Motorcycle News - MotoGP Sepang Preview 2019
https://ift.tt/2NpC7AB Approaching Round 18, the MotoGP and Moto3 titles have been decided. All that remains is for series leader and younger brother Alex Marquez to seize the 2019 Moto2 championship by the lapels and assert his heritage. He is a Marquez and he is overdue. He needs to put his boot on the throat of the title chase and clinch in Malaysia. Above all, he must avoid some kind of dogfight in Valencia, an opportunity to choke away a title and a budding career. Otherwise he gets stuck with the “little brother that couldn’t” label the rest of his life. I doubt many people would have picked Marquez to take the 2019 title back in February. He was, at that time, a classic underachiever in four well-funded seasons in Moto2 after a title in Moto3 in 2014. But by mid-season this year it looked like he couldn’t miss. Since the summer break he has, so to speak, come back to the field, such that Tom Luthi and Brad Binder are still mathematically in it. By agreeing to stay in Moto2 for 2020 at a time it was assumed he would win the title, he essentially committed to winning two titles – 2019, which was considered in the bag, and then 2020, giving him the pick of factory teams for a 2021-22 contract. But he needs 2019, since the 21-22 contracts will be getting signed in 2020 before the season ends. Even if he ends up winning in 2020 his bargaining position won’t be nearly as strong if he fails to secure the 2019 title. Marquez does not want this to come down to a dogfight in Valencia. Does not. A podium in Malaysia would pretty much decide things. But his record here over four years stinks – two P7 and two DNF – so that seems unlikely. Whatever, he needs to find a way to clinch in Asia. Recent History in Malaysia“The 2015 race will be remembered as the day Valentino Rossi allowed his machismo to get the best of him, such that kicking Marc Marquez into the weeds became, for a brief moment, a higher priority than winning his tenth world championship.” In a decade writing about this stuff, this was one of my favorite sentences. Sorry, where was I? Right, recent history. The 2016 joust on the newly refurbished track went especially well for several combatants, and not so well for a few others. For factory Ducati veteran Andrea Dovizioso, his skills, his bike, the track and the weather came together in the best possible way, allowing him the relief of a second premier class win, his first since Donington Park in 2009. Contenders Cal Crutchlow, Marquez and Andrea Iannone all crashed, for no obvious reason, within a minute of one another mid-race, to the delight of those following them. Dovi was joined on the podium by the soon-to-be-a-memory factory Yamaha team of Butch and Sundance – Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo. Recall 2017, when factory Ducati #1 Dovizioso, on the heels of a debacle in Australia, could hope for but one thing as the starting lights went out at the wet track – win the race and keep the title chase alive heading back to Spain for the finale. Trailing defending champ Marquez by 33 points entering the day, he needed to cut the deficit to less than 25 to avoid, or at least delay, having to endure another revolting Marquez title celebration. By winning the race with Marquez off the podium, Dovi ensured that the 2017 title would be formally decided two weeks later in Valencia. In the end the Spaniard’s lead was too big, and the championship ended with a whimper rather than a bang. Jorge Lorenzo, it appeared, impeded his teammate’s progress late in the 2017 race, ignoring the importance of Dovi winning. At or near the last turn, Lorenzo did have the decency to run hot and wide, allowing Dovi through to the win everyone but JLo seemed to need. “I AM THE SPARTAN!” Good thing he doesn’t think he’s from Crete. This was the same race in which “Suggested Mapping 8” became a meme. Last year: For the first 16 laps of the Malaysian Grand Prix, Valentino Rossi and his Yamaha YZR-M1 took us back a decade to those days when he was reeling off world championships like the Chicago Bulls with Jordan. We were brought hurtling back to earth at Turn 1 of Lap 17, when The Doctor lost the rear and slid off, his unforced error, crashing out of the lead no less, handing the win to that trailing stronzo Marquez. Alex Rins and Johann Zarco joined #93 for the podium celebration, but it kind of felt like the end of an era. For me, anyway. Sepang has not been kind to Valentino Rossi of late. News You Can UseA bit of a re-shuffling of the deck from the original announcement from KTM re next year’s riders in the premier class. Correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t the original announcement from KTM have Iker Lecuona moving up to the factory team with Pol Espargaro? This being because Herve Poncharal originally didn’t want the factory team (after Zarco bailed) poaching