WorldSBK: Race Reports From RD 12 In Argentina

By

-

October 19, 2021

The WorldSBK Championship descended on the Circuito San Juan Villicum, Argentina and it was Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) who claimed race one honours after a 21-lap encounter after transferring his Friday pace into Saturday action.

Both Razgatlioglu and Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK), decorated in a special 1990s livery to mark a special anniversary for Kawasaki, got quick starts from second and fifth on the grid respectively to lead the race into turn one, while polesitter Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) found himself on the ground at the first turn after crashing, with the Briton falling to the back of the grid.

Out in front and Rea had put pressure on Razgatlioglu for the lead of the race before the championship leader opened up the gap to Rea to just over three seconds at the end of lap eight, with the pair holding station until the end of the race. Razgatlioglu’s win meant he claimed the 50th podium of his career while Yamaha claimed their first podium at San Juan Villicum. Rea’s second place meant he claimed Great Britain’s 810th podium, while it was only the second time Rea has not won at Argentina.

Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) claimed the tenth podium of his WorldSBK career with third place after passing Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) at around half-distance of the race. Bassani had started from the front row for the first time in his WorldSBK career but fell back at the start before fighting back into third, before Rinaldi was able to pass him. Rinaldi’s podium was Ducati’s 980th podium in WorldSBK.

The battle for fourth raged on between Bassani and Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK), with Lowes, using a Top Gun-inspired livery to mark Kawasaki’s 125th anniversary, making the move through turns six and seven to move into fourth before fending off the Ducati rider down the back straight into turn eight, with Lowes finishing in fourth place and Bassani in fifth.

Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) was another who had a strong start as the lights went out but soon found himself falling back down the order as he battled with Michael van der Mark (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) and Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK); with the Dutchman claiming sixth place and Gerloff seventh. Locatelli ended the race in eighth place after starting from sixth place.

Redding ended the 21-lap race in ninth place after battling his way back from the back of the field after his turn one spill, passing numerous riders to secure a top-ten finish despite the early setback, with Leon Haslam (Team HRC) rounding out the top ten after withstanding late challenges from his rivals but unable to keep Redding behind.

Tito Rabat (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) claimed 11th place in only his second round onboard Kawasaki machinery, finishing almost two seconds clear of Chaz Davies (Team GoEleven) who finished in 12th place. Irish rider Eugene Laverty (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) moved up the order at the start of the race but fell back as the 21-lap progressed, eventually coming home in 13th place.

It was a strong showing for Samuele Cavalieri (Barni Racing Team) as he looked to claim his first top-ten finish in WorldSBK, but a late trip through the gravel meant he fell down to 14th place, four seconds behind Laverty. Japanese rookie Kohta Nozane (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) claimed the final points-paying position with 15th place.

Home hero Leandro Mercado (MIE Racing Honda Team) was 16th and missing out on points by around five seconds, but he was also five seconds clear of 17th-placed Christophe Ponsson (Gil Motor Sport-Yamaha). Two Argentinean riders rounded out the classified runners with Marco Solorza (OUTDO TPR Team Pedercini Racing) and teammate Luciano Ribodino in 18th and 19th respectively.

Alvaro Bautista (Team HRC) was the first retirement of the race after he had a crash at turn four on the third lap of the race. Isaac Viñales (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) had shown strong pace throughout the weekend but retired from race one after an early trip into the gravel at turn seven; although he did re-join the race, he retired in the second half.

Race One Podium (Full Results Here)

1 Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK)
2 Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +5.295s
3 Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +9.417s

Tissot Superpole Race
The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship continued to thrill throughout the Motul Argentinean Round as the 10-lap Tissot Superpole Race was decided by a drag race to the finish line at the Circuito San Juan Villicum with Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) and Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) dicing it out for Superpole Race honours.

Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) once again claimed the lead of the race into turn one after leapfrogging polesitter Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) while Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) was straight into podium contention from fifth on the grid and immediately battling with Toprak Razgatlioglu and Scott Redding.

At the end of lap three, Redding lost ground to Razgatlioglu after running wide at the final corner, allowing Rea to put pressure on the Ducati rider while the Turkish star was able to extend his lead at the front of the field. Redding was able to spend a few laps recovering the time to Razgatlioglu before putting pressure on the race leader with the battling right until the line; Redding looking to make a move into turn six and seven but Razgatlioglu responded to hold on to the line by just 0.046s. Razgatlioglu claimed his 13th win of 2021 with Yamaha taking their 350th podium placement. Redding claimed second for his 20th podium this campaign with Rea settling for third; the trio starting race two from the front.

As in Saturday’s race one, Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) lost ground at the start of the race but was able to fight back to claim fourth place, his best dry-weather result, in the Superpole Race after passing Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) in lap three; Lowes would drop back to ninth in the closing stages of the race. Michael van der Mark (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) and Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) once again battled it out on track with the Dutchman coming out on top to claim fifth place, with Italian rookie Locatelli in sixth and one second back from van der Mark.

After topping warm-ip on Sunday morning, Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) claimed seventh place after making progress from his starting spot, with Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) in eighth place; the Italian had battled his way up the order before losing a couple of spots in the latter stages of the race. Lowes will complete the third row after finishing ninth.

Tissot Superpole Podium (Full Results Here)

1 Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK)
2 Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.046s
3 Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +3.419s

Argentinian action in WorldSBK race two at the San Juan circuit saw the championship top three engaged in a hard-fought 21-lap battle with Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) coming out on top, Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) second and Toprak Razgatlioglu third (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK). In earlier weekend racing, Razgatlioglu won Saturday’s race one and the Sprint, while Rea took two podiums – a second in race one and a third in Sunday’s quick dash.

The Turk now holds a 30 point lead over Rea (531 to 501 points) with Redding back in third on 465 points, with the title-decider in the 2021 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship going down to the wire and to be decided at the final round, a month away at Indonesia’s Mandalika International Street Circuit on November 19-21.

Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) got a good start from third on the grid while Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) led from pole position. The pair battled through the first three laps, with Redding joining the fray, and Rea taking the lead briefly before being pushed down to third on the fourth lap of 21. On lap five, the Ducati star moved up to second with a pass on Rea before passing Razgatlioglu, while Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) continued his strong form as he battled the championship’s top three for a podium position.

Rea was able to respond to move into second and looked to take the lead, but the Turkish star was able to resist the challenge on lap six. At the start of lap nine, Redding made a move on Rea into turn one to move up into second place, with Razgatlioglu still out in front, although Redding did make a move into turn eight, with Razgatlioglu responding.

