PPIHC: Carlin Dunne Sets Outright Best Motorcycle Time at Pikes Peak Tire Test on a Lightning Motorcycle

The competitors for the 91st Pikes Peak International Hill Climb have just concluded a two-day tire test at the Colorado road course, and it should perhaps come as no surprise that our boy Carlin Dunne has posted the outright fastest lap for a motorcycle during the tire test (the Santa Barbara native set the outright two-wheeled course record last year on his Ducati Multistrada 1200 S). What is surprising about Carlin’s result at the tire test is that he was on the Lightning Motorcycles electric superbike. That’s right, the fastest bike so far for 2013′s Race to the Clouds is a 200+ hp electric superbike that is refueled with solar energy. Petrol heads, eat your heart out.

Report: Indianapolis “Opting-Out” of 2014 MotoGP Race?

Talking to the Indy Star, Mark Miles (CEO of Hulman & Co, the parent company to Indianapolis Motor Speedway) has put some doubt into the historic venue’s commitment to host the MotoGP Championship. Having a contract to run the race through the 2014 season, Miles said that IMS might opt-out of the final year in its agreement with Dorna (IMS apparently has this option for a brief window after the 2013 Indianapolis GP). However while the news has focused so far on IMS’s ability to opt-out, both Dorna and Indianapolis Motor Speedway have options in their contract to go through with the 2014 round, and with a bevy of variables in the air, we may or may not see three American GP rounds next year.

2014 Yamaha FZ-09 – Three Cylinders of Naked

Surprise! America will be getting a 847cc three-cylinder naked bike for the 2014 model year, the 2014 Yamaha FZ-09. Replacing the Yamaha FZ8 in the Japanese company’s line-up, the FZ-09 is the first motorcycle from the tuning fork brand to sport the Yamaha’s new line of three-cylinder engines. The Yamaha FZ-09 comes about as the MIC is reporting its second-consecutive year of growth in the 751+cc sport bike segment, as well as increase in commuter riding over short-distance sport riding. With those trends in mind, Yamaha has punched out the displacement on its middleweight naked bike, and focused on giving riders a comfortable, yet stout, motorcycle. Priced at $7,990 MSRP, we think Yamaha hit the nail pretty much on the head with this one.

Trackside Tuesday: The Mind-Killer

In the past few years I’ve come to believe that, while superior physical differences (their reflexes and fine motor skills) are significant, it’s the mental differences that are the most interesting. I suppose anyone who has ridden a motorcycle even a bit beyond one’s comfort zone can appreciate some part of the physical aspect of riding a racing bike. For most of us, even the speed of racers in local events is impressive compared to our street riding. While the skills with throttle, brakes, and balance are on a level similar to the best athletes in other sports, I think that what really sets motorcycle racers apart is their ability to overcome fear.

Video: Still Think Electric Motorcycles Are Slow?

The progress in the last five years on electric motorcycles has been astounding. Taking their first laps around the Isle of Man TT Mountain Course, a 87.434 mph pace was the best an electric motorcycle could do at the prestigious road race in 2009 — a pace that was on par with the 50cc record set in 1971. In just five years after the first laps were taken by electric motorcycles at Snaefell, these machines have grown their average lap speeds by over 20 mph at the TT Zero race, setting a new record of 109.675 mph in 2013, and boasting a rate of improvement of roughly 5 mph each year since 2009. If hitting 142.2 mph down the Sulby Straight speed trap wasn’t further proof of the speeds these bikes are achieving, maybe some visual evidence will help support the notion.

Here’s Your Feel Good Moment of the Week — Now, What’s Your Excuse for Not Riding Today?

Darius Glover is a dirt bike racer. Like you and me, he lives to ride, and when he is on two-wheels he feels the freedom that only other motorcyclists can truly understand. The thing is though, Darius is paralyzed from the waist down. Where others would give up their dreams and this sport, Darius at the age of 15 instead pushed onward. No pity parties, no excuses, just simply a daily example of where there is a will, there is a way, and a reminder that you can achieve anything that you put your mind to. It’s hard not to get a bit choked up listening to Darius tell his story, but you walk away feeling uplifted after feeling his attitude come across the screen.

Erzberg Rodeo – Red Bull’s S&M Playhouse for Motorcycles

Any race where 1,500 riders start, 500 qualify, and only 14 finish, has got to be an epic competition, and considering the fact that the Erzberg Rodeo starts in the excavation pit of an Austrian mine…well, it takes a special rider to be enticed by such an event. One such special rider is Graham Jarvis, who was the first of the fourteen men to reach the 20th and final checkpoint. Taking 2 hours and 52 seconds to complete the course, Jarvis made the 2013 Erzberg Rodeo look downright easy. However, with one look at the race-day conditions from this past weekend, we know it was anything but.

