SBK Superpole Qual
© , Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.
Northern Talent Cup: 2022 Application Period Now Open
2022 Northern Talent Cup applications open now!
Applications for the 2022 Northern Talent Cup are now open! Prospective teams and riders can apply to join the grid until the 31st of December, with registration open now at northerntalentcup.com. A maximum of 26 permanent riders are able to line up in 2022, and all nationalities can apply but the NTC aims to search for new talents from across central and northern Europe.
Riders must be born between January 1st, 2005, and February 28th, 2010. Riders from different racing backgrounds can apply, with no road racing experience necessary. Dirt bikes and/or motocross bikes may also be developing the riding skills that translate into success on tarmac!
Individual riders can apply, but must decide a Team Name and have a Team Manager, and they must have at least one mechanic and a legal guardian.
Any team applying should have a Team Manager, who will be the main contact with the organisation, and the team can comprise a rider and two mechanics, who may also be family members or acquaintances.
KEY DATES
Applications open: 1st October 2021
Application deadline: 31st December 2021
Confirmation of full time riders: 21st January 2022
Download application information HERE
Register HERE
October 2021
On the Front Cover: The 2022 KTM RC 390 makes history as the most advanced lightweight production streetbike ever, with IMU-based electronic rider aids, including cornering ABS and lean-angle-sensitive traction control.
Roadracing World & Motorcycle Technology is THE definitive source for motorcycle racing, riding, and tech information.
Roadracing World & Motorcycle Technology magazine is available in print and digital formats. SUBSCRIBE NOW. Or call (909) 654-4779 to subscribe, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time, Monday through Friday.
Log in HERE to read the October 2021 issue of Roadracing World & Motorcycle Technology with your online subscription.
In This Issue:
FEATURES
Inside Info: KTM Puts Advanced Electronics On The RC 390; MV Improves The F3; Suzuki Builds A 1000cc GT, and more…
Historic Racebike Illustrations: 250cc 1964 Yamaha RD56
Intro: Harley-Davidson Pan America 1250 Special Is A Home Run!
MotoGP Analysis: Ginger Molloy’s Life As A GP Racer 50 Years Ago
Editor’s Scrapbook: AMA Museum Archives’ Future Hall Of Famer
Collections: AMA Hall Of Fame Museum
PROFESSIONAL RACING
MotoAmerica Superbikes At NJMP: Gagne Is 2021 Champion
MotoAmerica Superbikes At Barber: Petersen, Scholtz, Gagne Win
MotoGP At Silverstone, Alcaniz, & San Marino: Bagnaia Breaks Through
World Superbike At Magny-Cours, Catalunya, & Jerez: Razgatlioglu Takes Charge
COLUMNS
Letters To The Editor: World Champion Ana Carrasco; MotoGP Live
10 Years Ago, October 2011: Casey Stoner vs. Mick Doohan; Superbike World Champion Ben Spies
New Products: Big Gear Bags From Alpinestars
The Kids’ Page: Ryder Davis
The Crash Page: Petersen Crashes, Still Wins In MA Superbike
Racing, School, & Track Day Calendar: Where To Ride
ASRA/CCS Newsletter
High-Performance Parts & Services
Chris Ulrich: Adventures Of An Ex-Racer: Sean Dylan Kelly clinches the Supersport Championship
MotoGP: Quartararo Says COTA Is “Not Suitable To Race On”
The riders of the MotoGP World Championship may have missed racing in the United States of America since 2019, but after riding in wet and dry Free Practice sessions Friday, the riders let it be known that they did not miss the bumps all around the 3.4-mile, 20-turn Circuit of The Americas (COTA) racetrack.
No one was more vocal about his displeasure with the state of COTA’s racing surface than current MotoGP World Championship point leader Fabio Quartararo.
“FP2 showed that the track is not suitable to race on,” Quartararo was quoted as saying in a press release issued by Monster Energy Yamaha. “It’s like a motocross track with asphalt. Of course, this is the same for everyone, but I think in terms of safety it’s really bad.”
“The condition of this circuit is probably the worst in the whole calendar,” Tech3 KTM Factory Racing rider Iker Lecuona was quoted as saying in a press release issued Friday afternoon. “There are so many bumps, it feels like a motocross track and very difficult to manage.”
“I really like this circuit but I found it a lot more demanding than in the past,” said Team Suzuki ECSTAR’s Alex Rins, who won the last MotoGP race held at COTA, in 2019. “It’s super bumpy and we’re all fighting with our bikes to stay on the right line and not get too out of shape.”
“The asphalt is in poor condition, much worse than I remembered, and the times show it,” said Aprilia rider Aleix Espargaro.
