Video: Josh Brookes Shows Us the Fastest Line over “The Mountain” at Cadwell Park

The Mountain at Cadwell Park, as it is known, is like the British version of the Corkscrew at Laguna Seca: another one of those special points on a race track, that would not exist on the computer-generated courses we see today. Famous for lofting bikes into the air, The Mountain makes for spectacular photographs, and should be on every rider’s track day bucket list. Finding the fastest racing line over The Mountain can be difficult though, as riders have to contend with keeping the front of their motorcycles down, but such is not the case for HM Plant Honda’s Josh Brookes…

Lost Knee Puck Hinders Hayden at Indy

Track conditions were the talk of the paddock this weekend at the Indianapolis GP, as riders battled the changing tarmac surfaces, and undulating bumps of the Indy infield. Perhaps most vocal of his displeasure with the course was Ducati rider Casey Stoner, who called the Indianapolis Motor Speedway not a world class track, and specifically complained about plastic drains that would catch riders as the ventured in towards the edge of the track (Rossi also complained of these drains). Teammate Nicky Hayden was less critical before Sunday’s race though, saying that Stoner’s comments could be applied to many of the courses on the MotoGP calendar. However after losing a knee puck to one of the drainage grates that Stoner criticized earlier, Hayden may be re-thinking his tune.

Rossi Waiting to Hear if Burgess Will Retire

Talking after the Indianapolis GP, Valentino Rossi explained that he is waiting to hear from Jeremy Burgess as to whether the Australian Crew Chief will retire next season. Assured of the fact that Burgess would not stay behind at Yamaha, and would not work with another rider, Rossi stated the buzz around whether Burgess would move with the Italian to Ducati, hinges as to when Burgess plans on retiring from motorcycle racing.

Nicky Hayden Renews Contract with Ducati

Under the lights of the Indy Mile, where motorcycle racing began for the Kentucky-born MotoGP racer, Nicky Hayden has signed a two-year contract with Ducati Corse for the 2011 & 2012 seasons. Not the biggest surprise in the paddock, Hayden’s contract renewal has never really been questioned this season as the American started the season off with series of strong finishes and continues to be a strong brand ambassador for Ducati in the United States. Hayden will be joined the next two years by former teammate Valentino Rossi, the pair rode for Repsol Honda in 2003, with Hayden finishing the season 5th in his rookie GP season.

World Superbike Responds to Ducati Exodus

Infront Motor Sports, rights holder to the World Superbike Championship series, has responded to the news that Ducati Corse will be leaving the series in 2011. Responding with an official press release, IMS’s message essentially boils down to poking holes in Ducati’s statement about technical regulations. Stating that the 2009 season was dominated by the Ducati 1198 Superbike, sans one Ben Spies, the Italian firm has clearly been able to be competitive with the current formula. IMS goes on to basically say that WSBK is about more than one manufacturer, and can’t cater to Ducati’s whims even if they do have a lengthy history together.

Ben Spies to Factory Yamaha Team

As expected, Ben Spies and Yamaha have announced that the current World Superbike Champion and MotoGP rookie will move up to the factory Yamaha team (noticeably not called Fiat-Yamaha in the press release) for the 2011 season. Spies’ move to the factory squad has lovingly been referred to as the “second worst-kept secret in MotoGP,” right after Rossi’s departure from the Fiat-Yamaha team to Ducati Corse.

Colin Edwards – “I’m going fishing. Screw this sh*t.”

No one makes the MotoGP media center come alive with emotion more so than Colin Edwards. A veteran of the sport, and born with no filter between his brain and mouth, the Texan Tornado captured the spotlight during the pre-race press conference at the Red Bull Indianapolis GP. A stark contrast to the polished veneers of other riders, Edwards isn’t afraid to tell things the way he sees it, even if it involves some colorful language. To get an idea of what we mean, check out a portion of the press conference transcript after the jump.

Ducati Trademarks “Diavel” Name in the UK

Ducati has recieved a trademark with the UK Intellectual Property Office for the Bolognese word for devil, or “Diavel”, which according to MCN is to be the name of the company’s new performance cruiser (shown here in a render done by Bar-Design exclusively for Asphalt & Rubber). Interestingly enough, Ducati has not trademarked the Diavel name with the United States Patent & Trademarks Office (USPTO). However with the British government, Ducati has reserved the Diavel mark for virtually every use possible, including lifestyle items like shirts, perfume, watches, and our personal favorite: skin cleansing lotions and creams.

Casey Stoner Ducati 1198S Phillip Island Replica

Missing three races because of a mystery illness, Casey Stoner put any critics he had from his sudden departure in 2009 to bed with his masterful race at Phillip Island. Racing in front of his home crowd, Stoner slid around the Australian course to a decisive victory, in what we called one of the top races of 2009. Making the moment even more special for Australian fans, and Ducatisti alike, was the special race livery that Stoner ran for his home race. Hoping to commemorate that race and Stoner’s contributions to the Marlboro Ducati team (Stoner is leaving Ducati for HRC next year), a French Ducati dealership in Moulins-lès-Metz has decided to sell a limited number of Casey Stoner Ducati 1198S Phillip Island replicas.

Norton Returning to MotoGP Racing

German magazine Speedweek is reporting that Norton will be back in GP racing for the 2012 season with a two-man team. Speedweek’s highly respected Austrian journalist Gunther Wiesinger has received word that Norton has requested two spots on the 2012 MotoGP grid, and has signed a request to join the series when it returns to the 1000cc format. It’s unclear at this time if Norton will be entering as a claiming rule team (CRT), or be listed as a factory prototype, which could have a dramatic affect on the team’s success in the series.

