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Jack Miller To Leave Ducati At The End Of 2022 For KTM

By
PB
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After five seasons together, three with the Pramac Racing Team and the last two as an official rider of the Ducati Lenovo Team, Jack Miller and Ducati will part ways at the end of 2022. Jack will be off to the KTM factory team for the 2023 and 2024 MotoGP seasons..

After five seasons together Jack Miller and Ducati will part ways at the end of 2022.
After five seasons together Jack Miller and Ducati will part ways at the end of 2022.

From 2018 to date, Jack has achieved 16 podiums with the Desmosedici GP, including two thrilling wins with the factory team in the Spanish GP at Jerez and the French GP at Le Mans in 2021. It is also thanks to Jack’s results that Ducati won the Constructors’ World Championship in 2020 and 2021 and the title of Best Team in MotoGP last season with the Ducati Lenovo Team.

Miller and Ducati, as always, will work hard to obtain the best results for the Ducati Lenovo Team in all the remaining Grands Prix of the 2022 MotoGP Championship, starting with the German GP that will be held in ten days at the Sachsenring.

From 2018 to date, Jack has achieved 16 podiums with the Desmosedici GP, including two thrilling wins with the factory team.
From 2018 to date, Jack has achieved 16 podiums with the Desmosedici GP, including two wins with the factory team.

Luigi Dall’Igna (General Manager of Ducati Corse)
“Together with Jack, we have spent five wonderful seasons, during which we have achieved truly significant goals for us, such as the two Constructors’ World Titles obtained in 2020 and 2021 and last year’s Best Team Title. In addition, we should not forget the numerous podiums and the two stunning victories at Jerez and Le Mans. Miller is a very talented rider who has been able to understand our Desmosedici GP at its best. He is a fair and loyal person on whose full commitment we have always been able to count. I would therefore like to thank him on behalf of Ducati, the Ducati Lenovo Team, and all our partners for these five years spent together and wish him all the best for his near future!”

Jack Miller (#43 Ducati Lenovo Team)
“It’s been a really important five years for me: together with Ducati, I’ve achieved several podiums, including two wins that I’ll never forget. In addition to the two Constructors’ World Titles and the Team Title, last year, I finished fourth in the Championship, and that was my best result ever in MotoGP. Together with the Pramac Racing Team and the Ducati Lenovo Team, I have grown a lot as a rider and year after year, I have always felt like the best version of myself. Next year I will take on a new challenge, but right now, I want to think only about finishing this last season with my team in the best possible way. I thank all of Ducati Corse, my team, Gigi, Paolo, Davide, and the people who have worked with me over these five seasons”.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing have confirmed Jack Miller will line-up alongside Brad Binder for 2023 and 2024 in MotoGP after announcing the Australian has signed a two-year deal. Miller turned 27 in January but already has more than a decade of Grand Prix experience, including nine victories and almost 30 podiums in both Moto3 and MotoGP.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing have confirmed Jack Miller will line-up alongside Brad Binder for 2023 and 2024 in MotoGP™ after announcing the Australian has signed a two-year deal.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing have confirmed Jack Miller will line-up alongside Brad Binder for 2023 and 2024 in MotoGP™ after announcing the Australian has signed a two-year deal.

2014 was the most prolific term of his career so far as a powerful union with Aki Ajo’s Red Bull KTM Ajo squad saw him score six wins and only just miss out on the Moto3 title. He made a high-profile move straight into the MotoGP category for 2015. Miller will link up again with Francesco Guidotti, having worked with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s current Team Manager for three of his eight years in MotoGP.

Francesco Guidotti, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager
“Having Jack alongside Brad in our team means we have another strong asset. I know him well, I know how he likes to work and what he can bring to the box. I believe his character and the way he will ride and push our KTM RC16 will help us a lot at this stage of our project. Like Brad, Jack is a pure racer: he will find the limits and the maximum of any condition and any package and still ‘go for it’ to get the result and that is quite a rare quality. The next two seasons will be exciting!”

Jack will be returned back to his roots in MotoGP with KTM. We hope to see some good results alongside Brad Binder!
Jack will be returned back to his roots in MotoGP with KTM. We hope to see some good results alongside Brad Binder!

Pit Beirer, Director KTM Motorsports
“Of course we’ve known Jack since he made a boom with Aki and our Moto3 program and it’s a big pleasure to bring a rider of his capabilities into our MotoGP structure. He left us with a positive impression, and we’ve stayed in contact. Jack’s approach and attitude to racing are very similar to ours. I am very proud that he comes back to Red Bull KTM again and he will be a great addition to our mission.”

MotoGP Reports: All The Action From The Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya

By
PB
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The Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya truly was a monster weekend for Championship leader Fabio Quartararo. The Frenchman put to bed any flashbacks of late heartbreak in 2021 to pull clear and throw down the gauntlet at the front, taking his second MotoGP win at the venue.

Aprilia Racing dominated the opening day at the Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya, with Aleix Espargaro clinched top spot ahead of teammate Maverick Viñales. The pair were split by three tenths after sharing the lead of the timesheets throughout FP2, with Gresini Racing’s Enea Bastianini the Noale factory’s closest challenger in third.

FP1
Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) was fastest in FP1, putting in a 1:40.101 in the final few minutes of the opening session at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya and backing that up with a 1:40.185 as he greeted the chequered flag. Like Rins, Viñales finished the session on new medium compound Michelin tyres, front and rear, and consolidated second on the timing screen with a 1:40.296 on his final lap to sit second.

Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha) had been the early pace-setter as the Italian showed strong form, and the 1:40.695 set on his first run put him third when the music stopped. Aleix Espargaro, who has now finished third for the last four MotoGP™ races in a row, took fourth with Repsol Honda’s Pol Espargaro making it for different manufacturers in the top five, heading a Honda trio continued by Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) and Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol).

World Championship leader and newly re-signed Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™ rider Fabio Quartararo was back in P14 and right behind him was the man who reignited his title bid with victory a week ago at Mugello: Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team). The only crasher was Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing), rider ok.

FP2
Noale fought back in the afternoon, with Espargaro taking over at the top with 20 minutes remaining to displace Rins. With seven minutes left we saw the first rider stick some soft rubber in, with Viñales deciding it was the moment for a time attack. The Spaniard put it to good use to steal top spot from his teammate, and Top Gun then found another two tenths on his next lap, posting a 1:39.705. The Ducati trio of Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team), Bastianini and Martin all had a go at trying to better Viñales but all three failed in their quests.

Then, with the chequered flag out, Aleix Espargaro snatched the honour of Friday’s fastest with a blistering 1:39.402 – just half a second shy of Fabio Quartararo’s (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) outright lap record from 12 months ago. That made it a 1-2 for the Aprilia teammates to start the weekend, as both Espargaro and Viñales look to repeat their Catalan heroics after taking 1-2 on the grid whilst riding for Suzuki at the 2015 Catalan Grand Prix.

MotoGP Catalunya Friday Top 3 (Full Results Here)

1 Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) – Aprilia – 1’39.402
2 Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) – Aprilia – +0.303
3 Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) – Ducati – +0.488

Saturday
Aprilia Racing’s Aleix Espargaro reset his own All Time Lap Record to claim pole position for the Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya, coming out on top in a three-way fight for pole in MotoGP™ Q2 at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The Aprilia rider’s 1:38.742 saw him prevail by just 0.031 seconds over Ducati Lenovo Team’s Francesco Bagnaia, with World Championship leader Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) also set to start from the front row on Sunday afternoon after ending Q2 less than two tenths further back.

Q1
Q1 saw Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) prevail, with the fight going right to the wire and Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) snatching second, and the final spot in Q2, from rookie sensation and Mugello front row starter Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team). From there, it was on to Q2 with both Aprilias… 

Q2
It was tight at the end of the first runs, with Quartararo top on a 1:39.055, Bagnaia second at just a hundredth of a second off the pace, and Aleix Espargaro only two thousandths slower again in third. While track temperature was approaching 60 degrees Celsius, the pace was just as hot when riders came back out for their second runs. Bagnaia raised the stakes when he punched out a 1:38.787, only 0.016 seconds away from the lap record which Aleix Espargaro had achieved in FP3, before taking an excursion through the run-off area at Turn 1. The Aprilia rider then snatched provisional pole back with that 1:38.742, while Quartararo consolidated third spot with a 1:38.959.

Aleix Espargaro was still pushing on his final lap when he outbraked himself at Turn 10, and Bagnaia was also continuing to chase time. This was it as the Ducati rider continued to find the pace to challenge, but it wasn’t quite enough as he crossed the line and was forced to settle for second. Quartararo, meanwhile, secured third but two tenths off the top.

MotoGP Catalunya Front Row (Full Results Here)

1 Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) – Aprilia- 1’38.742
2 Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) – Ducati – +0.031
3 Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) – Yamaha – +0.217

Sunday
An incident into Turn 1 first saw Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) and Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) suffer contact from Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) after a crash for the Japanese rider, all ultimately unable to continue in the race, and then another contender was out as Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) crashed out alone mid-race. Finally, there was a heart-breaking blunder for Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing). The number 41 was in second place when celebrated a lap too early – leaving him pushing to keep a place in the top five.

At lights out, Quartararo nabbed the holeshot and avoided the chaos to hit the front, quickly stretching out a lead. By the end of the opening lap, he was nearly a second clear of the rest, keeping that margin ahead of Aleix Espargaro. Martin then complicated life more for the Aprilia rider as he sliced past into second, and Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) was next on the chase. Just behind them, a fast-starting Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) was already up to fifth and, once past, trying to shake off Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team).

As Quartararo pounded on, the focus shifted to the fight for second. With 15 to go, Aleix Espargaro struck and the number 41 pitched it perfectly at Turn 1 to move through, with Zarco, in turn, making a gain on Martin too. Quartararo was three seconds clear of the Aprilia, the Pramac duo were locked together, Mir was still holding off Marini and Viñales was up in seventh.

By this time, Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) had slid out, and Fabio Di Giannantonio (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) too. In between the two there was the second seismic shift in the title fight as Bastianini crashed out from P7. That meant two of the top four going in were now down and out, as Quartararo continued on at the front.

As ‘El Diablo’ continued to count down the laps, the race for second was far from over. After stalking Martin, Aleix Espargaro hit back with four to go, again mugging the Prima Pramac Racing rider at Turn 1 and getting the job done. Everything looked under control, but there was drama, drama just around the apex.

Over the line to start the penultimate lap, the Aprilia rider sat up into Turn 1. Was it a problem? A mistake? It was a heartbreaker, as Espargaro celebrated what would have been a fifth podium in a row but a lap too early. He realised not long after and slotted back in, duelling past Marini again as he watched the Prima Pramac duo disappear into the distance.

Up ahead, Quartararo crossed the line with a stunning advantage for a statement win, taking 25 points to extend his lead. Martin took second and Zarco third, with Mir then coming through to steal fourth late on after a stunning showcase from the Suzuki rider.

Aleix Espargaro crossed the line fifth for some still valuable points despite the pain of losing the podium, with Marini putting in an impressive race once again for sixth. Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) had a strong Sunday to take P7, ahead of another raceday comeback for Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) as the South African finished just ahead of teammate Miguel Oliveira.

Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol) put in one of the rides of the day to complete the top ten despite starting last after sitting out qualifying following a big crash in practice. Marquez was diagnosed with no injuries on Saturday after a full check up, including cervical and neurological checks and an x-ray on his left arm, and after being passed fit to race in another medical review before Warm Up, the number 73 put in a stunner to move up to complete the top ten.

Remy Gardner (Tech3 KTM Factory Racing) managed to get the better of Darryn Binder (WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP™) as the two rookies took P11 and P12, with Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) a few tenths further back in 13th. Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) took P14, ahead of Raul Fernandez (Tech3 KTM Factory Racing).

That’s a wrap on a seismic weekend in Barcelona, with Germany next on the horizon. With the King of the Sachsenring on the sidelines his record of winning the races he’s competed in there will remain intact… but there’ll definitely be a new face on the top step. Join us for more as MotoGP™ returns in two weeks!

Fabio Quartararo: “I felt good from the beginning. I knew I wanted to be first in the first corner and finally I managed to get something crazy. So, I’m so happy, great to see all the fans here. I want to thank them all for coming here; it was an amazing race, and I feel great. I was not controlling all the race but pushing from the beginning, and then saw how my rear tyre was going. It was really good, and I had some margin and was always increasing my lead. So, I’m so happy. Mugello and here was meant to be difficult, but two and one is a really great result.”

MotoGP Catalunya Podium (Full Results Here)

1 Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) – Ducati – +0.635
2 Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) – Ducati – +6.473
3 Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) – Ducati – +8.385

Moto2
Celestino Vietti (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) vs Aron Canet (Flexbox HP 40) is one of the battles of the season in the standings, and in the Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya the two went head to head on track once again. In a stunning race to the line, it was just 0.081 between the two as Vietti pipped the home hero after a last lap lunge. The fight for third went to the wire too, with Augusto Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) taking the final step on the podium after a final sector move on Jake Dixon (Inde GASGAS Aspar Team).