And even Marc Marquez, who has had an incredible run of success at COTA, said, “With all of the bumps it’s very hard to be consistent with your laps and to understand where you can push and where the limit is.”
Stay tuned.
British Superbike: Mackenzie Leads Practice At Donington Park
Editorial Notes: American Brandon Paasch, riding his Dynavolt Triumph Street Triple RS 765, was 12th fastest in combined British Supersport practice Friday at Donington Park. Paasch suffered a crash on Friday that set him back, but he escaped without injury.
American Julien Correa, riding his Microlise Cresswell Racing Honda, was 25th in combined British Talent Cup practice times on Friday.
Mackenzie holds off title rivals to top SUPERPICKS Free Practice at Donington Park
Tarran Mackenzie set the benchmark for his Bennetts British Superbike Championship title rivals after the opening SUPERPICKS Free Practice sessions at Donington Park, as the top three riders dipped under the existing lap record.
McAMS Yamaha’s Mackenzie secured the top position as the final ten minutes of the session counted down, surging ahead of Bradley Ray, who was setting the pace before the final flurry of fast laps at the end of the session.
Mackenzie heads into tomorrow’s action bidding to extend his two-point advantage at the top of the standings in the opening BikeSocial Race at his home round.
Christian Iddon held on to second position after the opening day on track; the VisionTrack Ducati rider moving just 0.121s adrift of Mackenzie on his penultimate lap of the day, after the session was briefly red flagged after separate crashes from Andrew Irwin and Gino Rea at Craner Curves.
Danny Buchan was third fastest after topping the earlier session for the SYNETIQ BMW team, just ahead of Jason O’Halloran, who is ready to fight back to overhaul his McAMS Yamaha teammate at the top of the standings.
Ray dropped to fifth place at the chequered flag, with the Rich Energy OMG Racing BMW rider and Lee Jackson splitting the Title Fighters on the times.
Peter Hickman overcame his small crash this morning to finish in seventh position for the FHO Racing BMW team, just ahead of reigning champion Josh Brookes on the second of the VisionTrack Ducatis.
Rory Skinner and Title Fighter Glenn Irwin completed the top ten, marginally ahead of Andrew Irwin and Tommy Bridewell, who complete the riders who will progress directly into tomorrow’s Q2 grid decider.
Bennetts British Superbike Championship, Donington Park, SUPERPICKS 12 Free Practice result:
- Tarran Mackenzie (McAMS Yamaha) 1m:28.708s
- Christian Iddon (VisionTrack Ducati) +0.121s
- Danny Buchan (SYNETIQ BMW) +0.180s
- Jason O’Halloran (McAMS Yamaha) +0.299s
- Bradley Ray (Rich Energy OMG Racing BMW) +0.304s
- Lee Jackson (FS-3 Racing Kawasaki) +0.380s
- Peter Hickman (FHO Racing BMW) +0.403s
- Josh Brookes (VisionTrack Ducati) +0.461s
- Rory Skinner (FS-3 Racing Kawasaki) +0.475s
- Glenn Irwin (Honda Racing) +0.596s
- Andrew Irwin (SYNETIQ BMW) +0.770s
- Tommy Bridewell (Oxford Products Racing Ducati) +0.967s
For more information on the Bennetts British Superbike Championship visit www.britishsuperbike.com
Tarran Mackenzie – McAMS Yamaha
Fastest in SUPERPICKS Free Practice
“I am usually a slow burner on a Friday and so I didn’t expect to top the sessions!
“I think it’s the first time I’ve probably ever topped a free practice on a Friday this year, so to be in the position we are coming into the weekend, and with how it has gone today is really good.
“The conditions can still change this weekend, but it is important to know that we can be fast in the dry as that could still be what happens, but I feel that we are ready for that and the McAMS Yamaha is feeling good.
“Free Practice doesn’t mean anything for the championship, but it certainly feels good to have ended the day fastest and we are feeling positive ahead of the race tomorrow.”
More, from a press release issued by Dynavolt Triumph:
Progress for Dynavolt Triumph at Donington Park
Danny Webb was seventh quickest for Dynavolt Triumph as round ten of the 2021 Quattro Group British Supersport Championship got underway today with Free Practice at Donington Park in Leicestershire.
Webb sat out the majority of the first half wet-half dry session, only venturing out for a handful of laps, but with the afternoon came full dry but cold conditions for the second thirty-minute session. The 30-year-old from Kent posted his fastest lap of 1’33.758 and ended the day seventh on the combined timesheets.
Danny Webb: “We had a good day today, we made some good progression with the bike in the dry session, the first session was damp so we just tried a few things out. It’s all moving in the right direction, hopefully it’s going to be dry tomorrow and Sunday but I’m getting more of an understanding of the bike and it’s good to be back here at Donington Park.”
