There’s no doubt that Randy de Puniet has had an amazing season this year. Finding his rhythm, and staying out of the gravel traps has allowed the sometimes shirtless frenchman to carry the flag for the Honda loyal…all while on a satellite spec machine. It therefore comes as no surprise that de Puniet has seen his contract with LCR extended to next year, and as an added bonus, he will compete in 2010 with a higher spec RC212V.
Aprilia has chosen the Imola round of the World Superbike Series to unveil their more modest version of the RSV4, the RSV4 R. Retaining most of the basic characteristics of the RSV4 Factory, the RSV4 R will have the same chassis, ride-by-wire throttle control, and 180hp V4 motor. It also apparently comes in a very classy white color scheme.
UPDATE: Added hi-res photos
Investing in emerging markets, Yamaha Motors is set to invest $150 million in a new motorcycle manufacturing plant located in Pakistan. The plant, which is to be established in the National Industrial Park at Bin Qasim, Karachi, will serve as a central location for Yamaha’s move into Pakistan, India, and other emerging Asian and African markets.
Just a few weeks ago, Brammo began rolling-out their program to sell Enertia electric motorcycles at Best Buy’s along the west coast. Most companies would be content to rest on this accomplishment and catch their breath, but not the folks in Ashland, Oregon.
Maybe it’s all that clean-air they’re breathing, or there’s something in the water; either way, we’re happy to report that in the nexy 60 days or so, you’ll see a new product announcement from Brammo, secretly dubbed “The Anti-Scooter”.
Superbike Planet is reporting a rumor that Honda is set to pull completely out of AMA/DMG road racing for 2010. If true, it’s hard to tell if this move is centered around an every decreasing budget for racing, or if Honda has finally given up dealing with AMA race organizer, Daytona Motorsports Group.
Arizona Motorsports Park, the $6 million, 155-acre, 16-turn, 2.23-mile racecourse outside of Glendale, Arizona, has won a crucial legal verdict from the Arizona Court of Appeals. The appellate court has ruled that the race track detrimentally relied on a permit provided by the county to build their facility, and is therefore entitled to continue using its property for racing events.
Those Italians over at MotoBlog have found the new 2010 Honda VFR1200 out in the wild doing some road testing. The sport-tourer, which will feature variable cylinder management, and a dual-clutch gear box, is found this time with matching red saddle bags, completing the overall tourer look of the motorcycle. If you parlo italiano, head over to MotoBlog, and check out the rest of their shots.
Yamaha is recalling 180 YZF-R1, FZS600, and FJR1300 motorcycles from 2005 for a faulty throttle position sensor. Not all 2005 owners need to fret though, as the affected bikes were manufactured only between October 2004, and April 2005.
Overshadowing his podium finish from the Indianapolis GP, Alex de Angelis didn’t make too many friends in San Marino, and certainly didn’t impress any teams in paddock with his turn 2 performance. So it isn’t with great surprise that we find de Angelis still looking for a ride in MotoGP this September.
With seats in the MotoGP paddock quickly filling up, the Sammarinese rider has even entertained the prospect of going to World Superbike for 2010, but has stated that he would not consider Moto2 as an option.
UPDATE: The Italian Order of Accountants has ruled against Rossi, who now has 40 days to appeal their decision.
After settling an unpaid tax-debt with the Italian government in 2008, Valentino Rossi paid nearly €30 million in back-taxes with the help of accounting firm Cesaroni-Cappellini. The firm saved Rossi nearly €150 million, and was entitled by contract to ~1% of the MotoGP star’s savings.
Doing some quick judo-math, that’s nearly a €3 million tab (€1.7M-€2.5M to be exact) that Rossi has racked up at Cesaroni-Cappellini, and according to the firm Rossi has yet to actually pay them for their services.
Motus Motorcycles is back on the radar after their mysterious awakening back in April. Along with slightly less cryptic information about their MST V4 sport-tourer, Motus has announced their partnership with Pratt & Miller.
If you’re not familiar with Pratt & Miller, they’ve made quite a name for themselves in the automotive endurance racing scene developing chassis in the American Le Mans Series, Rolex Grand-Am series, NASCAR, and have won the 24 hours of Le Mans six times in the GT1 category. Pratt & Miller have also worked with the US military in developing missiles and other classified projects.