F1 News - Formula 1 factory shutdown period doubled
https://ift.tt/2KIg1bS Formula 1 has almost doubled the shutdown period for teams as the coronavirus crisis continues to play havoc with the 2020 championship. The period during which factories must be closed and employees related to car performance away from work has been extended from 35 to 63 consecutive days. Teams started their shutdowns on different dates in late March. The new rule means all would be closed until the end of May. The move comes just 24 hours after F1 said it hoped to start the season in July. F1 chairman and chief executive Chase Carey said on Monday that he was "increasingly confident" of a first race in Austria on 3-5 July, followed by a few races in Europe before moving on to Asia and the Americas and ending the championship in the Middle East in December. F1's existing plan is to fill July with two races on consecutive weekends in Austria followed by two at Silverstone. France had been on its list as a possible venue in August along with Hungary and Spain, even though the French Grand Prix, which had been scheduled for 28 June, was officially cancelled on Monday. But the uncertainty surrounding F1's plans was demonstrated on Tuesday when the French government announced a ban on all sport until the end of August, including events held behind closed doors. That appears to bring to an end any hopes of a race there. Some teams have kept their factories running during the shutdown period as they are part of a pan-F1 project to provide medical equipment to treat coronavirus patients. Mercedes has designed and built a new breathing aid for patients who do not need ventilation, while the seven UK-based teams are part of a consortium that has been building ventilators. Power-unit manufacturers, who were involved in the shutdown for the first time this year, have also had their shutdown period extended, from 35 to 49 consecutive days during March, April, May or June. #F1 via BBC Sport - Formula 1 https://ift.tt/OHg7x6 April 28, 2020 at 11:27AM
Motorcycle News - They Just Wanna – 2020 Sheilas Shakedown
https://ift.tt/2Sg3EHX Sheilas Shakedown is really like no other festival. It encapsulates the zeitgeist of the 70s and 80s Aussie bike rally scene but with one very distinct difference. Strictly women only. Sure the general principles remain. It’s a bunch of motorcycle enthusiasts getting together over a weekend on a rural patch of dirt, preferably scenic, talkin’ bikes, slingin’ beers, howling at the moon with some general shenanigans and misbehaving. Then on the Sunday we all ride home. Back to our respective jobs and family responsibilities. A simple concept yet any moto enthusiast who has entered these sacred spaces knows exactly what it’s about. It’s a feeling. Or as the kid’s say these days ‘It’s a vibe’. Sheilas Shakedown is about bringing hundreds of women together, from all over Oz and beyond. Regardless of age, race, background or sexuality, but with one thing in common. An undeniable love of motorcycles. Motorcycles via Return of the Cafe Racers https://ift.tt/2M9riRb April 28, 2020 at 05:44AM
MotoGP News - MotoGP News: Lorenzo can make full-tim return with Yamaha, says Rossi
https://ift.tt/2S9dITd Valentino Rossi believes the retired Jorge Lorenzo "can think to come back" to MotoGP with Yamaha in the future, but is unsure of the triple world champion's motivation. Lorenzo retired from MotoGP at the end of last year following a miserable sole campaign on the works Honda, but signed to Yamaha in the winter to become its official test rider. The three-time world champion was due to make a wildcard appearance on the M1 at the Catalan Grand Prix before it was postponed by the coronavirus pandemic. During the opening pre-season test of the year in Malaysia - at which Lorenzo rode the 2019 M1 on the last day - he admitted a full-time return was slightly more likely but insisted he was still 98% convinced of his retirement. Commenting on having Lorenzo back alongside him in the Yamaha garage as a test rider, Rossi said: "For me, I think Jorge after the years at Ducati [in 2017/18], but especially last year with Honda, was a little bit like me after 2011 and 2012 after two very difficult seasons with Ducati, where I never had a good feeling with the bike and [scored] bad results. "And every time I tried to push more, I'd crash. I crashed a lot of times during these seasons and I always lost the feeling. "And you say 'it's over, stop, it's time to stay at home'. But after Jorge jumped on the M1, already after the first day he rediscovered that [good] feeling riding again. "He pushed, and when he pushed he didn't crash. So, I think he can think to come back [to MotoGP] with Yamaha in the future, but I don't know if he has enough motivation." Lorenzo made his MotoGP debut with Yamaha in 2008 and spent nine years with the marque, scoring all three of his premier class titles and 44 of his 47 MotoGP wins in that time. In recent months, rumours have swirled of a potential SRT dream team featuring Rossi and Lorenzo as team-mates for the third time in their careers. When asked about this possibility, Rossi said: "I think that Franco [Morbidelli] is not very happy [about that idea]. "This is a big problem because Franco last year was good, but [Fabio] Quartararo was better. "But during the winter tests Franco was very fast, so I think he will give the maximum to keep one place in that team. "So, I don't know what Lorenzo will decide, and maybe Yamaha have to field five bikes!" Motogp Motorcycle Racing News via MotoGP news - Autosport https://ift.tt/2uOa9Ei April 28, 2020 at 04:49AM
