Dani Pedrosa has confirmed that he will be racing at Qatar for the opener of the MotoGP season. Pedrosa has been sidelined since a crash while testing, which led to him needing surgery on his leg and arm. Speaking on his blog at repsol.com, the Spaniard announced that he had decided at the last minute to head to Losail, and to risk further injury by riding.
As we noted late last week, Jim Ziemer, President and CEO of Harley-Davidson, will be leaving the Milwaukee company soon. Replacing him will be Keith E. Wandell, former COO of Johnson Controls. Along with Mr. Wandell, there is further shuffling and addition in the Harley ranks. Matt Levatich has returned from running MV Agusta, to become Chief Operations Officer. In turn, replacing Levatich at MV Agusta is the Italian Enrico D’Onofrio, former CFO at Ducati. D’Onofrio will take the position of Managing Director of MV Agusta. How about that for three letter bingo?
While we expect that these names have been gracing the lips of Board Members for some time, the announcement of their appointment happily coincides with harsh criticism made in the media of Harley-Davidson’s current financial problems, and general mismanagement. We can only hope that the timely appointments will also mean timely changes for Harley-Davidson.
Source:
Norwegian site has gotten its hands on some of the sketches used in the process of designing the Ducati Streetfighter. While the drawings show a glimpse into the process of what it takes to bring a motorcycle to fruition, you can also see the evolution of the design itself. From rough polygons and shapes, to the detailed and shaded sketches, and finally the CAD drawing of the finished design, one can see the refinement and process that must be going on in the artists heard.
It would seem a new player has entered the American Sport-Tourer market. The Kneeslider broke this morning that Motus American Motorcycles, a company founded by Brian Case and Lee Conn a year ago, is well along in their development of an all new next-generation, sport-touring motorcycle with a proprietary V4 powertrain.
After his poor start in the first race, further pressure was put on Spies who now stood 35 points behind Noriyuki Haga because of his crash out in Race 2. Surely Haga felt the pressure too, knowing that the American wouldn’t make the same mistakes a second time. With the Championship already playing out in the third stop of the WSBK tour, Race 2 already had more than just a purpose. Continue reading for spoilers from Race 2 of the Valencia World Superbike Races, and to see how Race 2 sorted itself out.
The World Superbike Championship visited Valencia this weekend. With three poles and three wins in a row, all eyes were on Ben Spies at the start of the first Superbike race, wondering if the American could close the 10 point lead that Noriyuki Haga had over him. A sweep of the weekend’s races, could mean that Spies could be leading the series, or at the very least tied with Haga, depending on how the Japanese rider fared. Conversely, Haga with a strong showing could lengthen his early lead over the field. With Spies showing almost a full second on Haga at the Superpole, this would be no easy feat. Continue reading for spoilers from Race 1 of the Valencia World Superbike Races, and to see how Race 1 sorted itself out.
In these last months, some serious events at Monster Tech3 Yamaha have occurred. First, there was the pits that separated James and Colin from each other. And despite all this, James Toseland has kept a very low profile and refused to talk about the events that have surrouneded him, that is, until now. Continue reading to hear what Toseland had to say about himself, and the current state of the Tech3 camp.
Ducati has released the first part of a multipart documentary on the design and development of the Desmosedici RR. This first episode is light on content, but heavy on quick edits, and video effects. The start of this video series seems to be timed well with Aprilia’s release of further information on the RSV4. Coincidence? Perhaps. The less than usual spit and polish on the series so far would seem to suggest time, not quality, was the issue at stake here. Watch the video after the jump.
American Suzuki Motor Corporation laid off more than 15 % of its staff at its Brea, California headquarters and regional offices this past Wednesday, according to Automotive News. Suzuki’s the staff in the United States will now number 475, down from the original 570 workers. In addition to the lay-offs, Suzuki also reduced its regional offices from four to three and consolidated some functions. Once separate positions, employees in service, parts, and sales are finding themselves having to handle the tasks of all three areas.
Source: PowerSports Business
Ben Spies lead 19 other riders to Superpole victory in Valencia today. While tactics were mixed, Max Biaggi and Tom Sykes were left behind after the first session, and will have to start from the 5th row tomorrow. Joining them will be Ruben Xaus, who crashed out on a fast lap before he had the chance to set a time good enough to qualify.
Buell Distribution Company is recalling 3,316 2008 1125R, and 2009 XB12R/ZX12SEG motorcycles. The affected bikes have a front brake line which may be contacting the front tire because of a faulty routing method. If this is the case, the condition could be causing a hole to develop in the front brake line, thus allowing brake fluid to leak. If not seen to, this condition might cause a failure of front brake, leading to a possible crash, injury, and/or death of the rider.
Affected bikes should be taken to their local dealers where the brake line will be re-routed. If damage has occurred to the line, it will be replaced free of charge. The recall is expected to begin on or before April 20, 2009. Owners may contact Buell Distribution Company at 1-414-343-8400.
Source: