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…
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
Handwritten and then reproduced by Fiat-Yamaha, Valentino Rossi included an open letter with the announcement of his departure from Fiat-Yamaha to Marlboro Ducati. In his own words Rossi documents his “relationship” with the Yamaha YZR-M1, and is quick to point-out that it was Rossi’s direction and input that turned the bike into the weapon of choice in MotoGP. Reading the letter, it might be a bit strange as to why the message was included with the official press release from Yamaha, but peering between the lines some parting words can be inferred from Rossi, and perhaps greater insight into what makes a nine-time World Champion.
For 2010, Husqvarna continues to update its supermoto line with the 2010 Husqvarna SM630, the successor to the popular SM610. With the SM630 Husqvarna takes on the mantra that bigger is better, bumping the bike’s displacement by an additional 30cc for 2010. This means the SM 630 will pack a full 600cc’s of motor, which will make 56hp and 41lb•ft of torque. We were on hand for the unveiling, click through the jump for details and pictures.
With the announcement of Mavizen’s TTX02 KTM RC8 look-alike taking up all of the spot light, Mavizen’s other project the TTX03 has quietly been hinted at by the company, and is expected to be an electric supermoto racer. Continuing what is shaping up to be the worst naming structure in the industry, the TTX03 also shows the links between Mavizen and the TTXGP organizers.
Motoclismo must have a permanent seat at the hot test tracks in Italy, because they’ve caught Moto Morini’s contender to the Strada Aperta taking laps at the Adria circuit. Essentially a motard version of the Granpasso, the new bike has an ugly interesting head-on profile, but looks the business from the rear and sides.
Husqvarna has released pricing for its 2010 line-up of cross country, enduro, motocross and supermoto motorcycles. The big news for 2010 is that there will be an upgrade to Kayaba 48mm forks across the line. Also, the 2010 line-up will feature more flexible plastic, stronger and lighter wheel hubs (front and rear), and other tweaks on a per model basis.
We especially enjoy the SM510 for its happy merger of hooliganism meets serious racing machine. It is so choice. If you have the means, we highly recommend picking one up. Pricing after the jump
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It looks like BMW is set to launch a supermoto version of the bullet-proof F800R paralell twin later this year.
The machine, which was inspired by BMW’s stunt world champion Christian Pfeiffer, gains a host of goodies over the F800R, including long travel suspension, revised gearing and the obligatory BMW racepaint colour scheme.
No word on price, but were expecting the bike to weigh in near the $12,000 mark.
Zero Motorcycles has made the logical next step in its bike line-up by now offering a Supermoto version of its electric dirtbike, the Zero X. Zero has added 17″ street tires and a projector headlamp to make the transition necessary from dirt-track to city streets. With 31 horses and 62.5 lb-ft of torque instantly available, the clutchless one-speed “S” should make it up to 60 mph. Its four kWh battery lasts up to 60 miles, and can be recharged with the integrated charger, which will charge the battery up in less than four hours.
We usually don’t post up videos from YouTube unless there’s a story behind them, but I think we can make an exception in this case. In this video, a DRZ-SM rider jumps an entire intersection in our home town of San Francisco. Awesome.
Supermoto Online recently posted the entire 2008 XTRM/AMA Supermoto season online. This comes just as the 2009 season is set to start on, March 22nd.
