F1 News - Season could continue until January - Ferrari boss
https://ift.tt/2WO6MOt The world championship could extend into January next year as Formula 1 seeks to salvage the 2020 season, says Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto. The first eight races have been called off and the British Grand Prix in July is one of the next events under threat. Binotto said teams are in "constant dialogue" with F1 on how to proceed. "We're assessing various ideas - races closer together, maybe doing two or three races in January, cancelling (Friday) practice," he said. The final race of this season is scheduled to be the Abu Dhabi GP on 29 November. Speaking to Sky Sports Italia, Binotto said: "I have felt, along with the other team principals, that these are decisive moments. "We've decided to give complete freedom to (Formula 1 chairman Chase) Carey and the FIA to put together as soon as possible a timetable for us to get racing again, we are willing on our side." Carey said in a statement last week that he "fully expected the season to start at some point this summer, with a revised calendar of between 15-18 races". But, as the coronavirus crisis escalates around the world and countries battle to get the disease under control, that view appears optimistic, and some senior team figures are beginning to doubt whether the 2020 world championship will happen at all. F1 has already taken a series of measures to prepare for a revamped season whenever that becomes possible and to help teams facing a drop in income as a result of the reduced number of races. To cut costs, it has delayed until 2022 the introduction of a massive rules revamp set to be introduced next year. Teams will not only race with the same technical regulations next year as this, but they will carry over their chassis into 2021. The chassis - or survival cell - is the fundamental structure of the car in which the driver sits, and requires months to design and build. Discussions over what other areas of design will remain free and what will be frozen are ongoing. F1 has also moved forward its traditional three-week summer break to March and April, and this could even be extended if factories are forced to shut as a result of national lockdowns. Teams have waived their usual consultation rights over the schedule to make it easier for Carey and race organisers to plan a new schedule. Carey has emphasised that the original calendar may have to be ripped up completely as he seeks to fit in as many races as possible once restrictions on global travel are lifted. "If this allows us to guarantee a more complete 2020 world championship, with the following season not starting until March, there is great availability for that," said Binotto. F1 rules dictate that a minimum of eight races have to be held for a valid world championship. #F1 via BBC Sport - Formula 1 https://ift.tt/OHg7x6 March 29, 2020 at 06:51AM
Motorcycle News - Electric Motorcycles – Power and the Passion
https://ift.tt/3auxAHu “HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE ELECTRIC MOTORCYCLE“ Alright, you grumpy old bastards on social media – no one is trying to pry your classic bike from your cold, diabeetus-riddled hands. No men in Tesla shirts are going to kick over your Norton Commando and tip your fuel down the sink late at night. But we get it. We’re reticent about the electric motorcycle as well. Even if we don’t vomit all over Facebook about it. Motorcycles via Return of the Cafe Racers https://ift.tt/2M9riRb March 28, 2020 at 06:08AM
MotoGP News - Johann Zarco: Ducati can give me time to prove worth for 2021 chance