BMW Homologates New S1000RR Crankshaft

Wed 07/07/2010 @ 5:56 pm, by Jenny Gun5 COMMENTS

BMW Homologates New S1000RR Crankshaft BMW S1000RR engine cutaway 560x363

The FIM has announced that BMW has homologated a new crankshaft design for World Superbike and World Superstock racing. Effective since June 10th, the new crankshaft, much like the Aprilia RSV4’s upgraded camshaft, could be part of the equation for BMW’s recent success in WSBK, and continued domination in STK1000.

Suter Working on S1000RR Based MotoGP Bike

Thu 05/27/2010 @ 1:22 pm, by Jenny Gun5 COMMENTS

Suter Working on S1000RR Based MotoGP Bike Suter racing Moto2 race bike 560x379

Eskil Suter is a popular man in the Moto2 paddock. Not only is his Moto2 chassis one of the cheapest, but it’s also one of the best performing units. It should be no surprise then that his Moto2 solution (shown above) is one of the most popular in the race series, and Suter sees that as a great jumping off point to enter back into the MotoGP fray (Suter helped engineer the Kawasaki ZX-RR, the Ilmor X3, and the Petronas FP1 SBK race bikes).

With the MotoGP rules in 2012 to allow for claiming rule teams, the door has been opened for a Moto2 styled team (production motor in a prototype frame) to play with the big boys. Suter for his part is looking to draw on his current chassis success, and base his design around the very potent BMW S1000RR motor. The result should be a fairly inexpensive solution to a high-performance race bike as the S1000RR has been popping up on the internet with 190hp stock.

BMW S1000RR 191hp Dyno Run on Video

Mon 04/26/2010 @ 11:57 am, by Jenny Gun11 COMMENTS

BMW S1000RR 191hp Dyno Run on Video bmw s1000rr street bike monza green 22 560x420

Ever since early reports on the 2010 BMW S1000RR suggested that the German superbike was making a claimed 190hp at the crank, the Bavarian bike sounded like a true contender against the Japanese dominated  market. Then when we heard that BMW may have been sandbagging those figures, and bikes were popping up wtih 190hp at the crank, it definitely piqued our interest.

With disbelief we weren’t sure what to make of the new BMW, and it seem we’re in the same boat as the folks over at MotoBlog.it, as they’ve gotten their hands on a S1000RR and put it on a DynoJet to see for themselves what the bike could do. The result? 191hp. Check the video after the jump

Leslie Porterfield Gets Haute for the BMW S1000RR

Mon 04/12/2010 @ 7:00 pm, by Jenny Gun6 COMMENTS

Leslie Porterfield Gets Haute for the BMW S1000RR Leslie Porterfield Markus Hoffman BMW S1000RR 6 560x412

We here at Asphalt & Rubber love Leslie Porterfield. She’s the Queen of Speed, Maven of Two Wheels, and Temptress of the Salts. OK, ok, she’s also blonde and leggy, and while the prior titles are important it’s this latter quality that photographer Markus Hofmann was after when he took Porterfield to BMW’s wind testing facility outside of Munich, Germany. You may remember Hofmann from such other confusing couture meets motorcycle Bavarian ad campaigns as cheetahs with models, helicopters with…well…more models that feature the 2010 BMW S1000RR.

Video: BMW S1000RR Valves Redux

Thu 03/25/2010 @ 10:35 am, by Jenny Gun4 COMMENTS

Video: BMW S1000RR Valves Redux bmw s 1000 rr engine cutaway 560x422

You may remember the cult motorcycle YouTube classic “BMW S1000RR Titanium Valves at 14,200 RPM“, well now we have a sequel to that movie. Showing the BMW’s titanium valves from a cylinder’s point of view, this S1000RR is rev’d through the rpm range with interesting results.

Because of the shutter effect on the video recorder we see the valves go through their motions until finally seemingly stopping as the shutter rate and valve moment go out of sync and re-sync. If you ever wanted to know what was going on inside you bike, here’s a good start on the subject. Video after the jump.

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AC Schnitzer BMW S1000RR – Wiener not Winner

Mon 03/22/2010 @ 3:19 pm, by Jenny Gun4 COMMENTS

AC Schnitzer BMW S1000RR   Wiener not Winner AC Schnitzer BMW S1000RR 3 560x374

AC Schnitzer is better known in the automotive world for making fine BMW parts and automobiles, but the little German tuning shop also tries its hand at motorcycles from time to time. Unfortunately the company’s prowess at making four-wheeled BMW’s look good and run fast does not translate over well to its two-wheel endeavors. A great example of this is the disappointment we had with the recently released 2010 AC Schnitzer BWM S1000RR, which leaves us here at A&R wanting more schnitzel and less Schnitzer in our Bavarian bikes.

Mumbles Begin About Showing Xaus the Door

Tue 03/09/2010 @ 9:09 am, by Jenny Gun6 COMMENTS

Mumbles Begin About Showing Xaus the Door Ruben Xaus BWM S1000RR crash 560x364

After crashing four S1000RR’s during WSBK’s stop at Phillip Island, and then missing the race entirely, Ruben Xaus hasn’t exactly put his best foot forward in the 2010 World Superbike Championship season. For some the continuation of the Spanish rider’s career on a factory supported Superbike seems to have a death clock already running, and the rumor is that Xaus has to prove his worth or risk being shown the door from the BMW WSBK team.

The BMW S1000RR Does the Tablecloth Trick

Fri 03/05/2010 @ 6:44 pm, by Jenny Gun1 COMMENT

The BMW S1000RR Does the Tablecloth Trick BMW S1000RR tablecloth trick 560x312

Remember when Mr. Wizard explained Newton’s First Law of Motion by setting a table and whipping the tablecloth out from underneath all the cups, plates, and utensils? Well BMW has a video which takes the tablecloth trick to its next logical motorcycling related progression. Check it out after the jump.

 
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