Teammate Brandon Paasch also waited until mid-way through FP1 before he went out to assess the damp conditions, completing seven laps of the Donington Park GP circuit. In the afternoon, with just one lap under his belt, Paasch took a minor fall at Goddards, getting back out on track for the final few minutes to post his best lap of 1’34.761 placing him twelfth overall.
Brandon Paasch: “I had a little unfortunate event, I crashed in the last corner on the second lap. It was just an easy little low side. Got the bike back together and got some laps in at the end there. Looking forward to tomorrow, keep building.”
Dynavolt Triumph Team Manager Simon Buckmaster: “The first session was sort of wet but not really and drying. We didn’t gain much out of that so only one dry session. Danny is seventh in Supersport only 1.3s off the pole, you can say that’s not bad. There’s some optimism there, we can make more progress too to just improve the feel. Having spent all his time in Supersport on four-cylinder machines Danny’s adjusting to the riding style necessary for a three-cylinder which he does appreciate and he’s adapting now. Obviously we are looking at more changeable weather conditions with such a high chance of rain tomorrow but a pretty good job by Danny and the team.”
“Brandon slid off at Goddards and although he didn’t injure himself in the crash, he’s a bit tense and the confidence is not there. He likes to run the harder front tyre but I think with the track and weather temperature we are going to have to consider the softer front tyre for him. Tomorrow is another day.”
To pre-empt the potentially disruptive weather conditions tomorrow a revised schedule has been implemented with Supersport Qualifying now at 09:58-10-20, followed by the 12-lap Sprint Race at 14:45 (BST).
The Late Nicky Hayden Inducted Into Motorsports Hall Of Fame
American Honda Congratulates Hayden Family on Nicky Hayden’s Motorsports Hall of Fame Induction
2006 MotoGP World Champion receives major mainstream motorsports award
October 1, 2021 — PONTIAC, Michigan
On the occasion of this week’s induction of Nicky Hayden to the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America, American Honda congratulates the family of the late road race and dirt track star. While the Hall of Fame is located at Daytona International Speedway, this year’s ceremony was held at the M1 Concourse in Pontiac, Michigan. The award was presented by former Honda team manager Gary Mathers, and received by Nicky’s younger brother Roger Hayden; Roger also kicked off the event by riding a lap of honor aboard a Repsol edition CBR1000RR while carrying the American flag, as Nicky often did following his major wins.
Nicky Hayden rode for American Honda-backed teams in AMA road racing classes between 1999 and 2002, earning the AMA 600 Supersport Championship and AMA Pro Athlete of the Year Award in 1999, and the AMA Superbike Championship and Daytona 200 win in 2002. During part of that tenure, he also rode Hondas in a scrappy AMA Flat Track side project, famously joining brothers Tommy and Roger to lead a Hayden-family podium sweep of the 2002 Springfield TT. Nicky then joined the factory Repsol Honda team in MotoGP from 2003 to 2008, earning the 2006 MotoGP World Championship. He rode for a private Honda MotoGP team in 2014 and 2015, before switching to Honda’s World Superbike team. In 2017, Hayden tragically lost his life in a bicycle accident during a training ride in Italy. In 2018, Hayden was posthumously inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame, one of the motorcycling world’s top recognitions.
This week’s honor is more mainstream, as the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America annually recognizes personalities from the entire world of motorsports – including many forms of auto racing, powerboats, aviation and motorcycles. Other members of Hayden’s class are stockcar driver Davey Allison, land-speed racer John Cobb, drag racer Larry Dixon Jr., Indy and NASCAR trailblazer Janet Guthrie, Indy journalist Robin Miller, powerboat team owner Fran Muncey, NASCAR champion Ray Nichels and famed sports-car racing scorer Judy Stropus. The class of 2020 – including motorcycle dirt track champion Chris Carr – was honored two nights earlier, after last year’s ceremony was postponed due to COVID-19.
“On behalf of the entire motorcycling community, congratulations to the Hayden family for this prestigious recognition of Nicky’s accomplishments on and off the track,” said Bill Savino, Senior Manager of Customer Engagement at American Honda. “The Kentucky Kid will always occupy a place in our hearts – as a racer, but especially as a person – and we’re pleased that the Hall of Fame also recognizes how exceptional he was.”
MotoGP: Exclusive Interview With Red Bull KTM Rider Brad Binder
COPYRIGHT 2021, ROADRACING WORLD PUBLISHING, INC.
