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Venturi Ends Its Voxan Electric Motorcycle Project

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The motorcycle brand Voxan saw new life in 2010, when it was bought by Venturi Automobiles, and transformed into an electric motorcycle company. A pet project of billionaire Gildo Pallanca Pastor, Voxan debuted its first motorcycle, the Voxan Wattman, in 2013. You either loved it, or hated it…we were of the latter opinion.

Production details on the Voxan Wattman were sketchy at the time of the bike’s release, and Pastor has a reputation of not seeing project through to their finish. Therefore, it is not surprising that reports out of France say that Venturi has pulled the plug on Voxan, and the Wattman.

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Racing

Video: SERT’s Victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans

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No name means domination more in the FIM Endurance World Championship than the Suzuki Endurance Racing Team, and SERT is currently living up to that hyperbole as the team to beat in the 2015 championship race.

Winning this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, SERT makes its tally 11 wins out of the last 15 races at the historical French track, with riders Anthony Delalle, Vincent Philippe, & Etienne Masson on the Suzuki GSX-R1000.

So strong was Suzuki’s performance, that the squad’s “junior team” took fourth overall, winning the Superstock class at Le Mans in the process. Helping commemorate that feat, SERT put together a little video for its victories at Le Mans. Enjoy it and the bevy of hi-res photos from the event.

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MotoGP

Sunday Summary at Le Mans: Why the Honda Is the Third-Best Bike in MotoGP, And Wins vs. Titles in Moto3

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Something always happens at Le Mans. Something happens at every MotoGP race, of course, but Le Mans seems to always have more than its fair share of happenings.

Unlikely events, weird crashes, high drama. Marco Simoncelli taking out Dani Pedrosa. Casey Stoner announcing his retirement. Things that nobody had seen coming emerge from the shadows. News that was half-suspected is suddenly thrust into the limelight. Something always happens at Le Mans.

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MotoGP

Sunday at Le Mans with Tony Goldsmith

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Dani Pedrosa was happy with his day’s work despite crashing and remounting on the 1st lap. He reported no ill effects following his arm pump surgery, other than the expected lack of strength.

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Another strong showing by Andrea Dovizioso who claimed his 4th podium of the season.

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Valentino Rossi still leads the world championship but Jorge Lorenzo is starting to look threatening.

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MotoGP

Saturday Summary at Le Mans: How the Weather Shakes Up Racing & Matching Lorenzo’s Metronomic Pace

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Motorcycle racing would be a good deal less complicated if it was an indoor sport. Leaving the complications of housing an area covering several square kilometers to one side for a moment, having a track which was not subject to rain, wind or shine would make things a lot more predictable.

No longer would the riders and teams have to worry about whether the track was wet enough for rain tires, or slicks could be used with a dry line forming. Nor would they have to worry about track grip dropping as temperatures rose beyond a certain point.

Or differences in grip from one part of the track to the next, as clouds hide the sun and strong winds steal heat from the asphalt. There would be only the bike, the rider, and the track.

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MotoGP

Friday Summary at Le Mans: Surprising Smith, Smooth Lorenzo, And Has Marquez Lost Another Engine?

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If you had put money on Bradley Smith being the fastest man at the end of the first day of practice at Le Mans, you would probably be a very happy camper this evening.

The Monster Tech 3 Yamaha rider does not often top a practice session – the last time was nearly a year ago, on the Friday at Barcelona – though he often shows plenty of speed.

But there has always been one thing or another to prevent him from converting speed through a particular sector into a really fast flying lap.

That’s where the Jerez test helped. At Jerez, Smith, along with several other riders, tested a new front fork setup that made a huge difference to his riding. The aim of the change had been to absorb more of the force in braking, and allow the front tire to retain its shape.

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Bikes

As Expected, The Scrambler is Killing It for Ducati

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April 2015 was the best sales month ever for Ducati Motor Holding, with the Italian firm delivering 7,309 units to customers. This figure is up 29% compared to last year, and tops Ducati’s previous best month ever by 800 units (April 2014 with 6,500 motorcycles).

Why the sudden spurt in sales for the Bologna Brand? We have two words for you: Ducati Scrambler. Unsurprisingly, the budget-priced Scrambler range is seeing a strong market response, and of course its getting some help from the all-new Ducati Multistrada 1200 and the Ducati 1299 Panigale line.

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Bikes

2016 Midual Type 1 Prototype – Motorcycle Opulence

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Leave it to the French. The Midual Type 1 is perhaps one of the most intriguing motorcycle designs that we have seen this year, though much of the roadster seems to lust for attention, rather than serve a realistic purpose.

Debuting at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, an opulent venue in its own right, the 2016 Midual Type 1 prototype appeals to the uber-rich crowd, not only in its touches and aesthetics, but also with its €140,000 price tag ($185,000).

While that price tag gets you a certain exclusivity, the most striking feature of Midual’s machine is of course its 1,036cc longitudinally mounted boxer-twin engine, which sits proudly in the machine’s bespoke frame.

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