WorldSBK: Race Reports From RD11 At Portimao

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October 5, 2021

Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) raced to victory, his first in WorldSBK at the Algarve circuit in Portimao and his 11th of the year, whilst Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) crashed at speed from the lead of the race at turn 15.

In what was one of the most intense opening five laps of the season, neither Razgatlioglu or Rea wanted to give an inch as they duelled hard. On lap two, Rea put a superb pass on Razgatlioglu at turn 11 but Toprak held on at turn 12, firing his Yamaha back through. Rea tried again at turn 13 but ran slightly wide, whilst Razgatlioglu scythed back through, colliding with Rea. The fight continued as Rea had a huge moment at turn one on lap five before getting under Razgatlioglu again at turn 11, whilst race leader Scott Redding ran wide at turn 13, with Rea coming back through to the lead. Then, disaster, as Rea tucked the front at turn 15, his Kawasaki ZX-10 RR barrelling through the gravel.

At the front, Scott Redding was leading the way until Toprak took back the lead at turn 1 with just less than four laps to go, and whilst Redding continued to try and retaliate, he couldn’t keep Toprak at bay. Razgatlioglu delivered Yamaha a first Portimao win since Marco Melandri in 2011.

The fight for third was an ongoing affair throughout the 20-lap encounter with Leon Haslam (Team HRC) starting from third place holding onto that position until around the mid-way point of the race before he dropped positions, with Alvaro Bautista (Team HRC) working his way up to third place on lap 12. There was plenty of action between the six riders in contention for a podium, with Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK), Haslam and Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) all running wide at turn one at various points of the race.

As the race progressed, Bautista was unable to pull out a gap to the chasing pack with Loris Baz (Team GoEleven) and Michael van der Mark (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) chasing Bautista, Baz making the move at turn one before van der Mark and Locatelli, still chasing third, made contact at turn five with Locatelli retiring and van der Mark bringing his bike back to the pits; the incident will be investigated after the race by the FIM WorldSBK stewards. With the pair out of contention for the podium, Baz and Bautista battled for third place with the Spaniard coming out on top. At turn 15 on the final lap, Bautista crashed out of the race with Baz inheriting third place, his first podium since his WorldSBK return.

Rinaldi finished the race in fourth place after the incredible battle for third place, with Haslam eventually coming home in fifth place after starting from the front row. Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) claimed a solid sixth place, just three tenths behind Haslam in fifth place.

Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) continued his strong rookie campaign with seventh place ahead of Argentinean star Leandro Mercado (MIE Racing Honda) claiming eighth place – his best result of the 2021 campaign. Eugene Laverty (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) battled up for ninth with Christophe Ponsson (Gil Motor Sport-Yamaha) claiming tenthh.

Isaac Viñales (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) missed out on the top ten by just over half-a-second but came home in 11th place, just ahead of Italian Samuele Cavalieri (Barni Racing Team); Cavalieri just a second behind Viñales. 2014 Moto2™ World Champion Tito Rabat (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) scored points on his first WorldSBK race onboard Kawasaki machinery, with Kohta Nozane (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) and Jonas Folger (Bonovo MGM Racing) rounding out the points.

Loris Cresson (OUTDO TPR Team Pedercini Racing) was the last of the classified riders with the Belgian missing out on a point by just 0.079s. Cresson’s teammate, Lachlan Epis, retired from the race after bringing his bike into the pits, while Gabriele Ruiu (B-Max Racing Team) was also a retirement from the race, along with Rea, Locatelli, van der Mark and Bautista.

Race One Podium (Full Results Here)

1 Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK)
2 Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.691s
3 Loris Baz (Team GoEleven) +10.628s

Tissot Sprint Race
Almost 3,000 days since their last win in 2013 (Nürburgring), BMW claimed WorldSBK victory as Michael van der Mark mastered tricky conditions at the Algarve circuit at Portugal’s Portimao to take the flag in the Tissot Superpole Sprint, while title contender Kawasaki’s Jonathan Rea crashed out.

Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) got the better start of the xhampionship’s lead trio but soon found himself under pressure from Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) and Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), with six-time world champion Rea taking the lead on the opening lap.

As the leaders approached turn 13, Rea lost the front of his machine and went off the track, the crash forcing him out of the race for the second consecutive race after his race one crash on Saturday, meaning Rea will start from tenth for race two Sunday afternoon. Razgatlioglu and Redding were the lead duo, but things soon changed in the 10-lap race as Razgatlioglu dropped down through the order while Redding remained clear at the front.

\With all the drama out in front, van der Mark was working his way through the field and moved into the lead of the race on lap 4 after taking advantage of Redding running wide at the left-hander hairpin; BMW leading a race for the first time since Phillip Island 2020. He will therefore start race two from first on the grid, ahead of Redding in second.

Loris Baz (Team GoEleven) claimed third place after withstanding the challenge from Leon Haslam (Team HRC), although Haslam did briefly pass Baz before crashing out on lap 8. A second crash for Haslam on lap 9 meant he brought his machine back to the pits, promoting Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) into fourth place.

Alvaro Bautista (Team HRC) was another beneficiary from his teammate’s misfortune to move into fifth place, ahead of championship leader Razgatlioglu in sixth; the Turkish star able to limit his damage in the race after dropping down the order rapidly in the early stages, with Bautista and Razgatlioglu completing the second row alongside Locatelli.

Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) continued his streak of top-ten finishes since his podium finish in Catalunya with seventh place, withstanding a charge from Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) with the American star just 0.068s behind Bassani. Irish rider Eugene Laverty (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) was almost two seconds back from Gerloff with ninth as he starts from the third row.

Isaac Viñales (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) claimed the first top ten of his WorldSBK career as he finished in tenth place, as the top Kawasaki rider, two seconds clear of Leandro Mercado (MIE Racing Honda Team) in 11th; although both riders will start from their Superpole result as they missed out on a top-nine spot.

Tissot Superpole Podium (Full Results Here)

1 Michael van der Mark (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team)
2 Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +4.140s
3 Loris Baz (Team GoEleven) +5.479s

Race Two
The start was delayed due to a technical issue when the riders were lining up on the grid, with the delay meaning the race distanced was reduced one lap to 19 laps. Starting from tenth place, Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) was on the move from the get-go and was second by the end of the opener, while Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) moved into third place.

Rea made his move for the lead through the fast turn nine left-hander on lap two on Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), relegating the British rider who had led from the start. At the start of lap two, Razgatlioglu passed Rea into turn one before the six-time world champion responded. The trio were battling throughout the opening laps, with both Razgatlioglu and Rea able to take advantage of Redding running wide at turns five and ten on the same lap.

Razgatlioglu made a move on Rea down the start-and-finish straight to move into the right-hander of turn one at the start of lap seven, before Rea responded at turn ten. At the end of lap ten, Razgatlioglu crashed at turn 15, the same place Rea did in race one, forcing the championship leader out of the race. Rea went on to take the 110th win and the 210th podium of his career, narrowing the gap in the championship to 24 points. Rea’s victory means both he and Razgatlioglu have scored 25 podiums this season, the first time it has happened in WorldSBK history. The top two in the Championship are also tied with 25 podiums and 11 wins each.

At the start of lap 13, Loris Baz (Team GoEleven) moved up into podium contention after his third-place start in race two after overtaking Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) into turn one; Alvaro Bautista (Team HRC) had tried to pass both of them but Baz was wise to it, cutting back on the Spanish rider to re-take third place. Two laps later and Bautista looked to make a move through the opening couple of corners with Baz defending and keeping the position.

On lap 18, Bautista looked to make a move on Baz into the turn five hairpin, with Bautista running wide and Baz looking to reclaim the place. Through the exit of the corner, the pair made contact with Bautista coming off his bike and retiring from the race. Baz held on to cross the line in third place, while Locatelli came home in fourth place after withstanding a late surge from fellow Yamaha rider Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) in fifth place. After the race, Baz was sanctioned with a one place position drop, demoting him to fourth place and promoting Locatelli to third; the Italian’s fourth podium of his rookie campaign.

Michael van der Mark (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) was sixth after starting from first place, five seconds clear of Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) with the Italian suffering from a right ankle sprain and contusion and a right hip contusion following his Tissot Superpole Race crash. He battled with Leon Haslam (Team HRC) throughout the race with the pair separated by just three tenths at the end of the 19-lap encounter.

Italian rookie Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) continued his strong form with ninth place, after battling with Rea during the open lap of the race, eventually finishing two tenths clear of Eugene Laverty (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) as he scored points again as he continues to stand in for Tom Sykes.

Laverty finished five seconds clear of Leandro Mercado (MIE Racing Honda Team) in 11th place, who was also clear of Spanish rider Isaac Viñales (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) in 12th place. Japanese rookie Kohta Nozane (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) was 13th, just over a second behind Viñales, with Christophe Ponsson (Gil Motor Sport-Yamaha) and Jonas Folger (Bonovo MGM Action) rounding out the points. Samuele Cavalieri (Barni Racing Team) was the last of the classified runners in 16th place.

Loris Cresson (OUTDO TPR Team Pedercini Racing) was the first retirement of the race after a crash at the start of lap three, with the Belgian rookie taken to the medical centre for a check-up following the incident. Cresson was diagnosed with a concussion and a left knee injury and will be transported to Portimao Hospital for further assessments. Cresson’s teammate, Lachlan Epis, also retired from the race while Tito Rabat (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) suffered from technical issues during the early running and brought his bike back to the pits. Wildcard Gabriele Ruiu (B-Max Racing Team) was also a retirement from race two after completing 10 laps.