Dixon took the holeshot but the early race leader was Mugello podium finisher Joe Roberts (Italtrans Racing Team), with the American streaking away and only increasing his gap as a group fight for second raged in his wake. But it came to an early heartbreaking end for the American as he slid out from the lead mid-race, leaving that multi-rider fight for the podium as the multi-rider fight for the win. First it was Canet vs Dixon, then Vietti got past the Brit and the top two in the Championship were just about able to carve out some breathing space. This was it, Vietti vs Canet, all the way to the flag.

Onto the final lap it was the Italian ahead over the line, but Canet attacked at Turn 1 and took over in front. Still, the VR46 rider stalked his prey and chose a late move at Turn 10, slicing through to take over and then shutting every door. Out of the final corner Canet tried to find space around the outside but couldn’t quite make the attack, with the two then tucked in to the line and Vietti just taking it by 0.081. Another win and some more points for the Italian at the top of the table, but still another impressive bounce back and podium for Canet. Fernandez also had his work cut out, the Spaniard moving through from a bit further back to get into that fight at the front, make his way to the fight for the podium and then swoop past Dixon late on.

Marcel Schrötter (Liqui Moly Intact GP) had another impressive Sunday as the German took fifth, having fought in the group alongside Albert Arenas (Inde GASGAS Aspar Team) and Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) before the latter duo both crashed out with three to go. Mugello winner Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) had a slightly tougher weekend in Barcelona as he took sixth, beating Ai Ogura (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) to the line by just 0.022.

Alonso Lopez’s (Lightech Speed Up) impressive arrival to the World Championship continued in eighth, with the Spaniard less than a second behind Ogura. Manuel Gonzalez (VR46 Master Camp Team) took a top ten in P9, with Tony Arbolino (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) tenth and after an early Long Lap penalty for a shortcut.

Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Italtrans Racing Team), Somkiat Chantra (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia), Bo Bendsneyder (Pertamina Mandalika SAG Team), Jorge Navarro (Flexbox HP 40) and Fermin Aldeguer (Lightech Speed Up) completed the points.

We headed in with Vietti and Ogura equal on points and we leave for the Sachsenring with the Italian extending his lead and Canet taking back over in second. What awaits in Germany? We’ll find out in two weeks!

Moto2 Catalunya Podium (Full Results Here)

1 Celestino Vietti (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) – Kalex – 38’42.958
2 Aron Canet (Flexbox HP 40) – Kalex – +0.081
3 Augusto Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) – Kalex – +0.522

Moto3
Izan Guevara (Valresa GASGAS Aspar Team) was back on the top step in the Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya, and in some serious style. Pulling away late on for a leisurely last lap – from the outside at least – the number 28 took victory by 1.9 seconds. The battle for second was a stunner too, with Daviz Muñoz (BOE Motorsports) coming out on top in only his second ever Grand Prix, beating Tatsuki Suzuki (Leopard Racing) and Championship leader Sergio Garcia (Valresa GASGAS Aspar) to the line. Title contender Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing) suffered a DNF after a technical problem.

Before that, Foggia grabbed the holeshot, with Garcia also making some headlines as he made up some good ground from the latter half of the top ten to slot in on the chase.  Soon enough it settled into a now-familiar sight at the front: the GASGAS duo vs Leopard. And that way it stayed for a handful of laps, before that serious drama for Foggia. Heading into Turn 10, the Leopard rider headed wide but then slowed in the run off – suffering a technical problem and out the race.

There was more attrition heading for the front freight train. This time it was a multi-rider domino effect, with Ryusei Yamanaka (MT Helmets – MSI), David Salvador (Sterilgarda Husqvarna Max) and Daniel Holgado (Red Bull KTM Ajo) all caught out and only Yamanaka able to rejoin. After implicated riders left the track before a hearing could take place regarding the incident, the FIM MotoGP™ Stewards will hold a hearing on Thursday of the German GP.

That drama had cut the front group down but more fast faces were soon on the scene as it returned to a fight throughout the points. Guevara had a small gap by five to go though, with Garcia on the chase and the stunning second ever World Championship race performance from Muñoz going strong as he duelled Suzuki.

Onto the final lap, there was no catching Guevara. The GASGAS rider had it signed, sealed and delivered with a healthy gap, and the battle for second only got closer. Garcia vs Suzuki vs Muñoz went right to the wire, with the number 44 giving the veterans as good as he got. And, he came out on top. Nearly neck and neck to the line, it was Muñoz who took it by 0.010 as Suzuki takes third and Garcia, despite holding second for a number of laps, forced to settle for fourth. 

Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) won the battle for fifth as the Turk took another top result but remains on the search for that podium, with Carlos Tatay (CFMoto PrüstelGP) next up. John McPhee (Sterilgarda Husqvarna Max) finished seventh ahead of Jaume Masia (Red Bull KTM Ajo), with a bigger gap behind the two veterans to Adrian Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Tech3) and Xavier Artigas (CFMoto Prüstel GP).

After a Guevara win, a Garcia fourth, Masia only P8 and a Foggia DNF, it’s the GASGAS duo pulling clear. Garcia retains a healthy 16-point advantage over Guevara but the number 28 cut 12 off at the Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya… 

Moto3 Catalunya Podium (Full Results Here)

1 Izan Guevara (Valresa GASGAS Aspar Team) – GASGAS – 38:22.351
2 David Muñoz (BOE Motorsports) – KTM – -+1.975
3 Tatsuki Suzuki (Leopard Racing) – Honda – +1.985

Racer Test: Marco Melandri’s 2011 WSBK Yamaha YZF-R1

By
PB
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Being a fan of the Yamaha R1 and having owned three, the chance to ride Marco Melandri’s WSBK machine exactly 10 years ago on one of my favourite tracks was a dream come true – and made even cooler by the fact that I watched him race on the bike the day before…

Jeff was fortunate enough to sample all of these back in 2011 when he was a WorldSBK TV commentator on Speed TV for a few years. He also rode the top Supersport machines...
Jeff was fortunate enough to sample all of these back in 2011 when he was a WorldSBK TV commentator on Speed TV for a few years. He also rode the top Supersport machines…

I had a bit of time to look over the Yamaha before riding it and what a work of art. By far the sexiest machine on the grid with loads of exposed carbon-fibre and titanium, the YWST R1 was about as distanced as you can get from the road bike…

Check out our other Throwback Thursdays here…..

Melandri is quite short, so my expectations were that I would simply not fit on the bike. But I was wrong. Aside from the rearsets being way too high for me, I actually found the bike a good fit as I try the number 33 bike for size a few minutes before my allocated session.

The bars are flat and pulled back GP style, the seat height not radically tall, the dash a good easy layout and the tank feels much narrower than the bulky streetbike tank. The bike feels nothing at all like a stock R1. If anything it feels like a large version of a TZ250 GP bike to sit in. Really surprising…

As Silvano, the Chief Engineer, fired the beast into life while the mechanics smiled at me (I’m sure the journo day is good entertainment for them) I got a little nervous, understandable I guess. I had not seen the track for almost 12 months and I had never ridden a WSBK bike.

There was no nursing the bike around the track. When you get given the chance to ride a WSBK, it's at full throttle.
There was no nursing the bike around the track. When you get given the chance to ride a WSBK, it’s at full throttle.

I rolled forward, click up, fan the clutch and motor down pit lane with hundreds of people watching me. No pressure then? That sweet drone of the big bang engine is really exaggerated on the WSBK bike and by the time I exited pit lane it hit me – this is really happening! Melandri’s R1!

I knew the track very well and there is no time to muck around. I treated the first lap as a warm up lap in a race for example, so by the time I cross the chute for the first time I was trying hard. I’d already decided that this may be my only chance to ride these bikes and that I was going to have fun…

The top end of the bike took Jeff by surprise, it was nothing like the street bike that it spawned from.
The top end of the bike took Jeff by surprise, it was nothing like the street bike that it spawned from.

The top end of the bike shocked me, where the street bike drops away this thing starts to really haul – at that point the fastest top end I have ever felt on any bike and mades our domestic superbikes feel like 600s. Braking hard for turn one from around 300km/h I was given my very first experience of what $60,000 brakes feel like. The feeling was like nothing I have experienced and the stopping power incredible. At least 30 per cent more than anything I’ve ridden, I couldn’t imagine what a MotoGP bike must be like…

The back shifting was cool – I just clicked up and the bike revved itself and dropped down the gears allowing me to focus on braking and turning, something normal these days. The initial turn-in is ultra light and fast, quicker than all the bikes on the day as it turns out, and the biggest surprise for me was how soft the suspension is. The forks were very soft, even by a street set-up, but that was how Marco liked it apparently.

Braking hard for turn one from around 300km/h I was given my very first experience of what $60,000 brakes feel like.

Wayne Gardner rode the Ben Spies bike in 2009, he found the bike difficult to turn between initial turn and full lean but this problem had been solved – Marco’s bike falls graciously on its side and remains super planted. The grip from the SC1 WSBK Pirellis was insane and at that point I was cranked over further than I’d ever been.

"Marco’s bike falls graciously on its side and remains super planted. The grip from the SC1 WSBK Pirellis was insane."
“Marco’s bike falls graciously on its side and remains super planted. The grip from the SC1 WSBK Pirellis was insane.”

Picking up the throttle is so easy. The Yamaha was the smoothest fuelling machine there and completely seamless, even from first gear corners. As soon as the throttle was cracked there was no jump, just smooth incredible torque and drive as the fat rear tyre hooks up while the unobtrusive electronics do their thing.

All up one of the best motorcycling experiences of my life and it only lasted 15 minutes. I guess that is all it takes to have a good time!

The bike is so quick off the corners I felt like I was being fired out of a cannon. Shifting via the quickshifter was smooth and the run-on into corners was amazing – there was very little engine braking but it comes in before the apex as the rpm drops – helping pull the bike into a nice tight line. Then it is point and fire off the turn, riding the back wheel to take full advantage.

The dynamics of the Yamaha made it a great racer. It was really nimble and fast steering, so it would’ve been great to fight for positions on and it fired off corners at almost any rpm. Really, a sensational bike to ride with an incredible top end to match.

The bike had lightning fast steering as well, with the front forks being nice and soft per Marco's request.
The bike had lightning fast steering as well, with the front forks being nice and soft per Marco’s request.

As I came over the back dip for the second time I got a scare! Marco has the wheelie control set-up to work at high rpm but for a plonker like me who short shifts it isn’t working. I almost flipped the bike in fourth gear at about 200km/h and go for rear brake – but the lever is only for show. Marco runs no rear brake – at all! Doesn’t use it… Phew…

Well I got the bike back in one piece and was grinning like a mad man and hugging the crew – they were stoked to see someone so excited as well. All up one of the best motorcycling experiences of my life and it only lasted 15 minutes. I guess that is all it takes to have a good time.

Despite riding the Yamaha for only 15 minutes, it was enough to leave Jeff extremely impressed with a huge grin.
Despite riding the Yamaha for only 15 minutes, it was enough to leave Jeff extremely impressed with a huge grin.

TECH TALK
Featuring a revolutionary crossplane crankshaft engine and unique uneven firing order, the production model of the 2011 YZF-R1 delivers near linear torque providing smoother acceleration and greater levels of grip than previously thought possible, setting new standards for one litre sportsbikes.

"Modifications to the machine for WSBK racing from the homologated model include different camshafts, pistons and valves."
“Modifications to the machine for WSBK racing from the homologated model include different camshafts, pistons and valves.”

Modifications to the machine for WSBK racing from the homologated model include different camshafts, pistons, valves, an enlarged radiator for extra cooling and the addition of an oil cooler. The 2011 YZF-R1 had no rear sub-frame but incorporates a strengthened frame. The exhaust was unique, and was developed in partnership with Akrapovic. The standard fuel tank was also been replaced with a lightweight version with an increased capacity, within FIM regulations.

The bike featured the latest Magneti Marelli (MHT) electronic systems with over 30 sensors on the bike to monitor variables such as temperature and pressure of air, oil, water and fuel. The temperature of the brakes and the tyres were also measured, as well as brake pressure, suspension travel, speed, acceleration, throttle position, camshaft position and crankshaft position. The swingarm was also developed purely for the WSBK racebike.

With all the carbon-fibre and titanium bits on the bike. It was one of the most sophisticated rides on the 2011 grid.
With all the carbon-fibre and titanium bits on the bike. It was one of the most sophisticated rides on the 2011 grid.

Many other details had been modified in parts and body design, a variety of carbon and titanium bits and pieces awere used that made the Yamaha WSB R1 one of the most sophisticated bikes on the grid.

For 2011, development was focused on further improved weight balance of the bike, resulting in again a further optimisation of fuel tank position as well as a power increase and further electronic systems improvements for traction, anti-wheelie and torque control as well as engine brake control.

Despite a great season in 2011, Yamaha decided to pull out of WSBK and pile their money into other ventures.
Despite a great season in 2011, Yamaha decided to pull out of WSBK and pile their money into other ventures.

Further regulation changes to the 2011 racing bike also include the use of more production parts such as fuel injectors, fuel pump and fuel regulator which also had an effect on the fuel injection mappings used in 2011.

