and control, especially with the throttle. Anyway the pre-season has been very very good, better than we expected. In the three tests we did, we got a good feeling and did some impressive lap times.”
All the changes have left the riders with many still unanswered questions, Lorenzo is unsure about how the tyres will behave during the opening laps: “In the last five or six years you could start very very fast from the first corner of the first lap, now it’s a little more complicated as we have to understand the limit in the first few laps. It’s also important the race pace, the physical condition as it looks like it will be a little more demanding in that area.”
After winning the Commercial Bank Grand Prix of Qatar in 2015, Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) produced one of the best seasons of his career, missing the podium in just three races. It was a season full of epic battles and incredible comebacks and ‘The Doctor’ is ready for another exciting year: “This year everything will be very interesting as we have a lot of differences, especially about riding the motorcycle. We changed things that make a big difference, the tyres are different and also the electronic system is a little more basic. During the winter season we saw a lot of riders who were very close in their performance, looks like more than last year. It means that to arrive at the front you have to work very well during the weekend and arrive strong on Sunday.”
During the Phillip Island Test former 500cc front-runner Luca Cadalora appeared alongside Rossi, working with him as another set of eyes on the track: “He will work with me through the season. We worked together and tried some things in the test. It’s always interesting to have a former rider like Luca with a lot of experience and a good vision around the track. During the test we found something interesting so we’ll continue together.”
Meanwhile Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) heads into 2016 looking to continue improving after taking major steps forward in the Qatar Test: “This year has not been an easy pre-season looking at the results. But we improved and we kept a constant pace, a progressive line towards the most important and it looks like here in the last test in Qatar we did a huge step and we were closer. Anyway, we know we struggle on this track because it’s one of the worst tracks for us but the motivation and ambition of the first race can always supply what you need.”
It looks set to be an incredibly close, but Marquez remains aware that Qatar may not be representative of the riders’ true level: “On the test it was amazing how close the times were. I know that in this first race the times will be really close because we did a test here so everybody already has a good pace and a good setup and it will be nice this first race. Then when we go to Argentina and to Austin we will see more the difference where we are. But we must start well this season.”
Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) was also present at the press conference. It was announced here in Qatar last year that he was suffering from arm pump so severe he was considering retirement, fortunately no such issues are present now: “The pre-season went quite OK physically and we did quite a lot of training and we’re quite prepared for this reason. For the technical part we’re a little more in trouble compared to last year but we’re closing the gap and I think we’re improving. Now it’s race weekend, this is quite different to testing and you focus a lot more on going fast and less on checking things on the bike. I’m more motivated in the GPs than in the test.”
The 2015 race was Andrea Iannone’s (Ducati Team) first MotoGP™ podium, the Italian building on the great result throughout the year to challenge for many more podiums. With constant work back in the Ducati factory, there’s little doubt the Italian will again be in mix, especially in Qatar, a track that has classically suited Ducati: “For sure we’re really strong, but I think everyone else, Dani, Jorge, Maverick, Valentino, every rider in MotoGP is really strong. But for sure we want to improve and we want to go better than 2015 and for sure I think and I want to win my first MotoGP class race. For sure this is my objective and I try my best at this track and from this race onwards.”
Much like Pedrosa, Iannone suffered from a lingering issue throughout the 2015 season. He had been expected to undergo surgery on his shoulder during the off-season, but opted to focus on physiotherapy: “The injuries now are an old story for me. I’m really happy with the shoulder, during the winter I worked a lot with my personal trainer and I’m working in a really good way and really happy.”
Perhaps the most impressive rider in testing was Maverick Viñales (Team Suzuki Ecstar), the Suzuki rider topping the Phillip Island Test and ending third at the Qatar Test. All eyes are on Viñales as many are expecting big things from him in 2016 and beyond: “For sure it was an incredible step for us. It was really important the experience we got last year, this year we could work better and with more concentration and calm. This was the biggest difference from last year. The bike improved, the engine improved and we got the seamless. Also about the electronics, they make everything more similar and for us and that’s better and then about the tyres, I think we have a good feeling. I feel really good and I think I can be so strong with these tyres. Anyway, it was a test, now it’s a race weekend and we feel motivated, calm and hungry to start the race.”
