The oldest racing organization in the country dedicated soley to motorcycle road racing, the AFM is a Northern Californian non-profit racing organization that has helped hone the skills of riders like Eddie Lawson, Wayne Rainey, Kenny Roberts, and Steve Rapp — not mention a weekend warrior or two. Each year the racing league comes together for a banquet, and lately the tradition has been to include a highlight film of the year’s racing. I’m not sure what films in the past have been like, but if the latest AFM banquet video doesn’t give you goosebumps, you might want to check your pulse. Bonus points for the including the Versus “Second Place” monologue — it’s very apropos.
Grab some popcorn, because this video from Ducati North America is over 14 minutes long. Telling the story of Ducati at the 2011 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (PPIHC), DNA has put together a great video that really captures how special the racing is at Pikes Peak, and how gorgeous the scenery is of the Colorado Mountains. With Santa Barbara Ducati’s Carlin Dunne winning the overall motorcycle category on his dealership’s Multistrada 1200 demo model, Alexander Smith from the Spider Grips Ducati Team made it a double podium for Ducati in the 1205cc class. If you’re new to racing at Pikes Peak, or wanted a quick re-cap of last year’s race, Ducati’s video pretty accurately sums up racing on the mountain and the anxiety around last year’s race.
Ducati has announced its factory team for the 2012 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (PPIHC), and the Italian company has secured the services of last-year’s winner and Rookie of the Year Carlin Dunne as well as six-time PPIHC winner Greg Tracy. Ducati has also partnered with the Spider Grips team, who will help prepare the teams Ducati Multistrada 1200 for the “Race to the Clouds” on July 8th. For 2012, the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb will be fully-paved to the top of the mountain, which will surely see the speeds of competitors increase, and lap times drop on the 12.42 mile long course that ends at 14,110 feet.
I was flipping through some photos from the 2011 EICMA show, and found these shots of the Ducati 1199 Panigale’s Superquadro engine. Unfortunately at the show, Ducati had its 1199cc v-twin motor behind a Lexan case, which created a bit of a glare, reflections, and of course had smudges from the touchy-feely Italian crowd. But still, the photos give a good idea of what’s going on in Ducati’s most-advanced production engine to date, and are better than just looking at the CAD renders. If you look at the shots very closely, you can almost see where the 195hp and 98 lbs•ft of torque is lurking inside.
In addition to testing the factory Ducati Desmosedici GP12 “Phoenix” this week at Sepang, Valentino Rossi is also trying out a new lid from AGV. Aside from the carbon fiber goodness, and of course the Rossi stickers (which add 5hp & $200), AGV’s prototype helmet sports a noticably pronounced rear spoiler. Tucked in behind the windscreen, it is obvious why the Italian helmet manufacturer designed such a large protrusion off the back of the prototype helmet, as it looks to be clearly helping the flow off the back of the helmet, across the rider’s hump, and down his backside.
While Ducati Corse is busy playing hide-the-Desmosedici at Sepang, HRC is all business in Malaysia this week, and has debuted its 2012 Honda RC213V MotoGP-contender. Honda isn’t saying too much about the RC213V, simply stating that the race bike is all new, but is also a continuation of the company’s design with the 800cc Honda RC212V. Testing the Honda RC213V over the course of last season, reigning-World Champion Casey rode the new 1,000cc machine three times in 2011, while teammate Dani Pedrosa swung a leg over the RC213V twice (missing one test because of injury).
You may have been misled by some eager journalists today and yesterday, if you saw a Ducati Corse livery-clad Ducati Desmosedici GP12 that some sites were passing off as the first shots of the “90% new” GP12. With the alleged new GP12 looking surprisingly similar to the aluminum-framed “GP0″ that was tested at Valencia, Valentino Rossi’s mechanic has now Alex Briggs confirmed that the photos taken were not of the all new “GP12 Phoenix” that the factory team will race this season. While the Ducati lords can taketh away, they can also giveth, and Valentino Rossi himself has posted the first photo of the factory Desmosedici GP12, and the bike is clearly different.
Zero Motorcycles has announced the full-commencement of production for its 2012 model line, which is expected to hit dealers in February & March of this year. First off the line was the 2012 Zero DS back in December, though the electric motorcycle company has recently started building the Zero S, Zero XU, Zero X, and Zero MX at its Scotts Valley facility as well. A story we broke back in November, Zero Motorcycles debuted its important 2012 electric motorcycle line up at the 2011 EICMA show in Milan, with the 2012 range being a substantial improvement upon the company’s previous offerings.
Getting a look at Dainese & AGV’s 2012 collection, Asphalt & Rubber was down in Orange County earlier this week to see the highly anticipated Dainese D-Air Racing leather suit, which has a four liter airbag system that helps reduce the risk of injury during a motorcycle crash. Dainese has been working on the D-Air Racing system for 10 years now, and after soft-launching the airbag suit in Europe, the Italian company is ready to bring the game-changing technology to American soil.
Us Danes, we’re a strange breed. From the culture that taught you how to rape and pillage, Scandinavia is making yet another contribution to the motorcycling world with this latest video. Featuring Danish Supermoto Champion Andreas Mikkelsen, we get a RoToR camera-esque perspective (this rig is actually home made) on the Dane’s practice session at the Als Supermotard Club in Denmark. It’s videos like this that are slowly eroding my will-power to resist getting into supermotard riding. Also, I don’t know who was in charge of the music selection on this thing, but my hat is off to him/her. I love the nightlife. I’ve come to boogie.