https://ift.tt/2xyjYfW Johann Zarco believes Ducati can "give me time" to prove himself on the year-old Avintia-run Desmosedici and show he deserves a factory MotoGP seat with the marque in 2021. The double Moto2 world champion has signed directly with Ducati for 2020 to ride a GP19 in Avintia colours, with the team now becoming an official Ducati satellite squad in the process. Both of Ducati's current factory riders - Andrea Dovizioso and Danilo Petrucci - are out of contract at the end of the year. However, Ducati's options outside of that pair are now extremely limited, with its most-wanted picks in Maverick Vinales and Fabio Quartararo signing to Yamaha for two years, while Joan Mir is expected to remain with Suzuki. How Ducati has been left behind in the MotoGP rider market Zarco, who endured a miserable 13-race stint with KTM before departing to ride an LCR Honda for the last three rounds of 2019, has made no secret of his desire to elevate himself to the works Ducati squad in '21. Although he admits he has not entered discussions with anyone, he doesn't believe Ducati will "rush" its decision on its rider line-up. "I'm not even thinking about it," he told Canal+ when asked if his future plans could be messed up by the coronavirus-forced delays to the MotoGP season. "I haven't yet realised that delaying the start of the season or having less time to prove myself can be complicated for me in 2021. "I have every confidence in Ducati. "I'm already happy to have met them and to be enjoying the bike, and I can see that deep down inside I still have such a burning desire to win that I am confident that it can bring me good things. "The balance is good, mentally and physically, so I think Ducati can give me time - they're not going to run anything. "At the moment I'm not discussing 2021 with anyone at all. "Ideally, I would [stay] at Ducati, if I can perform well with them, [but] we shouldn't close the doors to other possibilities either." Ducati pushed hard for Zarco to sign with it to join the Avintia team over the course of the Valencia weekend in November - despite the French rider branding Avintia as "not a top team" and claiming he'd rather go back to Moto2 than go to the customer Ducati team. Autosport understands Ducati seriously considered ousting Petrucci from its works team and promoting Jack Miller for 2020, with Zarco taking Miller's place at Pramac. However, the cost of breaking Petrucci's contract would not have been worth that rider shuffle. Motogp Motorcycle Racing News via MotoGP news - Autosport https://ift.tt/2uOa9Ei March 28, 2020 at 05:23AM
Motorcycle News - Readers’ Rides: Martin Adams’ Commonwealth Racing Norton
https://ift.tt/2vT8ZwU If you were paying attention to American roadracing in the 1990s (more and more resembling a golden era), the name Martin Adams might ring a bell. Martin begat the Commonwealth Racing team, which in 1989 won its first AMA title: That would be the AMA Pro Twins GP championship (at the last corner, at the last round of the Series (Topeka), with Randy Renfrow in the saddle of the Commonwealth Honda RS850). Later, when Camel sponsorship came to town in 1991 (remember tobacco?), Commonwealth became known as Smokin’ Joe’s Honda, winning four 600 AMA Supersport championships over the next seven seasons as well as more than a few Superbike races. When Honda’s new RC45 arrived on scene in 1995, Martin’s team won 19 0f 21 Superbike and Supersport races entered that year, with Miguel Duhamel taking both championships on the Smokin’ Joe’s RC and CBR600F3. Not bad. Those were great motorcycles, too, but this story isn’t about them. It’s about Martin’s first racer, and our introductory Reader’s Ride: the Commonwealth Racing Norton he campaigned in 1984 and ’85. Our recent news posts about Norton’s current fiduciary woes started him down the memory lane of his own Norton misdeeds. Take it away, Mr. Adams: “The name came from my being from the Commonwealth of Kentucky, our rider being from Great Britain, while our crew was Australian – the British Commonwealth of Nations. I knew just enough about Nortons to make myself dangerous. I had a Dunstall Commando. This was a Norton short-stroke 750 with bigger pistons, revised “squish” combustion chambers, and a one-piece lightened crank, netting – whatever! I had no dyno!! It seemed fast at the time! “The twin contained a C.R. Axtell cam, increased inlet length (torque) with two late-model Amal concentric carbs (38mm, I think). Total loss ignition. A five-speed Quaife gearbox, with diaphragm dry clutch using a Gilmer belt for primary drive. Dry sump with oil cooler. Hand-made tank and seat from Norman White (UK). Marzocchi magnesium 38mm forks. Works Performance 18-inch rims. Performance Machine brakes… And a hugely modified fairing comprising a Norton top section and