Race Two Podium (Full Results Here)

1 Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)
2 Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +5.425s
3 Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) +12.289s

Championship Standings After Round 11 (Full Standings Here)

1 Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) 478 points
2 Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) 454
3 Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 424

MotoGP: Maiden win for Bagnaia at MotorLand

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PB

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October 5, 2021

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He’s been close before, but Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) is now a MotoGP™ race winner. In a true all-time classic at the Gran Premio TISSOT de Aragon, the Italian went toe-to-toe with Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) in a stunner of a duel, finding an answer for every attack as the eight-time World Champion tried, tried and tried again.

Repelling the final assault as the number 93 headed through but wide, Bagnaia was able to cross the line with just over half a second in hand to take his first premier class win in impeccable style. Marquez nevertheless got back on the podium for the second time this year and gave us an incredible show, with reigning Champion Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) locking out the rostrum in third.

As the lights went out, polesitter Bagnaia got away well and held on for the holeshot, with teammate Jack Miller going in a bit deep at Turn 1 and that allowing Marc Marquez to grab P2 after a lightning start for the number 93. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) was up to P4, with Championship leader Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) losing out and down to fifth 5th. Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol) then crashed at Turn 5, rider ok.

As Bagnaia and Marc Marquez led the train away, Quartararo was struggling. Both Mir and Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing) passed the Frenchman next as he slipped towards the clutches of eighth place Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), but nobody in the early stages was showing their cards, with only 2.2 seconds covering the top six.

Just outside that top six remained Quartararo, however. By now, the Frenchman had the rapid starting Iker Lecuona (Tech3 KTM Factory Racing) climbing all over him, and at the end of Lap 6, the number 27 was through. A couple of laps later, another KTM was ahead as Binder followed Lecuona after the Spaniard had despatched him too, and Quartararo was suddenly down to P9.

With eight laps gone, the cards were beginning to appear on the table. Bagnaia and Marquez were just over a second clear of Miller in third, and that advantage was soon up to nearly two with 13 to go. Miller headed wide at Turn 16 not long after too, allowing Aleix Espargaro and Mir to cut through. The reigning World Champion then managed to despatch the Aprilia to take over in third, but the gap to Pecco and Marquez was now nearly three and a half seconds.

To compound the gap, the pace was far from slowing. The two leaders were exchanging 1:48s lap after lap, with the rest in the 1:49s and below. They’d carved out a 4.3s lead over Mir and Aleix Espargaro with nine laps to go, but then it was into tyre life territory. Would that play a role? With five to go though, there was no change, with both riders still in the 1:48s… and it seemed it was going to the finish.

With four laps left, the pressure from Marquez was ramping up. Getting closer and closer until he was glued on, a lap later the first move finally came. The Honda rider went for a lunge into Turn 5, but he was in a little hot and slightly wide, Pecco replying unflustered to get back into the lead. So Marquez next shoved his RC213V up the inside at Turn 15, but again, the Italian got the cutback and held P1. Two down, how many to go?

On the penultimate lap, another. An exact copy and paste at Turn 5, Marquez again lunged late and again got a quick reply. The exact same thing happened at Turn 15 too, and again, Bagnaia carved back past. And so it was going down to some final lap fireworks…

This time, Marquez tried his luck at Turn 1, but that didn’t stick either. So, of course, Turn 5 saw another lunge for the third lap in a row, with the exact same result. That made six attempts from the number 93, each of which had been on to try but each of which had been greeted with a swift reply.

Marquez is Marquez though, so a seventh attempt then came at Turn 12. The number 93 got a great run out of his own namesake Marc Marquez Corner and was up the inside at the downhill left-hander, not a move he’d tried yet but ultimately one that wasn’t going to work either. Struggling to get it hooked up to the apex, Marquez was wide and onto the green, and Pecco needed no second invitation to sweep back past, keep it pinned and finally gain a few metres of breathing space.

From there the Italian made no mistake and crossed the line to complete a perfect weekend: pole position to maiden MotoGP™ victory, the eighth winner of 2021, defeating Marc Marquez on his home turf. His victory is also the 250th for Italy in the premier class, adding Francesco Bagnaia next to a little chapter of a rich history. Emotional in parc ferme, Bagnaia was just sublime on Sunday at Aragon.

Marquez threw absolutely everything at it as he sought that seventh win at MotorLand though, coming up just six tenths short. Still, it’s another podium and a leading role in an all-time classic, as well 20 points to add to his tally – and he’ll likely sleep rather well knowing he left it all out there, seven times.

Behind, Mir kept it tidy in third to take his fifth rostrum of 2021, in some space alone as he escaped Aleix Espargaro but couldn’t get onto terms with Bagnaia and Marquez. Aleix Espargaro’s P4 is another excellent ride from the Spaniard though, and he’s the top Independent Team rider. Miller couldn’t recover ground later on and finished a lonely fifth.

Reigning Moto2™ World Champion Enea Bastianini (Avintia Esponsorama) claims sixth for his best premier class result, putting the cherry on top of an impressive weekend. The rookie beat Binder by just 0.3s, and both escaped Quartararo by a good margin. A tricky day at the office for the World Championship leader and his second worst result of the season sees his lead cut, but it’s still a healthy 53 points with five races to go.

Martin took P9 less than a tenth behind Quartararo too, with Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) 10th in the same pack as Bastianini, an earlier sparring partner, was able to break away from the Japanese rider. Lecuona made a mistake with a handful of laps to go that saw the Spaniard slip outside the top 10, but it was nevertheless a great ride from the 21-year-old and a stunning early charge.

Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) pocketed P12 from P20 on the grid, gaining some ground, and it was a quieter day for Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team) in P13, just ahead of Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and 15th place Danilo Petrucci (Tech3 KTM Factory Racing).

Cal Crutchlow (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) and Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) were P16 and P17 respectively, with Maverick Viñales taking P18 on his Aprilia Racing Team Gresini debut. Valentino Rossi (Petronas Yamaha SRT) and Luca Marini (Sky VR46 Avintia) were the final finishers, with Jake Dixon (Petronas Yamaha SRT) joining Alex Marquez in the DNFs, crashing out on Lap 2 and rider ok.

So, a magnificent MotorLand battle sees Bagnaia finally claim that illustrious first MotoGP™ win. Next up: his home race at Misano. Remember that time he disappeared in the lead and then crashed? The Italian will be looking for a replay of the first half, and has never seemed less likely to recreate the second… save the date as MotoGP™ gets ready to take on the Riviera di Rimini.

Francesco Bagnaia: “A lot of emotion today. I’m so happy. We worked a lot to achieve this result, every time we were close, something happened and this dream to take my first victory, every time it was far. So to win today is a great liberation. I’m so happy, I have to say thanks to all the team, my family, my fantastic girlfriend, who are with me every day. It’s difficult to say something now, but it was not easy. I knew it wasn’t easy to stay in front of Marc at this track. His body isn’t at 100% but I think today with the hunger to win he was very, very competitive, and… I just tried to do my best and finish first. It’s a dream come true.”

MotoGP podium (Full Results Here)

1 Francesco Bagnaia – Ducati Lenovo Team – Ducati – 41:44.422
2 Marc Marquez – Repsol Honda Team – Honda – +0.673
3 Joan Mir – Team Suzuki Ecstar – Suzuki – +3.911

Moto2
Raul Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) pulled another sensational win out of the hat at Aragon, despite a crash at Silverstone leaving him on the back foot and a crash cycling for which he needed surgery on his hand just before the race weekend. Nevertheless, he dominated to equal Marc Marquez’ record of five wins as a Moto2™ rookie, with teammate and Championship leader Remy Gardner taking second. With that, Red Bull KTM Ajo wrapped up the Teams’ Championship, and the win was also their hundredth too. Augusto Fernandez (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) completed the podium for another rostrum finish as he shows more good 2021 form, storming through from 12th on the grid.

Off the line it was Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) who held firm from pole from Gardner and Raul Fernandez, opening up an advantage of 0.6 on the opening lap as Raul Fernandez then passed title rival Gardner for second at Turn 12. Just behind, Ai Ogura (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) grabbed P4 from Hector Garzo (FlexBox HP 40). The fastest lap of the race on Lap 2 for Raul Fernandez saw him cut Lowes’ lead to just 0.2, with Gardner sitting twice that down on his teammate, in third.

The number 25 then decided to attack for the lead at the beginning of Lap 4, with Gardner exchanging P3 with Ogura just behind. The Australian was having a scrappy opening handful of laps, wide at Turn 12 and once again conceding P3 to Ogura. Soon after, Garzo was also ahead of Gardner. It was a fascinating scrap the Aussie found himself in, but in getting caught up with the likes of Ogura and Garzo – who crashed at Turn 8 on Lap 5 – the gap to Lowes and Fernandez was up to 1.9s. By 10 laps down, Raul Fernandez was still holding Lowes at bay by just over a second and Gardner was over three seconds down on them, with Jorge Navarro (+EGO Speed Up) and Aron Canet (Kipin Energy Aspar Team) in hot pursuit.