What a sterling credit to MCN Jensen.
I can’t remember the last time MCN credited ANYONE except itself Guy, although you guys don’t seem to be shy about your “exclusives” that come from press releases, or watermarking photos that aren’t even yours. We’ll cite you as a source, but don’t expect any links from A&R ever again.
The wankel was such a beautiful design, I’m sad no one really ever put as much effort into overcoming its shortfalls as reciprocating piston engines… Meh, doesn’t matter anyway, electric is the future and it’s getting the proper attention/money thrown at it to quickly make it a viable alternative.
Besides Guy, this info has been on Norton’s site for awhile. I read it on there at least a month or two back…
Norton Plans 210HP Rotary by 2011 – http://bit.ly/dAu3xI #motorcycle
Sorry, I was drunk and feeling arsey
That’s going to be a rocketship.
R
Can’t wait!
BTW MCN is a waste of money.
I can’t tell what’s what in this design…
I thought Wankels all had their intake and exhaust ports opposite the rotor housing from the plugs… can see them at the bottom, but are the ports on top with the red fasteners intakes? They seem to be in the right place, with exhausts seemingly where Mazda rotaries’ would be… but then what are the ones on the bottom of the housings?
Not that I *don’t* want a rotary engine in WSB… if this clip of a 787B’s R26B ripping up a standing start is any indication… all the best to Norton. ;)
http://goo.gl/yUIW
My guess is the intake is on the bottom and the exhaust is on top because the blue around the plugs and up the back of the housing looks to be water cooling (rotor is traveling counter-clockwise in this picture if that’s the case). Doesn’t seem intuitive though unless it’s upside down in the image…
Anyway, the ports can be just about anywhere you want them (including the sides of the chamber instead of the edges). Just so long as you still get the full 4 cycles (suck, squeeze, bang, blow).
I can’t wait for the street version – but I hope they are actually ambitious and make it something somewhat affordable (like S1000RR/RSV4 pricing). They will sell a million of them even if power is lower with that kind of weight.
@ziptech & @ Dr jelly
to me it looks like the light grey sticking out bits might be engine mounts, if thats what your talking about for the intake and exhaust ports. you cant have the ports that far apart and have the motor still work.
if you look close one of the ports you can see is on the top to the left of the grey bits that actually go through the housing, so therefore the other ports are to the right of the grey bits
Muy Sr. mío:
Si me enviáis un e.máil, yo os enviará mi información sobre mi trabajo en el motor rotativo Wankel.
Soy un inventor particular y no tengo recursos materiales, busco un centro de investigación o un patrocinador para poner en la práctica mi trabajo en un motor rotatorio ya construido – NORTON , COMOTOR , MAZDA etc. – . Mi trabajo, lo he puesto en practica en un motor rotativo SACHS con el que conseguí unos resultados extraordinarios que a continuación te envío.
Despues de comprobar los extraordinarios resultados que se consiguen con mi trabajo — fundamentalmenta con el NEUVO DISEÑO y la lumbrera lateral superior – LLS –, se desarrollaría un nuevo motor rotativo que puede ser el mejor motor de combustión interna inventado por el hombre y además un motor “ECOLOGICO”.
La idea mas importante de mi proyecto — denominada NUEVO DISEÑO — asegura la estanqueidad permanente entre las cámaras de trabajo del motor , esta idea, está patentada.
Saludos:
IMPORTANTE: YO NO HABLO INGLES, gracias.
Esta es una traducción de Internet.
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Very Mr. me: if I send an e.máil, I send you my information on my work in the Wankel rotary engine.
I am a particular inventor and I do not have material resources, I am looking for a research centre or a sponsor to put into practice my work in a rotary engine already built – NORTON, COMOTOR, MAZDA etc. My work, I put in practice in a rotary engine SACHS that got extraordinary results which are then sent you.
After of verifying the outstanding results achieved with my work – fundamentalmenta with new design and the superior side light – LLS – would develop a new rotary engine which may be the best internal combustion engine invented by man and also a “ECOLOGICO” engine.
The idea most important my project – named new design – ensures the permanent seal between the engine work cameras this idea is patented.
Greetings: Important: I not HABLO English, thank you.
This is a translation of the Internet.
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An interesting World Superbike prospect!! The most important thing now is to get the production bike ready, and then apply for WSBK entry. As long as it’s still a gasoline , N.A engined bike, surely Flammini would not resist another marque to join and adds to up the WSBK fray, would’nt they? Just make sure the regulation fair and square for everybody.
Just found out that Norton recently, has a controlling interest in Maxsym Engine Technology Ltd, with access to its cutting-edge parallel twin racing engine design. This should allow Norton to explore the 1200cc parallel twin engine design (happens to be Norton’s traditional engine configuration), which should be easier to comply with the WSBK rules. Another option for Norton, which does sound interesting..
Moi aussi j’ai beaucoup d’espoir sur cette NORTON NRV 700 , cela me fait énormément plaisir de voir que Norton Racing soutient ce projet .
J’aimerai également rentrer en contact avec ce fameux inventeur E. BRUNO R. uniquement pour la curiosité de son invention .
Cela confirme le potentiel de ce moteur rotatif qui mérite d’etre développé .