Motorcycle News - Yamahas Abandoned Car Design
https://ift.tt/2YhGftL We all know Yamaha as one of the world’s leading motorcycle manufacturers, but what’s often forgotten is the Tuning Fork company’s work in the automotive sector. Yamaha has a long history of producing engines and other components for automakers such as Toyota and Ford. In 1984, Yamaha developed and supplied the 60° DOHC V6 SHO (Super High Outout) engine for the Ford Taurus, and in 2010, Yamaha co-developed the V10 engine of the Lexus LFA. Years earlier, Yamaha helped Toyota develop the 2000GT sports car in 1967, which was the closest we came to seeing a Yamaha car. We came close in the last decade, however, as Yamaha began showcasing a number of car concepts developed with Gordon Murray Design, a firm founded and named after a former McLaren and Formula 1 race car designer. First came the Motiv, a two-seater compact car that resembled a Smart car that was showcased at the biennial Tokyo Motor Show in 2013. Two years, later, Yamaha showed a sportier-looking car called the Sports Ride Concept, pictured above. Both concepts were built around Gordon Murray Design’s iStream chassis, a lightweight modular aluminum frame with composite panels. The Sports Ride Concept was said to weigh in the neighborhood of 1,650 pounds, svelte for a car. At the time, Yamaha said it was making “steady development progress toward models for production and commercialization,” with the Motiv undergoing on-road testing. And that was pretty much the last we heard about progress. At the 2017 Tokyo Show, Yamaha revealed a pick-up truck called the Cross Hub Concept, but it did not use the Gordon Murray iStream chassis and appeared to be a completely unrelated project. This past fall, at the 2019 Tokyo Motor Show, Yamaha finally admitted that the automotive project was dead, telling AutoCar it had suspended all car projects indefinitely. “Cars do not feature in our long-term plans any more,” Yamaha spokesperson Naoto Horie told Autocar. “That is a decision taken by President (Yoshihiro) Hidaka for the foreseeable future, as we could not see a way to develop either car to make it stand out from the competition, which is very strong. “The sports car in particular had great appeal for us as enthusiasts, but the marketplace is particularly difficult. We now see other opportunities.” The project may be dead, but thanks to a newly published design registered with the European Union Intellectual Property Office, we have an idea of what Yamaha’s sports car could have looked like. The designs were filed in April 2018 and registered a month later, but the information was sealed until last week. The designs show a compact two-door design with curvy front fenders, air scoops ahead of the rear wheels and a rear spoiler. Gordon Murray and several members of his firm were listed as the designers, suggesting the car used the iStream chassis. Also credited as a designer is Masato Suzuki, from Yamaha’s R&D division. The design looks closer to production than the Sports Ride Concept, having door handles and a windshield wiper, features the earlier concept lacked. Unlike the Sports Ride Concept, which had a pair of exhausts below the rear spoiler, the new design does not show any sign of an exhaust system, suggesting, perhaps, an electric powertrain. There’s also no visible location for either a fueling or charging port for that matter, suggesting the design is still at a conceptual stage. The timing of the design filing was close to when Yamaha filed similar design registrations for the Cross Hub Concept with the EUIPO, suggesting Yamaha may have intended to show it at the 2017 Tokyo Motor Show. Alas, we may never know what Yamaha had originally planned for this new design if Yamaha has indeed shuttered its plans to produce cars. The post Yamaha’s Abandoned Car Design appeared first on Motorcycle.com. Motorcycles via Motorcycle.com https://ift.tt/2Std7JO April 27, 2020 at 05:59PM 4/27/2020 Ducati Test Rider Alessandro Valia Talks Us Through Developing A New Bike- Motorcycle News
Motorcycle News - Ducati Test Rider Alessandro Valia Talks Us Through Developing A New Bike
https://ift.tt/2KAsLBc We sometimes get asked how a motorcycle is developed from start to finish. Usually, we answer with a very generic answer: designers draw it up, engineers make it work, and test riders refine it into something you’d actually want to buy. But there’s more to it than that, of course. What exactly are the test riders looking for, and who are these test riders anyway? If you’re one of those who have wondered this very thing, Ducati is here to help.