Miguel Oliveira, whose future with KTM is as bright as anyone’s, if you catch my meaning. Now, it appears, all has been reconsidered. Brad Binder will join Espargaro on the factory team, with a snubbed Oliveira, feeling passed over, and Lecuona manning the Tech 3 team. I think it was a mistake not to promote Oliveira knowing he felt, with some justification, that he had earned promotion in front of both rookies. I think Oliveira could ride the wheels off a Honda RC213V or a Ducati Desmosedici. I think having his feelings bruised could motivate him to look elsewhere for an opportunity to show the Austrians his skills. As for KTM, them Binder brothers seem pretty badass, Darryn in Moto3 the latest iteration of the young Marco Simoncelli, a hazard to himself and those around him. But fast. And big brother Brad now a real GP’er. Salad days and pure mental exhaustion for the Binder family. Your Weekend ForecastThe weather forecast for race weekend is hilarious if you’ve ever been to this part of Asia. Walking outside, day or night, is like being in a humidified walk-in oven. Thunderstorms boil up in the afternoon and give everything a thorough rinsing, after which the sun returns, temps rise again, flat surfaces steam, the tropical sauna in full effect. Which is exactly the forecast for all three days. At night I have seen full-grown men being carried off by the mosquitoes. Insane. I’m thinking flag-to-flag, wondering if Alex Marquez has the stones to disregard the weather, play smart and win from the top step. There was the 2016 season in which Marc Marquez won the title and finished second to Lorenzo at Valencia. Jorge’s podium celebration, fist pump, jump, etc., was too much, while Marquez kind of stood next to him, beaming. Winning the champion’s trophy from the top step is the bomb. Flag-to-flag affairs in the MotoGP and Moto3 divisions will be impossible to predict. One thing is relatively certain. Marc Marquez has decided to beat the single season record of 383 points set by Lorenzo on the Yamaha in 2010. With 375 points in hand and two rounds left, that looks pretty doable. Is it a good reason to watch the MotoGP race? What about the Moto3 race? I’m going to be up anyway, might as well watch. I find that when I have to take notes for three races I tend to miss stuff – Rossi leading early in Australia a good example – and it’s a busy time of year. I expect readers to continue to correct my numerous errors and oversights. It’s okay. I’m insured. No fake news around here. We shall return on Sunday with results and analysis. The post MotoGP Sepang Preview 2019 appeared first on Motorcycle.com. Motorcycles via Motorcycle.com https://ift.tt/2Std7JO October 30, 2019 at 04:46PM
F1 News - Miami Grand Prix: Formula 1 race proposals hit setback after local opposition
https://ift.tt/34eYcc0 Formula 1's bid for a grand prix in Miami has hit another setback after local officials voted in favour of measures that could complicate plans. F1 owners Liberty Media reached an agreement in principle earlier this month to host the race at the stadium of the Miami Dolphins NFL team from 2021. On Tuesday, the Miami-Dade County commission backed two resolutions that would prohibit road closures and force a public hearing before the race could be approved. The current circuit plan features a new track layout looping around the Dolphins' Hard Rock Stadium in central Miami. The first resolution prohibits road closures near residential neighbourhoods in Miami Gardens, meaning the proposed route would need to be changed. F1 already had a previous track proposal rejected, which went through downtown Miami over a bridge to Miami Port and back, following concerns about interruptions to business caused by the construction of the race track. The second measure said a further public hearing will be required before the race can receive formal approval. However, Miami-Dade County mayor Carlos Gimenez can veto the resolutions, and said the event would bring economic and business opportunities to the city. "It's a world class event, like having a Super Bowl here in Miami Dade County every year," he added. F1 bosses estimate the event would generate more than $400m (£310m) in revenue. Protestors have complained that the race will cause pollution and impact the quality of life of local residents. Miami Gardens mayor Oliver Gilbert spoke out against F1's plans at Tuesday's hearing, saying: "We forget that there's a whole community of people who will be impacted by this. "I'm not against events at the stadium, but let's be clear - all events are not equal and all events are not welcome." #F1 via BBC Sport - Formula 1 https://ift.tt/OHg7x6 October 30, 2019 at 02:48PM 10/30/2019 World Record Motorcyclist Adam Sandoval Shares His Story and Maintenance Tips- Motorcycle News
Motorcycle News - World Record Motorcyclist Adam Sandoval Shares His Story and Maintenance Tips
