coronavirus Archives - Page 8 of 11

News

Indian Plays with Home Delivery for Motorcycle Purchases

By Jensen Beeler 04/13/2020 2 Comments

Mainstream headlines right now are talking about how the United States is surviving on home delivery purchasing services – like Amazon, Instacart, and UberEats – in order to get the goods we need while maintaining stay-at-home orders. For many, it has become a way of life.

Now, the motorcycle industry is starting to catch onto the same idea, as Indian Motorcycle announces its Click.Deliver.Ride program, which the company says lets you shop, configure, and purchase your new Indian motorcycle online and over the phone – all without changing out of your COVID-19 sweatpants attire.

In reality, the program is just a basic online lead-generation platform for local dealerships, which have always been able to handle the bulk of a motorcycle purchasing transaction over the phone (or via an online form). Though perhaps the ability to home-deliver has not always been so prevalent at the dealership level.

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MotoGP

When Will We Go Racing Again? Nobody Knows

By David Emmett 04/08/2020 3 Comments

When we will be able to go racing? That’s the question everybody wants an answer to, as MotoGP and WorldSBK rounds are canceled seemingly every week.

The COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak has cast a pall over the world that not even motorcycle racing can escape. This week, MotoGP was canceled at Mugello and Barcelona.

Last week, it was MotoGP at Le Mans, the week before that, Jerez MotoGP and Assen WorldSBK. Each race is canceled as it heaves into view on the calendar.

So when will we be able to go racing again? I don’t know. You don’t know. The truth is, nobody knows, not even Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta or FIM president Jorge Viegas.

Because it is out of their hands. Organizing a world championship motorcycle race is complicated, and requires large numbers of people and equipment to cross multiple national borders using various modes of transport.

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MotoGP

Both the Mugello & Barcelona MotoGP Rounds Are Postponed

By David Emmett 04/07/2020 1 Comment

Another week, another motorcycle race postponed, with no date set for rescheduling. This week it is the turn of the Mugello and Barcelona rounds of MotoGP, scheduled to take place on May 31st and June 7th respectively.

Today, the FIM, IRTA, and Dorna announced that the Italian and Catalunya rounds of MotoGP have been postponed, and no new date has been set for them to take place.

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News

Moto Manufacturers Seek Delay to Euro 5 Because of Coronavirus

By Jensen Beeler 04/06/2020 5 Comments

For our friends across the pond, this year and next were to be critical years for the motorcycle industry, as the first stage of the Euro 5 homologation requirements was to come online – first in 2020 for brand new motorcycle models, and then in 2021 for existing motorcycle models.

This first stage of the Euro 5 requirement for motorcycles affects primarily the noise emissions from the vehicle, and it will be several years before motorcycles sold in Europe will have to adhere to the full Euro 5 package, which is quite stringent.

The delay on the full Euro 5 implementation comes over concerns about the costs and R&D associated with meeting emission targets, but even this first stage is proving to be difficult for OEMs to implement, and the reason for that is because of the coronavirus outbreak.

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MotoGP

Dorna Announces Financial Support Package for MotoGP Teams

By David Emmett 04/03/2020 No Comments

Dorna has announced a financial support package for the Grand Prix teams. The independent MotoGP teams are to be given money for the months of April, May, and June, and payments are also to be made to the Moto2 and Moto3 teams.

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MotoGP

Another One Down: French GP Postponed Until Further Notice

By David Emmett 04/02/2020 1 Comment

The COVID-19 outbreak continues to wreak havoc on the 2020 MotoGP calendar. Today, Dorna announced that the French Grand Prix at Le Mans, due to be held on 15th-17th May, has been postponed until further notice.

As happened with Jerez, no new date for Le Mans has been announced. MotoGP, like all other international sports, faces a huge problem in putting together a calendar, in the face of uncertainty over how long restrictions on travel and events will continue.

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Podcast

Brap Talk Podcast #33 – Not About Motorcycles

By Jensen Beeler 04/01/2020 6 Comments

Episode 33 of the Brap Talk podcast is now out for your two-wheeled audio pleasure, well…sort of for your two-wheeled audio pleasure.

This is because this show is our long talked about “Not About Motorcycles” show, which as the title implies, is a little light on the moto-content.

Consider this a pilot for a possible spin-off podcast, where Shahin and Jensen talk about life, the universe, and everything else…with the occasional motorcycle in there.

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MotoGP

MotoGP Boss Carmelo Ezpeleta: “We Will Reschedule Races When We Know When the Season Can Start”

By David Emmett 03/31/2020 4 Comments

There is a desire for certainty in these uncertain times. Everyone involved in motorcycle racing is wondering what happens next, and when we will be able to start racing again. News websites are filled with countless interviews, news articles, and opinion pieces full of theories as to what the next race may be.

If there is one person in a position what the race might be, it is Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO of Dorna, and the man who heads the organization which runs both the MotoGP and WorldSBK championships. Spanish sports daily AS.com spoke to Ezpeleta to find out where motorcycle racing stands in 2020.

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MotoGP

The Challenges Facing MotoGP & WorldSBK in 2020 and Beyond

By David Emmett 03/26/2020 3 Comments

No news is good news, at least as far as the current outbreak of COVID-19, or the coronavirus is concerned.

And for thirteen days – nearly two whole weeks – we went without a change to the calendars of either the WorldSBK and MotoGP calendars (ironically, that changed this morning).

Given the speed at which the world has changed over the past two weeks, that is almost an eternity in normal time. The same could not be said for other motorsport disciplines. For two weeks, we have been inundated with cancellations and postponements.

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WSBK

Assen WorldSBK Round Postponed Until August, But More Calendar Changes Still to Come

By David Emmett 03/24/2020 No Comments

The COVID-19 outbreak has caused further delay in the WorldSBK calendar. Today, it was announced that the Dutch round of WorldSBK, due to be held at Assen on the weekend of April 19th, has been postponed, and pushed back to August.

The postponement of the Assen round became inevitable on Monday night, after the Dutch government extended its ban on public events until June 1st, and tightened restrictions on travel and gatherings.

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News

MV Agusta Closes Factory After New Government Restrictions

By Jensen Beeler 03/24/2020 2 Comments

To be honest, it was a bit of surprise when last week MV Agusta announced that it was going to keep its factory open in Varese.

Situated in the hard-hit Lombardy region of Italy, the move seemed counter-intuitive to what was happening to the region because of the coronavirus.

Now, we get word that MV Agusta is going to close its factory, after the Italian Prime Minister announced on Sunday night more restrictive measures for prevention and containment of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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