Controlling the Uncontrollable – The Role of Ritual in Racing

While normally, MotoGP fans never get enough of seeing Valentino Rossi on TV, there is one shot they would (for the most part) gladly be spared. As he leaves the pits, Rossi stands on the footpegs, and pulls his leathers from between his buttocks, before sitting back down again and leaving. These rituals – part useful limbering up, part invocation of Lady Luck – are something many riders perform, in their attempt to exert control over themselves, and over their environment. In a fascinating press release – by far the most interesting we have received in many months – the Aspar team today provided a discussion and explanation of what riders are trying to achieve through the use of these rituals.

Up-Close with the 2013 MotoCzysz E1pc

Hoping to make it four wins in a row, it goes without saying that the MotoCzysz crew is working hard to close the gap to the John McGuinness and the Mugen team. However, having Team Principal Michael Czysz stuck back in the US, undergoing cancer treatments, must certainly add another level of motivation for the on-island MotoCzysz crew. Making time in their busy schedule, Asphalt & Rubber got to take some up-close photos of the 2013 MotoCzysz E1pc. The most obvious changes made to the MotoCzysz E1pc for the 2013 TT Zero race are the use conventional suspension pieces. Of course, it’s not a completely standard suspension setup, as MotoCzysz has developed its own adjustable triple clamp that incorporates tunable lateral flex parameters.

MotoGP: Max Biaggi To Test Ben Spies’s Ducati at Mugello, Michele Pirro To Replace Spies at Barcelona

Max Biaggi is to make a surprise return to riding a MotoGP machine. The former 250 and World Superbike champion will take a seat on Ben Spies’ Ignite Pramac Ducati as part of a one-day test at Mugello, as part of Ducati’s testing program, according to Italian site GPOne. Spies was scheduled to stay on at Mugello to take part in a two-day test, but after the first day of practice at last weekend’s Italian Grand Prix, it was clear to both Spies and Ducati that his shoulder was still too weak to ride a MotoGP machine. With work continuing on the Desmosedici, it was important for Ducati to get as much data as possible on their bike, and so Biaggi was offered the chance to ride the machine.

The ABC’s of MotoGP’s CRTs – A Spotter’s Guide

04/08/2012 @ 9:44 am, by Jensen BeelerComments Off

The claiming rule team (CRT) bikes are both figuratively and literally under the spotlight at Qatar this race weekend, with their production-based motors and prototype frames shaking up the norm of pure prototype racing. Both an effort to take power away from MotoGP’s MSMA, which is comprised of Ducati, Honda, & Yamaha, and as an effort to lower the cost of racing in MotoGP for its participating teams, the CRT experiment is getting its first real test this weekend.

Swelling MotoGP’s grid with an additional nine-racer entries, the CRTs have certainly helped fill MotoGP’s ranks, though mostly with riders we are not familiar with. Leading the CRT charge is American Colin Edwards, and he is joined by Randy de Puniet, who didn’t wish to be on a CRT for the 2012, but has still found himself at the top of the heap. These two veteran MotoGP riders have been accompanied by seven riders that hail from a range of world and national championships that span everything from Spanish Superbike (CEV) to British Superbike to the Moto2 Championship.

Since on Sunday morning, MotoGP fans are going to have learn the names of these new riders and the bikes they ride, we have put together a primer on the CRT entries for the 2012 MotoGP Championship. Bios, specs, and notes on all nine MotoGP CRT entries are after the jump.

NGM Mobile Forward Racing

Rider: Colin Edwards
Motor: BMW S1000RR
Frame: Suter

Perhaps one the most developed CRT packages, NGM Mobile Forward Racing’s BMW/Suter CRT bike, as its name implies, is comprised of a BMW S1000RR motor and Suter chassis. Originally a hands-off affair for BMW, the German manufacturer has stated that it will increase its role with the CRT project, likely due to Aprilia’s extensive involvement with the Aprilia ART. The move is also likely due to BMW’s increased interest in joining MotoGP.

The chassis of choice in the inaugural Moto2 Championship, Suter has since fallen out of favor in the intermediate class, though perhaps the most talented Moto2 rider, Marc Marquez used it with great success last season. Riding for NGM Mobile Forward Racing is Colin Edwards, a man who needs little introduction. One of the early-adopters of the CRT rule change, Edwards has become the poster boy for Dorna’s CRT experiment. Edwards will race this season with a big target on his back, as he is the CRT rider to beat.

Power Electronics Aspar

Riders: Randy de Puniet & Aleix Espargaro
Motor: Aprilia RSV4
Frame: Aprilia ART

The most popular CRT solution on the grid, the Aprilia ART is a turn-key CRT bike from the Italian manufacturer. Using a WSBK-spec Aprilia RSV4 motor, twin-spar aluminum frame made by Aprilia, and electronics package from Aprilia that began its life on the Aprilia RS3 Cube, the Aprilia ART is also one of the most potent CRT machines this season. In the hands of Jorge ’Aspar’ Martines, one of the most venerable team owners in GP racing, and riders Randy de Puniet & Aleix Espargaro, the Power Electronics Aspar team is a forbidable entry, and the all-CRT squad has a real legitimate chance of embarrassing some prototype teams and riders.

