The fourth time is a charm, as Dorna has released a revised version of the 2013 MotoGP Championship calendar today. As expected, the Sachsenring round has been moved back a week, so as not to conflict with Formula One’s schedule in the region.
Additionally, the Spanish GP at Jerez has been confirmed, and will remain on the schedule through the 2015 season. The Andalucian Government, Jerez City Council, and Dorna came to agreement to keep the popular event financed for the next three years.
Valentino Rossi’s amazing run of nine world titles was aided, in some part, by the level of those whom he had to fight for wins. With all credit given to Max Biaggi and Sete Gibernau, his two main rivals until the modern class of “aliens” arrived in MotoGP, neither of these two riders was on the same level as Casey Stoner, Dani Pedrosa, and Jorge Lorenzo.
My colleague David Emmett has commented several times that these three riders came up through their development years knowing that to win they would have to beat Rossi. They alone managed to elevate their skills to a level that could challenge him over the course of a season, where as Biaggi and Gibernau, as good as they were, could not manage the same growth as mature riders.
I’ve often considered how, to win as many titles as Rossi and Agostini have done, you need some help in the opponent department. Agostini benefitted from Mike Hailwood’s career choices and own bad luck when it came to finding a good fit on a competitive bike.
Rossi benefitted from arriving in MotoGP long before riders as good as Stoner, Lorenzo, and Pedrosa were around to fight him. If those three had been present in 2001 and riding at their full potential, it’s a safe bet Rossi would not have seven premier class titles in his pocket.
It is no secret that Ducati had high hopes for the Ducati 1199 Panigale when it debuted the machine at the 2011 EICMA motorcycle show, and the Italian superbike certainly has proven itself to be popular with new motorcycle buyers in 2012. Selling 7,500 units worldwide so far this year, the Panigale is one of Ducati’s best selling motorcycles ever, and accounts for roughly 17% of the Italian company’s sales for this year (2012 being Ducati’s best sales year ever).
After several years of steady deterioration, the surface at Phillip Island is about to get fixed. According to reports from Australia, work commences on resurfacing the iconic Australian circuit on Tuesday morning (Monday USA time), and over a period of two days, the track will receive a fresh layer of asphalt, for the first time since 1998.
The new surface is to be laid over a flatter substrate, with 40mm of the old tarmac already having been removed to make way for the new asphalt. The aim of the project is to remove the bumps which have accrued over the years, as the track has taken punishment from MotoGP, World Superbikes, Australian V8 Supercars, and the many track days and other events which happen at the circuit nearly all year round.
If there is an “on-the-fence” model from the EICMA motorcycle show, it is the MV Agusta Rivale. Highly anticipated ahead of the show in Milan, the Rivale debuted to mixed reactions regarding its design, giving the small Italian company perhaps its first ugly duckling moment in modern history. We’re still on the fence though.
On paper, the MV Agusta Rivale 800 strikes all the right nerves. Its 798cc three-cylinder motor puts out 123hp, while its heft sums to 375 lbs. Coming with the Varese company’s MVICS electronics package and a €10,990 price tag, perhaps the only thing on the spec sheet that we don’t like about the Rivale is its “second-half of 2013” availability date, which could easily become “early 2014” if the MV Agusta F3’s arrival teaches us anything.
Beauty or The Beast? We have 29 photos from MV Agusta to help you ponder that, after the jump of course.
KTM USA is down at the Progressive International Motorcycle Show at Long Beach, debuting the 2013 models that will make the trip across the Atlantic Ocean. Already surprising us with the 2013 KTM 690 Duke for the North American markets, KTM USA has another trick up its sleeve for American riders, namely the KTM 990 Adventure Baja.
What we assume is a venerable adventure-touring machine, considering the pedigree that the KTM 990 Adventure has established, the shock move here with the “Baja” model is that it even exists since KTM has already shown its next generation machine at INTERMOT, the KTM 1190 Adventure & KTM 1190 Adventure R.
As the Baja model would appear to be the only other addition to KTM’s street line-up, we are a bit baffled and confused by pretty much all of KTM USA’s street-going models for next year. As such, we will let the company do the talking, after the jump (our apologies for KTM’s low-quality photos).
Meanwhile, we will try to figure out what is going on with the KTM 1190 Adventure, and the KTM 390 Duke models.
The following news from KTM USA today might shock you, but the KTM 690 Duke is headed to America’s favorite democracy in 2013. That’s right, the previously available everywhere but here model is coming to North America (both the US and Canada), much to the surprise of A&R…and just about everyone else. KTM isn’t talking dollars yet, though it says that the KTM 690 Duke will be competitively priced in its North American markets.
Assuming the US model is the same as the European version, we can expect that 90% of the bike is completely brand new from the previous iteration of the 690. Accordingly, at the heart of the 2013 KTM 690 Duke is a 690cc LC4 single-cylinder thumper that puts out a crushing 67hp and 51 lbs•ft of torque, while the whole motorcycle package weighs only 330 lbs (without fuel) at the curb.
The date of the German round of MotoGP at the Sachsenring is once again surrounded by uncertainty. A minor readjustment of the Formula One calendar means that the German F1 and MotoGP races are once again scheduled for the same date, July 7th, meaning that the Sachsenring race could well be forced to move to the following week, July 14th being an option, according to German-language website Speedweek.
Erik Buell Racing is well on its way, after announcing today that the American sport bike company has secured inventory financing from GE Capital. An important step in setting up a strong dealer network, GE’s commitment to Erik Buell Racing means that EBR dealers will be able to purchase their inventory on credit (the standard industry practice) from a top-tier financial institution.
GE Capital has become the go-to financier in the motorcycle and powersports industry, and the group has been making some very competitive offers to up-start motorcycle companies in the recent years. For EBR, getting GE Capital on-board with the fledgling company is a crucial step in building out the company’s dealer network, and putting bikes on the showroom floor.
Former Rizla Suzuki-man Chris Vermeulen may be returning to the big show, as the Australian has been linked to a CRT ride, after contacting the IodaRacing Project. Also former factory rider for Kawasaki’s World Superbike team, Vermeulen sat out most of the 2010 WSBK season because of a knee injury, and 2011 proved to be no better, as again Vermeulen was sidelined with injuries.
Said to be healthy and ready to ride, Vermeulen’s options for racing MotoGP at this point in time are limited to only CRT entries, and for 2013 IodaRacing and its BMW/Suter machine are the only offer still available. Vocally against the CRT concept, Vermeulen certainly may not like his options in GP racing, though his presence would bring some much needed talent to the CRT-rider pool.
The Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme General Assembly met in Monte-Carlo this past weekend, where 76 of 107 of the member federations were in attendance. Conducting a bit of FIM business, one of the more interesting points to note from the meeting was the FIM General Assembly’s acceptance of two new applications to join the FIM. One of the applications came from Fédération Motocycliste de Côte d’Ivoire (FMCI), which replaces the Ivory Coast’s previous federation, the FISAM.
The second application though is a bit more interesting, as the FIM General Assembly accepted the Palestinian Motor Sport and Motorcycle Federation (PMSMF) as the FIM’s 108th member federation. Able to accomplish what the United Nations has been unable to do in the past 25 years, the FIM acceptance is a growing trend in international politics, and it adds recognition to the the eight-year-old PMSMF, which has already be granted member status in the car realm with the FIA.