https://ift.tt/2MZBONP Adam Sandoval is a name that’s been all over the motorcycle news recently, and for good reason. Earlier this month, he led the world’s largest parade of Harley Davidsons – 3,497, to be exact – beating the previous world record by over 1,000 riders. But there’s a number of other records Adam has broken: he’s spent years riding across the country raising awareness and funds for his mission, Scootin’ Across America – appropriately named after his riding buddy Scooter, a five-pound chihuahua. Years ago, Adam sold all his possessions, his house and his bikes. He then set out to raise money for the American Legion’s Legacy Scholarship Fund, benefiting the children of fallen veterans who were lost on or after 9/11. Before he left, he’d never taken a trip over 600 miles. “The first month in, I realized I brought too much stuff. Three months in, I was only 10% done with what I had committed to,” he says. Luckily, the motorcycle community stepped up to help. “I snapped a belt in the middle of nowhere one night. On my bike that’s major. It’s not like you can take the wheel off and put a new belt on. You have to take the whole side of the engine apart.” So, Sandoval found a guy with a small local retail store — not even a repair shop. Together, they put out phone calls, posted about it online, and throughout the course of the evening, people were driving in from other parts of the state with spare parts. “The motorcycle community is one of the most charitable communities in America. They took me into their homes, out to their favorite local restaurants, cooked me dinner and gave me spare boots and jackets. It’s amazing what kindness is out there.” A lot of things made this a difficult journey for Sandoval, especially given the fact that he made his trip on an older bike, and ran on the original – and very thin – seat: “Along the way people tried to offer me a better touring seat, so it became a challenge to me to keep the original seat the whole trip. People to this day will visit the bike at my campground, throw a leg up over it, and be like, ‘How did you do this?’ ” But the hardest part was the day to day, says Sandoval. “Riding a lot of miles in a day is something motorcyclists enjoy. You might ride 1,000 miles in a day. That’s tough. But when you ride those numbers for 400 days straight, that’s where the fatigue comes in.” And when you’re riding like that, it becomes apparent real quick that maintenance is going to be critical. “If you’re not taking care of your bike, you’re going to lose days on the road, and that’s more expensive than the amount of time it takes to stop and make quick fixes.” In addition to taking care of his tires, oil changes and fluids, Adam keeps his engine running clean with Techron Powersports and Small Engine from Chevron. “When you’re riding around, you’re not getting consistent fuel. One gas station is different than another, and that’s something we can all relate to. You’re looking for the highest octane you can get. The impurities and inconsistencies in the fuel from ethanol will contribute to gum and varnish build up inside of the engine.” And you don’t want that. “If you’re like me, you don’t want any engine problems slowing you down. When you’re on the road, it’s about one thing, and that’s the ride.” To learn more visit TechronClean.com. The post World Record Motorcyclist Adam Sandoval Shares His Story and Maintenance Tips appeared first on Motorcycle.com. Motorcycles via Motorcycle.com https://ift.tt/2Std7JO October 30, 2019 at 02:45PM
Motorcycle News - 2020 Suzuki V-Strom 1000 Finally Revealed In Latest Teaser Video
https://ift.tt/2JwYdQA Suzuki has been stringing us along with short teaser videos for a new model set to debut next week at EICMA 2020. The first video was laughable, showing friends having a meal countryside – there wasn’t even a motorcycle! The second video revealed a dark, shadowy silhouette of a motorcycle. Finally in this, the third teaser video, Suzuki has revealed the new machine – the 2020 V-Strom 1000. How do we know it’s the big Twin and not the 650cc version? The earlier teaser video revealed a frame identical to the current 1037cc V-Strom, which is different from the 650. While it’s a little hard to tell from the teaser video, it appears like the new Strom might have a slimmer profile than the outgoing model. What we can see is a redesigned headlight module with LED lighting, an adjustable windscreen, and an all-new digital dash display. What else do you see? Watch the teaser below and make your own conclusions. All will be revealed November 5 at EICMA 2020. Get the Flash Player to see this player. The post 2020 Suzuki V-Strom 1000 Finally Revealed In Latest “Teaser” Video appeared first on Motorcycle.com. Motorcycles via Motorcycle.com https://ift.tt/2Std7JO October 30, 2019 at 01:53PM
MotoGP News - Podcast: Did Zarco's MotoGP Honda debut meet expectations?