Interview: Red Bull KTM MotoGP Factory Rider Brad Binder:
“There Comes A Moment Where It Feels Completely Normal…”
by Michael Gougis
It’s hard to think of Brad Binder as still kind of a rookie. The 2016 Moto3 World Champion already has two MotoGP wins in a very short time in the premier class, and he seems to have been around the paddock for a long time. That is likely because of the attention he’s gotten, as he has spent much of his Grand Prix career near the front, with podiums every year since 2014 and wins in most of those seasons.
Yet the South African finds himself still facing new circuits and new challenges. His premier-class rookie season of 2020 was short and chaotic because of the global COVID-19 pandemic, and he’s just now getting into his second full season of wrestling the mechanical bull known as a MotoGP racebike.
“I’ve only had one and a bit proper seasons under my belt on a MotoGP bike. I still feel like – I’ve never been here on the MotoGP bike,” says Binder, 26, of Potchefstroom, South Africa, as he prepared for the Grand Prix of The Americas, in Austin, Texas.
“And there’s a lot of tracks coming next season – I’ll be going to Philip Island, Japan, Argentina – all of these places for the first time on the MotoGP bike, when I’ll be in my third season! It’s a little bit difficult, a little bit strange. But I think I’ve adapted well to the class, and I understand what I need to do to go fast and where to improve.”
Binder is no stranger to COTA, although he still finds the track a unique challenge on the Championship circuit.
“There’s nothing quite like it,” Binder says of the 3.4-mile, 20-turn track. “I think it’s got the most corners of any track! It’s unique. The grip conditions are really low at the beginning, and it just gets better and better and better. It’s a long, big track, and it’s something I’m really looking forward to.”
This season, the factory Red Bull KTM MotoGP RC16 has proven to prefer hot, slick racetracks, Binder says.
“Sometimes we see that in super-hot conditions we’re more competitive than we are when it’s cooler. In MotoGP it comes down to what the tire allocation is for the weekend. Sometimes the harder rubber suits our KTM a little bit better. Some tracks you can use it, some tracks you can’t,” he says. “The hotter, the more slippery, the more sketchy the track conditions are, the better it is for us.”
With a new fuel coming on-stream in the middle of the 2021 season, the KTM has also added more straight-line speed – not that it was really lacking in that department – to its stout performance under braking. The two, combined, help Binder with his increasingly common Sunday afternoon charge from a starting spot toward the back of the grid to a finishing spot closer to the front than anyone expects.
“Our strongest point on the KTM is definitely our braking performance, which has always been the strongest point for our bike. We have the ability to stop the bike in a shorter space of time than the other guys. We’re able to really push it that little bit harder, which makes things a lot better to fight in the race and make overtakes. That’s one point of the bike that I’m really happy about,” he says. “The biggest difference as far as our top speed goes is the new fuel. It’s nice, it’s great to have that little extra margin. It’s time for free at the end of the day!”
The weak spots, he says, are the obvious one – qualifying – and one that’s harder to spot, simply because in MotoGP, the differences between winning and finishing mid-pack are increasingly small.
“The one point where we need to improve is corner exits, especially coming out of hairpins where you’re in first gear and you’re hooking through the first three-four gears is where we seem to be missing a little bit,” Binder says. “That’s what we’re working on. We’ve got to sort out some small issues, and we’ll be a lot stronger in the upcoming races.”
Qualifying is the next major issue that KTM – and he – have to focus on, he says.
“Normally, if I can do a lap time once, I can do it over and over again. But I struggle to do that one lap that’s much quicker than the rest. I’ve always got good race pace, which always seems to carry me through on the Sunday,” he says.
“As a rider, it’s not my strongest point. It’s something that we’re working on as a team, for sure. It’s not the strongest point for our bike at the moment. But on the other hand, our bike can be consistent over 20 laps. If I had to write one off (race or qualifying), I’d choose qualifying. But I hope for the future we’ll be in a position where we can fight for some pole positions as well.”
Although Binder says he knows there is room for improvement, the past year has seen the pucker factor of just riding a MotoGP machine drop to the point where he can focus on getting the last few percent of performance out of himself and the KTM. He’s come a long way from the wide-eyed rider who hopped off the winning Moto2 machine at Valencia in 2019 and two days later swung his leg over the RC16 at the post-season test.
“The first impression when you get on a MotoGP bike is overwhelming. You don’t know how you’re going to complete a race distance, because it’s so physical, it’s so physically demanding, it’s just so strong, the wheelie and everything is next level. It takes a while to get used to. But then there comes a moment where it feels completely normal. That becomes the norm. There’s no more insane power – of course it’s still there, but it becomes like walking – something you completely adapt to. It took a while, to be honest. But it seems like I’m used to it,” he says.