Since it’s very possible you’ve burned through your entire Netflix queue at this point with the shelter-in-place orders, Ducati is doing the entire motorcycling community a solid and bringing on special guests to its Ducati Caffè video series to talk about bikes. For this video I suggest you carve out 51 minutes in your day to listen to Valia talk with Ducati PR man Giulio Fabbri about what exactly goes on when a new design brief comes across his desk. Having met and ridden with both Valia and Fabbri on numerous Ducati press launches, I can tell you both guys are passionate motorcyclists who can ride the wheels off just about anything. Enjoy the video. The post Ducati Test Rider Alessandro Valia Talks Us Through Developing A New Bike appeared first on Motorcycle.com. Motorcycles via Motorcycle.com https://ift.tt/2Std7JO April 27, 2020 at 03:58PM
F1 News - Lewis Hamilton: Lack of racing leaves 'big void'
https://ift.tt/3aH8Cnt Lewis Hamilton says the lack of racing in Formula 1 so far this year has left him feeling "a big void". The Mercedes driver, who will bid to equal the record of seven world titles if the championship can be started, says he "misses racing every day". "This is the first time since I was eight that I haven't started a season. When you live and breathe something you love, there's definitely a big void." But he added the coronavirus crisis had given everyone "time to reflect". And the 35-year-old also said on Twitter he hoped society would "come out of it with better knowledge of our world, changing our personal choices and habits". Hamilton, who has regularly spoken in the past two years of his conversion to veganism and his concern for man's effect on wildlife, added: "Today, we see clearer skies all over the world, less animals being slaughtered for our pleasure simply because our demands are much lower and everyone is staying in. "Let's not come back the same as we went into this tough time. "Let's come out of this as a new us, a new reinvigorated you, fitter, healthier and more focused, but above all kinder, more generous and gracious and caring for our world and the people in it." Last month, Hamilton criticised the decision to try to press ahead with the first race of the season in Australia, which was cancelled on the morning first practice was due to start. Hamilton said the decision not to abandon the race earlier was "shocking". Now, F1 bosses are working on a plan to start a truncated season on the first weekend in July in Austria. F1 boss Chase Carey said on Monday that he was "increasingly confident" this would happen, and outlined a season that would see a few races in Europe, before heading into Asia and the Americas and conclude in the Middle East. #F1 via BBC Sport - Formula 1 https://ift.tt/OHg7x6 April 27, 2020 at 09:21AM
MotoGP News - MotoGP News: Elias says Rossi hasn't forgiven him for Estoril '06 defeat
https://ift.tt/3cSjNLO Toni Elias says Valentino Rossi still hasn't forgiven him for inflicting defeat on the Italian in the 2006 Portuguese Grand Prix, which ultimately cost Rossi that year's MotoGP title. Estoril played host to the closest finish of the MotoGP era in 2006, as Gresini Honda rider Elias pipped Yamaha man Rossi to the finish by just 0.002 seconds. The five points Rossi lost in the process would prove crucial two weeks later at Valencia, where he crashed and subsequently lost the title to the late Nicky Hayden by five points. Had he triumphed at Estoril, Rossi would have clinched a sixth consecutive title on countback, having scored five wins that year to Hayden's one. Elias, currently representing Suzuki in MotoAmerica having won that title in 2017, believes that Rossi still isn't over the defeat some 14 years on. "When I met Valentino, and I see him in Austin every year, I could see that he still has it in his heart, he hasn't forgiven me," Elias recently told Spanish TV network DAZN. "It's over, it's time to be friends, but it's not possible, he's so competitive that he's stuck with it, he'll never forgive me. "For me it's the opposite, I beat him one day but I considered him the best rider of all time until recently, because right now the best is Marc Marquez, and I think he's going to surpass him". However, Rossi disputed this in a Yamaha-organised interview last weekend, and joked that he's "more angry" about Elias taking him out of that year's season-opener at Jerez. "When I meet Toni, because sometimes we meet together in America because he races in America now, for me it's only positive things because we had a good relationship," Rossi said. "But like I said to him: I'm not angry with him for