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.
Our friends over at IndianCarsBikes.in were in attendance at the KTM 200 Duke launch in India this week, as the Austrian brand launched its somewhat bigger-displacement version of the popular KTM Duke 125. During the press event, KTM talked about the future of the mini-Duke line and its product roadmap for the emerging country, as well as abroad. With the Austrian brand confirming/clarifying that KTM would release a KTM 350 Duke for India in 2013, zie Austrians also confirmed that the KTM 350 Duke would be built locally in India by Bajaj, but would be exported worldwide — allaying fears that the KTM 350 Duke would be an India-only model.
RT @Asphalt_Rubber: Lambretta Returns to 125GP Racing for 2010 http://bit.ly/amf1X7
Lambretta Returns to 125GP Racing for 2010 – http://bit.ly/amf1X7 #motorcycle
Lambretta is not returning to 125GP racing because they were never there. They announced a 125 racing bike in 1949 and even showed a prototype but it didn’t go anywhere. From 1951-53 they had a 250cc V-twin racing bike but it was a flop and didn’t made it to a world championship event, although it did race several times, plagued by mechanical failures. The last serious event it participated in was the non-championship Grand Prix of Locarno in 1952, but both the entries did not finish.
This is really just one of the organisations that now calls itself Lambretta sponsoring what last year was the Loncin Chinese-backed racing team – with what looks like the same hardware.
The “great Italian company” that was behind the Lambretta – Innocenti of Milan, disappeared long ago and stopped making two-wheeled products in the early seventies.
Eric
Great answer mate!
Thanks for the info!
I drove a Lambretta and it indeed showed me it had no succesfull racing history running through its veins :-).
RT @Asphalt_Rubber: Volkswagen Motorcycle Concept http://bit.ly/aGymER & Lambretta 125GP http://bit.ly/amf1X7
One hopes they persevere longer than the fiasco last year. And does Witteveen still have a place in the development team?
I suspect they’ll be persistent non-qualifiers or back markers this year again.
I presume Lambretta is a competitor to Aprilia (Piaggio) and Derbi(Piaggio) so they can’t go the rebadged Aprilia route.
Rotsa ruck, you brave fellows.
Witteveen did not work for Loncin, he worked for the even worse Haojue!
The ‘Lambretta’ was first called Malaguti, then Loncin, however they were
always among the last and slowest, and many times among the first to
break down.
There is no hope at all to do better in 2010!
I believe Romolo Ferri was entered in the 1951 Hockenhiem race on a 125cc Bitubo racing Lambretta. So it could be claimed Lambretta is returning to 125cc racing but whether these new 125cc could be called Lambretta is questionable
Peter.
First race: both retired in the first 2 laps.
As expected!
I suppose it is better than the 1951 Isle of Man TT when all 3 Lambretta entries failed to show!!
Peter
failing to show at least saves some money!
Le Mans: Same failure again, slow, unreliable, no progress at all.
Aprilia winnig hands down without developing their bikes for the last 2 years!
Shame on Lambretta!
Now that Dorna is making special regulations for Suzuki, why not do the same for Lambretta?
Let them start a minute ahead of the others and give them double pionts!
Now the sponsor finally understands the uselessnes of this project and pulls the plug
Two words guys,Danny Kent.
Ok maybe two more,Harald Bartol.
still 16 km short on topspeed! and 5.75 sec. on laptime
Kent seems to be an excellent rider
If Bartol works for this team his main attention should
be to getting paid as this is not one of this teams good habits!
big improvement at Philips Island:
last, and one lap behind!
slowest of them all!
again!
Dear Harald,
If you decide to work for this team, always keep your hand on your wallet!
And take care always to be paid in advance!
Rumour has it Bartol is working in the background,second rumour is the team may be under the Bartol name next year.Could be an all out assault on the fnal 125 two stroke title as it ends next year to be replaced by four stroke singles. Either way Danny Kent is just a little bit special and worth keeping an eye on.
Valencia: again no bike at the finish.
totally unreliable and slow!
Kent is a good rider.
hope he finds a better bike for next year!
Kent has already found a better bike for next year!
Does Lambretta want to be ridiculous one more year?
Yet another name chance coming?
So now the once Malaguti, once Loncin and once Lambretta named shitheap will now be called Mahindra?
Jan Thiel is one of the biggest two strokes technicians in 60′s-70′s-80′s decades. Your Jamathi was one of fastest 50 cc in this times in front of Derbi and Kreidler factorys; an then won de World Champ with Bultaco’s, Minarelli’s and Garelli’s in 125 cc; all bikes are made with his brain and hands allways toghether with his friend and briliant works mechanic Martin Mijwaert. Why not Mahindra takes Jan Thiel for another World Champ 125 in 2011?… is the last FIM-WCH two strokes and I’m sure Jan likes theese las title is your pocket for the history… ¿not realy Jan?