a Yamaha TZ750 lower. Exhausts were built in the UK by Mick Grant. The frame was a John Caffrey “Vendetta” from Wales (also UK). Norman White was principal builder. “It was light, about 325 pounds. Slippery aerodynamically. And, we assumed, ready to trouble old-style Ducatis. It WASN’T! Our rider, many times UK Historic Champion Dave Pither, was aboard at Daytona for the launch. He came in after a few laps looking paler than usual, and reported that it was nearly impossible to “hold a line of six feet” on the banking! “I thought the shocks were not up to the banking’s loading. I stiffened them front and rear and right, back out you go! No improvement. Now, I realize the frame was likely flexing on the banking. This bike ran conventional slicks. But WORSE, we discovered the “potato chip consistency” of the motor’s crankcases… they actually cracked!!! “We raced it one or two more times after, working like Trojans on its tissue paper crankcases. They were unable, I think, to contain the pressures of a set of 850cc pistons at 7-8,000 rpm. Its cases were “pumping/breathing” without benefit of a proper breather; you could almost see it if you squinted. It was failure. “I sold the bike to a US Navy missile engineer. I was broke, hugely disappointed, and trying to learn lessons… the main one was a word that repeated itself in my head: reliability! Thus began the eventual build of Commonwealth Racing’s Honda RS850/D, upon which Randy Renfrow won the 1989 Pro Twins GP Championship. Defeat is a two edged sword; discover the benign edge…” Still, Martin doesn’t hold a grudge against British motorcycles: “In 1990 we won the Isle of Man Historic GP with a Triumph Trident we ran in the UK under the Team Commonweath Racing GB banner. We won so many championships/races there I cannot remember the total, also the Manx GP a few years earlier, with none other than Dave Pither. Live and learn.” We’re suckers for nice photos and descriptive words and reasonably decent pics of your favorite motorcycle, or maybe just your most memorable one for all the wrong reasons? Send yours to contact@motorcycle.com, title it “Readers’ Rides,” and see yourself in this spot one of these weeks. The post Readers’ Rides: Martin Adams’ Commonwealth Racing Norton appeared first on Motorcycle.com. Motorcycles via Motorcycle.com https://ift.tt/2Std7JO March 27, 2020 at 04:15PM
Motorcycle News - Sur-Ron custom: A Firefly built for Nike Air Max Day
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The German sportswear label and retailer BSTN is one of those farsighted brands, and this is the second custom they’ve commissioned from Philipp Wulk of Impuls.
Also known as the Light Bee, it has a top speed of 73 kph (45 mph) and a real-world range of around 70 kilometers (43 miles). The build quality is exceptional—reportedly better than that of most motorcycle makers, and approaching Honda levels, according to some testers.
“After our last collaboration with the Ducati 916, BSTN wanted to build a bike to match the Nike Air Max 90 Duck Camo and Max 2090,” Philipp says. “The general theme was ‘sustainability,’ so to go electric was the obvious choice.”
After testing the Sur-Ron with the 1.90 meter-plus (6’2”) guys at BSTN, Philipp decided not to change the stance or the suspension. “Both were just fine. We just had to change the stem to make the bike more suitable for taller riders.”
That meant reinforcing the battery cover, and contracting expert leather specialist Kruno Nakic to design the luggage itself.
The wheels have been re-spoked with black spokes, and there’s an aftermarket black sprocket to match new black powder coat elsewhere.
The seat has been rebuilt by Kruno Nakic, who trimmed off the front and sides, and the battery cover was raised to enhance the silhouette of the bike. “It might seem like a minor detail, but it helps the looks a lot.”
The biggest issue Impuls had to deal with was not on the Sur-Ron itself. “It was the lockdown due to the Coronavirus,” Philipp says. Like all the German workshops, Philipp had to prepare for rapidly impending quarantine.
“After I bought the last can of paint, the shop closed down. The last parts arrived via express courier on Saturday morning. Crazy times!”