beating me in Portugal, but more [for] taking me down in the first corner at Jerez because in that season the first race was in Jerez and he took me down in the first corner. "So maybe those [lost] points [at Jerez] made me lose the championship." The Estoril race proved to be Elias' one and only victory in MotoGP, as the Gresini squad suffered a decline in fortunes when the championship switched to 800cc bikes in 2007. He scored a further four podiums - two for Gresini and two for Pramac Ducati - before stepping down to Moto2 and winning the inaugural title in 2010, which was followed by a final, disappointing season in the top class with LCR Honda in 2011. It was also the last for a satellite rider until Jack Miller sensationally won a wet Dutch TT in 2016. Recalling the circumstances of his win, Elias said: "Michelin brought us a new tyre for that race on Saturday, I managed to improve my pace by seven tenths and fight for the victory. "I thanked Michelin for their help, although I was very angry when I found out that this tyre, with a softer carcass, was the one used by the top riders during the whole season, and that they only gave it to us in the penultimate race of the year." Motogp Motorcycle Racing News via MotoGP news - Autosport https://ift.tt/2uOa9Ei April 27, 2020 at 06:49AM 4/27/2020 A Silverstone bonanza and desert double - how F1 wants to put the show back on the road - F1 News
F1 News - A Silverstone bonanza and desert double - how F1 wants to put the show back on the road
https://ift.tt/3bLLupi Formula 1 has laid out its ambition to start up the season in early July, by which time it hopes the coronavirus crisis will be sufficiently under control for the sport to go racing, albeit under significant restrictions. F1 boss Chase Carey hopes to complete a season of at least 16 races after a season that has been laid waste by the coronavirus crisis, but there are complications around what national governments will allow F1 to do, how it might do it, and the restrictions it would have to work under. So how would this work? BBC Sport has been talking to insiders in an attempt to put a shape to the season F1 hopes will come. How would the season start off?Plans are inevitably not firm, as the medical situation in countries around the world is changing all the time. But under the current trajectory, with many European countries looking to be going down the backside of the coronavirus infection curve, F1 has sketched out a plan for a few races in Europe to start the season off in the summer and then a sweep east, a dip into the Americas before rounding off the season in the Middle East in December. Easy to say; not quite so easy to do. The plan for Europe - where Monaco has already announced it will not hold a race this year - is relatively straightforward, at least to start with. Carey has already announced its intention to start the season in Austria on 3-5 July. What has not been announced, but is in the works, is a plan for a second race in Austria on 12 July, followed by two at Silverstone on 19 and 26 July. These four events would be behind closed doors - so no paying spectators and no corporate guests - and F1 is discussing with the authorities in each country how it might safely move in enough people to stage a race. Will this require F1 personnel to be tested for coronavirus before they went and to socially distance from the local population while there? Quite possibly. After that, the next races could be in Spain, Hungary and France, or a selection thereof, depending on where each country is in its virus recovery phase. France's nuanced announcement on Monday that its race was off does not preclude the fact that talks are ongoing about holding a race at the Paul Ricard circuit later in the summer - it would just not be the official French Grand Prix. Then there are question marks over the two most historic races in the calendar, the Belgian and Italian Grands Prix. Spa is looking shaky. Belgium has extended its ban on mass gatherings to the end of August, which means its race would have to be in September, and that gives a very small weather window to hold it in the Ardennes mountains - and knock-on logistical problems for the rest of the season. The revived Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, due to be held this year for the first time since 1985 to ride the wave of Max Verstappen-mania, also looks in serious doubt, after that country also extended mass-gathering restrictions until the autumn. As far as Italy goes, it was the epicentre of coronavirus in Europe and that has left its scars, so F1 is particularly aware of