MotoGP News - Vinales wasn't "ready to make incredible lap time" in Catalan MotoGP qualifying
https://ift.tt/2EBnDNP Maverick Vinales says he wasn't "ready to make incredible lap times" in Catalan Grand Prix qualifying because it was "impossible to be fast" on his Yamaha MotoGP bike. Vinales was second-quickest in Saturday morning's FP3 session and was in the hunt for pole during his first run in qualifying at Catalunya. But he struggled with a lack of traction on his second run and could only manage fifth on the grid with a 1m39.371s behind the fast-starting Pramac Ducati of Jack Miller. Vinales says the poor balance of his bike in the time attack meant he was unable to be quick in qualifying, but is confident in his race pace after a strong FP4. "For sure Miller will arrive first in the first corner," he said when asked by Autosport if he was worried about starting next to a Ducati. "We have to be on his tail and follow him. So, this is our plan for tomorrow. "Sure, I'm not 100% happy because I had so much [rear] spin in the second run. I was not able to exit the corners with traction, so I lose a lot. "Anyway, I think we were not ready to make incredible lap times because the bike balance is not really good on time attack. "This morning was OK, but the traction was much higher. This afternoon I tried two or three times and it was impossible to be fast. Luckily, it's just Saturday, and on rhythm we are fast. This is important, especially the consistency on the tyre is amazing. "We need to modify the bike because I didn't have an incredible feeling, but we feel positive and we will try to keep that in mind tomorrow even if the race is not positive because then arrive races where I love to be and we need to keep that motivation." Emilia Romagna GP race winner Vinales spent practice trying to follow other riders to see if he could improve overtaking with the Yamaha, but conceded he still "cannot pass" with the down-on-power M1. "We'll see tomorrow how I will pass, I will close the eyes I'm sure in many corners," he added. "We need to pass and I need to be fast on the tail of the other Yamahas, and then I will try to keep very fast rhythm because I felt good on the first few laps on the tyre and good in the last few laps. "Even if the result today was not amazing, I feel good on the bike and this is the most important thing. And without the best feelings, I could ride fast in FP4. "I was on the tail of Mir and I was good - not how I like, but I think tomorrow I think we can improve. We need to improve a little bit the front feeling and the rear grip. "If we do it tomorrow, we can have a good chance in the race because I finish strong." Motogp Motorcycle Racing News via MotoGP news - Autosport https://ift.tt/2uOa9Ei September 26, 2020 at 12:56PM
MotoGP News - MotoGP start time: What time does the Catalunya Grand Prix start?
https://ift.tt/3cxhU8a Franco Morbidelli has secured his maiden MotoGP pole position at the Catalan Grand Prix. Here's how and when you can watch the race. With Yamaha riders dominating qualifying once again, it was Morbidelli's turn to take pole position as he beat Petronas SRT team-mate Fabio Quartararo to a first pole position by two-tenths of a second. Valentino Rossi completed the front row on the day he officially announced his move to SRT for 2021, in a deal which has dominated MotoGP headlines having been delayed in recent weeks. Jack Miler has disrupted the Yamaha party at the front by taking fourth place for Pramac, pushing Emilia Romagna GP winner Maverick Vinales into fifth place, with Avintia Ducati's Johann Zarco rounding out the second row. With KTM's Pol Espargaro seventh, Joan Mir's mixed fortunes in qualifying continued with the Suzuki rider only eighth. While factory Ducati rider Danilo Petrucci claimed ninth place in qualifying, team-mate and current MotoGP championship leader Andrea Dovizioso's woes continued and he will start the Catalan GP down in 17th place after failing to progress through Q1. When is the MotoGP Catalan Grand Prix?• Date: Sunday 27th September 2020 The start time for each of the races - Moto3, Moto2 and MotoGP - is one hour later than the usual European schedule, to allow television broadcasters to avoid a clash between the Catalan MotoGP and Formula 1's Russian GP. How can I watch the Catalan MotoGP?In the United Kingdom, BT Sport have exclusive live broadcasting rights, with Quest TV set to show highlights. The race will be shown live on BT Sport 2, with coverage starting at 1:30pm BST, directly after the Moto2 race. BT Sport will also be showing the Moto3 and Moto2 races from Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya before the Catalan MotoGP. MotoGP also offers a live video streaming service to watch every practice, qualifying and race for all classes. Weather forecast for the Catalan MotoGPCurrent weather forecasts predict cloudy but dry conditions at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on race day, with a high of 19 degrees Celsius for the start of the MotoGP race - two degrees cooler than from qualifying. MotoGP Catalan Grand Prix starting grid