Impuls | Facebook | Instagram | BSTN product page | Images by Philipp Wulk Motorcycles via Bike EXIF https://ift.tt/2Mf9b0c March 27, 2020 at 12:11PM
Motorcycle News - Honda CB-F Concept Revealed
https://ift.tt/3dITqcq Honda revealed a new concept model based inspired by the CB900F. The Honda CB-F Concept is based on the Neo Sports Café-styled CB1000R, but with a decidedly more retro vibe. The CB-F Concept was originally intended to be a part of Honda’s display at the Osaka and Tokyo Motorcycle Shows, but due to COVID-19, was instead revealed in an online “Virtual Show” along with other models like the new CT125 Hunter Cub. The CB-F shares much with the CB1000R, as the juxtaposition below illustrates. The steel mono-backbone frame, 998cc Inline-Four engine, wheels, single-sided swingarm and swingarm pivot plates appear similar to the production bike, but the headlight, fuel tank, silencer, rear subframe and tail are completely new. Honda only released to photos of the CB-F concept, neither of which show the left side of the bike, but Honda’s video presentation gives us a better look at the headlight design as well as the LED taillight. The CB900F (along with the Japanese market version, the CB750F, pictured below) that inspired the concept was first introduced in Europe in 1979 before arriving in North America in 1981. It was produced through 1983 when it was replaced by the CB1100F, returning in 2002 with a more contemporary design as the CB900F Hornet. At the moment, Honda hasn’t indicated any plans of putting the CB-F into production. There is a little matter of Honda’s current retro roadster, the air-cooled CB1100F, being on its last days due to Euro 5 restrictions. A new Honda CB1000F could make for a suitable replacement, and competition for the likes of the Kawasaki Z900F and Suzuki Katana. The post Honda CB-F Concept Revealed appeared first on Motorcycle.com. Motorcycles via Motorcycle.com https://ift.tt/2Std7JO March 27, 2020 at 11:02AM
MotoGP News - Honda: We were ready for Qatar MotoGP round, Ducati wasn't
https://ift.tt/2yeBvKn Honda team manager Alberto Puig has hit back at claims by Ducati boss Gigi Dall'Igna that the delayed start to the season will benefit HRC and Marc Marquez. The start of the 2020 MotoGP season will be pushed back even further following the cancellation of the Jerez round, meaning that the French Grand Prix stands as the tentative first round on the calendar. In a recent interview with Sky Italia, Dall'Igna addressed the potential sporting implications of the coronavirus-induced break, once the new season eventually gets underway. Dall'Igna suggested that the longer lay-off period would suit Honda and world champion Marquez, as the Japanese squad endured some struggles with its 2020-spec bike during the pre-season tests. Marquez also admitted that a shoulder injury was still causing issues during the pre-season test in Qatar. Puig, however, has rubbished that suggestion, pointing to the fact that Honda was the only team to provide its engine homologation paperwork to officials during that final test. "What Ducati should have done was prepare for the challenge they were going to face in Qatar," Puig told Autosport. "We were the only ones that delivered the drawings, on time, when requested. From then on, if there's any suspicion a manufacturer has done something strange with its engine, it's clear that it won't be Honda." Honda was the only team to leave staff in Qatar following the test, while the majority of the Ducati team returned to Italy prior to the country's lockdown in response to the growing number of COVID-19 cases in the northern part of the country. Motogp Motorcycle Racing News via MotoGP news - Autosport https://ift.tt/2uOa9Ei March 27, 2020 at 08:21AM
Motorcycle News - DAILY BURN: Triumph T120 by Thornton Hundred Motorcycles
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Written by Martin Hodgson
When the custom culture began to boom again a decade ago there was a large element made up of middle-aged men rebuying the bikes of their youth and younger folks taking advantage of cheap and cheerful ’70s machines. Fast forward to 2020 and there is a new generation of builders who grew up with this culture inspiring their teenage minds and a select few have gone on to become the elite builders of today. Jody Millhouse is one such man, exploding onto the scene with an incredible catalogue of custom creations. The latest from the Thornton Hundred Motorcycles workshop is this celebrity commissioned Triumph T120 Ace, with bulk attitude to burn. While most of us spend our early twenties stumbling around trying to find our place in the world, traveling, dropping in and out of uni or giving a trade a go. Jody clearly knew exactly where his future lay and was producing incredible creations at just 21 years old. Still in his early 20s, he’s already wowed the scene with bikes as diverse as a Honda CR500 tracker to a Ducati Panigale with plenty of 3D printed parts. So it’s little wonder then that Joe Wicks, TV presenter and Social Media star of the fitness industry should come calling, wanting a Millhouse machine of his