While Norton Motorcycles finds itself currently in the middle of a relaunch period, having recently resurrected the brand at its…
Honda Motor Co. is all set to unload a choice piece of property in Kern County this year (Southern California residents should find this statement funny), as the company has put up for sale the Honda Proving Center of California (HPCC). Consisting of a total of 4,255 acres (give or take a few), the proving ground facility consists of a 7.5 mile oval, a 4.5 mile track of winding city roadway, skid pad, MX/SX track, support facilities, offices, warehouses, and plenty of desert terrain just to name a few of the highlights. With an automotive buyer seemingly unlikely, the HPCC’s proximity to the California power grid seems to make its future as a solar farm very likely.
Chris Vermeulen is back home in Australia after participating in only one shortened day of riding during the Kawasaki WSBK…
Ducati Chilé posted a link to these photos on our Facebook page, and we’d thought we’d share them with the 10 people who read A&R, but aren’t friends with us on Facebook (do you see what we’re doing there with the links?). Showing a glimpse of the nine-time World Champion getting ready to pose with his new Ducati Corse leathers and the Desmosedici GP11, we like the trend we’re seeing of images and video of Rossi’s quasi-personal life coming to the surface — they add an element to the story that fans normally don’t get to see. We’re not sure on the photo credits, but we have a feeling it might be the work of Gigi Soldano.
Vyrus, the small Italian boutique firm that makes the 211hp Vyrus 987 C3 4V, seems set to enter Moto2 racing with its new Vyrus 986 M2 race bike, whose preliminary concept photo has just leaked out of the Rimini factory. Taking the idea of prototype racing to its fullest dimension with its hub-steering design, perhaps the only thing more exciting than the prospect of seeing a few of these Vyrus 986 M2’s at 18 of motorcycling’s best venues, is the prospect that a road-based version of the machine could be siting in our garage later this year (assuming we could afford such things).
If you are a Ducati owner, Valentino Rossi Fan, Italian, or have more than a passing interest in MotoGP, then today is the day you’ve had marked on your 2011 calendar (with perhaps the Valencia test being the date of 2010). Finally released from his contractual obligations with Yamaha, Valentino Rossi can officially begin his duties working for Ducati Corse this week, and Ducati has already capitalized on the moment by showing off Rossi’s new leathers to great fanfare. Now the pièce de résistance and the end to our torment, Ducati has finally debuted the Ducati Desmosedici GP11 at the 2011 Wrooom media event, a joint launch event between Ferrari and Ducati held in the Dolomite Mountains.