the potential sensitivities of holding an Italian Grand Prix. On the other hand, there is political pressure to hold the race, from both Ferrari and TV company Sky Italia, sources say. And because of the importance of both F1 and Ferrari in national life in Italy, there is an argument that a Grand Prix could give the country a much-needed boost. What about after Europe?Two other races pretty much have to be held in September if they are to happen - Canada and Singapore, for different reasons. The issue in Montreal is that the winter sets in early and is harsh. So anything beyond the first weekend in October, when the race was held when it first came on to the calendar in 1978, would be too big a risk weather-wise. Singapore, meanwhile, because it's a street race that causes major disruption to the city state, has to be held on its scheduled date of 20 September, or not at all. That means that in all likelihood only one of those two races can be held before F1 heads off around the world region by region. First, the Russian and Azerbaijan Grands Prix in Sochi and Baku, in late September/early October. Then, to Asia, and ideally all three of Japan, Vietnam and China. After that, it would be on to North America and the US and Mexican races in Austin, Texas, and Mexico City, followed by Brazil. And then the Middle East for the final two races in Bahrain and Abu Dhabi, ideally in December. Vietnam could move to before Bahrain to ease congestion a little. It should be emphasised that this is merely a reflection of current thinking, and much could change in the intervening months. Sounds ambitious - how practical is this?Under normal conditions, the logistics of moving the teams and personnel around the world would be do-able, although the schedule will be extremely crammed and brutal for those involved. The real difficulties surround what each country in question will expect from F1 in terms of controlling the virus, even assuming they feel a race could be held. Talks with all the government bodies involved will be required. F1 is exploring all the ways in which it can reassure countries that it will not be a drain on their resources or contribute to spreading the coronavirus, as well as be certain its own personnel remain safe and healthy. This could mean an intra-sport virus testing programme, the use of charter flights instead of scheduled, and restrictions on the number of people working at the race - including being selective about which media are able to attend, once F1 feels it becomes possible to let the media in at all, which may well not be the case at the start of the season. Teams are looking at how far they can strip back their operations so that only people necessary to operate the cars go to the races. Keeping the media out and running the events simply as a pure television sporting spectacle, at least at the start of the season, is one key way of doing that because it removes the need for marketing and public relations to attend. As for getting driver and team principal reaction out to the media and public, these could be filmed by F1's own staff for television, while teams could hold online news conferences. What about the money side?How will all this work in the context of F1's business model? Fees paid by race promoters and television broadcasters account for 68% of F1's income - 38% from TV rights; 30% from race-hosting fees. The teams are paid 63% of F1's income and that collective pot of about $1bn is a huge part of their overall revenue. No races would mean virtually no money. So it's pretty obvious why it is so important for the sport to get back to racing as soon as is practicably possible. But that raises questions about some of the races. Take Silverstone, for example. It has spent years saying it could barely afford the British Grand Prix and, even after negotiating a new contract last year, it needs big crowds to turn even a small profit on hosting the race. So if Silverstone can barely afford to host one Grand Prix with 140,000 paying spectators, how can it suddenly host two a week apart with none? The answer is that F1 will look to effectively rent the circuit from the British Racing Drivers' Club, offsetting the losses the track will incur from not having any ticket sales. This is an example of how F1 owner Liberty Media will have to dip into its own pocket to some degree to ensure the survival of the sport through this year, although there is only so much it can do this without causing more problems than it solves. A complex series of internal transactions within the Liberty Media Group last week gave F1 significantly more available