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.
Now that the first Ducati 1199 Panigale has rolled out of the door in Bologna, the die is cast, the chips are in play, and our course is set to see if Ducati has created a “massive breach of brand trust and honesty.” The realization of course should be that Ducati’s brand was never in danger with bikes like the Hypermotard, Multistrada 1200, or Diavel. Instead, the danger of serious brand dilution has always rested on how Ducati handled its Superbike line. A failure to produce a two-wheeled machine that is both as striking visually as it is kinetically, could permanently alienate a loyal fan base that has endured a great deal in the past half-decade.
There is a lot that can be said about why dealerships fail or succeed (we’ve already seen an interesting insight on the subject of shops being open on Sundays), and one aspect on how to be a successful dealership that will surely rise to the top is one of community. Here, Vancouver-based Motomethod is all about the community, as the do-it-yourself community garden style repair shop has become a place for British Columbian riders not to work on their motorcycles, but also to congregate together with a shared love of riding on two wheels. Not exactly a new concept business-wise, but still a fresh perspective in an otherwise unwilling to change industry. More on this thought process to be published in the coming weeks. Enjoy.
After testing for three days at Jerez with Carlos Checa and Franco Battaini, Ducati Corse may not be saying much about the new Ducati Desmosedici GP12, but that hasn’t stop Karel Abraham from releasing some details about the new Italian steed today. The “official” technical specifications of MotoGP race bikes are always a bit vague, and Ducati Corse has unsurprisingly stuck to that trend with the GP12. Stating horsepower in the 250hp range, 15hp more than what was quoted for the GP11, Ducati also lists a top speed of over 360 km/h, up from the GP11′s 340+ km/h quoted figure.
Husqvarna continues its push into the on-road market, and has debuted another concept while at the New York IMS show today. Already showing us the Husqvarna Moab Concept in Milan, the folks at Husky have continued the thought process with the Moab, and built a more off-road capable dual-sport, which they are calling the Husqvarna Baja Concept. Another modern-take on retro design, the Baja concept carries over with it many of the Moab’s bigger design features, while sporting a 19″ knobby front tire for better off-road use. Husqvarna simply states that the concept uses a four-stroke liquid-cooled 650cc single-cylinder motor (same as the Moab), which surely will be sourced from BMW’s G650GS.
I don’t get it, the title of the post and what is said in the post are completely contradictory…
“Mat Mladin: Spies Better Than Rossi”
vs.
“OTT asked Mladin what he thought about former rival Ben Spies as a racer. Mat’s response: the best rider of our time, or not far behind Rossi himself.”
So which is it?
If you watched the video, Mat talks about Ben’s abilities as a road racer and the amount of raw talent he has. There is no question as to Ben’s ability to ride a bike. As you can see with Toseland and Crutchlow on the Yamahas this season, Ben absolutely strangled the neck of that R1 last year, rode around a few bike issues and walked away with the title in his hand.
You should be cpmpletely drunk to say Ben Spies is better than Rossi.
For sure he is a great rider, but from that to being better than Rossi …. no comments
I’m gonna have to agree w/ caRRera…lol
rossi is great, but only because his competition has been mediocre. he’d get his ass handed to him if he raced in the days of doohan, schwantz, rainey, lawson, & spencer.
Watch and comprehend the interview. He doesn’t say Spies is better then Rossi so don’t get all upset about it. The title of the article is misleading.
Mat Mladin: Spies Better Than Rossi – http://bit.ly/avmWqa #motorcycle
@keet: You think Rossi has had mediocre competition for all of the last 14 years? I’m sorry but that’s preposterous. Not to knock Doohan, Rainey or anybody at all but Rossi should have more than proven his abilities to anyone, regardless of whether you like him or not.
RT @Asphalt_Rubber: Mat Mladin: Spies Better Than Rossi – http://bit.ly/avmWqa #motorcycle
Let Spies win 9 world titles and then make any comparisons.. to claim beforehand that he’s better than the greatest of all times is foolish.. sure he’s good, but let him prove it first in head to head battle.. :P
my comment stands… who has rossi beaten in the last 10 years? (i’m only counting the big-leagues, 500GP/motoGP) what great racers has rossi beaten? biaggi? gibernau? melandri? wow… BFD!
I agree with keet who has he beaten really the only one to give him a real run for his money is “Lorenzo” and then monkey boy spits his dummy out and demands that “Yamaha” doesn’t resign “Lorenzo” I think monkey boy should have a season or 2 in world superbikes I think then we would see how good he really is…..
i think the headline overstates it a bit…but it is, after all, a headline. mat certainly states that ben may be as good as or better than rossi, but not in a definitive way. i think it’s certainly possible, especially over time. what i thought was most interesting was how different post-retirement mat is from the mat we saw in interviews prior to his retirement. he’s always been somewhat matter-of-fact and not given to complimenting other riders, which has given him something of a reputation. i have always liked his unwillingness to pull a punch, but it’s also nice to hear him give ben his due. mat’s on the shortlist of guys i’d like to have in the commentary box when i watch races, and this clip certainly didn’t change that wish.
