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Bakker RM-Z250R Moto3 Contender

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The guys at Bakker have been busy this year, first bringing us a re-imagining of the Suzuki TL1000R, and now a turnkey Moto3 class contender. Noting that two-stroke race bikes are going the way of the dinosaur, the master frame builders at Bakker set out to make a four-stroke package that would fit into MotoGP’s Moto3 series and other 250cc single-cylinder racing classes.

Able to accomodate any manufacturer’s motor, Bakker has a Suzuki-powered model (the Bakker RM-Z250R) that’s been proven in the Open Dutch Championship (ONK) 125cc, the German IDM 125cc, and the UEM Supermono Cup. The Dutch company also has a Honda-powered unit that is ready to go for Moto3 competition when the rules switch in 2012.

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Bikes

Honda NRS 250 Gets a Little Brighter

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Honda continues to taunt us with its upcoming Moto3 contender, the Honda NRS 250. Shedding some more light (that would be literally, not figuratively), on the 250cc four-stroke GP racer, Honda still hasn’t released any details on the machine, but you can expect an 81mm bore and a maximum weight (with rider) of 326 lbs, per the Moto3 regulations that were recently released. Moto3 is scheduled to replace 125GP racing in 2012, but we imagine Honda will divulge info on the NRS 250 well before then. The original and super-enhanced photos of the Honda NRS 250 are after the jump.

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Racing

Official Moto3 Regulations Finally Released

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Announced at Valencia this weekend, the GP Commission has finally released the details on the upcoming Moto3 class, which will replace 125GP racing in 2012. Based around a four-stroke 250cc single-cylinder motor with an 81mm maximum bore size, Moto3 aims to reel in the spiraling costs of GP racing, with numerous provisions that are designed to limit how much money teams and manufacturers can sink into the sport to buy victory.

Perhaps the biggest provision designed to help lower the cost of GP racing’s intro class is the spec-ECU rule, which sees teams limited on the level of electronics they can implement, and institutes a hard-cap on the engine’s maximum RPM (14,000 RPM). With multiple manufacturers able to offer motors and chassis for the racing class, Moto3 should be more open thatn the single-motor Moto2 series. The GP Commission has included a laundry list of other provisions, you can find them bullet-pointed after the jump.

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Bikes

2011 Honda CBR250R – We Shall Call It…Mini-Me

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Do not adjust your computer screen, this not a revised version of the VFR1200F, nor is it the V4 adventure bike we expect Honda to debut next week, it’s not even the bastard love child from a CBR and a Cylon, it is in fact the brand new 2011 Honda CBR250R. A 250cc motorcycle for the rest of us, Honda hopes to snag new riders by offering a more practical street bike in the Japanese, European, Australian, and yes, even American markets later this spring.

Raising the bar a bit, the CBR250R comes with optional C-ABS brakes, which will like be mandatory in the European Union, if the EU Commission has anything to say about it. With performance figures coming in at 26hp and 17 lbs•ft of torque, the fuel-injected Honda CBR250R isn’t going to blow anyone out of the water, but that’s sort the point behind the quarter-liter bike, which should be more than capable of scooting around a young rider on city streets and back-road routes.

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Bikes

Honda NRS250 Teased – The Moto3 Racer Cometh

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Honda has begun teasing its NRS250 race bike, which many believe will be the basis to the company’s involvement in the Moto3 racing class that will replace 125GP racing in 2012. NRS stands for “Next Racing Standard”, not to be confused with NSR series of two-stroke machines from Honda (Editor’s note: Great naming convention, right?), and not much is known about the bike beyond these dark photos.

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Banter

Carmelo Ezpeleta Wanted Dead or Alive

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Take a walk around the MotoGP paddock at the Sachsenring this weekend, and you might see some interesting posters being hung up through out the race track.

Wanted dead or alive is Carmelo Ezpeleta, Dorna Sports CEO, for his crimes against the 250cc class. Someone has put up as a joke (we hope) a $1,000,000 bounty on the race promoter’s head, with a caption that reads, “Wanted for crimes against the 250 cc bikes. He is a 2-stroke killer. Outlaw is known to be extremely dangerous and should be approached with caution.”

The poster is an obvious reference to Dorna’s demise of the 250GP class, in favor of the upcoming Moto2 class, which will replace the 2-stroke 250cc bikes, with 4-stroke 600cc prototypes.

Ezpeleta has been responsible for a number of changes in premiere motorcycle racing, starting with Moto2, which will launch at the beginning of the 2010 season, and serve as a feeder into the MotoGP series. Additionally, any rider coming into MotoGP, including from Moto2, will have to first start in a MotoGP satellite team, with some exceptions.

It’s only rumor right now, but expect the bounty to be increased if plans to replace the 125GP class are put into motion.

Source: GPone via Two Wheels Blog

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News

Megelli Coming to the US with 250cc Bike

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You might remember that we teased you last month with the petite sportbike of Megelli, that we’d never get to see here in the states. Well, all that has changed now. Megelli has confirmed with Asphalt & Rubber that a 250cc version of its road bike is scheduled to land on American soil soon.

The Megelli 250r will be distributed through QLINK, which means you can order it from the convience of your computer screen. No word on shipping times yet, as Megelli is still waiting for the green light from the EPA (how much smog can a 250cc motor make?), but the 250r is expected to sell for $3,500, with another $220 to ship it to your doorstep.

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Racing

Antonio Banderas to Fund GP Team

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antonio-banderas-zorro

Rumors are about that Antonio Banderas has dropped some coin to buy the 125cc and 250cc World GP team, Motomondiale. It will cost the Spanish actor to the tune of €6MM to play in the upcoming 2009 GP season. Banderas isn’t the first celebrity to enter into the sport of motorcycling by purchasing a team, but he is the first masked avenger. Sorry, there’s no way this article was going to make it without a Zorro reference.

Source:

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Racing

Record Number of Crashes in the 2008 GP Season

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There were 876 crashes this past GP season. That’s a lot.

Between free practices, qualifying, and races, the 125cc, 250cc and MotoGP series racked up 30% more crashes than last year, with an average of 48 crashes for each race weekend. It should be noted that this was the wettest season in the history of the series, with 16 out of 18 race weekends having at least one day of rain in the official three days of racing. While the rain certainly is a factor, it should also be noted that Randy de Puniet crashed 22 times this season, and only took his shirt off twice.

The crash numbers for the past seasons for the quant-jocks in the room:

1999 – 565
2000 – 633
2001 – 634
2002 – 646
2003 – 705
2004 – 706
2005 – 737
2006 – 647
2007 – 672
2008 – 876

Source: GPone

At least Randy looks really, really, really ridiculously good looking when he crashes.

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