https://ift.tt/36kSZBm Johann Zarco made his return to MotoGP action in Australia with LCR Honda following his dismissal from KTM following September's Misano race Motogp Motorcycle Racing News via MotoGP news - Autosport https://ift.tt/2uOa9Ei October 30, 2019 at 12:18PM
Motorcycle News - Hondas Next Superbike will be Called the CBR1000RR-R
https://ift.tt/31ZsKNh How do you make a sportbike go faster? Just add another R to it’s name. Okay, it may be a bit more complicated than Photoshopping an extra R onto the graphics like we did above, but generally speaking, motorcycle manufacturers tend to use the letter R to denote its sportiest models. The latest example may be Honda, which has recently filed a trademark application for the name “CBR1000RR-R“. The CBR1000RR-R trademark application was filed today with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (a week before EICMA, which seems significant) for use on “automobiles and their parts and fittings; motorcycles and their parts and fittings; bicycles and their parts and fittings.” Unless Honda does plan to surprise with a CBR1000RR-R car or bicycle, we must assume the name is intended for Honda’s next superbike. There seems to be rumors of a new Honda literbike every year, either of a new CBR or a V-Four, but there is some evidence to support the rumors are true this year. For one thing, the official World Superbike Championship website is openly discussing a new Honda race bike. Meanwhile, Asphalt and Rubber has spy photos and video of a camouflaged CBR undergoing track testing. The new name with the extra R suggests that there will be a lower-spec “base model” CBR1000RR, but we’ll have to wait and see how much will differ between the two models. The new name may also mean Honda will drop the CBR1000RR SP variant. EICMA is just around the corner, so we won’t have long to wait to see the 2020 Honda CBR1000RR-R.
The post Honda’s Next Superbike will be Called the CBR1000RR-R appeared first on Motorcycle.com. Motorcycles via Motorcycle.com https://ift.tt/2Std7JO October 30, 2019 at 12:13PM
MotoGP News - Honda: MotoGP triple crown shot "incredible" given Lorenzo's form
https://ift.tt/34bXhci Honda MotoGP team boss Alberto Puig admits that securing a triple success of riders', manufacturers' and teams' titles in 2019 would be "incredible" given Jorge Lorenzo's current performances Motogp Motorcycle Racing News via MotoGP news - Autosport https://ift.tt/2uOa9Ei October 30, 2019 at 07:46AM
Motorcycle News - Royal Treatment – Kromworks Bullet 500
https://ift.tt/2ouxUmV For years it was the west who produced the best custom motorcycles. The greatest rides were done by cashed-up Europeans or well-heeled Americans. But in the last few years, there’s been a dramatic shift as the developing world has been the one to really watch when it comes to creativity. Take exhibit a) Indonesia’s Kromworks and their retro-futuristic Royal Enfield Bullet 500 cafe racer. Motorcycles via Return of the Cafe Racers https://ift.tt/2M9riRb October 30, 2019 at 04:58AM
MotoGP News - Dovizioso "not that happy" to be '19 MotoGP runner-up
https://ift.tt/32YG3z5 Andrea Dovizioso admits he is "not that happy" to have cemented the runner-up spot in this year's MotoGP standings because Ducati is still incapable of challenging Marc Marquez Motogp Motorcycle Racing News via MotoGP news - Autosport https://ift.tt/2uOa9Ei October 30, 2019 at 04:45AM
F1 News - Formula 1 rule changes: The Secret Aerodynamicist
https://ift.tt/2N1wqdn Design offices in Formula 1 teams, such as the one I work in as a senior aerodynamics engineer, face a tricky balancing act at this time of year. There is still some work going into the last few end-of-season car upgrades, but the vast majority of our efforts are now on next year's car. It's a trade-off we've been playing with for some months now, actually. There is always the temptation to roll the dice and switch development to next year's car early on in the season, hoping to jump up the grid. But the flip side is that your current car might be out-developed by other teams and you find yourself losing out on prize money, only to underperform next year anyway. It's a gamble that has paid off for some in the past but has knocked other teams back for years. This year, that particular calculation is made all the more complicated by the major overhaul to the technical regulations being planned for 2021. Trying to decide how soon to start looking at the design for 2021 and how much resource to put on it has been difficult, especially when the proposed rules have continued to change and - depending on how the political situation develops in the sport - may not even be introduced at all. The big three teams are opposing the new rules and Ferrari have the nuclear option of vetoing them. In that event, any work we put in now could be a complete waste of time. What is the idea behind the new rules?The aim of the new regulations is to make it easier for one car to follow another car without losing performance, and therefore to get closer racing and more overtaking. At the moment, drivers find it very difficult to get close enough to a car in front to overtake it. Why is it so difficult and how might the new proposals help? Aerodynamics is often blamed for the difficulty in following another car. Ultimately, this all comes down to wake, which is what we call the churning, turbulent air which comes off the back of bluff bodies like a Formula 1 car. Because it is hard to see this air, it can be difficult for people to picture what is going on here. To get an idea, watch an oar being pulled through a river. You can see the swirling water dragged along behind it. This is the oar's wake and it's very similar to the air behind an F1 car. Why is the wake so problematic?The reason F1 cars travel so fast around corners is because they are pushed down on to the track by aerodynamic downforce - this makes the tyres grip and stops the cars from skidding off the road at speeds that would