Motogp Motorcycle Racing News via MotoGP news - Autosport https://ift.tt/2uOa9Ei September 26, 2020 at 12:41PM
MotoGP News - Dovizioso "frustrated" by ongoing Ducati braking problems
https://ift.tt/3kL0IyM Andrea Dovizioso says it's "very frustrating" having to continue battling braking problems on his Ducati after qualifying a lowly 17th for the MotoGP Catalan Grand Prix. Dovizioso has been very vocal about his troubles under braking caused by Michelin's 2020 rear tyre construction, with the Italian unable to adapt the bike in the same he has done in previous years. He has failed to exit Q1 three times in the first eight rounds this year, with his 17th in Catalunya the second time he hasn't been able to make it into the top 16 on the grid - after he started 18th at Brno. Commenting on his day, Dovizioso said: "It's very frustrating, also because in the last three years we work a lot from the data and we were able to improve a few things and adapt to the tyre, to the riding style, to the competitors and all of that made the difference. "But with this tyre, on the brake it's completely different, it's very difficult for me and is the reason why still I'm not that fast. Yes, it's very frustrating." Team-mate Danilo Petrucci fared better in qualifying, putting his GP20 ninth on the grid having made it directly into Q2 from FP3. After a San Marino GP which he felt was the worst race of his career, Petrucci has been able to figure out how to adapt his bike to the new rear tyre. "We make progress since the second weekend in Misano," he said. "We understand we can on solve the problem by having a good balance on the bike and not working anymore on the electronics because the tyre is really sensitive. "So, moving again the electronics is really difficult, we have to have a good set-up. "Unfortunately, the race in Misano was not as we expected, but the progress is there and yesterday we worked really hard to understand the situation, we improved. "I feel better with braking, but I'm still miss something. It's quite hard here because we can only use the soft tyre, I always need a lot of support. "On the left side of the front tyre is never in the right temperature. So, anyway I'm happy about the progress, not really happy about the result in qualifying. "Tomorrow the race will be about survival because we saw a difference of seconds between new and old tyre." Motogp Motorcycle Racing News via MotoGP news - Autosport https://ift.tt/2uOa9Ei September 26, 2020 at 12:20PM
MotoGP News - Quartararo didn’t expect Morbidelli’s Catalan MotoGP pole pace
https://ift.tt/3cw7PZg Fabio Quartararo admits he didn't expect Petronas SRT MotoGP team-mate and Catalan Grand Prix poleman Franco Morbidelli to be as fast as he was in qualifying. Quartararo has outqualified Morbidelli six times this season and claimed two pole positions, but had to play second-best to his 'A-spec-mounted' Yamaha rival in qualifying at Catalunya. Morbidelli produced the first sub 1m39s lap of the Catalan GP weekend on his final effort in Q2 to snatch his maiden MotoGP pole with a 1m38.798s, while Quartararo could only managed a 1m39.008s in second. "Yes, I'm really happy because at the end most important thing is to be on the front row," Quartararo said of his Saturday. "We achieved our goal, let's say. Today Franco was really fast. I expected him to be fast in qualifying, but not that much. "At the end, I'm so happy about second position and our pace is good so I'm happy about our day." Morbidelli last outqualified Quartararo at the San Marino Grand Prix at Misano, when he beat him to second before going on to win his first MotoGP race. Conceding "it's always difficult" to beat the Frenchman in qualifying, Morbidelli was happy to show he was the best on "pure speed". "It is great, it feels great to be first," Morbidelli said of his first MotoGP pole. "Qualifying is pure speed and I was really happy to see today I was the fastest in pure speed. "It's always difficult to beat Fabio on a hot lap, so I'm very happy about the lap I did in qualifying. "I was feeling great on the bike, I was able to push a lot on it and able to push very hard on tyres. Great, great feeling today." Valentino Rossi - whose 2021 deal with SRT was announced ahead of qualifying - completed an all-Yamaha front row having "improved my style" during practice on Saturday. "It's a good Saturday because we start well from Friday," Rossi said. "When we start already the bike was competitive, giving me a good feeling and today we worked well because we did some modifications that I liked. "And I improved my line, I improved my style. Also in FP4 with used tyre I had good pace. "So, starting from front row is very important also because the first corner is very far, we need to give the maximum from the beginning and try to make a good race." Motogp Motorcycle Racing News via MotoGP news - Autosport https://ift.tt/2uOa9Ei September 26, 2020 at 11:59AM
MotoGP News - Crutchlow's Q2 Catalan MotoGP hopes "wrecked" by Rabat
