Mission Motorcycles: The Mission R Lives??!

Mission Motors tweeted out something interesting just a moment ago, a link to a new website for Mission Motorcycles. Teasing there a photo of the Mission R, it would seem that the electric superbike that does competitive AMA Supersport lap times at Laguna Seca, is finally set to come to production. It seems we won’t know everything about the new Mission Motorcycles project until June 3rd, though we can speculate pretty accurately on what the A&R Bothan spy network has been telling us. Expect to see the Mission R electric superbike in street legal trim, honed even further than when we rode the machine back in August last year.

Goodbye Husqvarna Nuda, We Hardly Knew Thee

Stefan Pierer’s acquisition of Husqvarna continues to baffle me. You will note I say Pierer, and not KTM, bought Husqvarna, since the Austrian CEO used Pierer Industrie AG in the transaction as a means to help side-step European antitrust issues. After all, we can’t have Europe’s largest dirt bike manufacturer, nay largest total motorcycle manufacturer, gobbling up even more brands in the two-wheeled world. But, I digress. Developing three road bikes (Husqvarna Nuda 900, Husqvarna Strada 650, & Husqvarna Terra 650), with three more concepts waiting in the wings (Husqvarna Moab, Husqvarna Baja, & Husqvarna E-G0), it is with even more confusion that we learn that Pierer & Co. intend to kill the Husqvarna Nuda project and its other street siblings.

Q&A: Yukio Kagayama Talks About the Upcoming Suzuka 8-Hour with Kevin Schwantz & Noriyuki Haga

In case you missed the story last week, Kevin Schwantz is preparing to race in this year’s Suzuka 8-Hour endurance race. For the race, Schwantz will be riding on a team formed by Yukio Kagayama, who in addition to having raced in the MotoGP, World Superbike, and British Superbike Championships, is also a previous Suzuka 8-Hour winner with the Suzuki Endurance Race Team (also joining the three-rider team Noriyuki “Nitro” Haga). Releasing a Q&A about his team’s Suzuka 8-Hour entry, Kagayama-san walks us through how the team came together, what equipment the riders will use, and his outlook on the team’s competitiveness.

KTM RC4 Concept by Luca Bar Design

A single-cylinder hooligan-maker, the KTM 690 Duke is 330 lbs (curbside without fuel) and 67hp of two-wheeled fun, and we hope that the Austrians bring the KTM 690 Duke R our way as well. While we are on the topic of things missing from KTM’s American line-up, a decent supersport is painfully obvious, yet we can’t see the folks at KTM following the paths of other brands. That’s where our friend Luca Bar comes to mind with his latest concept: the KTM RC4. Using the KTM 690 Duke platform and its LC4 engine, Bar has designed a super-single full-fairing sport bike that takes the Austrian company’s “Ready to Race” DNA and applies it to an idea that is not all that disimilar to the Ducati Supermono.

Q&A: Claudio Domenicali Talks Frameless Chassis, Sacred Cows, & The Future for Ducati

When I sat down with Claudio Domenicali at the Ducati 1199 Panigale R launch, the now-CEO of Ducati Motor Holding was still just the General Manager of the Italian motorcycle company. Four weeks after our interview though, Gabriele del Torchio would leave Ducati for Alitalia; and Domenicali, a 21-year veteran of both the racing and production departments of Ducati, would take his place at the top of Italy’s most prestigious motorcycle brand. After reading our interview from Austin, Texas after the jump, I think you will agree too.

Is Yamaha Using A Seamless Gearbox? The Data Says No

That Yamaha is working on a seamless gearbox is no secret, with Yamaha’s test riders currently racking up the kilometers around tracks in Japan. Recently, however, Spanish magazine SoloMoto published an article suggesting that Yamaha has already been using its new seamless gearbox since the beginning of the season. My own enquiries to check whether Yamaha was using a seamless gearbox or not always received the same answer: no, Yamaha is not using the seamless gearbox. To test this denial, I went out to the side of the track on Friday morning at Jerez to record the bikes as they went by.

OCC Coming Back to TV? — Universe Collapses in on Self

After a very public father/son break-up between Paul Teutul Sr. and Paul Teutul Jr., a steroid-ring scandal involving Paul Sr., and finally a bankruptcy proceeding, it appears that Orange County Choppers is the impossible to kill multi-headed hydra of doom that we all knew it was, as the custom chopper shop is once again headed to the small screen and recruiting some talent, on and off the show. Looking for “someone who will work alongside Paul Senior, running the shop and helping build some of the best custom motorcycles in the world,” OCC says it will be back on television with a new show later this month. Please for the love of god, will someone give this man the attention he craves so dearly??! Or, just shoot us in the face.