own. The Body Coach as he is known, had his eye on the Triumph and clearly wasn’t interested in blending in with the crowd. “Joe wanted to build the coolest T120 custom on the planet after lusting for the bike and not finding much inspiration from already completed builds,” Jody tells us. And in Millhouse he found the man with all the skills to bring to life a motorcycle like no other, built to incredibly high standards. Located in Milton Keynes, Jody has just moved Thornton Hundred into a new shop and surrounded by half the teams from the Formula 1 paddock, it’s the perfect place to shine. Starting with a 2020 Triumph T120 Ace provides a base for a build that is quality from top to bottom. But with those traditional Bonneville lines, while stunning for a factory bike, they’re still all too easy to get you lost in the crowd and they definitely don’t pack much in the way of on-road presence. Enter Jody’s wide wheel conversion kit and yes, that is a 180 section tyre on the front, with the tread showing off its mean intent. But it’s no slap together job, with Thornton Hundred using the latest in CAD and CAM manufacturing technology to create this incredible design. Spreading the factory KYB cartridge forks apart is a set of custom made triple clamps to create the room for that tyre. The next step in the process is Jody’s own CNC’d hubs, which are simply a work of art, with the shop logo and the client’s name engraved on the inside. At each end these are then laced up with quality black spokes to a set of lightweight Excel rims, that help pare back some of the unsprung weight. Before they’re all wrapped up in the enormous Pirelli MT60 RS tyres, measuring a car crushing 180/55/17. But while they dominate the show, the rest of the build is no less impressive. Take the custom front guard, the small chopped down unit might look like any other from a distance. But get up close and the individual mounts are a work of art in metal fab form. Above, the black ringed Triumph Bobber headlight conversion adds to the badass feel while retaining factory quality and the gaiters limit the amount of chrome on display. With the rear suspension going all black too thanks to a set of high-end Fox shocks giving full adjustability to set the bike up perfectly to Joe’s liking. Bringing a little colour to the party the paint is all done in house and the black and blue finish with custom stripe and re-designed badging has the tank and side covers popping from miles away! At the rear the quality continues and the seat base is shaped from carbon fibre no less, with an all-new custom subframe loom. Up top the upholstery is first class, with Jody finally letting someone else touch the bike with the good folks at Viking Motorcycle Seats cooking up an Alcantara special with matching blue and white diamond stitching. The big twin-cylinder 1200cc engine packs plenty of grunt and now looks the part with a set of side covers that add to the mean motorcycle aesthetic. But once again the platform offers up a chance for Jody to show off his incredible skills and there are few who can match him in the exhaust department. Anyone who watches his Instagram stories will know the hundreds of pie cuts and nearly as many hours that go into crafting such a masterpiece, with the welding talent truly defying his young age. The sound is just as impressive and from concept to completed product it’s little wonder that those who could have any bike of their choosing turn to Thornton Hundred Motorcycles for their own slice of nirvana on two wheels! [ Thornton Hundred Motorcycles | Photography by Alex Mckenzie ] Motorcycles via Pipeburn.com https://ift.tt/2LY9tnG March 27, 2020 at 04:33AM
MotoGP News - Rossi: 2020 delay has "messed up plan" to decide MotoGP future
https://ift.tt/2WKFzMr Valentino Rossi admits the forced hiatus for MotoGP due to the coronavirus pandemic has "messed up the plan" he had for deciding his future beyond the 2020 season. The 41-year-old nine-time grand prix motorcycle world champion did not commit to a contract extension with Yamaha at the start of the year as he wanted to judge his performance after the first seven or eight races to see if he wanted to continue. This lost him his place at the works team to 2019's rookie sensation Fabio Quartararo, though Rossi has been guaranteed full factory support with Petronas SRT should he choose to continue his career. However, with the season now unlikely to start before June, this has played havoc with Rossi's plans for deciding his future. "This [the coronavirus lockdown] has messed up the plan," Rossi told Sky Sports in Italy. "We will have to understand when we will be able to race. "[The delay] seems to be going long, because they have also cancelled the European Football Championship. "So I think it will be difficult [to start the season] before July. "Regarding my choice, I was hoping to be able to decide if to continue after the first part of the season, but now everything [has] slipped. "I would like a few races to understand if I can be competitive. That would be important." MotoGP promoters Dorna Sports and governing body the FIM have