On lap ten at turn seven, Redding overtook Razgatlioglu to capture the lead, with Rea almost able to pass the Turkish star into Turn 8 but Razgatlioglu responded to keep second place. The move allowed Redding to escape the thrilling battles, with the fight between Razgatlioglu, Rea and Bassani continuing to heat up.

Rea cut back under Razgatlioglu into turn seven to briefly move into second place on lap 14 but Razgatlioglu regained the position under braking into turn eight. On Lap 16, Rea made the crucial overtake to move into turn one but Razgatlioglu fought back until turn five with the pair side-by-side throughout the sequence. Rea was able to break away to claim second place ahead of Razgatlioglu, with Redding claiming his first victory since Catalunya.

Bassani dropped away from the lead trio in the closing stages but still recorded fourth place after another excellent race for the Italian rookie as he withstood a late challenge from Ducati stablemate Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) by just half-a-second at the end of the 21-lap race. With the top four battling it out in the early stages, Michael van der Mark (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) was running in the lead group with fifth place before he was passed by Rinaldi, eventually coming home in sixth place.

Yamaha stablemates Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) and Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) finished in seventh and eighth respectively with American star Gerloff missing out in seventh spot by just three tenths at the end of the race. Despite missing out on seventh place, Gerloff’s points, coupled with teammate Kohta Nozane finishing in 14th place, was enough for GRT Yamaha to claim the Best Independent Teams’ title in 2021.

Chaz Davies (Team GoEleven) and Alvaro Bautista (Team HRC) battled it out for ninth place in the closing stages of the race with just eight tenths separating the duo as they crossed the line. Bautista, a race winner at San Juan for Ducati but making his first appearance on Honda machinery in Argentina, battled back from 15th place after missing out on a top-nine spot in the morning Tissot Superpole Race.

Bautista’s Team HRC teammate, Leon Haslam, was 11th with both Team HRC riders taking points for the team’s first appearance at San Juan. Tito Rabat (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) claimed 12th place ahead of Spanish compatriot Isaac Viñales (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) in 13th with Viñales showing strong pace throughout the weekend. Nozane took 14th place with home hero Leandro ‘Tati’ Mercado 15th (MIE Racing Honda Team) – coming home with points despite running wide at turn one late on in the race.

Irish rider Eugene Laverty (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team), still standing in for Tom Sykes, finishing in 16th place and half-a-second clear of Christophe Ponsson (Gil Motor Sport-Yamaha) in 17th and Samuele Cavalieri (Barni Racing Team) in 18th. Two Argentinean riders finished in 19th and 20th with OUTDO TPR Team Pedercini Racing duo Luciano Ribodino and Marco Solorza rounding out the field.

Race Two Podium (Full Results Here)

1 Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
2 Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +2.428s
3 Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) +3.834s

Championship Standings After Round 12 (Full Standings Here)

1 Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) 531
2 Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) 501
3 Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 465

Tech Tips: Race Fairing Fitment

By

PB

-

October 16, 2021

0

At Doctor Glass they have fitted many sets of race fairings, including their own and other manufacturer’s products. Over the years they say they have come across a variety of different problems and solutions.

Doctor Glass have been making race fairings for a number of years. Check out the guide they put together below!

In this fitment guide we cover the main points of properly fitting fairings, in what order to tackle the job, as well as showing you some of the tricks used to do a good job and help you get around some of the problems that can arise when fitting aftermarket race fairings to your bike.

Check out our other tech tips here…

Firstly, there is a proper order to things. You’ll want to fit the fairings before you paint them, then take them off to be painted. It takes us around four hours in the shop with all the tools and know-how, so allow yourself six hours or more to finish the job. Make sure you have the bike clean and set up on stands or a workbench with plenty of room to move around.

“Make sure your hands and tools are clean as the raw gelcoat will easily stain if it comes in contact with oil or grease, making it harder to paint later.”

You will need the correct tools. A compressor and a die grinder is a must for cleaning up rough areas and drilling holes. Some sand paper – 180 dry for rubbing down moulding seams and 320 dry for cleaning up edges and finishing off for paint (keep in mind that your spray painter will be able to take care of most of this when prepping). Plus all the usual workshop tools. Make sure all drill bits are sharp and ready for use!

When fitting race fairings you need to be patient. Sometimes you’ll find bolt marks that don’t line up. Often it’s simply a matter of taking a quick breather then getting back into it and you’ll find it will be something simple like the fairing not mounted correctly.

Have everything sorted and ready to go to ensure that you’re not spending all your time looking around for tools!

Sometimes the fairings may have warped a little during shipping, this is not a problem, it’s just a matter of bending them back into shape and fitting them to the bike in the correct position. Once the bike has been through a couple of heat cycles the fairings will re-set to that position.

You need to keep in mind that race fairings do not fit as well as factory plastics, so you may find areas where there are small inconsistencies. This is quite normal and not usually noticeable once the paint and stickers are on. If you check out other race bikes at the track you’ll be surprised how good they look from a distance but upon closer inspection the fibreglass fairings rarely look as neat as street fairings.

It is always best to start off with the tank cover first as it’s often the first thing that goes on from factory.

Start with the tank cover (if you have one), then seat support, ducktail, ducktail lower, upper fairing, lower fairing and finally the windscreen. You will need to be prepared to remove and refit panels a number of times to confirm correct fitting – be patient!

You will need to use the original factory bolts to mount the fairing to the frame of the bike. Taper bolts allow you to make accurate marks in fairing panels so you know where to drill. Keep in mind that sometimes mounting points on bikes will be not perfectly aligned. If your bike has been in any kind of crash, it will be likely that things such as the subframe, radiator or other mount points will be not exactly aligned. If this is the case then you may need to straighten them before fitting the glass.

Taper bolts allow you to make accurate marks in fairing panels so you know where to drill.

Sometimes you may need to grind areas off the fairing so that they fit around corners/over edges or if there are parts on the fairing that you do not require. If this is the case do not panic! Fibreglass is very easy to work with and can be easily shaped using a die grinder, electric grinder or even a hand file. If you need to remove a section of panel, simply mark what you need to remove with a marker pen and grind off the area. Finish the ground edge off with some sandpaper.

When fitting upper and lower fairings, sometimes you will find that a mount point will not line up exactly to the area on the fairing that has the recess to mark where the hole should be drilled. If this happens do not panic! Sometimes previous accidents can cause alignments to go out but it is not a problem. You can simply drill the hole in the appropriate position or you may need to space the fairing out a little from the frame with some spacers.

Don’t panic if you drill in the wrong spot!