World Superbike: Razgatlioglu Takes Pole Position In Portugal
Northern Talent Cup: 2022 Application Period Now Open
2022 Northern Talent Cup applications open now!
Applications for the 2022 Northern Talent Cup are now open! Prospective teams and riders can apply to join the grid until the 31st of December, with registration open now at northerntalentcup.com. A maximum of 26 permanent riders are able to line up in 2022, and all nationalities can apply but the NTC aims to search for new talents from across central and northern Europe.
Riders must be born between January 1st, 2005, and February 28th, 2010. Riders from different racing backgrounds can apply, with no road racing experience necessary. Dirt bikes and/or motocross bikes may also be developing the riding skills that translate into success on tarmac!
Individual riders can apply, but must decide a Team Name and have a Team Manager, and they must have at least one mechanic and a legal guardian.
Any team applying should have a Team Manager, who will be the main contact with the organisation, and the team can comprise a rider and two mechanics, who may also be family members or acquaintances.
KEY DATES
Applications open: 1st October 2021
Application deadline: 31st December 2021
Confirmation of full time riders: 21st January 2022
Download application information HERE
Register HERE
October 2021
On the Front Cover: The 2022 KTM RC 390 makes history as the most advanced lightweight production streetbike ever, with IMU-based electronic rider aids, including cornering ABS and lean-angle-sensitive traction control.
Roadracing World & Motorcycle Technology is THE definitive source for motorcycle racing, riding, and tech information.
Roadracing World & Motorcycle Technology magazine is available in print and digital formats. SUBSCRIBE NOW. Or call (909) 654-4779 to subscribe, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time, Monday through Friday.
Log in HERE to read the October 2021 issue of Roadracing World & Motorcycle Technology with your online subscription.
In This Issue:
FEATURES
Inside Info: KTM Puts Advanced Electronics On The RC 390; MV Improves The F3; Suzuki Builds A 1000cc GT, and more…
Historic Racebike Illustrations: 250cc 1964 Yamaha RD56
Intro: Harley-Davidson Pan America 1250 Special Is A Home Run!
MotoGP Analysis: Ginger Molloy’s Life As A GP Racer 50 Years Ago
Editor’s Scrapbook: AMA Museum Archives’ Future Hall Of Famer
Collections: AMA Hall Of Fame Museum
PROFESSIONAL RACING
MotoAmerica Superbikes At NJMP: Gagne Is 2021 Champion
MotoAmerica Superbikes At Barber: Petersen, Scholtz, Gagne Win
MotoGP At Silverstone, Alcaniz, & San Marino: Bagnaia Breaks Through
World Superbike At Magny-Cours, Catalunya, & Jerez: Razgatlioglu Takes Charge
COLUMNS
Letters To The Editor: World Champion Ana Carrasco; MotoGP Live
10 Years Ago, October 2011: Casey Stoner vs. Mick Doohan; Superbike World Champion Ben Spies
New Products: Big Gear Bags From Alpinestars
The Kids’ Page: Ryder Davis
The Crash Page: Petersen Crashes, Still Wins In MA Superbike
Racing, School, & Track Day Calendar: Where To Ride
ASRA/CCS Newsletter
High-Performance Parts & Services
Chris Ulrich: Adventures Of An Ex-Racer: Sean Dylan Kelly clinches the Supersport Championship
MotoGP: Quartararo Says COTA Is “Not Suitable To Race On”
The riders of the MotoGP World Championship may have missed racing in the United States of America since 2019, but after riding in wet and dry Free Practice sessions Friday, the riders let it be known that they did not miss the bumps all around the 3.4-mile, 20-turn Circuit of The Americas (COTA) racetrack.
No one was more vocal about his displeasure with the state of COTA’s racing surface than current MotoGP World Championship point leader Fabio Quartararo.
“FP2 showed that the track is not suitable to race on,” Quartararo was quoted as saying in a press release issued by Monster Energy Yamaha. “It’s like a motocross track with asphalt. Of course, this is the same for everyone, but I think in terms of safety it’s really bad.”
“The condition of this circuit is probably the worst in the whole calendar,” Tech3 KTM Factory Racing rider Iker Lecuona was quoted as saying in a press release issued Friday afternoon. “There are so many bumps, it feels like a motocross track and very difficult to manage.”
“I really like this circuit but I found it a lot more demanding than in the past,” said Team Suzuki ECSTAR’s Alex Rins, who won the last MotoGP race held at COTA, in 2019. “It’s super bumpy and we’re all fighting with our bikes to stay on the right line and not get too out of shape.”
“The asphalt is in poor condition, much worse than I remembered, and the times show it,” said Aprilia rider Aleix Espargaro.