On Lap 12, the first drama for a frontrunner: Marco Bezzecchi’s (Sky Racing Team VR46) quiet weekend came to a premature end at Turn 8, putting a dent in his standings. And then, after seeing Raul Fernandez stretch his lead to nearly one and a half seconds, a gift was handed to both Red Bull KTM Ajo riders as Lowes was the next to slide out. Rider ok, the Brit stacked it at Turn 7 with nine laps to go, leaving Raul Fernandez with a huge, six-second lead over Gardner. Despite the pain barrier, the number 25 was unstoppable. Keeping that gap to the end, Raul Fernandez took his fifth win to take back to the top step in style, with the deficit to Gardner in the Championship down to 39 points as they swept the Teams’ title too.

In even more good news for Aki Ajo, future Red Bull KTM Ajo rider Augusto Fernandez took the final place on the podium. After starting 12th the Spaniard make good progress to slice his way up to the fight for the rostrum, with Navarro his final obstacle. The two had a good duel before the number 37 was able to just pull away to take that third.

Navarro nevertheless took another strong result in fourth, with Canet finishing three seconds down on the rostrum fight in P5. P6 went the way of Fabio Di Giannantonio (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2), as newly crowned Moto2™ European Champion Fermin Aldeguer (+EGO Speed Up) claimed a stunning P7 – his best yet despite already having made quite an impression. Ogura faded slightly and took P8, with fellow rookie Tony Arbolino (Liqui Moly Intact GP) finishing P9 in a much improved race day for the Italian.

The experienced Simone Corsi (MV Agusta Forward Racing) rounded out the top 10, the Italian beating Marcel Schrötter (Liqui Moly Intact GP), Marcos Ramirez (American Racing), Joe Roberts (Italtrans Racing Team), Cameron Beaubier (American Racing) and Celestino Vietti (Sky Racing Team VR46) as they locked out the remaining point scoring positions.

That’s a wrap on MotorLand as the paddock packs up and heads to Misano for another showdown next weekend. Can Bezzecchi and Lowes bounce back? Will Raul Fernandez show the same incredible form? Or will it be another win for Gardner as he enjoys that 39-point lead? We don’t have to wait long to find out!

Moto2 podium (Full Result Here)

1 Raul Fernandez – Red Bull KTM Ajo – Kalex – 39:49.990
2 Remy Gardner – Red Bull KTM Ajo – Kalex – +5.408
3 Augusto Fernandez – Elf Marc VDS Racing Team – Kalex – +6.824

Moto3
Moto3™ brought the serious drama at MotorLand, with three Championship contenders all finding bad luck or trouble on race day. The first was for Romano Fenati (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) as he was forced into the gravel, then Championship leader Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) crashed and, right as he seemed set to make huge gains, so did second overall Sergio Garcia (Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team). But one contender held firm and avoided it all, with Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing) pulling off a tactical masterclass to take his third win of the year and move back into third overall.

The Italian just defeated another stunner from Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Tech3), the Turkish rider impressing once again but forced to wait for that first win. Completing the podium was Ayumu Sasaki (Red Bull KTM Tech3), the Japanese rider digging deep and taking an emotional second rostrum after a difficult few months of injury.

Darryn Binder (Petronas Sprinta Racing) kept the lead initially as the South African held on for the holeshot, but Garcia was quick to attack. As ever though, the moves came thick and fast and a leading freight train formed. Öncü took over at the front, with Acosta, Garcia and Binder shadowing in the early stages.

Drama hit on Lap 5 for Silverstone winner Fenati. Front row starter Gabriel Rodrigo (Indonesian Racing Gresini Moto3) suddenly crashed in front of the Italian, and he was forced to take avoiding action into the gravel – rejoining well down the order, a postcode off the points. There was also an early touch between Xavier Artigas (Leopard Racing) and Acosta but no harm done. Meanwhile Öncü rolled on at the front, able to stay ahead down the back straight too as a group of nine formed at the front followed by SIC58 Squadra Corse duo Lorenzo Fellon and Tatsuki Suzuki.

After chipping away at it, they tagged onto the back to make it 11 riders fighting for the win, but it was a costly push for Fellon as the French rookie then got a Long Lap penalty for track limits. Taking it dropped him back in behind the chasing trio of Niccolo Antonelli (Avintia VR46 Academy), double 2020 winner at the track Jaume Masia (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and Stefano Nepa (BOE Owlride).

Antonelli and Nepa were next to tag on, but then drama whittled the group down again… and key drama. After a season of history making, Acosta made his first big race day error of the year, heading up the inside of Artigas and then losing it, skittling both out. And he couldn’t rejoin, leaving Garcia with an open goal…

Starting the final lap, Foggia led Öncü led the two GASGAS machines of Garcia and Izan Guevara (Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team). Öncü then hit the front, the Turk digging in on the search for that elusive first victory, and even more drama soon hit just behind. Despite the huge chance to home in on Acosta, it just wasn’t to be. Garcia suddenly slid out as he fought to gain more ground, rider ok and able to rejoin but no points coming his way.

Meanwhile, Öncü remained ahead and the Turk led heading onto the back straight – as he had a good few times during the race, able each time to keep it too. But this time, Foggia had the legs and the incredible straight-line speed of the Leopard Honda struck, the number 7 slicing past. Öncü tried to reply on the drag to the line and almost did, but he’s forced to settle for another second, just 0.041 off the win.

After a weekend of more muted timesheets at times from Sasaki, the Japanese rider played his cards to perfection on race day. Making moves through the group late on, the number 71 took his second Grand Prix podium by just 0.064, denying Guevara as the Spanish rookie was forced to wait for that first podium once again, just as at Silverstone.

Antonelli stormed the latter stages the come home in fifth, able to pull out a few tenths on compatriot Andrea Migno (Rivacold Snipers Team), who nevertheless bounced back after a tough-to-take technical DNF at Silverstone. Binder took seventh nearly a second further back, with Nepa half a second behind him. Suzuki lost out to the Italian by 0.101 as he took ninth, with Masia completing the top ten a couple of seconds off the front group, not finding his 2020 MotorLand magic this time around.

Ryusei Yamanaka (CarXpert PrüstelGP) took P11 with a little breathing space ahead of Adrian Fernandez (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team), with Syarifuddin Azman (Petronas Sprinta Racing) only a tenth and a half off the number 31 by the flag. No mean feat, and the Malaysian impressively scores points on his Grand Prix debut.

Rather stunningly, behind him came Fenati. The veteran Italian dug in to try and gain ground back after being forced wide, and gain ground he did. Making up the gap to the next riders, passing them, and then rinsing and repeating, the number 55 took 2 points for 14th. Riccardo Rossi (BOE Owlride) just pipped Kaito Toba (CIP Green Power) to the final point, with a late crash seeing Jeremy Alcoba (Indonesian Racing Gresini Moto3) and Fellon both fail to make the flag.

Moto3™ podium (Full Results Here)

1 Dennis Foggia – Leopard Racing – Honda – 37.53.710
2 Deniz Öncü – Red Bull KTM Tech3 – KTM – +0.041
3 Ayumu Sasaki – Red Bull KTM Tech3 – KTM – +0.644

WorldSBK: Race Reports From RD10 At Jerez

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PB

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October 5, 2021

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The 2021 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship’s tenth round of the season at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto saw Toprak Razgatlioglu claim pole for Sunday racing at the MOTUL Spanish round following a sad day after the passing of Dean Berta Viñales.

After the sad passing of Dean Berta Viñales following an accident in the FIM Supersport 300 World Championship’s race one on Saturday, all Saturday track activity was cancelled. Sunday featured all of the WorldSBK races at Jerez. Having been knocked off his pole position perch last time out at Catalunya, Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) was eager to get back to the head of the field. However, it wouldn’t happen as Turkish delight was on order; Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) took a first pole of the year and a second of his career, as he powered to the head of the field. Razgatlioglu has not taken a pole since Estoril 2020.

With the WorldSBK field taking to the track under the beautiful Jerez sunshine, the first laps came in with some riders going straight to the Q tyre for their first attack on pole. Both title contenders Toprak Razgatlioglu and Jonathan Rea on the Q tyres, as well as Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK), who shadowed teammate Toprak on the first run.

However, it was formation flying as Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK), who is far from 100% fit as he nurses a right-hand injury, hit the front ahead of teammate Rea, both on the Q tyre, ahead of Locatelli, following the first flurry of action, both being the first riders into the sub-39 brackets with 1’38.7s, separated by just 0.005s. After the first run, Razgatlioglu was only tenth whilst there were surprises in the top ten, with Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) and Isaac Viñales (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) in seventh and eighth, both just behind an in-form Alvaro Bautista (Team HRC), who was fifth having not used the Q tyre straight away, whilst Leandro Mercado (MIE Racing Honda Team) was also impressive, in and around the top ten.

Leaving it later to go out on track for a first run, Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) was already up inside the top three, popping up to third after his first flying lap. Soon, he would be bumped back by teammate Michael Ruben Rinaldi, who set his first flying lap on the Q tyre after initially going out on race tyre rubber; Rinaldi went third and was, like the two Kawasaki ahead of him, in the 1’38s bracket. With further changes down the order, Razgatlioglu was down in 13th.

The final two minutes set the grid as Alex Lowes improved further, dropping the time down to a 1’38.539, just two tenths outside of Jonathan Rea’s 2019 pole record. However, after being more than two tenths of a second down after three sectors, Toprak Razgatlioglu pulled out the final sector of his life, blasting to the line and storming to his first pole position of the season by just 0.027s. More than a tenth of a second faster in the final sector than his rivals, Razgatlioglu was on fire to deliver Yamaha’s first pole of 2021, beating Lowes who starts second, whilst Jonathan Rea couldn’t take it to the two ahead of him and for a second round running, finishes third. The pole for Yamaha is the 40th in their WorldSBK history, the first since Estoril in 2020, also by Razgatlioglu.