Dzus Fasteners are great for connecting upper and lower fairings; however you need to be careful. Dzus Fasteners come in different shaft lengths and you’ll need the correct length for them to work properly. The Dzus Fasteners supplied with Doctor Glass fairing kits have 10mm shafts and are suitable for most applications so long as the fibreglass being connected is not too thick.

If the glass is too thick, such as in situations where carbon bordering has been chosen as an option, you may need to sand or grind the contact points between the fairings so that they reach the correct thickness for the Dzus Fastener to function correctly. Rivnuts also work as an excellent replacement for Dzus Fasteners if available.

When mounting the windscreen for the first time it’s best to do so with the upper fairing off the bike. Get someone to hold the screen in position then mark any holes in the fairing or screen that need to be drilled. Some windscreens come pre-drilled but sometimes you will need to drill yourself. If you need to drill holes in the screen make sure you put tape over the area first (both sides), then use the drill in reverse at a very high speed. Don’t push too hard or you’ll crack the Perspex.

Another point that is worth making is that it’s important to try to keep contaminants such as oil, grease and especially silicon off the unpainted fairings as this will make them much harder to paint.

Some fairings will have moulding seams that will need to be removed. You can either do this yourself with some 180 then 320 grade sandpaper (it’s not hard) or ask your painter to clean them up for you.

There you have it! It might sound like a big job but if you take your time, measure twice and only cut once it’ll fit great. Then its off to the painters for your fairing and you’ll have a great looking track bike in no time!

Words and Photography: Doctor Glass

MotoGP Gallery: All The Best Shots From Circuit Of The Americas

By

PB

-

October 12, 2021

0

The King of COTA is back! A faultless display from Marc Marquez saw the Repsol Honda Team rider take a magnificent seventh win at the Circuit of The Americas as the number 93 stormed to a second MotoGP victory of 2021.

Check out the full race report here…

Even in todays era with traction control and assists, getting the right amount of drive and applying just the right amount of throttle is imperative for good lap times.

Riders haven’t been to Australia since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic but 2022 could be the year racing returns!

MotoGP: Marquez Grabs Magnificent Seventh Win At COTA

By

PB

-

October 11, 2021

0

The King of COTA is back! A faultless display from Marc Marquez saw the Repsol Honda Team rider take a magnificent seventh win at the Circuit of The Americas as the number 93 stormed to a second MotoGP victory of 2021.

Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) extended his World Championship lead with a valuable second place at the Red Bull Grand Prix of The Americas, with Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) taking third but now 52 points shy of the Frenchman with three races to go…

Plan A was executed to perfection by Marc Marquez from third on the grid, the number 93 grabbing the holeshot as Quartararo also got the better of polesitter Bagnaia. The latter then lost another place to the fast-starting Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) on the opening lap, with Pecco then demoted to P5 as Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing) carved his way past on Lap 2 too.

Then, Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) was the first crasher of the race, the Japanese rider sixth when he tumbled out on Lap 2. Further back on Miller watch, Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) was making good progress on the hard rear Michelin tyre from 10th on the grid, and the Aussie grabbed a two-for-one deal at Turn 12 to pass Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) on Lap 3 for sixth .

After dispatching Rins, Martin was a formidable nuisance for Championship leader Quartararo as Marc Marquez started to stretch his lead to a second for the first time. Miller, having passed teammate Pecco, was now ahead of Rins in P4 too and the Aussie was the man on the move. Bagnaia, in turn, was struggling to keep up with the top five, initially down in sixth.

Lap 8 of 20 ticked by and Marc Marquez slammed in a 2:04.368, his lead was now up to a second and a half over Quartararo. By 11 to go, that gap had been stretched to 2.3, with Quartararo, in turn, a second clear of Martin. Miller was only half a second down on his fellow Ducati rider and 1.3 behind came Pecco, who had started to find some rhythm – the Italian soon passing Rins.

Pecco then latched onto the back of teammate Miller, before the latter allowed his teammate through – with every point in the title race absolutely critical at this stage, especially with Quartararo up ahead on second. Now, the question was: could Bagnaia catch and pass Martin for third? With four laps to go, the gap was suddenly nothing, with Martin seemingly looking down at his dashboard a few times. Was the rookie struggling, or were Ducati intervening? It wouldn’t matter in the end, with Martin being handed a Long Lap Penalty for not losing enough time at Turns 4 and 5 when he had a front end moment and ran off.

In the end though, Captain America returned to reign once again in Austin. Marc Marquez gave the Repsol Honda Team their 450th premier class podium with a classy ride at COTA, as Quartararo takes a second place that gives him his first match point of the season next time out at Misano. Bagnaia recovered well to claim P3, but its ground lost in the Championship chase… although Misano went pretty well last time for the Italian.

Rins was able to finish P4, profiting from Martin’s Long Lap Penalty, the latter unlucky to finish fifth after another fantastic ride but still top Independent Team rider. Sixth place went the way of Enea Bastianini (Avintia Esponsorama), who once again impressed as his form rolls on. He also benefitted from a clash between Mir and Miller on the final lap, and the Rookie of the Year battle is close still between Martin and Bastianini heading into the final three races.

The Mir-Miller clash earned the Suzuki rider some post-race interest from both Miller and the FIM MotoGP™ Stewards Panel. The number 36’s move on Miller at Turn 15 saw the reigning World Champion make contact with the Ducati and he received a one place penalty. Mir crossed the line in P7 with Miller P8, that result is switched after the penalty.

Binder and Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team) completed the top 10, with Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) taking home a lonely P11 but some good points. Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol), Andrea Dovizioso (Petronas Yamaha SRT), Luca Marini (Sky VR46 Avintia) and Valentino Rossi (Petronas Yamaha SRT) round out the points, The Doctor scoring in his final Grand Prix appearance in America. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) and Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) crashed out unhurt on Sunday afternoon, joining Nakagami on the list of DNFs.

So that’s that from Texas. A dream return to COTA for Marc Marquez sees the King reclaim his Austin crown. And equally as happy is Quartararo, with that 52-point advantage meaning he could now win the 2021 title next time out at Misano. Could…

Marc Marquez: “The plan was exactly how I did the race. Start well, be first at the first corner, slow in the first three laps and then when the tyres drop a bit, start to push. It’s exactly what I did. Then I saw that I increased the gap, I was riding a constant pace and comfortable. The last few laps I was tired and it was hard to concentrate but Fabio was far, my instinct said he’d slow down too because he’s fighting for the Championship. So today everyone is happy on the podium! Me for the victory, Fabio for second… maybe Pecco no! But for sure he’ll be strong again at Misano.”

