Latest Posts:
Asphalt & Rubber
Tag

Italian

Browsing
Racing

Garry McCoy Leaves FB Corse

By 1 Comment

Garry McCoy announced this weekend that he has left FB Corse, presumably after the MotoGP team failed to develop its racing effort in any meaningful way. Beleagured from the start with lofty goals and un-true press releases, FB Corse has struggle both technically and financially to get on the MotoGP grid. After suffering a setback of not being given the green light to race while testing  at Valencia, FB Corse seemed determined to make at least a few wild card appearances this season.

Now with McCoy resigning from the team, the MotoGP paddock expects this to be the end of the Italian racing project (editor’s note: FB Corse has already removed its photos from its flickr stream). Of course knowing Franco Uncini and the FB Corse spin machine, we may still see another press release or two in the future from the Italian racing effort. McCoy’s official statement after the jump, best of luck to you Garry.

Keep Reading
By
Racing

WSBK: Race 2 at Monza Should be Called “The Crash, The Motor, & The Podium”

By 1 Comment

With strong showings by familiar and unfamiliar faces this season, Race 2 at Monza proved to have some excitement up its sleeve. This anticipation proved to be worth it, as crashes took out victory hopefuls, leading to a comfortable finish for one rider, and nail biter for another. With a surprise podium in the mix, there’s a team still partying in Italy as we speak. Find out why after the jump.

Keep Reading
By
Racing

WSBK: Close Racing in Race 1 at Monza

By No Comments

World Superbike racing was back again this weekend with a stop in Monza, Italy. The Italian circuit played host to a very fast group of riders, which helped shed the course’s former lap record and top speed with little effort. With Max Biaggi and his Aprilia RSV4 at the top of the heap, all eyes were on them for a hometown victory. Check after the jump to see how Biaggi et al fared, and for the full race results.

Keep Reading
By
Racing

WSBK: New Record Set During Superpole at Monza

By 2 Comments

Max Biaggi took his first career Superpole today (as well as Aprilia’s first Superpole), at his home track of Monza no less. As if that wasn’t enough for the Italian rider and his Italian team, Biaggi also set the fastest top speed for the track on a superbike (205 mph), as well as a lap record (1’42.121).

Superpole however wasn’t as kind to the other Italian manufacturer, with only Michel Fabrizio making it into the third Superpole round. Fabrizio finished 3rd for the day, but his teammate, Norikuki Haga, finished at the bottom of Superpole 2 in 16th position.

With Ruben Xaus finishing 6th in the Superpole, six different manufacturers will make up the top six riders on the starting grid come Sunday, which should make the races exciting for any fan. Check the full Superpole results after the jump.

Keep Reading
By
News

Ex-Ducati CEO & Current MV Agusta President Linked to MV Agusta as Possible Buyers

By 1 Comment

Italian newspaper Il Sol 24 Ore is reporting more rumors about MV Agusta divesture and the company’s possible suitors. As we’ve reported already, there’s been some speculation that Paolo Berlusconi might be interested in the Italian brand, but he’s also been linked to another Italian company looking for a home. Now coming out of the woodwork are some new names, with links to Ducati & MV Agusta.

Keep Reading
By
Bikes

2011 Ducati Monster 796 Confirmed

By 7 Comments

UPDATE 2: Ducati has just informed us that the Monster 796 is being considered an early 2011 model year motorcycle, we’ve update our post to reflect this.

UPDATE: Pricing for the 2011 Ducati Monster 796 will be $9,995 in the USA.

The rumor floodgates were wide-open this weekend about a possible late model entry by Ducati that would see the Italian company add a Monster 796 to its 2010 model lineup. We can now confirm that the 2011 Ducati Monster 796 has been added to the Monster product line, and will fit in-between the 696cc and 1100cc versions of the Monster.

The impetus for this late addition is reportedly because of poor sales in the 1100cc range of Monsters, which has prompted Ducati to further segment the line-up with a middle offering. The Monster is actually Ducati’s best selling line of motorcycle, and the brand is keen to maximize its return on the newly updated design, and is seemingly pinning its hopes on this late entry. Video, photos, and more of the 2011 Ducati Monster 796 below.

Keep Reading
By
News

Moto Morini Saved From Bankruptcy? – Paolo Berlusconi Makes €2.9 Million Offer

By 1 Comment

Quirky Italian motorcycle manufacturer Moto Morini has reportedly been saved from the chopping block by Paolo Berlusconi. If that names rings a bell, it should because Berlusconi is the brother to Italy’s Prime Minister, and owns Garelli scooters. The Italian businessman has also been recently linked to acquiring MV Agusta, which if both transactions go through could see Berlusconi owning the parts of a formidable Italian motorcycle company. Berlusconi has reportedly made a €2.9 million offer for Moto Morini which includes the company name, infrastructure, and rights to past and future product lines.

Keep Reading
By
Racing

Loris Capirossi to Start 300th Race at Qatar

By 3 Comments

Veteran MotoGP rider Loris Capirossi is set to start his 300th GP at Qatar this weekend, a record for the most GP starts by any rider. The 37 year old Capirossi easily out paces his nearest rival in this regard, Alex Barros, who started 276 races during his GP career. Likely to be one of the few riders to make it to 300 race starts, Capirex would have hit the benchmark in 2009 had the Hungarian GP at the Balatonring not been cancelled. Known for being injury free (knock on wood), Capirossi will likely add another 17 starts to this number, with it being anyone’s guess when the Italian hangs up his leathers for good.

Keep Reading
By
Bikes

Triumph Scrambler in Black & White

By 3 Comments

Triumph has made a great name for itself with its modern take on vintage motorcycles, the “Bonnie” being our personal favorite. So what better way to promote the Triumph Scrambler than to take it out for a vintage style photo shoot using some black and white film? The result is 15 photos that could have been taken a weekend ago, or a generation ago. We especially enjoyed the obligatory cigarette in mouth while sliding shot. Check it out after the jump.

Keep Reading
By
Bikes

Tamburini Corse T1 Rethinks the MV Agusta Brutale

By 6 Comments

Tamburini Corse has done their magic on the MV Agusta Brutale in what they call the Tamburini Corse T1, which sounds like something out of The Terminator, but looks more like pure carbon sex to us. Massimo Tamburini’s son Andrea has the reigns at Tamburini Corse, and he builds off his father’s designs, appealing to a new generation of MV riders with the Tamburini Corse T1. Photos and more after the jump.

Keep Reading
By
News

Dainese No Longer “Made in Italy” – Moves Remaining Italian Production to Tunisia

By 10 Comments

Italian apparel manufacturer Dainese, (who also owns Mavet and AGV) is shutting down its Molvena, Italy plant, and moving the bulk of its production to Tunisia. The move is presumably to help lower costs to the Italian brand, as sales have slumpped during the industry-wide economic slowdown. It’s unclear whether Dainese will open a new factory in Tunisia, or add the capacity to one of its two factories already in the North African country.

Keep Reading
By