previously stated its intentions to try and run all remaining 19 races this year, with the idea of two-race weekends having been mooted. Rossi says this idea is "interesting", but thinks holding the minimum contractually required 13 events under the usual weekend format will likely "be enough". "This year, the important thing would be to do as many races as possible," he said. "It is not said that doing 19 races is fundamental. "The Superbike double race [weekend format] would be interesting, but the minimum to make the championship valid is 13 races. "Maybe it would be enough to do those well and keep the current format. "Let's see what [Dorna CEO Carmelo] Ezpeleta will decide, but above all we must see what the virus will decide." Motogp Motorcycle Racing News via MotoGP news - Autosport https://ift.tt/2uOa9Ei March 27, 2020 at 04:34AM
Motorcycle News - How To Countersteer A Motorcycle
https://ift.tt/3aksOMM Part of the fun of riding motorcycles comes from the mastery of controlling an unstable machine. Without their riders, motorcycles can’t stand up by themselves at a stop. When it comes to riding motorcycles, being able to precisely place your motorcycle where you want it on the pavement comes from practice and understanding how motorcycles turn. That technique is countersteering. During the seminal 1981 Hurt Report, which is officially titled Motorcycle Accident Cause Factors and Identification of Countermeasures, the accident study’s findings noted, “Motorcycle riders in these accidents showed significant collision avoidance problems…. The ability to countersteer and swerve was essentially absent.” In fact, in some cases, the riders actually steered their bikes into the object they were trying to avoid. While we can’t avoid the fact that target fixation probably played a role in some of these instances, the Hurt Report indicated that many accident-involved motorcyclists didn’t know how to properly countersteer. So, what is countersteering? The simple definition is that you turn the handlebar in the opposite direction of the way you want to turn. Want to go right? Turn the handlebar to the left. This counterintuitive turning process illustrates why it is so important to learn countersteering. Simply put, riders who don’t completely grasp countersteering – down to the muscle-memory level – run the risk of crashing themselves into the car, truck, pothole, deer, or pedestrian they want to avoid. (For a great example of this, watch the slow-motion section of the video below. You can see him try to steer the bike away from the truck and actually wrestle with the handlebar.) Get the Flash Player to see this player. On more than one occasion, back when I was a motorcycle safety instructor, I was challenged over countersteering by “experienced” riders who brought their wife/girlfriend/teenaged offspring to take the course. In those instances, I told them to try a simple exercise on their ride home. Ride down the street going fast enough to stabilize the bike, place the palms of their open hands on the grips, and press forward with one of the hands – and tell me what happened when they saw me next. Some actually came back amazed at how it worked, leading to a fun discussion of how they had always been countersteering subconsciously, but now, they had a new tool to use in crash-avoidance situations. The others just avoided me to their detriment (IMO). What’s happening when you turn the handlebar to the left – or press forward on the right grip – is both quite simple and really complex. Being a single-track vehicle, the front and rear wheels follow the same track when traveling in a straight line. When you press right/turn left, the front wheel moves to the left of that single track. Since the bike’s inertia wants to try to continue in the previous straight line, the bike pivots around its center of gravity in its attempt. The result is the bike is leaning to the right, and we know that you make motorcycles turn by leaning them. (There are other forces in play during countersteering, like gyroscopic precession, which is comparatively minor. So, I’m leaving that out. If you want to go down the rabbit hole on all the physics involved in turning a motorcycle, there is a chapter devoted to it in Tony Foale’s Motorcycle Handling And Chassis Design.) Countersteering is simply a very efficient means of making a motorcycle lean. So, how do we make it work for us? The mnemonic “press right, go right” is a great way to commit the idea to memory, but the key is to practice consciously countersteering. Riding down the road you can dodge the dotted white line when it’s safe. You can practice swerving to avoid painted directional markings in your lane. If you want to go all out, set up a cone weave in an empty parking lot. Keep working on your countersteering until it becomes second nature. I can guarantee that it will save your hide at some point in your riding career. The post How To Countersteer A Motorcycle appeared first on Motorcycle.com. Motorcycles via Motorcycle.com https://ift.tt/2Std7JO March 26, 2020 at 03:44PM |
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