2011 WSBK Melandri Yamaha YZF-R1 Specifications

Power: Over 215hp
Wet weight: 162kg
Fuel capacity: 23L

Engine:Liquid-cooled, four-cylinder, four-valve, DOHC four-stroke, Akropovic exhaust system, BMC airfilter
Bore and stroke: 78.0 x 52.2mm
Displacement: 998cc
Fuel delivery: Magneti Marelli
Gearbox: Six-speed cassette-style
Clutch: Wet, multi-plate slipper clutch

Frame type: Aluminium Deltabox
Wheelbase: Adjustable
Rake: Adjustable
Trail: Adjustable
Front suspension: Ohlins with TTX36 internals
Rear suspension: Ohlins TTX25 with YRT swingarm
Front brakes: 320mm Brembo rotors, Brembo four-piston monoblock calipers and Brembo radial-pull master-cylinder
Rear brake: Single 220mm rotor with twin-piston Brembo caliper
Front and rear wheels: Marchesini
Front tyre: Pirelli Slick, 120/70 – 16.5
Rear tyre: Pirelli Slick, 190/50 – 16.5 or 200/55 – 16.5

Instruments: Magneti Marelli race dash

2011 WSBK Melandri Yamaha YZF-R1 Gallery

Race Reports: All The Action From MotoE Rd3 At Mugello

By
PB
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0
It was another tight race in MotoE. It's great to see the field battling elbow to elbow.

The FIM Enel MotoE™ World Cup produced a thriller in its first race at Mugello, with Dominique Aegerter (Dynavolt Intact GP) taking victory despite starting the final lap in fifth. Matteo Ferrari (Felo Gresini) was back on top in Race two, taking victory with a small margin over another huge group battle.

Some late shuffles and even later drama see the Swiss rider head Ferrari and Granado on Saturday...
Some late shuffles and even later drama see the Swiss rider head Ferrari and Granado on Saturday…

Race One
Home fans watching on at Mugello also had reason to cheer with Matteo Ferrari (Felo Gresini MotoE™) finishing second and fellow Italian Andrea Mantovani (WithU GRT RNF MotoE™ Team) pinching third at the chequered flag. However, more late drama hit as Mantovani was then disqualified for low tyre pressures, promoting Eric Granado (LCR E-Team) to the podium. There is a single tyre pressure monitoring system in MotoE™.

The intrigue began before the race had even started, with riders arriving on the grid on wet tyres before changing to slicks as the rain at Mugello abated. When the lights went out, Kevin Zannoni (Ongetta Sic58 Squadracorse) got the jump from the middle of the front row and led the field up the hill to San Donato, with Ferrari emerging second from the opening corners and pole-sitter Aegerter third.

Ferrari then went underneath Zannoni as they ran through the Arrabbiata corners, as Aegerter and Niccolo Canepa (WithU GRT RNF MotoE™ Team) duelled over third. When they arrived at Scarperia, Aegerter headed down the inside of both Ferrari and Zannoni to take the lead, while a bit of bodywork was sent flying due to some contact behind between Granado and Canepa.

For his trouble, Aegerter was swamped as his rivals slipstreamed him as they ran back up the main straight to start Lap 2, but he reclaimed first on the brakes at San Donato. Granado was slicing his way through the pack too, and he would hit the front when he went underneath the Swiss rider as they turned into Materassi, just down the hill.

Ferrari found some home turf magic. Taking second place in Race One, improving on that further in Race Two...
Ferrari found some home turf magic. Taking second place in Race One, improving on that further in Race Two…

It looked like they might form something of a breakaway, but their battle for position mean that Ferrari was back in touch as Aegerter hit back for the lead on Lap 3 at Scarperia. Marc Alcoba (Openbank Aspar Team) emerged as a contender for victory and, astonishingly, he made it a four-wide run up the hill towards San Donato at the start of Lap 4 too. Ferrari emerged in front after all that, from Granado and Alcoba, with Aegerter dropping from first to fourth in a matter of corners.

Despite looking to have made an on-the-run adjustment to his brake lever, and then ceding fourth position to Mantovani, Aegerter refused to give in. He made a big lunge under brakes at San Donato on the fifth and final lap of the race and that put him all the way back into the race lead, with Ferrari in second place.

Mantovani was disqualified after MotoE officials found his tyre pressures to be too low, Eric Granado to the podium.
Mantovani was disqualified after MotoE officials found his tyre pressures to be too low, Eric Granado to the podium.

On the drag to the finish line, Aegerter beat Ferrari to another MotoE™ victory by only 0.033 seconds, with Mantovani, who is only riding this weekend as an injury replacement for Bradley Smith, slipstreaming Granado for third as they reached the finish line, the gap between them just 0.007 seconds. But with his DSQ after the fact, it’s the Brazilian who takes 16 points. A final-lap pass helped Mattia Casadei (Pons Racing 40) to fifth, now fourth, and consigned Alcoba to P5 but the latter was still only 0.983 seconds from the win.

Canepa was next up ahead of Miquel Pons (LCR E-Team), and Zannoni is classified ninth after losing touch with the leading group on Lap 2. Hector Garzo (Tech3 E-Racing) rounded out the top 10 on track, now P9. Another race win means the Swiss rider has increased his lead atop the FIM Enel MotoE™ World Cup standings, to 17 points over Granado after the Brazilian takes third. What awaits on Sunday? Race 2 kicks off at 15:30 (GMT +2) so tune in to find out!

MotoE Mugello Race One Podium (Full Results Here) 

1 Dominique Aegerter – Dynavolt Intact GP MotoE™ – Energica – 10’10.913
2 Matteo Ferrari – Felo Gresini MotoE™ – Energica – +0.033
3 Eric Granado – LCR E-Team – Energica – +0.245

Race Two
The win was a classic: Matteo Ferrari (Felo Gresini MotoE™) was back on top in Race 2 of the FIM Enel MotoE™ World Cup at Mugello, taking victory with a small margin over another huge group battle as the Italian played his cards to perfection on home turf. Dominique Aegerter (Dynavolt Intact GP MotoE™) took second, crossing the line at exactly the same time as Marc Alcoba (Openbank Aspar Team) but taking P2 thanks to setting the fastest lap. And the eagle-eyed Swiss rider spotted something else: passes under Yellow Flags earlier in the race.

Ferrari wins another classic MotoE™ race at Mugello. The Italian took to the top step on home turf after a masterclass in MotoE™ tactics...
Ferrari wins another classic MotoE™ race at Mugello. The Italian took to the top step on home turf after a masterclass in MotoE™ tactics…

After a thorough review from the FIM Stewards, changes of position were applied. For Alcoba it was three positions, demoting him from the podium and meaning Miquel Pons (LCR E-Team) takes third place. For Niccolo Canepa (WithU GRT RNF MotoE™ Team) and Eric Granado (LCR E-Team) it was one position each, so Canepa is classified sixth and Granado eighth. But let’s rewind…

Kevin Zannoni (Ongetta SIC58 Squadra Corse) made the best start and it was he who led the field out of San Donato for the first time, from Aegerter and Ferrari. Just behind that trio, Mattia Casadei (Pons Racing 40) fell as he exited the corner, while Hikari Okubo (Avant Ajo MotoE™) was also on the deck later on the opening lap. He would be taken to the medical centre with pain in his right leg, but was passed Unfit for showing he’d sustained an impact to his head, so he’ll need a check up to be passed fit for the next round.

Meanwhile at the front, Zannoni continued to lead into the second lap, but Aegerter was swamped as they all slipstreamed towards San Donato and the Swiss rider dropped back to sixth. Ferrari had taken over second spot while Pons was up to third and Alcoba fourth, a rise of six positions relative to where each had qualified. Ferrari gained one more position – the most important one – when he outbraked Zannoni at San Donato on Lap 3, as Alcoba rode around the outside of Pons just behind them. Canepa was fifth at that point while Aegerter would soon have a battle for sixth position on his hands with closest rival in the standings, Granado.

The end of the main straight was clearly the prime overtaking zone but Zannoni found resistance when he tried to go around Ferrari in a bid to reclaim first position at the start of Lap 4. Pons and Canepa, on the other hand, were able to slip underneath Alcoba and push him back to fifth spot. Of course, San Donato was not the only place where overtaking was coming thick and fast in MotoE™, and Pons proved that when he moved ahead of Zannoni through Scarperia/Palagio on Lap 5. That promoted the Spaniard to second, and it also allowed Ferrari to stretch his advantage slightly.

It was another tight race in MotoE. It's great to see the field battling elbow to elbow.
It was another tight race in MotoE. It’s great to see the field battling elbow to elbow.

Then Alcoba, who was already back in front of Canepa, passed Zannoni at Bucine. That much was straightforward, but they nearly touched on exit and the Italian had to pick up his bike, which caused him to drop yet more positions. Zannoni was fifth when the crossed the stripe to start the final lap, and eighth by the time they were on their way out of San Donato and back down the hill.

In all of that, Aegerter had risen from seventh to fourth, but the previous day’s race winner was not done. He nabbed third from Alcoba as they went through Bucine for the final time, but it would still come down to a drag to the finish line. Ferrari won by 0.529 seconds, but it was astonishingly close in terms of who would be declared second. Aegerter and Alcoba were separated by 0.001 seconds according to timing, then that was revised to a dead heat for second and the former was officially given second using fastest lap times as tie-break. For Alcoba, it still seemed like his first MotoE™ podium, but later came the heartbreak and the position penalties, giving Pons third although the Spaniard didn’t make it to parc ferme.

Despite his win in Race Two, Ferrari has some catching up to do with his rivals, Aegerter and Granado...
Despite his win in Race Two, Ferrari has some catching up to do with his rivals, Aegerter and Granado…

WithU GRT RNF MotoE™ Team rider Andrea Mantovani is now classified fourth after again pipping Granado on track, but with the shuffle on Saturday the Italian gains instead of losing out after the DSQ in Race 1 for low tyre pressure. Zannoni takes P5 ahead of Canepa, with Alcoba classified seventh. Granado is classified eighth, ahead of Kevin Manfredi (Octo Pramac MotoE™), and Hector Garzo (Tech3 E-Racing).

With a win and a second placing at Mugello, Aegerter’s lead at the top of the World Cup standings is now 29 points over Granado and 30 over Ferrari. After six hectic races to start the season, it is time for the FIM Enel MotoE™ World Cup field to take a break before their fourth round of the season at the Motul TT Assen on June 24-26, so join us then for more!

MotoE Mugello Race Two Podium (Full Results Here)

1 Matteo Ferrari – Felo Gresini MotoE™ – Energica – 12’04.368
2 Dominique Aegerter – Dynavolt Intact GP MotoE™ – Energica – 10.529
3 Miquel Pons – LCR E-Team – Energica – +0.566

Racer Test: Steve Martin’s #99 TBR Suzuki Katana

By
PB
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0
"The steering is quick, ultra quick in initial turn, but a bit of muscle is required to get the bike over on its side for the run through the apex."

A chance to ride the TBR D&D QBE Suzuki Katana that Steve Martin has made so famous at the Phillip Island Classic a few years ago, along with the Giles and Roberts Katanas, was a blast. These things are so trick that we thought it was time to revisit them with a series of posts, particularly with the current hype around the new KATANA. First off, here’s the #99 bike…

"A chance to ride the TBR D&D QBE Suzuki Katana that Steve Martin has made so famous at the Phillip Island Classic a few years ago, along with the Giles and Roberts Katanas, was a blast."
“A chance to ride the TBR D&D QBE Suzuki Katana that Steve Martin has made so famous at the Phillip Island Classic a few years ago, along with the Giles and Roberts Katanas, was a blast.”

Not only have I always been a fan of the Katana and all classic era Japanese fours, I’ve always admired the drag racing engineering brilliance and huge list of achievements Trevor Birrell and Dale Gilbert have collectively amassed over the past 30-years. Then of course, there’s the pure awe of watching Steve Martin reeling off insanely fast laps on this bike, like his 1:38.373 on the Saturday of the Classic. What a lap…

Check out our other racer tests here…

The Trevor Birrell Racing/D&D Industries/QBE/Suzuki team came together when Trevor and Dale were looking for a new challenge from a life of drag racing. They all visited the Phillip Island Classic in 2009, along with friend the late Peter Kerr of Racebike Services. Dale and Trevor were introduced to Steve Martin via Peter, who was an original sponsor and mate of South Australian Steve.

There’s the pure awe of watching Steve Martin reeling off insanely fast laps on this bike, like his 1:38.373 on the Saturday of the Classic. What a lap…
There’s the pure awe of watching Steve Martin reeling off insanely fast laps on this bike, like his 1:38.373 on the Saturday of the Classic. What a lap…

12 months later Steve blew everyone away on a Katana built by the guys and things went from there, the team winning the Phillip Island Classic in 2010, 2013 and 2014 and BSFS 2012. Dale and Trevor brought in their long time drag racing supporters, Castrol and Serco, while Steve brought in Pirelli tyres and QBE Insurance to form their team along with other team sponsors Suzuki Australia, Bendix, Venhill, Light Alloy Engineering, Race Bike Services, MCR, Springwood Suzuki and Dunlop.