Alstare Superbike Concept by Team Alstare

We love us some concept bikes here at Asphalt & Rubber, and we have featured more than a few pieces of stunning design and imagination on our pages. Though, we can’t remember the last time one of these works of art were brought to us by a legitimate racing team, but that is what we have here with the Team Alstare Superbike Concept. A nod to the former Suzuki team’s return to the World Superbike Championship as the Ducati factory squad with Carlos Checa and Ayrton Badovini, Alstare has enlisted the help of designer Serge Rusak of Rusak Kreaktive Designworks to ink the shape of its futuristic Superbike concept, while Tryptik Studios handled the 3D modeling prowess.

Transcript: The Gay Question at Jerez

If you didn’t watch Thursday’s pre-event press conference for MotoGP at Jerez, it is worth a viewing right to the end (assuming you have a MotoGP.com account). Building off the news about the NBA’s Jason Collins coming out as gay in a self-written feature in Sport Illustrated, my good colleague David Emmett had the courage to inquire about the culture and acceptance of the MotoGP paddock for homosexual riders. For the sake of accuracy, after the jump is a full transcript of David’s question, as put to riders Cal Crutchlow, Jorge Lorenzo, Marc Marquez, Andrea Dovizioso, Stefan Bradl, and Scott Redding, as well as those riders’ responses to David’s inquiry.

2014 Suzuki GSV-R Spotted Again

News that Suzuki plans on returning to the MotoGP Championship in 2014 should be old information for dedicated Asphalt & Rubber readers, and the Japanese company’s inline-four race bike was already spotted doing test laps last year by the eager eyes at Cycle World. Well the American print-mag has another set of eyebrow-raising high-quality photos of the 2014 Suzuki GSV-R to mull over from the Motegi race track, along with some technical insights provided by the venerable Kevin Cameron.

MotoGP: Qualifying Shows Some Surprises at Phillip Island

10/14/2011 @ 10:34 pm, by Jensen Beeler7 COMMENTS

MotoGP: Qualifying Shows Some Surprises at Phillip Island Casey Stoner Qualifying MotoGP Phillip Island 635x421

With suspicious skies, qualifying for MotoGP’s Australian GP got underway today. With the weather always variable at Phillip Island, riders saw sun, clouds, and a light spitting of rain before taking to the qualifying session. Normally a favorite track with the GP riders, Phillip Island has been plagued with a bumpy and torn-up surface, which dominated the discussion after Friday’s debriefings. With the Australian track announcing that the GP circuit would be resurfaced before the 2013 season, there is at least a remedy on the way, though it doesn’t bode well for the 2012 Australian GP.

Despite the surface conditions, Casey Stoner primarily lead the charge through the Free Practice sessions, though not in as dominant of a fashion as one would have expected. Finishing FP3 just over half a second quicker than Lorenzo, Stoner is still the paddock favorite to win tomorrow’s race, though his chances of clinching the Championship here at home seem slim. Able to keep the Australian within their reach, Jorge Lorenzo and Marco Simoncelli have given Stoner chase, though none of them have been able to take the top position on the timesheet from the Aussie.

In qualifying Lorenzo posted a quick 1:30.991 time that stood throughout half of the session, until Pedrosa took the top spot from his fellow Spaniard. That glory would be short-lived though, as Stoner would enter back into the mix with 14 minutes remaining, taking 8/10ths off Pedrosa’s time. Making further revisions to his time, Stoner dropped the top mark into the 1:29′s with seven minutes remaining in the qualifying session.

Setting pole with a 1:29.975, Stoner once again showed his dominance at Phillip Island, and put .473 seconds between him and Lorenzo during the session. Rounding out the front row was Marco Simoncelli, who like the other two riders has been on a different plane in Australia all race weekend, when compared to the rest of the MotoGP field..

Other notables were Alvaro Bautista and Nicky Hayden, who will bookend Andrea Dovizioso respectively on the second row. The fourth place qualifying for Rizla Suzuki is certainly encouraging, and hopefully bodes well for the squad as we eagerly await news of their 2012 season plans.

Noticeably absent from the mix was Dani Pedrosa, who qualified 8th and well behind his Repsol Honda teammates. Valentino Rossi had a miserable session/day, relegated to 15th throughout most of qualifying, and managing only 13th by the session’s end.