MotoGP™ podium (Full Results Here)

1 Marc Marquez – Repsol Honda Team – Honda – 41’41.435
2 Fabio Quartararo – Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP – Yamaha – +4.679
3 Francesco Bagnaia – Ducati Lenovo Team – Ducati – +8.547

Raul Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) took a magnificent seventh win of the season in the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas, matching Marc Marquez’ record of seven wins as a Moto2™ rookie. The 25 points – and the continued steamrolling performance – also see him gain big on teammate Remy Gardner in the title fight, with the Australian sliding out in his first and only mistake of the year so far.

To the delight of the home crowd, Cameron Beaubier (American Racing) led into Turn 1 from the middle of the second row, but the Moto2™ rookie was in hot which allowed Gardner to swoop through into the lead. Raul Fernandez was soon P1 though, as Gardner then dropped to P4 after getting a miserable run out of the final corner heading onto Lap 2. Beaubier and Di Giannantonio were up to P2 and P3, but Gardner fought back by Lap 4.

Raul Fernandez was a second and a half up the road from Gardner, as drama unfolded for the latter. On Lap 6 at Turn 15, Gardner made his first major mistake of 2021. The Australian tucked the front and was unable to restart his machine, meaning the title race leader would score a DNF for the first time this season… but would his teammate get the job done?

Yes. With 10 laps to go, Raul Fernandez held a 1.7 lead over Di Giannantonio and no had could stop the rookie sensation from taking a monumental victory at COTA. The number 25 has been outstanding all weekend in Austin, and his latest win – coupled with Gardner’s DNF – means the Moto2™ title race is raging with three to go, jut nine points in it.

Di Giannantonio escaped the clutches of the battle for P3 between Bezzecchi, Beaubier and Tony Arbolino (Liqui Moly Intact GP), and Beaubier and Arbolino then lost touch with Bezzecchi, with Augusto Fernandez (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) the swooping through to get the better of the pair.

Di Giannantonio sailed home for second and a welcome return to the podium, ahead of Bezzecchi. Augusto Fernandez clawed his way back up to P4 and then finished just 0.9s off Bezzecchi, and in fifth came the home hero. Beaubier capped off a phenomenal home Grand Prix with his best Moto2™ result yet, showing his experience and talent at a difficult but familiar track.

Arbolino took P6 and was back in a frontrunning postcode, ahead of fellow rookie Ai Ogura (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) and the debutants shone in Texas. Xavi Vierge (Petronas Sprinta Racing), Marcos Ramirez (American Racing) and Jake Dixon (Petronas Sprinta Racing) completed the top 10.

Aron Canet (Inde Aspar Team), Jorge Navarro (MB Conveyors Speed Up), Simone Corsi (MV Agusta Forward Racing), Somkiat Chantra (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) and Bo Bendsneyder (Pertamina Mandalika SAG Team) were the final points scorers, with the likes of Albert Arenas (Inde Aspar Team) – who was taken to the medical centre for a check-up – and Celestino Vietti (SKY Racing Team VR46) crashing out of points positions. Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) also crashed out.

Moto2™ podium (Full Results Here)

1 Raul Fernandez – Red Bull KTM Ajo – Kalex – 39’10.521
2 Fabio Di Giannantonio – Federal Oil Gresini Moto2 – Kalex – +1.734
3 Marco Bezzecchi – Sky Racing Team VR46 – Kalex – +3.100

Moto3
After a dramatic morning for the Moto3™ class at the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas, Izan Guevara (Solunion GASGAS Aspar Team) emerged victorious for his maiden World Championship win.

The race was initially red flagged for an incident for Filip Salač (CarXpert PrüstelGP), before the restarted race then also came to an early end following a multi-rider incident between Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Tech3), Jeremy Alcoba (Indonesian Racing Gresini Moto3), Andrea Migno (Rivacold Snipers Team) and Championship leader Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo), riders all ok. Öncü, however, was given a two-race suspension for the incident and will sit out the Emilia-Romagna and Algarve GPs.

As 2/3 of the race distance was not completed when that second Red Flag was brought out and there was no further restart, the first start is taken as the race result and full points awarded accordingly – with Guevara earning his first 25 after steaming away at the front.

Jaume Masia (Red Bull KTM Ajo) took the holeshot before Xavier Artigas (Leopard Racing) attacked for the lead, but the rookie had just jumped the start and was given a double Long Lap Penalty. As he peeled off it was Guevara up into second ahead of Masia and Alcoba, with Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing) on the chase in fourth.

From there, Guevara barely looked back. The rookie and reigning FIM Moto3™ Junior World Champion was on rails and managed to stay ahead of the chasing pack, but they, in turn, didn’t manage to stay ahead of Foggia and those on the Italian’s tail. John McPhee (Petronas Sprinta Racing) was up into the mix and before long it was Guevara the rookie ahead of the veteran duo of Foggia and McPhee.

The crash for Salač then brought out the first Red Flag, the Czech rider falling alone and then taken to hospital for a full check up, and the restart was set for a five-lap sprint. Guevara was away in the lead again as the lights went out, but then heartbreak seemed to strike for the number 28 as a technical problem took him out the lead.

However, the back straight then saw Öncü make contact with Alcoba and the Spaniard go down, with Migno and Acosta caught up in the avoiding action. The Red Flag was immediately redeployed, and it was announced there would be no second restart, with the results taken from the first initial race. That added to the emotional rollercoaster for Guevara and he was pronounced victorious, having led for much of the action anyway, and the rookie takes his first win – ahead of Foggia and McPhee as the two charged up the field early.

Masia just missed out on the podium and takes P4, with Öncü and Alcoba classified P5 and P6 as they were in the first start. Binder takes seventh and Acosta is eighth – which sees Foggia gain a big chunk of points and the gap come down to 30 between the top two in the Championship.

Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse) takes P9, with Migno completing the top ten. Stefano Nepa (BOE Owlride), Romano Fenati (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team), Ayumu Sasaki (Red Bull KTM Tech3), Artigas and Niccolo Antonelli (Avintia VR46 Academy) lock out the points scorers, the latter despite a tumble just before the Red Flag.