And even Marc Marquez, who has had an incredible run of success at COTA, said, “With all of the bumps it’s very hard to be consistent with your laps and to understand where you can push and where the limit is.”
Stay tuned.
British Superbike: Mackenzie Leads Practice At Donington Park
Editorial Notes: American Brandon Paasch, riding his Dynavolt Triumph Street Triple RS 765, was 12th fastest in combined British Supersport practice Friday at Donington Park. Paasch suffered a crash on Friday that set him back, but he escaped without injury.
American Julien Correa, riding his Microlise Cresswell Racing Honda, was 25th in combined British Talent Cup practice times on Friday.
Mackenzie holds off title rivals to top SUPERPICKS Free Practice at Donington Park
Tarran Mackenzie set the benchmark for his Bennetts British Superbike Championship title rivals after the opening SUPERPICKS Free Practice sessions at Donington Park, as the top three riders dipped under the existing lap record.
McAMS Yamaha’s Mackenzie secured the top position as the final ten minutes of the session counted down, surging ahead of Bradley Ray, who was setting the pace before the final flurry of fast laps at the end of the session.
Mackenzie heads into tomorrow’s action bidding to extend his two-point advantage at the top of the standings in the opening BikeSocial Race at his home round.
Christian Iddon held on to second position after the opening day on track; the VisionTrack Ducati rider moving just 0.121s adrift of Mackenzie on his penultimate lap of the day, after the session was briefly red flagged after separate crashes from Andrew Irwin and Gino Rea at Craner Curves.
Danny Buchan was third fastest after topping the earlier session for the SYNETIQ BMW team, just ahead of Jason O’Halloran, who is ready to fight back to overhaul his McAMS Yamaha teammate at the top of the standings.
Ray dropped to fifth place at the chequered flag, with the Rich Energy OMG Racing BMW rider and Lee Jackson splitting the Title Fighters on the times.
Peter Hickman overcame his small crash this morning to finish in seventh position for the FHO Racing BMW team, just ahead of reigning champion Josh Brookes on the second of the VisionTrack Ducatis.
Rory Skinner and Title Fighter Glenn Irwin completed the top ten, marginally ahead of Andrew Irwin and Tommy Bridewell, who complete the riders who will progress directly into tomorrow’s Q2 grid decider.
Bennetts British Superbike Championship, Donington Park, SUPERPICKS 12 Free Practice result:
- Tarran Mackenzie (McAMS Yamaha) 1m:28.708s
- Christian Iddon (VisionTrack Ducati) +0.121s
- Danny Buchan (SYNETIQ BMW) +0.180s
- Jason O’Halloran (McAMS Yamaha) +0.299s
- Bradley Ray (Rich Energy OMG Racing BMW) +0.304s
- Lee Jackson (FS-3 Racing Kawasaki) +0.380s
- Peter Hickman (FHO Racing BMW) +0.403s
- Josh Brookes (VisionTrack Ducati) +0.461s
- Rory Skinner (FS-3 Racing Kawasaki) +0.475s
- Glenn Irwin (Honda Racing) +0.596s
- Andrew Irwin (SYNETIQ BMW) +0.770s
- Tommy Bridewell (Oxford Products Racing Ducati) +0.967s
For more information on the Bennetts British Superbike Championship visit www.britishsuperbike.com
Tarran Mackenzie – McAMS Yamaha
Fastest in SUPERPICKS Free Practice
“I am usually a slow burner on a Friday and so I didn’t expect to top the sessions!
“I think it’s the first time I’ve probably ever topped a free practice on a Friday this year, so to be in the position we are coming into the weekend, and with how it has gone today is really good.
“The conditions can still change this weekend, but it is important to know that we can be fast in the dry as that could still be what happens, but I feel that we are ready for that and the McAMS Yamaha is feeling good.
“Free Practice doesn’t mean anything for the championship, but it certainly feels good to have ended the day fastest and we are feeling positive ahead of the race tomorrow.”
More, from a press release issued by Dynavolt Triumph:
Progress for Dynavolt Triumph at Donington Park
Danny Webb was seventh quickest for Dynavolt Triumph as round ten of the 2021 Quattro Group British Supersport Championship got underway today with Free Practice at Donington Park in Leicestershire.
Webb sat out the majority of the first half wet-half dry session, only venturing out for a handful of laps, but with the afternoon came full dry but cold conditions for the second thirty-minute session. The 30-year-old from Kent posted his fastest lap of 1’33.758 and ended the day seventh on the combined timesheets.
Danny Webb: “We had a good day today, we made some good progression with the bike in the dry session, the first session was damp so we just tried a few things out. It’s all moving in the right direction, hopefully it’s going to be dry tomorrow and Sunday but I’m getting more of an understanding of the bike and it’s good to be back here at Donington Park.”