Fourth place went to the first Ducati rider, Scott Redding, who was able to hold off a late charge from teammate Michael Ruben Rinaldi, with the Italian completing the top five. Rinaldi has looked like he’s been fast with race pace too, so a top five starting position could well see him come to the fore in the race. Andrea Locatelli completes the second row, more than half a second from his teammate’s time.

Heading up the third row of the grid in seventh place is super-sub Loris Baz (Team GoEleven), who was top Independent at the end of Superpole. The Frenchman gave Team GoEleven a return to the top ten, whilst in the middle of the third row, Leon Haslam (Team HRC) took top Honda honours, ahead of his in-form teammate Alvaro Bautista, who takes a first top nine since Misano, which is encouraging given his ability to charge through the field and pull a result out. Completing the top ten, Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) held off a late challenge from a sensational Leandro Mercado, who takes his best Superpole result since Losail 2019.

Other riders further down the order included Axel Bassani who was 12th whilst it was another tricky Superpole session for BMW, with Michael van der Mark (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) heading up an all-BMW top five, with substitute teammate Eugene Laverty in 15th, both split by Jonas Folger (Bonovo MGM Racing). Isaac Viñales ended up 16th ahead of Kohta Nozane (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team), whilst Samuele Cavalieri (Barni Racing Team) was 18th. Marvin Fritz (IXS-YART Yamaha) was 19th, ahead of Andrea Mantovani (Vince64), Christophe Ponsson (Gil Motor Sport Yamaha), Loris Cresson (OUTDO TPR Team Pedercini Racing) and teammate Lachlan Epis.

Jerez Tissot Superpole Podium (Full Results Here)

1 Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) 1’38.512s
2 Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +0.027s
3 Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +0.102s

Race One
A fierce battle for race one of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto with Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) claiming a hard-fought victory against Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) in the Spanish round after a difference in tyre strategies between the pair.

Razgatlioglu got the jump at the start to maintain his lead from pole position but soon found himself having to fend off the challenge from Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) on the opening lap, first at turn six before Rea made the move for the lead at turn eight with both riders on different rear tyres; Razgatlioglu on the SCX development solution and Rea on the SC0 development.

On the opening lap, Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) went deep into turn six and lost places to both Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) and teammate Scott Redding, while Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) also went wide. On lap five, Rinaldi crashed out of the race. Out in front, Rea was leading from Razgatlioglu but unable to pull out a gap as the Turkish rider consistently kept within half-a-second of Rea before closing the gap to around two tenths.

On lap seven, Razgatlioglu attempted to outbrake Rea into the turn six hairpin with the pair making contact and running wide, allowing Locatelli and Redding to close the gap even further although both riders were able to continue and keep their positions. The leading pair pulled away as Razgatlioglu set his sights on Rea once again. On lap 14, Razgatlioglu made a move for the lead with a late braking move into turn one to take the lead, before Rea tried to respond with the Turk holding on. Razgatlioglu was able to hold on for the final few laps of the 20-lap race to claim his first victory in Jerez.

As the closing stages of the 20-lap race approached, Redding started closing in on Locatelli in the battle with the fight raging on to the final lap of the race, Redding making a move into turn five with Locatelli unable to respond into the turn six left-hand hairpin to claim third place ahead of Locatelli.

Alvaro Bautista (Team HRC) claimed another top five finish for Honda after a strong result for the Spanish rider, although he was five seconds down on Locatelli. Loris Baz (Team GoEleven) was sixth after an impressive return for the Frenchman, with Baz replacing the recovery Chaz Davies in Jerez, claiming the top Independent rider spot in Race 1. Baz had a battle with Dutch rider Michael van der Mark (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) for sixth place, with van der Mark finishing seventh.

In the closing stages, van der Mark had to withstand pressure from rookie Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) with the Italian rider looking to make moves on the final lap. Lowes ended the race in ninth place after a battling race as he nursed his injured wrist, taking home a top ten finish despite the injury. American star Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) claimed tenth place after starting from the same position.

Leon Haslam (Team HRC) fell back during the race and ended up 11th, losing a position in the top ten late on in the race to Gerloff. Eugene Laverty (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) took points from his first start since the UK Round at Donington Park with 12th place, as he stands in for Tom Sykes. Laverty had a battle throughout the race with Japanese rookie Kohta Nozane (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) with experience paying dividends.

German rider Jonas Folger (Bonovo MGM Action) claimed points with 14th place, less than a second clear of Frenchman Christophe Ponsson (Gil Motor Sport-Yamaha) who took 15th. Marvin Fritz (IXS-YART Yamaha) missed out on points on his slightly modified endurance-specification Yamaha R1 with 16th place, ahead of Loris Cresson (OUTDO TPR Team Pedercini Racing) and wildcard Andrea Mantovani (Vince64) who rounded out the riders on the lead lap.

Samuele Cavalieri’s (Barni Racing Team) crashed out on lap five, while Lachlan Epis (OUTDO TPR Team Pedercini Racing) brought his Kawasaki ZX-10RR machine into the pits in the first half of the race, although he did return to the track after a few minutes in the box. Leandro ‘Tati’ Mercado (MIE Racing Honda Team) had a technical issue in the final third of the race, forcing the Argentinean rider out of the race, eventually classified four laps down. Isaac Viñales (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) opted to not take part in Sunday’s action following Saturday’s tragic events in WorldSSP300.

Jerez Race One Podium (Full Results Here)

1 Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK)
2 Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +1.225s
3 Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +2.791s

Race Two
A familiar story to race one, with the same outcome but a different opponent for Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) as he claimed his second MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship victory of the day at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto for the Motul Spanish Round after a late-race battle with Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati).

Repeating his start from race tone, Razgatlioglu got a good start to lead into turn one from Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) and, while Rea was able to challenge into turn six on the opener, the Turkish star was away and found himself with Ducatis in pursuit. While Razgatlioglu was able to hold his lead, both Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), and Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) were closing in. On lap six, Rinaldi ran wide at turn six which almost allowed Redding through, but Rinaldi was able to hold on to second place until turn 13, when Redding made the move for second.

While Redding was putting pressure on, Razgatlioglu held on until lap 17 when Redding passed Razgatlioglu for the lead but just one lap later Razgatlioglu responded, making a move at turn 13 to take control. Redding kept the pressure on Razgatlioglu throughout the final two laps, but the Turkish star held on to claim his second victory of the day in Jerez, and his tenth of the season while Redding claimed his 30th WorldSBK podium.

With Razgatlioglu, Redding and Rinaldi in front, Rea found himself losing ground and having to defend from Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK), Alvaro Bautista (Team HRC) and Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) to defend fourth place. On lap 7, Locatelli passed Rea at the final corner to move into fourth place.

Just a lap later, Bautista passed Rea while Italian rookie Bassani tried to follow him through but made contact with Rea, with both able to resume the race without losing time or positions. While Bautista was able to pull away, Bassani kept the pressure on Rea as he looked to pass the six-time champion. Eventually Rea was able to pull away from Bassani and soon found himself back into fifth place after passing Rinaldi.

Bautista was able to make a move on Locatelli for third after passing Rinaldi as he claimed his second podium in four races and his fourth consecutive top-five finish, the first time he has managed that feat since joining Honda. Locatelli came home in fourth place, a very familiar position for the Italian rookie, over a second clear of Rea. With Razgatlioglu taking victory and Rea finishing fifth, the championship lead now stands at 20 points in Razgatlioglu’s favour.

The top six were clear of Rinaldi at the end of the race with Bassani claiming sixth place as the Italian continues his strong rookie season, finishing ahead of the factory Ducati of Rinaldi. Michael van der Mark (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) finished in eighth place and closed in on Rinaldi in the closing stages with just a second behind Rinaldi.

Loris Baz’s (Team GoEleven) WorldSBK continued with another top-nine finish as the Frenchman finished in ninth place, just two tenths away from van der Mark. American star Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) claimed another tenth place finish ahead of Eugene Laverty (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) claimed 11th place in his first round back for three months, holding off Leon Haslam (Team HRC) by just 0.042s at the end.

Jonas Folger (Bonovo MGM Action) finished in 13th place, half-a-second back from Haslam. Samuele Cavalieri (Barni Racing Team) claimed more points following his return to the Barni Racing outfit while Leandro Mercado (MIE Racing Honda Team) claimed the final points place despite a crash on the second lap.

Wildcard Marvin Fritz (IXS-YART Yamaha) was in 16th place after his second wildcard appearance of the season despite a crash on lap 7 while Andrea Mantovani (Vince64) was in 17th place rounded out the riders on the lead lap. Like in Race 1, Lachlan Epis (OUTDO TPR Team Pedercini Racing) finished three laps down after spending a substantial amount of time in the pits.

Jerez Race Two Podium (Full Results Here)

1 Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK)
2 Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
3 Alvaro Bautista (Team HRC)

Championship Point Score After Jerez RD10 (Full Standings Here)

1 Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) 449
2 Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) 429
3 Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 375

Racer Test: Ex-Eugene Laverty Aprilia RSW250

By

PB

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October 5, 2021

0

The chance to ride a real deal 250 Grand Prix World Championship bike is the stuff dreams are made of. I grew up obsessed by 250GP racing. In my teens in the 1990s I knew every rider, every race number, had the posters on my bedroom wall and all of the races taped on videotape!