Moto3™ podium (Full Results Here)

1 Izan Guevara – Solunion GASGAS Aspar Team – GASGAS – 15’57.747
2 Dennis Foggia – Leopard Racing – Honda – +0.385
3 John McPhee – Petronas Sprinta Racing – Honda – +0.499

Tech Tips: Upgrading Brake Lines

By

PB

-

October 10, 2021

0

One of the first things I do to any bike I get that is going to be used on the track is fit braided stainless steel or Kevlar brake lines, usually either Hel Performance or Venhill. Although modern brakes are fantastic with a much more solid feel and feedback than of days gone by, there are advantages to fitting aftermarket lines.

Upgrading to braided or kevlar lines on an older bike can make a difference to braking pressure!

Check out our other tech tips here…

The first and foremost is that you get a more consistent solid lever under extreme repeated hard braking conditions. When brake fluid reaches high temperatures stock lines soften and swell under lever pressure, meaning the rider loses lever and this is a nightmare.

Always ensure you bleed your new lines after installing them, air bubble in them will cause nightmares!

The second is feel – with a more one-to-one ratio due to no swelling at all during braking the lines give you a more intimate fell and you can brake on the limit with much more finesse in both wet and dry conditions.

Fitting lines compliments changing to race brake pads and even cast iron rotors if you have the cash. But in general standard stainless steel rotors, brake lines, good quality fluid and a good master-cylinder, along with race brake pads, will give you a top braking package but remember your brakes are only as good as your suspension and tyres!

If you are serious about track days, aftermarket performance brake lines are on the must-fit list… Words: Jeff Ware

Track Guide: Barbagallo, Western Australia

By

PB

-

October 10, 2021

0

Going all the way over to Western Australia to race motorbikes in the early days seemed like another country that you only ever read about once a year in the magazines when they reported the results of the Australian Championship round.

WA was like another world for the east coast, getting bikes and equipment out there to race was a logistical challenge.

The pictures always showed how much sand there was everywhere at Barbagallo and that the bikes stayed upright in the sand when they ran off the track, even when the riders were no longer on board! My first experience over there was in 1994 for the round of the Shell Oils Australian Road Race Championships.

The only viable option expenses-wise was for a whole group of riders to get together and crate all the bikes up in a pantec truck and get someone to drive them over and back via Mallala for their round of the Championship.

“With my dad having a Budget Rent a Car franchise, it meant one of his trucks was the chosen vehicle and all the other guys paid so much apiece for a place in the truck.”

Chris Taylor’s Dad, Alf, was the driver so he didn’t have to pay as driving was considered a pretty good contribution. A certain Troy Bayliss had his ZZR600 in the truck, too! This allowed the rest of us to fly over and see our bikes again at the racetrack. Everyone seemed to be on the same Qantas flight over from Sydney with all the factory Superbike riders of the day stationed up the back of the plane conducting the party.

We were staying at the Wanneroo Tavern with Phil Harper and his dad Bob and the Buckmasters – Malcolm and Damon. Phil knew the Buckmasters pretty well from the NSW Central Coast and they had advised us to stay there as it was pretty close to the track but could get a little noisy and rowdy on Thursday, Friday and Saturday night.

With most riders having to fly out to Western Australia and stay for the weekend. Barbagallo round were always a weekend of partying.

That didn’t worry Malcolm though because he would just get up and go and sort them out. As a 17 year old I hadn’t had many nights out or seen too many things out of the ordinary such as topless waitresses on Thursday nights around the pool tables and a pub rocking all night, but the Wanneroo Tavern gave me all of those things.

After dinner in the bistro on Thursday night, the old boys decided they needed a beer or two so we riders accompanied them in for a squash before official practice started the next day only to be greeted by naked ladies everywhere. Needless to say we probably drank all the squash in the joint before getting off to bed to get some sleep.

Check out our other track guides here…

The Saturday topped it all though when the general pub noise was getting louder and louder and I was sleeping like a log until woken yelling just outside our window. Dad was awake so we got up to see what was going on.

Phil and Bob were up too with their door open and Malcolm was definitely up. Apparently one of the drunks had wandered over, obviously lost and had tried to get into their room through the window and Malcolm had come straight out ready to have this bloke. Upon seeing big Malcolm, the bloke shit himself. Realising he had made a big mistake on his room choice, he skipped up onto a car and then onto the motel roof to get away from Malcolm.

“The first thing you notice about the track is that there is sand everywhere. It’s pretty much built in the sand hills with a go-kart and motocross track also on the site.”

What we had heard was Malcolm telling this bloke to get down and accept his punishment and the bloke pleading with Malcolm to be let go in one piece. A good old-fashioned stalemate was what we had but it all ended peacefully and became a good story to tell about the Wanneroo Tavern.

The track surface was very abrasive but also very grippy especially in the wet which I suppose it had to be considering when the wind came up the sand blew onto the track. The track goes clockwise so right, right, right most of the time, which I liked.

As Andrew grew older, together with his dad they would drive across the Nullarbour to get to the next round in SA.

As the years went on, dad and I did it together in a Hiace bus that went over on the train and we drove it back across the Nullarbor picking up Craig McMartin’s trailer after their vehicle had broken down in a race to get to Mallala for the next round. Needless to say the fuel economy went out the window towing the trailer across the desert coupled with the fuel prices out there. The year after, Peter Doyle agreed to throw our private ZX-6R in their truck and dad and I managed to get two third places against all the factory teams and that weekend probably got me started with Doyley and crew. At the very next round, the latest model I had been waiting for was ready and prepared by TKA and it led to second in the championship that year behind Damon Buckmaster.

The pit facilities were always good with competitors side by side in the carports in the early days, to the more upmarket lockable sheds that were generally privately owned and made available for the bigger teams over the weekend.

Barbagallo was all about flowing well through corners and carrying as much speed as possible on smaller bikes.

The Supersport bike was all about corner speed and maintaining momentum while the Superbike was all about getting it up and managing the wheel spin and hence tyre life. I have to say though, the Superbike was by far the most fun around there especially getting out of the bowl out the back.

The accommodation changed from the Wanneroo Tavern to Hillary’s Boat Harbour as things got better but it was always the round that everyone looked forward to all year – from the welcoming club and fans over there to the Sunday night parties in the clubhouse at the track. There was always the core group of workers headed by Denise that put on a great weekend and made everyone welcome and nothing had changed when I went back in 2009 for the Kings of Wanneroo.

“Thankfully an Australian Championship round has returned there because it was simply criminal they lost it and it’s not a real Australian Championship without going to Wanneroo.”

I told you I would finish the story of the rental car going around the adjacent motocross track so here are a few more details. Now I won’t mention any names and it was a few years before my time so maybe it’s just myth but as I said a rental car was rumoured to be taken around the motocross track and by the end it would only go in fifth gear and reverse. To make matters worse, it was bent through the middle and the doors wouldn’t open so when it was finally returned to the airport all occupants had to get out through the windows.