RT @Asphalt_Rubber: Mat Mladin: Spies Better Than Rossi http://bit.ly/avmWqa
Matt is is a bigmouth, I’m shocked that would even continue to quote him on anything. Being bi-polar is not his fault, but I think we can all see that anything can and will come out of his mouth and its not all factual. Spies is going to be something to watch. Massive potential is a little different than massive results. That is why they run the races !
I would love to see Rossi in the WSBK paddock and on the Aprilia RSV4 of coarse! On that bike I am quite sure that he could add a WSBK title to his already massive list. As for him not having any competition, I thing people seem to forget that he was a winner on the RCV and then went straight on to be a winner on the uncompetitive M1,with all the other best riders in the world available at the time, and he rode the wheels off that thing to win on his first race on it.
I haven’t seen the name Keet winning in the Moto GP or WSBK , and yes the people you name are some of the greats for sure, but no of them have as many titles as MR ROSSI.
I also think the lap record to his name might mean something too!
“uncompetitive M1″ …i see you’ve memorized rossi’s biography. thats BS… it was crap BEFORE, but with rossi’s developmental help (probably more to do with burgess than rossi though), that M1 was probably the second best bike on the grid!
thanks, you support my claim… rossi HAS won so much because of the mediocre competition around him!
This is soundling like Mladin upping his own value since he was beaten by Spies. Can’t have some motivated AMA rider beating him. It has to be an AMA rider that’s better the Rossi. All told I expect good things from Spies but Matt would’ve had to get out there and play with the big boys to become an icon. He chose not to $$$$.
The trouble with all this is that nobody can say anything against “monkey boy” on one hand we have the likes of “keet & Me” basically saying what we feel and then on the other hand we have the likes of “Valendino” who has been brain washed and wont have anything said against “monkey boy” theres a lot of people like this who also have been brain washed, looks like it’s going to be another boring season in gp’s I only watch it when theres no WSBK on the tv mind the new moto2 looks interesting (just a rip off of WSS…IMHO) we’ll have to see how it go’s I mean the moto2 bikes have less power than the WSS bikes so whats the point of this type of racing they say that it’s going to bring close racing but we’ll see…….anyway that my 2pence worth……..
Sorry Maxx, I am not brain washed, I can just reconize talent and I think that all the world titles and lap records prove it. We will have to see if Ben can outdo Valentino on the race track and have more world titles to his name before he retires! I do respect that everyone is entitle to an opinion and it doesn’t mean that we all have to agree!
As for Moto2 I am not excited about the class and truly beleive that it was invented to kill off Aprilia’s dominance in the 250′s.
Come on man admit it who has pushed “monkey boy” for all of these years..???? mmmmmmmmm…………???????? I can’t really think of anyone really yes there are good racers in gp’s but no ones pushed him and that just makes him look good I suppose. Lorenzo will be back again this to push even harder I hope other wise it’s just going to the usual S**T..!!.
(I’m not doing this to wind up anyone it’s just a friendly bit of banter among race fans….)
As for the 2 strokes I agree with u.
spies and rossi were brought up on two different sides of the world in two very different approaches to road racing. while rossi had the quicker easier way to make it to the world stage (by already being in Europe), spies had to work his way up to the hard to earn factory seat. AMA is no slouch when it comes to talent that spies had to contend with and some former wsbk champs (Russel, bayliss, corser, kasinski, hodgeson and even former gp champ nick Hayden) can agree with that. Up untill 5 years ago AMA rivaled wsbk for being the best sbk class in the world with guys like the haydens, the bostroms, duhamel, maladin, yates, hacking, Chandler, gobert, hodgeson and the list goes on. while ben was coming up thru the AMA pro ranks he still has 6 titles to his name. they may not be world titles but 5 of those were on big bikes with one being wsbk. 5 years racing against maladin was the best thing for spies. who knows how many wsbk titles mat could have won but look what he taught ben. you gotta give props to ben for winning 14 of 28 races on 99% of tracks he hadn’t even seen in his rookie year!!!. that’s half of the races!!! I think rossi is a beast but think how many world titles he would have if he came thru America. yes ben has the talent. do I think he is better than rossi? no… but I do think he has equal talent and drive. with gp going back to 1000cc next year I think spies has a really strong chance at winning the gp title the same as rossi did his 2nd year.
