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Video: Developing the KTM Super Duke 1290 R

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In order to develop the KTM Super Duke 1290 R, KTM employed ex-GP racer Jeremy McWilliams to put The Beast through its paces, and make it the asphalt terrorizing machine that it is.

Helping go over those developments with us, McWilliams is aided by Toby Moody (his voice may sound familiar to MotoGP fans of a Eurosport persuasion), as the duo speaks from what looks like Kiska’s design studio.

The six-minute video is a PR piece of course, but it is interesting to hear McWilliams’ thoughts on the machine.

He and Moody spend quite a bit of time going over the Super Duke 1290 R’s electronic systems, with the clear intention of addressing the concerns of motorcycling’s Luddite contingency — we think they succeeded in this regard. KTM, just stop teasing us and take our money already!

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MotoGP

Gigi Dall’Igna Replacing Bernhard Gobmeier at Ducati Corse

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Bernhard Gobmeier hasn’t even spent a full-year at Ducati Corse yet, though the German’s time in Borgo Panigale will officially come to an end at the end of the MotoGP season. Taking a “prestigious and strategic position within the Motorsport organisation of the Volkswagen Group,” Gobmeier will be replaced by Aprilia Racing’s Luigi “Gigi” Dall’Igna, as was rumored earlier this week.

Dall’Igna brings with him an arsenal of experience in managing Aprilia’s World Superbike and MotoGP efforts, and his first task at Ducati Corse is an obvious one: right the ship.

With Ducati Corse listlessly floating in MotoGP for the past few years, and now hitting a wall in WSBK as well, Dall’Igna’s move to Bologna may be a small one from Noale, but the task at hand is monumental. Ducati Corse explains the move and new hierarchy in its press release is after the jump.

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MotoGP

MotoGP: Marc Marquez Given One Penalty Point for Aragon Incident, Honda Docked Championship Points

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Marc Marquez has been handed a penalty point for his role in the incident with Dani Pedrosa at Aragon. On Lap 6 of the Aragon race, Marquez braked a little too late for Turn 12, found himself running into the back of his teammate Dani Pedrosa, the picked the bike up to run it wide.

In doing so, he just touched the back of Pedrosa’s bike, severing the rear wheel speed sensor, and sending the Honda’s traction control system into full power mode, which caused Pedrosa to be thrown from the bike when he opened the throttle.

Despite initially dimissing the crash as a normal racing incident, Race Direction had held the incident under investigation after the Aragon race, while they waited for further technical data from Honda on the crash. That data was delivered to them at Sepang, and after examining it, Race Direction found both Marc Marquez and HRC culpable for the crash.

Marquez was found culpable for riding in an irresponsible manner (violating section 1.21.2 of the Disciplinary code, the catch-all for dangerous riding), and HRC was found culpable for endangering their riders by using a vulnerable design for a vital part of a system that is important to the safety and performance of the motorcycle.

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Bikes

First Glimpse of the Ducati 1199 Panigale R Superleggera

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Last week Asphalt & Rubber broke the news about the upcoming Ducati 1199 Panigale R Superleggera. An ultra-exclusive limited edition model of the Panigale R superbike, our sources spoke of jaw-dropping figures: 220hp at the crank, and 40 lbs shed from what was already Ducati’s lightest superbike ever.

With only 500 models to be produced, this halo bike from Bologna will be available only to the upper-echelon of Ducati customers, with the Italian brand setting up an online ordering form for the chosen Ducatisti.

With copious amounts of carbon fiber, titanium, and magnesium used in its construction, we reckon the Superleggera has been a hit with everyone who has seen it, which is number that is rapidly growing.

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Bikes

Crighton Racing CR700P – Because Pistons Are So Passé

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At 300 lbs dry and producing 200hp, the Crighton Racing CR700P should catch your attention right away. Diving deeper into the machine, the CR700P’s 700cc twin-rotor rotary engine should further pique your interest — and then of course there is the Crighton Racing’s interesting past.

Astute observers will note that the Crighton Racing CR700P looks exactly like the Norton NRV588, and that is because of the involvement of Brian Crighton in both projects. A continuation of the project that started out in the Norton Motorcycles R&D laboratory in 1986, the Crighton Racing CR700P is the realization of Crighton’s dream to build a rotary-powered motorcycle that can top the very best racing bikes in the world.

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Lifestyle

And Now for Something Completely Different…

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Motorcycling has been serious stuff lately, thanks mostly to the shenanigans afoot in New York City with the Hollywood Stuntz Doofus Crew, and that’s ok…it’s ok to be serious from time-to-time. I try it myself occasionally.

I bet dollars to donuts though that most of you got into motorcycles because they are fun, because motorcycles are an escape from this very serious life. Thanks to the folks at See See Motorcycles, we return you to that lost world. Enjoy, and get your Wednesday on with renewed vigor.

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Bikes

HRC Shows Off the 2014 Honda CRF450 Rally Race Bike

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HRC already showed us its 2014 Honda CRF450 Rally race bike earlier this year at Mugello, during the Italian GP. Announcing a five rider team, Helder Rodrigues (Portugal, age 34), Sam Sunderland (U.K., 24), Javier Pizzolito (Argentina, 33), Paulo Goncalves (Portugal, 34) and Joan Barreda (Spain, 29) will race for Big Red in the 2014 Dakar Rally and other rally events.

Improving on its 2013 design, which in-turn was based off the Honda CRF450X enduro, HRC says that the 2014 Honda CRF450 Rally has improved engine output, aerodynamic performance, durability, and maintenance requirements. It will be campaign by the Team HRC factory team, and also be made available to other rally teams as a production racer.

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Bikes

Ducati 1199 Panigale S Senna – For Brazil Only

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While all the talk for 2014 is about the Ducati 1199 Panigale R Superleggera (say that three times fast), the Bologna Brand has another version of the Panigale superbike for us to gawk at: the Ducati 1199 Panigale S Senna.

A limited edition model to commemorate the passing of F1 star Ayrton Senna, only 161 of these special edition Panigale S superbikes will be sold (one for each of Senna’s GP race starts), and they will only be available in Brazil.

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MotoGP

Here’s the New Configuration of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s Infield Track for MotoGP

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For 2014, Indianapolis Motor Speedway has reconfigured its infield track for its hosting of the Indianapolis GP for the MotoGP Championship — this much you should already know. I won’t rehash details, but the three-bullet primer to the changes afoot is that the track is slightly longer, has improved passing zones in three reworked areas (highlighted in yellow), and will be made of one consistent asphalt layer.

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MotoGP

Gigi Dall’Igna – The Man Making Ducati & Aprilia Wait

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For the past month or so, Nicky Hayden has been telling the press that an announcement on his future should come in the next couple of days.

On race weekends, the press asks on Thursday whether there’s any news, and then again on Sunday, and get the same reply: No, not yet, but it shouldn’t be long.

We know who Hayden will be signing with – Hayden has been spotted going in and out of the Aspar team’s truck so often, that you start to suspect he’s already been given a spare key.

And up until recently, we though we knew what he would be riding, a heavily modified version of the Aprilia ART machine, with a new engine with pneumatic valves and a seamless gearbox, and a new chassis to put it in.

But it appears that that bike has been put on hold, as the most important contract negotiations for 2014 are starting to reach a climax.

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