Steve’s #99 TBR Katana
The #99 is the most famous bike in classic racing and for good reason. When it arrived on the scene back in 2010 at the Phillip Island Classic, Steve smashed everyone taking pole position and four wins from four starts! Not bad for a bunch of drag racers with a gun rider!

"The #99 is the most famous bike in classic racing and for good reason. When it arrived on the scene back in 2010 at the Phillip Island Classic, Steve smashed everyone taking pole position and four wins from four starts!"
“The #99 is the most famous bike in classic racing and for good reason. When it arrived on the scene back in 2010 at the Phillip Island Classic, Steve smashed everyone taking pole position and four wins from four starts!”

Trevor Birrell is famous for his big four-stroke air-cooled engines, particularly Suzukis. He started drag racing in 1982 and earned Nine Australian Championships and 17 National Records between 1982 and 2011. Dale started drag racing in 1984 and soon started building bodywork and chassis for drag bikes and has won over 10 National Championships.

After the previously mentioned hook up at PI, the guys realised they had enough parts to have a go. Initially using a braced standard frame then moving to chrome-moly in 2011. The engine is based on the mighty GSX1100 and was built to a tight budget using TBR’s 30-years worth of spares and plenty of know-how from Trevor.

The barrels are bored and sleeved to take the 79mm JE custom order forged pistons, which are decompressed slightly. With a 66mm stroke the bike is 1296cc. There are two types of head used by Trevor, a big port head and a CNC ported head. Gilesey’s bike runs the CNC head as he likes the aggressive punch, while Steve uses the smaller port head but more aggressive cams, Steve prefers this type of power delivery than the more aggressive initial throttle opening of the other engine set-ups.

Valves are stainless steel and oversize and Trevor currently gets two race meetings before the head needs a service. Titanium valves and brass alloy seats are high on the priority list but at $150 a valve versus $30 a valve, budget prohibits this for now. Springs are APE and titanium retainers are used. The camshafts Steve runs are TBR units and quite aggressive, while Giles and Roberts run Yoshimura Stage III and cam timing is secret!

The #99 bike runs Pirellis and the rear tyre is not able to sit on the narrow 5.5in rim correctly, contributing to grip issues. The gentler mid range allows Steve to open the throttle earlier but the thing still spins up a lot once the tacho hits 6000rpm, as it is quite a peaky power delivery.

The standard crankcases are used, although EFE are slightly stronger internally than GSX/Katana cases, they are identical externally. The team have a few sets of EFE cases but Steve’s bike runs Katana cases.

The crankshaft is GSX1000S, a special edition Katana built for endurance racing homologation, such as the Castrol 6 Hour. The cranks were stronger and had bigger conrods and are still available as an OEM part. Trevor uses these after welding and balancing. He also bronze bushes the small ends as they get extremely hot and gudgeon pins turn orange so need to be replaced regularly!

The gearbox is standard GSX with heavily undercut gear dogs and a modified detent mechanism, however, the biggest upgrade is the GSX-R1000K6 slipper clutch and Light Alloy Engineering clutch cover. Some challenges have arisen with the gearbox autoshifting when the clutch releases into turns, as it was not designed to be unloaded, but Trevor is working on an improved detent setup between races.

The awesome Yoshimura period replica titanium four-into-one exhaust system sticks out amongst all the blue...
The awesome Yoshimura period replica titanium four-into-one exhaust system sticks out amongst all the blue…

The exhaust system is a sexy Yoshimura period replica titanium four-into-one and fuelling is via Keihin 35mm smoothbore carburettors. The team have extensively tested with 37mm and even 39mm but the 35mm items offer the most controllable power.

Ignition is by MSD MC-4 using a single ignition curve. The MSD ignition has a huge range of capabilities and in future could be used to help some traction problems, with programmable gear specific ignition curves on hand, multiple switchable maps and rev limits the MSD system could help Steve with tyre life and traction via switchable maps, particularly towards the end of a race. It’s a great system used a lot in drag racing.

Spark plugs are NGK J10A items. The engine is wet sump, runs Castrol 10w40 oil and a Lockheed oil cooler and fuel is Avgas. Starting is via remote external starter. A trick addition are quick-release engine mounts, another trick from the drag racing world.

The chassis is a work of art. Dale Gilbert is a renowned drag racing chassis engineer and applied his skills to this road racer. After building a jig off a stock Katana frame, Dale built the chrome-moly frames by hand, heavily bracing them. The three frames are all different spec as per rider’s choice; with the #24 frame an original steel item to mute the critics out there and prove the team can be competitive on a stock frame.

Once the frame is fabricated, it is measured and aligned at Motorcycle Crash Repairs in Victoria using a Scheibner digital measuring system and aligned on a Globaljig frame straightener. The frames are not painted, saving weight and making repairs easy at the track. The swingarm was originally a $50 unit from an RF900 but rules changed and a hand made braced swingarm had to be fabricated. This was done by Light Alloy Engineering and is a work of art.

The wheels are GSX-R1000 front and GSF650 rear, with Manta rotors and AP Lockheed calipers fed by Venhill lines and squeezing very trick Bendix Carbon-Matrix pads. Shocks are Ohlins and the forks are CBR600F2 with Ohlins internals. Racebike Services Tony Hamilton tunes suspension.

The bodywork is stunning and also hand made by Dale Gilbert. From a distance you swear it has the original grey pillion seat on it. Amazing job…
The bodywork is stunning and also hand made by Dale Gilbert. From a distance you swear it has the original grey pillion seat on it. Amazing job…

All billet parts including the triple-clamps are made by Dale on his CNC mill. The dash is a single centrally-mounted Auto Meter Phantom tacho with an oil warning light, a tether on the left bar is also fitted and a kill switch on the right. Grips are Renthal and the throttle is from a KX250 Kawasaki, while the ‘bars themselves are chrome-moly aftermarket items.

The bodywork is stunning and also hand made by Dale Gilbert. From a distance you swear it has the original grey pillion seat on it. Amazing job…

Of course Jeff had to take the amazing machine for a spin... Phillip Island was the setting to see how the Katana could handle some serious cornering speed.
Of course Jeff had to take the amazing machine for a spin… Phillip Island was the setting to see how the Katana could handle some serious cornering speed.

On Board the #99 TBR Katana
The first thing I noticed about the #99 katana was the rolled back feel – a lower ride-height than the other bikes. The front felt taller and I felt like I was really sitting in the bike rather than on it, more like an original Katana. The ‘bars are widely spaced and under the triple-clamp but still feel tall by modern standards. Grips are ultra-thin, which I found really hard to hold and have a relaxed grip on.

“A big wide air-cooled motor protruding out either side under a narrow, long fuel tank mounted to a narrow frame really gives me the impression I’m about to ride a big motor with handlebars and wheels bolted to it!”

The footpegs are close to the seat and being an old girl there is a nice long reach to the ‘bars, which helps to duck behind the tiny fairing. Overall it’s a good fighting position. The 1980s superbike feel is something else. A big wide air-cooled motor protruding out either side under a narrow, long fuel tank mounted to a narrow frame really gives me the impression I’m about to ride a big motor with handlebars and wheels bolted to it!

The siren goes off and the guys get the remote starter out and fire the beast into life. The servo pie and large strawberry Moove I had for breakfast, well, hangover cure, is churning in my stomach. For some reason I thought a Berocca to wash it all down would help but it ain’t helping now. Damn I shouldn’t have opened that second bottle of red last night. Worse – I’ve got my brand new Ricondi custom suit on for the first time and I was a full 8kg lighter when I was measured for it! Time to lose my reputation as the fastest A Grader in Australia with a triple-chin, I reckon!

Well if anything is going to snap me into life it’s a bloody big-engined Katana so I roll out pit lane onto the track. The Pirellis are straight off the warmers and time is limited so I don’t muck around, knee is on the deck in turn one. I fire out of one to two and can’t believe the power of this thing – really, it’s amazing up top, or at least feels that way with the delivery.

"The steering is quick, ultra quick in initial turn, but a bit of muscle is required to get the bike over on its side for the run through the apex."
“The steering is quick, ultra quick in initial turn, but a bit of muscle is required to get the bike over on its side for the run through the apex.”

As soon as I change direction for turn two I feel the chassis difference on Steve’s bike. The steering is quick, ultra quick in initial turn, but a bit of muscle is required to get the bike over on its side for the run through the apex. I’m struggling and running wide. I feel like I can’t lean the bike fully over. I push on for a lap and figure it out then try and have a bit of fun. First run onto the chute I notice the Pirelli really sliding around as the bike weaves and bucks wide open in fourth gear (it also pulls fifth there no worries!).

I grab fifth 100m or so before the start line and do my best to tuck my lard in behind the screen and fairing. This bike is wickedly fast but does not feel quite as fast as the other two at the end of the straight. I still absolutely blast past a BMW S 1000 RR and two Fireblades! Hahah. Suckers!

Sitting up and peeling into T1 on the brakes I almost oversteer, then pull the bike on its side through the turn. It’s hard work and I take my hat off to Steve. He must be a fit old bastard! Opening the gas the initial drive of the big port motors is not there but once the engine is revving higher the acceleration from T1 to T2 is amazing. Hard on the brakes helps me get the bike on its side for the double-apex through Southern loop.

There is some sidewall pumping from the rear tyre out of Southern Loop and then the run to Stoner Corner and the corner itself is a blur. It is literally a blink form T2 to T3. I’m in fourth through Stoner corner, pinned to the stop on the exit and it’s superbike fast. As I approach Honda I think about the escape road then decide to give the brakes a good squeeze. I’m amazed at how good they are and the familiar feel of the Carbon-Matrix pads is there immediately. They need heat and they cool by Honda so the first bit of initial braking is not there then they get hot and bang you have brakes for the lap until they cool again on the chute…

How often do you get to see a Katana this far leant over? A far cry from its stock form...
How often do you get to see a Katana this far leant over? A far cry from its stock form…

I pull it up for Honda. Again, initial steering moment is super quick but then I find it hard to complete the turn and keep it on its side nice and tight. The power delivery off Honda causes wheelspin. I also notice I’m carrying a full 1000rpm less than on the other bikes as I can easily hold second gear for Siberia while on the others I felt I needed to grab third briefly. I’m told Gilesy just revs it to 10,500rpm in second there!

“Holy crap! Even the seagulls don’t scare me as I’ve got a massive air-cooled engine to take them out with!”

Through Siberia the #99 machine is good once in the turn and fires off the corner like a missile. This is where these bikes feel really fast, from Siberia to Lukey Heights. Holy crap! Even the seagulls don’t scare me as I’ve got a massive air-cooled engine to take them out with! Lukey Heights arrives quickly and I crack the throttle to get balance and a bit of drive, but I get wheelspin. Amazing.

Braking into MG is easy, the powerful brakes and firm front end and lower rear ride height mean Steve’s bike is stable here. The gearbox is super heavy in shift and the throttle is also heavy, so I feel a bit clumsy here, in and out of the corner where you short-shift to third. Driving through T10 takes a bit of finesse as the Pirelli wants to light up, then it’s 9500rpm in third before grabbing fifth for the ride of your life through the final corner, the big Kat wheel spinning and wheel standing onto the chute like the angry beast it is.

I did another few laps and that was enough for me. My arms usually don’t get that sore and I can ride a superbike all day long as I’m just relaxed on a bike but, my hands were cramping and every muscle in my upper body strained. It was either the Katana or the pie but I’m blaming the Katana. At the end of the test I could not get the grin off my face. Hats off to the team who have proven that drag racers can go road racing with great success.

There are three TBR Katanas. Obviously all being heavily custom, they have their own quirks to them.
There are three TBR Katanas. Obviously all being heavily custom, they have their own quirks to them.

The Three TBR Katanas
I also managed to test the #19 bike of the legendary Shawn Giles as well as the #24 steel framed bike of Brendan Roberts on the days, which will both get full features soon. All three bikes were very different and it is amazing how they achieve the same lap time in such different ways.

Shawn’s #19 bike was on rails, tall in the back, low in the front with soft forks and smooth, linear power delivery from low rpm to the peak. It was easy steering and not tiring to ride.

Brendan Robert’s #24 bike, which has the steel original heavily braced frame, was the fastest straight-line bike of the trio with monster mid range and top end power, smooth delivery but not as smooth as the Giles engine, and a nice handling set-up but pretty flexy and with plenty of headshake.

Brendan’s bike had to be manhandled a fair bit more and had a firmer suspension set-up too. Steve’s bike was a wild animal, with the shortest chrome-moly frame here and the most aggressive engine, she sure was a loose unit that could do with some sitting in a dark room calming down! YeeHaa!