https://ift.tt/2GgKcaP Cal Crutchlow felt he could have progressed into Q2 at the MotoGP Catalan Grand Prix had Tito Rabat not "wrecked" his final two laps in qualifying. The LCR rider was dropped into the Q1 places after ending FP3 in 16th, and did occupy a spot inside the top two in the opening stages of the first 15-minute qualifying segment. But Avintia's Tito Rabat got in his way towards the end of his penultimate lap, before rejoining in front of him after running off at the first corner, resigning Crutchlow to 16th on the grid with a 1m39.986s. Just four tenths outside of the Q2 progression places, Crutchlow believes without Rabat getting in his way he could have made it into the second part of qualifying. "I'm pleased with my day. To qualify 16th I'm not happy with," Crutchlow said when asked by Autosport to comment on his qualifying. "I caught Tito on my lap... well, actually, I didn't catch him, he jumped in front of me on my lap into the third-to-last corner. "I had [Francesco] Bagnaia ahead at one second, and the Tito jumped into the middle of the corner and blew my last corners. "Then I had one lap left, I didn't pass him down the straight and he was trying to get the slipstream off Bagnaia and he braked so late into Turn 1. "But he blew the corner and came back on in front of me, so he wrecked my last lap and I couldn't go again. I believe we could have gone through to the Q2, but we didn't and overall I feel not too bad." Crutchlow will start his first race since August's Styrian GP on Sunday having missed the Misano double-header through complications from arm pump surgery. The LCR rider says his right arm was "rock hard" in the morning session, and though it improved in the afternoon he is worried about how it will be in the race. "I'm concerned for my arm because essentially what I'm experiencing is worse than before the operation with regards to arm pump," he admitted. "Obviously I've had the fascia taken out, so it's not suffocating the muscle like it was before. "But it's the flexor tendon is just really, really tight, really painful and when the muscle gets expanded it pushes against it and I have exactly the same symptoms as I had before. "So, I don't know, this afternoon was better than this morning, but I'll try and get through the race as best as possible." Motogp Motorcycle Racing News via MotoGP news - Autosport https://ift.tt/2uOa9Ei September 26, 2020 at 10:12AM
MotoGP News - Yamaha: Rossi’s 2021 MotoGP deal took six months to finalise
https://ift.tt/30dTqvU Yamaha boss Lin Jarvis says Valentino Rossi's 2021 MotoGP deal with the manufacturer and Petronas SRT took six months to finalise as the Italian is "not a normal rider". Rossi's one-year extension with Yamaha was officially announced on Saturday at the Catalan Grand Prix and will place him at the satellite Sepang Racing Team next year with full factory support. The nine-time grand prix world champion signed the deal on Saturday having said as far back as July's Spanish GP that he was almost certain to extend his MotoGP career with SRT. Delays in signing the contract were thought to relate to the make-up of Rossi's crew for 2021, with the Italian confirming crew chief David Munoz, data analyst Matteo Flamigni and rider coach Idalio Gavira will join him at SRT. Speaking to MotoGP's world feed during FP4, Jarvis explained the protracted talks were down to a number of reasons which needed "precision" to finalise. PLUS: Why MotoGP's ageing rock star isn't clinging to the limelight "Obviously today we signed Valentino as a factory rider again for 2021," Jarvis said. "So, factory rider meaning he has a contract with Yamaha Motor Company, and he'll get full support from us, he'll get a factory bike and will be followed carefully and closely. I don't think he will suffer anything from the technical side. "So, really happy to get this deal done. It's taken probably six months. It's funny because I see the contract and it's quite small, our contract, because it's an extension of the contract we have, but to arrive at that point has taken six months. "It's complicated because we're a Japanese company, but putting a deal together with a Malaysian team, and with Italians. And you've got an English guy trying to pull it all together. "So, we didn't really find any difficulties along the way, but it's complicated because he's not a normal rider. A normal rider can do deals very, quickly. "But when you have somebody like Valentino Rossi, you have to be very precise with the technical support, with the team personnel, with the image rights, every aspect. "And these things take time if you want to do them well. We arrived at the goal and I'm very happy." Rossi's deal is only for one year, rather than the 1+1 he was expected to sign, which Jarvis claims was down to Yamaha having not finalised its agreement with Dorna Sports to continue in MotoGP beyond 2021. This is an unlikely scenario given both Maverick Vinales and Fabio Quartararo are contracted to Yamaha through 2022. "When you make a contract, you can