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.

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.