Podiums are the main aim for both Viñales and Suzuki in 2015, but he knows it will be an uphill battle even with all the changes: “For sure I dream to fight with them at the top with the top riders in this world. I need to be realistic and to think if my bike is on the level to go on the podium, or if I am on the level! We showed in the test we are competitive but still we need a little more.”
The post #QatarGP: Testing is over, now it’s time to race appeared first on SuperBike Magazine South Africa.
]]>The post Three-way battle sees the Sykes triumph over teammate Rea appeared first on SuperBike Magazine South Africa.
]]>
Kawasaki Racing Team’s Tom Sykes has taken an incredible victory in a three-way fight for the win at Chang International Circuit in Thailand. The Yorkshireman was locked in a battle with teammate and reigning Champion Jonathan Rea and Aruba.it Racing – Ducati’s Chaz Davies for most of the race, with some of the most electrifying maneuvers of the last few seasons exchanged between the three.
After an incredible start from both Kawasaki riders from P2 and P3, the first drama came when Honda rider Michael van der Mark and Ducati’s Chaz Davies made contact on the first lap as they tousled for position, before van der Mark led them off to chase the Kawasaki Racing Team pair of Sykes and Rea. Davies then pounced on van der Mark, with the Honda rider struggling in some corners, and the Welsh Ducati rider was able to close the gap to Sykes and Rea, joining the three-way battle that rolled all the way to the line, with some incredibly close racing seeing the three riders leave nothing on the track. It was Sykes who came out on top, crossing the line just ahead of his teammate Rea, with Davies slotting into third after an incredibly tense last lap.
Van der Mark crossed the line in fourth to see himself off the podium for the first time in 2016, with the Dutchman going on an incredible run at the start of the year. After a mechanical problem in Race 1 saw his Honda teammate Nicky Hayden retire, the number 69 Honda crossed the line in Race 2 in 5th to keep both the Fireblades in the top 5.
Sylvain Guintoli brought the new YZF R1 home in seventh for another good result on the Japanese manufacturer’s return to WorldSBK, ahead of the Althea BMW pair of Markus Reiterberger and Jordi Torres. Rookie Lorenzo Savadori brought Aprilia home in the top ten once again in P9, with that top ten completed by Ducati rider Davide Giugliano, who missed the Round through injury in 2015 and had a difficult second race at Chang International Circuit.
After seeing his teammate Rea dominate much of the 2015 season, the first strike in the fight back for Tom Sykes has landed in Thailand in Race 2, with the next chance for the reigning Champion to take back the win coming at MotorLand Aragon, the scene of the Davies’ first Ducati win last season.
The post Three-way battle sees the Sykes triumph over teammate Rea appeared first on SuperBike Magazine South Africa.
]]>The post Round one explosions appeared first on SuperBike Magazine South Africa.
]]>
If you managed to get up before the crack of dawn at the weekend to watch the first round of the FIM Superbike World Championship at Phillip Island on Saturday and Sunday, it was totally worth getting out of bed eh?
The new race format of the Saturday and Saunday races has received mixed emotions from fans all over the world, some good some bad. I always say that the best compromise is when everyone is equally unhappy, you’ll never please everyone. The advantages of having race 1 on a Saturday and race 2 on a Sunday are; if a rider crashes and the bike is very badly damaged, it can now be safely repaired for race 2 the next day. Another plus is that the riders and teams can now meticulously analise the data and race footage to maybe plan a different strategy. The riders are also able to recover from race 1 and have their bodies in fresh-trim come Sunday. This in-turn assists race two to be a little different compared to the first race. The results may not vary much dependent but, riders strategies may vary.