#99 Steve Martin TBR Suzuki Katana Specifications 

ENGINE: Trevor Birrell Racing engine. 1982 GSX1100 Katana based engine, 79 x 66mm bore x stroke, 1296cc, 10:1 compression, GSX1100/Katana crankcases, Suzuki GSX barrels bored and resleeved to accept 79mm, Wiseco forged alloy pistons, Wiseco rings, GSX1000S polished and welded crankshaft, Suzuki main bearings, big end bearings and conrods, CNC ported cylinder-head, oversize valves (+3mm EX, +4mm IN), RD valve springs, modified valve seats, Yoshimura stage III cams, GSX-R1000K6 slipper clutch, standard plates and heavy-duty springs, modified shift drum, undercut gear dogs using standard five-speed gearbox, GS750 primary drive gears, 35mm Keihin smoothbore carburettors, titanium Yoshimura exhaust system, MSD-MC4 ignition unit, D&D Industries billet engine covers and remote starter access, Lockheed oil cooler.

CHASSIS & BODYWORK: Dale Gilbert D&D Industries chassis and bodywork, hand made chrome-moly tubing with additional bracing in steering head and swingarm pivot areas, 20mm shorter than standard Katana, standard Katana steering head size and rake angle. Frame is measured on a Scheibner measuring system and straightened on a Globaljig frame aligner at Motorcycle Crash Repairs. Light Alloy Engineering swingarm, Ohlins shocks, CBR600F2 forks with Ohlins internals, GSX-R1000 3.5 x 17in front wheel, GSF650 5.0 x 17 rear wheel, Pirelli slicks, Manta rotors (f), AP Lockheed dual-piston calipers, stainless rotor, Suzuki caliper (r), GPX-Pro GPS lap timer and data loggers (testing only), D&D Industries fibreglass bodywork, D&D Industries CNC billet triple-clamps, billet rearsets, all CNC billet parts made by D&D Industries, aftermarket chrome-moly handlebars.

PERFORMANCE:185-horsepower, 140ft-lbs torque, top speed Phillip Island 260km/h, best lap 2014 Phillip Island Classic 1:38.373.

#99 Steve Martin TBR Suzuki Katana Gallery

WorldSBK Reports: All The Action From Rd3 At Estoril

By
PB
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0
All three races at Estoril decided on the final lap as an epic weekend of action concludes with a second Rea victory.

It was an epic battle at the Circuito Estoril as Alvaro Bautista claimed his fourth win of the 2022 season in Race one. The Tissot Superpole Race and Race two on Sunday saw Jonathan Rea win by under 0.2s. Race Two saw Rea make his 350th start and take his 117th career win. Press Release: WorldSBK.

The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship descended on the Circuito Estoril and it was a thriller in Portugal as Alvaro Bautista claimed a stunning victory...
The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship descended on the Circuito Estoril and it was a thriller in Portugal as Alvaro Bautista claimed a stunning victory…

The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship descended on the Circuito Estoril and it was a thriller in Portugal as Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) claimed a stunning victory after an epic scrap between him, Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) and Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) throughout the race. Bautista secured his first victory at Estoril during the Estoril Round as he extended his Championship lead.

Razgatlioglu got a good start from second on the grid to lead into Turn 1 with Rea in second and it was a precursor of what was to come during the 21-lap race. The pair consistently switched positions throughout the race with Turn 1 the overtaking hotspot between the two with eight overtakes at Turn 1 just between Rea and Razgatlioglu between Lap 6 and Lap 16. There was contact between the two on Lap 3 at Turn 6 with both able to continue, and from there the battle raged on. There were differing tyre strategies on the grid with Rea on Pirelli’s SC0 standard rear tyre and the SC1 development front while Razgatlioglu and Bautista both used the SCX standard rear tyre and SC1 standard front tyre.

Razgatlioglu got a good start from second on the grid to lead into Turn 1 with Rea in second and it was a precursor of what was to come during the 21-lap race.
Razgatlioglu got a good start from second on the grid to lead into Turn 1 with Rea in second and it was a precursor of what was to come during the 21-lap race.

With the duo running line astern, the rider in second often used the slipstream to get the run into Turn 1 to move into the lead with the pair swapping positions on multiple laps as they searched for victory in order to close the gap in the Championship standings to Bautista. The pair switched position, at Turn 1, eight times but it was an error on in the closing stages from Rea that allowed Bautista through.

On Lap 16, Bautista was able to take advantage of Rea running wide as he looked to move around the outside of Razgatlioglu, with Bautista moving up to second place and Rea dropping to third place. Rea lost time to the pair leaving Bautista and Razgatlioglu to fight it out. This battle went down to the final run to the line with Bautista just pipping Razgatlioglu by 0.126s after getting a better run off the final Turn 13 corner.

Bautista was able to take advantage of Rea running wide as he looked to move around the outside of Razgatlioglu.
Bautista was able to take advantage of Rea running wide as he looked to move around the outside of Razgatlioglu.

Victory for Bautista puts him on 20 wins for in his WorldSBK career and his fourth win of the 2022 season, extending his Championship lead to 27 points over Rea and 50 to Razgatlioglu. It was also Ducati’s 380th victory in WorldSBK. Razgatlioglu’s second place gave him his 59th podium in WorldSBK and keeps up his 100% podium record at Estoril; the only rider to have this stat. Rea’s third place gave him his 221st podium in WorldSBK and his 179th with Kawasaki.

Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) claimed fourth place after benefitting from Bautista running wide at Turn 1 on the opening lap, before battling with Bautista for third place. While Bautista was able to pass Locatelli on Lap 5 before Turn 1, using the power of the Ducati, the Italian rider was able to finish in fourth place ahead of Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) and teammate Iker Lecuona.

Vierge overtook Lecuona in the closing stages of the 21-lap race to claim his first top five result in WorldSBK, finishing just a tenth ahead of his teammate.
Vierge overtook Lecuona in the closing stages of the 21-lap race to claim his first top five result in WorldSBK, finishing just a tenth ahead of his teammate.

Vierge overtook Lecuona in the closing stages of the 21-lap race to claim his first top five result in WorldSBK, finishing just a tenth ahead of his teammate. The duo battled with Scott Redding (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team), running a special yellow livery to celebrate the 50th anniversary of BMW’s M brand, in the early stages of the race before Redding dropped back behind both Honda riders and Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK); Lowes finishing seventh and Redding in eighth.

Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) finished ninth after making late-race progress to move inside the top ten, finishing around one second behind his former teammate. He was also a second ahead of Loris Baz (Bonovo Action BMW), who rounded out the top ten and finished as the Best Independent Rider in Race 1.

The 2022 championship is heating up as Razgatlioglu is frantically trying to defend his title.
The 2022 championship is heating up as Razgatlioglu is frantically trying to defend his title.

After being called up at the last minute to replace the injured Philipp Oettl, Xavi Fores (Team Goeleven) finished in 11th place with a big gap both ahead and behind him, battling his way up from 15th place on the grid. Hr was around three seconds clear of Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) in 12th place, while Luca Bernardi (BARNI Spark Racing Team) battled up to 13th place, fending off Kohta Nozane (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) by just half-a-tenth at the line. Eugene Laverty (Bonovo Action BMW) made it two Independent BMW riders inside the points with 15th place; just a tenth ahead of Marvin Fritz (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) as he substituted for Roberto Tamburini and just missed out on a point.

Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) finished in 17th place ahead of Christophe Ponsson (Gil Motor Sport-Yamaha) in 18th. Hafizh Syahrin (MIE Racing Honda Team) was in 19th place ahead of Oliver Konig (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) in 20th and Isaac Vinales (TPR Team Pedercini Racing). Vinales brought his Kawasaki ZX-10RR into the pits, and lost two laps, before re-joining the race and being classified in 21st place.

Leandro Mercado (MIE Racing Honda Team) retired from the race on the opening lap of the race after a Turn 7 crash. Michael van der Mark (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team), Philipp Oettl (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) and Garrett Gerloff (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) did not race after being declared unfit following their crashes throughout the weekend.

WorldSBK Race One Podium (Full Results Here)

1 Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
2 Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) +0.126s
3 Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +4.835s

Tissot Superpole
The Tissot Superpole Race at the Circuito Estoril for the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship was once again decided on the last lap as Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) claimed victory, meaning he now has the longest winning career in WorldSBK, after an error from Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) on the final lap.

Another record for Rea after claiming an incredible 10-lap Superpole Race after taking advantage of a last-lap mistake from his rival.
Another record for Rea after claiming an incredible 10-lap Superpole Race after taking advantage of a last-lap mistake from his rival.

Rea had made a move on Razgatlioglu on Lap 2 on the exit of Turn 13 before Razgatlioglu responded on Lap 7 of 10 and opening a gap of around eight tenths. However, a last-lap error at Turn 9 where Razgatlioglu lost the front of his bike, but saved it, allowing Rea through. Despite fighting back, Rea was able to hold on to victory ahead of Razgatlioglu to ensure he now has the longest winning WorldSBK career, lasting 12 years, 11 months and one day and exceeding Noriyuki Haga, as well as his 180th podium with Kawasaki. Razgatlioglu’s wait for a win goes on in 2022 but he claimed his 60th WorldSBK podium and Yamaha’s 360th podium placement.

Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) was able to continue his streak of podium finishes in 2022, making it eight out of eight so far this season, with third place as he withstood an early challenge from Iker Lecuona (Team HRC). Lecuona took an alternative tyre strategy, using an intermediate front and slick rear, came home in fourth to start Race 2 from the second row.

Alvaro Bautista was able to continue his streak of podium finishes in 2022, making it eight out of eight so far this season.
Alvaro Bautista was able to continue his streak of podium finishes in 2022, making it eight out of eight so far this season.

Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK), on slick tyres, was able to close in on Lecuona during the closing stages of the race but was unable to make the pass, finishing in fifth place. He will be joined on the second row by Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) after the British rider battled his way to sixth place during the 10-lap race.

The battle for the third row was a dramatic affair, with Scott Redding (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) claiming seventh spot after battling but dropping back in the Superpole Race. He will be joined by his former teammate, Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) on row three with Rinaldi also opting to use an intermediate front and rear slick. Last-minute stand-in Xavi Fores (Team Goeleven) claimed ninth spot as he battled his way up the order.

At Turn 1 on the opening lap, Lucas Mahias’ (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) crashed out of the race, which forced Luca Bernardi (BARNI Spark Racing Time) to run wide and lose time and positions. Marvin Fritz (Motoxracing Yamaha WorldSBK Team) crashed out at Turn 6 while Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) crashed out at Turn 7; all on the opening lap. Both Bonovo Action BMW riders crashed out on subsequent laps, with Baz crashing out at Turn 13 on Lap 4 and Laverty at Turn 6 on Lap 5, both when running inside the top nine. Laverty was taken to the medical centre for a check-up following the crash.

Tissot Superpole Race (Full Results Here)

1 Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)
2 Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) +0.174s
3 Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +4.925s

Race Two
The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship’s visit to the Circuito Estoril concluded in sensational fashion as Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) claimed a stunning last-lap victory during the Estoril Round. Rea’s move for the lead came on the last of 21 laps as he ensured all three races were decided on the final lap as he denied Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati).

All three races at Estoril decided on the final lap as an epic weekend of action concludes with a second Rea victory.
All three races at Estoril decided on the final lap as an epic weekend of action concludes with a second Rea victory.

The pair continued the theme of the Estoril Round by battling each other throughout the race but, as in Race 1 and the Tissot Superpole Race, the winner was only decided on the final lap. Bautista initially moved into the lead on Lap 11 as he went from third to first with one move into Turn 1, with Rea responding into Turn 6 a lap later. Rea’s lead did not last long as Bautista responded and held the lead until the final lap of the race.

Rea put in the fastest lap of the race in the closing stages of the race to close the gap to Bautista before he made his move into Turn 7. Both were sliding out of the corner with Bautista just ahead, before Rea went up the inside of the Spaniard into Turn 9 to make the race-winning overtake. Rea had to push hard through the final corner and he almost lost the bike but was able to get it back under control, with Bautista not close enough to overtake. Despite leading the race at points, Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx) dropped back from the lead duo to settle for third place.

Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx) dropped back from the lead duo to settle for third place.
Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx) dropped back from the lead duo to settle for third place.

Victory for Rea means he now has 117 WorldSBK victories to his name and 223 podiums, while Kawasaki are now edging closer to the 500-podium milestone; currently sat on 497 after three more podiums this weekend. Second for Bautista means he now has 36 podiums in his WorldSBK career and nine consecutively, while Razgatlioglu has 61 podiums which puts him level with Frankie Chili and James Toseland in WorldSBK.

After a difficult Friday and Saturday, Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) was able to haul himself into the podium fight during most of the race, running in third at points, before dropping back to fourth place after running wide at Turn 1 on Lap 14; his joint-best result of the 2022 season so fair. He was ahead of the charging Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with Brixx) in fifth, with the Italian having to defend from Spanish rookie Iker Lecuona (Team HRC). Lecuona, who lost his front mudguard on the Warm Up lap, was just 0.077s behind Locatelli as Lecuona made it a hat-trick of top six finishes at Estoril.

Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) finished in fifth, with the Italian having to defend from Spanish rookie Iker Lecuona (Team HRC).
Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) finished in fifth, with the Italian having to defend from Spanish rookie Iker Lecuona (Team HRC).

Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) had an eventful race as he moved up the order to claim a top seven finish, finishing around five seconds clear of Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) in eighth place. Spanish rookie Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) claimed ninth place ahead of Xavi Fores (Team Goeleven); Fores securing three points finishes on his return to WorldSBK after receiving a late call-up to replace the injured Philipp Oettl.

Scott Redding (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK – Ducati) had been inside the top ten during the race but dropped back behind Fores in the closing stages of the race but finished as the lead BMW rider in 11th place. He was five seconds ahead of fellow BMW rider Loris Baz (Bonovo Action BMW) while Kohta Nozane (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) claimed his best result of 2022, finishing ahead of Eugene Laverty (Bonovo Action BMW) and Luca Bernardi (BARNI Spark Racing Team) in 15th; the Sammarinese rider once again putting in a late charge to secure points finish.

A decent weekend for both the Ducati riders at Estoril, showing consistency...
A decent weekend for both the Ducati riders at Estoril, showing consistency…

Christophe Ponsson (Gil Motor Sport-Yamaha) missed out on points by around three seconds as he finished in 16th place, finishing just over a second clear of Marvin Fritz (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) after the German rider stood in for the injured Roberto Tamburini. MIE Racing Honda Team duo Leandro Mercado and Hafizh Syahrin were 18th and 19th respectively, ahead of Oliver Konig (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) who rounded out the classified runners.

Isaac Vinales (TPR Team Pedercini Racing) ended his Estoril Round with a crash on Lap 6 ay Turn 2 after getting caught out by a wet patch on the kerb on the exit of Turn 1. After a crash in the Tissot Superpole Race, Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) was declared unfit for Race 2 as he joined Michael van der Mark (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team), Garrett Gerloff (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team), Tamburini and Oettl on the sidelines.

WorldSBK Race Two Podium (Full Results Here)

1 Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)
2 Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.194s
3 Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) +4.350s

Championship Standings (Full Standings Here) 

1 Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) – 161 points
2 Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) – 144
3 Toprak Razgatlioglu (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) – 109

Max Biaggi Becomes A MotoGP Legend

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Max Biaggi is now officially a MotoGP Legend! The four-time 250cc World Champion was inducted into the MotoGP Hall of Fame at the Gran Premio d’Italia Oakley, with the Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello proving the perfect backdrop, joining the greats such as Rossi and Agostini…

Four-time World Champion, Max Biaggi, is inducted into the Hall of Fame at Mugello. Officially becoming a MotoGP Legend, joining the greats such as Valentino Rossi and Giacomo Agostini...
Four-time World Champion, Max Biaggi, is inducted into the Hall of Fame at Mugello. Officially becoming a MotoGP Legend, joining the greats such as Valentino Rossi and Giacomo Agostini…

Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta presented Biaggi with his MotoGP Legend Medal at the ceremony on Friday, with plenty of famous faces from the paddock in attendance – and a very special video message sent in from HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco, too.

Incredibly – given the career he would go on to build – Biaggi started racing late, first competing at the age of 18. From there, his rise was stratospheric as 1991 saw his first Grand Prix races and points in the 250cc class, 1992 heralded his first win and by 1994, the “Roman Emperor” was a World Champion for the first time – also taking Aprilia’s first title in the 250cc class. The glory didn’t stop there, as Biaggi took the 250cc crown an incredible four times in a row and with two different factories, reigning the category from 1994 until 1997 inclusive and reserving his place in history as one of the best to race in the class.

In 1998 Biaggi moved up to the premier class and, incredibly, he won on his 500cc debut – something not repeated since. He came runner up that year and began another run of impressive performances, never finishing outside the top five in the Championship in any premier class season between 1998 and 2005, his final hurrah in MotoGP™.

By the time Biaggi departed the Grand Prix paddock he had accrued 42 victories, of which 13 were in the premier class, and 111 podiums and 56 pole positions overall. But his motorcycle racing career was far from over, as he moved to WorldSBK and took 21 wins and 71 podiums, crowning himself Champion in 2010 and 2012 – therefore the first MotoGP Legend to also be a WorldSBK Champion.

Max Biaggi: “First of all, thanks everybody for coming. This is a very special day for me and, first of all, I need to thank Carmelo and Dorna, who make this happen, because without them, nothing was possible, so thank you very much, Carmelo. Secondly, I want to say thanks simply to everyone who makes this happen; all the manufacturers’ work in the past, starting from Aprilia, Honda, Yamaha, and all the people that are here are basically the ones that supported me all the time, in different teams and different situations, in the good days and the bad days. So, I’m proud that everybody came; for me, this means a lot, because life still goes on after racing.”

“I’m proud also that my family really encouraged me in the bad days to still do it and never give up, and they supported me all the time. Today, they’re here, my son and my daughter are here, so this is a very emotional moment because they can say now, ‘Hey, my dad is a Legend,’ so this is something cool! Twenty years ago, I didn’t even think about that, so as a man, this is important too.”

“Lastly, now I’m going in the third phase of my life, and of course I’m team owner. I want to thank Husqvarna and Sterilgarda, who make this dream come true, so now I use my experience to hopefully create the new riders for the future, hopefully the champions; who knows? I want to thank again Dorna, Carlos as well, because they have done an impeccable job over the years and MotoGP now is just fantastic, so thanks a lot.”

Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO of Dorna Sports: “It was two years ago when we decided to nominate Max as a MotoGP Legend, but unfortunately the pandemic and the rest of the things didn’t allow us to do it in a proper manner. This is a ceremony we do without restrictions masks, with everybody happy, and I think the time we waited to do it has been reasonable. Max has clearly been a big legend of MotoGP. I was telling him, I have a fairing of this bike in my office in Madrid, which was given by Carlo Pernat to me with the number 4. I always remember the start of MotoGP.”

Jack Miller, MotoGP Legend Loris Capirossi, Fabio Di Giannantonio, Biaggi, MotoGP Legend Jorge Lorenzo, Aleix Espargaro, Maverick Viñales and MotoGP Legend Randy Mamola…
Jack Miller, MotoGP Legend Loris Capirossi, Fabio Di Giannantonio, Biaggi, MotoGP Legend Jorge Lorenzo, Aleix Espargaro, Maverick Viñales and MotoGP Legend Randy Mamola…

“When we started, really the situation was different, we have been lucky to improve all together these possibilities, and now MotoGP is something very, very important. For us to nominate Max as a MotoGP Legend, is something not just important for him but also important for us. He has been a true legend, he has been racing very hard, he has a team today and is successful and is teaching the people to do that. For all of these reasons, I think it’s very important today to nominate Max as a MotoGP Legend, and I’m very proud about that. Thank you.”

Max Biaggi Career Stats

  • 42 Grand Prix wins: 29 wins x 250cc, 13 wins x 500cc/MotoGP (5 x MotoGP™, 8 x 500cc)
  • 111 GP podiums: Biaggi is one of 10 riders who reached the milestone of 100 podiums in GP racing, of which 53 are in the 250cc class and 58 in 500cc/MotoGP. He is the Italian rider with the third most GP podiums, behind only Valentino Rossi and Giacomo Agostini
  • 56 pole positions: one of only five riders with more than 50 poles in GP racing: 33 x 250cc, 23 x 500cc/MotoGP
  • Biaggi won at least once across seven successive premier class seasons from 1998 to 2004. He also took at least one pole position per premier class season from 1998 to 2004
  • Biaggi is one of only two riders who have clinched a title in both GP racing and World Superbike along with John Kocinski (250cc/1990 and WorldSBK/1997)

MotoGP Gallery: All The Best Shots From Rd8 At Mugello

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PB
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Ducati take back their turf as another 63 vs 20 chess match lights up Mugello, with Aleix Espargaro making another little piece of history in third. Pecco was stoked to take home the win after some unfamiliar names made their way to the front row of the grid on Saturday…

Read the full race reports from the weekend here…

MotoGP Reports: Pecco Paints A Ducati Masterpiece To Defeat Quartararo At Mugello

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PB
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Ducati take back their turf as another 63 vs 20 chess match lights up Mugello, with Aleix Espargaro making another little piece of history in third. Pecco was stoked to take home the win after some unfamiliar names made their way to the front row of the grid on Saturday…

FP1
LCR Honda Idemitsu’s Takaaki Nakagami dominated the final FP1 timesheets, four tenths clear, but it had been much closer than that. The Japanese rider was already fastest in a top four covered by just 0.031 seconds when he bolted on new medium compound Michelin slick tyres, front and rear, and put in a 1:46.662.

Before Nakagami’s rise, Bagnaia had been quickest on home soil for both rider and factory. He had clocked a 1:47.070 which Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) came so very close to matching when the Spaniard set a 1:47.071. Then, just before the half-hour mark, Aleix Espargaro did match it – a 1:47.070 exactly – before Nakagami moved the goal posts.

FP2
It wasn’t long until Nakagami’s 1:46.662 from FP1 was bettered by Zarco, who set a 1:46.381 on his Ducati, and Bagnaia would move into second spot at the halfway mark with a 1:46.604 and 1:46.538 on consecutive laps.

When the time attacks came in the final minutes, Bagnaia punched out a 1:45.940 to go to the very top, with Miller following him across the line to set a 1:46.313 and Zarco also in tow as he rolled out a 1:46.349. They were first, second, and third, with more Ducati riders also in fourth, fifth and sixth, but Aleix Espargaro had other ideas – he moved the marker to a 1:45.891 in the final three minutes, thanks in part to a slipstream from team-mate Viñales.

Friday Top Three (Full Results Here) 

1 Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) – Aprilia – 1’45.891
2 Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) – Ducati- +0.049
3 Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) – Ducati – +0.422

Saturday
Gresini Racing MotoGP™ rider Fabio Di Giannantonio has the first premier class pole position of his career after a dream Q2 session for the rookie home heroes in the Gran Premio d’Italia Oakley. Di Giannantonio set a 1:46.156 with the chequered flag out to head up a front row comprised of three Italians from two Italian teams, riding Ducati’s Bologna bullets. Fellow rookie Marco Bezzecchi was second-fastest and his fellow Mooney VR46 Racing Team rider, Luca Marini, took third after rain came, faded and then left plenty up for grabs on full slicks in Q2.

Q2
Di Giannantonio came through Q1, when the arrival of light rain spiced up proceedings, but it was clear by the end of that session that slick Michelin tyres had to be the choice for Q2 despite the persistent threat of rain. That meant the battle for pole would be less about strategy and more about a straight fight to set the quickest pace in the hills of Tuscany…

After a red flag interruption for a Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) crash, rider ok, Di Giannantonio then kicked things off with a 1:49.124 before moving the marker to a 1:47.163 and then a 1:46.607 on his following laps. The Gresini rider continued to prove the pacesetter until Prima Pramac’s Johann Zarco put in a 1:46.875, but that time would not stack up as the pace continued to hot up.

Bezzecchi got in a 1:46.616, then Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) a 1:46.471 and Di Giannantonio a 1:46.410 just before the chequered flag, but Zarco wasn’t done yet. The Frenchman clocked a 1:46.383 to go to provisional pole, before it looked like being a VR46 one-two when Bezzecchi set a 1:46.244 and team-mate Luca Marini moved his time to a 1:46.327. The dream scenario did not quite come to pass for the VR46 squad though as Di Giannantonio subsequently found even more time to take it back.

MotoGP Front Row (Full Results Here)

1 Fabio Di Giannantonio (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) – Ducati – 1’46.156
2 Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) – Ducati – +0.088
3 Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) – Ducati – +0.171

Sunday
Pecco is back on top! In another classic 63 vs 20, Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) was back to his flawless winning ways at the front of the field in the Gran Premio d’Italia Oakley, bouncing back in style from a crash out in France. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) nevertheless gave it everything he had, stalking the Ducati rider for the majority of the race after the two picked their way to the front. In taking second, ‘El Diablo’ also extends his lead in the Championship. 

Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) came through into third for his fourth podium in a row, giving Aprilia some home turf glory and becoming only the third rider on the grid, along with Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) and Andrea Dovizioso (WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP™), to have taken four or more premier class podiums in a row.

Ducati had swept the top five in qualifying but, rather than the slightly more accustomed Bagnaia being on the front row, it was rookie Fabio Di Giannantonio (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) starting from pole, fellow rookie Marco Bezzecchi sitting second and Mooney VR46 Racing teammate Luca Marini alongside. Di Giannantonio made a good launch and emerged with the lead from San Donato despite an attack from the VR46 duo, but Marini got past as they turned into Materassi as Bezzecchi slotted into third at the start of the 23 laps that lay ahead.

Bezzecchi overtook Di Giannantonio through Scarperia/Palagio, before Quartararo snatched fourth spot back from Aleix Espargaro on Lap 2 after the Aprilia rider had made a bold move down the hill on the opening lap. Quartararo was third when he slipped by Di Giannantonio at Scarperia/Palagio on Lap 2, but he had a serious challenge on his hands to try and keep the Ducatis at bay given the power they had on tap up the main straight.

A new Ducati threat then emerged when Bagnaia, who had been shuffled back to ninth on the opening lap, got through on Aleix Espargaro for fifth on Lap 4. However, Quartararo was also on the march as he slipped past Marini later on that same lap, promoting ‘El Diablo’ to second.