Summing up Wanneroo there is no doubt it always provides great racing and passionate spectators but by week’s end there will always be a few new stories to tell.

The track is made up of seven flowing and highspeed corners, coming in at just 2.45km long in its full layout.

TURN ONE
It has a pretty short front straight and depending on gearing, fifth gear was about as high as you would ever get (and sometimes only fourth). Normally you’re grabbing the brakes well past the end of the pit wall (around the pit lane exit), going back to third and running in really fast. It wasn’t a key overtaking spot but it could be done, you had to block the other rider a little, stopping yourself and trying to prevent running those couple of bike lengths wide allowing your competitor straight back past you on the inside.

“Turn one has a pretty short front straight and depending on gearing, fifth gear was about as high as you would ever get (and sometimes only fourth).”

Third gear seemed generally a little tall on the entry but it made you keep it rolling around the long right to keep the corner speed up for the exit which ended up being a quick run up to the uphill left. Getting it up onto the fatter part of the tyre was important on the exit because it was very easy to lose that jump off the turn while it was spinning

TURN TWO & THREE
These two weren’t really turns for me just flicks left and right as quick as possible before getting into the fast uphill Turn Four. Although, through the right flick you had to be very careful not to touch the inside kerb with the engine case and then not touch the drain on the inside of the entry to Turn Four.

Turn two and three were extremely subtle corners, meaning you could run it relatively straight through here.

TURN FOUR
Was the only real left hand turn on the track but it was long and allowed you to easily get the tyres scrubbed and enough heat into them. It was third gear on all bikes and was uphill so I always found myself running in really fast but still thinking maybe I could have pushed a little more going in. Once the bike was settled it was straight back on the gas to keep the speed building. It was critical to keep it tight all the way around the uphill left but circuit knowledge was also critical because you couldn’t see the next right!

Turn four and five would link together well, it was important to get a good run out of both of them with it leading onto a short straight.

Until you knew exactly when to flick it right you were guessing, which meant sometimes doing it too early and heading for the inside kerb and sometimes too late and getting out into the sand on the exit. During that flick to the right there was also a gear change up to fourth and then another one to fifth at the crest of the hill as you were touching the outside kerb on the exit to keep the front wheel down before heading down into the bowl.

Grabbing the brakes into this sweeping corner.

TURN SIX
This is still one of my all-time favourite corners because of how much fun you can have on the exit with wheel spinning and tyre smoking, especially on a bike with some horsepower. It was downhill braking, back to third and also a really good overtaking opportunity if you had gotten over the top of the hill before well. It was a matter of getting it in there and hitting your apex, getting it pointed in the right direction and then start opening the throttle and let the fun begin. It really was dirt-tracking skills at their best. The exit just opened up and there was so much room heading back up the hill with the tyre spinning while you were grabbing gears. All the talk at the end of the races between riders was how much smoke was coming off your tyre and how much smoke we were riding through.

TURN SEVEN
This was the last overtaking chance and probably where all the races were settled. I won battles there but also lost a few, too. Getting the bike over the hill in top gear without flipping it was the first issue, well before the braking duels started but once you touched down it was about going in as deep as possible. The middle part of the braking zone starts going uphill after the steep downhill run and this was the first time I have ever felt front forks bottoming-out under brakes.

After sneaking up the inside of someone you had to hold your line or they would be back up the inside on the exit and beat you to the line while you were trying to stay off the big high kerb on the exit. That kerb is also where it can all come unstuck trying to jump it, or if you get the rear over the crown, it lets go really quick (as happened to Crusty one year). The key was to just use the inside part of it as a bit of a berm. This was where all the spectators were and generally there was plenty for the marshals to clean up in the sand after some of the moves didn’t stick.

On Track: Girls Only Track Days

By

PB

-

October 10, 2021

0

The Girls Only Track Days started out with the Facebook page “Australian Female Roadracing Association” that I had created to promote more women in our sport. Considering there are only a handful of female road racers in Victoria, I thought there should be so many more.

The girls only track day was created to help women have a safe space to enjoy their hobby and encourage more to get involved with the sport!

It was the night before an Interclub round where myself, another female road racer Tracey Davies, Dean and Marlene von Schill from Vons Trackside Tyre Service had camped at the track. We were hanging out in the pits late at night, when the Manager of Broadford, Martin Doxey came by and decided to join us for a few drinks. We started talking about women in racing and the reasons why roadracing is such a male dominated sport. I then told him about the AFRA page and Marty came up with the idea of holding a women’s only track day and asked if we would be interested in running it. We thought it was a fantastic idea, so that’s how it all started.

Despite only have four weeks to promote it…

Plenty were keen to come along for the ride.

The first Girls Only Track day, we only had four weeks to promote and organise it. It was the middle of winter and somehow we managed to score an absolutely perfect day, the sun was shining and we had blue skies all day. We only had about 18 or so entrants for the first one but considering the amount time we had and the lack of being able to ‘get the word out there’, I think it was a pretty good turn out.

The track chosen for the event was Broadford.

Broadford is perfect for all skill levels thanks to its short layout.

The first day was already showing signs of success!

The days basically run in either 2 or 3 separate speed level groups. As most of the time, the majority of the girls who come to our track days, they are first timers or novices who have never been on the track before, so we would usually run a session for first timers and then another session for intermediate/advanced riders. This is a very good stepping stone for the newbies as we run tuition throughout the day, both on track and off track.

The riders were also treated to some training on the day too, all the basics are covered to help progression on the track!

Tracey Davies, Lisa Sciberras and myself help the girls out on track showing them lines etc and ASBK Supersport rider/coach Darren Sciberras runs the classroom theory in between sessions, which is pretty basic stuff but it really does help the girls when they go out there. The team at Vons Trackside Tyre Service do the scrutineering in the morning and also give the girls a basic run over on how they should set their bikes up for the track, tyre pressures etc. We also run another session for sidecars. Brian March who is the President of HMRAV Sidecar Club organises a few sidecars to come down for the day for any of the girls who want to have a go at ‘swinging’. This is a very good introduction to the sidecar world and it brings a whole lot of extra fun to the day at no extra cost.

All bikes were welcome, even sidecars. Giving the girls a chance at experiencing the world of sidecar racing.