This was certainly noticeable at Phillip Island. The Superbike race one started off like a Moto3 race with the most part of the race having riders bunched up together and every lap ridden like it was the last lap of the race. Race 2 saw a calmer approach by almost every rider but with more spread out battles through the field.
History shows us that the winner of one of the first races becomes the champion at the end of the year. Will Johnny Rea be able to maintain his title in 2016 and become the first rider since Carl Fogerty to win more than one title consecutively? We will have to wait and see as anything can happen and the season is still very long.
It was fantastic to see the two Hondas in the same tv shot for most of the two races. Nicky Hayden seems to have adapted well to the production Honda and with more saddle time, I think he could grab a podium or two this season. He was oh-so-close on Sunday but the punch of the 1299 Ducati Panigale of Guigliano beat him to the line to steel third away from the ‘Kentucky Kid’.
Speaking of a Ducati on the podium, how good are these Ducatis becoming? It’s about bloody time if you asked me. Chaz Davies mentioned they were concerned about the first race as in testing they were scratching their heads with a lack of pace. Chaz is determined to try take Ducati to the top and this was easy to see in his abilities at the weekend. It was a shame that he crashed in race two but, a great start to the season none the less.
Phillip Island has always been an abrasive circuit to tyres and this year was no different. The Supersport World Championship riders would have felt this pain the most as for 2016, no electronic aids are aloud on the bikes. This means no traction control, no engine braking management controls. The riders now have to have perfect communication between the brain and the wrist to conserve the tyres to last the distance. One such rider who suffered from a tyre issues was current champion, Kenan Sofuoglu. His rear tyre literally exploded while exiting a fast turn which ended his race quite quickly. Was this a Pirelli error or was he just pushing that hard that the tyre just could not cope? A tyre should not do this on a supersport bike no matter how hard it is pushed.
The supersport podium was a much needed all-round fresh podium. Two of the three riders were debuting in the Supersport category and well the other, a rider who has stood on many different podiums which include, World Supersport, MotoGP, Moto2 and 250 Grand Prix, and that rider, Anthony West. Anthony mentioned in his post race interview that he was not actually supposed to race this round and that the team was a last minute throw together. It was easy to see that West’s bike was under-powered compared to the rest but he showed brilliant cornering skills to hold his position. Why is this guy not a permanent rider in World Supersport?
The next round of the Superbike World Championship is right around the corner and will be in Thailand on 12-13 March. This was a new track to the calendar last year and so we should expect a higher pace from the riders this year unless, of course, bad weather dampers the pace!
The post Round one explosions appeared first on SuperBike Magazine South Africa.
]]>The post Phillip Island Paddock Show hosts final livery and team launch ahead of Round 1 appeared first on SuperBike Magazine South Africa.
]]>
WorldSBK’s newest recruits Milwaukee BMW today revealed their livery and launched their 2016 challenger at a presentation at Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit; the event the final team launch ahead of the first Round of the season that kicks off tomorrow. The Guisborough based team, whose riders Josh Brookes and Karel Abraham unveiled the bike, are moving up to the WorldSBK stage as reigning BSB Champions and count on their proven winner Brookes and ex-MotoGP rider Abraham to spearhead their newest challenge.
“I saw the bike for the first time a couple of days ago and I loved it from the first time I saw it,” said Czech WorldSBK rookie Karel Abraham. “We have a lot of special parts on the bike, but we need to adjust the setup based on the different parts we have. We weren´t really able to do it in the preseason tests, so we still need to work on that a lot to get it all right.”
“The bike has everything it needs to be one of the most competitive machines on the track,” agreed local hero Brookes. “But just having all the parts doesn’t make it a perfectly tuned tool. There’s a lot of work to be done but I think we’ve got the best personnel in the team to do it the best we can. The challenge is a bit bigger but hopefully the rewards are a bit bigger too!”