As soon as I got my Learners, I was on the road on an old RZ250FN, followed by a few TZR250s before I started road racing on RGV250s in 1995. Even my RGV racebike was painted the same colors as the Ralf Waldman HB 250. Riding the RGV proddie, I dreamed of one day being a 250 GP rider…

Check out all of our racer tests here…

Fast forward 22 years and I find myself about to ride a RSW250 Aprilia thanks to the owner, Harry, who kindly offered us a spin. Things have changed with my 250 GP aspirations, though, not only am I over 40, I also weigh more than the bike! Now that is funny! No lap records, then. At least that is my excuse…

This Aprilia RSW250 is an ex-Eugene Laverty GP machine raced in 2008, simply a stunning bike!

About the bike. It is trick. It is expensive. It is rare and absolutely stunning. The peak of two-stroke development is right here under the fairings… This is the Aprilia Racing RSW250 ridden by Eugene Laverty in the 2008 250 Grand Prix World Championship. It is the real deal and very, very rare, not to mention priceless. The swingarm alone is worth are fifty grand!

The RSW250 was made by Aprilia from 1991 to 2007. It has been ridden to world titles by the likes of Max Biaggi, Valentino Rossi, Marco Melandri, and Jorge Lorenzo and has won countless memorable races. With just over 100-horsepower at the wheel and weighing in at less than 200-pounds the power-to-weight is over one to one.

The factory carbon-fibre swingarm is worth an easy $20,000! Imagine one of these on a street bike.

The frame is hand made aluminum, as is the fuel tank. The seat unit and rear hump is a complete A kit part only for factory teams, all carbon-fibre monocoque, and the wheels and swingarm are carbon-fibre also. The engine is cast magnesium and every single nut, bolt, axle and washer is titanium. The massive ram air system and airbox is also carbon-fiber, as is all of the bodywork. It truly is a work of art and at this level of racing, you can see where a million bucks goes…

The 249cc 90-degree V-twin two-stroke revs to over 12,000rpm and is the absolute trickest little engine I’ve seen. The opportunity to actually get in there and have a good look was heaven, as these bikes were always so guarded when they were competing of course.

In all its glory – The Aprilia RSW250 with 42mm VHSE flat slide magnesium carburettors are rare and expensive.

What is immediately apparent is the size of the engine compared to a production 250 two-stroke. There is nothing there that is not needed and everything has been developed and refined to be absolutely as compact and lightweight as possible.

The clutch is tiny, as is the gearbox and cases. The other side has the small magneto flywheel and ignition pickup. The expansion chambers are gorgeous – titanium with carbon-fiber mufflers, and the airbox and carburetors are so, so mind blowingly trick. Just look at those pictures and drool!

This is actually a tiny programmable quickshifter. Still compact even by todays standards!

The wheels are factory items that simply cannot be bought. Ever. Brakes are factory spec monobloc radial-mount calipers with cast-iron rotors. Carbon-fiber is available for some situations also. Ohlins factory suspension is at both ends. Rumor has it the forks are worth 20 grand each. The triple-clamps are titanium and the handlebars carbon-fiber. Everything is tiny, compact, almost under-engineered.

What may seem like a simple two-stroke is far from it. Aside from the technology in the tuning of the porting, combustion chamber, crankcases and expansion chambers, there is a complex fueling and powervalve system along with full data logging and even traction control. Yes, you read that right.

Factory spec Brembo brakes offer incredible performance, when you consider just how light this machine is.

The datalogger system, which is the factory Aprilia one that came with a staff member for the teams, provides all aspects of data from braking to suspension and ignition and jetting. The software tells the team what jetting to change after each session, based on the live atmospheric conditions and data from the previous run.

The traction control system is an ignition curve based one that uses an algorithm to determine rear wheel slip based on throttle position, wheel speed, gear and so forth, similar to what is now used in modern motocross and enduro two-stroke factory race bikes.

The factory Aprilia dash is actually extremely high tech, with the RSW250 including traction control and full telemetry.

Everything on the RSW is hand-made and a work of art. From any angle, it looks amazing. Actually, I have blown up one of the photos we took and I have it as a poster above my workbench in my garage. This bike makes me feel young I guess… All of those dreams I had as a teenager about racing in 250…

THE RIDE
Nerves. Adrenaline. Excitement. Those three things that make you feel just a little bit sick in the stomach, well, they are all off the chart as Harry warms the bike up (see the video, it sounds so awesome).

I close my visor as he rolls the bike out into pit lane. If I’m riding a 250 GP bike, I’m walking out to it like a boss, visor down and cameraman snapping away! Ha!

A nerve racking moment as Jeff jumped onto the RSW250 for the first time around SMSP.

I hop on the bike and immediately think, ‘How the hell and I going to fit in this’… I think back to when I was 19 and skinny and I just squash myself into Laverty’s ergonomics. The nerves settle a little as I blip the throttle and get the engine up to temperature. My old two-stroke days are flooding back to me and there is a crowd gathering around the bike. It is loud. Very loud…

A huge amount of revs and clutch slipping, along with a lot of leg paddling and I’m off up pit lane. I just ride straight past the person checking wristbands, I’m not stopping again! I short-shift in the lower top-end via the ultra-slick factory quickshifter and do my usual checks into turn two, like feeling the front and rear brakes and generally getting into a relaxed riding position.

From every angle, the RSW250 is just a crazy looking bike. Huge amounts of development went into making this bike as competitive as it was.

The bike was straight off the warmers and what blows me away is I’m scraping my whole leg in the second corner from pit lane and carrying more corner speed than I have on any bike for years, and it is my out lap! When you ride road production bikes for so long, it is easy to forget how a proper handling thoroughbred feels and there is no comparison to any street going bike at all, not even close. The RSW is beyond telepathic. It’s an extension of my body – more than a bike; well that is how it is making me feel.

Watching GP rider’s highside for a few decades is in the back of my mind exiting the turns on my out lap but I’m soon surprised at the amazing tractability and drive of the RSW. It is jetted a little on the conservative side, so hasn’t got that razor’s-edge sharpness to the throttle, but still it is on song and almost four-stroke like in some aspects. It pulls third where I would have expected second, or where a TZ250 or RS250 Honda would need a lower gear and or more RPM. Amazing stuff by Aprilia.

Steering is responsive and fast, making street-going 1000cc offerings feel slow and heavy!

The gearbox is ultra-close-ration and the quickshifter super sensitive. The engine starts making power from as low as 8000rpm but really comes alive up top, where is pulls harder than most 1000cc bikes around while feeling like it is the weight of a bicycle. Steering is insane. At first I am oversteering and hitting inside ripple strips as I’m just too used to conservative geometry and weight.

But once my brain slows things down a bit I steer with a bit more finesse and find some rhythm there. The same goes for the brakes, one finger and even then I almost go over on the first lap. They are as strong as the best street sport bike, say an S 1000 RR or Panigale, but then double the power and sensitivity and imagine the bike also weighed a third as much, that will give you an idea. Comparing the RSW brakes to an RSV4, say, is like comparing RSV4 brakes to a 1972 RD250…

“Believe it or not the RSW250 actually featured a traction control system, similar to that found on some competition two-stroke enduro machines.”

I settle down and start my session proper. Tucking in on the front chute I’m chasing gears as the engine revs so quickly it is incredible. The straight disappears faster than usual and suddenly I’m into the ultra fast turn one. I touch the brakes gently with one finger and pop it down to fourth gear. Getting back on the gas, I cannot believe how rapidly the 250 accelerate towards turn two.

In fact I have to grab fifth gear. I’m in shock and arrive at my usual braking point for T2 faster than I would on any superbike. I ride straight past my braking point, in fact still on the gas, and don’t start braking until I’m turning in. It is no problem; the RSW just goes deep, stays tight and hold a perfect line through the double-apex corner. I feel like I can put the bike anywhere, anytime.

With 100hp and weighing 90kg the RSW250 revs to 13,000rpm but offers a fairly broad powerband for a two-stroke!

Getting the rpm right is not as crucial as it is on a TZ or RS, so although high corner speed and high rpm are still definitely required, there is some forgiveness there for a lard-ass like me who doesn’t get it inch perfect every lap. The bike hauls out of turn two, over three and is on the back wheel cresting the hump into turn four.

Having watched Biaggi and Co on video replay thousands of times here from the 1994 and 1995 races, I actually have one of those dream moments where I feel like they must have felt. It is surreal. I guess it is like a person with a passion for music suddenly finding themselves playing a stadium!

Getting the chance to ride a bike like this doesn’t come often, so Jeff made sure to put the hammer down!

Up the hill out of five, with the engine in the sweet spot, the bike pulls with amazing urgency up this steep hill and again does the same to Corporate Hill, another bumpy long left-hand crest. Braking into the turn nine hairpin, I feel like my hands are holding the front axle! I’m waiting for Biaggi, Waldman, Capirossi or Harada to dive up the inside!

My lap ends and I’m in. Rolling into pit lane, after watching so many legend 250 riders at Aussie GP’s ride down this entrance, I feel like the luckiest man alive. That’s one dream ticked off the bucket list…

PRO RIDE – PETER GALVIN RIDES THE RSW250
Seven-times Australian 125 GP Champion and ex World 125 GP rider

At first I thought Jeff’s message was just a joke. We had a factory 250 Aprilia from former GP rider Eugene Laverty to test at Eastern Creek. Let me think about that for a micro-second. I’m there! Thanks to the generosity of the owner we had a few sessions at Sydney Motorsports Park. To say I was excited was an understatement. One look at it and I couldn’t wait to get on it.

