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March 2010

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TTXGP Trust: Race to Own

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After crowdsourcing their rule book, TTXGP has set another unprecedented move in racing by allowing teams to own up to 70% of the series itself. The union (TEO), as TTXGP calls it, will be transfered stock in in TTXGP Ltd, the company behind the TTXGP series. Teams then who comprise of the TEO membership will be award individual “units” of TEO based on the number of races the teams enter and their position in the standings.

For 2010, 30% of TTXGP Ltd. will be transfered to TEO, and the goal is to have 70% of the company up for grabs by 2020. TEO will have a considerable amount of sway in how TTXGP is run, thus creating a more open atmosphere for the direction of the series. The move to give teams a vested interest like this also serves to encourage more participation in the series. More after the jump.

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Bikes

Troy Lee Designs Fails to Impress with New Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Livery

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It’s not that new Suzuki MotoGP livery is bad, it’s just well…sort of what you’d expect from Suzuki’s factory racing team. When we first heard that Troy Lee Designs was going to give the old Rizla Blue the once over, we were excited to see what the talented company could come up with in the go fast/look good department.

Yet as we look at these pictures, we wonder what happened in the process. Powder blue? Check. Big Rizla Letters? Check. Nothing else that’s remote eye-catching? Check. We sure hope the Suzuki GSV-R performs better than it looks, but we’re not holding our breath. Check out the rest of the photos after the jump.

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Bikes

2010 Yamaha Fazer8 ABS – Also Officially Official & With Anti-Lock Brakes

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Along with the 2010 Yamaha FZ8, Yamaha Europe has finally officially released the 2010 Yamaha Fazer8 ABS. The 800cc cousin to the FZ8, the Fazer8 gets the obvious anti-lock brake treatment as the name implies. Drawing on styling cues from the larger FZ1, the FazerOcho distinguishes itself by what lies beneath its exposed motor. As was rumored, the Fazer8 borrows from the FZ1’s 998cc motor’s stroke length, making up the smaller displacement with a smaller bore diameter (68mm down from 77mm). Check out the full technical specifications and photos after the jump.

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Bikes

2010 Yamaha FZ8 – Officially Official

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After teasing us time and time and time again, Yamaha Europe has taken the wraps off its 2010 Yamaha FZ8 (and it’s cousin the 2010 Yamaha Fazer8). As was expected, the FZ8  is a 779cc naked street bike that borrows its heritage from the FZ1, and replaces the FZ6 in the European line-up.

While the FZ8 looks well and good, Yamaha has proven that a copy of a copy never carries over well. The FZ8 motor is in essence a smaller bored FZ1 motor, which is itself a de-tuned R1 powerplant. As such the Yamaha FZ8 puts out a solid 104hp, which may disappoint many riders. Torque lovers rejoice though, the 2010 Yamaha FZ8 makes an impressive 62lbs•ft of wheel turning power from its 779cc’s.

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Bikes

2010 Bimota DB6 Superlight – The Carbon Fiber Trellis Frame Dream Bike

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Debuting at the Rome Motodays event this week, Bimota unveiled a very special bike: the 2010 Bimota DB6 Superlight. Unfortunately we weren’t there to witness this wonderful piece of carbon fiber mastery, but the good folks at OmniMoto were, and have a gallery full of delicious photographs that are sure to become your next desktop wallpaper. Why is the Bimota DB6 Superlight so special? It could be it’s carbon trellis frame, or it’s carbon trellis swingarm, or its feather light weight, or it could just be a combination of all of the above. Find out more about the DB6 Superlight after the jump.

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News

Hector Barbera Rides the Short Bus In MotoGP

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Paginas Amarillas Aspar Team, the MotoGP team headed by Jorge “Aspar” Martinez, has just released it’s livery for the 2010 season. Now we’ve seen Ducati’s in yellow racing trim before, and it was no big deal. But for some reason, this goldenrod Ducati Desmosedici just doesn’t look quite right, and unfortunately for Aspar’s rider Hector Barbera, we’re starting the short bus jokes as of right now. Leave your own in the comments section.

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Bikes

Aprilia Dorsoduro 750 Factory Euro Pricing – €9,990

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The fine folks of Noale have finally added the 2010 Aprilia Dorsoduro Factory to their official line-up and removed any doubts that the good Factory name means less today than it used to in the good ol’days. Tacking on a €900 premium for the “upgraded” Dorsoduro Factory model, riders will see an increase in carbon fiber, but only a limited change to the performance of the street tard. Despite this, the 2010 Aprilia Dorsoduro 750 Factory makes a strong rival for the Ducati Hypermotard 796. See why after the jump, along with a bevy of photos and a video.

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News

MotoCzysz Has Dustbin at the Ready, But Still Defends Position Regarding Its Use

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After a lively discussion on fully-faired motorcycles in his original post, including a lengthy post by Craig Vetter, Michael Czysz follows up the discussion by further delving into streamlining, dustbins, and the difference between the two. In his discussion Czysz explains the purpose and benefit of taking aerodynamics into account not only in electric racing but also in ICE applications, and then walks us through its use on the MotoCzysz C1.

The post is a good primer on the exponential force that streamlining tries to overcome, and well worth a read for that purpose. Michael Czysz closes his post with a hint that he’ll have a dustbin at the ready should the field warrant such a fairing, and should his rider Mark Miller feel comfortable using it. Check it all out here.

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Rumors

Rumors of a Ducati/Piaggio Merger Abound

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The Italian press is one of those entities that you have to both love and hate at the same time. Rumors are swirling today in Italy about a possible merger between Ducati and Piaggio that is being investigated by strategy consulting firm McKinsey & Co. According to reports, the goal of  such a merger would be to create one large Italian motorcycle manufacturer capable of competing with the Japanese Four. However like all good gossip, you have to consider the source and run things past the smell test, and this rumor smells like something fanciful made up by the Italian media.

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Racing

Abu Dhabi to Host MotoGP by 2013?

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After hosting its first ever round of Formula one, the Yas Marina Circuit outside of Abu Dhabi has its eyes on bringing MotoGP to the capital of the Emirates. Like most things in the UAE, the $1 billion circuit is impressive and brand new, and its owners hope to have the track MotoGP ready in the next two to three years, despite Dorna has yet to sign off on bringing the premiere motorcycle class to the UAE.

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Banter

Ben Spies and Eddie Lawson Talk Competitiveness, Fame, & Being A World Champion

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After what felt like a thinly veiled R1 commercial in part one, Yamaha has released the second installment of its One on One series with Ben Spies and Eddie Lawson. The two famed Yamaha riders talk about what makes a professional motorcycle racer tick, including their competitive nature, reaction to fans, and being called a Champion. We’d say the first clip is a pass, but this second video is pretty insightful, and worth the 7 minutes of your time. Video after the jump.

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