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WSBK: New Record Set During Superpole at Monza

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Max Biaggi took his first career Superpole today (as well as Aprilia’s first Superpole), at his home track of Monza no less. As if that wasn’t enough for the Italian rider and his Italian team, Biaggi also set the fastest top speed for the track on a superbike (205 mph), as well as a lap record (1’42.121).

Superpole however wasn’t as kind to the other Italian manufacturer, with only Michel Fabrizio making it into the third Superpole round. Fabrizio finished 3rd for the day, but his teammate, Norikuki Haga, finished at the bottom of Superpole 2 in 16th position.

With Ruben Xaus finishing 6th in the Superpole, six different manufacturers will make up the top six riders on the starting grid come Sunday, which should make the races exciting for any fan. Check the full Superpole results after the jump.

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Racing

Max Biaggi Breaks World Superbike Record with 203.1 mph Top Speed at Monza

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It was Suzuki who drew first blood, breaking the 200mph barrier at Monza, but it was Max Biaggi who set the bar the highest today during World Superbike FP1 practice. Clocking 203.21 mph (nearly 327 kph) down the straight, Biaggi broke the WSBK top speed record, but still fell short of the all-time superbike record, which was also set at Monza, and also by an Aprilia.

Last week, Fabrizio Pellizzon clocked 203.4 mph on his CIV spec’d Aprilia RSV4. Either way you look at it, the Alitalia Aprilia team is sure to be a force in Italy this week.

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Rumors

Spotted: What Do a Zero S, Suzuki GSX-R, and Shawn Higbee Have in Common?

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UPDATE: It looks like Zero is using Team Agni’s GSX-R based electric motorcycle, which won the inaugural TTXGP last year at the Isle of Man. Picture in the comments posted by our very own John Adamo (skadamo).

They were all at Thunderhill Park Raceway yesterday testing for Team ZeroAgni, that’s what. With a Suzuki GSX-R (600 we’re assuming, but impossible to tell) and a modified Zero S that was sporting the K² logo, the team from Santa Cruz was out getting their lean on with some special help from Shawn Higbee, of AMA privateer fame. The assumption from these findings is that Zero Motorcycles was out pacing the K² Zero S, against the sportbike to see how the two compare. We can only assume that the added presence of Buell-tour-de-force Higbee means the AMA rider has been tapped to pilot ZeroAgni’s race bike at Infineon on May 16th.

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Banter

Somewhere in Italy, A Publicist Just Killed Himself

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Himself or herself, whatever the case may be, publicists and PR agents are hired basically to save their clients from themselves. They are the filter between companies/celebraties and the media, and as such try and prevent their clients from saying anything too unsavory. When Spanish radio station Marca called up Lorenzo on Tuesday to celebrate the Fiat-Yamaha rider’s birthday, they reminded Spanish rider that he shares his special day with another, slightly less famous, celebrity: porn star Rocco Siffredi. It gets worse after the jump.

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Racing

Michael Jordan Talks Motorcycles on ESPN’s E:60

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This week on E:60, ESPN’s Hannah Storm got a moment to interview Michael Jordan about his involvement in motorcycles and ownership of the Michael Jordan Motorsports team, which found its first victory ever while at this year’s Daytona 200 season opener. In the interview, Jordan talks about how he got into the sport of motorcycling, and the trials and tribulations of owning a motorsports team.

While motorcycle enthusiasts might not appreciate the surface-level treatment Storm and ESPN give motorcycle racing in the segment, it’s also important to realize that someone like Michael Jordan brings a spotlight on our sport and industry that has never before been seen by mainstream media and consumers. Check the segment after the jump, and let us know if you think this is a positive or negative publicity boost for motorcycles.

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Racing

A Graphical Representation of a Win at Jerez

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Did you ever wonder what a MotoGP win looks like on paper? Take away the close-passes, the high-speed wobbles, and on-air commentary, and all that’s left behind is the truth in the lap times. No excuses, no almosts, the above is a graphical represenation of what coming back from a 3.75 second deficite looks like at the storied Spanish track of Jerez, which saw Jorge Lorenzo win by over half a second when it was all said and done. Click here for a higher-res version.

Source: E_Bland

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News

BMW Posts 21% Sales Boost in Q1 2010

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BMW continues to buck the trend, releasing sales data that shows the Bavarian company getting a 21% sales boost last quarter when compared to Q1 of 2009. The company made €351 million in sales revenue (also up 21%), which came to €32 million EBIT, up 14.3% from Q1 of last year as well. BMW cites strong sales from the S1000RR, and the newly revised R1200GS/RT as being the reason for the strong sales numbers.

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Racing

Silverstone Launches New ‘Arena’ Circuit – Could be Fastest Track for MotoGP Riders

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Silverstone has taken the wraps off its modified Grand Prix circuit, dubbed the “Arena”. The British track has poured in €4 million and spent the past five months renovating itself with an addition 2,500 feet of racing distance. With the modified circuit, engineers expect the Arena to have some of the fastest speeds in Formula One and MotoGP. Helping launch the new circuit was the Duke of York, Prince Andrew, who cut the ceremonial ribbon.

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Bikes

Bezzi Imagines Ducati Dirt/Supermotard Bikes

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We don’t expect Ducati to start making dirt-derived motorcycles anytime soon, but that didn’t stop Italian motorcycle sketcher Oberdan Bezzi from inking a pair of drawings that explore this unlikely scenario. Named the Desmotard and Desmocross, Bezzi takes a fairly standard approach to the aesthetics of dirt bikes, and adds a few Ducati inspired touches. If you close your eyes and imagine a Ducati SX bike, is this what you see? It’s hard for us to say yes to that question, but we do love the naming convention being used.

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