I think racing or just even doing a ride day at a track can be intimidating for not only women but men also. From my experience of doing my first track day, yes it was a bit intimidating. I was nervous for weeks leading up to it, but when I got out there, it wasn’t that bad at all. I absolutely loved it and it really wasn’t as scary as I had been thinking. So one track day turned into many more, I got quicker and that’s how I started racing.

The second event proved even more popular!

Opening up the track to be a safe space for everyone!

Helping more women make the move into motorsport.

The second Girls Only Track Day we had a fair few more girls show up, even though the day started off a bit slow as it was raining in the morning, after lunch the sun came out and it turned out to be a great day. We are getting more exposure and I have been receiving enquiries from all over Australia. There are even other racers from other states who are looking at starting Girls Only Days in their own state too which is fantastic.

These events are all non for profit which makes them very affordable compared to a standard track day.

I’m also on the Motorcycling Victoria Womens Committee who’s goal is to increase female participation in all areas of motorcycling. This will relate to all disciplines, even when it comes to getting more officials and volunteers involved, track facilities etc. I’m hoping that being on this committee will help strengthen the Girls Only Track Days to get the word out there and to facilitate in making it an even better event.

Words: Jessica Watkins Photography: Brenden Murphy

Tech Talk: Picking the Right Brake Pads

By

PB

-

October 8, 2021

0

PitBoard-Brake-Pads-3 — Remove old pads and replace with new

Modern bikes have brilliant brakes and really, none of them need much upgrading on the street unless you are a really serious rider. On the track, however, it is surprising how quickly braking performance shortfalls are highlighted.

Changing your brake pads is an important part of maintaining maximum performance from your ride.

Repeated hard braking from high speed generates temperatures that simply don’t come into the equation on the road and suddenly, you find that your OEM or street compound brake pads are not coping. They may glaze up due to excess temperature and fade. They may get so hot that they overheat your brake fluid and cause excess lever travel or a spongy lever.

Check out our other tech tips here…

You may also find you don’t have enough braking power or initial bite at the track and these things all contribute to overloading street compound brakes – expecting them to perform outside of their intended operating parameters is just not going to work. So, the solution is to head to your local bike shop and grab a set of race pads.

All with different kind of performance focuses.

Whether you prefer EBC, Dunlopad, Bendix, Ferodo or any other quality brand, the trick is to get a set that is designed for what your needs are. Sometimes you need more than one type of pad, depending on whether you are racing or doing ride days.

A good sports sintered or organic brake pads will give you stronger initial bite with more feel than a street pad. It will also offer more intimate feel when modulating brake pressure and give much more stopping power, with out the heat and fade issues. A sintered or organic pad will give you a good range of operating temperatures and you can still expect a good few track days out of a set, usually with less rotor wear than harder compound street sintered pads will create.

To get the brake pads out, first remove the caliper bolts.

If you want to get really serious you can go with a pad like the Bendix Carbon-Matrix, which is what I use on short circuits where there is a short straight. They need to be up to temperature to be effective and they are seriously hard-core when it comes to stopping power and initial bite. On tracks with long straights, however, such as Eastern Creek, they cool down and do not perform as well until back up to temperature again.

There are plenty of good brands out there and lots to choose from. Ask your local Spare Parts Interpreter at your local bike shop for the right advise and get fitting!

You can squeeze that lever as fast as you like but unless you have the correct brake pads you’re never going to be a late braker… Words: Jeff Ware

Tech Tips: Transporting Your Bike To The Track

By

PB

-

October 7, 2021

0

This issue I want to discuss the transportation of your bike and gear, this may be to a track, service centre after a breakdown or just taking the bike away with you when travelling. Believe me, you can do damage to your bike without even starting it when it’s in transport.

There are many different ways to transport you bike; by trailer, by utility, by van or by truck; I’ve even seen a guy with an outfit with the bike on the side!

Obviously, we all want to make sure our pride and joy is going to be transported safely and arrive at the destination in the same condition as when we started. This is where it can be difficult if you don’t know or understand what the bike needs and what you need to do to make sure that all is safe and all is not damaged.

Check out our other tech tips here…

First and for most is how you get the bike into the transportation you have decided to use. I can’t think of many examples where you can just roll the bike in without having to climb some sort of gradient, so, we are going to need a ramp. Now, I mean a ramp, not a lump of timber, not a section of U channel from a building site and not a convenient couple of mates to help you lift it on. Mind you I have one ingenious rider at Eastern Creek load and unload his and hers bikes using a hydraulic crane off the side of his truck using slings to support the bike! Very clever.

The height that you have to get the bike to, ute or trailer or van, can be made far easier if you obtain a ramp that can be long enough to make the ramp angle more shallow, this alone will make the job of pushing or riding, yes riding, you bike into or onto your transport.

You can use a ute to transport everything to the track but the easiest way to pack everything will always be a trailer.

There are many types and styles of aftermarket ramps, most are aluminium and most fold for convenient storing; some have supports to the ground in the middle and so on. One of the most important things you can do with your ramp is have it lock in, in some fashion to the trailer, van or ute. This obviously stops the ramp from moving when loading or unloading, a secure ramp gives you confidence to hit the ramp with speed when loading. If it slips to the side you will drop the bike from a fair height. You might even end up under it and injured.

Once the bike is on board, it has to be secured; many bike trailers have a built in front wheel support area. Box trailers, vans and utes don’t so you need to make sure that the front will stay where you want it to. There are many aftermarket support stands that can be bolted down to the floor of a trailer, van or ute. Most will hold the bike upright when the front wheel is in place giving the luxury to then move around the bike without the fear of it falling while you tie it down, these are a must if you are doing this a lot on your own.

Tying the bike down is the most critical and misunderstood aspect of the job. This is where damage can occur to your bike, forks and fork seals can damage very quickly if you tie the bike down incorrectly.

The bike, even when tied down, must be able to move, the suspension must be able to go through it’s normal movement without being hindered. The bike needs to be able to bounce but not come loose. If you lock in both the front and rear wheels absolutely solid with no back and forth movement the bikes suspension can’t move or travel. Think about it, the wheel base of you bike changes as you ride, the suspension when fully extended gives the longest wheel base to the bike, when the suspension compresses the wheel base shortens because the forks are angled, the swingarm also changes the wheel base.

So, if you lock both wheels, there is nowhere for the suspension to move except to try and compress and as a result damage will happen to your bike. Most common is fork seals and steering stem bearings, but the longer the bike is tied down and the longer the distance of transport, more damage can occur. You also need to ensure that hooks or soft ties are secured in a way that when the suspension of the bike compresses over bumps, the strap or tie down won’t become unhooked from the bike when the strap goes slack momentarily.