Rossi has been pushed in the last few years, and been beaten. Hayden has beaten him once, Stoner once – and would have been twice if he hadn’t gotten sick. So, that would make it 3 of the last 4 years. He just happens to me the most consistent. Still a great rider mind you.
Both riders are good. Rossi continues to perform at the twilight of his career against riders much younger. It remains to be seen whether Ben or anyone else can amass wins at 30! Mick was also an outstanding rider and along with his peers has made comments about how good Valention is. All of the great champions have recognised his ability and they should know right… . Not one of them has made negative comments about his sheer talent and ability. I take nothing away from Ben but he has yet to prove himself in Moto Gp and we will need to wait and see.
i think keet should get a grip and stop talking so much b.s. and learn ,A manners , B respect and c to talk about something he actually know’s about, when all of the mentioned riders including aggo cite’s rossi as the best rider the sport has produced with the best natural talent and burgess see him soley responsable for the M1 improvement , so keet you should be keeping your amature and ignorant mouth shut about a sport you clearly don’t yet understand, i met him at the TT last year and it was a shame he couldn’t make it this year, but two other GREATS of the sport did
I have read all of these posts and to be honest I agree with some but as a fan of bike racing in general and a fan of no particular rider it baffles me that people on here are doubting Rossi’s talent.
The reason all the other guys look mediocre is because he is so good and it was the same things said about doohan when he was racing. Bottom line is if you get lap records and titles you are the best. Biaggi and Capirossi raced Doohan but Rossi was too strong for them like Doohan was. The best always wins and with 9 world titles who can argue with that.
Spies is good but how good remains to be seen. Same go’s for Lorenzo to. Rember Criville? he won the title when Doohan could not race but went to pieces after that so anyone that can stay on top as long as Rossi has is nothing to be taken for granted.
The M1 was made competitive by the whole team and remember the rider has to be able to use whats under him. Perfect example Stoners 2007 Ducati clearly the fastest bike on the grid but only Stoners talent could win on it. I would also like to point out that Rossi has never lost a title in a straight fight.
2006 it was tyre and bike reliability and anyone who thinks Nicky Hayden out raced Rossi needs an eye test. If you challenge that statement just review the season and see where Valentino was on a number of occations when he was forced to retire a race due to reliability, add up the points and you will see that Nicky would never have been in the running.
2007 similar story except this time it was due to a slower bike. Fairplay to Stoner for mastering it but if your on a similar bike to Rossi performance wise, odds are you will lose. Jorge Lorenzo has been great to watch as he has raw speed and a burning desire to be the best and has re-motivated Rossi into producing some awesome performances but despite being behind early in the season I honestly believe that under pressure Rossi is too strong for Lorenzo and I think he would have still won the title this year.
Lorenzo, Spies and Stoner are the future but since they all measure themselves against Valentino all your opinions have been answered by the best qualified people in the business like it or not. As regards seeing him in Superbikes, the best will always win no matter what. When he did the Suzuka 8 hourson production bikes he was fastest (even Colin Edwards commented on it as he thought it would have been the other way around).
Racing always produces exceptionally talented individuals from time to time and Rossi is one of them if not the best. Would he have beaten Doohan etc? of course he would have but in turn they would also have beaten him such is their talent. I look forward to Rossi’s return as it seems for now only he is able to run with Jorge.
Like him or not guys his achievements speak for themselves but like all records someday, somebody will beat them. Have your favourites if that’s how you like to do it but don’t let favouritism cloud your judgement. Some of the best racers of all time have even declared him the best so far, who are we to argue with that.
Cheers for reading my opinion and here is to great racing in Gp or WSB!
Well said J. Looking forward to tonights race!!
He’s not “better”, he’s “different”. He has aggression, acuity, skill and fearlessness that credits Mladin more than even his clear innate skill racing a motorcycle. See, Mladin’s one of, if not the, toughest, intimidating and dominating racers ever. After Spies’ tutelage under the Mladin menace, he’s become virtually unstoppable. It’s really as if he’s racing purely in his own head, and it doesn’t matter where he is, or who’s racing alongside him, he’s going to go as fast as humanly possible and past whatever’s in front of him. Period. Rossi has a total mental stranglehold on the entire field. Spies is the only one who couldn’t care less! Rossi, or no Rossi, just like mladin taught him, he’s gonna cream the field whenever he can!
I’M GLAD MAT DIDN’T MENTION HIS OWN NAME IN THE CONVERSATION. IMAGINE ROSSI EVER SAYING SOMEONE ELSE WAS BETTER THAN HE. HELL, YOU CAN TAKE CAPAROSSI OUT OF THE MOTOGP ON A SUZUKI AND BE A CHAMPION IN THE AMA SUPERBIKE SERIES.