only make a contract for something you can deliver," Jarvis added. "So we don't have a contract with the championship for '22. Each of the manufacturers you sign a contract for five years. That term comes up in '21. "Now I have no doubt personally that we'll be here from '22 to '26, but I don't have a contract. I can't guarantee in a contract 'we'll give you this next year'. "So that's the main reason, and also Valentino wants to see if he's competitive every year, the same as this year he wanted to do several races and judge his position. "Frankly, in our agreement we have something that is very, very clear that says that we have the intention to discuss for a potential extension in the middle of next season. One year doesn't only mean one year." Motogp Motorcycle Racing News via MotoGP news - Autosport https://ift.tt/2uOa9Ei September 26, 2020 at 09:22AM
F1 News - Lewis Hamilton takes Russian Grand Prix pole
https://ift.tt/30aK43W Lewis Hamilton took a dramatic pole position at the Russian Grand Prix despite coming within a second of qualifying down in 15th. Hamilton had no time in the second knock-out session when it stopped after Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel crashed. It was restarted with just two minutes and 15 seconds left and Hamilton made it to the line with a second to spare. But in the final session Hamilton was flawless as Red Bull's Max Verstappen pipped Valtteri Bottas to second. Hamilton was 0.652 seconds quicker than team-mate Bottas, while Verstappen took his place on the front row 0.563secs behind the world champion. More to follow #F1 via BBC Sport - Formula 1 https://ift.tt/OHg7x6 September 26, 2020 at 08:36AM
MotoGP News - Catalan MotoGP: Morbidelli takes maiden pole and leads Yamaha 1-2-3
https://ift.tt/30czPvV Franco Morbidelli snatched his maiden MotoGP pole position and headed a Yamaha 1-2-3 in qualifying for the Catalan Grand Prix, while Ducati's Andrea Dovizioso was only 17th. The battle for pole at Catalunya raged between all four Yamaha riders at the end of Q2, with Morbidelli heading Fabio Quartararo and Valentino Rossi on the same day the latter's 2021 future with SRT was confirmed. Rossi set the early pace on his factory Yamaha with a 1m39.881s, though this was immediately bested by Maverick Vinales with a 1m39.655s. Morbidelli then took over top spot with a 1m39.110s to end the first runs fastest, while team-mate Quartararo was only seventh after making a mistake on the way into Turn 10. As the session entered its final few minutes, it was the Yamaha quartet lighting up the timing screens, with Quartararo edging ahead with a 1m39.008s. But Morbidelli dug deep on his final lap and was impressive in the final sector of the Catalunya circuit to fire in a 1m38.798s to claim his first pole in the premier class and his first in grand prix racing since his final Moto2 season in 2017. Quartararo (below) went for one final lap just as the chequered flag came out, but was unable to improve on second, with Rossi completing the front row for the first time this season. Pramac's Jack Miller was the best Ducati runner in fourth, the Australian's 1m39.225s coming early in Q2 on his only soft tyre run having had to use up an extra set to come through Q1. Vinales was shuffled back to the middle of the second row, while Avintia's Johann Zarco moved up to sxith with his final lap to depose former team-mate Pol Espargaro on the KTM back to seventh. Joan Mir could only manage eighth on his Suzuki, with Danilo Petrucci on the works Ducati and KTM's Brad Binder completing the top 10. LCR's Takaaki Nakagami could only go 11th on his year-old Honda after progressing from Q1, with Miguel Oliveira 12th on the Tech3 KTM after an early fall at Turn 10. Dovizioso's tough season continued, as the Ducati rider failed to get anything going in Q1 and could only produce a 1m40.109s good enough for 17th on the grid. Marking the third time he hasn't escaped Q1, Dovizioso will start alongside Honda's Alex Marquez in 18th and the injured LCR Honda of Cal Crutchlow in 16th. Alex Rins came close to getting into Q2 to join team-mate Mir, but was denied by Nakagami at the end of Q1 and will start 13th ahead of Francesco Bagnaia (Pramac) and Aprilia's Aleix Espargaro. Catalan MotoGP qualifying results
Motogp Motorcycle Racing News via MotoGP news - Autosport https://ift.tt/2uOa9Ei September 26, 2020 at 08:18AM
Motorcycle News - Retrograde’s white hot Triumph T100R Daytona desert sled
https://ift.tt/3ibEXqx
Based in Northampton in England, Mark runs the workshop Retrograde Mechanica as an after-hours endeavor. And more Triumphs pass through his doors than any other make… regardless of the condition they’re in. This 1967 Triumph Daytona 500, for example, was pretty trashed when Mark took on the rebuild.
“Of course things are never quite as they appear: my mate had obtained the bike in another deal and not really looked at it too much. It wasn’t a runner, the swingarm had seized, the subframe was as bent as a nine bob note and the tank was leaking from the usual spots.”