cash to ride out these difficulties. At the other end of the scale from Silverstone are races that are funded largely or entirely by the relevant government of that country or region as a global promotional tool. In these cases, ticket sales offset the total cost to varying degrees, depending on the size of the crowd. But they are nowhere near as important to the overall business plan as they are for Silverstone or the US Grand Prix, for example. For the likes of Abu Dhabi, Azerbaijan, Bahrain and Russia, as long as the Grand Prix happens, the promoters will almost certainly be happy to pay, as the overarching purpose of the race will still be satisfied, whether there are spectators or not. TV rights money plays a big part in this picture, too. Contracts are said to dictate fees must be paid in full as long as there are at least 16 races, with a sliding scale down as the number of races dips below that. That explains F1's eagerness to pack the start of the season with double-race events, so it is easier to get to that magic number as the season progresses. #F1 via BBC Sport - Formula 1 https://ift.tt/OHg7x6 April 27, 2020 at 04:51AM
F1 News - French Grand Prix is 10th race of F1 season off amid coronavirus pandemic
https://ift.tt/2yQzp3m The French Grand Prix has been postponed from its 28 June date, the 10th consecutive race to be called off as a result of the coronavirus crisis. The move had been considered inevitable since French President Emmanuel Macron expanded the country's ban on mass gatherings until mid-July. Silverstone has said the British Grand Prix cannot be held with spectators. But the track says it is in talks with government "on the viability of an event behind closed doors". Under current plans, the old British Grand Prix date of 19 July would be the first of two races at Silverstone, the second a week later on 26 July. The season would start with the Austrian Grand Prix on 5 July, followed by a second race at the Red Bull Ring on 12 July. Austria is one of the first European countries to have begun to gradually ease its lockdown, and F1 bosses have been in talks with authorities in the country as to how a race might safely be held. The first four races at least would be behind closed doors - and it could be that many more will follow. Professor Devi Sridhar, Professor and Chair of Global Public Health at Edinburgh University and Director of the Global Health Governance programme said on Twitter on Saturday: "Hate to be bearer of bad news don't see any international sporting events with spectators going ahead in 2020 or early 2021. "Goal is to establish some sort of economic/social activity while keeping COVID cases low & big events could upset this fragile balance going forward." Silverstone said in a statement on Monday: "We are unable to stage this year's British Grand Prix in front of the fans at Silverstone. "We have left this difficult decision for as long as possible, but it is abundantly clear given the current conditions in the country and the Government requirements in place now and for the foreseeable future, that a Grand Prix under normal conditions is just not going to be possible. "We have consistently said that should we find ourselves in this position we will support Formula 1 as they seek to find alternative ways to enable F1 racing to take place this year. "Following this weekend's news from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, we are now working with them on the viability of an event behind closed doors." F1 bosses have taken a series of measures to try to insulate the sport from the worst effects of the global health emergency. These include postponing a major rule change by a year from 2021 to 2022 and forcing teams to race the same cars next year as this. Bosses are also in the midst of talks on lowering the sport's planned budget cap when it comes into force in 2021. #F1 via BBC Sport - Formula 1 https://ift.tt/OHg7x6 April 27, 2020 at 03:09AM
Motorcycle News - 100% Barstow Deus Ex Machina Goggles
https://ift.tt/2SbreWn When two greats come together to launch some new motorcycle gear, like the 100% Barstow Deus Ex Machina goggles, people take notice. 100%, who has been making motorcycle gear since 1982, has collaborated with a range of different brands to bring us the 100% Barstow goggles in a variety of looks. But our pick of the litter is the minimalist, clean design developed in cahoots with Australian custom bike and apparel greats, Deus Ex Machina. Motorcycles via Return of the Cafe Racers https://ift.tt/2M9riRb April 27, 2020 at 12:31AM |
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