Teammate Brandon Paasch also waited until mid-way through FP1 before he went out to assess the damp conditions, completing seven laps of the Donington Park GP circuit. In the afternoon, with just one lap under his belt, Paasch took a minor fall at Goddards, getting back out on track for the final few minutes to post his best lap of 1’34.761 placing him twelfth overall.
Brandon Paasch: “I had a little unfortunate event, I crashed in the last corner on the second lap. It was just an easy little low side. Got the bike back together and got some laps in at the end there. Looking forward to tomorrow, keep building.”
Dynavolt Triumph Team Manager Simon Buckmaster: “The first session was sort of wet but not really and drying. We didn’t gain much out of that so only one dry session. Danny is seventh in Supersport only 1.3s off the pole, you can say that’s not bad. There’s some optimism there, we can make more progress too to just improve the feel. Having spent all his time in Supersport on four-cylinder machines Danny’s adjusting to the riding style necessary for a three-cylinder which he does appreciate and he’s adapting now. Obviously we are looking at more changeable weather conditions with such a high chance of rain tomorrow but a pretty good job by Danny and the team.”
“Brandon slid off at Goddards and although he didn’t injure himself in the crash, he’s a bit tense and the confidence is not there. He likes to run the harder front tyre but I think with the track and weather temperature we are going to have to consider the softer front tyre for him. Tomorrow is another day.”
To pre-empt the potentially disruptive weather conditions tomorrow a revised schedule has been implemented with Supersport Qualifying now at 09:58-10-20, followed by the 12-lap Sprint Race at 14:45 (BST).
Moto2: Raul Fernandez Under Race Lap Record In FP2 At COTA
MotoGP: Marc Marquez Is Quickest During FP2 At COTA
The Late Nicky Hayden Inducted Into Motorsports Hall Of Fame
American Honda Congratulates Hayden Family on Nicky Hayden’s Motorsports Hall of Fame Induction
2006 MotoGP World Champion receives major mainstream motorsports award
October 1, 2021 — PONTIAC, Michigan
On the occasion of this week’s induction of Nicky Hayden to the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America, American Honda congratulates the family of the late road race and dirt track star. While the Hall of Fame is located at Daytona International Speedway, this year’s ceremony was held at the M1 Concourse in Pontiac, Michigan. The award was presented by former Honda team manager Gary Mathers, and received by Nicky’s younger brother Roger Hayden; Roger also kicked off the event by riding a lap of honor aboard a Repsol edition CBR1000RR while carrying the American flag, as Nicky often did following his major wins.
Nicky Hayden rode for American Honda-backed teams in AMA road racing classes between 1999 and 2002, earning the AMA 600 Supersport Championship and AMA Pro Athlete of the Year Award in 1999, and the AMA Superbike Championship and Daytona 200 win in 2002. During part of that tenure, he also rode Hondas in a scrappy AMA Flat Track side project, famously joining brothers Tommy and Roger to lead a Hayden-family podium sweep of the 2002 Springfield TT. Nicky then joined the factory Repsol Honda team in MotoGP from 2003 to 2008, earning the 2006 MotoGP World Championship. He rode for a private Honda MotoGP team in 2014 and 2015, before switching to Honda’s World Superbike team. In 2017, Hayden tragically lost his life in a bicycle accident during a training ride in Italy. In 2018, Hayden was posthumously inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame, one of the motorcycling world’s top recognitions.
This week’s honor is more mainstream, as the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America annually recognizes personalities from the entire world of motorsports – including many forms of auto racing, powerboats, aviation and motorcycles. Other members of Hayden’s class are stockcar driver Davey Allison, land-speed racer John Cobb, drag racer Larry Dixon Jr., Indy and NASCAR trailblazer Janet Guthrie, Indy journalist Robin Miller, powerboat team owner Fran Muncey, NASCAR champion Ray Nichels and famed sports-car racing scorer Judy Stropus. The class of 2020 – including motorcycle dirt track champion Chris Carr – was honored two nights earlier, after last year’s ceremony was postponed due to COVID-19.
“On behalf of the entire motorcycling community, congratulations to the Hayden family for this prestigious recognition of Nicky’s accomplishments on and off the track,” said Bill Savino, Senior Manager of Customer Engagement at American Honda. “The Kentucky Kid will always occupy a place in our hearts – as a racer, but especially as a person – and we’re pleased that the Hall of Fame also recognizes how exceptional he was.”