Jeff to the chance to ring up an old friend for him to take the RSW125 for a spin around SMSP.

As soon as you hop aboard you know Aprilia has done their homework. The attention to detail and craftsmanship is, as you would expect, world class. Ergonomics were like a hand in a good fitting glove. No adjustments required. We fired up the 250 and warmed it up to operating temperature on the stand. The engine felt smooth and responsive if not a bit rich, which was OK for the day.

The first lap out, the most notable thing was the chassis feel. All my preconceptions had to go out the window as I was expecting a very stiff chassis like the 125. However, I am greeted with a firm but still flexible chassis with excellent feel just like the Honda 250 GP bike. This was a bit of a surprise in a good way. Having ridden Honda most of my career it made me feel right at home and immediately comfortable.

The firm but flexible chassis reminded Peter Galvin of the Honda 250 GP bike.

The chassis was only the start of the good times. The V-twin engine was just special. With strong torque off the slow and mid speed corners it was surprising how early you could get on the gas off the turns even with lower than optimum rpm.

It was far more forgiving than the 125, that’s for sure, even if I failed to keep the engine operating at the top end of the rev range. And, I have no doubt we could have improved this even further if we have had more time to finely tune the carburetion settings.

Peter Galvin heading out on track at SMSP on the RSW250. Stirring memories of his time spent racing GP bikes.

The Aprilia’s ability to pull strongly up hills between Turns 5 and 6 and 6 and 7 was another one of its strong points. Coming off Turn 5 was important for a good run up the hill and together with the resurface, great suspension and a bit of confidence it would pull like a train and was quite exhilarating when you got it right.

With the modification of Turn 6 after the track was extended the entry speed into Turn 6 has increased allowing a higher gear to be maintained making a nice connection through to the high speed Turn 7 left hander around Corporate Hill. As usual a bit bumpy there on the inside of the turn but soaked up nicely by the factory suspension, which leads to the next point.

The frame is specifically built around the rear carburetor, showing the level of detail that goes into this level of GP. machinery.

Fitted with factory Ohlins suspension front and rear and with little set-up it also was a good compliment to a strong all round package. If anything the rear suspension felt a bit firm for my weight particularly in the high speed corners, which in turn led to a slight lack of confidence to keep the throttle wide open when required. Again it was only a set-up issue and more time on the motorcycle would sort those minor issues out.

On slow and mid speed turns the suspension was so good I had trouble finding the limit initially and still had problems at the end of the sessions. Pushing it further each lap it was very surprising just how hard you could go. The fresh tyres certainly didn’t hurt either.

It wasn’t long until Peter was putting the hammer down to get the most out of the RSW250.

The other major strong point was the brakes. As expected we were blessed with the almost ubiquitous Brembo mono-block callipers as fitted to a large proportion of racing motorcycles worldwide. This was another area where you had to redefine your limits.

With such a lightweight motorcycle and such powerful brakes you had to rethink your braking markers each lap. I used the entry to Turn 2 to keep pushing the boundaries. Each lap I found myself braking deeper and deeper with almost no rear brake at all and the motorcycle remained stable and predictable at all times.

The RSW250 features a dry clutch, and the bike is far more than the sum of its parts.

While all these components were first class it’s the blending of the parts to produce a sound workable motorcycle that really makes the Aprilia RSW250 stand out. Bringing all this together has built a fast yet highly agile motorcycle that is fun and very exciting to ride.

Yes, you have to concentrate and keep the engine working within a relatively narrow rev range to obtain maximum performance but I think that is a large part of the challenge and satisfaction from getting it right.

With the fairings stripped off you can see just how compact and light the RSW250 engine actually is.

With high hopes prior to riding this motorcycle, my expectations were exceeded. One of the greatest benefits of this Aprilia RSW250 is its high power to weight ratio and relatively simple engine configuration. In its finest form it illustrates perfectly what a basic two-stroke engine can achieve.

There is no doubt this is one of the best motorcycles I have had the opportunity to ride. I would love the chance to set up the suspension and carburetion to better understand its full potential. As a fan of two-strokes, it was a sad day when they were no longer eligible for Grand Prix racing as I believe they produced some of the best racing to be seen during the 1980s and 1990s plus early 2000s.

2007 APRILIA RSW250 SPECIFICATIONS

Price: Around five new RSV4s
Power: 110hp – 110hp@13,000rpm
Wet weight: 200lbs

Engine: 249cc 90-degree V-twin two-stroke, full data logging, digital ignition, traction control
Bore & stroke: 54 x 54.5mm
Displacement: 249cc
Compression: 12.0:1
Fuel delivery: 42mm flat slide VHSE magnesium carburetors
Exhaust: DLR carbon-fibre mufflers and Aprilia Racing titanium expansion chambers
Gearbox: Cassette-style adjustable ratios
Clutch: Dry
Final drive: Chain

Chassis: Aluminium, hand made
Wheelbase: Variable
Rake & trail: Variable
Suspension: Front: Factory Ohlins; Rear: Factory Ohlins
Brakes: Front: Brembo
Wheels: Carbon-fibre
Tyres: Racing slicks

2007 Aprilia RSW250 Gallery

“The adjustments therefore effect how quickly or slowly the motorcycle will turn, move the centre of gravity, and affect the motorcycle’s amount of mechanical grip.”

This Aprilia RSW250 is an ex-Eugene Laverty GP machine raced in 2008

Race bikes will often have a more extreme rake/trail set-up over their roadbike counterparts…

Rider Training: California Superbike School Level 1

By

PB

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October 5, 2021

0

Recently I had the opportunity to spend a day with the largest non-competitive motorcycle events group in the southern hemisphere – California Superbike School (CSS). The school’s motto is ‘discover the art’, which roughly translates to ‘learn how to corner safer… and faster’.

Andrea headed out to try out level 1 of the CSS to see how it would improve her riding!

There are four levels of advanced rider training offered at CSS all designed to teach you step by step how to improve the stability of your bike around a corner by refining riding technique. I enrolled for Level 1, which teaches the fundamentals, gets you comfortable with the track and corrects bad habits.

Check out all of our rider training articles here…

My riding experience surmounts to a little over a year of inner-city Sydney commuting. So although I am quite proficient at dodging apparently blinker-less cars at speeds less than 80km/h, I had never graced the track. As the date for the event drew closer and closer, my trepidation grew and grew.

Most of Andrea’s riding experience stems from city commuting on her CBR250R so the CSS was a complete new experience.

My pride and joy is a 2013 Honda CBR250R Moriwaki Edition, a bike that until the morning of the CSS day, I felt had more than enough power. Arriving at Eastern Creek Raceway at 7am sharp, my nervousness was compounded as my little bike seemed to shrink in the company of the other motorcycles lining up to be inspected by the CSS staff.

As I fretted about potentially being the only person to never have ridden on a track before, I struck up a conversation with some gentlemen waiting in line next to me. Both had been riding for over a decade, but had never set tyre to track either. Throughout the day I met a huge variety of people, mainly participating in Levels 1 and 2, and it became clear to me that CSS caters for every rider.

The CSS has something for just about everyone, with it being the first step for most riders looking into track days.

After my bike was inspected and deemed ‘track-worthy’, the charismatic Steve Brouggy, the co-founder and managing director of CSS, gave us an introductory safety briefing. Steve was quick to establish a sense of ease and excitement among the students, peppering his talk with jokes that bordered on inappropriate, but were nonetheless hilarious. After this initial talk, we were split into our respective classes and assigned coaches with no more than three students allocated to each coach.

Our group was the first on the track – a daunting prospect for any first-timer. The first session was an orientation lap, where we could only use fourth gear and absolutely no brakes. I was mildly terrified at this announcement, thinking it would be a virtually impossible task based on my winding, convoluted map of the track. These first laps were also designed to get us comfortable with the entry speeds of each corner of the track.

The day would consist of five drills, which included theory lessons preceding approximately 20 minutes on the track, followed by a debrief with the coaches.

Shaking with adrenalin after the initial slow but nerve-wracking session on the track, we were marched directly upstairs for our first lesson with Steve – throttle control, arguably the most important control for cornering. On the track, the coaches would locate each of us in turn and ride ahead, signalling with a specific hand movement when and how much to throttle-on in the corner. Out of all the drills, this was probably the one I had least trouble with. I found my normal pattern of acceleration was similar to what my coach was instructing, if a little early in the corner. The second drill however, had a profound effect on my mindset and consequently on my riding.

In this drill we studied turn points, or simply the spot you aim for in a curve that will give you the straightest line through the corner and the most predictable exit line. The turn points for each corner were marked with a white cross and on the first lap, all of the turn points felt very late in the corner and about a quarter of them felt nearly impossible to hit. It was then I learned that I had been inadvertently increasing the curve of my line around a corner by turning too early.

“In between the provided lunch and the next track session, I was taken to a small bit of track in the middle of the complex to complete training for the third drill – the quick steer.”

By the end of the 20-minute track session, I was getting accustomed to the new turn points with the most significant improvement being a tight finishing line, rather than the usual line, consistently wide and less-predictable.