Surprisingly, when Mark tore into the motor, he discovered that there were new pistons, rings and rods inside, with a 60 cc over-bore. “The reason it was sold as a non-runner seemed to be a broken cam follower and a bent push rod,” he explains.
“It’s truly a first kicker, every time without fail.”
“Later I’d find that the head was more than a little warped” says Mark, “and I’ve since installed a NOS single carb head.”
They also straightened and braced the subframe for added rigidity at the back, remade the shock mounts, and replaced all the hardware with stainless steel bits. Neil also helped Mark shape the stainless steel exhausts, and he got rid of the leaks in the fuel tank, too. The running gear wasn’t neglected either. The front forks were upgraded to a newer shuttle valve setup and treated to progressive springs. And the rear shocks were swapped for a set of Betors, dialed in for Mark’s weight. Mark refers to the OEM 7” TLS front brake as his brake of choice. So he gave it a full refresh, which included lathing the parts true, polishing them, and fitting stainless arms and green compound trials pads. Then he laced up new Excel rims with stainless spokes, with an Ensign trials tire up front, and a Dunlop MX tire at the back.
The handlebars are one-off stainless steel units from Front Street Cycle in the USA, fitted with a Tommaselli throttle, Amal levers, Biltwell Kung Fu grips and color-matched Venhill cables. The lanyard-equipped kill switch is from Pingle.
“The number plate is spring loaded and quickly detachable as I have a habit of clocking it with my boots,” Mark jokes. “The bike’s three inches taller than stock and I’m a shortarse, so it was kinda inevitable.”
Finishing touches include a seat from Hayden Roberts at Hello Engine in California, and a killer flake job on the tank by Flakey Dave Addis, who’s done about ten of Mark’s bikes already. Gwizz Cycles in Australia sent over a new gas cap, and a bunch of parts were sent off to Redditch Shotblasing for powder coating.
“The bike’s now fully run in and I have to say I love those Daytona cams. It’s fast, light and a lot of fun on the green lanes, and is by far the most used out of the five Triumphs I’ve currently in the garage.”
There’s not a lot of desert in Northamptonshire, but we’d happily ride this Daytona absolutely anywhere—sand or no sand. Retrograde Mechanica Instagram | Images by Ben Roome Motorcycles via Bike EXIF https://ift.tt/2Mf9b0c September 25, 2020 at 12:07PM
MotoGP News - Rossi: MotoGP form would have convinced me to stay for 2021
https://ift.tt/309uwgH Valentino Rossi says his current form would have convinced him to stay in MotoGP for 2021 had his plans not been altered by the coronavirus pandemic. The Yamaha rider is set to sign his 2021 deal with Petronas SRT this weekend, with Rossi confirming back in July that he was "99%" certain to remain in MotoGP with the satellite outfit. Rossi was offered the chance to continue in the works Yamaha squad at the start of the year, but wanted to take that decision after the first six or seven rounds after evaluating his performances. Owing to Ducati's keen interest in both Maverick Vinales and Fabio Quartararo, Rossi's plans to wait - even in the wake of COVID-19 and the subsequent shake-up of the 2020 calendar - forced Yamaha into moving him out of its factory team. Rossi has scored 58 points from the first seven races - 13 less than he managed at the same stage last season, but has still managed a podium and three top five finishes. Asked by Autosport if this would have been enough to convince him to stay in MotoGP for 2021 had 2020 gone to plan, he replied: "Last year, I was very frustrated because especially from Mugello, after the first races, after Le Mans when I did some good races, some podiums, we lost the way. "I struggled very much. Mugello was a nightmare, Barcelona was not so bad but I had the crash with [Jorge] Lorenzo. "But after, Assen was a disaster, Sachsenring was a disaster, and also some races at the end of the year like Aragon, or Valencia. "Apart from the result, I wasn't able to ride the bike and I'm not able to be strong enough. So, I change something in the team with David [Munoz coming in as crew chief] and everything. "So, what I think at the beginning of the season is: if I have the same feeling that I need to do races like what I say to you, then I need to stop. "But, in reality the situation is a lot better, I feel good. "For sure it's difficult, the level is very high, but we work well and I think that we can be strong. "So, yes, these types of results make me continue another year." Rossi confirmed on Thursday he will take crew chief Munoz, data analyst Matteo Flamigni and rider coach Idalio Gavira with him to SRT next year - though long-time mechanics Alex Briggs and Brent Stephens won't join him. Motogp Motorcycle Racing News via MotoGP news - Autosport https://ift.tt/2uOa9Ei September 25, 2020 at 12:32PM |
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