Troy Bayliss has dashed the hopes of Ducatisti around the world by denying any intention of coming back to World Superbike racing. After rumors were rife last month that we could see the Australian rider make a wild card entry this year, Bayliss has said in a press conference at Misano that he is still in retirement, and plans to stay that way indefinitely.
A couple weeks ago we showed you the Ducati Car concept by Anthony Colard, which was of course a four-wheeled vehicle, and not a motorcycle. But for the past 6 months we’ve been quietly following the work of French transportation designer, and his Ducati Superbike project. Based off the Ducati 1098/1198 chassis, Colard has taken his own perception of the Italian motorcycle’s style, and improved upon some of its deficiencies. Now finished with the design phase of his project, we can finally share with you some of what this talented designer has been focusing on all this time.
Ian Hutchinson set an unprecedented record today by winning the Dainese Senior TT at the Isle of Man. The win is Hutchinson’s fifth victory at the IOMTT this year, a feat that no other rider has accomplished: sweeping the conventional motorcycle portion of the TT. Hutchinson had close competition in the form of John McGuinness and Conor Cummins, but those riders crashed and retired, respectively. This all but assured Hutchinson of taking the Senior TT, and setting an Isle of Man TT record for victories in one week.
Yamaha Canada has just announced that the 2011 Yamaha FZ8 and 2011 Yamaha Fazer 8 street bikes will be available in the Canadian market. Perhaps as a disappointment for some, both models of the new street-naked will come without the option for ABS.
Presumably the Canadian market has now cleared out its back-stock of Yamaha FZ6’s, which the 8-series has been replacing in European markets, and can now begin to offer the new middleweight.
With Canada getting the 8’s in its line-up, all eyes are now on the Yamaha USA to see if/when they’ll bring the bike to the US market. When they do, we can probably look forward to some great commercials, like these gems from the European campaign (that’s sarcasm for those keeping score). Check them out after the jump…did we mention they’re really bad?
Last week we got a leaked photo of the 2010 MotoCzysz E1pc, and knew the bike would be a contender in today’s TT Zero at the Isle of Man. Now that the TT for electrics is over, we can get a closer look at the machine that left the competition behind in the dust. MotoCzysz was a scratch at last year’s TT, and following that mantra the team effectively started-over from scratch for their 2010 effort. Back for 2010, there is of course the familiar MotoCzysz-designed 6X Flex front-end suspension system, but the rest of the bike centers around a revised energy package that’s been refined to engineering simplicity.
We’ve already covered how the central “suitcase” or eDD incorporates space maximizing v-shaped removable battery packs that pop-out with the push of a button. And how the entire 2010 MotoCzysz E1pc involves virtually no wiring, since everything dovetails perfectly together. We’ve also covered how the MotoCzysz D1-10 motor is replacing the three Agni motors from last year’s bike. Running off nearly 500 volts of power, the liquid-cooled IPM motor makes 250lbs•ft of torque, and generates over 100hp. The aerodynamics of the 2010 bike have been completely rethought, and employ a palatable design that achieves the aerodynamic goals to give the team a greater advantage with their limited on-board energy.
All of this is well and good, but it doesn’t mean shit if the bike doesn’t go fast.
With an overabundance of interest stemming from Valentino Rossi’s injury at the Italian GP, Fiat-Yamaha setup a Q&A with the team’s staff and Valentino Rossi himself that cover life in MotoGP post-Mugello. Find after the jump the responses from the team and Rossi, which should clarify a number of questions and concerns centered around the Italian rider’s injury, when he will return, and what caused the accident in the first place.
Mark Miller took the 2010 MotoCzysz E1pc to victory today at the Isle of Man’s TT Zero race. Miller lapped the MotoCzysz E1pc around the Mountain Course with an average speed of 96.820 MPH and with a time of 23:22.890. Just shy of the 100 MPH average speed barrier, Miller passed through the Sulby speed trap going 135.300 MPH, and topped 140 MPH at one point.
Following Miller was Rob “Bullet” Barber who averaged 89.290 MPH on the streamlined Team Agni machine. James McBride finished on the podium with a 88.653 MPH average on the Man TTX race bike. Jennifer Tinmouth on the second Agni finished 4th, just seven seconds behind McBride.
NESBA, a track organization near and dear to our hearts here at Asphalt & Rubber, is trying out a new program that will allow its track day enthusiasts to rent Öhlins shocks during its track days. The program, which is sponsored by Spiegler Performance, costs only $150 and includes help from an Öhlins certified technician.
After teasing us last week with just a shot of the motor NCR Millona M16 motor, NCR has finally released full pictures of their take on the Desmosedici RR. Weighting just 319lbs, and making over 200hp at the wheel, we called the NCR M16 a Desmosedici on steroids when we first saw the specs. Now looking at the detail shots of the bike, we see plenty to drool over. Photos and more after the jump.
You gotta love Erik Buell. Say what you will about his motorcycles, but the guy and his team live outside of the box, and it’s awesome. When Geoff May had an off at Miller Motorsports Park, and launched his Erik Buell Racing 1125RR into the air, the result was this busted PVM forged magnesium rear-wheel.
While most teams would throw it into the scrap heap, EBR is instead auctioning it off on eBay to help raise the funds needed for a replacement wheel. That’s entrepreneurship at it’s finest folks. The only thing that makes this auction better, is the description that follows.
After moving its Canadian distribution to its United States office last year, the Piaggio Group is pledging to improve its Canadian dealer network and customer relations. The move out of Canada, which reportedly has spurned law suits, is just one example of the major problems Piggio is experiencing in North America, as even the United States office isn’t exactly known for its great dealer support and customer service (just ask your local Aprilia owner how long it takes to get replacement parts).