Up until that point, I am ashamed to admit that I had never been aware of counter-steering. This drill was a revelation, and from talking to the other participates, I believe it was enlightening for everyone. The drill involved weaving at a constant speed down a straight line by consciously counter-steering. Two coaches watched from the start line and corrected positioning and technique. We all had to repeat the laps of the straight at least five times before the coaches were satisfied. Although the drill was tricky to get the hang of, once I had the hang of it, achieving the turn points on the track became easy as I learnt to quick steer later in the turn to avoid correcting in the middle of the corner.

“This drill was a revelation, and from talking to the other participates, I believe it was enlightening for everyone.”

The next drill also had a profound effect on all the riders present. The drill was called ‘rider input’ and focused on allowing the motorcycle to have its head in a corner, not trying to fight against bike. All of us found that since we were concentrating hard to put all our learning into practice, as well as the fact that we were repeatedly putting our bodies into a stressful, adrenalin-ridden state, we tended to grip the handlebars for dear life, tensing our upper bodies.

As we discovered, this makes the vehicle unstable in a corner. A bike oscillates within a natural degree of lateral movement, particularly when headed around a corner. By allowing the motorcycle to move within its own framework by relaxing the grip on the bars and dropping the elbows into a relaxed state, the motorbike becomes perceivably more stable. Coming out of the infamous turn two hairpin, I audibly gasped in amazement at the difference in stability exiting the curve compared to the previous session. However old habits die hard and I still had to fight my body at each corner as it attempted to tense up at the prospect of leaning closer to the asphalt.

Following professional riders around the track.

Theres plenty of opportunity to chat about what you can approve on.

Early in the day I had felt the unexpected thrill of terror and then triumph as my boot scraped the ground around my favourite hairpin on the track (turn 9). The concentration I held on the track gave me a symbiosis with the bike and I didn’t even realise how far I was leaning until this sudden jolt.

Naturally, I freaked out and immediately backed off the throttle, ending up with a wide exit line. After this and as the day wore on, I felt as if I was actually decreasing my speed into the corners and each one began to feel laboured. I thought this may be a result of muscle fatigue after four separate adrenalin shots around the track. On the fifth and final drill, the reason for my discomfort became apparent. Since the second drill teaching us about turn points, I had had my attention focused too much on meeting the white crosses on the track. This meant as I approached the cross, I reduced entry speed too much and was tense moving into the corner. Drill five was called ‘two-step turning’ and focussed on teaching us to locate the turn point on the road, then once it is clear that you will hit that mark, change your eye line to focus on the apex of your corner.

“Once I understood this, all the other drills and skills I learnt throughout the day fell together, the corners felt much more natural and it became an immensely thrilling last hurrah around the track. I was cornering faster and with much more stability and I now had the confidence I was lacking previously.”

The first few laps on the track are frightening because the experience was completely foreign to me. I had never had somebody tape up my rear vision mirrors and speedometer and tell me ride – presumably at high speed – with no cars and your control of the motorcycle being the only potential hazard. Besides forcing myself to stop trying to check my mirrors, as the day wore on and with the help of Steve and the coaches I became immensely comfortable in this environment. There is something entirely euphoric about the experience. You become removed from your body as you execute a series of actions to bring you successfully around a corner at ludicrous speeds.

In your mind you know you are putting yourself in danger, but the risk is confined entirely to the accuracy of your actions. As a result, leaving at the end of the day to putt once more through Sydney traffic felt as foreign and dangerous to me as the initial laps around the track did at 8am that morning. As I grew accustomed once again to city riding, I found I had a new confidence in my abilities to handle my motorcycle.

“I did not want to come off the track, but pulling into the pit after the last round, my coach beamed at me and I beamed back as he told me I was like a whole new rider after that session.”

I found myself consciously applying each drill we learnt into my riding and felt my old habits – the ones I hadn’t realised were there – gradually dissipate. The school exceeded my expectations 10-fold and I was utterly spent after the long day – both mentally and physically – having crammed so much information into a single day. The skills learned are so important to any rider, I fervently believe everyone with a newly acquired full riders licence should participate in a day at California Superbike School and set their standard of riding early for an inherently safer and undoubtedly more enjoyable ride.

Gallery: Best Australian Track Moments Of 2013

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PB

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September 29, 2021

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While we all eagerly wait for international racing to come back to Australia, why not take a look at some great moments from 2013. Plenty of excitement at the top level of racing, local club events and Australian racing series’!

During the 2013 TISSOT Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix at Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit on October 20, 2013. three Australian Grand Prix Champions paraded around the track together!

Check out all of our racing galleries here…

Victoria’s thrilling 4.445 km Phillip Island Circuit, considered by many in the paddock as their favourite track in the world, has for 14 years launched the world’s leading production bike championship.

All the action wasn’t hogged by international series’. With club events seeing plenty of thrills and spills.

Eastern Creek claimed plenty of bikes over its time. With low side crashes being a common occurrence.

during the 2013 TISSOT Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix at Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit on October 20, 2013 in Phillip Island, Australia.

Gallery: Best On Track Moments Of 2013

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PB

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September 23, 2021

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2013 feels like it was worlds ago with the current COVID-19 pandemic. It was a great year for racing, so we have put together an album to throw back to all those memorable moments in Australian and international motorcycle racing!

2013 was the year Marc Marquez entered MotoGP and won the championship in his first season.

Check out all of our racing galleries here…

Tom Skyes took his first and only WorldSBK championship so far in 2013!

Feature: Nick Ware On Moving From Dirt To Tar

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PB

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September 23, 2021

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Taking the plunge from dirt to tar can often be a confusing experience. At first, bikes seem to handle like rubbish on the road. Steering is all out of whack, you run wide, all sorts of things. I’ll never forget the first time I rode a road bike.

Nick started his riding career on the dirt before deciding it was time to hit the tar.

It was an RZ250 and I went down the street and as soon as I got to the first corner I couldn’t make the bike turn! I ended up on the wrong side of the road and could not work out why. For this reason, it’s important to get some basic skills on tar and some coaching before making the transition to riding on the street or on a crowded track.

NICK’S EXPERIENCE
Nick Ware has been riding for four years, starting out on a minibike when he was 12, followed by a YZ85 big wheel and then his current bike, an RMZ250 motocross bike. Nick’s always been interested in tarmac but also enjoys trail riding and dirt track just for fun.

Nick started getting up to speed on flat dirt tracks before hitting the tarmac on his converted RMZ.

I’ve wanted to brush up on my dirt skills over the past year so we’ve been hitting the local track together on weekends and sharing the RMZ with the plan that once Nick is up to speed on the bike we can convert it to a motard and have a crack on the tarmac using the RMZ, starting off with a few track days before doing club racing in the 250cc single-cylinder class once he turned 16 and got his senior MA licence.

Check out all of our features here…

After plenty of weekends on the dirt we were both doing the same almost identical lap times of the dirt track we were using. I knew then it was time for Nick to try tarmac so we gathered up the parts required and converted his RMZ250 to a motard overnights. We used Motosprint 17in wheels, a Motosprint sprocket and NG Racing oversize front rotor with caliper extender.

Converting the RMZ to a motard was the best option for Nick as he was already used to the bike on the dirt.

We also fitted Bendix carbon-matrix brake pads and Venhill brake lines. A set of Bridgestone slicks went on and we firmed up the suspension ourselves. The next issue was gearing but we eventually found that Link Int did a 16T front and 39T rear for the bike, easily giving us what was required for The Farm and Eastern Creek.

With an old set of my leathers plus my spare helmet, gloves and boots in his gear bag, Nick headed to The Farm to tag along with one of our tests. It was his first experience on tarmac and with only the three of us riding the pressure was off and he could relax and ease into it without fear of being run down by a 1000cc superbike at full tilt!

After the bike was converted, it was time for Nick to hit the track for the first time. Luck for him, it was a private test day at the Farm so he didn’t have to worry about being in the way.

“The first thing I did was run wide everywhere,” says Nick, “As there is so much grip the bike does not slide around. When you open the throttle the bike wants to go wider than it does off road when the wheel spins.”

“Once I got used to the grip I started to push more but felt uncomfortable as I was sitting on the bike like I was still on the dirt. I felt uncomfortable and awkward hanging off and I was holding on too tight. Later in the day when I was going much faster, the hanging off came naturally and the g-forces from cornering supported my body and I could hang off and relax my arms. As soon as my knee touched down for the first time it all clicked and I was able to understand the way the bike was behaving more.”

“By the afternoon Nick was right on my tail. I was riding an RGV250 and could not shake him. I knew he must have been pushing and I knew what was next!”

“In the arvo I peeled into the first of the Esses and suddenly I was on my arse sliding down the road! The front just folded so quickly compared to on the dirt. I didn’t get hurt but got a shock. I hopped back on straight away and was back into it but could not bring myself to push in that corner or get my knee down for the rest of the day. It was the first time my confidence was rattled but Jeff talked me through my mistakes and I understand why I crashed now”…

The following week we headed to The Farm again for another afternoon where Nick just did lap after lap after lap, getting used to tarmac and limits. We also got a few hours there in the rain one day, which was fantastic as he really clicked in the wet and got plenty of laps in too.

By his second track day, Nick was already getting to grips with riding in the rain and the limits of a wet track.