De Puniet of course is coming off a disappointing season with Pramac Ducati, after showing some real promise the season before with LCR Honda. One of the most underrated riders in the GP paddock, de Puniet was on the losing end of MotoGP’s game of musical chairs for riders’ contracts last year. He’ll be joined by former MotoGP rider Aleix Espargaro, who spent the 2011 season in Moto2, where he finished 12th for the season.

San Carlo Honda Gresini

Rider: Michele Pirro
Motor: Honda CBR1000RR
Frame: FTR

The CRT effort with the most intrigue, when top satellite team San Carlo Honda Gresini announced that it wanted to dabble in the CRT waters, HRC pushed back. With the project first thought to be scuttled, perhaps HRC realized that it should ready itself in case the CRT formula became the way of things down the line. Using CBR1000RR motors prepared by the Ten Kate World Superbike team, the Honda factory-backed squad in WSBK, Gresini’s CRT package is rounded out with an FTR chassis. Like the Honda Gresini RC213V, Gresini’s MGP12 CRT is using Showa suspension, while the rest of the grid will be on Öhlins pieces.

Moving up from the Gresini’s Moto2 squad, Michele Pirro is making his first MotoGP debut. The young Italian has an impressive résumé, which includes winning the final Moto2 round last year at Valencia. Though not up to the pace yet of the Aprilia ART or BMW/Suter, the MGP12 CRT bike is one to watch throughout the season, as you can expect upgrades to be made to ensure its competitiveness.

Avintia Blusens

Riders: Ivan Silva & Yonny Hernandez
Motor: Kawasaki ZX-10R
Frame: FTR

Running as Avintia Blusens in MotoGP, the BQR squad has picked an interesting combination for its CRT effort. The team has continued its partnership with FTR in the premier class, but has chosen to use a Kawasaki ZX-10R power plant as its production-based motor. FTR has become the chassis provider of choice in MotoGP, as the British engineering firm is behind the aluminum twin-spar frame on the Ducati Desmosedici GP12, and has been responsible for many of the frames used by CRT & Moto2 racing teams.

Riding the BQR-FTR for Avintia Blusens are Ivan Silva and Yonny Hernandez. Silva is a former-250GP rider, who until this season had only a couple guests appearances on the MotoGP grid, filling in for the injured Hofmann for three rounds in 2006 and filling again for him in 2007 at the Czech GP. Last season, Silva was the Spanish Stock Extreme Champion. Joining the Spaniard is MotoGP’s first Colombian racer, Yonny Hernández. Coming from the Spanish Supersport series (CEV) in 2009, Hernández spent the last two season in the Moto2 Championship. A mid-pack finisher, Hernández finished 21st in 2010 and 19th in 2011, and had a top finish of 6th place at the 2011 German GP.

Came Ioda Racing Project

Rider: Danilo Petrucci
Motor: Aprilia RSV4
Frame: Ioda

Though Ioda Racing uses an Aprilia RSV4 motor in its CRT bike, the team is not using an Aprilia ART. Said to have a near-stock RSV4 power plant (its trap speeds at Qatar would seem to confirm this), Ioda has also opted to build its own chassis, using a steel-frame design. Riding for the Came Ioda Racing Project is Danilo Petrucci, who was the 2011 Italian Superstock Champion and 2011 FIM Superstock 1000 Cup Runner-Up. Unlikely to get any support from Aprilia, and result that doesn’t see Petrucci at the bottom of the timesheet is a testament to the young Italian’s developing talent.

Speed Master

Rider: Mattia Pasini
Motor: Aprilia RSV4
Frame: Aprilia ART

Another team using the Aprilia ART package, Speed Master is bringing its considerable Moto2 experience with it to MotoGP. The team’s rider, Mattia Pasini, is GP-rider through and through, having risen through the ranks of 125GP, 250GP, and both Moto2 seasons. In 2010, Pasini rode part of the season with the JiR Moto2 team, then after Assen picked up one-off rides for two more races that season. In 2011, the Italian rider joined up with the Ioda Racing squad, and finished 24th in the Championship. As their package comes together, Speed Master could be another top contender in the CRT field.

Paul Bird Motorsport

Rider: James Ellison
Motor: Aprilia RSV
Frame: Aprilia ART

After losing its status as Kawasaki’s factory team in World Superbike, Paul Bird Motorsports has come over to the dark side of MotoGP. Choosing the Aprilia ART for its machine, the British team has British rider James Ellison at the helm of its ART. Ellison competed partially in MotoGP during the 2004 season, and was signed to the WCM MotoGP team in 2005. In 2006 he rode for Tech 3 Yamaha, and holds the distinction of being the first rider to switch bikes mid-race in MotoGP. Moving to the AMA after MotoGP, Ellison has spent the last four seasons racing in the British Superbike Championship.