Qualifying Results from the Australian GP at Phillip Island, Australia:

Pos.No.RiderNationTeamBikeTimeDiff.
127Casey STONERAUSRepsol Honda TeamHonda1’29.975-
21Jorge LORENZOSPAYamaha Factory RacingYamaha1’30.4480.473
358Marco SIMONCELLIITASan Carlo Honda GresiniHonda1’30.5990.624
419Alvaro BAUTISTASPARizla Suzuki MotoGPSuzuki1’30.7140.739
54Andrea DOVIZIOSOITARepsol Honda TeamHonda1’30.7800.805
669Nicky HAYDENUSADucati TeamDucati1’30.7920.817
711Ben SPIESUSAYamaha Factory RacingYamaha1’30.8350.860
826Dani PEDROSASPARepsol Honda TeamHonda1’30.8710.896
95Colin EDWARDSUSAMonster Yamaha Tech 3Yamaha1’31.2371.262
1065Loris CAPIROSSIITAPramac Racing TeamDucati1’31.5831.608
1114Randy DE PUNIETFRAPramac Racing TeamDucati1’31.6351.660
127Hiroshi AOYAMAJPNSan Carlo Honda GresiniHonda1’31.8891.914
1346Valentino ROSSIITADucati TeamDucati1’31.9802.005
1435Cal CRUTCHLOWGBRMonster Yamaha Tech 3Yamaha1’32.0232.048
1517Karel ABRAHAMCZECardion AB MotoracingDucati1’32.0542.079
1624Toni ELIASSPALCR Honda MotoGPHonda1’32.5032.528
6Damian CUDLINAUSMapfre Aspar Team MotoGPDucati1’36.6666.691

Source: MotoGP; Photo: Honda

Top 5 Related Posts:

  1. MotoGP: One Last Qualifying for the King of Phillip Island
  2. Jorge Lorenzo Injures Finger in Phillip Island Warm-Up Crash – Out of Australian GP
  3. The Six Ways Casey Stoner Can Clinch the 2011 MotoGP Championship at Phillip Island
  4. MotoGP: Honda Dominates Qualifying at Sepang
  5. MotoGP: Phillip Island to Name Corner after Casey Stoner

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Comment:

  1. SBPilot says:
    October 15, 2011 at 7:54 AM

    I don’t know why doesn’t Rossi just take Hayden’s settings. They can’t be THAT bad (I mean he did qualify sixth) I’m sure Rossi possess the skill to adapt to a setting though not his own but at least proven to work-ish.

    Shame about Cudlin

  2. Scruby says:
    October 15, 2011 at 10:05 AM

    Hayden and Rossi are on different bikes,no?….Hayden’s on the 11.1 and Rossi’s on the aluminum twin spar?

  3. john walker says:
    October 15, 2011 at 2:05 PM

    Could it be that Hayden is simply the better rider at this point in time?

    Rossi was a great champion but as long as he is on a Ducati he will never be champion, lets be real.

    Honda unfortunatley keeps staying ahead of everyone else and makes for viewing GP more and more boring..

  4. Halfie 30 says:
    October 15, 2011 at 3:42 PM

    Didn’t Rossi develop the M1? Still don’t understand why people think Rossi is “unhappy”. He lives for these types of challenges. I think next season with an off season to work on the bike you will see a different Ducati and Rossi. Hayden is faster than he gets credit for. He’s had more time on the Duc too. I’m not even a Rossi fan and I see this. LOL

  5. mark says:
    October 15, 2011 at 5:30 PM

    Lets face it, Rossi is not going to risk injury to push a bike that he knows is crap just to move up a few positions. Until Ducati gives him a bike he knows he can win on, he’ll just go through the motions.

  6. Halfie 30 says:
    October 17, 2011 at 11:48 AM

    @ John Walker. I’m Pretty sure this is the first championship Hona has won since Rossi was on one… How many years is that? Stoner has proven he is fast, and that the 80/20 rider to bike ratio is getting a
    Little diluted for sure, but Honda has had “the bike” to ride in Moto GP since it’s inception yet the can’t win with out the top two elite riders in the paddek. Doesn’t bode to well for the bike.

  7. Halfie 30 says:
    October 17, 2011 at 11:53 AM

    Oops forgot about Hayden in ’06. Wait… He’s riding better On the hike Rossi just couldn’t ride though… Hmmm…. Honda’s bike is not the x-factor. The rider is.