put most cars backwards into a hedge. Downforce comes from generating suction or low pressure underneath the car, and to lower the pressure of air you have to increase its speed. But the ability of the car to create downforce is affected by the nature of the air that the car is passing through. Give it nice, smooth air - or 'clean', as we aerodynamicists sometimes call it - and the downforce-producing surfaces of the car work well. If the air is messy and turbulent - or 'dirty', as we say - they don't. After air has gone over an F1 car, it is swirling around and travelling in all directions. It's also been dragged along a bit in the direction of the car ahead. Effectively, it's not travelling towards the car behind as fast as it could be. Because of this, it's not possible to make this 'dirty' air travel under the car as fast as 'clean' air. So the car behind produces less downforce, which the driver will notice as a loss of grip. Wake is not just a problem for the car behind. The wake produced by some parts of your own car creates difficulties, too. An example of this would be the air disturbance created by the front tyres. This has a seriously negative effect on the parts further along the car that are designed to produce downforce. The result of this is that aerodynamicists want to push the wake from their front tyres as far out to the sides as possible to stop if from getting sucked under the floor of their own car. What happens to it after that is of little concern to us. It is, however, of concern to the owners of F1, because this air tends to get drawn back in, around a second behind, right on to any following car whose driver might be thinking about trying to overtake. How can this problem be fixed?This is where the new regulations come in. In order to try to reduce this problem and allow cars to follow much more closely, F1 has taken a two-fold approach. The first step is to tightly restrict what geometry we can design at the front of the car, particularly the front wings and in the areas around the front wheels. This will reduce our ability to push the tyre wake away from the car. The second is to allow for much more powerful diffusers - the curved part of the rear floor of the car, where the air underneath the car exits - and rear wings. This is intended to have the effect of scooping up the wake and throwing it over the top of any following car - creating an 'up-wash', as it is known. Would the new rules work?There is concern from some quarters that this extra up-wash itself will reduce the performance of the following car, particularly the front wing. This is one of the concerns the big teams have pointed out to F1 when criticising the rules - that the new cars will be afflicted by a catastrophic lack of front-end grip. However, the research conducted by F1's in-house aerodynamic department appears to suggest that this is outweighed by the increase in clean air delivered to the second car. There have also been noises from some teams suggesting that the lack of freedom will make the cars look more uniform and reduce the reward for doing a good job of design. From what I hear, though, F1's own aerodynamicists were still carrying out wind-tunnel testing very recently, and still finding lots of performance gains. In my opinion, the team of designers who do the best job will still produce the fastest car in 2021, even if the gaps between the cars might be smaller. Personally, I think it's no bad thing if the difference in lap time is reduced between a team who do a good job, and one that does a bad job. All that would mean is that good drivers are more likely to be rewarded for their efforts. A driver who is 0.2 seconds a lap quicker than a rival, in a car that is 0.1secs slower, could still win the race. If that gap is 0.5secs or more, as it is between F1's 'big three' and the rest of the field, the drivers can't make that difference. Of course, as is always the way in F1, everyone wants to protect their advantage. But I hear that the FIA and F1 have stuck to their original plans and that the regulations that will be voted on by the FIA world council on Thursday remain true to the original proposal. If they finally get approved, that will be the starter pistol for the development race. How are the teams approaching the rules?Having to work on three different cars at once, with two different sets of regulations, is a real stretch for the aero department, especially when resources are already tight. I hear from friends at other teams that everyone is approaching the unknown quantity of the 2021 rules differently. I know of at least one team that has had a 2021 model in their wind tunnel for some time. This might mean they are ahead of other teams, but, with the restrictions on wind-tunnel testing, they will have directly taken away from development they are allowed to do on this and next year's cars. The work they have done will also have been of only limited relevance given that the proposed regulations have changed a number of times of the last few months. Whether that shows and they slip backwards, or whether they get away with it, but get the jump on the competition for 2021 is the million-dollar question. I know other teams have taken a more conservative approach, preferring to wait until the rules are fixed to avoid wasting time and effort looking at the wrong thing. Will they already be too far behind in this two-year long development race to catch up? Only time will tell. Personally, I just want the rules confirmed so we can get stuck into the design work with confidence. As an aerodynamicist, it's always exciting when sweeping changes come in as you have to throw out everything you thought you knew and relearn it all again. There is a palpable sense of optimism and opportunity. Maybe, just maybe, we'll design the fastest car in the world in 2021. #F1 via BBC Sport - Formula 1 https://ift.tt/OHg7x6 October 30, 2019 at 01:30AM |
Categories
All
Archives
November 2020
|
10/30/2019
0 Comments