The Milwaukee BMW bike will be on track in its full colours for the first time tomorrow as WorldSBK stops testing and starts racing; the new season poised for lights out.
The post Phillip Island Paddock Show hosts final livery and team launch ahead of Round 1 appeared first on SuperBike Magazine South Africa.
]]>The post Bike Night – 3 March 2016 appeared first on SuperBike Magazine South Africa.
]]>Our second Bike Night for the year. Joburg, Nelspruit and Cape Town!
Johannesburg: Ride to Social on Main
:: RAD Moto – Rivonia
:: Sandton BMW – Sandton
:: Clearwater BMW – Strubens Valley
:: Auto Alpina – Boksburg
:: Goldrand Harley-Davidson – Boksburg
:: Honda East Rand Mall – Boksburg
:: Suzuki East – Boksburg
:: Ducati Johannesburg
Nelspruit: Ride to Cicada Restaurant
:: Nelspruit ATV
Cape Town: Ride to Farm Village
:: Woodstock Man Cave
The post Bike Night – 3 March 2016 appeared first on SuperBike Magazine South Africa.
]]>The post Petrucci quickest on first day at Phillip Island appeared first on SuperBike Magazine South Africa.
]]>
Intermittent rain saw the majority of riders shelter inside the pits until the final hour, Petrucci making the most of dry track time.
The Phillip Island Circuit is known for often producing four seasons in just a single day and the first day of the second official MotoGP™ test proved no different. Riders were greeted with overcast skies and a wet track as they entered the circuit on Wednesday morning. This saw a slow start to proceedings with Repsol Honda Team’s Dani Pedrosa the first to head out on wet tyres. Fellow Honda riders Tito Rabat and Cal Crutchlow soon followed.
Both of the Repsol Honda riders had the latest 2016 ‘evo’ engine while Crutchlow and Rabat were equipped with a 2015 engine and 2016 engine with a similar spec to that which the factory team tested in Valencia at the end of 2015. The rain meant that no major tests for any manufacturer could take place, but did allow teams and riders to further their understanding of how the Michelin tyres and Magneti Marelli software work in the wet.
Valentino Rossi, who turned 37 the day before the test, ventured out with the 2016 bike featuring the fuel tank in the rear. Meanwhile his Movistar Yamaha MotoGP teammate, Jorge Lorenzo, completed 22 laps in the wet, the most wet laps of any rider. As the first day of testing approached the midway point, the rain eased and allowed Marc Marquez to venture out on the new intermediate tyre. Marquez, who celebrated his birthday on the opening day of the test, led the majority of the session with a 1’35.354 as only 11 riders had chosen to lap in the wet.
Hope was offered as the final two hours began, the track beginning to dry and a flurry of riders heading out as a brief dry window opened in the closing hour. Times quickly dropped as the Octo Pramac Yakhnich pair of Danilo Petrucci and Scott Redding fitted slicks, the pair sitting 1-2 until the closing stages of the session. On and off showers continued after the initial dry spell with riders able to head back out on track with just 20 minutes remaining for one final dry run.
Maverick Viñales and Bradley Smith would be amongst the biggest improvers in the final 20 minutes, the pair pulling themselves into the top three and within a second of Petrucci’s best time. Petrucci’s time of 1’31.764 would be the best of the day, but over two second’s off Marquez’s fastest race lap of 2015, a 1’29.280. Meanwhile his teammate, Scott Redding, was fourth and 1.100s behind but completed a total of 41 laps, the most of any rider.
Both Crutchlow and Rossi, who had done the majority of their laps in the wet and missed the first dry window, entered the circuit in the closing minutes to improve to fifth and sixth. Pol Espargaro was another to benefit from improved track conditions as he set a 1’33.126, placing him seventh. The trio were the only other riders within two seconds of Petrucci, the Italian having now led two days of testing in 2016.
