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Ducati: The Story – Coming to DVD

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Launching at the 2010 World Ducati Week at Misano on June 10th-13th, Ducatisti will soon be able to enjoy the official story about their favorite Bologna brand on DVD. Ducati: The Story covers the heritage of Ducati from 1926 to 2007, and features numerous personal accounts from the people that shaped the Italian company into what it is today. Although set to be unveiled at Misano, the DVD is now available at the Misano World Circuit, the Ducati Museum bookshop and Factory Store, and will be available in Ducati Stores around the world. Trailer after the jump.

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Racing

Garry McCoy Leaves FB Corse

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Garry McCoy announced this weekend that he has left FB Corse, presumably after the MotoGP team failed to develop its racing effort in any meaningful way. Beleagured from the start with lofty goals and un-true press releases, FB Corse has struggle both technically and financially to get on the MotoGP grid. After suffering a setback of not being given the green light to race while testing  at Valencia, FB Corse seemed determined to make at least a few wild card appearances this season.

Now with McCoy resigning from the team, the MotoGP paddock expects this to be the end of the Italian racing project (editor’s note: FB Corse has already removed its photos from its flickr stream). Of course knowing Franco Uncini and the FB Corse spin machine, we may still see another press release or two in the future from the Italian racing effort. McCoy’s official statement after the jump, best of luck to you Garry.

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Racing

Rossi Highsides at Mugello – Compound Fracture – Out for Six Weeks

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Valentino Rossi has had a horrific crash today during practice at the Italian GP at Mugello. Highsiding in Turn 13, Rossi has sustained a compound fracture to his right shin. He was flown by helicopter from the circuit to Centro Traumatologico Ortopedico in Florence where he underwent surgery on his leg. The surgery was successful in repairing the fractured bone, and Rossi is expected to be in the hospital for the next seven to ten days, and likely not to return to racing for at least six weeks. Video of the crash after the jump.

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News

Spy Shot: 2010 MotoCzysz E1pc at the Isle of Man

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UPDATE: We just got an email from Michael Czysz about the new E1pc, and the team’s progress so far at the Isle of Man. Read it after the jump.

Our Bothan Spies were hard at work this weekend, and have brought us this photo of the 2010 MotoCzysz E1pc that will be racing the TT Zero at the Isle of Man TT. From the pictures, the 2010 E1pc is sporting a significantly smaller tail (no hidden batteries here!), and a bevy of battery packs.

From what we can gather, there’s 12.5 kWh of battery power visible, assuming Czysz & Co. are using the same packs from the eDD. The front-end is the same MotoCzysz-patented design, while the rear of the motorcycle looks to have a longer swing-arm and conventional shock placement.

The motor is attached to the “suitcase”, low on the bike (as seen in the eDD renders) facing the clutch side of the motorcycle. It’s then linked via chain to a concentric shaft off the swing-arm (similar to the MotoCzysz C1), with the final chain linkage on the standard right-hand side of the E1pc. More info and photos as we get them. Big thanks to our anonymous tipster!

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Racing

Caption This Photo: Rossi at Mugello

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For the Italian GP at Mugello this weekend, Fiat-Yamaha rider Valentino Rossi saw it fit to try something a little different in his look for the race. While we are still waiting to see if Rossi will whip out his customary one-off Mugello race helmet, it’s what’s being hidden under the lid that’s catching people off guard…namely that mohawk pictured above. We can only imagine what Fiat-Yamaha crew chief Jeremy Burgess must be saying to Rossi after seeing the haircut (leave your caption in the comments). More Rossi mohawk photos after the jump.

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Bikes

Ducati Desmolight 450 Concept by Oberdan Bezzi

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We promised ourselves that we wouldn’t publish any more Ducati singles by Oberdan Bezzi, after the Italian designer set out with his pen and paper to imagine the Italian brand with a bevy of off-road inspired motorcycles; however Bezzi’s Ducati Desmolight 450 concept was just too great of a design to ignore, and thus here we are. With styling drawn from the current Monster line, Obiboi’s 450cc single looks delicious, especially with the coloring that’s reminiscent of Ducati’s Corse theme. This is the kind of bike that would go in our fantasy garage, and we’ll need a Prozac knowing it won’t be built.

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News

MV Agusta USA Boss Confirms Small-Displacement Motorcycle is in the Works

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Autoblog‘s Jeremy Korzeniewski got a chance to talk with MV Agusta USA boss man Larry Ferracci, where the Director of Operations confirmed that MV Agusta is working on a small-displacement motorcycle, saying “a smaller displacement bike is definitely in the plans for MV Agusta in the near-term future.” The news should be somewhat obvious to A&R regulars, as the “F3”, as its been called, three-cylinder prototype has been spotted both on the road and on the track several times now in F4 fairings.

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Rumors

Dual-Clutch Honda CBR1000RR in the Works?

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Visordown is reporting that Honda has filed patents in Japan that would allow the motorcycle manufacturer to port their dual-clutch transmission, a la VFR1200F, over to multiple platforms in the Honda line, including the Honda CBR1000RR. The patents reportedly center-around reducing the cost to implement the DCT into other motorcycle models by simplifying the electronics and sensors that go into the transmission, and removing expensive components of the existing DCT transmission.

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Racing

Gear-up for the Isle of Man with John McGuinness

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As the Isle of Man TT gets ready to start racing this weekend, John McGuinness remains as the only rider to crack into the 130mph lap average speed (edit: Hutchinson broke 130mph on Thursday). The British rider reportedly hasn’t even been going full charge up the Mountain Course during the practice session, which should make for this year. Take a look at what a lap around the Isle of Man with McGuinness is like in the video above, and check the race schedule after the jump.

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Banter

Reason #389 to Stay Out of Ohio

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In a recent Ohio State Supreme Court decision, the armpit state of America further confirmed its status as the third worst territory in the United States by holding that a driver or motorcyclist can be convicted of speeding purely if it looked to a police officer that the motorist was going too fast.

The decision upholds a lower courts ruling, which held that a driver who challenged a speeding ticket could still be found guilty merely if the trooper stated the driver was “driving too fast” in their estimation.

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Rumors

Brammo Eyeing an Electric Sportbike?

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What on Earth could possess electric motorcycle manufacturer Brammo to buy a BMW S1000RR, and then sell it on eBay after only putting 700 miles on the bike? Was Brammo CEO Craig Bramscher not pleased with what’s being hailed as the Sportbike of 2010? No, that’s not the case, Bramscher apparently heralded the bike as the best motorcycle ever made (besides the Brammo Enertia of course).

With a lime green (naturally) BMW S1000RR sitting outside of Brammo HQ not too long ago, and now an eBay classified ad selling said bike, we’re left to wonder what could be in the works. Could a Brammo electric sportbike be peculating in the minds of the Ashland, Oregon volt-heads? Only time will tell.

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