Moto3: Salac Sets Best Lap Time In FP2 At COTA
MotoGP: Exclusive Interview With Red Bull KTM Rider Brad Binder
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Interview: Red Bull KTM MotoGP Factory Rider Brad Binder:
“There Comes A Moment Where It Feels Completely Normal…”
by Michael Gougis
It’s hard to think of Brad Binder as still kind of a rookie. The 2016 Moto3 World Champion already has two MotoGP wins in a very short time in the premier class, and he seems to have been around the paddock for a long time. That is likely because of the attention he’s gotten, as he has spent much of his Grand Prix career near the front, with podiums every year since 2014 and wins in most of those seasons.
Yet the South African finds himself still facing new circuits and new challenges. His premier-class rookie season of 2020 was short and chaotic because of the global COVID-19 pandemic, and he’s just now getting into his second full season of wrestling the mechanical bull known as a MotoGP racebike.
“I’ve only had one and a bit proper seasons under my belt on a MotoGP bike. I still feel like – I’ve never been here on the MotoGP bike,” says Binder, 26, of Potchefstroom, South Africa, as he prepared for the Grand Prix of The Americas, in Austin, Texas.
“And there’s a lot of tracks coming next season – I’ll be going to Philip Island, Japan, Argentina – all of these places for the first time on the MotoGP bike, when I’ll be in my third season! It’s a little bit difficult, a little bit strange. But I think I’ve adapted well to the class, and I understand what I need to do to go fast and where to improve.”
Binder is no stranger to COTA, although he still finds the track a unique challenge on the Championship circuit.
“There’s nothing quite like it,” Binder says of the 3.4-mile, 20-turn track. “I think it’s got the most corners of any track! It’s unique. The grip conditions are really low at the beginning, and it just gets better and better and better. It’s a long, big track, and it’s something I’m really looking forward to.”
This season, the factory Red Bull KTM MotoGP RC16 has proven to prefer hot, slick racetracks, Binder says.
“Sometimes we see that in super-hot conditions we’re more competitive than we are when it’s cooler. In MotoGP it comes down to what the tire allocation is for the weekend. Sometimes the harder rubber suits our KTM a little bit better. Some tracks you can use it, some tracks you can’t,” he says. “The hotter, the more slippery, the more sketchy the track conditions are, the better it is for us.”
With a new fuel coming on-stream in the middle of the 2021 season, the KTM has also added more straight-line speed – not that it was really lacking in that department – to its stout performance under braking. The two, combined, help Binder with his increasingly common Sunday afternoon charge from a starting spot toward the back of the grid to a finishing spot closer to the front than anyone expects.
“Our strongest point on the KTM is definitely our braking performance, which has always been the strongest point for our bike. We have the ability to stop the bike in a shorter space of time than the other guys. We’re able to really push it that little bit harder, which makes things a lot better to fight in the race and make overtakes. That’s one point of the bike that I’m really happy about,” he says. “The biggest difference as far as our top speed goes is the new fuel. It’s nice, it’s great to have that little extra margin. It’s time for free at the end of the day!”
The weak spots, he says, are the obvious one – qualifying – and one that’s harder to spot, simply because in MotoGP, the differences between winning and finishing mid-pack are increasingly small.
“The one point where we need to improve is corner exits, especially coming out of hairpins where you’re in first gear and you’re hooking through the first three-four gears is where we seem to be missing a little bit,” Binder says. “That’s what we’re working on. We’ve got to sort out some small issues, and we’ll be a lot stronger in the upcoming races.”
Qualifying is the next major issue that KTM – and he – have to focus on, he says.
“Normally, if I can do a lap time once, I can do it over and over again. But I struggle to do that one lap that’s much quicker than the rest. I’ve always got good race pace, which always seems to carry me through on the Sunday,” he says.
“As a rider, it’s not my strongest point. It’s something that we’re working on as a team, for sure. It’s not the strongest point for our bike at the moment. But on the other hand, our bike can be consistent over 20 laps. If I had to write one off (race or qualifying), I’d choose qualifying. But I hope for the future we’ll be in a position where we can fight for some pole positions as well.”
Although Binder says he knows there is room for improvement, the past year has seen the pucker factor of just riding a MotoGP machine drop to the point where he can focus on getting the last few percent of performance out of himself and the KTM. He’s come a long way from the wide-eyed rider who hopped off the winning Moto2 machine at Valencia in 2019 and two days later swung his leg over the RC16 at the post-season test.
“The first impression when you get on a MotoGP bike is overwhelming. You don’t know how you’re going to complete a race distance, because it’s so physical, it’s so physically demanding, it’s just so strong, the wheelie and everything is next level. It takes a while to get used to. But then there comes a moment where it feels completely normal. That becomes the norm. There’s no more insane power – of course it’s still there, but it becomes like walking – something you completely adapt to. It took a while, to be honest. But it seems like I’m used to it,” he says.