Having turned 16 Nick was able to join St George MCC and get his Senior MA Road Racing Licence. The next step was to head to Sydney Motorsport Park for an Eastern Creek Ride Day. We both booked into White Group so Nick could follow me on our CBR250R Moriwaki on his RMZ250. We arrived early and set up the pits in time to make sure Nick did not miss the all-important rider’s briefing and special briefing for first timers. Once that was over and the bikes were scrutineered it was time to head out and Nick did the sighting laps with the other first timers behind an Eastern Creek Ride Day official. I then headed out and caught him and we rode together.

“I was so nervous before that first session it wasn’t funny,” admits Nick, “I’d never ridden with other riders so was really concerned as my bike only has a top speed of around 170km/h so I thought I was going to get run down! There also seems to be more pressure to know all of the rules and flags and there is a lot to take in. But once that first session was out of the way I was ready to go and had fun. Until I crashed and chopped my finger”

Lucky tracks always have experienced medical professions on hand.

Nick got extremely unlucky with his crash, trapping his pinky.

Yep. Unfortunately just when Nick was getting confident he lost the front end in the old T9 and his right hand pinkie got caught between the ‘bars and the tarmac. Ouch. Microsurgery and lots of skin grafts and recovery followed this, but as soon as he got the all clear he was back out there. This time learning to ride a road bike, the next step in our plan…

With a totally different riding position to the RMZ, our CBR250R Moriwaki gave Nick the experience required to get comfy in the road race body position and he immediately gelled more with the road bike than his RMZ.

It didn’t take Nick long to get his groove back though, after a few surgeries he was back faster than ever!

“The first time I rode the Moriwaki was at SMSP and I was nervous about hurting myself again so took it very easy, just getting used to the seating position. I preferred it and liked tucking in down the straight as well as finding it easier to scrape my knee and use my knee as a third wheel. The next time I rode it was in the rain at The Farm and I did laps for three hours without crashing! I really got my confidence back that day and enjoy the wet”.

Rider Training: Getting Started With Ride Days

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PB

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September 23, 2021

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Enter yourself in the right group for your skill level! No one cares what colour your wristband is.

Road riding is a great social outlet and the best way to get around day to day. It also throws up exciting challenges on a sportsbike but, sadly, the cops are getting heavier and heavier and I hate to say it, rightly so…

Ride days are the perfect way to find out the true extent of your bike without breaking any speed limits!

Sportsbikes are fast and there are a lot of riders out there who should be sticking to ride days for a speed fix… Ride days are fantastic – everyone is going in the same direction, there is run-off areas, emergency medical help and no speed limits.

Check out our other rider tips here…

Fines, injuries, jail, loss of licence… all these things happen at 200-plus on the street. Plus of course there is the fun factor. I’ve lost count of the amount of times I’ve met a rider at a track day that is grinning ear-to-ear after his or her very first session lapping a track. The feeling is one that none of us forget and, like that first knee slide moment, it becomes an addiction. Once you go track, you’ll never go back…

Road riding can be unpredictable, especially when riding at speed. Blind corners, unexpected road condition and more are all things that are eliminated on track.

Unfortunately, I also, from time to time, meet riders that really want to experience the racetrack but are either too shy to head out there with experienced riders, are not sure they have the ability or think expenses mean it is out of their reach but it doesn’t have to be that way.

THE DAY HAS COME
Like anything, for sure, the first time can be a little nerve wrecking and a bit of a hurdle but, once that chequered flag signals the end of your very first session, all of those butterflies go away. It’s just the buzz that will stay with you for the whole day.

Always make sure you listen to the rider brief, even if you’ve heard it plenty of times before.

Getting in to ride days is easy. All you need to do is get your bike checked over by your mechanic, get the appropriate tyres on it, sort your riding gear and book the day. There are multiple ride day companies and all of them are accommodating, experienced and smart operators. You’ll be made to feel at home and you will receive expert advice and be treated with kid gloves on your very first day. Ride day operators have special Novice and First Timer briefings and groups for riding in and some will also ensure you have an instructor shadow you if required to help out with tips. There are strict overtaking rules to avoid you getting blasted off the track and fantastic signalling and flag systems that are universal and easy to understand.

Heading out onto the track for the first time can be nerve racking but as the light goes green, all the nerves will disappear!

When you arrive you generally look for a garage and set up, just ask the others in there if there is room. Once you unload and set-up, you’ll find there will be a quick briefing where all new riders will be pulled aside for a bit of extra help. You’ll then be allocated in to the appropriate riding group for your ability and given a wristband. There will usually be timetables up around the place with your session times. So it is a matter of keeping your bike fuelled up and suiting up with 10 minutes or so to spare. Getting leathers on in a panic at the last minute before you ride is a disaster waiting to happen…

The main thing is to get organised with plenty of time up your sleeve so you arrive on the day feeling relaxed and ready.

Aside from the odd ego tripper (they show up everywhere not just at the track) the pits on ride days are full of like-minded riders sharing a fun day and socially, ride days can be brilliant – lunch time is always a laugh…

At the end of a good ride day, you will feel completely mentally and physically exhausted and at the same time invigorated and on a massive high. And when you get home and crack that first beer – the grin will be immense.

You can show up on almost any bike and have a bucket of fun! But, a sports bike will always be up to the task.

Which Bike?
It really doesn’t matter what you ride really. If it has an engine, brakes, suspension and tyres then it’ll be fun. However, sportsbikes and sports-slanted nakedbikes are more suitable due to ground clearance. Once you get in to ride days more, you can get serious about your bike. But first up, even on a little 250, you will be packing bricks so showing up on a 1000 on slicks is not the go – trust me…

Make sure you have new brake fluid and plenty of meat on your brake pads, no oil leaks, new or very good tyres and excellent condition chain and sprockets and good suspension with no oil seals leaking. There will be scrutineering on the day so to avoid disappointment of a knock back, get your bike in order before you go.

Always opt for the best safety gear in your price range. It’s important to have a good quality set of leathers, helmet, gloves and boots.

What To Wear
OK, this is important. You need really good leathers, good gloves and boots and a top quality helmet. No point showing up in jeans and a leather jacket, as you won’t be allowed on the track. You will also be knocked back if your helmet shows signs of a previous drop, your gear is torn or in bad condition, and you are not allowed on tracks without a back protector. It is recommended that you wear a chest protector.

No Limits Motor Team Take Home Independent Win At Bol d’Or

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PB

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September 23, 2021

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The Bol d’Or celebrates turning 100 later this month with the 85th running of one of the world’s most famous motorbike races.

No Limits Motor Team claimed their first EWC Dunlop Independent Trophy win. The Italian team – third place in Superstock at the Bol d’Or – pocketed the €7,000 prize awarded for the 24-hour race. OG Motorsport by Sarazin and Maco Racing Team were the other two teams on the EWC Independent Trophy podium.

Team No Limits claimed their first podium and Independant Team Trophy at Bol d’Or over the weekend!

Kevin Calia, Luca Scassa and Alexis Masbou were able to steer clear of the traps in store at the Bol d’Or and the rainy night. They took No Limits Motor Team’s Suzuki to 5th place at the finish and climbed onto the 3rd step of the Superstock podium. If it hadn’t been for a selector issue towards the end they might have claimed the win in the category. This is No Limits Motor Team’s first win in the EWC Dunlop Independent Trophy, with an accompanying €7,000 prize.

OG Motorsport by Sarazin were in 4th place in the Superstock class. A crash on Sunday morning deprived them of the Superstock podium. Their excellent performance at the Bol d’Or won them 2nd place in the EWC Dunlop Independent Trophy. The French team on Yamaha with a cosmopolitan line-up comprising Frenchman Alex Plancassagne, British rider Stefan Hill and Japanese rider Kokoro Atsumi received €6,000 in prize money.

Team No Limits showed excellent bike control and strategy over the weekend as the race plagued others with issues.

Maco Racing Team had a tough race, with a crash and technical issues. The Slovakian team and their trio of riders, the Australian Anthony West, Germany’s Marc Moser and Czech rider Ondřej Ježek, were 10th past the finish line and climbed onto the third step of the EWC Dunlop Independent Trophy podium, receiving a €5,000 purse.

Six other independent teams using Dunlop tyres were awarded prizes at this year’s tough and highly selective Bol d’Or. Only 20 machines managed to make it to the finish. The six teams received amounts ranging from €4,000 down to €1,800 for the team ranked 9th in the EWC Dunlop Independent Trophy.

The Independent section of the championship is heating up as six other independent teams were awarded prizes.

Renewed for the 6th successive season by FIM EWC promoter Eurosport Events, the organizers of each race in the FIM Endurance World Championship and tyre manufacturer Dunlop, the EWC Dunlop Independent Trophy gives backing to privateer teams using Dunlop tyres who do not receive direct support from a constructor. €120,000 will be awarded this season to support teams participating in the EWC Independent Trophy.

Check out the full results from Bol d’Or here…

WorldSBK: Race Reports From RD11 At Portimao

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WorldSBK: Race Reports From RD10 At Jerez

Racer Test: Ex-Eugene Laverty Aprilia RSW250

PRO RIDE – PETER GALVIN RIDES THE RSW250
Seven-times Australian 125 GP Champion and ex World 125 GP rider

2007 APRILIA RSW250 SPECIFICATIONS

2007 Aprilia RSW250 Gallery

Rider Training: California Superbike School Level 1

Gallery: Best Australian Track Moments Of 2013

Gallery: Best On Track Moments Of 2013

Feature: Nick Ware On Moving From Dirt To Tar

Rider Training: Getting Started With Ride Days

No Limits Motor Team Take Home Independent Win At Bol d’Or

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