Cutaway Photos of the Ducati Superquadro Engine

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.

AGV, Please Make This Helmet!

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.

2012 Honda RC213V Debuts in Malaysia

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).

No, This is the “90%” New Ducati Desmosedici GP12

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 Commences 2012 Model Line Production

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.

The Dainese D-Air Racing Airbag Suit Comes to America

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.

I Love the Nightlife. I’ve Come to Boogie.

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.

Confirmed: KTM 350 Duke in 2013 – Moto3 Inspired 350cc Sport Bike in 2014

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.

Why Today is the Most Important Day for Ducati…Ever

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.

Video: Community + Motorcycles = Motomethod

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.

WSBK: Crash in Race 1 Could Cost the Championship

Mon, October 26th, 2009 @ 1:20 am, by Jenny Gun2 COMMENTS
Home » Racing » WSBK: Crash in Race 1 Could Cost the Championship

It’s the day that all World Superbike fans have been looking forward to, the day that the battle for the World Superbike Championship would finally come to an end. Some say it is Noriyuki Haga, who has come so close to Superbike supremacy in the past, only to miss his day by a few simple points. Others say it is Ben Spies.

The Texan has been dominating his rookie season abroad, and now with his MotoGP plans for 2010 solidified, it would be unfinished business if he left World Superbike without a Championship wreath. We think both riders have a solid argument for why they should win the crown, but talking does little for victory on the race track.

With two races at Portimao to find our champion, it would seem that all we’d need is Race 1 to find our Champion, as a costly crash early into the race by one of these riders has likely dashed their hopes for the day. More after the jump.

Ben Spies came to Portimao, expecting a great battle with Noriyuki Haga. Knowing that the Japanese Ducati rider would be bringing his best fight to the race track, Spies understood the notion that a WSBK Championship meant winning both races for the day. With this mission at heart, Spies did just that, taking Race 1 of the Portugal round of World Superbike.

Making a great start, Spies sped out to an early lead, but he would not be alone. Both Max Biaggi and Johnny Rea were close at hand to challenge the rookie American. Spies would catch an early break though as Haga lost the front-end of his bike, taking to the asphalt like a turtle on its back.

Grappling for all 25 first place points, Spies would see pressure from Biaggi, but that waned as Rea gained on the Roman Emperor. This battle for second place, allowed Spies to ride his own race and finish with a comfortable margin.

Haga’s crash was devastating for the Japanese rider. Instead of leading Spies by 10 points, as he had at the start of the race, by Race 1′s conclusion, he was 15 points behind the Yamaha rider. This translates into Spies needing only to finish 6th to clinch the World Superbike Championship, and even lower if Haga does not win Race 2. However, we’ll have to wait for Race 2, to see if Spies can truly capitalize on his Race 1 fortune.

Results from Race 1 of World Superbike at Portimao, Portugal:

Pos.	Num.	Rider	Country	Bike	Diff
1	19	B. Spies	USA	Yamaha YZF R1	-
2	65	J. Rea	GBR	Honda CBR1000RR	1.697
3	3	M. Biaggi	ITA	Aprilia RSV4 Factory	2.113
4	67	S. Byrne	GBR	Ducati 1098R	2.757
5	84	M. Fabrizio	ITA	Ducati 1098R	14.753
6	22	L. Camier	GBR	Aprilia RSV4 Factory	20.044
7	7	C. Checa	ESP	Honda CBR1000RR	25.634
8	111	R. Xaus	ESP	BMW S1000 RR	31.104
9	14	M. Lagrive	FRA	Honda CBR1000RR	36.689
10	15	M. Baiocco	ITA	Ducati 1098R	39.331
11	23	B. Parkes	AUS	Kawasaki ZX 10R	41.827
12	100	M. Tamada	JPN	Kawasaki ZX 10R	41.882
13	25	D. Salom	ESP	Kawasaki ZX 10R	54.967
14	94	D. Checa	ESP	Yamaha YZF R1	1’38.533
15	99	L. Scassa	ITA	Kawasaki ZX 10R	4 Laps
RET	88	R. Resch	AUT	Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9	3 Laps
RET	11	T. Corser	AUS	BMW S1000 RR	6 Laps
RET	91	L. Haslam	GBR	Honda CBR1000RR	12 Laps
RET	96	J. Smrz	CZE	Ducati 1098R	14 Laps
RET	50	S. Guintoli	FRA	Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9	14 Laps
RET	77	V. Iannuzzo	ITA	Honda CBR1000RR	15 Laps
RET	41	N. Haga	JPN	Ducati 1098R	16 Laps
RET	10	F. Nieto	ESP	Ducati 1098R	19 Laps
RET	71	Y. Kagayama	JPN	Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9

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Tagged under: Ben Spies, Johnny Rea, Max Biaggi, Noriyuki Haga, race, Race 1, world superbike, World Superbike Championship, WSBK

Comment:

valter marques says:
October 26, 2009 at 1:21 AM
WSBK: Crash in Race 1 Could Cost the Championship http://bit.ly/JMsCB
valter marques says:
October 26, 2009 at 8:21 AM
WSBK: Crash in Race 1 Could Cost the Championship http://bit.ly/JMsCB