The answer is to only lock down one wheel, if the front is your choice, lock it by the axle or lower section of the forks near the axle, not by the triple trees pulling the front down, this will cause damage. If by the rear wheel, the same applies, only by the wheel, there are some very good tie down systems for rear wheel on the market. There are also many types and brands of tie downs, I prefer the ratchet type, fitted properly they never come undone. To support the bike from rocking from side to side, use points on the frame about mid point and about at wheel height. This will support the bike but not put strain on it.

“To support the bike from rocking from side to side, use points on the frame about mid point and about at wheel height. This will support the bike but not put strain on it.”

Think about where you put your fuel can, tools and any other gear including the ramp, if these are just placed in the vehicle or trailer and not secured they will move, they can then rub or scrap your bike, rub or scrape on other gear, it wouldn’t be good to have you fuel can rubbed through on a trip and end with 20 litres of fuel sloshing around in the back of the van or trailer.

And one thing I always remember – Mark Stenburg, our contributor and lawyer, once represented a man who’s bike ramp bounced off his trailer, went through a car windscreen and seriously injured the driver. He did jail time. So always secure your ramp!

If your bike falls off on the freeway, it’s gonna cost you big bucks! Words: Paul Bailey

Tech Tips: How To Lock Wire Your Bike

By

PB

-

October 6, 2021

0

With the abundance of track days and race meetings around the country today, with two major road racing series and numerous other local club racing and the ever popular track days at virtually every track in the country, track bikes and race bikes in particular need to be prepared properly for their duties on the track. Even your road bike can benefit from lock wiring.

Lock Wiring is an important part of preparing your bike to head out on the track. But how do you ensure its done properly?

Firstly, any motorcycle used for competition, in our case, road racing, must by National and State motorcycle racing governing bodies standards, have certain parts lock wired for safety reasons. Parts including, drain plugs, oil filters – either spin on type or cartridge type oil filters, filler caps, radiator caps, water overflow caps front brake calliper mounting bolts and any other plug or drain that can allow the escape of any fluid from the motorcycle must be lock wired and inspected before the motorcycle can be used for any competition.

Check out our other tech tips here…

Track bikes, although not race bikes, should still be lock wired. Track bikes are under far more stress over a short period of time than a road bike. Any mechanical device has an inherent vibration or harmonic point that can loosen bolts, nuts and fittings with great ease, everything may be tightened to torque specifications, but with constant high rpm many of these fittings will loosen and can then cause a weep or a spill of fluid.

“With constant high rpm many fittings will loosen and can then cause a weep or a spill of fluid.”

Obviously any fluid spilt onto a track during racing or track days is a highly dangerous event. It can sometimes take half a lap or more before a rider of a leaking bike may realise he has a oil or fluid leak, or it may cause him or her to crash as a result of the same fluid leak, it can also of course, cause other riders to crash when they run over the spilt fluids. As you can imagine this can seriously delay any racing or any track sessions while the offending fluid spill is cleaned up from the track to then allow racing or track sessions to continue. As a racer and track day manager of Eastern Creek Ride Days I’ve seen the results of these spills in both lost track time, damage to machinery and personal injuries.

By adopting the attitude of safety and lock wiring the motorcycles drain plugs, filters, filler caps and radiator caps; these unnecessary track incidents could almost be eliminated completely. I can hear some of you saying, if I lock wire my road bike, when I sell it people will think it has been raced. It only takes a few dollars to replace the drilled parts with new; no one will really know what you have done. The reality is most race bikes sold as road bikes have had this done already. The benefit is, you have made your bike safer for you for either on the track or road.

Special lock wiring tools are available.

But you can just use pliers if you don’t have the specific tool.

Special lock wire tools are available from most good car or bike performance centres. Stainless steel wire of different gauges are available also, but too light a gauge wire may break too easily during fitting, so a reasonably strong wire is best that is also flexible enough to be twisted by the tool.

Once you have identified the bolts and plugs that need to be lock wired, use a sharp drill bit, use either a bench drill (for more control) or a variable speed hand drill to do the necessary drilling of the parts. Try to think about where you are drilling, thinking ahead to where you will attach the lock wire from the part to another securing point on the bike. Try to position the two points so that the plug or part can’t unwind any distance, imagine how the plug would unwind, and attach the wire so it can’t rotate from the locked position.

“Try to think about where you are drilling, thinking ahead to where you will attach the lock wire from the part to another securing point on the bike.”

If you have a spin on oil filter, attach a good quality hose clamp around it and have that clamp pinching the lock wire under it, then you can use the tool to spin the two strands of wire and then attach the wire to another point on the bike, again think about the direction that the filter will unwind and counter that with the anchoring of the lock wire.

The tool is simple to use, cut a length of lock wire, pass it through the pre drilled hole you have created in the plug or part, then double up the wire so you have the two strands next to each other. Hold the wires to where you are going to attach to the frame or other anchor point, at this distance place the tool over the wire and clamp the wires tightly, then lock the pliers shut.

You can then pull on the spiral knob at the end of the plies and they will automatically twist the wires together. Do this a number of times till the wires are twisted like a rope, be careful not to over twist or you will break them and have to start again. Find the anchor point you are using and pass one wire either side of the anchor point and then lock and twist the wires around the anchor point, you can then trim and fold the twisted wires out of the way. You have now successfully lock wired your bike!

Lock Wiring Costs

Lock wire tool $35 – $70
Stainless steel wire per container $30

Lockwiring is one of the most important things you should do to your bike before heading on track… Words & Photography: Paul Bailey

WorldSBK: Race Reports From RD 12 In Argentina

Tech Tips: Race Fairing Fitment

MotoGP Gallery: All The Best Shots From Circuit Of The Americas

MotoGP: Marquez Grabs Magnificent Seventh Win At COTA

Tech Tips: Upgrading Brake Lines

Track Guide: Barbagallo, Western Australia

On Track: Girls Only Track Days

Tech Talk: Picking the Right Brake Pads

Tech Tips: Transporting Your Bike To The Track

Tech Tips: How To Lock Wire Your Bike

Latest Posts

Aussies Racing Abroad March 2025

Elite U21 and U16 speedway talent racing at Albury-Wodonga

2025 ASBK Round One | Waters dominates at Phillip Island

Most Popular

Racer Test: CFMoto 650NK-TT, Chinese-Built Supertwin

Track Guide: Phillip Island, Victoria

Racer Test: 2009 Yamaha TZ250 GP Bike

Fast Access