Bagnaia slipstreamed past Di Giannantonio as Lap 4 became Lap 5, and then pulled off a big move the next time he charged up the hill towards San Donato, passing both Quartararo and Marini to move into second. ‘Pecco’ was in the lead after he overtook Bezzecchi at the start of Lap 9, while Quartararo relied on superior turning to pass the VR46 Ducati rider at Scarperia, on Lap 11. The stage was set and so began the see saw at the front. 1.2, 1 second, 1.1, 0.9… the two pounded on at the front.

Meanwhile, Di Giannantonio’s charge began to fade and Aleix Espargaro again found himself in the top five, just behind a battle between VR46 teammates Bezzecchi and Marini. Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) and Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) caught that bunch around 13 laps in, but the former was then out of the race when he tucked the front through Materassi, on Lap 14. Rider ok, standings taking a dent.

Aleix Espargaro finally got back through to fourth as he went down the inside of Marini on Lap 14 at Correntaio, and Zarco relegated #10 to sixth position at the start of Lap 17. Then, Aprilia’s ‘Captain’ got ahead of the next impressive VR46 hurdle with a pass of Bezzecchi at Scarperia on lap 17.

While that was elbows out, Quartararo was starting to make inroads on Bagnaia’s margin. ‘El Diablo’ brought the gap back under a second with around half a dozen laps to go and was able to keep it there, but then the Ducati rider was able to respond. It was back out to 1.1 with a lap to go, and by the time he crossed the line for an emotional win, it was just over half a second. And those 25 points put Pecco fourth, 41 points off Quartararo.

Aleix Espargaro, meanwhile, finished just under two seconds further back, while Zarco passed Bezzechi on the final lap to claim fourth. Marini made it VR46 bikes fifth and sixth, while Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) proved once again that he is the ‘Sunday man’ by climbing from 16th on the grid to seventh all-told, and only a couple of tenths off the VR46 battle. Rounding out the top 10 were Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu), Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), and – in his last race before surgery on his right arm – Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team).

It took a video review to decide 11th position, in favour of Di Giannantonio, after he and Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) has initially posted identical race times. Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) finished 13th, Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol) took 14th, and Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) scored the last World Championship point in 15th. The non-finishers in addition to Bastianini were Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team), who crashed out on Lap 5, and Team Suzuki Ecstar duo Joan Mir and Alex Rins, who both went down in separate incidents on Lap 8. Rins’ crash was after contact with Nakagami, but the incident was reviewed and no action taken.

In the World Championship, Quartararo’s lead over Aleix Espargaro has crept up to eight points, while Bastianini is now 28 points off the pace in third spot. And Pecco is on the march… Can he make up more ground when MotoGP™ heads to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for the Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya? Find out next weekend!

Francesco Bagnaia: “Incredible. I’m already without my voice; I screamed loud and too much. it’s incredible. I think all of the team and me have really deserved this victory because we have worked a lot. Last week, we were as strong, but we were more unlucky. In any case, we worked so well during this weekend. The start was not my best start ever and in the first braking zone I was a bit late, but in any case, I’m very happy to have won this race at home, in front of our fans. It’s really great.”

MotoGP Podium (Full Results Here)

1 Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) – Ducati – 41:18.923
2 Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) – Ducati – +0.635
3 Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) – Aprilia – +1.983

Moto2
There’s a new history maker in town, or more accurately, Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) has done it again. After crashing out the lead at Le Mans, the rookie sensation reclaimed that moniker in some style as he became the youngest intermediate class winner, pulling clear in the latter stages at Mugello to take back to the top step. The previous record holder? Marc Marquez. A group fight just behind saw Joe Roberts (Italtrans Racing Team) come home second and Ai Ogura (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) complete the podium.

In doing so the Japanese rider moves up to second overall but equal on points with Championship leader Celestino Vietti (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) after heartbreak at home for the Italian, with a technical problem taking him out the fight when sat behind Roberts. There was more drama too, with Aron Canet (Flexbox HP 40) sliding out of second earlier in the race, rider ok.

Canet had got the holeshot from pole position but Acosta outbraked him when they arrived at San Donato and he led the field down the hill for the first time. Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) went past Canet through the Casanova/Savelli complex on Lap 1 but the Spaniard returned the favour on Lap 2, and Lowes instead found himself in a battle with teammate Tony Arbolino over third spot for several laps.

Acosta rode a composed race, his only real blemish being when he ran wide exiting Arrabbiata 2 on Lap 3 and got loose on the kerb. That moment allowed Canet back past, but he held the lead only until #51 slipstreamed back in front at the start of Lap 4. They were still first and second, having pulled around a second clear of the chasing pack, when disaster struck for Canet on Lap 13. He tucked the front going through Bucine and went sliding into the gravel trap, marking the end of his afternoon but rider ok.

That incident left Acosta on his own at the head of the field, but there were battles aplenty going on not too far behind. In addition to the intra-team battle between Lowes and Arbolino, Roberts and Ogura were going hard it for fifth position initially, while Vietti was on the comeback trail after he was swamped at the first corner of the race and had dropped dwon to 10th.

The pre-race World Championship leader was back up to seventh, albeit one second from the group ahead of him, when he passed wildcard Mattia Pasini (Inde GASGAS Aspar Team) on Lap 6, before Ogura got himself into fourth position when he got by Lowes on Lap 9 at San Donato. The Japanese rider was third when he did likewise to Arbolino on Lap 10, but the Italian got back ahead a lap later.

Ogura overtook Arbolino once more into San Donato on Lap 13, just before Vietti picked off Lowes for sixth through Casanova/Savelli. With Canet out of the picture, Roberts and Vietti were third and fourth once they also got ahead of Arbolino, and then they went after Ogura. The American made a bold move at Palagio on Lap 14 which held up Ogura on exit and Vietti rode through the gap too, relegating the Honda Team Asia rider to fourth.

Meanwhile, the Marc VDS duo continued to lose touch with the four ahead as they sliced and diced with each other. Matters came to a head on Lap 19 when Arbolino had a dive at Turn 2, making contact with Lowes which caused his team-mate to crash. The Briton vented his fury from the gravel trap while Arbolino would soon be issued a long lap penalty.

It was looking like a solid recovery for Vietti, who would have extended his World Championship lead if he stayed ahead of Ogura, but then his bike suffered a problem less than three laps from home. Not only did he miss out on 16 points, the extra three which Ogura would collect by inheriting third position draws them level on points at the top.

There were no such dramas for Acosta. He continued to pull away and ultimately took the chequered flag 4.051 seconds up on Roberts. Ogura finished third, and Arbolino still grabbed fourth, though just 0.015 seconds ahead of Augusto Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) after a long comeback from outside the points after a tougher qualifying and then start for the Le Mans winner.

The rest of the top 10 was Jake Dixon (Inde GASGAS Aspar Team) in sixth, from Cameron Beaubier (American Racing), impressive rookie and new full-time rider Alonso Lopez (MB Conveyors Speed Up), Marcel Schrötter (Liqui Moly Intact GP), and Albert Arenas (Inde GASGAS Aspar Team). Somkiat Chantra (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) was a notable DNF after his spill at Scarperia on Lap 5.

Moto2 Podium (Full Results Here)

1 Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) – Kalex – 39’35.930
2 Joe Roberts (Italtrans Racing Team) – Kalex – +4.051
3 Ai Ogura (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) – Kalex – +6.749

Moto3
Sergio Garcia (Valresa GASGAS Aspar Team) came out on top in a last lap classic at Mugello, with plenty of drama as two title rivals failed to score and teammate Izan Guevara crossed the finish line first. The number 28 had exceeded track limits on the last lap, however, and forfeits the win to Garcia. Tatsuki Suzuki (Leopard Racing) completed the podium as his step back into frontrunning speed continued, the number 24 overcoming a Long Lap and still crossing the line almost in unison with the GASGAS duo.

Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Tech3) got the holeshot and after only a lap, there was a trio at the front: the Turk leading Guevara and Diogo Moreira (MT Helmets – MSI), with Andrea Migno (Rivacold Snipers Team) on the chase at the front of a freight train. It didn’t stay that way for long though, with a long snake of Moto3™ machines soon making their way round Mugello.

Drama then hit for Öncü as the fight lit up though, with contact from Suzuki seeing the Turk slide out. The Japanese rider was given a Long Lap to take, and Öncü was able to rejoin, facing a fight back from well outside the points.

Meawhile, Jamue Masia (Red Bull KTM Ajo) had a moment that dropped him down the order too, just as Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing) had taken up the mantle at the front, the Italian starting to build a gap. It wasn’t to be this time round though, with the number 7 crashing from the lead and Carlos Tatay (CFMoto PrüstelGP) avoiding that, just before some more drama as John McPhee (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) crashed and Daniel Holgado (Red Bull KTM Ajo) went down in the incident too.

The shuffle left a gap behind the leading six of Moreira, Garcia, Guevara, Ryusei Yamanaka (CFMoto PrüstelGP), Riccardo Rossi (SIC58 Squadra Corse) and Migno, with Suzuki then tucked in on a mission to tag back on after completing the Long Lap. And he did it, creating a seven-rider fight for the win by five to go and then taking the lead with four to go.

On the last lap, Guevara was leading Garcia leading Suzuki, with Migno looking to attack the Japanese rider. And in classic Moto3™ style it all went down to the final corner as Garcia headed up the inside and Guevara tucked into the slipstream, with Suzuki doing the same and getting some great drive to add to the grunt of his Leopard Honda.

It was neck and neck all the way to the line, but Guevara got there first… just. And then news came through the number 28 had exceeded track limits on the final lap and the victory slipped through his fingers, promoting Garcia to the win and the 25 points. Guevara is classified second, with Suzuki completing the incredibly tight podium.

Migno just lost out on home glory in fourth, with Yamanaka completing the top five and taking his best race result yet. Rossi was the last of the front group in P6 after a tangle with Moreira at the final corner. The two suffered some light contact and then, trying to recover, the Brazilian overgassed it and highsided out.

Five seconds back there was another incredibly close trio, with Ivan Ortola (Angeluss MTA Team) beating Elia Bartolini (QJMotor Avintia Racing Team) and Matteo Bertelle (QJMotor Avintia Racing Team) to seventh. Adrian Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) just pipped debutant David Muñoz (BOE Motorsports) to the top ten, with Joel Kelso (CIP Green Power) a couple of tenths back. Mario Aji (Honda Team Asia) takes P13, with Lorenzo Fellon (SIC58 Squadra Corse) dropping to 14th after a Long Lap.

The points were completed by Öncü as the Turk put the pedal to the metal on his comeback, with Kaito Toba (CIP Green Power) and Masia joining him in a three-way battle to the line. But Öncü took it, making Sunday at Mugello a 0 for both Foggia and Masia, and a day of big gains in the standings for GASGAS.

 

Moto3 Podium (Full Results Here)

1 Sergio Garcia (Valresa GASGAS Aspar Team) – GASGAS – 39’43.214
2 Izan Guevara (Valresa GASGAS Aspar Team) – GASGAS – -0.000
3 Tatsuki Suzuki (Leopard Racing) – Honda – +0.012

Between The Hedges Pt2: Alex Pickett’s Unlucky Years At The Isle Of Man

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PB
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In volume one, Stuart interviewed his friends, Chris and Alex Pickett, about their first foray into racing on the roads at the Isle of Man. From there Alex went on to ride for a couple of well-known teams at the TT. Here’s how it went down.

Alex went on to ride for a couple of well-known teams at the TT. Here’s how it went down.
Alex went on to ride for a couple of well-known teams at the TT. Here’s how it went down.

Alex: “I had become friendly with a local Isle of Man based team when I was at the Manx GP in 2013. TC Racing is a family-based team that specialises in up and coming racers, especially ones from overseas. Cam Donald and Dave Johnson both had their first TT starts with TC Racing. Often, over the years, you’d find the three of us Aussie riders chilling out in the TC tent. It’s a real family atmosphere and they are in fact still like family to me. All decisions within the team are made as a team and they approached me to ride for them in the 2014 TT, getting sponsorship from the IOM government. I had to get myself there and pay for tyres. Everything else was covered.”

Read volume one of Between The Hedges here…

Chris: “TC Racing is not only a great team but a great bunch of people. John and Liz Taubman, their daughters Alana and Sam Taubman and their partners Gas Knight and Mick Charnock. Mick himself was a very experienced roads racer but a couple of big crashes at the the TT stopped Mick’s career. They looked after us like family, even after my mate Dave dropped a brand new Magnesium Dymag rim on the ground. Dave is no longer with us, but gave us some great laughs at the TT in 2014. Little did we know he had a brain tumour at the time and was losing the plot a little.”

“I was entered in all five races in 2014. I had a Honda CBR600RR for the Supersport class, a CBR1000RR superstocker and a full house CBR1000RR for the Superbike and Senior TTs."
“I was entered in all five races in 2014. I had a Honda CBR600RR for the Supersport class, a CBR1000RR superstocker and a full house CBR1000RR for the Superbike and Senior TTs.”