Australia’s Jack Miller was back and riding his Marc VDS Racing Team Honda for the first time since breaking his right leg. The young Townsville native and his team had aimed to do just 25 laps a day in order to assess the condition of his still healing leg, but conditions reduced his lap count to just six on Wednesday. He was still able to set a time of 1’33.992 for the ninth fastest time of the day, putting him just behind Yonny Hernandez on the Aspar MotoGP Team Ducati GP14.2. The Colombian beat both factory Ducati riders with Iannone in tenth. Iannone had attempted to go out earlier in the day during an initial dry spell, but rain quickly ended his lap. Andrea Dovizioso had been on track but did not register a time. Neither of the Avintia Racing Ducati riders decided to circulate in the uncertain conditions.
In 11th was Tito Rabat, the lone rookie in the MotoGP™ World Championship setting his fastest time, a 1’35.273, on his 28th lap and leading Marc Marquez. In 12th, Marquez did not improve on his 1’35.354 from earlier in the day. With just two laps on track, Aleix Espargaro closed the first day of testing in Phillip Island in 13th, just ahead of Eugene Laverty.
Suzuki test rider, Takuya Tsuda, also benefitted from the dry window and ended 15th. Tsuda and Hiroshi Aoyama were at Phillip Island before the beginning of the official test as part of the Suzuki and Honda test teams with Tsuda testing the fully seamless gearbox for Suzuki. Suzuki aim to give both Espargaro and Viñales the fully seamless gearbox in Qatar while both the factory riders aim to get the full potential out of their new engine. Dry track is needed for this however.
2015 MotoGP™ World Champion, Jorge Lorenzo ended 16th ahead of Dani Pedrosa as neither rider improved upon their wet weather times. Fortunately testing resumes tomorrow on the 18th of February at 09:45 AM Local Time, riders hoping for more consistent and dry conditions.
The post Petrucci quickest on first day at Phillip Island appeared first on SuperBike Magazine South Africa.
]]>The post HAWK RACING CONFIRMS MICHAEL DUNLOP FOR ISLE OF MAN TT RACES appeared first on SuperBike Magazine South Africa.
]]>
Leicestershire based Hawk Racing has confirmed that Michael Dunlop will race for the team at the 2016 Isle of Man TT Races fuelled by Monster Energy. The team made the announcement in London at the MCN Motorcycle show at Excel today.
Eleven time TT Race winner Dunlop, 26, will again ride the BMW S1000 RR Superbike on which he dominated the 2014 TT Races, which included a Superbike and Senior TT double.
Dunlop’s 2015 TT campaign for the team was hampered by an injury sustained in the opening race of the meeting, the RST Superbike Race but he still went on to record his fastest TT lap – 132.515 – which is the second fastest lap in TT history, on the final lap of the PokerStars Senior TT to finish fifth.
The Ballymoney man will also race for the team at the North West 200 and Ulster Grand Prix as well as campaigning the team’s Superbike in several BSB rounds, including Silverstone and Oulton Park, as a wild card entry.
Dunlop’s remarkable TT Races career began in 2007 with his first race win in the Supersport class two years later. He took his first ‘big bike’ win in 2011, winning the Superstock race before taking his first Superbike title in 2013.
Hawk Racing Team Manager Steve Hicken commented:
“We’re delighted to have Michael back on board for 2016. We know what we have to do to get him back on the top step on the Isle of Man and with a proper lead time to prepare this year we’re looking forward to helping Michael achieve his ambitions.”
Michael Dunlop commented:
“I’m coming back to win again. I gave it my best last year but the Superbike crash wasn’t the best preparation for the Senior. My last lap at the TT reminded everyone what I can do and with these boys behind me I’m ready to race properly again.”
The post HAWK RACING CONFIRMS MICHAEL DUNLOP FOR ISLE OF MAN TT RACES appeared first on SuperBike Magazine South Africa.
]]>