Alex had a full schedule at the 2014 TT.
Alex: “I was entered in all five races in 2014. I had a Honda CBR600RR for the Supersport class, a CBR1000RR superstocker and a full house CBR1000RR for the Superbike and Senior TTs. Practice week went ok, but not without a few dramas. The super stocker fried a fuel pump fuse and left me stranded near Sulby Bridge, and I crashed the same bike at Creg Ny Baa on another lap during practice week. I say crashed but it wasn’t as bad as that really. I had been on a flyer of a lap. I couldn’t understand why I was passing bikes so easily, thinking they were going slow. Turns out I was going fast, wheel standing everywhere and having a blast.”

Alex might've seemed like he was getting away unscathed during the TT, but he had a few offs in his career...
Alex might’ve seemed like he was getting away unscathed during the TT, but he had a few offs in his career…

“That bike was so easy to ride but as I hit the brakes for Creg Ny Baa I found I didn’t have any. All the wheel standing and head shaking had forced the front pads back in the calipers and by the time I realised what was happening I ran out of road, nose diving into the air fence at the pub on the corner. The bike plopped back down and fell over, breaking a brake lever. When I got back to the pits the team was jumping up and down, saying I was on for a 125mp/h lap until my little ‘incident’.

Chris: “Alex was going well in practice and qualifying but was struggling with the Superbike. It was a beast of a thing, with a 24-litre tank, lots of horsepower and a front end off Carlos Checa’s world superbike CBR. I think he was actually faster on the super stock 1000. A couple of times he came in with grass on the fairing where he’d nearly ran out of road, so that was a bit scary for me at least. Overall though, especially in the Supersport class, he qualified much higher than the start number the TT organisers had given him.”

Race week dawned and the Superbike TT was the first race. Alex was on the hard to ride CBR Superbike but was keen to show what he was capable of.
Race week dawned and the Superbike TT was the first race. Alex was on the hard to ride CBR Superbike but was keen to show what he was capable of.

Alex: “We were running hard compound Dunlops that year, they could do six laps. The top blokes had quick change rear axles so would change two rear tyres during the race. I had to manage my tyre wear. Turned out it didn’t matter in this race anyway. The six lap race started well but on the second lap I lost the front on a left hander just up from the Gooseneck. I was doing at least 160km/h at the time. I lost the front but managed to keep it upright, but then of course I ran out of road. I ran up the embankment and somehow managed to jump across a two car wide gap in the embankment where there was a gate for the paddock. Somehow, I managed to stay on and rode back to the pits. I was pretty shaken up but still managed a well over 120mp/h lap. There was grass and dirt everywhere on the bike, even between the tyres and the rim. How I didn’t crash I don’t know.”

Chris: “I was watching the pit crew getting ready for Alex’s first stop. Gaz Knight from TC Racing was next to me and said, “There’s something wrong”, as soon as Alex pulled up. You could see from his body language that his race was over then and there. To this day he doesn’t know if he hit something slippery on the road or just made a mistake. Luckily, he stayed upright. It was pretty scary for all of us.”

"We put a used stock engine from the wreckers in the CBR600RR for the second Supersport race and it held together." said Alex
“We put a used stock engine from the wreckers in the CBR600RR for the second Supersport race and it held together.”

Alex: “The rest of race week was a shit-fight really. The team bent over backwards for me but we just had issue after issue. I was going great in the first Supersport race until the engine blew. In the Superstock race I was pumped up more than ever before. I was flying on the first lap but the fuel pump fuse blew again. We put a used stock engine from the wreckers in the CBR600RR for the second Supersport race and it held together. I came around 30th out of near 100 riders but I knew I could have gone better. The best bit was dicing with my mate Dominic Herbertson for the entire race. I had qualified one place ahead of him but we were evenly matched. Dom went on to be a well-known sponsored TT racer in the UK. We are both from ‘Newcastle’, on opposite sides of the world.”

“The last race of the week was the Senior TT, the one every rider wants to win. Of course that wasn’t going to happen for me but I wanted to give it everything. It all went well enough on a bike I struggled to tame, but I ended up around 50th place. Then it was all over for that year.”

Alex got some good air-time on the tv (and on the bike) helping him get his name out there on an international stage...
Alex got some good air-time on the tv (and on the bike) helping him get his name out there on an international stage…

Chris: “One of the highlights was seeing Alex get some good airtime on the TT coverage. He was flat out and Michael Dunlop eased past him on top of the mountain. The commentators gave him a big rap which was nice. FOX Sports usually runs the coverage of the TT but it’s a huge thing over there. ITV4 does the coverage and you see it each night. There are something like 300 people from ITV4 working on the TT, and the night’s show starts only one hour after practice stops, for example.

“Another surreal thing happened that year and a photo was taken of Alex that went viral. Guy Martin was chasing Michael Dunlop in one of the big bike races and Martin had an onboard camera. They both caught Alex near a big jump at Ballacrye. A still shot was taken from Martin’s bike showing Alex getting big air on the CBR1000RR. Fantastic stuff.”

Alex was disappointed with his results, though much of it was out of his control.
Alex: “I was very disappointed in my 2014 results. I feel I could have gone better, especially in the Superstock race. To this day that CBR1000RR is one of the best bikes I have ever ridden, if not the best. It was so easy to ride fast and I was on a mission that day until it broke down. That one, more than any of the others, really hurt.”

If our duo from Australia thought 2014 was an underwhelming year, they were in for more pain in 2015…
If our duo from Australia thought 2014 was an underwhelming year, they were in for more pain in 2015…

Chris: “Not much was on the radar for 2015 at the TT for Alex until I got an email from Paul Phillips, the head man at the TT, saying there could be something with Ice Valley BMW. We didn’t have the money to do something ourselves from this side of the world, so the deal was not a bad one for us. The ride was paid for by the IOM government and Ice Valley with us having to pay for tyres, getting ourselves there, and crash damage. What could go wrong I though. Lots as it turned out.”

Alex: “This was the team that gave Peter Hickman his start in 2014. He did a 129 or 130mp/h lap in his rookie year so the team had some pedigree. There were three riders in the team, myself, team principal Paul Shoesmith, and French rider Franck Petricola. All of us were on BMW S1000RRs with customer superbike kitted engines. They had around 215rwhp so were fast. It all turned to crap before practice week even started. We were at Jurby Airfield to get a feel for the bikes and I managed to highside the bike big time. I was pissing blood for a week and nothing went right after that. I knew the old man wasn’t happy when I was lying in the back of the ambulance and the door came flying open, him giving me a spray and slamming the door shut. The nurse said, “who’s that?” … “My Dad,” I replied.

Thing weren't looking good for Alex all weekend... With his drive to be the fastest getting in the way of just getting around the cold course safely...
Thing weren’t looking good for Alex all weekend… With his drive to be the fastest getting in the way of just getting around the cold course safely…

Chris: “I could see someone was going to crash that day at Jurby. It was so cold and Alex was showing everyone he was the fastest. I wanted to grab the red flag and stop the session but sure enough, Alex had a massive highside. Sometimes you can see things happening before they do and that was me that day. I still maintain there was no point being out there in those conditions. The risk was much higher than any gains to be had. As they say, you can’t put an old head on young shoulders.”

Some tool time was required…
Chris: “Alex only had the one bike, which was now well damaged. I somehow became his default mechanic and had to borrow tools to get the bike back on track. From then on we chased electrical gremlins, that even factory staff from BMW head office in Germany couldn’t fix. It had a habit of cutting out and then chiming back in. We changed all sorts of stuff to no avail, so Alex had to practice on an older S1000RR while we tried to fix his bike, partly held up from waiting for parts from the mainland.”

The BMW has not happy after Alex had his off. With the brakes feeling vague and the machine wanting to tank slap...
The BMW has not happy after Alex had his off. With the brakes feeling vague and the machine wanting to tank slap…

Then practice week got worse.
Alex: “We were struggling to get our six laps of practice due to these bike issues and also poor weather. Finally I was able to get out on my bike after the team got it back together. I was running out of time to qualify so out I went. I nearly lost the front under brakes as I was braking for Ballaugh Bridge on the first lap. That was weird I thought and should have stopped to see what the issue was, but being under pressure to get my laps in I pressed on. Little did I realise my front tyre was going down. I got onto Sulby Straight and as I tipped into the right hand kink at the end of the straight I lost control of the bike. I remember just hitting the limiter in top gear as I tipped in, a millisecond before the bike went into a massive tank slapper.

“I was heading for the wall of a house and was about to jump off when the bike hit the kerb and bounced me straight. You can imagine how fast all of this happened, as I had just hit around 300km/h when I had the tank slapper. Somehow I held onto it and came to a stop at Sulby Bridge. By this stage the front tyre was off the rim.”

Practice week was now not just a physical struggle, but a mental struggle after Alex lost his teammate...
Practice week was now not just a physical struggle, but a mental struggle after Alex lost his teammate…

Chris: “I knew something had happened because live timing showed Alex hadn’t progressed beyond a certain sector of the course. Then he called me from a Marshall’s phone and told me he had a flat. We were able to borrow a van from James Whitham, ex WSBK/TT racer and TT commentator, and I went out with Dan Harrison, one of Alex’s mates from Australia, to pick him up. We had to wait until the roads were declared open and while we were doing this I got a text from Cam Donald, asking if there was anything he could do, just to ask. All good I replied, he’s just got a flat tyre. When the roads were opened up after practice we joined the course at Kirkmichael. As we came onto Sulby Straight Dan said, “someone’s crashed there, pointing to a hole in the hedge.” We only had to go another kilometre or so to get Alex but when we arrived he was very agitated, asking us how his team-mate Franck was (sadly, Franck had died as a result). Little did we know it was Franck who had crashed and created the hole in the hedge, and that was the bike Cam had seen. He thought it was Alex because all the Ice Valley bikes were painted the same.”

Alex: “That was hard to accept. Frank and I had gotten on very well and this was his first big race after crashing at the NW200 in Northern Ireland 12 months earlier. You could tell he wasn’t over his injuries as he was tired all the time. This had happened a couple of times now. In 2014 I had enjoyed a coffee with multi-British Supersport champion Karl Harris. He was a real friendly guy who had noticed me and wanted to give me some tips. I met his wife and kids and they were very nice and helpful to me. Later that day after our coffee together he was killed. We still don’t know what happened.”

“We still don’t know what caused Franck to crash either. In my situation we believe the gyroscopic forces of the wheel caused the valve to pushed down releasing air. In Australia we have to fit steel valve caps to prevent this but at the TT they use rubber caps with seals. When dad looked at the valve on my front tyre he noticed the cap was cross threaded and not on properly. Because I was riding for a well know team, Dunlop technicians would check our tyres before the race. They are no doubt under the pump time wise and to this day I believe that was the case with us. The cap wasn’t fitted properly. I should have stopped at Ballaugh when I had a big slide but I felt under lots of pressure to get a lap in to qualify so I pushed on. Then a photo of me turned up when my front tyre went flat, with me in a full on tank slapper, the actual rim on the road and the tyre only being held on by the fork leg. This caused a major stir around the paddock, including the course secretary.”

Ending up in the back of an ambulance is not the way you want to spend your weekend at the Isle Of Man TT...
Ending up in the back of an ambulance is not the way you want to spend your weekend at the Isle Of Man TT…

Race week was no better
Alex: “I was only doing the big bike classes in 2015 but never got to finish any of the three races, with a breakdown in the Superbike TT, and a crash in the Superstock TT. We’d had no end of electrical problems due to my crash at Jurby and the bike would cut out momentarily while you were on full song, then as you are shutting the throttle it would then chime back in, making it very difficult and dangerous to ride. As I was coming up to Black Hut during the Superstock TT, the bike had a hiccup again, I looked down for a moment and by the time I looked up again I had run out of road. I slipped the wall at over 200km/h and came off. I was apparently knocked out and slid for some 150 metres. I regained consciousness pretty quickly and was able to get off the track without being run over. I was lucky, only hurting my wrist and badly spraining my ankle. The bike didn’t get off so lightly.”

Chris: “That was pretty scary. I knew Alex should have come through by now, so something was wrong. I then saw one of the pit lane officials coming towards me, locking his eyes on me. I didn’t know what to think, but none of it was good. He got to me and said, “your rider’s down but he’s ok, he walked to the chopper and is heading to Nobles Hospital now.” And that was that for 2015. Alex convalesced in hospital for a few days, we flew home via Dublin where we did a tour of the Guinness factory and he managed to set his wrist bandage on fire in a pub. Then came the task of paying for the crash damage. I worked for a few months for free to pay that off.”

Had Alex run over a black cat? It certainly seems this way. Keep an eye out for the next volume of Between The Hedges...
Had Alex run over a black cat? It certainly seems this way. Keep an eye out for the next volume of Between The Hedges…

Had Alex run over a black cat? It certainly seems this way. He went it alone in 2016 to race in the Supersport class on his own Kawasaki ZX-6R and managed to win his class in the Classic TT that year too on a TC Racing owned Kawasaki ZXR750. Keep an eye out for the next volume of Between The Hedges…

Words: Stuart Woodberry 

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